#and that natasha faked the shield report because she knew what shield was like and wanted tony to have no part of it

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Trust is Earned

Part 2 of Face to Face - I’m dedicating this story to @alicenter​ because her comment on the first part made me think of this story. 

Summary: You weren’t used these types of comfort as you lay in a soft bed with to many pillows and blankets. Instead of sleeping, you walk around their house and see the memories they’ve built. But Melina accuses you of snooping and her distrust of you. 

Warning: jealousy, fighting, bullet wound, distrust, family drama, mention of killing, mention of past abuse 

Word count: 5.2 k 

You stared up at the ceiling fan, watching it spin around and around. It was therapeutic in a way but you wished it would help you fall asleep. No matter how hard you tried, sleep wasn’t coming to you and you knew it. The bed was too soft, the room was too cold, and your mind wouldn’t shut up. With a heavy sigh, you swung your feet to the ground and walked out of the room. You weren’t sure what your plan was. But your feet walked you around their home. You saw pictures from Christmas, birthday parties, and trips to the capital. A tight feeling began to form in the middle of your chest. You picked up the old photo album from Ohio and flipped through the fake memories. It was a day you remembered so clearly, you shot Christmas, Easter, and summer vacation in one day. But Christmas was your favorite. All the brightly wrapped boxes that you knew were empty but you wanted to open every single one of them. Just for one moment, it would be real. “What are you doing?” You spun around to see Melina standing behind you. It was weird seeing her in a robe with slippers on but you didn’t miss the pistol in her hand. 

“I was -” 

“Snooping,” she grabbed the album from your hand. “Finding out all our secrets to report back to the Red Room.” Your eyes grew wide at the accusation. “So it’s true.” You snapped out of it. 

“What are you talking about?” You questioned. “I’m helping SHIELD take down the Red Room,” she pointed the gun at you. You raised your hands, showing her you had no weapon on you. Now you were trained to be a weapon, similar to the train she’s gone through, but you were wearing Natasha’s extra sleeping clothes and you were extremely sleep deprived. Your brain was struggling to make sense of what was going on. “You don’t trust me.” You whispered. 

“I want to,” she said. There was a slight shake of her hand. “I want to trust you so bad but I can’t,” your heart skipped and your stomach dropped. “But I know what they are capable of and I can’t risk the safety of my girls.” My girls. My girls. My girls. It was a mantra that echoed inside your head. All of a sudden, the room became too small and you could hear your heart pounding in your ears. My girls. My girls. You weren’t part of that. To Melina, you were disposable. You weren’t sure what hurt more her saying that or you believe her. 

“What the hell is going on?” Natasha asked, appearing out of nowhere with Yelena behind her. It seemed like they were a packaged duo, one wasn’t far without the other. You weren’t a part of that. My girls. My girls.   

“So,” your voice stopped the arguing between Melina and Natasha. “What’s the play, Melina? Are you going to kill me and I’ll become another red mark on your ledger or are you going to bring me back to Dreykov and let him do it?”

“No,” Natasha said, standing between you and Melina. “She’s not going anywhere. She is staying here where she’s safe and we can be a family again.”

“Natalia, we can’t trust her,” Melina said. “She’s been with them for years. This could be a trap to get the three of us back.” Three not four but three. Once again she didn’t add you, creating a division between you and them. My girls. My girls. Natasha, Yelena, and Melina. You weren’t a part of it. 

“She was with them because she gave herself up to save us or did you forget about that night?” You didn’t want to be the driving wedge between them. You’ve been alone for years, what’s one more night? 

“Maybe Melina’s right,” Natasha whipped around to stare at you. “I could be a target and staying here endangers your family. I wasn’t thinking and I was being selfish. I’ll get my stuff and head out, find a hotel, or stay with the team.” You pushed past Natasha and headed to the room that gave you. Not your room. A room. My girls. Three not four. You started throwing your stuff into the duffle bag, not worrying about how it looked. You turned to leave, almost running into Natasha. 

“You don’t have to go,” she said. “I’ll convince Melina. I’ll..”

“It’s okay,” you said, cutting her off. “I don’t want to get in the way between you and her. I’ll be okay.” 

“I called Maria. She’s expecting you. I’ll text you the address.” 

“Thank you,” you shifted your weight from side to side. “I should get going. I didn’t mean to wake you and Yelena.” You had to get out. So you did, leaving her in the room that was supposed to be yours.

*

Maria opened the door before you could even knock. “Saw you on the camera,” she said as you raised your eyebrow in question. “You look like you could use a drink.” You laughed, bitterly as she stepped out of the way. You entered the house. Phil was at the dining room table, papers covering it and you saw Clint in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. 

“Do you guys sleep?” You questioned as Maria closed the door. 

“Not when we have more questions than answers,” Phil said, waxing at you as his greeting. You sat down at the small kitchen island, dropping your bag to the floor. 

“So we have vodka, tequila, or beer,” Clint said, pouring coffee into a mug. 

“Is it good vodka or American vodka?” You asked with a tilt of your head. Clint glared at you. 

“I’ve known Nat for a long time,” he said, pulling the vodka bottle out of the fridge. “Do you know I’d offer you American vodka?” It pulled a small smile to your lips. 

“I’m glad she had you,” Maria sat down next to you as Clint poured you a shot. “All of you,” you clarified, staring into the clear liquid. “You were there when I wasn’t. Cheers.” The liquid burned as it went down. “So, what can I do to help?” 

*

You were sitting on the couch going over all the information SHIELD had on the Red Room. It wasn't much but mixed with what Melina had the answer to the 101 questions had to be in here somewhere. You were twirling a pen in your hand as you read over Peggy Carter’s notes. Phil and Clint called it a night but Maria stayed up and she was doing a bad job of being subtle. “You're staring again.” You said, closing the file you were reading. You switched to beer after your third shoot. 

“Just putting a face to fall the stories I’ve heard about,” you raised an eyebrow at her. 

“They told you about me?” You questioned. The agent nodded her head. That was hard to believe. 

“You don’t believe me?” You smirked. “It was mostly Natasha. She told me about Ohio and that night at the airstrip. The few times I was at their house I’ve caught Melina staring at your door. I mistook it as a guest room and almost got shot.”

“Why are you telling me this?” You asked, turning to face her. 

“Do you regret that night?” She asked instead. You leaned back, resting your back on the arm of the couch and your legs crossed in front of you. “Do you regret giving yourself to him?”

“No,” you whispered. “And I’d do it again. In any lifetime, I’d do anything to protect my sisters,” you took a sip of the beer. “I’d sell my soul a thousand times to the devil to keep them safe. I think that’s why it hurts so much that Melina doesn’t trust me,” you rubbed your hand across your face. “But once he’s gone for good, they’ll be safe and be a family again.” You turned to get back to work, ignoring the frown on Maria’s face. 

“They’re your family too,” you closed your eyes, taking in a slow shaky breath and letting it out. 

“Maybe,” you shrugged. “Once upon a time, they were. They’ve made a life here and I don’t know if I fit into it. I’m disposable.” 

*

“Can you please talk to me?” Melina asked, pouring two cups of coffee for her and Natasha and orange juice for Yelena. Natasha was cutting up a pepper to throw in an omelet that asked for. She was cutting the vegetable a little too aggressively but it was the best way to give her anger an outlet. 

“There is nothing to say,” Natasha mumbled, putting the peppers into the pan. 

“You have to see it from my perspective,” the older Black Widow said. “My priority is to keep you girls safe.”

“Who is watching out for her?” Natasha hissed. She cleaned the knife before putting it away in the correct place. “We should have gone back for her.” She had so much guilt eating up inside her from that night. The gunshots that hit the plane kept her up at night. 

“How?” Melina questioned, starting on Yelena’s lunch. “Please tell me how we could have saved her,” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Your sister knew the consequences when she locked us out of that plane.”

“Now we have a chance to be a family again,” she placed the omelet on the plate. “But you don’t trust her. What's it going to take?” Before Melina could answer, Yelena entered the kitchen. She sat down in front of the omelet and orange juice. 

“Do you think I’ll still be able to play tomorrow?” Yelena asked, cutting into the food. “Will it be safe?” Natasha grabbed the mug that Melina poured for her. 

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “After I drop you off at school, I’ll regroup with the team. There will be an agent stationed outside the house and at your school.”

“What about you?” Yelena frowned.

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured her sister with a smile. “I’ll be with Maria or Clint at all times.” She nodded, pushing her food around her plate. Something else was bothering her, it wasn’t hard for Natasha to notice the change in her sister’s behavior. “What else is wrong?”

“What about Y/n?” She questioned. Now that was a great question. From what Maria told her, you refused a protection detail and were sounding self-destructive. 

“She’ll be with me,” she said, ignoring the look on Melina’s face. “Once this is over, we’ll all be safe.” 

*

You were standing in the kitchen, buttering a bagel. “Are you okay?” Clint asked. You didn’t look at the SHIELD agent.

“Yes,” you said. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. 

“Because it looks like you are going to murder someone with that butter,” you smirked, rolling your eyes. “I think you could.” Oh 100% but it would be a messy way to kill someone and not a cool way to die. The front door opened and Natasha walked in. Her green eyes immediately found you. They screamed ‘Are you okay?’ and ‘Please talk to me.’ You smiled, nodding your head. You hoped it conveyed everything you were feeling. “Ready to meet the boss man?” Clint asked, following you to the couch. 

“Yeah,” you said, standing behind the couch while Clint sat down to join the others. 

“Just don’t say anything stupid,” Natasha teased. You gasped in mock offense. 

“I would never,” you smiled as Maria accepted the video call. The screen changed to a man with an eye patch wearing a trench coat. An odd outfit you thought. 

“So,” he said. “This is the infamous Black Widow,” you took a bite of your bagel. “I’m guessing you know who I am.” You nodded. 

“Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD. 

“Also the reason you aren’t in custody or buried 6 feet under.” A smirk formed on your lips. 

“Are you expecting a thank you, sir?” You questioned. You heard Natasha let out a small groan. He folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. 

“What I’m expecting is for you to help take down the Red Room and follow every order my agents give,” he said. “Or I will pick one of the numerous countries that you're wanted in and drop you off.” Fair enough. You shrugged. 

“Sounds like a fair exchange,” you said. “And after the Red Room is gone and Dreyokv is dead, what is going to happen to me?” Natasha offered you a spot at SHIELD but she wasn’t the boss. The man in front of you was. Similarly, another man held your fate. 

“Well, that’s up to you,” he said. You raised an eyebrow, not expecting to have a choice in the matter. “Depending on the outcome of the mission, I’ll be offering you a position at SHIELD.”

“If I were to turn down your generous offer?” There was an intense stare-off between you and the Director. But to your surprise, the man smiled. Or it was something close to a smile. 

“I like you, Widow,” he said. “I think we’ll get along well.”   

*

It was lunchtime. Yelena was sitting outside with a few of her friends. She was stressed, on edge, that much you could tell. She was glancing over her shoulder, barely eating her food or engaging in the conversation around her. You made out the SHIELD agent assigned to your sister. Taking a sip of your coffee, you made note of the surrounding area. The school was across the street from a neighborhood, an odd place to put a school you thought. A wooded area surrounded the small sports complex and there was a parking lot in front. You opened your laptop and pulled up a satellite image of the school. It was clear and you looked back at Yelena. She was talking to a girl, and whatever she said made the girl’s cheek blush. You smiled, shaking your head with a laugh. This is why you locked them out of the plane so they could have a normal life - go to football games, flirt with people, and smile. You were being honest with Maria, no matter what you’d keep them safe. So when the same two girls walked past the car for the 3rd time something wasn’t right. You were a trained spy, able to sneak into government buildings and take down countries. Your gut instinct kept you alive. Carefully, you opened the glove compartment and pulled out a pistol, your widow bites, and a hat. You put the hat on and attached the gun to your hip, covering it with your sweatshirt. As you listened to your phone ring, you got out of the car. “Where did you go?” Natasha asked. 

“Yelena’s school. Send back up,” you didn’t flinch as the gunshot rang out, hitting the SHIELD agent. “I’ll get her safe,” you told her. You began to run as the school erupted into chaos, pushing past students and school officials. “Hurry.” You put your phone in your pocket. Yelena stood up from the table, looking around in a panic. A scream left her lips as the girl next to her was shot. You got to her, pulled her to the ground, and flipped the picnic table on its side. It wasn’t the best cover but it was the only option. “Hey, hey,” she had blood splattered on her face and her green eyes were wide and frantic. “Eyes on me, okay?” With the sleeve of your shirt, you tried to clean up some of the blood on her face. She nodded. “I’m going to get you out of here and SHIELD is on their way.” Another shot and Yelena squeaked.

You grabbed a small makeup mirror and opened it, using it to see behind the picnic table. There was a sniper on top of the school and a small group of Widows swarming the parking lot. You pulled out your pistol. “On my mark, you are going to run towards the school.” You looked at the blueprints of the building, the cafeteria was through the closest door, and down the hall was the gym. That was your best option. 

“I’m scared,” she whispered. You nodded. 

“I know but you’ll be okay. Reader?” She nodded. “Go!” You popped up and aimed for the sniper. You weren’t aiming to kill just to disarm. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Yelena run towards the school. With the sniper taking cover, the Widows on the ground ran over to you. You fired some shots at them before following Yelena. They shot back. 

Yelena was standing in the cafeteria waiting for you. “Where are we going?” She asked as you grabbed her arm and dragged her along. 

“Gym,” you told her. “We can circle back to the front to get back to the car.” Glass shattering echoed the quiet hallway. You turned around and saw 2 Widows in the hallway. “Fucking hell,” you mumbled, running towards the gym. Like the hallway the gym was empty. “Hide behind the bleachers,” you said. “Don’t come out until I say so.” She ran behind the bleachers without hesitation. You had just enough time to reload your magazine as the two Widows walked in. 

“Gde ona (Where is she?)” One of them asked. You didn’t recognize them so they must be a lower level than you. 

“I have no idea who you are talking about,” you were accepting the hit to your stomach but the air was still knocked out of your lungs. You stayed on your feet as they circled you, mimicking a lion and its prey. But you knew the real roles here, they weren’t going to kill you or Yelena.   

“We don’t want to hurt you, sister,” your heart skipped. They were your sisters brought together by blood and violence. 

“Funny,” you said. “I was thinking the same thing.” You shot one of them with your widow bites and she went down easily. You dogged the attack, dropping to the ground and sticking out your leg. She fell but she grabbed onto your leg and threw you to the ground. You hit your head hard against the wooden gym floor. You both stood up slowly, facing each other. “I’m sorry,” you charged her, tackling her to the ground. She fought against you, hitting you but you were stronger. It was one quick punch and she was out cold. You fell back, your heart pounding in your rib cage as you stared at the unconscious Widow. “You can come out Yelena,” you said, standing up. The blonde walked out from behind the bleachers. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. You nodded. 

“Yeah,” you said, placing your hand on her back. “Let’s get out of here.” You ran out of the gym but there was a nagging feeling in the back of your head. They were too easy to take down. The girls were around Yelena’s age so they weren’t experienced. Why did he send them? “My car is over there,” you said, opening the door and pointing towards the direction of the car. The front of the school was still in chaos. “Let’s go,” you put the hood of Yelena’s jacket up to try to cover her face. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. The apology took you by surprise. It was something you weren’t expecting, especially from her. “I’m sorry you had to hurt them to protect me.” 

“I’ll do anything to protect you and Natasha, okay?” She nodded but you could still feel the guilt radiating off of her. You saw the Widow across the street and you pushed Yelena to the ground as the gun went off. The pain wasn’t bad as the bullet hit your stomach. Without thinking you raised your pistol and shot the Widow. It was a quick and easy kill but it somehow hurt more than the bullet. 

“Oh my god, oh my god,” you hissed as Yelena pushed her hands on the gunshot wound. 

“I’m okay, not my first time getting shot,” you joked. “I need you to drive. Can you do that?” Her face was drained of color but she nodded. “Good,” you handed her the keys and got into the car. 

“Where are we going?” Yelena asked, her hands stained red and shaking. 

“The safe house,” you said. “Drive.” She did as sirens began to echo towards the school.   

  *

You squeezed your eyes shut as Phil dug to get the bullet out of your stomach. The door to the safe house opened, you had half the mind to grab your gun but you heard Melina’s voice asking if Yelena was alright. Natasha and Maria walked over to you. You were only wearing a sports bra and jeans, sitting in the dining room. “She's gonna pull through, doc?” Natasha teased but you didn’t miss the concern in her eyes. 

“No exit wound,” Phil said, not looking up. “I have to get the bullet out before she heals.” 

“Super soldier serum,” you hissed. “We are giving it before graduation. Fuck, have you ever done this before?” You asked him. 

“Move out of the way before you do more damage,” Melina said, putting on gloves and taking the scalpel out of Phil’s hand. The agent moved out of the way, stealing a glance at Natasha. 

“Phil, go check in with Clint and see if he’s found anything,” he nodded, taking off his gloves. “Go talk to Yelena and get her statement,” Natasha hesitated but you nodded. She went to join the blonde on the couch. “I’ll be back to get your statement when you're all patched up.  

“Aye, aye, captain,” you gave her a salute. It was just you and Melina. You were surprised how gently her touch was when she tried to get the bullet out of your stomach. “I thought you didn't trust me,” you said. “Surprised you are allowing yourself in such a vulnerable position.” She got the bullet out and placed it on the paper towel. She cleaned the wound before stitching it up. 

“If you wanted me dead you would have killed me the moment I opened that door,” you chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. “Thank you for saving her.” She placed a bandage over the stitches.  

“No need to thank me,” you whispered. She took a step back and looked at you. Even with the serum rushing through your veins, it didn’t hide your scars. Each scar had a story, a name behind who gave it to you. These scars that littered your body were from other Widows during training, from Dreykov, and a few from your hand. You hated how small you felt under her eyes. 

“Where did you get this one?” She asked, touching a scar on your shoulder. 

“I got hit that night flying the plane,” you stood up, winching as you felt the stitches move. The serum would have healed soon. You helped her clean up the medical supplies. “Still managed to fly to Cuba much to Alexei’s disappointment.” You walked into the kitchen, throwing away the trash. Natasha and Yelena were on the couch and you found a new shirt resting on the back. You put it on. “Only thing that kept me going was your and their voice.” You continued. You rested your hand on Yelena’s shoulder, she looked up at you. “Are you okay, malen'koye solnyshko (little sun)?” She nodded. 

“I am. Thanks to you,” you kissed the top of her head before heading back into the kitchen. Natasha and Yelena followed you. You were surprised by how hungry you were. 

“The entire flight I thought Alexei was going to shoot me. I’ve never seen him so angry,” you continued unsure why you were telling them. The words kept following you. “Want a sandwich?” You asked them. Melina and Natasha shook their heads but Yelena let out a quiet, “Yes, please.” “When we landed in Cuba, I stood in front of Dreyokv, Alexei behind him, and guards circling us with their guns drawn. I stood there, unarmed, with a bullet hole in my shoulder.” You cut Yelena’s sandwich in half and placed it in front of her. You began to make your own. “Dreyokv asked where you guys were and I said I didn’t know. Alexei said he’d deal with me,” you felt a chill down your spine. “But Dreykov stopped him and said he knew how to handle me.” You turned your back to them so you wouldn’t have to see their expression. 

“What did he do to you?” Melina asked. You closed the fridge, no longer feeling hungry. 

“What didn’t he do to me is the better question,” you walked back over to them, eyes glued on your sandwich. You didn’t want to go into too much detail. Yelena was still so young and you didn’t want to taint her view of the world. “I was his malen'kiy pauk (little spider). He wanted to break me but I wouldn’t break.” You took a bite, it tasted bad but you knew you needed the energy. You glanced up at Melina. Her expression was hard to read, it was a strange mix of anger, sadness, and guilt. You shrugged. “But once he’s gone, everything will go back to normal.” You finished the sandwich and put your dish in the sink. “I’ll be in the room Maria gave me if you need anything.” You quickly left, closing the door behind you. Resting your head against the wooden door, you let out a shaky breath and closed your eyes. You could feel his hands on you as you knelt in front of him or one of his advisors. The blood that covered your hands was because of that man. But you weren’t the only one trapped and hurting because one man believed he was God. 

*

“We found this,” Clint said, placing a piece of paper on the table. 

“What does it say?” Fury asked. He was videoing in for this meeting. 

“Come home, malen'kiy pauk (little spider),” Natasha said. Your sisters and Melina looked at you. You leaned back in the chair, hand on your chin. He wanted you back. Time and time again, he told you you were his most prized possession. 

“Okay,” you finally said. “If he wants me then he can have me. We can use it as a trap.” 

“There is no way it will be that easy,” Clint said. It won’t be. But you were done with this cat-and-mouse game you were playing. 

“It won’t be,” you said, standing up. “He could have sent Widows much stronger than he did but he didn’t. Everything that man does has a purpose.”

“What was his reasoning?” Maria asked. You put your hands on your hips. 

“To prove a point,” you whispered. “It said that no matter where we go or what we do he has the power to find us,” you faced Fury. “Dreyokv’s daughter is our way to him and we know she’s in Budapest. I’ll end it there.”

“No,” Melina said. Your head whipped to look at the older Black Widow. “You aren’t doing this alone.” 

“She’s right,” Natasha added. “We’ll help you take him down.” 

“Alright,” you looked back at Fury. “Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow.” 

*

A plan was made and you were folding your clothes into your duffle bag. You found the photo strip and you picked it up, sitting on the bed. You remembered that day so clearly. Melina and Alexei brought you and your sisters to the mall to get school supplies. You pleaded for a few quarters to do the photo booth. In the end, it was Yelena’s puppy dog eyes that caught them breaking. “I’m sorry,” you looked up to see Melina. The apology sounded so strange coming from her. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back for you and wasn’t strong enough to save all three of you back then,” you stared at her, mouth open slightly as she walked in and sat down. “I cycled through the Red Room so many times before you were even born. For the longest time, those walls were all I knew and I was never given a choice. Until a 14-year-old girl gave me one,” you smiled, whipping away a tear that fell. “Natasha and Yelena were all I had for the longest time and I’d do anything to protect them.” You nodded. 

“I get it,” you whispered. “I’m disposable.” Melina’s eyes grew wide.

“No, dorogoy (sweetheart), you are not,” she cupped your cheeks in her hands, pushing the tears away that fell. “You are…” she paused. “Everything. You are the reason I am here, the reason Yelena gets to graduate high school, and the reason Natasha won’t admit her feelings for Maria,” you laughed at Melina’s jab at your sister. “So, thank you. Even though it’s been a long time, you are still part of this family. Okay?” 

“Okay,” you whispered, nodding your head. You whipped away your tears. “What happened to me wasn’t your fault.” She frowned, looking down at her hands. 

“Why does a mouse born in a cage run on that little wheel?” You didn’t know the answer or if she wanted you to respond. 

“But you aren’t a mouse, mama. You were just born in a cage but that’s not your fault.” Melina scoffed, pushing a piece of hair behind your ear. 

“Tell me, how did you keep your heart?” It was your turn to think over what she said. You smiled. 

“Pain only makes us stronger,” you quoted her. It was a common phrase thrown around in Ohio. But the strongest memory of it was the night you left. Yelena was chasing you and Natasha and she fell and hurt her knee. “Didn’t you tell us that? What you taught us kept me alive.” 

*

You were up when you heard a soft knock on your door. Standing up, you opened the door and saw your two sisters. “Is everything okay?” Natasha looked nervous, shifting her weight. Yelena rolled her eyes. 

“Can we sleep in here tonight?” Yelena asked. “With the shooting and everything that is going on, we're scared and worried.” You smiled, stepping out of the way so they could come in. After closing the door, you joined them. Yelena was in the middle, you, and Natasha on either side of her. It was how you would lay back in Ohio. “We’re gonna be okay, right?” You stole a glance at Natasha. 

“Of course, we will be,” you said, running your fingers through her blonde hair. It was a dangerous promise. 

“Because we’re together,” Natasha looked at you with a smile. 

“Yeah,” you whispered. “Sometimes in our lives, we will have pain and sorrow but if we are wise we know that there’s a tomorrow.” Yelena smiled. 

“Lean on me. When you're not strong.”

“I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.” Natasha added. Like when Melina told you that pain only made you stronger, it was common for you to say a phrase or two when your sisters were struggling with nightmares or in school. You were surprised they remembered it. 

“Exactly,” you said. “Now, we need to get some sleep. We have a busy few days ahead of us.”    

[ad1thi]

Your Pain (is my burden to bear):  P4

hey so i hit 100 followers!!

i asked y’all what you wanted me to write for this and i got italian!tony and soulmate!au so here it is!!

(this picks up exactly where P3 ended)

--

Tony’s first reaction, understandably, is to lift the gauntlet he’d been fiddling with and repulsor the fuck out of the man standing in front of him. 

What he isn’t expecting is to feel the burn on his lower abdomen, even as the figure in front of him crumples against the force of the blast.

it takes about 2 seconds for everything to fall into place, and Tony groans as he hides between his sofa

oh per l'amor di dio, he thinks, before pushing himself off the ground and pointing the engaged repulsor at his soulmate

to his credit, his soulmate doesn’t attempt to come near Tony again, just stands there

togliti la tua attrezzatura, tony says (before inwardly cursing) and repeating,”take off your gear”

Titling his head in confusion(? Tony isn’t sure because of the whole ninja mask he’s got going on)- his soulmate lightly runs his fingers over multiple buckles and shrugs it off to reveal a metal arm and-

qualcuno lassù deve veramente odiarmi, tony mutters as he takes in the intricate workings of his arc reactor displayed across the man’s admittedly gorgeous chest

“Natalie darling,” Tony raises his voice only an inflexion, knowing that JARVIS will carry his message, “you might want to drop your SHIELD fursona and join me in the living room. My soulmate just dropped in for a visit.”

It’s all he manages to get out before he abruptly falls to the floor, palladium poisoning coursing through his veins and making him feel. 

The last thing he remembers before hitting the ground is watching his soulmate rush towards him, and the odd sensation of fingers running lightly through his hair

--

James is unclear why his soulmate wilfully hurt himself, and why he insists on switching between italian and english in some inane way; but he’s willing to play along to his soulmate’s games 

When the repulsor is aimed at him a second time, he belatedly realises that his soulmate might not know who he is

(in hindsight, the mask covering his face no longer seems like a good idea)

While a small part of him preens at the idea that his soulmate was able to knock him back, the much larger part of him is debating picking up his pint-sized soulmate and carting him off to that workshop he saw in the blueprints and insisting that he work on the thing in his chest

arc reactor, he reminds himself, like the one powering the warehouse, but smaller

James has to routinely remind himself that his soulmate didn’t have the privilege of staying in a backwater flat in Romania and studying his soulmark until he figured out who it belonged to, and that James had the distinct advantage of knowing his soulmate was Tony Stark

(while all tony stark knew about james was that he died falling off a train)

He reminds himself of this when his soulmate asks him to strip (and bites his tongue on the comment that his soulmate owes him dinner first)

He reminds himself of this when his soulmate chooses to inform someone else of his existence

but he completely forgets it when his soulmate doubles over and also hits the floor

James reacts instinctively, falling to his knees and outstretching his flesh arm to cup Tony’s head- before delicately placing his head on his shoulder and running his fingers through his hair

From this angle, James can see the criss cross effect of the poisoning mapping itself against his soulmate’s neck, and valiantly resists the urge to kiss down his neck and leave marks of his own

None of this however, distracts him from the near silent set of footsteps making it’s way over to them and steadily making him prick with uncertainty

His hand is on his gun as the footsteps grow louder, and when he hears the hushed, Yasha? he doesn’t even think- just shoots

what was his soulmate thinking, calling a black widow?

tbc

Part 3

[pitifulbaby]

we deserved better ⤿ nine

EVER CHANGING 

pairings: stucky x reader ( steve x reader x bucky )

chapter warning: mature language 

a/n: ahh! no more old timey times! this story is so fun to write. also i’m really bad with taglists so if you have asked to be tagged but you haven’t please let me know. i have the brain of a walnut, and of course the tags are open. happy reading!

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Sam Wilson let out a laugh, shifting in his seat in the quinjet. Held in his hand was his phone, scrolling through whatever he seemed to be laughing at. His laughter caused Steve to turn around in his seat to look over at the male who was still cackling.  

With an arched brow Natasha soon spoke up, “What's so funny?” She asked smoothly, standing up and walking to Sam. “Look at this meme I found- hey Steve, do you think robocop would enjoy a meme?” He called out after showing Nat the meme, the female let out a snort with an eyeroll. With a shrug Steve turned back to look out the windshield.

Sam let out a fake gasp, “Are you just gonna sulk because your lover boy isn't here on this mission with you?” Steve tried to hide a smile as he shook his head, seated driving the quinjet was a high status SHIELD agent named Travis. “We will be landing shortly.” The middle aged male called to the three as the quinjet started to descend closer to the ground in preparation to land.

Steve was leading the small group into an abandoned HYDRA base that was recently discovered in the deep woods of North Carolina. Bucky had stayed back to finish up some reports from his last mission. The blonde figured that being as all they really needed to do was collect some files that were reported there- they didn’t need a big team.  

Soon the jet landed and everyone was getting out. They all decided to split up, their coms were hooked up incase of anything and of course they were all equipped and knew how to defend themselves- obviously.  

Sam went down a few hallways, nose scrunching up at the dust particles that filled the air and invaded his nose. He opened the door to his left, ducking down as bats swarmed out, squeaking before they flew out a shattered and broken window. "This is some horror movie shit.” He scoffed to himself, soon a voice replied to him though,

“Wilson you left your com on.” The redheaded female said into her com, causing a chuckle to be heard from Steve and Travis. With a quiet, ‘oops, shit.’ Sam quickly turned his com mic off.

Then he turned his attention back to the task at hand. As he stepped in to the room he noticed yet another door on the back wall, a large panel of glass next to the door, letting you see into the next room.  

With cautious steps he walked inside more, the sound of glass crunching filling the once silent room. His attention was stuck towards the door in the back, it was strange how that room seemed to not be touched by time. He could hear the sound of buzzing coming from inside, it sounded like machinery whirling.

His fingerless glove clad hand went to wrap around the doorknob, turning it. With a sound of a click he slowly opened the door, it creaked against its hinges. It had to have been quite some time since it was last opened. The room was bigger than he thought it would be, letting go of the handle as he stepped further inside.

In the middle of the room was a chair, it was hooked up with random wires leading to random control panels. His brows were furrowed as he walked around the chair, the dust settled against the cracks in the floors and with each step it only caused it to be kicked up and wafted into the air.  

Soon he noticed a table against a wall, papers and folders and boxes scattered around it and the floor. Just what he was looking for.

With a few steps he was standing in front of the wooden surface, grabbing a hold of one randomly as he read through it. Of course it was not in English though, he spotted an empty box and he started to pile papers in it, throwing them at random into the box to be brought back to SHIELD.  

His activity faltered though as he came across candid printed photos of a female, dressed in an old timey looking waitress outfit, his brows furrowed deeply once again as he turned the photo over.

