#and as soon as they’re all in bed… I gotta help mama with her speech

[superbattrash]

I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids

<- guy who has to entertain 3 kids in age range 9-17, do their nails, cut their hair, make sure they shower on time without killing each other, make sure they eat, keep them happy and also keep them out of mamazilla’s way while she’s stressing the fuck out

[hateswifi]

Rising from the Ashes: Of Bullies and Best Friends

So this story is based on this post by @legendaryhumanskeletonkid I took this idea and kinda changed it without further ado... Part 1. Master List

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“All of Paris is invited to a gala that will be held at the hotel this Saturday from six-thirty to ten o’clock. This is a fundraiser gala for natural disasters and a partial celebration for the defeat of Hawkmoth Paris’ previous tormentor,” Mayor Bourgeois announces, looking over the crowd. 

Marinette had been sitting on her family’s couch designing as the mayor finished his speech. She had been invited as Ladybug and wouldn’t be attending as Marinette. She did not need to make a dress and had already changed her costume for a more grown-up look. 

A year or two after she started being the spotted hero, she decided to change up costume as of now her costume was red from her hips to her shoulder blades with black spots strategically placed, along with black knee-high boots that had three spots on her knees, her hand were adorned with fingerless gloves with one red spot on the back of each hand, the rest of her body was covered in her original red with black spots. She had also started putting her now mid-back long hair up in a bun to keep it out of her face as she worked or as her superhero persona. Needless to say, she loves her new look.

By this point in time, Adrien and Marinette became best friends, especially after the reveal. Adrien is happily dating Kagami after Marinettehad set them up. She is one of the few people who knew about Kagami and Adrien’s relationship and is happy for both of her friends. She had lost feelings for Adrien when he had told her to take the high road with Lila’s lying problem. He stopped talking and pushing to take the high road bull after he had to comfort Ladybug to stop her from getting akumatized. He realized someone was getting hurt and it was his Lady, his best friend.

He couldn’t directly stand up to her due to his father, but he would point out a lack of consistency in her lies. He was also an emotional support system for her during the times when Lila was too terrible. He always has Marinette and Kagami’s favorite ice-cream in the mini fridge-freezer combo he had in his room. He also has a playlist of movies for the group watches when they get together. Marinette, Kagami, Adrien, Chloe, and Luka have become family in everything but blood. 

Marinette sighs, being brought back to the present by her parents entering the kitchen.

“Hey sweetie, what was the mayor’s announcement?” Sabine asked, sitting down next to her petite daughter.

“He is holding a fundraiser gala as a celebration for Hawkmoth’s defeat and for other natural disasters. All the heroes are invited as a thank you and probably to help raise more money,” Marinette summed up while her mother hugged her.

“That’s great, sweetheart! Are you going to go?” Tom asked, sitting down on the other side of his daughter.

“I haven’t decided yet but I don’t think I will,” Marinette answered.

“Why not sweetie?” Sabine asked, looking at her daughter, eyes filled with concern. Sabine had noticed her daughter's classmates had stopped coming by the house and she is worried for her daughter's social life.

“I don’t know I just don’t want to go to a stuffy gala,” she answered, standing up. “but don’t worry about me, you guys go have fun. Enjoy yourselves, you both deserve it."

“I think we will, what day is it?” Sabine asked, standing up as well.

“It’s this upcoming Saturday,” Marinette answered.

“But today is Thursday. That doesn’t leave us much time to find and wash the formal clothes,” Tom said, standing as well.

“Ok mama and papa I’ll leave you to that, I’m going to head to bed. Goodnight I love you both," Marinette said, leaving to go upstairs to her room

“Tikki, are you ready for patrol?” Marinette said, looking for her little red friend.

“Let’s go Marinette!” Tikki said, coming down from the bed Marinette had made her.

“Tikki, Spots on,” Marinette said, going through her transformation. Then she jumped out of her balcony trap door and flew across the rooftops towards the set meeting place, the Eiffel Tower.

“Hey Chaton, Queenie. Sorry that I’m late, my parents were asking about the gala,” she said, landing beside her partners.

“It's fine LB you deserve a break after today though,” Queen Bee said, looking at her once rival turned friend.

“I’m fine,” Ladybug started before Chat cut in. “No, you shouldn’t have to be fine. You should be feeling great I can’t believe she accused you of such a thing,” Chat pouted, crossing his arms.

Ladybug sighed and looked over the city thinking back to what had happened earlier that day in class.

Lila had walked into school with a black eye and bruised cheek, probably makeup. Once she had everyone around her and Marinette, who had made it a habit of arriving at class on time, walked in Lila started crying her crocodile tears. “M.. Marinette how co.. could you show your fa...face after what you did to me?” Lila stuttered out between the crocodile tears.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked before Marinette could respond to the accusations.

“She was jealous over our friendship, Adrien, so she attacked me after we hung out yesterday,” Lila cried, hiding her face in Alya’s welcoming embrace.

“By ‘hung out’ you mean you hanging all over me during the photoshoot I was forced to go to,” Adrien deadpanned, putting air quotes around ‘hung out’.

“Adrien, how could you say that when she’s in this condition?” Alya raged, looking at Marinette and Adrien as she continued to rub Lila’s back comfortingly. “Marinette you gotta stop being so jealous!”

“That’s funny because Marinette and I went out for ice cream with Adrien, Luka, and Kagami after Adrien’s torture his father calls a photoshoot,” Chloe stepped in.

“How do we know you aren’t lying?” Alya asked, standing tall. “You, Chloe, are just as much of a bully as Marinette is.”

“Because,” Marinette stepped in. “We saw you there yesterday. Remember? You and Nino had a date.”

“That is true, babe as we were leaving they were just getting there,” Nino stated towards his girlfriend.

“Then you must have slapped her after that because we all know you have a huge crush on Adrien,” Alya defended a smirk spreading across her face.

“Alya, if you had talked to me sometime in the last two years without yelling at me then you would know that I see him just as a friend,” Marinette said, crossing her arms.

“Awww, Buginette, I thought we were best friends,” Adrien pouted.

“Not the time, Adrien,” Chloe said. “Also why would Lila just bring it up now? Why didn’t she talk to the principal before this?”

“I..” Lila started then cried more while answering. “I thought she would do something worse.”

“This girl wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Adrien defended, knowing that not to be true. He had seen her do some serious damage. The bell rung before anyone could say anything else but by the glares that Marinette kept receiving she could tell people weren’t happy with her over the accusations.

“Buginette, are you sure you’re ok? Queenie and I don’t mind taking this patrol by ourselves,” Chat offered, looking at his long-time friend.

“Mar, you can tell us what the matter is. Even with Hawkmoth defeated we’re still here for you,” Queen said, patting her shoulder.

“I just don’t understand how they can trust someone they barely know over me, their childhood friend,” Ladybug answered, looking into the distance.

“Her lies seem as sweet as honey, but they’re going to sting when the lies bumble,” Queenie punned. Chat looked at her in astonishment.

“Did you just—?“ Chat started.

“Nope Chlo you can’t join him. There are only so many puns people can deal with,” Ladybug said with a laugh. “I can’t wait to see the day her lies will fall.”

They sat there for the duration of the patrol, Paris would be safe for the night. Ladybug needs the heroes’ help more. After her friends had helped her relax she had fallen asleep, Chat took the liberty of taking her home. She needed more sleep with the stress of school, Ladybug, and now going to the gala. Adrien wasn’t going to go as Adrien, but as Chat Noir. He was personally invited as Chat, which he’s thankful for. He can now spend time with his girlfriend and not have to deal with Lila.

As Adrien put his Buginette in her bed and tucked her in he stared for a moment and thought back to a day not too long ago when he thought he had lost her.

It had been a long fight every one of the heroes, even with their strong stamina, were becoming tired. Especially Marinette taking more hits than any of the other heroes, not wanting them, rest of her friends, to be hurt. After hours of fighting, they were in Hawkmoth’s lair now at this point after he had run near the end of his transformation. This had led them to his own house at that moment he knew his lady had been right almost three years ago.

His friends turned to look at him. He looked at them and felt the bile rising in his throat, his father. His goddamn father! He had done this to them. Kagami had been stabbed in the shoulder but she was still fighting. Marinette had received a bad blow to the stomach. Everyone has excessive bruising most of the team had dried blood on them and their costumes were torn. He fell to his knees and threw up.

“My god,” he whispered, wiping his mouth. “Why him? Of all the loners and messed up people, why him?”

“Chaton, you could have not known,” Ladybug said, rubbing his back.

“Adrien, this isn’t your fault,” Kagami said, hugging him.

“Look at you guys!” He said, standing up swiftly. “You all look terrible! He hurt you are all so bad.”

“Thanks,” Queenie answered sarcastically, crossing her arms. 

“You don’t look so hot yourself though,” Viperon said, trying to calm down the blonde.

