joaquinsgf

[joaquinsgf]

oh jealous joaquin and yearner bob i love you so much

Challengers: Avengers Edition (Part 2)

Pairings: Joaquin Torres x Fem!Stark!Reader (Established Relationship); Bob Reynolds x Fem!Stark!Reader

Summary: Coming back from a mission, you discover that Bucky has joined a whole new team, lead by a freak like Valentina. In order to get information and protect Sam, you and Joaquin decide to visit Bucky and his new team before taking the next step. But a certain golden boy laid his eyes on you and is instantly head over heels. How will everyone navigate this, especially when you have a boyfriend?

Warnings: Fuff, Banter, Angst, Cameos, Joaquin loves Reader a LOT, Joaquin being a cutie, Poor Bob suffers :(,CAUTION: Mentions of Bob’s Addiction, Drugs and Mental Illnesses, Graphic discussion of Bob's withdrawals from drugs and his past, the Void demeans Bob, SO much Yearning and Longing from Bob, Jealous!Joaquin, Jealous!Bob,Reader is oblivious as hell because she has eyes for Joaquin only, Reader is mentioned to have hair long enough to be let down loose, thats all i think! Let me know if i should add something else!

DISCLAIMER: I’m not trying to infantilise Bob. Just like in the first part, he’s coming down from a high of feeling jealous and borderline possessive, so he’s feeling a little disoriented and ashamed about his actions + his intrusive thoughts don’t help either and that’s why he’s nervous. I don’t believe in infantilising mentally ill people + I have a degree in psychology, so whatever knowledge I have about how people with mental illnesses or addictions react/behave, is all from that, and from observing/dealing with others. Feel free to correct me if I’ve gotten anything wrong!

AN: jealous joaquin and yearner bob is smth serious #tome

The first thing that Bob saw as soon as he entered the launch pad, was you hugging Bucky, his arms around you in a protective and fatherly hug. Bob’s heart was beating faster as he noticed the tender look on your face.

He’s only ever known you as the Stark Heir, the public figure, one of the richest men’s daughter, who also happened to be really attractive and someone who owned her name to the fullest. He’s never known you as the kind, honest, sassy, yet soft woman that you are. And it was clear, that you held a lot of love for Bucky and Sam, both. Trying everything in your power to mend your family back.

You were steadfast, strong, courageous, with a lethal smile and a sharp tongue, that’d kill anyone. (something that Bob would happily let you do to him, he thought.)

Bob almost felt bold enough to approach you.

Almost.

Because then you stepped aside, and Bucky gave a “man” hug to Joaquin. Bob clenched his hands into fists, again.

Yelena stood next to him quietly and just observed him. How his eyes would soften when they were on you, and how they’d harden with annoyance and something else, when he saw Joaquin.

Suddenly, you turned your attention over Bucky’s shoulder. Stopping mid-laugh, you awkwardly gestured towards them.

Bucky beckoned them closer, Bob straightened his spine and put his hands in his pockets, a sudden boost of confidence making him walk towards you without stumbling over his own feet.

Yelena followed in thinly veiled shock. What had gotten into him?

“This is our version of Thor”, Bucky joked, nudging Bob lightly.

"And that's Yelena", he looked at Yelena and pointed at you with a nod, "She wants to talk to you."

Yelena frowned, "Why? So that she could remind me why she's here again? No thanks."

Your eyes widened, "No! Oh god, no. Yelena, I- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's been a lot and I..I didn't take it well that someone other than me or my family, was staying here. Sorry. That wasn't cool", you blurted out, a thumb pressing into your palm.

Bob noticed that. A telltale sign that you were nervous. Because he'd do the same, as well.

Bob also noticed Joaquin's hand move up and down your back.

'See how much he loves her? How much she loves being touched by him? The way he can calm her down with just a touch? You bet that was you, don't you. But, oh, you'd have to be controlled first...however will you console her, if you can't even do a single task without fucking it up?'

He swallowed thickly, the confidence disappearing into dust as he heard that slimy and raspy voice in his head again. He wrung his hands together and looked away, the sight and his thoughts, becoming too painful to digest.

Yelena looked at Bucky tentatively, who nodded at her.

"It's...okay. But only because you knew my sister", she lightly stated.

You let out a sigh of relief. It was quiet for a moment before Joaquin decided to break it, unable to hold his thoughts in for another moment.

"Really diggin' those piercings, Miss Yelena. I have 'em too, look", Joaquin exclaimed as he noticed Yelena's ear piercings. He turned his head to show her the small, silver hoops with angel wings excitedly.

You smiled fondly. He loved his piercings and he loved matching with people. Yelena looked at him in surprise before she gently checked his earrings out.

"It's just Yelena. And they're nice. I've gotten my cartilage pierced recently-"

And she began showing her piercings off, Joaquin nodding away attentively. Bucky scoffed at how Joaquin could get along with anybody, at anytime. You chuckled.

Bob felt uncomfortable. Because he'd realised that he couldn't hate Joaquin, even if he tried, because the man was too nice. He had already won over Yelena. Bucky was clearly fond of him, if he let him hug him freely.

And you? The fond look on your face whenever you looked at Joaquin, said it all.

Bob felt his eyes sting with tears.

"Bob?"

He froze. It was you. Your soft, but sturdy voice calling his name for the first time since you got here.

He snapped his head up, blue eyes shimmering in the afternoon sun with the tears that had pooled in them, his hands fussing with the oversized sleeves of his shirt. His breath hitched again, because there you were, the sun making your hair and skin glow, the wind from being so high above the ground, making your hair tousled, that green cardigan bringing out the colour of your eyes beautifully and a sweet smile tugging at your lips, all directed at him.

He was a goner.

"I didn't get to meet you properly. Hi", you'd greeted, a hand sticking out to shake his. Bob looked at the hand and then looked at you, before Bucky's hand shot out to stop you.

Bob winced. She can't even shake your hands without feeling like she wants to die, loser.

Yelena whipped her head around to watch the scene. Joaquin stared down Bob in irritation, whose eyes didn't leave you.

"Uh-sorry, doll. Just, not the hands", he gently informed you, moving your hand away carefully.

Your face melted into understanding, mouth taking the shape of an 'O', as you clasped your hands in front of you.

"Oh- sorry. Well, Hi, Bob. I can still wave, right?", you joked lightly as you raised a hand to wave, causing Bucky to chuckle.

Bob gave you a nervous smile, raising a sweater paw hand to wave back.

"Hi, (Name). Um-Nice to meet you", his deep voice greeted you.

You cracked a smile, "So he talks!"

Bob blushed. Bucky's vigilant eyes caught that immediately and he looked at Yelena, who was looking back at him sadly.

"So...where're you from?", you attempted to strike a conversation.

"I-uh…I'm from Florida", Bob managed to get out, a barely there smile pulling his lips up.

Suddenly your eyes widened, "Quino, he's from Florida as well!", you looked at Joaquin, calling him over.

Bob's smile disappeared immediately. Because, of course, Joaquin was from Florida.

Joaquin didn’t say anything, his eyes glaring at Bob, the tension slowly building up in the air. You looked at the two men with furrowed brows.

“Nice to meet you, Bob. I’m her boyfriend”, Joaquin replied casually with a hand in his pocket and the other hand splayed on your back.

Bob’s heart stopped.

‘Told you… you should listen to me more often, Bob.’

You gave a tight lipped smile at that, looking at Joaquin in confusion before sharing a look with Bucky. Yelena let out a sigh next to him.

“Alright. I think we should leave! Bye, Buck. Keep in touch, please. Bye Yelena and Bob”, you gave them all an awkward smile before pressing the pendant on your necklace, letting the suit cover you fully, minus the helmet.

“Quino, let’s go”, you urged him.

Joaquin’s POV

Your voice was a distant ring in his ears.

All he could focus on, was Bob’s more than obvious infatuation with you.

His stupid, big blue eyes following your every move. A slight glassy look taking over them, that was mixed with fondness and admiration for you. His eyes drinking your features in, like he was committing it to memory.

Joaquin felt his blood boil. Because that’s exactly how he looked at you.

It was no secret that you were an absolute stunner. Gorgeous features, amazing fashion sense, a beautiful smile, you had it all. But your personality made you even more likeable and beautiful. Your intelligence, kindness and generosity was contagious, your sarcasm and wit causing everyone around you to flock you like bees to honey, your protectiveness towards your people was admirable. That was what had made Joaquin fall head over heels for you.

You truly were, an all rounder. And Joaquin thanked whatever entity or force was out there every day, for making him fall in love with you. One thing about him though? He was not a jealous boyfriend. Or an insecure one. Both of you were way too obsessed with each other for all that.

You’d spent the entire time next to him when he was recovering, ignoring your own health to prioritise his. You helped him out with the adjustments in his suits and cheered him on whenever he made something on his own. You keep pushing him and then give him some extra love when he needs it. What was there to be insecure about? He was devoted to you, just as much as you were to him.

But he wasn’t going to tolerate this.

Just because Bob has been through some shit, doesn’t mean he should get a pass to hit on your girl, the ugly green monster roared in Joaquin’s stomach.

And he was annoyed with the starry look in Bob’s eyes everytime he looked at you.

“Joaquin?”

He snapped out of the intense stare down with Bob, Bob’s body language growing even more nervous as the minutes passed, as he looked for Yelena and Bucky for help.

He looked at Joaquin with a grimace on his face, and Joaquin swore, that there were many points throughout the time you were here, when he saw Bob’s eyes glow in a golden light.

Joaquin looked Bob up and down, assessing him closely while Bob shifted in discomfort at being scrutinised so heavily, his body shrinking in shame and something broken, the voice in his head telling him that he deserved this.

Joaquin’s lips twitched in some weird kind of satisfaction, tilting his head to the side before he cleared his throat and put on his helmet, joining you at the runaway.

Bucky quirked an eyebrow at that.

“You good?”, you asked in worry, a hand resting on his shoulder.

He clenched his jaw before giving you a small nod, a hand squeezing your bicep in reply.

Bucky waved while the two of you took off in the skies with Joaquin’s mood turning into something sour, you were confused and Bob was internally dying.

-

“We’re talkin’ once this conference is done. Okay?”, was the first thing Bucky said when he returned back to Yelena and Bob, his voice softened and hands resting on the hips.

Bob ducked his head in shame.

“What was all that, Bob? Joaquin was staring at you weirdly, you were being weird, as well. You need to tell us what’s up, before we come to a conclusion ourselves”, Yelena chided him.

Bob wrung his hands together, pulling his sleeves down to cover them fully.

“I don’t know. There’s nothing. You guys, please go to the conference now, before-before Valentina starts throwing a tantrum, again…”, Bob mumbled and left the pad, deciding to hide himself in the temporary bedroom that was assigned to him. For the entire day, preferably.

“You saw the way he looked at her?”, Bucky asked, watching Bob go inside the tower again.

Bucky knew, very well, what was happening. The glazed look in Bob’s eyes was way too clear for someone as observant as Bucky to ignore. He knew Yelena saw it too, but she was keeping it together for Bob’s sake.

He also noticed Joaquin’s irritation with Bob. The annoyed staring, the non hyper-verbal attitude, the constant tension in his jaw. That wasn’t like Joaquin. That man was sunshine personified.

Bucky hoped this didn’t escalate into something more messy. It would make this whole situation even more complicated than it already was.

“Yeah. Right from the moment she stepped in”, Yelena confessed and looked at Bucky with concern.

They just hoped he’d be alright till they got back from the conference.

-

“What had gotten into you back there?”, you asked as soon as the two of you stepped inside the base.

He’d been sulking and quiet the whole ride back home, which was odd, because Joaquin didn’t do sulking and quiet. He was talkative and bright. This behaviour of his, was jarring and unexpected.

And still, he was not meeting your eyes. Jaw perpetually clenched since you’d been at the Tower, his usual jokes and quips missing. And he was being weirdly possessive.

Joaquin loved showing you off, alright. He was, literally, your biggest cheerleader. He was also the clingiest person ever. But him doing that whole ‘I’m her boyfriend’ thing, and constantly pulling you closer to him, was new. He’d never done that before.

And of course, the unnecessarily aggressive stares and hostile attitude thrown at Bob.

Bob, who was so nervous, that he didn’t even talk to you, unless you made an effort to. To be honest, you felt really horrible for the way you’d treated the team and the way Valentina had manipulated Bob.

From the stuff Bucky told you, and from the information you read in Bob’s files, you were shocked at how much this man had endured. And yet, he stood back up from all that, and now he was an Avenger. He’d risen up from the abuse he faced by his father, his addictions and his own mental illnesses and now he was fighting with a supercharged God and an abyss of sorrow, that both resided in him. You were in awe at his resilience.

You suddenly realised, that his story reminded you of your father’s life, weirdly. So naturally, you felt a little more empathetic towards Bob Reynolds.

When you saw just how uncomfortable and anxious he was, you instantly tried your best to help him, because that’s just how you were. You had a quick mouth, but you were even quicker at wanting to make people feel safe.

“Nothing. I’m alright”, Joaquin mumbled absentmindedly, slowly removing his suit and wings as he made his way around the base.

“Now, that is something a not-alright-person would say”, you joked lightly, falling in step with him and nudging his shoulder.

He sighed and entered the dressing room, slowly hanging his suit up in the designated wardrobe, still not saying a word. You frowned.

“Baby, come on. Talk to me. You’ve been stressing your jaw so much since we got there”, you chided, bringing up a hand to smooth over his jaw.

Joaquin closed his eyes before hanging up his jet pack and leaning back against the wardrobe. His usually calm and relaxed face was scrunched up in annoyance, the creases on his forehead deepening as he furrowed his eyebrows even more.

He stared at his shoes, arms tightly coiled around his torso, making his biceps bulge against the tight undershirt. You held yourself back from launching at him.

“You really didn’t notice anything?”, he finally answered, albeit quietly.

You made a face, “Was I supposed to notice something…?”

Joaquin clicked his tongue, "Babe. He was staring at you like he wanted to eat you. The entire time."

"There were 4 'He's' in there, and one of them was Bucky", you deadpanned, confused at what he was insinuating.

"Bob!", he groaned loudly.

You paused at that, "What?"

Joaquin stared at you incredulously, "You really didn't notice?", you shook your head 'no', a pout set on your lips. Joaquin melted. He could never be upset with you for long.

"How are you the smartest girl in the world, yet so oblivious, babe", Joaquin whined, hands coming around your waist and head thumping against your shoulder.

You made a confused face before wrapping your arms around his back and patting it, "Alright, you don't need to call me out like that. But seriously, what's wrong with Bob? I swear he looked at me like I was gonna bite him."

"Yeah, that wasn't just general anxiety. He was nervous to talk to you, because he has a crush on you!", Joaquin exasperated, standing up straight to look at you. Your arms fell down to his waist.

Suddenly, you laughed, leaning against Joaquin for support. He pursed his lips in surprise.

"No way. There's just no way. I didn't even notice him at first, he-"

"But he noticed you. Right from the moment you set foot inside the living area", Joaquin grumbled, tugging the hem of your cardigan absently.

You came down from your laughter, letting out short giggles until you stopped and looked at him. He was being serious.

"Wait, what? Are you-how did I not notice it?", you mumbled, your eyes squinted in confusion, as you tried to remember any such instance.

You just thought he looked at you funny, because you did create a dramatic scene. But this? This was not on your roster.

"Because you were busy bullying Yelena and Bucky", he quipped, earning a slap on the shoulder from you.

"Ow! What, I'm serious! You didn't even look at him when you entered because you were busy going off at them, but I saw him. He kept his eyes on you, like, the entire time. He was glaring at me whenever I touched you and I swear, babe, I saw his eyes going all golden and shit. He-", Joaquin abruptly stopped his rant, his mouth hanging open.

You quirked an eyebrow, "He what, bird boy?"

Joaquin blushed. A huge splotch of pink appeared on both of his cheeks, his hands busying themselves by caressing your back.

"He looked at you the way I do", he replied so quietly, so shyly.

A bright smile broke out on your face and you poked his pink cheek with a finger, "Are you jealous, Quino?", you cooed.

Joaquin grumbled, leaning away from your hand that was still poking his cheek. You giggled.

"You know there's nothing to be jealous of, right?", you stopped poking his cheek and cradled it in your palm instead, your voice low with sincerity. He nuzzled into it like a puppy.

"I know, of course I know. But still...He-I dunno. Anyways. Are we discussing this with Sam or..?", he chose to change the topic and you didn't press further, for now.

"Bucky won't let any of that conversation out, so we can wait till Sam talks to us himself. I wanna hear his suggestions first. I do think he'll go forward with the case. That's the only way to take down Valentina and Bucky might help us out on that ground as well. We'll definitely push Sam to talk to Bucky, as well", you conceded.

Joaquin nodded in agreement, his brown eyes working overtime as they shined under the yellow light of the dressing room, a stray curl falling onto his forehead.

You took his pretty features in before groaning in impatience, "Oh, come here, you."

And you grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him down to crash your lips on his, causing him to let out a low sound of surprise.

He wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you impossibly close, molding his lips with yours just as passionately.

-

Bob was not having a normal day.

He had fallen in love and was rejected on the same day itself.

Well, he wasn't directly rejected. But still. He'd lost here as well, just as he had, in every other thing in his life.

'How do you always end up a loser, Bob? You can't even hold a simple conversation. She was right there. Yet, you could do nothing. Nothing as he held her and brought her closer to his body. And she leaned into it. You saw that, right?'

There was that voice again. Him. The Void. The very thing he'd fought to escape from, just yesterday. Bob thought he was finally free. But what did 'free' even mean anymore? Free from The void? Free from The Sentry? Free from Valentina? Free from his own past? How many things would he have to keep in control?

And now, he had another thing to worry about: His attraction infatuation love, for you.

Bob wasn't sure why he was so latched on to you. As he was laid down in a pathetic, fetal position on the bed, hazy memories came up in front of him, the daze of meth and god knows what other psychedelics warping his vision, but he still remembered some of it.

He remembers the flavour of that ice cream he used to have with his mom, back in Florida. He remembers the smell of that cheap deodorant he used to wear, to ward off the stench of weed. He remembers that one Ramones song that used to play on his friend's Ipod in the background, as they sniffed on some powders.

But in between all those hazy memories, he vividly remembers this one clip that he saw on the TV of a small food joint in Sarasota, just a few years before he set off for South-East Asia. The owner was a sweet, black woman, Angela, who would always let him drop by and let him have some food, for free, because he'd mostly spend all of his money on drugs.

It was a rare instance that day, where Bob hadn't used, yet. Simply because his supplier was late. Bob's hands were already shivering, his stomach cramping as he started to feel the withdrawals, his face scrunched up in pain as he desperately looked for something to focus on, instead of that. Luckily there were no other guests at the place today, so he was a little relieved. Angela simply looked at him and sighed, making her way inside to cook something light for him.

She knew his mother, you see. Her heart broke for Annie and Bob Reynolds. His monster of a father made their life hell, and she made sure to do her part of being in the community by helping the two of them out here and there. Slowly, Angela grew fond of the boy, who was always so protective of his mom. And she did her best to help him, even after he took to drugs as an escape.

Bob's shaking hands tugged his ball cap low, the other hand fisting his t-shirt tightly by his stomach as his restless eyes wandered over to the TV mounted on top of the wall.

Trying his best to ignore the sweat sticking to his skin and his vision blurring, Bob focused on the speech that was being played on the TV.

There was a woman speaking on it. She must be around his age, maybe a few years younger. Dressed formally in a sharp power suit, her shoulders held proudly, as she spoke passionately in front of a millions flashing cameras.

Bob's attention was successfully captured.

There was something captivating about the way she spoke. Her voice was clear and assertive, yet soft at the same time, eyes shining brightly even through the low, grainy footage on the screen. Her whole presence screamed power, poise and purpose. It also helped immensely that she was very, very beautiful. Even Bob's withdrawal-addled brain could see that.

He watched her, transfixed, a hand still coiled tightly in his t-shirt, a sheen of spit covering his mouth as he looked at her unblinking, mouth opened slightly. His mind convincing him that if he would've blinked, she'd disappear.

"(Name) Stark. Ain't she pretty?", Angela off-handedly commented as she put a plate of a simple sandwich in front of him, her eyes focused on the TV.

Bob grimaced in pain, trying to focus on your face on the TV and Angela's words.

"She just opened a rehab centre in Phoenix. She's givin' a speech about that. Says she wanted to give back to the community after Tony Stark passed away. What d'you think?"

Bob blinked lazily. His brain was only half-assessing Angela's words. He wanted to scream, that he found you amazing, cool, beautiful and what not. But it felt like his mouth and ears were stuffed with cotton.

Bob's subconscious decided that after watching the clip and hearing about you, he'd commit you to memory. Hoping to read more about you. To see more about you. To know more about you, once he'd decide to get his shit together. And he'd thank you. one day, for being his tether during a terrible, terrible day.

And here he was, a few years later, curled up into a ball on his bed because he did find out about you. He did read about you. And he did see you, right in front of him. Yet, there were no grateful or meaningful words exchanged. Just his weirdly possessive staring and stupid fumbles, later.

He wasn't prepared to be hit by your light, he thought. You shone brighter than the sun, your infectious energy and the impact you emanated was impossible to miss. At first he felt the warmth of it, the need to get closer to you, and then it scorched him, because he'd realised you were out of his reach.

'And because you don’t deserve her.'

Bob's scoff echoed in the empty room. For once, he didn't doubt the Void.

"You're right. I don't", Bob spoke to no one in particular.

Because Bob Reynolds was a damaged man. Abusive father, mentally ill mother, his own list of mental illnesses, drug addictions and now he was injected with a God that he didn't want; he had the whole 'red flag' package.

He didn't want to dim your light by his darkness. He didn't want to weigh you down with his unnecessary baggage. And he was sure, that Joaquin was not a damaged good, like himself.

And yet, a small, hopeful part of him ached. It ached with longing and yearning. To be loved on, to be touched softly, to be looked at fondly, like he matters. He wanted someone to tell him that they're so proud of him, that they love him. He wanted that somebody to be you. You, who gave all of that to Joaquin, who returned it with the same fervor.

The thought made him fist his hands into the bedsheet, the bitter feeling burning his throat again.

"But, am I not allowed to love her, even from a distance?", he whispered into the silence, his voice cracking at 'love'.

Bob Reynolds lay there in the room, alone as always, letting the darkness consume him as he fought with his rational and irrational thoughts, like they were on a war.

-

"We're suing 'em."

That's what Sam had said the moment he entered the debrief room, Joaquin sitting on your right, Kamala on your left, Carol sitting at the front and the opposite side of the table was occupied by Kate and Scott. Sam had called for an emergency meeting, asking everyone who was available to turn up.

You exchanged a knowing look with Joaquin. This was bound to happen and it was the best plan, in your opinion.

"Great! Who's our lawyer?", Scott asked, looking at Sam with a dopey smile on his face, as always.

"I've talked to Bruce's cousin, Jennifer Walters. She's agreed to take on the case and Bruce said she's won a case against Matt Murdock, so", Sam shrugged.

You and Joaquin gave an impressed look to Sam.

"Whoa. Matt's like, really good, guys. He saved my dad from a bank robbery. So if she's won against him? She's great", Kamala quipped, her eyes wide in excitement and throwing a thumbs up in Sam's direction, before she leaned closer to you to whisper, "and, abbu also said that he's handsome!"

You giggled and nudged her, making her smile big.

Sam chuckled, "I bet, kid. Anyways, remember, this case is against Valentina, only. No personal attacks against the team, no sneaking behind my back to talk to them, no posting on social media. I don't want any of you doing that, is that clear?", Sam instructed, looking at you and Joaquin pointedly.

Joaquin subtly squeezed your hand under the table, as you two gave your best fake smiles to Sam. Sam narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Question", Kate raised her hand up. Sam nodded at her to continue.

"So, are you gonna talk to Bucky or like, we are gonna directly send them an email or a letter or something", Kate asked in full sincerity.

You perked up at that, "Good question, Kate. Did Bucky call?", you asked Sam directly, Joaquin observing him closely to gauge his reaction.

Sam pursed his lips, a sullen look taking over his face, "Uh, no. No calls. No texts. Not yet, anyways."

"Shouldn't we wait, then? Maybe he'll call soon?", Joaquin urged hopefully.

Frankly, you all wanted the former Avengers to patch up first, and then take down Valentina, together. But they were too busy having a lover's quarrel. You'd done your part from your side, but they were all bound in shackles by Valentina. They were helpless, as Bucky had said.

"I don't think so, Joaquin. We gotta move before Valentina tries somethin' else", he sighed.

Carol, who'd been watching this entire thing silently up until now, spoke up, "I actually agree with Sam. We shouldn't waste time. The government might be way ahead of us."

"Thank you, Carol."

You rushed to make your point across, "Sam, wait. Bucky's gonna be devastated if he finds out through a paper, or the news, that you're suing them. You know how they twist words. Just, try talking to him, please. We both know, that nobody understands this better than you two. Maybe he'd try helping you in this whole thing, you know? I don't want there to be any bad blood between the two of you", your eyebrows were furrowed in distress by the end of it, hands splayed on the table to ground yourself.

"I agree with her, just so you know", Joaquin chimed in.

"I mean, yes, that's- that's true. We don't want another airport fight", Scott joked, referring to the Accords showdown.

Sam frowned and crossed his arms around his chest, closing his eyes in resignation before opening them.

"Fine. I'll call him", he relented. The room erupted in a series of 'Yes'.

"But- but, if nothing good comes outta that call, I'm filing a cease and desist, immediately. It's for their own good", he conceded firmly.

"Aye, Aye, Captain", Scott said dreamily, Kate and Kamala saluting Sam while Carol just nodded absently, already preparing for the next step.

Joaquin looked at you nervously and you nodded at him, praying that these two grown men would actually listen to each other.

"When do we tell him?", Joaquin mumbled quietly while the others were busy leaving the room.

"After the call. We should hear what Bucky said to him first", you quietly replied, chewing the inside of your cheek in thought.

God, you hoped this wouldn't explode in your faces.

-

Part 3

AN: im so sorry for making poor bob suffer 😵‍💫 and please tell me if the story is making sense and like + reblog! love u all <3

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[joaquinsgf]

can’t wait for part 2 oh my god 🤭

Challengers (Avengers edition)

Pairings: Joaquin Torres x Fem!Stark!Reader (Established Relationship); Bob Reynolds x Fem!Stark!Reader

Summary: Coming back from a mission, you discover that Bucky has joined a whole new team, lead by a freak like Valentina. In order to get information and protect Sam, you and Joaquin decide to visit Bucky and his new team before taking the next step. But a certain golden boy laid his eyes on you and is instantly head over heels. How will everyone navigate this, especially when you have a boyfriend?

Warnings: Fuff, Banter, Angst, Cameos, Joaquin loves Reader a LOT, Joaquin being a cutie, SamBucky being angsty husbands and protective dads, Poor Bob suffers :(, Mentions of Bob’s Addiction and Mental Illnesses, Yearning and Longing from Bob, Jealous!Joaquin, Jealous!Bob, Reader is a littleeee short tempered, Reader is mentioned to have hair long enough to be let down loose, thats all i think! Let me know if i should add something else!

DISCLAIMER: i have not seen challengers yet, this is just my imagination and i have shifted some events from thunderbolts to fit the time frame better for the fic.

AN: this was so juicy to cook……I love the concept of both of these men loving me and yearning over me. HEHE. 😛 Enjoy!

If someone would've told you a few years ago, that you'd be in the same team as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, you would've laughed in their face.

And if someone would’ve told you that you’d start dating Sam Wilson’s protégé, you’d maybe chuckle.

But if someone would've told you that Bucky Barnes would join a government controlled Avengers team, you'd have laughed hysterically because there's no way, that the man who fought against your father about letting the government handle the Avengers would do this, right?

Wrong.

Here you were, fuming on the couch at Sam’s base, with Joaquin, your boyfriend, sitting on your right, with his usually composed face hardened with anger.

And poor Sam, he was simply leaning forward with his elbows braced on his knees, face set into an upset frown, eyes slightly glossy.

You see, the news channels were flashing with the hottest news of the hour: 'CIA Director, Valentina Allegra De Fontaine forms her own Avengers team: The New Avengers.'

The members?

Yelena Belova: Ex-Widow and Natasha Romanoff’s sister.

Alexei Shostakov: Russian Super Soldier, Yelena and Natasha’s ‘father’.

Ava Starr: Most Wanted Assassin in 15 countries.

John Fucking Walker: Grade A Asshole, your personal enemy.

Some guy named Bob: who wasn’t even visible in the footage?

And the sixth member? None other than James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes.

The same James Barnes, that had visited you three a few months ago, after Joaquin’s accident and had hugged you while you cried into his suit.

The same James Barnes, that had hugged Sam and said that he loved him, his first ever admittance to another human, since he went under the ice.

The same James Barnes, that had told Sam that he believed in him to reestablish the Avengers and lead them, and that he’d be the first one to join his team.

And now all this. Him in the same team as John Walker? In a team that was formed by Valentina? Evil and corrupt Valentina, who was also the CIA director? He didn’t even think once about consulting Sam?

Boy, were you pissed.

You see, the three of you were off completing an assignment in Belgium for the past week. Which means, that you had completely missed out on the whole blackout stuff that happened.

The team was a proper mess, and you had just entered the base when Sam received a call from Sarah, asking him turn on the TV immediately.

You dropped your bags and settled down in front of the TV, watching the atrocious press conference with Bucky standing there in the background.

“Has he—is he serious right now?!”, you glowered, looking at the TV screen and then Sam, incredulously.

“Dude. This should be considered treason like, I don’t care”, Joaquin added, looking at Sam with his face awash in irritation.

Sam let out a weary sigh, “Guys, just…leave it”, he lifted the remote and turned the TV off, sinking into the couch with a hand dragging down his face.

You exchanged a worried look with Joaquin, who noticed your clenched fists and gently held them in his hands, thumbs caressing the back of them to soothe your anger.

As if it wasn't bad already, your phones went off, notifications pinging one after the other. Joaquin opened his phone and sighed, showing the texts from the group chat you'd made for Sam's Avengers.

The Avengers

Ant-man: Did you guys check the news?

Kate: @/Sam Wilson what are we going to do about this😵‍💫

Carol Danvers: What's going on?

Princess Shuri: is that Bucky??? and is that Ross’s ex wife??? has white boy lost it?? im sending this shit to ayo

Shang-Chi: @/Carol Danvers Bucky joined a new team 🤐 Turn on NBC

Kamala: Umm...@/Scott Lang isn't that Ghost...😦

Ant-man: @/Kamala Khan Yes, she is...I didn't know she was allowed to roam around in public..

Kate: @/you where are you girl

Kamala: omgggg yessss @/you the audience needs you here

Carol Danvers: @/Sam Wilson Should I come over? What is our next plan of action?

Shang-Chi: @/Joaquin Torres Don't leave us on seen bro tf

You groaned and Sam looked up at the noise, his eyes narrowing at you two.

"What is it?", he mumbled.

"The team is going crazy, Sam. Princess Shuri is talkin' about sending this news to the Dora", Joaquin replied, his fingers still scrolling through the endless chats. He put up a text in the chat that he was with Sam and you right now and that's why none of you were answering the texts.

"Sam, we need to do something. At least sue them, or whatever. They can't just take up the name like that", you argued, fingers fidgeting with each other restlessly.

You were never known for your patience, much like your dad. Always bouncing off the walls with stress and your short temper. And now that he wasn't around to keep you grounded, you just got worse. Your grief bleeding into your frustration. And right now, Bucky was not helping you by abandoning you, Sam and Joaquin like that. Just when you thought that it was all falling into line, Valentina had to fuck it up and break your family apart, again.

"Can we even do that?", Joaquin asked in confusion.

Sam beat you to it, "Yes, but it'll be messy. We need a good lawyer for that. And besides, I don't wanna hurt him.."

“Nobody wants to hurt Bucky. But you can’t possibly excuse this…this stupidity, yeah? And we’ll get the best lawyers in the entire country. You’re Captain America, don’t forget that”, you urged earnestly.

Sam exhaled deeply, closing his eyes before continuing, “I need some time to think about it. I’ve gotta meet Riri Williams and this Spider-Man after that. We’re doing nothin’ for now.”

He sat up and grabbed his phone, about to get ready to leave for New York to meet up with Riri Williams, the team’s possible new member.

“And both of you aren’t going anywhere, you hear me? I swear, if I see y’all’s faces on the TV or in the papers, you’re benched. For months, this time. We’ll do this legally. And we need to be as careful as we can be, to make our case stronger”, he chided gently, his face stern as if he was saying there would be no arguments about this.

He was referring to the time you’d confronted Walker outside the police station, after Bucky was bailed. Walker being a piece of shit, gave an interview about it and trash talked you in public, basically. All that PR training that Pepper had taught you, had gone out of the window when you saw Walker’s arrogant face.

You swore that you’d punch him atleast once, then.

You grumbled at Sam’s words, Joaquin immediately responded in defense.

“Dude, come on. We gotta give it back to them! Bucky will understand, he probably even hates being there. None of them look like they wanna be there, if I’m gonna be honest”, he shrugged and smiled in disbelief.

Sam chuckled and messed your hair, patting Joaquin’s back after.

“Don’t let her do somethin’ dumb”, he teased, making you grumble once again.

Sharing a smile with Joaquin, he promptly left the room and prepared to leave.

-

After Sam left, you absentmindedly made your way back to the living area, plopping down on the couch with your teeth stressing your lips.

In your daze, you didn’t notice Joaquin sit down next to you, his eyes trained on the lost look on your face.

He could see the gears turning around in your head. He knew exactly what you were thinking. Knew it right after he saw you gasp at the news. Nudging you slightly, he brought you out of your trance, you jumped before looking at him with furrowed brows.

“You’re gonna meet Bucky anyways”, he simply stated, brown eyes shimmering knowingly. He knew you too well.

You paused, giving him a sheepish smile. He chuckled and kissed your cheek, standing up to bring his laptop to the couch. You watched him go in amusement.

“Well, we gotta see where they’re headquartered first, Miss Stark. Then, we ride at dawn!”, he quipped as he sat back down next to you.

“Wait. Really? You’ll help?”, you asked in disbelief. Him breaking Sam’s rules wasn’t shocking, but he was protective of you. You thought he’d listen to Sam and make you stay back.

His hands jumped across the keyboard, him replying to you without taking his eyes off from the screen, “Of course, baby. I’m not letting our cyborg hurt our old man like that. And, I’d love to punch Walker as well, so...”, he trailed off and flashed you a dopey smile, one that made his cheeks look squishable.

You shook your head, pinching his cheek gently. He leaned into it before going back to his research. The sunlight coming in from the large window behind you made his golden skin look like he was the sun himself, his flannel making him look cozy.

A few beats passed and he suddenly froze, hands gripping the laptop tightly and lips pursed, eyebrows scrunched in distress. You instantly straightened up, your hand falling from his cheek and resting on his shoulder instead.

“What is it?”, you asked in urgency, your mind already conjuring unrealistic scenarios.

He looked at you nervously, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“Joaquin, just say it, I’m freaking out”, you pleaded, a hand squeezing his shoulder.

“They…Do you know what happened to the Tower?”, he murmured hesitantly.

You made a face, “The tower? You mean, the Avengers Tower?”

Joaquin nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, Dad sold it to Valentina- or rather, OXE, after the Sokovia shit”, you informed.

“Uh—what are the chances of you guys-like, the Starks- having any control over it?”, he asked hesitantly.

You frowned, “Well, none, because she owns it now. If she suddenly decided to auction it, then it’s possible. Stark Industries can buy it back. Why?”

Joaquin pursed his lips and shifted the laptop so that it faced you, “Baby, she’s made the Tower the official HQ of their team.”

“What?”, you blurted out, a deep ache settling into your chest, your hands moving on their own accord and grabbing the laptop, reading the headline displayed on the screen.

‘“As they say: History repeats itself!”’—CIA Director Valentina De Fontaine speaks out about turning the iconic landmark, 'Stark-turned-Avengers' Tower into her new team’s HQ!’

You gritted your teeth so hard, your gums hurt. Joaquin could feel the anger radiating off you, the emotion mixed with a high bout of grief and sadness. The kind that came after going through too much shit for too long. The kind that came from bone deep exhaustion and a weird mixture of emotions.

He knew that. And he knew you.

He knew you weren’t taking this easy. This was personal. That tower was your home, made by your father, a place where you’d spent a good chunk of your childhood, a place where your family spent most of their time together.

Now? Now it belonged to that manipulative leech who was trying to pull you all down. And she was parading it around like it was some fucking trophy. Like the legacy was a joke to her.

“We’re going. Now. I don’t—”, you choked on the lump your throat, Joaquin extending an arm to tuck his hand behind your ear, thumb gently caressing under your eye.

“I know, I know. We’ll be going. But not now, okay?”

You opened your mouth to disagree when he stopped you, the other hand coming up to brush your hair behind your ear.

“Listen to me, angel. We’ll go tomorrow, yeah? Let Sam settle in New York. He’s gonna introduce Riri and Kate, will have a meeting with them tomorrow, so he’ll be busy. Till then, we’ll also get some time to think and plan before marching there. I understand how you’re feeling. But we need to be careful, okay?”, he soothed you, hands cradling your face like you were made of glass, eyes oozing with concern and love.

Your bottom lip trembled, unable to hold your tears back after his gentle words. What did you do to deserve him?

He set the laptop aside, bringing you in his arms and letting you bury your head in his chest. A hand came behind your head to keep you there, the other hand smoothing over your back and his lips pressed into your hair.

You fisted his flannel tightly in your hands, tears dampening the soft fabric of the t-shirt he wore inside the flannel, sniffling constantly as more tears fell.

“It’ll be okay. I promise”, he murmured, lips brushing against your hair.

Although, you weren’t sure it’d be as easy as it sounds.

-

“We’re not entering from the main entrance.”

Joaquin looked up in confusion at your words, “What?”, his hands halting on the cursor as he scoured through Valentina’s files to get some more information on her.

It was the next day, Sam had been busy in meeting with Kate and Riri, as Joaquin had said. The two of you were planning to visit Bucky today, in the Tower, but it needed to be done discreetly. Without the media finding out.

You came up with the only option you knew: using your suits to get in.

You pursed your lips before smirking, “You know, there’s a launch pad in the Tower for a reason, right?”

Joaquin’s eyebrows creased before his face lit up with realisation.

“You mean, the suits? Angel, at least you can hide yours but Sam will take away my privileges to fly, for sure”, he quipped nervously, hating the fact that he’d lie to Sam but also thrilled at the thought of entering the Tower with his wings. He loved his wings like he’d birthed them.

You walked over to his chair and hugged him from behind, leaning down to press your cheek against his. His hands came up to hold your forearms, nuzzling his face back against yours.

“I know. I’ll help you, don’t worry. And you’re literally his son, when has he ever been strict with you?”, you teased lightly and he chuckled. He definitely took advantage of the fact that Sam had a soft spot for him.

It reminded you of someone, but you blanked out, your mind restarting mid-thought. As if you weren’t supposed to think of that.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. But—”, he turned his face to look at you in the eye, “You’re gonna stay calm and protect your peace, hm? I don’t want you to stress about those dollar store Avengers more than it’s necessary”, he proposed, his eyes darting from your lips to your eyes, admiring your side profile. How did he manage to get distracted every time he looked at you, was beyond him, but it was always a welcome distraction.

You bit the inside of your cheek in thought. You both knew that was going to be a task, because you’re not qualified to be a Stark if you don’t have the drama and flair in you. It was natural.

“We’ll tackle that problem when it arises. For now, let’s move before we lose our window”, you murmured, nuzzling your nose against his lightly.

Joaquin hummed and brought you closer with a hand on your cheek and pressed a loving kiss to your lips.

-

Bob’s POV

Bob was having a relatively normal day.

Well, as normal as it got for being a new avenger, moving into the Tower with a bunch of assassins, and battling with his own powers and demons, then yes, it was a normal day.

He woke up, had waffles and his iced coffee and lounged on the sofa in the living room, with a book in his hands. They had another press conference today, the rest of the team buzzing around the area, minus him, because he was not cleared for any activity for the next few months, at least.

He was fine with it, honestly, having no energy to put up with the other guys and the memory loss that followed. He had promised Yelena and Bucky that he’d go to therapy, Bucky even suggested his own therapist, saying that she’s a bit tough, but she gets the work done. Bob agreed to taking a trial session with her and proceed further.

“Where the hell is Ava?!”, Yelena cried out in irritation, stomping into the room.