Written neatly across the back of said paper was your full name and the date of April 13th, 1946. Sam of course knew who you were, everyone who worked with SHIELD or around knew who you were. They knew about you going missing and the searches for you, then being presumed dead in early 47’. The photo made his stomach twist as he turned it back over to look at you again. You were so young.

After Steve was back and then a few years later Bucky being back as well, him being sent to Wakanda to erase the trigger words, news started to spread across shield about the two men dating. Which soon turned to the speculation of you had also been apart of the relationship in the 40’s and maybe even before that.

When Steve and Bucky found out about poly relationships and how things were starting to be more openly accepted they did confirm it with a few of their team mates and shield workers- but only the ones they truly felt they could trust. But from old archive photos and videos you could really see the love that was shared between the three.

The two had bought a house that was a little bit away from New York City, not too far but far enough to feel like they could have their own freedom. It was secured with SHIELD and Stark technology.

Sam put the photo down before seeing more photos of you, they were all taken around the time the war had ended and up until the 13th of April.  

He shuffled all the photos he could find of you together, setting them aside before he soon realized. Every single paper that he had been shuffling through, from the ones in Russian and German to English all were about  you. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.  

Now Sam Wilson was the type of guy to rarely feel nervous, he was confident in the things he did and knew what to do. But something about this was off putting. He looked down at the paper he had in his hand, he flipped it over before seeing the writing in English. His brown eyes soon started to read it.

‘1946’ it stated, once again your full name written out after the year, ‘Was taken by HYDRA with the of hopes wiping her memories and training her to be an assassin. She wasn’t the first one to be treated, but she was the only one who's mind seemed to resist it.’

He stopped as he read that over again, resist? He shifted in his spot before continuing to read.

‘We continued the treatment on her but she continued to keep her memories. We performed multiple tests and experiments on her but nothing ever changed. We decided against injecting her with the recreated super soldier serum. After continuing for almost two years we have decided to cryogenically freeze her in hopes that someone in the future will be able to get a hold of her and create her into something better than we can right now. The future will hold more advanced ways to make her the strong assassin HYDRA needs. She has much potential. -  Arnim Zola’

Sam slowly put the page back down onto the table, leaning his hands against it as he let the letter process in his brain. As he stood in silence he seemed to notice the buzzing once again, it hadn't stopped but he had forgotten about it. Standing up tall as he moved away from the table in search of the sound, it was a consistent humming, it had to have been by only one machine. Making his way further into the room he noticed a curtain hanging attached to a rod- which conveniently was where the humming seemed to be coming from.

He raised his hand to the curtain, one hand resting itself on the gun strapped to his belt.  

Then like ripping off a band aid he ripped open the curtain.

Behind it was the cryostasis chamber, and inside, trapped in time was you.

Sam stared wide eyed at you, you looked so peaceful- you looked like you were only asleep. Ice crystals were fogged against the glass ever so, the chamber was mostly metal with just a small circle of glass right where your face was so anyone could look in there. A piece of paper was taped to the front of the chamber, written on it stated. ‘Last open, December 5th, 1948.’ You were frozen alone here for over 70 years, in hopes that someone would come and unfreeze you and make you a strong assassin like they did with Bucky.  

It was sickening. The chances of anyone finding you were very slim to none, this facility was buried so deep in the woods, and this room was buried deep in the building- it was a shock the door hadn't been locked. If no one had found you, who knows what could've happened. Would the chamber finally stop working causing you to awake and be stuck in a metal death trap until you died?

Or would it have never stopped working, leaving you in basically a comatose like state for the rest of eternity until who knows what would happen to this Earth?

Quickly Sam pressed against the com radio button, “Nat, can you come help me with something?” Sam asked, voice steady as he continued to stare at you. “I’m a little busy at the moment I just found a load of papers, have Steve do it.” She then replied.

Sam’s eyes widened once more, he knew that if Steve saw you like this right now- well who knows what would happen. Sam wasn’t going to open this chamber up, he needed to get the chamber back to SHIELD headcounters so they could get you out and medically check you over- it had been over 70 damn years and you were frozen in a metal tube hooked up to some hell of a good power source that was able to run for this long, and who knows how long it could continue to run.

So he wasn’t gonna waste time.

Before he could think of something Travis replied, “Steve is currently back in the quinjet, had to call Nick and ask him something.”  

“Natasha, its kinda urgent.” Sam said after Travis finished, “Okay, where are you at?” Sam gave her the directions to get to the room he was in, walking to meet her by the doorway.

“So you know how Steve and Bucky were a throuple in the 40’s” he started which caused Nat to roll her eyes, “If you called me here to just tell me a damn joke I am leaving your ass behind and you can fly back to New York with your little wing-”  

Sam quickly cut her off before she could finish, “She is currently in a cryo chamber in the back of the building and has been for over 70 years.” He cut her off, her eyes widened for a split second before she made her way to the chamber, looking in at you.  

“Steve cant know, not until we can get her back.” She decided, hands on her hips as she turned to look at Sam. “Yes, I know, that’s why I called you in here and not Steve.” He then sassed back which only made her roll her eyes once again.  

Sam explained the letter he found, which caused her to cross her arms over her chest as she read it herself. “At least that means she isn't a hazard.” She mumbled out, looking between the chamber, the letter and Sam. “Hey Sam did you need something?” He then heard in his ear, Steve having finally gotten off the phone with Nick.

“Nope.” He said rather quickly, popping the P at the end of the word which only made him seem suspicious. Steve squinted at the other end of the building, collecting files before shaking his head even though the other male couldn’t see him do so.

Natasha shook her head at him before pulling her phone out of her suit, “I am gonna call Fury and give him the run down.” She said through a sigh, typing in a few things before putting the phone against her ear.  

As she did so, Sam went and placed the rest of the files inside the boxes, they still were here on a mission that needed to get finished. After placing the papers that were littered about in boxes, he started to look through the random cabinets on one of the walls, finding nothing but empty glass viles and old needles, which he was not going to touch those.  

Nat hung up the phone and put it back in her suits pocket, turning to Sam with a nod. “He is bringing another jet, he said to tell Steve that the report from last weeks mission he went on got lost and that he needs to go back and refile it and that they are sending out another jet for us.”  

And that is just what they did. Steve of course found it ridiculous that he needed to be pulled from this mission just to go refill out a paper that someone lost. As he was getting onto the jet the other one was just arriving, Nick had been the one in the pilot seat flying it over along with Bruce Banner. Bruce was a smart guy and knew about anything, so of course he knew the ins and outs of a cryo chamber.  

Once Steve was gone they told Travis the run down as well. The chamber could last about an hour and a half without a power source so you would stay still in your coma like state until they could make it back to SHIELD and get you checked over.  

They wanted to get you somewhere stable before you woke up, you were gonna be confused as hell when you did wake up, so they wanted you to be somewhere at least stable.  

Soon the chamber and the many boxes of files were loaded up onto the quinjet along with everyone else who were headed back. And like that it was off.

Bucky was walking down one of the SHIELD headquarters hallways, having just filled out mission reports, leaving a cramp in his right hand. As he walked one way, Steve was walking the other way and soon they were face to face. Steve had a scowl on his face which caused Bucky to tilt his head and hold back a chuckle.

“Why do you look mad?” Bucky questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because I just had to refill out my report from last weeks mission.” Steve grumbled out which only confused Bucky even more. “What do you mean, refill out?” “Nick told me someone lost my report.”

The brunette arched a brow at that, “Maria was just reviewing it when I was in the meeting.” He said which only made Steve angrier. “Why would they make me refill it out then?” He exclaimed, Bucky shrugged.  

Soon something caught Bucky’s eye, Steve started to rant about how his day was going, arms moving frantically as he did so. Bucky shifted his gaze to the side, on the wall of the hallway was a two way mirror, most of the walls down this section of the HQ had them being as inside were hospital like rooms. Usually a curtain was pulled and covering them though. Bucky could look into the window and see inside but inside the room it was just a mirror.

Bucky’s eyes widened as he stared, putting his right hand up to shush Steve as he turned his body fully to the window. “Steve, shut the hell up and look-” He cut him off, walking closer to the window. Steve then stopped talking, looking toward the window. As he did so he felt his heart drop. Sitting up on the hospital bed was none other than you, Bruce Banner to one side of the bed and Helen Cho on the other and Nick Fury sitting on a chair next to the bed.  

As they stared at you, you felt extra eyes on you, causing you to turn to the mirror on the wall and stare at it, only seeing yourself.

Bucky and Steve stared at you, mind reeling fast.

How are you here?

taglist ( open ) : @youlightmeupfinn @animegirlgeeky @i-beg-your-pardon-laufeyson @snakesonastarship @crowleysqueenofhell @mugi-chwan95 @depressed-bitch-80 @andeys-obsessions @striving4averagegirl @agni-l​ 

[avengeclintasha]

12 & 2

Ahh these are the two that have been in my WIP folder the longest out of everything. It's been AGES since I worked on either of them but they both are still in there in hopes that one day I actually do write them and flesh them out to their full potential.

12. Age of Ultron AU

Okay, I think this is literally the oldest WIP I have, it was SO long ago when I started this one--it's basically age of ultron but with Peggy in it and a few other details changed bc I both loved and hated age of ultron when I first started this fic (now I can say with certainty that it's one of my least favorites, but I don't question my past self and her movie tastes)

It follows the plot of age of Ultron and everything kind of still happens in the same way major plot point wise—I only have the very beginnings of it because I wasn't sure how much I wanted to include of the actual movie/how true I should stay to the dialogue, but there is a part I particularly like that I'll leave below the cut from the first chapter (which is still set before the party scene in the movie but after they fight the first battle, if I'm remembering correctly.

2. ACS3 AU

UGH and this one, this one is an agent Carter season 3 like, what I wished would have been created, and it starts out RIGHT as season 2 ends and it's kind of meant to bridge the gap between the end of agent Carter and endgame, but like idk about years and how long and timelines and stuff got complicated but anyway—

They start out looking into Jack's death and Peggy realizes quickly that he was killed for a file with fake information on her, but just a few short hours after his death and their work at the crime scene, Peggy goes back to the Los Angelous office and though she just reported she was taking more vacation mere hours ago, the head of New York (Jack's old boss) wants her back to run the office by Monday at the latest.

Peggy also gets a call after that from Phillips and Stark about creating SHIELD and making a new organization together and there's supposed to be a whole side plot with her getting offered jobs in the middle of the big extensive plot that's going on

Anyway, Peggy starts combing through old war records and eventually finds out that it's Michael and he's not dead and it has something to do with the Arena Club too, but I didn't plan out all the exact plot of that and eventually after dealing with all of that she takes the job with Phillips and moves to DC and she's only been in her new place for a few days when Steve shows up at her door and that's the end.

It also was meant to kind of have a lot of war flashbacks and flashbacks to childhood with her and Michael, and this is one of my more planned out WIPs I've just never had the time and energy to devote to it to write it, though the first chapter has been edited multiple times I've never posted it, but honestly, it's kind of tempting even though I haven't worked on it in over a year rip. I might post it later on AO3 just because you asked about it.

Thank you so much for asking about these two, they hold such a special place in my heart, and I hope maybe one of them will be posted soon, or at least partially out there for everyone to enjoy :)

More for the Age of Ultron AU for giggles:

"Where is she?" Maria said handing Steve a folder. 

"Who?" He asked taking the folder and opening it. 

"The director!" Steve looked over the room and everyone else was there. Tony and Bruce were sitting next to each other with Thor listening to their discussion. Natasha, Phil, and Clint were sitting opposite them and talking to each other. "Fury's coming too," Hill said looking up and down the hallway. "You'd probably have better luck finding her, Cap. I checked her office and the rest of this floor." 

"I'll be right back," he said. He set his folder and his bag down in the seat beside Clint before leaving to go find Peggy. 

Peggy was very good at hiding inside the intricate hallways and rooms of the SHIELD headquarters, but Steve always knew where she went when she was stressed or needed moments to herself. He checked his office first, then the break room on Natasha's floor, then the training room on that floor. He checked them all with no luck, but then realized where she would be. 

He quickly rode the elevator to the floor with the upper level gyms. Most of the higher ranking agents didn't ever come on this floor because the other gyms were more centrally located on their floors. He knew Peggy liked it here because it was often deserted and he quickly found her punching a sand bag in one of the rooms. 

"Peggy," he said. She instantly jumped at the sound of his voice. She had sweat rolling down her face, and she looked more tired than usual. He walked over to where she was and took her hands in his own. "You alright?" 

"Just needed a few minutes to myself," she said. He began to unwrap her hands, and she relaxed a little because of the familiarity of the situation. This was not the first time this had happened. 

"You're late for the Avengers meeting." He tossed the gauze onto one of the benches near the bag Peggy had brought with her. His gaze came back to her before seeing her face. There was something wrong that she wasn't saying. "Pegs, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing, darling. I'm just tired. It's been a long week," she said. She started to gather up her belongings. She shoved everything into her locker and locked it with her keys. "We'd better get to that meeting." She quickly grabbed her black leather portfolio where she put everything she needed for the day before walking out of the room. Steve quickly followed her to the elevator and got on. 

"Do you have a full plan for the defense conference talks?" He turned to her tying to take her mind away from what was bothering her. 

"Almost. I wanted everyone's approval and input before it became a full plan. The end is a little open," she said opening the portfolio in her hands. She glanced over the content inside before snapping it shut again. "It'll all work out." 

[missmonsters2]

MCU MASTERLIST

Updated 08.15.2023

» Please do not repost or translate my work onto any other sites. I do not give permission for anyone to do so & please respect that or I will have to report your ass.

» if you like my fics, please feel free to send asks, comment, and/or reblog! Interaction makes this site run ♥

» Stories that contain explicit smut will be indicated with (18+)...so please be 18+. minors DNI with those fics.

» All works are with fem!reader unless stated otherwise

» ✧ means 1k+ notes

Other Masterlists

» Halloween Prompts

» CarolNat Masterlist

Avengers x Reader

s e r i e s

The Colliding Tides of You (18+) [ongoing]

» You hadn't known what happened. One moment, you were running for your life. The next moment, you were falling from the sky and your only hope was calling the one number you had to save you. You were in a universe where the Avengers existed and you had no idea what to do. You fight between doing what's right and what feels right. Do you return to your own universe or do you stay with the people you love? [canon divergence. drama. angst. poly. smut]

WandaNat x Reader

d r a b b l e s

» wandanat drabbles tag

s e r i e s

Between the Lines Masterlist (18+) [ongoing] ✧

» Life has changed drastically since the 1600s. Things are always on the move, and you’ve been very careful to not get on SHIELDs radar. Living on the down-low owning a café, you’re content to live out a quiet existence. That is until the Avengers enter your life. [vampire au. drama. angst. action. smut]

o n e s h o t s

Natasha Romanoff

s e r i e s

The Color of You (18+) [completed]

» It was another mission Natasha was assigned to. Nothing she hasn’t done before. Same mission, different people. Sent undercover to investigate William Cain, suspect to funding terrorism and smuggling weaponry. Under the disguise of Natanya Rovinski, Natasha is ready for another routine mission. Until she met you, William’s fiancé. [dark elements. angst. action. drama. smut]

Come Closer [completed] ✧

PART I || PART II || PART III

» In which, you enter Natasha’s world via cleaning her window. [humor. fluff]

Here You Are [series. ongoing] »newest«

» Natasha likes to think she's prepared for anything to happen. Nothing could ever surprise her because she was always prepared for the worst. But no one warned that she was sorely lacking in preparing for the best when it came to you. [dark elements. fluff. drama. angst]

What's One Little Kiss Between Friends [series. ongoing]

» Drabble series set in a college AU where two lifelong friends discover there could be something more between them

d r a b b l e s

» natasha romanoff drabbles tag

o n e s h o t s

A Fool’s Wish 

» You have a stray that comes and goes as she pleases after being saved. You had hoped for something real but that's merely a fool's wish. [angst]

Lead Me Astray

» Being with Natasha means navigating through murky waters on your own. [angst]

From the Beginning ✧

» Being a writer, you've written all the clichés. You just never thought you'd be in one that'd break your heart. [angst]

Leave Me Lonely

» Natasha makes it clear that in their line of work? What they have is as good as it can ever get. [angst]

Wicked Lips (18+) ✧

» Another gala only really meant another opportunity to sneak away with Nat. [bottom!nat. smut]

Where Roses Bloom ✧

» People plant seeds in soil all the time. You've learned how to plant seeds in people. [fluff]

Courting Your Plus One ✧

» There are winners and losers to every break up. You'll be damned if you become the loser in yours. Cue Natasha Romanoff to be your fake plus one. [fluff. humor]

Stars Falling

» Sometimes, you wish you were a star. Sometimes, Nat wishes you knew you were her entire universe. [soft angst. fluff]

To Have A Home ✧

» Months and months of radio silence from Natasha. You think you've broken her heart. But sometimes, people just need time to make their way back. After all, Natasha should know she has a home with you. [soft angst. Fluff]

That Way || Play the Part ✧

» But as you look at how Natasha shifts from foot to foot, a twinkle in her eye, you can't help but think—friends don't look at friends that way. [angst]

The Withers of Springtime Bloom

» Spring is a time of blooming and when things come back to life. You can't help but notice things that may be causing your relationship with Natasha to wither. [angst with HEA]

In Wanting, There's Only You

» Sometimes love can be the loneliest place to be. And yet, when you're with Natasha, you can only think about how there isn't any other place to be.

Your Touch Is My Shelter ✧ »newest«

» 6 months later, Natasha returns from the dead. It's a tightly kept secret as it's unknown how she returned, but everyone claws and fights about who will keep watch over her like savages. You're far down the list of people who should protect her, but you find yourself unable to leave her be. [hurt. comfort]

Wanda Maximoff

d r a b b l e s

» wanda maximoff drabbles tag

s e r i e s

Drive Her Crazy (18+) [completed]

» Meet Wanda, the new ‘It’ girl. She’s built her social standing as a social influencer through Instagram and vlogging on Youtube. Queen Bee in her social circle, she’s got everyone wrapped around her finger. She’s perfect, you think. Girls like that require a little finesse, and you’re ready to play the game. [au. dark elements. drama. smut]

About You [completed]

» Wanda had never known loss like she has until she lost Pietro. It’s debilitating. She can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t even leave her house. Life is fading fast, and she’s not sure if she even wants to hang on. Enter you, a stranger that reconnects her to the daily things that makes life beautiful. [angst. HEA]

The Devil's Touch [ongoing] ✧

» The devil hides behind a friendly smile. You would've never fallen into the trap of student council president—Wanda Maximoff—if you had just kept your lips to yourself. [smut.]

Mirror, Mirror [completed] ✧ »newest«

» The thought of something more had never really crossed Wanda's mind when it came to you. Best friends for 10 years and there hasn't even been one instance of accidental sexual tension. You're her best friend, that's all—until someone points out that you obviously have a very specific type when it comes to dating. [fluff. humor]

o n e s h o t s

Tequila On Your Lips

» Always toeing the line of friendship and something more rears its ugly head after too many shots of tequila. [angst]

Find Your Way

» You and Wanda don't work. The two of you know that. Yet, that doesn't stop both of you from feeling way too many things for each other. [angst]

A Cat-astrophe, Speak More ✧

» Wanda doesn’t seem to understand what she has. You wouldn’t say she’s neglecting you, but you need her to understand that you’ve got choices, okay? So, post-winning and taking down a villain, Wanda gets the aftermath. Now as a feline, she’s beginning to realize maybe the two of you talk too little. [fluff. humor]

Look My Way

» Wanda's just begging you to give her a chance. [angst]

Last the Night

» You need to stop jumping in and out of each other's bed. Especially since she's about to say 'I do' to someone else. [angst]

Under the Light || You Found Me ✧

» You can't let Wanda know how broken you are. Because broken people were never meant to have things they can't have. [2 parts. Angst. HEA]

Lie With Me ✧

» An unexpected opportunity arises to get to know Wanda Maximoff under the guise of being her girlfriend for a mission. [fluff. humor]

Taste of Candy ✧

» Wanda has to be too many things for her to ever be happy in her small town. You wan her to understand she was never meant to stay there. [Fluff. Humor]

Songs for You

» It only takes 12 songs for you to fall in love with Wanda. [Fluff. Humor]

Fire by Feather (18+)

» Wanda shows you exactly what happens to brats who misbehave. [smut]

Close To You

» 14 million realities and you belong to Wanda in every single one. [roadtrip au. fluff]

Play the Part || That Way ✧

» Wanda's very aware that friends don't look at friends that way. Natasha shouldn't look at Steve that way and she shouldn't look at you in any way. But she can play the part. [angst]

Words Beneath Your Skin ✧

» You don’t remember physical intimacy that much. You can’t miss something you can’t recall the last time you had. Except Wanda Maximoff turns out to be a touchy person. [fluff]

Broken Bones ✧

» Natasha has left you. Wanda picks up the pieces. [soft angst. fluff]

The Truth by Liquor ✧

» In which, you're only nice when you're drunk apparently. [fluff]

Window of the Morning ✧

» Certain hours of the day are Wanda's favorite. 2 hours of the day are the entire culmination of everything you and her have shared. [soft angst]

Somewhere Around Midnight ✧

» The one where all that waiting has come to fruition. [fluff]

On Your Mind

» You watch her across the room, eyes heavy-lidded and the edge of a red solo cup resting against your lips. It doesn't matter that a sea of bodies separates the two of you. It doesn't even matter that there's someone else in front of you right now, trying to get your attention. The sight of Wanda fighting with her boyfriend always caught your eye.  [Toxic Romance]

What We Are ✧ »newest«

» Wanda discovers all the things that Vision's done for her that have made her heart flutter was your idea.. [hurt. comfort. fluff]

Carol Danvers

d r a b b l e s

» carol danvers drabbles tag

o n e s h o t s

Move Me Along

» You just wanted Carol to love you like she did before. Even if she can't remember how she broke your heart. [angst]

[lazydoodlesandfanfic]

More Like Pepper (Tony Stark X Teenage!Reader)

Characters: Tony Stark X Teenage!Reader

Universe: Marvel, Avengers

Warnings: None

Request: Could I request a fic where the reader is Tony's kid but lowkey has no time for the teams shit and is savage?

It was a normal day for everyone in SHIELD. Steve came into work after his workout, Natasha and Clint were stalking the grounds to keep people on their feet, Thor was for the most part absent, Bruce was in his lab working, Wanda and Vision were walking around and chatting and Tony was late in. The usual day. Eventually Tony came in, but he wasn’t alone. Alongside him was his teenage kid. 

The media of course knew about you- Tony and Pepper’s kid, and everyone could tell that you took after your father with cleverness, and your mother with how little bullshit you were willing to put up with. The second you got social media, you were quick to correct and teach people a lesson in the most savage ways when they said something bigoted or rude, and neither Pepper or Tony had punished you for it. You were in the right after all. You’d become rather famous after a reporter tried to dirty your reputation, only to have you to respond in the most calm way someone could when turning the tables, ruining their career instead when you proved that over twenty of that reporter’s big stories were all staged and faked. 

It wasn’t a surprise that most of the Avengers had heard of you, though only Wanda, Vision, Natasha and Clint actually knew of your reputation, that had recently come into real life and not just online when the press bombarded you while walking home from school, expecting to make you squirm about being confronted in person about your doings online, only to get cold, hard facts and a bored tone. 

Wanda followed your social media to keep up to date on which idiot you silenced that day, Vision kept up to date through her, and he admitted it was entertaining to watch. Clint’s kids had found your social media and Clint wasn’t sure if he liked you because you taught his kids the difference between good and bad with your discussions, or despise you because his kids had started to mimic your responses with him. Natasha may have been the one to introduce them to your social media and she was almost giddy when word got to her that you were on base, and she pulled Clint along to go find you. Wanda, Vision and Steve saw them and decided to follow. 

They found Tony and yourself in the lab, you siding with Bruce instead of your dad, your arms crossed and legs on Tony’s desk with you sat in his chair. You were for the most part bickering with your own dad so he couldn’t bother Bruce. However, when the team came in you quietened and turned your attention to them. “What are you all doing here?” Tony asked. 

“Heard the infamous Y/N was here and wanted to meet the legend.” Natasha smirked. Tony turned to you and you grinned at him smugly, kicking your legs off and getting up, going to shake Natasha’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” 

“You too.” You greeted. You noticed Steve looked particularly confused, and Bruce also looked a little lost.

“Sorry I’m a bit out of the loop… I know you’re Tony’s kid but… you’re famous? Are you a musician or actor?” Steve innocently asked. 

“Y/N is like the internet version of you, Steve.” Wanda explained to him, but that only seemed to confuse him even more. 

“People on the internet say stupid stuff more than in real life it turns out. All the kinds of people you’d not hesitate to throw the shield at. Y/N is the one who goes around correcting them and ruining the reputation of people who fuel those kinds of people.” Natasha explained more thoroughly. 

“Made me more famous than my dad.” 

“Hey.” Tony warned playfully. “Should warn you they’re just as ruthless in real life so if you’re gonna poke ‘em, make sure it’s with a stick.” Tony warned. 

“Hmm, why? Because you didn’t follow that rule with mom and now I’m here?” You responded. Your dad went stiff, looking up and sucking a breath in, while Wanda had to cover her mouth to not giggle while Steve’s eyes widened and Natasha smirked. Tony always thought he’d gotten used to your smart mouth but you always proved him wrong. Every. Day. He mumbled a little ‘okay’ and turned to do his work. 

By the time the day was over, you’d definitely left a mark in SHIELD. Wanda had shown some of your conversations with people online to Bruce and Steve who were both horrified and impressed that you, a kid, spent your free time dealing with idiots because you found it fun. Clint confronted you about your impression on his kids and you commented about how his kids were nearly teenagers and his ‘old ass needs to keep up with the times and realise younger generations were trying to stop the world from imploding’. Thor came for a visit, didn’t realise who you were but learnt the hard way and spent the rest of the day hiding from you. You discussed with Bruce and Steve, and Steve mentioned how he lived in a tiny apartment despite him being- you know- Captain America, and you disapeared for an hour. You came back grinning, but didn’t inform them where you’d been or what you’d done. Pepper was able to come pick you up so you could go with her to a press confrence- something that had become more common when press realised that if they said something rude or stupid, you’d rip them a new asshole. After you left, Fury informed all of the Avengers (except your father) that you’d ‘talked him into’ raising their paycheck by several… hundred bucks. 

Natasha suggested having you be the one to represent the Avengers when something big happens instead of herself. Fury is considering it, and Tony couldn’t wait to go home and tell you that calling people out on their bullshit could soon be a job you get paid to do. 

Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in! 

*Not my gif

TAGS: @klanceiscannon14 @waywardemo @marvelhoeingismyhobby @bellamyblakemorley @abbybills22 @waywardemo @mutantjediavenger @theoraekensnotsosecretlover @gayasfridge @courtneychicken  @graysonmalfoy @bellero @captain-peanut-at-your-service @likiyoshi-lijie @aesthetjic @originalpottervengerlock @supernatural-pan @esoltis280 @lena-stan-xavier @lady-of-lies @sebstanismylife @macbetheliza @mandywholock1980  @kleptomollyiac @cdwmtjb8 @caswinchester2000@determinedpines

[erisbaek]

Stucky Fic Rec [Part Two]

Here is part two of the fic rec, as promised by today! I don’t know how many parts this will be since I am constantly reading new fics, and adding them. Every fic added to this rec I have read, and would recommend, therefore they are my personal preference (meaning typically longer than 10k, and very few - if any - shrinkyclinks and ABO) Same as last time, I will provide the Google Doc link where I update the rec regularly, but if you’d prefer it formatted here, it is under the cut!

Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10wqr5s-CzkFzLidQgt-y4-cjudHWwVeVPWCedMjK7t0/edit

If you want to recommend fics, you can do that as well! I only add fics that I’ve read. 

Watch Them Rolling Back

         Word Count: 16.9k          Rating: Teen and Up          Notable Tags: Post Infinity War, Canon Divergence          Warnings: Temporary Character Death          Synopsis: Bucky was just here, he was right here. This can’t be all that’s left. Well, it’s not all that’s left, not quite. There, in the pile of ash that used to be Bucky Barnes, already drifting to scatter across the soil of Wakanda, to dissipate in the air, to be nothing but dust on Steve’s hands and in his gasping mouth and in his lungs—left there, in that ash and dirt, are his gun, and his left arm, gleaming dully in the sunshine.

Hey Bartender, Pour ‘Em Hot Tonight

           Word Count: 22.9k            Rating: Mature            Notable Tags: Bartender!Bucky, Patron!Steve           Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: Steve looks down and catches sight of a bright pink drink in a hurricane glass. Moisture is beaded on the outside, and the cool feel of it is nice on Steve’s sweaty hand as he picks up the monstrosity Sam has ordered for him.

“What the hell is this?” Steve asks, a disbelieving smile on his face. “You couldn’t just order me a beer?” “You said to surprise you,” Sam smirks. “And you made me wait.” “But what is it?” Steve repeats, and is answered by a deep, unfamiliar voice. “It’s a Singapore Sling,” the man behind the bar is smiling. “Not what you were expecting?” In which Bucky is a bartender and Steve is immediately smitten. He's not the only one.

Roommate Wanted 

            Word Count: 61.7k             Rating: Teen and Up             Notable Tags: Roomate!AU, Secret Identity             Warnings: None             Synopsis: As Captain America, he’s one of New York’s finest heroes. But as regular old Steve Rogers? Nothing more than a struggling graphic designer who can't quite pay rent anymore. The solution? Get a roommate. Enter Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, ex-brainwashed assassin turned hero trying to make up for his violent past. He needs a place to stay - preferably with a roommate who wouldn't mind his weird hours. Seems like the perfect match. Only problem? Neither knows the other is a hero.

These Streets

          Word Count: 5.4k                        Rating: Mature           Notable Tags: Cop!Steve            Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: The life and times of Police Officer Steve Rogers and his dealings with the not so classy residents of his local precinct, including Bucky Barnes, the rough muscle with the dreamy blue eyes.

(A Silent Prayer) Like Dreamers Do

             Word Count: 12.5k             Rating: Mature             Notable Tags: Soulmate!AU, Shrunkyclunks              Warnings: None             Synopsis: Everyone has a soulmate. Everyone. Since the counsel has been keeping records, there has been one exception to that rule, and considering the man, no one was very surprised. After all, Captain America, ne Steve Rogers, was the exception to all the rules. So when he plunged into the Atlantic in a plane loaded with enough explosives to take out the entire Eastern Seaboard, the nation mourned him, but the counsel breathed a sigh of relief. Their perfect record - a soulmate for everyone - was intact. When Bucky is five or six or seven, he has his first bonding dream.

The Tipping Point

             Word Count: 16.8k              Rating: Teen and Up              Notable Tags: Not CACW Compliant, Touch Starved              Warnings: None              Synopsis: Bucky shows up at Steve's door a week after he pulled him out of the Potomac. He brings his cat with him. Eventually, they stay.

