#and ofc the final destination is that rooftop

[karamell-sweetz]

you know what guys. after this whole thing goes down, i hope we get the ACTUAL kamiyama school festival and it is a very good comparison to the first one. where we can see clearly how much mizuki has grown since that first event in january 2021, since that first school festival in middle school.

and i hope mizuki gets to have fun with her friends and can hang out with ena. and i hope ena has fun too. i hope she gets to tease akito, forge bonds with her classmates at the fried squid stall, and hopefully get roped into a dumb show with the oddballs 1 2. i hope this is ena’s pandemonium. i hope we all can have a little bit of joy and whimsy while getting to see how much the gang’s lives have changed at this point.

and i hope rui is a little worried for mizuki — i sincerely hope he is somewhere in mizu5, quietly waiting by the rooftop like he always has for her. but by the end of the schoolfes event he can look at mizuki, her whole face bright as all eight students in our little kamikou main cast gang come down from the rooftop (for one last time maybe, but we don’t talk about graduation in front of rui… unless ofc we bring it up this event) and he can say “you’ve come such a long way, haven’t you, mizuki? i’m happy for you.”

[breathe-2am]

Ok walk with me here. The stills of buck (unexpectedly?) being there for henren bathena double date have got me wondering- hey, at this point does anyone besides ravi know that buck and tommy have been in contact? Does anyone besides buck and tommy know that they hooked up? Alright keep walking.

Buck is out sick and is mid home improvement/distraction project when he randomly or not-so-randomly ends up having dinner with the two most established relationships in his family, alone. And he gets asked when hes gonna meet someone new so that he can stop fifth wheeling and it becomes a couples night. Hes stuttering, mumbling that he hasn't gone out and looked for anyone, hasn't even thought about it. Ofc the 118 party line of other fish reigns, and hes told he just needs to put himself out there again.

And he knows his friends are just being overbearing because they are worried and want the best for him, but he's still sore from the months of everyone telling him to move on- the people he loves most in the world keep telling him he needs to love someone else, someone who isn't tommy, including tommy himself. And he just can't take it anymore! He interrupts and finally gets to stop being nice and tell everyone that no, he doesn't want to move on from tommy, he wants tommy, he loves tommy. And he doesn't want him to slip through his fingers again, he wants to get him back and make him stay, because he wants a future with tommy, and yea it's been rough but he knew it wouldn't be easy. He knows he won't drift into the life and love he wants, he'll never just find it, he has to make it.

And in the aftermath, standing in front of everyone, grubby and tearful, in the silent dining room, phones start ringing and the 118 gets called in to help with whatever big disaster, minus buck. Karen has to leave to deal with a development in the a plot, and now athena and buck are left. They both want to be at the crisis, they need to help, even if they have to steal a helicopter to do it. And they know just the guy who can help.

Athena is once again sitting in the back of a stolen helicopter with buck and tommy up front, except this time she can see that buck's starry eyes run deeper than gratitude, and she knows tommy is looking at buck with more fear and desire than she's ever seen on him in the over twenty years since they met. And she looks at these two men, these asshole probies who grew up and fell in love, and she knows something about fighting to build the life and love you want, working to trust yourself and open up. She knows that it's so hard to not be ashamed of being happy. She knows they can learn, they can teach each other, just like how she and bobby did.

We've arrived at our destination, a rooftop at sunset. I wonder what will happen??

[gettinshiggywithit]

!Spending Your Birthday With Akutagawa!

