#Curious Archer Christmas

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

Seeing your most recent art is funny because one of my rare pairs is Arjuna and Osakabehime. It’s because I ship Karna x Jinako and and thought it would be funny is both brothers had a gamer gf.

incredibly funny that you send this to me bc it’s one of MY not so secret rare pairs as well (it’s been vaguely implied once or twice that they’ve spoken off screen at least) bc the dynamic is just this:

With the joke being that arjuna is ALSO a massive fucking loser nerd he just masks it way better. I think they could have a really really funny dynamic

[loveisanimaginarydagger3000]

Kinkmas (11)- The Grinch Who Stole Her Heart

Wanda X Reader 18+

Summary: When a certain witch discovers your hate for Christmas, she can't help but try her best into convincing you to love the festive season.

Word Count: 10.8k 

Warnings/Tags: Friends to Lovers, Slow burn, Fluff, Domestic Avengers, Christmas Fluff, Flirting, Crushes, Mutual Pining, Christmas Decorating, Gingerbread houses, Ice Skating, Snowball Fights, Soft Smut, First time, Inexperienced Wanda/Experienced Reader, Fingering, Praise, Confessions, Aftercare 

Kinkmas Masterlist

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Gentle chatter and a tranquil, festive atmosphere wrapped around the common room of the compound like a warm, cosy blanket, most of the team bunched up on various sofas with snacks ready in hand, waiting for Wanda to finally press the play button to start Home Alone on the big screen.

The witch, however, was not ready to start the movie, her eyes flickering over the content and excited faces of the team, searching for one individual in particular.

You.

Where were you?

"Where's Y/n?" Wanda asked, puzzled, the soft murmur in the room going quiet, curious and confused gazes meeting one another at the brunette's question, apprehensive to tell the truth.

Natasha carefully placed down the bowl of popcorn that was in her lap, inadvertently stopping Clint from stealing more of the treat which made him grumble a little, the redhead looking between the rest of the team, not wanting to dampen the young woman's mood.

It had become abundantly clear over the last few days and since the start of December that Wanda was in love with the idea of Christmas and all the festive traditions, the team having tried their best to keep you away from her, despite the witch subconsciously seeking you out, her mind unable to explain why her heart would flutter in your presence, her mood always being lifted by you.

"Y/n isn't a 'fan' of Christmas," Natasha cautiously phrases her words, not wanting to ruin the mood that was so gratefully appreciated in the room, the uplifted mood of Christmas enabling the mighty Avengers to have some time to relax and spend together as a family.

"What?" Wanda's tone signalling her confusion at how someone could possibly not like Christmas, her head tilting in her usual manner, Pietro speeding from the sofa to stand with his sister, seemingly just as baffled.

"How can she not be a fan of Christmas?" Pietro adds, just as obsessed with the festive season as his sister, his love for it being driven by the sheer amount of food and presents though.

"She just..." Natasha trails off, thinking how to explain your lack of jolliness, her eyes flickering to Clint for a little help. The archer simply shrugs, her leg kicking back at his shin for his lack of usefulness, a small yelp escaping him as he grabs the popcorn bowl, deciding that the food would be a sufficient apology from her.

"She hates it," Tony bluntly puts it, everyone's head turning from the sofas to the billionaire in the kitchen, fixing himself a ridiculously large hot chocolate in the beautifully decorated kitchen, annoyance written across Steve and Natasha's face as they wanted to keep it a peaceful evening.

"She doesn't 'hate' it," Steve tries to reason, his blue eyes flickering towards Sam and Bucky who are disinterested in what's going on, most likely bickering between themselves over who gets more room on the sofa.

"Oh come on Capsicle," Tony teases, Steve's cheeks darkening at the nickname the man uses for him, mumbling under his breath an 'oh god' at the billionaire's mischievous tone. "She hates it. End of. We've all tried to get her to like it but she just refuses to enjoy the Christmas spirit," he says whilst placing his steaming mug down, flopping onto his section of the sofa and asking Friday to lower the lights, wanting to watch the film now. "Now, are we going to watch the film or not?" He asks, clearly not bothered by your absence.

"Not all of us have tried," Wanda says after a moment, tossing the remote to Natasha, hoping she'd somehow keep the boys in check, knowing the chaos the entire team could cause without her magic there to stop objects flying across the room. "Start the film without me," Wanda calls out, walking out of the room, determined to find your room and figure out a way to persuade you into falling in love with the magical season.

Despite not figuring out a plan, the brunette knocks on your door with purpose, waiting outside for you to open up, various thoughts flooding through her mind as she impatiently plays with the rings on her fingers.

Eventually, you open your bedroom door, your brow raising at her current outfit, a smug smirk creeping onto your lips. The Christmas themed pyjamas amused you as you let your eyes wander down the various festive items decorating the fabric, the red and green chequered pants slightly too long for her as they pooled around her ankles, the fluffy socks further entertaining you as you stood in a simple, thin shirt and joggers, a stark contrast to her holiday themed get up.

"What-"

"Why do you hate Christmas?" she asks, enticing green eyes gazing into yours curiously, your eyes widening at her forward question, a soft chuckle escaping you, Wanda unable to stop the swarm of butterflies in her stomach at the sound.

"Why do you love Christmas?" You counter, leaning against the door frame as you see various emotions flicker across her face, your features softening at her adorably annoyed state.

"Why do I love Christmas?" She repeats almost shocked, still baffled at the whole ordeal, "It's just magical," her tone laced with the love she has for the time of year. "It's a time to spend with family, to give gifts, to have fun with silly traditions," she lists, watching closely to your reactions as your soft expression remains uninterested.

"Just seems like a lot of effort to me," you casually say, her brows furrowing at your words, mouth parting and closing, unsure of what to say. "Is that all you wanted to ask? I'm currently in the middle of a mission report," your tone is annoyingly soft and calm, determination brewing in Wanda to show you how amazing Christmas was but still unsure how.

"No, I..." she trails off for a moment, tilting her head marginally to the side as she thinks hard about how to convince you. "Do you really hate it?" She asks, tone trying her best to hide the disappointment that filled her, your smile softening, body pushing yourself off the frame of the door to look at her properly, still amused at her clothing.

"It's just not for me, Wanda," your tone apologetic as you gathered how much she loved the season, your heart clenching a little at the despondent look that took over her face, wishing you could ensure a smile was always on her lips, only ever wanting her to be happy.

"Ok," she whispers, slowly nodding at your words and turning around to retreat to where the rest of the team was, a sudden idea entering her mind as she hears you shutting the door. "Give me one week," her tone desperate and rushed as your hand halted, opening the door with a confused look, laughing softly as she quickly walked back over to the door, fluffy socks sliding a little on the smooth floor.

"What?" your tone matches the curiosity engraved on your face, smile widening at the glint of hope in her eyes.

"Give me one week to show you how magical Christmas is," she explains further, her enchanting green eyes almost putting you under a spell, part of you contemplating giving into her despite your dislike for everything about December 25th. Your face shows your conflicted state, Wanda taking your delayed response as a win, her nose scrunching up in a way that has your heart beating wildly in your chest, an inexplicable onrush of affection flowing through you. "Please?" she adds, excitement creeping into he tone as you sigh out heavily, unable to resist the soft spot you had for her, a smile gracing your features.

"One week," you begrudgingly say, a smile still present on your face though as her lips stretch into a wide grin, joy filling her as various ideas flood through her mind, ready to warm you up to the season.

***

"I'm not so sure you're trying to convince me," you mutter, lifting the heavy box of decorations and trudging your way towards her room, "I feel like you're just using me for slave labour," you grumble, peaking over the box to watch your step, bumping into the corner of the door frame before dropping the box onto the floor, a rattle of baubles filling the room.

"If you stopped complaining and acting like the grinch this would be a whole lot easier," she teases, crouching down and opening the box, looking up at you with a small smirk that has you rolling your eyes, happiness taking over your chest as you follow her command.

"The grinch is an icon," you mumble, flickering your gaze away from the aesthetic decorations in the box and into her alluring green, finding them far more interesting than the shiny plastic objects.

"Yeah? And why is that?" Her tone is playful and cheerful, eliciting an involuntary smile from you as you struggle to maintain your composure near her, the crush you thought you had gotten over seeming to resurface, her brow raising expectantly as she waits for you to continue.

"He lives in a mountain with his dog, away from people, sounds like heaven to me," your tone slightly sarcastic, earning a soft laughter from her, her eyes sparkling with an emotion you couldn't quite decipher. Her gaze drifts away from you as her own heart starts to beat wildly in her chest at being able to spend time with you, her lips pulling up into a shy smile. "And he's green," you add, a humorous grin taking over your face, cracking her composure.

A giggle leaves her lips at your tone, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she tries to stifle her laugh, her eyes meeting yours with an amused glimmer in them, your smile widening as warmth floods through you in a tender manner.

"What's so special about the colour green?" She manages to ask when she stops laughing, entertained by your words, reluctantly turning her back away from you as she moves towards the tree in her room with a bundle of lights, beckoning you over as she untangles them, wanting your help to decorate her room as she hadn't had time to do it yet.

It's the colour of your eyes is what you initially think of saying, a small blush appearing on your cheeks as you rethink an answer, grateful she wasn't looking at you as you thought it, her head soon looking back over her shoulder as you don't answer.

"I don't know," you unconvincingly respond, shoulders shrugging, "It's just a cool colour." Wanda chuckles, clearly not believing your vague answer as she looks at your form over her shoulder, playfully shaking her head before continuing to wrap the lights around the pine tree while you gradually make your way over to her, your attention flickering over to her desk.

"Oh my god," you laugh out, admiring the framed photograph of Wanda and Pietro dressed up for Halloween in Sokovia, chuckling at their ridiculous outfits. "Pietro looks like Fury with that eye patch," you snicker out, Wanda rushing over to you and sliding the photo out of your hands, embarrassed by her toothy grin in it, a smile still on her face as she hears your genuine laugh, her gaze moving to the photo of her and her brother that she always loved.

"He wanted to be his own version of a pirate," she explains with a nostalgic tone, placing down the photo while you just admire her features, getting lost in thought again, the feelings you tried to bury trying their best to take over you as you simply smile at her softly, a tender expression taking over her face at your enamoured gaze.

"I bet he was just as annoying as a child as he is now," you tease, making her laugh again, your heart melting at being able to hear the sound again, the brunette placing an ornament in your hand to stop you procrastinating, sensing your attempt at stalling her plans.

"Even more," she jokes, her fingers brushing over yours softly, the touch engraved in your memory as they pull away from you, Wanda snapping you out of your thoughts as she continues. "Now come on, we have a tree to decorate," her tone adding excitement to it as you let out a displeased grumble, still smiling at her though.

Maybe, just maybe, the next week wasn't going to be as bad as you thought.

***

"I hope you know I'm only here because you promised me food," you mumble whilst your hand supports your head as you sit at the kitchen island, eyes wandering around the various decorations littered around the room then towards the woman in front of you, observing how she rolls out the gingerbread.

A soft, genuine smile takes over her face in amusement, her gaze lifting to meet your form watching her attentively, chuckling softly as she continues to measure out the dimensions for the house she intended on making, a playful and teasing expression taking over her angelic features.

"Is that so?" she asks, slicing through the dough she's rolled to create the walls of the house, your eyes trained on the deft way her fingers move, gaze lifting to watch her concentrate, in awe of her working. You knew Wanda loved to cook and bake, but to watch her properly, almost intimately, made you truly appreciate her love for the hobby.

"Yep," you say while popping the 'p', smiling at the way she wipes her forehead with the back of her hand, a streak of powdered sugar visible against her skin, your teeth biting down on your lip to stop yourself from laughing at her cute state.

"Well if someone wants to eat they have to help," her tone reprimanding you for not helping her at all so far.

"I've helped," you say, pretending to take offence as she uses her magic to softly push you off the stool at the kitchen island, a small groan leaving you as you eventually wander around the kitchen to stand next to her. "Does moral support not mean anything anymore?" you mutter as she hands you a spoon, your fake mood crumbling away at the way she peers up at you with a raised brow, the streak of sugar making you smile.

"What?" she laughs out when you end up staring at her forehead too long, a nervous expression on her face as you grab a cloth from the countertop and delicately wipe away the mess on her skin, her cheeks a similar colour to her magic as she tries to control her emotions, a shy smile taking over her features as you meet her gaze with an affectionate look.

"There's my contribution," you joke, tossing the cloth back onto the countertop as Wanda sees the small smear of powdered sugar on the fabric, the wave of embarrassment never coming as you continue to smile at her, her head shaking at your antics.

"You're not getting out of it that easy," she chuckles out, setting up the bowl for you to make the icing in, handing you everything you'd need before checking on the gingerbread that was in the oven, making sure everything was going to plan.

After you've made the icing and the dough is baked to perfection as well as having cooled down, Wanda starts to put together the house with your help, deciding to ask Friday to help encourage the festive spirit by getting them to play the witch's Christmas playlist, an amused glint present in your eyes as you picture her listening to the music on her own, most likely dancing to each tune.

Your fingers carefully hold the wall of gingerbread, Wanda delicately piping the icing along the edges to help stabilise the structure, the smell of the freshly made treat making your mouth yearn to taste the delicious flavours, the other woman humming the tune to the song that was playing as you assembled the house together. Quicker than you expected, you had the house made and just in need of decorating, your gaze now on Wanda who softly sang the lyrics to 'Last Christmas', a mischievous smile taking over your face.