“Viperon, is right we all look bad but this is what we signed up for as soon as we took the miraculous. Ya, it sucks that the troubles of Paris are placed on the shoulders five teenagers, who are still in high school, but the adults here are morons,” Queenie said, hugging Adrien. “You gotta calm down. I.. we won’t be able to fight you too.”

“You’re right,” he said, hugging her back. “Let’s go get ourselves a bastard.”

“That’s the spirit!” Ladybug said, giving him a fist bump.

They jumped to where they saw Hawkmoth enter. Ryuko offered to go in first, well not offered but barged in first. “Gabriel! You have some nerve!” Ryuko screamed when she saw the dark figure.

“Ahhh.. finally I’ll have what is truly mine your miraculous. It’s finally time to get rid of you, pests,” Hawkmoth monologued hiding in the shadows.

“Father! Stop this craziness! I don’t know why you’re doing this, but it must end!” Chat pleaded.

“Gabriel, we don’t want to fight you anymore. We just want the butterfly and the peacock miraculous,” Ladybug reasoned.

“and I just want my wife back,” Gabriel said, turning to the heroes. “Don’t you want the same, Adrien?”

“I.. She’s gone, Father. I’m going to be gone too if you don’t stop! I miss her as much as you do, but I moved on because it’s healthy! This isn’t healthy and would she want to be brought back like this? All this destruction, chaos, and pain? Would she even be able to look at you the same knowing that you’ve hurt Paris, my friends, and your only son?” Chat asked, stepping forward as Gabriel fell to his knees. “Please, Dad stop this.”

“Under one condition,” Gabriel asked, looking up at his son.

“Depends on the condition old man,” Queenie said from behind Chat.

“I want to be able to stay here with you and try to make up the time I wasted. Also please don’t tell the public who I am, the media would tear you and the company to pieces. You would probably be seen as an accomplice and wouldn't be trusted most likely anywhere,” Gabriel pleads, grabbing his son’s hand, the one without Chat’s miraculous.

“Group talk, huddle up,” Viperon said, beckoning everyone in.

“We could make him do stuff like community service, but subtly so it doesn’t raise any suspicion,” Ryuko reasoned, once everyone had gathered in the huddle of heroes.

“What would we tell the public,” Queenie asked, looking around the circle.

“After Hawkmoth ran, we found his miraculous that he had left on a rooftop,” Ladybug started a plan forming.

“When we went to find the civilian Hawkmoth he had already run,” Chat finished.

“Good enough for me,” Viperon agreed.

“What if we make him start a foundation,” Queenie suggested. “I could help since I am the Mayor’s daughter and have connections”

“He caused a lot of chaos, what if we make him start a disaster foundation? Natural disasters because those are a common thing here. Fires and floods, simple things,” Ryuko added.

“Ok we have a proposition then,” Chat said, breaking the huddle then looked towards Gabriel. “Father we came to a decision you can be unknown from the public, but you have to start a natural disaster foundation. Also something I’m adding get your mental health checked along with weekly therapy. If you choose these conditions you can stay at home as Gabriel Agreste and Hawkmoth will never be you again. If not we can take you into the police station right now.”

Needless to say, Gabriel had accepted the heroes’ gracious offer and handed over the butterfly and peacock miraculous, which was brought back to Master Fu. He had given her the Miracle Box because he wanted to retire soon after the defeat of Hawkmoth. The public was angry at first due to the fact they wouldn’t know the identity of Hawkmoth, but they thought the heroes didn’t know so they were less angry. Adrien sighed and jumped onto her balcony and headed home.

When Marinette woke up the next morning she looks around dazed for a moment or two this had been one of the first times she had gotten a full night's sleep in awhile. It was all thanks to her partners, she hadn’t even woken from a nightmare. She also woke up a bit earlier than her alarm, so she got up and put her hair in a bun, did some light makeup. She put on a white shoulderless short-sleeved shirt with little flowers near the neckline, a bubblegum pink flowy skirt, and a pair of darkish grey tights. She then finished the look with the same bubblegum color of her skirt for ballet shoes. When finished getting dressed she put cookies in her signature purse. She climbed up the ladder leading towards her bed to wake up her kwami. 

“Tikki, time to wake up,” Marinette said, quietly.

“Good morning,” Tikki yawned. “You look nice this morning!”

“I got up early. I must’ve fallen asleep on patrol,” Marinette said. “I woke up on time and I didn’t have any nightmares.”

“That’s so good! You haven’t gotten enough sleep lately,” Tikki said, flying up out of her bed.

“Marinette! It’s time to leave!” Sabine shouted from downstairs. Marinette checked her phone and saw that it was true so she went downstairs. “Sweetie you look extra beautiful today! Did you sleep better than normal?”

“Yes, I slept well, love you mama see you after school!” She kissed her mama and left for school.

As she arrives Adrien’s car pulls up and she sees Chloe waiting by the bottom of the steps near the entrance of the school. Chloe is wearing her hair down straight but with the top part of her hair pulled back and held in with her miraculous. She is wearing a black pencil skirt that ends just above the knee, a flowy light yellow shirt, and paired with black flats.

When Adrien and Marinette meet Chloe they give both give her and each other a hug. They then walk inside to be met with the mess known as Lila and her posse. They meet in the courtyard where Alya and Lila try to get an apology out of Marinette.

"Lila, I didn't hit you. There's enough proof to say that I didn't, but yet you continue with your web of lies. Why would I want to hit you?" Marinette asked, crossing her arms as Adrien and Chloe stand behind her.

"Because you are jealous that I'm dating Adrien. I'm sorry Adrihoney that I told her our secret," Lila cried. "I just can't take her jealousy or torture anymore." 

"Lila we're not dating..." Adrien started but was cut off again by Lila sobbing louder.

"You don't have to lie to them, they already know the truth. I can't let you hide your feelings for me anymore," Lila sobbed.

"Lila, what truth did you tell them the truth or the truth you want? I would never date you, Lila. You are too clingy, annoying, and you're always lying. Plus I'm happily dating someone; I'm pretty sure I love her," Adrien finished.

"Marinette, you slut, you're sleeping with Lila's boyfriend when you know that they are happily together," Alya raged, rubbing Lila's back.

“It’s like I’m not even here!” Adrien said, throwing his hands up in defeat. 

"First of all, Adrien is just a friend. Second of all, how dare you call me or his actual girlfriend a slut and last Adrien's girlfriend could take Lila down in a heartbeat," Marinette said, stepping forward. "Adrien's girlfriend may not be the kindest at first glance, but what I wouldn't do to help one of my best friends."

She then walked to class with the two blonds glaring at the rest of the class following behind. The rest of the day was filled with excited chatter for the upcoming gala. Lila was bragging over the fact the uprising star, who she ‘helped’ found MDC's talent, made her dress just because Lila is so nice.

"MDC, he is so incredibly nice and handsome. He has milk chocolate hair and the brightest blue eyes you would ever see. It was love at first sight when he had first seen me. It was just after I had saved Jagged Stone's cat from the airport's terminal. MDC was with Jagged because he is Jagged's lost nephew," Lila started then her face fell. "I couldn't stay with him though, I was getting ready to fly to Gotham to be with my childhood sweetheart, my Damiboo. I'm sorry or as you would know him, Damian Wayne."

"Seriously! you've met the Waynes and Bruce Wayne's heir is in love with you?!?" Alya exclaimed. "You have to get me an interview with them!"

"Next time I visit my Damiboo I'll ask him, but he's kind of shy," Lila smiles, looking at all of her adoring followers. 

Marinette sighed as the bell rung thankful for the end of her lies even if only temporarily. After her class, which was uneventful, she headed home to help her parents finish up in the bakery and eventually helped them close it. She saw that they had dragged out there nicer clothes.

"Sweetheart, would you be a dear and fit and fix my dress," Sabine asked, looking back at Marinette as she cooked. 

"Of course Mama I'll fix it up after dinner," Marinette said as she was finishing up her homework.

They had a nice peaceful dinner after plates were cleaned, and leftovers were put away Marinette and her mother headed upstairs to fix her mother's dress. "Mama you look beautiful," Marinette said looking over the traditional Chinese red cheongsam.

"Thank you, Marinette," Sabine pauses, looking at herself in the mirror. "Pretty soon I'm going to give it to you. It was your grandmother's and I think you deserve it."

"Thank you, Mama," Marinette smiled, fixing the tear near the hem. "It's all fixed Mama. You look beautiful. I hope you have a great time tomorrow."

"I just wish you would come with us," Sabine sighed, hugging her daughter.

"I would but I had already made plans with Adrien, Kagami, and Luka," Marinette told the decided upon story.

"OK have fun at least," Sabine smiled before heading downstairs to show her husband.

Since it was Ryuko and Viperon's turn to patrol she went to bed early.

[captainjimothycarter]

How about that AU where single parents Steggy meet because their kids meet each other in Pre-school and seem to recognize each other, and you get Steggy dismantling some horrible institution realizing their adopted from overseas toddlers were twins intentionally split up for 'reasons' and obviously you just gotta live together now man, twins can't be split again, guess we're together. Cause Maximoffs in New York, and Steve vs the hellion that is 4 year old Pietro.