(Pt 1)(this is part 2)(pt 3{comin tmrw!})

scenario:- its your birthday and akutagawa wants to do something nice

pairing:- akutagawa x gn!reader

Akutagawa wouldnt really be all that into it tbh

Like he just doesnt get why people would make such a fuss about the day they were brought into this endless struggle of a rat race

But when he sees how excited you get,he thinks that maybe,just maybe, makin an effort to keep that smile on your face wouldn’t be too pointless

He asks higuchi what he should do(OMG HIGUCHI MY LOVE IM SORRY) (also we all know that no matter what,higuchi wants him to succeed.... ITS TRAGIC BRO)

And she ofc has amazing ideas but um akutagawa is just a liiittle bit lost (insert wan face)

But in the end even the black lizard team help him

Ofc he didnt ask em( HE DOESNT NEED HELLPPP(okay buddy sheesssh))

Gin and higuchi picked out a present while hirotsu and tachihara got the decor

Aku was just...there ig? He kindaaa(not rly) helped with the decor but once the gals were back everything was set

They just needed u

And when u got back to a pitch black room,you were confused as FUCKK but a second later they all Jumped out and shouted

SURPRISE !!!!!!!

you were obviously taken by surprise!

And as the night went on tachihara and higuchi goT WASTEDDD while gin and hirotsu were the designated adults :’)

At the end of it all (higuchi and tachi had to be carried back😭) akutagawa took your hand and led you to the rooftop of the building

You were OBVIOUSLY confused all over again and i mean

Rightfully so

But when you finally got your destination you were blown away by the simple yet charmingly perfect set up

Fairy lights hung over a blanket with more blankets and pillows and a picnic basket (no wonder the fuxker wasnt helpin earlier he had just done this!) you were practically tearing up which had HIM confused

Like

WHY WERE YOUUU CRYIN??? WAS IT RLY THAT BADD???

But when you practically tackled him with a hug(something only you were allowed to do fyi) while thanking him over and over,her realized you were

HAPPY crying

And let me tell you

Boi was reallyyyy proud of himself

He then took your hand,and led you to the blanket where you talked and had your lil picnic and sure enough you started to fall asleep soon after

He laid you down before joining you himself and like

EIGHT HOURS LATER you woke up tangled together;his coat wrapped the two of you up in a lil makeshift burrito

Your first words to him that morning were “thank you that was the best birthday ever” and at that moment his heart raced with how pure pride and happiness.

please dont repost my work here as your own on any platform all rights belong to me except that of the characters used,their right belong to their respective owners.but these stories? mine.

feedback,likes,reblogs and comments are so very appreciated tbh :’)i hope you enjoyed and ill catch ya next time!

Comments & Reblogs w/ tags >>>>>>>>>>>likes please

Tag list open for anyone who wants!

[fluffyvillain]

The Bond

Chapter: 6/?

Summary: Henry trying to make up with Mila

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: A bit of sexual tension

@ly--canthrope​ @vikingsbifrost​ @peakygroupie​ @winchwm​ @thethirstyarchive​

1 MONTH LATER

 It was 1PM now and Mila refreshed her e-mail again, but no new mails were received from yesterday, at least not from the sender who has been sending at least one every day for the past month. Since she hasn't replied to any of them she though thath maybe he finally gave up and the thought of that made her a bit sad, immature since she never replied and could expect this result, but nonetheless sad. She clicked on the first mail she received one month ago.

 Do you ever want to turn back time? I do and if I could do that, I would go to the night I first saw you, grab your hand and never let go.

I feel how hurt you are deep down and I know that I'm responsible for that, let me make things right, please.

Whenever you are ready to talk or to listen, I will be here. One word and I'll come running to you.

I will be waiting, no matter how long it takes.

 Yours forever,

Henry

 Her next click was a random one, the one she received late at night.

 Do you know how many times I had to do retakes today because I couldn't stop smiling?

I don't know what you did today, but feeling your happiness... That was the best thing I've ever felt.

 Eternally yours,

Henry

 She opened the last one she received yesterday morning.

 Some things are inevitable, no matter how hard you fight them, they will happen.

I can't wait for us to happen.

 Yours till the end of time,

Henry

  Mila refreshed the mail for nothing once again before closing her mail. That didn't sound like goodbye. She dialed marketing department, getting back in her work mode. "Hey, Kim, you were in charge for today's Hugo Boss perfume promotion on the rooftop, right? Let's go check if everything is okay." Why does it even matter even if it was a goodbye? What is wrong with you?