Victims and Victories

             Word Count: 14.7k              Rating: Explicit             Notable Tags: Army!Steve,, Mechanic!Bucky             Warnings: Past Abusive Relationship, Mentions of R*pe/Non-Con, Assault              Synopsis: Steve Rogers is an Army Special Forces Captain. Bucky Barnes, former marine sniper, restores and sells old cars in his spare time. They meet one day when Steve is on a run and Bucky is running from his abusive ex. Steve turns out to be exactly what Bucky needs.

Strange Visitor (From Another Time)

             Word Count: 51.1k              Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Hidden Identity, Reporter!Bucky, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers              Warnings: Slight Smut             Synopsis: James Barnes, rising star reporter of the New York Bulletin, has a plan. One, find out all there is to know about New York's newest vigilante Nomad, starting with his true identity. Two, write a masterful piece about it. Three, win a Pulitzer and become the envy of all his peers. Four, enjoy. Or, you know, something like that. One thing's for certain, though: he sure as hell isn't going to let that fucking asshole newbie Grant O'Connor steal his spotlight.

I Will Remember You

          Word Count: 15.4k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: Temporary Amnesia           Warnings: None           Synopsis: Bucky is James now, and it takes Steve losing his memory to bring them back together He stares at the man, curious and wondering. “Who are you?”  “James Barnes.”  The man’s voice, and the way he shapes his consonants—soft and smooth and just a touch foreign—is almost, but not quite, familiar.  “Are we friends too?” he asks. “Yeah.” Huh. The way his body’s responding to James doesn’t seem very friend-like.

Travelling Light 

           Word Count: 56.8k            Notable Tags: Angel!Bucky, Dark Fantasy, Bonding            Warnings: Canonical Character Death, Smut            Synopsis: When Steve wakes up, it is a surprise. The last thing he remembers is the bottom of the lake, sharp teeth and yellow eyes, and the cold pressure of not being able to breathe. But he isn’t dead. He didn’t drown. He is not in the water anymore. Instead, he is warm, very much alive, and wrapped in a cocoon of feathers. He’s also naked. And with a man lying right next to him.

La Belle et la Bête

             Word Count: 66.7k              Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags: Beauty and the Beast!AU, Forced Marriage, Veteran!Bucky              Warnings: Body Horror, Smut              Synopsis: Steven Rogers was born in 18th century Ireland to a mother who knew herbs and the old ways. After she passes, Steve asks for aid and gets more than he bargained for. He’s cursed into the form of a beast by day and given 300 years to prove to the fae enchantress that such a thing as true love exists. If he can’t prove it, he’ll be whisked back to her realm and be forced to marry her. He can try to find love with whomever he wants, but they have to fall in love with him without seeing his human face for a year and a day. He spends hundreds of years searching, but so far, no one seems worth the risk. Bucky Barnes is a grumpy war vet whose sister is dying. Desperate, he goes in search of a flower that can save her, but the cost is higher than he anticipated: His sister’s life in exchange for his. When he returns to keep his side of the bargain, nothing in the mansion is what it seems.

Captain America and the Great Pygmalion Debacle

             Word Count: 31.7k              Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags: Friends to Lovers, Slow Build              Warnings: Smut              Synopsis: Bucky absolutely refuses to cut his hair and for the life of him Steve can't understand why. The reason? There's nothing in this world Bucky loves more than having Steve brush it...

Breath I’ll Take, and Breath I’ll Give

              Word Count: 17.1k               Rating: Mature               Notable Tags: Post CATWS               Warnings: PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts               Synopsis: It's starting to get harder for Steve to find reasons to get out of bed in the morning.

Lucky Seven

              Word Count: 94.3k               Rating: Explicit               Notable Tags:  Shrunkyclunks, Mechanic!Bucky, Russian!Bucky, Slow Burn                Warnings: Smut               Synopsis: Captain America trashes his motorcycle a lot. Tony says he'll fix it, then never gets around to it and just buys him a new one. Steve, the Depression-era kid, can't stand the waste and goes looking for somewhere near him in Brooklyn where he can get his bike fixed. That's how he finds Red Star Bike Repair, and the hot Russian-immigrant bike racer who runs it: all long hair and muscles and tattoos. And for the first time since he woke from the ice, Steve feels a connection to someone; a comfort in the other man's silences and his space, an attraction in his sheer skill at racing. But James Barnes isn't exactly who he seems…

The Arsonist’s Choir

            Word Count: 11.9k             Rating: Explicit             Notable Tags: Post CACW, (Kind of) Fake Marriage             Warnings: Smut             Synopsis: "It's Bucky," Steve added, helplessly. The buyer was now sitting at Mikhailov's table, but the mission seemed unimportant. "He's been arrested. In Texas. And, uh, apparently, we're married." "Congratulations," Natasha replied, with a small grin. "Are you registered anywhere?"

What a Dizzy Dance

          Word Count: 30.7k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Model!Bucky, Neighbours!AU           Warnings: Smut           Synopsis: An AU where Bucky is a model but Steve is still Steve. They live next to each other and Bucky keeps accidentally stealing Steve's cat.

Separating Me From You

         Word Count: 14.8k          Rating: Mature          Notable Tags: Post CATWS          Warnings: None          Synopsis: After Bucky's recovery, in the face of SHIELD's rebirth, and as all the Avengers have found themselves at a comfortable place with themselves and each other, it should have occurred to Steve that something would go wrong. However, he could have never guessed that trouble would come in the form of the US Army deciding that, because Steve had signed himself over for Project Rebirth, he was technically still the property of the US Government. Property that they wanted to claim.

The Sweetest Spark

         Word Count: 73.1k          Rating: Explicit          Notable Tags: Modern!AU, Age Difference, No Powers          Warnings: Smut          Synopsis: Steve Rogers runs a successful business. He has great friends and a great life. It seems like he has it all. So why is he sitting in a diner on a Friday night alone? Maybe he's just a little lonely. Maybe Bucky Barnes can help with that. ----- It wasn’t just how he looked. Of course, the fact that he was ridiculously stunning was what Steve had noticed first when he’d spotted him across the diner and had left him staring with his mouth open before he’d realised what he was doing, but how could he not?...

A Memory Like a Haunting

           Word Count: 28.6k            Rating: Explicit            Notable Tags: Time Travel            Warnings: Smut            Synopsis: “Why is Bucky’s line disconnected?” Steve asks. “Steve, who are you talking about?” Clint asks. Steve glares at him. “Bucky. You know. The Winter Soldier. My boyfriend. Long hair, metal arm. Come on, guys, this isn’t funny.” “No one is laughing,” Natasha replies. “There is no one called the ‘Winter Soldier,’ and if you have a boyfriend, you certainly haven’t introduced him to us.” “JARVIS, can you tell me if Bucky is in the building?” he asks instead of responding to Nat. There is a long pause and then JARVIS’ clear voice comes down from the ceiling. “I have no records of anyone who goes by the name ‘Bucky’ entering the building.” Or: Steve wakes from a nightmare only to find that Bucky no longer exists.

Honeymoon Cabin

          Word Count: 16.8k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Post Avengers, Veteran!Bucky           Warnings: Smut            Synopsis: After a misunderstanding about the rental availability of the famed Honeymoon Cabin, two lonely men end up falling in love during a winter snowstorm that strands them in the same place.

[flyingblackhawk]

Lists

Clintasha fic

1,359 words

-

The room isn’t exactly as he left it. Clint isn’t surprised, given that it’s been five years. Someone’s been through and picked everything up off the floor, neatened the shelves, even the long-forgotten clothes in the hamper have been laundered and put away. There’s only been one person at the facility for years now, so it’s not much of a stretch to guess that Natasha is the one who’s been in here. The thought twists his chest, and out of sheer instinct he shoves that emotion down, works it into a cold knot of anger. Then he stops. He doesn’t have to do that here. Not here, and not with her.

He showers, and gets into bed. After five years of sleeping rough most nights, it’s a pleasant feeling to be somewhere he knows he’s safe, and to be able to lie here without planning his next assassination. Without those processes, though, his mind drifts, and after an hour of tossing and turning Clint gives up on sleep and sits up in bed.

He flicks on the lamp, and reaches out to open the drawer in his nightstand. He has a vague recollection of a novel he was reading all those years ago. Maybe it’s still here. He grasps something book-shaped, and pulls it out of the drawer. It’s not a novel. It’s a notebook, and there’s a pen clipped to the cover. Clint blinks, trying to remember if this is his. He opens the cover.

The first page is a list of names, with his right at the top. Several are crossed out, some are circled. His own name is circled heavily and followed by three question marks. As he reads down the list, he realises that this is Natasha’s handwriting, and it’s a list of the dead. He turns the page, and the list goes on. It takes up the first eight pages of the notebook, front and back. She must have written this in the first days of the Snap, Clint realises. He imagines what it must have been like - writing out a list of all the important people in her life, and finding out one by one that they were gone. Each page of the list makes his heart sink further. He flips to the page after the list.

Canada??

Sighting at Montreal, report from Quebec border agent - matching description.

No fake passport reported.

Belarus Airport - CALL ALIAKSIEJ.

Kiev??

Where next?

He knows what this is too. She must have been charting his movements. There are no notes after Kiev, and he knows why. He dumped every fake document he had into a furnace, and walked across the Russian border at Nikanorovka. There would have been be no way to follow him after that, not even with the best technology the Avengers had access to. Clint turns another page.

Central comms room.

Move tables into storage & set up conferencing center against South wall.

Call Tony?

Reroute security feeds to CR.

That matches the changes Clint noted when he arrived earlier. He feels guilty reading this. It’s clearly Natasha’s notebook. So why was it in his nightstand?

Marigolds

Ox-eyes

Milkweed

Cardinal Flower (Laura’s favourite)

He knows he shouldn’t be doing this. Even if it’s just lists, it’s personal.

Ask Steve about moving everyone to the same building

Help Steve pack

Help Bruce pack

Call Rhodes?

Clint bites his lip.

I wish you were here.

Close off unoccupied block

Call Pepper

Baby shower present?

Conference call

Where the hell are you?

A couple of subsequent pages are filled with little shapes and doodles. Clint recognises them as the product of Natasha being on a phone call and not being able to say what she wants to say. Lots of the little drawings have been scribbled over so heavily that the pages underneath are indented.

5 7 mile run

SHIELD drills

Gym back room - pull up mats (could be a studio?)

He knows she only dances when she’s in turmoil. He knows that because he’s the only person on this planet she trusts to know everything about her. Reading these pages, and knowing she was doing all this on her own - it’s a lot to take in. He reads on.

Birthday present for Morgan

Plant out cardinals for Laura

Call Steve (Brooklyn cell)

Clint

2 years, Clint. Not one message.

Bring extra monitors up from Bruce’s lab

Order coffee beans

2020, then, he thinks. Three years ago. Even then, he was barely thinking of her. He hates himself for it.

This is the longest stretch I’ve had no visitors.

Steve called the city ‘home’ last time he called.

Rhodes has info on you- Korea, this time.

I miss you.

Clint blinks. For the first time in a long while, he has to swallow a lump in his throat.

The last time I could do this many push-ups, I was in the Red Room.

The cardinals are blooming. I checked up on the farm a few days ago. Everything’s fine.

You left clothes on the floor. I washed them for you. Your hoodie is mine now.

The next few pages are blank. Then-

18.6.21

Happy Birthday. You’d better come back before next year. I don’t think I could make fun of a man in his forties in good conscience.

I saw what you did in Riyadh. I probably would have done the same.

If you’re worried about what I’m going to think, don’t. I just want you to come back.

I’ve been the only one here for two years.

I miss you.

Clint blinks away tears. He knew he’d feel guilty if she caught up with him. He didn’t expect to feel so ashamed.

8.2.22

Security footage from a bank in Seoul. It’s only the back of your head, but it’s nice to know you’re alive. At least, you were alive four days ago.

He remembers Seoul. He wishes he didn’t, but he does.

29.7.22

I slept in your bed last night. Some nights I sleep in the lounge. It doesn’t matter. There’s no one here to worry about me. Steve still comes once every few months. He’s busy now. I call Pepper on her birthday, and on Morgan’s. Tony made me her godmother. How weird is that?

I realised today that I haven’t said anything out loud for three days. I only talk when the conferences are up and running, and we don’t have much to report these days. Rocket mostly emails. Carol tries, but she’s busy most of the time. I can’t ask anyone to come and live here. They’d be crazy to.

He wants to stop. This isn’t right.

17.10.22

Clint, I

Clint

If you knew how it felt to be alone in this giant empty compound, you’d be back here in a heartbeat.

He can’t change what he’s done. He wants to cry.

“Clint?”

He looks up. Natasha is standing in his doorway, frozen at the sight of the notebook in his hands. He sets it down on the nightstand, and gets out of bed.

“Don’t worry about it,” she says, but her voice wavers for a moment. Clint crosses the distance between them like it was never there at all, and wraps her in his arms. She doesn’t hesitate, and hugs him back as tightly as she’s wanted to for five years. It’s not over yet, and they have so much left to do, but just for a moment, everything is alright again.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

“It doesn’t matter now,” she tells him, finally pulling away enough to breathe. “We can talk about this after we’ve done what we have to do. Just… get some sleep, okay? We’ve got work to do in the morning.”

She goes to his nightstand and takes the notebook, then she leaves him alone in his room. She’s right. Tomorrow they will attempt what no human has ever done before, and if they succeed, well- Clint doesn’t want to think about that just yet. Hope is not a feeling he’s felt in a long time. He settles down to sleep. Nothing can go wrong tomorrow, not as long as Natasha is by his side.

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Banner Ch 60:To The Stars And Back

Intro The Time Heist worked, but at a cost. Natasha gave her life for the Soul Stone. Following a promise to make her sacrifice worth something, the Avengers continued their plan and succeeded in reversing the Snap. But along with everyone else, the biggest threat the Avengers have ever faced re-appeared.

 Thanos.

 Now Steve and Katie, along with the rest of their team are locked in a fearsome battle, between light and dark, life and death. Simply put, it’s a battle which they cannot afford to lose because they’re in the Endgame now…

Warnings:

“Language!” 

Major angst- get the tissues ready.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist

So we’re almost at the end! I reckon 2 more and an epilogue and we’re done…well, I say done, onto one-shot territory as I’m not ready to leave the Roger-Stark-Barnes-Wilson family behind, just yet…

This one is quite heavy on the flashbacks- but I wanted to give everyone an little flash of the dynamic between Katie/Steve and Katie/Tony before she started dating Steve, which is something I’m toying with doing as a Prequel of sorts too from Iron Man through the Avengers…I’ll see how that one works out. We go right back to Iron Man 3 territory in this one. Hope you enjoy, please re-blog, comment etc. I live for your thoughts!!

“Happy?” Katie frowned momentarily as the man strode into her kitchen, followed by Steve. “Wasn’t expecting to see you today, not that you’re not welcome, of course you are…” she hastily added.

“It’s ok Kiddo, I know what you meant.” he said, chuckling softly “The kids not here?” “Jamie’s gone to the park with Bucky and Sam, and Emmy’s taken Lucky for a walk.” she answered. “Why, do we need them?”

“No, I was just gonna say hi but I’ll see them tomorrow I suppose.” he said, smiling sadly at the thought of the funeral. “But, anyway, I came to deliver this. It turns out even… even when he’s gone your brother has me running errands.”

Katie smiled softly as he held up the box in front of her.

“He left 3. One for you and Steve, one for Pepper and Morgan, and one for his Funeral….so…”

“His Funeral?” Steve frowned, as Katie opened a drawer and retrieved a knife before she walked over to the table. She had a feeling she knew what was in there, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she carefully slip the tape on the cardboard box and took a breath as she realised she was right. Inside was an Iron Man helmet, one of his many spares from his suits over the years.

“He’s erm…” she said, taking a breath as she instantly recognised which suit this had come from “He’ll have left a message or something, like he did all those years ago from Tennessee.”

Happy nodded “He did…the boxes arrived at the house today. Along with instructions that if he had, you know, then they were to be distributed accordingly.”

“Thanks…” Katie said, setting the helmet on the table and glancing into the box. There was another, smaller box inside, to which an envelope was attached. She smiled as she read her brother’s handwriting on the front. It simply said “Spangles”

“Thanks but I should be getting back.” Happy said, declining Steve’s offer of lunch as Katie turned her attention back to them. “Stuff to do before tomorrow.”

Katie gave him a small smile, placing the smaller box on the side. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me neither.” he said gently, dropping a hand to her shoulder “But we’ll get through it. We always do, huh?”

“I’ll see you out.” Steve said, as Happy gave Katie a hug before he nodded and the two men left the room.

Katie looked at the helmet which now sat on the table, and she took a deep breath before she picked it up and looked straight into the eye sockets. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, resting her forehead against the cool metal she held in her hands. It was from the mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit, the same one he had been wearing when Killian bombed their house back in December 2012, the one he had flown to Tennessee.

And then she was in another flashback, so vivid it was almost like she could hear, touch, feel her brother once more…

“This is fucking bullshit Steve!”  Katie raged at him, as she stormed down the corridor “We are the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistic Division…If this guy isn’t a terrorist threat to our homeland, then I don’t know what is.”

“Hey, look, Sweetheart, I agree with you.” Steve tried to reason “But you heard Fury. We deal with the bigger threats…maybe he has a point, SHIELD can't go chasing off every lead on the Mandarin."

“I might have believed that if he hadn’t sent us in, no questions asked to save a diplomat and his family just over 8 weeks ago.” Katie shot back, “During which, I got my fucking nose broken. But yet here we were, refusing to do anything about a terrorist that is hell bent on taking as many innocent lives as possible.”

“How is Happy?” Steve asked gently as she hit the button for the elevator.

“Critical but stable, whatever that means.” Katie said, her tone slightly more gentle. “But that’s not why I’m pissed.” “I never said it was…”

“I just…” she turned to look at him as he selected the Man Ops floor “Isn’t this what SHIELD or the Avengers is about, taking down threats that…”

“If you ask me the Pentagon is scared.” Steve said, cutting her off. “And the reason the World Security Council voted that this isn’t SHELD or Avenger business is because that would show the world America can’t cope without us.”

“So instead they do nothing.” Katie shook her head.

“Well, not quite nothing…” Steve said, as he looked at her, a smirk on his face.

“Oh yeah, I forgot…Rhodey got a new suit a few weeks ago…” she coughed and put on a fake, deep announcing voice “I give to you the saviour of America, Iron Patriot...all they did was take his suit but paint it red, white and blue…” “If it’s any consolation, the world’s press also thinks that it’s ridiculous.” Steve said as the elevator door opened.

“I know, I saw. Joan Rivers’ ripped it apart on The Fashion Police.”

“I have no idea who or what that is.” he said, shaking his head as they walked down the corridor to the main STRIKE Operations Office where the team were working on some intelligence Widow had sent them about a potential weapons trader operating with Chitauri Weapons.

“Erm… Nova…”  Evans said, looking up as Steve held the door open for her. He gestured to the screen which was displaying the news on the wall “You might wanna see his…”

Steve and Katie both glanced at the TV, which showed a gaggle of news reporters gathered outside the hospital Katie knew Happy to be in. But in the middle of them was my brother, with a lot less poise than normal.

“Is this live?” she looked at Evans. He nodded.

“Can you turn that up?” Steve asked, his hands falling to his belt and Rumlow obliged.

"Hey, Mr. Stark, when is somebody gonna kill this guy?" some douchebag recording with a cell phone asked and Katie let out a groan as her brother, on most likely, a dozen different television networks, rounded on Douchey Cell-Phone Guy who shrugged. "Just sayin'."

"Is that what you want?" Tony demanded, pulling off his sunglasses and fixing the cameras with a look to freeze hell over. "Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin, I just didn't know how to phrase it till now. My name's Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward. So, I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the body. There's no politics here, just good old-fashioned revenge. No Pentagon, it's just you and me….” Katie dragged her hands down her face, shaking her head and groaning again. But the threat alone wasn’t enough for Tony, he carried on.

“And on the off-chance you're a man, here's my home address. 10880 Malibu Point, 90265. I'll leave the door unlocked.” He looked at Douchey Cell-Phone guy “That's what you wanted, right?"

Then he grabbed the cellphone, and threw it against a column, smashing it to bits. "Bill me." before he ducked into his Audi and drove off.

“Did my brother just give the Mandarin our address?” Katie swallowed her eyes still on the TV.

“Err yeah.” Evans said.

“Dickhead…” she seethed.

“Hey, look, he’s clearly a little emotionally compromised right now," Steve replied in an attempt to calm her down.

“Yeah, Cap’s right…” Rumlow offered. “He was being hounded by a bunch of idiots with cameras demanding answers he didn't have…”

“I have to go.” She said, turning and heading out of the door.

“Katie wait…” Steve hurried after her. “You can’t, I mean it’s not safe…” “I have to.” she said, looking at him. “If I don’t he’s gonna do something really stupid and I can’t watch him do that, not again Steve. It’s like he’s pushed that self-destruct button and we’re back where we were after Afghanistan and…” “Come here…” he said, as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, his hands gently settling on her back. She sighed and pressed her face into the rough materiel of his stealth suit, her arms sliding round his waist as she took a deep breath and letting his embrace calm her down, just as it always did. “Want me to come with you?”

“I would love the back-up but…” she sighed as she stepped back and looked up at him. “Trust me, it will make Tony even worse if he thinks we’re ganging up on him, plus it’ll get you in a load of shit with Fury so...”

“Fuck Fury.” he said, and Katie snorted. “You’re by best friend Doll, if you want me to I’ll come.”

“Course I want you to but, honestly, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. It’s best if I go alone.” Steve breathed heavily out of his nostrils. He wasn’t happy about this, but he couldn’t stop her.  “Alright, but you promise me…” he took both her hands in his “if you need me, you call.”

“I promise.” she said, squeezing her fingers round his before she turned and ran off.

5 hours the StarkJet landed at the airfield just to the rear of LAX and she was transferred to a helicopter, which cruised down the familiar Malibu coastline. Katie loved DC, she loved New York, but there was something nostalgic about coming back to her childhood home.

“Ready to help me find this bastard? Tony asked, looking at her as she strode down the ramp which led from the Helipad towards the house, pulling her bag behind her. “Could certainly use your analyst skills…”

“What you mean before he finds us? Oh wait, that’s right…he doesn’t need to find us, he already knows where we are because you gave him our fucking address!” she said with an exasperated tone as he reached to take her bag off her, leaving her free to storm down towards the house in front of him.

“So we better get to him first.” He said simply as she pulled out her phone. “Who you calling?” “No one. I’m texting.” she replied.

“Smart ass, who you texting then?” “Steve.”

“Rogers?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. “How many other Steve’s do you know?”

“I was just checking on account of no one actually, ever calling him Steve…” “Everyone calls him Steve, dipshit.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re the only one that has stupid nicknames for him”

“So what’s he want?” “Nothing, I just told him I’d let him know when I arrived.” “Why?” “Because he’s my best friend.” she said, pushing send on the message. “And a little concerned some maniac terrorist is gonna come blow my head off.”

Tony didn’t respond, and refrained from any further snarky comments when her phone pinged back a few minutes later with a message from Steve telling her to stay safe and call if she needed him. Although she did notice him trying to read the message so she flipped him the finger and slid her phone back into her pocket.

“By the way…” she pointed up at the ginormous Christmas Bunny Tony had bought for Pepper which was sat in the open plan living area “What the fuck made you think buying that was a good idea?”

Tony ignored her and made his way down the stairs to the basement/garage area.

“I've compiled a Mandarin database for you, sir. Drawn from S.H.I.E.L.D, F.B.I., and C.I.A. intercepts.” JARVIS was saying as Katie reached the bottom of the steps.

She shot Tony a look, “You hacked SHIELD again?”

He shrugged and she gave a groan of frustration as JARVIS announced “Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction.”

And suddenly they were both in the middle of a hologram diagram of the destruction at Graumann's Chinese Theatre and Tony was glancing at some information files Jarvis had pulled together.

“Okay, what do we got here? His name is an ancient Chinese war mantle, meaning…”

“’Adviser to the King’” Katie said, cutting in as she read the information on the hologramatic screen in front of Tony. “He’s using South American insurgency tactics, talks like a Baptist preacher.”

“There's lots of pageantry going on here...lots of theatre…close” Tony said, pushing the information down.

“So he wants an audience…” Katie said, as the two of them spun round, looking at the crime scene reconstruction. Tony nodded as they strode over the floor.

"Tell me about the bomb, JARVIS," Tony instructed.

The A.I. spoke almost immediately. "The heat from the blast was in excess of 3000 degrees Celsius," he droned on. "Any subjects within 12.5 yards were immediately vaporized. No bomb parts were found in a 3-mile radius of the Chinese Theatre."

Tony shook his head again, his forehead crinkling. "When is a bomb not a bomb?"

“Things are not always what they seem…” Katie muttered hovering in the reconstruction scene and then the rest of the quote popped into her head “ ‘The first appearance deceives many’…maybe that’s what this is about. Deception. Maybe it’s all just…”

Tony caught onto the exact word she was about to say, their minds working in sync as they spoke at the same time. "Theatre."

Another second passed, causing them to snap their heads up and look at each other.

"He's covering something up here and blaming it on a bomb," Katie said, glancing down at the reconstruction and Tony followed her eyes, swallowing as he saw Happy sprawled on the floor.

“Talk to us Happy…” he muttered. The pair of them stayed still for a second, eyeballing the still holographic form of their friend, and then something else caught Katie’s eye.

"What's that?" she asked, noticing how Happy's finger was extended to an object landing a few feet away from his body.

Tony sauntered over to the object, picking up the holographic form of a pair of dog tags. Katie raised an eyebrow in his direction. That didn't fit in.

"Any military victims?" he asked JARVIS.

"Not according to public record, sir."

Biting his lip, Tony set down the pair of dog tags, turning back to the original holographic map. "Bring up the thermogenic signatures again, factor in three thousand degrees," he demanded as he climbed up on top of one of the units in his lab.  Katie was completely lost now, he was following a train of thought that she wasn’t, clearly.

"The oracle cloud has completed analysis," JARVIS observed. "Accessing satellites and plotting the last 12 months of thermogenic occurrence now."

Tony quickly scanned the results that popped up, shaking his head as he sat down, feet dangling over the edge. "Take away everywhere that there's been a Mandarin attack," he added after a second.

"What are you looking for?" his sister finally dared to ask, not understanding a word of his scientific observations. After doing a scan of the map herself, she still had no idea what he was going for.

"I'll let you know when I find it," Tony murmured, his eyes darting down at the map until he pointed to a single glowing dot. "There."

Katie glanced at the screen. "Rose Hill, Tennessee?"

"You sure that's not one of his?" Tony asked, verifying his theory.

"It predates any known Mandarin attack," JARVIS replied. "The incident was the use of a bomb to assist a suicide. I must say, the heat signature is wildly similar. Three thousand degrees Celsius."

Tony pointed to the records that JARVIS was now accessing about the incident. "The victims were two military guys," he said before turning back to face Katie. "Have you ever been to Tennessee?"

"Can't say that I have," she answered honestly, shrugging her shoulders.

"JARVIS?" Tony called out once again.

"Creating a flight plan for Tennessee Sir…” Katie heaved a quick sigh and looked up at her brother.

“You can’t go on your own…” she said, shaking her head, “Tony…” “I’m not…” He nodded in her direction with a gentle smile. “I made you something…” “What?” she asked.

"Time to suit up," he said matter-of-factly he crossed his arms across his chest before flinging them out to the side, shutting down the display.

“You mean, you made…you made me an Iron Man suit?” she gasped.

“Well, Iron Woman technically but…”

“No no wait…I got it…” Katie laughed “Iron Maiden…”

Tony’s face split into a grin, but he didn’t get chance to respond as the doorbell to the front door rang. Katie looked up at Tony, matching his confused expression with her own. The two of them glanced at the image of the front door which was now being projected onto the screen to Tony’s right showing a car at the gate.

“Expecting someone?” Katie asked.

"Are we still at ding dong?" Tony announced, throwing his hands up in the air. "We're supposed to be on total” he banged his palm twice on the desk “- security lockdown. Come on I threatened a terrorist."

"There's only so much I can do when you give the world’s press your home address," JARVIS responded in his favourite sarcastic tone. Katie had to grin, clearly the AI though it was a dumbass move too.

Tony stepped into one of his suits and Katie took one of the guns from the store, tucking it into the pocket of her pants. Tony instructed Jarvis to open the door and they made their way cautiously up the stairs.

“Right there’s fine…” Tony instructed, holding his finger up as Katie walked behind him. In front of them was a tall, slim black haired woman. Katie glanced at her brother as he turned his helmeted head to look at her and then back to the visitor before he walked towards them.

“You're not the Mandarin are you.” Tony’s face plate slid back, his words at that point a statement more than a question. The dark haired woman looked at him and he spoke again, only this time he asked. “Are you.”

The visitor rolled her eyes “You don't remember. Why am I not surprised?” she sighed

“Don’t take it personally.” Katie said, smirking at the fact this was another one of Tony’s pre-Pepper bangs. He had enough of them to fill a telephone directory.  

“Yeah, look, I don't remember what I had for breakfast” he shrugged.

“Gluten-free waffles, sir.” JARVIS supplied.

“That’s right…” Tony said, nodding. He turned to Katie.

“Okay, look, I need to be alone with you. Someplace not here, it's urgent.” the woman said.  

“Normally, I'd go for that sort of thing, but now I'm in a committed relationship.” He said as he turned to walk into the living room. Two bags landed with a thud on the floor from the above balcony in front of him.

Katie looked up to see Pepper retreating away from the rails. “With her…” she said, pointing upwards.

“Tony, is somebody there?” Pepper called as Tony stepped out of his suit, Katie tucking the gun into her waistband.

“Yeah, Kiddo and Maya Hansen” he said, looking from his sister to the woman who gave a smile and shook her head.

“Turns out he does remember you.” Katie said, eyeing her up.

“Old botanist pal that I used to know, barely.” he finished.

As Pepper started walking downstairs Tony moved towards Maya and dropped his voice, “Please don't tell me that there is a twelve year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met.”

Katie rolled her eyes and hugged Pepper as pushed the huge bunny out of the way and dropped off the bottom step.

“Hey, Tony said you were coming in early, but as you can see, we’re going…so don’t unpack…” She turned to Maya and fixed a smile onto her face.

“I'm sorry. With Happy in the hospital, I didn't know we were expecting guests.” she said, her tone was both polite but carried an undercurrent of annoyance at Tony.

“We weren't.” Tony said.

“No, I... “ Maya began before Pepper cut her off, looking at Tony with a smile on her face.

Oh dear.

“And old girlfriends!” Pepper said, the sweetness dripping off her voice made Katie grimace. Tony was in for it.

“She's not really.” Tony protested

“No, not really. It...it was just one night”. Maya agreed.

“Soooooo!” Katie said, clapping her hands together. “Happy… think I’ll go pay him a visit…” “That's how you did it, isn't it? Yep” Pepper continued, ignoring her.

“Yep, hang on, what, no, Kiddo you stay there…” Tony said, spinning between Katie and Pepper who was now looking at Maya.

“Well, you know...” Pepper said “You have saved yourself a world of pain”

“I’m sure….” Maya said, raising her eyebrows.