 Something tells me that if I apologize for this being long, no one will complain, but anyway: I’m sorry for what I’m about to do and how I butcher this. OP, I love these prompts so much.

--

“You’re serious?”

Steve is fully aware that he doesn’t even know Peggy and he’s never seen her look more serious. She’s staring at him over the rim of her steaming coffee mug with an expression that says, you’re an idiot. Laid before them are a few folders, binders, and files, the contents spread out. This marked their life together.

The start of their life together.

It was late at night, Wanda was asleep with Pietro, curled up in his bed. The kid insisted she slept in the same bed and wouldn’t be told no and fuck, Steve couldn’t tell Wanda no. Not when she made that cute, little face that knew she’d get whatever she wanted. Besides, they couldn’t tear them apart again. They were toddlers who barely understood the situation. It’s not like the adults were doing much better.

Rubbing at the bridge of his nose, Steve let out a loud sigh and tensed. He waited to hear Wanda’s whimpers or Pietro’s groans, but none came. His eyes fell to the stranger before him, wondering how did they miss each other.

“You do understand that this isn’t our fault?” Peggy asks him in a soft tone as if she’s trying to convince herself. She lays her hand on his wrist, the pad of her thumb rubbing over the inside of Steve’s wrist. “We had no way of knowing. None. Even though background checks, I didn’t find anything that said this.”

“Doesn’t mean I feel any less guilty here.” He downed the rest of his coffee like it was a shot and made a face at the coffee grounds sliding down his throat. Ugh. That’s what he gets for a shitty coffee maker. “We didn’t do this but now we have the consequences. How do we repair…four years of that?!”

“Steven.” The way she said his name made him frown at her. He looked like one more surprise news away from a breakdown. Poor guy. He really has been working himself to the ground. “I adopted Pietro when he was three months old. You adopted Wanda when she was two. They were separated for whatever goddamn reason. We both took the kids to give them a better life. How the hell we wounded up meeting is-is fate, is all it is. It’s fate.”

“Reverse Parent Trap.” He muttered under his breath and Peggy snorted, looking utterly embarrassed that she snorted. He deserved that slap to his shoulder. It was odd, how close they felt and barely knew one another. All he knew that she was from England, she now lived in America, and she adopted the twin brother of his daughter. “So what do we do now? We can’t keep them away from one another, that’s fucking torture! We’re lucky they remembered each other. Or had some weird twin connection, hell if I know.”

The man was clearly frustrated and Peggy wanted to soothe him, but she had to keep her head on here. She looked back at the paperwork. The second they’d realized something was odd when she picked up Pietro from pre-K, Steve had rushed home to go get every document he ever had of Wanda and brought it back to her place.

The twins had to have some connection, didn’t they? They recognized one another, had some draw to it. When Steve saw them together, she gasped out loud because they looked so similar and not in the manner little kids do when they’re young. It took a DNA swab test designed by Stark Industries to work in under an hour to confirm their suspicions.

Explaining that the kids were not so much easier. There were endless questions and Wanda’s assumptions they split them up before Peggy had to prove that no they didn’t. It was the people in the hospital. Then Pietro’s declaration that all hospital people were bad and Steve tried to gently explain no they weren’t because sometimes bad, bad mistakes happen. So far, that’s all they could do was chuck this up to mistakes. They weren’t exactly sure. Besides, his ma was a nurse and she wasn’t bad.

“What do we do now?” Peggy mused, taking their coffee mugs and setting them in the sink. She started to clean the table with Steve’s help, carefully organizing everything together. She stared at the photo of Wanda on Steve’s shoulders in front of some museum, then of hers with Pietro on a goddamn child leash because he loved to try to run off. “I think you know. We can be civil about it.”

“Or…” Steve stood up and gently took the binder from her arms. There was a glint in his eyes as he took her hands and gently pressed a few kisses along her fingertips. It’s the boldest he’s been since he arrived at her apartment. “We don’t go about it civil. The first thing you did when you saw me was check out my ass.” Peggy’s ears turning pink told Steve he was right. “We can go about this the right way or…our way.”

If Peggy had anything to say, Steve didn’t hear it. Her lips were on his, his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

--

“So when is their birthday?” Howard asked, frowning as he watched the toddlers play with the water guns in the kid’s play area of Stark Industries.

Steve hated this. It felt like an interrogation room with the mirrored glass. They weren’t criminals. They were kids. Confused kids. “We don’t know,” he replied, turning to look at Peggy where she was bending over to study some flight plans charted on the table. That was Peggy, alright, newly appointed aviator of Stark Industries, Steve’s girlfriend [God that made him giddy], and an old-fashion soul. She loved computers but loved everything else handheld and on paper, so the charts were easier. “Pegs? Peggy.”

Peggy jumped and turned around, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry. I was double checking my courses. I swear, I didn’t lose that shipment,” she mumbled, still hung up on the situation. “Anyway, yes? What is it?”

“Birthday, Pegs,” Howard rolled his eyes and slid in the rolling chair to the table she was at. He rolled up the chart much to her pouting. “When are their birthdays? If you want me to get their paperwork right and set up properly, I need to know.”

Steve wasn’t sure if he liked Howard Stark. The man was eccentric, a ball of energy. He didn’t know when to sit still and bounced from one side of the room to the next. He was balls to the wall when hyped up about something. But he was Peggy’s friend and boss, so he set his opinions aside to focus on the matter at hand. They couldn’t trust many people with this information, Peggy had asked Howard to design the twins paperwork to reflect that they were twins and family and Steve and Peggy both were their parents.

“We’re unsure. Steve’s paperwork for Wanda says April 19th. Mine says September 12th.” She pursed her lips in thought, her eyes on Steve. A silent conversation passed through them, leaving Howard confused. Her head just ever so slightly nodded. “October 1st.”

If Howard had a complaint, he said nothing. Or at least Steve didn’t hear him because at that point Pietro had cornered Wanda with the water gun. Howard turned back to Peggy with a fond smile. “The guy must really like you. He’s quiet. Thoughtful.” She rolled her eyes at him, causing the genius to smirk. “And no, you didn’t lose the shipment. It was stolen. I got guys working on it.”

“Peggy!” Steve’s voice betrayed the emergency of the situation, causing Peggy to abandon Howard and run straight to the playroom.

She gasped at the sight of Steve held in the air, a screaming Wanda in his arms, surrounded by red energy. The second she got close, Steve fell to the floor on his backside but held a terrified Wanda tightly to him.

“We have a situation,” he groaned to her.

As if their already situation wasn’t tricky enough.

--

So that’s it.

Steve was married to the wonderful Peggy Carter, aviator for Stark Industries. He was a stay at home father with a pair of twins. Twins separated shortly after their birth and now reunited. Twins with powers. Confusing powers that not even they understood.

Their relationship had changed in a matter of weeks. With the secrecy of everything that happened, they agreed it was best to get married ASAP. Bucky wasn’t too happy about them skipping a wedding and getting to embarrass Steve with a speech but even he agreed.

So that was it then, huh?

Not quite.

Wanda’s powers were difficult to understand and anytime Steve thought he could understand how she manipulated things or levitated them, or controlled minds, he was reminded he barely had control of the situation.

Pietro was almost just as worse with his speed.

They were kids, toddlers at that. Confusing toddlers were bad enough, but toddlers with superpowers? Now that was just a daily headache. They couldn’t control them. Once Pietro sneezed and jolted back all the way through the house and into his bed. He just thought it was fun and showed his mama as soon as she got home.

So what were they supposed to do? The only thing they could.

Move to a bigger home in the countryside. Steve took up being a comic artist, but more focused on stay at homework. Peggy continued her job at Stark Industries because part of her didn’t trust Stark. He knew about the powers but they worried through every test and blood sample that he might betray them. Now that Howard seemed to be that guy but Peggy couldn’t take her chances.

Thankfully Howard’s contacts had come through and they found a teacher, someone named Xavier who could help with the twin's powers. The only problem was, the guy was somewhere overseas and it would be after the new year before he could come to assess the problems. For now, Steve would send him daily updates and Xavier had started to couch Steve through working the twins through some testing or obstacle or stuff.

Their improvement showed and the father couldn’t have been more proud.

All Steve could say was, yes this situation was certainly an odd one. He never thought he’d adopt a child, much less a better half of a twin, a powered twin at that. Never did he thought he’d be with someone the likes of Peggy. A beautiful woman that took no shit and had no problem dishing it back out or putting Steve in his place when he needed it.

He never thought he’d have a successful career as a comic artist or even be a stay at home dad, but here he was.

Here he was in a loving, beautiful home that was chaotic at the best times, with two loving kids who just always wanted a family to belong to. And really, Steve and Peggy had done their both to give it to them.

Life was chaotic but it was good.

It was their life.