"I don't know why they chose us 4 days prior to promotion, but we got so much free promotion, it's insane." Kim commented as the two of them waited for the elevator to reach the rooftop deck.

"That's good, websites already posted photos?" Mila fidgeted her phone.

"Most of the major ones. God bless Henry Cavill and Boss for choosing him as the face of their new perfume."

Mila pressed a lower floor button frantically but it was too late. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I'm sorry, but you usually don't require such information." Kim was surprised by her harsh tone and panicked reaction. Elevator doors binged, announcing that the doors were about to open and Kim stepped out as soon as they did.

Mila's initial plan was to stay in the elevator and go down, but as soon as Kim was out, Mila's eyes locked with Henry's and she didn't want him to see her running away, so she stepped out too. She felt a rush of happiness coming from him and she immediately tried to block it, but it wasn't possible since he was so close.

One of his hands was in his pocked and he held a glass of whiskey in the other one, he was engaged in a conversation, but he stopped in an instant when he saw Mila. He excused himself and walked over to her. "I hoped you would come." He made no intention to touch her, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Kim, please, give me a minute." Kim disappeared in the crowd right away. No matter how hurt Mila was, she could never deny how handsome Henry was, especially now that he was standing in front of her, with his longish locks flying in the wind. He had a scrub and she was never a fan of it, but he pulled it off. In fact, she was sure he could pull off any look. "I didn't know you'd be here. No e-mails today?" Her eyes traveled over his broad shoulders, down to his forearms which were visible thanks to his rolled up sleeves.

"I knew I'd get a chance to talk to you in person today." One step towards her and his body was almost pressed to hers. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose, taking in the scent of her hair.

"How did you know that?" Mila's eyes locked with his when he opened them.

"Because I'd come to you if you didn't come to me." He felt the urge to rub his cheek over hers, to kiss her breath away, to run hands all over her body, he wanted to rip off the dress she was wearing, imagining fucking her while she only had her heels on.

"Did you have anything to do with my hotel being the chosen venue today?"

"They had a mishap with the initial venue, so I simply suggested your hotel when I found out about that." All the positions in which he wanted to have her flashed in front of his eyes, but he wanted to fall asleep in her arms after that way more.

Flashes coming from everywhere made Mila uncomfortable, but she was partially hidden by a big plant and partially by Henry and they could only get fragments of her body if they were lucky. "Thank you." She stepped back and offered him her hand to shake as she felt a sudden urge for physical contact.

Instead of shaking her hand, a glass of whiskey remained in his right hand and with his left one he engulfed her elbow, urging her to lower her arm, so his fingers could find a way to hers, traveling via her forearm. When they reached their destination, he entwined them, not taking his eyes off hers. "There is nothing for you to thank me for."

Henry put his glass on a pot of the plan that was wide enough for the glass not to fall over. He stepped closer again and took her other hand too, sending shivers down her spine. "Reporters."

"Who cares?" His lips lowered to her ear level and hot air washed over it. "I'm yours, always remember that."

Her heart started racing and she pulled away her hands. "I have to get back at work." She walked to the elevator and he remained in spot.

"When will I see you again?" Henry kept his lower lip between his teeth.

"I don't know, I'm sorry, I can't."

"Okay."

Mila looked at the floor until the doors closed. What the hell was that? What am I doing?

Mila couldn't focus on anything in the following days, she had to check every report five times, she didn't even remember about what they talked in meetings, she was completely useless. Going on a vacation on Saturday would be her way out of this mind cluster, she was grateful to herself that she picked this date as the start of her vacation 2 months ago.

She was glad that it was finally Friday - the end of the work week, but also Ruth's birthday. She wasn't a fan of clubs, but dancing was a good way to let out some steam and it would be a good distraction. She put on a short purple dress with wide straps, it hugged her body perfectly. The shoes of her choice were golden sandals with high thin heels and thin straps.