As if sensing your gaze on her, she met your admiring stare, her smile stretching that little bit wider as she lifts the spoon from the icing bowl, using it as a microphone as she keeps her enchanting eyes on you.

"Tell me, baby, do you recognise me?" she sings, her voice angelic as you can't help but watch in awe as she subtly dances near you, walking behind your body and enticing you to follow her. "Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me," her gentle voice sounding around the room, blessing your ears as she sings the iconic song, "'Happy Christmas', I wrapped it up and sent it, with a note saying 'I love you' I meant it, now I know what a fool I've been." Her words further lure you into being amazed by her, your body turning once again to follow her movements, her body next to yours as she places the bowls she's just collected on the countertop, her eyes lifting up to meet your enamoured gaze, "But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again." Your breath hitches at the way her eyes subconsciously drift to your lips before flickering back up, the soft, loving glint evident in her eyes as the gaze lingers, her only breaking the gaze when the desire to kiss you becomes too strong.

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart but the very next day-"

"You sold it on ebay," you interrupt, a teasing smile on your lips as you steal the piping bag from her, a laugh spilling from her lips at your immature behaviour. "This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to Marks and Spencers," her hand lightly slaps your arm as you 'ruined' the chorus for her, her smile almost reaching her ears though at the pure joy you managed to fill her with, your arms raising in surrender as you see wisps of magic flicker at her fingers, knowing how she could torture you with ticklish sensations like she did a couple days ago when decorating the tree. "Ok, ok," you laugh out in surrender as the red tendrils brush over your skin, "Tesco extra instead of Marks and Spencers?"

She simply smacks you lightly once again on the shoulder, her hand lingering against your body before pulling back, rolling her eyes at your amused and smug smile, cheekily squeezing a little of the icing onto your finger to taste it.

"Mhmm delicious," you softly moan at the sweet treat, exaggerating your love for the simple food you made, Wanda stealing the bag back from you and pointing it at you like it was a weapon.

"Stop eating all the decorations," she mutters, using her magic to push away the bowl full of sprinkles, laughing softly at the way your hand misses and hits the table, a small pout forming on your lips.

"Fine," you grumble as she hands you the piping bag back, letting you have full reign on decorating the gingerbread house, something she'd inevitably regret.

***

A couple hours later you're sprawled out against the sofa, a bowl of the broken gingerbread house in your lap as you tilt your head to look at Wanda, once again admiring her features while she was fully immersed in whatever was playing on the tv.

Your eyes focus on each delicate feature of her face, trailing over the slight dust of pink on her cheeks, a few strands of brunette locks framing her face perfectly and the gentle slope of her nose before spending a little more time admiring her plump lips and eventually settling on her mesmerising eyes. Your heart clenched a little at her beauty, your gaze eventually being torn away from her as you knew you shouldn't think of her as more of a friend, to get lost in fantasy of what it would feel like to be with her all over again as you remember the pain of pushing it all down.

The soft giggle that left her lips immediately knocked you out of your thoughts, the smile that seemed ever present near her emerging once again as you raised your brow at her when you met her gaze, her nose scrunching in that captivating manner as red wisps form at the tips of her fingers once again.

"I thought we were going to share the gingerbread," She teases lightly, using her magic to steal a piece from you, your hand wrapping protectively around your bowl of treats.

"Woah, this is mine Maximoff," you defensively say, using her surname playfully, addicted to the taste of the icing you used to cover most of the crisp gingerbread, the aim of your decorations to give you a sugar overload. "I decorated it," you mumble, squinting your eyes at her when she floats over a larger piece from the bowl in faux annoyance, your hands placing the bowl down as there way no way you'd be able to stop her magic, your eyes watching with interest how the red tendrils delicately flow through the air.

"And I made it," she counters, biting into the corner of the roof, a pleased noise escaping her at the taste of it, the festive spirit further consuming her as the taste brings back many memories of past Christmases, a nostalgic look taking over her face momentarily.

"I thought you were trying to convince me to like Christmas," you joke as you lean back against the sofa, eyes trained on her as she raises her brow at your relaxed manner, continuing to eat her piece of gingerbread.

"I am, is it working?" She asks, smiling at you hopefully, her enthralling green solely focused on you making it hard to think straight and come up with your usual sarcastic remark. You pause for a moment, Wanda's head tilting in curiosity as you remain silent, a small blush forming on your cheeks as you gather yourself together.

"It would be if I got to eat all the gingerbread," you tease eventually, switching your gaze to something other than her alluring beauty, eyes landing on the various sweets stuck on the white icing.

"Is it actually working though?" She asks again, voice holding a more serious and intrigued tone compared to her joking tone, her green containing a hint of nerves as she really hoped it was.

Your mouth opens and closes to respond, unsure of what to say. If you were being honest, you didn't love the festive season any more, you simply enjoyed the last three days because you were with her.

"It hasn't changed my opinion on Christmas," you say softly, her face dropping a little making you continue, "But, I have had so much fun over the last few days, I... I've really enjoyed spending time with you," you fix her mood instantly, a blush taking over her face this time, her gaze flickering away from you, teeth biting down softly on her lower lip to try and contain her smile.

"Yeah?" she murmurs out a little timidly, gathering the courage to meet your softening gaze once more, the two of you smiling at each other, unaware of the swirling emotions in both of you. "Well still I've got four more days to fix that," she says, tone determined and adamant that she would persuade you, your smile growing that little bit wider at her confidence, part of you hoping she was right just to see that smile on her face.

***

"I'm not so sure about this Wanda," your voice a little shaky as your fingers grip the edge of the wall as tightly as possible, the ice skates you were wearing sliding on the ice in a manner than unnerved you, your eyes lifting to find Wanda only to see her skating off skilfully, turning back to you with a teasing look.

"Come on, I promise it's fun," she calls back, swarms of people brushing past you, further adding to your nerves as you hated how unstable you felt, her green eyes meeting yours through the crowd, sensing how uncomfortable you felt.

You watched a little embarrassed as she effortlessly skated over to you, the sound of screaming children nearby and the scratching of ice being blocked out as she comes closer to you, a different kind of anxiety flowing through you at her little smirk.

"Is the infamous Y/n, world hero and Avenger, scared of ice skating?" she teases softly, your eyes rolling at her comment. Just because you were an Avenger didn't mean you enjoyed activities like this.

"No..." you trailed off, your foot slipping slightly, Wanda watching how your body immediately tensed, knuckles bleeding white at your grip on the edge of the wall, her hand moving to your lower back to keep you stable, wanting to make sure you were alright. "Maybe just a little," you confess quietly, hoping she wouldn't find it a problem, her smile turning a little sympathetic. "It's scary ok? Steve got stuck in ice for like seventy plus years in it so it must be very dangerous," you explain, a genuine laugh slipping past her lips at your reasoning.

"It was only sixty six years," she corrects, your head shaking a little at her words, your mind processing where her hand was, a wave of butterflies taking over your body as your fingers adjust their grip on the cold edge.

"Do you trust me?" Her voice a gentle whisper, your mind focussing on her, only her as she looks at you as if you were the only thing going on in the ice rink, your head nodding as you couldn't muster any words to leave your mouth, far too nervous to not embarrass yourself any further.

Her hands gently clasp yours, her fingers intimately interlocking with yours, her soft gaze meeting your hesitant one, her feet guiding her backwards as she slides across the ice, pulling you carefully with her.

"Bend your knees a little," she instructs, trying to guide you into the best position so you wouldn't fall. You try to listen to her but the feeling of her impossibly soft hands in yours makes all common sense leave your mind, your body just about listening to her instructions. "Don't lean too far forwards if you don't want to fall," she playfully whispers, keeping you close to her as she can tell it's keeping you calm, her intoxicating perfume reaching your senses and further drowning you in the thought of her. "That's it," she praises softly, a small smile reaching your lips as you skate slightly on your own, still tightly gripping onto her, not that she minded.

The two of you did a few laps around the ring, your grip on her gradually decreasing as your confidence grew, the two of you stopping by a wall to relax for a moment, your cheeks and noses tinted pink from the cold room, smiles engraved on both of your faces.

Your smile widens when you see a child fall over, a snicker leaving your lips as you can't help it, Wanda playfully pushing you at your reaction, reprimanding your behaviour as the mother briefly looks over towards you two in annoyance, her child's face pulling into distress. Panic flashes across your face as you slip a little, your arm shooting out to wrap around hers, pulling yourself into her body, flush against her, making both of your blushes darken a little, her arm wrapping around you to keep you upright.

"Don't," you mumble when you feel her laugh against you, your body melting against hers as she keeps you stable and secure, her body also helping you keep warm.

"Don't what? Tease you?" She chuckles out, your head turning to meet her amused and mischievous gaze, breath hitching a little as you underestimated the space between you, your lips mere inches away from hers, both of your gazes drifting down to one another's mouths.

The heat that washes over you when her slightly darkened green meet yours causes you to straighten your back, pulling yourself further away from her face, your hand hesitantly reaching further down her arm to her fingers, interlocking them once again to try and keep your thoughts on anything but the longing to feel her lips on yours, a brief moment of courage washing through you when she doesn't pull back.

"I won't tease you," she whispers out once she's gotten control over her pounding heart, her cheeks still tinted pink as she smiles at your hand holding hers, her thumb brushing over the back of your hand, grateful for you being braver than her and initiating something. "But that doesn't mean I won't tell Nat," a soft laugh leaves you as you meet her eyes once more, sensing the mirth in them as she imagined the various ways the Russian would torment you.

"I'm never going to hear the end of it," you mumble, her nose scrunching at your tone, the action making you think it was worth any amount of teasing comments that Natasha could throw at you, the warmth that wrapped around your heart at her expression worth anything in the world as she drags you away from the wall again, skating with you, hand in hand.

***

A relentless pounding at your door has you reluctantly rolling out of bed, in dire need of a nap after the new workout Natasha wanted to try with you, your body ready to sink into your soft mattress and relax for just a little bit.

"You better have some more gingerbread," you mutter as you hear Wanda call your name through the door, your hand turning your door handle and opening, revealing the woman who consumed all your thoughts. "What-" A thick winter coat was thrown at you, your body not expecting the item making you take a step back, your eyes widening at Wanda in confusion as you properly took a hold of the clothing item, the coat a contrast to your oversized shirt and joggers.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" she sings in a teasing voice, a groan leaving your lips at the movie reference, a tired sigh leaving your lips.

"I just wanna sleep," you whine out as she simply walks into your room as you turn away, smiling at the way you still comply to her question, searching through your wardrobe for a thick jumper and pants, not wanting to freeze in the cold as snowflakes gracefully spilled from the sky, the grass surrounding the compound drowning in the white blanket of snow.

"You can sleep later," her tone amused at the way you shake your head at her, amazed at the way she has you wrapped around her finger as you shrug on the coat she tossed you, turning your head and sending a pointed look.

"This better be worth it," you mumble, her body coming closer to yours and fixing your hood as it was sticking out weird, her cold fingers brushing the back of your neck causing you to wake up a little more.

"Spending time with me is always worth it," she whispers, recalling how you confessed to her how you enjoyed being with her, a smile creeping onto your lips as you chuckle at her words, her eyes peering up into yours as you let her fix your outfit, unable to stop the warmth bubbling inside you.

"That is true," you murmur ever so softly, her smile widening as she lets her hands drift to your shoulders to smooth the coat out, growing in confidence near you after being together for the last four days constantly. "But sleep is pretty amazing too," you mumble, earning her signature nose scrunch, your heart beating that little bit faster at the enamoured look in her eyes.

"Come on," she sighs out, walking behind you and pushing you towards the door, struggling a little as you use your strength to keep you planted.

"Save me bed! She's trying to kidnap me," you call out dramatically, chuckling as she uses her magic to push you out of the door, you calling out of your bed once more, earning another string of laughter from her as she leads you out of the compound, walking side by side with you, letting your bodies brush.

A chill takes over your body as you trudge your way through the snow that's piling up, the sound of satisfying crunches and nearby birds filling the air as you let Wanda lead you to the best place to build her desired snowman. You watch with an affectionate gaze at her thick gloves and the scarf that's wrapped so tightly around her neck, the bobble hat that she stole from you moving with each step she takes, her head looking her shoulder at you, her smile almost reaching her ears.

You follow her until she stops, deciding this was the best location to build it, her eyes looking back at the compound and ensuring you'd be able to see it from the large window in the common room, unaware of the redhead and archer sitting peacefully together, curious as to what you two were doing, a glint of realisation flickering across Natasha's face.

Unable to stop yourself, you give into the temptation of crouching down in the snow, grabbing a handful of it and moulding it into the shape of a large snowball, trying to perfect the shape to make it easier to throw.

"Hey Wanda?" You call out innocently, lining up your shot as you wait for her to turn around, her eyes glimmering with joy before widening, unable to move out of the way as the snow crashes against her body, exploding into various fragments of white dust, a gasp leaving her lips.

You can't help but laugh wholeheartedly at her reaction, an uncontrollable laughter escaping you as happiness consumes you entirely, shock present on her face to begin with before revenge takes over, taking advantage of your distracted state and grabbing a handful of snow, ready to throw it back at you.

Your laughter is interrupted when she headshots you with the snowball, disbelief evident on your face as her smile grows smug, a dangerous chuckle leaving you making her smile slowly fade, mischief evident on your face. At your expression, Wanda starts to run, laughter spilling from her lips as she gets a head start, your legs swiftly moving to catch up with her.