One Peggy and Steve had decided they’d carve it out together.

[ficstogo]

Bless Thee

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count: 2512

Summaries: (S3) During dinner, an outburst leads to some hurtful things to be said and Daryl tries to comfort you in your distress.

Warnings: None

A/N: I didn’t know if I wanted to give this extra character a name or not but if I decide if I ever wanted to progress this particular one shot, I will. Hopefully it’s not too confusing with seeing so many pronouns.

The sun began to set as everyone entered the house. You helped set the dinner table happy to see a fresh meal that you could actually enjoy instead of eating either beans or corn out of a can. The last one to come in the house had an aura of irritation surrounding her. You worried about her. Your sister seemed to always be in a bad mood and everytime you tried talking to her about it always ends with her either blowing you off or yelling things you try to recover from.

You seated yourself at the head of the table, your sister to your right next to Andrea and Lori. Everyone felt weary as the turn of events of the passed few days worn all of you out. Sophia was found and yet taken, everyone was at odds as to what to do with the boy in the barn, the entire Greene family was trying to recover from the previous event. All you wished for was a small break, a win if anything instead of having a giant boulder of problems weighing everyone down.

“Y/n, would you please start the prayer?” Hershel asked as he was seated next to you on the left.

“Of course.” Heads bowed and hands together, you began the prayer. “Dear Lord, thank you for blessing us with a fine meal that these sweet women of the farm had made for us. Thank you for having shown us that good people are still out there in this cruel world and for having all of us still together-” A low chuckle came out from the table. Everyone slowly raised their heads to see who it came from and as you feared, it came from your sister. “Is there something funny?” you said with a stern look on your face. You knew what was coming and you had to get things under control.

“All of us together? Really? I can count that there are more than five people who should be here missing.” She said with an attitude you recognized all too well. It was something normal but lately she had a chip on her shoulder. She was more angry all the time, waiting to pick a fight.

“You know well enough what I mean. Do not do this now.”

“What? Make you look bad? Make you look stupid? You would hate that wouldn’t you?” She said with eyes squinting at you. “I bet you were overjoyed when she died.” The last bit came out quieter, like a deadly predator.

“Stop. We will talk about this later.” You said in a stern voice once more.

“No I don’t want later I want now! I want everyone to see how fake you are. Pretending to be some sort of saint. That you weren’t in the wrong for leaving mom like that. For them to eat! And everytime we talk about her you always gotta make her to be the bad guy.” You looked down at your plate with guilt in your eyes. You felt your face heat up and took a deep breath.

“You don’t know her the way I did. I sheltered you from her and maybe that’s my fault for doing that. She was a drunk and remember that the only reason you ever gotten a decent life was because of me.” You took a peek back at her and then look down at your dinner.

“Oh my god! When are you going to stop hanging that over my head?!” She said exasperated. She had heard you made this speech several times whenever the both of you argued beginning when she was a teenager. She got what you were saying, so why do you constantly bring it up?

“When you start to understand that all we got is each other and that you need to start respecting me. And not because of that but because I am trying.”

“And like I don’t deserve some respect! All my life you’ve treated me like a baby.”

“I had to become a mother at the age of 12 because your real mom didn’t want nothing to do with being one! The only reason you remember her in such a positive way was because I hid the real her from you as long as I can! And I know you’re grown but I can’t help look at you more than my baby!” You tried hard to contain your composure as you felt that you were about to cry., You swallowed the lump in your throat. You needed her to understand but each time, she just refused to let what you say sink in. “Until you show me that you’re more than that then I will start treating you like the woman you can be but right now, your attitude and your actions show that you are still a child.”

“Oh, and what do you want? An award?” Your sister said sarcastically.  “And me! Being a child?! You treating me like a baby is the entire reason she died! If you treated me like the adult that I am, I could’ve fought them off and gotten her back!”

“If I had lettin you go you would’ve been just as dead as her or worse and then what would I have to live for!?” The sentence came out firm, declaring the reason why you did what you did back when everything went into frenzy. When the world finally cracked and everyone went into hysteria.

“Well sometimes I wish you were the one they got instead of her! Then you wouldn’t be living for much anymore now would you?!” your sister shouted across the dinner table.  Everything went silent. You whipped your head to her with wide eyes. You swallowed the lump in your throat again and kept yourself composed. As soon as she realized what came out of her mouth she instantly felt regret and went to say her apologies only for you to stand up with small bit of silence to follow. “I’m sorry everyone for disrupting dinner.” You then look towards her, trying hard to not let any tears spill, to keep yourself looking strong. “And I’m sorry that God decided for her to go and not me but understand that all that I do, I do for you.”  and then you left as your sisters eyes followed you out with a horrified stunned look on her face.

“I gotta-” your sister said as she rose herself from her seat.

“Naw, let me. She’ll need some space.” Daryl said as he headed towards the door. Andrea wrapped an arm around your sister as she told her things would be alright and to give you some time. That these kind of things happened. Everything was now uneasy in the house as no one knew how to go on with the night. As they all thought to who they lost. Although they knew it was out of anger, they knew your sister was right. There were people that should still be here but they also knew that they wouldn’t have gone if God didn’t intend for them to go.

You headed into the RV and took a seat at the table. You tried to hold off the tears for a little longer but you couldn’t do it anymore. Keeping up the facade of being strong only made you breakdown each time and the worst part was breaking down by yourself. It only made you feel more alone as you made sure for your sister to see you put together and not like this. If she saw you like this, she might’ve taken joy, or worse, she would lose the hope that things would be alright. If she saw that you didn’t believe it then all hope would really be lost. You couldn’t do that. Some days you felt as if things would be alright but most of the time you felt that there was no end and if there was, it wasn’t an ending anyone would want.

As Daryl walked towards the RV, he could hear you quietly sobbing. He stood there for a minute, not really knowing what to do. Feelings were not his forte but he couldn’t help but want to stop the pain. They’ve all been through enough and he knew there was more mud and blood to get through but if he could help with this kind of pain, hell, he’ll do it. Slowly he came inside the RV, waiting by the entrance. He’ll do what he can. You had your head against the glass, looking out towards the unforsaken world with the idea that maybe there really isn’t much hope left.

“Ya alright?” His voice startled you. You sniffed and looked towards the window trying to discreetly wipe away your tears.

“Uh, yeah I’m fine. Just needed some space to think and all.” You said as you turned and gave a weak smile.

“You know she don’t mean that though, right?” you looked down at your hands on your lap and gave yourself a thought.

“Yeah…Still hurts though.” Daryl came a little closer standing by the seat across from you. “I know it’s wrong of me to tell her things about our mom to change how she views her. In my head I thought it was a good idea after she got taken. Tell her and maybe she wouldn’t cry every night about her. I shoulda known it wouldn’t since I’d catch myself crying about her too.”

“I know what ya mean. Merle, he’s a total asshole to me and everyone he knew. Treated me like shit but he’s still my brother ya know? I try to either think that he’s alright somewhere and other times I just think of how much of an asshole he is… Blood is blood. They’re always gonna be apart of ya.” You then look at Daryl. For someone so quiet, you should of known that he has a lot to say. You just didn’t know they’d be wise.

“She thinks I hated her and I did at times but like you said, blood is blood and no matter what, she’s still my mom and I love her…I only want her to understand instead of getting so angry all the time. I know I gotta treat like an adult but it’s so hard to admit it. She’s always gonna be my baby girl…” you looked down at your fidgeting fingers feeling more tears slide down your cheeks. “Maybe it was wrong of me to not show her who her real mom is but I couldn’t let her grow up the way I did…” a choked sob came out of you. “I use to make her sleep either in my bed or go over to one of her better off friends for the night whenever mama brought over a man. I wouldn’t sleep the whole night…” your shoulders shook as you lowered your head even more. Crying at the memories. Daryl felt for you. You both grew up with a shitty childhood and he could understand your reasoning for sheltering your sister from it. If he had a youngling himself, he’d do the same.

“Hey…” Daryl reached over having his hand on top of yours. “You’re a good woman and you’re sister’s lucky to have ya. Hell, I wish I had someone like you growin’ up. Tryna make my life easy while she’s doin’ the heavy liftin’…” You looked up at him, his blue eyes full of emotion and truth. It was strange of him to be meddling in someone’s family affairs since he was busy with his own but what he witnessed at the dinner table, he realized that these people are his family and he couldn’t stand by the sidelines without doing something about it. “You n yer sister, you got some things to work through. You gotta drop this lil act of yours and show her yer hurtin’ too. Show her she ain’t alone with those emotions. That’s probably why she thinks yer so okay with your mom gone.” You closed your eyes letting more tears fall and then nodded in agreement.

Your hand gripped onto Daryl’s giving it a squeeze. This side of him you’ve never saw but it was a side of him that somehow managed to pull you back together. “Thank you. For this…for a second I was starting to lose myself.” You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Then both of your heads whipped to the entrance of the RV.