When she arrived, only Ruth and Blake were already there, she arrived early as he had an early flight in the morning and couldn't stay long. She hugged and showered her best friend with kisses , wishing her happy birthday. Ruth pretended to be surprised Mila's gift even though she picked it herself and knew exactly what she was going to get.

Soon their friends started arriving and some of Ruth's coworkers, all of them were people Mila saw on every occasion related to Ruth. A few drinks later and everyone was dancing in the booth. Ruth was already tipsy because she started drinking when she arrived and she kept hugging Ruth as they swayed in the rhythm of music. "Let's go to the dance floor."

It was too crowded and Mila didn't think it was a good idea. "Why? It's nice over here."

"Because it's my birthday." Ruth dragged her to the center of the floor. "See, it's better here."

Sweaty bodies jumped and danced everywhere around her, so Mila joined them, not letting go of Ruth's hand. After a few songs, most of the group joined them, so she didn't pay much attention when someone put a hand over her shoulder, thinking it was one of them, but when it started sliding down, she abruptly turned around, slamming into Henry. "Hey, gorgeous."

"What are you doing here?" They screamed at each others ears and even like that they barely heard each other. What are the chances?

"I came here with some friends," he pointed to a booth in a corner across from theirs. Mila looked at the group of people who were oblivious that she was looking at them. Ruth was right, if he came alone, that would be too obvious. "Are you out with your friends?"

"Yes, it's Ruth's birthday." She pointed at her and Henry walked over to Ruth, kissing her cheek, wishing her a happy birthday from what Mila could tell. Ruth gave Henry a slight satisfied nod he made sure to turn his back on Mila so he could thank Ruth for coming up with this idea.

When he made his way back to Mila, he took her hand and spun her around once. "I hope you don't mind if I join you."

When Henry spun her, her hand landed over his heart in order for her to keep balance. She pulled it away, but Henry quickly grabbed it, placing it where it rested before she removed it, covering it with his much larger palm. "I really hate you, don't you know that?"

Henry clasped his hand over hers and started moving them away from the dance floor, Mila silently followed. He greeted a security guard and he let them pass into a closed part of the club, where music volume was much lower. He gently pushed her against a wall, his hands resting on her hips and her breath hitched. "No, you don't. I know that you don't."

A knot formed in Mila's stomach, but she relaxed in his touch. He lowered himself enough to move the tip of his nose over the length of hers up and down, he freed one of her hips, only so he could place it on her cheek, his lips separated from hers by a millimeter. "Don't"

His eyes opened abruptly: "Okay." He put his lips over both of her eyes and the both of her temples.

Mila's hands were clutching his t-shirt and jeans fabric was pressed on outer sides of her legs. "I have an early flight tomorrow."

"Are you going on a vacation?" He continued trailing kisses over her face.

"Yes."

"Can I join you?" Henry put just a tip an index finger below the hem of her dress, creating small patterns on her thigh.

"Only if you manage to figure out where I am." She chose this answer instead of a blatant no because she was sure that he couldn't figure out  a small coastal Italian city where she will be staying for two weeks.

[sergeantrosabellaswan]

Not in Distress, Vigilante Stucky & deaf OFC Soulmate AU, CHAPTER 1

SUMMARY: Everyone has a soulmate- someone who the universe has created to be perfectly compatible with the individual. It’s a fact of life. Having two Soulmarks- being destined to love two people- is rare and almost unheard of.

23:56:03 PM

 The streets were silent that night- almost too quiet. The Captain and the Soldier didn’t like it- this kind of quiet generally meant that shit was about to go down.

The two close comrades silently made their way up the side of a grocery and up onto the rooftop, where they perched on the edge facing the streets down below.

 The Captain- the one in such a deep shade of blue his clothes were almost black- pulled the glove off his right hand and closely examined his wrist, a small smile on his face.

 “You dreamin’ ‘bout her?” the Soldier’s Brooklyn drawl drew him out of his thoughts.

 “Yeah- aren’t you thinkin’ ‘bout your soulmate?” the Captain asked, biting back a sigh of longing.

