#2012 Maria

[tina-aumont]

I want to thank my friend @74paris who contacted the Canarian Authorities and sent him these digitalized photos from the exhibit that Garafia and La Palma had about Maria Montez back in 2012 (more than ten years ago!!)

Maria Montez dad, Isidoro Gracia García was born in Garafia (La Palma) in April 3rd 1873 and by 1904 he settled in Barahona (Dominican Republic) with his brother Joaquín. They left Carany Islands due to economic struggles and they dreamt for a better future, which eventualy came.

These photos show Joaquín (left) and Isidoro (right) pictured in Barahona in 1908. Next we can see Isidoro Gracia pictured in Barahona in 1906. Under these two photos, Isidoro is pictured, again in Barahona, this time in 1909 and the last photo shows Joaquín in an undated photo, but my guessing is that it was taken in Barahona as well aroung the time the other photos were taken (1906-1909).

These photos were displayed in "María Montez, de la Palma a Hollywood" exhibition celebrated in Garafia and La Palma during the celebrations of MAría Montez birthday centenary.

Joaquín Gracia Anadón, who was born in Estercuel (Teruel-Aragón-Spain), in 23rd May 1841 and María Antónia García Martín, who was born in Garafia, (La Palma, Canary Islands) in 28th September 1842 were also remembered in this exhibition.

This beautiful photo taken in 1942 celebrating Doña Justa's birthday was also in the exhibition. Doña Justa Recio Sánchez was María Montez granny and Regla María Teresa Vidal Recio's mother. In this photo we can see at the left Adita with her mother, and at the right we can see Consuelo. In the front row, at the right we can see a very young Teresita. It's beautiful to see that in this exhibition, also the maternal side of María was important although there were no Canarian roots in them (as far as we know).

María Montez most intimal side was also shown in this exhibition, here we can see her pictured in 1943 at her wedding day to Jean-Pierre Aumont.

While Jean-Pierre Aumont was away fighting in II World War and María was at the highest point of her career, she invited her sisters to Hollywood as she wanted them to have a successful career. Although all of them tried, only Teresita (not shown here as she was still very young) succeed but as a High Couture model working in France in the 50s hired exclusively by Vogue magazine.

These photos are from the banners displayed in "María Montez, de la Palma a Hollywood" exhibition held in La Laguna, Tenerife (Canary Islands) in 2012, they show María's family, sisters, daughter Tina and places where her family came from. These photos come from this blog: Personalidades Garafianas

These screencaps from this video show two banners from the exhibition "María Montez: De La Palma a Hollywood" with Maria Montez and Jean Pierre Aumont and Maria's dad Isidoro, her granny María Antónia and on the left Isidoro and his brother Joaquín.

The other screencaps show Joaquín Gracia and María Antónia García's home in Garafia where Isidoro, Joaquín and their siblings were born.

This house is still standing, now I wonder... could a María Montez museum will be made here and be permanent so everybody could visit it? I vote for it, but I don't know if it will ever me made, it would be beautiful if ever that happen...

Here you have the Villa de Garafia website where is explained the exhibition.

Photos shown here are courtesy of Armando Gracia Sanfiel, the Spanish cousin María was always writing. He gave these photos to Antonio Perez Arnay to be published in his book "María Montez La Reina del Tecnicolor" (Filmoteca Canaria, 1995).

Banners courtesy of "Cabildo de la Palma", the governing and administrative body of La Palma.

Muchas gracias de nuevo @74paris por todo el trabajo que has hecho contactando con la administración del Cabildo de la Palma para que te enviaran este material tan precioso y muchas gracias por compartirlo conmigo para que lo publique.

[crappy-writings]

Safe

Maria HillxReader // Angst/Fluff

*Image is not mine, credit to its creator

Summary: When the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Facility is destroyed and you’re trapped under the rubble, Maria has to balance her job as Deputy Director and her relationship with you.

Trigger Warnings: FwB relationship (mentioned), Cursing, Guns, Death, Anxiety, Hospitals, Injuries, Amputation (mentioned), I think that’s it.

No pronouns for the reader were used, I think

Word Count: 6,970

A/N: Thanks to this Reddit thread for helping me figure out the timeline of The Avengers, as well as all the Marvel Wiki pages I visited, lol

Anyways, I'll forever be mad at Secret Invasion for doing my girl so dirty, so I'm jumping back to 2012 Avengers. Don't know if this sucks, so constructive criticism is always welcome.

Main Masterlist | MCU Masterlist | Recced Fics Masterlist

May 2nd, 02:47 hrs

“Sir, evacuation may be futile,” Maria says as she steps down the stairs, right on Fury’s heels. “We should tell them to go back to sleep?” Fury turns his head towards her while still descending the stairs. “If we can’t control the Tesseract’s energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance,” she argued.

“I need you to make sure the Phase Two prototypes are shipped out,” Fury orders as he reaches the entrance to where the Tesseract was being kept. “Sir, is that really a priority right now?” she asks incredulously. 

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on,” he says, turning towards her, his tone leaving no room to argue, “Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase Two on a truck and gone.” 

“Yes, sir,” she says as she passes him by. She had her orders. “With me,” she orders the men who stood at either side of the door as she descends into the lower levels of the facility.

“Dispatch any available teams to the underground levels. Clear out any and all remaining Phase Two prototypes,” she speaks into her communicator. To say that Maria did not agree with focusing on the Phase Two prototypes would be an understatement. If anything, determining a minimum safety distance should be top priority, if there even is one. If not, destroying the Tesseract would be a better option. Regardless of what she thought though, she trusted Fury to know what he was doing. He is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a reason.

“Copied, two additional teams have been dispatched,” the deep voice of an agent rang through her communicator.

The two dispatched teams were already there by the time she arrived at the underground lot, yours being one of them. She takes in a deep breath and subtly braces herself. She was hoping she would not be running into you for at least a few days. 

The two men who came down with her began helping both teams with the prototypes. You load up a few boxes before closing the trunk of the truck, the slam echoing throughout the underground garage. 

“Davidson, you’re driving this one,” you said as you threw a set of keys to one of the agents. Davidson catches the keys easily. “Menendez, Martinez, and Lee, you’re going up with Davidson. Gold leader is already waiting topside.” 

“You,” you point to one of the new arriving agents, “What’s your name?”

“Agent Callahan,” the man you pointed at responded. 

“I’ll have you join Davidson,” you order as you turn to the other agent, “what about you?” 

“Agent Moore,” the agent replied. You nod in acknowledgement, “You’re joining my team in the meantime.” 

The five agents jumped inside the truck and began transporting the prototypes to the surface. 

“Harris, you’re driving that one over there once it’s loaded up. Williams, Parker, Garcia and Moore are going with you. Bennett, you’ll be riding with me,” you continue giving out orders, “Gold leader is waiting for us before moving to the established rendezvous point.”

As you turn to load more boxes, you notice the Deputy Director standing between the cylindrical columns of the large underground parking space. Your gaze lingered on her for a few moments before grabbing one of the small crates and putting it in the truck. Maria noticed this but ignored it. She cannot afford to be distracted by you and this… fling.

She did not know how to describe your relationship as it stood.

“Keep loading boxes, I’ll be back in a minute,” you tell your team, before climbing up the platform and standing beside her.

 “Most of the equipment has already been moved, Gold leader’s team is en route, and my team is taking care of the last few boxes. This should be the last truck from this level and Red and Blue leader reported their levels are cleared. We should be out of here in no more than eight, ten minutes,” you report, crossing your arms over your chest as you oversee your team along with her. 

“Make it five,” she says without looking at you, “I want everyone out of here as quickly as possible.” Her posture remained stiff beside you, and you couldn’t help but be upset by that. 

“Have you thought about what I told you?” you ask quietly. Her posture does not ease. She instead inhales sharply.

 “Yes,” her tone was tense, her answer short. “And?” you prodded after a few beats of silence. “I don’t know,” she answers. 

You sigh in disappointment, but you were not surprised. For as long as you’re known the woman beside you, her main focus has always been her job. You knew this going into this ‘relationship.’ The “friends with benefits” thing had been working out just fine. You met up whenever you wanted to, did whatever you wanted to with no strings attached. But just like one of those cliché movies you sometimes watched, you caught feelings for the woman who had become now more closed off than ever. 

Despite your attempts to keep your changed feelings hidden, she had noticed the subtle shift in your actions, gestures and the way you spoke to her. You yourself did not think you were doing anything different, but apparently, you were wrong. She asked you if anything had changed and you were honest. You told her your feelings about the arrangement had changed and were wanting something more with her, if she agreed. You were foolish for bringing it up at all to her.