"Oh no you don't," you call out, your smile engraved on your face as you chase after, using your abilities to help you catch up to her. You can't stop the genuine laughter that escapes you as you dodge the snowballs her magic throws at you blindly, your body gradually catching up to her, inching closer as the two of you trample through the snow like idiots, not caring about anything else in the world but one another. Eventually, your arm wraps around her middle, pulling her closer to your body as you grab a load of snow with your other hand, intending on dropping it on her head, your plan not working as you both go tumbling in the snow, laughter still sounding around the two of you. "Gotcha," you chuckle out as you land on top of her, her hands holding onto your shoulders as your body is flush against hers, your hand cupping the back of her head protectively and the other bracing your body above hers.

Her breath gently fans across your face as you both pant a little from the sudden running, your eyes getting lost in hers as she smiles up at you angelically, your gaze eventually drifting across her features, still stunned by her beauty. Your gaze settles on her lips, watching how she subtly wets her lower lip before her teeth gently bite down on it, your eyes flickering up to her softening green, building up to ask her the question you've wanted to for ages.

"Can.... Can I kiss you?" your voice a barely audible whisper, the sound of your heart pounding against your ribcage deafening in your ears as you await a response, the butterflies in your stomach fluttering vigorously.

"Took you long enough to ask," she murmurs playfully, having heard your thoughts about her eyes all those days ago, piecing together that you may have felt the same way about her as she did towards you.

Her fingers fisted against the hem of your coat and pulled you down into her body, claiming your lips in the way you both longed for. You kissed her tenderly, her lips pressing over yours just as affectionately, the cold tip of her nose brushing against yours as you got lost in the moment together. Your eyes fluttered shut to savour the feeling of her mouth, how gentle and soft it was as you weren't guaranteed another chance, another kiss, so you forced your racing thoughts to stop for a moment as your lips moved against hers lovingly, wanting to engrave the feeling into your mind forever. The kiss was shy and timid, your lips remaining together for mere seconds, but the intimacy of it made your head spin with the thought of her. The thought of her body pressed against yours, her mouth pressed against yours, forehead leaning against yours and arms pulling you impossibly closer, it was all too much. You were utterly mesmerised by her. Everything just felt so pure, sogenuine, so... intimate that it made you sigh gently into her mouth, pulling back with nothing but love evident in your eyes as she matched your tender gaze, just as obsessed with you as you were her.

"I told you this would be worth it," she whispers against you, her lips gently brushing yours, enticing you into gently claiming hers once more, smiling into her mouth.

"It really was," you murmur lovingly against her, her head hiding against your shoulder as she can't stop the wide smile appearing on her face, her nose scrunching up once more as you melt against her body, joy coursing through you at what just happened.

She kissed you.

You actually just kissed her.

A wave of giddiness overtook you as you grinned at her when she pulled back from your body, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes as her hands left your body, your mind paying no attention to it as she looked at you in that adoring manner, consuming your thoughts.

What you didn't expect was to feel snow hitting the back of your head, an adorable laugh leaving her at her playful actions, disbelief evident on your face. The feeling of betrayal immediately left you at the heavenly noise that spills delicately from her, your head shaking to remove the snow in your hair as she cups your cheek, guiding you back down for an apologetic kiss, the two of you unable to stop smiling.

Another individual who couldn't stop smiling was Natasha who watched the scene unfold through the window with Clint, glad that you finally acted on your crush and helped her win the bet with the archer. He grumbled as he reached for his wallet, searching for the desired note as a sigh of relief left the redhead when you started to walk hand in hand through the snow, finding somewhere else to finally build the snowman.

***

Humming to yourself, you found yourself in Wanda's room again, this time sprawled out of her bed, waiting for the witch to return with the snacks for the movie night she planned for you. It was going to be a Christmas marathon, starting with Home Alone one and two, then onto the Grinch so Wanda could tease you about your 'icon' and then finally Elf as she was sure you'd be asleep by then, having discovered how much you loved to lay in bed yesterday when you fell asleep during the first attempt at the marathon, much to her amusement. This time, however, she planned to keep you awake with food and potentially a cuddle as the two of you swiftly discovered how much you both craved physical touch, even if it was something small like holding hands, a smile growing on her lips as she enters the room, remembering the various instances of you subtly reaching for her hand and interlocking your fingers.

A soft chuckle leaves her lips at the way your head raises off the bed at the sound of the door shutting, your eyes growing curious when you see the bowl in her hands, instantly perking up and eager to know what she brought. When your eyes saw the popcorn in the bowl, your smile widened, moving around on her bed so that your back was against the pillow at the headboard, arm raising to welcome her body against your side, the other woman complying to your silent request.

The feeling of her body snuggling against yours caused a grin to break out on your face, your heart unable to comprehend the sheer joy you felt over the last few days, grateful for her making such an impact on your life.

"You're incredible," you murmur softly when she places the bowl into your lap, your lips pressing to her temple, the art of being affectionate with one another natural to you both.

"Are you only saying that because I brought food?" she teases, carefully picking up a piece of the sweet and salty treat and placing it into her mouth, her head tilting to rest against your shoulder as she uses her magic to bring the remote closer to you both, her hand effortlessly grabbing it and starting the first film of the night.

"No, I'm saying that because you are the most amazing and beautiful woman I know," you whisper against her hair, earning a blush at your charming words. "Who just happens to always bring me food," you add teasingly, earning a playful pinch to your side, a small yelp leaving you.

"Shhh, just watch the film Detka," she murmurs, your smile widening at the endearment, not commenting on it as she shuffles her body closer to you, her fingers playing with whatever part of your shirt she can reach as the two of you delve into the world of Christmas cinema, content with being one another.

As the film plays on, without even realising it, your hand rests on her thigh, tracing idle patterns against the thin fabric of her pyjama pants, Wanda's cheeks a similar colour to her festive clothing as her thoughts go down a sinful route. She can't help the warmth that pools between her thighs at your actions, your hand high up on her thigh as your toned body presses into her, her mind replaying the image of you working out earlier, the way your body effortlessly showed signs of strength and stamina, her eyes having a hard time from tearing away from your hands, watching as your veins showed slightly, further adding to the arousal that started to build within her as she got lost in thought.

Hesitantly, she tilted her head to rest at the crook of your neck, her lips softly pressing a kiss there as she knew you weren't paying attention to the film, your thoughts growing louder as you replay all your memories with the brunette, the overwhelming amount of happiness and love you felt allowing the witch to hear them. To try and gain your attention, she pressed another kiss to your neck, your breath hitching at the action as your hand freezes at her thigh, her lips burning against your skin as your body grows warmer at her suggestive move.

"Detka," she sighs out, her breath fanning across your skin as she pulls back from your neck, her green eyes meeting yours, desire but also nervousness shimmering them.

"Yes?" you whisper out, gaze subconsciously drifting to her lips, remembering how addictive they are, your own eyes darkening as your gaze lingers, unable to look at anything else.

"I don't think either of us are watching the film," her voice is barely audible as she murmurs the words, tilting her head slightly, the action causing her lips to inch closer to yours, the movement subtly seductive as you wait for her to make the move, sensing a bit of indecision from her.

"I don't think we are," your tone lowering a little, patiently waiting for her, not wanting her to do anything she'd regret.

"I wonder what else we could possibly do..." she trails off, smiling a little shyly, biting down on her lower lip and fuck, you don't think you've ever felt so hot before, the sight of her intoxicating, making it impossible to think straight.

"I have no idea," you whisper back with a small smirk, tilting your head down so that your lips were brushing over hers gently, not applying enough pressure to give her what she wanted, your eyes watching how hers flutter shut, awaiting your mouth. "What do you suggest?"

"I think... I think we should kiss," she rasps out, moving her body so that she was facing you properly, your brow raising a little at her words as your smile grows, fingers moving to brush back a few stray strands of her hair back, eventually letting your hand rest on her cheek, cupping her jaw and bringing her a little closer.

Your eyes flicker over all of her features, admiring them all while waiting for her to lower her face, the brunette only doing so marginally, mirroring your actions and wanting to memorise every inch of your beauty.

It feels like you're waiting an eternity until she lowers her face even more, her lips barely putting any pressure on yours as they briefly brush over them. Your eyes flutter close when you feel her hands cup your jaw, waiting for her to kiss you, to crash her lips to yours, to do anything at this point as you just wait, wait and wait.

When she feels like she's admired you enough and savoured the moment, she kisses you. She kisses you softly and tentatively to begin with as you explore each other's mouths, her actions soon growing a little more confident as the kiss grows hungrier, Wanda seemingly starved of you. It's intimate, it's desperate, it's passionate. It's everything you dreamed it to be.

You can't do anything but give into her relentless mouth, hand clutching at her sweater to ground yourself as all you can think of is her lips moving against yours, her body pressed up against yours, her soft fingers threading through your hair, just her.

A soft moan leaves her when you guide her to straddle your lap, heat immediately taking over her body, your touch burning into her skin as arousal pools between her legs at the feeling of your body pressed against hers, strong arms wrapping around her, a sensual sigh escaping you as when she pulls back from the kiss, eyes darkening with desire as you peer up into the green, a shameless smile on your lips.

"I think we should do that again," you tease, leaning in for another kiss as she smiles against you, her confidence growing with every kiss, every peck in between laboured breaths as her hands move to your shoulders momentarily, gliding them down your back in a seductive way, a groan leaving you at the way her fingers press into the toned muscle satisfyingly.

Experimentally, you slide your tongue into her mouth, a sinful moan escaping her as she welcomes your advances, your hands toying with the hem of her jumper, not sure how far she wanted to go as your mouths move lewdly together, her back arching a little to press her body further against yours.

"Am I going too fast?" Your voice a gentle whisper as you pull back from the kiss, sensing a little bit of nerves from her, eyes gauging her reaction as your fingers had slipped beneath her clothing, feeling the warmth and softness of her bare skin, her cheeks flushing a deep red as she meets your enamoured gaze, not wanting to pressure her.

"No I just-" she cuts herself off, feeling a little embarrassed as your hands slide out of her jumper, snaking around her waist and pulling her closer to rest against your body, bringing her in for a soft embrace that she appreciates. "I never done this before," she confesses, a soft smile appearing on your lips as you guide her head back so you can meet her timid green, "I want to but I just... don't know what I'm doing."

"Do you trust me?" you ask, mimicking her words from the ice skating, your fingers raising to brush back another stray strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear affectionately as she nods. "I'll take care of you, I promise," you whisper, kissing her lips with nothing but love, conveying how gentle you'd be with her. "We can stop at any time," you reassure her, not wanting her to think she's committed to having sex with you, "Just tell me to stop and we stop. I don't care what's happening, all I want is for you to feel safe and comfortable with me." She smiles shyly at your words, tilting her head to kiss you once again, grateful for how caring and considerate you were. "We'll go at your pace, ok?"

"Ok," she murmurs back, smiling into another tender kiss as you do as you said, letting her control the way her lips move against yours, slowly building the hunger back up.

"Tell me what you want," you sigh out against her lips, feeling her hips subtly rock against your lap without her even realising it, your teeth softly nipping at her lower lip, earning a small moan as she flutters her eyes back open, meeting your patient gaze.

"I want...I just want you," she whispers, holding the intimate gaze before leaning back in, kissing you with a new sense of urgency, a small moan leaving you at her words. Your lips pull into a small smile as she slides her tongue hesitantly into your mouth, the kiss turning messy and causing a wave of arousal to flood through, Wanda's mind spinning at the intoxicating way you make her feel.

"You have me," your tone laced with love as she rests her forehead against yours, lips lingering open against one another, simply relishing in the intimacy. "Show me what you want from me," you encourage, sliding your hands from around her lower back to hers, letting her take a hold of your hands to guide them where she wants them, your lips parting from hers to pepper kisses along her jaw softly, her head lolling to the side to welcome your addictive touch.

She simply holds your hands for a moment, deciding what she wants from you, her mind freezing momentarily at the way your teeth scrape against her sensitive skin, a pleasant shiver running down her back as she curses lowly in Sokovian, the sultry sound causing a throb between your thighs.

When she's ready, she squeezes your hands softly, guiding them down her body to the hem of her sweater, hoping you understand her silent request. Your fingers slide under tentatively, feeling the way her stomach tenses and relaxes at your touch, the skin impossibly soft and enticing, your mind reminding you to wait for her as you caress the skin you can reach.

"Please," she murmurs out, one of her hands moving to your hair, threading her fingers through your silky locks and softly pulling you away from her neck, her lips pressing to yours with a hint of desperation as she grinds her hips with a little more purpose now, a wave of pleasure coursing through her.

"Off?" you mutter against her lips questioningly, her nodding into a sensual kiss as your lips meet gently, her sighing into your mouth as your hands grip the hem of her sweater, slowly, teasingly, pulling it off her body.

Her hands move off you to help you pull the item of clothing off, your gaze remaining on her face as she turns shy again, waiting for another nod before letting your gaze drift down her body, your breath hitching at her sheer beauty.

Her body is sculpted to perfection, crafted by Aphrodite herself to create the most beautiful woman you'd ever lay your eyes on, her delicate and smooth skin enticing your eyes all over her exposed body, her curves luring your hands to caress them softly, eyes flickering back up to hers, nothing but admiration and love in them.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" you whisper into a passionate kiss, her nerves immediately dissipating at the sheer honesty lacing your tone, another blush creeping onto her face at how amazed you were by her. "Any idea what you do to me?" you continue, wrapping your arms around her body and pulling her closer to hers, her bra covered chest flush against your body as she moans into your mouth, her body begging for more, needing you to touch her lower.