 “How much longer for you?” the Soldier completely deflected his friend’s question, not wanting to talk about the girl who fate had destined him to be with.

 “Less than five minutes,” before the answer had fully left his mouth, a somewhat quiet commotion caught their attention. It came from a few storefronts down the road, where it sounded like an alley fight was well underway.

 The Captain didn’t even wait for his partner- he practically dove off the roof, latching onto the rain gutter to better stabilize himself as he landed before taking off.

 He reached the fight and paused in complete shock at the sight of a young woman viciously beating up a man with a baseball bat. She moved with such a fluidity that made her seem as though she was a dancer of some sorts.

 “I’m gonna beat your asses so hard, your own mother won’t love your face!” she seethed, giving them each a final solid whack just for good measures before reaching into the pocket of his jacket and extracting a fat wad of cash. “You should be ashamed of yourself- snitching money from a fundraiser! If I were your mother, I’d switch your ass so hard you wouldn’t be able to sit straight for three months!”

 “It looks like you’ve got everything handled here, doll,” Steve chortled, leaning up against the wall to the alleyway. She jumped and whirled around, relaxing a bit at the broad figure of the Captain.

 “He deserved it,” she shrugged, shouldering her baseball bat once more. “So you’re the Captain?”

 “That’s me.” He couldn’t help but puff his chest out in pride.

 “Huh.” She cocked her head to the side, the expression on her face unreadable.

 He could feel the countdown on his wrist- five, four, three, two…

 One.

  TAGLIST

@captain-ariel-barnes​

@propertyofpoeandbucky

@invisibleanonymousmonsters

@itsanerdlife

@crushedbyhyperbole

@the-life-of-bucky-barnes

@tilltheendwilliwrite

@bolontiku

@lazydoodlesandfanfic

@after-avenging-hours

@captain-rogers-beard

@anika-ann

@kentuckybarnes

@buckybarnesstar​

@coffee-with-bucky​

@buckysknifecollection​

@cxptain

@sweater-daddiesdumbdork

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[suitofvibraniumarmor]

The American Initiative

Part Seven

Summary: Grace Cleveland and Eleanor Baker both thought their lives were over, until they became part of something much bigger – the Avengers. Pairing(s): Clint Barton x OFC, Steve Rogers x OFC Word Count: 1367 Blanket Warnings: Death, mentioned a couple of different ways, but not detailed; canon divergence; more based on Marvel movies. In the infamous word of Steve Rogers, “Language.”

Masterlist Wanna be tagged?

When Steve returned to the facility and finished his debriefing on the success of the mission, Ellie couldn’t wait to see him. She was so excited to tell him all of the things she had figured out about herself, and Steve was anxious to hear.

“I’m very proud of you,” he beamed.

“Thank you,” Ellie grinned back.

The two of them just smiled and stared at each other for a moment, until Ellie realized that she was once again becoming overwhelmed by the blue of his eyes. Clearing her throat, she broke the gaze and shrugged.

“So, I’m figuring out who I am, I’m working on my confidence. What’s next?”

Steve clasped his hands behind his back, also reeling a little from the moment. “Next, I think it’s time to see exactly what you’re capable of, Agent Baker. Let’s head for the training room.”

Contemplating Steve’s next move as they sparred was easy; Ellie could just read his mind, dodge the hit, and respond accordingly. She knew, though, that she wasn’t always going to be able to read the mind of her attacker – she needed another advantage.

Just as she thought it, a realization came to her. It was almost muscle memory, allowing Steve to think that she was still in front of him while she was actually behind him. When he struck forward, she tackled him from behind, taking him down to the ground and landing with her hand at his throat.

Steve tapped out and raised his brow. “Where did that come from?”

“I have no idea,” Ellie said, smiling. “I just knew that I needed to be able to do something different than reading minds. Although, if I can’t read the mind of whoever I’m fighting, I’m not sure that trick will work either.”

Steve wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded, getting back into his fighting stance. “Let’s go with it. Again.”