Bob looked up from the page he was reading, Yelena panicking around the room, John sauntering in like he owns the place, Bucky looked perpetually tired and Alexei was missing. Ava too, apparently.

“She might be inside the walls, knock on ‘em, maybe”, John quipped.

“Shut up, John, I don’t need your lame jokes right now. Bob, have you seen Ava?”, she asked heatedly, hands resting on her hips.

That’s when he noticed—all of them were wearing nice clothes. Like, tailored suits for the guys and a formal dress for Yelena, their hair set perfectly and faint scent of perfume wafting in the air.

Bob was surprised. All of them looked really good. He stood out like a sore thumb in front of them, his oversized blue sweatshirt and black joggers making him look smaller and homely.

“I’m not sure, she’s not been here since I came in…”, he trailed off, his blue eyes looking at Yelena sheepishly.

She huffed, pressing a hand to her forehead, “Valentina is already on our ass and now Ava decides to disappear, I’m—”

“Wowww. That was an oscar worthy performance. Although you could relax, I’m here.”

Ava suddenly appeared behind John, who jumped at her voice next to him.

“Fuck—what is wrong with you?!”, he scowled.

Ava quirked an eyebrow, “Seriously? Whatever happened to being in the military and being a decorated soldier—”

“Don’t go there—”

“And being in several war zones, like oh, look at me! I’m John Walker! I’m fearless—”

“Oh, shut up—”

“QUIET.”

The entire room was quiet after Yelena’s shout.

“Both of you, shut the fuck up! Valentina has dressed us in these super tight, uncomfortable, fancy clothes and is going to show us off like we’re some trophies, so you better get your shit together and move”, she ordered. Furiously.

Bob was watching the whole scene with his mouth open, Bucky couldn’t be anymore bothered, and Ava and John had to decency to look ashamed.

Bob was having a normal day.

But then they heard some noises coming from the launch pad and all of them stiffened up. Bob was the closest to the window, so he slowly stood up, resting his book face down on the couch.

Bucky slowly raised his head in confusion, Ava and John exchanged a look and Yelena walked a little closer to Bob to protect him.

“What the hell is that?”, John grumbled from above the sofa pit, his face scrunched up as he tried to decipher what or who was there.

Bob’s curiosity peaked. He shuffled closer to Yelena so that he could get a clearer look at the pad and then—

He saw a flash of red and silver. A pair of thrusters. And a flash of green and silver behind.

The green and silver belonged to a guy, that much was clear. But the red and silver suited person had their face covered. There was something distinctly familiar about the red suit.

They found out soon enough, when Bucky finally spoke up behind them.

"Oh, fuck", he groaned lowly.

And the two figures finally stepped in.

The guy with the green and silver wings had curly, dark hair. His jaw was clenched tightly, eyes trained on the entire team as if they had personally hurt him by simply existing.

And that's when John spoke up, "Hold on. Torres?", he exclaimed and looked at Bucky, who was looking at his shoes instead.

"So, that's-", John didn't get a chance to finish that sentence because the red and silver suit dissolved and revealed you.

Bob almost fainted.

Because not only were you The Tony Stark's eldest daughter, who was an all rounder and a literal hero, but you were also drop dead gorgeous.

Clad in a simple emerald green cardigan and dark blue, high waisted jeans with shoes, your soft and luscious hair was let down loose, not a single strand out of place, a dainty silver necklace rested just below your collarbones, weighted down by a red pendant, which is where the suit disappeared in.

And your eyes. Oh, your eyes. Bob could just feel the power radiating off them, your body held in such elegance and poise that he was feeling intimidated to even stand in front of you.

It felt like time had slowed down for him, and while he was busy fawning over you, he didn't take notice of the fury inside your eyes and how they were piercing through Bucky.

"Whoa, whoa. Who are you, and what is going on here, huh?", Yelena protested, looking at you, John and then Bucky.

Your sharp gaze shifted to Yelena, "I'm gonna excuse that, only because you're Nat's sister. But this is my house, as my father literally built this place and also because your team has kept my family member hostage. So, please, don't interrupt."

Yelena blinked in shock. Bob stared at you in awe.

"Barnes, what the hell?", you called him out, your face tugged into a sneer.

Bob managed to turn his head around and saw Bucky wince. The Winter Soldier just winced at the words of someone. The same Bucky who didn't even smile around them. If he was being honest, Bob found you incredibly hot at that moment.

"Hold on, what are you doing here, (Name)? And Torres? Really? We weren't gonna hurt her or anything", John scoffed.

"Oh god", Bucky murmured lowly and shook his head in disagreement at John's words.

Bob suddenly turned around, his breath hitching when his eyes passed you, before they landed on the guy next to you- someone whom Walker kept calling 'Torres.'

This...Torres guy was attractive, sure. But he was standing way too close to you and that caused Bob's jaw to tick in irritation.

Torres chuckled, "Actually, be glad that she didn't come alone, Walker. Now that I'm here, she might think of carrying this forward peacefully", he shrugged casually.

Bob didn't miss the way Torres’ eyes shone with pride when he talked about you. He felt an ache in his chest, again.

"I'd listen to him", Bucky rasped and the entire room looked at him in shock.

Bob almost laughed as he thought: did you beat Bucky in combat?

"I need to talk to you. Alone", you admitted, arms crossed around your chest, face set tightly as you looked at Bucky.

He pursed his lips and nodded grimly, "Let's go-"

"No, no, hold on. You can't just come here and take him away. We have a press conference to attend-", Ava protested and was cut off with your scoff.

"You know damn well, you don't give a fuck about that. And I can take him away, because he’ll join me willingly, isn't that right, James?", you quipped.

Bucky swallowed and met Ava's piercing gray eyes, Yelena and John observing him closely.

Bob's eyes darted from you and Bucky, lingering on you for longer.

"Guys, I'll...I'll be back. Come on, there's a room-"

"I know", you cut Bucky off and gestured Torres to join you.

And Bob wished he hadn't looked at you then, because Torres had his hand on your lower back and he looked at you with so much concern, that it made Bob clench his hands tightly, his blue irises surrounding themselves with a golden ring.

Bob watched the two of you go, Torres’ hand touching you so gently, as if you were something precious (you were.)

The worst part of it though? You didn’t stop him. It looked like the world was mocking him for even thinking about falling for someone as out of reach as you.

And soon enough, he felt that demeaning, cocky voice echo in his mind: ‘You’re out of your depth, Bob. She’d never look at someone as broken as you.’

And he slowly felt himself slip, the lights flickering around him when Yelena put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise.

“Bob? What’s up? You’re doing the…thing”, Yelena asked in concern, her eyebrows creased tightly.

Bob swallowed thickly, a trembling hand coming up to rub his eyes.

“Uh- nothing. I’m-I’m okay. I’m alright. Don’t worry”, he replied nervously, voice pitched high because of the lump stuck in his throat.

How was he going to tell her that he had just fallen in love with somebody he was meeting for the first time?

-

“Bucky, why’d you do this?”, you almost whined, your glossy eyes looking up at him in disbelief and hurt, the front that you had put up out there, had completely disappeared. There was just a deep betrayal shining in your eyes, your body coiled tight with tension.

Joaquin was torn between glaring at Bucky and pulling you in his arms, your teary eyes and the ache rolling off your body hitting him in waves.

Bucky stood there helplessly, his own tearful eyes were trained at his shoes, hands clenched tightly which caused his vibranium arm to whirr softly.

“Sam has been working so hard”, your voice cracking at ‘hard’.

“He’s been going to one end of the world to the other, just to recruit people. Half of them are either dead or off world. The pressure is on him. You know he gets scrutinised for everything he does. All this time, we held out hope that you’d join, just like you’d promised. And now you’re going against him? You guys wanna make history repeat itself and become Tony Stark and Steve Rogers? You promised!”, you jabbed a finger in his chest.

Bucky stumbled back and looked up at you, hurt flashing over his face like a splash of water.

“No, don’t cry, kid, please”, he almost begged, his hands held up in a placating gesture.

You sniffled, vision blurry from the tears pooling in your eyes.

“Man, do you have any excuse for this? We get back from a mission to find out that New York was in a backout, and you were standing there, behind the devil herself, with a whole new team, with the same name!”, Joaquin said incredulously.

“I know, I know. I didn’t do this on purpose. I swear, (Name)”, he pleaded.

You frowned, “What does that mean, Bucky? You can’t be possibly saying that someone forced you.”

“Not forced. Valentina has threatened to release the files and documents related to us in the public if we don’t cooperate”, he clarified.

“But, it’s not like they don’t know about you?”, Joaquin asked in confusion.

“True. But she’ll put back the parts that were omitted. And she’ll get us acquitted of all the crimes we were pardoned for.”

You furrowed your brows, “What? Maybe she should look into the mirror once, because I know shit about her that she wishes I didn’t.”

And then he told you about everything that lead to this. The vault, the mission, the Sentry project, the Void, Bob's profile—everything.

“You mean, that blackout thing, that was because of one, singular guy?”, Joaquin sputtered, his face frozen with an incredulous look.

“Yeah. And…he’s here. He’ll live with us now”, Bucky replied tentatively, watching you closely.

You frowned as you realised Valentina’s intentions, “You said he struggled with addiction and mental illnesses. So, Valentina is manipulating him to become the Sentry and the blackout thing?"

"Yep. All that happened because she provoked him to hurt everyone", Bucky sighed before continuing, “He’s not dangerous when he’s not being…the other guy. The guy who was standing next to Yelena? That’s him. Bob. He’s actually not allowed to leave the tower for a while, so…”

Joaquin froze, “Wait, Bob. We saw his name in the news but….we couldn’t see him?”

Bucky scoffed, “When he’s not being an all powerful god, he hates social interactions. Very awkward and shy. Think me, but from a few years ago.”

You made a surprised voice, “Huh. He’s the guy in the blue sweatshirt?”

Bucky nodded. You sighed, mulling the fact over. Joaquin chewed on his lips.

“Anyways…we need to send her ass to jail, Bucky. What are you gonna do next?”, you asked. Waiting for him to propose something before you could spoil Sam’s plans.

Bucky let out a bone deep sigh. The exhaustion clearly written across his face, “I don’t know. They’re all just as hopeless as me, if not worse.”

“Hold on. That reminds me, Walker?”, Joaquin quipped, his arms tightly crossed around his chest.

You perk up, “Oh, yeah. What, you’re buddies with him suddenly? Is this an enemies to lovers thing?”, your eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Bucky sputtered, “No, no. It’s not like that. You—”, he let out a breath before continuing, “Okay, there’s no friendship or anythin’ between me and Walker. I just have to put up with him. I don’t even talk to them much, apart from Yelena and Bob. But, getting back to the topic at hand, no, we can’t do anything against Valentina right now. My hands are under rocks. I’m sorry, kid.”

His face had melted into a sad puppy look, one that made him look older and exhausted. Like he just needed a nap.

And you felt your anger melt away. You could never stay mad at him and his puppy dog eyes for long, anyways.

“Sam…is he…how is he?”, he asked softly, his voice getting caught at Sam’s name. You and Joaquin exchanged a look.

The two men were practically each other’s soulmates. This was killing them more than any one else.

“Oh, he’s proper mad at you. Blocked you and everythin'”, Joaquin decided to tease. You elbowed him gently, coaxing a small chuckle out of him, his shoulder bumping against yours.

Bucky’s jaw clenched, “Not surprised”, he said dryly.

You clicked your tongue, “Shut up, Jay”, chiding Joaquin gently. He pressed a kiss to your temple as an apology.

“He’s naturally upset, Buck. Just…try talking to him. It’s better if the two of you converse with each other, rather than us being the mediators, yeah? You guys will figure something out. He’s broken the law for you, twice. What’s one more time?”, you reminded him gently, a hand resting on his arm.

Bucky looked at you and gave you a nervous smile, vibranium hand coming up to cover yours on his arm.

“See? We’ll get the band back together just fine, angel”, Joaquin smiled, tapping Bucky’s shoulder with the back of his hand. Bucky looked at it and stared at Joaquin blankly.

“Tell your boyfriend to tone it down with me, doll”, he deadpanned.

Joaquin gasped dramatically. You giggled.

“C’mon. I’ll introduce you to them”, he urged, pulling you and Joaquin with him to the main area.

-

The team was now seated around the sofa pit, mindless chatter and bickering being passed back and forth. They stopped when you entered, looking at you warily instead.

The sight almost gave you a very real flashback.

Instead of Yelena, you saw Natasha. Instead of John, it was Steve. You could hear their laughs, your dad and Steve’s useless arguments, Pepper fussing over your dad, Rhodey and Thor annoying Bruce. It felt real.

You almost smiled, your eyes teary and lips twitching, when Joaquin pulled you out of it.

“Baby? You okay?”, he murmured into your ear, hand smoothing over your back.

You snapped back to the present, suddenly feeling everyone’s eyes on you and you shrunk back, Joaquin’s arm coming around your waist to ground you.

“Alright, stop staring at her, you’re putting her on the spot”, Bucky announced and all of them coughed, shifting their attention to Bucky instead.

You looked around the room skeptically and that’s when you saw him.

Bob. Clad in a blue sweatshirt, black joggers. His hair was curly and shabby, brown in colour and it fell around his face in waves. Are we sure this was the same man who was deemed as a weapon?, you thought.

Joaquin seemed to have been observing him too. But he noticed his nervous and jittery body language. The way he made himself small, even though he was 6 foot tall, at least. How could this man be capable of ending the world with just a flick of his hand?

Another thing that Joaquin’s sharp eyes noticed: Bob’s eyes kept nervously darting around the room, lingering on you every now and then. Except, Bob’s eyes lingered on you for too long. A dazed look on his face whenever they landed on you.

Joaquin made note of that and kept a close eye on him, just to test something. His hand brought you closer to his side, finding comfort in your warm body pressed against his.

“I’m sure you all know who she is. She’s (Name) Stark, Tony Stark’s daughter, philanthropist and genius. You might also know her as Iron-Lady, her alter ego”, Bucky introduced you to the others.

Of course, John had to speak up first.

“I’d introduce myself, but you know me already, so”, he smiled like a dumbass.

“Unfortunately”, you deadpanned and everyone snickered.

Except Alexei, who chortled like a bear. John grimaced and covered his ears, as the man began talking in that thick Russian accent of his.

“You very funny, Miss Stark. I like that. I like funny people. Welcome to the team. I will give you a customised track suit as well. Just—”

“Dad, stop it, she's not joining the team”, Yelena groaned.

“Why’d you say unfortunately, I—”

“Why wouldn’t she join, Lena? This merch so soft. I bet she’s never felt anything like this before—”

“She’s literally royalty, you idiot-”

“All of you, shut up”, Bucky ordered and suddenly the room fell quiet. You and Joaquin looked at him impressively.

The role of a leader suited him quite a lot. You felt your heart bloom in pride, to be very honest. And you were sure, that Sam would be very proud as well. More reason for Bucky to be a part of Sam's team, instead of this mess.

Suddenly a voice spoke up from next to Yelena, “And who’s that?”

All eyes snapped to look at Bob, who’d asked the question. He’d not said a word until now, his eyes intently focused on Joaquin and you.

Joaquin narrowed his eyes in challenge, the team exchanging confused glances, Bucky observing the situation closely.

“Uh…That’s Captain Joaquin Torres. He’s in the Air Force and he’s Sam’s protégé. The new Falcon”, Bucky gestured towards Joaquin.

Joaquin gave everyone a two fingered salute, his eyes lingering on Bob, who clenched his jaw.

Alexei’s eyes widened again, “Air force?! Oh, you do great work, Captain Torres. And you’re the falcon, you’re literally a a bird yourself. That is so cool. Thank you for protecting the country, from the skies, like a free bird. We salute you—”

“Oh my god”, John grumbled and rolled his eyes.

“You guys are so irritating”, Ava groaned.

“What—I was just comp-”

“Okay! Okay. Hi. Um. Nice to meet you all”, you cut their banter off, nudging Joaquin lightly to return the greeting back.

But Joaquin’s gaze was fixed elsewhere.

His brown eyes were staring intently at Yelena and Bob, Yelena’s face twisted in worry as she kept checking Bob’s eyes, whereas Bob kept staring at Joaquin and darting his gaze away.

“Quino?”, you asked him softly, worriedly looking up at him.

He saw your worried face in his peripheral and brought his attention back to you, immediately, “Yeah?”

You gestured at the team.

“Oh. Yeah. Hey, guys”, he awkwardly smiled. They returned a half hearted ‘Hey’ back, the inevitable tension clouding the room again.

“Are we going to talk about it, or not?”, Ava finally asked, ripping the bandaid off at once.

You hesitated, looking at Bucky for answers.

“Uh-not now. Later. We need to go for that conference thing before Valentina sends somebody up here. And (Name)”, he turned towards you, “You should go back. I don’t want you two getting into trouble, okay?”

You and Joaquin simply nodded your heads.

“I’ll see them off”, Bucky announced to the team and they absentmindedly chorused a ‘Yes’, waving you and Joaquin ‘Bye’.

-

Bob’s POV

If you would’ve stood there any longer, Bob would’ve set this whole thing on fire. Like the damn incinerator back at the vault.

He was feeling particularly charged up, right now. And watching you and Joaquin together, standing so close, had just triggered him more. The way you instantly leaned into Joaquin. The way his hands were around you all the time. Protective. Loving. He knew he was in denial, but he prayed that Joaquin was just a friend to you.

Bob was jealous. Which was, ridiculous, because he just met you. And he wasn’t hiding it from Yelena or Bucky's observant eyes. Like, at all.

All he wanted to do, was walk over to you and introduce himself. But the crippling self doubt rooted him to his place. Because why would someone like you, want someone like him.

He was doing it again. His eyes were turning golden. His hands trembled. The lamp behind him flickered. Yelena sat up in alarm.

“Bob. What’s going on. Do we need to call help? Should I stay back?”, she asked rapidly, her head blocking his eyes from others.

Bob scoffed, his sass dialed up to a hundred. Yelena quirked an eyebrow in interest.

“You can’t fix this”, he stated cryptically and got up, sauntering over to the launch pad. Yelena followed closely, the other three engaged in some useless discussion.

Part 2

-

AN: at this point yall should know im incapable of writing one parters LOL! but also, this concept is too scrumptious and ill be including this in another fic w joaquin and bob hehehehe.

Fun fact: the reader’s outfit was inspire by kaia gerber LMAO.

Please like and reblog!

taglist: @hearts4barnes @msfirth @spideybrie @parkersjoy @joaquinsgf @wolflikesstuff @frvv @99buttowski @eggyboyoart @superchatnoir07 @wierdlyinlike @peachyrue-777 @makinurbed @abc1234y @ba-space-geek @elyi-o @ph-1isagod @missbrekker @patheticgirl127 @lookitsgrim @spinstertheuncommon @bcystar @yelenaseyeliner @dormammuiivecometo @justeveeeee @lilajoy-ily @spvctor

Sorry if I forgot anyone or reply if u wanna be removed from the taglist!

[joaquinsgf]

Lmao bucky at the end, call them out king

Philophobia (Part 5)

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x Stark!Reader

Chapter Summary: After a mini panic attack, you and Joaquin leave for Maryland and you talk to an old friend. You come face to face with Walker and every one has to pull you back before you attack him. You and Joaquin are almost friends now and Bucky informs you about 2 shocking things.

Warnings: Mentions of wanting to kill a person, panic attacks, We have a major cameo(s) in this one 👀, Reader is mentioned to have hair, Joaquin and Reader are slowly becoming friends, Reader is slowly becoming comfortable around Joaquin, Talks of vandalizing a property, Jealous!Joaquin, John Walker Hatred, John Walker is an asshole, I don’t know anything about the American law,that’s all i think!

AN: sooo sorry for the delay! hope u enjoy this and the cameo ☺️

“(Name)? Honey?”

You haven’t heard that voice since the following week after the funeral. Since the day you distanced yourself from them.

You swallowed thickly and stumbled back. Joaquin rushed over to steady you with his hands on your elbows.

“(Name)? Are you okay?”, Joaquin asked, concerned.

You whispered only one word.

“M-May..?”

“Oh honey, how are you? It’s been so long since I heard your voice…”

You were trying so hard to focus on her voice but all you heard were old conversations and the laughter of a certain someone. The conversations and the laughter that you didn’t want to hear again but deep down, you knew you missed them.

“Hey, do you wanna sit down? Your hands are shaking, (Name)”, Joaquin asked you quietly. He was worried for you and felt his insides simmer with anger because whoever the person was on the other end of the phone was the reason for your current state. He touched your hands lightly and you jerked back. You shook him off and clenched your jaw before ending the call.

Joaquin maintained a safe distance from you to give you your space. He saw the way you had clenched your jaw so tightly and how you were gripping your phone like your life depended on it.

“Call a cab. I’ll pack my stuff”, you replied shortly and rushed back to the guest room.

Joaquin stood there dumbfounded, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. But he decided not to bother you anymore and made quick work of calling a cab.

Meanwhile, in the room, you were trying your best to not freak out. You ran a hand through your hair and grabbed them before taking deep breaths.

You had asked Happy to warn you any time he was with May so you could avoid moments like these. You knew they were dating. And you were happy for them. But you just couldn’t go back to being normal with May and…Peter. Just thinking about them made your chest hurt with all the memories but you compartmentalised it and began packing your bags hurriedly. You knew you had put Joaquin on the spot. You saw and felt how panicked he was. You needed to apologise to him. Once again.

-

You and Joaquin finally settled into the cab and drove off for Maryland. It was way too quiet in the car and you felt like it was your fault.

“Hey, Joaquin?”

He turned his head to look at you. “Yes?”

You hesitated. “Uh- look, I’m sorry. I keep putting you on the spot like this. I’m sorry.”

He observed you carefully before speaking up. “Don’t worry about it. Are you okay, though? You looked pretty shaken up.”

You scoffed. “Yeah, I’m fine. That phone call just..took me by surprise.”

He seemed to weigh his options and decided to ask anyway.

“Do you…wanna talk about it? Only if you’re comfortable. No pressure”, he asked nervously.

You pressed your lips into a thin line. “Maybe some other day.”

Joaquin was shocked. This means you were willing to share your problems with him in the future? This was progress.

He nodded quickly and gave you a soft smile.

He had such a radiant smile, you thought.

You cleared your throat and decided to distract yourself by calling up a contact to help with Bucky’s case.

The phone rang twice before someone picked it up.

“Nelson and Murdock, how can I help you?”

“Hey, Matthew.”

“(Name)? Did you get a new phone number?”

You sighed. “Yeah, somethin’ like that. How are you?”

“I’m good. I haven’t heard from you since…”, he paused and let out a breath. “Shit. I’m sorry, (Name)”, he responded softly.

You gulped harshly in order to keep your tears from flowing. “It’s okay. Um- I wanted your help regarding a case.”

“Why? Did you break another car?”, he teased you lightly.

You gasped. “That was one time. It was an emergency!”

Joaquin turned his head to look at you in confusion.

“If by ‘emergency’ you mean purposely vandalising a private property of a big shot lawyer because you wanted to teach him a lesson for denying your father’s case then, sure”, he responded smugly. That asshole.

You rolled your eyes and groaned.

Yes, you vandalised a big shot lawyer’s car 10 years ago because he had refused to take up your father’s case against Aldrich Killian back in 2013 and yes, you sneaked out with Happy who was extremely stressed the whole time. Your dad found out about it immediately and he was confused between getting angry at you out of concern and laughing his ass off. He hugged you tightly and made you promise him not to do this again and asked Matt to handle the situation, which he did, with the classic Murdock ease and charm. Since then, Matt Murdock has been a close acquaintance, a friend even, and your favorite lawyer because he was just the perfect amount of chill and batshit insane (reckless) to get along with you (you’re never telling him that. That man is cocky enough.) “Shut up, smartass."

Matt chuckled.

"Listen to me now. You know James Barnes, right?”

He hummed. “Of course.”

“You gotta find a solution to release him from his pardon conditions. At least, temporarily.”

“Well, what are the conditions?”

“That he has to attend therapy sessions every week.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Sure, but not when he’s getting arrested for missing them while he’s on a mission. I’m on my way to Maryland to bail him out with Sam Wilson.”

Matt sighed. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. It can be a little tricky given who he is…but I’ll manage. Text me the details. And call me immediately once you get to the police station, okay? Don't talk to any of the cops or counselors on your own.”

"Yep, noted. Thanks, Matthew."

"Why do you use my full name?"

"D'you prefer I call you Matty? Or Red? Or Dev-"

"Okay! okay, shut up. Forget I asked, Stark", he mumbled in fake annoyance.

You chuckled. "Bye, Murdock."

You ended the call and texted Matt all the details right away.

Joaquin couldn't help but feel that irritating green monster in the pit of his stomach. Who was this Matt? How were you so close to him? Why did you talk so easily to him? Wh-

"Are you okay?", you asked, your eyebrows furrowed in concern. His eyebrows were drawn so close that it made a dent in between them. He was frowning and almost pouting while clenching his hand into a fist. He looked really cute but you pushed that thought far away into the corner of your mind.

Joaquin hadn't noticed how he had curled his hand into a fist. He immediately relaxed his hand and shifted in his seat under your sharp gaze. He gave you a tight smile.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

You scanned his face to understand what was happening and decided to leave it for now.

“Okay. Well, I’ve texted my lawyer about Bucky’s case. We’ll reach in about half an hour. Could you call Sam to inform him about all this while I finish sending the documents?”

Joaquin gave you a terse nod and chose to call Sam right away to avoid embarrassing himself any further.

-

After half an hour, you finally reached in Maryland and made your way into the police station. You could see Sam sitting in the waiting area and the two of you approached him.

"Sam?"

He pulled up his head from where he was cradling it between his hands and looked at you. He stood up and made his way over.

"Hey man, you good?", Joaquin asked him in concern.

Sam let out a big sigh. "I guess. I'll tell you the rest later. Hope ya'll didn't face any problems to get here."

You shifted in unease as you remembered your...situation before departing.

Joaquin noticed this and immediately covered for you. "Nope, we got here smoothly. We even got ourselves a lawyer, right, (Name)?"

You snapped out of your daze and nodded at him. "Yeah, Sam, he's really good. I've sent him all the necessarily details about Bucky's case and he said he'd help. What are we doing now? He's asked me to call him as soon as I get here."

Sam gave you a nod and asked you to follow him to the reception where you signed certain papers and called up Matt.

After holding a meeting with the deputy and counselors, Matt managed to convince them to let off Bucky from attending the sessions temporarily for a few months. They had agreed on a single condition, Bucky would have to go to an extra session before leaving today. You all agreed to it and let out a sigh of relief.

"Seriously, Matt, Thank you."

"I'm a really good lawyer, you know that", he responded cheekily. He was one more instance away from trademarking that line.

You cringed. "You're so corny, you know that?".

Matt chuckled heartily and you could just see the way his dimples must've popped out perfectly and the way his eyes must've crinkled at the corners. What? You're not about to deny that he's ridiculously attractive. That would be the lie of the century.

"Eh, so I've been told. Anyways, please take out time to meet us someday. Foggy and Karen miss you loads", he requested gently in that smooth voice of his.

You frowned and let out a short breath. Foggy was the sweetest and funniest person you have met in a while and Karen immediately took a liking to you, offering her support like she was your elder sister. The last time you hung out with them was after the Sokovia Accords were dissolved. And then, everything went downhill while you turned into a recluse.

"I miss them, too. I'll try my best, Matt. Thank you again."

"Take care, sweetheart", and he ended the call. You took a deep breath in and exhaled it. You went over to stand next to Joaquin and your attention was caught by a group of people surrounding someone. You moved closer to find out that it was John Walker.

"What the fuck is he doing here?", you murmured lowly. Joaquin grimaced next to you. "Oh, I'd love to punch him in the face", you growled, Joaquin huffed out a chuckle. He observed the way your sharp gaze cut into Walker. He was so sure you'd beat up Walker if they left you alone with him. Before he could stop you, you made your way over to stand next to Sam, protectively.

It was funny, yet endearing to Joaquin, to watch you protect a grown man twice your size and who was a literal Avenger. But this is why Joaquin loved you-you'd do anything for the people that you considered your family.

“-Yeah we did some field ops back in the day.”

“I heard you were working with Bucky, so I thought I’d step in.”

“That’s Barnes for you, Walker”, you spoke up in a sharp tone.

“Kid…”, Sam murmured and grabbed your arm gently to stop you.

Walker’s blank blue eyes shifted to look at you in interest. “(Name) Stark? The Golden Child? Midnight?”

You stiffened at his use of your alter-ego. You haven’t heard that name in a while.

He flashed that fake, TV-star smile at you and extended a hand to shake. “Wow. It’s an honour. I’m John Walker, Captain America.”

You folded your arms across your chest and stared at him in boredom.

Walker’s face flickered with a look of surprise but he quickly covered it up with his media training and let out a weak chuckle.

“Well…that’s fine. We’ll make up some other day”, and that bastard winked at you. Like it was a fucking joke and you were buddies. You gaped at him in shock and moved your arm to strike but Sam squeezed your arm carefully and pushed you behind him. You clenched your jaw and glared daggers at him from over Sam’s shoulders. You noticed a group of people taking pictures and you rolled your eyes in annoyance.

“Bucky's not gonna be following a strict schedule any longer", Walker announced casually as if it wasn't Matt who helped clear Bucky's schedule, you quirked an eyebrow in boredom.

"We haven't finished our work, who authorized this?", Raynor questioned.

"Um..", Walker smiled smugly and pointed at himself. You scrunched your face in disgust, what a fucking liar.

You turned just in time to see Bucky being escorted out. He sauntered over to the reception and leaned against it with a bored expression. You went over to him and Joaquin followed you.

He raised his head up and his eyes widened as soon as they fell on you. "Kid? What are you two doing here?"

"Sam called. They've excused you from attending the sessions temporarily."

"How'd you do that?", Bucky asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I know a really good lawyer", you smirked and Joaquin clenched his fists again. Seriously, who the fuck was this guy?

"Thanks, kid-", Bucky snapping his head up cut you off. You and Joaquin turned your heads at the same time to see Walker standing there.

Bucky let out a humorless scoff behind you. "Of course he knows my therapist."

Joaquin turned his attention to Bucky. "That's your therapist?", he asked him incredulously.

Bucky nodded. Your eyes widened. "Fuck that. I don't like her either", you muttered.

Bucky let out a small chuckle. "That makes the two of us."

"-I"ll be outside!", Walker announced loudly and retreated with a peace sign. You and Joaquin cringed. "What a loser...", Joaquin mumbled and you let out a small scoff.

"James, condition of your release, session now. You too, Sam", Raynor informed and walked over to a room, Bucky ducked his head and put his hand on his hip. Sam interjected, "That's okay, I'll be out here with-" "That wasn't a request", Raynor cut him off firmly. Bucky sighed and reluctantly followed Raynor. Sam let out a frustrated huff and gave you and Joaquin a look, to which you responded with a sympathetic smile, before following Bucky. You let out a sigh and turned to face Joaquin, "Well, let's get out of here, I can't stand this...atmosphere anymore."

You and Joaquin stepped out of the station, a silence hanging in between you two. You could see how Joaquin was on edge, wanting to ask you something but bailing out on the last moment. "Do you wanna say something, flyboy?", you asked him with your eyebrows raised in interest. Joaquin stiffened up before clearing his throat. "Uh- who's this lawyer you contacted? Is he really that good?"

"Oh, Matt? Yeah, he's one of the best. I know him since I was a stupid teenager", you let out a chuckle before continuing, "He's a...peculiar man, but that's why we get along so well. He supported me a lot when I was uh- depressed, during the Blip", you confessed off-handedly. Joaquin straightened up again, hating the fact that he was feeling jealous over another guy supporting you during a rough time, but you talked so fondly about this Matt guy that he wished it would've been him.

"Oh, I see. You seem....close", Joaquin murmured, his eyes set in front of him on the road. You turned to observe him closely, his cheeks with tinged with a shade of pink. A treacherous smile spread against your face and you bit your cheek to stop it. Was he blushing? Or embarrassed? Or-

"I feel awful", Bucky's voice cut through your thoughts, him and Sam joining you. Before any of you could make a comment, the loud blaring of a siren cut you off. You jumped, your heart pounding because of the sudden sound and Joaquin quickly put a hand on your back, gently moving it in circles to calm you down. You froze at the contact before eventually relaxing against it. Taking a notice of this, Joaquin confidently pressed his hand against your back and rubbed it with his thumb. You felt your face heat up.

"Gentlemen", he addressed Sam and Bucky with his hand raised in the air, "Good to see you again", he flashed that stupid smile again. You rolled your eyes and huffed before folding your arms across your chest. Bucky kept walking before Walker stopped him, "Look if we divide ourselves, we don't stand a chance, you guys know that."

"Listen up, Blondie, you just came onto the scene. Both of them are avengers and soldiers at the same time. They know what they're doing", you scoffed bitterly, facing Walker.

He gave you a disbelieving smile. "Damn...just like your father, aren't you. Bet you get that a lot, huh?", he finished with a sarcastic chuckle. You clenched your fists before Joaquin put a hand on your arm to soothe you. "And you try to be Steve, don't you? Bet you get that a lot", you bit back. That wiped the smile off of Walker's face and he clenched his jaw. Sam assessed the situation and tried to break the tension, "So, what do you got?"

Walker laid out all the information they had on the girl, Karli, and how they targeted the civilians who helped her move from place to place, how they were geotagging the location and scrambled the signal. The government satellites found their symbol popping up in various displaced communities all across Central and Eastern Europe and that she was taking stolen medicines to these camps.

"But, there's hundreds of those all across the planet since the Blip", Joaquin spoke up for the first time, his eyebrows furrowed. Walker looked at him with a bored expression. "So, I guess you'll have to look real hard", Bucky quipped.

"Good thing I have 20/20 vision, huh?", Walker sassed back.

"Then use that 20/20 vision and get back to work, John", you squinted your eyes at him. Bucky looked at you and smirked, Walker fixed you with a glare.

"Where is she now, Walker? Do you know?", Bucky challenged him.

Walker raised his voice, "No, we don't know, Bucky. But it's only a matter of time before we find out."

Bucky raised his eyebrows in fake concern, "Things are really intense for you, aren't they, Walker?"

Walker looked at Bucky with a lost expression on his face. Sam walked over to Bucky and placated him. "Take it easy. Look, Walker's right", you opened your mouth to argue and he stopped you, "It is imperative that we find them and stop them", Sam turned to address Walker and Lemar, "But you guys have rules of engagement, and all kinds of authorizations that you have to get. We're free agents. We're more flexible. So, it wouldn't make sense for us to work with you", Sam conceded.

You and Joaquin exchanged a look of pride before starting to walk away when that agitating voice spoke up again, "A word of advice, then", the four of you turned around lazily, "Stay the hell out of my way", Walker threatened.

You raised your eyebrows in shock. "Or? What are you gonna do?", you spit at him. Walker stared you down before smirking at you, challenging. Joaquin stepped closer to you and held your arm, gently pulling you along.

"Sam, if you don't let me blow his head off, I swear to god", you mumbled in annoyance.

The three of them let out chuckles and Sam slung an arm around your shoulders. "Imma start calling you terminator now", Sam joked and you shot him a glare. He just gave you a cheesy smile and you rolled your eyes fondly at him. “By the way, what were you two doing in Maryland?”

Bucky shifted uncomfortably at the question. “Go ahead, why don’t you explain to them, Bucky?”, Sam asked him in a sarcastic manner. You turned to look at Bucky with your eyebrows raised.

“We…well, I introduced Sam to a super soldier that I had skirmish with in the Korean War. His name is Isaiah Bradley”, Bucky confessed.

“What?!”, you and Joaquin exclaimed in unison. “And you’re saying this now? Buck-” “I know, I know. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t want to invade his privacy. He was finally living a peaceful life after a long time. He lives with his grandson, Elijah, here”, Bucky’s voice dripping with apology.

You let out a sorrowful sigh. Joaquin spoke up, curiosity lacing his tone, “What happened with him? How does nobody speak of him?”

Bucky sucked in a breath, “The government experimented on him and put him in jail for 30 years. He was hurt seeing me in front of him after...everything. He didn’t wanna see us. Rightfully resents me and the Avengers for getting to live a normal life instead of him.”

“And because he was black”, Sam says as a matter of fact.

Joaquin frowned and you closed your eyes in sadness, nodding your head in understanding. You would love to meet him someday but you get his view point. He deserved better. You promised yourself that you'd get his name cleared after all this is over.

You grimaced as you remembered the conversation with Walker, “What do we do now? Walker is going to be a pain in the ass. We need to get to Karli before him or Lemar.”

“I can track them, keep an eye out on their moments”, Joaquin offered.

“Yeah, keep up with that, Joaquin. I’ll need frequent updates. Can’t trust those two at all”, Sam agreed. The four of you made your way away from the station and Sam acknowledged Bucky, "So, what are you thinking?"

"Well, I know what we have to do. When Isaiah said 'my people'.."

"Oh, don't take that to heart, that's not what he meant", Sam tried to explain to Bucky.

"No, he meant Hydra. Hydra used to be 'my people'", Bucky conceded. Sam looked at Bucky and scoffed, "Not a chance."

You and Joaquin followed them silently, listening to their conversation with rapt attention.

"Walker doesn't have any leads...", something about Bucky's tone alarmed you and you understood why Sam reacted in the way he did. You squinted your eyes at Bucky's back. Joaquin, bless him, had no idea about what was going on so he just looked back and forth between you and Bucky with a confused look plastered on his face.

"I know where you're going with this, no", Sam shook his head in disagreement.

"He knows all of Hydra's secrets. Don't you remember Siberia?"

And that's when it clicked you. "There's no fucking way", you chuckled in disbelief. Sam shared a look with you and turned his attention back to Bucky. "So you're just gonna go sit in a room with this guy?"

Bucky hesitated before getting out a light, "Yes", with a nod of his head.

You and Sam shook your heads in disbelief.

Joaquin looked at you in confusion, "What is happening?"

You let out a sarcastic chuckle. Sam let out a weary sigh and responded with a simple, "Okay, then. We're gonna go see Zemo."

"Okay? Sam! He's- oh my god you guys are, once again, way too nonchalant about all this. He's talking about meeting up with fucking Zemo!", you glowered with a hand gesturing towards Bucky.

Joaquin's eyes widened. "The same Zemo who-" "Who broke my family apart? Yeah. Because of whom my dad, Bucky and Steve almost killed each other? Yes!", you answered his question with fake excitement.

"Holy shit. Are you okay, man?", Joaquin asked Bucky in a distressed tone. Bucky shot Joaquin a glare and averted his gaze with a guilty look on his face.

Sam let out an agitated sigh and made his way over to the car. You stood there with an incredulous look on your face and stared Bucky down. He turned around and winced at the look on your face.

"Barnes, you better have an explanation for this."

Bucky let out an exhausted sigh, "Kid, I promise I'm doing this after considering a lotta things. I swear, if he does anything stupid, I'm killing him myself. Please, trust me one more time."

Your anger melted away at his sincere request. You trusted him, you were just spooked out at how he was the one to suggest working with Zemo. You were worried especially for Bucky.

"Buck, I trust you. It's him that I don't trust. I'm worried about you, because if he tries some shit this time around...", you trailed off and furrowed your eyebrows. Bucky nodded, "Yeah, I understand. Thanks for trusting me again", he patted your shoulder. Bucky turned to face Joaquin and quipped, "Tell your boyfriend to keep his comments to himself."

You and Joaquin widened your eyes. His face was a bright shade of red, eyes lowered and his hand massaging his neck. You were sure you were sweating.

"My WHO?!", you sputtered at Bucky who was already walking away from you two. You Joaquin were left standing awkwardly before you you two fast-walked to follow Sam and Bucky, maintaining a safe distance between each other.

You were about to have an interesting few weeks.

Part 6

-

AN: i am soooo sorry for the delay! I was on a vacation and didn't get time to write. I know this one didn't have many moments between out favorite duo but it was kind of a story-filled chapter anyway. And i'm sorry if Matt is ooc!

Also, based on the little interaction with Walker, we are slowly getting into Reader's life before she joined Sam and I can finally project my hatred for Walker through Reader, hehe. Please like and reblog!

[joaquinsgf]

my flynn rider ✨

[joaquinsgf]

Literally crying at how adorable this is

Pie with Promise

Pairing: Husband!Dad!Bucky Barnes x Wife!Pregnant!Reader

Summary: In the soft glow of city lights, it's clear—your little world of blankets , pie , tacos and baby kicks is everything you've ever needed.