“Trust me.” She said, turning to Tony “We’re going out of town, okay? We’ve been through this…” “Nope.” Tony replied “Yep” Pepper shot back as the two of them started speaking at the same time as they often did.

“The man says no….” “Immediately and indefinitely….” “Honey... “ “Great idea” Maya said, nodding “Let's go.”

“I'm sorry, that's a terrible idea. Please don't touch her bags.” Tony said.

“This is how normal people behave.” Pepper’s voice was rising. Deciding she’d seen enough, Katie started to head towards the staircase that led to the garage.

“I can't protect you out there” Tony was equally as loud now, “Either of you.” he spun round to see his sister heading down the stairs “Where you going?” “I told you!” she said, not stopping. ““To see Happy.” She selected the keys for the silver Audi TT and let herself in as it automatically adjusted to her settings, then, less than 20 seconds later she roared up the ramp and out into the sunset.

“Call Captain Badass…” she instructed the hands free set as she pulled up the drive.

“Hey…” Steve’s voice filled the car as he answered after 2 rings. “You alright?” “Yeah, just on my way to see Happy. Pepper and Tony are having a domestic, but that aside, we may have something” “Yeah?” he asked.

“Tony ran a simulation. We did some analysis and found a pair of military dog tags on the ground, but there were no records of military victims. Anyway, long story short, after a cross reference we came up with another attack, in Tennessee, same heat signature, same MO, military victims but get this, it pre-dates any known Mandarin attack.”

Katie surged the car forward and up, along the road carved into the side of the cliff, following the smooth tarmac round.

“So…what, you think it was a Mandarin attack that went unnoticed?” Steve asked after a pause. “I don’t think this Mandarin is what everyone thinks he is.” Katie said. “There’s no bomb casings, nothing. Something feels off Steve.” “Off, how?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” Katie trailed off as helicopter which was level with her now, cruising along the side of the cliff in the opposite direction. Probably more press, Jarvis was right, they’d been hovering outside ever since Tony gave away his public address. But the more she looked, the more it seemed slightly stra to her. The colour was a beige camouflage.

“Huh, odd…” she mumbled, watching the helicopter, completely ignoring Steve now. “What?” he asked, utterly confused. “The helicopter here…it looks like a military…” and then Katie felt her heart in her mouth as she had a horrible realisation . “Oh Shit...” “Katie…” “Steve, I think…”

And as she said the words the helicopter fired a missile straight at the house.

“Katie, sweetheart, talk to me!” Steve’s voice was loud and she realised she had been screaming.

“The house…” she said, quickly spinning the car, the tyres screeching and skidding as she sped back, watching in front of her eyes as her childhood home exploded “Shit Cap, I…” “Get yourself out of the way, right now!” he instructed.

“Tony and Pepper are in there!”  Katie yelled, “I can’t, I have to help…” “Look, I’m going to speak to Fury, just get yourself away damned it Katie, that’s an order...”

“You don’t order me to do shit…” she muttered, cutting him off as she hammered her foot to the floor as another helicopter started firing at the house. After what seemed like an age she skidded down and round the corner onto the long drive, screeching to a halt.

But there was nothing she could do. Tony was nowhere to be found. The Emergency Services bustled around the place, and they waited for what felt like hours for any sign or news, but there wasn’t any. Pepper was stepping through the rubble of the house. As Katie watched she saw her bend down and pic something up. It was a broken Iron Man helmet. She frowned and put it on. Katie continued to watch as her hand flew up to where her mouth would be in the helmet and Katie scrambled over to her as Pepper removed it and handed it to her with shaking hands.

Katie placed it over her head.

“Stark secure server…retinal scan accepted. Play back…”

Tony’s voice filled her ears.

Pepper, Kiddo, it's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So…first off, I'm so sorry I put you both in harms way. That was selfish and stupid, and it won't happen again. Also, Pep it's Christmas time and the rabbit's too big. It’s gone. Sorry. And I'm sorry in advance because I can't come home yet. I need to find this guy. You both gotta stay safe, that's all I know... I just stole a poncho from a wooden Indian.”

The helmet felt like it was suffocating her, and she wrenched it off a moment later, dropping it on to the ground. The tears were flowing down her cheeks now as relief washed through her system. She glanced up with tear-stained cheeks, as Pepper looked at me, her own tears shining in the low light.

"He’s alive…”

Steve made his way back to the kitchen to find Katie sat at the table, the helmet held in her hands and her face pressed against it, crying softly.

“Hey…” he said gently, dropping into the seat next to her, gently taking the helmet and placing it on the table. “Come here…”

She turned into him, pressing her face to his chest as she shook with silent sobs. His hand gently rubbed her back as he soothed her, waiting for her to calm down.

“Sorry…” she said, pulling back “I was just thinking…about the last time I saw this helmet and…” “Stop apologising.” he smiled, wiping her tears with his thumbs. She took a deep breath and glanced at the helmet.

“Oh, here…” she said, reaching out for the smaller box “This was in there for you.” Steve frowned and took the box, looking at the envelope. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes “That fucking nickname.”

“Open it.” she urged “I wanna see what it is.”

Smiling at her ever impatient nature, he tore the envelope open. His eyes scanned the writing and his brow furrowed slightly, before his lips turned up in a soft smile and he handed the note to her.

Hey Old Man. My dad once told me that no amount of money can buy a second of time, yet he had a hell of a lot of expensive watches, so go figure. This particular one I couldn’t auction for charity. I always intended to pass it to you, one way or another. And if you’re reading this note you’re getting it after my demise…so I best explain. I did a bit of digging and it turns out that most of the guys involved in Operation Rebirth and the Howling Comandos got one of these post the War. It’s a Wartime Rolex Oyster, probably worth a few bob or too but the sentiment makes it priceless as you’ll see when you look at it. (here’s a clue- check the back!) It only feels right that you have it. I had intended to pass it to you for your 40th…or your 107th, whatever you wanna call it, but again, as you’re reading this I won’t be there for that.  

I know your Jamie’s surname is Rogers but there is half Stark in him so he’s not a complete lost cause, and maybe when he’s older you can pass this down to him as well.

I’m also assuming you’ll be reading this before watching the message I left as we both know Kiddo is an impatient brat so I’ll leave it there, I don’ t wanna spoil my heartfelt speech too much.

T 

Whilst she was reading, Steve opened the box and he gently took the watch in his hand. It was silver, with a black leather strap. He gently looked at it before he turned it over and he instantly felt a lump in his throat. Engraved on the back was the Howling Commando emblem- they had adopted the wings from his helmet which had adorned their uniforms in whichever place they chose- with the words ‘To The Captain’ arched over the top in copper slate writing.

He gently handed it to Katie and she glanced down at it, turning it over to read the inscription, her fingers running over the writing.

“Wow.” she said gently, wiping her eyes “I’ve never seen this before…”

“It’s erm…” Steve said, his voice thick “It’s pretty…”

“Awesome.” she smiled up at him.

“Yeah…” he said as she handed it back to him, and he placed it back in the leather box, setting it to one side.  Seeing that had brought a wave of emotions crashing back over him. Nostalgia, slight sadness at the loss of not just Tony but his other friends, and pride. Pride that even after he was gone they’d remembered him in such a touching and genuine way.

Shaking himself out of it, he looked at Katie and then nodded to the helmet. “Do you wanna do it now or…” She nodded and picked it up in a shaking hand, before she put it on.

“Retinal Scan authenticated” Fridays voice spoke “Greetings Mrs Rogers…accessing Stark Secure Server, hologram projection activated...”

Katie removed the helmet and placed it on the table, pointing it away from them as the hologram projected from the eye sockets. She took a deep breath as the hologramatic form of her brother appeared and he smiled at them.

“Hey Kiddo.” he spoke, “Cap…”

Katie wanted to speak back, so badly, but she knew it was pointless, he wasn’t actually there. Steve gently reached for her hand and she linked her fingers into his.

“So, I thought I better record a message, you know just in case it all goes sideways tomorrow.” Tony sniffed, sitting down on a chair “I’ve left one for Pepper and Morgan too and the gang, but I wanted to leave you your own. I hope that you’re watching this back and our plan worked, that everyone came back and we did it…” he took a deep breath “But there’s a couple of things I wanna get out of the way before we get into the soppy shit…first off, I’m leaving half my shares of Stark Industries to you, the other half goes to Pepper who will more than likely keep it for Moo once she’s old enough. If you both come to the decision to sell then, that’s cool. It’s probably run its course anyway. If not then…good luck taking it in whatever direction you choose, not that you need luck, you’ve proven yourself more than capable of running it pretty much singlehandedly over the last 5 years.”

Katie took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes with her spare hand, the one that was entwined with Steve’s tightened around his fingers.

“Second, most of the cash assets I have pass to Pepper, but I’ve left instructions that there’s some for you as well. I know you don’t need it but I want you to use it for the kids, however many you end up with. Uncle Nee wanted to leave them something. And thirdly, the house in Malibu. I knew we never got round to rebuilding it but I still own the land and I want you to have it Kiddo. That was our home for years and I watched you grow up there into the strong, beautiful woman you became so it only feels right. Plus it’s where we burried that fucking Turkey too so it’s probably haunted by the evil bastard anyway. There’s a fund set up as well which should let you rebuild it however you want. I know you probably won’t want to move from Brooklyn, I mean Cap’s lived there pretty much all his life, well, maybe, if you don’t count the 65 years doing time as a Capsicle or the time in DC and then wherever the hell you were when, well, you know…” Tony waved his hand “but, whatever, the point is you can rebuild it how you want and use it how you want, nice little holiday home maybe…” Katie took a shuddering breath as her tears were falling thick and fast. She’d forgotten all about that house, their home that had been destroyed. The fact that Tony had never sold the land so she could have it back in some form was astounding and overwhelming at the same time.

“So now that’s dealt with…onto the good stuff. First off, Spangles…” Tony spoke and Steve shifted slightly “I know we’ve had our differences…but I just wanted you to know when it comes to Katie I trust you implicitly, I think I always have done in a way. I never really had any doubts in my mind since that day I spoke to you in DC. To be honest you’re such a straight guy I trust you with pretty much anything, well, maybe anything…still not sure about our driving but that’s a different story.” Tony winked and Steve spluttered a chuckle. The fact that Captain America was a bit of a speed demon behind the wheel and been a long running joke amongst the Avengers since the beginning “You’re a good man with a good heart Steve, everyone knows this, I mean that’s the reason you were chosen for the serum anyway isn’t it? Because it makes the good better. I know I’m leaving my girl in good hands, but just so you know…” he raised his fingers to his eyes in the familiar ‘I’m watching you’ sign and Steve smiled “And that won’t stop now, because if you do ever let down I’ll make it my mission to haunt you for the rest of your life…” Tony smiled “But I know you won’t.. and because I know you probably still don’t believe me I wanted to tell you once and for all that I don’t blame you for any of the shit that went down. I Love you buddy, Take it easy.”  Steve took a deep breath and wiped his tears with his spare hand as Katie gently squeezed his other again as hologram Tony shifted in his seat and his attention turned to Katie.

“Kiddo…” he sighed “I don’t even know where to start. I know I’ve said it and said it again, but my biggest achievement in life will always be how well and good and honest and…amazing you turned out, even with me as a role model. If Moo turns out to be anything like you when she’s older then…” he trailed off and shrugged “Well, I only wish I was gonna be there to see it…oh, and that reminds me, Spangles I’m counting on you to be there to vet all potential boyfriends for suitability….” Both Katie and Steve let out a watery chuckle at that.

“But yeah, where was I…oh, right…seeing how you took Emmy under your wing, then having Jamie and how they’re both growing into spectacular people…it’s awesome and I really couldn’t be any prouder of the woman you became. Never lose that will to do the right thing, never lose that Stark stubbornness, never lose that streak of ferocity that leaves everyone quaking in their boots. After everything you’ve been through…I’m just sorry that I’m bringing more shitty times to your door by meeting an untimely death, but I know you’ll get through the other side, you always do. Just remember, this was my choice to fight, my choice. So I don’t want anyone thinking they’re to blame. I think, deep down, I always knew it would end this way ever since New York. And rather this than some crazy old bastard rattling round in a home not knowing what day it is…”

Katie took another deep breath as Tony wiped his hand down his face.

“Anyway, please make sure they don’t play any soppy shit at my funeral. AC/DC, Queen or something will suffice…maybe Train, I dunno…” he winked and Katie smiled through her tears “And if Ross is there, give him this from me…” he raised his middle finger of his right hand before he chuckled “But I don’t know why I’m recording all of this anyway as I’m sure it’s gonna work out. I’ll probably be sat here watching it back and grimacing at how ridiculously stupid I sound and look, but just in case…I want you to remember that I love you to the stars and back my girl, I always will…and I’m beyond proud of you.”

And with that the message cut off, leaving the kitchen quiet bar Katie’s shaking, soft sobs. Steve gently turned towards her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. She pressed her face into his chest, her hands sliding around his back where she gripped at his shirt her brother’s final goodbye to her echoing in her head.

Tags

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[fanficsaremylifeline]

Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Summary:

Tired of Tony and Steve's constant fighting and bickering, the other Avengers sentence them to couple's therapy.

***

“DAMN YOU, STARK!”

Ugh, it was way to early for this, Tony was only two coffees in and dealing with Steve required at least two more cups. His holy coffein intake didn't seem to matter to Steve though, as he came storing into the living room, interrupting Tony and Rhodey's highly intelligent discussion about Jeopardy.

“What?”, Tony shot over; he was however pretty sure that he didn't want to know and most certainly didn't care.

“When the milk is empty, just throw the damn carton out! Is that so hard?”, Steve moaned and gestured around with the empty carton.

“And who says it was me?” Steve was completely right, it had been Tony. But before he'd admit to that, hell'd freeze over.

“Please, can we not argue about it like five-year olds? Just throw out the milk so I know to get a new one.” With a sigh and an exasperated and frankly quite condescending eye roll that Tony did not miss, Steve turned and walked out again.

“For fuck's sake”, Rhodey groaned, once the door had closed behind the super soldier. “Correct me if I'm wrong, JARVIS, but that puts the milk-fights somewhere in the mid-twenties, right?”

“It was indeed the 26th time Stark and Rogers have fought over the milk”, JARVIS reported. “Add that to the 19 discussions about profanity, 23 about appropriate levels of music during night time, 11 about Star Wars, 17 about Star Wars before Captain Rogers had seen them, 28 about how to make proper coffee, 24 about cars vs motorbikes, 16 about Monopoly and 8 about how to pronounce GIF. Together that makes 172 in the last 16 days.”

“You kept fucking count?”, Tony groaned. “you Rainman...”

“No, not Rainman. I currently feel like something between Ms Doubtfire and Mary Poppins. So either you two get your shit together or I'll turn all Nurse Ratchett/ Ms Trunchbull on your asses, capiche?”

“Yes, Mum...”

“Just get your damn coffee”, Rhodey grumbled and turned his attention back to the rerun of Jeopardy.

“Ok, but hear me out.” Tony pulled up the holographic model to show Bruce what he was talking about. “If we manage a miniscule version of the arc reactor, the Hulkbuster wouldn't be just some giant armour, but could fulfil some minor automated functions.”

“What kind of automation are we talking about here?” Having that powerful a reactor comprised into something that was supposed to take down Hulk, without blowing up an entire city block... Bruce wasn't too sure about that.

“Mostly for movement. We're talking about copious amounts of weight here, and without some form of automation, Thor'll be the only one who can actually move in it.”

“Yeah, I get that. It's just... Does it have to be arc-technology? Last time it was Hulk against Ironman, I almost blew up half of New York and was this close to giving you a heart attack.”

“But that's why we need to make it smaller so...”

“TONY!”

Ugh, not again. Steve stormed into the workshop and stared Tony down.

“Steve, please. Me and Tony are very busy and...”

The super soldier barely graced Bruce with as much as a fleeting glance and pointed right at Stark. “Next time you're hungry, stay the hell away from my leftovers!”

“Right, because I would voluntarily eat your sprouts with cabbage and shit”, Tony scoffed and turned back to the Hulkbuster model.

“Every time I put my name on it. And of all the Avengers you're the only one disrespectful enough to ignore that.”

“Oh, so now I'm disrespectful?”

That was it for Bruce. Those two could continue for hours like that and Bruce was not gonna do that to himself. And, as much as hulking out might help to get those two idiots in line, Bruce really was not keen on doing that either.

Neither seemed to notice him leaving the lab and after the door had closed behind him, Bruce leaned with a heavy sigh against the wall. “JARVIS? What's the count?”

“193.”

.

“Boss, your presence is required in the briefing room.”

“Oh, come on.” Tony hated being interrupted mid-project with a passion. “Scale 1-10 how important is it?”

“According to Agent Romanoff it is at a 17.”

“Fine”, he groaned, put the wrench down and trudged upstairs. It couldn't be an imminent mission, JARVIS hadn't sounded any alarms, so there was probably no need to worry.

Or maybe there was, at least judging how all the Avengers stood around the table, eyeing him sternly.

“Where's the fire?”

“For weeks, you and Rogers have been at each other's throats”, Clint began, and Tony was already done.

“Right then.” Tony turned on his heel and walked back towards the door. The locked door. “What the fuck, J? Unlock the door!”

“I am not authorized to do that.”

“Excuse me?” Tony stared at the camera. “You are my AI. My command trumps every other command you're given.”

“Not if I deem it crucial.”

“Traitor!”, he hissed before turning back to the Avengers. “Taking over my AI comes with dire consequen...”

“Shut it, Stark”, Nat interrupted and motioned for him to sit back down next to Cap.

His hands raised in mock-defense, he complied.

“And now listen, both of you. Your bickering is making everybody miserable.”

“Amen to that”, Wanda threw in.

“We're not that bad”, Steve stated, and Tony nodded along.

“JARVIS?”

“In the last 4 weeks alone have been 256 incidents. This number accounts only for altercations within proximity to the tower and all tech linked to my server.”

Granted, Tony got how that might be annoying. However... “That is so not on me.”

“Excuse me?” Steve turned to Tony, pure offence written all over his features. “Clearly the team cannot excuse your behaviour or they...”

“It's on you both”, Natasha made clear. “And everybody suffers for it. So you left us with no choice: you're being sentenced to couples therapy.”

“No.” Both Tony and Steve stared at her with wide eyes, their jaws on the ground.

“You can't be serious”, Tony protested once he caught himself again. “We do not need therapy!”

“Tony's right”, Steve nodded.

“See?” Tony gestured between himself and Rogers. “We're agreeing on something! There's absolutely no need for any type of counselling.”

“Your opinion doesn't matter”, Banner made clear.

“Yes, it does! I run this damn team.”

“And I finance this damn team”, Tony finished Steve's reasoning.

“As your doctors, me and Helen already signed off on it. And so has Fury. You're going and that's it.”

Fuck. Tony slumped back in his chair. Therapy. With Rogers.

“Everything is handled with utmost discretion”, Vision explained. “The SHIELD-approved psychologist has already signed a NDA and should arrive at the tower as we speak.”

“THE FUCK?”, Tony yelled out, “our appointment is NOW?”

“So neither of you can weasel out of it”, Rhodey shrugged.

That was the worst part about all this: his honey-bear being part of all this. It felt even worse than JARVIS being part of this conspiracy.

“Fine”, Steve just groaned, “Let's get this over with.” With that he got up, looking at Tony all expectantly until he too, followed suit.

“Conference Room C”, Nat fake-smiled and waved them away.

Tony was in no hurry to get there any time soon and inspected the spectacularly unspectacular white walls of the hallway.

“Come on!”, Steve complained.

“Why?”

“Because we shouldn't let the doctor wait!”

“I couldn't give less of a fuck about that doc or your annoying need to be perfectly on time.”

With an eye roll, Steve just turned and strutted off towards the conference room. Fine with Tony; he could very well do without the nagging.

He was gonna get them back; Nat, Rhodey, Clint, all of them. And if it was the last thing he'd ever do; Tony was gonna get his revenge.

.

Mark was nervous, immensely so. He was about to start counselling Captain America and Ironman! How in the name of everything that was good and holy in the world was this real life?

It was incredibly bizarre; as a kid he had collected the Captain America baseball cards and just two weeks ago he gifted his son the newest Ironman action figure; his daughter never went to sleep is she didn't have the Avengers-blankie.

But there wasn't time for more than two deep breaths, the door opened and in walked Captain America. Keep it together!

“Hello, Mr Rogers, the name is Mark Simmons; it's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise”, he smiled and shook the outstretched hand. “Please excuse my partner's tardiness; it's his form of protest.”

“Don't pretend like you want to be here”, Stark scoffed as he walked through the door, before he turned to Mark. “Good day, doctor. Just so you know, up until ten minutes ago, neither of us knew about this...” - he waved his hands around, gesturing between the three men - “arrangement. And to be perfectly honest, neither of us really fancies the idea of therapy.”

“Your honesty is appreciated”, Mark smiled. “Since I'm already here though...” He motioned for the two to sit down and, less willingly than anything else, they complied.

“Well, since neither of you know what to expect from me or our meetings, let me explain what it is I do. My name is Mark Simmons and I specialize in business psychology; you could say couple's therapy for a co-workers. What I'm here to do, is to get the communication going.”

“Oh there is no issue there”, Tony rolled his eyes. “This one's more than vocal about what I apparently keep on doing wrong.”

“Not apparently”, Steve hissed.

“It doesn't seem to bother the others.”

Oh dear. Not even five minutes in and Mark already feared the worst; this would be a tough one.

“I understand that your situation is a difficult one”, he commented, when he finally got a word in, “since you not only work but also live together. But that's why it is important for us to get to the bottom of it all, of where all this tension stems from.”

“We don't like each other”, Stark shrugged”, what more is there to it?”

“More than you'd think. I do need to say right away that this will only work if you are honest with me and each other. In return I assure you that I will be transparent about any and all methods and intentions.”

“That does sound reasonable”, Rogers nodded. Still, even though he seemed to be more open to the whole idea than Stark, the Captain was just as apprehensive; he just tried to hide it.

“No promises”, Stark made clear and Mark could only smile.

“Thank you for your honesty, Mr Stark.”

“Tony.”

“Right then. If you'd be willing I would like to hear some of the typical arguments you have, so I can get a better picture of the situation.”

“Ask JARVIS, he keeps a log”, Tony snorted.

“It is not my job to counsel JARVIS” - whoever that was - “you two are my clients, so it's from you I'd like to hear it.”

“He's just got one to many sticks up his ass”, Tony shrugged and toyed around with a screwdriver he got out his jeans pocket.

“No, he's just a sloppy and spoiled prat, who never learned how to share and live with others.”

“I am not sloppy! I mean sure, I can get sloppy in bed...” He left the rest unsaid, and a smug grin played over his lips.

“You see”, Steve groaned, “everything is a joke to him! I – honest to God – can't remember if I've ever had a serious conversation with you.”

“Well, maybe I don't want to have a serious conversation with you”, Stark shot back.

“Well, doctor”, Steve forced a smile, “I guess there you have it.”

Wow. This was gonna be just great.

.

“Hey Tones.” Rhodey, that traitor, walked into the lab and shot Tony the smuggest grin. “How was your first session with Dr Simmons?”

“You're an asshole”, Tony grumbled and turned his attention back to the motor he was repairing.

“Thanks dear, I love you, too.”

“Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking?” Tony must have looked sufficiently pissed off, since the smugness in Rhodey's look changed to something sombre.

“Me and the rest of the team were thinking that whatever is going on between you and Rogers can't continue like this. It's breaking the team and it's breaking the two of you as well. So you're gonna deal with it.”

“And what if I don't?”

“Then we're gonna lock you two in a room with Hulk.”

“Proactive choice. Just gotta warn you: this is gonna end in disaster.”

“Can't be worse than it is now.”

.

“So why don't you just throw the empty milk carton out?”

It's been thirty minutes and the two Avengers were still fighting over the damn milk. But, instead of giving Mark the chance to dig a little deeper and guide the conversation towards what really upset them, they kept on talking over him. If their last four sessions were anything to go by, they probably forgot Mark was there.

“I have more important things going on in my head to check if I finished the milk or whatever.”

“Right because it's too much to ask for you to take these three seconds to check that.”

“Yeah, but guess what, Rogers: I don't owe you shit.”

Ah, finally, they got to a bigger issue. For a few moments they just stared at each other, Tony's defiance head-on meeting Steve's confusion.

It was the super soldier that broke the silence. “That has nothing to do with me wanting you to do this for me. It's just the proper basis for a bunch of people living together.”

“And why am I the only one that gets your speeches? Clint drinks the juice right out of the container, Vision has zero instinct about privacy and walks right through walls, Thor eats everybody's pop tarts and I don't think I can recall a single time that Wanda cleaned the microwave. So please, Captain, what is it about me that is so unbearable or well, more so than the others?”

“Because you do it on purpose!”, Steve cried out. “All that bullshit didn't start until about two or three months ago. So what the hell changed that you felt the need to be such a pain?”

“Because I can't allow myself to like you.” Tony all but spat the words in Steve's face, got up and turned to Mark. “Thanks, doc. For everything.” Not sure whether it was meant sarcastically or not, Mark just stared after Ironman as he walked out.

“Well”, he eventually cleared his throat. “I guess we can stop talking about milk, leftovers and swearing.”

“Yeah...” Until now, Steve had stared at the closed door, only now he turned to Mark. “Let's just hope he shows up next time...”

.

He didn't.

But Steve hadn't really expected anything else. All week, Tony had kept away from Steve, not once did they run into each other.

After Tony missed another appointment, Steve got worried. Fine, he had been worried ever since Tony had told him that he couldn't like him, but now he allowed the worry to come through.

“Bruce?” The scientist was – as he had been for the last few days – by himself in the lab.

“Steve, hey”, Bruce smiled and waved for Steve to come inside. “What's going on?”

“Have you seen Tony these last few days?”

“Of course not”, Bruce chuckled, “he's in his house in Malibu.”

“Wait, what?” Steve couldn't help his face from dropping.

“Yeah, he said something about some issues with the LA branch of SI.”

“Oh. Right then. Thanks.” With an awkward wave, Steve turned and walked out, as Bruce's concerned looked burned into the back of his head.

Right, SI LA needed its boss every now and again; it made plenty of sense for Tony having to go there somewhat spontaneously.

Something in Steve's gut felt so very off about it though. Disappearing from one moment to the next, not even cancelling their sessions with Dr Simmons... Something was not right and Steve felt somewhat responsible.

Unfortunately, very impulsively so; as much as he hated flying, Steve found himself in the next machine to California.

All through the flight, he had thought about what he wanted to say, but now that a cleaning lady, Miriam, led him through the villa, his head was pretty empty.

In a wide light-filled room, Tony sat on the floor, screwing around with something that looked like it had once been part of an Ironmansuit.

“Tony.”

“Rogers, what the fuck do you want?” Stark didn't even look up.

“I want to check on you.”

“Could've just called.”

“Would you have picked up?”

“Probably not”, he admitted, still not gracing Steve with as much as a fleeting glance. “Thanks for flying out though and have a safe journey back to New York.”

“Tony, I'm not leaving until you talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say?”, Stark groaned, threw the wrench on the ground and glared at Steve. “Seriously, what do you need to hear to fuck off?”

“The truth.”

“How original.” With a roll of his eyes, Tony got up and wiped the oil off his hands. Steve doubted it was of use, the rag that had probably once been white was almost black by now.

“Tony, please.”

“Why?” He strutted right up to Steve but he wasn't about to let himself be intimidated. “Why do you care?”

“I care about you and our team. And I thought we have gotten close, I do consider you a friend. And that's why I care about you.”

After staring at Steve for a few moments, Tony dropped his head. “Fuck”, he mumbled. “Right here goes. I'm sorry for screwing with you these last weeks. It was all my fault and I'll be good from now on and we no longer need to deal with the shrink. Deal?”

“No”, Steve made clear. “I flew to LA so we can work on what has the entire team upset and isn't good for the two of us either. So tell me, what I can do to make you more comfortable around me, and I'll gladly do it.” He took two careful steps towards Tony. “Please.”

“I appreciate that, but there's nothing you can do.”

“You said you can't allow yourself to like me.”

When Tony stayed silent, Steve continued: “Is it because of Howard?” It had to be, Tony's Dad was the only thing that connected them profoundly enough for Tony to hate Steve.

“What do you think?”, Tony scoffed. “The great and amazing Captain America, Howard's greatest ever creation, I just never could measure up to.”

“Tony, I'm so sorry...”

“Can it”, Tony interrupted him, “because it's not your fault. You were dead then, it had nothing to do with you and everything with Howard being the worst.”

Wow.

“But you don't want to end up like your Dad, so you forbade yourself to like me”, Steve finished the explanation and interpreted Tony's shrug as affirmation of his assumption. “So why be a pain in my ass then?” This part, Steve didn't really get: Tony could just stay away from Steve, the Tower gave more than enough opportunities for that.

“Just because”, Tony mumbled, as he actually blushed. What the hell? As hard as he tried, Steve couldn't remember Tony Stark ever being flushed.

“That's not an answer.” Steve was aware that he was entering dangerous territory; a cornered Tony was even more dangerous than he normally was. But what was the alternative? Him and Tony just avoiding each other, pushing it all way down until it all blew up in their faces?

“Rogers, please...” Tony's voice went softer, almost a whisper, the exact opposite of how Steve had expected Tony to react.

“Tony, you're seriously worrying me.” Steve took another step towards Tony, who looked like he just wanted to bolt. “Please, what's bothering you?”

“You are, damnit!”, Tony yelled out. “The fact that you're nothing like the damn asshole I pictured you to be throughout my childhood. The fact that you're actually a pretty great guy. The fact that I like you, no, that I like you too damn much.”

Steve couldn't follow. The part about Tony's childhood and Howard, he got. But the almost desperate look in Tony's eyes... “I get that all that, with me, Howard was, or still is...” At Tony's exasperated face drop Steve halted mid-sentence. Was he missing something? Judging by the way Tony looked at him, he probably did.

“You really don't get it, Rogers, do you?”

His meek shrug was only met with a Stark-typical eye-roll.

And then everything seemed to happen at once. With two big steps, Tony closed the last bit of distance between them, grabbed Steve by the shirt collar, pulled him down and pressed their lips together.

And Steve's mind just went blank. Of all the things he'd expect Tony to do... This was not one of them. Frozen in shock, Steve could do nothing but let Stark kiss him.

“Here you go”, Tony shrugged, once he broke away and took two steps back. “Now if you'd please fuck off, I'd be very grateful.” With that he turned and motioned to walk off.

“Tony, wait.” Steve heard himself speak, before he realized he had done it. But it was all so very much in a haze, and Steve wouldn't bet a lot on this being real life and not just a dream, so before he knew it really happened, he grabbed Tony's arm, pulled him back and immediately their lips met again.

After a few shocked moments, Tony's arms wrapped themselves around Steve's shoulders.

Steve had no idea what was really happening, but he didn't care, because it felt amazing. It was electrified, passionate and all the little things that irked them about each other seemed to vanish, making room for desire to run wild.

“Rogers”, Tony mumbled after a while, “what is...”