Grace took in a deep breath, sucked in her bottom lip, and nodded. She was liking what she was seeing on Tony’s displays in the lab. For the last couple of weeks, they had started work on suits for both Ellie and herself. Without “hero names” yet, it was a little difficult to nail down the details, but there were some things they could start on now.

“You’ll be ready soon enough,” Tony assured, nodding at the work he was seeing. “This is good. This is very good.”

“Thanks,” Grace said, smiling quietly before going back to the displays. “I need to talk with Ellie, see what she wants to see in her suit, too.”

Tony nodded. “She’s been figuring out a lot about herself lately, I’m sure she’s got some ideas.”

Grace nodded, pulling the display from a standing screen to one she could walk with; she found her favorite place on the counter and frowned over the new specs she was studying. Tony rolled his eyes and took the display from her.

“Hey!” Grace protested.

Tony stood in front of her. “You’ve been here a lot lately, Gracie. More than usual. What gives?”

“Nothing. I like working here. Working with Barton stretches and trains my muscles, working here with you stretches and trains my brain. I just wanted more time to do that.”

“Barton?” Tony frowned, backing away as she slid off the counter. “Since when do you call him Barton?”

“Since always,” Grace shrugged. “How about you skip the small talk and tell me what you’re getting at?”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, matching her stance. “My point is, I saw you dancing with him the night of the party. I’ve seen you training with him, talking with him. I know where your head is at.”

“Yeah, and where is that?” Grace snapped.

Tony held his hands up in surrender, aware that Grace had never spoken to him like that – and also aware that her defensiveness meant he was absolutely right.

“I’m not here to judge you – which, you should know, is new for me. I know how you’re feeling about him, and I can see why you’d want to not feel that way. I’m not gonna be the one to tell you one way or the other, but, for whatever it’s worth, I don’t think it has anything to do with the time you two have been spending together. I know that because I’ve seen how he looks at you, too.”

Grace slowly let her hands fall back to her sides, and Tony handed her back the portable display. She apologized for snapping at him, but Tony waved her apology away.

Nick Fury stood in front of the Avengers, his topic of interest again the two women joining the team. All six team members gave excellent progress reports on both Grace and Ellie.

“Perhaps we were reluctant in the beginning, but you’re right, sir – they’re going to be exactly what our team needs,” Thor posited.

Fury nodded. “Good. Then it’s time to finish out their suits and get them some names. Stark, get with S.H.I.E.L.D R&D on what you and Cleveland have been working on and let’s finish out the development. Rogers, Barton – they’ve been mostly in your charge. You tell me what we call them.”

Steve and Clint nodded, and Tony left to visit with R&D, already instructing Jarvis to send over the information he needed to get them up to speed.

Grace swallowed hard as she followed Clint up the stairs of one of New York City’s tallest buildings. With every flight up they went, she wasn’t winded, but she certainly feared what would happen once they reached the top – assuming that was their final destination.

Sure enough, once they reached the rooftop access, Clint motioned for her to follow him through the door. Grace stepped carefully through the door, taking in the sights of the city that surrounded her.

“You can see everything up here, it seems like.”

Clint nodded. “You can, but that’s not why we’re up here. C’mere.”

He was nearly at the edge of the building, extending his hand out to her. Grace let out a deep breath and walked over to him, wide-eyed and panic seizing every inch of her being.

“We’re going to step up to the ledge now – you ready?” Clint asked.

Grace shook her head adamantly. “Hell no. I hate heights.”

Clint winced. “Well, you’re going to have to get over that. We shoot from pretty high vantage points sometimes.”

He stepped onto the ledge, and held his hands out to help her up. Grace shook her head again after peering over the edge.

“I should mention that it’s really more the – the fall that scares me.”

Clint couldn’t help but chuckle; this woman was tough and badass and genius but she was also adorable. The thought had never occurred to him that he could fall for someone who was also part of the Avengers initiative – then again, he hadn’t ever fathomed it would be more than the six of them. Grace had taken him by surprise, in a lot of different ways.

