#Steve totally would start a fight to lure her out !

[theinheriteddutchess]

Here's a entertaining thought/concept for you. Not an ask unless you want it to be, buy definitely a headcanon I want validation for.

You've heard golden retriever and his black cat partner (not in a furry way).

But why not either

Tiny chihuahua Steve Rodgers and his mysterious black cat crush.

Pretty (male or female idk), semi sassy slip-into-the-shadows, crush that doesn't hessitate to trip whoever he's fighting and watch in cool amusement. They aren't sure why they do it they just do. Bucky doesn't think they exist cause they're gone before he finds Steve lol.

And Steve can't seem to track them down. So what does the local semi yandere do? He goes and starts a fight so that black cat crush shows up. They're about to slip into a back alley before he grabs their sleeve and ask if they wanna go do something and black cat crush pauses thinks a minute shrugs and agrees. Why not.

Bucky can not believe his eyes lol.

Or

Tiny chihuahua Steve Rodgers and his wild, stubborn, independent calico crush

She's passionate and excitable and almost as fiery as him, but she has maybe not strength but skills that a woman of the time wouldn't openly use (like knives) to back it up.

In a yandere context steve simultaneously doesn't and does have to worry alot. (Also he'd fall into obsession fast with this one lol)

She's stubborn. Oh so stubborn. She does what she wants. So she doesn't have very many serious suitors. Except for that one annoying rich boy. I like to think he's tuxedo cat adjacent. (Not in a furry way)

But she's pretty in her own way so she does have alot of "suitors" willing to waist her time, which makes his blood boil.

He (and by extention bucky) has fought many of them behind her back.(if she knew she'd be mad not about the fighting. More about having the nerve)

Also I think yandere or not bucky finds this crush amusing. Oh she's temperamental and does what she wants. She feels she doesn't need to be protected. I'm so sorry /s.

(I also have another headcanon I'm sending your way lol.)

I am enthralled with this.

But I also am half imagining them as shifters 🤔

In any case tiny Steve (I will always love skinny Steve characters) possibly obsessed\yandere with doing her own thing, but protective, fierce reader is a great idea.

I love the disappearing act, like swooping in and out unseen by anyone else. Maybe she never thought of romance, or maybe she wants Steve to try a little harder?

These are the same pictures

[super-cosmic-library]

Okay, I started this a while back after watching a tiktok by @peter-pantomime on the same subject and have finally gotten around to finish it. Anyways 

                        _______________________________________

Steve has a tell for when he’s about to do something utterly stupid and heartbreakingly selfish. Eddie was surprised that no one else had picked up on it yet. Apparently they’d been fighting literal demons together since ‘83, right? How hasn’t anyone else realized it?

Of course, Eddie couldn’t keep his eyes off of the former Hawkins High royal. Sue him. If he was going to be torn limb from limb by sleep-paralysis Venus flytrap-looking motherfuckers, he was at least going to drink in the face of a god before descending to hell. Again.

He’d first seen Steve’s tell in the boat on Lover’s Lake, right before Steve had plunged into its murky depths. Eddie and the girls had been wrapped up in a discussion of their next moves while Steve had stayed silent. His eyes, dark pools of amber and more world wary than any nineteen-year-old’s eyes ought to have been, flitted off into space before coming back into focus. It was a split-second moment, but Eddie had caught it. Of course he had. Despite all of the horror he had been exposed to in the past forty-eight hours, he was surprised that he was able to look at anything but Steve when he was around. He was utterly hopeless when it came to Harrington.

Suddenly, Steve was standing in the boat, challenging it to capsize them. Then, he was tugging off his shirt (and making Eddie’s brain short circuit) and shoes and jumping into the icy waters below.

It was stupid and selfless and he had found the gate.

At the time, Eddie didn’t realize that that moment he had witnessed would be a recurring theme for Steve. But then it happened again.

Steve had changed the plans at the last minute. It was stupid, but, really, even with Buckley’s two left feet, did they really need to have three people throw Molotovs at an unconscious Vecna? Besides, Nancy Wheeler had her sawed off. Robin and little miss perfect Nancy Wheeler, who Eddie was quickly learning was a total badass, could handle it. So, Steve stayed back with him and Henderson to distract the bats.

And distract them they did. As long as he lives, Eddie knows he will never be able to top the concert he played in hell.

But then the bats came through the vents.

Eddie was about to scramble up the rope after Henderson when he saw it. Steve’s eyes were focused on something that wasn’t there, then they were back on Eddie. Then Steve was picking up their fallen weapons and bolting out the door, screaming at the top of his lungs.

The bastard was trying to lure the bats away from Eddie and the gate. He was going to get him and his perfect ass killed. Of course Eddie was going to follow him. 

Eddie doesn’t run toward danger. The sting of the wounds those bats had ripped in him reinforced that idea. But, he realized, as he lay on the ground, bleeding out and surrounded by hundreds of demobat corpses, he would run toward Steve.

Thankfully, the two of them had managed to hold off the demobats long enough for the girls to finish out the mission. They weren’t too too damaged when the demobats fell unconscious from the sky and the girls made their way back to the trailer park. Eddie shudders to think of their fate had they been completely immobile. Wheeler, Buckley, and Henderson may be tougher than they looked, but they wouldn’t have been able to drag his and Harrington’s sorry asses back topside.

After a week bound to a hospital bed in a room he shared with the object of many a wet dream, the two were discharged. Free to roam what was left of Hawkins. They ended up still spending most of their time at the hospital, though. Waiting with bated breath as Red’s injuries healed.

That’s where Eddie saw Steve’s tell a third time.

Jason Carver had, much to Eddie’s disappointment, had survived Vecna tearing the town apart with only a few bumps and bruises from his fight with Lucas. Lucas said that if Jason had been just a foot or two to the right when it happened, he would have been vaporized by Vecna’s death beams, or whatever. Really, that was more disappointing than the prospect of the semester being extended into the summer months as the town tried to clean things up.

Carver had caught whiff that Eddie and his gaggle of nerds were making frequent trips to the hospital. That deranged brain of his wouldn’t let him rest until he ended Eddie, it seemed.

Carver had appeared on Max’s floor with storm clouds and lightning behind him. Eddie had been picking up Will and El (who were both threatening to overtake Henderson’s place as Eddie’s favorite freshman), while Steve and Lucas were arriving for their visit with Red.

Eddie doesn’t even see him coming, too engrossed in brainstorming El’s character for the upcoming one shot with the two siblings. 

Suddenly, Carver is crowding his space.

Suddenly, Steve is pulling the jock away.

Suddenly, Carver is spitting in Steve’s face.

And Steve does his tell.

And Eddie grabs the kids as Steve throws the first punch.

Starting a fight in a hospital is never a good idea, but Carver was really asking for it. As the two boys fight, Eddie notices another thing. See, he had seen Harrington absolutely obliterate a hoard of demobats. He not only has the looks of a Greek god, but the power of one too. But here, when fighting a mere human mortal, he is pulling his punches. He is showing undeserved mercy to this scab of a human. He is warning Jason to not mess with Eddie, and it is devastatingly hot. Suddenly, he understands why girls liked watching boys fight.

Security is called, and the two are forcibly pulled away from each other. Steve somehow uses the Harrington charm to convince hospital security to only kick Jason out of the building, despite the fact that he threw the first punch. Eddie has to force himself not to stare too adoringly at the spectacle. Seriously, he has a problem.

After that, things calm down exponentially. Life, for the most part, goes back to normal. Except now, the gaggle of freshmen that follow him around is doubled, and suddenly he is being invited to weekly movie nights with the people his age who also know about the Upside Down, and now he is spending most of his free time with the former King of Hawkins High and the man in question seems to want to spend time with him too.

The next time Eddie sees Steve’s tell, it’s a Friday night and they are sitting on the couch in the new government-issued trailer, the tv playing some forgotten movie in the background. Jonathan and Argyle had gone back to California with the rest of the Byers to pack up the rest of their things to ship back to Hawkins. Nancy and Robin had said they needed to work on college application essays, but from the lovesick looks on the girls faces, he had a feeling they had less academic pursuits in mind. 

So, it was just him and Steve and some comedy that Steve had checked out from Family Video that Eddie had forgotten the title of. He supposed it didn’t matter. Neither were paying any attention to the film. Rather, they had started talking about the kids and their friends and the future, slowly inching closer and closer together until their knees knocked against each other. 

Eddie tried to school the butterflies that always fluttered around whenever he was in Steve’s space. Eddie wants to make a move on him, he really does. However, he is about 64% sure that Steve is straight--the number decreasing by the day--and that is still too big of a risk to take if he isn’t. And Eddie doesn’t want to be wrong. So here he is, crushing on a straight guy not for the first time--staring longingly into said straight guy’s eyes, and--

oh.

Steve’s eyes flick away for a beat, then they meet Eddie’s eyes again. His tell. But what is he readying for--

oh.

Steve’s gloss coated lips brush his own chapped ones. Eddie doesn’t react in time, because Steve is pulling away, embarrassment painting his normally confident face.

That won’t do.

Eddie summons all of the bravado he has a Dungeon Master, and grabs the collar of Steve’s polo, pulling him back in. Their lips crash together, like waves in a hurricane. Eddie forces all of the feels he hasn’t dared show into their kiss.

The hand that had grabbed Steve’s collar relaxes and moves to cup his jaw. With his other hand, Eddie greedily runs his fingers through Steve’s legendary, perfect hair. Meanwhile, Steve’s hands delicately grasp Eddie’s waist, where their twin scars lie. Steve touches him as if he’s scared Eddie break. Like he will run away again. Doesn’t he know by now that he’ll never run away from him? He’s not going anywhere.

When they finally break apart, Eddie gets a good look at Steve and wonders if this is the first time he’s taken a stupidly brave risk and not gotten hurt.

[mypoisonedvine]

please I need more of 40s alpha bucky becoming the winter soldier, i need to know what happens I need them to be together again I'm dying

coming right up, anon! it gets smutty under the cut... additional warnings for violence, threatened/implied noncon (very brief), angst, and also use of a syringe so needle phobics watch out

read part 1 first

"The woman... the Omega..." Bucky mumbled. "She knew me... she had my mark."

"No she didn't."

He furrowed his brow.  "She showed me..."

Pierce sighed, glancing over to the HYDRA scientist who looked back at him sternly.

"She's too dangerous to be left alive," the man sighed, shrugging in his labcoat. "We can't deprogram a bond like that."

"We'll take care of her," Pierce promised.

Bucky launched from the chair, snapping his restraints like paper. "Touch her and I'll fucking kill you!" he bellowed, tackling his handler to the ground.

Pierce just laughed as another scientist jabbed Bucky with a needle, dosing him with something strong enough to kill any other man but just enough to knock out a super soldier. Pierce stood up and dusted himself off as he watched Bucky go limp and be lifted back into his chair.

"I can see the fight in your eyes, Soldier," he taunted as he leaned in to his face. "I know you really would kill me, if you could. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, right? But don't worry about your mate, we'll make it quick and painless. Hey, maybe beforehand me and a few of the other Alphas will show her a good time, poor thing's been without her mate for 70 years... I bet she's raring to go."

Bucky's arm twitched as his eyes started to fall shut, a tear falling down his blank and motionless face.

"Wipe him," Pierce instructed to the scientist, turning and walking away as the electric whirr of the machine charging up filled the room.

//

Steve was impressed with how accurate and imminent your prediction was; HYDRA was hot on your trail and desperate to eliminate the biggest threat to their Asset. Knowing they were coming made it easier, but it was still a brutal fight.

You and Steve tried to stay together, but they were smart, they used the perfect bait to lure you away.

"Tell me where he is," you demanded from the HYDRA agent as you held a blade to his neck, "then I'll kill you."

"Isn't it supposed to be 'or I'll kill you'?" he frowned.

You shook your head. "Not the way I operate."

Opposite to the reaction you were expecting, he grinned widely. "He's here."

Your heart stopped.

"On the roof. He's here to kill you."

You dropped the knife and ran straight for the stairwell, ascending them like they were nothing and calling out for your Alpha.

You found him there, waiting, gun trained on you. Raising your hands in surrender, you yelled to him again.

"Bucky," you called across the windy roof, eyes nearly blinded by the bright afternoon sun. "Alpha."

"I'm not who you think I am," he yelled back. "I'm not your Alpha."

It hurt to hear it in his voice, but you knew it wasn't him. Cautiously, you stepped closer. "Before you left, you told me you didn't want to mark me and leave me behind," you recalled. "But I wanted it. I wanted to be bonded to you more than I'd ever wanted anything."

He could clearly see you were coming closer, he even tightened his finger over the trigger of his weapon, but he was waiting. You kept walking to him, slowly.

"I've never regretted it," you continued, "not even when I thought you were dead, not even when I had to spent a lifetime-- more than that-- apart from you."

Finally you were face to face, and you stepped closer until his gun was pressed right into your chest.

"You can shoot me now and I still won't regret it," you promised. "I love you."

Shakily, he lowered his weapon. "Omega..." he breathed.

"Your Omega."

He pulled you into him and you sobbed as you felt him come to life in your arms-- the real him, your Alpha, your Bucky. He held you close and breathed against the top of your head and it was like a dream coming true decades after you'd forced yourself to let it go.

But you'd never given up. And now you had found him again.

Agents started to come onto the roof and Bucky spun the two of you around, firing with his right hand and using the left, metal arm as a shield for you.

He carried you and you didn't even know where he was taking you, but it didn't matter. In his arms, you were home.

//

You hadn't stopped coming or crying for at least an hour. Bucky had all but split you open on his knot all night and he didn't show any signs of stopping.

He apparently intended to make up for lost time. And you'd lost a lot of time.

"Just one more, I know you can give me one more," he groaned furiously rubbing your clit as his knot began to swell again.

You could give him anything, as long as he asked for it like that.

You'd lost count of how many times he'd told you to come for him, and how many times you did it immediately.

"I can see how full you are," he whispered as he rubbed your stomach gently. "So much seed in you that your body can't hold it all."

You looked down and yep, you were distinctly bloated from his come alone; it made you a little dizzy to even look at it.

"The idea of you alone during your heats, no one to protect you, it kills me," he explained with a growl. "I won't let you go again. I can't."

"Then don't," you sighed. "Never leave this bed, fill me with everything you have."

"Did anybody ever help you through them? The heats?" he asked. "I wouldn't blame you, they can be so painful... I just need to know so I can make sure you forget about them."

"No, Bucky, never-- I never let anyone touch me."

"Steve could've helped you, at least some..."

"He wouldn't have, he loves you too much. And I wouldn't accept anything less than you, ever. You're my Alpha. We're bonded. There's never anyone else."

That didn't seem to satisfy him, his eyes darting away as he swallowed. Your gut sank with the realization he probably wasn't being totally honest about why he asked.

"Your ruts," you gasped. "Were you alone for all of them?"

He shut his lips tighter.

"Bucky, it's okay, just tell me. I was asleep for 70 years, I skipped most of them, but you... you had to live through them all."

"They gave me betas, and omegas," he mumbled, "but I don't... I don't really remember. I know they wanted me to. They threatened to hurt me if I didn't, because they knew I'd go crazy after so many ruts alone, but I can't remember if I really did it. I remember... I remember crying, and begging for you."

"Alpha," you breathed as you felt new tears run over the stains of your old ones. "It's okay. Whatever happened, it's okay now. We're together again. Everything's okay."

You wiped his tear away with your thumb, holding his face tightly, weaving your fingers into his long hair.

"I'll always be your Omega," you promised.

He leaned in closer to you, kissing your cheek before pulling back a little. "It's faded," he whispered as he ran his thumb over the mark on your neck. "The last time I saw it, it was still fresh."

"It's older, sure, but it's stronger than ever, Bucky."

//

Steve's eyes went wide when he saw you in the hall. "Surprised to see you out of the love nest so soon," he smirked.

"It's been three days, I don't think that counts as soon," you scoffed.

"It does to him," Steve frowned. "He's asleep, isn't he?"

"Yep."

"I know he wouldn't let you out of his sights if he was conscious," Steve chuckled.

At that moment, you heard Bucky call your name and run out into the hall, only a bedsheet covering his groin. You spun around and smiled when you saw him come running towards you, embracing you with his free arm.

"You should've told me you were leaving, I got scared when I woke up without you," he admitted weakly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry!"

He pulled back and clutched your face in both his hands. "I'm waking up next to you every morning for the rest of my life, you understand?"

You nodded dutifully. "Yes, Alpha."

"One hand on the sheet, please, Buck?" Steve winced, looking away.

“Whoops,” Bucky groaned, reaching to cover himself as you laughed softly.  

“Let’s go back to bed, baby,” you decided quietly, taking Bucky’s (free) hand in yours and waving goodbye to Steve, who was already making his way as far out of earshot as possible.

[fanficshiddles]

Triple Threat, Chapter 11

There was suddenly a run of violent crimes within the city. Reports of a rather deranged woman who was killing innocent people and destroying buildings when she didn’t get what she wanted.

Of course, the team knew exactly who it was.

Jane.

They all jumped into action, suiting up and heading straight out to the city in the quinjet. But Bruce, Maria and Fury were coming along behind with the cell to contain Jane in, by ground.

When they arrived at the last spot where Jane had been spotted, terrorising some civilians in a supermarket, Loki, Tony and Steve ran straight inside while the others started trying to get people out of the way to safety, Darcy included.

Darcy could hear lots of blasts and screaming coming from inside, then suddenly there was a loud explosion and Tony came flying out through the wall. And Steve was thrown out through the window, glass flying everywhere. Then Loki came soaring out from the roof, having been blasted out through the top.

‘She’s powerful!’ Tony groaned, getting up.

‘We need to lure her out, away from the buildings and people.’ Loki said, looking around. Then he spotted the steps leading down into the underpass. ‘Let’s get her down there, contained and with one way out.’

Both Loki’s used their illusions to help, while the team ran down into the underpass to make sure it was clear of innocent people. Tony contacted Bruce over coms to see how far away they were, they needed to get the cell there ASAP.

Between the illusions from both Loki’s and also Tony blasting at her from behind, they were able to coax her down into the underpass.

Vision used his energy blast above the entrance of the underpass so it collapsed in on itself, to make sure that Jane couldn’t escape back out that way. There was just one way in and one way out now.

Jane started getting angrier when she realised that she was trapped, the only way out was past the Avengers. Who had all gathered on front of her. Minus Bruce, who was still coming with the cell for Jane.

Darcy’s eyes widened as Jane started to hover up above the ground, her hands balled into fists with the aether’s red energy surrounding them. Her eyes were glowing more and more as she stared dead ahead at the team.

The energy around her hands started to build, getting angrier and brighter. It started to consume her entire body.

Loki’s eyes widened. He knew this wasn’t good. Not at all. He quickly wrapped his cape around Darcy and started pushing her back out of the way. ‘Get away from here.’

‘Loki, I want to help!’ She tried digging her feet into the ground to stop herself from going anywhere.

But Loki surrounded her with his Seidr and he physically had her fly up the steps and out of the underpass. She wasn’t happy about it, but at that point she spotted Bruce, Maria and Fury in the large truck with the cell on the back. She would help them, if she couldn’t help out down below.

Jane’s energy exploded and the blasts were heading straight towards the team.

The two Loki’s and Wanda jumped forward, using their own energy and magic to put up a barrier. The aether’s energy clashed with theirs, bright colours mixing together.

They held their hands out and struggled to keep their energy firm and strong against Jane. Their feet were skidding back slightly from the pressure, but the three of them managed to remain firm together.

‘COME ON! WE NEED TO CONTAIN HER!’ Loki shouted at the other two over the noise of the fight.

Gritting their teeth and yelling out loudly, they managed to start taking steps towards Jane. Slowly over powering her energy and making it smaller and smaller. Green and red energy were mixing together, sparks shooting out everywhere.

Up above ground, Darcy guided the truck back as far to the top of the steps as possible. Bruce, Maria and Fury jumped out and they all got to work with setting up the cell. Darcy climbed onto the back and plugged the cell’s power source into the truck’s engine, it had to keep running. Or Jane would be able to just break out if it wasn’t powered up.

‘Nice cape.’ Fury said to Darcy with a slight smirk, making her grin.

‘I totally rock wearing a cape.’ Darcy said as she swished it out behind her.

They opened the cell and it was directed right above the steps. They just had to lure Jane into it now.

Darcy, Maria, Fury and Bruce all looked at one another nervously when they could feel the ground starting to shake beneath them. They ran to the top of the steps to see what was going on. But the rest of the team came running out.

‘Where’s Loki?’ Darcy called to them.

Clint motioned back down to the underpass. But she didn’t need to wait long, as there was a blinding light of green and red that started to emerge. The two Loki’s and Wanda were still containing Jane and her powers, but only just.

Between the three of them, they were able to force Jane out and towards the cell. The energy from them all was so strong, it was starting to affect the rest of the team as they could feel the power pushing them away as they shielded their faces.