Your sister stood with a look of uneasiness, Andrea behind her with a worried one. You stood up from your seat and moved towards her. Her eyes swelled as she couldn’t hold in the floodgates. She lunged towards, you arms wrapped around you tight, head digging into your shoulder. You wrapped your arms around her as well crying into her. “I’m so sorry…Everything I said, I’m sorry…” You two continued crying into each others arms not noticing that Daryl and Andrea had left, leaving you two to sort your differences alone.

Time had passed and the two of you entered the still quiet house arms around each others waist. Glenn was the first to see you two. “H-hey…How’re you guys?” A smirk rose to your face as you answered Glenns question. “We’re fine. Just finally figured some things out. I’m sorry everyone for that.” You said apologetically. During all the ruckus you didn’t realize that you left everyone in discomfort.

“Don’t be. We’re just glad to see you two alright again. Just reminded me of thanksgiving with the in-laws.” Rick said with care in his eyes. Both you and your sister chuckled at this only thankful that all of them understood.

“Right, well how about we all get back to dinner.” Moving to your seats, everyone pushed in their chairs and ready themselves to dig in. “Hershell, do you mind if we try that prayer again?” You asked.

“By all means, please.” Everyone grabbed ahold of each others hands once more that night. With everyone’s heads bowed and eyes closed you looked up to see a pair of blue eyes staring at you. You gave him a nod as a thank you for what he done, him doing the same with you not noticing the small smile crossing his face, and then the both of you went to bowing your heads.

“Dear Lord, thank you for the wonderful yet cold meal provided to us tonight.” Everyone lightly laughed at this now feeling the atmosphere shifting to calmness. “Thank you for blessing us with good people watching over us everyday. Bless those that we have lost and those that we sit with tonight. Thank you for bringing us all together creating a family during these troublesome times and bless us on our journey as we do not plan to stop on living. Amen.”

Everyone dug in. Jokes were cracked, laughter played like a cherished song. Stories were told and by the end of the night everyone felt content and at home.

[scornedlove]

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chris

Funny how when you want to run into someone, it never happens. Then, the moment you refocus your energy, they’re everywhere you turn. Since Trey and I smoked with Robyn at the festival, I've been running into her everywhere. Once at the grocery store, once at a gas station, and here we were, crossing paths again; this time at Taylor’s gym. I thought being friends would be difficult, but we found our rhythm and boundaries weren’t even an issue. Our run ins no longer felt awkward and since we both had the morning off, we decided to have breakfast together. 

She seemed to glow as she talked about visiting her family recently and all the fun she’d had at crop over. Seeing her smile so bright as she showed me pictures of everyone and all the costumes, made me happy. I was glad she was back to the vibrant Robyn I fell in love with. Since everything seemed easy and natural again, I felt like it was the perfect time to ask her to meet Tae. “I have a question to ask, and I’m not sure how you’re going to respond.” I began, after our omelets were in front of us and our waiter was gone. Her smile dropped and was replaced with uncertainty. She took a deep breath, exhaled, then stared at me as if she were waiting for bad news. “So, I know you won’t be in town for Trey’s wedding, but Tae will be in the city until the day after. The same day you’re supposed to be back, right? I was hoping we could all have breakfast, lunch, or something. I want to introduce you two.” “Why?” she frowned, as she shook her head no. “That‘s completely unnecessary” “Because both of ya’ll are important to me. I haven’t told her that we reconnected, or that we’ve been hanging out, but I don’t want to continue this behind her back.” I explained, hoping she would understand without getting angry. “Chris, I’m going to be honest with you. I want no parts of being friends with your girlfriend, that’s weird as fuck.” “No it’s n-” “Didn’t you say she lives in Texas? Get some time under your belt before I can even take y'all’s relationship serious. Trust me, you gonna fuck it up sooner than you think” she sputtered, before dismissing me with a chuckle.

“I get it, you think I’m foolish for even asking you this”

“You right. I don’t want to see ya’ll together. ”

“It’s not like we’re going to be all over each other in your face. This has been heavy on my heart lately. Can you at least give it a real thought. For me, please?” I begged. “Don’t answer right now, think about it and let me know how you feel next Saturday. Her flight leaves Sunday at 3pm.” “Fine. I’ll think about it” she sighed, rolling her eyes as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Thank you, and thanks for agreeing to come as a surprise on Labor Day. I told Mama you couldn’t make it and she was bummed, she’s gonna be so happy to see you. You don’t even have to stay long. I know you’ll be tired from all the traveling, so this means a lot” “Yeah, well I love mama too. If I can make it happen, I will.” We finished eating and I drove her home. She’d found her a nice condo by the beach, which didn’t surprise me. She always loved being near the water. She invited me up, but I decided against it. I was already pushing the limit by hanging out with my ex-fiance. 

The entire week seemed to drag, but Saturday finally arrived. Trey’s bachelor party was last night, so I was a little hung over. He wanted to go strip club hopping, so that’s what we did. His cousin Victor was the designated driver, so we were able to get fucked up without any worries. Now I was hungover and paying the price. 

“Rise and shine!” Tae’s high-pitched voice echoed in my ears. She floated past my bed and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight burn the shit out of my eyes.  “What the fuck” I groaned, throwing a pillow over my face. “It’s already three o’clock. We gotta get going, the wedding starts in a couple hours. So, drink this and take these” she ordered, setting a glass and two pills on my bed stand, then sitting beside me. “Ten more minutes” I pleaded, with my face still in the pillow. “Nope! It’s time to get up.” She ordered, leaning over me to snatch the pillow and getting a feel for my morning wood. He hasn’t been acknowledged in months, so that small amount of attention made him grow even more, and that came with a little pain. “Alright, if you keep leaning over me like that, you’re gonna be mad at me.” I teased, grabbing her waist and pulling her in for a kiss.  “I’m already mad at you. Now get up, or I’ll find my own way to the wedding.” she snapped, pulling away and throwing the pillow back at me before storming out of the room.  “What did I do?” I called out confused. Yeah, I got wasted last night, but I made it back at a decent time, as promised. Tae wasn’t the type of girl to get mad at minor things, so her attitude towards me right now was something I didn’t understand. 

With the help of Tylenol and a bloody mary, I pulled myself together and was wedding ready within thirty minutes. Tae gave me the silent treatment the entire ride, so by the time we arrived, I was just as irritated as she was. 

“I don’t want to bring bad energy to my best friend’s wedding. So, I’m going to ask you one more time, then I’ll leave it alone; Why are you mad at me?” I asked after turning the car off and giving her my undivided attention. “I don’t want to talk about it” she replied, getting out the car. I felt disrespected when she dismissed me by slamming my car door and walking off as though what I had to say next was unimportant. Luckily, I had a half of a blunt in my glove box. So, instead of losing my temper, I sparked up and felt myself calming down with every exhale.

It's official. My boy is a married man. He and Lala are leaving tomorrow for the Bahamas, and I couldn’t be happier for them. I even teared up during my best man speech, something I’ve always considered corny. He was genuinely happy and in love with his bride, it took a lot not to envy their simplicity. Especially when Tae and I were having our first bump in the road. 

I couldn’t help but isolate myself at the reception. I sat at the bar and although it’s been forever, I smoked a cigarette to prepare for whatever was to come next. I couldn’t imagine why Tae was upset and it was all I could think about. Did she somehow find out about me and Robyn reconnecting? Whatever it was, had her pissed off so it had to be serious.

After keeping our distance all night, we were finally leaving together. It surprised me that she didn’t choose to ride with Lexi, since they were joined at the hip all night, but she must've been her excuse to stay preoccupied. We hadn’t even gotten comfortable in the car yet, when I decided we should pick up our conversation where we left off. I didn’t like being on her bad side, so I was ready to clear the air. We were going to talk about this like adults.

“If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, how am I supposed to fix it?” I asked as soon as we pulled out of the parking space.  “I’m feeling good right now. Please don’t kill my vibe” she frowned as she stared out the window.  “Fuck that. We’re grown, we talk about our problems, regardless of how we're feeling”  “Fine you wanna talk? Let’s talk” she huffed, turning to face me. “Just tell me what I did to piss you off”  “You were stupid drunk last nigh-” “So, you’re mad that I got drunk?” “That wasn’t the problem, I’ll show you the problem” she replied, pulling her phone out. She scrolled through it for a minute, then held it up to show me a video she’d recorded. I was sitting on the couch, obviously faded, when the recording began, and when I noticed her recording, I immediately started laughing. 