“C’mon, Cleveland. I’m right here and I promise not to let you fall.”

“Remind me to talk to Stark about some kind of fall-safe in my suit,” Grace said, taking his hands.

“I think you mean fail-safe,” Clint corrected.

“No,” Grace said, shaking her head as she balanced on the ledge, facing him. “I meant fall-safe. You’re not gonna let go, right? Not yet?”

He dropped her hands only long enough to wrap his arms around her waist. “No, Grace. I’m not gonna let go.”

Grace looked up at him, and she knew that, barring any further complications, only one thing could come of the way he was looking at her.

“You can, um … you can call me Gracie.”

Clint smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. “Gracie.”

With his arms still tight around her waist, Clint leaned down and kissed her. Grace let her hands travel up his arms and around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her heart was still racing now, but it had nothing to do with a fear of heights.

[whiskeyxcola]

The American Initiative

Part Seven

Summary: Grace Cleveland and Eleanor Baker both thought their lives were over, until they became part of something much bigger – the Avengers. Pairing(s): Clint Barton x OFC, Steve Rogers x OFC Word Count: 1367 Blanket Warnings: Death, mentioned a couple of different ways, but not detailed; canon divergence; more based on Marvel movies. In the infamous word of Steve Rogers, “Language.”

Masterlist

A/N: This was the first Marvel fic I ever started, and I’m super excited to share it with you all! Thanks to @captain-s-rogers​​ for your help, approval, and encouragement on this one!

Tags: @captain-s-rogers @the-murder-strut @delicatecapnerd @life-of-a-nerd

Wanna Be Tagged?

When Steve returned to the facility and finished his debriefing on the success of the mission, Ellie couldn’t wait to see him. She was so excited to tell him all of the things she had figured out about herself, and Steve was anxious to hear.

“I’m very proud of you,” he beamed.

“Thank you,” Ellie grinned back.

The two of them just smiled and stared at each other for a moment, until Ellie realized that she was once again becoming overwhelmed by the blue of his eyes. Clearing her throat, she broke the gaze and shrugged.

“So, I’m figuring out who I am, I’m working on my confidence. What’s next?”

Steve clasped his hands behind his back, also reeling a little from the moment. “Next, I think it’s time to see exactly what you’re capable of, Agent Baker. Let’s head for the training room.”

Contemplating Steve’s next move as they sparred was easy; Ellie could just read his mind, dodge the hit, and respond accordingly. She knew, though, that she wasn’t always going to be able to read the mind of her attacker -- she needed another advantage.

Just as she thought it, a realization came to her. It was almost muscle memory, allowing Steve to think that she was still in front of him while she was actually behind him. When he struck forward, she tackled him from behind, taking him down to the ground and landing with her hand at his throat.

Steve tapped out and raised his brow. “Where did that come from?”

“I have no idea,” Ellie said, smiling. “I just knew that I needed to be able to do something different than reading minds. Although, if I can’t read the mind of whoever I’m fighting, I’m not sure that trick will work either.”

Steve wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded, getting back into his fighting stance. “Let’s go with it. Again.”

Grace took in a deep breath, sucked in her bottom lip, and nodded. She was liking what she was seeing on Tony’s displays in the lab. For the last couple of weeks, they had started work on suits for both Ellie and herself. Without “hero names” yet, it was a little difficult to nail down the details, but there were some things they could start on now.

“You’ll be ready soon enough,” Tony assured, nodding at the work he was seeing. “This is good. This is very good.”

“Thanks,” Grace said, smiling quietly before going back to the displays. “I need to talk with Ellie, see what she wants to see in her suit, too.”

Tony nodded. “She’s been figuring out a lot about herself lately, I’m sure she’s got some ideas.”

Grace nodded, pulling the display from a standing screen to one she could walk with; she found her favorite place on the counter and frowned over the new specs she was studying. Tony rolled his eyes and took the display from her.

“Hey!” Grace protested.