The two Loki’s and Wanda were able to force Jane into the cell. But they couldn’t break the energy even for a second in-case she got out again.

‘SOMEONE NEEDS TO SHUT THE DOOR!’ Wanda shouted out at the team.

Clint was closest and he tried going over, but because of all the energy streaming into the cell he wasn’t able to get close enough to it.

‘Let’s get this done.’ Darcy muttered and wrapped herself up completely in Loki’s cape. She stuck her hand out and headed blindly towards the cell.

Loki saw her going towards it, he tried calling out at her to back away. But she didn’t listen and kept moving forward. His cape was doing its job of protecting her from the intensity of all the energy.

‘LEFT A BIT!’ Loki shouted, seeing Darcy was so close to the key pad for shutting the door.

Darcy felt glass under her fingertips, she moved her hand to the left and then felt the keypad. She knew it was the largest button, as soon as she felt it, she pushed and the glass door slid shut.

The two Loki’s and Wanda collapsed, exhausted after keeping that up for so long.

Jane was enraged, she tried blasting out of the cell but it was doing its job of keeping her contained. Even if the whole truck was shaking. But no matter how many energy blasts she fired at the glass, it wouldn’t break.

Darcy ran over to Loki, he was just getting up when she reached him. She grabbed hold of him and he draped his arm around her shoulder. But then her knees started to give way.

‘Jesus, Loki. I’m too weak to hold you up.’ She smiled as she tried her best to support him.

Loki smirked. ‘You’re not weak, love. I’m just too heavy.’

‘That’s a better way of thinking it.’ Darcy grinned.

Thor rushed over and helped hold Loki up. Loki reached out and cupped Darcy’s cheek. ‘Have I ever told you how incredible you are?’

‘Mmm, a few times. But I never get tired of hearing it.’ Darcy beamed proudly.

Loki chuckled as he was helped up by Steve. ‘Smart idea using Loki’s cape as protection.’

‘We need to get Jane back and get the aether out of her. She’s very powerful, the cell might not contain her for too long.’ Wanda said, she was in Visions arms as she was exhausted too.

‘Let’s go!’ Clint said and ran to get in the truck to drive.

Bruce, Steve, the two Loki’s, Wanda, Darcy and Vision got in the truck too. Just in-case anything went wrong on the journey back. While the rest of the team took the Quinjet to get ahead and set up what they needed back at base.

Loki and Darcy sat together on the floor inside the truck, their backs against the side. Darcy was resting her head on Loki’s shoulder while he had his eyes closed, regaining his strength.

‘You were awesome out there.’ Darcy said to him quietly.

He smiled and put his hand around the back of her head. ‘So were you.’

[princesssarcastia]

first hp and now MCU *sigh*

sighs. anyway the reason the jane foster au thing is taking literally seven years is that I’m physically incapable of writing for the MCU without fixing everything I thought was dumb about it.  can’t just do a canon re-write because I Refuse To Condone XYZ.  The things I thought were dumb are many and myriad, but here’s one of them:

In Infinity War, they won’t destroy the mind stone while it’s still attached to Vision because they “don’t trade lives,” even though Steve made the same damn sacrifice, whatever.  But the thing is the avengers then immediately travel to Wakanda and start trading Wakandan lives for Vision’s.  They trade so many lives for Vision’s, and in the end it doesn’t even matter because they have to kill him themselves anyway.  SO all those Wakandans died for nothing.  They died for the aesthetic of the avengers having an army.  They died because no one thought through “yeah, T’Challa is totally down to sacrifice his people’s lives for one android he isn’t close with.”  They died because, let’s be honest, the lives of those random Wakandan soldiers meant less to not only the white main characters, but also the white movie creators. hmm. what could possibly be the impetus there.  mostly stupidity, but probably also some racism, lbr.

anyway.  all this to say what follows is a snippet where a) the battle to save vision isn’t taking place in Wakanda proper because the avengers don’t trade lives...other than their own.  In fact, it’s taking place in the arctic circle, where Wakanda has a shielded research station with no civilians that Shuri can appropriate to fix Vision without having her citizens die needlessly.  b) it’s just the avengers there, because they’re willing to put their own lives on the line for their friend and their principles. c) they’re using the mind stone as a lure to keep Thanos’ giant monster army focused on them, in this unpopulated place, rather than a city or a country.

you didn’t really need to know that, actually, because this fic snippet is about bruce banner.  explicit tw in the tags you may want to check for if you don’t mind a spoiler.  anyway, oh well, long walk for a short drink of water:

The walls shake with something other than the wind, and Bruce grits his teeth against whatever extrasensory response the other guy is having.  If he doesn’t want to come out to play, then he doesn’t get to raise the hairs on the back of Bruce’s neck.

The other guy.   After two years being trapped while he gets to play, maybe Bruce is the other guy now.  Maybe the Hulk—

“Doctor Banner,” Shuri says without looking away from her interface.  “If you’re going to help, then help.  Otherwise stop distracting me and get out.”

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four...”You’re right.  Sorry.”  He turns back to his equations and keeps calculating what kind of energy source they can create here to replace the mind stone.  Vision may be able to survive without it, but it’s ridiculous to ignore that it serves a purpose in keeping him not just alive, but functional.  There’s a difference between surviving and living and the Avengers aren’t risking their lives just so he can—

Boom.

Dammit.

Shuri’s guard, the one T’Challa left with them—Ayo? Was that her name?—steps further away from them and speaks into her bracelet—kimoyo beads.  Bruce strains to ignore it because he doesn’t need to know what he’s missing outside, doesn’t need to know how poorly the battle is going for his friends, his—his shield brothers, Brun would call it, without him.  There’s no doubt in his mind Shuri could save Vision without him and there’s no doubt in her mind, either; he’s here as a courtesy and because it’ll go faster, at least.  Because he’d be useless otherwise, sitting there with his thumb up his ass while his friends fight and die without him, without them, dammit Hulk—

“Princess,” Ayo calls. 

“Not yet.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know how long, I’ve never done a neural reprogramming for an android before.”  Shuri purses her lips.  “Longer than this, certainly, to revolutionize a field that doesn’t even exist yet.”  She reprograms another synapse.  It looks like maybe thirty percent of them are done.  Thirty percent, after four hours.

Bruce glances at Ayo from the corner of his eye because he’s a masochist and he can’t help himself.  Her face is troubled, and so is Okoye’s on the projection hovering over her wrist.

“Ayo, tell her she needs to hurry up!”  The projection twists like the general has taken her hand from her face.  There’s a flash of silver, a war cry, and a brief, incomprehensible glimpse of something black and twisted and horrible.  It cuts out in the middle of the creature’s answers screech.

Ayo slowly lowers her hand back to her side, and Bruce tries to focus back in on his work.  Tries to focus on the math, on the energy readings, on Vision’s life in here instead of all the death out there, because if he doesn’t—

“I really am going as fast as I can,” Shuri says in a small voice.  Twenty.  She’s just twenty years old, what was Bruce doing at twenty?

Don’t go there.  Don’t go there, Bruce.  Shouldn’t have come back to the Arctic, that was just asking for trouble.

Focus.

What would happen if he lost it, and the Hulk refused to come out?

Focus.  Focus on Vision, on saving his life.  Save lives.  Save his life.

“So you're saying that the Hulk... the other guy... saved my life?”

Another explosion rocks the room, rocks the station, rocks the damn arctic ice pack they’re standing on.  It’s the biggest one yet.    “Evacuate the southeast quadrant.  All personnel in the southeast quadrant, evacuate to the next defense point.”  The intercom doesn’t even crackle as it activates over their heads and Bruce is struck by how odd that is; it’s almost more unnerving that the idea of the situation escalating to the point of evacuation.  Ayo pulls up a map of the station on her kimoyo beads and manipulates it, pulling up what he assumes is the southeast quadrant.

“That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?”  

“How bad is it?” Bruce asks.

Ayo’s eyes dart to Shuri, who is nothing but relentless; he hasn’t seen her stop once this whole time.  “Bad.  They have breached the facility’s outer defenses.  Princess, perhaps we should—”

“No!”  Shuri all but shouts.  “I will not evacuate, I will not abandon this mission, we’re not finished yet.  Tell someone to come fill the gap.”

“Princess, if they have not already done so, then they may not have the manpower to do it.”

“Then call reinforcements!”

There are no reinforcements because this is a hail-Mary, vigilante mission and all the Avengers on-world are already here.  T’Challa isn’t bringing any more of his people into this, and Steve and Natasha and Tony would never ask him to.   When they fail, that’s it, it’s done.  And so is Vision, and this will all have been for nothing. 

“I guess we'll find out.”

Bruce pushes his glasses off his nose and pinches his brow.  He can’t even think about this; he’s thinking about it without thinking it, a glaring absence that lets you see the shape of it regardless.

“This wasn’t just a Wakandan station, right?  I mean, you guys opened it up to other countries for the science and information exchange?”

A pause.  “Yes.”

“Any military?”

A longer pause.  “...Yes.  Dr. Banner, what are you...”

She trails off as Bruce looks up.  There must be something in his face.

“Did they leave anything behind when they airlifted out earlier?  Weapons?” He adds, because there’s no use beating around the bush.  No time. 

“Probably, but you will find nothing there of any use.  Wakandan technology—”

“Is much more advanced, I know.  But you don’t really have any projectile weapons.

Ayo’s nose crinkles up in disgust, but is already turning back to her charge.  “Of course not.  So primitive.  Princess, we will need time to evacuate to the ship, please.”

Shuri cuts a glance at him, seemingly ignoring Ayo.  “What do you need a projectile weapon for, Dr. Banner?”

“Something desperate.”  He pulls his glasses off and sets them on the table.  “Stay here, Shuri, finish your work.  Save him.”

Bruce has never asked anyone else to risk their life when his own would do. He’s not fucking starting now, when the whole universe is at stake. 

Between him and Shuri, Ayo reluctantly lets the issue go, but he can tell if Thanos’ army gets a single step closer to her Princess, Ayo will throw her over her shoulder and sprint for the quinjet, mission be damned.  He marches out of the room and follows Ayo’s directions to the nearest storage area; the American one, as luck would have it.  Because of course the American team brought guns to the Arctic Circle on a science and information exchange program.  Of course.  A few M11s just lying around, lost in the hasty shuffle to abandon this place.  Bruce picks it up and just holds it.  Feels the weight in his hand.  Ayo was right, they are primitive; primitive and ugly and violent and only good for one thing. Another impact.  The station shakes again, and the lights flicker above his head. Now.  It has to be now. He doesn’t have a radio, but he knows where the southeast corner of the building is, so he keeps the gun in a tight grip and heads that way. Three corridors away and he starts to hear noises.  Yelling.  Screaming.  Gunfire.  Energy bursts.  The ring of Steve’s shield, the whine of Tony’s repulsors.  And above it all that same horrible screeching noise from those creatures invading their planet at the behest of a genocidal maniac trying to kill Bruce’s friends. Kill the Hulk’s friends. Louder, and louder, and louder, until he can’t even hear himself think which is good because he doesn’t want to think about this he never wanted to think about this again even though he did, a lot, like after Lagos and Sokovia and Sakaar. The team has driven them back from the breach in the facility, that’s good.  Wind and snow come howling in through the massive hole and Bruce shivers and tells himself its from the cold. Outside is...pandemonium.  His friends are like brief sparks of light in a sea of writhing, angry, violent darkness trying to tear them apart.  There are so many of them he can barely see the horizon and they show no sign of stopping. In the distance, he makes out Steve, locked in fierce battle with something that looks less like a bargain bin eldritch horror and more like one of those Black Order people. He’s losing.  Even Bruce can tell that. “Now would be a really good time for you to get angry” He’s always angry.  But the anger isn’t enough anymore. “Bruce, what are you doing out here?”  Tony screams at him, flying towards him with his hands still targeting energy blasts at the enemy.  “I thought you said the Hulk can’t come out, you can’t be here!  Go help Shuri!” Ten, nine, eight, seven—oh, fuck it. “Won’t, not can’t, Tony.” One breath.  Two breaths.  He squeezes the grip so hard it starts denting his palm. “Those are functionally the same, big guy, so get the hell out of here.  We got this!” “No you don’t, we’re losing!”  Bruce takes a short inhale through his nose.  “They’re not functionally the same when I can force his—our hand.” That finally makes Tony look at him, and Bruce doesn’t know if he catches it on his own or FRIDAY points it out to him, but he finally sees the gun.  He dissolves his faceplate and looks at Bruce with wide, exhausted eyes.  “No, no, Bruce, don’t you dare, Bruce!” He lunges, but he doesn’t make it before the gun goes off, the bullet tears through Bruce’s mouth and then—and then nothing. The Hulk roars.   Anger isn’t enough anymore.  Self-preservation will have to do.

[imagine-loki]

Triple Threat, Chapter 11

TITLE: Triple Threat CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 11 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki kidnaps Darcy Lewis, in hopes of getting the tesseract in return for her. Imagine his surprise when he grows rather fond of the mortal, finding that she understands him better than anyone else ever has.  RATING: M

There was suddenly a run of violent crimes within the city. Reports of a rather deranged woman who was killing innocent people and destroying buildings when she didn’t get what she wanted.

Of course, the team knew exactly who it was.

Jane.

They all jumped into action, suiting up and heading straight out to the city in the quinjet. But Bruce, Maria and Fury were coming along behind with the cell to contain Jane in, by ground.

When they arrived at the last spot where Jane had been spotted, terrorising some civilians in a supermarket, Loki, Tony and Steve ran straight inside while the others started trying to get people out of the way to safety, Darcy included.

Darcy could hear lots of blasts and screaming coming from inside, then suddenly there was a loud explosion and Tony came flying out through the wall. And Steve was thrown out through the window, glass flying everywhere. Then Loki came soaring out from the roof, having been blasted out through the top.

‘She’s powerful!’ Tony groaned, getting up.

‘We need to lure her out, away from the buildings and people.’ Loki said, looking around. Then he spotted the steps leading down into the underpass. ‘Let’s get her down there, contained and with one way out.’

Both Loki’s used their illusions to help, while the team ran down into the underpass to make sure it was clear of innocent people. Tony contacted Bruce over coms to see how far away they were, they needed to get the cell there ASAP.

Between the illusions from both Loki’s and also Tony blasting at her from behind, they were able to coax her down into the underpass.

Vision used his energy blast above the entrance of the underpass so it collapsed in on itself, to make sure that Jane couldn’t escape back out that way. There was just one way in and one way out now.

Jane started getting angrier when she realised that she was trapped, the only way out was past the Avengers. Who had all gathered on front of her. Minus Bruce, who was still coming with the cell for Jane.

Darcy’s eyes widened as Jane started to hover up above the ground, her hands balled into fists with the aether’s red energy surrounding them. Her eyes were glowing more and more as she stared dead ahead at the team.

The energy around her hands started to build, getting angrier and brighter. It started to consume her entire body.

Loki’s eyes widened. He knew this wasn’t good. Not at all. He quickly wrapped his cape around Darcy and started pushing her back out of the way. ‘Get away from here.’

‘Loki, I want to help!’ She tried digging her feet into the ground to stop herself from going anywhere.

But Loki surrounded her with his Seidr and he physically had her fly up the steps and out of the underpass. She wasn’t happy about it, but at that point she spotted Bruce, Maria and Fury in the large truck with the cell on the back. She would help them, if she couldn’t help out down below.

Jane’s energy exploded and the blasts were heading straight towards the team.

The two Loki’s and Wanda jumped forward, using their own energy and magic to put up a barrier. The aether’s energy clashed with theirs, bright colours mixing together.

They held their hands out and struggled to keep their energy firm and strong against Jane. Their feet were skidding back slightly from the pressure, but the three of them managed to remain firm together.

‘COME ON! WE NEED TO CONTAIN HER!’ Loki shouted at the other two over the noise of the fight.

Gritting their teeth and yelling out loudly, they managed to start taking steps towards Jane. Slowly over powering her energy and making it smaller and smaller. Green and red energy were mixing together, sparks shooting out everywhere.

Up above ground, Darcy guided the truck back as far to the top of the steps as possible. Bruce, Maria and Fury jumped out and they all got to work with setting up the cell. Darcy climbed onto the back and plugged the cell’s power source into the truck’s engine, it had to keep running. Or Jane would be able to just break out if it wasn’t powered up.

‘Nice cape.’ Fury said to Darcy with a slight smirk, making her grin.

‘I totally rock wearing a cape.’ Darcy said as she swished it out behind her.

They opened the cell and it was directed right above the steps. They just had to lure Jane into it now.

Darcy, Maria, Fury and Bruce all looked at one another nervously when they could feel the ground starting to shake beneath them. They ran to the top of the steps to see what was going on. But the rest of the team came running out.

‘Where’s Loki?’ Darcy called to them.

Clint motioned back down to the underpass. But she didn’t need to wait long, as there was a blinding light of green and red that started to emerge. The two Loki’s and Wanda were still containing Jane and her powers, but only just.

Between the three of them, they were able to force Jane out and towards the cell. The energy from them all was so strong, it was starting to affect the rest of the team as they could feel the power pushing them away as they shielded their faces.

The two Loki’s and Wanda were able to force Jane into the cell. But they couldn’t break the energy even for a second in-case she got out again.

‘SOMEONE NEEDS TO SHUT THE DOOR!’ Wanda shouted out at the team.

Clint was closest and he tried going over, but because of all the energy streaming into the cell he wasn’t able to get close enough to it.

‘Let’s get this done.’ Darcy muttered and wrapped herself up completely in Loki’s cape. She stuck her hand out and headed blindly towards the cell.

Loki saw her going towards it, he tried calling out at her to back away. But she didn’t listen and kept moving forward. His cape was doing its job of protecting her from the intensity of all the energy.

‘LEFT A BIT!’ Loki shouted, seeing Darcy was so close to the key pad for shutting the door.

Darcy felt glass under her fingertips, she moved her hand to the left and then felt the keypad. She knew it was the largest button, as soon as she felt it, she pushed and the glass door slid shut.

The two Loki’s and Wanda collapsed, exhausted after keeping that up for so long.

Jane was enraged, she tried blasting out of the cell but it was doing its job of keeping her contained. Even if the whole truck was shaking. But no matter how many energy blasts she fired at the glass, it wouldn’t break.

Darcy ran over to Loki, he was just getting up when she reached him. She grabbed hold of him and he draped his arm around her shoulder. But then her knees started to give way.

‘Jesus, Loki. I’m too weak to hold you up.’ She smiled as she tried her best to support him.

Loki smirked. ‘You’re not weak, love. I’m just too heavy.’

‘That’s a better way of thinking it.’ Darcy grinned.

Thor rushed over and helped hold Loki up. Loki reached out and cupped Darcy’s cheek. ‘Have I ever told you how incredible you are?’

‘Mmm, a few times. But I never get tired of hearing it.’ Darcy beamed proudly.

Loki chuckled as he was helped up by Steve. ‘Smart idea using Loki’s cape as protection.’

‘We need to get Jane back and get the aether out of her. She’s very powerful, the cell might not contain her for too long.’ Wanda said, she was in Visions arms as she was exhausted too.

‘Let’s go!’ Clint said and ran to get in the truck to drive.

Bruce, Steve, the two Loki’s, Wanda, Darcy and Vision got in the truck too. Just in-case anything went wrong on the journey back. While the rest of the team took the Quinjet to get ahead and set up what they needed back at base.

Loki and Darcy sat together on the floor inside the truck, their backs against the side. Darcy was resting her head on Loki’s shoulder while he had his eyes closed, regaining his strength.

‘You were awesome out there.’ Darcy said to him quietly.

He smiled and put his hand around the back of her head. ‘So were you.’

[3pirouette]

Fic: The Honey Trap (9/?)

Title: The Honey Trap

By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

Distribution: AO3 Anyone else please ask first :) 

Story Summary: Peggy’d lost count. She wasn’t sure if she was a double or triple agent at this point, and in the end, it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting out of this alive.

A/N: I'm giving you another chapter this weekend because I can. I've got a significant portion of the Epilogue written, and just a chapter or two to fill in the middle, so we're looking at about 12 in total. I'll post as they're written, but no promises on when. 

I'm VERY curious to see what you all think about this chapter. We've just had angst, angst, angst up until now, and now? Well, it's a little bit of a departure, and I hope you like it. 

Chapter 9: Infiltrating the Lap of Luxury

Three Days Later

Peggy was nauseous. The red and black. The banners. The eagles and swastikas. The double lightning bolts.

They were everywhere.

Just three days in Berlin had reminded her who, and what, they were fighting for. If the concerned well-to-do Nazis of London had confused her, this had shocked her right back to reality.

Wallace had given her practically no notice that they were leaving, to the point where she’d wondered if either or both of them had been found out and they needed to run. She’d had barely enough time to throw the essentials in a bag and finish the letter.