"Please Y/n," she sighs into your mouth, your hands creeping up her body and resting just under her bra, fingers brushing over the skin, causing goosebumps to rise. "I need you," her tone conveying how desperate she was, your worshipping touch only driving her towards madness, her body viewing them as teasing.

"Where do you need me, love?" the endearment spilling from your lips naturally, a wave of arousal flowing through her at your slightly husky voice, your lips parting from hers once more to kiss down her neck, sucking partly before moving to kiss her shoulder and collarbones, waiting for an answer.

"Here," she sighs out softly, her fingers wrapping around one of your wrists and guiding it down to meet the waistband of her pyjama pants, your head instantly leaving her body to look at her properly, the green in her eyes usually filled with love completely replaced by desire and hunger.

"Are you sure?" Your voice is full of care as your hand remains where she guided you, gazing into hers as your heart beats wildly in your chest, still stunned a little by the sight of her on top of you, the heat between your thighs incessant.

"Yes," her voice a mere whisper as she kisses you softly, deciding she wouldn't want anyone else to be her first, always having loved you without even realising it.

"Remember we can stop whenever you need to," you murmur before claiming her lips with a newfound purpose, wanting to give her everything she wants, fingers carefully sliding under her waistband.

"Fuck," she whispers out, voice a little shaky as her hands move to your back once again, clutching onto your t-shirt as your fingers brush against her core through her soaked panties, a groan leaving you at how wet she was for you. She was this desperate for you.

You move the pad of your finger against the wet fabric, teasingly sliding it up and down her core, earning a small, desperate moan from her into your mouth, her teeth biting down on your lower lip impatiently as you continue to work her body up, her hips bucking against your hand at the slightest of touches.

"Can I-"

"Please," she practically whimpers out, your lips tugging up into a smirk whilst your free hand glides up and down her back soothingly, your fingers slowly sliding under the waistband of her panties, a sensual sigh escaping her when you finally make contact with her core. "Detka," she pants out against your lips as you swallow the desperate noises that leave her lips as your finger swipes through the abundance of arousal that's pooled between her thighs, coating your digit as you explore her wet sex.

Pulling back from the kiss, your eyes observe every single reaction to your touch she offered you, drinking it up like an intoxicating substance as your finger spreads her slick around her, moving to circle her clit gently to begin with, slowly building in confidence as your touch grows firmer, intending to bring her as much as possible.

"You're so pretty like this," you mumble, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck, teeth scraping the soft skin again to drive her mad, your finger sliding up and down her soaking folds before settling on teasing her entrance, a whine leaving her at your enamoured tone and taunting actions.

"Detka," she sighs out, tone conveying the sheer desperation she feels for you, needing you to bring her towards her release, her body needing your touch to satisfy her.

"Shhh, I'll take care of you," you murmur, tilting your head away from her neck to let your lips brush against her compelling ones, her breath fanning across your face as her lips part, your finger slowly sliding into her, your eyes in awe of her blissed out expression. "Tell me what feels good," you encourage, slowly curling your finger inside her beautifully, a moan spilling from her lips directly into your mouth as you claim her lips softly, slowly letting your lips slot over hers, her mind hazy with all the pleasure and heat flowing through her.

"Shit, there, right there," she groans as you curl your finger against her weak spot, the palm of your hand brushing against her clit as she rocks her hips against you, fingers gripping your shirt tightly.

"Yeah?" you husk out and the slight cockiness to your tone has her mind spinning even more with arousal, delirium taking over her as she moans against you once more, your name falling from her lips like a small chant as you thrust your finger in her a little faster, pleasure bubbling through her. "What if I do this?" your voice a teasing whisper, your thumb moving to brush over her clit, a choked moan escaping her as you move it in languid circles, doubling the pleasure fogging her mind.

"Y/n," she pants against you, the corner of your lips tugging up into a smirk at her desperate tone, the way her walls clench and spasm around you, her thighs tensing around your body as her hips buck harder when you time your movements right, a sudden wave of pleasure flowing through her. "Fuck," she sighs out sensually, parting your mouths as she's struggling to reciprocate the kiss, too busy focussing on the way you effortlessly slide in another finger, stretching her out perfectly.

"You're doing so well for me," you whisper, mouth moving to the shell of her ear and tone dropping, a slight rasp added to your voice further arouse her. One of her hands shoot up into your hair, messily tangling it into your locks as moans escape her, her hips trying to move a little faster and push her towards her nearing release, fingers gripping tightly making a dull pain wash over you, the action making you groan as the idea of how lost in pleasure she must be goes straight between your thighs.

"Detka," she sighs out, desperation and a hint of embarrassment lacing her tone, too nervous to ask you for what she wants as her hips indicate how close she is, your fingers still steadily thrusting into her and thumb occasionally brushing her clit, hips bucking harder against you. You immediately understand what she's asking for as she gently tugs your head back, lips pressing against yours passionately as she holds you close, back arching further into your body as she sighs into your mouth, a small whine escaping her as she teeters on the edge of her release.

"I've got you," you murmur gently, your free hand moving up her body and to her face, cupping her cheek intimately and deepening the kiss, a moan leaving her at the sheer amount of love you pour into the embrace. "Let go for me," you mumble between kisses, her eyes squeezed shut as pleasure threatens to take over her.

"Y/n," she whispers out sinfully for a final time, body tensing against yours while your mouths refuse to part, muffling the desperate sounds leaving her lips while pleasure wracks through her body. Her legs tense around your body once more, her hands adamant on keeping you close as she keeps your head against hers, foreheads resting against one another as you slow the kisses down, pecking her lips in between laboured breaths. Your fingers slowed inside her, letting her walls clench and spasm around you as she rode out the last waves of her release, her body eventually relaxing in your lap and melting against your comforting body.

Your gentle breath caressed her lips as she eventually opened your eyes, timidly smiling at you and claiming your lips once more in an innocent manner, her adorable expression causing you to reciprocate the action as your free hand moves to glide up and down her back soothingly, fingers pulling out of her when she was ready.

"I'm so proud of you," you whisper with nothing but honesty and care in your words, her cheeks blushing at the way you tenderly gaze at her, her fingers moving to fix your ruffled hair. She smiles at you softly as she tucks a few strands behind your ear, your lips meeting her cheek lovingly as she just wants to bask in the intimate moment for a little longer, the two of you simply locked in a lovers embrace as your arm snakes around her middle.

Many soft words and gentle whispers later, you had managed to convince her into going to the bathroom to get cleaned up, not wanting her to be uncomfortable later and also wash your hands quickly, the brunette blushing at the cocky smirk on your lips as she watches you, proud of yourself for being able to make her feel good and most importantly loved and safe. You let her find herself a new pair of underwear and some new pyjama pants, opting for the pair she first came to you in before searching for a new shirt to wear.

Once she had opted for an old shirt with her favourite sitcom on it, you offered her your hoodie you took off earlier, the jumper being an oversized fit which you knew she loved, Wanda taking it with a wide smile, unable to stop the butterflies in her stomach at how caring you were. She let her nose rest against the collar of it, able to smell your perfume on it as you wrapped your arms around her waist from behind, dramatically falling onto the bed with her in your arms, eliciting an even bigger smile from her and a nose scrunch.

She turned around in your arms so she was facing you as you pulled her body impossibly closer, smiling fondly at the sight of her in your clothes, her leg sliding in between yours to find a more comfortable position to cuddle in as your fingers drew idle patterns against her back.

"Thank you for being so gentle," she whispers a little shyly, your gaze softening more somehow as she moves her fingers to play with the baby hairs at the back of your neck.

"I'll always be gentle with you," you murmur, kissing her temple and letting your lips linger for a minute, building the courage to say what you wanted to. "Thank you for the last week, I've really enjoyed spending time with you," you say, still trying to get to the three words you wanted to confess, her smile growing a little wider at your soft tone.

"Have I convinced you to love Christmas?" she asks curiously, the intimate gaze prolonged as you once again get lost in her eyes, smiling tenderly at her, thinking of how to phrase your words.

"I don't quite love Christmas yet," you whisper out, your words still giving her hope. "But, I...I know I love you," you confess, your heart beating wildly in your chest for the few seconds she doesn't reply, the way her nose scrunches once again in that adorable manner easing the worry of rejection.

"I love you too," she whispers back with fondness lacing her tone, her lips meeting yours once again for an intimate kiss as you can't help but grin into the kiss, a teasing comment finding its way to your lips.

"More than Christmas?" you whisper, earning a soft laugh from her as she moves her face to hide at the crook of your neck, your skin so warm and comfortable, lulling her into a relaxed state.

"More than Christmas," she chuckles out, wrapping her arms around your middle securely, your arms mirroring the action as your lips press a final kiss to the top of her head, the witch amazed at how you, a grinch, managed to steal her heart. 

[olsenmyolsen]

This Is Me Trying - One - (A Y/N Parker Spider-Woman X Kate Bishop Story)

masterlist

Summary: The Winter semester is challenging as you fall behind on exams and essays all while an old threat emerges.

Word Count: 3.3K

Content: College stress, cutie Kate Bishop

You, Y/N Parker, loved Christmas time.

You loved how it changed the city from a smelly concrete jungle into a smelly concrete jungle but with snow!

Lights went up with trees covered in decorations. Lattes got better, and so did the cookies.

The air got colder, and sometimes the people got warmer. Whether it was buying things for strangers or for a lifelong friend. Random acts of kindness increased, but on the flip side, so did the rate of crime.

Plus, swinging in the cold was awful, but with some insulation in the suit, it helped.

All of this to say you still loved this time of the year.

"You know, since you love it so much, how about you let me go? You know, like you said, kindness of strangers and all that!"

You looked at the guy webbed to a pole who just mugged a woman coming home from work and tilted your head.

"You know what you're right. Tis the season!" The man nodded as you took a few steps closer. "However, on second thought!" The man's eyes widened before you webbed his mouth shut.

"Marv, how many times are we gonna do this, buddy?" You patted the man's head as the sirens were approaching.

"Happy Holidays!" You yelled as you swung up to the nearby rooftop, looking for the woman whose purse was in your hand.

As you stay perched on the corner, your phone starts to ring. It was Peter—your best friend and brother. You debated whether to answer it or not, but eventually, you gave in and pressed the side of your mask.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Not much... I know it's late, but I- I was just wondering if you started on Dr. Ohnn's paper yet? I'm completely lost. H-He knows we're sophomores, right?!"

You chuckled and sighed.

You haven't started on the paper yet.

"Sorry, Pete. I've been busy..." You heard Peter let out a disappointed sigh.

"Y/N... you're out, aren't you?" You felt bad. For the last couple of weeks, Peters has been asking you to take it easy with your after-school duties due to the number of exams these previous few weeks have had and, as mentioned before, the crime rate, but you haven't. If anything, you tacked on more. "Y/N, you know how dangerous I still think this is."

You rolled your eyes. "Yes, Peter, I know, but-" Before you could finish, you saw a person jump from one rooftop to another two blocks down from you. "Hey Pete, I gotta go..."

"Wait Y/N... Y/N!"

The line went dead as you tapped the side of your mask and took off, swinging purse in hand to the stranger on the rooftop.

As you front-flipped from your webbed, you laughed. "Well, if it isn't the purple bird!" You said when you got up from your landing pose, scaring the crap out of the archer. He jumped and drew his bow on you before realizing who it was.

With an exaggerated groan, he withdrew his weapon.

"What do you want, Spider!?" He sounded annoyed. You put your hands over your heart. Purse still in hand. "Ouch! I just wanted to check up on the man who destroyed 30 Rock last year."

Clint Barton rolled his eyes.

"It was a tree and a skating rink. Get over it." You raised your hand and mocked the archer as you stepped onto the roof's ledge.

"Where's the youngster?" You asked switching topics. Clint raised an eyebrow. "What are you spying on me now?" You put your hands up. "As if! Just curious. Making conversation. It's not my fault you two happen to fall into my patrol area."

Clint looked at you. "Your patrol area?" You nodded. "It's called New York. Ever heard of it?" Clint rolled his eyes again. "You can be a pain in the ass sometimes, you know that."

"I've been told."

"By friends?" You laughed. "No by enemies. Wait..? Why did you hear something?"

Clint cracked a smile. "Maybe." He hadn't, but he enjoyed this back-and-forth you two played. Like his protege, it was nice to have someone around who reminded him of the heroes of the past. People that brought hope for the future.

"So is that purse yours or?" Clint looked up from his binoculars at you. "No. It's not my color." When Clint didn't laugh, you continued. "Lady got mugged, and I don't know where to find her."

Clint looked from the purse to you and did it two more times. "What?" You asked when no words were spoken. Clint huffed. "You have her purse. It probably has her ID." You tilted your head before your eyes got wide. "Oh! Her address!"

Clint nodded yes and grumbled about you before looking into his binoculars again.

"Thanks, bird man!" You said as you looked at the address. It wasn't far. "Same time tomorrow?" You asked as you twhiped away.

Clint sent you a thumbs-up even though he wasn't paying attention. But you didn't know that. You saw a thumbs up and smiled.

You were getting through to the old man.