Word Count: 2.2k ish

Warnings/Tags: PREGNANCY if that isn’t your thing then this isn’t the fic for you 🫶🏼

Fluff Fluff and how about more fluff!!! I think just food mentions , pregnancy symptoms and kissing 💖

If i missed anything let me know Authors Note: wrote my favorite thing ever to write again domestic dad Bucky 🤗 sorry NOT sorry hehe Tysm for every like comment reblog it means the world!!! see ya in the next one bbys 🌷

MY MASTERLIST ✨ REQUESTS ALWAYS OPEN

The Dodgers game was playing low on the TV, the announcer’s voice a smooth hum in the background. 

The golden afternoon light slanted through the window blinds , cutting stripes across the soft throw blanket on your lap. 

You weren’t sure when your eyes had started closing , but you were sure that the last thing you remembered was your husband sitting next to you on the couch , flipping through a dog-eared deck of cards as he played solitaire across the coffee table. 

Half listening to the game he had bet on with Steve and Sam.

And that pie. God, the pie.

It was still warm from the oven , that perfect crisp edge on the buttery crust , and you’d been halfway through your second slice , balancing the plate against your belly like a shelf , when sleep tugged at you too hard to resist.

Now , your hand rested empty in your lap , save for a sticky smudge of pie filling on your pinky. 

The TV was still on , but Bucky was nowhere to be seen.  And your neck had the stiff ache of a too-long nap in an awkward position.

“Mmgh,” you groaned , rubbing your eyes as you stretched.

A small weight shifted under your chin with a soft prrrr.

Alpine. 

You and Bucky's cat you adopted about a year ago. She was the softest , fluffiest, whitest ,  little purrbox.

You smiled sleepily , lifting your hand to scratch the back of her fluffed ears. 

She gave you a squinty , unimpressed glance , the same kind she always gave when you dared to move after she’d deemed you a suitable warm , napping place.

Your dark gray weighted blanket, the one you didn’t remember grabbing—was tucked over your lap and belly. 

You smoothed a hand over it , heart melting at the thought: Bucky. 

He must’ve caught you dozing and covered you up , careful as ever.

You looked around , still foggy in that post nap way.

“Buck?” you called softly.

No answer.

You shifted to sit up , one hand bracing your lower back , the other cradling your belly. 

You’d just rounded into your third trimester , literally , and it was getting harder to do… Well , anything without your husbands assistance. 

Your spine and knees cracked when you stood , and Alpine gave a little mrrp of protest as you scooped her up with both hands under her arms.

“C’mon, baby,” you murmured to her, smoothing her fur. “Let’s go find daddy.”

She blinked slowly in a silent agreement.

The apartment was quiet except for the soft clink of something in the next room. 

As you padded toward the nursery , the muffled sound grew clearer—rustling paper , tools , and your husband’s familiar low hum as he read something aloud to himself, under his breath.

You stopped in the doorway, blinking when you saw him.

There he was—your Bucky—sock-clad feet tapping against the green nursery rug , a small screwdriver held between his fingers , hair tucked and pulled back messily behind his ears. 

He was crouched beside the half-assembled changing table , squinting down at the instructions in a way that screamed “I don’t agree with these people, but I’ll follow their dumb little diagrams anyway.”

Alpine leapt gently out of your arms and padded across the floor toward him. 

He glanced up just in time to see her and smiled , reaching out to stroke her back. “Hey, princess. Keepin’ Mama safe and warm out there?”

His head lifted to meet your gaze—and when his eyes found yours , that soft , crooked smile hit you like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said, voice low and soft. “You doin’ okay?”

You nodded , voice still raspy from sleep. “Yeah. Just woke up. Didn’t mean to knock out on the couch , but the pie took me out.”

He chuckled and sat back on his heels , wiping his hands on his sweatpants. “You passed out halfway through your last bite. I didn’t wanna wake you. You looked real peaceful… mouth open , droolin’ a little.” He teased winking.

“Rude,” you muttered, blushing.

“I loved it,” he grinned, then offered his hand to you to help you into the nursery recliner. “C’mon, sit with me.”

You took it gladly , letting him tug you close. Once you’d sunk into the chair, Alpine hopped into your lap and did a slow spin before curling into a fluffy loaf right on your bump.

“She’s obsessed with you,” Bucky murmured , crouching beside the recliner now, resting his chin on the armrest to be level with you. Your hands found his hair , lacing your fingers in it gently. 

“You and the baby. She follows you like a shadow.” he hummed.

“Jealous?” you teased, fingers dragging to his face , scratching his stubble.

He scrunched his nose. “Just a little.”

You smiled and leaned back, sighing as you stroked over your belly. “Doctor’s appointment is Thursday morning. That one’s the big one again—blood pressure, growth scan, the works.” 

He nodded, face serious. “I’ll be there.”

“I know , You always are.”

“And I’ll always be.”

You stared at him for a long second, your heart squeezing behind your ribs.

God , you loved him.

You bit your lip and looked down, stroking the top of Alpine’s head as she purred against you. “Okay ,  I sat as long as I could but I really gotta pee.”

He stood instantly , offering his hands. “Here , wait , let me help—”

“I can get up without you helping me like I’m made of glass , Bucky.”

“You’re carrying my child , doll. That makes you royalty. I serve at your pleasure.”

You laughed. “Well, tell your royal subject that their first order is to let their mama at least make it to the bathroom this time. And second order? Tacos. The baby’s demanding tacos.”

He gave a salute. “Understood. I’ll call the place on the corner.

You waddled toward the bathroom as he headed to the kitchen , muttering to himself about whether he should order one or four kinds of salsa.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The scent of Mexican spices and lime drifted through the apartment twenty minutes later.

You and Bucky stood barefoot on the balcony under the fading evening sky , tacos piled high on plates ,  a soft breeze ruffling your hair. 

He passed you a napkin and leaned against the railing beside you , shoulder brushing yours as you both devoured your favorites.

“I love it out here,” you mumbled between bites. “It’s serene , just us the city and these amazing tacos.”

He laughed out of his nose mid bite , staring down at your bump as you wiped salsa off your chin.

 “All of it. This place. You. The baby. Got my whole world , right here.” he said quietly.

You paused , taco halfway to your mouth , blinking back sudden tears.

“I’m gonna cry,” you whispered.

He nudged you gently with his elbow. “Not before you finish that taco.”

You snorted, leaning into him, resting your head on his shoulder.

Then, a beat later, you groaned rubbing your belly..

“Ughhhhhh, I’m too full and nauseous now.”

He held out his hand. “Gimme.”

You blinked. “What?”

“Gimme the taco. You’re not wasting that.”

You passed him your plate and watched him finish off your last half in two bites.

It was a little tradition of yours.

He always finished what you couldn’t eat.

 A quiet, stupidly sweet thing you never talked about—but just did. Ever since your first date. 

Makes you cry everytime you think of it. 

You two meeting up at an Italian restaurant down the street , Bucky picked the place hoping to impress you. 

He bought a beautiful bouquet of peonies  , when you took them with a soft thank you ,  it wasn't the restaurant or even the pretty arrangement that stole your heart , but that lopsided crooked smile that met Buckys eyes when he looked at you. 

The crinkle in his nose when he laughed , his bright blue eyes and of course him being the sweetest man on the planet were all pluses. But man that smile stole your heart fully and wholly that day. 

And now look at you two.

You watched him slurp his soda as his free hand rested gently against your belly. Not rubbing, not talking. 

Just resting. Present.

You turned your face into his shoulder , eyes fluttering closed as the sky turned pink.

You  stayed tucked against his shoulder just like that for a while. 

The scent of tacos , laundry detergent , and everything that made up him filling your nose. 

His arm wrapped around your back gently , fingers drawing slow , soothing circles just under your ribs.

“I can feel you thinkin’,” he murmured.

You smiled. “I’m always thinking.”

“About?” he pressed gently.

You sighed. “Nursery. Delivery. If I’m going to poop on the table in front of you.”

He let out a short , surprised laugh.

 “Baby doll, I’ve seen worse remember that time in your second trimester when you-” 

He began but you covered his mouth quickly with your hand. 

“I thought you promised to never speak of that again?” you whined face red with embarrassment

“I'm sorry , okay , but you think I’m gonna blink twice if you poop during labor?”

“You say that now…’

“I mean it. I’ll be right there holding your hand and telling you how beautiful you are , how proud I am of you , and how amazing you are for bringing another life into this world.”

Your heart fluttered. 

You let your hand slide over his on your belly.

 “Okay. Then I’m not as scared.”

“Good,” he said softly , pressing a kiss to your temple. 

“We’re gonna be okay, all three of us.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The sky was dark now , just a faint gold halo left around the skyline. 

The city buzzed below you, but it felt so far away from your little bubble of safety and quiet. 

It always did when you were with him.

Bucky gently pushed back your hair. “You ready to go inside?”

You nodded, belly feeling heavier by the second. “Yeah. I think I need to lie down.”

“I’ll get the blanket. You get comfy.”

You both padded barefoot back inside , the taco plates clinking softly as he set them in the sink making a mental reminder to wash them in the morning.

You waddled straight to the nursery , Alpine trailing behind you , tail up like a little white flag. 

The soft rug under your feet , the pastel paint , the faint scent of baby lotion—it was all so surreal and real at once.

The changing table was half-finished still, the tools neatly lined up by the instructions. 

You smiled as you lowered yourself into the plush recliner with a soft grunt. You loved spending time in this room. Just waiting and prepping for you babe.

“I told you not to keep building that tonight,” you called softly.

Bucky returned a second later, blanket in one hand, water bottle in the other. “I know, but the screws were mocking me.”

“I bet they were , honey.” you smiled teasing.

He knelt beside you and reached to cover you with the soft blanket, tucking it around your legs. 

Then, like clockwork, his hand found its home on your bump again.

And the baby kicked and rolled .

Hard.

Both of you froze.

His mouth dropped open as he stared at your belly, then up at you. “Was that—?”

“That was definitely a kick,” you breathed, laughing as your hand joined his.

A second one followed—stronger, aimed right where his palm lay.

Bucky let out the softest noise, somewhere between a laugh and a gasp. 

His eyes were wide, blue like the sky before a storm. 

“That little punk kicked their dad already ,” he whispered. 

“That’s our baby.”

He leaned forward, brushing his lips to your belly right by his hand, whispering.

“Hey, you in there. Be nice to your mama.”

You blinked fast, your vision going blurry.

“I didn’t think I could love you more,” you said quietly.

He looked up, startled. “But?” 

Waiting for you to tell him something bad he had done or said.

“No,  but. Just… somehow I do. Every day.”

His lips parted, and he just stared at you for a second, like maybe you’d knocked the wind out of him.

Then he kissed you.

It wasn’t urgent or fast. 

It was soft and slow, like he had all the time in the world. 

Like nothing else mattered except the way your lips molded and perfectly fit against his. 

The way his thumb brushed your cheek as he deepened it, the way your hand curled into the front of his hoodie to keep him close.

When you pulled back, both a little breathless, he pressed his forehead to yours.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured, “I don't care about every good thing I do now , there’s still no way I’ll ever deserve this life with you.”

“You do deserve it, Buck.”

“I’m the lucky one.”

“No,” you said, touching his face, “we are.”

Then he chuckled. “You still full?”

You groaned. “Like a overfilled water balloon. Slowly regretting every bite.”

“C’mon , I’ll go rub your back.”

“Deal—but you gotta finish off my horchata, too.”

He smiled, already on his feet. “Already done.”

You exhaled , watching him walk out , one hand running through his sleep-tousled hair, the other already reaching for the bottle of soothing vanilla lotion.

This man. This life.

You looked down at your belly as it rolled gently beneath your hand. “You’ve got a pretty amazing dad, you know that?”

Alpine let out a soft mrrrp, hopping back onto the chair and curling into your hip. “See even your sister agrees” You said eyes closing , picturing a better life than this. 

Which was hard because there was no way you could.

This was perfect.

-end part 2 loading... hehe

my other dad bucky fics: Waltzing Rescue & Plums and Pancakes

Comments , Reblogs , Likes and Requests are always loved!

(although if you liked this fic please consider reblogging so it can reach a wider audience)

They let me know that you are enjoying what I'm publishing and gives me motivation to write more and more! :33

[joaquinsgf]

trying really hard not to cry and failing, this is adorable

Begging for dad Joaquin with a new baby 🥹 imagine how obsessed with that kiddo he’d be!!

STOP the way Joaquin would be absolutely smitten with his baby?? He’d be the most doting, soft dad ever.

Let me know what you think about this imagine😋🤍

Masterlist

This can be read as a standalone, but In Every Little Moment also works as part 2 to this imagine.

The Smallest Piece of Heaven

Joaquin Torres is a very emotional person, and you love that part about him. While most of the guys you've ever dated couldn't bear to show any emotions—because "apparently that's not what guys do"—for Joaquin, showing his emotions shows you how much he cares. And that man cares about everything. So truly, you shouldn't be surprised when he not only lets out a few tears—but full, silent, overwhelming sobs—as he stares down at the tiny, blinking human in his arms.

Your baby boy.

You gave birth in the SHIELD-issue hospital, which went as smoothly as you'd hoped. The thought of giving birth scared you, but meeting the tiny person you created excited you. And under SHIELD's care, everything went perfectly. They took care of you, made sure you were well looked after, and treated you as their first priority. While you hesitated to give birth in that place, Dr. Banner made sure that you were in good hands—and this is one of the most advanced hospitals with its doctors that you could be in.

Joaquin’s hands tremble slightly, cradling the life you both created together, and he presses a soft kiss to the baby's forehead like he's holding a piece of heaven.

“He’s so small,” he whispers, like speaking louder might shatter the moment.

You're barely awake, but watching him with your baby, you can barely keep it together. This man who's flown into battle with metal wings on his back, who faces danger and stood toe-to-toe with villains with a brave smile—now absolutely wrecked by a seven-pound tiny human with sleepy eyes.

And in this moment, you know that your son became his entire world—just like you did.

There is no doubt in you that he wouldn't do anything for the two of you, and somehow that thought scares you, because you know how Joaquin becomes once someone dear to him is in danger. He would protect you two, even if it means giving up himself. That man is the bravest person in this world, and you wouldn't change a thing about him.

He hums lullabies in Spanish, just like his mother did for him when he was younger. He rocks your baby boy to sleep, even when your baby's already out cold. He insists on carrying him everywhere, even if it's just from the nursery to the living room. Joaquin is already obsessed with him, and you didn't think it would be any other way.

While you were pregnant, he was by your side every given moment. You didn't have to do any work as long as he was there. The only thing he talked about was the baby—the excitement in his voice brought you to tears. This man, the love of your life, is not only the good husband you always wished for but a caring father.

Even now, Joaquin narrates everything—making bottles, changing diapers, folding laundry. You don't even have to lift a finger; that man observes everything. And don't even get him started on the baby's little noises. He already made a folder under "Little Wing" on his phone for all the videos, voice memos…

When Sam Wilson visits you after a few hours—when you're well rested and the baby is stable enough that they don't have to do any more checkups—he brings flowers for you as well as a teddy bear for the little guy.

You're so grateful that Joaquin is in good hands. Sam is not only his colleague but also became family over the years—and that has nothing to do with the fact that he introduced the two of you. But Sam likes to praise himself and tell everyone that with his help, you two got together.

You hold your baby boy as you watch Joaquin show Sam his folder. He is very proud of that.

“Look at him, man,” he says, shoving his phone in Sam’s face. “Did you hear that laugh? That was me! I did the airplane arms, and he lost it!”

It’s the first laughter from your boy after just a few hours of being on this earth. He already has his daddy wrapped around his finger—as expected. You can hear and see the joy on Joaquin's face. You wouldn't give up anything for this moment. All you want to do is relive everything with Joaquin over and over again.

“You’ve gotten soft, Torres,” Sam only teases him.

“Damn right I have,” Joaquin says proudly.

As he looks at you, you know he would give up anything just so he could do it all with you over and over again. You're a goddess in his eyes, one he would worship forever, even if it takes up his last breath.

The little life you’ve built together is his hope and his purpose for living.

[joaquinsgf]

PB&JJ aesthetic mood boards because we need this quartet to happen please and thank you @ marvel

[joaquinsgf]

we did that fr 🔥🔥

roomates!pb&jj — au where peter, bob, joaquin and johnny share an apartment in new york

[joaquinsgf]

joaquin is down bad and we love to see it

Philophobia (Part 3)

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x Stark!Reader

Chapter Summary: After that…interesting first meeting with Joaquin, You finally join Sam and the three of you make your way to his apartment to get settled. Little did you know, that all of you were going to get the shock of your lives. Oh, and you also reunite with Bucky after 6 months. (10 years.)

Warnings: Mentions of Death and Depression, Mentions of Panic Attacks, Nightmares, Abuse by a parent (not tony), Insomnia, Cursing, Fluff, Grumpy x Sunshine except Joaquin is the sunshine, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Joaquin is Down Bad, Pining, Reader has some phobias, Found family, Reunion with Bucky, John Walker slander, Steve Rogers slander (please don’t read this if this isn’t what you’re looking for). Also, I don’t know shit about technology so please excuse that. 😁

AN: So, a lil change of plans. This series will now follow TFATWS and our family will now be on their way to fight w the flag smashers and also they finally reunite with bucky! I’m so sorry for being a dumbass and not thinking of this before 😭 i was just very overwhelmed since this is my first ever series :( anyways, now we will follow the show! Yay!

After that intense first meeting with Joaquin, the three of you made your way to Sam’s apartment.

You were hesitant about going to Sam’s place because it’s the first time since….everything that you were going to an avenger’s house. If everything was normal, you’d be spending half of your time over at Natasha’s or Bruce’s house but nothing is the same anymore.

Sam, being the empathetic and respectful man he is, sensed your reluctance and gave you some space to be.

Joaquin, on the other hand…

That boy did not have an off button. He really didn’t. He could talk about anything and everything and you hated to admit that you lo-liked his low pitched, smooth voice.

“Um, I just wanted to say that, i really love how you’re so passionate about the charities, you know? You remember that fundraising gala you held in Miami? I attended that. I mean, i crashed it more like. My mom did not like that-”, he chuckled before continuing, “but it was so good. I appreciate you making space for our community and supporting the children. Everybody was so happy. My mom couldn’t stop praising you. Said you were such a natural. You really don’t have to, but you use your privilege for the best causes and i just wanted to say that i really admire that and-”

“Joaquin”, Sam cut him off firmly from the driver’s seat. He turned his head to look at Joaquin for a moment and shook his head slightly to stop him from talking any more. Joaquin shut his mouth immediately and set his lips in a thin line. His eyes wide.

In the back seat, you were staring at the back Joaquin’s head. He sure does talk a lot but….you didn’t know you made such an impact on him?

And…he attended your gala?

“Sorry, (Name). He’s just…happy to be around someone who’s his age. Just-”

“It’s okay, Sam”, you interrupted Sam gently before focusing on Joaquin.

“You…attended the gala?”, you asked him inquisitively.

Joaquin looked at Sam who gave him the go to speak before turning around to look at you.

He still couldn’t believe you were sitting right there. He swore that his heart stopped everytime he looked at you.

“Yeah…you-you were with the kids helping them paint the mural, remember? One of them was my neighbour’s kid. He was so happy. Told me you gave them new art kits? That’s really generous of you. Thank you”, Joaquin replied sincerely, his eyes twinkling.

You felt your throat close up and you swallowed thickly to stop the tears from flowing down your face.

You simply shook your head. “Don’t thank me. It’s the bare minimum.”

You saw his eyes comically widen. Like you personally offended him.

“Bare minimum? Dude, you opened a fucking school for the neighbourhood and an orphanage. And you are sponsoring some of the kids’ education. Not even the government is doing all that”, he exclaimed.

Now it was your turn to widen your eyes. You were speechless. You didn’t know how to handle praise so you did the only thing you can do best- deflect the compliment and give a sarcastic reply instead.

You cleared your throat. “Is he always like this? Why is he gassing me up?”, you asked Sam.

Sam let out a loud laugh and Joaquin scrunched his face in confusion.

“What-” Joaquin sputtered out.

“This is their way of saying thank you, Joaquin”, Sam reassured him while chuckling.

You saw the way Joaquin’s face relaxed in understanding.

“Oh!”, Joaquin let out a delighted chuckle. “Well, it’s my pleasure”, he continued and smiled at you cheekily before turning back around.

Was he flirting?

When you noticed that the two of them weren’t looking, you turned your head towards the window and bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from smiling.

-

You finally reached Sam’s apartment and he gave you a brief tour.

“So, this is my humble abode. There’s three rooms, the one at the end of the hall is the office. You can unpack your stuff there. Joaquin won’t be staying back today, so you can take the guest bedroom. Well, consider that room to be yours anyways ‘cus he’s crashing on the couch always”, Sam finished.

Joaquin gasped dramatically and put a hand on his chest. “You’re already replacing me?!”

Sam just smirked. “And? What about it?”

Joaquin’s mouth hung open.

You let out a soft chuckle and the two of them snapped their heads towards you. Joaquin spoke up first.

“Did you just laugh at our jokes?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You did!”

“Nope.”

“Oh, you totally did, kid.”

“I’m going to unpack”, you responded, unbothered.

Sam just let out a chuckle and clapped Joaquin on the shoulder. “They’re just like their dad, I swear.”

Joaquin grinned and looked your figure go down the hall longingly.

Sam noticed this.

“Okay, lover boy. You needa get out. Go get some work done, and stop ogling my new recruit.”

“Can I stay-”

“No.”

“Please, Sam. I swear I will work-”

“Hell nah, man. I saw how much you work when they’re around. Nope. Go back to the base”, Sam told Joaquin firmly.

Joaquin let out a dramatic sigh.

“Okay. But, promise me-”

Joaquin stopped what he was saying because you had come back to the living room. Sam rolled his eyes. This boy was whipped.

“Okay, kid. Say ‘bye’ to Torres because he will be going back to the base to work, isn’t that right?”, Sam announced and patted Joaquin’s shoulder.

You shrugged. “Okay. Bye, Joaquin.”

Joaquin stared at you dumbfounded because why did you make his name sound so good?

Sam patted his back loudly and he snapped out of his daze.

“Yeah, yeah. Bye, (Name). I’ll…I’ll see you around”, he murmured.

You nodded your head and averted your gaze to stop your face from warming up.

Sam took Joaquin by the shoulders and pushed him towards the door. Before leaving, Joaquin made one quick request.

“Promise me that you’ll call me if you need anything.”

Sam quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be coming to help me and not someone else. Goodbye, Torres. I need that intel report by tonight”, Sam said authoritatively and pushed Joaquin out of the door.

Joaquin just chuckled and jogged away before throwing a ‘bye!’ over his shoulder.

Sam shook his head. He couldn’t believe this teenager in an adult’s body was going to be his protégé.

-

The day went by, you settled in and unpacked your stuff before diving into work. You were tinkering with his suit and adding some modifications. Sam was sorting out some documents and had a brief call with Joaquin. He had found out some information on a group of people called The Flagsmashers. Something about them wanting a unified world and how they were the ones that Sam had to worry about. You couldn’t help but overhear. Staying observant and vigilant came to naturaly to you.

Sometime later, Sam’s phone rang again and he rushed out of his room to turn on the TV.

You were minding your own business when you suddenly heard the words ‘Join me in welcoming your new Captain America!’

You whipped your head up and joined Sam in the living room. There, on the screen, was a blue eyed-blonde haired- man who looked like a wish.com version of Steve. He stood there grinning, with a blue and red suit. With the fucking shield in his hand.

“What the hell?”, you murmured in disbelief. You looked over to Sam and saw him close his eyes in regret.

“Sam, what’s this? Did you know this?”, you asked him slowly.

He inhaled sharply. “Ofcourse not. Shit…” Sam trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

You knew that something like this would happen the moment you saw that shield in that glass box. Because how can the government resist from finding a symbol- a mascot- that would represent their useless and selfish white ego? It’s almost like they were waiting for Sam to hand over the shield. As soon as you thought of that, your face srunched up in disgust.

“Sam, we gotta stop this shit. Who the fuck is this guy? Who came up with this?”, you said furiously.

Sam shook his head.

“I got no clue, kid. I didn’t know…fuck.”

Your face shifted in understanding. He was feeling guilty. Not for giving up the shield, but for giving it into the government’s hands.

You sat down next to him.

“It’s not your fault, Sam. They were going to do this, anyway. Either by controlling you if you took up the shield or by finding a replacement if you didn’t. This won’t end well, trust me.”

Sam just ducked his head and nodded. He then let out a groan.

“Bucky will not like this. Not like he’s picking up my calls or answering my texts. But I know he’s gonna have a crazy breakdown.”

You blinked in surprise. Bucky. You had completely forgotten about him. The last you saw him was at your father’s funeral. But you were in a very…sensitive condition so nobody dared to approach you that day. You haven’t heard of him or from him since that day. Not that you two ever had the chance to just talk.

You were about to speak when you heard the new cap- John Walker- speak on the TV.

‘Yeah, that and flags tend to start majestically waving in the wind. And how's the tour been? I know they did a big rollout for you, right? It's the greatest honor of my life. Um, but I'm just a little shocked, I think. How did a guy like me end up here?’

‘Oh, wait, wait, wait’, the interviewer stops him.

"A guy like me"? ‘Somebody's being a bit too humble. For those of you who aren't familiar with his résumé, "John Walker, first person in American history to receive three Medals of Honor", "ran RS-One missions in counterterrorism and hostage rescue". The government did a study of your body at MIT, and you tested off the charts in every measurable category. Speed, endurance, intelligence... ’

‘Look, here's the thing, uh, I'm not Tony Stark, I'm not Dr. Banner, okay? I don't have the flashiest gadgets, I don't have super strength. But what I do have is guts. Something Captain America always had, always needs to have, and I'm gonna need every ounce of it. Because I got big shoes to fill.’ Walker interrupted her.

You grimaced. Oh, you hate this guy. What an actor. “He’s so full of it. He could never be Steve or you.”

Sam chuckled humourlessly and furrowed his eyebrows at the screen.

Little did the two of you know, Walker was going to be a huge problem.

-

Later in the day, Sam and you left for the tarmac to go to Munich and follow the flagsmashers.

You met up with Joaquin on the tarmac.

And you froze.

Because wow he looked real good in that army green muscle tee with his uniform cargo pants.

Your face felt warm. Your throat felt dry and your legs felt like lead.

What the fuck was wrong with you? You had to stop acting like this. You’re not sure if you can handle the pain all over again. And you don’t think Joaquin would be interested–Hell, Joaquin didn’t deserve all the baggage that you came with.

So you shook your body a little, clenched your fists and tightened your jaw before Sam or Joaquin noticed your weird behaviour. You chose to stand behind Sam and let them talk to each other first.

Sam greeted Joaquin.

“Seems like a good guy”, Joaquin said, referring to Walker.

You scoffed softly. Joaquin looked at you and smiled.

“You met him?”, Sam asked with a raised brow.

“No”, Joaquin said with pursed lips.

Sam nodded.

“Thanks for doing this on such short notice”, Sam thanked Joaquin. He had immediately agreed to joining him on the mission.

“Yeah, No sweat. I'm just finishing up the checklist, you'll be all good to go once you land in Munich”, Joaquin addressed the both of you.Sam nodded and made his way down to the tarmac. Joaquin lingered around and finally looked at you.

“Hey”,Joaquin greeted you shyly.

You glanced at him and gave him a barely there smile.

“Hey, Torres.”

Before he could say something, the two of you heard a voice call out.

“Shouldn’t have given up the shield!”

You paused. That voice-

“Bucky?”, you whispered.

Joaquin looked at you move towards the railing.

You held the railing with both of your hands and leaned over it.

It took you a second to recognise him because-

“He cut his hair?”, you chuckled lowly.

He looked…good. The short hair suited him a lot. He looked healthier. Rhodey had told you that Bucky had finally gotten his pardon and he had to go to therapy as a condition of his pardon. You hoped those sessions were helping him in some way.

But then Sam told you that Bucky was avoiding him on purpose, so Sam was worried that he was isolating himself again.

Joaquin broke your train of thought and joined you by the railing.

“How long has it been since you met him?”, he asked out of curiosity.

You scoffed. “Way too long.”

Because yeah, technically, Bucky and you didn’t meet properly for the last 10 years.

You turned your attention back to the ex-avengers.

“Good to see you too, Buck”, Sam sighed.

“This is wrong”, Bucky responded.

Sam turned around and held out his hands.

“Hey, hey. Look, I’m working. Alright? So all this outrage is gonna have to wait”, he told Bucky firmly.

Sam was already anticipating this reaction from Bucky.

“You didn't know that was gonna happen?”, Bucky accused.

Sam furrowed his brows, tired of being asked the same thing.

“No, of course I didn't know that was gonna happen. You think it didn't break my heart to see them march him out there and call him the new Captain America?”, he accused Bucky right back.

Bucky scoffed humourlessly and turned his head to the side. “This isn’t what Steve wanted.”

You raised your eyebrows and scoffed loudly. You were honestly tired of people mentioning Steve Rogers like his word was the only thing that mattered.

You must’ve been loud enough because both of them snapped their heads up to look at you.

You saw the way Bucky paused. A look of shock was plastered on his face. His mouth fell open.

“(Name)?”, he whispered.

You waved at him.

“Hey, Buc-Barnes.” You almost called him Bucky. You didn’t even know if he would be okay with you calling him that.

He kept looking at you in surprise before Sam brought his attention back to the conversation.

“Oh, my God. So, what do you want me to do? Call America and tell 'em I changed my mind? Huh?”, Sam asked incredulously.

“Yeah, right”, Bucky chuckled sarcastically.

“It’s a great reunion, buddy. Be well”, Sam patted Bucky’s shoulder and started to move.

“You had no right to give up the shield, Sam”, Bucky poked him further.

‘Bucky needs to shut up right now’, you thought.

Sam stopped and turned around to point at Bucky. He was annoyed.

“Hey. This is what you're not gonna do. You're not gonna come here in your overextended life and tell me about my rights. It's over, Bucky. Besides, I have bigger things to deal with now.”

“What could be bigger than this?”, Bucky narrowed his eyes.

“This guy”, Sam showed the photo of the flagsmasher member.

While Sam was narrating the situation to Bucky, you and Joaquin made your way down to set up everything on the jet.

As you neared the two of them, their voices grew louder.

“-So that's where I'm going.”

“Well, I don't trust Redwing”, Bucky said nonchalantly.

You groaned.

Joaquin turned to you. “What?”

“Bucky insulted redwing. They’re gonna argue over this for hours, now.”

And argue they did.

“Hold on a minute. You don't have to trust Redwing, but I'mma go see if he's right. 'Cause I have a feeling they might be a part of the Big Three.”

You, Joaquin and Bucky had identical confused looks on your face.

“What "Big Three"?”, Bucky asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

“The Big Three.”

“What Big Three?”

“Androids, aliens, and wizards.”

You raised your eyebrows.

“That’s not a thing”, you and Bucky responded at the same time.

Joaquin chuckled. For someone who’s never met the other person, you and Bucky were surely alike.

You scrunched your nose and tilted your head like a puppy. Joaquin looked at you. ‘So cute.’ He thought.

“That's definitely a thing”, Sam said surely.

“No, it's not”, Bucky squinted his eyes in disbelief.

You heaved out a deep sigh.

“Come on. This is never ending. Let them bicker for a while. Their reunion is incomplete without it.”

Joaquin laughed and followed you to the jet, leaving behind those two man babies fighting like a married couple on the tarmac.

-

You were rechecking the tech to see if it was working properly and Joaquin was preparing the jet for the flight.

You were so deep into tinkering that you didn’t notice Joaquin standing right next to you and observing your work intently.

You stood up and flinched. Not expecting him to stand so close.

“Oh my god! Dude, the least you could do is warn me. I had zoned out”, you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Sorry! I’m sorry, you were so focused I didn’t wanna disturb you”, Joaquin said sheepishly and stepped back.

You sighed. “It’s okay. I’m almost done.”

Joaquin hummed.

He watched, transfixed, as you thread your fingers through your soft hair.

You could feel his stare on you. Your cheeks were shaded in a tinge of pink, again.

“Uh- if you don’t mind, can I ask you something?”, he asked hesitantly with his arms across his chest.

You quirked an eyebrow at him. He took that as a sign to continue.

“I saw the way you reacted when Bucky mentioned Steve. You two didn’t get along, or somethin’?”

You paused and turned your attention back towards the laptop.

“That’s none of your business”, you told Joaquin firmly.

You saw the way he deflated and the way his eyes widened. You closed your eyes in shame. You shouldn’t have snapped at him. You felt bad, but he shouldn’t have asked about your deepest wounds on your first day of working together.

“Oh. I’m so sorry, (Name). I didn’t mean to-” his soft voice was cut off by the sounds of Sam and Bucky’s loud banter.

“Are we ready, kids?”, Sam asked the two of you.

Joaquin cleared his throat to get rid of his embarrassment.

“Y-yeah. We’re ready to fly”, he murmured and walked over to the cockpit.

You still hadn’t looked up from the screen.

Sam looked at the two of you sceptically. He could feel the tension.

“Okay…Let’s suit up, Bucky”, Sam announced before leaving to unpack his gear.

You were adding some extra features onto Sam’s vambrace when you noticed a shadow in the corner of your eyes.

“(Name)?”

You turned to look at Bucky.

You gave him a weak smile.

“Hey..how are you?

He smiled at you awkwardly. “Uh- it’s been alright, yeah. How..are you? Haven’t seen you in a while.”

You chuckled lowly. “Yeah, I wonder why…” you trailed off.

He saw the way his smile faded before he clenched his jaw. “Listen- um. Id like to..talk to you. If you allow me to, that is”, he asked nervously. He was clenching his fists which made his leather gloves crackle.

You looked up at him in surprise. He wanted to talk to you?

“Yeah, sure. We can talk, after the mission”, you nodded.

He let out a sigh of relief and unclenched his jaw before nodding at you. He left to get ready for the mission.

You let out a big sigh. This was a long day.

-

A while later you were finally in Munich.

Everything was set, Sam and Bucky were geared up. All they had to was de-board the jet.

“One minute to drop off, Sam”, Joaquin announced while making his way over to the opened door of the jet. You watched him pass you and observed Sam and Bucky’s banter.

“So what's our plan?”, Bucky asked Sam.

Sam didn’t respond.

“Great. So no plan”, Bucky exasperated.

“Thirty seconds!”, Joaquin yelled out.

“Enjoy your ride, Buck”, Sam told Bucky.

“No, you can't call me that!”

“Why not? That's what Steve called you.”

“Steve knew me longer, and Steve had a plan”, Bucky sassed.

“Fifteen seconds to drop!”

“I have a plan”, Sam replied smugly.

“Really? What is it?”

Before Bucky could get an answer, Sam jumped out with his wings unfurled.

Bucky raised his arms in disbelief.

“Great. Where's the chute?”, he asked Joaquin.

“We're at feet. It's too low for a chute”, Joaquin told him as-a-matter-of-factly.

You narrowed your eyes at Joaquin.

“How the hell is he gonna go down, then?”

Bucky clenched his jaw. “I don’t need it anyway.”

You scrunched your brows. “What do you mean?”

“You sure about that?”, Joaquin asked curiously.

Bucky smirked. “Yeah.”

“Bro, what-” before you could ask what was he thinking, he jumped while yelling.

Like, free falling. In the middle of an area covered by trees.

“What the fuck!”, you widened your eyes and yelled out.

“He’ll be fine”, Joaquin reassured you. You had to check for yourself.

You tapped your comms.

“Are you okay?!”, you asked worried.

Instead of Bucky, you heard Sam.

“I have all of that on camera. You know that, right?”

“Get out of my face, Sam, or I'll break it”, Bucky replied.

You let out a breath. “Yeah, he’s okay.”

“Told you”, Joaquin shrugged.

You just narrowed your eyes at him.

“Get back to work”, you groaned.

You got back to your makeshift work station and tracked Sam and Bucky.

“Guys, I’ve activated the trackers. Please don’t break the comms and please stay in touch.”

“You got it, kid”, Sam reassured you.

Now you just have to sit back and keep an eye on them.

-

While you were keeping an eye on the footage, you couldn’t help but think about the way you had snapped at Joaquin and the way he had shrunken down. You did what you had been the best at– pushing away people and taking out their light.

He didn’t know what happened, he just asked out of curiosity. That’s just how he was. He had a pure, genuine and inquisitive personality. Unlike you.

You had to grow up and own your mistakes and stop lashing out at someone who doesn’t know about your personal grudges.

Your therapist would be pleasantly impressed at this.

So, you made your way to the cockpit and cleared your throat.

He turned around so quick you thought he would have sprained his neck.

“Hi”, you said awkwardly.

Joaquin, too shocked to see you talking to him, sputtered out a shaky “Hey.”

You wring your hands together out of nervousness and clasp them tightly. You swallowed harshly.

“Um. Joaquin….I’m sorry.”

Joaquin had a surprised look on his face. He was not expecting you to apologise.

“Wait. No, I’m the one who should be apologising. I’m so-”

“No. Joaquin, listen to me, please”, you stopped him.

He shut up immediately and gave you his full attention.

“Thank you. Look, you didn’t know any better. We just met and….you were just curious. I felt like, you crossed a line and that’s why I snapped. I’m sorry. That was an overreaction”, you told him sincerely.

He gaped at you and held out his hands.

“Hey, please don’t apologise. I know I can come off too strong. I should’ve respected your boundaries. Sam had warned me to not say anything stupid to you. I just….i get too excited to talk to you and..yeah. I’m sorry for crossing a line. I’ll be mindful next time”, he admitted sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

You finally broke out in a smile.

Okay, he was cute. (Too cute)

“Yeah…you do get very excited easily”, you teased.

You saw the way his cheeks turned bright pink and he chuckled nervously.

“So….are we okay now?”

“Yeah, flyboy. We’re okay”, you smirked.

He flashed you his radiant smile. Seriously, he was too pretty and he knew exactly how to use that for his benefit. You were skirting dangerous territory so you immediately snapped out of it and straightened up.

You cleared your throat and switched back to professional mode. “Okay, I’m gonna go check on those two. Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

He threw up a thumbs up. “Yeah, okay, (Name).”

As you turned around to go back to your seat, you could feel his stare linger on your back.

-

It all went south very quickly after that. Bucky had jumped into one of the vans that were carrying the ‘hostage’ and that hostage turned out to be the leader of the flagsmashers- Karli Morgenthau.

Soon they were ambushed by 8 more people and they were all super soldiers. If that wasn’t enough, Karli had smashed redwing. Seriously, fuck you Karli. How many times are you gonna have to rebuild him? Now you were left with no footage and had to guess the situation based on their location and the audio from the comms.

Safe to say, Bucky and Sam were getting their asses handed to them. It was so stressful because they were fighting on top of two moving carriers. What were these two thinking? Just as you were going to tell them to pull back, two more people entered the scene.

“Fucking Walker? What the hell is he doing here?”, you growled.

“To bask in the glory!”, Sam shouted, out of breath.

So you sat there. With your head in your hands, helpless.

30 minutes later, Sam commed back.

“We’re coming back to the jet, (Name). Tell Joaquin to prepare for take off.”

“Copy. Are you two okay?”

“Well, other than our wounded ego and a few bruises, yes we are okay. Are you okay?”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in.

“Yeah, we’re alright, Sam. Just don’t get into any more trouble now. And please bring back redwing’s remnants.”

-

They finally boarded the jet 10 minutes later and just sat down in front of each other. You could sense another disagreement incoming so you took away redwing to start working on him immediately.

“Fuck, what a clean break. I’m gonna have to make the entire display and main controls again”, you groaned.

“You want any help?”, Joaquin approached you.

“Uhh, nope. If I feel sleepy, I’ll tap you in”, you told him distractedly.

He knew you weren’t gonna call him back because Sam had told him about your insomnia. He had decided he’ll come back in an hour and wrestle you to go to sleep if he had to. He just leaned against the wall of the jet and smiled at you.

“Okay, (nickname).”

You stopped what you were doing and snapped your head up.

“What did you-”

He was already gone. That cheeky little shit.

You just shook your head and focused on redwing. You heard footsteps approach and took a deep breath in, ready to ask Joaquin what did he call you.

“You-” you paused.

“Barnes?”

It was Bucky. He held out his hand to stop you.

“Hey, please call me Bucky. I don’t mind”, he requested you in his soft voice.

Your mouth gaped. Bucky allowed you to call him by his name?

“Oh. Okay. Thanks, Bucky”, you smiled at him gratefully.

He smiled back before swallowing thickly. You observed his nervousness.

“D’you wanna sit down?”, you offered gently.

He cleared his throat and nodded yes.