She began to shut you out almost immediately, much to your anger and disappointment. Thus, you offered her a sort of ultimatum. She was to decide what she wanted out of the ‘relationship’, out of you, but if she could not, you would call everything off and you would go your separate ways.

The echo of a trunk closing snaps you out of your thoughts. The truck’s engine turns on and you watch as Harris and the other assigned agents drive out of the lot. “Green leader, do you copy?” your comms buzzed with the other team leader’s voice. “Yes, Gold leader, I copy. The remaining prototypes are already en route to topside. Do we have the green light?” you ask. 

“Yes, we do. We are awaiting you and the rest of our teams to arrive up here to head for the rendezvous. See you in a few minutes.”

“Will do Gold Leader, expect us in about 10 minutes, over and out,” you shut off your comms device. You take a deep breath before turning to her, your face serious. 

“I need an answer soon, Hill. I don’t like wasting my time,” you say quietly before straightening up and leaving her side.

“Alright Bennett, hop in, time to go,” you announce loudly as you jump down from the platform, “Let’s go!” 

Maria watches you hop into one of the unattended Jeeps and turn on the ignition. Her tense shoulders loosen up, but her jaw does not unclench. You began to drive as soon as Agent Bennett sat beside you. Her eyes trail after you as the car leaves the parking space.

“So,” Bennett draws out the word casually. “No,” you shut it down quickly.

“You and the Deputy Director?” he pressed on, a smirk creeping up on his lips. “No,” you insisted. 

“That’s a yes.”

“Bennett,” you say warningly. He did not take your tone seriously, knowing that it was all in good fun. Except that it was not very fun for you.

“HR would have a field day with the both of you. Do you think she would get suspended for it? Would you get suspended? Oh, do you think Fury knows?” he pressed on, going off on a tangent now like a gossiping hen. 

“Adrian Bennett, if you don’t shut up now, I will suspend you for spreading rumors,” you say in a serious tone, your grip on the wheel getting tighter.

“Oh, come on boss, it’s all in good fun,” Bennett replies, nudging your shoulder good-naturedly. 

“For you, maybe. Besides, there’s nothing going on between the Commander and me. So, don’t go spreading that around,” you say firmly. Part of you feared that your voice would betray you as you spoke those words, but you managed to keep your tells in check.

“Alright, whatever you say, boss.”

But what he said had struck a chord in you. Had you really been that obvious? You weren’t a spy after all, you were a soldier. Your confusing, undisclosed “relationship” with Hill could get you both in a huge amount of trouble.

You cast your thoughts aside. She could very well choose to end what you have, reject any potential future involvement with you. You sigh softly, opting to focus on the winding tunnel ahead of you.

“Thinking about your girlfriend?”

“Adrian.”

“Okay, okay, I’m done, I’m done.”

You watch as a few cars come into view from your rearview mirrors. It wasn’t until the sound of gunshots echoed within the tunnels that you figured out something was wrong. A blue flash of energy flew towards one of the cars, obliterating it in the process. 

“What the fuck?!” you yell as you watch the remains of the car lose control, going up a ramp and flipping over. The destroyed vehicle swung slightly, stilling in a parallel position, blocking the other cars that had followed behind. 

“Do I shoot?!” Bennett asks as he pulls out his firearm, waiting on your orders. “Stay vigilant but don’t engage yet!” you tell Bennett as you reach for the communicator on your hip.

“Agent Hill, we’re in line of a hostile force, do we engage?!” you yell into your comms as you continue to drive forwards, speeding up as you go. The earth beneath your vehicle began to shake violently. 

“Engage, if possible, but focus on getting out, I won’t have any heroes tonight,” the strained voice of Maria crackles through. The hostile force’s vehicle passes you by, and Bennett trains his gun on it. 

“No heroes, Bennett,” you remind him, but watch the vehicle for any hostility. A man dressed in strange clothes sat in the cargo bed of the truck. He looked ill, but his eyes were fierce. A man on a mission.

 A few moments later, a truck skidded into the tunnel, narrowly avoiding collision with the wall. The car drifts, turning in a half circle to face the hostile force. Both vehicles collided, the backwards facing car attempting to slow down the hostiles. Shots flew from each vehicle, which prompted Bennett to shoot, too.

The strangely dressed man looked at the both of you, his eyes holding a cold determination. He pointed a bright gold staff at you and your eyes widened. Before anything could happen though, the hostile’s vehicle began swerving from side to side, shaking off the truck that was blocking its path. 

The driver recovered control quickly though and continued in hot pursuit. What sounds like a crackle of thunder follows closely behind you, much to your confusion. You stare through the rearview mirrors and watch as the tunnels begin to collapse, and it's gaining on you, fast. 

You press all the way down on the gas pedal, the vehicle lurching forwards with renewed ferocity. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” the string of swears leaves your mouth as the tunnel collapse seemed to be faster than your car ever could. 

“Fuck!” you scream as a large piece of the underground structure falls right in front of you. You turn the wheel hard in the attempt to dodge it to no avail. The rest of the structure continues to crumble, and you lose control of your vehicle. There was little you could do as the jeep was headed for what used to be a stone ceiling. You press down hard on the breaks and turn the wheel to the side. You crash against it, but not as hard as you expected. The last thing you see is what remains of the ceiling crashing on top of you as you raise your arms over your head.

Maria eventually abandoned her focus on trying to stop Barton and the hostile force. It would be all for naught if she was dead. She pressed down as hard as she could on the gas pedal, the vehicle going as fast as it could. It was not fast enough as the collapsing tunnel caught up to her.  

Maria’s head throbbed as she shifted from her position inside the trapped vehicle. She could feel blood dripping from her nose and fresh bruises forming in her arms and legs. The adrenaline from the chase was beginning to give out, exhaustion settling deep in her bones. She looked over the shifting rubble and debris of the now collapsed tunnels.

Did you manage to escape? She doesn’t remember seeing you or your jeep get out before she had. 

“Green leader, do you copy?” Hill spoke evenly into her communicator. She was met with the silent crackle of her device. “Green leader, do you copy?” she repeats herself, quietly begging for your response. Silence. Your name leaves her lips, dropping all formalities, her voice strained, “are you there?” 

There was still no answer from you. She began switching between radio frequencies, catching different snippets of reports as she did.

“--underground tunnels have colla–”

“--er coming in, several men are dow–”

“--act has been stolen from—”

She continued switching between frequencies until Coulson’s voice rang through her communicator, “Director? Director Fury, do you copy?”

“The Tesseract is with a hostile force. I have men down. Hill?” Fury’s voice quickly followed.

“A lot of men still under. I don’t know how many survivors.” She says, breathing heavily as she climbed out of her mangled vehicle. The image of you being trapped under all this debris and rubble flashed before her eyes. Her heart momentarily stops, worry pulsing in waves throughout her body.

“Sound a general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase,” Fury instructed.

“Roger that.”

“Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven. As of right now, we are at war.”

Maria clenched her jaw as she processed the last few words. She knew what this meant, what was to come. Despite this, her thoughts wandered to you.

She finishes climbing out of the truck on shaky legs and moves past giant blocks of stone and rubble. Hill switched back to the channel you had last spoken through. She uses your call sign once more; it had dawned on her that, after the collapse, a signal might be non-existent, but she was still hoping to hear an answer. Once more, she was met with dreadful silence.

She calls out your name again, soft and anxious, “please be okay.”

May 2nd, 16:00 hrs, 14 hours later…

The Helicarrier was teeming with life, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents running around in preparation for the arrival of Fury’s new team. The Director had stepped out to recruit Steve Rogers himself, while the Black Widow had been pulled off mission to retrieve Dr. Banner and Agent Coulson had been sent to grab Tony Stark. 

Maria walked around the bridge, looking over the monitors of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents below her. Various agent profiles appeared on a few of the screens, other monitors occupied by mission reports, schematics, maps and graphics. 

Your picture on one of the monitors made her pause, a wave of anxiety courses through her body. She would not let it show though, presenting herself as the poster child of levelheadedness. She swallows hard as she walks closer to the monitor, crouching down beside the agent overlooking the incoming report. 

Her chest tightened when she saw you were still M.I.A. “What’s the status of the search and rescue?” Maria asks, subtly clenching her jaw as she stares at your picture. 

“It’s been slow, only about 31% of missing agents have been recovered, both dead and alive,” the agent, a short blonde, reported somberly, “There’s a lot of ground to cover and there are not enough teams available to work the mission.”

“Keep me updated,” Maria told the agent as she rose from her crouched position, “I want any and all new developments sent to my datapad.” 

“Yes, Commander.”