As you twhiped to the woman's place to return her purse, a bright-eyed Kate Bishop saw you.

"It's the Spider!" She very awkwardly whispered to no one else before running to the building; she had no idea you had just left from.

And when she got to the top: "Clint!" She shouted, making the archer jump before realizing who it was. "What!?" He said, looking at her as she smiled with excitement. "The spider! I just saw her!" He nodded like a dad would. "And?" He said. "And! And! And isn't that cool!" Clint shrugged. "I guess. She was here. She actually asked about you." Clint held in a smile.

It was a not-so-secret that Kate had a slight crush/admiration for the web-slinging hero.

"And!?" Kate took the binoculars from Clint and awaited his answer. "And... that was it. Nothing else. She joked around. I rolled my eyes. That was it."

Kate was going to press for my information, but Clint was useless when it came to details so mundane.

"Ugh. Fine. Here." Kate tried to hand the binoculars back, but Clint shook his head. "Look and tell me what you see." Kate looked through them and into the window of a known wheelman. "Tracksuits." She said, making Clint nod.

"See the guy with the awful chops?" Kate shifted her focus to a guy with bad facial hair. "Yeah."

"Look past him on the wall." Kate did just that and smiled. "I thought people only drew on blueprints in the movies?!"

"Our guys must watch a lot of movies," Clint said as he chuckled.

Kate put the binoculars down and looked at Clint. "After last year, do you still think Kingpin and these guys are connected? I mean..." Kate made a gesture that said, "really, these guys??" while pointing in the direction of the Tracksuits.

Clint shrugged. "I think it's best to believe they're connected than to not. Plus.. drugs and money still need to be run for guys like Kingpin. Any disposable person that's easy to pay is like Christmas to these guys."

Kate thought about it and nodded as she looked through the binoculars again. "Remember when we destroyed 30 rock."

Clint groans and closes his eyes. "It was a tree and an ice rink. Not the whole city!"

While Kate was busy trying to figure out what annoyed Clint and what Kingpin was planning next, you were busy climbing into your dorm through the window.

You tore your mask off as your feet landed on the floor. You ran your covered hand through your freshly shortened hair and took a deep breath before frowning. You sniffed the air before lifting your suit close to your nose. "Ah, man.."

The city really got to it tonight.

You tossed your mask into the hamper in your closet as you started wrangling out of your suit. You've been meaning to make adjustments to your suit since your arm muscle has only grown, but you hadn't, which left it a bit tight to get out of sometimes.

Lucky for you, you never had people drop by unannounced, so you could always take your time-

"Y/N is that you- OH MY GOD!"

You turned towards the voice of your brother as the top half of your suit fell, showing off you in your black sports bra and toned abdomen.

"Peter!" You yelled as he threw his hands over his eyes. "I didn't know. I'm sorry!" He shouted as he went to run out the door but hit your wall instead, causing him to fall to the floor, knocked out.

An hour later, as you moved your clothes from the wash to the dryer, Peter woke up. And after scolding him about not knocking, you and him got to work on Dr. Ohnn's paper.

But with your exhausted brain and body. Plus Peter's... mild concussion, you two didn't get far. So, just as you were about to suggest calling it for the night, your roommate came home.

Where she was or who she was with was always a mystery to you.

"Hey, losers!" Michelle-Jones, aka MJ, greeted you and Peter as she ran to grab the TV remote sitting on the table. She clicked it on and found the local news channel. "MJ, what are you-" She held up a finger and shushed your brother. "Look!" She pointed to the screen as a reporter was standing in front of a run-down apartment building that was on fire. "It's the fifth one this month!" MJ stated. "Everything thinks I'm crazy, but I know insurance fraud when I see it."

You and Peter weren't sure how to continue.

"Okay..." You started. "What's your point?" You questioned, hoping your roommate and friend was going somewhere with this. "Obviously, someone is doing something very illegal."

"Okay..." Peter said. "What can we do about it?"

"We can't do anything about it. But someone here can." MJ started motioning her head towards you, making you sigh. "MJ. I've told you multiple times. The pictures were a summer thing. I don't take their pictures anymore!" MJ rolled her eyes. Clearly not believing you. "Whatever you say..." She narrowed her eyes at you. "Spider!"

Before you could argue back, MJ got up and went to the fridge before taking a box of pizza to her room. "I'm gonna crash. Night."

"I brought that pizza..." Peter quietly said as you collapsed onto the couch. "You were gonna give it to her anyways." You turn your head to Peter. "Was not!" He defends, but you see through him. "You've had a crush on her for the last year, so please let's be honest here."

Peter closed his mouth and then said: "You're the one not being honest with her."

"Dude."

"Sorry," Peter mumbled. "It's just she's going to find out on her own if you don't tell her." He whispered. You nodded. "I know. I know. But you and I both know that the fewer people that know, the less I have to worry about. The less people get hurt."

Peter wore a sad smile on his face. "You're right. I.. I just hate lying to her."

You looked at Peter as he brought his knees close to his chest on the other end of the couch. "I'm sorry, Pete." He nodded. He knew it was easier for you to do this if the less people knew about your other life, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could lie to MJ.

The following morning, after Peter returned to his dorm, you woke up late.

Apparently, in your sleepy daze, you hit 730 into your calculator app and not your alarm clock application. On top of that, you forgot to charge your phone, so as you panicked to get ready for the day, you quickly put in the cable to charge.

You grabbed your closest pair of jeans and threw on your school sweater, all while grabbing the textbooks scattered on your desk.

You ran into the kitchen and grabbed your last pair of pop tarts before heading to the door and slipping on your vans. You zipped up your bag and bolted out the door.

However, you immediately reentered your dorm, ran into your room, snatching your glasses and phone, now on 16%.

_

The lecture hall was full by the time you entered. The booming of the door attracted the attention of everyone.

Your brother included. Your eyes found his, and he gave you a weak smile as you sat at the first seat you could find.

When you pulled out your textbook and looked up, you saw Dr. Connors sigh before he continued speaking. "As I was saying. Yes, just because the holidays are upon us doesn't mean we won't have our test on Friday. I want something fun to grade over the break, people." He gave an awkward chuckle that few students, including you, gave back. "Oh, and don't forget. Your papers on physics are still due by the end of the school year. If you've forgotten... well, there's a reason I'm tenured, and this class lasts all year." He smiled and proceeded to dismiss everybody.

Everybody but you.

"Y/N Parker. A moment."

You knew it was coming, but you kept your head up high. You look to Peter, and he nods. He'd see you after class.

"Dr. Connors, look, I'm sorry about being late-"

"Late?" He cut you off. "You missed the whole dang class." You sighed and adjusted the bag around your shoulder. "Look..." Dr. Connors started. "You're a bright student. I've seen it firsthand, but lately... it's like you're not even here. Your grades have been steadily declining. You always appear exhausted."

You nodded. "I'm trying. I wanna be here!"

"Then be here." He said before he sighed. "You still haven't told me what your physics paper is on."

You perked up at that. "I plan on doing it about fusion and Dr. Otto Octavius."

Dr. Connors sighs. "Well, planning is not a major at this university." He walks past you and goes to the giant board in the middle of the room. He then stops. "Octavius is a friend of mine. Better do your research, Parker." You nod. "I'd really hate to see you fail."

"I don't want to, sir." You say, making Connors look at you with a sad smile on his face. "I can pass along your information to Octavius. Whether he contacts you or not is up to him. After that..." He looks at you. "It's up to you, Parker."

When you exited the lecture hall, you found Peter talking to your mutual friend Ned. The closer you got, the more you saw Peter panic and tell Ned to "shut up."

"What's going on?" Peter shook his head as if nothing was wrong. You looked to Ned, who sheepishly looked away. "Ned." You drug his name out.

Ned took one look at you and broke. "I think I might know about the fires around the city!" He smiled and looked excited. It paid to have Ned be the guy in the chair.

You looked at Peter. "You didn't want him to tell me?" Peter sighed. "Y/N, you have so much going on already we don't need you." He gestures with his hand as if he was shooting a web. "Right now. Besides, you haven't even started on your essay, and you just got in trouble with Connors!"

Before you could defend your lack of action, you get interrupted.

"Hey guys!"

Immediately, your stress melted away as you looked down at Kate Bishop. Captain of the Archery Team. Your friend and study partner.

Oh, and your crush.

Katherine Elizabeth Bishop.

"Hey Kate!" You said a little too excitedly, something that everyone caught on to. Thankfully, they chose not to make a big deal out of it. "Hey, Y/N." She looked at you and smiled.

There goes the butterflies.

"So what are you three amigos talking about?" She bounced on her heels as she looked away from you and to the other two. "Oh, nothing!" Peter said. "I don't think you're allowed to say that?" Ned added with a confused face.

"Doesn't sound like nothing," Kate said, making Peter glance at you. "Sounds like Y/N is getting in trouble with Connors." She replied as she turned to you with a teasing smile. "Let me guess..." She made a thinking face. "Too busy studying for our History test?"

History test!! Oh crap, that is Friday!

"Okay, based on the look I just gained, you forgot." You nodded. Kate made a hmm noise but kept her head towards you as she thought.

"Shit," Ned spoke up. "Peter, we gotta go, or we'll be late!" Peter looked at his watch and came to the same conclusion. "Gotta go! See you, Y/N! Bye, Kate!" Peter and Ned took off running down the hall and out the doors before they sprinted across the courtyard.

"What class do they have?" Kate asked.

"Robotics."

"Sounds about right." She said. "We should probably get going." Kate smiled and gestured her head in the general direction of your History class with Kate. "Don't worry about the test," Kate said as you two walked side by side. "You always do just fine." You shrugged her compliment off.

Kate noticed. "But I was thinking if you want..." You looked at Kate and noticed her fingers interlocking with one another. "Maybe you could come to my dorm to study some more. Besides, I still need help on the laws and how they changed once the Sokovian Accords were ratified."

You and Kate had always hung out in mutual gatherings and settings. You two were good friends, but you had never been to her dorm.

On top of that. Alone.

You suddenly felt very warm and wary of your every move.

"That sounds great!" You managed to say. "When were you thinking?"

Kate thought. If it were up to her, you'd come over tonight, but Kate wasn't sure what her roommate Cassie was doing. Plus, she and Clint had a hot new lead to follow up on. "Ummm, is it cool if I text you?"

You nodded. "Sounds great." You smiled widely and pushed the door to your History class open. Letting Kate walk in first. You and Kate walked to your seats and sat beside one another.

"Shit." You heard Kate mumble when she opened her bag. "You okay?" You asked. "Uh yeah.." She bit her lip. A habit you noticed that she only got when she was embarrassed. "What's wrong?" You asked when you tore your eyes away from her chewed-on pink lips.

Kate sighed when her lips parted. "I forgot my textbook. I thought I packed after Clint- Clint-on Clinton and I got back from Archery, but I guess I didn't." Kate didn't look your way.

She was now warm and aware of every move she made.

"Hey, I surprisingly remembered mine." You pulled yours out. "We can share." You moved it in between the two of you. "Really?" She charmingly lifted her eyebrows. "Really." You said.

Kate let out a little cheer and wrapped an arm around you. "You're a lifesaver!"

If only she knew.

Kate didn't remove her arm from around you as quick as she usually would have; instead, you could feel her hand slide up your muscles to your shoulder.

Kate had been noticing your muscle growth as of late but didn't know where it came from...

Eventually, Kate removed her touch from you.

Yet you still felt her.

"It's no big deal." You said about sharing the textbook. But you and Kate both knew that based on your actions recently, you remembering to bring your book or not falling asleep in class was a miracle.

This was Kate's first time forgetting a book, and she could sense Clint's disappointed sigh.

Kate smiled as she watched your fingers turn the corners of the page in the textbook. Her eyes lifted to your fingers, to your sweater, and up to your face. She watched your side profile as you silently read a paragraph to yourself. She only stopped when you looked her way and hid a smile when you pushed up your glasses. "What's up?" You quietly asked.

"Do you want to come to my archery practice tomorrow?" Kate whispered back.

Kate wasn't sure what you had going on in your life. You and her were close but not close, like with Peter, Ned, and MJ. So she never pushed.

Plus, she liked you and didn't want to ruin what you two might have.

But when you said, "Yeah! That sounds awesome!" Like a dork, Kate smiled.

dividers by @/benkeibear

[marvelobsessed134]

The girl who works at the hot chocolate stand at Rockefeller

Reposted from my Wattpad.

This is part of my 12 days of fics

Pairings: Kate Bishop x Fem!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: in which Kate Bishop buys too many hot chocolates

It's that time of year again. The temperature drops, tiny snowflakes fall from the sky, everyone scrambles to get their holiday shopping done, while making cookies and getting bundled up in red PJs to watch Christmas films. Some people drop the needle down on their Christmas vinyls.

You love everything about this time of year. The cozy vibes, magical feeling, and family gatherings. Which is why you work the hot chocolate stand at Rockefeller center every year. You love watching people ice skate and gathering the tree for the lighting. When you're off your job you join in, and enjoy the holiday magic.

As you prepared orders, you thought about what to get your little sister for christmas. And decided on an American Girl doll. She loves those dolls and has always wanted one, even though they're crazy expensive. But you've saved up a lot for presents this year.

You heard some people whispering and pointing to the entrance. Curious, you looked up to see The Avengers walking around. You heard rumors about them visiting this year as a group, but here they are.

They walked up the stand and got in line.