“You recording me?” I asked with a big grin as I leaned back and pulled my cap forward.  “Yup, this is for when I’m missing you later” she giggled in the background. “I can’t wait to show you how wasted you got when you wake up tomorrow” “My boy is getting married tomorrow! Fuck yeah I’m wasted” I replied as she started getting closer. “I know right. You’re gonna have to start flying out to see me, since I won’t be coming out here as often. I’m gonna miss you so much” “I be missing you too baby. Honestly, I’m just glad you’re in my life. You know I love you” I replied through hazy eyes. “Wait, what did you say?” she squealed excitedly in the background. “I said I love you Robyn” I grinned, oblivious to the fact that I called her my ex’s name. The video went on for another five seconds, in which I appeared to be falling asleep. “You cannot be serious?” I groaned. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. “I’m sorry baby, but you know I was drunk out of my mind” “A drunk tells no tales” she rolled her eyes and slid her phone back in her purse. I had to admit, if the shoe were on the other foot, I’d be upset too, but I was lost for words. I couldn’t think of anything to say other than sorry and I’d already said that, so we rode in silence the rest of the way home.

For the first time since we met, it was awkward as hell being around Tae. She played with Diamond and said a few words to Anthony, but completely ignored me, until she went to bed. I wasn’t even sure if there was any coming back from that one dumb drunken moment, so I decided to let her sleep on it. Hopefully it’ll blow over by the morning. I spent the rest of the evening staring at the TV, but completely engrossed in my own thoughts until my phone broke my concentration. I was glad for the distraction, but when I saw Robyn’s name, guilt immediately swept over me. I debated on answering, and by the time I decided I would, she had hung up, and a text message popped up a few seconds later. “I actually put some thought into your request…it’s still a no for me. Sorry.” I completely forgot about asking Robyn to meet Tae tomorrow and now, I was glad she decided against it. After last night, nothing positive could come from it, so I silently thanked God and went to sleep. When I woke up the next day, Tae was gone. I tried calling her several times and was sent to voicemail. I sent her a text and when an hour had gone by with no response, I gave in and called Trey. I hated to bother them when they were getting ready for their vacation, but I didn’t know what else to do. “What’s up bro” Trey answered on the second ring. “Can’t win for losing man, I’m always in some shit. Is Lala around?” “What you want with my wife?” he asked playfully, but I was in no mood for games. “I’m looking for Tae bro, has Lala talked to her?” I asked impatiently. I could hear him relay the question, then some mumbling in the background. “Yeah, she talked to her about thirty minutes ago, she was stopping by the house to pick up some stuff she’d left last time. Why, what’s going on?” he asked, now concerned. “What did he do to my friend?” Lala yelled loud enough for me to hear. “Nothing, ya’ll enjoy the Bahamas. I’ll see ya’ll when ya’ll get back” I replied, rushing him off the phone. Now I was irritated. I couldn’t believe the childish way Tae was going about handling our first issue. I fucked up and if she wanted to break things off because of it, I would be fine with that, but I wasn’t going to worry myself over her attitude. I had just gotten out the shower when my phone rang and I just knew it was her finally calling me back, but it was mom.

“Hey Ma, what’s up” I answered, forcing a little ‘cheer’ in my voice. Mama always picked up on negative energy and I didn’t feel like explaining what was going on right now. 

“Did you get the banana bread I left you this morning?”  

“No, I didn’t realize you stopped by” I replied, jumping up to find it. I loved my mom’s baking; she can fix any bad mood. I found it already halfway gone and was pissed that either Anthony or Tae beat me to it.  

“It was before church. I caught Tae as she was on her way out”  

“Oh yeah?”  

“She told me what happened.”  

“She did?”  I quizzed, beating around the bush.

“She sure did. Christopher, are you still in love with Robyn?”  

“Really mom?”  

“I’m just asking. Tae is a great girl, but if you’re in love with Robyn, then you gotta let somebody go”  

“I was drunk ma; it wasn’t that deep. I don’t see why Tae wants to talk to you about it and not me”  

“Just give her some time. She’ll come around and when she does, you gotta be understanding. She must be feeling threatened by the love you still have for Robyn. You can’t fault her for that.”  

“What did you change about this banana bread?” I countered, changing the topic as I devoured my second slice.

“I added cream cheese. I knew you would catch that” she chuckled.

“This is the bomb and I didn’t think it could get any better before. You should make it like this from now on. Do you need anything for tomorrow?” I asked, licking the crumbs from my fingers and going for another slice.

“I have everything covered, but I’ll let you know if I think of something. You watch yourself now, and figure out what you’re gonna do about these women. You can’t keep playing with their hearts. You never know what could trigger them to do something crazy.”

“Mama I’m not playing with Tae, she’s the one being childish about the situation”  

“I said what I said Christopher. Get yourself together.” she instructed before we hung up. I cleaned up around the house, then took Diamond for a walk to take my mind off of Tae. When I got back, Anthony was at the dining room table wolfing down the last of the banana bread and Diamond wasted no time cleaning up the crumbs he’d dropped on the floor.

“This shit right here is bomb as fuck” he exclaimed through full jaws. I was trying my hardest to be cool, but I was pissed. I’m stingy when it comes to mama’s cooking and he should’ve asked before eating my shit.  

“Yeah, I didn’t intend on sharing. I’ll have mama make more next time.”  I shrugged, clenching my jaws.

“My bad bro, I didn’t realize ya mama made this for you. I damn near ate the whole loaf. I was gonna buy you another one...” he offered, his eyes rolling back as he swallowed the last of it.

“I ain’t tripping. Don’t let it happen again tho.” I ordered as I wiped sweat from my brow. I was still recuperating from that hangover, so that walk took a lot from me. 

“What you got up for the day?” I asked, pulling out my tin can of greenery and a stick from the kitchen drawer. I sat down to roll up and Anthony pulled across from me to do the same.

“Not shit. It’s Sunday. You know I don’t do shit on Sunday. What about ya’ll?”

 “Same, not shit. Tae already left, so it’s just me.”  

“Yeah, she told me what you did” he snickered.

“Damn! She’s telling everybody” I shook my head in frustration as I lit the blunt and took a long drag. “Why is she acting like I did the shit on purpose?”  

“That’s women for you. I feel like kicking some ass on the court today. You tryna hoop?” 

“Hell yeah…only if you keep your shirt on.” I teased, passing him the blunt. Every time an attractive woman shows up at the court, he’s ready to start stripping.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my body” he joked taking a hit and passing it back to me. 

“Nah, you be up there flexing for the thotties. Every time I turn around you getting a new number.” 

“Cause I’m a playa”  

“Hey man, you like it, I love it. Just don’t bring em here. I don’t have time for shit to start coming up missing”  

“You don’t gotta worry about that. The only one I bring here is Ryan”  

“Well that’s the homie, so that don’t count”  

“You know, she’s been acting distant lately”  

“Maybe she doesn’t wanna be one of your hoes anymore”  

“Shut up man, I’m serious. We went from kicking it every day to once or twice a week. She gets distant when her period comes, but it’s been three weeks now. The next one is coming up” he frowned, stroking his chin in thought.

“Seriously? I thought you were a playa, but you over here tracking periods and shit. You got it bad and don’t even know it”

“That ain’t it. I know I say some stupid shit sometimes, but I do like having shorty around. She cool peoples”

“Well the good ones don’t stay around when you have a whole line they have to wait in. You might have to start cutting back” I pointed out.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for all that serious relationship shit. That’s why you’re in the predicament you’re in now” he argued, his face twisted with uncertainty.

“It’s a lot that comes with it, that’s for damn sure” I agreed with a nod, although we were both right. Unlike him, I was willing to put forth the effort in being a good boyfriend, but somehow I always managed to fuck up. If being a player were easy, I’d have no problem with doing that, but someone always ends up hurt in that type of situation. That’s not something I’m willing to have on my heart. 

We smoked a couple more before going to the basketball court. It was hot as hell, so we only played three games of one on one and I won two. I felt good and made sure to gloat all the way home. I’d left my phone at home when we went to hoop, but I still didn’t get a call from Tae. I tried her one more time that night, but she sent me to voicemail again. I figured she must’ve found her own way to the airport and made it home already, so I let her be. It was out of my hands. 

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Like father, like daughter; Peter Quill x teen reader

Now this request does have some triggers, do NOT i repeat do NOT give me hate or report this oneshot because this was specific of the requestor to have this mentioned in her oneshot. There IS UNDERAGED DRINKING WHICH I DO NOT SUPPORT!! You can wait till your legal kids, drunk driving ALWAYS CALL SOMEONE TO TAKE U HOME THERE’S NO POINT IN PUTTING YOURSELF AND SOMEONE ELSE IN DANGER, and maybe some swearing? Other than that I hope you all enjoy this :)

_________________________________________________________

"Come on dad!"

"No and this is the last time we discuss this matter!"

"Why can't I go out and explore your planet's dance clubs?" I asked.

"Because 1, they sell alcohol there. 2, they've gotten crazier than I last remember, 3, you are TOO young. And 4, because I said so". Grrr. Okay let's pause this conversation for introductions, my name is (y/n) Quill daughter of the self-proclaimed Star Lord Peter Quill, self-proclaimed hero of the Guardians of the Galaxy. After saving Xandar we explored other galaxies and other planets saving them, robbing them, bit of both at times but right now we decided to just simply take a vacation and dad thought it'd be a great idea to go back to his home planet of Earth for a little visit, see how much it changed since he was taken by Yondu and the Ravagers.