The two of you sat side by side on the nearest seats. You weren’t sure if he’d like the proximity so you chose to sit down a seat away from him, leaving a safe distance between the two of you.

He was restless. Kept fiddling with his hands. You noticed that he hadn’t removed his gloves around you which means he still felt like he had to be cautious around you.

“Uh...How are you?”, he asked tentatively.

“I’m good, Bucky. How are you?”, you smiled softly at him to encourage him to speak.

He nodded. “I’m…alright.”

You decided to lighten up the situation.

“Nice haircut, by the way. You look like a hunk”, you smirked.

That brought out a weak chuckle from him.

“Yeah? Thought so. A grandma told me I look handsome the day I got it.”

You grinned. “A grandma? I’m sure she’s still younger than you, Bucky.”

He laughed. Actually laughed. Eyes crinkling and nose scrunched up. You felt proud. You made The Bionic Staring Machine* laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Both of you calmed down from your laughter and sat in silence. You leaned your head back to the wall. He was the one who broke the silence.

“Listen, (name). I’m sorry we never got a chance to talk like this, before. I know it’s way too late for all this. I….”, he took a moment to let out a shaky breath.

“I never got a chance to…apologise. To your dad. For whatever happened. I will never forgive myself for that, kid. There’s not a day where I don’t think about it. I know something like that can’t be fixed with a simple ‘sorry’. But, I have to do this. For my sanity. And because I really didn’t do it willingly. I’m sorry, (name). Please forgive me if you can”, he finished shakily.

By the time he finished his speech, tears were streaming down your face. You knew he would feel immense guilt over it. You never wanted to hurt him. You never wanted his apology. It was never his fault. It was all because of a stupid lie that Steve Rogers had made up.

You turned your teary eyes to look at him.

He had leaned his head back, with his eyes closed and tears streaming down his cheeks. He was trying to hard to keep them in that his body was shaking. He was clenching his hands which made the leather creak.

You steadied yourself and spoke up.

“Bucky, look at me.”

He finally opened his bloodshot eyes and looked at you. His face was scrunched up in pain.

You gave him a teary smile.

“I don’t know if Steve ever told you this, but dad was never actually angry at you. He was pissed that his closest friend and ally, Steve, had lied to him. And he wasn’t angry that his parents were dead. He was angry that his mom was killed because she’s the only one who would protect him. She’s all that he had”, you began gently.

You saw how he leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees to give you his full attention.

“Contrary to popular belief, my dad was actually the most sensitive person ever and when he came back home after fighting with you and Steve, I saw him crying in his office. He was talking to Rhodey and he told him how he didn’t want all of that to happen. Bucky, dad had forgiven you long ago. His problem was with Steve, not you”, you explained to him delicately.

Bucky dropped his shoulders in between his knees and his shoulders started shaking. You looked at him with empathy and gently put your hand on his back to give him support. He shook his head in agony. His voice cracked when he spoke up.

“But I still hurt you-”

You clicked your tongue to stop him.

“None of that. You didn’t hurt me. First of all, I never met my grandparents so that didn’t affect me. And I especially don’t give a damn about my abusive grandfather who would hurt my dad.”

His head snapped up to look at you in shock.

You scoffed. “Yeah. Howard Stark. Resident Genius and Abuser. Who would’ve thought? Anyways. You didn’t hurt me. I’d always been on your side. I even talked to dad about how I thought you were the innocent one in all of this mess. Yes, I was upset and sad when dad came back home hurt because Steve had decided to abandon him. But never did I ever blame you for that. And I’m sad that you and dad won’t be able to sort out your differences now but it’s okay, Bucky. You never did anything wrong”, you told him in the most genuine way possible to convince him.

He took a few steadying breaths and finally looked up at you.

“Thank you, kid. This means a lot to me”, he admitted shakily, his voice hoarse from all the crying.

You gave him a sad smile. He looked so pitiful and small that it broke your heart.

“Can I….give you a hug?”, you asked hesitantly.

Bucky didn’t respond, he simply leaned towards you and brought you in for a warm hug. You felt him speak against your shoulder.

“I’m sorry for your loss, kid”, he murmured weakly.

You just wrapped your arms around his back tightly and closed your eyes. You felt tears fall down your cheeks. You simply nodded.

After 10 long years, you (your dad) and Bucky got your well deserved closure.

The two of you broke away after a brief moment and wiped your tears. He was the one to speak up first.

“So….how’s it going with the new kid? What’s his name? Joaquin?”

You groaned. “Don’t ask. He’s like a mini version of Sam. Non-stop yapping. And so many questions. I feel like I’m hanging out with a 5 year old.”

Bucky smirked, mischief shining in his ocean blue eyes.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “What?”

Bucky just shrugged. “I don’t know, kid. I see how y’all look at each other. Hell, even Sam noticed it.”

You sputtered and your face twisted in shock.

“What does that mean?! We don’t look at each other in any way! Shut up, Barnes. I swear to god, all the adults in my life gossip like high schoolers”, you groaned and pushed his shoulder.

He just laughed and got up to leave the room.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid”, and left the room chuckling.

You let out a groan and hid your face in your hands. You need to control yourself around Joaquin before Pepper or Rhodey or Happy find out.

You went back to fix redwing, hoping to distract your thoughts from wandering off to other things.

Or rather a certain curly headed flyboy.

-

BONUS:

Joaquin came back to check on you exactly an hour later.

And to his delight, he found you slouched over the table with your head resting on your arms. You were sleeping.

He quietly studied your calm and serene face. The way all your grumpiness and the lines of tension on your face were smoothened out. You looked so small and angel-like.

He knew he looked like a creep, staring at you while you were sleeping, but you looked so peaceful that it made his heart soar. He listened to your soft breaths and saw the way your body went up and down with your breathing. It was meditative. His eyes shone with love.

He took off the jacket he was wearing and gently laid it on you. He was trying to hold back from touching your face but your hair fell into your eyes at that exact moment.

He brought up his hand and gently, oh so carefully, pushed your hair back. He let his hand linger by your temple and he caressed your hairline with his thumb. You let out a content sigh and tugged the jacket closer before leaning your face against his hand.

His heart sped up and his breath hitched. He carefully removed his hand and made his way back to the cockpit.

Fuck, Sam was right. He had it bad for you.

“Get a grip. You don’t even know each other like that”, he murmured to himself and clenched his hand into a fist.

Part 4

-

AN: ooo the tension is rising between the lovebirds hehe! as we can see, Joaquin fell first and he fell harder cus that’s just how freely easily he loves. And writing that scene between bucky and reader cured my years worth of pain honestly🙏 Tony and bucky deserved to get their closure.

IMP: I have to change some things from the show to fit the story better. So that’s why Sam wasn’t in Delacroix when they announce Walker is Captain America. Instead, Sarah calls him to tell him to turn on the TV. Assume that Sam has already visited Sarah before recruiting Reader. Sorry for the changes! :( But our girl Sarah will be back soon!

Hope you liked this one! Please like and reblog <3

[joaquinsgf]

SIMP JOAQUIN IS MY FAVORITE MY BABY 😭

Philophobia (Part 2)

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x Stark!Reader

Chapter Summary: Another nightmare that felt way too realistic and one panic attack later, you decided to pick up Pepper’s call and talk to her about everything that happened yesterday. She gives you a little mom talk. And you finally meet the treasure that is Joaquin Torres.

Warnings: Mentions of Death and Depression/Depressive episodes, Mentions of Panic Attacks, Nightmares, Some cursing, Love at First Sight, Kind of enemies to lovers but only because reader hates opening up to people so they bully Joaquin, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, the lovebirds are finally meeting!!, Joaquin is Down Bad, Reader has some phobias, Found family, also there’s a few references and hidden plots in this. 😁 (please keep in mind that I wrote this from my point of view as a south asian.)

You were walking around the cabin and finally stepped out on the patio. It must’ve been…days since you last stepped out of your room. Pepper tried everything to bring you out and have lunch with her and Morgan but she ended up having to leave your plate by your door.

You are not too sure what compelled you to finally step out of your room. All you knew is that you felt a nagging feeling in your stomach and before you knew it, you were opening the door.

You turned and your eyes fell on the chairs in the corner. You froze.

You felt like your body had turned to cement. You couldn’t move, at all. Your breath hitched and your eyes widened. You wanted to call out to the person, so bad. But you just couldn’t. It felt like your mouth was stitched close. You could feel bile rising up your throat.

The person finally turned around and looked at you.

“Honey?”, your dad asked you, softly.

Hold on. Your dad?

“How…wh-what? H-how are you..?”, you finally sputtered out and furrowed your eyebrows painfully.

The pers-your dad, stood up and made his way over to you. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was etched into a frown.

He reached you and put his hands on your shoulders.

“Hey, it’s me. What’s up, baby? You good? Pep told me you didn’t have your lunch, yet. You wanna get some burgers with me?”, he asked worriedly while caressing your shoulders.

You didn’t know what the fuck was happening. How was he here. Why was he here. What was happening. How are you here. You had so many questions.

“I-dad?”, you croaked out and looked at him with teary eyes. You ran your gaze across his face as if you were trying to remember how he looked like.

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“Yeah, it’s me baby. What’s happ-”

Before he could finish his sentence, you crashed into him and buried your face in his chest, your arms around his waist. You hugged him so tightly that it must’ve been painful.

He immediately wrapped his arms around you and hugged you tightly.

“Honey, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong? Does anything hurt?”, Tony asked you with fear and panic heavy in his voice. One thing about Tony is that if you panic, he’s gonna panic. He couldn’t see his baby hurting like that.

You simply shook your head no, scrunched your eyes tighter and buried yourself into his chest even more. Your body shook with uncontrollable sobs.

“Look at me, kiddo. Please, you gotta tell me what’s up”, Tony pleaded and put his hand on your head, caressing it.

After taking in deep, shuddering breaths to somewhat calm yourself down, you reluctantly broke the hug and looked up at him.

To your horror, gone was his caring and aged, wrinkly face with gray hair.

You came face to face with a half dead man. The right side of his face was completely burnt and charred by the explosion from the snap. His entire body was grey. Not the gray that comes with aging. But the kind of grey that comes with the left out soot of a dying fire. The grey that painted your life after his demise. His eyes were open but unresponsive, and they were so empty it made you sick.

Gone were your father’s mischievous and warm brown eyes. His mouth was open as if he had just let out his final breath.

You stumbled back from him before letting out a loud scream.

“No. No no no no. NO! PLEASE. GO AWAY. NO NO-”

And then you woke up.

You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t even move. You felt paralysed. And why was it so dark?

“FR-FRIDAY…turn on.. turn on the lights”, you managed to choke out in between gasps.

You clenched your blanket in your hands to ground yourself.

“Boss, do you want me to start a breathing exercise?”

You gulped and gasped out a weak “Yes.”

You went through the motions– deep breath in, hold for 5 seconds, deep breath out, hold for 5 seconds.

After doing this for 5-6 times, you finally managed to calm down.

Now, you were too scared to go back to sleep. Everytime you closed your eyes, you saw your father’s lifeless face.

It’s been a while since you had a nightmare this bad. And this one was way too realistic than the other ones you had. You literally felt like you were at the cabin. You could feel his touch on your shoulders. You felt his hug. Oh, you’d do anything to go back to that nightmare just to feel his hugs once again.

You let out a deep sigh and buried your head in your hands, while leaning your arms against your thighs.

You felt your damp cheeks. You straightened up and ran your hand through your hair.

“FRI, what’s the time right now?”, you croaked out. Your voice was sore from all the yelling.

“It’s 3:15 am, boss.”

You groaned and rubbed your eyes with the heels of your palms. You were not going to get any sleep now (as you predicted earlier in the day). You threw your blanket aside and went out to the kitchen to prepare yourself some coffee. Your coffee addiction definitely made up for the alcohol addiction.

You sipped your coffee on the rooftop deck and you let the chill air cool your warm body.

You felt an itch in your hands to tinker on your dad’s suits again. You haven’t touched those in 3 weeks. Which was progress for you.

You held your coffee mug tighter in your hands to resist the urge to get up and start working. You had promised your therapist and Rhodey that you would not use the suits as a distraction or coping mechanism again. But old habits die hard. So you made way to your makeshift lab. You were planning to turn that room into a proper lab soon.

You started working on MARK 42. You don’t even know what, why, where or when were you going to use all these suits again but you needed a distraction.

“FRIDAY, play ABBA”, you asked the AI. What better than working while dancing to ABBA to distract yourself from a night terror?

-

It was 9 am now. You had successfully stayed up all night working on the suits and dancing to your playlists. It was…fun. I mean, as fun as it gets after having a paralysing night terror. You did your morning routine and had your breakfast. Now you were completely exhausted so you just flopped down on your couch and just rested your eyes.

The moment you felt yourself slip into a deep slumber, your phone rang.

You groaned. “FRI, who is it?”, you asked tiredly.

“It’s Mrs. Potts, boss.”

You immediately opened your eyes and picked up your phone from the coffee table. You and your dad had decided to never not pick up Pepper’s calls because if you don’t, she gets stressed out and then she stresses all of you out.

“Hey, mom”, you answered. This was a recent development during The Blip. You had finally started calling her mom. And honestly? It felt good. She’s been the mother you never had since you were a little kid.

“Oh, how I love hearing you say that”, she said giddily.

You just chuckled.

“How are you, honey? Everything good? Groceries are stocked? How are your sessions going on? Oh, and how was the event? Rhodey told me you met Sam. I hope you had a good time. And how was-”

“Mom. Can you take a breather, my god”, you asked exasperated.

You could practically feel her sheepish smile through the phone. She’s always been this fussy ever since she joined your abnormal family.

“Sorry, honey. First, tell me, how are you?”, she asked gently.

You let out a deep sigh. “I-I’m…okay. Could be better”, you answered truthfully. You’re doing much better at this whole sharing your emotions thing.

“You wanna talk about what happened? You know I’m always here, right? We’re all here for you, sweetheart.”

You could feel your throat choke up again and you scrunched your eyes shut.

You gulped. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, mom,” your voice cracked.

Pepper must’ve understood that you’re not in the mood to share anything else so she quickly changes the topic.

“And how was the event? How’s Sam?”

“He’s as glorious as he was before. Although, now he looks a little tired. But that shield looks really good on him, mom. I’m so happy for him”, you replied sincerely.

Pepper hummed. “Why did he give up the shield? I saw the news”, she asked thoughtfully.

“Yeah, well. There’s some things that we can’t understand. Considering the country we live in and the way things are now…let’s just say he put a lot of thought into it. Not really my place to say, you know?”, you replied.

Pepper let out a soft sigh. “Yeah, I understand. Also, Rhodey told me that Sam gave you an offer?”

You paused. You knew Rhodey would tell her about that. Everyone in this family is a snitch, oh my god, you thought.

You closed your eyes and reluctantly confessed.

“Yeah. He did. Something about helping him with his tech or whatever. And before you say anything, no I didn’t say yes to him. I’m not sure I want to join him.”

“Are you sure about that? You are at home with your tech, sweetheart. It’ll help you stay productive, as well”, Pepper asked you carefully.

You stayed silent. Pepper took that as a sign to continue.

“Besides…Rhodey also mentioned a new friend?” She added with mirth in her voice. She kept trying to set you up on a date so you’re sure she was ecstatic when Rhodey told her this.

You groaned loudly. “Why is my personal life a gossip for you two?! Is Rhodey the resident gossip girl now?!”, you said while pinching the bridge of your nose with your index finger and thumb. You’re going to steal Rhodey’s suits until he stops meddling with your life.

Pepper laughed.

“I’m not going to join Sam and I’m not meeting any friend. You guys need to relax, alright? What am I even gonna do there. And I don’t think Sam actually wants me there, either. So. Anyways. Bye mom. I’ll talk to you later”, you said abruptly.

Pepper just let out a deep sigh. You were Tony’s carbon copy. It was scary. It’s times like these that made her miss him even more because it reminded her of their younger selves. She’d give anything to see you two banter again. And she knows you would’ve listened to him in a heartbeat, too.

“Okay, honey. Take care. I love you.”

You just hummed and cut the call. You dropped your phone back on the coffee table and draped your arm across your eyes.

You didn’t even realise when you fell asleep because the next time you woke up, it was to FRIDAY calling you out.

“Boss, wake up. There’s someone at the door.”

You sighed. “FRI, if it’s Rhodey you can just let him in”, you picked up your phone to check the time. It was 12:00 pm. You slept for a good while.

FRIDAY began, “It isn’t Mr. Rhodes, boss. It’s Mr. Wilson. And just for your information, he’s here with someone.”

That snapped you out of your sleep and you jolted up.

“What? What is he doing here? How did he know-Rhodey”, you groaned loudly. You knew Pepper would tell the details of your conversation to Rhodey. You shouldn’t have picked her call up, yet.

“Fuck, okay. Tell him to wait for a minute. I’ll be right back”, you said in an exhausted voice.

You went to your bedroom and changed your pajamas to a presentable shirt and jeans and quickly washed your face before brushing your hair.

“Okay. Let him in”, you told FRIDAY.

While he came in, you were in the kitchen, fetching some water for Sam. You decided you might as well be a good host and let him down politely.

“Hey, kid.”

You had your back to him and you turned around to greet him- who is that.

You must’ve expressed that a little too obviously as Sam chuckled nervously and introduced you to the guy that came with him.

“Kid, meet Joaquin. Joaquin, that’s-”

“(Name) Stark. I know. Wow. I mean- Hey. Nice- Honoured to meet to you. I’m Lieutenant Joaquin Torres”, he rambled and held out his hand for you to shake.

You swore you felt your heart skip a beat.

Wait what?

Both of you were looking at each other so intently, that Sam just chose to stand beside Joaquin with his arms across his chest, an amusing smirk spread over his face. He could already see that a few months later, y’all would thank him for this.

“Kid?”, Sam asked playfully.

You snapped out of your daze and looked at Sam.

“H-hey. I wasn’t expecting you here...” you trailed off and blinked your eyes.

“Yeah, I know. Rhodes gave me the address. Sorry for just barging in like this but it’s kind of an emergency”, Sam replied apologetically.

You simply hummed. And your eyes went to their feet. Not because you had a fetish but because they were wearing their shoes. In your house. You widened your eyes.

“Both of you, take off your shoes. Did Rhodey not tell you about the rules? No shoes in my house”, you say exasperatedly.

Both of them, shocked at your sudden reaction and your rules, immediately went to the entrance and stood there dumbfounded.

“Where-”, Sam began and pointed at their shoes.

You sighed. “Just remove them by the door.”

They quickly removed their shoes and joined you in the living room, nervously.

You turned your gaze back towards Joaquin. He was still staring at you intently and hadn’t said a single word. You furrowed your brows.

“Is he…okay?”, you asked Sam in confusion.

Sam turned to look at Joaquin and pursed his lips to avoid laughing. He brought his hand up and clapped it on Joaquin’s back firmly.

“Torres, you good?”

Joaquin flinched and snapped his eyes to Sam. He blinked rapidly.

“Uh. Yeah. I’m good. All good”, he said quickly and threw a thumbs up.

Sam just smiled knowingly.

“Kid, as you must’ve figured out by now, he’s the partner I mentioned yesterday and he’s the one who looks over most of the technical stuff. Since I’ve been sending him off on field missions on the side, I thought, why not ask you to help us with the remaining stuff.”

“I mean, I’m good at it, just gets a little difficult to handle it when I’m on field, you know. Not that you aren’t better than me, I mean you’re THE (Name) Stark, ofcourse you’re better than me but-”

“It’s alright. I got it. Joaquin, right?”, you cut off his rambling and held out a hand to stop him.

Wow, he really IS talkative. This was going to be a problem.

You saw how he shut his mouth and gulped.

“Y-yeah…”, Joaquin trailed off. You couldn’t help but notice, had such shiny brown eyes…

What is wrong with you?

“Please take a seat, you guys want something to drink? Eat?”, you asked them while leading them to the couch.

“No, we’re good. Actually….we want you to join us right away. Like, now, would be good”, Sam told you hesitantly. He knew this was not a good idea. Rhodey told him that you were already on edge about all this.

You paused. “Now? Like, now now?”, you asked carefully.

Sam grimaced. “Yeah…actually, we’ve got a big problem. And that problem just broke redwing.”

You widened your eyes. “No way, you let your child get abused like that?”, you asked jokingly. Joaquin chuckled at this. You stared at him in amusement.

Sam narrowed his eyes at you and Joaquin. “Damn right he’s my child. And that’s why I’m asking you to cure him. He’s like, your sibling. Please, don’t say no.”

“Did you just call a robot my sibling? And are you really giving me the puppy eyes right now, Wilson?”, you quirked an eyebrow at him.

He ignored the second question and just tilted his head- like a kicked puppy. “If your dad birthed him then he’s your sibling, right?”

You groaned and rubbed your hands across your face. Honestly? You already knew your answer. You knew it the moment Rhodey requested you to think about it. You were simply hesitating because of your tendency to pull away the moment something triggers you. You know, stark legacy and all. And you didn’t want to hurt Sam like that.

You let out a sigh that came from deep inside your bones.

“Okay we’re gonna have some rules. 1. You’re not going to make any weird jokes about redwing being my sibling. 2. I will not participate in any kind of field operations. 3. I will come and go as I please”, you paused and pointed at Joaquin, “and 4. If I tell you something, you will simply listen to me. No questions. No counter arguments. Zip. Nada. Am I clear?”, you finished, looking pointedly at the two of them.

You saw their eyes comically widen.

“Oh hell yeah, whatever you say. And we agree with all of your conditions, don’t we, Joaquin?”, Sam said excitedly.

You saw Joaquin nod his head eagerly. You were mesmerised by the way his bouncy, beautiful, dark curls moved atop his head, powered by those dark coffee pools that are his eyes- Knock it off. No. We’re not doing this again.

You quickly averted your eyes and gulped. You noticed out of the corner of your eye how Joaquin’s gaze was fixated on you.

“Okay. Relax. What’s the plan, now?”, you asked reluctantly.

“We’ll go to my apartment, first. You can check out all the stuff that needs fixing and run a diagnosis on redwing. Then we can go ahead from there. Sounds good?.”

You nodded your head.

“Yeah, okay. Let me clean up and pack a bag. Then we can leave. You guys can help yourself around until then. FRIDAY, help them out with anything they need”, you announced and went to your room. You couldn’t believe you actually said yes.

Joaquin’s (+Sam’s) POV

“You’re serious? You’re gonna ask The (Name) Stark to join us? No, no. You’re gonna ask The (Name) Stark to work with ME?”, Joaquin asked Sam with all the excitement that existed in the world. He was practically bouncing off the walls.

He couldn’t believe it. How was this his life now. Partnering with his role model and hero and now he gets to work with his crush who is also his second role model? No fucking way, dude.

-

Sam knew how much that boy loved the eldest stark child because he would never shut up about them. It’s always ‘oh man, they’re so talented and so beautiful’ or ‘how are they so well dressed every time?’ Or ‘how can someone be so intelligent at such a young age, bro?’.

Sam found out about Joaquin’s little crush on you when he walked in on him watching an old interview. You were talking at a charity event that took place 6 years ago. You were only 17 then. Joaquin was so engrossed in the video that he was leaning his head on his propped up arm and staring at the screen of his laptop without blinking. With a dopey smile plastered on his face.

“I didn’t know you were a fan?”, Sam asked cheekily.

Joaquin flinched and quickly shut his laptop.

“Dude, can’t you knock?!”, he exclaimed and put his hand on his chest.

Sam just smirked. “I thought you were working on some intel that’s why I came here to check it out. But, here you are, makin’ googly eyes at your laptop screen! That’s your fault, Torres. You’re procrastinating.”

Sam noticed how Joaquin’s cheeks turned bright red.

“Uh- well. I was. I was just looking at a speech. A very intellectual and interesting speech, mind you”, he quickly explained.

Sam quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really? Was the speech interesting or was the speaker interesting?”, he asked cheekily.

Joaquin’s face reddened even more.

“Um- I- well, you see-”, Joaquin stuttered.

Sam just laughed and clapped his shoulder. “It’s okay, man. I won’t tell anybody about your crush. Pinky promise”, he teased.

Joaquin groaned and ducked his head.

After that incident, Joaquin randomly came clean about his infatuation with you during a night out.

“I don’t know, man. There’s something so…captivating about them. The way they command the room even though they’re so shy. The way they speak so eloquently. The way they’re always respectful to others even if they’re strangers. The way they defend their family so fiercely. How they’re so passionate about all the causes they work for. Just…”, Joaquin trailed off and shook his head.

“Yeah. You don’t see those qualities often in a billionaire’s heir, you know. Feels like they really root for the underdog. And I love that. I love their empathy and the grace they carry themselves with”, Joaquin said with affection dripping from his words.

Sam whistled. “Oh boy, you’ve got it bad.”

Joaquin just chuckled and took a sip out of a beer. His entire face was red. Yeah. He had it bad. And he was not ashamed of it.

-

After meeting you at the press meet, Sam went to meet up with Joaquin at the tarmac. He was 100% prepared for the onslaught of questions because he knew Joaquin must’ve seen the footage.

He turned around the corner and there it was.

“Dude. You met up with them?! What the fuck? You didn’t tell me. I would’ve joined you, man. Why didn’t you ask me, oh my god? They looked so good, by the way, but that’s not important. You MET them and you-” “I asked them if they wanna work with you.”

“And you talked to them right? How was it- wait. WHAT?”, Joaquin yelled abruptly.

Sam shushed him. “Relax, Torres. And yes, I asked them if they wanted to work with you. I mean not you–I asked them if they wanted to join me and help us with the tech stuff”, Sam replied nonchalantly, as if this was not a big deal. As if Joaquin wasn’t this close to passing out.

Sam swore he saw Joaquin buffer in real time. The #1 Yapper was rendered speechless? He had to thank you for that.

Joaquin opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

“You….asked them…if they wanted to…work with me?”, Joaquin squeaked out, eyes zoned out as if he’s in a trance.

“Not you exclusively, don’t get ahead of yourself, lover boy”, Sam narrowed his eyes at Joaquin.

Joaquin completely ignored that. “What did they say?”, he asked impatiently, eyes wide in hope.

Sam sighed. “Well, after everything they’ve been through…it’s not been easy for them. I’m not sure they’ll agree to do this. We can only wait.”

A flicker of understanding passed through Joaquin’s face. He nodded. “Yeah man, I understand”, he said sincerely.

“But..god, I hope they say yes”, Joaquin added shyly and ducked his head, averting his gaze from Sam.

Sam just smiled. “Yeah man, me too.”

-

Which brings them back to today. They were literally standing outside your penthouse.

Joaquin asked Sam once again-

“You’re serious? You’re gonna ask The (Name) Stark to join us? No, no. You’re gonna ask The (Name) Stark to work with ME?”, Joaquin asked Sam with all the excitement that existed in the world. He was practically bouncing off the walls.

Sam just smirked.

“Calm down, tiger. You don’t even know if they’re gonna say yes”, Sam told him with amusement lacing his tone.

“I know, I know. Still. It’s crazy, bro…We’re literally standing outside their house, right now? Oh, I can’t wait to throw down with them-”

Joaquin was cut off by FRIDAY speaking.

“Boss has asked you to come in, Mr. Wilson.”

Sam looked at Joaquin, all the amusement vanishing from his eyes.

“Listen, Joaquin. I’m serious. Don’t say or do anything that’ll freak them out. It’s a sensitive topic, okay?”

Joaquin nodded his head in understanding.

The door opened and they entered the living room. Joaquin’s hands started sweating. He was fucking terrified yet excited at the same time.

They turned around to and finally saw you.

Sam greeted you and you immediately turned around to greet him. You seemed surprised to see them. Sam introduced the two of you. But, Joaquin felt like time had stopped. His ears were ringing. His hands were shaking, his knees were weak and he felt dizzy.

God, you are beautiful.

You were wearing a simple shirt and jeans and had absolutely no make up or anything but…you had a special kind of beauty. Your warm and empathetic nature truly showed on your face because you were glowing. To him, you were like an angel sent straight from heaven.

Joaquin ran his eyes all over you like a man quenching his thirst. He couldn’t believe that you standing right in front of him. That he was allowed to be in your orbit like this.

And in the midst of his mental breakdown, he didn’t notice the way you seemed to have stopped in your tracks and were looking at him just as intensely.

While the two of you were busy with your little staring contest, you didn’t notice Sam smirking to himself in satisfaction.

‘They will be thanking me soon’, Sam thought smugly.

Part 3

-

AN: woohoo!! They finally met! I’m also thinking of making it a series that will follow TFATWS. Hope you liked this part!

Sorry if the ending and pacing is weird. I’m still trying to figure out how to write a whole series + end chapters :(

[joaquinsgf]

ohhhhh this is already such a good start adi my beloved 💖💖

Philophobia

(PART 1)

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x Stark!Reader

Summary: Devastated by your father’s death and cutting yourself off from everyone, you are on the road of recovery, accompanied by your uncle Rhodey. After Rhodey has finally convinced you, you agree to reunite with Sam Wilson and help him with his tech. He introduces you to another techie nerd, named Joaquin Torres, for the first time. Will you let your phobia get in the way and push away your new found family and this beautiful boy? Or will you get better and let yourself be loved once again?

Warnings: Mentions of Death and Depression/Depressive episodes, Mentions of Panic Attacks, Abuse by a parent (not Tony), Weight loss due to stress, Nightmares, Some cursing, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Steve Rogers Slander- please don’t read this if that’s not something you’re looking for, Reader is sassy and a bit reserved because of The incident and because they’re a Stark, Reader has some phobias, Found family, also there’s a few references and hidden plots in this. 😁 (please keep in mind that I wrote this from my point of view as a south asian.)

Author’s note: I probably went overboard and this is very long + very self indulgent….but tony stark is the father who raised me and joaquin torres is my boyfriend so i Had to do this. ☺️ also lots of found family content with Rhodey, Sam and Bucky. Set around the time of TFATWS. Please let me know if there’s any changes to be made if I have written anything wrong.

Moving back to New York was extremely hard and painful for you ever since your dad passed away. That was the city that you were born and raised in and it had the ghosts of your father’s and family’s moments everywhere. But you told Pepper that you couldn’t handle living in that cabin anymore because 1. you were going stir crazy since you loved the hustle bustle of a city and 2. the depressive episodes were more frequent than ever.

You’d think living in your family cabin that has your father’s memories written across every wall would help you…but you’re a Stark. Ignoring your own problems and running away from emotions is kind of your specialty. Hereditary, even.

Pepper, bless her heart, told you that she’s happy you are trying to get back your life back on track and that she would always be there for you. Even if you called her Pepper, she’s always been your Mother.

Hardest part of it all was saying goodbye to Morgan. Little Morgan who was so attached to you and vice versa. She was too young to even process her father’s death, how was she supposed to understand why her elder sibling was never leaving their room? And now that same sibling was going too far away from their house. It took Pepper, Happy and you to console Morgan and she was finally ready to send you off–only with a (pinky) promise of visiting her during holidays.

Rhodey and Happy helped you settle in your newest house- a penthouse in manhattan that your dad left behind for you. That was 3 months ago. Now, fully settled in your new space, you’ve decided to restart college to finish your degree that was put on pause because of a giant purple psycho. You had decided you will stop the whole Avenger shit the moment you lost your dad. You needed to leave that life behind in order to move on, and what better than being filthy educated and eventually finding a normal job?

Well, let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.

I mean, really, were you expecting to just magically heal from the most traumatic time of your life in three months, with no therapy or contact from your family and friends?

Panic attacks are like your best friends. The other day you had a panic attack because you found a scarf that was gifted to you by your dad. Embarrassing, really.

Nightmares are something you have been walking hand-in-hand with since your dad was kidnapped and you were just a little kid. But now, every night you close your eyes and you see your father’s lifeless eyes staring back into yours.So it’s not surprising that you have become insomniac as well.

Overall, you were continuing the Stark legacy of being severely mentally ill but not doing anything to help it or accepting any help. The only difference was that you chose NOT to drink until you blacked out because after watching your dad do that as a kid, you developed a strong distaste for any type of alcohol. It was so bad, that you got diagnosed with dispophobia– a persistent fear of drinking alcohol. It’s real, look it up.

You chose the other option—pushing everyone around you away until you wallowed in your misery, loneliness and sorrows.

This behaviour of yours was constantly stressing Pepper, Rhodey and Happy out. All three of them did their best to help you and make you socialise, but everytime they approached, you either ignored their calls and messages or told them you were busy (by busy you meant that you were tinkering on your father’s old suits that you moved to your apartment, but you didn’t tell them that.)

Even FRIDAY tried giving them updates on your well-being but you had threatened the AI to not “leak” any of your “information”. This was giving the three of them a major déjà vu. Eventually, they had enough and Rhodey came to your house one day because he knew he’s the only one who can call out your shit. He kinda had a Phd in tackling the Stark family’s issues.

“Look kid, it’s been 3 months. You haven’t bothered to call or text any of us. We didn’t even know if you were alive since you have banned FRIDAY from reporting anything to us as well. Can you please spend one evening with us for a dinner? Hell, if not all of us,then atleast meet up with Morgan?”, Rhodey said firmly with his eyebrows furrowed and arms folded tightly around his chest, leaning on your kitchen island.

You were making your dinner when he decided to come over. Trying your best to be nonchalant, you kept stirring the soup with your back to him, and scoffed, “You sound exactly like dad sometimes.”

Rhodey closed his eyes in frustration. “That’s not important right now. You’re doing the same thing that Tony did when he was feeling all these… emotions. Please, stop this kiddo. You’ve got all of us. Always. Just reach out once and we’ll be there to catch you”, he replied in a soft tone.

You took a deep breath and he saw your shoulders go up and down. You stopped stirring the soup, turned the gas off and turned around to face him.

You wrapped your arms around yourself, making yourself smaller, and intently focused on your shoes to avoid meeting his eyes.

“There’s nothing to ask. I’ve already told you I will be starting college soon. I’ll keep myself productive and occupied. It’ll be alright, don’t worry about me”, you say, your voice scratchy after not using it for a long time.

Rhodey observed you with his sharp gaze. You knew you were screwed the moment you saw Rhodey at the door because he could read you like a book. Honestly, it was extremely intimidating but you will never admit that to his face. He’s been around for your whole life- right from your birth. He knew you like you were his own child.

“FRIDAY, activate babysitter protocol”, he said, his voice stern.

You snapped your gaze up from your shoes to stare at him in confusion.

“On it Mr. Rhodes”, FRIDAY replied.

“What the hell is this?”, you replied narrowing your eyes at him.

“I know you blocked FRIDAY from telling us anything about you. Did you know Tony had an emergency protocol built in so that if there’s anything that went wrong while you were alone, FRIDAY would update him?”, Rhodey replied nonchalantly.

You widened your eyes and immediately teared up on hearing how protective your dad was over you. You were too tired to fight back so you just shut your eyes and wrapped your arms around your body tighter.

“FRIDAY, give me a proper run down of the kid’s activities and schedule in this past month. Including their health”, Rhodey asked the AI while observing you closely.

“OK sir. In this month, they have stepped out of the house only once for buying groceries. The rest of the month they’ve been at home, fixing Mr Stark’s suits”, FRIDAY finished.

At this, Rhodey’s eyes widened. “Tony’s suits? How did you even get these suits?” “They sneaked in the suits 2 months ago, Sir”, Rhodey’s eyes snapped back to yours. 2 months ago- right after you moved in. The suits were at the new compound and they were heavily guarded.

They should’ve known better because did they really expect you, a genius like your father, to not figure out how to hack the systems? It was a cakewalk for you.

You scrunched your eyes in shame and bowed your head. “Kid….”, he sighed.

“Tell me about their health, FRI”, Rhodey asked in a pained voice.

“They’ve had panic attacks almost every week. I suggested taking medication or visiting the therapist, but my requests were ignored. I’ve also observed a spike in their heartbeat everytime a loud noise is heard. They have nightmares regularly due to which they have stopped sleeping altogether. All the stress has made them lose weight, their appetite has lessened and has made them more irritable and unpredictable”, FRIDAY finished (snitched, you think).

Hearing it from someone else made it sound so much worse. You couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down your face.

You were too busy keeping the sobs from coming out of your mouth to notice Rhodey coming closer and wrapping his arms around you. He brought you closer and hugged you tightly and that completely broke you.

You leaned your head against his chest and wrapped your arms around his torso and just sobbed. Rhodey hushed you gently and rubbed your back softly with one of his hands.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t deal with this, Uncle. Please. I need him back”, you said in between sobs while clutching him tightly and pressing your face into his chest. Rhodey teared up at this and put one of his hands behind your head.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Let it out. I’m so sorry I didn’t visit you sooner. I know what you’re feeling. But I’ve got you now. Please allow me to help you?”, he said weakly.

You let out a shuddering breath and tried to calm yourself down. “Okay. ”, you replied in a weak voice. Rhodey broke the hug before putting his hands on your shoulders and let you wipe your tears. He caressed your head and told you, “We’re gonna get you something to eat first. From tomorrow, we will work on your routine and talk to your therapist about your insomnia and panic attacks. And then, you will be taking lots of rest. No more tinkering on the suits endlessly or skipping meals. We will go on walks and you will have a dinner with us at the cabin soon. That okay?”, he asked gently. You looked up at him and nodded your head yes. “Good. Now, you sit your ass down and Rest. Let me prepare your dinner”, he says while moving around you to get to the stove. “Do you even know how to turn on the stove?”, you say in a stuffy voice while wiping your nose with your sleeve and side eyeing him. He abruptly pauses and turns around. “You’re such a little shit, you know that?”, he says sassily while pointing a finger at you. That brings out a genuine smile from you and you just chuckle before he starts laughing as well. Your smile fades slowly. “Thank you. This means a lot to me,” you reply softly. Both of your eyes start tearing up and he just nods his head before giving you a side hug. “Anything for my favourite Stark”, he says in a shaky voice.

2 Months Later

You and Rhodey fell into a rhythm after that night. He stayed with you for some days and got you checked with your therapist and helped you around the house. He took you out for jogs every morning, made you work out and exercise every day. This made you feel productive and gave you a routine to follow. It also improved your appetite and you started to genuinely enjoy making healthy and filling meals.

You stopped unnecessarily tinkering on the suits and the medicines prescribed by your doctor helped you sleep better. You still had a long way to go but you had finally started stepping out of the house and went to a dinner at the cabin. Happy, Pepper and Morgan were so delighted to see you and they told you how proud they are of you. You just gave all the credit to your uncle Rhodey.

Rhodey had become a major figure in your life lately. He’d always been there for you and your dad but now he was like a teacher and mentor to you. All thanks to him, you could get your life back on track. And he was happy to help you anyways because you were like his own child.

But he’d started to take you to various social events lately and you HATED that. You were always a shy and socially anxious kid (a complete opposite of your father.) So the thought of attending social events where so many people and cameras were present…that was enough to send you into an early grave.

“Rhodey….for the last time. I’m not going with you. What am I even gonna do there? Sit and yawn while all you military and political people make speeches? No thanks”, you said breathlessly and jogged a little ahead of him.

He joined you immediately, huffing and puffing, “First of all.” Huff. “Slow DOWN. Jesus Christ.” Huff. And he stopped while putting his hands on his knees.

“Keep up, lazy! We gotta keep THE War Machine kicking and alive, come on!”, you say while jogging backwards and smiling at him.

When you saw that he was not going to join you, you stopped and jogged over to him. “Lazy, my ass. I’m 60 years old, you little shit”, he said while looking up at you, eyes narrowed and hands still on his knees. Still huffing and puffing.

You chuckled and helped him stand up with your arm around his back and another arm holding his. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You wanna sit down? Might as well drink some water, I’m thirsty.”

He nods his head yes and both of you sit down on a nearby bench and take a breather. You’re quiet for sometime, soaking in the crisp morning air and looking at the water fountain in front of you when Rhodey speaks up.

“I know you hate these events. But, please come to this one. We have a reunion in order, anyways”, he says cheekily while looking at you with that big smile of his plastered on his face.

You turned your head to look at him and raised your eyebrow, “Reunion? With whom?”, you ask skeptically. “Please don’t say Steve Rogers, Rhodey. I swear to god, I will never step foot in this city again”, you say, irritated.

He scoffed, “Nah, don’t worry. That’s never happening. It’s Sam. He’s been telling me that he wants to meet you.”

You observed his face for a second to see if he was being serious. “Sam? Sam Wilson? Why would he want to meet me?”, you asked, confused. Ever since the Sokovia Accords were brought into existence and ever since you sided with your father, Steve and the others didn’t want anything to do with your family. But you didn’t have anything against any of them— well, except for Steve. That was personal.