You made many cups of coco, from ex assassins and super soldiers, to a witch, a guy who can run really fast, a guy with an iron suit,an Asgardian god, and a hulk. And the two world's greatest archers.

One of them, being Kate Bishop. The raven haired girl studied you for a moment. She thought you were extremely beautiful. She got too caught up in her thoughts when she didn't notice you had finished making her drink.

"Uh, Ms. Bishop? Your drink is ready." You spoke up and she shook her head and took the warm styrofoam cup. "I'm sorry, thank you..."

"Y/n." you responded with a warm smile.

She smiled back at you.

"Y/n." she repeated and she walked back t0 the group of supers.

"Well...you seemed very occupied over there." Natasha smirked while Yelena let out a laugh.

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Okay, whatever."

"Come on guys! Let's go ice skating!" Steve exclaimed. The team started skating around, but Kate couldn't keep her mind off of you. She wanted to see you again. So, she bought another cup of hot chocolate. And another one. And in the words of DJ Khaled, another one. Till you finally spoke up about it.

"You must really like hot chocolate, don't you?"

Her face turned crimson.

"I-uh, yeah. I guess you could say that. Um, when do you get off?"

You smirked at her question.

"Whenever I can. Which happens to be right now." you responded.

Kate smiled and you closed up the stand, getting bundled back up in your mittens and coats. And your All Too Well scarf you bought from Taylor Swift's merch store.

She took you by the hand.

The two of you talked for awhile before the tree lighting ceremony started. You stood with Kate by the rest of the team. And as soon as the lights on the tree came on, she grabbed your face in her hands and pressed her lips to yours.

You happily kissed her back.

This was definitely the most magical Christmas you've ever experienced.

[spainkitty]

I'm so embarrassed! I thought I had replied to your last ask and I didn't😳 I'm sorry!🙈

I hope you're feeling better. I remember recommending you cloud gaming for BG3 so I wonder if you gave that ago and if you did, if it works for you👀

I'm deep in BG3 brainrot🙈😅 I'm in my 4th pt right now lol. I have a stand-by pt of my monk tav in act 3 cause the kiss animation with Astarion with a tav with body type 1 (the smollest one lol) is broken since patch 4. And yes, I'm becoming the kind of person who romances Astarion with every single tav I make😂

I'm curious to see your tavs so please show me whenever you can👀

Here are mine in chronological order of my pts:

Iriel - seldarine drow sorcerer

(the 2nd pt I did was Astarion's origin so no tav)

Ceres - half-elf monk (on stand-by until Larian fixes the kiss animation with Astarion in act 3 lol)

Nephalem - high-elf necromancer (current pt)

And yes, they're all head over heels in love with Astarion🙈😍

I really hope you've got the chance to play BG3 further! If you have, please tell me about your tav(s) and what you think if the game so far👀

I... can't even remember what I sent you, but I gather it was about BG3 LOL I'm feeling much better. I haven't tried your cloud idea yet. I wanted to finish my Adaar run and I replayed DAO instead. Mainly because my friend said during our little Christmas break (we have 4ish days off for it and we're coworkers) he's getting it on his Xbox and I'm gonna go play it with him! Which means when the spiders come I can hide 🤣🤣 I DID make three "Tavs" before I gave up (and I'll be remaking one for the Xbox marathon).

All your Tavs (pts?? pcs??) look SO cool! I wasn't super pleased with how limited the faces were, but you did a great job making each unique. Silly Larian, fix the bug so Ceres can have a kiss! KISS KISS KISS! Oh, also, how is it playing a monk?? I had a tabaxi (cat person) monk in a campaign and she was so fun to rp, does it work out well in bg3?? I think Iriel's design in my favorite, though. I looove that half-buzz cut. Nephalem looks very suave and cool, too 😎

As for my girls, I'll show the few pics I got.

This is Karik, my Moon Circle Wildshaping half-elf Druid! And her dream guardian. I made her look like my current campaign's Tepin Pallis Cuautl Lozano, another Moon Circle Druid Wildshaper 🤭🤭🤭 I wanna romance Lae'zel, but I never met Wyll or Karlach, so... we'll see.

Then, there's Andry Cousland, my og Warden, Warrior-Archer human. I just wanted to see what she'd look like in BG3. Not bad🤔

Lastly, the one I'm going to remake for the Xbox and I'm super excited for it! I'm probably going to romance Gale, maybe... Anyway, meet:

Agnes, half-elf drow, Trickster Cleric of Tymora

(you can see where the computer started losing itself and her hair looks weird and pixel-y, but still cute 💖)

[raxistaicho]

I played Berwick Saga, here's why you should!

It's a really really good games :)

For those not in the know, Berwick was the second of Kaga's post-Nintendo SRPG games. Despite having TearRing Saga in its ridiculously-long full title (TearRing Saga Series: Berwick Saga Lazberia Chronicle Chapter 174 for those who are curious), the game has only the loosest narrative connection with its predecessor, so don't feel obliged to play that first (though you still might want to to get your feet wet on Kaga's post-Nintendo design style, if you've never played Thracia).

Unlike TearRing, which was basically Fire Emblem with a new coat of paint slapped on top, Berwick is quite a bit different, most notably featuring a hex-grid layout, the player and the AI take turns taking actions on a single phase of play (so no player and enemy phase, but the player does always get the first move each turn) weapon access being mostly tied to a unit's level, playable units you need to hire each chapter if you want to use them until you manage to permanently recruit them, and horses that can take damage and die!

The cast of playable characters is rather small but highly unique on the whole. Units are seldom defined by their stats, but by their skills, weapon access, and prf weapons they have at their disposal. A number of units, including all the thieves, can hide on leafy or man-made terrain, the flier can fly over ground-based units and is safe from melee units initiating onto her, the christmas cavs of the game are defined by one having Vantage (due to the way countering works in Berwick, he can stop enemies dead in their tracks if he hits them first) and the other having the accost-like Deathmatch, a few units are highly valuable for their ability to re-roll avoidance against arrows (you'll be seeing a lot of enemy archers :p), some archers can set up an action to intercept units moving into their range with a free attack that immediately ends their action if the attack lands, and the pirate is less an axe guy who can swim and more a nautical thief who can actually pack a punch unlike the two pure thieves.

The writing is also excellent. Though the main lord, Reese, is involved in a continent-spanning war, the corrupt and incompetent king and his court do everything in their power to sideline him out of petty prejudice, so Reese's army spends as much time helping the common people of the capital as they do aiding the war effort directly. That's not to say Berwick is devoid of big moves and politics, but it is to say it has a stronger focus on the daily struggles of life during a time of war (though this naturally abates by the end of the game, focusing more on the big movements again). The playable characters also receive much more care in their characterization and different story arcs than is the norm, and almost everyone has their own story woven into the main plot, and their own ending once the final map is done.

Downtime between missions (for most of the game, each chapter has its own main mission followed by two optional side missions) takes place in the hub city of Navaron. Before you get worried, everything is done via menus, and the hub is purely there for watching cutscenes, taking on missions, preparing your team, hiring mercenaries, buying equipment and horses, exchanging prisoners, turning in bounties, chatting with an eccentric collector who's keen on rewarding you handsomely for giving him often-unsavory weapons, forging and crafting gear, and eating at the pavilion for chapter-long stat boosts. None of the tedium of exploring Garreg Mach or doing the Somniel's dozen or so chapterly minigames. Much of the NPCs are involved in giving you your side missions, so you'll get to know even them quite well.

Berwick is challenging but fair. And when it feels overwhelming, the folks on the FE Discord are extremely helpful and welcoming to new players. So yeah, I said my piece, Berwick's worth trying out :)

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Healing Wounds and Souls

Summary: After her fight with Kingpin and the arrest of her mother, Kate Bishop wanted sleep, a shower, and pizza before her trip to Iowa to join his family to celebrate Christmas. But she did not expect to see the blonde-haired Black Widow sitting in her destroyed apartment.

Warning: None really, mentioned of Red Room, minor injuries, fluff 

Word Count:  2.6K

Her body hurt. Kate was used to pushing her body to the extreme. Her entire life she trained for the next event; archery, fencing, karate, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. But none of that training prepared her for this. The physical pain of fighting against Kingpin and a Black Widow assassin. Also the emotional ordeal of having her mother arrested. Kate sighed, she wondered where Yelena ran off to after her fight with Clint. The archer opened the door to her still destroyed apartment. She needed to get a few things before joining Clint in Iowa for Christmas. “Kate Bishop.” She jumped at the familiar Russian accent but hissed in pain.

“Jesus Yelena,” Kate closed the door. “You are going to kill me one of these days.” The Black Widow was sitting on the window ledge, looking up at the night sky. She had a first aid kit out and her tactical suit still on. Even in the low light, she saw tears staining her cheeks. Yelena smirked.

“If I were to kill you,” Yelena said. “Heart failure wouldn’t be how I’d do it.” Kate chuckled, dropping her bow on the ground and rubbing her ribs. They were killing her.

“How would you kill me?” Kate asked, mostly joking but also curious. Yelena looked away from the sky and towards Kate. The air was sucked out of the archer’s lungs at how Yelena was looking at her. It was such a stark contrast when she was sitting at her table with a bowl of mac and cheese, threatening her to stay out of the way.

“That’s the thing I wouldn’t kill you.” She said. Oh. Kate wasn’t expecting that answer. “You're injured.”She said.

“It’s been a long night.” Yelena nodded.

“Do you want me to leave?” Kate shook her head.

“No, stay.” She wasn’t sure why she wanted Yelena to stay but it filled her with a sense of peace.

“Sit,” Yelena said. “I have to make sure you don’t die from your wounds. That would not be a cool way to die.” Kate rolled her eyes but walked over to the Russian and sat down in front of her. Being this close allowed Kate to see the fresh tears still in Yelena’s eyes. Clint didn’t tell her what went down between him and Yelena and for once Kate kept her mouth shut. She was just relieved that Yelena didn’t kill him. The Russian opened the first aid kill and pulled out some bandages, gauze, antiseptic spray, and an ice pack. “I didn’t leave you in this condition.” She said, after she was happy how she laid out the supplies in front of her. Kate thought it was cute.

“It wasn’t you.” Kate said, some of the bumps and bruises were from the Black Widow but her body didn’t hurt as bad after their fight. Kate hissed at the sting from the antiseptic spray as Yelena cleaned the cuts on her face. Yelena gently blew on the cut and it relieved some of the sting. “It was Kingpin.” Yelena’s hand stuttered.

“I’m impressed, Kate Bishop. Not many people walk away from facing him.”

“I am the world’s best archer.” Yelena smiled, rolling her eyes slightly. She continued in silence, cleaning the cuts on Kate’s face and banding the ones that needed it. Next was her hands, Yelena looked them over. Her hands were covered with callouses from years of training so Kate knew there was no real damage but she let the Russian check. “Why are you here, Yelena?” Kate asked after a moment of silence. The Black Widow didn’t answer, instead she inspected Kate’s ribs. Kate felt her body go warm as the closeness and the feeling of Yelena’s hands on her.

“They aren’t broken,” she said. “They are bruised.” Kate nodded as Yelena activated the ice pack and handed it to her. The archer took it and saw that Yelena's knuckles were bloody. Instead of placing the ice on her ribs she set it down and took Yelena’s hand in hers.

“Your turn.” She was surprised how soft Yelena’s hands were against her own. Kate applied some spray to a fresh piece of gauze and began to clean her knuckles. Yelena hissed and Kate mirrored the Black Widow’s action and blew on the cuts. She glanced up and saw the tears Yelena was trying to hold back fall down her cheeks. She didn’t draw attention to them and cleaned the wounds on her hand.

“I didn’t kill Barton.” The Russian whispered. Kate nodded, she wasn’t going to ask for more and just hoped that Yelena would open up to her. “They were friends.”

“She was the best shot he ever took.” Kate told her, remembering the story the older Hawkwye told her when she asked. The archer looked up and saw confusion etched on Yelena’s face. “Well technically the best shot he didn’t take.” She sighed, putting a bandage on a bad cut on Yelena’s hand. “Clint was sent to kill Natasha but he didn’t. Instead, he gave her a chance to walk away.” Kate checked her ribs next, they were fine so she cleaned up the used medical supplies.

“You didn’t take the shot.” Yelena said suddenly. Kate leaned back on the wall, placing the already arm ice on her ribs. “That night on the roof.” She remembered. She had the shot and she could have hurt or killed Yelena that night but she didn’t. There was a look in Yelena’s eyes that caused her to freeze. Her entire life she was conditioned to be the best and push everyone to the wide that got in her way. At that moment, Yelena was in her way. The Black Widow was watching her closely. Her green eyes were red and glossy from her tears.

“Why are you here, Yelena?” Kate asked again. Yelena looked back out the window.

“I had nowhere else to go.” Her voice cracked from her emotions and her accent was thick.  

“I didn’t want to kill you,” Kate said. “A part of me hesitated to pull the arrow because like your sister all those years ago, you want a way out too.” Yelena laughed bitterly, shaking her head.

“This life,” she said. “Is all I know.” Kate didn’t know much about the training for Black Widow’s. When Natasha leaked all of the SHIELD’S secrets, the Red Room was among the documents. At the time Kate couldn’t stomach it so she skipped that section.

“Maybe it’s all you know because no one has given you a chance to do something else.” Kate moved back closer to Yelena and held out her hand. She looked at the archer’s outstretched hand. “You don’t have to fight anymore.” Kate whispered.