Since they’d started with the letters, she’d had one half written, waiting in the false bottom of one of the drawers in her apartment for her to fill in days, times, and places. She knew one day they’d have to make a hasty retreat, and that came far faster than she had been prepared for.

He’d been manic, not because they’d been found out, but because he’d been offered something he couldn’t pass up: face time with the men who were running everything. They’d been invited to the heart of Berlin for a party, and then to accompany a high-ranking scientist to the Alps.

None of that had made it into her letter.

She was sharing a hotel room with Wallace, and the Agent who had escorted them to Berlin was residing right next door. She wasn’t sure if he was there to keep them safe or to keep tabs on them, but she wasn’t going to press it either way. She played appropriately lovelorn on the plane over the channel, then slowly warmed back up to Wallace. By the time they’d made it to the hotel she was holding his hand and chatting about how excited she was to be invited to such a thing.

Peggy wasn’t sure what Wallace was anymore, where his allegiance fell, or what he expected her to behave as, but she was along for the ride, and that meant keeping him happy.

She still made him sleep on the couch.

In the morning, the symbols all around her were brighter and more apparent, and the charade was harder to keep up. Wallace paraded her around office buildings and at dinners with men whose names she’d only heard about in official communiques. It seemed the information he thought he was stealing from her had made him somewhat infamous, and they didn’t seem to understand, thankfully, that she’d led them into several ambushes at this point.

She found it baffling and sickening, but she let them believe they’d lured her over to their ideology, that she was no longer interested in serving the Allied Powers as they’d done nothing for her.

She had once chance to pass on all she knew. One communique. She hoped they were ready.

~*~

Dugan stood just outside the hotel, pulling down on his deerstalker cap to stay hidden in the twilight. He’d shaved his moustache, to which they’d all laughed, and dyed his hair a glaring blonde, even though he was keeping it hidden under his cap.

There were precious few they trusted for this, and even fewer who could walk into the heart of Germany and potentially not be recognized by either the SS or Wallace. Dugan somehow fit that bill. He worried that he was too early, but being too late might compromise the drop. He stopped and rubbed his knee, feigning pain to buy himself some time. Eyes were everywhere, and they didn’t hesitate to report suspicious people under such a regime.

Peggy was due any minute. Any second.

And there she was.

Laughing.

Dugan looked up, surprised, to see her laughing and smiling with Wallace, dressed to the nines complete with heels and a fur stole and the ever harder and harder to get silk stockings.

She was walking towards him on her way out of the hotel, and the only acknowledgement he got was the casual flicker of her eyes as she neared, the same she’d give any passing pedestrian.

Just a few steps away she stumbled and then stopped, Wallace concerned for her as they both looked down at the ground. “Are you all right, Maggie?”

Peggy stood and smiled, shrugging. “New shoes. I haven’t had a pair of proper dancing shoes in so long I think I must have forgotten how to wear them!” Her tone was light, and she kept Wallace’s eyes at hers with her smile, but Dugan was looking at her feet, where Peggy slipped her toes from her heel and dropped a small slip of paper on the ground before slipping her foot back in again. She kicked her foot up towards Wallace and wiggled her toes. “Should be good to go, dear. To dinner?”

He nodded and set them moving again. “Yes, quite right. Perhaps you should wear your new ones for the party tomorrow when we get back tonight, wouldn’t want you stumbling in that company.”

Dugan waited until they passed, playing up on the rubbing of his knee, and then started limping lightly forward, towards the scrap of paper on the ground. He stopped again, shoe stepping directly on it, and rubbed his knee, before walking away with only the tiniest glance back to tell him that the paper was stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

A block later, he stopped, picked it from his shoe, and continued on his way.

~*~

Stave, Bucky, and Dum Dum hovered over the paper, slowly decoding it by flashlight in their tiny tent in the middle of the German forest.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dum Dum laughed. “How does she think we’re going to do that?”

“We clean up good!” Bucky retorted.

“Yeah,” Steve started, throwing the pencil down and slumping, “but I don’t blend in so well with a crowd here.”

“Well, I’m going. Where do I get my hands on a suit?” Dugan smiled. “You know what kinda women are at these parties?”

“Yeah, Nazis.” Barnes retorted, shaking his head.

“Ok, well, you’re not wrong there.” He shrugged. “I just miss going to parties, and beautiful women all dressedto the nines there.”

Dugan and Barnes shared a moment of agreement before Bucky focused them back on the mission. “And how do you plan on getting in?” Barnes asked cheekily. “We just going to walk in the front door?”

Steve rubbed his face. “It’s going to be guarded, there will be invitations… no. There’s no way we get in the front door play acting like we’re guests without being made.”

“So what?” Dugan asked, reading over the note again. He pointed at the most important detail: “Must get Zola at Black Tie tomorrow night. Last Chance before Alps.” He shrugged. “Maybe it would be easier to try to get him while he’s going over the Alps to the Hydra base.”

Bucky shook his head. “I mean, potentially less guards on one of those trains, but some of those tracks are treacherous. They’re lucky the trains make it through. One wrong move there, we’re not just captured, we’re dead.”

“So what? We go in as the caterers?” Dugan laughed. “I already shaved my moustache for this, I’m up for a good disguise.”

“It’s a mansion, right?” Steve asked, trying to be positive. “Maybe we just need to…” He took a moment, his head twisting and turning as he thought of and discarded ideas. He stopped, throwing his hands out to the side. “I got nothing.”

Barnes just punched him on the shoulder good naturedly. “You know, you’re lucky you’ve got Peggy to do all the heavy lifting in this relationship.”

Steve hung his head, smiling. “Don’t I know it.”

~*~

Peggy did her best to smile, but was still sickened by the excess. She’d seen the state of the German forces, of the men in the field and the men they captured.

It was always revolting to see how the men who ran the wars, but never experienced them, lived.

Champaign. Caviar. Grand dinners and ballrooms full of music and dancing. The war hadn’t touched these people. They hadn’t watched friends and family die. After listening to them, she guessed most of them had probably profited off the backs of the boys in the trenches.

For every man with a gun, the real monster was a faceless man in an office calling his shots.

She hated to admit she enjoyed the luxury of a hot bath, of the silk stockings she hadn’t had in months, of a new green silk dress that hugged her curves and didn’t smell like mothballs, of shoes that fit and hadn’t ever seen a patch of mud. She felt guilty every minute, preening and putting on make-up and rolling her hair just right so that she wouldn’t stand out. The guilt had nearly overwhelmed her, but she had a job to do, and she could deal with the emotional toll of this later.

By the way everyone looked when they walked into the mansion, she and Wallace stood out. Their novelty dimmed, however, as they were slowly introduced around the room. Once they were no longer strangers, they were no longer a unique oddity to be admired or a threat to be monitored. Wallace worked hard to get in front of the generals, in front of the men with the most medals and the stiffest backs in the room, to get some facetime with the people that could get him closer to whatever his goal was.  

She only had one goal: Arnim Zola.

He was Schmidt’s right-hand man, and he was vulnerable tonight.

She had three different plans, depending on how the boys were able to make it in. She guessed they weren’t walking in the front door, as the security was heavy and nearly every man in the room wore the swastika on his arm and carried a gun with him. She only hoped they could follow her lead, or she could pick up whatever plan they’d come up with quickly to avoid a disaster.

Step one: meet Zola.

Peggy let Richard pull her around the ballroom for a while, smiling and nodding on his arm, keeping quiet as they traded stories and allegiances. She kept Zola in her sights throughout the night, taking note that he was often alone, and easily flustered. She smiled, realizing that his cheeks reddened every time he talked to a beautiful woman.

Peggy made her excuses and stepped out of the ballroom for a breath of fresh air. She’d hoped she’d be able to make contact with the boys but they weren’t anywhere to be found near or around the small, empty balcony. She took the moment to compose herself, and waited until the doctor was situated between her and Wallace so it wouldn’t look like she’d avoided Wallace, but rather ran into the doctor by mistake.

And run into him she did, literally, bumping his shoulder as she moved past him, covering her face and putting on her apologies before feigning recognition. “I’m sorry, are you Doctor Zola?”

He almost chocked on a sip of his Champaign. He looked her up and down, and Peggy smiled even wider, knowing that her care in dressing had done its job. “Yes,” he choked out as he regained his composure. “And who might you be?”

Peggy put her hand in his and let him kiss the back of it, forcing a blush by imagining Steve. “Oh, me? I’m nobody. But I just couldn’t help but overhear your name whispered here and there, and to have the chance to meet you!” She giggled and shrugged. “Though I am quite sorry for bumping into you.”

“Oh, no matter, my dear. But for such a beautiful creature, I must have a name.” He was earnest, and she almost, almost felt bad for what she was about to do.

“Maggie,” she replied softly, not feeling bad at all as she remembered the thousands of men that had died because of him.

He smiled, not letting go of her hand, and she smiled right back.

~*~

Bucky did not like hiding in the closet outside of the bathroom, but he did it because there was really no other choice than to sit there and wait for Peggy. They’d managed to sneak their way in through the basement early this morning through a drainage ditch, and Steve and Dugan were hiding on the floor below them in a root cellar.

The fact that Bucky was the only one small enough to fit in the dumbwaiter to get between floors was the only reason it was him and not Steve up here. He tried not to swear as yet another woman passed him that wasn’t Peggy.

“One click if you can hear me, Buck.” Steve’s voice came through his comm. It was tinny and buzzed incessantly, but the earpiece radios Stark had made them were far, far better than the bulky blocks they’d carried in the field up until now. Bucky clicked the talk button on the small box on his belt and waited for Steve to continue. “Dugan and I have managed to get our hands on some SS uniforms.”

Bucky clicked twice, acknowledging that he understood. Barnes wondered if they’d knocked people out and stolen their clothes, or if they’d simply found the wash.

He stopped, all thoughts gone out of his head when he saw Carter turn down the small hall, slowly moving towards the bathroom and seemingly absent mindedly turning door knobs.

He waited until she stepped into the small bathroom then slipped in behind her.

“Well, it’s about—” Peggy stopped, putting her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming. “You’re not Steve.”

Barnes shrugged. “He didn’t fit in the dumbwaiter.”

“I’m not going to even ask,” she sighed, sitting her hip against the sink and stepping out of her heels to rub her feet. “We have a small window of time. I’m going to get Zola into the office one hallway down. Do you know it?”

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded.

“I’ll incapacitate him, then you three are up, alright? He should be out for several hours, at least, but please be careful. If you jostle him enough, he will wake up.”

“Wake up?” Barnes asked.

“Wake up,” she confirmed. She looked him over, the black fatigues out of place in the resplendent bathroom. “Do you think you can handle that?”

Barnes smirked at her, “You think we can’t?”

Peggy sighed and smiled. “If I didn’t miss you so much, I’d hit you.” She moved to walk past him then stopped, serious. “One more thing, and you mustn’t forget.”

~*~

Bucky unfurled himself from the dumbwaiter, misjudging the distance and falling to the floor in a heap. “God, I hate that.”

“What happened? How is she?” Steve peppered him with questions as he helped him stand, looking awful Aryan with his blonde hair and blue eyes and the red band brandished across his arm. Dugan, too, fit in just a little too well in the suit now that he’d bleached his hair.

Bucky took them in as he stood, trying to shake the earie feeling seeing them in the uniforms of the enemy. “She’s fine. We’ve got about fifteen minutes to get to the office down the hall from the bathroom. We should be able to take the back stairs.” Bucky had done the interior recon early in the morning, slipping through and learning the layout when the residents inside had all been sleeping. “You got one of those for me?”

Steve handed him a pile. “They should fit.”

Bucky stripped and put the new clothes on, stopping as he buttoned up the jacket. “She- shit.” Bucky looked at Steve, lips pursed tight as he shook his head. “She told me not to forget something.”

“And you forgot it?” Dugan asked, incredulous.

“I mean, it wasn’t that important.” He moved back to buttoning himself into the jacket. “Come on, she’s waiting on us.”

~*~

Peggy rounded the table, pretending to be infinitely interested in the little metal figures that told a story of Aryan supremacy. “I find it all very fascinating, Doctor Zola.”

He smirked, downing the rest of his Champaign. “As I thought you might, fraulein.”

She stepped up to him, close, and played with the edge of his collar. “It’s so hard to find a man of substance these days,” she whispered, letting her nail run down over the buttons on his shirt.

“Ah, my dear, we are all involved in bringing glory to our cause!” He proudly exclaimed, watching her hand and then looking up into her eyes. “I might say, it is… refreshing to have a woman find interest in the matters of the mind. Usually, they are interested in more… superficial things.”

Peggy turned them so he was looking away from the door. She’d left it cracked, and could see shadows. She couldn’t take the chance that it wasn’t Steve and the boys, so she made her move. “Ah, yes, well, I am not one of those women.”

She leaned down and kissed him, lips pressed tight to his, for long seconds. He was surprised at first, but began to participate wholeheartedly once the initial surprise passed, gripping her tight with small, sweaty hands that roamed. She counted in her head, and Peggy pulled back as soon as she’d made sure it had been long enough, smiling at his fluster. “You see, I’m a different kind of woman all together.”

He started to reply, but found he couldn’t. Slowly, Peggy lowered him to the floor as his eyes fluttered shut.

She looked up, feigning surprise as the door opened. She’d been ready to call out, concerned that the Doctor had passed out on her from too much to drink when she saw the uniforms, but smiled when she saw the face attached. “Right on time, men.”

“Damn, Peggy,” Dugan whispered. “You are good at getting things done!”

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, stepping over Zola and helping her to stand.

“I’m fine. A little disgusted at the revelry, but fine.” She looked around, watching as Barnes and Dugan lifted the doctor, slinging his arms around their necks. “You’ll be able to get him out?”

“We’ve got a truck waiting half a click south just outside a sewer.” Barnes whispered. “Won’t be pleasant, but we’ve got it.”

“You have to ask him about this Swiss base, Steve.” She held his hands tight and pleaded with him. “They have something there, something related to those energy weapons Howard’s been studying. I don’t know what it is, but it’s big. And it has to be stopped.”

“You do it,” Steve whispered fiercely. “Come with us.”

She shook her head. “We both disappear and that’s a target on us all. Besides, I’m headed to the Alps tomorrow, the base the day after.” She gave him a small, nervous smile. “I don’t know how, but Wallace has arranged an audience with Schmidt.”

“Then here,” Steve shoved a small square in her hand. “Beacon. Turn it on tomorrow. Howard says it should last three days. We’ll track you.”

“Come on, buddy, we gotta go,” Barnes whispered. “Party’s breaking up and they’re gonna find us.”

Without warning Steve grabbed her and kissed her. Peggy pushed him away to his confusion.

“Barnes!” She half yelled, half whispered, shooting daggers over Steve’s shoulder at the man.

“What—” Steve could barely get the word out before he fell to the ground, eyes blinking shut.

“That’s why you didn’t want him to kiss you?!” Barnes looked at her and almost dropped Zola. “You gotta say stuff like that, Carter! I thought you just didn’t want to be messin’ around while on a mission!”

She dropped to her knees and started gently hitting Steve’s cheek. “Yes, Barnes, I didn’t want to be ‘messin’ around’ on a mission, especially when I have knock out lipstick on, you dolt!” She took a deep breath. “Get Zola out, Steve’ll be around in a minute or so and I’ll send him after you.”

“Are you—” Dugan started to question her, but her stern look stopped him. He and Barnes hiked Zola higher and with a glance, moved him out into the empty hallway.

“How much you want to bet he’s done that before?” Dugan whispered as they moved.

“Oh, I’m sure that idiot has done that before.” Bucky paused, hiking the small man higher over his shoulder. “How do you think she knows how long it’ll take him to wake up?”

“Good point.”

[abrunettefangirlnerd]

Insecure

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Oneshot

Summary: feeling insecure about your looks, Steve helps you to see what he sees.

You put away the last bit of the laundry. Life has been crazy this whole last week. The guys have been on mission after mission, meanwhile the aching pain in your side hasn’t subsided. Bruce, not to your delight, thinks you shouldn’t even be training. But you would go completely stir crazy laying in bed or on the couch all day.

             What the boys know won’t hurt them. Besides, you want to try to stay in shape. Anytime you are under bed rest, you feel like your muscles turn to mush and your totally body fat sky rockets. Being insecure your whole life about your looks, you finally started to feel comfortable with all the cardio and weightlifting.

             Especially around your friends from before becoming an Avenger. They all know you are a part of the team, your costume doesn’t exactly hide your identity. Neither did the fact that you blew up a baseball with your bare hands in college because it scared you. At a game the batter hit the ball into the crowd, it was coming for you, you threw your hands up in defense but never felt the ball hit your skin. Instead the ball fell to the ground in the small pieces that were left.

             Fury found you shortly after. Explained to you that there are others, a team, a family that you could be a part of. You accepted the offer and never looked back. For once you felt like you belonged, but every once in a while some of your insecurities come flooding back.

“Hey gorgeous,” Steve’s deep voice creeps around your door frame. Joining your curled up body on your bed, Steve brushes your free hair behind your ear. “I have a surprise for you. I know you’ve been cooped up in this building for two weeks, so I brought your two friends from home.”

“Really?” You slowly sit up, griping your side. It feels like forever since you’ve seen them, and you’ve missed them desperately.

             Steve nods his head with a smile. And before you know it, you leave Steve to smell the burning rubber from your rapid departure. Running through the pain, you make it to the corridor to see your long-term friends standing in awestruck wonder at the architecture.

“Oh my god! Christi! Abby!” You manage to apply your breaks just in time to keep from barreling the girls to the floor. Collecting your composure, you wrap each in an arm and offer a big group hug.

“Safe to say you like your surprise?” Steve appears by the stairs with a smug smirk.

             Letting go of your girls, you race back toward Steve. Leaping into his arms, the pain doesn’t present itself until Steve’s arms securely wrap around you. Steve gets in a spin or two before putting you down. Kissing your temple, Steve apologizes for hurting you but you just shrug it off.

               The girls and you end up in the art studio down the hall from your room. The movie Book Club plays in the background as the three of you attempt to paint while drinking your glasses of wine. Christi wants to know everything about the male Avengers. She is on the market for a boyfriend, and thinks a superhero will be a perfect match. However, Abby just wants to know about you and Steve.

“You two ARE dating right?” Abby takes a sip of her wine and wiggles the brows.

“We haven’t really put a title on it yet,” you can feel the warmth from the wine spread to your face. “We are definitely more than friends, but he has been so busy lately. Maybe once I’m back on the field we can talk about it.”

             The girls tell you how impressed they were that Steve came to get them. They assumed when he got back from missions, the two of you would be inseparable. Honestly, they aren’t wrong but you also get your fair shared time with the others on the team. But that’s Steve, he is very big on personal space. It’s something you are very thankful for. Even though the two of you aren’t officially together it is easy to get lost in someone else and forget the world around you.

             After painting, you move into the movie room. It is getting late, and you all are getting fairly tired. Sitting on the couch your gaze wanders to your thighs. In your peripheral you see the thin outline of your own friend’s thighs and notice how drastic the change is. You pretend not to notice the difference in body types between you and your friends.

             Suddenly all insecurities from college and high school come flooding back. The fact that you were admiring your own body in the mirror just hours ago escapes you. Any feeling of accomplishment from your workouts, training, missions no longer exists. Not next to Christi and Abby.

             You know it’s not their fault, and you’re not bitter toward them whatsoever. Christi eats a lot of junk but just so happens to be gifted with the perfect metabolism gene. Abby just does her own thing, no workouts and no dieting, but it works for her. You have always had more fat to you. Before becoming an Avenger, home workouts never did a thing and changing your diet did nothing as well. Since being here you have lost 20 lbs but you are still 10 – 15 lbs heavier than your friends next to you.

             Agreeing on a childhood favorite, you grab a blanket and curl up in a ball. The more coverage you provide the greater the lie you can tell yourself of what lies beneath. The girls follow suit and the three of you talk and make comments about the movie until the three of you pass out.

             Only a few hours later your body atomically wake up around 7:00 am. No matter the time you fall asleep, or the quality of sleep, your body always has a habit of waking you up early in the morning. The only other person in this building that I normally awake at this time is Steve. Though, after the rest he probably needed after the mission he is most likely still in bed.

               You crawl off the couch carefully trying not to wake the girls. A searing pain ripples through your right side to your leg. Biting your lip helps keep your internal scream from moving up your throat. Shimmying the rest of the way out of the room, you head towards the locker room to start training.

“What do you think you are doing?” His surprisingly stern voice echoes through the training room as soon as you enter.

“STEVE! Seriously, one day you are going to give me a heart attack.”

             Ignoring Steve’s original question, you make your way to the punching bag. You feel the need to build up your strength in your left arm. Perhaps if you get your strength back up the rest of the team may be convinced to let you back on the field early.

             Hearing your fist hit leather, the sounds doesn’t over power the feeling of you skin shift. My body is ultimately made up of fat! I’m not even muscle, just fat and bone! Tears sting  behind your eyes as the comments of from arrogant assholes from your past echo with each punch.