Maria returned to her position overseeing the main deck. She stared back down at the Main Deck Data Panels, overlooking the Helicarrier’s systems, routing ground teams for the search of Barton and setting up preparations for the Director’s team. Despite her attempts to focus on the influx of reports on Barton, Loki, and the status of Fury’s team, her mind would wonder and think of you. You, trapped under the rubble in the Jeep. You, potentially hurt. Potentially dead. A cold dread settled over chest as those thoughts consumed her mind.    

She stared down at the datapad, switching over to read the names of agents recovered from the facility.

Rodriguez, Vivian, M.I.A.

Porter, William, M.I.A.

Fitzgerald, Liliam, K.I.A.

Harris, Augustus, M.I.A.

Greene, Emiliano, Recovered.

She did not know what was worse, the fact that she had still not found your name on the list, or finding it and potentially reading K.I.A. The longer you went without being found, the less likely it would be a rescue and more of a recovery mission. She pushes the thought away. You will be fine. You are alive. You have to be.

“Commander,” Fury’s booming voice startles her out of her thoughts. 

“Yes, sir?” she asks, her voice firm, hiding having been caught off focus. She had not been informed that the Director had already returned to the Helicarrier. 

“Any progress on the Tesseract or Loki?” he asked, his voice stern. 

“Nothing yet, nothing has been reported on the ground and the techs are still in process of tapping all wireless cameras,” Hill reports as she looks up from her datapad.

“What about the rescue at the facility?”

“33% of agents have been rescued. About 12% of those have been found dead, but that statistic is slowly rising.”

The Director gave no reaction other than taking a deep breath. He raised his head slightly and his face remained neutral.

“Sir, due to those statistics, I want to reassign a few teams to aid in the search and rescue mission,” she states firmly. She held her head high and her posture straight. For a second, your face flashed in her mind and her heart sank a little deeper in her chest.

She was not doing it just for you. It was also for all the agents still trapped under the rubble and them being able to continue living their lives. That is what she was telling herself at least, feeling slightly guilty of the selfish part of her that was focused on you, and only you. Yet, for all she knew, you might already be dead. 

The thought made her stomach churn uncomfortably. She did not want to picture you trapped in those tunnels, crushed under the weight of an entire building. A heavy feeling made her heart sink to her stomach. Was there something she could have done to avoid this?

“Pull the remaining S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. team and reassign them to the search and rescue, but that is all I can afford to compromise.” 

“Yes, sir,” A wave of relief momentarily soothed the drowning feeling in her heart. She began to walk away, to give the new orders before Fury called out for her once more.

“And Hill? I need you here,” Fury gives her a pointed, knowing look. The look made her somewhat nervous, but she nonetheless acknowledged him with a sharp nod, before returning to her position and reassigning the rest of your team for the search and rescue.

May 3rd, 20:37 hrs, 42 hours later…

Maria’s feet dragged her to her quarters, having been relieved of duty about ten minutes earlier. The last twelve hours had been rough, but the search for Loki had finally paid off. He was located at a gala in Stuttgart, Germany and Fury’s assembled team for the Avengers Initiative had just been dispatched to retrieve the Trickster god.

Her eyes were heavy with sleep and despite having just gotten off duty, her job was not quite done. She sat on top of her cot, her datapad in hand as she watched the stream of recent mission reports and updates on Barton and Loki. After reading those, she began looking through the recovery list, dread settling in her stomach once more. She scrolled through hundreds of agents' names, the status pinned right beside them.

Smith, Jonathan, K.I.A.

Badillo, Sarah, K.I.A.

Sullivan, Nina, K.I.A.

Pruny, Charlie, Recovered

Barrett, Daniel, K.I.A.

Maria swallowed hard as she continued to read the names of both fallen and recovered agents. She knows this is what happens in this line of work. She knows that as much as S.H.I.E.L.D. invests in making sure their agents come back safe, it is not a guarantee and that casualties are not something that can be avoided. There was still a lingering feeling of guilt and profound sorrow, knowing that not everyone gets to come back.

She rubs her eyes, trying to stave off the tiredness that settled into her bones. Your name has still not popped up on any of the reports, you are still missing. The sick feeling she had become well acquainted with returned. 

You cannot be dead. She refuses to believe that. Your last meeting replayed in her head. The disappointment and frustration in your eyes were burned into her mind. Your ultimatum rang inside her head.

Your face would appear every time she closed her eyes. She longed to see your smile again. For your eyes to sparkle with mischief, to feel your warm hand in hers. She wants to hear you laugh at a stupid joke. She missed the sound of your voice, the curve of your nose, the quirk of your lips. She missed you. She cannot lose you, not now, not yet. She loved you, you didn’t know that she lo–

Oh. Oh.

She was in love with you. 

The realization hit her like a bullet to the chest. She was in love with you. She had been so caught up in her job, so caught up in her own responsibilities, she never once realized how her own feelings had changed towards you. Part of her felt like a hypocrite. She had called you out on the near imperceivable changes in your behavior, but she had not realized how her own feelings had changed. How did she not realize it before?

She tries to think back to the last time she felt this way about someone. Has she ever felt that way before? She remembered her past relationships, having crushes and a bit of infatuation, but those had never developed into love.

She had always been married to her job. When she first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., she worked tirelessly to prove her worth as an agent. She rose through the ranks through hard and consistent work, becoming quite a formidable agent. She knew not everyone was on board with the Director’s pick of Second in Command. She did not mind it though, she had nothing to prove to those who disapproved. She knew she was always damn good at her job.

Perhaps that is why she did not realize her feelings before. Maybe that is why she had unfairly pushed you away. She leaned her head against the wall behind her, the horrid, guilty feeling coming back with an unyielding vengeance.

Why did she realize her feelings now? Why not before? Why did you have to be trapped under the damn tunnels, potentially dead? Why has no one found you yet? Why can’t she be there, searching for you herself?

She takes deep, even breaths as she works herself up again. No, she cannot afford that right now. You can’t be dead. She’s holding onto the hope that you are not dead.

She looks down at her datapad once more, a new set of agent names scrolling upwards.

Maguire, Christian, Recovered

Duque, Cristina, Recovered

Taylor, Rosa, K.I.A.

Buchi, Mamelu, Recovered

Bennett, Adrian, K.I.A.

Her heart stops as she spots your name. Her hands shook as she stared down at your status.

Recovered

A relieved laugh escapes her involuntarily. You are alive. You are still alive. The report said that you were in critical condition and were en route to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Centrum based in Nevada. She needed to see you.

The relief that had soothed her anxiety is short lived as she realizes she cannot leave yet. Her duties, responsibilities and the current state of the emergency the world finds itself in would not allow her to be with you at the moment. ‘I need you here,’ Fury’s voice reverberated in her head. She sighs deeply in frustration, guilt and relief playing tug-of-war with her heart. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispers quietly as she stares down at your profile. 

May 4th, 15:24 hrs, 61 hours later…

“Oh, and uh, as for the matter that’s not in question? Where you morons tried to nuke New York? Well, that’s on the record. As in we recorded it. We do that. We’re S.H.I.E.L.D.,” silence hung between all the council members as Maria continued. The council members would not look at her, the shame of their decision hanging over them.

“So, if you’re thinking about coming after Nick Fury, ever,” she emphasizes the last word as her fingers work the control panel to open the privacy door of the Helicarrier’s main deck, “Think really, really hard.” 

With a pointed look and a victorious smirk, she turns off the screen before rejoining the main deck.

“How did that go?” Fury approached beside her shortly after. 

“Sold you down the river, sir. You should have your job within the month,” she replied as she began overlooking the Main Deck Data Panels. 

“Good work,” he says before continuing, “you should maybe ask for a chair.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she says with an amused smile. She falters briefly though, as the Avengers make their way into her mind. 

“Sir, how does it work now? They’ve gone their separate ways. Some, pretty extremely far,” she walked alongside Fury as they made their way towards the large windows that oversaw the outside of the Helicarrier. She had had no faith in the Avengers Initiative. How did such a disjointed group with such different backgrounds ever function as a team? Who was to say they could do it again? “If we get into a situation like this again, what happens then?”

“They’ll come back,” he replies as if it were the simplest truth in the world.

“Are you really sure about that?” She did not quite know how his faith in this group could be so unwavering, especially after witnessing all their arguments before and during the recent battle. 

“I am,” he answers once again as if it were the easiest question on Earth.

“Why?” she asked earnestly. 

“Because we’ll need them to.”

A silent understanding passed between them as they overlooked the outside of the Helicarrier, agents running along the aviation runway. It was there that she understood that it was a play of faith. What had consistently carried the Avengers team was Fury’s belief in them, individually in each of them as well as in a group. It is that very same belief that would bring them together if any other event were to occur. 

            She takes a deep breath, her thoughts wondering to you once more. She has not been able to follow up on your status with everything that had happened since early that morning. A naive part of her wondered if maybe her belief that you would be okay had anything to do with your survival. 