“Shut up”, Steve shot back, not in the mood for talking.

“Works for me”, Stark chuckled, and, with his hand on Steve's neck, he pulled him down and deepened the kiss even more.

Was this a good idea? Probably not. Did Steve care? Fuck, no.

.

When Steve woke up the next morning, he wasn't quite sure where he was. He definitely didn't know this enormous bed, and these silky bed sheets were not to his taste.

Oh. Right. He was in LA. In Tony's bed. And very naked.

Shit.

What was more, he was alone in Tony's oversized bed. There was no genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, but a note.

Steve,

sorry, had to dash. Help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen, if you want.

I'll see you in New York.

TS

Shit. With a loud groan, Steve fell back into the cushions. What did he think? He didn't, that was just it. Or he thought with the wrong body part. Sure, it felt good, very much so. Kissing someone hadn't felt that good ever since he kissed Peggy. And then... Passion just took over.

That was admittedly the weird part, Steve wasn't someone who just let himself run over with desire and just jumped right into bed with whoever kissed him. Well, he and Tony had a lot of pent up tension between them and now they just had the need to get it all out.

I'll see you in New York.

Well, maybe things would be a little more relaxed between them from now on. But Steve doubted that.

.

“Omigod”, Nat sighed, “I can't believe I'm saying this but I liked it so much better when they were fighting.”

“Tell me about it.” Clint fell down next to her on the couch. “The way Cap just silently stares at Stark is seriously creepy and so awkward.”

“And Stark barely ever talks any more when Steve is in the room and flees as soon as he's got the chance”, Wanda observed.

“If it weren't those two, I'd say they're boning”, Clint giggled, until he stopped dead. “Omigod. Do you think that Steve and Tony...”

The assembled Avengers just looked at each other with wide eyes.

“It would explain so much”, Nat eventually broke the silence.

“All that bickering and fighting is just unresolved sexual tension”, Bruce commented.

“We gotta fix them!”

“Right”, Nat scoffed, “because they both would react so positively to us walking up to them and telling them to bone.”

“Maybe we should stick them back in therapy.”

“Because that went over so well the last time.”

“What then?” Rhodey looked around the group. “There's gotta be something we can do!”

“We'll leave that to you”, Nat suggested, “you're the only one who can get through to Tony.”

.

With a ping the elevator doors opened and Rhodey walked into the penthouse, already dreading in what state he was about to find his friend. “Tones? You in here?”

“Platypus!”, Tony beamed and staggered towards him with wide open arms. Shit. He was really hammered.

“Here”, he handed Rhodey a bottle, clearly not realizing that it was already empty. “Drink with me!”

“How about we switch to water?”, he suggested and took the still half-full bottle of whiskey out of Tony's hand.

“You're so boring”, Tony moped and walked over to the kitchen cabinet, where he got another bottle. “So boring”, he repeated after a generous sip. “Just like Steve. He's so stupid and boring.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gently, Rhodey guided Tony to a couch and all but pushed him down. “I'm not worried about Rogers, though.”

“You should...”

“Nah, I'm only responsible to look after you.”

“I'm fine”, Tony claimed, however swaying and slurring a lot more than fine would suggest.

“I know you are. That's why you ran off to LA, avoid Steve since you're back, lock yourself in up here and drink that much again.”

“I'm really fine”, Tony repeated. “Look!” He T-posed and shot him a kissy-face. “I'm so good.”

“Right, then you won't mind talking to Steve, would you?”

“But I don't want to.” Not unlike a child throwing a hissy fit, Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest; all that was missing was Tony sticking his tongue out at Rhodey.

Well, if Tony was gonna act like a four-year-old, then Rhodey'd pack out his parental voice. “And why don't you want to talk to him?”

Thankfully, he was too drunk to pick up on James' condescending tone. “Because he's stupid.”

“And why is he stupid?”

“Because he is.”

“Tony.” This was gonna be a tough one.

“Rhodey”, he mocked him.

“Well, if you're fine, then I can go.” He got up off the couch and, as he had expected, he couldn't get two steps until Tony stopped him.

“Don't go”, he mumbled, grabbed his arm and pulled him back on the couch.

“Alright, I'll stay”, James smiled. “You gonna tell me what has you upset though?”

Tony clutched a pillow and looked down on the floor. “We... we had sex.”

“You did what?” Oh damn. They were right, the Avengers were damn right about them.

“He... He just didn't get it, so I showed him. And then he kissed me back. And then...” Instead of finishing his sentence, Tony took another sip from his bottle.

Well, damn.

“Sounds to me like you and Steve have quite a bit to talk about...”

“Talking fucking sucks”, Tony groaned and slumped against Rhodey's side.

“It helps though”, he shrugged and put his arm around Tony's shoulder.

“Still sucks”, he mumbled and snuggled into the embrace.

Rhodey had lived through enough of Tony's drinking sessions to know that a) Tony was about to fall asleep, that b) Rhodey would not be able to move until he woke up again, that c) the chances of getting thrown up on were at least in the high seventies and that d) this disaster human being was his absolute favourite person in the entire world.

“I love you, Tones.”

“I love you too, Honey-bear.”

.

5 days. 5 days since Steve had flown to LA to confront Tony about their 'situation'. 5 days, since Tony had grabbed his shirt and kissed him. 5 days, since Steve kissed him back. 5 days, since Steve had just about the best night ever. 5 days, in which Steve couldn't think about anything else than the surprisingly soft lips, the taste of coffee, the strong hands on his body and most of all, how good being with Tony had felt.

And with all that came a realization: that flutter in his stomach that came every time Steve was around Tony was not dread, awkwardness or anything like that, it were the butterflies in his stomach going into overdrive.

When Steve finally gathered enough courage to talk to Tony, he ended up standing in front of a locked door.

“I'm sorry, boss has restricted access to anyone.”

“JARVIS, please.” In the worry about his friend, Steve didn't give too much thought to him currently trying to reason with a bodiless robot. “You can't tell me that he's doing alright. Let me please talk to him.”

“Since he is not in imminent physical danger, I am not authorized to ignore boss' orders.”

“Is he drinking?”

“Yes.”

“With his history, it's more than dangerous for him to be locked up all by himself with these amounts of alcohol, don't you agree?”

“I do”, he admitted and the door opened for him.

“Thanks, JARVIS, you're the best.”

.

“Tony?”

Damnit. JARVIS was really keen on disobeying all of Tony's orders, was he? “One of these days”, he groaned towards the general direction of the camera, “I'll donate you to a high school.”

“I believe my fosterlings there would be less determined to kill themselves and be more grateful for my unwavering support.”

“You sure as fuck aren't supporting me”, Tony hissed, as Steve walked all through the penthouse in search of him. If Tony was lucky, Rogers would respect the sanctity of the bedroom, where Tony had created a make-shift workstation on and around the bed.

“I have your best interests at heart, even if you might not realize it.”

For fuck's sake.

“Tony?”, Steve called again, closing in on Tony's location.

“He is in the bedroom”, JARVIS announced and boy, if looks could kill, Tony would have to install new security cameras.

“Can I come in?”

“Whatever”, Tony grumbled and the door opened to the sight of a nervous Steve.

“Hi.”

“Rogers, I don't know what went wrong with you that you can't seem to get I don't want to see you.” Tony didn't even bother with looking up at Steve and hoped to whoever was in charge of hurried prayers that the super soldier would see it as nonchalant and not recognize the pained insecurity. Which, by the way, fucking sucked.

All of this, of what happened these last few weeks, months, fucking sucked.

It started to suck, when Tony got to know Steve for who he really was: not the absolute pinnacle of American perfection who Tony would never be able to measure up to, but instead.... Sure, Steve was all that, but so much more.

As much as Tony pretended to be exasperated and annoyed by his in all honesty at times pathetic tries to catch up to modern technology, his determination was really commendable and quite adorable. Same with his annoying righteousness; knowing about Steve what Tony knew now, he could recognize and appreciate how passionate Rogers was about the things most important to him. And that undying loyalty... But not – as Tony had thought – to the US army, the government and blindly following orders, but to the people closest to him. Even to Tony. Who had been quite the dick. But even though he didn't understand a word of it, Rogers often listened to Tony's engineering rants. And listening to Steve going on and on about injustice or whatever, Tony just got roped in by that seemingly boundless passion.

And with all that wrapped up in *that* package... Yeah, Tony really had fallen for Steve. And he hated himself for it.

Why of all people did it have to be Captain America that made Tony's heart skip a fucking beat? And why in the name of Edwin Jarvis did Tony 'confess'? Why couldn't he have just stuck to the fucking plan, ride these damn feelings out and be enough of a pain so Steve would hate him?

But no, Mr Impulsivity just couldn't leave well enough alone and keep it in his damn pants, could he?

“I'm sorry, Tony”, Steve eventually apologized.

“For what?” For being a giant idiot, who didn't get what was going on? For pushing what should have been left alone and thusly making everything a million times worse?

“Yes, to all of those.”

Tony didn't even realize he had said all this out loud, but whatever. Not like all this could be even more fucked up...

“But there's a bit more I need to apologize for.” Almost cautious was Steve's movement as he walked up to Tony, who sat on the bed. “I'm sorry that I'm so slow and dumb when it comes to feelings. I'm sorry I brushed all of your actions off as you being nothing more than a childish pain in my ass and some other choice words I feel like leaving out of this right now”, he chuckled and yes, that was indeed a blush creeping up Steve's face. “Because I know you're not like that.”

“Oh?”, Tony shot over, rife with sarcasm. “Then what am I like?”

Steve locked eyes with Tony, sincere and earnest. “You're so generous, intelligent, caring, admittedly quite funny and supportive of everybody important to you. I know you like to play all that down, hide behind the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist tag, but that's all it is. A tag. But that passion, that fire... You light up every room you enter and that's not because of your genius-billionaire-bullshit, it's because of your big heart.”

Huh.

As much as he hated to admit it, Tony was speechless and could only stare at Steve with wide open eyes.

“And I'm especially sorry that it took me so damn long to realize that all that has roped me in long ago.” Steve scooted closer, bringing them mere centimetres apart. “It took LA to make me understand that this weird feeling in my stomach whenever you're around, had nothing to do with dislike or annoyance. More like the exact opposite.” As he spoke, Steve's voice went quieter as he leaned in closer, and before Tony could compute any of this, Steve's lips were on his.

.

“What the fuck?”

When Nat opened the door to the kitchen, she couldn't quite believe what she saw: Tony, making coffee and Steve's arms wrapped around his waist, with his head rested on Tony's shoulder.

“Hi Natasha, want a cup?”, Tony asked, barely looking over.

“I'm good”, she waved him off and pulled Clint, whose jaw was still on the ground, to the table. “Let me guess, therapy did you two a world of good.”

“We might not be that pissed about it any more.” Tony turned around, and leaned against the somewhat blushing Steve.

“Thanks for forcing us to go”, he grinned.

“We told you.”

“Yeah... Guess that wouldn't make you the smartest person in this building after all...” Steve grinned over at Tony, who smacked Steve's side.

“It's definitely not you, I could have told you that long ago”, he shot back with a smirk.

“Oh really?” Steve raised his eyebrow and Nat felt like she was about to get sick.

“Oh god, what have we done”, Clint hissed over, staring wide-eyed at Tony and Steve. Flirting. Actually flirting.

“We've created a monster, that's what we did.”

[biavastarr]

Co-Workers

Pairing: steve rogers x you (fem!reader)

Warnings: language, mild (?) violence, injuries, inaccurate medical descriptions, inaccurate passage of time

Word Count: 3,968

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the media or characters mentioned in this story.

Author’s Notes: okay so this is my first fic that I’ve written since seventh/eighth grade and since the theme is nostalgia and I’m the writer who has the power to do whatever I want I’m gonna disregard like half of canon and make this fic post-Civil War except they all got along and everyone’s alive and happy and Pietro and Bucky are living at the tower too and it’s not the compound mainly bc I want it to be in the city. reader is an ex-SHIELD agent who joined the Avengers like a month ago bc she’s been on the run since it fell. I just,, I love them both. I’m definitely being overindulgent and this is way too much exposition for stuff I don’t think really gets mentioned.

this is for @whirlybirbs and her endgame writing challenge, the nostalgic thing in this being the innocent “they all lived in the tower together” era that I loved so much. this is my first time writing for Marvel but I hope you guys enjoy!

Summary: Being a former SHIELD agent left you with a lot of walls that a certain blonde super-soldier is all too good at tearing down.

This mirror, you decided, has got to go. You were staring at yourself from ten different angles and the A.I. was reciting a full rundown of your skincare routine and it was quite frankly creeping you out. Ever since you moved in to Stark Tower last month, Tony had been trying to charm you with increasingly technologically enhanced appliances and you were starting to feel like Belle, what with having to tell your fridge that no, you are not hungry but thank you for the concern.

You carefully smoothed over your dress, a black, crushed-velvet thing with a high neck and flowing sleeves, a cinched waist, and wide skirt that fell delicately at your knee. If you could appreciate one thing about the mirror, you mused, you could admit that it let you know you look damn good. You slipped on a pair of pumps and left your little pseudo-apartment as quietly as you could manage, praying that your years of SHIELD training didn’t fail you in your time of - dare you say desperate? - need.

Tragically, as though the gods themselves had it out for you - you’d curse Thor for this later - you only managed to make it down the hall before delighted crowing from one genius billionaire playboy philanthropist made himself known. You turned slowly, bracing yourself for this inevitable interrogation-slash-please-be-friends-with-us speech. The man strolled over to you with a smirk on his face, Captain America himself trailing awkwardly behind him. Your heart fluttered pathetically at the sight of the blonde soldier. No, you reminded yourself sternly. Coworkers are coworkers.

Blissfully oblivious to your sour expression, Tony clasped your hand and spun you wildly, your dress flaring out around you. “Do my eyes deceive me, or are you finally gracing us acquaintances with your presence at movie night tonight?” He drawled out his comment, glancing far-too-knowingly at a certain slack-jawed supersoldier.

You winced, knowing that he’d just quoted you from a check-in report you had given Fury the other day that the other Avengers had found and pouted over. You didn’t have any specific issues with them, you knew, but they were your coworkers. The last time you had trusted the people you worked with, you had ended up with a gun to your head in a room full of Hydra members. It was easier - both for you and your heart - not to mix business with pleasure. That being said, you also knew that it’s never wise to be rude to a man who’s quite literally housing and paying you. Ever since SHIELD fell, Tony Stark had taken it upon himself to finance this whole initiative.

You sighed dramatically, faking a put-upon tone. “I suppose I can promote you all to glorified roommates, if you would like, but no, I’ve got a date.” Your eyes subconsciously drifted to Steve, drinking in his appearance as you admired his absurdly tight shirt straining over his chest.

At this, Tony lit up, his grin only widening further, eyebrows dancing high on his forehead. “Oh, really,” he questioned, “and with whom, may I ask, are you going out with? Can they really outmatch ole’ Capsicle here with his puppy eyes?” He winked at Steve, who was doing his best (which was not very successful) not to stare too deep into your eyes.

Smiling playfully, you pinched Tony’s cheek, laughing at the blush that painted his face in reaction. “Aw, Stark, that’s for me to know, and for you to never find out.” With a swish of your dress, you stepped around him, nodding kindly at a still-silent Steve Rogers, and entered the elevator.

As the doors closed, you waved shyly at the pair, trying not to think too hard about how none of the walls you had built, those defenses so painstakingly made, could ever really protect you from those incredibly blue eyes that still looked your way.

---

Steve hated when Pietro picked for movie nights. The last three time in a row had granted the Sokovian complete and utter control and he was dying, he was sure of it.

While they normally rotated turns, last week was what the Avengers had hoped to be your turn, but you had shrugged and said you had a mission, passing it off to Pietro, despite him literally picking the week before, not that Steve was still bitter about it or anything. Not at all. Tonight it was supposed to be Tony’s turn, but he had picked up on Steve’s exasperation with the speedster’s movie taste and gleefully handed the reins to Pietro once more.

Wiggling his eyebrows (ridiculously), Pietro popped the DVD for Not Another Teen Movie into the player, flopping down into the seat beside his sister with a bright grin. “Look, Captain,” his heavily accented voice drew Steve from his thoughts. “You may even like this one, it’s a play off all the other flicks we’ve been watching. Also, the guy who plays Jake is hot.” He winked unabashedly at Steve, who was now contemplating how hard it was to fake a heart attack if it meant he could leave the inevitable teasing that would come from tonight.

No, not because he was an “old man who can’t appreciate fine cinema” (Natasha’s cutting words after he said he didn’t particularly enjoy High School Musical 3), but because your absence meant that the others could safely - and loudly - tease him about you.

Bucky, whose metal arm was slung casually around the seat next to him, was currently bearing a shark-like grin, and Nat, who had draped herself across an entire half of the couch, much to Tony’s chagrin, had a smirk painted on her face as they watched everyone settle in, easily noting that you, like always, had elected not to come.

“Where’s our new recruit?” Wanda inquired with an air of fake innocence, oh, Wanda, not you too, not you, thought Steve in alarm, the young witch looking around as if she really needed to search for a person she knew was not attending.

“Oh, haven’t you heard? She’s got a date.” Tony said, drawing out the last word as if he treasured it dearly.

“No!” Wanda mock gasped. “How did I not know this!” She turned to Steve, the bowl of popcorn shifting dangerously in her lap. Sam nimbly scooped it up before it fell, and Tony mumbled something grateful about stains in his carpeting before stuffing his face with the buttery popped kernels. “Who’s she out with?”

Sam grinned at her slyly as he tossed a piece of popcorn at Natasha, watching her catch it deftly in her mouth. “It’s probably Pepper’s new assistant, Jared, I think? He’s always staring at her like she hung the moon or something, bet he finally got the balls to ask her out.”

Natasha shook her head incredulously. “No way, that kid is so nervous he rivals Steve in his eloquence around her, I swear. Maybe she met someone outside of the Tower. She does go out without us a lot.”

Steve flushed considerably, cursing his Irish skin for betraying him so. He tried to focus on the movie again, preferring the embarrassment of the whipped cream-covered protagonist to the current situation he was facing. “I do not get nervous around her,” he grumbled, more to himself than anything. Bucky’s head shot up at this, his damn super-hearing once again being the bane of Steve’s existence.

“Yeah, punk, and I don’t have an arm made of Vibranium,” Bucky snarked, throwing his metal hand up for emphasis. “What, like it’s just natural for you to fall off your chair mid-debriefing?” Steve, again, bemoaned his reddening state, doing his best to ignore the group around him smirking at the memory.

Sam patted his leg consolingly, having stretched out on the pillow-laden floor for better access to the snacks. “Look, man,” he started carefully, “you’ve just gotta say something, sometime. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late and you definitely don’t want to say it when you don’t mean to. She’s an Avenger, just like the rest of us, despite how much she tries to act like she’s not, and it’s not going to make life any less complicated for her if you’re stewing on feelings she doesn’t know about.”

Steve laughed a little disbelievingly. “What, you think I’ll tell her in the middle of battle? C’mon, man, give me some credit.” Sam rolled his eyes eerily in sync with Nat and Bucky.

“Alright, Rogers, whatever. Act like you don’t need us.”

---

Oh fucking hell, you thought, sprinting frantically through the streets of Paris as the city lights twinkled tauntingly above you.

Your date, as you had called it eighteen hours ago, was actually at a gala hosted by an arms dealer Fury suspected was Hydra, and now, with a gash carved across your leg and a head wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding, you felt that he had been quite justified.

Pausing for a moment in a flower-covered alcove, you held your breath, hoping that whoever had been tailing you had finally called it quits and moved on. You were tapping out a message on your phone, letting him know what went down, when you caught sight of the man tracking you.

Shit, you thought to yourself. It was the man whose very arm you had entered the gala on, and he was the most trusted goon of the suspect you had been investigating. You knew it was safer to head back to the Tower, check in with Maria and Fury, and then return for further evidence, especially considering the USB drive you had tucked into the pocket of your dress, but you had already gotten so much from this mission that you hadn’t expected and by god if you weren’t a relentless and slightly reckless pursuer of justice.

Narrowing your eyes as you continued to observe your oblivious pursuer, you opened up your purse, quickly wrapped your calf wound, and carefully slipped on the stealth suit and matching boots, packing away the dress and frowning slightly at the new tear in the seam. One of the surprise pains of being an Avenger was the tragically short lifespan of your closet.

Padding behind the man silently, you finished your message to Fury, punctuating it with the update of your plans to infiltrate whatever base the man was headed to. Breathing in deeply, you slid your phone into one of the straps across your thigh and winced slightly at the pain still screaming in your leg, hurrying on behind the burly man.

---

Maria groaned exasperatedly at the message blinking on her monitor, swinging her chair around to face Fury. “You see this?” She pointed at it in frustration, finding no other words for your stupidity.

“Fucking dumbass. She always does this. Thinks she can get all the motherfuckers out of sheer will.”

“God, I mean, she’s a good agent, but she has no regard for her personal safety. It is such a pain, Nick, I’m telling you, I’m going to get gray hair just from having to be her handler.” Maria tugged at her dark locks as if to display them for inspection. She and Nick both loved you, but they forgot how dumb it was to send you on a solo mission with no back-up; you were never sated with just satisfying mission objectives; with no one to stop you, you wouldn’t be finished with the job until at least an entire base was wiped out or you were carried away on a stretcher.

Nick shook his head and picked up his phone again, signalling to Maria that she needed to respond to you, well-aware that you’d ignore their protests anyways. Dialing his backup plan, he internally groaned at the voice that picked up.

“Hey, Stark. So I borrowed your new agent-”

---

Oh fucking hell, for real this time, you thought, wincing at the heavy manacles they left you in. You were a little grossed out that these things looked like they came out of a medieval torture museum, and had the rust to prove it, but you supposed that was a later issue. You had gotten your tetanus shot, you reminded yourself as a new grimace shook you when the metal dug painfully into your wrists.

No, your current issue were the two Hydra agents staring you down in the harshly lit room. You assumed it was the designated unwillful-interrogation room, but you clocked no less than three potential exit points, from the door to the vents to poorly concealed hollow panel you bet you could kick in with a hearty shove. Finishing your assessment of the room, you waited until one of the agents cleared their throat before turning back to them.

“Who do you work for?” His gruff voice ground out, grabbing the chain that kept your bulky cuffs suspended in the air. Your lips curled into an expression of disgust at his proximity.

“I mean, a) cliche line, seriously, and b) why do you even ask? If I’m from anywhere worth being from, it’s not like I’d tell you. Also, you guys should have, like, basic investigative skills. Facial recognition technology. Literally anything.”

The man growled again, rattling the chain as if he was trying to shake you around like a ragdoll. Your head swam and you were reminded of the blood draining out of you from a wound with an ever-slipping wrap.

Figuring that waiting longer would only worsen the situation, you yanked your arms up and wound the chain tightly around the agent, choking him out while his partner sprang up towards you. She shot straight at you through him, clearly not caring whether he survived this attack, but you launched yourself up and over his shoulders, snapping his thick neck with a twist of the chains. Angling your wrists up so that the next bullets hit the cuffs, you wriggled your hands out of the pinched, burning hot metal and lunged at her before she could react.

Scrabbling at her hands while trying to grab the gun, she managed to sling you over her shoulder so you landed with a thud on the ground. You kicked out at her feet and she fell heavily on top of you, but you flipped yourself over, straddling yourself over her hips. She tried to jerk her head up, but you dodged quickly, circling her throat with your hands and forcing your knee down on her thigh so you could follow the momentum and twist with a loud crack of her neck.

Letting her body slump to the ground, you dusted yourself off and looked around. Electing to exit via the vents, as it seemed to be the safest way to stay out of sight, you braced yourself against the chains hanging from the ceiling and pulled yourself up and out of the room.

---

“Barnes, Rogers, Romanoff, Wilson, c’mon, we’ve got a mission to ‘supplement,’ as Nick so delicately put it.” Tony was speedwalking through the common area, ignoring groans of protest as he smacked the whining assassins. “Shut up, Barnes, you can lose to Natasha at chess on the quinjet, we’ll have plenty of time on our way to Paris.”

“Paris?” Steve parroted, joining Tony at his side. “Does this have anything to do with the fact that this alleged ‘date’ has lasted a day and a half?”

“Relax, Cap, your girlfriend is fine-”

“She’s not my girlfrien-”

“Right, you wish!” Natasha cackled loudly, high-fiving Sam and Bucky while Steve turned and gave her the best kicked puppy expression he could. This only served to make them laugh more, and Steve once again questioned why he ever let these dorks - his dorks - all meet.

---

“Yes!” You whispered quietly to yourself, beaming at the storage room full of explosives you could see below you. Dropping down as quietly as you could manage, you let yourself land on the shoulders of the lone guard and knock him to the ground, stabbing him in the stomach with knife you had pulled out of your boots. Pausing once again to readjust the bandage you had tied around your leg, you let yourself lean against a crate for a moment, your vision wavering.

---

“Tony?” Natasha’s concerned voice rang out from the cockpit, causing everyone to worriedly look in her direction. “Was this base supposed to be on fire?”

Steve stood up and rushed to the windows, his own eyes confirming one of his biggest fears. He had a team member down there, and he didn’t know if she was alive or dead, and worst of all, he didn’t know what he could do to help her.

“Sam, Tony, you guys get out now. Fly over and try to get us visual on any activity going down. Let us know if, if you see her.” Steve shook his head at his stumble, pausing momentarily. “Bucky, Nat, as soon as we land this thing, we’re all going to split up. Cover as much ground as we can. Where’s our closest landing point?”

“I’ve got it, Cap, calm your beautiful, beefy-”

“Do not even finish that sentence right now.”

“Rogers that.”

“That doesn’t even work, Tony!”

---

It had been a whole 273 seconds since Steve had touched down on the ground and there was still no sign of you, and with the few Hydra agents stationed at this base being found dead or dropped already, this left his mind all too open to thinking up terrible situations that you could’ve found yourself in.

Don’t be ridiculous, he chided himself, the knocked out agents, the explosions are a good sign. She’s a capable agent; if she did that, she’s out here somewhere. He clenched his jaw in concern over the state of the base, though. He was guessing that it was you who blew it to near pieces, and rubble was still crumbling and settling. He just hoped he didn’t find you trapped under any of it.

Suddenly, a piercing scream curled out from around a corner, and he whipped his head in search of the chilling sound. Jogging into another collapsing room, he breathed a weighty sigh of relief upon discovering your bloody but intact body on the ground. He followed your horrified line of sight to discover a kevlar-clad severed leg, drenched in blood and soot.

He knelt before you, bringing your head to his chest and wrapping his arms gently around you, trying to quiet your panicked cries, though puzzled at the sight - as an agent and then Avenger, you certainly were no stranger to gore. Steve rocked you slightly, and your shrieks quieted enough for him to bring his face level with yours and search your eyes earnestly. You watched him, your face blank, as his large thumb brushed tenderly against your cheek, wiping the stray tears and dust from your face.

“Hey,” Steve whispered, “are you okay?” He took your hand in his, gingerly stroking the back of your hand in soothing circles, and you marveled at his soft touch despite the rough leather of his gloves.

“I,” you started helplessly, “I’m, uh.” Tears continued to escape you, and you tried to fight the humiliation of crying at work, no matter how grave your situation was. You nodded brokenly at the bloody calf across the room from you, hoping he would put two and two together, and your shoulders shook once more. Steve looked at you quizzically, fighting the urge to kiss your fluttering lashes until the unidentified pain went away.

“....What?”

“What do you mean what?”

“I, just, what?”

You wailed again, throwing up your hands in frustration and instinctively standing to go and show him yourself when suddenly you glanced down in wonder. No, your eyes did not deceive you, you were standing on the same two legs you had entered this mission with. “Oh, that’s not my leg!” You gestured excitedly at the limb you had mistaken for your own, glancing back at your own leg that had a matching gash down the back of the calf. “I had just assumed I couldn’t feel it because of shock, y’know, and-”

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?” Steve’s breath hitched as he realized what he just said. Oh god, he groaned internally, this isn’t technically in the middle of battle, but-

“What?” You were blinking, a lot, more so than what Steve thought was normal. He tried not to read too much into your eyes, those eyes he found himself lost in, prettily framed by those long lashes and holding a gaze he couldn’t understand.

Shit, his mind was racing, stumbling over his words once more. “I, uh, I don’t, um, know why? Why I said that? Oh, god, I mean, we’re not even there yet, not that I’m expecting you to have to be there, ever, oh god, I am so sorry, I’ll just-”

“Steve,” you cut in, gasping a little and clutching a ridiculously thick arm of his for balance. “Fuck, uh, my leg, my actual leg this time-” With a painful whine, your body toppled against his as you blacked out, warm blood still trickling down your calf.

---

You squinted your eyes open, trying to avoid the glaring fluorescent light the filled the room. The hospital room, you realized, turning your head with a wince to see a large window whose natural light was tragically obstructed by cream-colored blinds. You let your eyelids droop again, hoping that you could avoid the effort of revamping your lighting by just falling asleep, but you had no such luck. You settled for letting your gaze wander aimlessly around the area, which you assumed to be a local Parisian medical center and not the Avengers medbay you had yet to visit - Tony would never allow such an ugly tile pattern within fifty feet of his home.

Shifting carefully, all too aware of the throbbing pain that still burned in your leg, you looked to the other half of the room and stifled a gasp - the one and only Captain America was asleep at your side, leaning heavily to the side of his fragile-looking plastic chair. Your eyes fell to his still-gloved hand, which was clasped in your own, and you briefly wondered how out of it you were that you hadn’t noticed this immediately.

Dragging your free hand over to cradle his face, you called his name softly. Bleary-eyed and painfully cute, Steve blinked his way awake, coming back to you. His shoulders sagged in relief at the smile on your face.

“Hey.” You weren’t necessarily one for feelings or overaffection, but you hoped Steve didn’t notice the embarrassingly obvious adoration in your voice as your eyes drank him in.

“Hey.” His tone matched yours, sleep-husky voice still loving and velvet. You started to draw your hand away, relishing the warmth that emanated from his skin, but he caught your wrist cautiously, gentle enough to let you slip away if you wanted but firm in his request.

You stayed like that, together, for a dreamy few seconds, before he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Listen, uh, so, I’m sorry, about asking, not that I didn’t want to ask because I did, but it was unprofessional and unfair to you and-”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I said yes, Steve.” He blinked at you adorably in question.

“But I thought you didn’t want anything like that with a, um, coworker?”

You swallowed and looked down at your clasped hands. You had spent far too long keeping people at arm’s length because of your fear, and you knew you could trust the Avengers. You made a tiny, tentative promise to yourself, to give people chances like they had given you. Bringing your eyes to match his, you gave him a small smile.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that Captain America is my coworker, and it’s Steve Rogers who’s asking.”