She’s easier to aim for, (Y/N)’s bigger than the others!

(Y/N) is a nice friend. I know she likes me, but you look more like my type.

             As each voice filters through your ears each punch against the bag gets harder and harder. The sound radiates through the training center. Completely in a trance, you don’t notice Steve’s gaze on you as he approaches closer. Right before he gets too close you realize your leg muscles need a workout as well, and you take off towards the track.

“(Y/N)!” Steve shouts but the pain in your side is all you can focus on.

             Wheezing, your arm wraps around your right side in attempt to console it. The pain radiates down the side of your body toward your leg once again. With each step you start to feel like jello.

             The sound of your body hitting the ground registers before the additional pain does. Dazed and confused how you got there, you feel a presence next to you. They place both their hands on each side of your face and examine for any blood. You’d swat them away if it wasn’t for the sudden want of physical touch.

“Steve, do you think you’d prefer if I was skinnier?” Sleepiness invades your senses.

“What are you talking about?”

             You don’t say anything else as Steve scoops you in his arms. All you do is point to your thighs and the little pudge on your stomach. Steve says nothing as he carries you to your room. All he does is place a soft kiss to the side of your head before laying you down on your bed covers.

“Where is this coming from?” Steve inquires, but you only shrug your shoulders. The both of you know that you do. Steve doesn’t press though, which you are thankful for.

“(Y/N), you’re brilliant. If it wasn’t for Stark or Banner you would easily be the smartest person I’ve ever known.” He soothingly brushes his fingers up and down your arms, luring you to sleep. “Outstandingly stunning. Though if we must talk specifically your body?”

             Steve delays by gently pulling your body onto his. Resuming the touch of his fingers against your arm, you wait for him to continue. The butterflies in your stomach ache as much as your injury pain. Assuming the worst, you’re not sure if you really want to know or not.

“I assume this trip of insecurity is due to your friends being here.” No offensiveness rises within you. You’ve told Steve about this before. “No, you’re not as thin as them. But they’re not as fit as you are. I know you hate your thighs the most, but doll trust me they are mostly hard muscle. Of which I find way more attractive than being super skinny, but unable to effectively fight.”

“I’m sorry-,” you start before Steve cuts you off with a kiss.

“You don’t need to be sorry. I get it, and I love you.” And this time you kiss him.

Tags: @mrs-captain-evans​ @crowleys-squirrel​ @princess-evans-addict​

[bvllyhargrove]

I’ll Take You For A Ride (Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader)

Summary - After fighting for your attention, Billy offers to drive you home...