“What am I going to do then?” She asked, making no move to grab Kate’s hand but she kept it out.

“I’m not sure,” Kate answered honestly. “But if you like I’ll be there with you to find out.” With a shaky hand, Yelena took Kate’s.

“Why would you want to do that?” Yelena questioned. Kate stared at their connected hands. She began to draw circles on the back of Yelena’s hand with her thumb.

“Because I’m alone too.” She said. She knew she had Clint but the older archer had a family and was retired from this life. Kate was the reason he almost missed the holidays, she couldn’t pull him back in. “I’m trying to figure out what’s next for me too.” She helped Clint clean up her mess and faced a major player in the New York City underground but that didn’t guarantee her a title as an Avenger. With her mother in jail, Bishop Security was her’s to run when the police were done investigating. But did she want that? “I think figuring it out together is better than doing it alone.” Yelena was silent for a moment, her eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

“You are very strange, Kate Bishop.” The archer laughed, throwing her head back.

“I’ve been called worse things.” A small smile formed on the Russian’s face. “Come with me to Clint’s for Christmas.” Yelena’s eyes went wide.

“Are you out of your mind? I just tried to kill the man and you think it’s a good idea to spend the holidays with him and his family.” Kate nodded. “I think Kingpin knocked some brain cells out of you.” The archer rolled her eyes.

“The relationship between Black Widows and Hawkeyes have been founded on trying to kill each other.” Kate stated. “You tried to kill me.” Yelena gasped.

“I did not try to kill you. I put you on a wire to-”

“To remove an obstacle.” Kate said, cutting her off with a laugh. “But I’m serious, join me. Please.” She did not want Yelena to spend Christmas alone after the night she had. She would drag the Black Widow, kicking and screaming, to Iowa if she had to. Yelena sighed.

“Fine, I’ll join you.”

*

Clint wasn’t surprised when Yelena was with Kate to join them on their journey to Iowa. He even pulled her into a quick hug as he wished her a Merry Christma. Kate did most of the talking but she did hear Yelena chuckle at a few jabs she threw at her mentor. Soon Clint was driving along the stone driveway to a two story white farmhouse. Kate glanced at Yelena through the mirror and watched as her body became tense. She looked at Kate and the archer gave her a smile. Clint parked the car and the sound of him opening and closing his door alerted the residence inside the house. The door for the farm house flew open and his children came running out, giving their father a hug. “Are you okay?” Kate asked.

“I don’t know.” Yelena said.

“I’m here, okay?” The archer said. “I’m here if you need anything.” Yelena nodded and they both got out of the car. Yelena had a hold of Lucky’s leash as Kate grabbed the Christmas presents for the kids.

“Kids, that is Kate and Yelena.” Clint introduced everyone. A young girl who Kate figured was Lila walked over to her.

“Here let me help.” She said.

“Oh thank you.” Kate gave her some of the boxes and she walked back into the house, followed by the oldest Barton. The youngest  walked over to Yelena.

“I like your dog.” He said, reaching out to Lucky. The one eyed golden retriever sniffed his hand and allowed the young boy to pet his head.

“He's Kate’s dog.” Yelena corrected him. “His name is Lucky.” The young boy wrapped his arms around Lucky’s neck.

“I like his name.” He looked up at Yelena. “I like yours too. My name is Nathaniel.”

“Nathaniel.” The Black Widow said slowly. “I like it.” He smiled brightly.

“I’m named after my Auntie Nat.”

“Auntie Nat?” She questioned, looking up at Clint who was watching the interaction with a fond smile on his face. Kate grabbed the leash from Yelena as she returned her attention back to Nathaniel. “Your Auntie Nat was my sister.” Nathaniel gasped and threw his arms around Yelena’s waist. The Russian tensed up at the sudden contact.

“Does that make you my aunt too?” He asked.

“If you want me to be.” Nathaniel nodded.

“Come on,” Clint said. “We have presents to open.” The mention of presents caused Nathaniel to let go of Yelena and run back into the house. Kate smiled and watched Yelena wipe away a tear that fell down her cheek. The archer grabbed her hand. Yelena let out a shaky breath and squeezed Kate’s hand, answering a silent question that she was okay. Hand-in-hand they walked into the Barton home.

“I brought home some strays.” Kate heard Clint say to his wife. She laughed with a smile. Kate let go of Lucky’s leash and the dog ran into the living room to be with the Barton kids. Laura walked over to the young archer and Black Widow. She pulled Kate into a hug.

“Merry Christmas, sweetie.” She said. Kate’s body went tense at the small gesture. It had been so long since she’s gotten a hug like this.

“Merry Christmas.” Kate said back. The archer ended the hug and walked into the living room to join the others. She watched as Laura hugged Yelena, she must have whispered something in her ear because Yelena nodded. Kate smiled and got distracted by Nathaniel’s excitement as he began to open the presents. This was nice; weird, different, and something incredible new but Kate loved it.

*

Kate found Yelena upstairs in a spare bedroom. Clint invited her outside to burn the Ronin outfit and once it was nothing more than embers and smoke, Kate went back inside. Laura told her where to find Yelena. The door was open and she saw Yelena sitting on the edge of the bed with a photo strip in her hands. “Knock, knock, can I come in?” Kate asked. The Russian didn’t look up but she saw her nod her head. Kate walked in, closing the door slightly. She sat on the bed next to her and looked at the photo. It was half of a photo strip of two young girls smiling at the camera, one with blue short hair and the other was blonde.

“This was Natasha’s room when she stayed here,” Yelena said. She reached into her own pocket and pulled out the other half of the photo strip, connecting the ribbed edges. “I want to hate her for finding this and leaving me.” Kate wasn’t sure what she was referring to but she knew that Yelena was in pain.

“It’s okay to be angry with her,” Kate said. “Those feelings and emotions are valid.” Yelena looked at the archer.

“Do you hate your parents?” The Black Widow asked. Kate sighed, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the ceiling. That was a good question. After everything she learned about her parents and what they were involved in, did she hate them?

“I do,” Kate answered honestly. “They’ve hurt me and probably others.” She looked back at Yelena. “But a part of me still loves them. Those feelings can coexist.” Yelena sighed.

“Feelings are stupid.” Kate laughed as Yelena smiled.

“You are correct but they make us human and they are a reminder that we are alive.”

“And free.” Yelena added.

“Yeah and free.” She looked at Kate. She had the same look of vulnerability in her eyes as they cleaned each other’s wounds. The way Yelena was looking at her made her stomach flip like she was on a rollercoaster. God, Kate really wanted to kiss her but she fought that feeling. Yelena was going through a lot and she did not need to deal with that.

“Thank you, Kate Bishop.” Kate turned her head, mirroring the way a dog looked when they heard a sound they didn't fully understand. “You look like Lucky.” Yelena laughed. Kate rolled her eyes.

“Why are you thanking me?” She asked.

“You are giving me a chance to walk away.” Kate smiled, grabbing Yelena’s hand. She was beginning to enjoy the feeling of Yelena’s hand in hers.

“Black Widow and Hawkeye.” Kate whispered. “We were destined to be a part of each other’s lives.” Yelena smiled softly. The Black Widow leaned closer to Kate and pressed her lips softly against her cheek. Kate felt her entire face flush and Yelena chuckled.

“Merry Christmas, Kate Bishop.”

“Merry Christmas, Yelena-” She realized she had no idea what Yelena’s last name was.

“Belova.” She smiled.

“Belova.” Kate repeated. She liked the way it sounded. “Well, Merry Christmas Yelena Belova.”

____

Happy Holiday season everyone! This is my first Christmas one shot I plan to post this December and I hope you enjoy it. I do hope Marvel gives us more Yelena and Kate because they made to many similarities to Clint and Natasha for them to never see each other again.

Anyways! Enjoy. Much love. Arlana

[themculibrary]

Archery Masterlist

Aim True (ao3) - Snow_Siren T, 2k

Summary: Clint is overjoyed when his daughter wants to learn archery. In his eagerness, he may gloss over a few key safety points.

assume a defensive stance (ao3) - hoosierbitch bruce/clint T, 4k

Summary: No one can understand why Bruce and Clint are together. Clint's loud, brash, irritating--exactly what Bruce doesn't need in his life. (Also, there are sandwiches. Of LOVE.)

A Very Barton Christmas (ao3) - angelshotgun T, 5k

Summary: It’s nearly Christmas when Kate breaks her leg and Clint totes her back to the Barton Family Farm to heal. Hijinks ensue.

Everybody Asks Me How I Know (ao3) - Nonymos bruce/clint M, 19k

Summary: Bruce has never been very good at having a home, feeling safe, or being loved. But Clint makes everything so damn easy.

Eyes wide...shut (ao3) - Webtrinsic G, 3k

Summary: The team gets curious as to what Peter's senses can really do, needless to say, the result wasn't one they'd been expecting. At least Uncle Clint is there to help!

It's All in the Form (ao3) - sapphiremoonlight_witch yelena/kate T, 1k

Summary: Kate ‘teaches’ Yelena to shoot a bow but Yelena may know more than she lets on

Kate's return to College (ao3) - KurosakiIchigoat yelena/kate E, 29k

Summary: Kate returns to College and enters a spring archery tournament. With more than just a medal waiting for her at the end.

Kidnapped! (ao3) - Sartapaw92 kate/yelena T, 11k

Summary: Kate Bishop takes a break from her superhero duties for a while as she relaxes in her Apartment. Yelena Belova remains active in working for the ill-repute as she likes to be paid. At times, Yelena likes to mess with Kate, mainly over the phone. And at times Yelena likes to bring Kate to assist her with whatever task that Yelena has been given by her Mob Boss. The next job will be no exception.

Second Time Around (ao3) - BeneficialAddiction clint/phil T, 74k

Summary: Upon learning that Phil Coulson is still alive, something breaks in Clint, maybe permanently. Leaving behind his team, his home, and his identity as Hawkeye, he falls back on an old name, living separately from the Avengers until SHIELD demands they begin looking for someone to take the missing archer's place and their sights turn to the rogue assassin Ronin.

What are the chances of being recruited by a shady government division of superheroes twice?

Sequestered (ao3) - ElloPoppet bucky/clint M, 37k

Summary: Clint struggles after Tony and Natasha's deaths. To grieve and begin healing, he takes Maria up on her offer to use a secluded family vacation home in Maine. Clint finds himself hidden away from the rest of the world...until Bucky Barnes knocks on the door.

Shooting Range (ao3) - aimmyarrowshigh yelena/kate T, 100

Summary; Shooting range. The arrow flies wild.

Stop Practicing (ao3) - KittyViolet kate/america E, 3k

Summary: Kate wants her favorite bow back. But America knows what she needs.

Talk to Me (ao3) - laceymcbain clint/phil E, 11k

Summary: The first words Clint ever remembers Coulson saying to him are "talk to me."

Trick Shots (ao3) - subjunctive clint/kate T, 2k

Summary: Clint can't back down from a dare. And Kate's tone is very daring.

We'll Haunt This Place (The Two of Us) (ao3) - ElloPoppet clint/steve, bucky/sam E, 25k

Summary: Huh. Captain America showing up at his farm unannounced in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon with a suitcase. Somehow, not the strangest thing to ever happen to Clint. Not even the strangest way he had been woken from a nap, honestly.

Where Home is Tonight (ao3) - samalander clint/kate T, 4k

Summary: "Look, when I say I'm not from around here, I don't mean I'm from Jersey. I'm not supposed to be here. And I won't stay long. But-- but I wanted to meet you. See if you lived up to the hype." "Girl," Clint says, his arrogance somehow more pronounced by his youth, "I am the hype."

Or, Kate falls off a building, and lands in a place where time moves differently.

[agentgrange]

Shortlist of planned campaign settings I'd love to include in Delta Green Able Archer in no particular order:

Vietnam-Thailand-Cambodia Border (played as GRU-SV8 agents and their Vietnamese allies against the Khmer Rogue and Kuen-Yuin, 1980)

Ipswich / East Sussex (based on the Rendlesham Forest incident, possibly set in 1981 after the real world events of Christmas 1980.)

Mammoth Caves, Kentucky (general southern gothic and hollow earth shenanigans, player favorite.)

Fulda Gap, Germany (takes place during Able Archer 1983 crisis)

Hawizeh Marshes, Iran-Iraq Border (Height of the Iran-Iraq War, expect stargate hopping.)

Anchorage, Alaska (based loosely on the Robert Hansen case, where Agents will hunt the most dangerous game.)

Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan (an inversion of the Kali Ghati scenario where Delta Green agents will conduct an insurgency against GRU SV8.)

Lisbon, Portugal (unlock the secrets of the Knights Templar and their ancient, doomed war against the unnatural.)

Tokyo, Japan (Delta Green agents are forced to team up with Genyosha to investigate the rise of extreme film.)

Panama-Nicaragua Border (following the footsteps of Sub Rosa and the legacy of Delta Greens brutal history.)

Baltic States, USSR-ish (Closing the story with a last conflict between GRU-SV8 and Delta Green during the Baltic Chain protests.)

I can only do 10 of those 11 initial ideas, so I'd need to drop one. Most likely Lisbon or the Baltics campaign. The Portugal one because it can really be set in any era and I feel like it doesn't quite fit the theme of the other campaigns-- though I like it because it's different enough to be a refreshing break from the others like a nice Iberian vacation for your Agents. The one in the Baltics would tie a lot together in the end as a backdrop to a final showdown between old rivals that would be built up over the series, but the scope is big enough to make my head spin. Curious on others thoughts.