Silence hung between both Director and Commander for a few moments. “Don’t you have somewhere to be, Agent Hill?” Fury asks suddenly, turning his head towards her and eyed her knowingly. 

“Sir?” Maria asks, startled. Did he know? How did he find out? Perhaps she had not hidden her emotions as masterfully as she thought. Perhaps they would both be in trouble for the duration of the month.

“Go, we’ll talk about this later,” his voice was stern, but it did not match his soft expression.

“Thank you, sir,” she replies in a similar tone, but a ghost of a smile makes its way onto her lips. She leaves his side and hurriedly leaves the main deck.

Fury watched his Second in Command walk away. With a small smile, he approved the take-off of a Quinjet heading for Nevada. 

May 4th, 20:12 hrs, 66 hours later…

Maria had not been allowed to see you for the first 2 hours since arriving at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Trauma Centrum in Nevada. She had to argue her way into seeing you, having been told that only spouses and family would be allowed to enter. She was successful in the end, though, having pulled her rank into the conversation. She was not entirely proud of it, but it got her in and that is all she cared about.

Eventually, she was able to meet with one of your doctors. She informed Maria that your next of kin had been notified of your current state. The doctor also explained your injuries and the status of your treatment. Several of your ribs had been broken, you had a punctured lung, a dislocated shoulder, and had suffered a concussion. One of your arms was shattered and it had been a miracle they did not have to amputate. Maria was both surprised and relieved your injuries were not more extensive. You have still not woken up since arriving at the Centrum.

She was allowed into your room shortly after the meeting with the doctor. Your non-dominant arm was covered in a white cast. The side of your face was heavily bruised and slightly swollen. Other bruises, stitched cuts and patched-up scrapes littered your face, arms and chest. You were paler than usual, and your eyes were slightly sunken. 

Maria swallowed hard as she took in the sight of you. It was hard to see you in such a state. She approached your bed slowly, as if moving too quickly would make you disappear. A soft beeping was the only sound in the room, aside from the gentle buzz of the air vents. 

She sat at your bedside, watching as your chest rose and fell, slow, steady breaths leaving you. It was the most beautiful sound she had heard in the last few days. She took your uninjured hand in hers, the coldness of your fingertips sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. She did not let go though, as she began to gently stroke the top of your hand with her thumb. You were here. You would be okay. She shifted around in the hospital chair in attempts to get comfortable, exhaustion of the past few days finally reaching her. She continued to hold your hand as she began to feel the lull of sleep calling her. 

She woke up when she felt you squeeze her hand ever so gently. Her eyes fluttered open, her body demanding sleep but her heart demanding to see you. Maria first saw her hand in yours and she raised her head to see you. Your eyes met hers, a lazy smile spreading over your lips. She smiled back as she took you in. Your eyes were droopy and slightly red. It was clear you were desperately fighting off sleep.

“Hey,” Maria whispered, running her thumb over the top of your hand soothingly.

“Hey,” you whispered back. Your voice was hoarse and thick with sleep, your eyes fluttering open and close.

“How are you feeling?” Maria asked worriedly.

“I’m tired,” you reply breathlessly, giving her a small, playful smile. Maria smiles back, raising her hand to rest beside your head, and begins to gently stroke your cheek. You lean into her touch, your eyes beginning to droop shut.

“Rest,” she commands softly. You continue to fight off sleep, struggling to open your eyes to stare back into hers. “No,” you whine softly, “I don’t want you to go away.”

“I won’t go away,” Maria replied, a pang of sympathy and guilt spreading in her chest. “Promise?” your eyes begin to close against your will once more. 

“I promise.” 

You continued to struggle against sleep for about a minute before slipping back into unconsciousness. Maria continued to stroke your cheek soothingly, watching your chest rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern. You were here, you were alive. Her hand found yours once more as she laid her head on the bed.

 “I won’t go away,” she repeated quietly as she watched you for a while longer, eventually falling asleep once more.

You were still asleep by the time she woke up again a few hours later. She sat up in her seat, her back popping and cracking as she did, a dull ache having settled throughout her body. She rolled her shoulders in attempts to loosen up her muscles as she walked towards the bathroom, hoping to quickly freshen up.

She notices you shifting in your bed as she quietly steps back into the room, your head lifting up when you notice her. You adjusted yourself to sit up on the bed, a pained wince decorating your features as you did. “Hey, hey, be careful,” Maria scolded, her tone soft and gentle, as she approached your bedside, “You’ve been out for a few days. How are you feeling?”

“I’m better. Less tired,” you reply, your voice cracking as you speak, before giving her a lazy smile. 

Maria cannot help but smile back at you, “That’s good to hear. Do you need anything?” You shake your head gently before resting your head against your pillow, your eyes fluttering shut for a few seconds.  

“You’re hurt,” you ask as you notice the stitches at the side of her brow.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m okay,” Maria replies as she sits beside you once more. She placed her hand on the bed, inches away from yours. 

You take her in. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she no longer wore her S.H.I.E.L.D. suit, instead wore a spare physical training uniform. Her eyes were tired, darkened bags hanging under her eyes. Bruises and small cuts littered her arms as well. Despite this, she held a small, unwavering smile.

Silence settled over the both of you for a few minutes. There was a far-off look to you, your eyes holding a mixture of guilt, worry and fear. Maria sighed quietly, guessing what you might be thinking about. 

“Did… did my team…?” your voice was quiet and pleading. Your eyes did not meet hers, fearing her expression would give away the answer before her lips could.

“Agent Bennett… he didn’t make it, sweetheart,” she says sympathetically, the soft, gentle tone never leaving her voice, “I’m sorry.”

A pained sigh escaped your lips as your eyes began to water. He had a son, one who had been living at the facility with him before everything went to hell. The boy had been evacuated at the beginning of the emergency. But now his father…

“And the rest?” you ask shakily.             “Harris, William and Parker made it out unscathed. Garcia was treated for minor injuries and is approved to return to her usual duties,” she answered in the same soft tone, offering you a sad smile. 

A few tears escaped your eyes, a mixture of sadness for your fallen friend and the relief of knowing the rest of your team had made it out. Maria had inched her hand closer, her fingers ghosting over yours. She gently held your hand when you didn’t pull away, giving it a soft squeeze and returning to stroke the top of your hand with her thumb.

            “So, um,” you begin to speak after a while, your voice still shaky and unsteady, “what-what did I miss?”

Maria knew you wanted to distract yourself from the news of the passing of your friend. She offered you a sad smile and a gentle squeeze of your hand before beginning to tell you about the last two days. From gathering the Avengers, to the loss of Agent Coulson, to the Hulk rampaging in the Helicarrier, to the battle of New York. You listened as intently as you could, the thought of your dead friend still hung in the forefront of your mind. 

Silence hung between the both of you for several minutes after Maria told you what you had missed. Her presence here confused you. She kept her promise, she stayed, but that surprised you. Why was she here? S.H.I.E.L.D. was dealing with the aftermath of an alien attack, yet she was sitting beside you, comforting you. The state in which your relationship currently stood does not warrant this, so why was she choosing to be here?

“Maria?” you ask tentatively. She looked into your eyes at the mention of her name. You swallowed down the bubble of fear that formed at the pit of your stomach, “What are we?”

The words said were just barely louder than the medical equipment in the room. Your gaze fell to your hands, watching as you twiddled with your thumbs. 

You suddenly feel her warm hand cup your cheek, gently guiding you to look at her. Her eyes held an earnest, vulnerable look, one that captured your heart and attention. “I thought I lost you, when you were trapped in the tunnels,” the sincerity in her voice almost caught you off guard, “and that scared me more than anything else.”

She squeezed your hand gently, as if to emphasize her point. The vulnerability in her eyes and her voice were something you had never been privy to before, and part of you almost doesn’t know how to react to it. 

“Even an alien invasion?” you give her a weak smile, while also mentally kicking yourself. This was not the moment for you to be making dumb jokes. Maria takes it in stride though, as she gives you an amused smile, “Yes, even an alien invasion.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you into making a decision you weren’t ready to make. I know how important your job is to you, and…” you apologize, your eyes falling to your hands once more.

“No, I’m sorry for pushing you away,” Maria does not want to hear your apologies. You have nothing to apologize for. All she wanted was you, she knew that now. “I… guess I hadn’t realized I had fallen in love with you, and those feelings scared me.”

Your eyes open wide at her confession as you raise your head to look at her, “You-you what?”

Maria’s eyes widened as well, not having realized what she admitted. For a brief moment of panic, she wanted to take it back. Maybe you were not in that place yet. But she reigns herself in and pushes that feeling away, before taking a deep breath and looking at you straight in the eye. She whispers your name oh so gently and lovingly, “I love you.”