Words- 3717

Notes - Too many sleepless nights went into this, I forgot how to write smut halfway through the scene and this was born... I promise it’s not too horrible. Let me know what you think! It’s my first time writing for Billy and I genuinely enjoyed it 

~~~

It was hot, the unforgiving Indiana sun rays beating down on your chest as you tried your best to stay in the shadow of your umbrella. You canceled out the joyous screams and laughter coming from the water as you relaxed, sunglasses perched gently on the bridge of your nose.

You could hear the soccer mom's just a few occupied seats from you, drone on about a new lemonade recipe they perfected - just in time for summer. Not even your friend's constant chatter didn't penetrate your eardrums as you mindlessly sipped the new recipe of Coke through the cheap plastic straw.

Lucas swore the new recipe tasted better than the original, and you loved the kid just enough to try it. Years of babysitting for The Sinclairs were both a blessing and a curse on your end. He's been trying to date you since he was a toddler.

"What about a job at the mall? Steve works there... at that ice cream place." Carol murmurs behind her pocket mirror. Somehow, In the hundred-degree heat, she still cared about her makeup. It was a blessing that it wasn't melting off of her.

"Give it up, he won't date you, he's dating Nancy Wheeler." Your eyes flicker over the crowded pool, lips turning down in disgust. There was no way in Hell that you would be caught dead in that water... with all of those kids... the mere thought made your skin crawl.

Carol shifted in her seat, moving the mirror away from her face to glare at you. "Uh, no he's not. Isn't Nancy Wheeler dating Jonathan Byers?" You shrugged, eyes slipping closed under your sunglasses.

"Ugh, Nancy is dating Jonathan? Like, barf me out..."

"What about the lifeguard? Do you know her?" You watched her descend the lifeguard stand, nibbling mindlessly on her whistle. Carol cocked an eyebrow, shaking her head.

"No, I've never seen her a- who is that...?" She tugged her sunglasses from her nose to glance at the shirtless male lifeguard making his way to take Heather's spot. "Is that Billy Hargrove? Holy shit."

Eyes turned to him, girls gaping as they walked past him. He was beautiful, the soft tan of his skin contrasting perfectly with the red of his swim trunks. You lifted your sunglasses as well, watching with mysterious eyes as he walked closer to you, sharing pleasantries with the soccer moms. He walked past you, his eyes lingering. He seemed to move in slow motion as you pull your bottom lip between your teeth - a movement that Billy noticed.  

"Afternoon girls." He spoke slowly, his tone dripping with seduction. You breathed out a hot sigh, the blazing hundred-degree heat feeling more like a thousand on your skin.

Carol shot him a smirk, eyes sultry. "Hi, Billy."

Billy's eyes rake down your body, chewing on the end on his whistle. "The shades... they're rad." He murmured, teeth still bitten down on the metal. You shook your head, looking down.

"Thank you, Billy."

"Anytime." He shot you a wink, glancing at Carol and giving her a smirk. He moved his gaze back in front of him as he continued his path to the lifeguard tower.

"Oh, my God. He totally was eyeing you up! Y/N, this is big!" She sat up, grabbing onto your arm obnoxiously.

"Not even." You fixed your shades, before taking your coke back in your hands and taking a tentative sip, turning your nose up at the flat texture of the drink.

"Even!" She nodded enthusiastically. "Go up there and talk to him!"

"Carol, no." You waved her off, moving to grab your flip flops. "But I am going to get a bottle of water. Come with?" After Carol shook her head 'no', you stood, grabbing your wallet and making your way to the concession stand, trying your best to dodge the icky, sweaty kids passing by you.

You arrived at the stand, breathing out a sigh when the shade of the roof covered your overheated body. A short line of consumers stood ahead of you, taking their time in ordering their overpriced soft drinks and sticky half-melted ice cream.

"What's your poison, I'm buying." You jumped, looking to your left where Billy stood next to you. A delicious sheen of sweat covered his body delicately, giving his rippling muscles a more defined look. You simply shook your head, reaching for your money.

"Do you think I'm incapable of buying my own water?" You scoff, stepping forward as the line grew sparse.

You weren't dumb, you've heard about The Billy Hargrove. The handsome seducer that made girls cream their pants with a mere smirk from him. You weren't that naive to fall into his trap, no matter how deep his icy glare or how tempting his full, pink smirk was as he worked a piece of spearmint gum between his teeth.

"Come on, princess, don't make me beg, now." He chuckles, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth. You fought back a gasp, turning your gaze dead in front of you. His laugh was impeccably deep, stirring something from inside of you.

Fuck. You were fucked.

"No need to beg. You're not a child." You shrugged, inching towards the counter. There was one more person in front of you and Billy was still glued to your side. He cocked an eyebrow, ghosting out another chuckle.

"Calling me a child, Y/N? That's not very nice..."

You ignored him, asking for water once you got to the concession stand. Billy shook his head in disbelief, once again, laughing.

"Now you're ignoring me... playing hard to get, hm? Well, lucky for you, I quite enjoy a challenge."

"Shove it up your ass, Hargrove." You snatched the water placed on the counter for you and went to fish money from your wallet.

"Put it on my tab, hm?" He spoke slowly before placing a hand on your lower back, leading you back to the pool area. You felt a rush of excitement course through you at the defiance you shown. You couldn't deny that you wanted Billy, but he didn't need to know that. Not yet.

~

You and your friend waited until the sun started to set and the pool emptied of the countless children before starting to pack up. Thoroughly exhausted and sweaty.

You dreamed of getting into the shower, standing under the cool spray as water cascaded down your back, washing the stink and dirt from the day down the drain. The shower was your happy place, a place you could be alone with your thoughts long enough without disruption.

You craved silence and peace...

"Hey, Y/N," Your eyes screwed shut as you halted in your steps towards the entrance. Billy pulled a cigarette from his jean pocket, lighting it quickly before taking a slow, steady drag of the cancerous haze.

He was dressed simply, a change from his shirtless torso and red swim trunks. His tight jeans hugged his slim legs almost breathtakingly perfect and his loose-fitting pale pink button-up barely even buttoned halfway down his sun-kissed, ab rippled chest.

"Go ahead and leave, Y/N's friend..." He waved Carol off haphazardly. The setting sun cast an almost terrifyingly angelic glow on his face, his light eyes reflecting the golden rays - luring you in.

Your body unofficially belonged to him, you knew it.

"Uh, okay? Are you okay with that, Y/N?" She rose her eyebrow at you, a slight teasing gaze painting her features. You shrugged, nodding slowly. You turned to Billy, crossing your arms over your chest in slight defiance.

"Don't make me beg," He stared back at you, blowing his mouthful of smoke in your face. You wanted to slap that smug look off of his face but you also loved it. Making him fight for what he wants. It's obvious he's never had to before.

"Get on your knees, cowboy. Beg."

"What?" Billy chuckled, looking to the ground. You shrugged, urging him on.

"You want to drive me home? You beg."

He flicked the grey-hot ash onto the pavement before hiking up the fabric of his jeans and falling on one knee in front of you. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." He mutters, peering up at you with childlike innocence. "Oh, please, Y/N. Please let me drive you home." He tucks a curl behind his ear, smirking up at you.

You pretended to ponder for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine. I'll let you drive me home. Get up." Billy smiles gratefully, standing back on his feet and taking another slow drag of his cigarette before flicking it onto the ground, stomping it out. He was graceful as he holds his hand out for you.

"Take my hand and I'll take you to the stars."

"How corny." Carol snickers behind you, moving back towards the gate and to her car. The rising sound of crickets reached the two of you as you stood under the pink and golden sky. It looked almost out of a cheesy storybook.

You found your eyes gazing into his mysterious blues. Looking, searching, wanting... all of him.

He turned away on his heel, the smirk never leaving his face as he leads you out of the enclosed space, twirling his keys on his finger as he waves goodbye to his co-workers. You felt a new kind of confidence as you walked out of the pool with Billy Hargrove.

"This is my baby - A '79 Chevy Camaro. She's two and a half tons of pure, undisputed muscle." He knocked on the hood, sending a dull, metallic bang throughout the parking lot.

"So, are you an engine head?" You inquired, stepping into the passenger seat carefully. You could tell he took pride in the blue-tinted car. as you looked around the black interior. It was clean - you weren't expecting that much.

The ashtray, however, was full. Discarded butts of old cigarettes decorated the small compartment. The car smelled of cologne and smoke. It smelled like Billy, that delicious scent you wouldn't let your sinuses erase.

He climbed into the driver's side, keeping the door ajar as he fumbled around in the glove compartment, elbow resting on your thigh as he glanced up at you with those oh, so sinful jet blue eyes and those majestically long eyelashes.

You never understood how this beautiful man could be such a douche. But that's how all of the pretty boys were - hormonal idiots waving their dicks around without a care.

He finally retrieved a half-empty pack of gum, holding it up to you as an invitation which you denied. He shrugged, sitting back up in his seat and popping the thin white stick of the dry mint-flavored chicle into his mouth.

"You sure you don't want a piece, princess?" He flicked the metallic paper out of the window, working the gum between his teeth with a precise gaze, centered directly onto you.

"Uh - no." You cleared your throat, looking back outside of your window, finally letting yourself breathe the musty outside air. He was quick, shifting the car in drive professionally. He pressed on the gas, jerking the car into drive spaztically, causing both of your bodies to fall back in the hard leather seats.

He zoomed out of the parking lot, leaving a cloud of tire smoke in its wake.

~

A few minutes into the drive, to where - you weren't quite sure; the heady rock music played loudly inside of the car, irritating your eardrums. You've told Billy to turn it down multiple times, to which he ignored, playing it off as he couldn't hear your pleads over the songs.

Eventually, he reached over, turning the volume down to near mute as he glanced over his shoulder at you.

"Tell me about yourself." He drummed on the steering wheel to nonexistent music, his steady hand barely gripping the wheel as he rested his elbow on his thigh.

"There's not much to know about me." You shrug, glancing back over to him. He's still rapping his fingers obnoxiously on the wheel, light brown boyish curls moving almost angelically in the harsh wind. "Oh, well, I'm a babysitter. I sit for the Sinclairs, The Wheelers, etc."

"Yeah? Then you tell that creepy kid Lucas to stop harassing my sister. I tried to tell the little shit to keep her distance but she enjoys going against me. It's like she has a deathwish." He grumbled, tone harsh. You furrowed your eyebrows at the tone before shrugging it off. He was a universal douche, you doubt he acted differently to his family.

"You have a sister?"

"She's not my sister, just someone I had the grave misfortune of living with." He chews on his bottom lip impatiently as he turns into the parking lot of Hawkins High. You look around the familiar scenery, suddenly confused as to why he picked a high school to grope you at.

You knew his intentions, you weren't stupid.

And you knew you weren't the first girl to get fucked in the backseat of his car.

"I'm going to cut to the chase, baby. I want you. I've wanted you since I've seen you around the halls at school. I wanted you when that saw that sinful fucking body in that swimsuit at the pool. And I want you now, shivering in my presence." He spoke slowly, deep and brooding as he shifted the car in park, taking off his seatbelt and hovering close to you just over the console. You could feel his hot, minty, nicotine-laced breath on your hot skin, knocking the breath from your lungs.

Fuck.

"W-what?" Internally you screamed, hating the tiny squeak that left your red-bitten lips. He laughed darkly, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth even further. They were slick with sheen, red and pouty in the setting sun. His silver chain dipped from his shirt, landing on your slightly exposed chest. You shivered, eyes flitting closed.

"Beautiful..." He leaned closer, enclosing his lips around yours with haste. The kiss was messy and hot, teeth clacking together and tongues dancing in one another's mouth. He panted hotly against you, sliding a hand around your waist and pulling you even closer.

His hands were heated and quick as they explored your body just under your swimsuit cover and onto your stomach, feeling the soft skin under his fingertips.

You were melting, his touch beckoning you in. You were already aching, the buzz of arousal already pooling between your clenched thighs.

He pulled away, quick. Panting against your sucked raw mouth, causing a low, high whine to escape your parted lips. You needed him but you weren't surprised that he was a tease. Always a fucking tease...

"Billy... no." You breathe, tasting him on your tongue. He tasted just how you thought, of cigarettes and mint. It was his smell, his taste. You couldn't get over it.

It made you dizzy, needy... for him.

"Oh, what's that, princess?" He teased slowly, keeping his eyes steadily staring into yours. You shook your head, parting your thighs.

"I need it."

He attached his lips to yours again, nibbling on your bottom lip and slipping his tongue into your awaiting mouth. You focused on his every movement, the pulsing ache in your cunt becoming more evident with every single drag of his lips. "Get in the backseat, I want you absolutely naked." His words are articulated and dense, and if you weren't wet before, you are now.

You were quick, shoving off your loose-fitting bathing suit cover-up as you climbed over the console, your bare feet pushing against the upholstery of the car. You could hear the low jingle of Billy unlatching his belt and pulling down his zipper - still sitting densely in the driver's seat. He rolls up the windows, looking around at the barren parking lot to ensure the both of you were alone.

Your hands were busy pulling and tugging at your suit, peeling the skin-tight material off of your body, leaving you exposed and panting, welcoming the cool summer night air on your skin.

He was dark and brooding as he climbed over the console, fully unbuttoned shirt clinging onto his shoulders and half-opened jeans sitting tightly on his hips. He ran his tongue over his slick top lip at the sight of you. You could make out the half-mast outline of his cock through his jeans, making you shudder.

He hovered himself over you, noses touching. You breathed in his carbon dioxide and he breathed in yours. You reached up to tangle your fingers in his curly locks, pulling him down to another passionate kiss, letting the first moan of the night slip from your lips as you felt the rough fabric of his jeans and the outline of his sizeable member rutting against your thigh.

You threw your head back against the window, grinding down into his touch. You couldn't focus on anything else as your wetness fell onto the seat underneath you, soaking your thighs. He caught onto your neediness. You were right where he wanted you, soaked and writhing under him.

"Off, take them off." You breathed out, moving your finger down to tug at the fabric. He let you, looking down to you with those fucking eyelashes. Everything about this rippling man was perfection.

You dipped your thumb into the waistband of his tight briefs, pulling them down just so you could sneak your hand under the fabric, cupping him tightly through his pants. He finally let his eyes slip shut, his pink lips parting in a silent moan. You let your nimble fingers explore his thick length, mapping out the prominent veins on the underside.

"That's enough." He shot open his eyes, sitting back on his heels and tugging off his jeans and boxers, tossing them in the front seat haphazardly before taking his entire length in his hands, stroking his hand over it with a sly smirk.

"Like what you see?" He takes his free hand, spitting crudely in the palm before spreading it on the head of his already leaking cock. You bite out another moan, chewing on your bottom lip.

"Jesus fucking Christ..." You mutter, rubbing your thighs together, eager and begging wet-lipped for friction. You needed it, craved it, even.

"Language," He warned, hovering back on top of you, keeping himself balanced as one hand blindly leads his length towards your weeping cunt. It took all of your might to not sink down him as he pressed the head of his cock inside of you, watching your face intently as it twisted and morphed into one of utter pleasure, even pain as he stretched you out as no other man has before.

His hands grazed your skin, dull nails scratching down the insides of your thighs as he impaled himself deeper and deeper inside of you, keeping his bottom lip prisoner between his teeth, like always. You fisted his hair, already dampened with sweat as you tried to get used to the uncomfortable stretch.

Slowly, that pain morphed into immense pleasure, sending your eyes rolling back in your head. He bottomed out, leaning down to kiss and bite at your neck, leaving the skin irritated with his hickeys. You cried out at the contradicting feelings, wanting to focus on the hot wetness of his mouth but also needing him to just give in and fuck you already.

You let out a strangled sob as he rocked into your tight cunt, his mouth parted so perfectly the entire time, and his god-like eyelashes casting shadows onto his boyish face.

You found yourself staring at him, taking in his blissed-out expression as sharp moans fell from your lips. There was a refreshing gentility to how he fucked you - he rolled his hips into you, savoring how your walls clenched and spasmed around him

The air was hot with perspiration as he finally focused eye contact on you, curling his lips into a smirk as he strengthened his thrusts, nearly at the point of punishing as you already felt your orgasm flip and jump in the pit of your stomach.

"B-Billy!" You moaned, wrapping your legs around him tight, trying to get him deeper. You needed him deeper. Your toes curled, legs spasming as you felt the tip of his cock brush against that silvery sweet spot inside of you that made you scream at the top of your lungs

The hot leather stuck to the skin on your back, chafing the skin as you focused on your impending orgasm, sneaking up on you sinfully as you fisted at Billy's locks. "I-I'm close." You bit out, doing anything to get more friction where you needed it the most. He didn't take his eyes off of yours, drinking in your drunk off of pleasure expression as he fucked you into heaven.

"Cum, baby. Cum all over my cock, hm?" He whispered, nostrils flaring as his breathing picked up. He muttered out a string of curse words, eyes slipping shut as he used your cunt like a toy, chasing his impending orgasm.

It didn't take you much longer before you were seizing under him, cunt spasming and quaking around his length as you came, your hot liquids gushing around him. Your eyes fluttered as you fucked yourself down onto his cock. Still needing to feel every single inch of him.

You were whining with sensitivity, unwinding your arms from Billy as you grip the car seat for purchase. His thrusts barely faltered as he reached his high, throwing his head back in a guttural moan as he pulled out unexpectedly, letting the head of his already weeping cock fall on your lower stomach, letting his cum paint your sweat sticky stomach.

"Fuck! You fucking - Uh!!" The muscles in his arms tensed beautifully, allowing you to make out every defined tendon and vein. You bit down on your lip, the sticky cum on your stomach already drying.

"Take me home now?" Your arms shook as you sat up, everything single part of you in disarray. You sat in a pool of your sticky arousal, grimacing when you felt your skin peel away from the leather.

He simply chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, no princess. I have plans for you." He scooted closer to you, dragging a finger down your chin. "Big plans."

[the-omni-princess]

Blood Bound [Chapter Two]

Author: @the-omni-princess

Pairing: Vampire!Bucky x Witch!Reader

Summary: Vampires and witches have been known enemies since the dark ages. Backstabbing, secrets, and magic turned supernatural brethren again each other. As a natural-born witch, you grew up on these stories, your own monsters under your bed. What happens when one of those sworn enemies claims that you are his blood mate, the vampire equivalent of a true mate? Will you give in to this man out of time? Or destroy him for the sake of your Coven?

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: violence, death (both mentions and descriptions), illusions to kidnapping, language, witchy stuff, vampire stuff, oh and angst

A/N: Wildddd man, we GETTING THERE

Anyway! I’d like to thank two cuties. @annaloveloki for always trying to beta (and listen to my stories in the middle of anatomy lectures), and @peterfrxst for listening to all my wild Vamp and Witch ideas. :D

-

[Series Masterlist]  [My Masterlist]

-

----

A week had passed, and while no word had come from the Coven to the north, you were more focused on the pages in front of you. Wanda, bless her soul, let you look through every book with the mere mention of witches and vampires, as well as every book on Bindings. The only book that spoke of Bindings was old and stale. Thick pages barley held together in the seams; Wanda must have found it at an antique shop. Dusty, and it reeked, yet one quick incantation and it looked, well still ancient and worn, but definitely readable again.

According to the book, Bindings were extremely rare among any species, and the world hadn’t seen them in centuries. Bound couples, no matter the species, were extremely powerful if they worked together. And yet, that was their weakness. Each other.

“Y/n! We have a problem!” Carol called out from the living room. You shut the book quickly from your spot on the loveseat in your mini library, a small cloud of dust rising. Coughing, you tossed the book onto the seat. It was a book room really, but with all the spell and potion books, plus your love for reading, the shelves had grown.

Quickly making your way down to the living room, you gulped, noticing how worn down and frankly terrified your Coven sisters all looked. “Shit, what happened?”

Wanda was shaking, and you quickly pulled a nearby blanket over her shoulders, gently leading her to the couch and sitting her down. “They’re dead,” she choked out, eyes brimming with red, you secretly hoped it was from crying and not her powers. Natasha sat beside you two, calming the younger witch slightly. “The North Coven, I found them in their basement… covered in blood,” she shuddered, and despite both your and Natasha’s best efforts, she was clearly still petrified. “Gamora and Nebula are gone, but the rest of them are dead. No trace of what did it,” she broke into another sob, and you didn’t hesitate to pull her into your arms. She buried her face into your shoulder, crying. It broke your heart, but you silently hoped Gamora and Nebula had made it out unharmed.

“We should inform the Council,” Carol spoke, giving the rest of you a look. “An entire coven missing or dead, they need to know.”

“They’ll ask too many questions,” Maria looked over at her. “They’ll sense y/n from a mile away, and we’ve hidden her for far too long to let them have her now,” she tried to reason.

Nat nodded, but sighed softly, looking towards the still crying girl in your arms. “We have to do something though. Who else could we contact?” You bit your lip, definitely and totally not thinking about your blue-eyed vampire. “Y/n?” she broke you from your thoughts, “Who gave you lavenders?” Everyone’s head, including Wanda’s curious yet puffy-cheeked one, looked towards the vase of lavender flowers on your kitchen island.

“Those are there for protection…” you hoped to end the conversation there, but Nat was far too observational for your own good.

“Yeah, but you don’t have any of those in your garden, and they don’t naturally grow anywhere nearby, andyou haven’t left this house all week.” She gave you a pointed look, tugging Wanda into her own arms like a mother hen.

“Um… well?” how could you explain that a cute vampire left them on your back porch the night before?

“Well?” Carol sat down, intrigued to say the least.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself. “Have you guys ever heard of Bindings?”

Maria tilted her head, “Isn’t that like soulmates? I thought that was just a myth.”

You looked towards the lavenders, smiling faintly. As much as you hated how easy it was, you trusted the vampire, and you ignored your mother’s voice in your head telling you otherwise. “I felt a presence in the woods, right after our crystals exploded, so I explored it-“

“Were you tryingto die? Jeez, that’s how you die young, horror movie style, y/n,” Carol chided.

“I know, I know, but it made me feel safe, and I don’t know. It felt like…” you ran your hand over your face, eyebrows scrunching up as you thought. “Like a warm bath on a cold day, or lighting a new candle, or snuggling in blankets while watching a movie, it felt like home. I just followed that little tug until it led me into the woods, and to James.”

“James?” Wanda looked up from the safe space of Natasha’s arms.

“Yep, James… How do I say this without being judged?”

“Y/n, you’re a natural-born witch that we’ve kept hidden from the Council for years, you can tell us anything.” Nat pointed out, placing an encouraging hand on your knee.

Taking a shaky breath, you nodded. “Well, for starters, he’s a vampire,” you saw Carol stiffen beside you. “And he claims, we are Bound.”

--

“I know you are an idiot, but this is a new level even for you, Buck,” The vampire sighed loudly, despite the fact he didn’t need to breathe in centuries.

“Like I chose to be Bound to a Witch, Sammy?” Bucky looked up towards Sam, who gave him a glare.

“Okay, sure, you didn’t, but all you do is hang around her house like a guard dog. You already love her, don’t you?” He gave him a look.

He scoffed, “I do not love her. I just-“ he groaned, taking a seat on the dirty motel floor they were renting for the month. “She feels right… this hole in my chest that’s been there since the second I woke up, well like this, is gone the second I see her.”

Sam and Steve shared a look before Steve spoke up, “Bucky, I’m happy for you, truly, but you need to be careful. The Witch Council isn’t quite happy with vamps, they’ll kill both of you if it’s true she’s your Bound.”

The brunet nodded, running a hand through his hair, “I’m not going to let that happen. I’ll protect her.” He seemed to be trying to convince himself, but Steve and Sam knew him better than that.

“By stalking her and buying her flowers?” Sam chided, giving him a look.

“No, I’ll talk to her. I just…” he groaned, gripping his head as a wave of dizziness hit him, and he quickly sat down for it to pass, but all it did was start to drown him.

“It’s happening again isn’t it?” Steve was suddenly beside him, a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, “Since we came to this town, it feels like my human side wants to make a comeback,” he glanced up at the blonde. “You said when you turned me you weren’t sure what I was running from, you absolutely sure you don’t know what I was running from?”

“Buck, we’ve talked about this, we had only known each other a few years. You knew what I was without me telling you, you looked depressed, and you were on the run. Whatever you were running from, it wasn’t anything good. You would wake up with nightmares, crying, calling out for someone, you were frankly a mess. Yet you begged for me to turn you, or let you die trying, so I honestly can’t say what you were running from before you lost those memories.”

Sam jumped in, although hearing the story before, he thought of something new, “What name was he calling out?”

Steve thought for a moment, Bucky now looking up at him too, not really thinking to have asked that question. “Theodosia,” he finally recalled.

Bucky stiffened, a flash of colors moving through his vision. He groaned, clutching his head, and rubbing his temples, as he silently begged for the vision to stop. Stupid, fickle human memories. He wanted the memories, fuck, he craved the memories, but the pain with this one felt like a knife carving into his skull.