Even back then, you told your dad that you thought Bucky was innocent and that you want him to forgive Bucky somehow. You never met your grandparents so their accident/murder didn’t affect you. And you especially didn’t give a fuck about your deadbeat grandfather who would abuse your dad, but you felt your dad’s anger was justified as he loved his mom. You didn’t have an issue with Sam either. Not even when Rhodey met with that fatal accident that made him lose his legs. You saw the footage, and Rhodey told you as well, that Sam simply dodged. He didn’t cause the fall, nor did he injure him on purpose. The fall happened because his suit malfunctioned. But since Steve was the glue that was holding them together, they avoided talking to you at all. They were simply being loyal. And we all know how Steve Rogers thanked their loyalty in the end.

You would never forgive him for breaking your dysfunctional-found-family apart by being a selfish asshole and by abandoning your dad when he needed his support the most.

Rhodey shrugged. “Dunno. But he was looking forward to meeting you. He’s the kindest man I know, kid. And I know you don’t hold a grudge against him either. Please, come with me. I promise we will go get some ice cream later”, he said earnestly and smiled.

You let out a deep sigh. “Chocolate chips. Double scoop”, you said and lifted your water bottle to drink to avoid looking at his smug expression.

“Oh, you shall get anything you ask for, your highness”, he said while extravagantly bowing at you.

You just smirked and got back up to jog.

The constant clicking of the cameras was quickly causing a throbbing ache to appear behind your eyes. You were dressed in your formal clothes, presentable as always, and entered the museum arm-in-arm with Rhodey.

After giving a thousand repetitive interviews, half of which Rhodey denied on your behalf, you finally saw the man in question—Sam Wilson. Captain America.

Honestly, you were so proud of and excited for him to take up the mantle. It wasn’t a shock that Steve handed over that shield to Sam. He deserved it.

He saw the two of you and came over to talk. As he came closer, you saw just how shocked he was to see you there.

“Whats up, man? How are you?”, Sam said while shaking hands with Rhodey and bringing him in for a hug, all the while flashing his lovely, tooth-gaped smile.

Rhodey patted his back and broke away from the hug. “The usual. I got a surprise for you”, Rhodey said while putting an arm around your shoulder.

Sam, still surprised, flashed another one of his smiles at you.

“I just can’t believe you’re here. I hope you know how grateful I am”, he said earnestly while putting his hand out to shake yours.

You looked at his hand and shook it. “I’m surprised you wanted to meet me”, you say while smirking at him.

His smile faded after hearing that and he looked at you with a solemn expression.

“Yeah. I’m sorry it took me so long. I-” “Mr. Wilson, it’s your turn to speak.” Sam looked back at the woman and nodded his head at her.

“Uh…I’ll catch up with you after all this is done. Please wait until then?”, Sam turned around and asked you, nervously.

Rhodey looked at you to decipher your reaction. “Okay. I’ll wait. But not for long and not in front of these cameras”, you say coolly.

Sam smiles at you and Rhodey before approaching the stage.

“See? That wasn’t so bad”, Rhodey says while leading you to sit at the front row.

“We’ll see about that— not the front row, Rhodes... It’s like you want me to run away”, you groaned while slowing your pace.

Rhodey just laughs and pats your shoulder. “Come on, I’ll be next to you the whole time. You can even crush my hand if you want to.”

You and Rhodey sat down and watched Sam approach the stage.

Sam looked sharp in his well-fitted suit but something about his expression screamed anxiety.

He began his speech.

“Steve represented the best in all of us. Courageous, righteous, hopeful. And he mastered posing stoically”, everyone chuckled at that. You scoffed.

“The world has been forever changed. A few months ago, billions of people reappeared after five years away, sending the world into turmoil. We need new heroes. Ones suited for the times we're in. Symbols...are nothing without the women and men that give them meaning. And this thing...”, he chuckles before picking up the shield and continuing.

“I don't know if there's ever been a greater symbol. But it's more about the man who propped it up, and he's gone. So, today we honor Steve's legacy. But also, we look to the future. So, thank you, Captain America. But this belongs to you”, Sam concluded and handed over the shield to the museum security who then put encased it in a glass case. The camera flashes went off.

You couldn’t believe this was happening. You knew something was wrong the moment Sam stepped up on the stage. Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

You furrowed your eyebrows and turned your head to look at Rhodey.

“Why did he give up the shield?”, you asked confused.

Rhodey solemnly smiled.

“Maybe try talking to Sam about this?”, he explained to you, gently.

You nodded your head in understanding.

Rhodey went over to talk to Sam while you checked out the other exhibits to give them a little privacy.

You ended up looking at Bucky’s exhibit.

They were displaying those clips of him in the 40s, smiling and free of all the pain, and they made your heart clench in sadness and guilt. He deserved better.

“Still can’t believe bionic staring machine was a heartbreaker back then”, you heard Sam’s voice behind you.

You looked at him and smirked.

“As if he’s not a heartbreaker anymore. Those baby blue’s? Could break a grandma’s heart too, which is funny because he would still be older than her”, you joked and looked back at the display.

Sam stood to your right with his hands in his pockets. He laughed at your joke and looked up at the TV displaying Steve and Bucky together.

He let out a sigh and brought his lips together in a thin line.

You looked over to him and studied his profile observed the way he carried tension in his shoulders.

“Penny for your thoughts?”, you asked him gently.

He shut his eyes and looked down, letting out another deep sigh.

“Kid…I’m sorry”, he said, his voice heavy with guilt.

You furrowed your brows.

“For what?”, you asked, genuinely confused.

Sam finally looked up at you with teary eyes. His brows scrunched together.

“Everything. The accords…Rhodey’s acci- injuries. For-for not making an attempt to maintain contact with you, for-”

“Hey. Don’t. I’m not angry about any of that. I never was. And I will never hold a grudge against anyone that wasn’t on my da- on our side”, you cut him off and explained to him firmly. “And if Rhodey isn’t upset about his accident, then who am I to question it? I know you didn’t dodge. It was an accident. I saw the footage way back then, Sam”, you laid your hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

He was overcome with emotion. He deflated as if years’ worth of weight on his shoulders had been lifted off of him. He simply nodded his head.

“If anything, I’m sorry. For everything you had to go through. I hope you’re doing better, now”, you continued.

Sam gave you a half smile.

“Yeah, I’m good. Helpin’ out my sister with the house and my nephews.”

You raised your eyebrows, surprised. You didn’t know he had a sister or nephews.

Sam chuckled. “Yeah…I got a younger sister and 2 nephews— AJ and Cass.”

You smiled. “I had no idea. I’m glad you guys can live together again”, you replied sincerely.

“Thank you, kid. I had no idea you’re so….nice”, he smirked.

You let out a loud laugh. Contrary to popular belief and rumours, you were a good and polite kid. Your dad, Pepper, Rhodey and Happy made sure of that. It was always funny to find out how people would judge you on the basis of your last name. But, it could also be because of your resting bitch face.

Both of you quieted down and looked at the display once again, when you decided to finally bring it up.

“Sam, why’d you give up the shield?”, you asked curiously.

He pursed his lips.

“That shield is heavy. And I don’t know if this country is ready to see a man like me bear the weight of it. No matter how many times everyone keeps telling me that it was Steve’s choice, they don’t know the consequences of me being Captain America until they wear my shoes. Steve didn’t know it either because at the end of the day, our skin colour doesn’t match and that isn’t suitable for the shield”, he replied heavily.

It felt like someone had put cold water on top of you, his words cutting straight through your ignorance. The pressure that Sam was undergoing would never be understood by anyone who didn’t look like him. That’s why Rhodey was so understanding of his decision.

You straightened up.

“Oh. Sam, I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”, you paused to gather your thoughts and word them carefully. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I should’ve known better. I understand. And I respect your decision”, you replied, genuine understanding dripping from your words.

Sam looked at you, surprised. He wasn’t expecting you to understand his situation.

“That’s- it’s..alright kid. Thank you for understanding me. It means a lot”, he replied sincerely and patted your shoulder.

You were about to take his leave when he spoke up.

“Listen, I got a proposal for you.”

You quirked an eyebrow.

“Just…hear me out, okay? Rhodey told me to keep an eye out for you whenever he’s busy. Says you do well with discipline in your routine. If you don’t mind, you could join me and help me out with the tech stuff, you know?”, he said hesitantly.

You were about to deny his offer when he put his hands out in a placating gesture.

“I know, it’s been a long time. You’re not interested in this stuff anymore. But I could use some extra hands and who better than a Stark to help out with technology, right? And, who knows, maybe you’ll make a friend”, he tried to convince you.

“A friend? You think I’m some loner or what, Wilson? (You kind of were, a loner, but we will ignore that.) And just who is this friend?”, you asked him with narrowed eyes.

“He’s my new team member. A tech savvy nerd, like you. You’ll get along, trust me. Except I’ll warn you, that boy yaps a Lot”, Sam replied while chuckling.

That sounded way too familiar to you. You immediately froze and just stared at Sam, lost in thought. All those unwanted and painful memories were coming back to you.

Sam put his hand on your shoulder and you snapped out of your stupor.

“You don’t have to answer me immediately. Take your time, the offer is always open for you. Okay?”, he asked hopefully, ever the optimistic counselor.

You let out a big sigh.

“I don’t know. I’ll see”, you murmured. You could feel that uneasy feeling creep up your veins that told you to shut down, keep everyone away and to run somewhere far away where you could be isolated in peace.

You were finally feeling comfortable in your little bubble that consisted of you, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy and Morgan. Now you had to go out and make yourself accommodating and welcoming again. You had to repeat everything and start from scratch. It was a lot. You were not ready for that.

Healing is never linear, you knew that. But you were doing so well for the past two months. You clenched your fists and begged your mind to keep it together. You were pretty good at masking it.

Sam just nodded his head and patted your arm.

“Come on, I’ll walk you and Rhodey off.”

You both returned to Rhodey and said your goodbyes.

“See ya, old man. Take care of yo’self, alright?”, Sam said while hugging Rhodey.

“You too, Wilson”, Rhodey said before breaking the hug and patting Sam’s back.

“I’m proud of you, Sam. Never forget that”, Rhodey said gently.

Sam just smiled weakly and patted Rhodey’s shoulder before turning to look at you.

You looked at him and gave him a barely there smile before surprising him with a hug. You don’t know what came over you but you just wanted him to know that you appreciated his support and the conversation that you two had back there. Your words failed you, so you did the next best thing you knew– a hug.

He looked at Rhodey over your shoulder and patted your back like an older brother.

“Take care, kid. Think about what I said”, he said after breaking off the hug.

You simply nodded your head yes.

“And both of you are invited to the family cookout, alright? Rhodes, make sure you bring them with you. Sarah makes a mean cornbread”, Sam says while pointing at you.

Rhodey chuckles and you grin before departing.

You sat in the car and looked out of the window, deep in thought. You were processing your conversation with Sam and debating whether you should join him, or not. You couldn’t help but keep thinking about this friend that he mentioned and how he reminded you too much of-

“Whatcha thinkin’?”, Rhodey asked lightly, as if to not startle you.

You glanced back at him and turned your attention to the front of the car. You sighed softly.

“Had a good chat with Sam. We apologised to each other and sorted out our misconceptions.”

“That’s good, right?”, Rhodey asked and tilted his head to look at you.

You nodded. “Yeah. It was really nice to clear all of that up. He’s so…lovely to talk to. We also talked about his decision to give up the shield. I felt so stupid when he explained it to me. How could I not understand that beforehand?”, you said while clenching your jaw, feeling guilty for judging his decision.

Rhodey gave you a soft smile.

“Atleast you’re self-aware, sweetheart”, he said lightly.

You finally gave him a smile.

“Yeah. He also gave me an offer. To join him”, you said hesitantly.

Rhodey smirked knowingly. Sam had already discussed this with him.

“And? What’re you thinking?”, Rhodey asked nonchalantly so as to not freak you out.

You let out a deep breath.

“I don’t know. I’ll think over it”, you replied with finality in your tone.

Rhodey felt the walls build up again so he backed off instead of pestering you to talk more.

“That’s okay. You can take all the time you want, kid. There’s no rush”, Rhodey said sincerely.

You looked at him and squeezed his hand.

“Shall we go get that ice-cream now, your highness?”, Rhodey joked.

You finally let out a chuckle and nodded your head yes before turning your attention back towards the window. You let out a sigh.

You were not going to get any sleep tonight.

Part 2

—————————————————————————

AN: Whew. This was so LONG, I’m so sorry. 😭🙏 but I just couldn’t stop writing because I love me a stark!reader as that’s literally me but also I needed some found family content + closure between the stark family and the cap fam, too. Which is why I had to break it in 2 parts. Our lovebirds will meet in the 2nd part. Keep guessing the references and this mystery person until then.😛 thank you for reading!

[joaquinsgf]

This was so good oh my god 😭 i love everything, i love this found family, i love unhinged tommy and ellie, i love manny.

The Past Will Catch Up (Part 2)

Pairing: Manny Alvarez x GN!Reader

Summary: You should’ve killed them, then and there. You and Ellie both, should’ve simply killed them. But now they’ve hurt you and Manny faces a huge challenge when he finds out who hurt you. AKA everyone gets their revenge.

Warnings: Mentions of blood, guns, gunshot wounds, physical fights/assault, hospitals, panic attacks, nausea, Abby and the others meet their end, ANGST, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Cursing, Manny is a love sick fool, Manny and Reader want children/talks of children, Manny supports Jackson Hole, Reader is mentioned to have hair, Reader is mentioned to have muscly arms, Protective Manny, Worried Manny, Worried and sad Joel, Ellie and Tommy that's all i think.

This is LONG one. Sorry if it's not that good or the timeline doesn't make sense, but I'm not following the game or the show and there's not enough Manny content yet. Let me know if i have missed anything!

PS: I don't know anything about the game, my characterisation is based off the wiki information, the show and my own imagination.

AN: here is the part 2 pls pray this doesn't extend omg.

Manny was going crazy. He was hearing you everywhere, was seeing you all around him, and his fucking hands still won't stop shaking. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, just staring at you, hoping you'd make some movement or even lift a finger. He barely registered a nurse come in to check on your vitals, looking at him in concern before Tommy walked in and gave him the same look of pity and sadness. Honestly, Manny felt sick. He was still useless. But he just couldn't get his body to move from the chair. He hadn't eaten anything for 5 hours now, his stomach cramping in hunger but that wasn't important.

Then, there was commotion. The door opening harshly and a familiar voice rung out, "I don't fucking care, Tommy, I'm-" and they abruptly stopped, stepping inside the room and walking around Manny to see you.

"(Name)...", Ellie's voice was shaky as she called out to you and laid a hand on your head. Manny could faintly hear her sniffles but he was too focused on his hands intertwined with your left hand. Another pair of footsteps walked into the room, they were heavy and hesitant, as if the person wasn't ready to come in yet.

"Joel! T-they're- tell them to open their eyes. Joel, I-", Ellie desperately cried to Joel and he simply stared at the scene with his eyes brimming with tears, stepping closer to wrap his arm around Ellie and replace her hand on your head with his. Ellie tightly hugged him, her face burrowed in his chest, tears soaking his jacket while Joel's eyes fell on Manny and his dejected body language, a dead look behind his eyes, both of his hands firmly grasped around your singular one. Joel knew that look. He had that look after realising that Sarah had died and he had it when he killed everyone in Salt Lake.

He just hoped Manny would be wiser than him and not do something reckless. And he prayed to whatever gods up there that they kept his kid alive, while simultaneously vowing to not let their perpetrators live in peace.

-

It's been two days. Two agonising days of not seeing any progress in your condition. Two days of Manny not leaving the chair even after everyone asked him to. Two days of Joel barking at the doctors to help you and Tommy wallowing in his sorrows and two days since Ellie talked to anybody. Maria and Dina were trying their best to hold the Millers-Alvarez together, but to no avail.

Manny was ready to wither away next to you in that uncomfortable chair. He didn't care about the rest of the world. All he knew, was that he wouldn't leave your side. He had managed to ingest some food and water, Maria encouraging him by saying that you'd want him alive and responsive when you woke up. She then asked him to shower, after a lot of effort and pushing, and he eventually caved, wanting to look good for you.

For now, he was half heartedly munching on a sandwich, the task excruciating, when he noticed some movements on your hands. He froze, hands dropping the sandwich on the plate while observant eyes focused on your face. Your eyes moved behind your eyelids and he almost threw the plate away, standing up in alarm and just taking you in for a while before you scrunched your face in pain. He was shaking with the anticipation, his eyes blown wide and mouth open in shock.

"H-hey, baby? (Name)? Look at me, c'mon. C'mon, angel, please. Try for me, please-", he whispered the words like a prayer, his hands hovering above you while you kept scrunching your face up when he finally heard it: a small groan.

He was spiralling—torn between staying beside you and calling a doctor when you slowly tried to open your eyes, a series of pained groans and whimpers leaving your mouth. Your gorgeous eyes opened blearily, struggling to focus on your surroundings while your lips smacked against each other, in an effort to get rid of the dryness.

Manny was frozen by your bedside, his eyes brimming with tears after looking into yours.

“Baby?”, he asked hesitantly, his voice cracking.

You scrunched your eyebrows and blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the blurriness when your eyes finally focused on him, your Manny. Lifting your uninjured arm up, you reached for him, the movement sending pain across your stiff joints, causing you to moan in discomfort. Manny rushed forward to hold your hand, not wanting you to stress yourself any further.

“Hey, hey, easy. It’s okay. You’re home”, he reassured you and placed a hand on your head, smoothing your hair back.

“Manny…what happened..”, you whispered, your throat scratchy from disuse. He picked up the glass of water and urged you to sip it, you felt your throat feel refreshed after.

Manny frowned, “Someone ambushed you and Tommy. They hurt you”, his voice shaky while he put away the glass.

You furrowed your brows, trying to remember what happened. Then suddenly, Abby’s crazed face flashed in front of your eyes and you clenched your jaw. Manny took note of this and frowned again, but looking at the distress on your face, he chose not to discuss it right now.

Your tired eyes then fell on your left hand, noting that your ring was missing. “W-where’s my ring?”, you asked in a groggy voice.

Manny was so out of it and sick from worry that he hadn't noticed your missing ring, at all. He gently lifted your hand in his and rubbed a thumb on your ring finger. "Oh. I'm not sure, baby. I'll-"

"I had it on...It-it was right there. Where's the ring, Manny?", you asked in a confused voice again and the heart monitor beeped faster, conveying your obvious distress at the situation.

Manny furrowed his brows in concern and caressed your head gently, "'s okay, angel, we'll look for it, I promise. I-", You shook your head vehemently, "No- no, no, I-"

The door opened to reveal the nurse appointed to you and her eyes widened in surprise, before she walked away to call the doctor. Once the doctor came in and checked on you, you spoke up again.

"Where...where is my ring? I had it on, it's not there anymore", you asked in a desperate manner, eyes tearing up and hand squeezing Manny's tightly. He pursed his lips, unable to understand why you were so worried about a ring when he almost lost you.

"Angel, the ring's not that important. We'll get you another, please, you need to rest-"

"It's okay. Here", the doctor interrupted Manny, before motioning the nurse over, who presented the ring--now with the blood stains cleaned from it--to you.

You pulled your hand out of Manny's and reached for the ring before he took it from the nurse to carefully put it on your ring finger. Finally, the heart monitor calmed down as you did and Manny let out a sigh of relief, watching you fiddle with the ring. What he didn't know is that the ring and the thoughts of him kept you alive in that store.

"Okay, you need to be careful for the next few weeks, or maybe months, if you don't rest properly. No heavy lifting, no rigorous training or exercises and most importantly: no patrolling. You're lucky that bullet wasn't lodged inside your body. But your ribs are extremely sensitive. One wrong move and you could cause yourself serious injuries. Manny, do not let them over exert themselves at any cost", the doctor instructed and Manny solemnly nodded, a wince leaving you at the realization that Manny was definitely going to be a helicopter parent now.

Once the doctor left the room and the nurse changed the bottle of whatever painkiller they were using, Manny was quiet again, his eyes solely focusing on you. You gave him an exhausted smile and motioned him over, patting the space next to you on the small hospital bed. He swallowed his tears before slowly approaching the bed, sitting on it carefully to avoid jostling you.

His bloodshot and tired eyes stared at you before he leaned in and gently pressed his face into your neck, his curls tickling your jaw lightly. You felt his tears damp your neck and you were taken back to that moment in the QZ again, when he first confessed to you.

Since you couldn't move your arms, you settled for leaning your head against his and nuzzling it like a cat, the scent of your shared strawberry shampoo hitting your nose. You inhaled deeply before lazily speaking into his curls, "What's wrong, baby?"

He paused before raising his head, staring at you with his damp and rosy cheeks, his face glistening in the white light of the room and his curls messy. He looked like an angel as always.

"What's wrong? I thought you were gone. I thought I lost you for real, this time. I-", he scoffed in a self deprecating manner, "I shouldn't have let you go. Or I should've joined you. I was so worried. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack when we couldn't reach you-", he paused abruptly as is breathing fastened. He was hyperventilating.

You bring up a hand to cradle his cheek and rubbed a thumb across his soft skin, "Manny, look at me. It's okay. You need to breathe for me, okay? Try to breathe with me, Em", you drawled soothingly and took in a few light breaths, careful not to agitate your ribs, him mimicking you by taking in deep breaths and eventually calming down, a hand coming up to press against yours and lean into your palm.

"There you go. I know it must've been scary, and I'm sorry for that. But I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere, I promise", you smiled at him sweetly and he closed his eyes, leaning in to kiss you when the door opened. Manny pulled back to see who it was, face shifting in slight irritation at the interruption.

"Are they awake?", a voiced asked him and he nodded, the door opening further to reveal half of the Miller family. Your eyes shone with content.

"(Name)!", Ellie cried out before replacing Manny on the bed and holding your hand, her teary eyes and red face making you coo at her. Manny watching this silently.

"Hi, El, it's okay. I'm here", you reassured her as her lower chin wobbled, she replied with a vehement nod, hand caressing your left one. You noticed another body stand behind Ellie and looked up to see Joel, in his flannel shirt and graying hair, his kind and warm brown eyes staring at you with so much emotion in them.

You felt your breath stutter at that, eyes filling up with tears immediately. "Hey, Pops", you greeted him shakily, him coming around to massage your uninjured shoulder tenderly, like a father.

"Competing for the strongest Miller, huh?", he joked with a trembling voice and eyes brimming with tears. You let out a wet giggle and nodded at him before realising that Tommy was in the room as well. You turned to your right and saw Tommy standing in the corner, his arms crossed tightly and head lowered.

"Tommy? Won't you see me?", you asked softly with a frown tugging on your lips. You could vaguely remember his distressed face and cries for you to stay up. But you were sure of one thing, that Tommy protected you and brought you back to Jackson in one piece all by himself. You never doubted him on that. You also knew he'd blame himself for the attack.

Tommy's head snapped up and he took note of the remaining three eyes turning to look at him as well. His tearful eyes shone and he looked at Joel, body shifting tensely and in hesitance before Joel gave him a nod.

Tommy slowly made his way over, Manny staring at him intensely. You saw the stress and emotions shift across Tommy's freckled face, your chest twisting in pain at that. He looked at your bandaged shoulder and let out a stifled cry, arms holding him up by pressing against your bed. You stared at him sadly, "Tommy...it's okay. Look at me", you whispered in reassurance. He shook his head in disagreement and you saw a tear hit the bed sheet. Joel and Ellie look at Tommy in empathy while you stared at him helplessly.

"I shoulda told you to join me in the storage room. It was fuckin' stupid of me to leave you behind like that. I can't-I can't believe this happened right in front of me. I'm sorry, sweetheart, I-", a choked breath cut his sentence short. Manny clenched his jaw in anger, tightening his hands around his biceps to control it.

Before you could console him, Ellie spoke up, her tone furious, "Who the fuck did this, (Name)? Just tell us the name, I swear-"

"Ellie", Joel stopped her sternly, "Not now."

"What-", she glowered before Manny spoke up, "She's right, Joel", he stated before walking over to the foot of your bed, all four of you looking at him in surprise.

"Angel, if you knew those people, please tell us who they were. I understand if you want some time but please, try to tell us", Manny requested you in a low but soft voice.

You froze. How the hell were you going to say that the people who attacked you were Abby and Nora, in front of Manny? What if he thinks you're making shit up. What if he goes out in search of them and never comes back. What if-

"Kid?", Joel's gruff voice snapped you out of your thoughts, Manny watching you closely.

You swallowed thickly. You wanted to make them pay. Even if you had to wait for months till your injuries healed properly, you'll wait and then hunt them down. Morality went out of the window the moment she chose to torture your father, anyway.

The problem was that if you told Manny later, he'd still be upset that the others knew before him. And if you told Manny first, the rest of them would feel betrayed as well. You didn't care about Abby or Nora or the WLF. You cared for your family. You feared for them. You couldn't let what happened with Joel, happen again. He still limped, his knee bothering him to the extent that he couldn't even bend or crouch down without it hurting. Every time you saw that, it made you so mad that you felt like marching over to Seattle and unleashing hell on all of them. And not to forget today's cowardly act.

You steeled yourself and clenched your jaw, looking directly at Manny while delivering the shocking news in an eerily calm voice, "It was Abby and Nora. Abby ambushed me first, Nora shot me and Abby broke my ribs. They also said they'd be coming back for Joel...and I."

The whole room was silent. Nobody spoke a word but their faces said it all: Joel's face hardened in anger, Ellie's shifted in shock, Tommy's head snapping up in realisation and Manny- Manny was frozen still. It was like he had experienced a paralysis attack. You looked at him with sad eyes, understanding his predicament.

It was Ellie who broke first, glaring at Manny, "What did you do? Were you secretly contacting them?", she yelled, making her way towards Manny.

Your eyes widened as she accused him before Joel grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back, "No, He was with me and Maria the whole day. Ellie, don't pull stuff outta your ass", he conceded firmly and Ellie huffed in frustration, pulling her arm out of Joel's grip.

"Tommy, set a meeting with the council, now. And if there's not gonna be enough votes, I'm goin' out there myself, I don't give a fuck", Joel murmured in a furious tone, his teeth gritted and eyes darkened. Tommy numbly nodded his head in agreement, feeling his stomach twist in anger and disgust.

You snapped your head to look at Joel, "Joel, what the fuck? You're not-" "I'm coming with you, too", Ellie piped in with a determined voice, her hand squeezing yours.

"Ellie, shut the hell up, both of you aren't going anywhere. I'll go-"

"You're not going", Manny and Joel replied simultaneously, their voice laced with finality.

Your eyes widened in exasperation before you tried to get up, in the flow of the conversation, letting out a yelp as you jostled your body too much, agitating the injuries. Immediately Manny was onto you, his hands gently pushing you to lay back, your face screwed up in pain.

"Don't move", he chided you with a serious look in his face, "We'll talk about this later."

"I'll talk to Maria and set up an emergency meeting", Tommy announced before addressing Manny, "Would you...uh-you sure you wanna attend this one? It'll be pretty gnarly if you're present", he told Manny straightforwardly. All of you knew that everyone would immediately point fingers at Manny if they found out the WLF had ambushed you.

Manny seemed to contemplate it before swallowing thickly. He was kind of amused at the fact that once again he was stuck in a situation where he had to prove his loyalty. But he'd do that again, if that meant forever with you.

He cleared his throat, "I'll attend. I know all the places and stuff that they could be hidin' in. Plus, I can trick them into turning in. I'll give you all the information, even if everyone votes 'no'", he confessed sincerely.

Tommy nodded before squeezing your arm lightly and heading out of the room. You caught your breath and looked at the three remaining people with desperation, "Don't do anything stupid, please. Please let me do this. I can't- I can't lose any of you, please", you almost begged them, your voice wobbling from the tears stuck in your throat, the heart monitor going off again.

Manny looked at Joel with his eyebrows furrowed and sighed in worry, his hands coming around to cup your face, oh so tenderly.

"Angel, you need to rest, okay?', you opened your mouth to interrupt, the monitor still going off as you stressed yourself even more, "I know, I know. Look at your heartbeat, you're working yourself up...How about this, you eat somethin' and then I'll help you sleep, hm?", Manny asked you quietly, his thumbs tracing circles on your cheeks before catching a stray tear and wiping it.

You frowned and looked at Joel and Ellie, "Do as he says, kiddo. He's been sittin' here for the past 2 days", Joel reasoned with you in a serious tone, knowing you'd listen right away if he told you that Manny hadn't left his seat next to you since you came back.

You looked at Manny in surprise, his gaze averted from you and you let out a hushed 'Okay'. Joel and Ellie left the room to give the two of you privacy and check in with Tommy and Maria.

You didn't fight much after that, too tired and sleepy to do anything. Manny fed you some of light food that the doctor had recommended and helped you wind down, caressing your head lovingly, your eyes shutting down and opening tiredly. He looked at you and drank you in--your beautiful features, soft skin and hair spread like halo on your pillow. His beady brown eyes pierced into your skin, making your half asleep form blush lightly. "What're you starin' at, Alvarez?", your words slurred out sleepily, your cheeks warming up.

The corner of Manny's mouth quirked up slightly for the first time in 2 days, amused at the fact that you still blushed and got shy whenever he looked at you, even after spending half of your lives together. "I can't stare at my gorgeous fiancé?", he teased and you scoffed.

"I look like a mess right now", you mumbled in response, your eyes half shut in comfort, the warmth of his hands on your head lulling you deeper into a sound sleep.

"No you don't", he simply stated before leaning in close to press a kiss to your nose, your cheeks and the corner of your mouth. You frowned in dissatisfaction, Manny chuckled lightly at the cross look on your face, "What is it?"

"You...you missed", you whined and jutted out your lower lip, the meds and exhaustion making you loopy, moodier and clingier than usual. Manny smiled brightly, his cheeks turning red with happiness and eyes crinkling. He then leaned in and kissed your jutted out lip softly, before you kissed him back properly. He kissed you three times before departing, his nosed smushed against yours, and pulled away, smiling at the content look on your face. "There. Happy?"

You hummed.

"Will you sleep now?", he asked and you nodded, fully closing your eyes and passing out promptly, leaving Manny to tuck the blanket around you and plant a lingering kiss on your forehead, muttering an 'I love you' on the skin there. He wanted to stay with you, but Maria had stopped by to visit you and informed him that they were going to hold the meeting now. He reluctantly parted with you, Maria assuring him that the nurses would look after you in his absence, her personally instructing them to do so.

-

Of-fucking-course the council voted 3/8 to the plan. Manny, Joel and Ellie were positively fuming. If it was possible, you'd see steam coming out of their ears and people wouldn't question if these three were related. They held a similar look of displease, ire and anger towards all these cowards who chickened out. They also had the same look of shock when Seth spoke in their support, agreeing to seek revenge on yours and Joel's behalf. Shockingly, nobody questioned Manny. Because everyone was too busy protecting their peace. But rules were rules, and they helplessly watched as the council voted 'No' to the plan and watched Tommy's distressed and guilty face in between the other council members from afar. Manny's sharp eyes noticed Jesse shifting in discomfort on Tommy's right and his jaw ticked, carefully curating a plan in his head.

-

After every one was dismissed, Ellie left with Dina and Manny asked Joel to bring in Tommy and Jesse to your shared house. Manny's mind was working overtime. He didn't want to go as far as kill Abby and Nora but he wanted to get his lick back. And he could get it by helping the others find out their location, which was cake walk for him. He'd even assist them to trick the Seattle crew into thinking that he was turning himself in, just so they would be caught off guard by the others.

He cursed whatever entity present up there, asking why must he be the one to make these difficult choices. Why does he have to choose between his old family and this new family he was blessed with? But he had specifically asked Nora to stay away from you. They didn't listen to him then, and they didn't listen to him now. Your unmoving face kept flashing in front of his eyes and straightened up, his conscience becoming clearer and clearer.

Joel, Tommy and Jesse gathered in your living room, Manny informing them about the plan, the layout of the base, the hot zones, the populated zones, the hideouts--all of it. He brought out stuff from his old supplies and laid it in front of the three of them: his map, his weapons, the symbols to identify the soldiers--all of it. They soaked in the information and decided to leave at night, during the switch between the night shift patrols. Manny hesitated before nodding yes, his heart falling into a pit at the fact that he'd leave without you knowing. Joel gave him a look of understanding and patted his back.

-

When Manny came back to the hospital, you were still fast asleep, your mouth slightly parted and face lax with relaxation. He felt a small smile creep onto his face, glad that you could get some much deserved rest. He sat down on the chair that had become his home since the last few days and held your hand in his, fingers playing with your ring.

"You're not gonna like what I'm goin' to do. You'll be very upset, I know. But- I gotta put an end to this, angel. I can't- They can't hurt you again. They have no right to. Not when I specifically asked her to stay away from you. Seeing you like this-god, I was this close to breaking apart. When Tommy told me you'd gotten ambushed, I felt like the biggest coward in the world. I should've been there with you. I'm sorry I didn't fight harder. I had promised you a forever with me, I'm goin' to fight for it now. Please forgive me if you can, amor", his low and gruff voice confessed to your sleeping form, his chest aching with the love and affection he carried for you. He leaned in to press a lingering kiss to your head and when he pulled back, he saw your teary eyes looking up at him in despair. His mouth fell open and face froze in shock.

"You were going to leave without waking me up?"

You sounded so small and forlorn that he cradled your face between his palms and kissed you deeply, his mouth smushed against yours in a passionate embrace, his nose pressing into the divot of your cheek. He sucked your bottom lip before pulling on it, bringing out a light moan from you, his hands tucked behind your ears, thumbs holding your jaw up in line with his mouth. You pulled away breathlessly, Manny leaning his forehead against you and both of you closed your eyes, a few tears sliding down both of your cheeks.

"Promise me you won't do anything do stupid. You have to come back to me. I can't lose you again", you whispered against his lips and he pressed his forehead into yours more. He linked his pinky finger with your left one and lifted it to press a kiss against your joined fingers, the action causing a nostalgic smile to take over your face.

"I promise", he mumbled it against your fingers before slowly retracting himself from you and leaving the room, both of your chests feeling hollow after.

-

Originally, Ellie was supposed to partner with Joel. But when Joel went to call her, she was gone. Not only her, but Dina was missing as well. Joel cursed and informed Tommy, the four of them deciding to leave earlier than intended, having to distract a few patrollers before successfully sneaking out of Jackson. Manny was their guide, him making the way and carving out the shortcuts. They came across a few dead bodies, Manny informing about the fight between the Seraphites and the WLF, his insides curling with disgust and guilt as he saw what the WLF did to the children. After riding through a storm, they finally reached Seattle, and Manny asked them to lay low, stating that the skyscrapers had snipers on the top floors. And that's when they spotted Ellie and Dina. Joel suggested they split--it was decided that Joel and Jesse would be following them while Manny and Tommy would set off to find the others.

-

Manny wasn't prepared for the emotions he'd feel when he saw any of his old friends. But now that he spied on Owen behind foliage with an irritated and angry Tommy, he completely froze, confused between wanting to let Tommy unleash his emotions and luring in Owen with stealth. He chose the latter and told Tommy to lay low while he pulled Owen aside.

He clamped a hand around his mouth and muttered in his ear, "It's Manny. Just follow me", Owen's eyes widened before he nodded promptly with his hands raised. When they were inside the abandoned hotel, Manny released Owen before discreetly removing his gun and tucking it in his jeans. The taller man turned around, before Tommy pressed his rifle against Owen's head. Owen paused and raised his hands again, eyes flashing with betrayal before Manny clenched his jaw and motioned him to turn to around.

"Where's Abby", Tommy questioned with gritted teeth. Manny couldn't remember seeing him this angry in the past 2 years. You'd told him that Tommy was even more ruthless than Joel, which was unbelievable but now he understood what you meant. Tommy was just as protective of his family as Joel was. He’d suppressed his anger for what they did to Joel for two whole years. He wasn’t going to hold back now. Manny understood that.

Owen gulped, "I don't know, man. I swear-", Tommy pressed the mouth of the rifle harshly into Owen's chest and cocked it, his eyes furious.

"Okay, Okay. She's supposed to be patrolling the theatre in Capitol Hill. I don't know if she'd still be there or not", Owen confessed, his eyes flickering from the rifle to Tommy.

"I know where that is", Manny confirmed and Tommy sized Owen up in disgust.

"You open your fuckin' mouth and see what I can do", he threatened before pushing Owen out of the way, exiting the main entrance of the hotel. Owen stared at Manny in disbelief, "Manny, what the fuck?"

Manny scoffed before admitting, "I'd told you not to let her come after (Name). I'm not gonna do anythin' to stop them or hurt you. But I'm gonna do everything to protect (Name)", his finger poking Owen in the chest. "And don't try anything. I mean it", he stated casually before walking away from a speechless Owen.

-

It was morning by the time they reached Capitol Hill. Manny watched in thinly veiled terror as he saw Tommy wreak havoc on anybody who stopped them. Manny would knock some people unconscious, maybe kill a few who were annoying and meddling. But Tommy was truly, off the hinges. Manny didn’t say word.

They managed to reunite with Ellie at the park near the theatre, Joel, Jesse and Dina missing next to her. Tommy immediately went into panic mode as he took in the haunted and exhausted look on Ellie’s face. Manny felt his heart thunder against his chest.

“Where’s-”

“Jesse’s gone.” Pin drop silence.

Manny sucked in a harsh breath and Tommy ran a hand across his face, his eyes tearing up before he stammered out, “J-Joel and Dina?”

Ellie swallowed, her face damp with tears, “Dina was injured. Joel said he’ll take her back to Jackson.”

Tommy and Manny exchanged a look, getting the vibe that Ellie was hiding something but chose to discuss it later.

They decided to stick together, now that they were lessened in number.

“We can’t enter through the main entrance, obviously. We need to go ‘round the back or climb through a broken window. If she’s here then she might have some other people with her too. We gotta be careful”, he murmured and Tommy and Ellie simply nod, going around the theatre and looking for any entry.

“There”, Ellie pointed at a broken window and they made their way over to the wall, the wet ground squelching underneath their boots. Tommy intertwined his hands to let Ellie step on them when they suddenly heard footsteps. All three of them froze before Manny aimed his rifle and walked towards the sound, gesturing Tommy and Ellie to continue.

Manny peeked around the building to see that the patrollers were making their way over to the back. He needed to distract them, quickly. He turned around to see that Ellie had managed to climb through the window and Tommy was half way through. Deciding to take the risk, Manny clenched his jaw and slowly picked up a stone, flicking it across the opposite direction and breaking a car window in the process. It seemed to have worked, as he heard the area clear and footsteps receding.

Manny slung the rifle around his back and climbed up, Tommy’s hand extended in waiting. He clasped his hand around Tommy’s and let himself be pulled, entering the room with a dull thud. They had broken into the projector’s room.

“Alright, luckily we can keep an eye on her from up here. We might have to wait for sometime because she’s probably stationed at the front and on that direction”, Manny informed lowly, his voice coming out too loud in the quiet room.

Ellie nodded and Tommy seemed to be deep in his thoughts, his jaw ticking. Manny quirked an eyebrow, sensing something was off.

“We’re gonna split”, Tommy answered gruffly.

“Man, are you kidding? Do you not see the soldiers? This is a heavily patrolled area. Trust me, I know. If they found out what you’re here for, they’re gonna obliterate you, and I mean that. Tommy, don’t do this”, Manny gritted his teeth, his patience wavering with Tommy’s recklessness. How could a man so patient and calculative act like this during such an important moment? Especially now that he had a wife and a kid waiting at home?

But it seems the stubborn gene runs rampant in the Miller household and Tommy’s wide eyes stared at Manny and Ellie intensely, his decision clearly flashing into them.

“I’ll be fine. D’you trust me?”, he addressed Ellie and Ellie stared at him dumbfounded, hating that it had come to this and the fear of losing her uncle looming over her head.

Ellie’s face scrunched in pain and she nodded hesitantly. Before any of them could interject, Tommy had already made his mind as he rushed over to the window and climbed down. Manny ran over to it, watching Tommy run past the building and ran a hand through his hair.

“Fuuuuck! Fuck. Okay. Ellie, listen. I know you don’t trust me necessarily. But we need to stick together, alright? For (Name)”, he pleaded with Ellie and she agreed reluctantly.

-

They waited till nightfall, Tommy still hadn’t returned and honestly, they weren’t sure he would. They were just scared about what they would do once they got back to Jackson.

Footsteps echoed through the hall causing Manny and Ellie to stiffen up, slowly peeking through the viewing window above the table.