A mixture of emotions, good and bad, swirled in her ocean-colored eyes like a storm. She was laying out the most vulnerable parts of herself to you, allowing herself to drop the emotional walls she had built around herself, letting you see how much she cared for you, letting you know she had fallen for you the way you fell for her.

“I love you, too,” you say softly, almost breathlessly. A quiet laugh escapes you as you say those words. You see as relief and pure joy fills her expression. She joins your laugh as she gently holds your face in her hands.

She leaned over you, capturing your lips in a soft kiss. A warm feeling erupted in your chest, a childlike glee overtaking you. Your lips moved in tandem with each other, following a familiar rhythm. Even so, this kiss felt different, it felt renewed and exciting and right. 

You deepened the kiss, placing your hand behind her neck, your fingers getting lost in her hair. That was until you pulled away to gasp for air, your lung capacity not quite what it used to be. She leaned her head against yours, a soft chuckle escaping her.

“Cheeky,” she whispered, her hot breath hitting against your face.

“Can you blame me?” you replied with a mischievous smile.

The door opened suddenly, revealing two nurses. Maria pulled away from you to look at the door, all parties in the room momentarily freezing as the intimate moment was interrupted. Neither you nor Maria had realized until now that your heart monitor had begun beeping rapidly, despite how loud it typically is. Your cheeks felt warm as you looked between Maria and the nurses.

“We heard the monitor– we’ll-we’ll come back later,” one of the nurses said sheepishly. “Sorry for interrupting, go on,” the other one said as they both stepped out.

Soft giggles escaped your lips once the door closed. Maria looked down at you, as she began to laugh, too. She begins to gently brush the hair on the top of your head. You rested your head against your pillow as you looked up at Maria lovingly. 

Maria sends you a big smile, the ones that showed pure love and happiness. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of joy and relief and pure adoration. After days of the awful sinking feeling in her chest and the uncomfortable churning in her stomach, there was finally a lightness in her heart.

She leaned over you, placing a soft kiss on your lips once more.

[marvellousgifs]

Maria Hill in THE AVENGERS (2012)

[orangepawn39]

@itzzaira @tmnt-fandom-family-reunion @banana-pancake5 (cabin 11 donnie) (he is so important for this little story :3)

The first part of this

Explosion context

The next part???

The next next part

I know this is from the last event but i just didn't have the time to finish other things so sorry if its too late to post it (i think i doesn't count as a point for our cabin but just wanted to post it)

[gregdotorg]

In 2012 two Swedish conceptual artists commissioned a confidential art investment analysis from renowned art adviser Thea Westreich, which was sealed in a box, Wu Tang Clan album-style, to be opened only for the enlightenment and financial benefit of the collector who bought it.

Well, now Goldin + Senneby/Westreich's Abstract Possible: An Investment Portrait, is being resold, and it looks like the seal has yet to be broken. Does that mean the next buyer would be the art work's Martin Shkreli, its PleasrDAO, or both?

[issuedsideways]

jc leyendecker clothing study but make it howard and maria stark

the way he painted clothing folds was just so gorgeous i had to try my hand at copying them. this was ridiculously hard but oh my god, really fun.

original ⤵

this man was so talented. oh my god the nuance in his colors

[quietlyimplode]

the language of flowers and silent things

Whumptober 2023: Day 22 - Watch Out

Warnings: words said in anger, grief, depression

Word Count: 1.6k (gif not mine)

Summary: Clint recovers from the fallout of the Avengers.

A/N: <3

Masterlist

Whumptober Masterlist

.

2012

NEW YORK

“Get up,” Natasha tells him, the level of despondency irritating her.

She hasn’t left him alone, and whilst she understands this depression, she can’t understand the lack of self preservation that comes with it.

He hasn’t eaten, drunk water only when she’s told him too, and barely got out of bed.

He raises his head and looks at her in a pout.

“Not today,” he says, his voice crackling.

“Today is the day we meet with Fury,” she replies, pointing to the calendar.

“No,” he sighs, “go without me,”

She rips the sheets off him, and pushes a coffee into his hands.

“There’s no, “go without me”, not for this, this is Fury giving you grace, and now you have to deal with the mindfuck that was Loki.”

Clint looks at her betrayed.

“Don’t say his name,” he says angrily.

“Why? It shouldn’t matter, he’s done, he’s gone, we won, we didn’t die.”

“Yeah cause that’s exactly how you responded when you killed Dreykov,” he retorts, meanly.

“What?”

The words feel scathing and Clint can’t seem to stop them.

“Don’t you remember? You couldn’t even make it out of Budapest, you had the nightmares, you couldn’t function without help either.”

“You dissociate and can’t cope and I take it on, but when it turns the other way and I need time to not be in the world, you force it on me.”

He feels his face grow hot as he throws words at her.

“You were compromised, just like I am, and I protected you through it, and now, you can’t even do this. Some partner you turned out to be.”

He pulls the covers over himself and turns his back on her.

She feels anger, and then sadness roll over her.

“Phil would tell you to get up,” she says, a parting shot that makes him feel like shit.

He’s right of course, but she never thought that period of time would ever be used against her as a weapon.

Grabbing her jacket, she leaves, slamming the door behind her.

.

Entering Shield by herself, she feels eyes watching. They can’t kill her with looks, but the judgement still feels hurtful. Much like when she first defected the label of double agent plagued her.

Small hurts like changing the temperature of her room, stalking her, taunting her, all protected by Clint and Maria.

It makes Clint’s words hurt all the more.

She seeks Maria, knowing she’ll be close to Fury, and finding her way to the offices of Shield, hoping for privacy.

As she passes the empty office of Agent Phil Coulson, she pauses to touch the door.

Grief floods her, as she hold back the emotion, biting hard on her lip. The arrays of bouquets that line the door makes everything more real.

She hates him a little for making her face this alone, despite the difficulties he’s facing.

Natasha moves forward, hoping Maria is actually in her office, and finding the door slightly open.

Maria looks up.

“Nat,” she says, a tone of surprise.

“Where’s Clint? He has a meeting with Fury in twenty minutes,” she says quickly.

“Can I…” she sighs and stops.

“Clint’s not coming, I can’t get him out of bed, let alone out of the apartment,” she confesses.

Maria stops and watches Natasha.

“What?”

She calls through to Fury and cancels the meeting, and tells him she’s going to handle the debrief; then grabbing her jacket, she ushers Natasha out of the room.

“Come on,” she says, to Natasha. “Let’s go see the boy.”

.

“He said what?”

Maria breaks hard, almost rear ending the car in front.

“Nothing,” Natasha mumbles.

“Nat, that’s mean, he was mean, he has no right to judge you on how you reacted from defecting from your country, killing a man who tortured you and your coping mechanisms.”

Natasha stares out the window.

“I’m judging him on how he’s coping, and how long it’s taking him to reach equilibrium,” she sighs.

“You can reason this out all you want but what he said was mean, you didn’t do anything wrong and probably, you’re one that’s been protecting him from almost everything. You even took on Fury to negotiate more time. Nat, he shouldn’t have said what he said.”

Natasha continues to stare out the window, feeling emotions pulse through her as she knows that Maria is right.

“I don’t think I want to go back,” she confesses, sucking in a stuttering breath at the admission.

Selfishly she feels, she makes a decision based on what she wants and how she feels; not wanting to face Clint or his anger again.

Maria nods.

“I’ll go, I’ve got him for a bit, is there somewhere you want to go?”

Natasha wants to be alone.

“Just drop me at Grand Central Station,” she asks, knowing exactly where she wants to go.

.

Natasha loves the view from the Grand Central Station, finds it calming to watch the people milling around from tourist to regular New Yorkers.

Even aliens could stop this place, though the marks of damage still show.

They’d tried, she thinks, to fix what they could.

She finds a seat, opens her sandwich and sits and eats, letting the noises wash over her.

She analyses the old man’s gait, determining a hip injury, an old one it seems, then turns her attention to a young woman; stylish in her heels as she stalks across the station.

Two men clasp hands in greeting and walk off together, one animatedly talking to the other as he explained something Natasha couldn’t hear.

Natasha puts in headphones, no music attached, and watches the world.

It feels different here; maybe because so much has happened but still the place functions as though it hasn’t.

Maybe that’s her downfall.

She’s trying to function with Clint as though nothing has happened, trying to make him move past it like it never happened.

But it has.

People died at Clint’s hand.

Phil died trying to protect them all.

Clint lost control of himself.

And, she supposed, they were Avengers now.

Even their jobs had changed in the space of hours.

She sighs, rubbing her eyes in frustration and grief.

The clock alerts her to the later hour as the amount of people dwindles. Past 6pm, she realises that she’d left Clint with Maria for over 10 hours and guilt builds in her chest.