After about a week we've been here, I started to get bored out of my mind that was until I heard a couple of kids my age going to club party downtown. So I asked my dad if I could go and he said no and well you know the rest.

"You really hate me don't you?"

"I do not hate you. I just don't trust with the way people act around now a days. This isn't like back in the 80's when dancing didn't involve sexual touching or impregnating someone. I just want my baby girl safe and not pregnant".

"I can take care of myself dad, Gamora taught me how to break a man's arm with just my thighs".

"And I'll always be grateful to that, but my answer is still no. Now we're gonna get some more supplies and leave first thing in the morning for Knowhere, I received a transmission from Cosmo about a problem they're having". My dad then walked away leaving me alone in my room pouting.

Once, just once I'd like to do something fun that's not just stealing from everyone or saving the galaxy I mean don't get me wrong I like that stuff but it gets boring when you do it every single day in an endless cycle. So I decided that if I wasn't going to get permission to go the party downtown, I was gonna have to sneak out.

I waited till nightfall when the team and I would be gathering supplies plus other stuff that we wanted from Earth to take with us. And when I placed in my new "laptop" into my room I then ran into my dad and said.

"Hey dad, I happened to have seen this really rare vintage guitar and I really, really wanna buy it so can I? Please?"

"Alright but be back in an hour and a half, we'll be leaving by then okay?" I ran off but my dad stopped me by saying, "hey hold on!" He ran up to me and hugged me tightly and said, "I love you yah little monster"

"I love you too yah big dork, now can I please go the shop's about to close".

"Okay, okay go on then. And watch out for gangs and muggers on the streets!" He called out to me as I ran onwards but I wasn't going to the music store.

When I got downtown and saw the club bursting with life and sound, my heart raced with anxiety but mostly excitement, my first real human party with no aliens and no father to breathe down my neck. I entered inside when a guy in all black stopped me and said.

"ID kid?"

"Ahh yes here you go," I showed him my special psychic paper that even though it would appear blank before me, to anyone else it could show anything I wanted to so I was indeed a normal Earth being and some freak who appears human but whose baby mama was an alien model for "Space-Vogue".

"Alright step on in". He said as he moved to the side and handed me back my psychic paper. I kissed it and said.

"Oh thank you Captain". I slip my wallet back into my pants pocket and took in all the clubbing scene. Everyone was dancing, jumping up and down, flashy lights everywhere, music booming and vibrating off the walls and all around me were laughs and loud talking.

I tried to make my way through the crowd when I took notice the group of teens from earlier and one of the boys of the group was looking right at me and I gotta admit he was pretty cute for a Terran. He came up to me and said.

"Hey there".

"Hello". I said.

"I don't think I've seen you around before? I mean I'd recognize a beautiful face such as yours anywhere". I lightly blushed and said.

"Just a visitor passing by, my dad doesn't really know that I'm here".

"Ahh you snuck out too huh? Yeah my friends and I did that too, come on let me introduce you uhh—"

"(Y/n)".

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl, name's (b/n) come on I'll introduce you". He wrapped his arm around my back and guided me towards his group of friends. We all talked and chatted away and danced some when (b/n) came in with a bottle of scotch and his friends all began cheering. "Come on (y/n) what you haven't drank before?"

"Oh yeah I've done it before, lots of times, I even once beat both my uncle Drax and Rocket into a drinking competition, but it was with stuff a whole lot stronger. But I promised my dad I wasn't going to do it anymore, he grounded me for 6 months".

"Well what your old man won't know, won't hurt him". He handed me a shot glass of scotch and one of the girls cheered me on.

"Come on (y/n)! Live it up!" Soon everyone started cheering me on and I looked to (b/n) and smirked at him.

Meanwhile back at the Milano, Peter was pacing frantically as he said.

"It's been hours already. Where could she be?"

"Take it easy Peter, I'm sure she's fine" Gamora stated.

"How the hell can you be so calm about this Gamora?!"

"More importantly how have you not fallen down from the floor already Quill? You've been pacing in the same circle for over 2 hours now" Rocket said as he was admiring his huge and I mean HUGE sack of duct-tape he had "gotten". A fiddle was heard at the door and the Guardians all looked at each other worriedly only they knew where they were staying at and the people at the desk swore they'd keep it hush-hush.

"Okay everyone stay here, I'll see who it is". Peter walked up to the door with his blaster ready to fire but when he opened it he saw me on the floor.

"Hey! You got the door open dad!" I exasperated happily.

"Excuse me sir is she your daughter?" A male officer asked as he helped balance me along with a female cop.

"Yes she is, is there a problem officer?"

"We caught her and a bunch of other teenagers drinking at a club downtown. They then proceeded to cause a rumble to happen outside the club. Now given the fact that she wasn't near the fight and just wandering the streets drunk we brought her home here. No charges will be put in her name". The female officer said.

"Thank you officers, thank you" my dad stated trying to keep his calm and not blow his top. "Okay sweetheart come here" my dad then picked me up and I went "wee!" "Have a goodnight officers and thanks again and I am terribly sorry for all the fuss".

"No worries, just be sure to keep your girl under radar, next time we may not be so forgiving about it" the male officer said then the two of them left.

My dad walked me back inside and dropped me into the couch making me bounce a bit into the air.

"Wow! Bouncy, bouncy. Very bouncy".

"(Y/n) (m/n) Quill do have any idea how worried sick I was!?"

"Shhhh, don't tell dad this but—tee-hee I snuck out to go to that party downtown".

"No really I had no idea!?" My dad spat out sarcastically!

"Shhhh I told you to keep it down" soon I passed out from all the scotch. My dad shook his head and threw me over his shoulder and said to the other Guardians.

"We're leaving. Now!" No one dared test Peter because none of them had seen him this mad since the first time I drank behind his back. They went to the roof of the hotel and Rocket unmasked the Milano and we all boarded inside and dad set me on my bed and went back to the control room. "Gamora you take first watch over (y/n), Rocket and Groot you'll take the second and Drax you take the third. If she wakes up during any of your shifts call me immediately". Dad demanded sternly.

"And what are you going to do while we watch over your daughter?" asked Drax.

"I'm preparing my beyond grounded till the end of the galaxy speech!" Dad then punched the gears and the Milano then took off out into the atmosphere.

I woke up to a massive hangover. My head pouncing hardly like I had ran into a steal wall leaped into the air and dove down head first on top of the Dark Aster. My eyes flinched and I heard my dad say.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" I groaned in agony and whispered.

"Do you have to be so loud?"

"Let me think oh umm—YES!!" I cried out in pain and said.

"What is wrong with you? I have a hangover and this is how you take care of your own daughter?"

"Well my daughter wouldn't have disobeyed me and gone to that party and get involved with other underage drinkers and almost get involved in their fight! You're lucky when you get drunk you get all loopy and giddy!" My dad then placed a water and a pill down for me and I took it and groaned in pain. "So, start talking. Why'd you do it?"

"Why do you care?" I snapped.

"Because my daughter went behind my back and I wanna know why!?"

"Fine you wanna know!? I'm sick and tired of doing the same damn thing over and over again. We save the day, we steal stuff, we go to parties. You over my neck! I'm not a little kid anymore dad! If I wanted to go dancing and have a couple of drinks with new friends I can do that!"

"Not if those so called friends get into fights when they've had one too many!"

"It's my life dad! Stop trying to control me!"

"I'm sorry. My sister DIED because of a drunk driver! I wasn't going to allow my little girl to suffer the same fate!" Dad choked out with tears in his eyes. My anger diminished and I just looked at him in shock. Dad then tried to say something but he as too upset to even speak as he sat down at one of my chairs. I slowly walked up to him and sat down beside him and said softly.

"I didn't know you had a sister".

"Older sister by 8 years. Oh man (y/n) she was my bestest friend, she did everything for me, and she was there when your grandmother was—well you know".

"What happened to her?" My dad sighed deeply and proceeded to tell me.

"I thought that forgetting about it would make the pain easier, but sadly time doesn't heal all wounds. She was on her way home from a school dance. She had gotten asked out to prom, I was staying with my grandpa at the time cause me mom was still being processed if she had cancer or not. She was almost home like by five minutes when this asshole ran a stop sign and T-boned my sister's car. She died almost instantly in the crash. I was devastated, I had lost the only real friend I ever had and my role model. I looked up to her for everything, and even though we'd mess around with each other I loved her and she loved me. And looking at you, you remind me of her in every way". I smiled softly as dad ruffled my hair gently.

"I'm sorry daddy. I just wanted to try something different and just be free for once. But I guess I'm not really ready, am I?"

"You've grown up so fast I just can't help but think of that baby girl wrapped in pink. And when I blink you're suddenly all grown up like you are now. Kick-ass and all". We both smiled and I said.

"Whatever punishment you have I'll take it, I deserve it. I was selfish and I lied to you".