Their eyes widened as they fell on her. Abby. She was surrounded by four other soldiers that Manny didn’t recognise. They were winding down for the night and Manny decided it would be the perfect time.

“Ellie, we’re gonna shut down the lights. I’ll distract the soldiers, you take Abby”, he murmured while looking for the light switches.

Ellie stared at him in disbelief. Was it really that easy? He was really doing this?

“How can I trust you?”, she asked him, her hand slowly inching towards her gun.

Manny clenched his jaw, “if I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it before we even reached Seattle. Wouldn’t take much time for me to do that”, Ellie fell silent at that.

He continued, “I had warned her not to come after (Name). Yet she did. She betrayed me. I might not feel okay with killing them or hurting them, but I can help you.”

Ellie was in awe of his ability to make such quick decisions. He was so sure of what he was doing, it was kind of impressive. He reminded her of Joel, just a little. She nodded and followed his cues, sneaking down the stairs after he cut off the power supply.

They heard footsteps come up and halted, their guns pulled up. Manny gestured to blend into the shadows and as soon as he heard the dull thud of heavy boots, he pounced on the person and clamped their mouth shut, his arm tightly wound around the soldier’s neck, cutting off his breathing effectively. Manny nodded at Ellie to move forward, as the soldier slowly dropped unconscious by his feet. There were 3 soldiers with Abby. One was down, and now they needed to look out for the others while also keeping an eye on her.

As they descended and approached the chairs in the hall, Ellie’s foot accidentally hit one of the chairs and she winced before Manny pulled her down with him, his finger resting against his lips, telling her to keep quiet and listen.

“Who’s there?”, Abby’s voice rung out and Ellie’s eyes widened. Manny clenched his jaw. This was it. He motioned Ellie to stay where she was, while he would sneak behind Abby to find the other soldiers and take her by surprise. He told her to wait for his signal, his signal being a low whistle.

Manny’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and he was able to point out only one other person in the hall with Abby, assuming that the other went out to check the lights. He decided to make a noise on the second exit and that immediately got their attention, Abby asking the soldier to check it out. As soon as the solider stepped out in the exit, Manny tackled him, the solider testing his patience and trying to make noises to get Abby’s attention. Manny rolled his eyes in irritation and pulled out his knife, lodging it against the man’s shoulder and tying a thick cloth around his mouth, muffling his cries.

Manny wiped the blood on the soldier’s shirt like it was an inconvenience and decided to put in all his acting skills to lure in Abby, to make it look like he was harmless. He felt a little uneasy at the thought that he was doing this against someone whom he had considered to be his best friend once. But the thought of coming back home to you motivated him.

He clicked the safety on his gun and purposely made his footsteps apparent, so that she gave him her full attention instead of focusing on Ellie.

“Drop your weapons”, her stern voice rung out and he paused, playing the part.

“Abby?”, his rough voice called out.

Abby froze, walking closer to Manny with her gun still raised.

“Manny?”, she whispered in disbelief, her eyes blown wide. Manny felt an inch of empathy for her. He knew that what they did to Joel kept all of them awake. He still got nightmares about it. Manny lowered his gun and raised his hands in surrender before Abby brought him in a hug.

He hugged her hesitantly, his hands awkwardly patting her back before breaking apart.

“Wh-what’re you doing here? You’re alone?”, she asked curiously.

“Yeah, I’m alone.”

She scoffed, “So, they finally decided to show their true colours, huh? (Name) included?”

Manny clenched his hands tightly, his patience wearing thin. He was about to give her another chance but this was just too much now. Especially since she was the one who decided to attack you unprovoked.

“Yeah? Why’d you attack them, Abby?”, Manny asked and she froze, her sarcastic laughter dissipating.

She let out a breath, “What? Attack who?”, her hands coming up to rest on her hips, feigning an unbothered expression.

Manny let out a humourless laugh and shook his head, “You’re not fooling anybody. But anyways, I’m sorry….not sorry for this”, he conceded before whistling lowly.

Ellie immediately got to her feet, approaching Abby and pressed her gun behind Abby’s head. Abby froze, her grip loosening on her gun, which Manny took out of her hands and tucked in the back of his jeans.

Her head whipped to look at Manny, “What the fuck is all this?!”

Manny shrugged while Ellie grabbed Abby’s shoulder aggressively and turned her around, her hand tightening around Abby’s shirt and bringing her closer to the mouth of the gun.

Abby’s eyes widened as she recognised Ellie in the low light of the few dim bulbs.

“Leave me-”, Abby struggled against her grip, Ellie gritting her teeth in annoyance and firing a shot into Abby’s knee. Just like how she had done to Joel.

Abby howled in pain and fell on the carpeted floor, her sobs echoing across the empty hall. Manny clenched his jaw and turned his head to the side.

“I’ll keep an eye out”, he muttered to Ellie and approached the door, standing guard against it to stop anybody from coming inside.

“No! Wait! Manny, they’re messing with your head. Stop it! We can all-”, Abby’s choked cries were cut off by Ellie spitting a “Shut the fuck up” and landing a swift kick against her ribs, just like how she’d done to you. Abby gasped and writhed around in pain.

Manny ignored their altercation and walked away, standing outside the hall with a million thoughts weighing him down. He was split between telling Ellie to stop and wanting to give you justice.

-

After getting into an argument with two soldiers and eventually having to dispose them, Manny was back on the lookout outside the doors. Ellie stepped out of the hall, her face and clothes covered in blood as she took in the two dead soldiers by Manny’s feet, his clothes covered in blood splatters as well.

Manny looked up at Ellie, and he immediately understood that she’d done it. Abby was dead. Swallowing past the dread, he grabbed Ellie by the arm and slowly dragged her out of the lobby, walking upstairs to a storage room and locking it before checking the perimeter from the window. Once he noted that the coast was clear, he opened the window and encouraged Ellie to drop down first, joining her closely behind.

Once they had reached down, they managed to barely escape from the big halogens projecting on the ground. Once they tore through the fence, they booked it for the hotel where Ellie and Dina had stashed a few radios.

-

"Tommy, come in. Tommy, this is Capitol Hill, come in!", Manny spoke into the radio but only heard incessant disturbance on it, him lowering the device in frustration.

"Fuck. If we wait here for any longer they're gonna find us. We need to move, now", he informed Ellie who was frozen still. Manny looked at her and put his hands on her shoulders carefully, before shaking her a litte.

"It's difficult for you to do anything right now, I know, but we gotta get back home, Ellie. I promise, Tommy will join us. You trust him, don't you?", Manny's breathless voice called out and Ellie looked at him before nodding numbly.

"Good. Let's pack up and leave, Miller", he encouraged her and the two of them ran away, abandoning the hell hole that was Seattle, with a flicker of hope that Tommy manages to reunite with them.

As soon as they left the hotel, their radios buzzed, a broken voice coming out of the speaker.

"Ellie---me at---it's Tommy----the border!"

Ellie and Manny exchanged a relieved look before running away from the city.

-

After spending the whole night walking in heavy downpour, they were wet, dehydrated, hungry, and tired. They laid low in a nearby broken down house, leaving as soon as the rain stopped and finally reached the border. The foliage next to the kept shuffling and both of them raised their guns only to see Tommy exit from the behind the overgrown bushes.

Ellie sighed in relief and ran over to hug Tommy, the older man hugging her back fiercely and giving a nod in Manny's direction. Tommy indirectly hinted at ending everyone. Everyone that came across him was killed. Manny felt his hair stand up with fear and he fought a shiver, Ellie staring blankly ahead. He didn't want to think about all this here. He feared he would either throw up or rip his hair out. Maybe one day he'd tell you about his thoughts on all this. One day.

For now, they regrouped and focused on only one task at hand-- going back home, Manny chest aching with yearning to reunite with you.

-

It's been four days since they left. You were officially discharged now. Joel and Dina had returned on the second day itself and it made you confused and shocked at the fact that Joel had agreed to turn around. Maria decided to shift you back to Joel's house for a while, so that you wouldn't be alone. He went back to the hospital to get Dina treated, and joined you in your old room, quelling your worries and filling you in. He told you that Dina was shot with an arrow and was pregnant, the news making you gasp in fear and surprise. Then you understood why Joel turned around, trusting Tommy to look over Ellie and not wanting the two vulnerable girls to come back alone.

"What about Manny? Did Tommy radio back about where they are?", you mumbled while picking a thread on the blanket.

You were still not allowed to walk too much still, lying down and sitting being the only options. All this bed-rest made your mind wander in dark places. After Manny left, you were so dejected that you cried yourself to sleep. You refused breakfast the next morning, Maria having to surveil you to make sure you ate something. The gnawing fear in your chest wouldn't let you breathe easy, the constant worrying for Manny making you sick. It was confusing, you were not only worried for his emotional state after meeting his friends, but also feared for the worst outcome- him abandoning you to join them again. You wouldn't recover from the latter, that much was clear. You had not removed his sweater from your body since he left, requesting for your shared blanket to be brought in to Joel's house. You just prayed that he'd come home to you, safe and sound.

Joel sighed, "He radioed in once, last night, to tell me they were leaving. Nothin' after that, I-", Joel's response was cut off from the noise of fists banging against his front door. Sitting up in alarm, you and Joel exchanged a look before he told you to stay put and wandered downstairs.

Your chest thudded in anticipation, screwing your eyes shut if incase he comes bearing some bad news, your hands shaking with anxiety when-

"Angel."

You whipped your eyes open and they fell on Manny. His clothes were a little damp and dirty, hair curling from the water and his facial hair slowly growing in, but it was still your Manny. Your eyes filled up with tears and you gasped, him rushing over to your bed side, eyes flitting across your face.

You lifted your left hand up to cradle his cheek, him leaning closer to it and his coffee coloured irises not moving from your face.

"Em..", you whispered and pressed your forehead against his, both of your eyes shutting close in contentment. You felt him inhale deeply, his pretty nose brushing against yours, a hand coming around to rest on your thigh gently.

"It's over", he mumbled against your lips and surged in, kissing you feverishly. Both of his hands came up to hold your face in them, his lips caressing yours in a sensual yet loving embrace. He heard you inhale sharply, breaking apart to let you breathe but kept his hands on your face.

"I'm home", his eyes brimmed with tears and you frowned, your hand buried in his curls, nails scratching his scalp gently.

"Are you okay?", you asked him worriedly, completely understanding if this took a toll on him. It was natural. And you'd hold him through it all.

He pursed his lips, a tear falling past his cheeks and dropping on your blanket, "I don't know, yet. It hasn't set in...but you're here. That's all I care about."

You gave him a sad smile and pulling him closer, his arms carefully going around your back and his face tucked into your throat, lips and curls tickling you lightly. You lean your head against the side of his and press a kiss to his temple, "Yeah. I'm here, always. I love you, Manny."

His breath hitched before his lips moved against your throat, "Te quiero mucho, angel."

It'd take a long time for him to heal. But as long as you had each other, you'd both be just fine.

Fin.

-

AN: RAHHH ITS DONE! please like and reblog, i love to read your comments! 🥹

taglist: @taylorsroxy @parkersjoy @spideybrie @thejadevvitch @lastofdanny @aold123 @justalocaldumbass666-blog @marymun @sl4sh3r @marbles-posts @tippyeddy @xoxoitskelsey @missbrekker @athanasia-day @cosmicmcu @kkismymoniker @lia-pitchiner @amoebadue @classicrocketqueen @spawn0fsatan @og-baby-ob14 @miyazakidanna @wingedfanphilosopher @beciiamsherlocked55 @ivyheliotrope @lavenderpixieee @professional-imbacil @escapefromrealitylol @aleemendoza2425-blog

[joaquinsgf]

ANNNND i’m crying again 😭 i love manny and joel and tommy so much oh god

The Past Will Catch Up

(a follow up to this, I'd suggest reading that first!)

Pairing: Manny Alvarez x GN!Reader

Summary: You should’ve killed them, then and there. You and Ellie both, should’ve simply killed them. But now they’ve hurt you and Manny faces a huge challenge when he finds out who hurt you. AKA everyone gets their revenge.

Warnings: Mentions of blood, guns, gunshot wounds, broken ribs, physical fights/assault, hospitals, panic attacks, nausea, ANGST, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Cursing, Tommy and Reader are stuck in a storm, Manny is a love sick fool, Manny and Reader want children/talks of children, Reader is mentioned to have hair, Reader is mentioned to have muscly arms, Protective Manny, that's all i think. Let me know if i have missed anything! There will be a part 2, as do all my fics cus i cant keep them short wtf im sorry.

AN: hoooo boy am i excited for this. This picks up right where Getaway Car part 3 left. Also i am ignoring canon (fuck ne*l) and ignoring danny's defense for abby (sorry danny) because i am fed up w this show. Also I know the title is probably BAD but pls ignore it I’m sick 🤧

PS: I don't know anything about the game, my characterisation is based off the wiki information, the show and my own imagination.

It’s been a peaceful 2 years in Jackson with Manny. He had settled right in, growing softer around the edges no matter how much he denied it. The two of you had formed a healthy and mundane routine and you couldn’t be any more happier. All that pain, the separation, the stress—it was all worth it for now you could sleep next to him and wake up to his gorgeous face, you’d watch him sip his precious cup of coffee on your porch swing, how he fit right in with Joel and Tommy—the older men taking a liking to him and considering him as their own, how he’d spend time with the children and the elderly, how he’d come home with a smile and help you cook dinner, promising to massage your achy joints later—you loved every part of it.

Manny had a glow to him. And it mostly came from watching you tend to the horses and teach the children, how you looked after Joel, Ellie and your entire found family, how you’d take care of him after a particularly hard day or a rough nightmare, how beautiful you looked in the cold weather with snowflakes frosted on your eyelashes, the way you’d look at him bashfully when you caught him staring, the two of you bantering casually as you cooked dinner or patrolled together, the glow from the way your family had taken him under their wings—your love had changed him. And he loved it.

He loved it so much, that a few months ago, he’d gone over to Joel’s to talk about salvaging a ring and to ask for his permission to marry you. Joel was pleasantly impressed that Manny had actually lived up to his promise and had happily given his blessings, helping Manny get a ring for you.

It was a simple ring—a thin gold band with a small diamond on it. They had gone to a neighbouring civilisation where they found a jewellery shop. Happy with the early discovery, the two of them broke in and immediately began searching for any left over items. And that’s when Manny found it, hidden deep inside the shop’s storage locker, beneath a few scattered boxes and show trays, a beautiful, dainty ring with a singular diamond on top of it. Fit for you. The band was a little tarnished, but since it was covered by all the boxes, the damage was small enough that it could be restored easily. Joel patted Manny’s back in approval and they rode back to Jackson.

Originally, Manny thought he’d wait a little longer. Tease the idea a little and see your reaction to it. But then, the following week after he came back home from helping with some restoration, the sight that greeted him almost made him fall to his knees.

There you were, passed out on the couch, with his sweater around you and a tiny baby cuddled up to your chest. He immediately recognised the baby—it belonged to your neighbours Tara and Will, it was their 6 month old daughter, Elina, that had taken a special liking to you since you’d babysit her often when her parents went on patrol. Manny hadn’t confess this yet, but he his insides curl with longing every time he saw you with children. Making him wonder what you’d look like your own kids.

He approached the couch and quietly crouched down to your eye level, Elina’s tiny fingers twitching in her sleep and curling against your sweater tightly. You instinctively brought up a hand to support her small back and smoothed it across to calm her. Manny couldn’t resist and he brought his hand up to smooth your hair back from your forehead, his warm hand resting on the side of your head and thumb brushing against your hairline.

You felt the weight against your head and slowly opened your eyes, blinking them rapidly to get rid of the bleariness and focused on Manny’s rosy face. Flashing him a lazy smile and cradling Elina closer to you, you whispered a quiet “Hello”, to which he gave you a soft smile and leaned in to plant a kiss on your forehead.

“Hey, angel. How’re you? I missed you”, he replied back in a whisper, careful not to wake up Elina. His voice was laced with fond adoration.

You smiled bashfully before scrunching your nose. Manny watched, transfixed, if you didn’t stop being cute right now he was going to propose you right away.

“Missed me? You were literally ten minutes away, Em”, you giggled.

“Ten minutes too far from you”, he murmured before leaning in to kiss you on the lips. You hummed into it, leaning closer and jostling Elina in the process. She flinched and you separated from Manny to press a hand to her back, an apologetic look on your face.

“Sorry, honey”, you softly murmured to her sleeping body, leaning to the side to check if she was still asleep. Thankfully, she was.

Manny watched the interaction with a love sick look in his eyes.

“She was so fussy today. Pouting and sulking, too. Got her to sleep after almost two hours of resistance. She’s-”

“Marry me.”

He said it in such a casual way that you had to take a double take. “Wait, what?”, you asked him in surprise.

“Marry me, angel”, he repeats for you, completely sitting on the floor with his hands wringing against each other. You’ve never seen him so nervous in recent times.

“Manny-”, a choked laugh escaped you, your tearful eyes once again making his form in front of you blurry. He scrunched his eyebrows in concern and immediately brought up a hand to caress your cheek.

“You don’t even have a ring”, you joked, sniffling.

He fished a hand in his pocket and presented you a ring. You gasped.

“W-what? Where-”

“Had it since last week. Salvaged it from a jewellery store with Joel. Asked for his permission too”, he confessed with a tight voice and your eyes widened, a tear falling from them and pooling in his palm.

“Please say something”, a desperate whisper left his mouth and his eyes shimmered with unshed emotion.

You sniffled and gave him a bright smile, “Yes. Yes, Manny. I’ll marry you, baby.”

Manny gave you a watery smile and slid the ring on your left ring finger, bringing it up and kissing it. You pulled him by the hand to kiss him sweetly, your hand cradling his face so lovingly, that he nearly cried.

Elina gurgled in your arms and the two of you broke apart, looking at her with soft eyes. He laid a hand on top of yours on her tiny back.

“Can’t wait to have one of ours”, he mumbled before looking at you with a shine in his eyes. You blushed and pushed his shoulder, his quiet laugh echoing in the still room.

-

The news had reached your family soon and they had all spoiled you, Maria treating you to some delicious food and some gifts from each of them. Joel gave you a warm hug and a little wooden sculpture of penguins. You recalled how he told you that penguins mated for life, the symbolism of his gift made something crack in you with overwhelming love for the old man. Ellie, Dina and Jesse had grumbled at the news but they were happy for you, choosing to remain formal with Manny instead. Tommy had gathered the two of you in a hug, offering to give some brotherly advice to Manny and had threatened him to never hurt you again. Manny looked positively nervous at that.

It's been a week since that and unfortunately, you were up for patrol tomorrow. Manny wasn’t going to be your partner this time, having to help with the school restoration work. Which meant that Manny was going to sulk for the whole day till you came back home. Ever since he proposed, he’s gotten way more clingy. Wanting to be close to you, constantly holding your hands, keeping an arm around your waist, keeping your hair tie around his wrist just so he could feel a part of you with him. Mornings were even more difficult, he’d trap you in his arms if you tried to even move. This combined, with his age old habit of worrying himself sick when you went on patrol, made tasks impossible to accomplish because you couldn’t depart from his sad, sulking face.

Currently you were lying in your bed with your face pressed against Manny’s chest, your bodies a mess of limbs, his arms wound around you like tree roots, his lips pressed to your hairline.

You could feel them move when he spoke quietly, “Do you really have to go? I don’t feel good about this. It’s the same feeling I had when you’d gotten stabbed back in the QZ”, a solemn and pained lilt to his voice, his arms bringing you closer to his chest as if he was afraid you’d disappear.

Your heart ached, for this was all new to him—this intimacy, this openness, this vulnerability. The fact that he even shared this with you was an honor in itself. A testament to his trust in you and his love for you. When you’d gotten stabbed, you were there to witness first hand how it affected him. He had this guilty and haunted look in his eyes and that incident plus your separation from each other for 5 years, just made him more protective of you.

Pressing a kiss to his chest, you consoled him in a soft voice, “I understand, baby. But, Tommy’s coming with me, yeah? You know how good he’s at the job. I’ll be fine, I promise. And I’ll pull back the moment I think something is wrong, okay? I promise.”

You pulled back from his embrace and cradled his beautiful face in your hand, his cheeks cold to the touch and sharp eyes shimmering in the low light of your shared bedroom. You would stare at him in awe, even today, his lovely features rendering you speechless at times. And now that he’d been clean shaven for some time (after you made an offhand comment at how you loved the moles around his mouth), you could openly admire the little moles scattered around his face.

He leaned into your palm and closed his eyes before exhaling shakily. “Promise me. You’ll come back to me safely”, his scratchy voice whispered in your hand.

You smiled fondly and leaned in to seal the promise with a kiss, him immediately reciprocating and kissing you back feverishly, like he didn’t have much time and wanted to feel all of you at once.

He broke away to hold up your hand, pressing one, two, three gentle kisses to your ring and leaned his forehead against you, sending out a prayer in the universe to keep you safe.

-

Come morning, he’d pouted the entire time till you departed. He still helped you get ready, packing your supplies, saddling your horse, helping you with the breakfast—everything, but with a sad little look on his face. When you finally joined Tommy by the gate, Manny held you close to him, a hand cradling the back of your head and the other one bringing you closer by the waist. You buried your face in his neck and murmured reassuring things, promising that you’d come back before leaning back and kissing him with passion.

You broke away after Tommy cleared his throat, both of your cheeks heated and hearts hammering against your chests before Manny told Tommy to look after you and Tommy gave him a teasing smile.

Manny stayed by the gates till he couldn’t see you anymore, the situation feeling like a déjà vu and leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He just prayed you’d come back safely or else he’d lose his damn mind.

-

It was too fucking windy. And it was raining, making your visibility poor. It looked way too similar to what happened 2 years ago and you tried your best to not think about it. You’d avoided confiding in Manny about how you were feeling the same unease as him. Ever since you found out about your duty today, you’d been feeling off. Like something was going to happen.

If you’d have told this to Manny, he’d put you on lockdown so you just kept quiet and agreed to the duty. Plus, Tommy was accompanying you. You had nothing to worry about.

Your horses tried to walk through the harsh winds and cold water hitting you head on, Tommy and you were soaked head to toe.

“Sweetheart, I think we should take shelter for sometime. Wait till the rain calms down”, he shouted to you over the sound of the winds and you nodded, too exhausted to say anything as your entire body was heavy and wet with the water seeping through your clothes. Your radio was completely out, the storm making it impossible to find any signal.

Tommy and you found a run down supermarket, choosing to hole down in it for a while before the rain slows down.

The two of you did the routine checks around the store, looking for any infected or raiders. It was too quiet, even in a storm, and that unnerved you. Every sound felt like it was something bigger and you kept whipping your head around, startled by them.

You were peering around one of the aisles, your gun raised and your eyes open wide in focus. You tiptoed through the sides when you heard some noise from down the hall. Snapping your head to the hall, you approached it, body tensed up in alarm. Tommy was all the way across the other side of the huge store, clearing out the storage room and you felt a trail of sweat drip down your neck.

Then you finally hear it, a few footsteps and murmurs. There were people here. More than one. You immediately straightened up, slowly back-walking to Tommy when suddenly a damp hand clamped on your mouth tightly, muffling any sounds of struggle before pulling you away from sight. Your eyes widened and you moved your arms, the person grabbing your dominant hand tightly, their fingers pressing harshly into yours that were holding onto the gun. After a point the pain got unbearable and your grip loosened, the person taking away your gun. You were sure your fingers would be bruised after this.

Defenceless, you kicked your legs and put your entire body weight on the person behind you, landing a few harsh kicks directly to their shin and making them groan in pain. This just angered them more and they restrained you even further, a muscular arm coming around your front to still your moments. Your next instinct was to clamp down on their palm with your teeth, hard. That made them let out a shriek of pain and their grip loosened, giving you leverage to break free and turn around to check who it was.

Tommy ran out of the storage room he was in and called out for you, “(Name)?!”, his tone frantic and worried. He made his way over to you, jumping over some fallen debris and shelves, keeping a vigilant ear open for any sounds.

Whipping your head around, a few strands of your wet hair sticking to your face, and you came face to face with the last person you wanted to see in your life.

Your eyes widened as your breathless voice whispered, “Abby?”

She gave you a death glare before pouncing on you, her hands going around your neck and she pressed you against the broken down refrigerator, her breaths coming in uneven huffs, hair just as messed up and wet as yours.

You choked before digging your nails into her hands, drawing blood and effectively distracting her. You took that as your window and threw your pack to the ground before landing a harsh slap against her face, her head whipping to the side and drawing blood from the corner of her mouth. She took a moment to recover and you got your lick back, pinning her down on the floor and restraining her arms, straddling her lap as you did so. You quickly unholstered her gun and threw it across the aisle, beginning with her knives next. You were so busy in disarming her, that you didn’t notice another person creep up on you, their gun raised.

By now both of your breaths came out in harsh gasps, and you wanted to respond to Tommy’s call so badly but you were distracted, your mind clouded with the anger and resentment towards Abby. She tried to get up, but you grabbed her chin harshly with your left hand and shoved her back down, holding a gun against her forehead with your right.

“Don’t fucking move. I’ll blow your brains out”, you seethed, your teeth gritted. You wouldn’t say you were particularly stronger than her, physically, but you were quick and steady in your movements. Years of physical labour and training had made you muscular enough to go against a person of Abby’s built.

Abby’s eyes shifted behind you for a moment, before she smirked and a gunshot went off. You howled in pain as the bullet struck your shoulder, hands leaving Abby to grip it, the blood pooling around your hands. Abby used the leverage to shove you off her, getting up and cornering you, another body joining her.

Tommy was on full alert now, his rifle’s safety off and ready to fire at anything that came across him and his heart thundering against his chest at the sound of a pained scream, “(Name), you answer me, now!”, he yelled in what you called as his ‘Sergeant Voice’.

He didn’t know if it was you or someone else that was hurt and he hated that. His eyes were blown wide, entire body tensed and on edge, head whipping around in all directions, mind conjuring up scary images of you lying unconscious or worse. How was he going to face Manny or Joel if something happened to you?

You writhed in pain, your entire right side numb with pain and mind disoriented because of the blood loss. As your blood kept oozing out of the wound and stained your hands, clothes, your ring and the floor, you slowly lifted your bloodshot eyes up, wanting to see the face of the person who had shot you. And unsurprisingly, your eyes fell on Nora, her gun still aimed at you. Her and Abby’s bodies were heaving up and down with their harsh breathing, sweat glistening against their face and a crazed look in their eyes.

“You deserve this. And so did Joel”, Abby spit at you in fury and landed a swift kick to your ribs, her heavy and hard boots digging into your rib cage. You swore you felt a bone crack, it was dangerously poking against your lungs and you wheezed, your senses going into overdrive from that and the bullet wound in the shoulder rendering your entire right side in an almost paralysed state.

You couldn’t move or bend or do anything, really. One wrong move and it sent you howling, eyes rolling back in head from the agony.

Suddenly, Abby and Nora whipped their heads to the side, looking at each other in fear after.

“Fuck, he’s coming! Abby, let’s move”, Nora gritted her teeth at Abby in urgency.

Your exhausted mind somehow picking up that Tommy was close. You wheezed again, in an attempt to make a noise to get his attention, a lone tear falling past your cheek. Abby clenched her jaw and crouched in front of you, holding your chin harshly in her hand.

“We’ll come back. And we’ll fucking finish Joel and you, together”, she seethed before releasing your chin and rushing out of the store from the back door, knowing that they could escape without Tommy catching up because he’d be too distracted to focus on you.

-

The hair on Tommy’s body was raised in fear and anticipation, swiftly moving past the huge aisles to get to you. Distant sounds of struggles were echoing across the store, his wet boots squelching in the otherwise quiet and eerie silence. He cursed himself for leaving you alone, he should’ve just asked you to join him in the storage room but he thought he’d save you some time by splitting up. His sharp ears then heard footsteps receding, and he decided to call out for you once more.

“(Name), make some noise and lemme know where you are, sweetheart. I’m comin’ to ya, tell me where you are, please”, his shaky voice rang out in desperation.

Your half conscious mind managed to hear him, wheezing coughs leaving your gaped mouth, your shoulder a complete mess of blood, shattered bones and broken skin, your ribs bruising and sending white hot jolts of pain every time you breathed in. And yet, your bleary eyes took note of the fallen pipes around you, your quick thinking saving you at the last moment. You moved your leg and managed to kick the pipes, making a loud noise. You immediately heard loud footsteps thudding across the floor, feeling the vibrations against your cheek that laid on the dusty ground.

Tommy ran across the aisle and stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly lowered his rifle and strapped it across his shoulders, his wide eyes taking in your exhausted and bloodied body, scary wheezes and painful whines leaving your mouth. You were bent at an odd angle, half on your side half lying down, one of your arm was holding your middle, and the other limply holding your bloodied shoulder, the entire hand covered in blood. There was a sheen of sweat on your face, your hair and clothes were still damp, the blood sticking to it and making it a crusted mess.

“(Name)!”, your name left his mouth in a sorrowful cry, his body shaking with worry and anger towards the people who did this to you and towards himself because all this happened while he was right there.

He rushed over to kneel next to you, his arms hovering over your body anxiously, trying to figure out a way to hold you without hurting you further. You whimpered and moved your hand from the shoulder to weakly point at the back door.

Tommy followed your finger and looked back to nod at you in sympathy, “Yeah, I know they escaped. It’s okay, we gotta go home, kid”, he reassured you, his eyebrows scrunched in tension. He could see your body shivering from the blood loss and exhaustion. He needed to take you back to Jackson now.

“Sweetheart, I gotta do some first aid on you before we leave, okay? I’m gonna have to shift you a lil’. It’s gonna hurt”, he gently warned you and held both of your hands in his, trying to warm them up.

The cold was seeping into your bones now, your damp clothes sticking to your body uncomfortably. You scrunched your face in pain as you wheezed, tears streaming down your face with the unbearable pain.

You were so sure you were going to die here. You wouldn’t get to say goodbye to Manny—your sweet, grumpy fiancé. He must be so anxious right now. And if he sees you like this, he’s going to lose his damn mind. You wouldn’t get to say goodbye to your father and sister and your friends. Poor Tommy would blame himself for this and you couldn’t console him either.

You just glanced at him helplessly, your eyes red from all the tears and mouth quivering. Tommy balled up a piece of cloth in his hand and supported your uninjured shoulder with a firm hand, slowly shifting you on your back. You let out a scream of pain and Tommy shushed you gently, his hand brushing your hair back to keep you calm so that you don’t hyperventilate.

He finally managed to shift you, your screams and whimpers of pain echoing throughout the empty space, his own eyes filled with tears.

After a lot of struggle, you were finally on your back. Out of breath and tired, your eyes slowly started shutting off, chest moving slower, causing Tommy to stop his movements abruptly.

“Hey-HEY! Eyes on me, (Name), c’mon, look at me!”, he shouted and lightly patted your cheeks, your eyes opening slightly before closing again.

“Fuck!”, Tommy cursed and moved his hands faster, putting pressure on the bullet wound to stop the bleeding before checking if the bullet had left the body. He looked around and saw a lone bloody bullet, a few feet away from where you were lying and sighed in momentary relief.

Once the blood flow had somewhat stopped, he removed his belt and tied it around your shoulder, making a torniquet. That’s what got you to finally move as your face twisted in pain and you whimpered while Tommy tightened the belt, your uninjured arm coming up to grab Tommy’s elbow to steady yourself.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I have to do this”, Tommy consoled you and finished tightening the belt, the blood slowly trickling down his hand.

You let out an exhale and limply held onto Tommy’s shirt sleeve, your head lolling around.

“(Name), HEY!”, Tommy straightened up in alarm and pressed two fingers to your neck, feeling your faint heartbeat against them. He clenched his jaw and decided to leave the place immediately, wanting you to get treatment as soon as possible. All the blood loss and difficulty in breathing was making you tired and you’d gone unresponsive to any of his calls.

You felt woozy, like somebody had stuffed cotton in your mouth, ears and brain. Tommy’s voice sounded so far away, your vision constantly shifting and blurring and the throbbing in your shoulder and ribs making you nauseous.

Tommy strapped everything in place and slowly brought his hands under your body, preparing to lift you up.

“Sweetheart, I’m gonna carry you now, alright? It might hurt but we need to get back home, yeah? Joel, Ellie, Manny—they’re all waiting for you. Stay with me till we reach the hospital, (Name). Please”, his wobbly voice requested you, his accent coming out stronger because of the lump lodged in his throat.

He picked you up, your body shivering and heart breaking whimpers leaving you, and carefully cradled you against his chest. He picked up your pack with one hand and speed walked to your horses.

You, on the other hand, tried your best to stay awake. If not for you, then for Tommy. And if not for Tommy, then for Manny.

-

Manny was so sure that he was going to go crazy. It’s been 3 hours since you and Tommy had left. You were supposed to be back by hour 2. He had abandoned all of his work by that time and was distracted enough that Joel had taken pity on Manny and excused him. He kept pacing around the town, lingering near the gates with the hopes of being the first one to see you come in.

Maria looked at him and told him to join her in the office, asking to help her arrange some files, in order to distract him. That didn’t help either, of course, as he kept zoning out and thinking about the worst case scenario.

Manny was an impulsive and reckless person since forever, but this was a whole new level of unease that made him feel like he wanted to run away in search of you and bring you back home himself. His lips were red from all the biting he’d done out of stress, hands constantly sweating and a permanent scowl on his face, making him appear grumpier and even more unapproachable than the usual.

He’d tried talking to Amy in the radio room, Joel and Ellie were present as well. But the radio was completely busted because of the storm and him and Joel spent a good 30 minutes in the room, glued to the speaker when Amy politely asked them to step out, requesting for some time to repair the signals without the pressure and without the three of them breathing down her neck. They had reluctantly left the room before Maria would ask them to leave.

His chest was hurting since last night, an eerie feeling of doom and despair blocking his air flow. And now he felt like his heart was on fire, it was racing and he pressed a hand against it while putting back a file on the shelf. He clenched his jaw tightly to dissipate the pain but to no avail, the pain spreading from his shoulder to his chest to his hands.

He pinched his nose, screwing his eyes shut and the other hand smoothing across his chest, hoping to imitate the motions that your soft and gentle hands would make to soothe him. He just hoped you’d come back in the next couple minutes. Or else he was going to take matters into his own hands.

-

Tommy could see the gates of Jackson, finally.

He knew you were late. He knew everyone was probably panicking right now because you were a whole hour late. But helping you on the horse, then joining you on it, proved to be way too fucking difficult. Tommy had undermined the task and was left with no option but to flick some water on your face to get you conscious enough to mount the horse yourself. Bless your soul, you were such a resilient and brave kid, that even though it was an impossible task for you to open your eyes, you listened to him and helped him, climbing the horse in a lazy way, falling off multiple times before managing to mount and promptly passing out. Tommy then secured your horses’ reign to his saddle and rode away slowly, leading your horse and trying not to jostle you too much at the same time. Thankfully the rain had stopped now, so that was one less problem to worry about.

He waved his arms at the watchers on top of the gate and the gate opened, crying out instructions as soon as he passed the gates, “Call Maria! Get the doctors in the hospital and call for a stretcher. Quick!”

A few people buzzed around him, helping him dismount and carefully helping your unconscious body down, Tommy cradling you against his chest again before asking someone to take the horses to the stables.

“Tommy!”, Maria’s voiced called out in urgency and he whipped his head to look at her, his eyes brimming with tears.

Maria came closer and that’s when she noticed your bloodied form against Tommy. “What-“, her eyes widened as she held Tommy’s arm.

Tommy interrupted her, his face and voice grim, “I’ll tell you later. We need to treat ‘em, now. And don’t tell them yet, please. I-”

“Tommy?”

Both Tommy and Maria froze, ice cold fear creeping into their lungs as they heard Joel’s voice call them.

Tommy and Maria turned around subtly, looking at Joel with hesitant eyes.

Joel’s right eye twitched. Something was wrong. He couldn’t see you yet as Maria was covering your body. Joel’s eyes sweeped across the area, trying to find you and he clenched his jaw when he didn’t see you anywhere. He was about to ask, when two people rushed in with a stretcher and pushed it next to Tommy, going closer and carefully retrieving someone from his arms. Joel squinted his eyes to look closely, cursing himself for forgetting his glasses at home.

He came closer to the stretcher and that’s when he saw your army green jacket. Joel froze.

“What- what the hell happened to ‘em-”, he growled and tried to rush over to you when Tommy gently pulled him back, his arms around Joel’s front as he struggled against him, watching you get wheeled away helplessly.

“Easy, brother. They need to get treated right now. Gunshot to the shoulder and broken ribs. I’ll tell you everything. Just- we need to keep Manny and Ellie away from ‘em for now”, Tommy murmured, his bloodshot eyes observing Joel closely. Tommy knew it was going to be a pain in the ass to restrain not one, not two, but three impulsive and reckless people who’d kill anybody who tried to hurt their own.

Joel clenched his jaw, his cheeks shaking from how angrily he was doing it. There was a red tinge to his eyes and his breathing was laboured, like he’d run a marathon.

“Tommy, who the fuck-”, Joel breathed out, cutting his sentence short as he tried to breathe properly.

“I don’t know yet. They’ve seen their faces. We just have to wait till they wake up. They’ve only passed out, don’t worry”, Tommy informed guiltily, Maria placing a hand on his back in support while Tommy rested a hand on Joel’s shoulder.

“Where’s Manny?”, Tommy looked at Maria with tears in his eyes and she pursed her lips.

“At the office. Gave him some work to distract himself. He was by the gate for most of the day.”

Tommy gave her a look and she understood right away that she needed to distract Manny for longer.

“I’ll talk to him.”

Tommy and Maria looked at Joel in shock. Usually when he was having a hard time processing things, he just shut down. Now he was willingly going to try and console Manny and they both agreed that he might be the best person to do so.

Tommy pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded in agreement.

-

Manny was just finishing off organising the last bundle of files when he heard footsteps against the hardwood floor. He snapped his head to check if you had finally come back but his eyes fell on Joel, who looked forlorn. Manny’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He tried to swallow the lump against his throat and decided to lighten the mood a bit.

“Hey, old man. What’s up?”, he casually greeted and went back to stacking the files.

Joel clenched his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white. No matter how hard he rehearsed it, he just couldn’t get the words out.

Manny turned around after Joel was silent for a while, feeling queasy with anxiety.

“What is it, Joel?”, he murmured lowly and chose to observe Joel’s body language with his beady eyes.

Joel cleared his throat and walked over to where Manny was standing behind the desk. His hands shaking as he put them on the desk to steady himself.

“Tommy and (Name) are back”, Joel saw the way Manny’s eyes lit up, his mouth opening before Joel could finish his sentence.The excitement and relief bouncing off Manny’s body language as he quickly put the files away and made his way to the door.

“What?! Nobody told me. I’ll talk to you later, I-”

“Wait. They’re …they’re hurt”, Joel managed to blurt out, his mouth dry.

Manny froze, he felt like someone had poured cold water on him. The anxiety he’s been feeling since yesterday was real. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing your unmoving face- no. He couldn’t think like that. Not if he wanted to die right here. Not if that meant he would die without seeing you for the last time.

He didn’t turn around. His ears buzzing and mouth filled with cotton. Joel decided to continue, thinking that Manny should know the whole thing without reaching to conclusions.

“It’s- it’s a gunshot to the shoulder and broken ribs. They’re only unconscious...just got wheeled to the hospital right now, you might-”

Before he could finish speaking, Manny was already out of the room, running all the way to the hospital, not caring if he bumped anybody on the way or that he almost tripped, not caring if the muddy ground was making his shoes dirty or if he splashed the dirty water on his pants--he just needed to get to you. To see you.

He finally reached the hospital, everything else around him was a blur and his breathing laboured. He could feel his ears make that tinny sound, the sounds in the background appearing muffled to him. He rushed over to the reception and managed to state your full name, asking desperately about your room number when he felt a hand clasp on his shoulder. He whipped around, half expecting you to be standing there but he was met with Tommy's guilt-ridden and pained eyes. Before he could say anything, Tommy wordlessly guided Manny down the corridor on their right and stopped right in front of the operation theatre.

"They're in there. Bullet went outta their body so, thankfully, no major artery was hurt and no fragments are stuck. The ribs are broken, though. They just got 'em in. We gotta wait for further news", Tommy recited the information blankly, his mind somewhere else.

Manny clenched his jaw and felt his vision blur, an onslaught of tears pooling in his eyes and falling past his cheeks. All he could think of, was that he shouldn't have let you go. He should've listened to his instincts. Part of him was already feeling like he was the one to be blamed for your condition. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, talking suddenly felt like an incredibly difficult task but he pushed through, and finally asked the question that he wanted to since Joel relayed the news to him.