She stands abruptly, making her way for the door.

“Watch out!” the lady calls, her son barreling straight into Natasha’s leg.

He bounces off her and starts to cry.

Natasha squats and looks at the little boy, offering her hand to help him up.

The mother catches up to him and apologizes profusely.

“He moves with such haste, and never watches where he’s going.”

Natasha smiles, though watery she pulls herself together to wave it off.

The boy, still crying turns to his mother.

“Can I show you something?

She uses Clint’s favourite trick and pulls a coin from his ear, and in doing so, it gives her an idea.

The little boy stops crying, and she does it again.

Even the mother is smiling.

“Thank you—“ the woman starts, “wait— are you? Are you the Black Widow?”

The words and the name feel jarring out of the woman’s mouth, and the little boys eyes go wide.

“Do you know Iron Man?” he asks.

The woman shushes him, and grabs for Natasha’s hand.

“Thank you,” she says, “my brother was on the bus that Hawkeye saved and got the people out of.”

Natasha nods.

“I’ll let him know,” she smiles.

Moving away, Natasha pushes down the anxiety of being recognised and heads home, with an idea and a story to tell Clint.

.

The takeaway sits on the bench, as she moves into the apartment, nervous if there’s any more vitriol she’s going to walk into.

Finding him showered, clothes changed and sitting upright, Clint stands as she walks in.

“I’m sorry,” he opens.

“I shouldn’t have said the things I did, and I don’t know why I did,” he confesses.

“I’m aware I haven’t… been at my best, but the last few months have been hard. I know it’s no excuse, I know, I need to do better but—“

“It’s hard,” Natasha finishes.

“Yeah,” he finishes.

She nods.

“Come and eat something,” she offers, and walking back out to the kitchen, and pulling the food out of the bag.

“I think you’re doing better,” she comments, “but I think we need a project. Do you remember when you taught me the coin magic trick? I think we need to learn something new.”

He shakes his head.

“I don’t…”

She nods, “I’m going to teach you some Russian. Better Russian.”

He almost chokes on his food.

“It’s going to help,” she says confidently.

“Maria’s mandated therapy weekly,” he confesses.

“I know, she told me,” Natasha replies.

“I have to go in tomorrow,” he tells her, playing with the food.

“Do you want me to come?”

Natasha still feels the sting of the words from the morning but seeing him trying so hard when the day before he’d done nothing, lessens the hurt a little.

He nods.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” he says again.

“Vsyo v poryadke,” she replies.

He stares.

“Everything is in order, it is okay,” she reassured him, even though she’s not sure, even if she’s worried about the future, even about the hurt he can cause her and just how compromised she is by this relationship.

He drops his chopsticks and moves to her seat.

“Ya tyebya lyublyu,” he says softly.

“I love you too,” she replies.

.

[majestativa]

My torment always was to wait motionless at the crossroads.

— Tiziano Broggiato, Against the Light, transl by Patricia Hanley & Maria Laura Mosco, (2012)

[p1325]

[itzzaira]

Missing cabin mate - tmnt fandom family reunion

A short story for the tmnt fandom family reunion ^^

Note: some au's are mentioned in the beginning because Michelangelo was happy to have met them, those are not mine. They're the au's my turtles met earlier and belong to those people respectfully. (Links to the meetings below)

Meeting the kitties!

"We're superheroes now?!"

...There's Krang here?

Meeting Donnie from cabin 11

Maria! :D

2012 turtles: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello & Michelangelo

Rise turtles: Leo, Raph, Donnie & Mikey

@tmnt-fandom-family-reunion @orangepawn39

----------------

Michelangelo was having a blast.

Ever since he had ended up at this camp, he met so many people! There were versions of them that were cats! And some other version of him with superpowers! Or the versions of him that had their own cats and let Kitty play with them, oh everyone here was so nice! He hoped his brothers were having fun too.

But now, his dear cat was melting again. Even with the help from the other Leo who helped him- freeze? Make her colder? Michelangelo had been too busy being excited about meeting a real life superhero- she had been out for far too long. Ice Cream Kitty had lost her energy once more, now laying quietly in her bowl, looking around and meowing sometimes when she regonized someone who passed by. Yeah. Time to put her in her freezer. And maybe get something eat- he was hungry.

He smiled once he saw their cabin- a blue cabin with the number 10 on it- but it looked different from the last time he saw it.

Now, it was also decorated with a big, sparkly banner that reminded him of the night sky, with the name The Besties on it.

...

His smile widened.

Oh he loved this place!

So their cabinmates must have picked out a good name- he hadn't met their cabin mates yet!

...Wait, no, he did. Some of them anyway. The one with his future self and the kid called... Maria! Yes, Maria. Kitty had liked them a lot. But surely that couldn't be all?

He knocked on the door, and stepped inside- aaaaand Donnie was clinging to his Raph looking as if he had spotted a ghost. Wonderful.

"Is he okay?" His smile fell at once, and even Kitty meowed worriedly, stretching her paws. But she let them fall. She felt too weak.

"A heads-up for you too." Leonardo took Kitty from his hands at once, moving to the fridge to put her in the freezer. They had been gone all day, after all. "Apperantly Krang has counterparts too."

Michelangelo turned a few shades paler. "...They do?"

"She was really nice!" Donatello huffed, before sighing. "...However my counterpart, not realizing it wasn't their Krang, had a panic attack the moment he spotted her."

"...Ah, geez."

"S'mores can cheer him up? Donnie likes s'mores!" Mikey appeared out of nowhere, smiling brightly- aaaand he was falling over. Michelangelo caught him at once. Then grinned.

"Hey, mini-me."

"This version of Donnie from cabin 11 gave us a guide on how to make the perfect s'mores'!" Mikey's tail was wagging and his eyes were sparkling, despite looking a bit sickly. "He was really nice!"

Donnie quietly held onto Raph tighter. The snapper patted his back.

"...Is it just us here?" Michelangelo looked around- only now noticing how empty it was. And the amount of beds. Those... were a lot of beds.

"Ah- yeah. Haven't met anyone from our cabin yet- other than this old me!" The box turtle smiled before that smile fell. "... Apparently his friend is missing."

Old him... oh! The mystic one. Did Mikey even know that was him from the future-? Michelangelo decided not to think about it. "Missing?"

"Yeah! The little turtle- ah... Maria?"

...Oh boy. Michelangelo gently set the box turtle on the nearest bed. His counterpart thanked him, then collapsed backward. "What happened?"

"Dunno, he was panicking- Leo and Raphael went out to help. Mikey wanted to but can't get up, Raph and Donnie are stuck and I'm here to be the emotional support."

"You? The emotional support?" Michelangelo teased, poking their fearless leader's shell. Leonardo winced but pushed him off.

"Oh don't be so surprised."

"What is Don doing here then-?"

"I wanted to go." Donatello crossed his arms and huffed. "But apparently my shell phone ran out of battery. I'm waiting for it to charge so that if someone gets lost, I can track them back."

"...Well- I'm going then!"

"You've been outside all day-"

"-If someone needs help, I'm helping." Michelangelo gently pushed Leonardo down, and ran to grab a bottle of water- but only now realized... his big brother was wearing a Besties T-shirt. They got T-shirts? And didn't tell him?!

In fact... Mikey was wearing one too! Raph just had a bracelet, considering he didn't fit into the shirts. Neither Donnie's wore one though.

Seeing where he was looking, the leader in blue rolled his eyes. "Yes, you can have a T-shirt."

He smiled again. "Did Maria have one?"

"Not that we know of-"

"Then I'm taking one for her too."

"...Mikey." Leonardo's eyes fell on the other turtle's shoulders- bandaged up and hurt- but Michelangelo waved him off.

"Oh, please, we'll find her in no time!" He said as he grabbed a T-shirt handed to him, winced when the fabric brushed over his injuries, but ignored the sting as he pulled the shirt down. "Everyone here has been so nice, and there is no danger here! What could go wrong?"

The next part

[holmesoldfellow]

"Le avventure di Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and edited by Maria Catia Sampaolesi (La Spiga, 2012)

[tina-aumont]

"A nuestro primito Armando con profundo cariño"...

This beautiful sentence (to our Cousin Armando with deep love) was written to Armando Gracia Sanfiel (1913-1997), María's cousin who lived in Madrid, he was the son of Aquilino Gracia García. Aquilino was Isidoro's younger brother.

Here you have a photo of Aquilino that was on display at "María Montez, de la Palma a Hollywood" exhibit held in Garafia and La Palma back in 2012 to celebrate María Montez' birth centenary.

This photo is courtesy of "Cabildo de la Palma", the governing and administrative body of La Palma and had been shared to me by my friend @74paris.