[numeronubisexualhawkeye]

This One’s For You Steve Irwin

1818 words

(this is complete and utter nonsense but i had fun writing it lmao)

Clint wouldn’t lie and say he had been a little excited when Maria cleared them for this mission. At first he was going to pass it onto someone else or let Natasha handle it on her own this time. He had just come off a month long mission trying to take down an arms dealer in Benin, and was ready for some well deserved rest, but Maria knew how to reel him back in. At first she had just told him that it was in Australia, easy, would probably be up in a week, and he could stay in the country for however long he wanted until they called him back for another mission (the last part sounded too good to be true, but Clint had vacation days saved up and he would use them on the sunshine coast in a heartbeat).

That grabbed enough of his attention to ask just how “easy” this mission was supposed to be. When Maria told him that they had to discreetly take down someone who had been smuggling biological weapons through Australia Zoo, he actually laughed.

“Is the crime world so desperate they’re willing to smear Steve Irwin’s legacy for their evil plan?” he had asked.

Maria just shrugged. “I don’t know. But apparently, they’re doing a sloppy job, because Queensland Police have had multiple tips from staff and tourists reporting suspicious behavior.”

“Then why not let Queensland Police handle it?”

“Because it’s one of ours.” Maria said handing him the file with the mission report.

Clint vaguely remembered the face in the blurry security camera picture. Some cadet who had defected early into training, too tempted by the easy money of some crime lord one of his friends had been running with. Maybe this would be easy, Clint had trained him for a short while, and the young man, Jacob if he remembered correctly, was shrimpy, never ranked high in any of his physical tests. But apparently he was a good enough businessman to have a weapons deal running down under.

He accepted the mission, and three days later, he and Natasha boarded a painstakingly long twenty hour flight. When they finally got to their hotel, Clint sang the praises to every deity he could name off the top of his head.

“You gonna lounge around all day or are we gonna get to work?” Natasha said coyly, tossing a t-shirt on his head.

Clint had been spread out across the bed for several minutes while Natasha was coming out the bathroom from a shower. “Ugh, five more minutes. That flight was the devil.”

“This heat is about to be the devil. I can’t believe we have to stake out a zoo during Australia’s summer.” Natasha said as she brushed out her hair.

“Hey, look on the bright side, we can go to the Crocoseum when we’re done.”

“Hm, that's true.” Natasha laughed. “But seriously, let's get this over with. There's no way that skinny asshole can be that big of a problem.”

But as it turned out, that skinny asshole ended up being a complete problem. Since the calls had been coming in about suspicious behavior, security at the zoo had been tightened. They had to go in without weapons, which they most likely wouldn't have needed, but going in without at least a pistol made Clint feel naked in his khaki shorts and t shirt. The only sort of gear they took in was a radiation monitor that Natasha had smuggled in in her purse.

The tight security also made it that much harder to scope their target out without alerting any of the staff. Sure they were just moderately trained cops and staff, but Clint would have much rather preferred to not have their cover blown (that and he really wanted to see the croc feeding at four).

They didn't stay the entire day, only about two hours. It was crowded and with the security, all they could really do is scout out staff entrances and exists, and keep an eye out for Jacob's face in the crowd.

The second day was a bit more promising. In the crowded cafe, Natasha was able to pick up a reading on the radiation found in the weapon they were looking for.

“West side of the zoo,” she signed to him. He had his hearing aids in, but it was easier to talk about the mission this way.

“Oh goody, looks like we're going to Africa.” Clint signed back as he looked at the map to see where exactly they would be heading.

Once in the African enclosures of the zoo, the crowd had thinned out a little and the security was a little less dense. Clint walked with his arm around Natasha's shoulder, leaning a little too hard into their newlywed cover. But how could he not? The jovial energy of the zoo, the perfect weather, Natasha looking like an angel in her green sundress, ponytail, and New York Giants baseball cap she had nicked from him a few weeks back. It was painfully blissful, and here he was trying to chase down a defunct cadet instead of being able to fully enjoy it.

“I got it.” Natasha signed, walking out from under Clint's arm.

He sighed as the moment ended, duty was always calling. He followed her as she walked along the perimeter of the enclosure, passing rhinos and giraffes as he went. When she stopped and looked up, her gaze went inward to the animals.

“What the,” she started, “that can't be right.”

“What is it?” Clint asked.

Natasha didn't say anything, there was a security guard walking past them. Instead she passed him the monitor. The signal was strong alright, the blip on the radar binging like crazy. Clint looked in the direction the monitor was saying the radiation was strongest; the herd of rhinos.

“Wh-what?” Clint said perplexed.

Natasha nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, the guard passing them had turned around. She laced her fingers in his and faked a laugh, as if she was laughing at Clint's reaction to a bad joke she had just told. The guard turned and walked off.

“Let's go.” Natasha signed.

Back at the hotel, Clint finally blurted out his theory as to what was going on, “He's smuggling the weapons through the animals. Like some drug trafficking type shit.”

Natasha shook her head. “No that'd be too easy to find out. I doubt a rhino would be able to hold down an atomic bomb in its stomach for long.”

Clint raised an eyebrow. “Are you hinting at what I think you are?”

“It's so stupid it's almost amazing, isn't it?” Natasha said.

“Just to be sure, we are both thinking that the animals are the weapons right?”

“Yeah that's totally it.” Natasha answered. He couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

That night, they donned their catsuits and gear and headed back to the zoo. Clint felt like he was going to hell for breaking into the zoo. Australia Zoo of all zoos to run a weapons ring, and in the animals themselves? It was already bad enough that it was animal abuse, but the things this would do to Steve Irwin's legacy if it got out? Clint made a note to kick Jacob's ass a little harder when they caught him.

First they took out the security cameras and set off a distraction in the food court. “Sonic arrow should do well enough for a couple minutes right?” Clint signed to Natasha.

They made their way back to the African enclosures but the monitor indicated that wherever the radiation had been coming from had moved.

“Shit, we're too late.” Natasha said.

“No, look over there.” Clint pointed to a small spot of light across the large field. The shape of the truck was almost impossible to make out in the darkness, but someone had left the light on inside.

“We gotta hurry. I really don't wanna disappoint any of the Peta freaks at work.” Natasha said.

They jumped the fence and sprinted across the field, Clint a little wary of the animals around them, but they took a wide path to avoid spooking the herd. But by the time they were halfway across the field, the truck driver had caught sight of them and started the engine.

“Shit. Clint,” Natasha hissed beside him.

“I'm on it!” He whipped an arrow out his quiver and took aim at the truck's tires, but the driver braked in front of them, narrowly avoiding running them over. A man stepped out the driver’s side, Jacob.

“Ha! I guess I finally popped up on Shield’s radar.” he said, sounding impressed, “Guess my little operation is going better than I thought.”

“Dude, you’re using rhinos for some fucked up weapons experiments.” Natasha, irritation dripping from her voice, “That’s not very honorable.”

“And at Steve Irwin’s zoo? The hell’s the matter with you?” Clint followed.

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Some jackass in Africa wants souped up baby rhinos, I’m gonna give him souped up baby rhi-” Jacob’s sentence was cut off by one of Clint’s trick shots piercing his shoulder and electrocuting him.

“G-d these guys just can’t pass up a chance to monologue.” he huffed.

Natasha went to apprehend Jacob while Clint went to the bed of the truck and found a baby rhino sedated in the bed. “Hey there fella,” he whispered, rubbing his hand along its side. “We’re gonna get you home to your mom safe and sound.”

The rest of the night went smoothly. They alerted zoo security, and told them about Jacob’s plan. Natasha assured them that all the animals sold through Jacob would be returned as soon as possible, she and Clint both knew it wouldn’t take much to get the young man to crack and tell where he had shipped the poor animals off to. When all was said and done, there was technically five days left in their mission, and Maria had said that Clint could spend however long he wanted in Australia until his next mission. The next morning at the hotel, Clint woke Natasha up early with soft kisses on her cheek.

“Good morning to you too.” she smiled. “Happy to see me?”

“Yes, but there’s also a croc feeding at noon, and I really wanna meet Terri Irwin.” Clint whispered. 

Natasha rolled over and hit him in the head with her pillow. “G-d you only took this mission to come to Australia Zoo, didn’t you?” 

“What? No. I took this mission to honor the late, great Steve Irwin, and go to Australia Zoo.” 

Natasha laughed, and got out of bed. The rest of their stay was as sweet and simple as their newlywed cover had been, and for the time being, Clint couldn’t think of a better job in the world to have. 

[winterironstony]

Codependent

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzz-

A large hand cracks down onto the alarm, making the tiny table it’s resting on creak in discomfort.

Steve Rogers resists the urge to groan as he reluctantly tumbles out of bed.

It’s 6am. Time for his morning workout.

Brooklyn is sleepily getting ready for the day as Steve steps out of his apartment building for his morning. It’s freezing out but he barely notices. He’s been cold since the day he left the ice and today is no exception.

As Steve begins running his normal route, his mind wanders. Today marks six months since he was recovered from the Artic and yet he feels just as lost and lonely as he did the moment he woke up.

When he had made the decision to put the Valkyrie in the water, he had no intention of waking up. Imagine his surprise when not only did he wake up, but he woke up sixty years into the future.

Peggy is married. The commandoes are disbanded. Bucky is still dead. 

Six months and Steve is losing it. SHIELD had him going into therapy three times a week and training every day but none of it helped. Everyone either treated him as a patient or as an icon. Peggy’s presence helped but she had a life to live, missions to overview and a family to return home to, as did the other agents he formed tentative friendships with. At the end of the day, Steve had his tiny Brooklyn apartment that did nothing more than remind him of the last time he had an apartment in Brooklyn.

And that memory didn’t do him any good.

Steve is pulled away from his thoughts as he suddenly recognizes the park he’s running through. He’s already halfway through his run. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Steve continues on, this time trying to concentrate on the sound of his feet hitting the pavement rather than the noisy pity party that’s been in his head for the past six months.

He needs to get his head in the right place if he’s going to pass the assessment he has later in the day. When he had been dragged out of the ice, SHEILD had made it clear that they thought he needed to make sure his mental health was in top shape before he could go on any kind of mission.

That didn’t make much sense to Steve. He didn’t want to sit in a room and talk to a stranger about all of his problems. He wants to go back to work and distract himself from this new world by punching Nazis—or whoever were the bad guys these days.

Steve’s sure if he passes this assessment they will finally let him back out onto the field. He doesn’t care what he has to do to trick these people into thinking he’s fine, he needs to get back out there—he needs to do something.

 Determined, Steve begins his loop back towards his apartment.

4 hours later and the assessment is going well. Steve can tell by the smitten look on the doctor’s face that she truly believes in the fake smiles he’s giving her. Bucky always said he was a shit liar, but apparently sixty years can change a fella.

His therapist had already given him a glowing evaluation. Makes sense seeing as he had been lying to her since day one.

After a couple of hours of talking to doctor after doctor and even receiving a physical from one of the trainers, a new pair enters the room. Peggy, though much older, looks beautiful as ever as she enters the room alongside one of the senior SHIELD agents. Steve knew this one.

Coulson was Natasha and Clint’s handler. He had met the two a few times in the compound and liked them well enough. Both were relatively calm and collected around him and could even hold their own while sparring against him. If Steve were interested in making relationships in the new century, he probably would have turned to them.

Steve rises to give Peggy a hug and she laughs quietly in his ear, “Lovely to see you, Steve.”

“You too, Peg,” He says softly, trying not to let her see the sadness that always fills him when he sees her.

Peggy may be getting older, but Steve had spent enough time around her in this century to know she was as sharp as ever.

Coulson gives Steve a tight smile, nothing but professional.

“Captain.” He greets as he sits across from Steve.

“Agent.” Steve replies politely, eyeing the particularly large file Coulson has in his hands. “You two mind telling me what today’s been about?” He questions. 

Peggy gives Coulson a look before she lets out a large sigh. Steve stiffens slightly, wondering if the assessment hadn’t gone as well as he had thought. “The past six months, I know, have been rough for you.” Peggy admits. 

Damn it.

“But I assure you, it was all necessary before we could come to you with this. There is a very… sensitive topic I need to talk to you about and we had to make absolutely certain that you were stable before telling you.” She says decisively and Steve quirks an eyebrow.

“Okay…” Steve mumbles, completely confused and somewhat concerned what they could possibly have been withholding from him.

“You know that Howard Stark passed just a few months before you were found. And you know he was married. What we didn’t tell you is that Howard had a son.” Peggy says.

Steve flounders for a second. He wonders if his jaw is actually on the floor or if it just feels that way.

Peggy doesn’t give him time to respond, looking to the side as she continues. “I know that is a lot to take in, however there is a little bit more to the story than that.” She waits for Steve to collect himself and nod before she continues, “Howard was a very… interesting man, I’m sure you remember.”

Steve resists the urge to scoff.

“After you died Howard became extremely invested in finding you. In fact, it was a total obsession. Even in his will, he had funds allocated to keep searching for you until you were found, no matter if he were dead or alive.” Peggy says, “The reason I’m telling you this is because it seems his obsession went a little too far.”

Steve narrows his eyes, “What do you mean?”

“I told you Howard had a son. Well, when Howard and his wife died, we found some records hidden away in one of his labs. The records… well, they were more like reports. Experimental reports.” She grounds out, looking disgusted in a way that has Steve genuinely worried.

“Pegs, just tell me.” Steve says, exasperated.

Peggy pauses, eyes looking right through Steve. Steve can see tears pooling in her eyes and suddenly, Steve is actually, very very scared. “Steve he… what Howard did is despicable. But you can’t blame Anthony, alright? It’s not his fault.” She says, nearly quivering at this point.

“Anthony? Peggy, what are you saying?,” Steve begins to rise, nerves rattling all throughout his body but Coulson’s sturdy and even voice stops him.

“Captain, it seems that Howard Stark created Anthony through vitro fertilization in a lab. It seems that his obsession with you went so far that he used his own cells and your cells to create Anthony before using his wife Maria as a surrogate.” He says diplomatically.

Steve pales. His entire world flips upside-down before abruptly turning right-side up again. Nausea hits him like a bus and he barely stops himself from dry heaving.

He takes a moment until he’s sure he won’t vomit when he opens his mouth. “What?” His question comes out like a whisper. “My cells? To-to create-“ Steve cuts himself off, stomach rolling.

 Peggy and Coulson say nothing to deter what thoughts are clearly running through his mind.

 “So you’re saying…” he begins quietly. “You’re saying he’s mine? I have a kid?”

 Neither Peggy nor Coulson answers for a moment, seemingly scared of his reaction. “Technically….” Coulson starts, but quickly corrects himself, “Biologically, yes. He’s your child.”

 Silence fills the room once more.

 Steve’s head thumps into his hands, mind racing a mile a minute.

 Does he look like me? Does he sound like me or act like me? How old is he? Where is he? Who is he with right now? Is he happy? Is he—

 “I want to see him.” Steve says. “I want to meet him, where is he?”

 “You have to understand, Steve, we couldn’t tell you right when you were recovered. It wouldn’t have been right for Anthony or for you. We had to make sure you were in your right mind before we told you.” Peggy tries to explain as they walk down one of the pristine white hallways of SHIELD. 

Steve waves her away, trying to ignore the way his hands are shaking. “I do understand, Peg.” Because he does. He can’t imagine what he would have done if they had told him this when he woke up. There’s no way he would have been able to cope with this kind of pressure. 

But now… now Steve had some kind of terrible, scary, almost excited kind of nervous running through his veins. He had a million questions for Peggy and Coulson but they had assured him everything would be explained later.

Now, they were on their way to meet Anthony. His son.

Steve was a wreck.

 He had no idea how to approach this situation. Would Anthony recognize him? Would he understand the situation at all? Peggy had told him that Anthony was approaching his third birthday.

 Oh god, what do three-year-olds even do? Do they even talk??

 Steve’s worry didn’t have long to fester because they were suddenly standing in front of a large white door. Coulson presses his thumb against a sensor next to the door and it opens wide. For once, Steve doesn’t have the interest to awe over modern technology. His eyes are focused on one tiny being in the center of the room.

 He couldn’t be more than three feet tall. He had a full head of golden brown curly hair and olive skin and bright blue eyes.

 Dear god, he has my eyes.

 Before Steve can properly collapse, Peggy nudges him forward. “Hi Duckie, you remember when I told you I have someone very special for you to meet?” She says, voice changing slightly as she bends at the knee to look into the child’s eyes . Steve watches her, somewhat amused, somewhat sad, as he knows her familiarity with children is something that she definitely didn’t have during the war.

 That kind of familiarity can only come from years and years of practice with children—her own children. Steve tries not to let the realization sting as he continues watching the child in front of Peggy.

 The boy, Anthony, tilts his head up to what looks like an uncomfortable position just to take in the hulking mass that Steve must look like to him. He barely comes up to Steve’s knee. Despite the laughable height difference, Anthony looks absolutely enamored.

 Steve smiles, crouching down so he’s a little closer to the toddler’s height. “Hey there, little man. My name’s Steve. You’re Anthony, right?” He asks, voice kind and soft.

 The little boy’s face instantly splits into a delighted grin, rocking back onto his heels almost shyly as he giggles, “It’s Tony, silly!”

 Steve can’t help the smile that overtakes his face then. He couldn’t imagine a cuter kid could ever exist, though he might be a little biased. “Tony, huh? I like that, think it suits you.” He says earnestly. “How old are you, Tony?”

 “Almost three!” Tony cheers and though Steve did already know that he can’t help but steal a look at Peggy to convey his shock. Although Tony looks remarkably small for his age, his vocabulary and articulation are way more impressive than Steve had expected from a 2 and a half year old.

 “No way.” Steve shakes his head as if he didn’t believe him, “You sound much smarter than any other three year old I’ve ever met.”

 “Yes way!” Tony argues, smile growing on his face even as his cheeks redden in delight at the attention. “Jarvis says I’m a geen-yus.” He says, having a little bit of trouble with the last word as if it were new to him.

 “I’ll bet you are. You know, Tony, I knew your dad a while back. He was a genius too. I bet you get that from him.” Steve says with a soft smile, unsure of how much Tony knew about the situation he was currently in.

 “I know.” Tony says, nodding before leaning in closely, “Aunt Peg says that you’re Captain America.” He whispers this as if no one else in the room was allowed to know, eyes big as saucers.

 Steve tries his best to hold back his amused smile. “I’ve known Peggy a long while and she hasn’t been wrong yet.” He concedes.

 Tony’s eyes stay big, and he looks to Steve’s right as if looking to Peggy to ensure Steve was telling the truth. Peggy nods in agreement and suddenly Tony takes a step forward, closer to Steve. For a moment, the smile vanishes from Tony’s face and he looks contemplative. The toddler rests a tiny hand on Steve’s leg before extremely, seriously asking, “Do you want to color with me?”

 Steve laughs lightly, “Of course, Tony, I’d love to.”

 With that, Tony tugs on Steve’s jeans and the captain dutifully follows Tony further into the room towards a small rug where coloring books and crayons are scattered all around.

 They spend the afternoon together, Tony rambling on and impressing Steve more and more with his conversational skills. Whoever Jarvis was really wasn’t kidding when they called Tony a genius.

 “Steve?” Tony asks softly in the quiet of the room. Peggy and Coulson had left the room hours ago, leaving the two to bond in private.

 Steve tilts his head, not having to move his eyes since he hasn’t been able to look away from Tony—his son—all day. “What’s up, buddy?”

 “Do you…” Tony trails off, scrunching his nose in an all-too familiar way, “Do you think you will come over more?” He asks, huge blue eyes staring up into Steve’s pleadingly.

 Oh god. Not the puppy dog eyes.

 “Of course, Tony.” Steve reassures him quickly, “I’m sorry that I haven’t been around before today but… if you’d want, Tony, I’d love to see you a lot more often from now on.” He says genuinely. He isn’t sure what Peggy or the rest of SHIELD has planned for this situation, but he’s sure he wants to be a part of Tony’s life in any way possible.

 Tony then launches himself at Steve and for the first time ever Steve is holding his son.

 Suddenly, all the past months of not having a purpose, falling into the depression of not fitting in and feeling completely useless slip away. It doesn’t matter what terrible things he had to go through to get here because Tony.

 Everything is suddenly worth it.

 Tony may not have become his son in the most traditional of terms but that doesn’t mean Steve would love him any less. He had known about this kid’s existence for less than 24 hours and he already loved him unconditionally.

 Steve holds the toddler close, blinking away the tears that came to his eyes. Tony feels so incredibly small in his arms, Steve’s almost afraid he’ll break him if he squeezes too hard.

 “So sorry to be interrupting, Captain Rogers, but I believe it is about time for Young Sir to have dinner and get to bed.” A posh, British voice says behind him. Steve turns quick, Tony still in his arms, to reveal an older, gentle looking man in a crisp suit.

 “Jarvis….” Tony groans, though there’s no real malice behind his whine.

 Steve smiles, recognizing the name, and squeezes Tony one last time before placing him on the ground. “Hi, Steve Rogers.” He introduces, still tentatively keeping Tony slightly behind him.

 “Edwin Jarvis, at your service, sir. I am quite good friends with Mrs. Carter, you see, so I am very aware of the… interesting circumstance you’re currently in.” The older man says discreetly, shaking Steve’s outstretched hand. “I was head Butler of Stark Manor and Anthony’s caretaker since he was born. The young sir has been under my care the past several months since the… incident.” He explains.

 Steve nods, opening his mouth to respond when a familiar head of greying-auburn hair appears over Jarvis’ shoulder.

 “Oh Edwin, it is so lovely to see you.” She chirps, pulling him into a hug. Coulson isn’t too far behind her, also reaching out to shake Jarvis’ hand.

 As the three exchange pleasantries, Steve feels a tug on his pant leg. Blue eyes stare back up at him, half-closed and clearly tired as he raises his arms up towards Steve.

 Steve’s heart melts for the thousandth time that day and crouches down one last time to hug Tony. Tony rests his head comfortably on Steve’s shoulder as he clambers into Steve’s all-encompassing hug. “I’ll miss you.” Tony says softly in the genuine, honest tone only children can have.

 Steve shakes his head, “I’ll miss you more.” He promises, reluctantly pulling back and poking Tony on the nose softly. “But I’ll see you very soon. And I think it might be about time for little geniuses to get to bed.” He says playfully as Tony yawns into his shoulder.

 He stands, handing Tony off to the emotional-looking Jarvis and the two go on their way, Tony waving sleepily over Jarvis’ retreating shoulder.

 Steve sighs heavily, nearly collapsing into one of the plush chairs in the room. “Oh my god.” He whispers, resting his head on his head almost dreamily as he stares after the tiny ball of perfection that was Tony.

 “He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Peggy says, jolting Steve out of his ultra calm state. Still, Steve nods readily.

 “I can’t believe how perfect he is.” He agrees, moving his eyes to look up at Peggy and Agent Coulson. They both have soft smiles on their faces and finally, finally there is no pity in their eyes. “So. What is going on? You said you would tell me everything once I met him.”

 Coulson and Peggy look at one another before looking back at Steve. “Everything you need to know is in this file.” Coulson says, tapping the same thick file he’s been holding all day. “Before I give it to you, though, we need to come up with a plan of action.” He says, sitting next to him.

 “Plan of action?” Steve scrunches his nose.

 Coulson nods, “Captain, in Howard’s will, you are listed as Anthony’s godfather. Ultimately, that makes you next in line to take custody of Anthony. Besides that, with the recent findings of Anthony’s true genealogy, you’re his biological father anyway so… what I’m trying to say is--you have options. It just depends on what you want.” The agent trails off, looking as if he’s gaging Steve’s attitude towards the situation.

 Steve looks at his hands before looking up at both Peggy and Coulson. “I want to be as involved as possible.” Steve’s decision is resolute and there is absolutely no hesitation in his words. Even as he says it, there’s ice in his eyes, and he’s fully prepared to fight for his right to be a part of Tony’s life if he has to. To his surprise, when he looks at them, they are both still smiling.

 “Steve, of course you do, you beautiful soul.” Peggy says, eyes still wet. “I think your plan of action should be to move in to the mansion with Anthony and Edwin. Of course if you want full custody, you’ll have it, but I think it best that you two settle in a little before any huge decisions are made, yes?”

 Steve ignores the way his heart is hammering against his chest. “Yeah, yeah. That sounds like a good plan.” He agrees. Suddenly, a file appears in his lap and Coulson claps him on the shoulder.

 “It was great seeing you, Captain. Hopefully we’ll see you back out on the field one day.” He says, and then he’s out the door before Steve can reply.

 The field. Steve has to stop himself from the deranged giggle that almost leaves his mouth. This morning he had been so dead set on getting back out on the field. Little had he known he was going to find way greater purpose from this SHIELD meeting.

 Peggy gives him one last hug, “I’m so proud.” She says, “Steve, I know we never got our chance…” Steve closes his eyes, not wanting her to see how the words affect him. “But Steve,” She stresses, making him open his eyes and stare into her eyes, “I think you may have just found your own chance.” She grins, and pats his face softly before making her way out of the room.

 Steve thinks Peggy might be right.

 (She always is).

Chapter 1 of Steve & Tony’s long long life adventure!! They’re my babies & I love them. Endgame destroyed me so here’s me giving my people the happy alternate universe they all deserve. 

Follow me for updates or check it out on ao3! Also feel free to prompt me! I write any stony/winteriron/tony-centric fic!!!

[ssromanogers]

Taking in Strays

To: http://sleepygrimm.tumblr.com/

@sleepygrimm

From: http://mysteriousangstninja.tumblr.com/ (Sideblog, sorry!)

“What do you mean someone already picked him up?” Despite all of her training, years of learning to push back emotion and continue on anyway, Natasha felt her heart sink to her stomach at the words. “You were meant to be keeping him here until I returned.”

It was only by virtue of the toddlers babbling to each other in a playpen nearby that Natasha didn’t raise her voice.

The babysitter – retired SHIELD Agent, Natasha thought with grave annoyance – almost winced. “You never said that it was restricted just to you! You said he was staying a few overnights, I wasn’t told he couldn’t be picked up by someone else on his emergency list.”

She clenched her hands at her side, inhaling slowly and trying to get the image of her strangling the woman out of her head, “Who took him, Alice?”

“Wanda Maximoff. You’ve always had her on the list of emergency pick ups, and you didn’t say otherwise.”

“When?”

“Two days ago.” Alice answered sheepishly taking a step back. “Before Germany made the news.”

~-~-~

It started in the ruins of Sokovia. In the parts of the city that were broken beyond repair, but hadn’t made their way into the air.

Where the remaining Avengers worked with first responders, and eventually neighboring military forces, to dig out the dead and dying, the miraculous survivors, and account for every person they could possibly find.

Where Steve’s hearing picked up heartbeats behind rubble no one would ever think to look behind, and his strength had him moving entire slaps of concrete where they wouldn’t dare try to bring machines in.

He heard it first, the faint unhappy whimpering noises coming from a building that was little more than rubble.

A whimpering, whining noise he rarely heard outside of television.

“That’s a baby.” Steve said aloud, staring up at a half collapsed building, brick and rubble surrounding it from a hole in the side that cascaded it’s destruction outwards.

“No way a kid survived that.” Natasha answered immediately. There was no way anyone could have survived what looked like a building collapsing onto a second, smaller building.

“I can hear it,” Steve shook his head, “There’s a baby in there.”

Natasha eyed the crumbled walls, shattered brick and glass. “How sure are you?”

“Certain.” Steve took careful, measured steps forward to the building, testing his way inside. The front door had given way to a giant hole, letting them at least get inside easily. Even if moving brought down more dust. The stairwell door he had to shove open, creating an ominous rumbling noise through the building, brick and boards shifting and creaking. “I think I can get up there.” Steve grabbed the handrail for the stairs above where their path was blocked, and started to pull himself up. The moment he moved the noises started again.

“No, you’re heavy, and big.” Natasha nudged him aside, staring up into the stairs that ended abruptly in night sky only a few stories up, “You’d fall through the floor, or bring down the roof behind you. Gimme a boost.”

Steve eyed her cautiously, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’ll be easy.” She rolled her shoulders and gestured for him to move closer, “Like playing the floor is Lava with the Bartons.”

“Only slightly more chances of being impaled.” Steve moved forward anyway, bending down on one knee and cupping his hands to work as a boost.

“Slightly less chance of stepping on a Lego though. I’d ask for a kiss for good luck, but you’re coated in dust and this country probably isn’t up to code with carcinogens and asbestos in buildings.” Natasha brushed the bottom of her boot against the back of her gloved hand to try and clear anything sharp from it before stepping onto Steve’s hands, one hand on his shoulders to balance herself as he slowly stood, carefully pushing her upwards until she could easily grab the railing and pull herself over. “However you owe me at least one kiss - about six showers and a bubble bath from now.”

“Fair trade,” Steve nodded, “Be careful.”

“I’m always careful. Left or right?”

Steve closed his eyes for a moment, listening closer to the sound, “Left, sounds like it’s west side of the building.”

“Got it.”

The stairwell had mostly held together it seemed, at least so far as the stairs, the walls were a little more pockmarked than they were meant to be, she was sure.

The hallways though…

They were marked by debris from the building breaking, from people trying to leave in a hurry.

By bodies that she checked for a pulse, even though Steve hadn’t mentioned any other heartbeats or breathing in the building. She noted their location as precisely as she could over the com system, waiting for a reply from Clint that he’d marked them down before moving on.

Steve’s hearing was beyond what any normal humans could dream of having. She knew that, they all did, yet still he managed to surprise her on a regular basis with it.

It took two floors, and a door before she heard the whining noise Steve could hear so clearly from outside the building.

There were bodies in the living room, obviously long dead, taken out by what had broken the building so thoroughly.

The fussing had almost a despondent tone, more pathetic and hopeless a noise than she’d ever heard Lila make as a baby. Probably beyond certain that no one was coming for it. Had it been crying for two days? Hoping that anyone might come and take care of it?

Natasha had to put a bit of force into getting the door open, listening to something on the other side scraping on the floor as she forced it open.

A collapsed dresser, she noted without much interest, now covering the floor in clothes and wood shards.

What was interesting was the crib. The whole room was a display of broken bits of ceiling, broken furniture, bits of glass, but the crib? It was as if all the debris had perfectly encircled it, leaving it untouched.

“It’s okay, kid,” Natasha took measured steps across crumbling floorboards to the crib, “You’ll be okay.”

The crib was untouched inside, the sheets still a pretty mint color.

It had to do, Natasha was certain, with the fact that the fussing baby it held was currently engulfed in a little bubble of blue light.

“Huh.” Natasha reached out slowly, finding her hand passed through the energy, whatever it was, easily, and touched the baby’s cheek. Poor kid was freezing cold, but it’s eyes snapped open at the touch, it’s arms flinging out to the side, the bubble moving outwards and making her hand tingle as if it had gone to sleep. “It’s okay, sweetheart, you’re okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

As if it were desperate for human contact – which Natasha was certain it was after being alone so long – the bubble seemed to pop at her words, dispersing into the air around it.

“Let’s get you somewhere safe, okay?” Natasha carefully scooped the baby out of the crib, cradling it against her shoulder, grabbing a blanket from the crib to cover it a little more from the cold, from anything falling from the ceiling, “It’s going to be okay.”

~-~-~

He wasn’t at the New York safe house. No one was.

The backpack that served as his bugout bag was gone, as was the money hidden beneath the floor, and Wanda’s fake passport.