"W-who was it", he let out in a cracked voice, his hands shaking with how harshly he was clenching them.

"Couldn't see 'em. (Name) knows, though."

Manny felt his heart break for you, someone had ambushed you right when they knew you were alone. Fucking cowards. But he was also sure of the fact that you must've put up a great fight, his chest swelling with pride at the thought of how skilled and brave you are.

This was a major case of deja vu. He couldn't believe that he was in the same position now, as he was years ago. Waiting for you while you fought for your life inside. He hadn't been able to save you then, and he couldn't save you now. Maybe the real coward was he, himself.

"Don't do that."

Manny snapped his head to the side to look at Tommy with bloodshot eyes.

"'s not gonna help us. It's not gonna help (Name). Blaming yourself isn't the answer. We need to be strong for them right now, alright?", Tommy conceded in a gruff voice, his eyes turned away from Manny's.

"You say that as if you're not doin' the same right now", Manny scoffed in disbelief and walked away from Tommy, leaving him behind with his racing thoughts and unbearable guilt.

-

The operation finished 2 hours later. They shifted you to a special room where you could get some privacy and everyone could visit you in peace. When Manny got the approval to see you, he damn near broke the door to your room. He'd been loitering around the waiting area, his body kind of shutting down and a steady numbness spreading across his bones. He was aimlessly staring at his hands when Tommy called him over in urgency, informing him that he could see you now.

His stomach was in knots, the anticipation and fear of reuniting with you driving him crazy. Tommy had warned him that you wouldn't wake up any time soon, the blood loss and internal injuries had been too much for your body to handle. Manny reluctantly nodded, a sour taste in his mouth at the fact he'd have to wait for even longer to finally hear your voice.

As he entered the room, his eyes fell on your limp hands first, then the slow rise and fall of your chest, then your bandaged and elevated shoulder, and lastly, your beautiful and tired face. He almost fell to his knees when Tommy held him up, guiding him over to your bedside and pulling out a chair for him to sit. Shortly, Tommy left the room, wanting to give you two some privacy.

For a while Manny just stared at your face, taking you in hungrily, like he was man starved for days. His heart was lying there, right in front of him. Then, he slowly lifted a shivering hand, placing it on top of yours and the moment your skin touched his, he broke down. Brown eyes poured out tears while he leaned his head against your hand. He pressed fervent kisses against the back of your hand, trying to commit to memory the feel of you against him.

"I-", he choked on his own saliva, swallowing harshly, "'M sorry. I'm so sorry, baby-", he let out in between sobs, his tears dampening your hand. He wiped a hand across his face and stood up, leaning over your face to lovingly smooth a hand over your head. His teary eyes flitted all over your face, leaning in to press a tender and lingering kiss against your forehead.

"I'll make them pay. I promise, angel, I'll make them pay. J-just, please, please wake up for me. I can't take another separation from you. I can't-", his quivering lips moved against your forehead before he pulled back to press his against it, closing his eyes in longing. He just wanted to take you home and sleep on your shared bed. That's all he asks for. He wants to see you smile at him in that cheeky way you do whenever you're joking, he wants to you hear your soft humming of a forgotten song while you cooked, he wants to feel your soft hands touch him in that caring and sweet way--like he's something precious--he wants it all. That's all he wanted. He just wanted his fiancé, his best friend, his heart and soul back.

-

Part 2

taglist: @taylorsroxy @parkersjoy @spideybrie @thejadevvitch @lastofdanny @aold123 @justalocaldumbass666-blog @marymun @sl4sh3r @marbles-posts @tippyeddy @xoxoitskelsey @missbrekker @athanasia-day @cosmicmcu @kkismymoniker @lia-pitchiner @amoebadue @classicrocketqueen @spawn0fsatan @og-baby-ob14 @miyazakidanna @wingedfanphilosopher @beciiamsherlocked55 @alex-os-writing @ivyheliotrope @lavenderpixieee @professional-imbacil

sorry if I missed anyone/reply if you want to be removed! Please like and reblog and let me know your thoughts 🥹🩷 I love reading your replies and reblogs + they motivate me!!

[joaquinsgf]

THE LAST OF US Season 2, Episode 6: Scars

[joaquinsgf]

manny alvarez i love you oh god

under your skin | part two

pairing: manny alvarez x f!reader, enemies to lovers

summary: tension fills the air as you and manny struggle with your feelings after the kiss.

a/n: thanks to everyone who read and liked part 1!! ♡ reader is kinda annoying in this and i loved writing manny as a softie (that couldn't be more far from reality lol. why is he so hot???? really like WHY) anyway, i had never written something so long in english before since its not my first language so i struggled a bit w this ending and for that i want to thank @littlemsramirez for the suggestion to the story ! i hope you all enjoy. i have a few other manny fics coming soon, so if anyone has ideas/requests u can send them to me ♡

part one

After the kiss with Manny, everything had shifted. Sure, you hadn’t talked about it. You didn’t really know how to. But every glance, every touch, even the smallest brush of your hands against his seemed to carry a different weight now. 

But the worst part? You couldn’t stop thinking about him. And with it came flashes of the first days with Manny: how smug he was when he first introduced himself, calling you cariño before even knowing your name, the way he always found a reason to sit too close or brush past you with that infuriating grin.

You remembered thinking he was the most annoying person you'd ever met — loud, cocky, relentless. But even then, before you’d admit it, part of you had started to look forward to seeing him. Maybe that’s what made it all so confusing — maybe the kiss wasn’t so sudden after all. You couldn’t help but wonder if it had always been something more, something deeper you hadn’t been willing to face. 

The thought left you unsettled, and you quickly shook it off. Whatever it was — whatever it had become — you needed to stay away from him before it got even messier.

But the worst part is that Manny wasn’t the type to just let it go.

“Morning, mi amor,” Manny’s voice sounded behind you as you walked into the base one morning. The familiarity of it made you tense up before you could stop yourself. You didn’t even bother turning around, keeping your eyes fixed on the ground as you grabbed your gear.

“I’m busy,” you muttered, trying to keep your voice neutral.

“Is that so?” Manny asked, feigning confusion. “You didn’t look busy when you were staring at the floor there. Maybe you were just thinking about that kiss, huh?”

You clenched your jaw, your heart skipping a beat at the mention of it. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks, but you refused to let him see it.

Your hand gripped the strap of your bag a little tighter. “You need to stop.”

“Make me.” His words were casual, but the challenge was there, in the way he spoke.

You ignored him, walking away as quickly as you could without running. But as you did, you could feel his gaze on you. As always. 

The next few days were an endless loop. You did everything you could to avoid Manny’s teasing, even making a point to take different routes to patrol, staying busy with paperwork or helping others with tasks. But no matter what you did, his words and presence still lingered in the back of your mind.

You could feel the tension between you two every time he was near. It wasn’t just the teasing or the flirtation. It was the unspoken understanding that there was something more. Something neither of you were willing to admit.

"I see you’re trying to avoid me now, huh?" Manny said one afternoon, leaning against the wall as you passed. His voice was light, but the challenge in his eyes was unmistakable.

You gritted your teeth. "And yet, here you are, annoying me again."

He chuckled, and said, "You know, if you want to pick up where we left off, all you have to do is ask."

Days later, the two of you were alone in the woods, in a patrol you tried your best to escape from, but didn't succeed. Manny’s boots crunched behind you, obnoxiously loud on purpose.

“You’re really gonna pretend it didn’t happen,” he said casually, “or are you just waiting for me to bring it up?”

You didn’t turn around. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“That kiss. Y’know. The one where you practically melted into me.”

You shot him a quick look, heart pounding. “Manny, don’t start.”

“Too late.” He picked up the pace until he was at your side, grinning. “I mean, technically, you started it. You’re the one who pulled me in.”

“You kissed me,” you snapped without looking at him. He ducked under it, still talking. 

“Oh, sure, but only after you gave me that look. You know, the one  like you were two seconds from tearing my shirt off.”

You rolled your eyes. “It was a mistake.”

“Ouch.” He followed, voice dropping into something slower. “Didn’t feel like a mistake. Felt like something you’ve been dying to do for a while.”

You stopped walking. So did he.

“That was just adrenaline,” you said flatly. 

He stepped in front of you now, cocking his head. “Right. Adrenaline. Just a little life-or-death make out session. Totally casual. Happens all the time.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Then why are you getting all tense every time I get close to you?”

“I’m not tense.”

You scowled, trying to brush past him, but he shifted, blocking your path.

“Just admit that you’ve been thinking about it. About how good it felt.”

You stayed quiet.

“I know I have,” he added, a little softer now. “More than I should.”

Your heart betrayed you with a hard, stupid thump.

“I haven’t,” you lied.

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that. But you're not fooling anyone.” 

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a playful whisper. 

“Adrenaline, huh? I’ll keep that in mind for next time we’re in a life-or-death situation. Maybe I’ll kiss you again — you know, just to test the theory.”

You stood in front of the roster board the next day, eyes scanning the new patrol assignments. When you saw Derek’s name next to yours, a strange mix of relief and anxiety settled in your chest. The tension with Manny had been building, and switching partners had seemed like the only option to avoid it. But as you stood there, the weight of your decision hit you.

“What’s this? You've got a new partner today, cariño?”

You turned to find Manny walking up to you, his usual grin firmly in place, though this time, there was something sharper in his eyes.

You didn’t answer.

Derek showed up a minute later, all eager confidence. “Hey — guess we’re paired up today. Should be an easy loop.”

“Who put this on the board?” Manny asked, his eyes never leaving you.

“I volunteered,” Derek said. “She wanted to switch.”

Manny’s gaze now flicked between you and Derek, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he leaned in a little, keeping his tone casual but laced with an undercurrent of something much deeper. 

“I see. You sure he’s the best choice?” he asked. “I mean, after our... incident the other day, I thought you’d want to spend some more time with me. You know, to work things out.”

Your cheeks flushed at the mention of it, but you refused to look at him. “It’s just patrol, Manny,” you said, a little too defensively.

“Right,” he said, dragging the word out. “Big step. Hope you warned him you have a thing for kissing your patrol partners.”

“Manny.”

“What?” He grinned. “Just trying to keep the new guy informed. Wouldn’t want him getting caught off guard when you lean in all dramatic at sunset or whatever.”

You crossed your arms, your face burning. “Please. It was just a kiss.”

He leaned in slightly, voice dropping just for you. “Yeah. A mistake, I know.. Just adrenaline. But you keep running from it. Are you afraid it might have been more than that, cariño?”

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. Manny just smirked, straightened, and gave Derek a mock-salute.

“Have fun with him. Just try not to spend the whole time thinking about me.”

With that, he turned and walked off, hands in his pockets — but not before throwing one last glance over his shoulder. That look said everything his teasing didn’t: he cared. Maybe more than he wanted to show.

After the shift ended, you were walking back to the trucks when you heard his voice.

“You’re really doing this, huh?” Manny’s voice had a sharp edge now, and you could feel the weight of his frustration in the air.

You stopped, but didn’t look at him. “Doing what, Manny?”

He stepped in front of you, blocking your path, forcing you to meet his eyes. The tension in his jaw was unmistakable, and his usual easy smile was completely gone. “Acting like I don't exist. Switching partners like it's nothing.”

“You thought I wouldn’t notice?” he pressed, his voice low and edged with something you couldn’t quite place. “You thought I wouldn’t care?”

You swallowed hard, your fingers curling around the hem of your sleeve. You hadn’t expected him to bring it up — not like this, not out here where everything felt too quiet, too exposed.

You swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean-”

“Don’t lie to me,” he said. “You did it on purpose. You’ve been dodging me for weeks. No check-ins, no eye contact. Running away every chance you get. Saying it didn’t mean anything to you, when we both know it did.”

You finally looked up. The hurt in his eyes was worse than the accusation. He wasn’t just mad — he was confused, maybe even a little heartbroken.

“I just thought it’d be easier,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

“For who?” he asked. “Because it sure as hell hasn’t been for me.”

Manny stepped closer, his boots scraping the dirt underfoot. “I don’t get it,” he continued, softer this time. “What are you so afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of anything” you lied, your voice coming out more shaky than you intended.

“Then what is it?” he asked, voice quiet now, like he was waiting for an answer you couldn’t give.

“Nothing!” You said it louder than you intended, but the words came out before you could stop them. “I just... I need space.”

Manny stepped closer, his face softening, but the intensity of his gaze didn’t let up. “I don’t want space,” he said quietly. “I want you. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say it.”

You took a shaky breath, trying to collect your thoughts, but Manny's eyes, so steady, so unwavering, held you captive.

His hand reached up, fingers brushing your cheek as you felt the warmth of his touch, the tenderness in the movement, and it made your breath hitch. Your heart beat harder, faster, like it was trying to tell you something, something you weren’t ready to hear — or maybe you were just afraid to.

“Manny,” you whispered again, but this time, your voice was softer, uncertain. Your mouth went dry, and you felt exposed in a way that both terrified and thrilled you.

“I know you feel it too."

The air between you pulsed with tension, with closeness, with the weight of every unsaid thing. And then, suddenly, it broke — he leaned in and kissed you.

The kiss wasn’t hesitant this time. It was firm, full of everything he hadn’t said aloud. His hands cradled your face and his mouth moved against yours like he was trying to convince you that whatever you were running from didn’t have to win.

The pressure of his lips became more urgent, more sure. His hands found your waist, pulling you just a little closer, as if he couldn’t bear the distance between you for even a second longer. You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, caught in the warmth of the moment, the intensity of everything left unsaid.

When the kiss finally broke, your chest heaved, both of you gasping for air. Manny’s gaze softened but didn’t lose that same intensity.

“Let me know when you want to stop pretending,” he murmured, his voice low, almost defeated. “I’ll be waiting.”

Then he turned and walked away, leaving you standing there, the weight of his words settling in the quiet space between you.

The days following that confrontation were long and silent. Manny’s words echoed in your mind, a constant reminder of everything you’d been avoiding. But no matter how hard you tried to ignore them, the reality set in: you couldn’t run forever.

You didn’t see him much after that — the missions kept him busy, and you distracted yourself with your own work, hoping that the distance would somehow make the confusion go away. It didn’t. If anything, it only made the ache in your chest grow sharper.

Then, the message came.

Manny's hurt. He’s not coming back with the rest of the group. When you heard it, all the words you hadn’t been able to say to him came rushing back, and the urge to find him, to make sure he was really okay, was too strong to ignore.

You reached the rendezvous point, your heart pounding as you scanned the area. The place was too quiet, and you felt a spike of panic rise up your spine, but then you saw him — sitting against a rock, looking far too calm for someone who’d supposedly been injured.

His shirt was ripped, a trail of blood ran down his cheek, and a few scrapes marked his arms — but nothing too serious. You crossed your arms, masking the rush of relief with a sharp tone.

“What the hell, Manny? They said you were hurt! What are you doing just sitting here?"

Manny chuckled, not even bothering to get up. “Oh, you know. Just a few scratches. Nothing I can’t handle.” He raised an eyebrow as he looked up at you, clearly enjoying the fact that you were so flustered. “Though I gotta admit I knew you’d come look for me, cariño.”

You felt your heart pound in your chest. “I wasn’t looking for you,” you shot back, trying to keep your composure. “I was just… checking up on you. You know, because they said you were hurt.”

He leaned back against the rock, a cocky smirk on his lips. “Sure you weren’t." He gave you a once-over, his eyes lingering just a little longer than necessary.

“How’d you know?” you asked.

“What?”

“That I’d come look for you.”

“I knew it was only a matter of time til you got tired of running from me. You weren’t fooling anyone trying to push me away.”

“I wasn’t—” You started, but he cut you off.

“Yeah, you were,” he teased, a knowing glint in his eyes. “You’ve been doing it for weeks, pretending like you don’t care. But I could tell. It was written all over your face. Then I’d figured it wouldn’t be long til you came to it.”

You swallowed hard, his words hitting you harder than you expected. He was right. 

“I’m sorry,” you said before you could stop yourself. “I didn’t mean to push you away. I just didn’t know what to do.”

Manny raised an eyebrow. “What’s this? A confession? Are you about to pour your heart out to me, cariño?”

“Shut up.”

“Too late,” he murmured. “I’m listening.”

You sighed, the words trembling on your tongue. “I was just scared. Because it all did mean something. It always has. And I didn’t know how to deal with it.” 

Manny was quiet for a second, his gaze softening. Then his lips tugged into a slow, teasing smile. “So you do like me. Interesting.”

You groaned, covering your face with your hands. “Can’t you be serious for a second?”

“No, no — this is important.” His voice was weak but playful. “I want to hear you say it. For the record.”

You leaned down slowly, pressing your forehead to his, feeling his breath fan warm against your lips.

“I like you,” you whispered. “And if you ever do something that reckless again without me there to yell at you after, I’ll..”

“You gonna punish me, cariño?”

You raised an eyebrow, your lips curling into a teasing smile. “Maybe.”

He chuckled, “Mmm, I think I’ll take my chances. I’m kind of looking forward to seeing what you have in mind.”

You didn’t answer. Instead, you closed the distance between you and pressed your lips to his, silencing that smug grin in the best way you knew how. The kiss was warm, firm, and laced with everything you’d been holding back. His hand found the small of your back, pulling you closer with a low, pleased hum. When you finally pulled away, his eyes were half-lidded, his smile softer but no less playful.

“Took you long enough,” he teased, his voice light. “But hey, I’m not complaining. About time you realized what I knew since day one.”

You rolled your eyes, but your smile betrayed you. “You’re really proud of yourself right now, huh?”

Manny leaned in just a little, his grin lazy and smug. “Of course I am. I always knew you’d come around eventually. I’m very persuasive.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling your constant flirting and ridiculous nicknames?”

“Worked, didn’t it?”

He softened then, just enough to let the truth slip through. “I’m also in love with you. In case it wasn’t obvious.”

Your breath caught. 

He shrugged, but there was nothing casual in his eyes. “Just putting it out there, cariño. You don’t get to be the only one making dramatic romantic confessions.”

Despite your best efforts to stay annoyed, a smile tugged at your lips. “You’re impossible.”

“To resist, yes” he teased, his lips brushing against your neck. 

You sighed dramatically, but your heart betrayed you, speeding up at his proximity. “I guess you’ve got me, then.”

“Good. Cause I’m all yours, cariño.”

tag: @littlemsramirez @sithdaya ♡

[joaquinsgf]

i cried IT WAS SO GOOD

Happily Ever After

(Continuation to this, I'd suggest reading that first!)

Pairing: Actor!Joaquin Torres x Fem!Actress!Reader

Summary: This is a collection of all the moments you have shared with your co-star, turned best friend, turned boyfriend, Joaquin.

Warnings: This is completely inspired by tom and zendaya and their moments from the nwh press tour, tooth rotting fluff, mentions of panic attacks, mobs, paps being insane, and wanting children, reader is mentioned to be shorter than joaquin, completely inspired by tz.

AN: i am so EXCITED for this. These two + tz are my favourite babies🥹 (pretend the gif is joaquin and reader)

It has been a whole year since that magical confession was shared between you and Joaquin and both of you weren't shy to admit that this past year has been the best year of your lives.

Both of you had mutually decided to keep it private for at least a year. Although, you were sure everyone already knew, but it was fun to pretend like nothing happened. You and Joaquin surely enjoyed it too much.

This past year had made you realise that if you thought Joaquin was an amazing friend, he was an even better (and clingier) boyfriend. He was so attentive and respectful, always cheering you on whatever projects you did- like he was your personal hype man. He was this close to posting your photos all over his room as he considered himself to be your biggest fan. When he did stuff like this, all you wanted to do was squish his pretty little face in your hands and never let him go. He was obsessed with you, but in a positive way- always going out of his way to talk about you and uplift you. The urge to giggle nonstop around him was so strong because he made you feel like a princess.

Joaquin was over the moon. It was like he had permanent puppy dog eyes and heart eyes around you. He would look at you like you saved him, his brown eyes shining with love and everyone clearly noticed that. All he wanted to do was hold you close and never let go, making up for lost time. He had a folder full of your photos on his phone, a polaroid of you two behind his phone case, your picture in his wallet, your scarf lying around his closet, hair ties around his wrist, and an extra bottle of your perfume and shampoo to use whenever you'd be away from from for longer periods of time. The shift in his mood would be immediate--he'd get cranky and irritable, especially if he didn't get to talk to you if the two of you were busy. And when you came back? He'd make sure you wouldn't lift even a finger.

A year ago when you two returned to the party, hand-in-hand and clinging to each other, Sam and Bucky were this close to screaming and running around the venue in happiness. They were so happy for you two that they threw another party the next day and spoiled you. After waiting for a month, you decided to tell your families and they weren't surprised but they were over the moon. Joaquin's abuela had started calling you her daughter-in-law and that made you blush like crazy because Joaquin made no efforts to correct her.

After a year of not getting a chance to work together, you and Joaquin finally got cast in the same movie. It was for a superhero franchise and you were cast as his love interest. It was personal this time around because you two were actually dating. Nobody knew about your relationship yet, but they weren't phased with your closeness because you and Joaquin were always like that. This was just another Tuesday for your colleagues and fans.

The filming was fun, and nerve wracking, at the same time because you had to take extra measures to sneak into his room and vice versa or be careful if you wanted to hang out together but your teams made sure that the two of you were protected and kept their mouths sealed. The two of you made sure to post normal pictures and silly videos to make sure the fans don't think something's up.

The best part of the filming was that you and Joaquin could enjoy a mini vacation on the side as the location for filming was Europe. The two of you had romantic dates, went on sight seeing and museums visits together and clicked millions of pictures. Joaquin's skin was tinted in that lovely shade of pink because of the weather and you were soaking in every moment of it. He looked so beautiful with his curls-loose and messy because of the heat, the loose linen shirts, his pretty moles and golden jewelry shining in the warm European sun, that it made you want to trap him in your arms forever.

Joaquin wasn't any better, trailing behind you like a lovesick fool, holding your bags, helping you put on sunscreen, taking pictures of you at every turn, admiring you in those pretty summer dresses and your skin shining in the sun. His favorite part were the museum and monument visits because you were a history nerd and you would talk about it so passionately that he'd simply stand next you and look at your intellectual explanations and excited hand gestures fondly.

Much to both of your dismay and happiness, the movie was finished and will be releasing soon, which meant that you two had to go on a press tour for it. Now, this was a time where you wished you had a leash for Joaquin because he was not subtle. Not that you weren't any better but him...he'd take every opportunity to touch you and lean into you or flirt with you and everyone around you would just laugh--your costars included. And it just so happened that Sam and Bucky, both, were your costars in this movie. If they weren't insufferable enough on set, then they were going to be ten times worse during the press tour.

-

The interviewer was talking about something on the screen, it was a hybrid interview--as in you all were on set and they interviewer was in a different place so they had to video call. Sam and Bucky were sitting to your left off camera and Joaquin was answering something on your right.

He was wearing a white fleece with black trousers, the color making his cheeks look pink. His hair was gelled back neatly and his skin was glowing. As he was talking, you couldn't help but notice a hair by the bridge of his nose. You leaned in closer and gently brought your hand by his nose, "Wait- there's-", Joaquin paused and stilled his movements, his mouth stretching open in an attempt to stretch his face to help you and you slowly removed the hair before assessing his face, "Yeah, okay. It was a tiny hair, sorry", you said quietly.

Joaquin turned to look at you and said, "Thank you", in a soft tone, his eyes taking you in. You just gave him a bashful smile and turned back to face the camera, noticing Sam and Bucky snickering amongst themselves on the sidelines from the corner of your eye.

As soon as this clip was released, it went viral and everyone wouldn't stop talking about the way he looked at you and the blush on your cheeks.

-

"So, there's a moment in the trailer where (Name), you, fall off a ledge and-"

Joaquin brought his hands in front of him and made a gesture of the hands not meeting together, "Nooo! Pretty heartbreaking, honestly", he said in a light voice while pouting. You laughed and nudged him before doing the same with your hands. Then, you two looked at each other and giggled like two kids who were up to no good.

Sam was sitting next to Joaquin and Bucky next to you and they just shook their heads at your antics. "My god, what are we? chopped liver? You two want some space?", Sam quipped and Bucky grimaced dramatically, the interviewer and the crew laughed.

You and Joaquin separated, your cheeks warm and nervous chuckles leaving your mouths. You looked at Sam and narrowed your eyes at him, conveying that you were going to get his ass after this. Sam threw a smirk in your direction before looking back at the interviewer and you elbowed Bucky in his ribs, which got an 'oof' out of him. Joaquin was just cheesing at you.

-

The next stop for the press tour was London and this time it was only you and Joaquin while Sam and Bucky toured the rest of the USA. You both were making an appearance on the Graham Norton Show today and honestly, you were pretty excited because you thought he was very funny. Joaquin was wearing a dark blue suit with a black shirt inside and you were wearing a green suit with a purple shirt.

"Joaquin, I heard that you were having a lot of difficulties with your suit. Would you like share about that experience?", Graham asked Joaquin.

"Oh man, it was so difficult. Especially 'cus we...we filmed in the European summer, right? After a point I felt like I was gonna pass out because it was so--constricting. Couldn't drink water properly or go to the washroom, in fact, (Name) was more worried about me than I was, so I'm glad she was there because she'd remind me to stay hydrated", Joaquin answered with a smile. The audience cheered at that.

"How could I not?! I was so worried he was going to--I don't know, throw up or choke! His whole mouth would be covered and he had to drink from those eye holes in the mask-- it was scary! And everybody was too casual about it, including him, like hello? Why aren't we worrying about him choking with that thing blocking his nose and mouth?!", you explained and your hands gestured stressfully around your face, eyes wide as saucers.

Apparently that was funny and the whole studio burst out in laughter, including your dumbass boyfriend. You looked at him and pushed him lightly, your face showing surprise and genuine stress for his predicament. Joaquin kept laughing and held your hand in his, squeezing it to comfort you.

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you! Everyone should have a costar like you, (Name)”, Graham teased you, like he knew something was up between the two of you. You let out a chuckle and shook your head, rubbing your thumb across Joaquin’s bicep and bringing it back in your lap.

After returning back to the hotel, Joaquin kissed you stupid, not letting you go and attacking you in kisses because you were “too fuckin’ cute.”

-

A few days prior to the premiere, you were staying at Joaquin’s house to help his family with his sister’s birthday party. Joaquin had told you that you didn’t need to do all that but you shut him up by saying you wanted to (his chest soared with love because you were so kind and helpful and considered his family as your own.) You had forgotten to get her gift from your house and you had to buy some groceries from the market for the lunch, so you were going back to get it when Joaquin offered to drive you there. You reassured him that you’d be fine but him and his mom would have none of it, so he whisked you off to his car.

While the car was stopped at a red light, you listed off the things that you needed to help out with today and Joaquin just looked at you with a dopey look on his face, a wide smile plastered on, the whole time.

“Okay, your mom asked us to get some spices from the market and, uhh- I also noticed we were out of lemons so we need that for the pie and…ooh, we should get some chocolate and raspberries, I was telling your mom about—”

Before you could finish your sentence, Joaquin gently held your chin in his hand and brought you closer to kiss your lips lovingly. You squealed and held his wrist in your hand before he pulled back and smiled at you, his thumb caressing your chin softly. You stared at him with wide eyes and let out a series of giggles.

“Quino, what-”, you couldn’t finish the sentence as he just leaned in and pressed a series of kisses to your lips and the corner of your mouth. You burst out giggling and pressed your hands to his chest, pushing him away slightly.

“Baby, what’s all this?”, you asked him in between laughing.

“You’re so cute. And so pretty. And so sweet. Can’t I love on my girl?”, he said cheekily and pulled back to cradle your face in his hand.

You scrunched your nose at him, “Shut up, you’re so cheesy”, and pinched his nose lightly. Joaquin gave you his famous wrinkly eyed laugh and brought you closer to kiss your cheek before turning back towards the steering wheel.

What you two didn’t notice, was the lone camera lurking nearby, snapping pictures of your sweet moment.

-

You two were caught between wanting to die or cry and wanting to laugh or joke. Because the first thing you two woke up to on the next morning of his sister’s birthday party, were your phones going off like crazy. You grumbled and Joaquin told you to go back to sleep and silenced your phone before he picked up his.

“Hello?”, he groggily answered. You snuggled closer to him and he smoothed a hand across your back.

“What?!”, he suddenly screamed and you jumped, pulling back to look at him in question, bleary eyes trying to focus on him.

“Yeah. Uh-Okay, okay”, he quickly ended the call and propped himself up against the headboard.

“Joaquin, what’s going on?”, you asked him in concern. He looked stressed out.

“Wait..”, he said absentmindedly and frantically opened his Twitter app. And the first thing he saw on his timeline was a picture of you and him, kissing in the car from yesterday. He saw many tweets on his timeline that looked like this:

I fucking KNEWWWW IT!!! YALL LOOK:

what did I say. What did I say. I was in the trenches defending myself omg they’re fr dating.

Joaquin Torres and (Name) CONFIRM their relationship!

All those edits fr came real ..who knows they might have been actually dating all this time MY GOD

These two are so cute omg.

“Oh my god-”, Joaquin panicked while clutching his phone.

You furrowed your eyebrows and sat up, taking his phone and watching it for yourself. The photos were all over the timeline. Everyone was talking about it. You froze, didn’t even move after Joaquin shook you lightly.

“Fuck”, you breathed out.

“I know. I’m so sorry, angel-” “Quino, why are you sorry? We’re allowed to do whatever we want to in our own car. It’s the person’s fault for stalking us like that”, you cupped his chin in your hand.

Joaquin’s eyes were sad and apologetic, like this was his fault. He knew you wanted to keep it private for sometime and berated himself for being so stupid to kiss you in front of the whole world like that.

“But-” “Joaquin, no. Let’s have a meeting with our teams and we’ll figure something out, okay? And if you’re alright with it…I wouldn’t mind telling everyone now”, you soothed him with one hand buried in his curls.

He snapped his head up to look at you in shock, “Really? You sure? We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, baby.”

You gave him a fond smile and leaned against his chest, hands flat against it and supporting your head up. His arms came around your waist automatically, like a magnet.

“People have been guessing about it for years, anyways. And I’d love to show off my beautiful boyfriend”, you winked at him and he laughed gleefully.

“Shut up”, he squeezed your waist lightly. You giggled and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“I hate that they’re just posting these pictures like that…is it so difficult to maintain our privacy?”, Joaquin grumbled, his face twisted in annoyance. You gave him an understanding look.

“Yeah, I know, baby. We’ll handle that, hm? Let’s call up our managers and arrange a meeting right away”, you consoled him. He hummed and kissed your forehead in response.

The meeting went well. You and Joaquin put forward your points and rules about how you’re going to handle this and the guidelines for the paparazzi/interviewers. It was decided that you won’t deny your relationship but nobody would ask you questions or secretly click your pictures unless you two allow it. Joaquin was a bit more firm about the paparazzi rules, worried about your safety and wanting to protect you.

After laying down all the rules and signing some papers, you were relieved and free to go to the premiere.

-

Joaquin reached the red carpet before you, wearing a beautiful maroon suit with his glasses and he was giving interviews while waiting for you. Both of you had decided that you’d arrive on the red carpets separately, wanting to give each other space to enjoy your own moment but Joaquin being Joaquin, spent the whole time talking about you and missing you. Not that you weren’t doing any better back in your room but he was a little bit extra.

“Joaquin, welcome to the red carpet, how are you feeling tonight?”, the interviewer asked him.

Joaquin grinned, “Oh, it’s amazing. I feel good, the energy is electric, I can see all the fans waving and callin’ out for me- I’m really excited”, he gushed. He was practically bouncing off the walls with his excitement, this was nourishment for his extroverted self. “And I get to share this with my most favourite people in the whole world so, yeah”, he added cheekily.

The interviewer smiled knowingly, “And who are these people, Joaquin?”

Joaquin opened his mouth to answer before he heard cheers next to him. He snapped his head towards the sound and went on his tip toes to find out what the commotion was about. He knew already, it was you- he called you the people’s princess because of how much everyone loved you.

“What’s happening, can you see? I bet it’s (Name)”, the interviewer commented while leaning forward to look for herself.

Joaquin let out a joyful chuckle when he saw your blurry form down the carpet, “Yes, that’s definitely her. Those cheers are an indicator of that”, he replied gleefully, his eyes shining with admiration and love for you.

The interviewer smiled, the camera capturing his smitten reaction but he paid no heed to any of that—his entire body dialled in to your movements. He could see your maroon dress- you wanted to match with him- and the way you were smiling and waving to the crowd, looking every bit of the star that you are, the camera flashes making you sparkle.

You soon made your way over to where he stood, the interview long forgotten, and as soon as you caught his eye, your face shifted in happiness and he flashed you a fond smile before making his way over to hug you.

“Hi, angel”, he murmured quietly in your ear, tugging you close to him with his arms around your waist. You returned the gestured and squealed in happiness, your arms looped around his neck and face pressed against the side of his head.

“Hi, Quino”, you cooed in his ear and he gently swayed your bodies back and forth. You reluctantly pulled back and he kept his hands around your waist to admire your look for today.

“You look so beautiful. Like a princess. And everyone was cheering so loudly for you, baby, you really are a princess”, he compliment you softly, brown eyes taking you in and thumbs gently rubbing your sides.

You blushed, “Shut up, Torres, you’re so cheesy”, your eyes flickering around the space, taking notice of the cameras going crazy around you two.

“We should get back to work, baby. Look at the cameras”, you whispered to him and gently pushed at his chest. Joaquin looked at you with love and affection for a moment longer before turning around and wrapping an arm around your waist, posing for the cameras. You two flashed your best smiles and Joaquin tugged you closer, the flashes going off at that.

You giggled and gently put a hand at the back of his head, thumb caressing his curls carefully and he let out a bashful laugh at that, eyes crinkling at the corners and cheeks reddened. And the photos and videos of the premiere were all over the internet that night.

Are you guys seeing this…..her touching his hair and him going all blushy….god me when???

Oh my god these two aren’t even trying to hide it anymore??? So sick and twisted .

Ur telling me they were matching each other and were all cuddly the whole night and no one batted an eye???? We need to get Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes on the line to spill some tea

Oh my god did y’all see this video of Joaquin forgetting about the interview to look at (Name) entering the venue?/!/!/ ME AND WHO

You and Joaquin spent the whole night laughing at the tweets and posts about you two and he decided to tease them further by posting a picture of you on the red carpet, waving at the crowd and captioned it “People’s princess 👸” and tagged you in it. Everyone lost their minds at that.

-

Finally, the press tour was over and the movie was a huge success and you and Joaquin were able to safely dodge any questions about your relationship. It was unbelievable how well the strategy worked, but it did and you were glad. The movie was going to have another part so you and Joaquin would reunite again and everybody was happy with the news.

Meanwhile, you and Joaquin were still strong as ever, the two of you spent your time at each other’s houses and went on vacations or to visit each other on set. As you approached your two year anniversary, Joaquin asked you to move in and you happily agreed, spending most of your time at his place anyways. On the day of the anniversary the two of you decided to publicly announce your relationship on your birthday, which was approaching soon, so Joaquin had decided to he’d make a post about you and that’s it. No grand announcements or anything. Simple and sweet, just like the two of you.

On the day of your birthday though, you were unfortunately away from home to film for another show, and were pretty bummed about it but Joaquin reassured you that it’s okay and that he’ll be coming to visit you soon. For now, he knew how to brighten your day.

He posted a picture of you two on set— both of you in your costumes and lying down on a couch, your arms around a sleeping Joaquin, whose body was completely on top of you, his head on your chest. Your hands cradled his head, hands buried in his curls and another arm holding him around his back. His arms were looped around you, face relaxed and mouth slightly open, your head leaning against his and your eyes closed in content. His caption: @/joaquint: happy birthday my angel, see you soon. te amo.🤍👼 and he tagged you in it.

Right away, his phone blew up like crazy--fans fawning over you two and excited about the announcement. You were in Europe right now so the time zones meant that he had to wait longer for your response but he was excited for it anyways. Both of your peers congratulated you two, his comments sections filled with thousands of congratulatory messages and the ones that stood out, were from Sam and Bucky, of course.

@/samwilson: Ya'll better thank me and @/jbbarnes for this.

replies

@/jbbarnes: If it wasn't for that night...@/joaquint

@/joaquint: idk what r u two talking about

@/samwilson: Wow. There's a reason why @/youraccountname is our favorite by the way.

@/jbbarnes: Exactly at least she's not ungrateful.

@/joaquint: 🥱

@/fan1: oh?? you guys need to spill the tea..

@/fan2: omg the girls are fightingggg (Name) come get them

@/fan3: 'that night' oh wow i need this story so bad

And 2 hours later, you finally replied to the post--

@/youraccountname: thank you, my quino🥹 i can't wait to see you, te quiero mucho. <3

replies

@/youraccountname: all three of you stop fighting and ft me now @/samwilson @/jbbarnes @/joaquint

@/joaquint: yes ma'am

@/samwilson: yes ma'am

@/jbbarnes: You have become so bossy...But yes we will.

And the fans went crazy over your interactions with each other again.

-

Now that the cat was out of the bag, you and Joaquin felt much relieved and stress free to be spotted together. It’s been 4 years since you two started dating and had officially finished filming the sequel for your superhero movie. This meant press tour for you two—except this time, everyone knows that you’re dating and both of you feel much more comfortable to share about your lives together as well.

Living with Joaquin was a blessing. He was a neat guy, he could cook, he’d help with the chores, he’d keep you entertained with his endless chatter and he was very loving and clingy. He loves cooking for you even though his palate is pretty bland. You tried your best to slowly introduce him to spices but his poor system didn’t agree with it. He’d start crying and his face would get red, which scared you so much that you apologised profusely and vowed to never do it again. He was also very good at keeping you productive—he loved the outdoors so he’d encourage you to go on treks and walks with him and also cheered you on for indulging in any of your hobbies. He’d also help you read scripts with him and quell your worries and anxieties over any projects or just in general. Over all, you were happy and glowing and the credit went entirely to Joaquin.

Joaquin was simply happy to breathe the same air as you. His laughs got brighter, there was a pop in his step, he woke up smiling and went to sleep smiling. He was enjoying living with you a lot. If you were both home, he’d try to make your days as fun as possible and if you had to be away from home, he’d keep the house clean for you, stocking up on your favourite snacks or keeping your things organised—for his favourite activity was looking after you and doting on you. He enjoyed the smallest of moments with you—chopping vegetables for dinner, doing the laundry, watching a boring show or movie while you mindlessly talked to each other, grocery shopping— he loved it all. He loved you and everything that came with you.

He was so excited to do another press tour with you, happy to he spending time with his favourite person in the whole world again. But this time you’d do it as a public couple, everyone knew about you two and he could be freely affectionate with you, without coming off as too strong—just the usual of holding hands, staring at you to his heart‘s content, freely complimenting and flirting with you.

Which brings you to the press tour and this time, the two of you—mainly Joaquin—did not hold back on the affection.

You and Joaquin were sitting in front of a screen again, the setting giving you a déjà vu to that interview four years ago, and you were taking turns to read questions off the screen for the other to answer.

It was your turn to ask the next question-

“Okay, Steal from set?”, you turned to look at Joaquin, who was ready with his answer.

“Your heart”, he shrugged.

“Awww”, you cooed and giggled, your cheeks warming up.

Joaquin just smiled smugly and folded his arms, looking at you intensely.

-

“I think-”

“But, that wasn’t the case though. It could’ve been something else-”, Joaquin accidentally cut you off and seemed to realise his mistake, his face shifting in understanding.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”, he asked you softly, in an apologetic tone and extended an arm to lay his warm hand on the junction between your neck and shoulder.

You paused and felt your cheeks burn up again. You shrugged, “Oh nothing, I agree with you.” Honestly, you don’t even remember what were you talking about because he was holding you so protectively and the way he was looking at you like you were the only person in the room, was making you dizzy.

“No- but what were you saying”, he pressed gently, his thumb rubbing over your satin shirt before his hand slid back and forth to massage your shoulder. He was attentive like that, always wanting to know what you wanted to say because he knew you got shy easily.

You swallowed your nerves lightly before speaking up, “Um, I was just saying that…”

And Joaquin kept his hand around your shoulder for the entire time, looking at you like you hung the moon and stars in the sky.

-

“So, how was it like filming this time around? Since certain things have…changed”, the interviewer asked, trying to be subtle but failing

You and Joaquin turned to look at each other before breaking out in smiles and leaning closer, shaking your heads bashfully and breaking out in giggles, his arm holding the back of your chair to anchor himself, your back brushing against it occasionally.