Aquilino was Antonio Gracia Sanfiel's dad, he was born on January 3rd 1875 and he migrated to Cuba and established himself as a cigar maker, and upon his return to Garafía he was elected Mayor. He married Graciliana Sanfiel, and had María, América, Armando, Isidoro, Aquilino and Lisandro Gracia Sanfiel as children.

Maria Montez kept a writing correspondence with her cousin Armando, who lived in Madrid. In these letters, María appears simple, close, communicative and curious about her relatives in Spain, coinciding with the moment in which she was already at the peak of her film career.

These letters were in Armando Gracia Santamaría personal archives (he was Armando Gracia Sanfiel's son) and he shared them to researcher and historian Maria Victória Hernández.

My friend @74paris went to "María Montez, de la Palma a Hollywood" exhibition and saw the letters displayed there, and he contacted "Cabildo de la Palma" governing administration and I will add the transcription to some of them here in this site.

I would like to display the letters here under the title "A nuestro primito Armando" since I find it's a very touching and beautiful sentence and under the very same tag we will find the correspondence Maria and her sisters kept with Armando. It's beautiful to know that although Maria and Armando never met, Teresita did in 1952 when she travelled to Spain to work in the film industry.

I hope you like all the posts displayed here, as I'm sure they will be very touching and we will meet the personal side of Maria.

Thank you very much!!

Eleni xoxoxo

[jackiequick]

— What If Jason stayed with House Stark? [ Agent Carter Fic]

Pairing: Howard Stark & Jason Underwood, Jason Underwood & Maria Stark, Howard Stark x Maria Stark

Characters mentioned: Tony Stark, Edwin Jarvis, Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Nick Fury, Ana Jarvis, Peggy Carter and Darcy Lewis

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Agent Carter

Summary: Jason and Howard had a falling out, both wanting different things and never getting to apologize for their actions. In result, it broke down the family they created for themselves, but what if they didn’t? What if they were able to see Tony grow up and continue work at SHIELD?

Setting: Post-Agent Carter, Pre Iron Man and during the first Iron Man

Warning: Fluff, Angst, and hinting to future MCU projects down the line

Click here to see the previous work

——

It hurts. The painful thing about that agreement was there it felt like a little thread was snapped off. They say a break up between you and a girlfriend is hard, but of a friendship? That feels like worsening a open wound.

It’s been days now.

He was at Jarvis’s house in a guest room unpacking up his things and on the phone with his nephew, Tony, to make sure they were still up for a ride to the park. Even if Howard nor himself didn’t want to see each other’s face, still didn’t mean he wasn’t going to speak with his friend and nephew.

He felt bad lying to his kid, saying that he was just going on a break from the house and a small mission afterwards. But he knew he was saving young Tony from heartbreak, hoping things can return back to the way it was.

“So buddy, what else did you do today?” Jason asked into the phone, with a loopy grin hearing his voice.

“Ohh! Me and mommy went to the beach! I made a sandcastle.” Tony said with so much enthusiasm in his voice.

~~~

Downstairs in the workshop center stood two chairs, one empty and the other being occupied by the man of the house. He was tinkering on an old set of equipment and replacing a few tapes from earlier that week.

His mind was running miles a minute, chewing the lower edge of his lips and running a hand across his hair. He couldn’t focused.

He hate to admit but he felt like a missing piece wasn’t clear.

“Howard?”

A voice called out his name. Looking up from his spot at the desk to glance over at the voice. There stood in the doorway listening was his wife. Her blonde curls looked more like waves, as her eyes gently lightened by shiny lights from the hallway.

“Hm?” He responded back, waving for her to come over.

She sat down gently on his lap, running a finger underneath his deep chocolate brown curls.

“Are you coming to bed anytime soon?” Asked Maria with a soften smile.

“Ohhh. Oh um, yeah sure…just trying to crack this..” Howard replies softly with a sad smile that he couldn’t hide from his wife.

“The equation or JJ?”

“What about JJ?”

“Don’t play dumb, Howard..”

He sighed, “…what do you want me to say? Admit that i was harsh on him? That he was right?”

“I think you know the answer to that, honey.” Maria simply replies.

Howard knew that he missed up. They both did. But he’s too much of a mess, to point out the narrative of the situation. He let his friend walk out that door after saying he doesn’t want to ever see him again. To get out of his life. He should’ve stopped him before he left the house.

Jason will always be there for him. But will he forgive him after this?

“I should’ve stopped him..” Howard admitted softly, it came out as a whisper.

“Why didn’t you?” Maria questioned his actions, already knowing the response.

“..I couldn’t admit that he was right. I knew he wouldn’t listen after what i said…”

“You will figure it out.”

“Where is he now?”

“At Jarvis’s house. Be told me he will be moving back to New York soon…”

~~~~

That same weekend, the pair kept crossing over one another at work. Neither one said a word, only a short simple nod to acknowledge one another’s presence in the room. It felt like a headache was coming, this pinging reminder of what happened.

Jason didn’t bother looking at Howard most of the day, finding himself walking away to speak to others about a concept or bumping into Jarvis outside the building. He sighed, rubbing his face in annoyance.

Howard stayed in his office when he wasn’t chatting with his colleagues or having lunch with his friends, such as Hank Pym. Every single time he saw his old friend walk past his side of the floor, he sighed deeply and loudly at the sight.

It felt like a break up where might’ve screwed up their reputations within the group.

As much as their friends didn’t say anything, they felt like something was off in the air. Yeah sure their little group has always been until the end in agreements and tried to make calls to fix things. Plenty of times, Howard fought with Hank Pym where chairs would be thrown across the room.

Some things just couldn’t be fixed but Peggy Carter wasn’t having it today.

She stormed into the room knocking some scene with Jason and Howard, dragging both adult men into a large office to speak together. She would’ve brought bigger guns to the playing field but she didn’t want to bring half of the group into this. Not today.

She stood in the room with her arms crossed, “You two better pull your head out of your asses! I’m sick of this. I’ve seen you fight before plenty of times where you walked out of the bloody building but this?! It’s incredible!”

“Peg—” Howard spoke up but was cut off.

“Ah! I don’t want to hear it. I don’t know what exactly happened here but you two are going to fix it or so god help me.”

“And what else is there to say huh? Peg—” Jason add but this time was cut off by the women.

“OHH! This is much more to say. You will will resolve this bloody issue soon, if it’s the thing you do today.”

Before both men can say an word, Peggy Carter walked out closing the door behind her. Jason rushed to try and open it, but he was too late. Howard sighed muttering something to himself, with his hands on his hips.

Neither said a word to one another, pacing around the room and just sipping on glasses of water that were set in place. There was dead silence that engulfed the area they sat in.

Until a laugh was heard.

It was Howard snickering and scoffing, shaking his head at the situation. Jason gave him a odd looking muttering to himself at the moment.

“What’s so funny?” He asked with a soft glare, not realizing this was the first word he has spoken to the man in days.

“This.” Howard simply said, waving his hand around to emphasize the meaning of his word, “Peg, trapped us here and we’re acting like complete morons to her.”

“Well can you blame her? I’ve not been in the best mood lately…you know why.”

“Let’s just try to get out, okay?”

“No. She wants to talk and we will..i hope.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“Howard…”

He felt a headache coming on from just the way he said it. Jason stayed silent, taking another sip of his drink and lightly chuckled at the cheesy ridiculousness of the situation.

“You see it! It’s funny.” Howard exclaimed with a half smile, pointing out the chuckle he just heard and sighed, “…look. I’m not good at this time, alright?”

Jason scoffed jokingly adding a small, “You know that’s right..sorry go on.”

“Uhhhh! Ok here it goes! I-i why is this so hard to say?!”

“Say it with your chest.”

“Do i have to?”

“Do you want to get out of here or not?”

“Oh god, fine! But you have to say your truth then!..uh i screwed up…”

“Look who’s learning!..and?”

“What do you want me to say? That i screwed up and you were right this whole time?”

“I think you just admitted it..”

“I did not!”

“Oh yes you did!”

“Jason!”

“Howard.”

Both men sent glares to one another however they couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Sure they were pissed off, fumbling and fuming over the agreement with one another. There’s pride and ego always get the best of them.

It was hard for Howard to admit when he’s greatly wrong about something and it’s hard for Jason to admit when he clearly hears something then overstepped.

“Uh, look man, i’m sorry..i messed up, I didn’t mean everything i said in the lab, okay?” Jason said, rubbing a hand across his face with such seriousness and sincerity in his eyes.

“You called you a huge jerk, JJ! You said I was practically a poor excuse of a parent and I didn’t think of anything but my work!” Howard exclaimed taking a seat across from the table, feeling defensive.