"Ehhh, how about I let this one slide? After all I did way more stupider stuff than you did when I was your age. Like father, like daughter as I used to hear back when I lived on Earth". He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and brought me into a sideways hug. "I love you (y/n)".

"I love you too daddy". I whispered as I leaned into my father's chest listening to his heartbeat lull me back to sleep.

[thenextromana]

Steve Rogers, Bob Ross, and memes

(prompted by... honestly? Binge-watching Joy of Painting on Hulu last week)

The Hulk flew backwards, smashing shoulder-first into a stand of trees at the edge of the park. The gang members who were using him as a volleyball while high on, apparently, vaped Chitauri blood, high-fived each other and cheered. He snarled as he picked himself out of the wreckage, and threw himself at the gang with renewed enthusiasm.

Clint sighed and clucked over the comms. “Well, those aren't happy little trees anymore...”

Tony swooped over them, then over Hulk's head, firing his repulsors at the feet of the gang members, trying to corral them. “Can we call it a happy little mistake, maybe paint in a broken down barn?”

Steve flung his Shield at a few of the stragglers and leaped over a couple of others to catch it. “OK, so I'm pretty sure you guys are making a reference of some sort, but I have no clue what.”

Clint gasped in a breath dramatic enough that Steve almost asked him if he'd been hurt. “Tony... Oh, my GOD, Tony! Steve!! Steve has never seen Bob Ross!”

Iron Man stuttered to a stop in midair, and Tony's response was as close to reverent as he ever got. “We get to introduce Captain Artist to Bob Ross...” And then he was swooping again, and his voice was gleeful. “Oh, we are going to have to record his face for posterity! JARVIS, make a note.”

The AI's voice was dry as ever. “So noted, sir. Adding episodes to the archive now.”

Tony whooped. “Awesome, so, we finish the battle, we turn these idiots over to SHIELD, we get takeout, we marathon some public television goodness!”

Steve was hooked from the first episode. He loved Ross' attitude that anyone can learn to paint, and his gentle demeanor as he described everything he was doing. True to his word, Tony got several pictures of Steve's enthralled face that evening, but by the fourth episode, the combination of the battle, the heavy takeout food, and Ross' soothing voice had most of them ready to pass out. One by one they wandered off to bed, but Steve stayed up all night watching episode after episode. (He was not ashamed to say he got a little teary at the one done entirely in grayscale.)

The next morning, he had JARVIS help him find the biggest art supply store in Manhattan, and he spent half the day and what seemed like a truly obscene amount of money on paints, brushes, canvases, and of course the easel and palette. After lunch, he set up and started following along to the videos.

His first few tries were near-perfect replicas of Ross' efforts, but soon he began to branch out. The first one he really liked, that he felt was truly his own, he gave to Tony as a thank you for letting them move into his home. (It was of a beach at moonrise, and Tony absolutely loved it. He hung it over his bar, where he could see it every day, and show it off to everyone who visited.) When Pepper saw it (was shown it by a proud Tony) she started talking to Steve about art in general and his influences and process in particular. The next original (a mountain-and-river scene) went to her.

Soon enough Steve moved beyond Ross' instruction (though he kept watching episodes whenever he could) and into creations of his own imagination. He was pretty pleased with most of these, but he wasn't quite sure what to do with them, so they ended up leaning against the walls of his suite, sometimes two and three deep. He went back to the store for paints and canvases so many times, the employees actually got over their awe enough to have conversations with him.

The next challenge Steve set himself was recreating scenes he'd seen in his life. For once he actually blessed his prodigious memory, since he could just close his eyes and perfectly picture a field in France or a mountain in Italy. These ones he titled, usually with just the location and the date. Having them out of his head and onto the canvas, Steve realized he wanted to share them. Yes, he'd been to those places as a soldier, but he didn't have to remember them that way; he could remember them as an artist, and help others see the beauty even in war.  

*A*A*

He invited Pepper up to look them all over (awkwardly reassuring her that it wasn't a come-on of any sort) and advise him on what to do with them now. He was profoundly embarrassed when she was struck dumb for a long moment. “Steve... I... These...” She pressed a hand to the base of her throat, then turned to him with shining eyes. “They're remarkable. If you want to put them in a gallery or a museum, or up for auction, I- They'd be hugely popular, even if your name is never attached to them. If you do put your name on them, I, I can't imagine...” She took another slow turn, eyes jumping from one to the next. “You'll be called the next Hopper.”

“I- <i>Edward</i> Hopper? What?” He was blushing so hard he thought he might catch fire. “No. I mean, I'm not bad, really, but I'm not that-”

She faced him full-on, put a hand on his forearm, and looked him straight in the eye. “Steve. These paintings are gorgeous, and I know gorgeous. Get used to being praised for this, it's going to keep happening.” She smiled at him, and he smiled helplessly back.

They both startled a moment later at the sound of Tony knocking on the doorframe (after he'd stuck his head in). “Hey, Pep. JARVIS said you were up here. What's up, Rogers, trying to seduce my CEO? Looking to get a sugar mama?”

Steve jerked away, his face back to bright red, even as he shook his head frantically. “No, nothing like- it's my art, I- um...”

Pepper took pity on him. “Tony, <i>look</i> at these! I know you're clueless about art, but look!” She picked up a couple of canvases at random and shoved them toward him.

Tony barely got his hands on them in time, but when he could take a good look, he whistled quietly between his teeth. “Wow, yeah, these are seriously good. And, what, you're trying to figure out what to do with them?”

Steve nodded and scrubbed at the back of his head. “Yeah, basically. Pepper says they'll be popular, I was thinking, maybe, auction them off? For charity? I mean, the whole point is that I don't want to just leave them in here where nobody but us will see them, you know? I guess I could donate them to the MoMA or the Smithsonian or something, but if I can use 'em to do some good, that's better, right?”

Pepper started to nod earnestly, but Tony laughed a little. “Steve-o, I gotta tell you, the Avengers know you, but everyone else thinks of you as a soldier. They're never gonna believe you painted these yourself. You know, not that you shouldn't do the charity auction thing, it's a good idea, just, there might be a hurdle or two.”

Pepper frowned. “It's a lot harder to authenticate a modern artist...”

Steve cleared his throat uncomfortably. “What if... Maybe I could paint one right there, in front of people? Show them what I can do?”

Pepper brightened back up. “Oh, wow, yeah. We'll get a small gallery, hang them all, have a cocktail hour with mingling, and you painting, and then auction them all off, maybe starting or ending with the live demo one. That's fantastic, I don't think anyone's ever done that before, just selling the tickets is going to be a gold mine! OK, do you want the proceeds to go to a veterans' organization, or an art scholarship, or-”

Steve nodded sharply. “Veterans'.” He suddenly turned a little shy. “I heard something about a group called Wounded Warriors?”

*A*A*

The night of the auction found Steve nervous as all get-out. He wasn't even letting himself think about the bids the pieces were likely to get, just reminding himself over and over that the money would all be going to help soldiers get art therapy and learn to see beauty again. No, what really had him freaked out was the prospect of having an audience while he painted. He'd practiced that part a little, working in the communal living room while the rest of the team and some of their adjuncts had been there too, socializing, but it wasn't the same. He knew he'd be as much of a performing monkey with those brushes in his hand as he ever had been with the USO tour, and there was a part of him that was full of sick dread that the performance would sour painting for him entirely and he'd never go back to it after tonight. He didn't think it likely, but the worry was there nonetheless.

So here he stood, in the middle of the gallery space, the easel and canvas set up in front of him, palette in one hand and brush in the other, waiting (and trying not to tremble) as people in much fancier clothes than him filtered in. Finally Pepper came out, made a little speech, and gave him his cue. He did his best to tune everything else out and just concentrate on his painting, a beach on Montauk he and Bucky had once gone to before the war; he was so successful at that that he didn't tune back in to the crowd until he was finishing the piece and signing it. He blinked and looked around, and realized there were people <i>watching</i> him just as said people burst into applause.

Steve instantly turned bright red, and barely managed to keep from fleeing to a bathroom or office or something for the rest of the night. Instead he latched on to Tony, who obligingly chattered on about everything and nothing to distract him from the auction and the almost painfully high prices people were willing to pay for his works. In the end, though, they raised a fantastic amount of money for the veterans, Steve had gotten commissions for more paintings, including a mural at the VA, and he felt, for the first time in maybe ever, that people were seeing him as a creator, not just a fighter.

Although, of course, the modern world being what it was, the paintings were not the only images that became famous from that night. The press photographer had gotten a shot of him standing and waiting at the beginning of the night, and the internet had gotten a hold of it, and now people were editing all sorts of crazy things onto that blank canvas. Some of them were even adding jokes or surrealist sayings, and they were all passing the various versions around, sharing them with each other to get a laugh. People who might never in their lives pick up a paintbrush were still creating art and sharing it with friends and strangers alike.

He thought, of everything he had helped happen that night, he might be proudest of that.