“Well, it was great. I got to spend time with my favourite person in the whole world”, Joaquin conceded with a content smile on his face, his hand smoothing over your back. You broke out laughing, your face warming up. The interviewer smiled knowingly and Joaquin looked at you, letting out surprised chuckles of his own.

“What- what happened?”, he let out between chuckles.

You laughed harder and clamped your hand across your mouth, coughing lightly before taking in a deep breath to look up.

“Nothing! nothing. It was fun working with you too”, you finally got out and flashed him a big smile, your cheeks hurting from happiness.

Joaquin shook his head and smiled, your infectious laughter making his heart soar.

-

“I remember being like- don’t worry!-”, Joaquin said while fiddling with his water bottle. Sam chuckled next to him.

“It’s so cool though!”, you added and your leg started moving up and down unknowingly. You did that a lot when you were feeling nervous/anxious or sitting idle.

“-you can hit me, and he was like-”, Joaquin made an oof sound and pretended to punch himself in the ribs while also catching the movement of your leg. “Owww”, Joaquin exclaimed before gently, and subtly, laying a hand on your knee, ceasing the shakes.

“Okay!”, you slowly stopped your leg stopped, you looked at him with gratitude and held the hand on your knee, caressing his knuckles with your thumb.

Sam looked at you two and smirked, shaking his head fondly.

-

“What was the best part about working on this movie?”, the interviewer asked the question to Joaquin.

“The best part about working on this movie was getting to work with (Name)”, Joaquin replied instantly and smiled.

You laughed and looked at him fondly.

“And I would love to work with her again. I wanna work on your show”, Joaquin looked at you and whined dramatically while dragging out the ‘w’.

“Okay! I’ll talk to some people, we’ll get you there, don’t worry!”, you consoled him.

Joaquin let out a ‘Whoop’ and whispered a “Yess”.

-

“Who’s your hero in real life?”

“(Name).” No hesitation whatsoever from Joaquin, his face completely serious.

You laughed before adding “Joaquin Torres. He’s my hero!”

Both of you leaned in at the same time and wrapped your arms around the other, your cheeks pressed together. He rocked your bodies back and forth and you laughed, the swell of your cheeks making him smile brightly and his heart skipping a beat.

-

“(Name), how does a day look like in your household”

You cleared your throat, “So, we wake up, we usually make our breakfast because we’re kind of on a health journey”, you looked at Joaquin and he nodded along.

“And also because Joaquin needs special preparation for his food”, you teased lightly and Joaquin groaned softly, “Aw-nooo, (Name)!”, throwing his head back dramatically.

“Wait- special?”, the interviewer asked curiously.

You laughed and patted Joaquin’s shoulder, “Mr. Torres here cannot handle any kind of spice. And I mean- not even a bit of pepper-”

Joaquin gasped, “That’s not true!”, he grabbed your hand and pulled you closer.

“He’s a sensitive baby, gotta be careful with the precious cargo”, you teased him further and giggled at the look on his face, he was pouting. You pulled his cheek and cooed.

Joaquin grumbled but leaned into your touch.

-

Finally, after that long and fun press tour, it was time for the premiere and once again, Joaquin was giving an interview will keeping an eager eye out for you. It was giving him déjà vu, the crowd’s cheers getting louder, him giving an interview, him getting on his tip toes to see if you had arrived—and you indeed had arrived. Both of you were wearing matching gray suits today—yours was an oversized suit dress and Joaquin was so sure he was going to faint when you came closer.

“Is that (Name)? Oh, she looks so good!”, the interviewer exclaimed, leaning forward to see you.

Joaquin felt himself choke up, a small lump pressed against his throat. “Yeah—that’s her. Looking beautiful as ever, might I add”, he replied in a shaky voice, his eyes shining with tears. Both of you had come so far, and seeing you shine and get the recognition you deserved while standing there and noticing it first hand, was making him feel all soft and mushy. He just wanted to hug you and cry out of pride.

And when you joined him, he looked at you with so much love, pride and joy that it made you stumble back. He gathered you in his arms, pressing a gentle kiss on your temple and you two posed for the cameras. The rest of the night was spent in you two singing praises for each other to every single person on that carpet, all of them looking at you two with adoration and wonder.

“Joaquin was talking about you before you came here, how has it been working with him for the 4th time?”

You let out a content sigh, “It’s been an honour. To know someone so talented and selfless like Joaquin has been so amazing and I’m so lucky that he’s in my life. He’s taught me so much and he’s my rock—so I’m forever grateful for that one show we were cast in because I met my soulmate through that. I cannot wait to do more of this with him”, you confessed and gave the interviewer a sweet smile.

That clip went viral like crazy and everyone wouldn’t stop talking about how sincere, genuine and one of kind you two were for each other. The love between you palpable and real.

While leaving the venue, you got hounded by paparazzi. Flashes went off and blinded you, Joaquin trying his best to shield you from them, his hand grasping yours tightly. But, there were so many people around you asking for autographs that somewhere along the chaos, Joaquin’s hand separated from you and you got lost in a sea of people and hands grabbing you.

You felt the slow panic crawl up your throat, trying your best to relax your shaking hands and swallowing past the lump in your throat with a nervous smile on your face, signing as many books as you could. But the paps kept shoving their heavy cameras in your face and you got pushed, the camera hitting you on the shoulder when suddenly Joaquin pushed past the people and aggressively pushed the paparazzi and fans away, an arm coming up to bring you close to him.

“Don’t touch her!”, Joaquin snarled, his face twisted in anger and voice dropping a few octaves. He pushed everyone away from you again, his hands shaking with fury and jaw clenched so tightly, you were worried he’d hurt his teeth. It was scary as you’ve never seen him this angry, ever.

“It’s okay! It’s okay, Quino”, you tried to soothe him, a hand massaging his shoulder but he wasn’t having any of it, tugging you impossibly closer to him, bringing you into his chest and helping you get in the car.

Once you were in the car, he took a few deep breaths in and turned to hold your face gently into his hands.

“Are you okay?”, he asked quietly. You were still recovering from that mini panic attack so you just brought your shaky hands up to hold his wrists and nodded weakly against his palms.

Joaquin’s eyebrows furrowed in worry, “You’re shaking, baby, c’mere”, he removed his hands and gestured you to lean against him, your face pressed into his chest and his arms around your back.

“Thank you”, you murmured into his suit and hugged him closer. He leaned his chin on top of your head before pressing a lingering kiss to it, his hands smoothing against your back. He had never felt so scared before as he did a few minutes ago. Not being able to see you or feeling your hand drop from his in a mob full of people, made him feel like his heart was going to explode.

He doesn’t give a fuck if the media calls him an asshole or aggressive, all caution goes out of the window the moment you’re in danger. He saw your breaths quicken, he saw the way your hands shook as you hated crowded places. And come what may, he’d do anything to protect you, even if it cost him his own career.

Little did he know that he was praised, for his protectiveness and for having a spine to defend his partner in public, all over the world.

-

2 Years Later

Joaquin Torres knew he was going to be with you for life from the moment he saw you. Everything about you was magnetic and beautiful. He couldn’t help but be completely and totally in love with you. If he ever decided to write about his feelings for you, he’d have to write thousands of novels because he had so much to say and so much to appreciate. Instead, he showed it with his actions—acts of service and touch being his primary love languages.

He’d do anything for you— everyone knew that. He’d get on his knees and worship you. You were everything, you made him into a better man. Your kindness, your courage, your love—it made his chest ache and soar at the same time.

He’d picked out a ring for you, 2 years ago, on your birthday. Thought he’d propose right away but he was afraid, Sam and Bucky tried to knock some sense into him but he told them he wanted to wait. Wait until the of you were ready, wait until he got some hints from you that you wanted to settle down with him.

But that ring was ready. It was a simple golden band with a square cut diamond on it. Classy and elegant—just like you. It was sitting in his office for 2 years now. He’d started to drop hints about marriage, you humoured him and painted a lovely picture of it—a sweet wedding ceremony, adopting a dog or a cat later and then kids. You wanted it too. That’s all he needed to get the push to finally pop the question.

You were both older and mature now, almost nearing your 30s. He yearned for that happily ever after with you, wanting to live a life of happiness and love.

So he took you to the place where it all began—the pier overlooking the city skyline where he first confessed his feelings to you.

“Oh, it’s been so long since we came here, no?”, you asked him with a quiet voice, your head slightly turned to the side to watch his pretty profile.

The two of you were standing on a deck overlooking the pier and the ocean, with you pressed against the railing and his arms caging you against it, your back against his chest. You were wearing jeans and a red sweater, his request, and he was wearing a black crewneck paired with jeans.

The gentle ocean air carried the smell of salt and swept your hair, fly aways on your forehead and his curls tousled. He looked down at you, your face illuminated by the orange tinge of the setting sun and felt his heart hammer against his chest, the velvet box making his pocket heavier.

"Yeah", he replied just as quietly, his voice cracking out of nervousness. Joaquin leaned in to press a careful kiss against your hairline and you cuddled closer to him, his arms around your stomach bringing you closer to his chest. He cleared his throat and whispered your name, bringing your attention back to him. You opened your eyes and turned around to face him, his arms holding your hips. His face was set in a nervous frown, eyebrows drawn close tightly and eyes shining with unshed tears. Your face shifted with worry.

"Quino? You okay?", you asked him softly and cupped his chin in your palm. Joaquin swallowed before squeezing your hips.

"Angel...I- I was doing just fine before you came into my life. Thought I had everything and I was happy. But, then you entered- with your beautiful soul and infectious smile and I knew what was I missing", Joaquin paused as he felt himself choke up from the tears he was keeping at bay. You stared him, face frozen with disbelief and nervousness. He took your hand on his chin and held it against his heart.

"You were the missing piece of my life. You complete me. You're my everything and I'd do anything for you. I'll- I'll cut the onions for you if they hurt your eyes too much, I'll wake up at 3 am if you feel like eating something or if you can't sleep, and- and I promise to let you drool over my shoulder when you sleep", you guffawed, while he let out a watery chuckle at that.

"You captivated me every single day. I find out something new to love about every day- be it the way you stop to pet every single street cat that you see, or-or the fact that you talk to our plants because it's good for their nourishment, the way you stand up for the vulnerable and always put the ones in need before you--you are literally an angel. Sometimes I feel like you protect me more than I do you. But--let me promise you that I will protect and love you till we are old and gray and our kids have left our nest. I will love you as long as I breathe. You're my heart, my soul and my life", he whispered the last part, his hands shaking and eyes overflowing with tears.

You snapped your eyes up, staring at him in surprise before he gently pulled away from you to retrieve a velvet box from his pocket and opened it. You gasped at the ring, it was so you. He went down on one knee and you covered your face with your hands, overwhelmed with shock and emotion. "So, will you marry me, (Name)?", he asked you nervously, his voice wavering.

You sniffled and looked at him, the setting sun making his sharp features pop out, his curly hair messed up by the wind and his gorgeous face shining with tears. You let out a cry and pulled him up before tackling him in a hug, causing him to stumble back and hold you tighter.

"Yes! Oh god, a thousand times, YES!", you cried against his shoulder and he cradled your head before rocking your bodies back and forth. He pulled away and held your left hand in his, sliding the ring on and you squealed before smushing his face in your palms and crashing your lips against his.

He let out a surprised chuckle against your lips and brought you closer, a hand grabbing the back of your neck and the other hand holding your waist. The two of you pulled back, breathless and lips swollen and leaned your forehead against each other. You buried your hands in his curls and kissed his cheeks thrice. He cupped your cheeks in his hands and stared at you lovingly before kissing your forehead, cheeks and the corner of your mouth.

When you got back home, Joaquin told you that Sam and Bucky were actually there, clicking pictures of the proposal and you had laughed heartily before crying out of happiness when you saw the beautiful pictures, your happy and emotional faces surrounded by a breath taking sunset.

You two posted the pictures to your account, one of him kneeling and your hands covering your face and the other where you were leaning your foreheads against each other, with the caption: ..and they lived happily ever after.❤️💍

Fin.

-

AN: AHHHH i hope you guys liked this!!! i love tom and zendaya so much that their story was an inspo for this and their interviews + that video of him protecting zendaya from the paps were what i mentioned here so credits to them, hehe. i love quino and angel a lot pls i almost cried. pls like and reblog!

taglist: @parkersjoy @taylorsroxy @rylonmari @lastofdanny @lovelylupin04 @bingingcontentrn @ny0sang @incxpti0n @og-baby-ob14 @sidkneeeee (sorry if I didn’t tag anyone!!)

[joaquinsgf]

i’m crying so much! domestic manny is everything to me oh my god i will reread like 17000 times

Getaway Car (Part 3)

Pairing: Manny Alvarez x GN!Reader, Joel Miller x Platonic!Reader, Ellie Williams x Platonic!Reader

Summary: Manny stayed back, you saved Joel and safely returned to Jackson. He’d beg on his knees for forgiveness, but would you forgive him?

Warnings: Cursing, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort from Joel, Joel is a father to Reader, Reader misses Manny so much, Mentions of Depression and Panic Attacks, Suicidal Thoughts, Death, Blood, Gore, Joel Miller Is Saved, Reader hates Abby and the group, Manny begs for forgiveness, reunions, domestic Manny, that’s all I think!

AN: mwah I love these two I love manny I love joel I love Tommy I love Ellie just..yeah 🩷 enjoy! This is the final part!

PS: I don't know anything about the game, my characterisation is based off the wiki information, the show and my own imagination. Plus, I headcanoned the QZ where they first met as Miami because that's Danny's hometown.

The more he thought of it, the more he knew that he wanted to stay back with you. He’d do what he had promised himself 5 years ago- beg on his knees for your forgiveness.

He raised his tear-filled eyes and looked at you, doting on Joel and Ellie. You had called her your sister. You had a family. And he’d be lying if he didn’t want to be a part of your family. He wanted you to love on him and care for him. Nora took one look at him and patted his shoulder, him turning around to hug her and Mel for the last time. “Take care of Abby. And…please, keep her away from (Name)”, Manny whispered in a pained voice. Nora offered him a terse nod and departed from him, leaving him to stare at you with longing in his eyes.

You didn’t notice the others leave. You didn’t notice Manny being the only one who didn’t leave. Your entire body was dialed onto Joel-all you could think of, was how to help him. You carefully straightened his body, making him lay on his back and he let out pained whimpers, hands tightening around Ellie’s.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I need to check your injuries, Joel”, you soothed him. Ellie was staring at him with her cheeks damp and face red due to her crying. “El, can you check if there’s a stick or something for his leg? We gotta-”

“Here.” You snapped your eyes up to look at-

“Manny?”, you whispered in disbelief. You noticed the way he swallowed and simply extended a broken table leg to tie around Joel’s injured knee. “Wrap this below his knee and straighten his leg, I’ll tie it up”, he mumbled to Ellie and got to work.

You stared at the scene in shock, Ellie’s face mirroring yours. He had stayed back.

“This is gonna hurt”, he warned you and you immediately went to ground Joel. You looked down at his bloody face, one of his eyes swollen shut.

“Hey, Joel? This is gonna hurt but we gotta do it to help you, okay?”, you gently cooed to him and held his hand tightly in yours, him responding in painful grunts.

Manny slowly straightened Joel’s leg and Joel screamed in agony, causing you to shut your eyes tightly and look away, Ellie doing the same and letting out a cry. Your body shook with sobs, Manny watching you closely, his heart hurting at that state of you. Directly or indirectly, he was the cause of your pain.

Finally, Joel stopped screaming and Manny announced that he was done. You brought your tearful eyes back to Joel and beckoned Ellie to come closer, her snuggling up to you and laying a hand on Joel’s chest- which was thankfully moving.

You brushed Joel’s damp hair away from his forehead and looked at Manny. “Thank you”, you managed to croak out, your eyes expressing your genuine gratitude for his help. Manny simply nodded his head and looked away towards Dina. “I’ll-I’ll help her. Do you wanna try calling someone for help?”, he offered in a careful tone.

You gave him a terse nod and he brought over the comm to you, his fingers brushing against yours. Your stomach flipped in excitement at feeling his touch after 5 long years.

-

After trying to radio Jesse for 20 minutes straight, the door to the room burst open and Jesse arrived on the scene. By now, Joel was just resting his eyes, exhausted from the blood loss and everything. You and Ellie kept a vigilant eye on him. Manny stayed by Dina, trying to keep her warm by shifting her near the fire while occasionally darting his eyes to you.

His chest hurt at how heartbreakingly beautiful you looked. He missed seeing you in front of him.

Your head snapped towards the sound, body deflating in relief at Jesse’s arrival. “Jesse-”, your voice broke off by another wave of tears. Jesse looked horrified but he masked it, not wanting to freak you or Ellie out.

“It’s okay, we’re going home now. Come on”, he soothed you and helped you and Ellie up, you held onto his arms tightly.

Manny’s stomach twisted in jealousy.

“Where’s Dina-”, Jesse questioned and turned to look around the room before his eyes fell on Manny and Dina. “Who are you?”, he asked Manny sharply, eyes assessing him.

You grabbed Jesse’s arm, “I know him, it’s alright. You two, help Joel. We need to find something that will make it easier for him and us to travel. Ellie and I will help Dina, go”, you reassured him before making your way to Dina. Manny looked at you and nodded his head in understanding, making his way over to help Joel and Jesse.

-

After finding a sledge somewhere deep inside a closet and strapping Joel in, the five of you made your way back to Jackson. The blizzard was over now, thankfully, and your horses could walk properly again, which helped you reach Jackson earlier.

Because Manny didn’t have a horse, he had to sit behind you and you were trying your best not to lean against his body heat, his hands twitching to hold your waist and bring you closer to his chest. The whole ride back to Jackson had your body tense and stiff, trying to maintain a safe distance from Manny.

You reached Jackson and almost fell off the horse. The town looked like it had endured a massacre.

The gate was broken down, a pile of infected bodies lying on top of each other in front of it, the wall was completely destroyed, smoke and ash curling in the air, a few living fires making the snow melt and the roads slippery. The insides were just as bad-- houses and shops were broken down, bodies of your fellow townspeople lying around, some of them being executed because they were bitten and in between all of that was Tommy, trying to help the fallen. He had a cut on his face, eyebrows deeply furrowed, face contorted in stress and eyes shining with tears.

Your chest twisted in pain at the sight of your home being torn apart like this. You hurriedly got off Max and ran towards Tommy—Jesse and Manny staying back to help Ellie, Dina and Joel.

"Tommy!", you cried out and ran towards him. Tommy snapped his head up and his face contorted in relief at seeing all of you return, though he couldn't help but notice Joel's absence, his heart skipping a beat.

"Oh, thank Christ, you're all okay", he breathed out and brought you in a bone crushing hug. You hugged him just as tight, your face smushed against his shoulder and eyes shut tightly.

Tommy broke the hug and held you at arms length, eyes searching behind you, "Where's Joel, Kid?", he asked breathlessly.

Your eyes filled up with tears and you managed to choke out, "Later, we need to treat him first. What happened here, Tom?"

Tommy inhaled sharply and shook his head, "Horde attack. Broke down the wall so we had to flame 'em- hence the fires. Destroyed all the buildings and shit." Your eyes widened at that.

"Get Joel to the clinic. I'll meet you there soon", Tommy instructed you and you departed with a terse nod. You made your way back to where Jesse and Manny stood and helped them pull Joel towards the clinic meanwhile Ellie helped escort Dina.

They took in Joel immediately after looking at the state he was in. You let out an exhausted sigh and crumpled down on the corridor floor, burying your head in your hands. You were running on pure adrenaline for the past few hours, not getting a chance to properly come to terms with what had happened and now that you closed your eyes, all you could see was Joel's bloody face and the way he screamed in pain.

You felt your breath hitch, chest constricting painfully and you groaned weakly, hands clawing at your chest to get rid of the feeling. In your panic, you didn't notice someone crouch down in front of you, their hands grabbing yours and putting them on their chest, near their heart.

"Breathe with me, c'mon", a voice called out to you, your brain fuzzily registering it. You felt their chest go up and down as they took big breaths to encourage you to do so. You managed to inhale shakily, letting the oxygen inflate your chest before letting it out. After doing this for 5 more times, the weight on your chest slowly disappeared and that's when you realised who helped you- Manny.

His brown eyes were looking at you in concern, a frown pulling at his lips and hands still holding yours against his chest. You stared at him blankly before snatching your hands away from his, getting up in the process. He followed behind closely, trying to get you to talk to him, "(Name)-", but you cut him off, not in the headspace to talk to him yet.

You still had to wrap your head around the fact that he was alive and breathing, and the fact that he had betrayed you even after you gave him a choice to not to.

"Don't. Not now", you stopped him from coming near with a hand extended towards him, swallowing thickly while your eyes focused on your shoes. Manny paused and squeezed his hands in a fist before reluctantly nodding his head and giving you space, his heart breaking apart in a million pieces at the distance between the two of you.

-

You've lost track of time by now. Spending your entire time helping the fallen and keeping track of Joel's health, your mind and body working like a machine. You were thankful for the distraction because it made you forgot about the fact that Manny was here, breathing the same air as you.

It's been almost 3 hours since they took Joel in. Tommy, Maria and Ellie joining you outside the room that he was being operated on. You hugged Maria as soon as you saw her, asking her if Benji was okay and she reassured you that he was. You breathed out in relief, glad that your family was alive, even though today will leave long lasting effects on their psyche and marks on their body as a reminder.

Maria left to check on the others and Tommy addressed you and Ellie in a serious tone, "What the hell happened out there?", you exchanged a nervous look with Ellie, who hadn't spoken much since you got here, choosing to stick by your side and observe everything silently.

"Tommy, they were Fireflies. Wanted to kill Joel for Salt Lake", you confessed quietly, Tommy's eyes widening in realization.

"Fuck", he whispered and ran a hand across his face. "They hurt you?", he asked curiously.

Joel had discussed about your past with Tommy in confidence before, not wanting to hide anything from his brother and so that a trustworthy person would be aware to keep you safe. Tommy took it better than you expected, with him being an Ex-Firefly himself, he understood your helplessness. Though, you still hadn't told Ellie, scared of her reaction and scared that it'll strain her and Joel's relationship further.

You shook your head no and Tommy asked you the dreaded question, "Who's the new guy?". You froze, unsure of how to explain to him about your situation with Manny.

You cleared your throat before confessing, "He uh-he was in the group. With me. And the others. We were...together before I came to Jackson", your voice shy and low. Tommy's face flashed with realization and he let out a sigh, understanding that this was a conversation to be had later.

"Alright, you guys get some rest. You're barely standin' straight", you opened your mouth to protest but Tommy stopped you, "I'll personally come to inform you if he wakes. Don't be so damn stubborn, go rest", he chided you, his southern drawl suddenly sounding stronger than before. You let out a huff of frustration and punched his arm lightly, walking away with Ellie bundled up in your arms. Tommy watched you go with a sad smile on his face.

-

You took Ellie home, putting her on strict bedrest and she went down with no protest, too tired to even argue with you. You decided to wash up, the events of the day taking a toll on you-your joints cracked and muscles spasmed with the smallest of movements.

After putting on fresh clothes, you decided to get yourself a glass of water, your throat parched and you heard a knock on the door. You let out a sigh and carried the glass of water with you to open the door. You almost dropped the glass.

"Hey", Manny greeted you hesitantly, his hands nervously stuffed inside his jacket's pockets. You gulped the water harshly before mumbling out a 'Hey' in response.

Nails tapping against the glass, you spoke up after a moment of awkward silence, "How'd you find my house?", your eyebrow quirked up in question.

"Uh-I asked around...they said the house with the cherry blossom trees belongs to Joel, so, thought I'd find you here", Manny responded quietly and shrugged.

"Okay, did you need something?"

Manny looked at you in disbelief, "Need something? Angel, I haven't seen you in 5 years. I'm here for you", his voice cracking towards the end, eyebrows furrowed in distress.

You stiffened up before going back to put the glass on the coffee table and ushered Manny out of the house, closing the door behind you. Gesturing him to follow you towards the back of the house, you stood in front of him with your arms across your chest. You licked your lips and shook your head in frustration.

"Manny, why are you doing this now?", you asked him in an exhausted voice.

"I-I want to be with you, (Nickname). You have no idea how miserable I was-"

"No idea? No idea-", you scoffed in sarcasm and spread your arms out in exasperation, "I was the one who travelled alone to Jackson while feeling severely depressed because my boyfriend betrayed me for his- insane friends, and even after I found myself a family here, I still wanted to die because my mind wouldn't stop imagining said boyfriend here with me, and I'm the one who has no idea?", you rambled furiously, your eyes staring daggers at Manny.

He flinched at your outburst and turned his head to the side in shame, his neck shaded with a red tinge and veins popping out in strain.

"What do you know, huh? You had a whole group of people around you, catching you if you fall. I had no one. Even when I was with you, I was alone. You heard her, didn't you? That I was the odd one out?", you questioned him, leaning closer to make him look you in the eye.

Manny shot his head up at that, "No- don't say that, please. You weren't alone. I loved you then and I love you now. I just-", he broke off abruptly to swallow in guilt.

You grimaced, "You just what? You couldn't let go of your ego? Your desperation for vengeance and to prove that all of you are a strong unit? Even if you knew that Abby and her father were wrong?", you accused him, jabbing a finger into his chest. He stumbled back, his face crumpled in emotion, your harsh words hitting him straight into his heart.

"Yes, Yes! I was wrong, I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry-I-I knew you were right from the moment you told you me, I knew we were wrong. I just- i was so blinded by the fact that someone had caused pain to one of my closest friends, I wanted to see him and Ellie suffer in the same way", he admitted shamefully, his face damp with tears and eyes bloodshot, hands clenched so tightly into fists that his knuckles turned white.

You stared at him in disgust, "Manny, are you hearing yourself? What happened to you? She was a little girl-a fucking child. Joel was saving his daughter and that's what made you guys lose your minds? Not the fact that your friend and her father were committing the murder of a child?!", you glowered, your voice hoarse, face heated in anger and your breathing laboured.

You were hyperventilating, years of pent up frustration and sadness pouring out of you.

Manny sensed this and tried to soothe you, "Baby, you're panicking, please-", he came closer to hold your elbows and you shrugged him off.

"Don't touch me! I'm-you broke my heart. It's like I never knew you. How can you be so...heartless? You even participated in- in the sick torture that Abby was inflicting on my---on my dad. How could you, Manny?", you cried out, your voice strained with sorrow and heartbreak.

Manny felt like someone had stabbed him 10 times into the chest. Hell, he'd prefer being stabbed over being the reason for your tears and pain, wishing he had died instead.

His face twisted in pain and he got down on his knees, his hands holding yours and pressing his forehead against them, "I didn't, I swear I didn't agree to that. None of us did. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you, angel. But, I'm here now. I've left all that for good. I can't take anymore sleepless nights without you next to me. I want a home with you--a family, and I promise that I'll get better. If I don't, I'll happily die from your hands. Just-please. Give me one chance, please. I'll do anything you ask me to", he begged into your hands, pressing desperate kisses to them and his tears dampening them.

You were too tired to react to that, choosing to limply hold his hands and stare into the distance, thinking of what to do next.

Just as you were going to speak up, Tommy came rushing into the backyard and paused to stare at the scene. He schooled his face into a neutral expression and called out to you, "Kid, Joel's awake", he announced in a breathless voice.

You snapped out of your trance and looked at Tommy in surprise. He nodded at you and you dropped Manny's hands to run all the way to the clinic. Tommy stared Manny down, observing his kneeling form closely and went over to stand by him.

From the corner of his eyes, Manny caught sight of a hand extended in front of him and he hesitantly grabbed it before the man pulled him up.

He came face to face with a tall man, who looked like he could've been his brother in another life- they had the same features and the same hair. The man ran his gaze over Manny in judgement before speaking up, "Let's get you some food. Then, we have lots to discuss", he instructed in his heavy southern twang and patted Manny on the shoulder, firmly.

-

"Joel?", you called out softly, walking over to stand next to his bed. One of his eyes was still swollen shut, the cuts on his face stitched up and the blood cleaned from his face. His knee was wrapped and elevated to keep the pressure off from it and you knew Joel would complain about it.

But he was breathing, his good eye fluttering behind the lid and his fingers twitching. He let out a groan and licked his lips to get ride of the dry feeling on them, his good eye slowly opening to focus on you. "Hey, kiddo", he mumbled in a scratchy voice.

You smiled sadly and offered, "You want some water, Pops?". Joel grunted in annoyance before whispering a 'yes'. You cradled his head in your hands and helped him sip the water before he asked you to lay him back down.

"You scared us to death, Joel", you confessed in a wavering voice and pinched your nose between your fingers. Joel looked at you with a sad expression on his face and lifted a weak hand for you to hold. You looked at him with tears in your eyes and grasped his hand carefully in both of yours.

"Sorry", he murmured guiltily, his face twisting in pain and from the efforts to control his tears from falling. "Thank you for saving me", he shot you a small smile.

You chuckled lowly and patted his hand, your chin wobbling from the tears lodged in your throat. You sniffled and wiped your eyes before clearing your throat. "Did Ellie come to see you?", you asked him curiously and he nodded lightly.

"Yeah. Didn't say much but... held my hand", his voice cracked with emotion and he smiled tearfully.

Your eyes welled up with tears of happiness for Joel and you brushed his hair back. "That's good. Baby steps, yeah?", you encouraged him and he nodded in agreement.

The room was quiet for a moment before he spoke up, "The one who wrapped my leg...that your man?", he teased lightly.

You paused, eyes widened and you felt your cheeks warm up, "How the hell did you see him?!", you sputtered out in disbelief.

Joel let out a huffed laugh, "So, he is. Easy on the eyes, I'll give ya that."

You groaned in embarrassment, your hands covering your face, "You're so annoying, Miller."

He chuckled softly before wincing and you scolded him to shut up. "Ya'll talked it out?", he asked you, referring to your situation with Manny.

Your face turned glum, eyes focusing on a loose thread on your jacket, "He asked me to forgive him...on his knees and everything", you mumbled.

Joel's face expressed shock as best as it could with all the cuts and one less eye. "Damn...and what'd you say?"

"Blasted off on him. I was so frustrated and hurt and angry...I just...took it out on him."

"That's a good thing. Now that the anger is out of your system, ya'll can finally have a mature conversation", Joel comforted you in that fatherly manner that he always does.

You furrowed your brows, "I don't know what to do, Joel. I-I'm so hurt. But-"

"But you love him a lot and wanna stay with him."

You let out a big sigh, "Yeah. I waited so long...he deserves to live in peace, too", you confessed, your lips set in a frown.

"Then listen to your heart. We've all done bad things, Kid. Can't pick and choose who's the better one, not in this world, at least. If you're gettin' a chance at happiness...grab it and hold it close", Joel suggested, his voice coated with longing.

You swallowed against the lump in your throat sniffled, "Thank you", squeezing his hand in gratitude. Joel gave you a half smile and squeezed your hand back.

-

Ellie took over your place next to Joel and your stomach cramped in hunger, realising you haven't eaten anything since morning. As you made your way to the eating hall, your mind kept replaying the conversation you had with Manny.

His tearful face and desperate kisses against your hand almost broke you. You thought about what Joel said, that nobody in this world was good anymore. You've all done bad things to survive, Manny just happened to go a little more extreme. But, did he not deserve to live peacefully with you? Did you really want to see him suffer? Could you live without hearing his voice or feeling his touch again? The answer was a plain and simple No.

He was the one who saved you, he was the one who taught you how to survive in this fucked up world, and he was the one who protected you from the evil around you. Maybe, now was the time to allow him to slow down, to let him have some peace, to let him enjoy a hot cup of coffee on the porch of your own house, to let him have a good night's sleep, to give him another chance. Because you were always sure of one thing, you would forever hold a special place for Manny Alvarez in your heart.

You found him in the eating hall, holed up into a corner table with a plate of food in front of him but he wasn't eating. He was cradling his head in his hands, pulling at his hair and staring at the table. You know he was feeling overwhelmed, not used to so much commotion around him. After all, you had been like this too, on your first day in Jackson.

Tommy spotted you across the hall and gestured you over, leaning against the bar counter. He was looking at Manny the whole time.

"He's not eaten a single thing since I brought him here. Been starin' at the table for the past half hour", Tommy informed you lowly.

You sighed and looked at Manny with pitiful eyes. "I know. He's probably overstimulated."

Tommy looked at the yearning look on your face and chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. You looked at him in confusion.

"A damn apocalypse out there and we still got fools in love over'ere", Tommy teased you.

You groaned loudly and slapped his shoulder, "You and your brother think that you're comedians or something."

Tommy's chuckled receded and he nudged you, "Go talk to him." You looked at him and frowned, nodding weakly before making your way over to where Manny sat.

You silently slid in the seat in front of him and scooped up some soup in the spoon, holding it up before clearing your throat. Manny snapped his head up and froze. His curls were sticking in all directions, eyes and face red from all the crying he did and mouth agape, as if he was not expecting you to sit in front of him. He truly looked at you then, how you looked so stunning even after being so exhausted.

You shifted uncomfortably, "My arm is hurting, are you gonna eat or not?", you murmured and shifted the spoon closer to his mouth.

He finally moved then, leaning closer to the spoon and closing his mouth around it before gulping, his eyes still fixated on your face.

"I-" "No. Eat first, then we can talk for as long as you want to. Do you wanna eat somewhere else?"

Manny blinked in surprise at your offer and how you sounded much more calm now. He simply nodded his head and you got up to pack his food into containers, him following you around like a lost puppy.

-

You settled down on the outdoor seating in Joel's backyard and let Manny finish his serving. You missed seeing him like this- alive and whole- in front of you. After he was done, he finished the glass of water you had set down for him and awkwardly shifted in his seat, not sure what to expect.

"You sure you wanna stay here?", you asked him suddenly. He tilted his head like a puppy and his brown eyes widened. "Yes...I-I want to."

"I'm not forcing you, you're still free to walk away and go back to Seattle. I don't want you to be here just for the sake of me."

"No! No, (Name), I came here for you. I told you that before, and I mean it. Please, give me a chance. I wanna- I wanna live with you", he sputtered out.

You assessed him closely, "If you try anything while you're here, I wont hesitate to kill you, you know that right?", you threatened him casually. He nodded his head vehemently.

"And you'll make up for your mistakes? Be kind to my family?", he nodded his head yet again, "Yes, I swear", he conceded in a sincere voice.

"And-..if I give you a chance, you won't betray me again?", your voice broke and your eyes welled up.

Manny froze when he realised what you said, "Wait. You- Yes. Yes, a thousand times, yes. I promise, I'll make it up to you our whole life", his voice shook with emotion, hands itching to hold you in his arms.

"Okay", you sniffled and nodded in agreement. Manny let out a content sigh and whispered an 'okay'. He'd do everything and anything you'd ask him to win you back in his life.

-

Jackson, 2031

You woke up to the sound of muffled chatter from the street and the chirps of little birds. Warm sunlight was pouring through the curtains, bathing your bedroom in a shade of yellow. You then registered the heavy arm around your middle, the sunlight making it look like it was painted in gold, the skin smooth and soft.

The breaths hitting your neck tickled you slightly and you turned around to face him- your Manny- still sleeping soundly with his mouth slightly open, giving you a view of his crooked lower teeth that you adored. His clean shaven face was glowing, the tiny moles scattered across his face like constellations and his cropped curls appearing soft to the touch—making him look boyish.

It’s been a year since Manny won you back. He’s been working so hard on proving himself to you by helping around the community, making amends with Joel and Ellie, trying to leave behind his past and harmful tendencies behind. He was much more calmer now, less brash, slowing down and enjoying mundane domesticity with you.

Truthfully, he didn’t need to do much. All he had to do was be himself. You never fell out of love with him, just upset with how far he’d let himself stray. But, Manny was home now, sleeping in later and waking up by loving on you—his day starting and ending with worshipping you. He was still the same Manny when you were both 20 year olds- overprotective and fiercely loyal. Except now, he let you do patrols only with him, Joel, Ellie or Tommy as your partners.

Tommy and Joel had surprisingly taken him under their wings, teaching him construction work, encouraging him to help around in the community and utilising his shooting skills to protect Jackson Hole. They were impressed with how agile and what a graceful fighter he was.

They never missed a chance to tease you whenever you admired him working around the town. You’d act annoyed but deep down, your heart would be soaring with happiness to see your family accept Manny with open arms.

Although, Maria and Ellie were the last ones to come around. Maria got used to Manny a little earlier, as Benji was so enraptured with him that she came around quickly. Manny had taken it upon himself to teach Benji football and they would hang out day and night, the adorable sight making you cry always.

Ellie, on the other hand, she still held a slight grudge against him (rightfully so) so she maintained a safe distance from him. Manny confessed to you that she lowkey scared him and you had laughed at that, telling him that he should be scared of her.

Another person that held grudge against Manny was Jesse, for the way he handled Dina and you excused that too, but Manny and Jesse seemed to have a silly testosterone fight going on and you steered clear of it, not interested in it in any way. Dina kept Manny on his toes, annoying him like a younger sibling and it was so entertaining for you to watch him be grumpy around her.

The elder townsfolk absolutely adored Manny and you- the abuelas cooing over him while pinching his cheeks everytime he charmed them and spoke to them in Spanish, and taking you by your hands to their houses to feed you their homemade dishes. Manny always had a goofy smile by the time you returned home, enjoying the attention. And you laughed in adoration, loving the fact that you got to see that shy and bashful blush across his cheeks more and more often.

A shocking thing that happened to Manny— in the entirety of you knowing him, you’ve never seen him unsure, shy or hesitant about anything. That changed as soon as he stepped foot in Jackson and you saw it in the dining hall, with him sitting in the corner, away from everyone. In the beginning, he’d enter any room without turning on the light, forgetting that Jackson had electricity. You’d lightly come up behind him and turn it on, his body tensing and his face flushing with red when he realised it was you.

He’d jump around the loud noises, as Jackson would get rowdy during meal times or events, he even refused to sleep with his back to the door, wanting to stay vigilant and alert at all times. After spending your whole life looking over your shoulder, this was bound to happen and your heart broke for him, wanting to reassure and comfort him every time he felt like that. Watching him look at everything in child-like wonder made your chest hurt with love and the feeling of wanting to protect him forever.

“You’re thinking so loud”, he mumbled sleepily, arms tugging you closer to him. You blinked, smiling gently and cradled his cheek into your hand, caressing it with your thumb. “Good morning, Em”, you replied softly and pinched his cheek.

He flashed you his half-smile and slipped a hand under your shirt, pressing a kiss into your palm, “Mornin’, angel”, he finally opened his eyes and they shone like earthen pools in the sunlight. The urge to go back to sleep was strong, the bed sheets warm and comfy with your shared body heat, Manny’s body soft and sturdy against yours and his hand under your shirt gently rubbing your bare back. But you had to get up and start work or else Maria would be upset for the whole day.

“C’mon, we gotta get up, baby. You’ve got to help Joel with the restoration today.”

Manny grumbled and slid down to bury his head in your chest, legs trapping you against him. “No. 5 minutes more, please.”

“Manny…you know how Joel gets. He’ll do everything on his own even if his joints lock up. C’mon, let’s get to work”, you cooed at him and rubbed his back gently.

Joel was fully recovered now, but the doctors told you that his knee injury would give him chronic knee pain, which made sitting or standing for longer hours difficult for his aging body. Manny, Tommy and Jesse tried their best to take off the burden but Joel Miller was nothing if not stubborn. “You’ve to teach the kids as well, let’s go.”

Manny groaned, the sound vibrating against your chest, “Swear to god, you Millers stress me out on purpose”, and he squeezed your waist.

You giggled and slapped his back lightly before he propped himself up on an arm and admired you with doe eyes.

You shifted in unease, “Stop looking at me like that”, you mumbled and tried to close his eyes with your hand. He grabbed it and rested it on his chest.

“Hey, I’ve gotta make up for lost time. I missed seeing your beautiful face next to me for five years”, he replied in a quiet voice. You exchanged bashful smiles and he leaned in to press a loving kiss on your lips and murmured, “I love you”, against them.

You looked at him with your eyes shining in tears and jutted your bottom lip out. “I love you more, Em”, Manny giggled and squished your cheeks in between his fingers, your combined joyful laughter echoing in the still room of your own house— the house that you shared with Manny and would be sharing until you were both greying and wrinkly.

Fin.

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AN: AAAA im so happy for them pls…I love domestic Manny so much. Hope y’all liked this mini series 🥹🩷 please like and reblog!

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