“Bucky! You should not just steal things like that, the villagers will begin to question us,” the girl in front of him had her arms crossed as she scolded him.

“It’s fine, sweetling, the mortals won’t know a thing,” his voice sounded different to his ears. Mortal, he realized. He sounded human. Vampire hearing was enhanced, so of course, his human hearing sounded muddled in retrospect.

The girl rolled her eyes, kaleidoscope eyes, with rich warm colors, luring him in. “You say that often, but just last week they kidnapped another girl. I think they are on to us.”

“Nonsense,” he reasoned, grinning as he kissed her hair, a wave of honey, cedar, lavender, and juniper filling his senses. “I’ll protect you, Theo,” he grinned, wrapping the girl into his arms.

His brown overcoat draped around her, making her smile up at him adoringly. “Do not make promises you cannot keep, James Barnes,” she warned, scrunching up her nose teasingly towards him.

He chuckled, tightening his hold on her, “Why would I not keep my promise?”

As they walked together through the words, his vision blurred, before focusing on a different part of the woods, an entirely different scene laid before them.

It was her again. Yet the sight before him made him sick. Eighteen girls lined up, nooses around their necks. Some were crying, hysterical, others were begging for their lives, and yet his girl was still, calm. At peace.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, and as they focused on his, he saw them widen. ‘Go’ she mouthed, but he didn’t listen, taking a step towards her. He was determined, he had to save her, he had to fight for her. She quickly shook her head, silently pleading for him to run, a quiet plea for him to save himself. One of the men in his way grabbed onto his arm, slowing his movements. “Let me go,” he growled lowly, attempting to tug his arm back. He had always been strong, he knew he could take on this man.

As the winds picked up, the girl squirmed on the stool she was standing on. “It is too late, it is over for her,” the man spoke, and the winds started to howl. The cool September air whipped her hair around her face, her bonnet long gone as she had been dragged to this very spot. “What are you?” The few men listening were now turning towards him. “Oh, good God! You are one of them!”

As more people turned, he felt his heart pump faster, preparing for a fight. “James!” His eyes locked onto hers, and she gave him a small smile. “Run, please. I love you,” she whispered, yet the winds carried her voice to him, and he shuddered.

One of the men stepped forward, kicking the stool away from her legs, just as he lurched forward. “Theo!” He cried out, one of the men grabbing onto him, two more joined the first and he couldn’t stop as he saw her dying in front him. Fury was the first emotion to burn into his body, before an idea came next. He couldn’t care less of the village trying to stop him. Her. She is all that matters. Save her.

He whispered softly, the howling wind thrashed the tree branches as the men kicked the stools out behind each of the girls. One of the men holding him suddenly gripped his own chest, falling to the ground dead. A dull golden glow slithered onto the ground like a snake, under shoes, around ankles, until it surrounded her now still body. He was never good at these sorts of things, but he had to try, he couldn’t just give up.

The winds died down with his breath, and the men let him go. He rushed forward, using his knife to cut the rope, pulling her chilling body into his arms. “No, no, no, no. You cannot leave me. I promised! Please, Theo,” he pleaded, gently brushing her hair out of her face. She merely looked like she was sleeping, yet he knew better. “I promised,” he murmured, sniffling loudly.

He hadn’t even realized that he was crying, until someone stepped forward, and the cool air made his cheeks freeze. “Another one,” he accused, and despite the growing pit in his stomach, Bucky knew he couldn’t stay. And yet, he didn’t want to leave. How could he run when his reason for living was gone from this cruel earth?

A hand grabbed his arm, strong enough to drag him away from her. He cried out, weeping out that he couldn’t leave her. As he was dragged away he could only think one thing. He promised. He lied.

“Bucky!” Steve’s voice pulled him from his memories. He was shaking, Steve and Sam both coming into focus, both kneeling beside him, wearing matching worried looks on their faces. He ran his hands over his face, then his hair, and his cheeks were damp with tears. “What did you see?” Despite his huge size, and the fact he could kill an army in seconds, Steve was a big teddy bear.

“Theodosia,” He whispered softly, looking up towards the men, broken, sorrow filled eyes still brimming with tears. “I loved her, and she was killed…”

Sam took a deep breath, sitting beside him on the floor, “That’s rough… before you were turned I would assume?”

He nodded, looking up towards Steve. “But we have another problem…” He took a shaky breath, he was always the calm one, and yet he only felt the hole in his chest press down on him. The invisible weight in his chest called to him, the insatiable demand to be close to his Bound starting to overwhelm him, and he wasn’t sure why this Binding was calling to him after flashes of his past. “And I think she was a witch.”

---

Tags:

Permanent Tags:

@minetticatinwonderland  / @lumar014 / @maniacproffesor / @gollyderek / @nerdy-bookworm-1998

Bucky Tags:

@cassandras-musings  / @darkness-doughter / @novaddictx / @thedancingnerdmermaid / @mood-pancakes / @gracethegeek9902 / @annavega333 / @ravennightingaleandavatempus / @thelibraryoffanfiction

Blood Bound Tags:

@itz-kira / @rinthehufflepuff / @evilzinblr / @starkrobb

Thought you’d like it :D Tags:

@geosaurusrrex

For a tag, just reply/comment, if I don’t see it, just message me. Tell me what you think! Literally, any comment makes me happy! Like, comment, reblog, interact <3

[medeafive]

Blood and Stone - 16

Masterpost

"Hey Bruce," Natasha starts. "I know you have a lot to do, but can you talk to me for a second?"

"Are you hurt?" Bruce asks, spinning around. "Should I take a look at something?"

"No, no, it's not about me," she replies. "Just… the vampire blood you're about to use. You know about the experiments in Russia, much of them by these KGB guys but… some by my friend Alexei. The thing is, not all of it became public. It was… so much worse."

Bruce frowns. "What do you mean by worse?"

"He injected dead people," she states, shuddering. "And they got up again but their minds were gone. They were… like golems. Look, I trust you and I trust your judgement, but… if it does not go as planned, if this frozen guy doesn't really come back… you need to end it. And never tell anyone about it."

"I never knew-" Bruce sighs, taking off his glasses, pinching his nose. "I see. That is beyond the pale. Yes. I will be careful. Thanks for telling me."

"I'm not going to stop you," Natasha says. "If I trust anyone to do this, it's you. But it's a moral minefield."

  "So your friend fucked up," Clint remarks.

"Oh, come on!" Natasha protests. "We don't know that. Maybe it was just really bad luck."

"Doesn't matter either way," Sam stresses. "We can't take out the Castle if an army of black cloaks could attack us from behind at any moment. Actually, we can't go out at all."

"Is the plan ready?" Fury questions.

Sam sighs. "Kinda. I thought about doing it at a soccer stadium, AC Sparta Praha or something, install UV in the flood lights, lure them there, burn them. It's on the Castle side of the river, though."

"We wouldn't want the Castle to come to their help," Sharon remarks. "That's definitely too many."

"Stark has the stuff for the UV lamps, right?" Fury interjects. "So go to the stadium and check it out. The day is still safe. They're not invulnerable."

"Oh yeah," Pepper agrees. "As Natasha has proven."

"That's a whole different ballgame," Natasha remarks. "Even with James… the Castle is still looming and- I just don't know if we can do this."

"We'll die trying, if necessary," Fury states. "But we'll give them a hell of a fight."

"I guess that's what being a hunter is all about," Clint adds slowly.

"Definitely." Sharon shakes her head. "We'll just have to do our best. Uh, I'll go down to the lab, ask Tony about the UV lights. And see how the thawing is going."

"Do that, Carter," Fury agrees. "So they could be here any moment."

"Schmidt doesn't use telephones and that sort of thing," Natasha explains. "So they must have sent a messenger. Schmidt's in Northern France, but I don't know how quick the messenger would be. As soon as it reaches him, he'd have to get hold of his black cloaks first. There's one in Germany, Russia and the Balkans each, the rest is not on the continent. If he sends messengers again, it could take a while."

"I don't see why he would be in a rush," Pepper remarks. "He thinks he'll get you anyway. And he's proven to be patient."

"What about your friend?" Sam asks. "Is his cover intact?"

"The guy from the hunting party didn't mention him at all," Natasha replies. "I would assume so."

"Then it's four black cloaks, in Schmidt's eyes," Clint points out. "And he's closest, he's well acquainted with your smell, he can track you down easily. He'd be the very first one Schmidt would send after you."

"Which brings us back to the mind control," Sam adds.

Natasha sighs. "So we need to defend against him as well," Fury states. "Potentially."

"It doesn't work when it's not Schmidt personally talking to him, giving the order," Natasha counters impatiently. "If at all. It sounds kinda fickle, from what I gathered. And he's just… he's changed a lot since arriving here. I'm not sure it would still work, at all, even if Schmidt personally dragged his red ass over here."

"Changed how?" Clint asks critically.

Natasha breathes out. "I don't know. Bruce says his virus count is a lot lower. He just feels more- more human -"

Someone screams downstairs.

  Sharon is still screaming when they arrive in the lab, hands clutched over her mouth. Bruce looks seriously disturbed. Pepper is the first to catch her. "Everything okay?"

Sharon stops screaming, taking a breath, swallowing, still staring at- The ice block guy is lying there, though less ice block now. Still frozen. Blonde, tall, broad. That's about it. Nothing to scream about.

"I don't know," Bruce remarks nervously. "She came down and looked at him and started screaming. Did I- did I do something?"

"No," Fury states simply. Sharon is whispering into her hands, incomprehensible. "Get her to sit down."

Sharon is immovable, though, including her stare. Pepper pries her hands down a little. "Come on, sweetheart. Sit down, tell us what's going on. Are you okay?"

"No," Sharon whispers. "No. Nonono."

"Where's Stark?" Clint asks impatiently.

Bruce points at a door. "Taking blood from the vampires. Uh, should I, like, freeze him again or…?"

"You continue," Fury orders. "And get Carter out, she's making everyone nervous."

"We'll go help Stark," Clint adds. "Tasha and me."

She's glad not to have to deal with that, emotionally. Clint pushes the door open and it instantly smells of blood, vampire blood. It's cold. Stark shrieks when the plastic curtain is pulled back. "You stay out! Was enough work to get this place sterile."

"Yeah, sure," Clint remarks sarcastically. "I'm sure your fancy sneakers are squeaky clean."

Tony snorts, fiddling with a needle that's attached to an empty infusion bag sort of thing. "Fine, come in. What do you need?"

They step in, though not far. The three vampires are strapped to tables, limbs twisted. One already looks fairly crumpled and dry. "Are you taking all of their blood?" Natasha asks.

"As much as I can," Tony replies, stabbing the needle into the arm of one who hisses. Oh, that's hers. "Not as effective as vampires sucking it out but eh, what you're gonna do."

"Let me take the other one," Clint suggests, stepping up and taking another needle. "So everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm at five litres," Tony replies, looking at the bags of dark blood. "Gave them an electric shock so they wouldn't try to make trouble. And strapped their extremities down, of course. What about out there? Thought I heard a scream."

Clint snorts, looking for a vein. "Yeah, Sharon had some sort of shock. I don't know. But everyone standing around was certainly not helping, so we'll just ask later, I guess."

Natasha takes one of the jagged knives on the table. There are dents in the curves, like in a bread knife. It looks very martial, sharp and pointy. Every bit of this knife could kill someone. "You really don't look good," Tony remarks, pointing at the crumpled vampire. "Barely better than this guy. Maybe you should take some vampire blood again."

"Maybe she should not inject any more untested substances," Clint suggests sourly.

"Come on, raids like that are exhausting," Natasha points out. "I just need to lie down some more. Just calm down a bit before."

"Can't lie down forever," Tony replies. "Until you're dead. Then you totally can."

" Great idea," Clint remarks. "Very healthy."

Tony snorts. "You know what you two could do to help? Get rid of the bodies, once we're done with them."

  "No, I'm really sure," Sharon argues frantically. "I've known the face, the photos, since- since I was born, basically, just- I'd recognize him anywhere."

"It's alright," Pepper assures her. "Just take a deep breath."

Fury's gone, of course. Clint crosses his arms. "Could someone explain to us what is going on?"

"The frozen guy," Sam explains. "Sharon thinks she recognizes him, that it's someone her grandma knew."

Sharon snorts loudly. "Someone she knew? The fucking love of her life, he would have been my grandfather if he hadn't died in the war, well, maybe he didn't- if he hadn't gone missing ."

"The war?" Natasha asks. "The Great Patriotic War? World War Two?"

"Who knows how long he has been frozen!" Sharon interrupts hysterically. "Bruce said it, we don't know- we just don't know. But I know. God, I have the photo somewhere, I know it, I just have to find-"

"The photo can wait," Sam argues. "I mean, this guy is definitely not going anywhere."

"If that guy's really been frozen for fifty years," Clint remarks. "He doesn't know- You'd need to tell him everything, you know, Nazis out, Commies in, Commies kinda out, and now vampires . That's gonna be quite the shock."

"If we can even get him back," Natasha remarks quietly.

"It's gonna be alright," Pepper says quickly. "What did you say his name was again?"

"His-" Sharon sighs, wiping at her eyes. "Steve. His name is Steve."

  "Come on," Clint remarks, twisting the silver knife in the crumpled vampire's heart. "Don't tell me you believed her."

"You think she's lying?" Natasha questions, playing with the jagged knife. "Really?"

"Not lying , of course," Clint retracts. "But she's so worked up about it and- I think she's deluding herself. Getting back the grandfather she wanted. You know, after her father was killed by vampires."

"He's still somewhat in the ice," Natasha relents. "Maybe he'll look different when he's completely thawed, and she'll recognize it's not actually him after all."

Clint snorts, sitting up, narrowing his eyes in the sunshine. "Yeah, probably. I mean, World War Two. Come the fuck on."

"James is from World War Two,"  Natasha remarks, beginning to saw one vampire's head off. "Probably."

"He never told you that, though," Clint argues. "That's just what you think."

Natasha rolls her eyes, some dark blood splattering her hands. "Oh, you're in that mood again."

"You gotta admit, though," Clint continues, "it's suspicious. The one thing you asked him to do, really easy, and he fucks it up? How even? It was so close to sunrise when he brought the body out, there should've been absolutely nothing left for the Castle to find."

"Maybe he put it partly in the shadow or something," Natasha says, with frustration. "Maybe the UV light was just not enough. Maybe black cloaks take longer to dissolve. You just don't know."

"What has he ever done for us?" Clint asks. "And don't say the information on the Castle, we don't even know that's true."

"Warned us about the black cloak," Natasha replies. "Let me test the taser on him. Hell, he saved Pepper and me from a hunting party once. Told me about a nest, two nests. Gave all those samples to Bruce and did all the tests. And who knows how many vampires would have tried to attack me if he hadn't been around. I know that's not enough for you to prove his loyalty, but it's not nothing."

"I'll believe it when I actually see him fight the other black cloaks," Clint states. "Then I'll happily admit I'm wrong, right before I die. Because that's the plan, right?"

"Wow, you're gloomy." Natasha drops the knife. "Come on, let me take a look at your hand."

Clint rolls his eyes, clutching the wrist. "It's fine."

"Oh, fuck off," Natasha returns. "What was that about being honest and not deluding yourself?"

"I guess they're dead enough," Clint remarks, straightening, looking down at the severed heads and pierced, crumpled, twisted bodies. "Wanna head back?"

"I'll make Bruce look at your hand," she threatens, getting to her feet- suddenly, all the light draining out, vision going dark, head spinning, tumbling-

Clint catches her before she collapses. She blinks until the darkness recedes, strange tingling going through her body. "You okay?"

"Fine," she mutters, hanging in his arms, waiting until her vision clears and sharpens. "Fine. Just-"

"Just almost fainted," Clint remarks with worry.

The blood starts flowing the right way again, at least she can see where she is again. She frowns. "Thanks, but you can let go now."

"You really should go see Bruce," Clint advises, making sure she's right on her feet. "Once he's done with ice block Steve."

"And once I've had a good sleep, because I'm tired as fuck," she adds, picking up the jagged knife carefully. "We should go together."

Clint snorts. "Yeah, great idea. Because you're insane and I don't trust you."

  Bruce is still busy when they get back, tired, overworked, but still glued to screens and beeping devices and the ice block, so she goes directly to bed, directly falling asleep. Waking up feels like waking up from the dead.

She's so tired, not quite ready to get up. Her wooden shutters keep the room in complete darkness. She's lying in the damp, stifling, motionless room, could be any time, any place. Somehow, she feels like crying and doesn't even know why. Lost. Just lost.

Nobody acutely needs her, so she could just stay here, sleep another eight hours or however long that was before. The blanket feels very heavy. Nothing to do until Bruce is done with the ice block, until Sam has a plan to deal with the impending vampire invasion, until James shows up again. Nobody needs her. Not clear what she could possibly do to help.

She still fights her way up, against the heavy blanket, feet touching the cold stone floor, and when she shifts upward, standing, the rug is pulled out from under her, it gets even darker, she somehow stops feeling anything but the uncomfortable tingle, getting lightheaded, and-

Her body totally gives in, dropping like dead weight, she barely catches herself before her head cracks on the stone, ripping and bruising her forearm and elbow on the cold hardness, and- it takes a few moments until she's even aware she's lying on the ground, barely having avoided a concussion, shivering from the cold and simultaneously burning with the tingle, her arm really hurts. Wow. She really should go see Bruce.

She dresses carefully, always steadying herself somewhere or sitting down when she can. It's a little better, though, just when she gets up too quickly. Seems like exhaustion.

Clint is down in the lab when she shuffles down the stairs, Bruce wrapping yet another bandage around his wrist. "Simple fracture. Should heal rather quickly. If it doesn't, we can still try the vampire blood treatment."

"No thanks," Clint replies drily. "I feel better without claws."

Bruce, as always, doesn't insist, just finishing the bandage and cutting the rest off. "Well, we'll see. Oh, Nat, you can come in, we're pretty much done here."

He looks tired but not exhausted, probably slept a little in between. "Thanks," she replies. "Uh, how's the patient? The other one?"

"Gave him the first dose of vampire blood a few hours ago," Bruce explains, putting his tool set away. "Six, I think. We'll wait and see, give it time to work. So, you're still feeling exhausted, is that it?"

"Yeah," she agrees. Clint moves so she can sit down. "Just- just take a blood sample and see whether there's any residue of the vampire blood, I guess. Or maybe it's, you know, hormones."

"I guess I'll go then," Clint remarks, rubbing his wrist through the bandage. "Now that you made it here."

"Yeah, that's gonna take a while," Bruce suggests. "Uh, don't forget the painkillers. Yeah, so, Nat, I'll guess I'll prick your finger."

She holds it out dutifully so he can gather the single drop of blood. The door falls shut. "You know, I- I almost fainted just now. When getting up. Bruised my arm."

"Sounds like low blood sugar," Bruce remarks, stepping to a little drawer cabinet and pulling out a granola bar. "When did you last eat?"

She snorts, taking the wrapped bar. "Right. Forgot. You always keep them there?"

"Yes." Bruce puts the blood into the little white machine that measures blood sugar. "I also forget to eat, you know. Spend hours standing in the lab, focused on my work, forgetting about… well, everything else. Yeah, it happens."

"Sounds exhausting," she remarks, mouth full, chewing.

"It is," Bruce admits, looking at the little screen. "Oh, yeah. Your blood sugar is very low. When did you say you last ate?"

"After the raid," Natasha recalls. "A sandwich. With eggs and all."

Bruce frowns. "Doesn't sound too bad. But this… I think I'm going to do a complete blood count. Maybe you're deficient in something. No history of diabetes in your family, right?"

"None," she replies. "Okay, take the blood sample, and then I'm grabbing something to eat for real."

  The results are not good, judging from Bruce's face when she comes back with a few sausages. "Feel better?"

"A little," she replies, sitting down again. "So, did you find anything?"

"Look, you're low in- everything?" Bruce's eyes narrow like the numbers are wrong. "All the nutrients and the red and white blood cells- just the color, I mean, look at that, it's way too bright."

"Oh." She bites off because she's still hungry. "So you- do you know why? Is it the residue from the vampire blood?"

"Couldn't find any of that," Bruce replies. "I think. So, any other symptoms you noticed? Really, anything, I have no idea."

"Well, I-" She tilts her head. "I mean, the fatigue is pretty strong. I kinda thought it might be the hormones, you know, because you said- Increased appetite, but you know that. And the fainting, though that's only recently. Uh, can I tell you something without you freaking out?"

Bruce smiles strenuously. "That bad?"

She pulls off her shirt, showing him the shoulder with the wound. "James kinda bit me. Without poison. Well, that's what he said. Uh, but I didn't get fangs or claws or anything, so I thought it was not a problem."

Bruce darts forward hastily. "Oh my. When was- Why?"

She blushes. "That's- complicated. When I killed the black cloak."

"But you still haven't-" Bruce studies the basically healed wound. "No, no, it would have shown up in the blood sample. No. No vampire cells. I mean- maybe there's some other effect but- gosh, I don't know."

"My body was kinda weird the last few weeks," she admits to get away from why he bit her. "Told you I was actually feeling good for a while, you know, better than usual, but- maybe I'm going into too much detail here but it felt like I was actually growing both more muscle and more hair, body hair- though it went away again, I guess, a little. Uh, yeah, and both James and the black cloak said I smelled kinda strange. More recently. And- maybe that's because I've been eating so much but I kinda bloat. Not gaining weight anywhere else, my thighs might actually have gotten slimmer, just my stomach. Yeah, is that too much information?"

"Did you weigh yourself?" Bruce questions.

"Never do."

"Well, I don't know, sounds like you might have had a bit too much testosterone earlier, maybe the dosage was wrong," Bruce suggests. "Maybe that's the smell, too, vampires do smell hormones. But I don't know about the weight gain or bloating or whatever it is. I guess I'll run an ultrasound, if that's okay, if you have the time-"

"Sure," she replies. "Nothing else to do. I'll just lie down then."

Bruce gets the machine while she wiggles her pants down below her hips. Yeah, if she's honest, it doesn't feel like gained fat. God, having Bruce deal with her intestinal issues is embarrassing. Maybe she has worms. Would explain the increased appetite. Really bad case of the worms.

It's cold down in the lab, which makes the smooth gel applied to her belly even worse. "I'll check your hormones later," Bruce promises, setting the machine up. "Maybe that's the appetite, too. Hormones are weird. Sorry, not a specialist."

"Yeah, usually, it's more bruises and broken bones," she remarks, shivering. "With the occasional ice block. No, really, thanks for looking at all that, for at least trying."

Bruce blushes. "No issue. Uh, if you're cold, you can put on the shirt again, just keep the belly uncovered."

She nods, twisting back into the sleeves. Oh, she's tired. Drained. She leans back and closes her eyes. The transducer is cold and tickles, she startles. Tries not to twitch too much as the smooth device glides over her stomach. God, she could fall asleep again. And eat.

"Stomach looks normal," Bruce reports. "At first glance. I'll go lower."

This is kinda weird, and not just because she's trying not to laugh. But he's doing his best, with the best intentions. Like with the ice block. The transducer glides over her lower abs and then even lower. It's just a machine, just a medical device. Glides up again, presses in, stays there remarkably long. Maybe something wrong. "Why did you stop?" she asks weakly.

"I-" Bruce hesitates. "Please tell me I'm not going crazy."

She opens her eyes, alarmed. "What?"

"You don't- you don't have a uterus, right?" Bruce stares at the screen. "Well… but what is that ?"

She sits up too rapidly, knocking the transducer off so the screen goes dark, nothing to see. "Let me see. Can't be my uterus. Why would it be- where the fuck would I get a uterus?!"

"Lay down, I'll show you," Bruce asks, twisting the screen. She complies reluctantly, letting him find the right spot again. "Here. That's the right ovary, so far so good, and the fallopian tube leads to- if I didn't know better, if it weren't you, I'd say that’s the uterus."

She starts chewing on her lip. "Check from the other side."

"Right." He swipes across, cold and smooth, smearing the gel across, but stopping in the middle. She looks at him questioningly but he just stares at the screen, blinking, frowning. God, this is exasperating and she doesn't have the nerve for it. "Bruce?"

He blinks rapidly, then drops the transducer. "I'll go wake Tony."

"You what?" she repeats. "Why? He's not even a doctor, what could he possibly-"

"Stay here," Bruce interrupts, already scrambling up. "I'll be right back. We'll be right back."

And then he's gone. Natasha groans, head dropping back, eyes falling closed.

[elisaphoenix13]

(AT) To Bring Them Home

A more in depth version of Remembering The Departed (but with Harley and Cassie added so other fics fit).

"Hey Mama Bear. If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's gonna be a real tear jerker." Tony sighs heavily and leans back against the wall of the ship. " It's not like you're ever going to see these anyway. I watched you fade to nothing in front of me after all. You and Peter. I guess I'm recording these for my own sanity. It helps to pretend you're getting these messages. Totally lame right?"

The engineer clears his parched throat. He was desperate for anything to moisten his mouth at this point.

"Today's day twenty-one? No. Twenty-two. You know if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into the literal void of space, I'd say I'm feeling a little better today. The infection has run its course thanks to the blue meanie back there." He weakly motions to Nebula somewhere in the vicinity behind him. "Oh you'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic."

Stephen probably would like the cyborg. He may have been cautious of her at first, but if she treated the kids well, the sorcerer would have immediately warmed up  to Nebula. The poor woman just needed a friend.

"So the fuel cells were cracked during battle and we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge by ourselves and bought 48 hours of flight time. But it's now dead in the water a thousand light years from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning, and that'll be it." Tony rubs his eyes. "It looks like...well you know what it looks like. Don't feel bad about this. I mean actually if you grovel for a couple weeks and then move on with enormous guilt..." He trails off as he fights off the impending lure of sleep.