Tony stood in front of her. “You’ve been here a lot lately, Gracie. More than usual. What gives?”

“Nothing. I like working here. Working with Barton stretches and trains my muscles, working here with you stretches and trains my brain. I just wanted more time to do that.”

“Barton?” Tony frowned, backing away as she slid off the counter. “Since when do you call him Barton?”

“Since always,” Grace shrugged. “How about you skip the small talk and tell me what you’re getting at?”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, matching her stance. “My point is, I saw you dancing with him the night of the party. I’ve seen you training with him, talking with him. I know where your head is at.”

“Yeah, and where is that?” Grace snapped.

Tony held his hands up in surrender, aware that Grace had never spoken to him like that -- and also aware that her defensiveness meant he was absolutely right.

“I’m not here to judge you -- which, you should know, is new for me. I know how you’re feeling about him, and I can see why you’d want to not feel that way. I’m not gonna be the one to tell you one way or the other, but, for whatever it’s worth, I don’t think it has anything to do with the time you two have been spending together. I know that because I’ve seen how he looks at you, too.”

Grace slowly let her hands fall back to her sides, and Tony handed her back the portable display. She apologized for snapping at him, but Tony waved her apology away.

Nick Fury stood in front of the Avengers, his topic of interest again the two women joining the team. All six team members gave excellent progress reports on both Grace and Ellie.

“Perhaps we were reluctant in the beginning, but you’re right, sir -- they’re going to be exactly what our team needs,” Thor posited.

Fury nodded. “Good. Then it’s time to finish out their suits and get them some names. Stark, get with S.H.I.E.L.D R&D on what you and Cleveland have been working on and let’s finish out the development. Rogers, Barton -- they’ve been mostly in your charge. You tell me what we call them.”

Steve and Clint nodded, and Tony left to visit with R&D, already instructing Jarvis to send over the information he needed to get them up to speed.

Grace swallowed hard as she followed Clint up the stairs of one of New York City’s tallest buildings. With every flight up they went, she wasn’t winded, but she certainly feared what would happen once they reached the top -- assuming that was their final destination.

Sure enough, once they reached the rooftop access, Clint motioned for her to follow him through the door. Grace stepped carefully through the door, taking in the sights of the city that surrounded her.

“You can see everything up here, it seems like.”

Clint nodded. “You can, but that’s not why we’re up here. C’mere.”

He was nearly at the edge of the building, extending his hand out to her. Grace let out a deep breath and walked over to him, wide-eyed and panic seizing every inch of her being.

“We’re going to step up to the ledge now -- you ready?” Clint asked.

Grace shook her head adamantly. “Hell no. I hate heights.”

Clint winced. “Well, you’re going to have to get over that. We shoot from pretty high vantage points sometimes.”

He stepped onto the ledge, and held his hands out to help her up. Grace shook her head again after peering over the edge.

“I should mention that it’s really more the -- the fall that scares me.”

Clint couldn’t help but chuckle; this woman was tough and badass and genius but she was also adorable. The thought had never occurred to him that he could fall for someone who was also part of the Avengers initiative -- then again, he hadn’t ever fathomed it would be more than the six of them. Grace had taken him by surprise, in a lot of different ways.

“C’mon, Cleveland. I’m right here and I promise not to let you fall.”

“Remind me to talk to Stark about some kind of fall-safe in my suit,” Grace said, taking his hands.

“I think you mean fail-safe,” Clint corrected.

“No,” Grace said, shaking her head as she balanced on the ledge, facing him. “I meant fall-safe. You’re not gonna let go, right? Not yet?”

He dropped her hands only long enough to wrap his arms around her waist. “No, Grace. I’m not gonna let go.”

Grace looked up at him, and she knew that, barring any further complications, only one thing could come of the way he was looking at her.

“You can, um … you can call me Gracie.”

Clint smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. “Gracie.”

With his arms still tight around her waist, Clint leaned down and kissed her. Grace let her hands travel up his arms and around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her heart was still racing now, but it had nothing to do with a fear of heights.