So she had taken him, and she had gone with him. Clint had been with them, obviously, he had to have been since Clint and Wanda were together in Germany at the airport.

After they’d taken off with her son. Steve’s too, she had to admit, but he wasn’t the one who’s taken him. They might have done it at his request, but there wasn’t any way he’d ask them to do it, and then not tell her. There was no reason to take him.

Sure they were on different sides when it came to government interference, but taking her child because of that? That would be beyond low, beyond cruel.

Steve wasn’t cruel.

He wasn’t in their apartment, or the D.C. safe house either.

It took three states and four days to figure out where he had been moved to.

~-~-~

The blue bubble didn’t return while Natasha held him, only showing up again when she tried to lay him down for someone else to look at. Something that led to the doctor trying to examine him getting a nasty shock from it.

The grumbling from the Sokovian doctor had politely been translated by a UN nurse as ‘you didn’t warn me he was enhanced’.

Enhanced. Whatever the HYDRA infiltrated version of SHIELD had been up to here, it hadn’t been great. She was worried enough over how young Wanda had to be; finding out there was at least one enhanced infant was enough to make her want to rage. But she couldn’t.

“Doctor thinks he’s around two months old,” Natasha told Steve when the soldier dragged himself into the small jet the Avengers had taken over as their brief living quarters, courtesy of Fury. “That’s pretty young to be injecting someone with any version of the serum, isn’t it?”

“Too young to survive.” Steve set his gloves down on a now empty crate, freeing his now moderately clean hands to touch the baby’s hand. The boy didn’t stir, too content to bother with anything now that he had a clean diaper, and a full belly for the first time in at least two days. “Far too young.”

“So you think this is natural, some gift he was born with randomly or…?”

“Or his parents were enhanced, at least one of them.” He let his helmet drop by the gloves, “You going to leave him with the red cross?” The look on her face must have been evident enough of what she thought of his opinion because he laughed quietly and nodded, “Right. Enhanced means he should probably stay with us until we figure out if he has any relatives to go to. Obviously.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, letting his temple rest against the top of her head, peering down at the baby.

“Obviously.”

—-

There were no missing persons reports for a baby that young. No one looking for any infants, no hospital records – surviving anyway - for a baby that fit his description, no certificates of birth. Not completely out of the norm for a war torn country, but what cemented him fully in their minds as an orphan was Wanda.

Wanda who stayed at the compound with them in the first few days, watched them and the baby. Wanda who took one look at his chest while Clint helped Natasha change him into a romper, eying the dark mark across his ribs. “Is that a bruise or a birth mark?”

“A birthmark. Might get lighter as he grows, might not. A lot of kids are born with them.” Clint placed his hand between the baby’s torso and the zipper when he tugged it up, into place.

“Huh.” Wanda leaned against the back of the couch, “You said he was blue? Very bright, yes?”

Natasha turned towards her, resting the baby against her shoulder, “As bright as your magic… please tell me he’s not yours.” Wanda was already young and taken advantage of, Natasha could see the way Clint stiffened, looked a little murderous.

“No. He might be Selene’s.” Wanda gave half a shrug, “They took her baby away. He was noisy, and he had a mark on his chest. Also on the back of his head, like a strawberry. My… Pietro said he’d heard a mark on the front like that was bound to be a sign of greed.”

“Yeah, well the only thing he’s greedy for is another bottle,” Clint joked in that same dad voice he used on his kids, making Natasha roll her eyes.

“Who’s Selene?” Natasha asked instead of giving in to talk about marks, baby happily resting against her shoulder.

“One of the people they were testing on. They took many of us,” Wanda hesitated, “Only Pietro and I survived more than a few weeks. She had him after they injected us. When she died they took him away. She called him Ilya, if that helps.”

—-

It took two weeks to set up for the baby to be tested by anyone. After Ultron Steve was hesitant to let Tony near the baby in any way, and Natasha didn’t protest the idea.

But it meant two weeks of him staying with them. Two weeks of late nights and endless bottles, diapers.

Of seeing Steve sprawled out on their couch late at night with the baby laying across his chest, watching the TV and talking to the little guy to 'entertain’ him while Natasha was meant to be catching up on sleep.

After two days she didn’t want to give him up, by his appointment at two weeks the idea of handing him off to anyone was painful.

About as painful as Ilya found his physical to be, given the way he squealed, his hands balled up into fists, face scrunched up in fury at even being looked over by anyone else.

It wasn’t a doctor technically, Maria Hill had explained, but apparently Dr. Simmons was the best biologist SHIELD had, and wouldn’t be put out by dealing with enhanced challenges.

Something that stood out when the attempt to take a small vial of blood from Ilya ended in a rapid appearing blue bubble that sent the woman stumbling backwards, caught by a prepared Maria.

“Is it bad I really want to just throw things towards him now and see what he blocks?” Maria asked, leaning against the table watching Natasha soothe the baby enough to where Simmons could draw blood with only minor electrical interference.

“Clint said the only thing stopping him from doing it was a little voice in his head telling him I’d kill him.”

-

Their apartment was a slight mess. Well, a mess as far as Steve’s sensibilities.

There were books piled neatly on the coffee table, a stack of sketchbooks on the kitchen island, a few boxes along the hallway.

Things that were meant to be in his hobby room.

A room where currently faint music was playing.

“What the hell…” Natasha shifted Ilya in her arms, letting the fussy baby lay against her chest instead of her shoulder. His loud complaints and subsided to occasional grumbling behind a pacifier about the time they left the building Maria swore wasn’t a hidden SHIELD office, not in the least.

The room had been cleared out and cleaned. Against the wall leaned a large white cardboard box with what looked like a crib printed on the side of it, along with a few grocery bags tied at the top like a knot.

“Uh, Steve?”

Steve looked up from where he knelt, carefully painting what looked like Donald Duck in a border, three smaller half painted creatures walking behind him. “What?” his voice was muffled by another paintbrush held between his teeth. He removed it carefully, swiping yellow paint across his cheek in the process, “It’s not like we were gonna return him.”

~-~-~

The farm was silent as she drove up to it. None of the alarm systems she’d helped set up cued off, at least not that she could see. Laura didn’t call her burner phone on the way to the house. No one was out front either.

Cooper’s bike was leaned up against the porch, Laura’s car was in the drive. The front door wasn’t broken open.

But it was unlocked when she tried it.

The house alarms didn’t go off either. The coats weren’t hung up by the door, and the kitchen floorboard had been pulled up, the go-bags stashed inside taken out.

“Shit.” In a crisis she was supposed to help them, keep track if possible, but they’d gotten out first. Probably when Clint left.

The only thing left behind was a piece of paper on the kitchen table. It held very little information, but it did settle some of her anxiety.

'R, He’s with mine, B’

Laura had him.

Laura, wherever she was, had Ilya with her children. That was both a relief and more worry inducing. She knew one or two places Laura might go, but with Clint as her husband, they probably had more she didn’t even know about.

With Clint in prison she had no ways to contact him to try and find her son.

She tried one more time on the numbers she knew they might us, burners that might be active, but got no reply, no answer. Some didn’t even ring.

The one that did ring and cut short, being sent to voice-mail had her clenching her hand, listening to the beep meaning it had begun recording.

“If I don’t get him back, and soon, you’re going to be very, very sorry.” She spoke clearly into the phone, not raising her voice in the least, keeping it as level as she could before ending the call with a click, shoving the phone back into her pocket.

There were more places to check, to catch up to the ones who thought she sided against them.

~-~-~

Continuing life with a baby around wasn’t as hard as they expected it to be.

Most training sessions Ilya was off to the side in whoever wasn’t working’s arms, and the times they worked as a team he was most happy to lay in his swing, suckling on his pacifier while they worked on practicing working as a team, perfecting what feats they needed to rely on each other for.

They found out quickly that he adored Wanda, tolerated Sam and Rhodey, and cried at Vision being near. The crying wasn’t funny, but the way his little fists would be swallowed up in tiny blue energy crackling around them was.

“You trying to threaten the mean ol’ Android. You’re older than him, you know,” Steve teased Ilya, sitting cross-legged in front of his swing, playing with his tiny fists. “You’re meant to look out for the younger guys, that’s how it works.”

“Nah, you defend yourself against anyone who’s mean to you,” Sam disagreed, crouching down next to the swing, catching Ilya’s attention with his movement. “You may be little, but I bet you got a hell of a south paw. Huh?” He tapped Ilya’s nose with his fingertip, making the baby go crossed eyed briefly, blinking and refocusing.

“He’s gotta learn to balance on his own before he can manage that mean right hook,” Steve disagreed, unfastening Ilya and climbing to his feet, plucking the cheerful boy from his spot. “Huh bud?”

“Yeah, might need to discover he has feet before he can plant them for a proper punch,” Sam conceded, following after Steve out of the gym, giving a sarcastic farewell salute to Rhodey who looked rather resigned to his role of practice dummy in Natasha’s lessons to Wanda on taking down bigger opponents.

“He knows he has feet!” Steve protested. He glanced down at the baby, “You know you have feet. Don’t you?”

If the four month old had any answers, he wasn’t sharing them.

Steve shook his head “He’s aware of his feet he knows when they’re cold.”

“He knows he’s cold, that doesn’t mean he’s aware he has feet,” Sam made a face at Ilya that had the baby making a chuffing noise.

Steve stared down at his son, “Do that again?”

“Do what?” Sam blew a raspberry at Ilya, receiving the same noise in reply.

“That.” Steve shifted Ilya so the baby was watching Sam fully. “That face.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “Your Daddy thinks I’m an on cue comedian, doesn’t he?” But still he made a face, blowing a raspberry at Ilya again. This time the chuffing noise came with waved hands, a high pitched breath out at the end. “Oh. Oh shit, did I just make him laugh?”

“No. No you did not. That did not happen,” Steve decided after a minute, “You heard nothing and neither did I. Nothing has happened until Mommy sees it.”

“Like the feeding him orange juice incident. Got it.”

—-

Ilya’s first shots at two months old, after the blood, led to a shrieking baby and a dazed scientist with a nasty bump on the back of her head.

At four his screaming anger at shots had a dent in a wall, and Maria threatening Steve via text about having to catch scientists on her own.

So when his six months shots came up, they were prepared ahead of time, with Steve bracing his arm around a stuttering brunette who tried to keep her focus on the now distrustful baby.

A distrustful baby who shrieked as if he’d been betrayed, tears rolling down his face, hand clenched in pain.

Steve had counted on having to block poor Simmons from being tossed backwards again, that was easy enough.

He’d counted on Ilya’s crying, a needle hurt when you were an adult, of course it’d be a horrible pain as a baby.

What he hadn’t counted on was the way his heart broke at Ilya’s face, screwed up in pain, in the pained, betrayed sobs that came from his poor innocent son.

“Hey, no, no, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Steve scooped him up the moment Natasha had a bandage over the two tiny injection marks. “You’re okay champ, I’ve got you.” He cradled Ilya to his shoulder, bouncing him lightly, “You’re okay. I know, I know, that was so cruel. That was mean and terrible, I’m so sorry.” he didn’t notice the amused look Natasha gave him, or the way Maria pulled out her phone, pointing it at them, all he cared about was Ilya’s slowly quieting cries, “I’m sorry, buddy. I know, but I promise you that jab’s a lot better than polio.”

“I don’t think he cares about what he’s avoiding, hon,” Natasha’s amusement was evident in her tone, obviously trying not to laugh despite how much she had been nervous about his getting his shots. “He’s just mad we poked him.”

“That was a horrible betrayal, he should be mad. And he should care! Whooping cough is horrible. I had it, it wasn’t fun. We don’t like stuff that isn’t fun, do we buddy? No, no we don’t.”

—-

“Nat. Nat,” Steve nudged the bed lightly with the side of his leg, “hey.”

“What?” Natasha blinked to clear her eyes, looking up at Steve stood by their bedside, baby in his arms. “What’s wrong? He can’t sleep?”

“He’s sleeping fine. Too fine. Clint said babies are up crying all night after shots and get sick and aren’t well but he hasn’t even woken up for a bottle” Steve sat down next to her on the bed when she tugged on the hem of his boxers to make him, “No bottle, no waking, and he’s warm.”

Natasha sat up enough to touch Ilya’s face, his hands, “He’s warm but he’s not hot.”

“Warm is bad for a baby, it could mean something is very wrong,” Steve pointed out.

“Or it could mean it’s September in New York, he’s wearing footie pajamas, and you don’t sleep so instead you stay up and obsess listening to him breathe,” Natasha scooted backwards on the bed, nudging Steve to lean back on the pillows and relax. She plucked Ilya from his arms, settling herself back against Steve’s shoulder instead, baby on her chest. Ilya was a bit warm, but no more than he normally was when sleeping in full body pajamas. He wasn’t flushed, or breathing hard.

“He could be really sick,” Steve covered her hand on Ilya’s back with his own, “What if he is? He always wakes for a bottle, this could mean–”

“That we start getting full nights worth of sleep again, and he’s tired out from the day. If you really want me to I’m sure I can wake him up for you,” Natasha offered, entwining her fingers with his, and moving so both his arms were around her and Ilya. “Or you can obsess over his breathing and rest with us for a while.”

“I don’t obsess,” Steve defended himself with remarkably little conviction, “I monitor.”

“Uh huh. Sleep, he’s fine.” Natasha rested her head on his shoulder, letting her eyes close, “I promise.”

~-~-~

The Montana safe house. had obviously been used, but it hadn’t been emptied of supplies. The signs of life there were subtle. While bed was made up neatly, they were crinkled and obviously had been used, not just tucked in hospital corners.

The dishes were in the cupboard neat and clean, but the few that were up there held no dust on them at all, recently used and washed.

Two of the towels hanging up to dry in the bathroom had been used and hung back up again.

More telling than anything though, was something Natasha was certain was deliberate; tucked just behind a pillow on the couch was a tiny pair of light blue socks, decorated with little versions of Captain America’s shield.

Ilya.

Tony and Sam found it hilarious to send them everything Captain America or Black Widow they found baby wise. He had so many outfits and toys of the avengers it was unreal, enough that she’d started sending them to Clint for Nathaniel to wear too.

So they’d left New York, Natasha reasoned in her head, took Ilya with them, somehow got him to Laura on the way to wherever they were going pre-Germany. Laura who went into hiding as well, with two children, and two babies with her.

She owed Laura at least one bottle of wine after this. Wanda and Clint owed her more.

Steve could take a full weekend babysitting the Barton children if he’d organized this on his own.

Natasha checked her phone when she finally settled down, content that the security system was in place and working.

The wait for the burner to power up was agonizing, and her heart leapt when she saw she had a message in return.

“For what it’s worth,” Steve’s voice rang through clear, “I’m already very sorry.”

~-~-~

October brought two snuffling, lingering colds, dreary weather, and more Halloween costumes than Ilya could ever need.

Which meant most days poor Ilya found himself dressed in some set of Halloween pajamas or zip up rompers.

It was both cute and a sad to watch a red cheeked baby in a zip up dragon romper sneeze himself backwards on a playmat.

Steve tried to veto superhero clothing, but somehow found his kid in mimics of their outfits, along with the occasional superman onesie. He drew the line at capes, all they were useful for was an emergency spit rag. Occasionally capes that didn’t even belong to Ilya’s outfit.

October brings Halloween, a day that Natasha had planned out as early as of the 1st of October. A day of candy, Halloween movies, and even taking Ilya trick-or-treating around a few approved places.

There were matching costumes planned out from mid October onwards; even a set that made sure Sam and Wanda had to participate.

Except instead of hanging out with their son on his first Halloween, Steve and Natasha found themselves in a shitty, rundown hotel room outside Madrid, keeping watch for an illegal sale of HYDRA weapons.

Weapons that had been the source of devastation and chaos in the past, and would do even less good in the hands of the unstable extremists that sought them out for their own agenda.

“It’s just Halloween, one of many Halloweens. He’s too young to even realize it’s Halloween. And way too young for candy.”

Steve tried not to smile at Natasha’s mutterings over the comms, eyes scanning the street. “Are you trying to convince me or you?”

“You. Obviously. Why would I care about missing such a minor holiday? Even if it’s his first ever Halloween.”

“Exactly. You’ve lucked out, now you don’t have to dress up as Wonder Woman,” Sam piped up with easy amusement, “There’s a bright side.”

“I don’t think she sees it as a bright side,” Wanda interjected, “Because now we don’t get to see Superman Steve.”

“Aww, that’s disappointing. No Cap in tights? God why don’t you just ruin a guy’s year?”

Steve snorted, “Can we focus on the mission and not turning Ilya into Batman please?”

There was silence across the comms for a few minutes, the occasional update on what they saw on the street, various things that might work out badly.

Then finally Wanda had to break the silence, “If Ilya becomes Batman, would that make Sam Alfred or Robin?”

“Alfred,” Steve replied instantly, “No one wants to see that much of Sam’s legs.”

“Hey, I got great legs! But I ain’t no one’s sidekick.”

“Sure thing, birdman.”

“Leave the sidechick alone, we’ve got incoming.” Natasha scolded them lightly.

—

November brought them road trips, and a very unhappy Ilya.

Between his nine month shots (suffered much better than him than Steve, who looked like he might cry himself when Ilya burst into tears), and teeth beginning to make their way through, he was already an angry little grouch, but when they added in a flight on the Avengers’ Quinjet, he was a downright menace, his tiny fists waving, coated in that same blue energy that had been there before, but this time setting off alarms in the plane.

With Natasha as pilot it was a little hard to console the baby whose ears were now popping as well. No matter the faces Steve made, he cried – no matter how he sang or rocked, Ilya refused to be consoled.

That was until Wanda intervened, tapping a lollipop to his lips. The surprised baby jolted, watching her as he opened his mouth reflexively, tongue darting out. His eyes lit up at the new taste, his feet kicking as he watched her. “Yeah? That worth not crashing us over?” Wanda asked, holding it up and letting him touch his tongue to it. “Worth not throwing a fit? I’d like to live, please.”

Ilya apparently found the deal worth it, feet kicking, hands waving, reaching out towards Wanda and the newly discovered treat.

Steve shook his head, handing his son to her, “I didn’t give him it, I can’t get in trouble for this.”

“Give him what?” Natasha called back, barely glancing to where Wanda now sat cross-legged on the floor, Ilya on her lap happy slobbering over a lollipop.

“Nothing, darling.”

—

Neither Cooper or Lila could have cared any less about their new honorary baby cousin, not when Wanda was there and could move things with her mind, and when Sharon could name every Pokemon off the top of her head at Lila’s prompting.

Laura gleefully took a turn holding Ilya though, swapping Steve easily for baby Nate, “Oh my God he’s even cuter than the pictures. Hi, buddy! Oh look at you,” Laura beamed over Ilya who looked slightly bemused behind his pacifier, but okay so long as he could see his mommy nearby. “He’s tiny, isn’t he? Or are my kids just fat? My babies might just be oversized.”

“He’s 'dainty’,” Natasha conceded with amusement, “But we’re assured he’s perfectly proportional, and healthy as can be, just small. And also your babies are fat.”

“Well, Nate is a boob monster.” Laura grinned as Steve turned at the words, leaving the living room to go find Clint. “Is he easily embarrassed or does he just not want to think about me having boobs?”

“You’re Clint’s wife, any thoughts of any of your body that’s typically covered by clothing, willing or unwilling, are punishable by death.”

—

Steve wasn’t sure who hated the other more, Ilya or Nathaniel.

Ilya had been interested in the baby, until Natasha held him. And then the baby was the worst creature ever to exist, even worse than the mean doctor who gave him injections.

He didn’t turn blue, or do anything but stare with this look of betrayal, crying at the obvious rejection and horrific slight that was his mommy holding another baby.

A sentiment returned by Nathaniel when he spotted Laura holding Ilya and started crying, despite being held by his father.

They sat staring at each other across the playmat, Ilya sitting up on his own, worrying his teeth on a stuffed rabbit’s ear, while Nathaniel sat in his bumbo chair, gumming at his pacifier.

“You know, I never figured it’d be your kid my kid would hate,” Clint offered cheerfully, sprawled out on his side next to Nathaniel, entertaining him by jingling brightly colored fake car keys.

“Which kid did you figure on yours hating?” Steve watched Ilya, trying not to be reminded of a small dog at the way he grumbled around the toy.

“Stark’s, or that ass Martin from the PTA.”

“That ass Martin?” Steve laughed, “Are you feuding with the school?”

“No, just Martin. He thinks his kids are the best thing to ever grace this earth, while we know that Tommy’s a dirt eating icky head, Polly needs to stop stealing the good crayons, and that baby of theirs is bald still so they’re so not all that.”

Steve blinked, scoffed, “This is retirement?”

“Oh no, this is the battle I fight when I’m not saving the world. We’ve been feuding since Tommy pushed Cooper off the slide in Pre-K and Cooper shoved dirt down his shirt. What? My kids fight back.”

—-

“So in a few years I may be feuding with that ass Martin with the PTA.” Steve could feel Natasha trying not to laugh where she lay next to him on the air mattress, Ilya sprawled in his pack & play next to them.

“What?”

“Clint doesn’t like some guy named Martin, or his kids.”

Natasha did laugh quietly at that, “I’ve heard about Martin, and the evil icky kids. Why would you be feuding with them?”

Steve gave a half shrug, “Cause apparently dads feud with PTA dads, and go to soccer practice in cargo shorts, and stand around poking burgers on a grill while holding a beer and calling everyone 'champ’.” “You call Ilya 'champ’.” Natasha changed positions, moving around so she could lay her head on his chest, half draped across him, not that he minded.

Steve rested his hand on her back, watching the ceiling where glow in the dark stars twinkled, “I don’t typically drink 'bud light’ while doing it.”

“Clint drinks IPA, not Bud light.”

“I don’t own cargo shorts.”

“No, but you do own skinny jeans,” Natasha offered.

“Only because you bought them,” Steve countered. He sighed, tracing random designs on her back with his fingertips, “He says I have to buy a football jersey with ’#1 Dad’ on the back or I’m not a real dad.”

“We’ll get you a baseball jersey instead, much more your speed.”

“Please promise me you’ll never use the words 'boob monster’.”

“Well, not in relation to Ilya at least…”

—-

Thanksgiving day had Wanda playing an enhanced game of soccer out front with the kids, Ilya happily tucked into his sling against her chest so he could see everything.

With Ilya outside with them, the men out back playing around with turkeys and deep fryers, and Nathaniel asleep, the kitchen was actually quiet.

Sharon and Natasha had both been forbidden from touching the stove top by Laura who wielded a wicked wooden spoon. Natasha had joined them when she got bored of hanging around the deep fryers, and the two men debating how far Steve could boost someone into the air, planning to avoid any possible oil burns from attempted acrobatics.

“Vision and Stark still terrified of Ilya?”

Natasha scoffed, “Stark’s debating a civil lawsuit against Ilya for befouling a suit that costs more than a car. So he claims. He’s also been fiddling about with a car seat that he swears will keep any baby inside from feeling the 'slightest of movement’.”

“Aw, he likes him.”

“Or he likes interesting new projects. He also likes to send us as many outfits as he can with his face or Steve’s face on it. Which reminds me, I brought Nathaniel a few outfits I’m so never putting Ilya in.”

“Oh, did I tell you what Aunt Peg thought about Ilya?”

Natasha tried not to make a face, instead digging into the fridge to steal one of Clint’s beers, “Nope.”

Neither had Steve beyond 'he’s cute’. She wasn’t jealous in the least of him taking their son to meet his ex-girlfriend.

His only ex who was only his ex because he ended up frozen in the arctic for a few years.

She was relative certain she could take the 94 year old in a fight.

Relatively.

“Oh what’d Nana have to say?” Laura lit up at that, “She called Nathaniel ‘chunky’ and said he was 'marginally’ cuter than my Uncle James as a baby.”

“When did your Grandmother lose her filter?” Natasha made a face, “Don’t most people only say nice things about babies?”

“She’s always said what she thought, she just occasionally kept it inside until the person she wanted to comment on was gone.”

“She thinks he’s cute,” Sharon told her, snuggling Nathaniel to her shoulder, “And 'positively tiny’, much like Steve before Howard got hold of him. Also she expected a much ornerier child from 'That Romanova girl’. How badly did you annoy her?”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “I never did a thing to her. Not once. She was retired when I joined SHIELD. It’s all Clint gossiping, he gives me a bad reputation.”

~-~-~

The apartment in Calgary looked undisturbed at first. The counters were a little dusty still, and the floorboards were in place still.

But there were pressure marks on the living room floor, the kind left by a playpen. When she did pull up the floorboard the cash that was normally stored there was gone, in it’s place a sketched postcard.

Natasha frowned over it, turning it over in her hands. On one side was a hand drawn image of a hotel, complete with neon sign out front, a few cars that even had license plates on them. Plates that marked them as not American, most likely European, without additional research.

“Wish you were here XOXO ” was all that was written on the back. It was Steve’s handwriting, Steve’s artwork, and most likely the only clue she was going to be given to where she was meant to meet them.

Smart man.

~-~-~

Christmas was big and exciting, and Ilya couldn’t seem to care about it beyond the lights.

Big tree? Uninteresting.

Ornaments? Pass.

Pretty stockings hung up? Boring.

But those twinkling lights decorating the windows and railings at the compound? Oh those were the most important thing in his little life.

So important that Tony had made a little device to project the little lights around his playpen as well, so they could actually set him down without him screeching to get back to the lights.

It didn’t help his temperament in regards to missing his dad, but it was a distraction.

Steve and Sam were only meant to be gone a few days at most, and yet somehow they were still gone, still radio silent, in the days leading up to Christmas.

If they weren’t back in the next few days Natasha was going to go after them herself. Rhodey was spending time with his family, The Vision was with Tony 'learning’ all about the festivities, which left Natasha mostly alone with a baby and a teenager.

Steve missed Ilya’s first visit to Santa, but she made sure to get multiple photos of the baffled baby on Santa’s lap, a feat she only managed by convincing Wanda to get in the photo with him. She sent a copy to Clint when they got home, receiving a heart emoji in reply. Sap.

He missed Christmas shopping last minute for things she’d missed before, and on baking cookies that Ilya couldn’t eat anyway at his age, and watching old Christmas movies while Ilya hung out in his elf pajamas.

Natasha refused to be upset by it. It was part of the job. God knew how many holidays she’d miss in the future, or what reasons she’d have for missing them. He was young enough the day didn’t matter to him, they could do Christmas in July and he wouldn’t notice.

But it did bother her a little when the house was silent on Christmas eve, with Ilya sleeping peacefully in his crib, tucked up under his Captain America blanket, and Wanda curled up on the couch fast asleep.

With a quick text to Clint about pretending to be Santa, she went to bed herself, not very hopeful for the morning.

—-

It wasn’t a loudly complaining baby wanting his breakfast that woke her, but heavy footsteps in the hallway, her bedroom door being pushed open.

“If he hasn’t woke up yet, did I still technically miss Christmas?” Steve half joked, dropping his helmet and gloves next to the laundry basket.

“Not technically,” Natasha flipped on the light, climbing out of bed to look him over. “You didn’t check in.”

Steve started to smile then stopped as it pulled at a cut on his cheek, “Yeah, things got a little messy.”

A little messy was probably an understatement, given the marks on his hands and face. She gently swatted his hands away when he went to undo his uniform jacket, doing it herself instead, “A little? Where’s Sam?”

“Dropped him off in DC, he’s gonna surprise his mom with a Christmas visit.” Steve winced when he shrugged the jacket off, ���I didn’t protest.”

“Did you manage what you set out to do?” she frowned when his shirt came off, studying the bruises on his skin, some of which were already fading.

“You’ll be happy to know that there is no more threats of a nefarious takeover in Adelaide. That country’s more deadly than its’ bad guys, did you know that?” He’d left his boots somewhere before reaching their bedroom, meaning it was easy enough for him to shimmy out of his uniform pants, nudge them aside with the other parts of his uniform, “I really don’t say it often, but I need a nap, and at least three protein shakes and a sandwich.”

“You need a shower first, soldier boy.” Natasha wrinkled her nose, “And a look over with a first aid kit. Let’s go.”

“You gonna join me? Thought we had company on the couch,” Steve joked without protest, already headed for their private bathroom.

“We do, which is why you’re not quite as lucky as you think you are. I’m just pretty sure you probably can’t lift your hands over your head to wash you own hair right now, and you might pass out on the shower floor.”

—-

Tony and Ilya held an easy peace between them. Tony brought him embarrassing outfits to wear, occasional high tech toys like his Christmas light projector and car seat, and refused to pick him up at any time.

Ilya for his part would happily blow bubbles at Tony and play peek-a-boo for hours on end, so long as he didn’t attempt to take him out of sight of his parents, or Wanda.

When Ilya wasn’t feeling well however, all his tolerance was gone.

It was only a few hours they were meant to be watching him, and Wanda was the one watching him – really. Tony and Rhodey were just hanging out, casually at the compound like always. Shooting the breeze with Sam, fun night all around really.

Fun enough, even though Wanda paced around with Ilya, talking to him in a combination of languages, swaying in place while the poor boy fussed, rubbing at his ear til it was red. Teething, Sam had explained to them, meant Ilya’s nose was running, he had a fever starting, and his ears hurt.

It made for a very irritable baby, 'so don’t take it personally’.

“Tony.” Rhodey nudged his oldest friend, “Go poke him.”

“What? Why?” Tony eyed the baby. His fists were tinged with blue where the one tugged at his ear. “You think he’ll launch me too?”

“I think I wanna see if he can launch the suit, and yours is much shinier and prettier to look at than mine to a baby’s point of view,” Rhodey nudged him again, “We know he can fling humans, think he can fling an Iron man?”

Tony paused, watching Ilya chew on a frozen teething toy, “$500 says he can’t toss me.”

Rhodey grinned at that, “I got five says he can.”

“You two are both completely screwed if you do that,” Sam warned them, “That being said, I’ll put five down that not only can he throw you, but you make it through the wall.”

—-

“Hey, be nice to the birthday boy, okay? We just repaired the walls he threw you through,” Steve warned Tony, pointing at him as Tony moved to put a wrapped present down on the table with the others.

“He did not throw me. He pushed me and then my boots mysteriously started on their own which propelled me.” Tony defended himself, “Sam lies.”

“Which means he won’t poke the baby again. Where’s the birthday boy?” Pepper greeted him cheerfully.

“He’s gaining massive applause by showing off his newest skill in the rec room,” Steve gestured her down the hall and didn’t feel the least bit offended when she didn’t stick around to chat. Ilya was cuter than him, after all.

“King fu? Electro shock? He levitate yet?” Tony guessed.

Steve chuckled, “No he’s learned to pull himself up to his feet and balance without anyone holding onto him. For short, short periods of time.”

“I’m officially uninterested. Let me know when he’s controling Vision’s mind or something cooler.”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. Learning to stand on your own two feet is a very valuable skill.”

“I’m sure. Say, are you really, really sure the kid’s not yours?” Tony nudged past him into the kitchen.

“What?”

“Like didn’t spring forth from the font of freedom?” Tony wiggled his eyebrows, opening the fridge. “Didn’t come out of mother Russia?”