"I should probably lie down for a minute. Rest my eyes. If by some miracle I make it back home, the first thing I'm going to do is look for Harley and Diana. God I hope they're still at home. If I go home and they're gone too...I don't know what I'm going to do." He would very likely off himself but he didn't need to say that. Tony was sure that if somehow, Stephen was able to see these messages, he would know. "Please know, when I drift off, it'll be like every night lately. I'm fine...totally fine. I dream about you. God it's always you." Tony says with a broken whisper.

He was hungry, dehydrated, and lost in space with a robotic woman and for once he looked forward to sleep. Dreams of Stephen and their family was his only salvation in this terrible situation he found himself in. He was already hallucinating blue butterflies, and he tried to touch one the first time he saw it, but it had disappeared as soon as his fingers went through the illusion. Tony just ignored them after that. He never asked Nebula if she saw them, because he knew the answer would be a 'no', and she would watch him like a hawk.

With a sigh, he shuts off the recording mechanism in his helmet and pulls on a jacket before laying down. This would quite possibly be the last time his eyes would be open, but at least when he went, it would be to pleasant dreams. Dreams, and the part of him that believed that the blue butterfly settling on the arm he was laying on, was Stephen watching over him.

________________________

Carol had miraculously come across them and took them back to Earth, and once an IV was shoved into him, the remaining Avengers held a meeting. Tony really just wanted to keep to his promise and looks for his other two kids, but he also needed to know who else they had lost. Picture after picture popped up on the multiple screens in the meeting room at the compound, and Tony had to hold himself together when Stephen and Peter's picture came up. He almost lost it when Harley's appeared as well, but then the pictures stopped and the screens vanished.

He never saw Diana and that made him jump to his feet and almost fall over from how weak he was. Pepper had to step forward and steady him as he points a shaky finger as the previous location of the screens.

"D-Diana?" He mentally curses when he stumbles over the single word. "Where...is she...is she alive?"

Steve steps over to his other side to help keep him steady, and offers him a small smile. "She's alive. Out of all of the kids, she and Cassie are still here."

Tony nearly sobs with relief. "Clint and Scott?"

Natasha frowns. "Neither of them are responding to any of our calls. We have to assume they were victims too."

"I want to see my daughter." The engineer whispers, and Pepper gently rubs his back.

"You will, but you need rest."

"I'll rest when I..." Tony blinks away the black spots forming in his vision and the room begins to spin. "When I--"

Then he collapsed. The little bit of effort he had put into talking and standing was too much for his body, and it forced him to rest. He slept for two days without waking, but he woke up on third day and Rhodey all but forced him to eat. In any or he scenario he would have fought, but Diana was alive and all he cared about was seeing her. Tony caved when his best friend promised he could see her as soon as he ate, and he did. He ate as much as he could stomach and Rhodey kept to his promise by having Natasha bring Diana to him. Big blue eyes brightened when his six-month-old daughter saw him and she squealed happily as she reached out for him.

"Dada!"

That one simple word was what broke Tony when he finally got to hold his baby girl. She was all he had left if his family. His husband was gone, his two sons were gone, and half of his friends were gone too. He was broken and tired and wanted to get away from it all. All of the memories.

So as soon as he was able again, Tony took Diana and Cassie with him to a lake house he bought. Cassie's mother and stepfather were out of reach since they had been traveling over seas when the snap happened, so they didn't know if they were even alive. Scott was MIA as well, but Tony promised to take care of her. She was surprisingly happy that the engineer told her to get her things and she did without a fuss.

Tony watched Diana and Cassie grow up over the next five years. As Cassie got older, she helped with Diana and eventually took a liking to cooking and baking that she was starting to throw Tony out of his own kitchen. Like now.

"You're kicking me out of my own kitchen?! You have a lot of nerve Miss Sass." Tony moves away from the island counter and accidently knocks a glass cup off of it and watches it fall and shatter on the ground. "Shit."

Cassie giggles. "That is exactly why. How did you manage to feed us before I took over?"

Tony picks up the broken glass with a towel and dumps it all in the trash bin. "I'll have you know I made dinner plenty of times. I make a mean sauce. Even Peter drank--"

He immediately clams up at the mention of his youngest son. Tony locked those memories away tears ago, but every once in a while, one would slip through. What were once pleasant dreams when he was dying in space, now haunted him in the safety of his home. In his dreams and just looking at Diana. She reminded him of Stephen every day and it was hard to ignore. She even inherited the man's cheeky mouth.

Cassie learned how to read him over the five years they lived at the lake house, and she could tell that talk to him about his family wasn't a good idea right now. "Can you see if there are any raspberries left? They would be good in the salad."

Tony scoffs. "If there are any left."

"With the way your alpaca eats them I wouldn't be surprised if they were gone!"

"My alpaca? You and Dia were the ones that wanted a pet!"

"Yeah! Like a cat! But you had to be extra and come home with a freaking alpaca!" Cassie snarks as she points a knife in his direction and Tony holds his hands up.

"He has a name." The engineer says with a smirk.

"Gerald is a terrible name." Cassie throws a walnut at his head, and narrows her eyes when Tony catches it in his mouth. "Check for berries."

"I've adopted a slave-driver."

Cassie sniggers as he walks out the back door and he pats Gerald's head as he passes by the mammal and into the garden. It was Cassie's idea and he had to admit it was nice having fresh vegetables and berries a few feet away, even if he had to beat their pet alpaca to them. The girls wanted a cat, but it only would have reminded him of Tibbs, and even the poor cat had been a victim of the snap. He just wasn't ready for another one. Tibbs was a pretty awesome cat and Tony kind of missed him sometimes.

"Alright Gerald, I hope you left us some raspberries or we'll both be in the dog house." Two more steps and he found a plant full of the berries. "Small miracles." He glances over at the blanket fort a few feet away and smiles. "Princess Diana! Come help me pick berries!"

"I'm coloring Daddy!" Diana shouts from inside her fort and Tony chuckles quietly. She definitely had Stephen's snark, and she even said it in an exasperated tone.

"I guess you don't get Cassie's chocolate chip cookies for dessert!"

A loud groan follows and Tony grins as Diana comes out of her fort and joins her father. "It was important."

"Oh yeah? Well you'll have to finish after dinner."

Diana doesn't argue any further and the two of them pick enough berries to fill a small container that Tony gives the responsibility of holding to his daughter. A couple of raspberries disappear into her mouth and Tony gives her a fond look as he wipes away some of the juice at the corner of her mouth before it stains. Sass aside, he was lucky that Diana was so well behaved. She even stopped asking about her mother and brothers because she didn't like the forlorn look Tony always wore when they were brought up, but he was also pretty sure that Cassie was telling her instead. Tony always kicked himself over that. Diana should be able to ask him without worrying about him getting upset over it, but instead her pseudo-sister was telling her the stories. Sometimes Pepper, Happy, and the other Avengers whenever they had time to stop by.

"Don't fill up Little Miss. You think we have enough?"

Diana nods. "Uh-huh."

"Alright. Let's get these back in to the Alpha Female if we want to have dinner. I can smell it from here." He kisses her on the cheek before standing back up and lifting Diana into his arms, and he stops next to Gerald when the exit the garden. "Give one to our loyal guard alpaca."

The five year old grabs a raspberry from the container in her hands and gives it to Gerald who eats it out of her hand happily and thanks her with a nuzzle. With that done, Tony walks back toward the house until he hears the unmistakable sound of tires crunching over gravel. He and Diana look at each other before Tony makes his way around the house to the driveway, and his eyes widen when Scott all but falls out of the car in his haste to get out. Steve and Natasha followed after him as the ex-criminal approaches the billionaire and Diana pushes Tony's mouth closed.

"Scott?" Tony wonders with surprise.

"Cassie? Is she here? They said she was here." The man rambles, but before Tony could even reply, the front door opened and Cassie stepped out.

"Daddy?"

Scott's head whips around and the fifteen year old girl immediately runs over to him and hugs him tightly. Everyone else watches the small reunion as Scott hold his daughter close, and he eventually moves away to study his grown daughter.

"You're so big!" Scott looks Cassie over for a few more seconds and then sniffs the air. "Is that food? Oh my god, I'm starving."

Both Cassie and Tony laugh. "You have good timing Thumbelina. You guys can stay for dinner and tell us where the hell you've been."

"Good, because according to Nat and the Cap, I literally haven't eaten for five years."

Tony looks over at the other two adults. "Dinner?"

Natasha smiles. "Only if I get the baby."

"You heard her Little Miss. Go to Auntie Nat." The engineer says as he takes the container of berries and Diana happily goes to Natasha before they head inside.

Scott was quiet for the majority of dinner because he was too busy eating, but when he eventually slowed down so he could at least breath and taste his food, he told them where he had been. The Quantum Realm. What felt like an hour to him had been five years, so when he finally escaped, he was confused when he saw all the missing posters and the monuments with the names of the Snap victims. He explained that he went straight to the tower but when he found he empty, he went to the compound where he found Steve and Natasha. He told them the same thing he was telling Tony and they jumped right back into the car and came straight to the lake house when he asked about Cassie.

Steve clears his throat and Tony watches Natasha suspiciously when she mumbles in Russian and herds Diana away from the table after dinner. An adult conversation was coming up and he wasn't sure whether or not he was glad that the assassin took the initiative to distract his daughter. As soon as the two were out of ear shot, Scott opened his mouth again.

"Tony...we think we can reverse what happened. Bring everyone back."

His breath catches in his throat. "What?"

"Like I told you, it only felt like an hour in the Quantum Realm for me when realistically it's been five years. Time works differently there. Maybe if we can manipulate it--"

"You're talking about a time machine." Tony interrupts.

Steve grimaces. "For lack of a better word, yes."

"I can't take that chance." Scott opens his mouth again but Tony cuts him off and points toward the direction Natasha and Diana disappeared to. "She is all I have left. I can't risk that for a chance. Diana is the only reason I'm even still here!" He admits and the other two men wince and Cassie frowns. "I lost my wife, and my two sons. I can't lose her too."

The three stare at each other in silence until Diana and Natasha return, and Tony's heart clenches when he finds a familiar leather book in his daughter's hands.

Peter's photo album.

"Where..." The mechanic starts and Scott sighs.

"I told you I went to the tower. I grabbed that just in case." He says quietly as Diana sets the album on the table in front of Tony.

"Tony...at least look through it." Steve says quietly. "Even if you still don't want to help, you and Diana both deserve those memories."

Cassie places her hand on the album and pushes it closer to Tony. "I think it's a good idea."

Tony sighs. "Even Miss Sass is ganging up on me."

He reluctantly agrees though and they all eat their dessert of cookies before everyone sans Tony retires to bed. He offered for them to stay since it was a long drive back, and they accepted gratefully. Cassie was nice enough to take Diana to bed since she knew the little girl's schedule and Tony had gone into the makeshift lab to look through the photo album. Not until he had FRIDAY working on potential ways to be able to use the Quantum Realm as a time machine though. He highly doubted they would find anything, but he could at least say he tried. Looking through the album was hard but it was necessary if he was going to have to tell Diana the stories behind each picture. His daughter deserved that much if FRIDAY couldn't--

"Test run successful Boss."

Tony's head snaps up to the hologram and he drops the album so he can cover his mouth in disbelief. He did it. He found a way to time travel. Something he never thought possible if he were honest. A Time Stone was one thing, but a machine? Even he had been skeptical.

"Shit."

That one single word about summed everything up.

He could bring his family back.

[winchester90210]

The BH 90210 Rewrite. 1x03: Every Dream Has It’s Price Tag

Rewrite Masterlist

Read the previous chapter here!

Chapter Summary: Y/N pays a visit to Brandon at his new job.

Pairing: Patience is a virtue, guys.

Warning: Swearing, feelings, minimal editing

Disclaimer: My work is not to be reposted or edited without my expressed written consent. (Reblogging is fine and encouraged!!)

Word Count: Roughly 2,700

A/N: Third episode is up! It’s a little short this time, but I enjoyed getting into romance novel territory with the descriptions this time. Next episode is a doozy, it’s one of my favorites. The First Time– Brandon’s old girlfriend from Minneapolis pays a visit.

The bell rings as Ms. Rye finishes her lecture,

“Okay, papers due on Monday. Remember, I want you to explore how…one decision, one event can change one’s whole life.”

You and Brenda both shuffle to get your things in order before standing up. She turns to Tiff as she and Kelly walk out of the room.

“Hey, Tiff, that was really funny what you said,”

“Who was trying to be funny?” She responds, mocking tone in her voice. You weren’t sure who Tiff was, exactly. Rumors say she was best friends with Kelly until they had a blowout over some guy and it didn’t end well. You didn’t have the best feeling about her, whoever she is.

-

“Male, female, root for your school, West Beverly’s team on against Beverly High, no fail! And don’t get lured by that sweet sweet nitro sale s-s-sale sale sale!” Once again, the D.J’s voice calls out, which marks the end of another glamorous day at West Beverly.

You spot Brandon, taking down names and numbers off the corkboard, hair blowing lightly in the breeze.

“You job hunting?” You ask, looking up at the different flyers and ads sprawled out amongst the board.

“Yeah, I’m just doing my bit for car insurance, you know,” He studies the board, writing things down as he goes.

“Anything looking good yet?”

“Well, I got uh, “Garden Graphics, Veggie Heaven Produce, This Town Restaurant.” I think we’re talking slam dunk here, Y/N/N,“ He jokes, tapping his pencil on his notepad.

You laugh, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. “Hey, if your mom is anything like mine, she’d kill for a discount at Veggie Heaven,” you jest,“I gotta run, I promised Brenda I’d go shopping with her and Kelly. Good luck!” You tap your hand on his arm before walking off.

“Thank, Y/N/N.”

-

“‘Inverted Nipple Trouble?’ Pass. ‘Are you always attracted to losers? Here’s how to break the cycle,’” Tiff laughs at the magazine in her hand while Kelly searches through the tracks.

“Ugh, here is the cycle,” Kelly groans as she walks past Steve, with David Silver at his side.

“Trust me, dude. They’ll drool over this stuff,” Steve convinces, spraying a little black bottle of cologne on the collar of the much younger boy.

“Aw, finally found someone your own maturity level to play with, Steve?” You tease, joining Brenda at the other set of racks. Steve rolls his eyes and turns away from you.

“Oh, hey Tiff. How is that waterbed?” He smirks, turning back to the gold cologne wall.

“Kelly and Tiffany got nuclear over Steve,” Kelly’s friend gossips. Wow. Steve was the guy that tore them apart? Who would fight over him? Doesn’t exactly sound worth it.

“Details, please!” Brenda leans into her, interest piqued.

“But It was intense fallout. They just started speaking this semester in English class.”

You all grab the things you want to try on, and all five of you scurry into the freshly painted dressing rooms. You find a blue floral mini dress with cropped sleeves. It was so cute. And so two hundred dollars. Bummer.

“Do you really think one event can change your whole life?” Brenda asks, muffled by the white doors of the dressing rooms.

“Sure, like in pretty woman? Sorry Julia Roberts, but I’d wear this on the plane with Richard Gere.” Kelly responds. Such a deep thinker, that girl.

“No, I mean like what Ms. Rye was talking about– one thing you do ruining your entire life… I dont know, forget it.” Brenda continues.

“I don’t know, maybe,” You ponder. Your mind runs through the events of that night at the Bel Age. What would have happened if you stayed? Just being there for 30 more minutes probably would’ve caused you to bang Dylan’s brains out. That couldn’t be a good thing. You barely knew him, for one. You had to handle one confusing crush at a time. I mean, not that your thing with Brandon was really a crush, more of an appreciation… for a friend… that happens to be attractive. You didn’t like him like him.

“Maybe it wasn’t ruined,” Tiff calls out, “Maybe he wanted it that way.”

You change back into your normal clothes, fighting with yourself over the dress. Your parents would kill you if you spent all of your money on one dress. It was a totally cute, show-stopping dress, though. Go for it.

You walk over to the check-out counter with Kelly. You may be smart, but at this very moment you’re feeling weak.

-

The next morning you trot into english class, setting your bag down with a thud.

“Do you remember, Jake kissed like a wall?” Kelly giggles, practically linked at the hip with Tiff.

“OMG yeah, but he was better than the Lizard remember?” She sticks out her tongue, making a gross slurping noise while she walks to her desk.

You sit at yours, next to Brenda.

Tiff turns to both of you, “Hey!”

“Hey,” You give her a half smile, taking your book out from your bag.

“Hey, cool dress!” Brenda smiles, a nervous tick in her voice.

“Yeah, it’s a kick for sure!” Tiff spins around, posing before sliding into her seat. You notice Kelly roll her eyes in annoyance before sitting down.

“How nice of you to model for us,” Ms. Rye jokes.

“Ms. Rye?” Brenda asks, sneaking over to the teacher, “Um, I was just wondering, who’s more guilty– someone like in Les Mis who didn’t want to steal but had to, or someone who wanted to but didn’t?”

“That’s an interesting moral twister, um, and we’ll get to that,” She’s cut off by the bell, “now.”

-

You’re lying on your bed, eyes closed, finally getting some wel deserved peace and quiet. Away from all the gossipy peers, drama, and Tiffany. She exhausted you. You feel yourself drifting off to sleep, but the deafening ring of the phone jolts you up. Who could be calling this late? Why?

You sit up and grab your phone, answering it with a groggy “Hello?”

“Did I wake you up? I’m sorry, I can call someone-” You can’t help but smile sleepily at the sound of his voice.

“Brandon?”

“Yeah…listen, can you pick me up? I took the bus to work today and they don’t run this late at night,”

“So… You need a ride? I can do that. This Town?”

“Yeah,”

“See you in 10,” You hang up, frantically fix your hair, and throw on that $200 dress. You tiptoe down the stairs and out the door, not wanting to wake up your parents. Hopping in your brother’s 1990 Red Mustang Covertible, you slowly back out of the driveway and over to the bistro.

You pull into the parking lot, and see Brandon anxiously pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. You step out of the car, the cool nighttime air almost cold enough to leave you shivering.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Brandon Walsh, Beverly Hills’ own Working Girl,” you tease, a smile on your face. He smiles back, pushing the long blue sleeves of his sweater up his arms. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,”

Your tired eyes meet his own. You get lost in the blue of them, admiring the way the moonlight looks on his face… Until the clearing of a throat shakes you out of your trance. You both silently get in the car, and you pull out of the parking lot.

“How was it?”

“I’m beat, the job’s a total bitch,” He confides.

“Really? It at least pays well, though. Right?”

“You know, that’s what I thought walking in there…but I make next to nothing, and these guys I work with, these– Vietnamese, Portuguese, Israelites, they’re coming here with no money and they’re getting completely exploited. They’re working for pine nuts,” He explains, a frustrated tone in his voice. He’s always looking to make things better for other people, it’s something you picked up on quickly since moving to Beverly Hls. It’s one of the things you quickly grew to love about him… Something that shines brightly in times like these.

“Wow…is there anything you can do?”

He sighs, resting his head against the seat. “I don’t know,”

The streets are totally dead, totally quiet. Peaceful. Only the occasional car comes around every so often. The crickets are loud tonight, though. Filling up the empty space. You see something as you stop at a red light.

“Hey, Bran? What’s that?” You smirk.

You point over to it, a large automobile, stopped at a red light with “Beverly Hills Transit” painted on the side. He looks over, and a smile– a goofy, nervous one, spreads across his face.

He stays quiet for a moment, the smile sticking to his face, shaking his head slightly. “It’s a bus.” You both look at each other and then back at the bus, slowly. You start breaking into a fit of tired giggles. You slowly get Brandon, who’s majorly exhausted from work, going too. So now you’re both sitting at a red light, giggling ike idiots. At a bus. A bus that wasn’t supposed to be there, according to Brandon.

Instead of overthinking the situation, you just drive him home, both of you giddy from exhaustion. You pull into his driveway, putting the car in neutral. This has been a weird night. Fun, but weird.

“Thanks for driving me home,” he says, his voice soft and barely above a whisper. You give him a soft “mhmm,” in return. And, like earlier, you’re staring into his eyes again, and he’s staring into yours. You’re drifting closer and closer…

And then his mom comes out. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” You nod in response, leaning back to your normal sitting position.

“Goodnight, Brandon,” You sigh. Happily, sleepily, defeated.

“Goodnight, Y/N,”

-

Sunday night came, and you were getting ready to go out to This Town with Dylan for dinner, to go pay Brandon a visit. You had told your parents you were going to study at the library with a friend, which…okay, this time it was a total lie, but you weren’t doing anything illegal. So it’s okay. You apply your red lipstick before heading out the door. You see Dylan in his black Porsche Speedster ,parked down the street. Just far enough to avoid creating suspicion from your parents. Perfect.

-

“So, was this place any good when you went?” You ask, perusing the menu.

“It was alright. Small portions, fancy plates. Good cumin,”

“Brandon’s been running the entire time we’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve even seen him take a breath,” You chuckle, watching him make his rounds. He was nothing if not a hard worker.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Dylan inquires, watching you watch Brandon.

“Come on, we’ve been over this. Brandon’s one of my best friends,” you insist, setting down your menu. You pause. “Okay. maybe I…I do like him. But I wouldn’t ever act on it. He’s kind of attractive, so what? He’s still my friend.” Brandon makes his way closer to your table.

“Yo, boy!” Dylan gets Brandon’s attention, who’s getting swamped with dishes from other employees.

“Hey!” He calls back, turning around. You admire him in his all-white uniform. It shouldn’t look so good on him, yet you’re breathless.

“'This Town,’” Dylan begins, reading the restaurant’s menu, “'This Town is an eating experience for the morning moments, a medley of sages, cumin bouquets, fragrant vegetable jewels,’” he drops the menu onto the table, then proceeds to drop his head, fake snoring. You and Brandon laugh at his antics, but Brandon’s interrupted by his boss not long after.

“Many people would love your job,” She states, black curls hair-sprayed into place as she moves along.

“Yeah, love that minimum wage,” He remarks, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. An asian man steps beside him, helping him with his work.

“You get minimum wage? Congratulations,”

“Yeah, right, same to you,” Brandon responds, raising his eyebrows.

“None of us do,” The man replies. Brandon cocks his head at that, turning to the man.

“That’s illegal!”

“So? Who’s going to do anything?” His coworker walks back into the kitchen. You see the look on Brandon’s face and you can tell…shit’s about to hit the fan. He stomps over to his boss at the counter.

“Listen–”

“I loathe apologies, make it up to me, Brendon, the cumins need filling,” his boss nags, putting on makeup in a compact mirror.

“It’s Brandon! Brandon Walsh! I’m an investigative reporter for the West Beverly newspaper–”

You watch Brandon rant and rave from your table, not able to quite make out what he’s saying because of the loud music. He starts unbuttoning his white coat while he vents.

“Uh oh…uh oh…Dylan, why is he stripping?” You tap him on the arm frantically to get his attention.

“What, I thought you’d like that,” Dylan jokes, playful grin on his lips.

“Oh, shut up!” You laugh, taking the little ball of paper from your straw and throwing it at his face. “I hate you.” You manage to catch the last bit of the conversation.

“…How you scam your help for under minimum wage! So you can take your cumin, and you can shove it,” Brandon slams his white coat down on the counter, walking back to you guys. Wow. You don’t know whether to be amused, proud, or incredibly turned on. All three?

“Take a load off, Minnesota. ‘Dinner Delectable’ is on me,” Dylan encourages, pulling out a seat for Brandon. You can almost see the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

“Whew, free at last, free at last. Thank god almighty–” he stops the waitress, “Excuse me, can I get a round cup and a round saucer? And I’d like it before the second coming please,” Dylan shakes his head and silently laughs, while your jaw is slightly slack, loving whatever mood Brandon’s in right now. “Come on, let’s get out of here. ”

“Done deal, I know just the place,” all three of you catwalk out.

-

The Peach Pit

Brandon takes a spoonful of apple pie, “The job wasn’t just to support my car insurance habit,” he tells you. “My dad’s always worked.”

The owner of the diner leans in, both hands on the counter, “He sounds as bonkers as me.” You take a bite of your own pie as he continues, “I was 10 when I worked my first big character part in an old bogie film. There was a real pro with a sweet tooth,”

“Now I know why you dragged me all the way out here,” Brandon turns to Dylan, who’s on the other side of you.

“Best pie in L.A., food for real people,”

“Here’s to real cups and real saucers,” you quip, and all three of you raise your glasses. You look around the diner, pictures upon pictures on the walls, pink wallpaper, and rock and roll music.

“Take it or leave it,” The owner, Nat smiles.

“What I like, is you get a real cross-section of people, you know?” Dylan comments, bringing his tea to his lips.

“This really is a nice place you’ve got here,” You smile fondly.

“Listen, uh, Dylan here has been bugging me about hiring someone to help me out, I figure who would be nuts enough to want this bit? Take you, you look nuts enough,” He faces Brandon, raising his eyebrows.

“Take me!” Brandon exclaims. Oh, those were words you dreamt of hearing come out of this mouth. “I’m nuts enough!” Dammit. He’s so cute.

“I’ll vouch for that,” you giggle.

“Me too, I’ll even waive my commission,” Dylan says.

“So, when do I start?”

“How about right now?” All three of you exchange cheeky smiles.

The night ends after a few slices of pie, some milkshakes, and a curfew that’s about to break.