Along with these, some would have their own mini-scenarios with their own maps tacked on for oneshot "flashback" sessions to play out information revealed in-characters through some other means like reading an intelligence report or hidden tome. These are meant to be more experimental, for fun, and not meant to be fleshed out to a full campaign. That would include, potentially:

The Sino-Vietnamese border clash of 1979, playing as Kuen-Yien agents

Northern Ireland, playing as the Army of the Third Eye or

Ancient Wales playing as aspirant Knights of the Round Table (like ancient PISCES)

A Hollow Earth section in Agatha for Mammoth Caves

Land-Between-the-Lakes, Kentucky in 1955 responding to the Hopkinsville Goblin case

Kodiak Island as an Anchorage late game expansion

Playing as Knights Templar in medieval Antioch (for Portugal)

Teutonic Knights in medieval Riga (for the Baltics)

US Invasion of Grenada, 1983

Genyosha samurai uprising in Kyushu, 1887

This shits a lot, and it's going to take me a loooong time to cover it so any sourceguide drafts will be mostly outlining these settings assuming I stick with tackling all these overtime. But insight, encouragement, or especially suggestions is from fellow Agents and Handlers who listen to my rambling ass will be my bread and butter throwing this together so please, I encourage anyone to ask questions or give advice!

[twoidiotwriters1]

Copycat: Cryptomnesia —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

A/N: I love how tragically stupid-stubborn Cat is, Mel is my only oc with critical thinking skills and even her is a little unwell in the head -Danny

Words: 1,354

Phase Five Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘Mirrorball’ -by Taylor Swift

xxvi: A Good Weekend

Waking up to Kate and Felix snuggled up on the left side of her bed was a nice feeling. It was good to have some company after two months alone. Cat had gotten used to sharing, and going back to her empty apartment every night was a bit of a letdown.

Kate slowly opened her eyes. "Stop being a creep."

"It's not creepy if I'm staring with fondness. I've been blinking from time to time too, so it's okay."

Kate rolled over and stretched. "Your bed is so comfy... the one I have in the residence is bulky as hell. I'd missed this baby."

"Just the mattress?" She teased.

"And the pets."

"How's Lucky?"

"Healthy and fluffy, still living with Jack until I get my own place," Kate yawned. "Are we meeting your friends later, or is it tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. Kurt and Harley have to work on Saturdays, so..."

"Yikes," Kate yawned. "D'you think they'll like me?"

"You'll fit right in, we're all young and sarcastic."

"Help!" Kate was struggling to stand after putting on the rollerskates. "Oh my God, why am I so terrible at this?!"

Cat held her by the waist, grinning. "You need to stand straight!"

"I don't do straight!"

"Shut up," she chortled.

Kate held onto Cat's arms with a death grip. "Please, my knight, save me!"

She laughed. "Here, I'll guide you."

The sun was warm, the birds were singing, and it was a perfect February day. It was Valentine's day, to be more precise, but they were making a huge effort to ignore that.

"You look so nice by the way," Kate said out of the blue. "Is that a new skirt?"

"You like it? You can borrow it anytime."

"Move closer to the bridge, I need to do something..."

Cat took her to it and Kate stumbled to a stop, trapping Cat between the bridge's barrier and her body. The archer placed her arms on each side of Cat's head.

"What are you doing?" Cat asked with a grin.

"I'm admiring the view," Kate looked her up and down. "Astonishing."

Cat pushed her sunglasses up and leaned to kiss her. Kate moved away.

"Uh-uh! I want to ask you something."

"Okay," Cat was too busy staring at Kate's lips to notice she was being serious.

"What's Copycat's doing in Stark industries?"

The mutant pushed a loose strand of dark hair away from the girl's face. "You read the articles."

"People's crazy curious about it," Kate replied, moving away from her. "And they're asking me things because they saw me with you last Christmas."

"What are you telling them?"

"That you weren't much of a talker, you left as soon as we were done. See? I can keep appearances."

"I'm very proud of you," Cat taunted. "Alright, I think it's okay if I tell you now. What do you wanna know?"

"Is it really just a job? No, scratch that—"

"I want it to be just that," she began, "but... it's a little bit more."

"What is it?"

"Promise not to get invested."

Kate frowned. "I can't do that."

"Then you'll have to stay in the dark."

Whatever was happening in Kate's mind got quickly replaced with discomfort. "I tried to visit my mom last week."

"How did it go?"

"She thinks I ruined my life," Kate pushed herself carefully to stand next to Cat, both of them leaning against the railing. "It was a short visit."

"She's safer there than out," Cat tried to ease her.

"Look who says it!" Kate responded briskly.

Cat stared at her in surprise, and the archer quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, you're trying to cheer me up—"

"I'm not good at it—"

"—I'm just being a bitch about this—"

"It's your mom, Kate."

"You're my friend," she said. That was all Cat was, even if both of them would've preferred something else. "And you're all I have."

Cat placed her hand over Kate's. "I'm not all you have. You've got Clint, and Jack... and after tomorrow you'll have Kurt and Harley."

"Why, they're loyal to the people you sleep with?"

"Not exactly," she grinned. "You're just too sweet to dislike."

"Hey..." Kate tilted her head. "You went to high school, didn't you?"

"A while."

"You had any friends? I can't imagine you not being popular, you're so cool..."

Cat grimaced. "I spent most of my time with Pietro, I told you that."

"But you're telling me you had no friends?"

"I wasn't like I am now," Cat tilted her head, struggling to remember names and faces. "But there was MJ and Betty, and... Ned..." she felt her brain pulsing. "But they blipped. When they came back I was an adult, I never saw them again."

"That must've sucked..."

"I remember feeling a little bummed out for a while... But it was because we lost against Thanos, I was heartbroken about that."

"I've seen pictures of you as a teen, in your apartment," Kate sighed. "You were a kid when the whole Thanos thing happened..."

"No point in feeling sorry," she moved away from the railing. "C'mon, I'll buy you lunch."

Kurt was the first to welcome them. He left his seat, caught Kate's hand, and dragged her towards the table bombarding her with questions about Jack and his sword collection.

Kate stared at him in shock, for a moment she didn't know who he was, expecting to see a blue-skinned guy with a strong resemblance to a demon, but finding a perfectly-human young man rambling at her instead.

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners?" He shook her hand. "Kurt Wagner, Cat's best friend."

"You really don't have to specify," Harley said from his seat. He hadn't moved at all. "After a few seconds, people can tell who loathes her the least."

"Wouldn't the one that loathes me most be my best friend, then?" Cat teased. "Kate, this is Harley. You've heard of him. Professional whiner."

"The smartest guy at this table, too," he smiled at her.

"Well, if you're still our friend, I would think twice before saying that," Kurt raised a brow.

"Nice to finally meet you!" Kate laughed. "Cat loves you. I'm a little jealous, to be honest."

"You should be, we've been her longest relationship."

"Six years, seven next October," Harley made a face. "I'm surprised these two are still alive, considering the choices they make."

"Did you order food or are you running on anxiety and coffee like you do all week?" Cat taunted.

The evening went away faster than expected, and by the time they left the bar, Kate was good friends with the boys, going as far as exchanging phone numbers. Harley vowed that he'd take Kate's side in every argument, she was far nicer than Cat was.

"He's just mad I grew up and he didn't," Cat snorted. "I was a bouncy, jazzy little thing when he met me. I think I showed up in his workshop wearing a silk blouse and a flower skirt! That Cat wouldn't've survived Kingpin."

"But that Cat and you have something in common still," Harley pointed out with a knowing smirk. "You feed on attention."

Kurt yawned, checking his phone. "Let's call it a night, guys. I wake up early tomorrow."

"Hey Kate, don't you have classes on Monday?"

"We'll teleport to her residence tomorrow."

"The benefits of befriending a mutant," Kate grinned.

"Wish she would offer to teleport me every day," Harley complained.

"Transportation isn't my job."

"Happy was Tony's driver, you know?"

"I can drive, but let me remind you I don't have a sense of direction or a license."

"You think I wouldn't risk my life for an extra hour of sleep?"

The group laughed. Cat really loved the friends she'd made throughout the hardest years of her life. They cared for her in and out of the suit, and a healthy circle could turn her into a healthy person. Or at least, as usual, that was what she was trying to believe. At that moment she was only Cat Maxwell, a good friend, someone her friends could trust. 

Outside that circle, nonetheless, she was still willing to be a mercenary for the right kind of people, though the right kind rarely needed those services. She wanted to get back at those that had lied and used her, even if the risk was bigger than the reward.

Her end was approaching, she could feel it grazing her toes, but she would keep her small family safe this time around. When the time came, she would go away quietly, they would feel no pain because of her, and life would be okay.

Next Chapter—>

Taglist.

@mikaelsonwhxrebae​​ @ieatpanicattacksforlunch​​ @jesuswasnotawhiteman​​ @siriuslysirius1107​​ @greengarsstuff​​ @itsyagirl01 @23victoria​​ @espressopatronum454​​ @jkthinkstoomuch

[cantillat-moved]

❝ If you believe watching Wednesday classifies as Christmas movie, so be it.❞ Santa Archer Lily consented in a grave tone despite his child voice, trying to invoke the air of importance of someone who is an authority in the subject.  ...In all honesty he too is curious to watch it.

[certifiedrabbit]

tell me all about ivy Grey pls I'm curious

yes... YESSSSS

Ivy Grey is my blorbo, my bun son, my beloved final fantasy xiv character

(i would take a screenshot rn if i wasnt working my way through the last bit of... i think i have 30 expert crafts left for an achievement)

it should be noted that my adoration towards ivy has led to this

(he's where he belongs)

however, with the unfortunate...ness with blorbos, being that you only really rotate them in your mind. its hard for me to describe THE ivy grey in impeccable detail on the spot

some facts, however, include: - he enjoys any sugary treat, so much. he will eat an entire christmas cake by himself - he has a daughter, and they are friends, however neither of them know that she is his daughter - ivy was once the best archer in his home. this continued on until... some point in ARR msq, where he had a horrible injury and hasn't been able to archery since. after that point, he switched around with jobs(white mage/scholar in heavensward, red mage in stormblood, reaper in shadowbringers and endwalker) frankly, i thought about having him get back his archery skill (because i main bard for savage raids), plus the whole vibe at the end of 6.0 msq fit with it, but also i'm just not sure how i feel about it.

alright i think i was able to fit more Ivy Facts™ than i thought i could. THANK YOU FOR ASKING ABOUT MY IVY 💖💖💖

[laresearchette]

Sunday, December 17, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: WILLIE NELSON'S 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION (Global) 8:30pm FRIENDS & FAMILY CHRISTMAS (W Network) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?: DIAL S FOR SANTA (Premiering on December 23 on W Network at 8:00pm) ARCHER: INTO THE COLD (Premiering on December 29 on adult swim at 11:30pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

CRAVE TV DRESSED IN BLUE (Season 2, Episode 1)

GRAND SLAM OF CURLING (SN) 11:30am: Masters - Women’s Final (SN1) 4:00pm: Masters - Men’s Final

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN4) 1:00pm: Buccaneers vs. Packers (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 4:00pm: 49ers vs. Cardinals (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 8:20pm: Ravens vs. Jaguars

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 3:00pm: Canucks vs. Chicago (SN) 8:00pm: Sharks vs. Avalanche (TSN5) 8:00pm: Sens vs. Knights

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (CTV2) 7:00pm: A novitiate (Julie Andrews) leaves her convent and becomes governess to Capt. Von Trapp's (Christopher Plummer) seven children in Austria before World War II.

DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000) (CBC) 8:00pm: A curmudgeon (Jim Carrey) living atop Mount Crumpit sets out to quash the yuletide preparations of the Christmas-loving Whos of Whoville. Anthony Hopkins narrates.

NBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 9:00pm: Warriors vs. Trail Blazers

THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND (History Canada) 10:00pm: After the Muon data reported a compelling target in the cavity known as Aladdin's Cave, a void where high traces of gold and silver have been found, the team discovers what appears to be man-made entrances and exits into the curious cavern.

[enixamyram]

[weirdcombination]

Curious Archer + Voices in My Head | Ashley Tisdale

[killianmesmalls]

His phone buzzes, ungodly early for even him, and Killian twitches one eye open to check the message. 

“How early can I get up to open presents?” 

Killian chuckles slightly at the star, fish, tree, and present emojis she’s added after her question. 

“Al,” he sends back through his half asleep haze, “you’re twenty-five, you live in your own place upstairs, and it’s your tree. You can get up whenever you like.”

Ding. “Oh...” He waits for the inevitable follow-up. Sure enough, “How early do I have to wait for *you* before we can open presents together?”

A heavy but contented sigh escapes him and he admits defeat before the battle has really begun. “Put on some coffee and we’ll wait until Robin is awake.”

He is surprised slightly by the next message that flashes rapid fire on his phone. “Coffee is ready, and I’m up sitting on the couch with Alice.”

This time, Killian is taken by a full belly laugh and he kicks himself up out of bed. “Alright, lasses. I’ll be there in a moment,” he sends, half-pleased by the pair and half excited for a holiday he can wake them up early. 

“Merry Christmas, Papa!” “Merry Christmas, Killian!” they send at once. 

He shakes his head as he reaches the door that connects the sections of their split house. “Merry Christmas, girls.”