“Very. Don’t be crude.”

“I’m just curious is all,” Tony gave an innocent look Steve’s way, popping the top on one of Sam’s hidden Pepsi’s. “I mean, his birthday’s fantastic.”

Steve frowned, “Why? It’s just an estimated date.”

“Yeah, but you know what that day is?” Tony asked with a giant grin, “The reason everyone’s got plans on it so we’re doing this like a week early?”

Steve’s brow furrowed in thought, trying to connect in his brain whatever it was Tony was going on about. After a moment it clicked, “Aw… son of a bitch.”

“Who picked it?” Tony asked eagerly, “Because I’m ashamed I didn’t notice until FRIDAY pointed it out to me.”

“I think Nat did,” Steve rubbed at his temple, “Jesus.. At least it’s not the 4th of July.”

“No, we’ve gone for the non-American pride. God, Captain America’s son, our little Caplet, the mini soldier, born on Saint Patrick’s day. Can you get any more Irish when you’re adopted with a questionable ethnicity from a war torn European state?”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t. You will when the first 'Kiss me I’m Irish’ shirt gets put on him, but you’ll tolerate me til then.”

-

“You didn’t warn me.” Steve complained lightly at Natasha once the party was over, when it was just a few of them hanging out in the rec room, watching Ilya alternately tear up wrapping paper, and plaster his dark curls to his head with more bright yellow frosting.

“Warn you about what?” Natasha made a face at Ilya, handing him another piece of paper to tear, causing him to break into giggles once more.

“His birthday.”

Natasha gave him a look, “The party you just attended? I think I gave you notice.”

“No, not the party, his birthday. See, there it is! There’s that smirk.” Steve pointed in as much outrage as he could manage, “How could you?”

“It was a tough debate between the 17th and the 15th, and Saint Patrick’s day seemed more fun than The Ides of March.”

“You could have gone with the 16th.” Steve grabbed Ilya’s sippy cup when he reached for it demandingly, watched him try to sort out how it worked once more.

“That just wouldn’t be interesting at all, why would I do that?”

Steve shook his head, trying not to smile, “Next time point things out to me before Tony does, that’s all I ask.”

“Like what things? Oh, like how Captain America’s son literally has an Uncle Sam? That kind of thing?”

“Uh-oh,” Ilya mumbled to himself, knocking his sippy cup off the coffee table and onto the ground, wriggling his toes as the milk inside leaked out on them.

“Yeah,” Steve answered faintly as Natasha lifted Ilya into the air, cheering him on for the word, “Like that kind of thing.”

~-~-~

The hotel wasn’t actually European, but based in South Africa, Natasha had learned with a bit of research online, a little prodding at sources with license plate numbers.

It took two hours of hanging around the hotel before she was approached. Surprisingly not by Steve, but by a very cheerful looking Sharon who linked her arm in Natasha’s, “Walk with me.”

“Where’s Ilya?” Natasha asked though she did lean in against Sharon, walking casually as if they were just old friends.

“With Steve, who had absolutely no idea what dumb plans other people stirred up. Dumb plans which have already caused them to receive many, many lectures.” Sharon smiled, “Many lectures. Laura used her mom voice. It was impressive.” She gestured Natasha to a rather dirty, beat up looking car, climbing into the driver’s seat.

Natasha followed, settling in the passenger seat, tossing her back into the back, “What exactly was their goal in taking him? Were they trying to piss me off or gain leverage?”

“I believe the thought process was that Tony’s a dick, and the Government was getting real mad at most of us, and Ilya being alone in New York made him an easy target for Ross or Stark. Laura didn’t know, no one did, it was Clint and Wanda’s idea on the way out of New York, not a conspiracy. I promise.”

“Where are Steve and Ilya?”

“At the house.”

~-~-~

May brought too much heart ache and memories. It brought the anniversary of Sokovia’s destruction, of Pietro’s death, and of Ilya’s adoption.

It brought a fuck up in Lagos like they hadn’t ever anticipated, and more government digging around in their affairs.

It brought news of the death of one of the two surviving people he had left who knew him from before he was frozen, and Natasha siding with the government.

“You really want them registering us? Keeping tabs on us, controlling what we do, when we act? They’ll register anyone who’s enhanced, you know that. What does that mean for Ilya?”

“If we get ahead of this now, get a hold of what’s going on while he’s young, it’ll hopefully mean we have control over all of it by time he’s old enough for it to be an issue. Steve, this isn’t a problem we can punch our way out of, this is one we have to take the quiet route on.”

“You think they’ll let him wait that long?” Steve scoffed, “They’ll have him mark an X before he’s even aware what the pen he’s holding is used for. This is the Government we’re talking about.”

—-

“When they arrested us,” Bucky spoke up from the back seat, legs stretched out as much as they could be in the back of their borrowed beetle, “The man in the armor mentioned your son. You have a kid?”

“Yeah, I… I do.” Steve nodded, glancing into the rear view mirror at Bucky.

“That wasn’t in the museum, and I don’t remember it. How old?”

“Almost fifteen months.”

“Oh.” Bucky’s face scrunched up like he was doing mental math. “Who’s the mom?”

“Remember the redhead you shot when we chased your ass on a highway?” Sam spoke up, shifting in his seat a little.

“Vaguely. Oh, oh shit, did I shoot a pregnant woman?” Bucky sat up at that, slightly alarmed,

“No, relax.”

“Not that time, I can’t vouch for others,” Sam answered at the same time as Steve.

Steve rolled his eyes, it was worse than Nathaniel and Ilya’s glowering contests. “Ilya’s adopted, you didn’t shoot a pregnant woman or anything like that.”

“Ilya. Russian.”

“Sokovian, but yeah.”

Bucky nodded, “So… if you’ve got a little boy to take care of, why’d you leave him to help me?”

“Because I’m helping him too. He’s like us, Bucky. He’s just a little weird, with some powers that aren’t quite accepted by the general public. I let them treat you like this, let the world treat us like this, then I can’t say what they’ll do to him. And if those Super Soldiers get out, they start anything… How can I look my kid in the eye when I can’t say I did the best I possibly could to protect him?”

~-~-~

The house turned out to be a vacation home on the beach. A beach she could see two familiar little kids running around on, playing tag with another familiar figure with red hair.

“It’s amazing the access you get to things when you have our skills,” Sharon parked the car, climbing out herself, “Ilya’s been a bit of a menace lately, which is totally their fault. Won’t sleep more than a few hours at a time, he’s forsaken any food but formula, and he’s been biting again.”

“I wonder why.” Natasha grabbed her bag, heading for the house, “Tell Clint I’m going to kick his ass later.”

Sharon gave a salute, heading down towards the beach instead of inside.

Inside the house was cooler than outside, but much noisier. It made her heart hurt to hear Ilya whining and fussing, obviously distraught. She dumped her bag on the floor, tossing her jacket over it, and hurried after the noise.

She found him in the kitchen, Steve in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt rocking in place, trying to comfort Ilya as the microwave whirled, heating up water for formula.

“Hey.” Steve’s greeting was hesitant, like he expected to be yelled at, but it got Ilya’s attention.

Ilya who turned, and upon seeing Natasha let out a shriek, trying to throw himself out of Steve’s arms towards her.

“It’s okay, I’m here, sweetheart,” Natasha cradled him close, pressing a kiss to his head as Ilya buried his face in her neck, clinging.

“Mama!” he cried loudly, nails scratching against her shirt where he clung to her so fiercely. “Mama!”

“Yeah that word started in Montana,” Steve told her, “He’s been uh pretty angry he couldn’t find you.”

“Who’s fault is that?” She wanted to be angrier at him, but Steve looked beyond tired, like he just wanted to rest awhile.

“Clint’s. I had no intention on moving him, I figured if you thought he was in danger you’d make Fury grab him. If it makes you feel any better he’s been shocking Clint when he comes near him, and he’s bit Wanda twice.”

“Slightly.” Natasha hummed, kissing Ilya’s head again, rocking in place like Steve had. “I need a shower, and a nap,” She listed, “And at least one coffee before I start yelling at you for this.”

“This is a rental place,” Steve perked up,“ One of those winter rentals to show off to your family. It has a jacuzzi tub.”

“The yelling might be lesser just for that. You want a bath, baby boy?” Natasha bounced Ilya lightly in her arms. Steve looked almost like a kicked puppy, standing there watching them, so she extended a hand to him, pulling him into a hug he seemed to need as much as her, even if it did make Ilya grumble. “How long are we staying here?”

“The plan was to stay as long as it took to get you to us, and figure it out from there. Wasn’t gonna leave until you got here, no matter what. Then we’d go from there.”

“Oh sure, now you wait for my opinion. Don’t think waiting earns you any brownie points, or that you’re forgiven, we’re still going a round or three later,” Natasha warned him, “When I don’t have a baby in my arms.”

[damn-stark]

Lost way ch.9

A/N- I was inspired by the Last of us II teaser trailer in the first part!!

Warning- Language, Violence

-

I strum my guitar strings lightly. Tune it when I hear it out of tune. After my fingers gracefully start playing . I quietly sing along to the song that I’m playing. I feel as the tears start to roll down my cheeks while I’m playing. The sound of rain drops outside easily heard through the open hotel window. My eyes close feeling the moment. When I finish playing I open my eyes and wipe my tears. I rest my guitar on my lap I take a shaky deep breath.

“ that was great.” I hear Steve softly say as he’s leaning by the door frame. I look up startled just a bit after hearing his voice.

“ I didn’t hear you come in.” I say as I lean the guitar by the bed. Once he sees my tears he comes to me and kneels down in front of me. He wipes the tears from my face.

“ you were so into playing I didn’t want you to stop.” He responds as he cups my cheeks. I lean in taking In his warmth. My tears kept rolling down. “ you really want to go through with it?” He asks quietly.

“ yes.... (I reach for my brothers cross chain that’s around my neck.) I owe it them.”

-

I stand further away from the base keeping watch of any guards or soilders walking out the base. I sit down and zoom in my scope to take a closer look. I take a sip of my drink that’s in my other hand.

“ okay nobody guarding on the south side and nobody walking in or out the door.” I report to Natasha through my earpiece.

“ I’ve got some on my side.” I hear Natasha say.

“ okay do what you gotta do. We’re not killing them remember.” Steve reports.

“ yea we know just putting them to sleep and tying them up for them to arrested.” I say.

Steve had convinced me not kill the hydra agents but instead take them down quietly. Not letting ourselves be seen to remain hidden. I wanted so badly to kill them all but I was convinced not risk it or let myself go that path. I knew he was right. It’s just hard for me.... it’s hard not to kill them especially knowing what they did to my family. And to other people. Killing innocents. Brainwashing. Controlling. Experimenting. among many other horrible things.

“ okay they’re down.” I hear Natasha say.

“ same here.” Sam says.

“ okay let’s move in.” I say. I put my drink back in backpack. And hop off the post I was keeping watch in. I crouch down and head for the door. I see Wanda approach on the other side. I give her a signal and we both open the door. Once the door is open I throw a couple smoke screens so we can unseen. We move up and hear people coughing and yelling orders. We keep walking by the walls and once we see the hydra soilders come to check what’s happening we knock them out. When we cleared the hallway we go our separate ways trying to take them down faster. I get close to a opening and peek and see computers and scientist panicking and confused on what was happening. I put my mask on that covers the bottom half of my face only my eyes showing. I stand up and walk towards the opening. I make duplicates of myself blocking their paths. I then make them feel enough pain for them to go unconscious. I make my clones disappear and stick small sticky bombs on the computers. I walk a good distance away and cause all the computers to explode. After that I went back and tied all of them up so when they woke up they couldn’t go nowhere.

“ all clear on my floor.”

“ here too.”

“ yea me too.”

I hear all of them report. Once we do another sweep through on the place making sure there’s nobody else we all go at our location where we agreed to meet up. Steve and I were the first ones there. I take my mask off and hood off. I smile at him before giving him kiss. A little while later we hear someone fake cough from behind me. That causes us to break apart. When I turn I see Sam, Wanda , and Natasha standing there.

“ sorry to inturrpt the very intimate moment here but you know we do have to start heading out before they find us here.” Sam says. Steve Scratches the back of head a little embarrassed at the current situation. I could see that Natasha was amused because she was looking down at the ground with a smile trying not laugh at Steve’s reaction.

“ yea...sure.” Steve said akwardly. I coudnt help my snicker at his very adorable akwardness.

“ we did great guys just one more base to go and we can take it easy.” I say highfiving them. We all get the Quinjet that we Natasha had taken before having to leave the compound. After We then headed for the last location we needed to go to. I know that they’ll mostly likely come back but I just needed to do this. I just needed to take them down. Doing this makes sure that they won’t be coming back for a while. We also knew that they might move have more hidden bases but this just gave me satisfaction. Knowing that they’ll be taken down. And if we did it right they wouldn’t know who or what hit them.

-

We were at the last base we needed to take down. This would be the last one and after that we would be done. We do our usually spotting. This one was a little harder because it was hidden inside a wooded hill. We had to be more stealthy. I was up on tree that was looking across from the hil they were in. There was no visible entrances from here except for two hidden windows. They were big enough for me go through them. Sam had finally found the entrance. It was well hidden far off from the base. It mostly likely connected through some tunnel. It was big enough for cars to go through so that meant that this was a big base. Him and Steve has found recent car tracks leading towards it. They exploded the door down and entered. It took them a while to report back but they did. I gave Natasha the signal. And we broke the windows. We then got our grabable hooks and used them to get through the windows. While I was sliding towards the broken window I threw a smoke screen to hide us.

When we landed with Wanda flying and landing by us. When we were inside and it was quiet. We didn’t see or hear anybody. I stood up and caustiouly walked forward trying to get a better look. I looked at Natasha confused on the abandoned room. We knew that their was people in this base. We slowly moved foraward trying to look around through the smoke. As we were looking around I heard something land by my feet. I looked down and saw a grenade.

“ GRENADE!” I yelled warning Natasha and Wanda. I immiedialtly threw it back where it came from using my telekinesis. It exploded midair. Seconds later gunshots started getting shot. I kicked down a table making it my shield.

“ we’ve been compromised here.” I try to tell Steve and Sam through my ear piece.

“ we did too!” Steve responds back.

It was still hard to see because of the smoke but I still heard gunshots. I looked over at Natasha who had used a table as I shield too. She was shooting back.

“ told you that you needed a gun.” She said smugly.

“ yeah yeah whatever.” I say back occasisnly peaking over the table. Wanda cleared the smoke out making it easier for us to see.

“ thanks for that.” I tell her.

Once I could finally see I threw a table towards the soilders that were shooting at us. That caused them to get knocked to the ground. But before we could get up more came from behind us. Wanda flings their guns away from them. I jump up and get closer to them. I then knock them out and we tie them up. We move up and tie the others up. After we slowly keeping an eye out for anymore of them. We go in to another room. And see more of them approach us. One comes towards me and tried shoot me but duck down grab his hand and hit him with his own gun. One tries to come up from behind me but I turn around and kick him making him stumble back. He regains balance and got his gun out. But I was quicker and caused him pain. Seconds later he hit the ground.

We keep moving on hearing shots coming from the other side of the base. We were running to go help Steve and Sam but we were blocked by more hydra soilders. Natasha, Wanda and I got back to back as they surrounded us. I flung one soilder causing him to crash to some behind him. After they were taken down we keep moving. Out of nowhere one appears from a hidden door and gets me. He has a gun pointed at the side of my head.

“ try anything and I’ll shoot her!” He yells.

“ don’t.” I warn Natasha. Without moving my head I signal her that Steve and Sam are hiding over by the wall. Unexpectedly I kick the soilder in the crotch. He groans in pain so use that and grab his hand and flip him over. I glare at him and he started yelling in pain. He yelled louder as I made it worse.

“ Maxine!” Steve yells I immidiatly look up towards him making me snap back to reality.

“ sorry.” I mumble. I tie the now unconscious guy up. We didn’t hear any other soilders come to us so we went and destroyed their computers. That contained their probably super important work. While doing that i went to the last table of computers and stuck the explosives under the table. I then felt burning pain in my shoulder. I turn around and see a soilder hidden behind some shelves. Wanda grabs him and throws him across the room. Steve runs to me worried.

“ are you okay?!” He asks concerned.

“ yea it’s nothing I think it went through I should be fine.” I tell him with a small smile so he could calm down. “ let’s blow this up and start heading out.” I say.

After we explode all the computers and finally head back to the Quinjet. We’re finally out and headed to some hotel far away from here so we wouldn’t be spotted. Steve then comes to me and helps me with my wound. With my non injured arm I reach for my chain and look at it. My eyes get watery as I’m looking at it. Remembering my family. I kiss it lightly and put it back.

“ thank you guys.... for coming along with me and doing this.... I know this wasn’t easy but I’m grateful that you guys came along it means a lot to me that it really does.” I tell them all gratefully.

“ no problem it was nothing. We all know this was important for you.” Natasha says from upfront as she’s flying he Quinjet.

“ yea plus what else could we do. There’s nothing else for us to do.” Sam says.

“ you know I always got your back Max.” Wanda says.

“ still thank you guys.”

-

I’m laying bed looking up at the ceiling lost in my own thoughts.

“ something in your mind?” Steve asks as he lays by me. I look at him as he snaps me from my thoughts.

“ just thinking about this about everything. It’s crazy how my life changed all in two years. It’s just crazy to think about it all. Two years ago i was training to be a police and now I’m a war criminal..... I was in such a dark place after my family’s death so consumed my revenge I got tricked by the bad guys..... tried killing all of you because of it...... and now I’m here an ex avenger on the run with my also war criminal boyfriend.” I tell him as I cuddle up next to him. I take a pause before talking again “ I also want to say thank you... to you... for helping me with all of this... it really helped me. I was lost in my ways and you helped through it.” I finished saying.

“ you know I would do it for you.... I- I love you.... I’m in love with you.... I would do anything for you..... I’m sorry that we have to be on the run. I know this isn’t easy. ” He says. I sit up and look at him with a huge smile on my face.

“ I love you too Steve... being here with you makes me happy. I wouldn’t want anything else. And I don’t mind being on the run. You being here with me means everything.” I tell him. I then lean in and kiss him. He holds me and pulls me closer and

“ I’m in love with you too Steve.” I say before kissing him again.

.

.

.

.

[imamotherfuckingstar-lord]

The Five Times Steve Rogers said No & the One Time He Said Yes

Steve Rogers x READER

A/N: Commission for the patent and wonderful @xlemon-limex

Summary: Tony thinks Steve has the hots for you, he isn’t totally wrong.

Deny #1

Tony was going over some intel, standing in the front of the conference room, while Steve sat across from you - trying his best to gain your attention, but you were too focused on Stark. You listened to all the information he was giving, leaned forward to take a closer look at the hologram he brought up and smirked at Nat, who called dibs on the mission.

“I’d like to go to,” you announced and Tony smirked.

“That’s all fine, but unless we can pry Roger’s eye from you, we might not have a leader for this one,” he bellowed out, staring right at the Captain.

Steve stirred in his seat and frowned up at Tony. “I wasn’t staring at her.”

“Uh, yeah you were,” Tony scoffed, giving you a wink. “I mean, she is pretty cute.”

“That’s enough and I wasn’t staring at her,” Steve scolded, getting up from his seat. “Are we done here?”

Holding back a smile, you looked to Tony, who held up his hands. “At ease soldier, we’re all done here.”

Steve was the first to leave the conference room, followed by Sam. When they were out of sight, you glared at Tony. “You really love pushing his buttons, don’t you?”

“It’s what I do best,” Tony grinned, nodding to Nat. “Romanoff and I have this theory, see, we think Cap has the hots for you.”

“As if.” You rolled my eyes and got up, making your way to the door. “I gotta go work out with the fellas. You two cool your jets.”

You left the room and exhaled deeply.

Stark wasn’t too far off, Steve indeed had the hots for you, because you were most certainly his girlfriend of six months. How the two of you manage to keep that a secret from the others was a damn miracle, but you both knew the time to tell everyone was drawing closer as Stark’s suspicious started to gain some heat.

Deny #2

The bar was packed for a Tuesday night and you wondered why you all had to go out when Tony kept a perfectly stocked bar back at the Tower. Something about team bonding, as if fighting alongside each other wasn’t enough bonding. Easing away from the bar with two pitchers of beers, you glanced around and found your band of misfits at the pool table. Steve caught your eye and he waved you over and you smiled, making your way through the crowd. You pushed, politely, until you managed to get to the pool table.

“Took you long enough,” Clint grumbled, beelining to you.

“My bad,” you replied, handing over the pitchers to him. “Who is up?”

“Point Break,” Tony nodded to Thor, who looked odd in his civilian Earth clothes. “Next game we got doubles.”

“Fun,” you echoed, looking to Nat. “Partners?”

“Of course,” she answered swiftly, nudging Sam in the ribs. “I want to beat this one.”

Before he could respond to the redhead’s flirtation, his eyes flew to someone next to you. Your head turned slightly, coming face to face with a rather attractive man, who was asking if you’d something.

“Excuse me?”

“A drink,” he smiled, flashing his pearly whites. “Can I get you a drink?”

You laughed nervously and said no. “Thank you, though.”

“Come one,” he grinned, his hand squeezing your shoulder. “Just one drink.”

Jaw clenched, you moved away from his touch. “I’m good.”

He stood his ground and asked again. “Listen, one drink to show you how witty and charming I am. Don’t like me after one drink, then we part ways.”

You gazed around to your group of friends, who were all watching with intense eyes, waiting for you to make a move. “I don’t think-.”

“She said no.” Steve spoke up, walking away from the pool table to stand next to you. “She said no, so you can leave now.”

The man sized Steve up and chuckled. “She has a mouth, doesn’t she?”

All bets were off then, you lunged toward the man, but Steve got to him first. He had a fistful of the guy’s collar and the others were telling Steve to get him the hell out of here. You watched with amusement as Steve practically carried the man out the bar, coming back a few seconds later. He gave you an apologetic look, to which you just waved a hand, letting him know it was okay.

“Well, well, well,” Tony started up from the pool table, cue in hand. “Look who came to the rescue.”

“Not now, Tony,” Steve grumbled, walking over to Clint for a refill of beer.

You side eyed Tony and gave him a warning stare, but he just shrugged. “I’m just calling it as I see it.”

“Steve was just coming to my defense,” you explained, ignoring Tony’s shit eating smile. “I didn’t see anyone of you stepping up.”

“Well, we figured you had it,” Clint piped up, taking a drink from his mug.

“Nonetheless,” you scoffed teasingly, giving Steve a soft smile. “Thank you, Steve.”

He glanced your way and held back a smile. “No problem.”

Later that night, when a soft knock from my door, you knew it was him. He walked in and quickly apologized for being all alpha male.

“Babe, it’s okay,” you laughed, beckoning him over to the bed. Throwing back the covers, you patted the empty spot next to you. He blushed, but turned around to lock the door before making his way to the bed. He slipped under the covers and sighed when his back touched the mattress. You leaned against the headboard and started playing with his hair, watching as he closed his eyes.

“We have to tell them eventually,” he said quietly.

“I know, but I wanna enjoy the privacy while we have it.”

“Me too, but it would be nice to get Tony stop teasing me.”

You smiled and leaned down to press a kiss onto his forehead. “It’s pretty funny though.”

Deny #3

The quinjet was relatively quiet as you took a seat next to Steve, letting out a loud yawn. Natasha, who was standing across from the two of you, smiled and asked if you were tired.

“Like hell,” you proclaimed, yawning again. “How long until we’re home?”

“About an hour,” Tony called out from the cockpit, where he was chatting away with Clint.

“Too long,” you whined, eyes falling heavy. “I have to sleep...”

Nat laughed and shook her head when you promptly fell asleep, head slumping over to Steve’s shoulders. He chuckled, but his smile faded when he realized his teammate was staring.

“Should I move her?”

“No,” Natasha answered, pushing away from the wall. “Let her sleep.”

He nodded, grinning down at you when Nat stepped away.

It freeing to him to have you so close and Steve savored the moment, daring to reach down for your hand and placing it on his thigh. There were reasons why the two of you wanted to keep things low profile, but being able to touch each other while on a mission, made those reasons seem ridiculous.

“Don’t you look a tad bit happy there, Cap.”

Steve groaned and glanced over to were Tony stood, a smirk on his lips.

“She fell asleep.”

“I see that, I have eyes,” Tony remarked, walking over to Steve. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t getting a little frisky, Rogers.”

“I’m not you, Tony,” Steve barked back and Tony laughed.

“That you are not. Let her sleep, she kicked ass today.”

“She did,” Steve agreed.

Stark walked away, saying something about Steve being so obvious, but he paid no attention. Instead he looked down at you and chuckled.

“You can open your eyes now.”

“How did you know,” you pouted, peeking open an eye.

Steve shook his head and reached down for you hand to squeeze it. “I know you too well”

Deny #4

“So, his name is Luke and he’s really cute.”

“Nat,” you warned, looking up from your tablet. She gave you a pouty face and you laughed. “No.”

“Luke is the total package,” she said in a fake Valley girl voice. “Come on, you haven’t been on a date in nearly 7 months.”

“Okay, weirdo,” you snorted, putting the tablet down. “Can we not do this right now?”

“Do what?”

Sam walked into the kitchen, Steve, and Tony trailing behind him. “What are we not doing?”

You gave Steve a quick eye roll and he smiled before wandering over to the fridge.

Natasha explained how she wanted to hook you up with Luke, a SHIELD agent. Tony pointed a finger at you and grinned.

“Oh, you need to get laid.”

“You have no idea what I need,” you retorted, sending Nat a death stare. “See what you started.”

“Hey,” she frowned, crossing her arms against her chest. “I just think you two would be cute together, he’s a really nice guy. Maria tells me he’s super smart, you like super smart, yeah?”

“Just drop it,” you begged.

“Isn’t he the one with the bad temper,” he piped up, pouring himself a cup of water.

Nat turned her head to Steve. “How would you know that?”

He shrugged and looked to Sam for support. “Didn’t we hear that from that guy?”

Sam nodded and snapped his fingers. “Yeah, that one dude from HR. Said something about him being hot headed.”

Smiling down at the tablet, you pretended to be invested in the report Hill had sent earlier. “See, Nat, I’m good.”

“Look at Cap,” Tony snorted, grabbing his mug off the counter. “So jealous he had to make up lies about some random guy.”

“I’m just looking out for my friend,” he shrugged nonchalantly, moving toward the door. He glanced your way and nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“Thanks, Steve.”

“OH, you are so full of shit,” Tony called out, following him out the door. “Just because you can’t have – “

“TONY.”

You laughed at the pair’s bickering, ignoring Natasha’s eyes on you until Sam asked if she wanted to grab breakfast together. She asked if you’d like to join, you declined with the excuse about writing up some reports. The two left and once they were gone, you chuckled.

“Sorry, Luke.”

Deny #5

Tony was staring at Steve, he could feel the man’s gaze on him. He tried to ignore his friend, focusing on the task on hand – dinner for the group. Steve had volunteered and Tony said he’d help. The two of them worked quietly for a bit, Tony chopping the tomatoes for the pasta and Steve straining said pasta, until the former sighed.

“Just confess, Rogers.”

Steve turned off the sink sauce and looked at his friend. “What am I confessing?”

Tony smirked. “That you have the hots for you know who.”

“Tony, I am flattered, but you are not my type.”

The two men laughed, but Tony wasn’t going to let up. “I mean, for fuck’s sake, you could be getting some if you wanted to. I’m sure she feels – “

“Listen, Tony,” Steve interrupted, turning his entire body to face the man. He inhaled deeply and sighed. “I don’t have the hots for anyone, okay? I’m just trying to get by.”

Tony studied Steve’s face for a long minute and Steve knew he wasn’t done for good, but he just smiled and shrugged. “Fine, denial is bad for your health, Cap.”

Confession #1

You ran alongside Steve, dodging bullets behind his shield and doing what he did best – taking down bad guys. You were all in Turkey, taking down a Hydra hide out, one agent at a time. Tony had decided to split everyone into pairs, smirking when Steve and you somehow ended up together. The two of you pretended to be annoyed, but when he wasn’t looking, you smiled at each other.

The couple that fought bad dudes together, stayed together.

The two of you fought side by side, until every agent was down, or so you thought.

You stood still, trying to catch your breath as Steve spoke over his comm.

“Tony wants us back at the jet,” he said, nodding for you to lead the way.

“Okay,” you huffed out, moving ahead of him.

He watched for a second until something caught in his eye and suddenly he was in front of you, pulling you down as bullets came flying in your direction. Steve yelled for you to stay down as he made his way to the shooter, knocking him down in a flash.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you smiled, standing up from the ground. “I’m good.”

….

“So that was fun,” Clint grumbled, collapsing on the floor of the quinjet.

“We’re all here, so yeah, it was fun,” Nat smiled, settling next to the archer. She looked at you and nodded. “Heard you almost bit it.”

“I did not,” you snapped back, moving to the center of the jet.

“Yeah, because Cappy over there saved her ass,” Tony explained, giving you a little wink.

“Oh, so you saw that too,” Sam teased. “I got an aerial view.”

“Cut it out,” Steve warned, making his way to my side. “We’re lucky we all made it out alive.”

“So now that you saved her from death, are you gonna ask her out?”

Your eyes snapped over to Clint. “Not you too.”

He laughed and shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“What is?”

“That Steve wants to jump your bones,” Sam chimed in, much to his friend’s dismay.

“Are you seriously jumping in on this, Samuel?”

“Don’t call me that,” he groaned, leaning himself against the wall

Tony laughed and you turned to him. “You keep starting this shit.”

“I’m only calling it as I see it,” Tony held up his hands and you sighed, looking to Steve.

His eyes were fixated on Stark and he took a deep breath just as the entire group started to throw in their two cents about Steve having the hots for you. You started to say something, but before you could get a word in, his mouth was against yours. His lips were warm and soft, and you couldn’t help but moan a little, fingers swirling into his locks. All the teasing stopped and a silence fell over the group just as Steve pressed another kiss onto your lips before pulling away.

“What the hell just happened,” Tony asked, gazing to his friends. “Did they just kiss?”

“I believe that was more than a kiss,” Natasha explained, her eyes going back and forth between Steve and you.

“You all are world class idiots,” you declared, resting a hand on Steve’s shoulders. Gazing over at him, you grinned. “Do you want to tell them, babe?”

“Did she just call him babe?”

Clint shook his head and Tony echoed the question.

“Well,” Steve said, bringing his arm around your waist. “We’ve been dating for six months now.”

It took about 30 seconds to register and when it did, the whole team exploded in “I knew its” and “Why the hell didn’t you two say anything?” until Steve told everyone to calm down.

“We wanted to wait,” he explained, bringing you closer to him. “But now that you all know, I need one thing from you all.”

“Anything,” Natasha said, giving me a soft smile.

“The teasing has got to stop,” Steve said, looking directly at Tony. “You got it?”

You smiled at your boyfriend’s diplomatic proposal and waited for the inevitable answer.

“Yeah,” Tony smirked, running a hand through his beard. “The fun's just started, Cap.”

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