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight, Y/N/N,” Dylan thanks as you slide into the passengers seat. You smile at him as he pulls out of the diner’s parking lot, and turns down the street, his engine humming and the crickets chirping. You look at him for a moment, lost in your thoughts. You admire him, the night sky, and the fresh, cool, nighttime air. You speak up.

“I don’t want to go home yet,”

Tags: @be-patient-be-good @fangirl-imagines @lilo-1988 @bevelyhills90210

[anxiousstark]

緣分 ⎪Yuanfen {4}

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader.

Summary: A relationship by fate or destiny; the blinding force of two people. But it is more difficult than that.

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 1799.

A/N: THIS HAS SCENES FROM THE AVENGERS! IT WILL FOLLOW SOME THINGS BUT NOT ALL OF THEM!

All Rights Reserved. The author, me, don’t allow any type of copy or adaption.

IMPORTANT: Tony Stark is 45 years old in this story and the reader is 28.

It had been about two months since Y/N arrived at Stark Tower. Her relationship with everyone had improved, except with Clint. She could feel him, sending her looks of disgust from the other side of the room where they were.

But, in general, the relationship with others had improved. Thor was really sweet and always looked out for her. With Bruce, she didn't talk much because he was a little quiet and she was quite shy. But there were times when Banner could not help but talk enthusiastically about his experiments and knowledge, and Y/N wasn't bothered by it because she saw how much he enjoyed it. 

Steve was really sweet to her, and even though they didn't talk much, Steve seemed to know when Y/N wasn't feeling well. So it had become a habit for Steve to raise her head and smile at her, letting her know that everything was fine.

However, Natasha had become her best friend inside the tower and she was also the person who she spoke the most with when they were both alone.

And finally, Tony. Tony Stark. Y/N didn't know how to feel about Tony. Sometimes, she felt a pain in her chest that seemed to leave her breathless and she couldn't tell what kind of feeling it was. It seemed like a bitter feeling because it hurt, but at the same time, it seemed like a feeling of comfort, protection and well-being.

They were all in the living room or the kitchen. Each one doing his things silently so as not to disturb Tony who seemed to read some papers. But that concentration was interrupted by JARVIS. “Sir, the telephone. I'm afraid my protocols are being overwritten.”

Tony took out of his trousers what seemed to be a really advanced and modern phone. The face of a man that Y/N didn’t know came out. “Stark, we need to talk.”

Tony rolled his eyes and looked at Y/N, he winked at her and then answered the man. “You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message.”

She tried to hide her smile. But then, she was surprised when the door of the elevator opened showing a man. He was short and he was wearing a suit. And seemed annoyed at Tony. “Stop joking. This is urgent.” He walked toward Tony and handed him some papers. He sighed, grabbing them and going over them quickly.

“Loki?” He read aloud and Y/N noticed how everyone sighed except Thor, who seemed to be nervous while biting his lower lip. “Who is Loki?”

“According to mythology.” Bruce decided to speak aloud and everyone’s attention went to him. “Loki was taken care of by Odin, who killed his giant father. It is believed he felt guilty for a second and decided to bring Loki back home where his wife and son waited. His son is Thor.”

“He is my brother.” Thor whispered, but it seemed like Y/N was the only one who heard him.

“He stole the Tessaract.” That man who Y/N learnt his name was Phil spoke.

An alarm began to sound, making everyone cover their ears because of how loud was the sound. "Stark, what's wrong?" Natasha asked, closing her eyes because of the pain she was beginning to feel in her ears.

Large screens appeared in front of Stark and images of Loki appeared on the screen. Y/N felt a great pain in her chest when she saw Loki. Those clothes, that helmet, that face and those cold eyes, trying to hide true feelings... She had seen him before.

Steve got up from the couch. "Avengers, it's time to go." Everyone started to move.

Y/N was confused, she knew what they were doing, but she had never seen them in action. Her gaze remained on Tony, who already wore the suit except for the face part. He realized that she was looking at him and he walked toward her "Stay here."

"What?" She didn't want to stay in the tower, but she also knew that she could not do anything to help. She had been training with Steve for the last two months in case something happened. But she did not have a shield or super strength or a suit or things like that. What she did would not help anyone. But still, she did not want to feel stupid, waiting in the tower for them to come back.

"We'll need someone to stay out with people to reassure them and not putting them in danger, if the Avengers are busy with Loki, someone else will have to help, right?" Phil decided to talk. He had been watching both of them and after saying those words he noticed how Tony looked at him pissed off.

But Stark could not say 'no' because she was looking at him with a special glow in her eyes. "Ugh, okay, go with Natasha and Clint, they'll take you." Tony ran to the balcony and using his hands and feet, disappeared into the dark sky.

When everyone arrived where Loki was, the first image they saw was that of thousands of people running out of the building and him walking slowly, following them. Golden light illuminated his body. His suit showing up.

He multiplied himself and appeared in different places, stopping people from running away and he repeated multiple times for them to kneel before him. “NOOOOW!” He screamed and everyone knelt down. They were terrified and you could see that on their faces.

Due to that gesture, Loki embraced his arms out, smiling. “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation.” He walked slowly among the people who didn’t even dare to look at him. “The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

An old man got up from the crowd and Y/N’s heart started to beat rapidly, asking herself when will the others act against Loki. “Not to men like you.”

Loki smirked, but you could see the rage on that smirk. “There are no men like me.”

“There are always men like you.” The man decided to speak again. And after something she didn’t hear, the Tessaract started to form a blue light.

That is when she felt Steve move from her side and in seconds, he was kneeling before the old man, protecting him with his shield. The power of the Tessaract bounced off the captain's shield, hitting Loki and knocking him to the ground.

A conversation between both of them occurred, but she couldn’t listen to it from where she was hiding. Then, Natasha appeared in the Quinjet, taking out a machine gun. “Loki, drop the weapon and stand down.” Her voice seemed robotic due to the microphone of the Quinjet.

But Loki wasn’t going to listen and he started fighting against Steve. For a moment it seemed like Steve was going to lose as he lost his shield but he kicked Loki.

Y/N noticed that all the people had run away and then he looked back at Steve, worried about him. But that concern vanished when Loki was attacked by some kind of orange light, she could not help but smile. Tony Stark.

For a moment it seemed that Loki was going to give up, but no one noticed that Loki had looked to the side. Y/N followed his gaze and saw a small boy behind a tree, shaking. He had probably separated from his parents and tried to hide from Loki.

She could sense that Loki wanted that child to escape. Tony and Steve would not attack him if he had a child in his arms. Loki moved his body a little, positioning himself to run to the boy and grab him.

She came out of hiding. “What's going on?" Steve whispered to Tony. Objects on the ground were floating in the air. "Who is doing that?"

Tony decided to look behind him for a few seconds, and it was at that moment when he saw her, her eyes shining again. He had just discovered another of her powers. An inhuman force, coming from her, caused the child to end up in her arms. At first, the little boy was surprised but then he hugged her tightly while crying for his mother.

Y/N started stroking his back. "Don't worry, you'll be with your mother right away."

Steve looked over to where Tony was looking. "Another power..." he whispered.

Now with no escape, Y/N decided to get a little closer to Tony and Steve and it was at that very moment that Loki got up, confused. Then, he started to laugh. "Do not tell me you've gone to the side of the good guys."

She looked at Loki when she realized that he was talking to her. He smiled again. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Y/N. You've grown a lot." Tony looked at both of them, confused. Steve felt a little defensive and Y/N was still totally confused. "Well Tony, now that you have captured me." The smile did not leave his face. "If you're going to put me in that cell, you should put her in. I can tell you that she is even worse than me." He looked back at Y/N. "I'm not surprised that you were able to deceive them. Lying is one of your best qualities."

.

.

.

.

“What happens when two people meet by fate but it is physically impossible to be together?”

緣分 ⎪Yuanfen ⎪Masterlist

TAG YOURSELF

Taglist: @vesta-ro  ⎪ @lovely-geek  ⎪ @kasiarella  ⎪ @leia-saveourskins  ⎪ @supernaturallover2002  ⎪ @alexandria-argent  ⎪ @amanda-m-111  ⎪ @mybabyboytony  ⎪ @loverholland  ⎪ @buckybear97  ⎪ @havanaangel  ⎪ @queenylime  ⎪ @shallowshawn ⎪ @princessonly2 ⎪ @butterfly-writes⎪@the-frenchiest-fry-16 ⎪@a-manduhhhhh⎪ @stupididi0t ⎪ @spaceyabbs ⎪@fairies-and-glitter ⎪ @vibhati123  ⎪ @sugamin-suga⎪@button-writtings ⎪ @officialmarvelwhore ⎪ @ellenjl ⎪ @moony127 ⎪ @velvetgcf  ⎪@imnotmadeofstars  ⎪ @moony127  ⎪ @baaangchan  ⎪ @thevanishedillusion  @txnystarkimagines  ⎪ @selinbaskaya  ⎪ @ifellinlovewithabrokenheart  ⎪ @renesmeeharelds  ⎪ @xjodieee  ⎪ @vibhati123  ⎪ @sybil-howlett  ⎪ @billiondollarworth  ⎪ @la-reine-cblog  ⎪ @ptersparkers  ⎪ @futuremrsb-r-main  ⎪ @nerdyphysicghostfarm  ⎪ @I-melancholy-breeze-I ⎪ @catccafe  ⎪ @exo-angenie  ⎪ @imdoingathingmom  @inthecornerchair  ⎪ @spideylovin  ⎪ @lonelynightsfarawayheights  ⎪ @ohhowthetableshaveturned  ⎪ @wxxnks  ⎪ @spideytingie ⎪ @closetedbisexualsruletheworld  ⎪ @drayshadow

THOSE PEOPLE IN BLACK I CAN’T TAG THEM!!!

[five-wow]

I AM CATCHING UP. here are my thoughts on 9.17!

i love a good bank robbery/heist story, so at least in theory they definitely have my interest here.

“nobody needs to die today!” one of the bank robbers yells, right after one of his buddies shot the armored car driver in the back and he fell to the floor and i kind of presumed he was dead (though he might not be?)

he just shot another guy! right in the head, so i’m pretty sure this one at least is definitely very dead, oh boy.

ahhh, the other bank robbers didn’t want this. barely three minutes in and there’s already trouble (i mean, aside from the obvious this-bank-is-being-robbed part, of course)

danny and steve arrive at the crime scene in the camaro! always a good look

eep. junior knows a woman who was present during the robbery (i think it’s his ex? wasn’t that the plot of this episode somehow?) and she’s already lying about having had her head down the whole time, which is not a great start

one armored truck driver to the other: “never take [women] at face value. there’s always something more complicated going on.” ah yep, the good ol’ ‘women are incredibly mysterious creatures who never say what they mean and it’s impossible to follow their logic’ thing. hilarious. i may look unamused, but i am totally laughing on the inside.

tani: “well, i have to cancel my 5pm mermaid class.” awww, i like that they’re calling back to that!

ohhhh wait, this girl who raised her head at the robbery wasn’t junior’s ex, but she recognized one of the robbers and he’s junior’s ex’s current boyfriend! ahhh. there’s the link.

tani and junior fight because tani thinks that junior should tell steve about what they just found out (and she’s right!!!) but junior thinks he owes his ex (layla) to doublecheck it was actually her boyfriend before he does anything, and in the end junior goes to talk to his ex alone which seems like a REALLY BAD IDEA, GUYS

layla: “oh, this is you doing me a favor?” much as i love you, junior, she has, you know, a point there

now tani has to lie to steve about junior’s whereabouts which is Bad.

and junior is IGNORING HER PHONE CALL. it just went from Bad to Worse.

junior shows steve pictures he took! if steve’s “you should watch out for your own blindspots” advice is all the drama that comes from this, it’s a bit of an anticlimax (even though i’d actually like that), but the episode still has sixteen minutes to go so who knows (except for everyone who’s already watched it)

“didn’t you find it a little bit odd that five grown men would rent a hotel room for the day?” ... this reception desk guy has apparently been reading enough fanfic that he doesn’t bat an eye at this.

steve and danny are interrogating their newest suspect! there isn’t any hugely significant mcdanno content this episode (so far), but i just like seeing them on screen together. makes me happy, yay.

layla’s boyfriend (husband? i don’t remember) wants to kill junior (or at least he pulls a gun on him and says “i’m sorry, junior”) so he... lures junior to a public park that has cars passing by in the background? that’s the best location he could come up with?

for once the bad guy (one of the bad guys) is someone who’s important to someone who is important to a person on the team (that’s a complex sentence part, but okay), so junior yells “hold your fire!” which is... good, but also kind of ironically underscores that maybe they shoot the bad guys a little too easily at all the other times

junior shoots tory (layla’s boyfriend) because tory is in a panic and caught and doesn’t want to go back to jail and he raises his gun at junior, and welp, this got veRY PAINFUL VERY FAST

we end it with junior telling tani about his history with layla and i like that. i like that it’s clear they both made decisions that led to this complicated place they’re in now.

less of a fan of layla slapping junior, but i mean, i’m not here to get into how weird i think it is that women slapping men is a normalized and acceptable thing in our culture for some reason. junior didn’t deserve this, but from layla’s point of view, it makes sense.

in the end, i mostly liked this episode! i’m definitely here for some more junior content, steve and danny were both on screen if not exactly instrumental parts of anything, and overall i really liked the plot. the angst at the end about junior shooting tory also worked for me a lot better than i thought it would have???

on the other hand, i’m a little unsure about the way some of the plotlines in this episode ended. the mastermind behind the heist told steve and danny that overconfidence always leads to ruin when they were interrogating him, but then we never see him or steve or danny again in the episode, so that was pretty much an empty threat. i suppose he meant the thing with junior in the park, probably? but how was that going to help him at that point, when he was already captured? and in the end their evil park plan didn’t pan out the way the bad guys wanted anyway, so i suppose the guy should have been warning himself about overconfidence, not steve or danny. which is actually a nice ironic twist, but they never wrapped that up on screen, so it only works if you’re giving it way more thought than h50 usually seems to expect their viewers to put into things.

the other big thing is the part where junior withheld information from steve, and tani told him not to do that, and he was a slight asshole to her and eventually very suddenly DID tell steve. telling steve was good, in theory, but then after that the whole withholding information thing ended up having zero consequences, kind of like when tani finally confessed the whole story about the gun at adam’s place to steve. on the one hand, i was relieved at the way it sizzled out both times, because i don’t generally like deception-for-the-supposed-greater-good-which-leads-to-drama plotlines, but on the other hand, it seems like wasted screentime if steve very mildly going “yeah that probably wasn’t a good idea and maybe don’t do it again” is all it leads to after all the buildup and all the “you should tell mcgarrett or he’s going to be super mad and might fire you!!!” warnings. bonus: i get that junior is going through a lot this episode and that tani isn’t going to call him out right now, but i still think he should probably apologize to her, at the very least for not picking up his phone when she called him after having lied to cover for him.

so yeah! not my favorite episode, but i liked it, mostly.

[dabblinginmarvel]

Enhanced in Sokovia (Part 3)

Plot: Y/N, the first success of three from Strucker’s Enhanced experiments, escapes from Sokovia and runs into the Avengers, then helps them return for Loki’s staff. Following the events of Age of Ultron, Y/N and Pietro go from enemies into a romance.

Part 1        Part 2

A/N: Pietro is briefly in here, but he’s full-force in the next part, I promise.

Warnings: Mentions of torture spread throughout, bad words, not edited as much as I’d like

Word Count Total: 2026

Title: Enhanced in Sokovia

Part 3

It didn’t take the team in what they called the “Quinjet” as long as you expected to get to Sokovia. Soon, they were on the ground and on the move.

But somewhere along the way, they set off an alarm. The alarm had to be new because you couldn’t recall setting something off when you ran from the place.

“Shit!” Tony said into the mouthpiece in his helmet. You saw the view from his suit and the suit cams on most of the other team members.

“Language! JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?” Steve yelled.

“The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken.”

An energy shield. That must have been what you ran through when you ran away.

“Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it. At long last.”

Natasha knocked out a couple guys. “At long last is lasting a little long, boys.”

“Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise.” Clint knocked his arrow as you hid a snicker. Maria caught your eye from your left and you saw the laughter in her eyes, too.

“Wait a second. No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said ‘language?’” Tony asked and you had to cover your mouthpiece because you couldn’t hide your laugh.

“I know. It just slipped out.”

“Y/N, I think you’re on,” Tony said as if Steve hadn’t spoken, landing on the base, sliding a little.

Before you could speak, JARVIS said, “Sir, the city is taking fire.”

“Well, we know Strucker's not going to worry about civilian casualties. Send in the Iron Legion.”

Maria switched to a camera on the Iron Legion and you leaned over. You watched the civilians protest against the Iron Legion.

“They don’t seem to be taking it well, do they JARVIS?” That’s when you came to the conclusion that Tony had something to do with the attack on the city, otherwise the civilians wouldn’t be reacting in this way. You didn’t know how to take this and your head began to spin. You were in this position because of Tony? Did he know?

You tried to focus on the fight, but it ate at your mind.

Clint got knocked over by a whirlwind. The whirlwind stopped, and smirked at him – wait, smirked, this was a blonde guy and had to have been another person in the program – and said, “You didn’t see that coming?”

He was kind of cute, but you were more interested in his powers.

Clint tried to shoot an arrow at him, but got hit by a shot instead.

You watched as they continued to beat their way in, Tony blasting the shield’s power source.

“Drawbridge is down, people.”

“The enhanced?” asked Thor.

“He's a blur. All the new player's we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't.”

Nat evac-ed Clint out with Thor’s help and Tony enters the building.

So that’s how they referred to you? Enhanced? But what did it really matter right now? You had bigger things to focus on – like how Tony is the one who broke your city and now he was back for more.

Maria shook your shoulder. “Y/N.”

“Huh?”

“Tony needs your help.”

There were more important things to do than worry about your feelings. “Oh. Right.”

“Everything alright?”

You nodded and turned back to the computer. “I’m here, sorry.”

You walked him into the building and through the hallways. You lost contact with him when he stepped out of the suit and set it on sentry mode. He still had contact with JARVIS, though. “Okay, JARVIS. You know I want it all. Make sure you copy Hill at HQ.”

They brought Banner in from Hulk and Tony had JARVIS scan the wall, reporting that there was something hiding behind the wall and Tony went through the secret passageway. Steve ran into another “enhanced” before announcing he had Strucker. You took off the headpiece you had and left the room, ignoring Maria.

These kids had powers, too, but they were voluntarily defending the facility. One was fast and the other could manipulate just about everything she touched.

And Tony…. But he was so kind to you, how could he have done this?

You would have to ask him when he returned, you supposed.

When the team returned, you walked into the Quinjet with Maria.

“Lab’s all set up, boss.”

“Uh, actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything, and design everything and make everyone look cooler.” Tony pointed at Steve. you tried to smile at it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to.

Maria and Steve walked out discussing Strucker and the other “enhanced,” leaving you with Tony.

Tony stood up, noticing your look immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“You remember I told you about my family and why I got sold to the “enhanced” project?” You used your fingers for the quotations.

He nodded.

“Did you know it was because of you that Sokovia suffered?”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Because of me? Where would you get this from?”

“The Iron Legion faced resistance from the people today. They knew it was you. They hate the Avengers, too. So tell me, why was it my town? Why did we have to suffer? Why did this happen to us?”

“Y/N, try to believe me when I say I didn’t know it was my name that destroyed your town. I wasn’t even in control of my dad’s company until seven years ago. Someone else helmed it. I’m not proud that I didn’t try to stop Obadiah sooner, and I’m sorry your town suffered for it. I’m sorry you ended up suffering for it.”

The anger shrunk inside you. It may have been his name, but it wasn’t him, so it wasn’t his fault. “Tony, I’m sorry, too. If you didn’t control the company, then you didn’t do it. It wasn’t you.”

“I’ll take full responsibility for it, though.”

You stepped forward and hugged him. He hesitated at first, then hugged back.

“Listen, there’s going to be a party tonight. If you want to come out of your room for it, you’re welcome there, and if you don’t, then stay clear of the entertaining room.”

“I’ll try it out.”

“Great. Nat’s already shoved some party attire in your closet.”

“If I had said no, then would she have removed it?”

He laughed and guided you out of the Quinjet.

Later that night, everyone, including Clint all healed thanks to Helen Cho, was at the party. Including you. You had chosen one of the outfits Natasha had added and decided to try out a party. It was enormous and noisy and with lots of people. At first, you wanted to turn and high tail it out of there, but you reminded yourself it was just out of your comfort zone and you had to try at least one. Soon enough, you were listening to Rhodey tell a War Machine story. Tony and Thor didn’t laugh, but you smiled.

“So, no Pepper? She’s not coming?” he asked Tony.

“No.”

Maria looked just as puzzled. “Hey, what about Jane? Where are the ladies, gentlemen?”

“Well, Miss Potts has a company to run.”

“Yes, I'm not even sure what country Jane's in. Her work on the convergence has made her the world's foremost astronomer.”

“And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on earth. It's pretty exciting.”

“There's even talk of Jane getting a... um, uh... Nobel prize.”

“Yeah, they...they must be busy because they'd hate missing you guys get together.” Maria pretended to cough “Testosterone! Oh, excuse me.”

“Want a lozenge?” Rhodey asked.

Maria agreed and they walked away. You couldn’t help but look at the two men with exasperation.

“What?” Tony asked.

“If you have to ask the question….” You walked away to try your hand at mingling.

Once the party dwindled, everyone was trying their hand at lifting Thor’s weapon. It was some type of hammer, something called “Meul-neer” or something. You didn’t quite understand, but you got the gist of it. Clint failed, Tony failed, and Rhodey failed. Even Bruce and his attempt to lure out Hulk. It came around to Steve and he managed to get it to budge. Steve could lift it, but you saw him let it go and pretend to fail. You weren’t sure if it was a teasing thing from Tony or to not embarrass Thor, but you knew. You knew Thor knew, too.

“Widow?” asked Bruce. She declined. You sat back far enough to not get called on.

“All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged.”

Clint shrugged. “You bet your ass.”

“Steve, he said a bad language word,” Maria laughed.

“Did you tell everyone about that?”

“I have a simpler theory. You’re all not worthy.” Thor flips the hammer in his hand.

A screech sounds through the tower and you covered your ears with your hands.

“Worthy... No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers.” A busted-up robot staggers in.

This robot, as it turned out, was something called Ultron.

The Iron Legion burst through the walls and grabbed for the team. You ducked and used a ball of air to push Tony out of the way of fire from Ultron’s extra bots. The others fought back, too. Eventually, Tony hopped onto the back of one of them and attempted to disarm it as Steve caught his shield from Clint and hit the only remaining Iron Legion in sight.

Ultron started monologuing about evolving and Thor smashed him to pieces with the hammer.

“There are no strings on me….” The robot sang into oblivion.

You ran your hands over your face and raced after the others as they ran to the lab. Ultron had wiped everything from the computers. Including JARVIS. Ultron had killed JARVIS. Your eyes got misty as you looked at the projected image of what JARVIS had been; you had liked that AI.

“JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense.” Steve explained.

“No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage.”

“It’s going around,” said Clint as Thor grabbed Tony by the throat. He finally let him down when Steve called for a report on the Legionnaire. They had gone north with Loki’s scepter. Great, now you had to go after it again. You turned to look over your shoulder as pain blossomed. Natasha stepped over to you, noticing your movement, and then pulled you aside. She helped pull a giant shard of glass out of your shoulder and you both listened to the bickering of everyone else.

“Nat, I don’t know if I’m up for this.”

“None of us are, do you hear them? Crazy-ass men, let me tell you.”

“Is this the craziest thing you’ve faced?”

She shook her head. “No. You didn’t see the alien invasion three years ago.”

“Alien invasion?”

She hummed out a yes as she began to patch up the hole in your shoulder.

“You guys are nuts.”

“And you fit right on in, kiddo.” She winked and you smiled a little.

A little later, Steve re-gathered you all together in a much nicer room in front of a computer. The discussion was all on Strucker.

“Y/N, do you think you have any ideas as to what Strucker knew that Ultron might want to hide?” Steve asked. You shook your head as Tony pulled out physical files.

“Not everything was erased.”

“Known associates,” Steve said. “Well, Strucker had a lot of friends.”

“Well, these people are all horrible,” said Bruce.

Tony stopped Steve as he flipped through the pages. “Wait, I know that guy.”

Klaue, as he was called, had a scar in the shape of a brand on his neck and Bruce searched databases for it.

“Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way.”

“What dialect?” asked Steve.

“Wakanada? Wa-Wakanda.”

“I don’t get it. What comes out of Wakanda?” you asked.

“The strongest metal on earth.” He gestured to Steve’s shield.

- - -

Masterlist

Enhanced in Sokovia taglist (open!): @black-sunday1412, @whennoonethinksyoucanyoumust, @izuniias

Permanent Tag List (please alert me if you change your username, want to be tagged for only one character, or if you want to be untagged): @abbybills22, @coffeebooksandfandom, @cxptain-americaa, @dreamer821, @everything-but-the-not-natural, @elxrini, @estelgilvala, @fangirling-equestrian, @feelmyroarrrr, @hellomissmabel, @httpmcrvel, @iamwarrenspeace, @kudosia, @m4df4n, @marrvelle-fics, @mindlessnerd89, @ms-cellanies, @mylittlefandomfanfictions, @space-helen, @susiejustsusie, @tea-with-loki, @wkndfrvr, @wxnchestervevo (tag list is open!!)

Strikethroughs are blogs I can’t tag.

Reminder, if your name is not linked and you are not getting notifications you have been tagged, please refer to this guide here: https://dabblinginmarvel.tumblr.com/post/168371559776/strikethroughs-i-cant-tag