“Because you don’t! I work just as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to spend with our family and friends. I’ve seen the man you’ve become and I don’t like it. I overstepped when I mentioned it earlier..”

“You’re not getting it. I’m doing the right thing here!”

“No, I get it! I do understand it, but you don’t.”

“Everything I do is for our family, you know that! Not once have I thought I’m not giving you, Maria or Tony the best life I could. It’s why always i fight and invest time in my experiments.”

“Answer me this then. When was the last time you’ve gotten caught up watching a film with us? Or shown Tony the lab?”

“He’s not allowed in there. And I’m too busy for that, ask Peg she can tell you. I don’t have time for that.”

“That’s my point. You don’t make time for anyone else but yourself.”

“Uh, excuse me?!”

“I said once I say again, your mind is one of the most incredible things about you, and it has been transferred over to Tony. He’s a smart kid. He just wants to spend some time with you. Me and Peggy want to spend some time with you!”

“I don’t have—”

Howard cut himself off greatly with a sigh and placed his head in his hands. He grumbles underneath his breath, hating to admit when he’s wrong but he knew that he is. He’s not the same man he once was all those years ago and doesn’t intend to go backwards to fix it all.

Both men went slapping insults, excuses and explanations, back and forth like it was a battlefield. One would’ve laughed if they weren’t trying to make a point to one another, wanting to leave this room.

Howard felt like he couldn’t breathe as he huffed, “What do you want me to do? I’m not changing who i am now, JJ. I just started watching the world change and i want to be there to see it.”

“I’m..uhh, i don’t know, I don’t expect you to change anything. But i do know one thing. You’re a good man and a smart one, you’ll figure out. I just believe that i screw up and we need to fix this..” Jason admitted with a sigh, rubbing his temple.

“How?”

“Take it from someone who knows time is special and should be well spent, I think you need a break. Take some time off…”

“I don’t know if i can..and I don’t want to fight anymore. I’ve haven’t slept in days or ate well either thinking about the times I’ve lied to make myself feel better..”

Jason scoffed, “I’ve barely had a chance to process everything i said that day..I can’t sleep. I couldn’t remember the last time i ate well..I’m tired of not feeling good…”

“I’m sorry i let you walk out..I shouldn’t have said that you should leave, because I didn’t think you would..”

“It’s alright. I think the best course of action is to reevaluate our relationship..”

“It’s gonna take time.”

“I have all the time in the world.”

Howard chuckled, “Ain’t that right.”

Each took their turns talking about what happened, how they left horrible and hoping to try to path up their issues. It felt like a long talk, 45 minutes of silence with a mix chatter between both sides. But there was still so much to talk about later on...

They stood up shaking hands, ready to get out of the room before Jason pulled him in for a hug. Howard hesitated to return the hug but for what’s it’s worth, he felt good hugging his friend back.

Howard hugged him like it’s his last day on earth and stayed there in his best friends arms with a smile as Jason returns the hug with a matching smile.

They missed each other deeply. It was sorta hilarious, how much time they spent without seeing another and the complaints from one each other about it. But it was simple really, they’re friends.

No matter what happens. Things stayed true for the pair. Respect, care, loyalty and a basic sense of love.

Despite everything they love each other like brothers, treat one another like a good friend and always respect their relationship like a pair of lovers.

The two left the room, decided to have lunch together and head back home. Howard was supposed to drive him back home to his house but took a short detour. He drove up to his house with a smile and his friend gave him an odd look, recognizing what he meant.

The moment they enter the house, Maria greeted both of her boys with loving arms gently kisses both their faces. The trio talked about their current living conditions and where they stand, until the pattern footsteps of the little man of the house came into view.

Little Tony Stark was wearing his NASA shirt and jeans, holding up his toy hammer with a smile climbing into his mama’s lap. She showered him in kisses.

His eye lighten up after seeing his second favorite person in the room, climbing out of his mother’s lap into his uncles. Jason smiled at the sight. Howard chuckled ruffled his son’s hair seeing the pure smile on his face, then leaned down to kiss his wife.

“Ewwww!!” Tony squeals covering his eyes.

—//—

Years went on, arguments came and went, simple small adjustment were made by their families rules and regulations came across to how everyone acted. Howard became a little comfortable and softer with his son letting him learn more from his father. Jason worked between units of SHIELD and other jobs, being care to watch his mouth every now and then. Or else Peggy would’ve smacked the living hell out of them.

Sadly Maria and Howard died, leaving their son in the care of his godmother Peggy Carter and uncle Jason Underwood. Along with Jarvis and his lovely wife Ana. So he was cared for, but still annoyed with his father. Something Tony would never let down is proving himself to be good or even greater than his father.

Peggy stayed in and out of SHIELD work meanwhile Jason retired from his office. He still kept tabs on the organization but decided to stay away after a few incidents resulting in his responses or concerns being blown over his head.

~~~~

Currently he road up to the Stark Mansion, stepping out of his black cherry sports car and pulling out his sunglasses to see the beauty of the sight, after being gone for too long. He half smiled at the redesigns he added to the front of the house.

He greeted Pepper at the door, giving him a small hug and a kind kiss on the cheek. He handed her a bag of donuts and a freshly made cup of coffee he ordered just for her.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, J.” She replied with a smile, looking into the bag to see her favorite set of donuts.

“You deserve a sweet treat every once in a while, doll.” He added, chuckling looking over his shoulder at the small mess.

“Oh I’m sorry about the confusion and mess..”

“Oh no, it’s fine honey. Just didn’t expect this house to be so quiet at this time and hour…?”

“Ah, well you know where he is. Hasn’t come out of his lab since yesterday and I’m scared to check.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Go ahead and enjoy the coffee before it gets cold.”

Pepper thanked him, grateful to have him in her life and feeling lucky to see him around the house again. She left to the kitchen counter to enjoy her donuts and coffee in peace, she knew Tony was tinkering down there and it possibly involves some kind of new crazy investment of technological enhancements. Building a suitable way to help the people, according to him.

Jason step down the stairs being greeted by their A.I. Jarvis, who announced his presence to the center of the lab, which he thanked him for. Once he landed on the final step and stood underneath the doorframe his jaw dropped drastically.

“What the hell?!” He yelled seeing the sight.

There stood Tony Stark removing himself from a set of metal plates and holding a helmet in his hands, having DUMMY hold up a few more items for him. Next to the man in place was a human size action figure looking suit, in deep golden yellow and hot rod red.

The room was filled with metallic gray plates, tools left and right, a diagram model of suits and thrown out gloves. As well plenty of other things just landed across the lab. 

Tony looked up with a soft smile and shrug, “Let’s face it, this isn’t the worse thing you caught me doing.”

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked walking into the lab, his eyes wondering over to the suit looking very confused.

“I’m building a suit, isn’t it obvious?”

“Tony.”

“After everything that happened lately and seeing what my weapons have accomplished, I don’t like it. So I figured I’d do something about it.”

“And a iron suit is your answer? I’m sorry son, but I need a better explanation. Please.”

“This suit will help me save civilians and undo the damage I’ve caused. My weapons and the way the world is becoming, I think it needs a change. Help people..”

“A heroic path?”

“Yeah. Or that’s at least what I’m trying to do.”

“..okay.”

“Okay?”

“Is Jarvis in the suit? And it fully charged with sensors to brace for impact?”

Tony smirked and nodded.

Jason was scared out of his mind about this idea, fearing he might get himself hurt, but he knew he couldn’t stop him from doing this. The least he can do is make sure he was safe.

Little did he know that this would be the start of Iron Man becoming a new hero, his possible return to SHIELD with Agent Coulson showing up and his way to enforcing his placement back into the new world. He wasn’t ready for the new faces he would met along the way either.

—//—

Thanks for reading! What did you think?

Pls like, comment and reblog!

I could do a follow up with him being in Iron Man 2 and or Thor, which is where he meets Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis (+ a young Melissa Wallace) if you like? Whatever movie is up for grabs!

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @hanlueluver @blackheart-beauty @gcthvile @mandylove1000 @superspookyjanelle @daughter-of-melpomene @yetanotherwells @levijeanqueen @msrochelleromanofffelton @rooster-84 @sherloquestea and etc

[marvelsgirl616]

Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, and Cobie Smulders at the Avengers Fan Event in Los Angeles (2012)

[orangepawn39]

Hey Multi Mutant Verse Raph and Mikey, along with their cabin mates wanted to ask you something✨

@tmnt-fandom-family-reunion

A beach day event

A waterpolo game I want to play that too, let's win mikey (2012) YEAH!!!!

(Rise mikey) I think I can't play...

@tmnt-fandom-family-reunion

@itzzaira (Rise mikey and 2012 mikey)

Let's play waterpolo!!!