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#anyways i just think bruce modelling would be funny
oncillabrigade · 2 months
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It is time. I am going to share the stupidest headcanon I have. You have no say in the matter, sorry.
2 Unlimited voice: Y'all ready for this?
Jason Peter "Edgelord" Todd-Wayne smokes exclusively prop cigarettes.
Here's my reasoning, such as it is:
Jason smoking when he's back from the dead has never sat right with me. This is a kid who was given a second lease on life and who watched addicts around him die at a young age. And, like, I get the thought process that he's dealing with both PTSD and CPTSD, and he has a genetic predisposition towards addiction plus had Bruce's addictive and obsessive behavior modeled for him. And yet...
IDK. Maybe it's just because I'm projecting as someone with that same genetic factor who looked at addictive substances as a kid and went "oh okay so science means I can never touch these." But does that not sound like something Jaylad would do? He's the worst in the family (imo) about absolutes/black-and-white thinking after Bruce.
However! He definitely does smoke. It bothers Bruce AND makes him look cool. So... what's the solution here?
Prop cigarettes.
You cannot tell me that Jason "Theater Kid" Todd would not think to himself, "hmmm how do I seem like a cool guy who smokes without doing it?" and doesn't immediately go "wait that's a solved problem lol, to the nearest costume store!"
Anyway, this is so stupid and so funny to me that I may have to write an entire fic about each family member finding out.
P.S. I feel like his desire to piss Bruce off with the cigarettes was balanced by his desire to not let Talia down by reducing his lung capacity so he compromised on being a drama ho. At least, that's his excuse for being one in this case.
P.P.S. He also vapes marijuana and carefully conceals that it's because he's been prescribed it for joint pain.
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suzukiblu · 5 months
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"Then everyone would think you had sex with me" NOT TO MENTION VOLUNTEERING AS A COPARENT? ohhh kon bby 🥺 lowkey want clark to recommend bruce as a sex-positive role model. batman knows exactly what its like to enjoy sex and have a surprise child
"Dude, the only reason we've never had sex is because you guys all still think I'm four," Bart says, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Which is really funny coming from a guy who's technically even younger than me, for the record, but whatever. And, well, also I guess we've never had sex because you were keeping a lid on all this anyway. But otherwise I would've climbed you like, a million years ago, subjectively speaking." 
"When you thought I had a dick, yeah," Kon says tightly. 
"Actually I didn't really know what you had?" Bart admits with a careless little shrug. "Like I usually assume that Cassie has a cunt and Tim has a cock, but I always just make up random stuff when I jerk it to you, because like what do I know about Kryptonian genitalia or whatever, right? And also it's fun. But I do kinda prefer the options where I'd get to fuck you so this isn't really a dealbreaker for me. Actually this is pretty much the opposite of a dealbreaker for me because this implies I could fuck you, well . . . you know. Full speed. Since presumably your, like, natural lubricant would stand up to that a lot better than the store-bought shit does. Like just given your specific set of superpowers and everything." 
Kon briefly glazes over at that thought, because that thought is . . . a thought, alright. 
"Uh," he says.
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oscarswildetiger · 2 years
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I was tagged by @terryfphanatics to compile a list of 9 movies that I loved, and at first I couldn’t think of one movie, then I had too many and had to edit. So this is just a loosely based list on 9 movies that are definitely at the top of my Movies I love list.
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Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure! Hands down one of my favorites, while I’ve been decorating my house I’m trying to take inspiration from Graceland and Pee-Wee in every room. This movie is silly and ridiculous. A perfect mashup of camp, Burton, and Danny Elfman. 
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I first watched Harold and Maude when I was a junior in High School. Someone else in our drama class had watched it and talked about how funny it was, and afterward I asked my Drama teacher what it was about and the description he gave me was so WILDLY DIFFERENT than what the movie was that when I watched it the first time I was so disappointed. However it’s since grown on me and continues to be one of my favorites to this day. I watch this movie when I’m happy. I watch this movie when I’m sad and grieving. I’ve stood in line on record store day to purchase the soundtrack on vinyl. I try to model my life like Maude even when I find inspiration in Harold. And Vivian Perkins continues to be fashion inspo every day of the week.
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Hey so don’t fucking judge me okay. Yes yes, I love Gene Wilder and I love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but @terryfphanatics already did that and besides those two movies are bad bitches and we don’t pit bad bitches against each other. I don’t know why so many people HATE this movie, if anything it’s more accurate to the book than the 1971 version (Though lacking in Oscar Wilde quotes) But anyway. I was so excited, this movie came out the height of my Tim Burton and Johnny Depp phase and I went to the midnight showing. It possessed me completely and then I saw it FOUR MORE times in theaters. My friends bought me purple leather silk lined gloves. I bought the velvet jacket, I cut my hair. I wore vests and pinstripe pants to school. I made golden tickets and folded them into king sized candy bars for my 16th birthday and handed them out at school with no explanation. I had never been so popular. Everything at my party was chocolate. Chocolate cups and everything! All my friends gave me Charlie and the Chocolate factory merch. I was living it. I don’t have any complaints about this movie. It’s delightful. I love it all. Don’t come for this movie or I’ll come for you.
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Big Trouble in Little China was a movie I was exposed to very young and I only continue to love it more as I get older. I’m in love with Kurt Russell. I quote it all the time. It’s so 80′s and action packed without going over the top with fight scenes like some other john carpenter flicks. I like to use this movie to gauge whether or not I will get along with someone. 
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Truth Beauty Freedom Love. Is there anything else to say? I remember when this movie came out my parents wouldn’t let me see it but when I finally got to see it years later it was like I discovered drugs for the first time. I changed my whole room to be french and moulin rouge themed. My friends and I would sing the songs to each other in the stair wells. The music and the costumes are *chef kiss*
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When I was little I wanted to change my name to Sally because of this movie. I expect the man I marry to be like Gary Hallet even if I keep chasing after Jimmy Angeloves.  And if I’m lucky I’ll end up like Aunt Francis, she’s really all I ever wanted to be in this world. If you haven’t seen it, take a windy summer night and watch it with the windows open.
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Less and less people seem to have seen this gem of a movie. A perfect horror movie set in a neutral setting. Bored suburban neighbors growing increasingly wary of their new neighbors? It’s amazing. Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, and Corey Feldman? Yes please. Again, if you haven’t seen it. Perfect Summer night flick.
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This Movie is great on so many levels. I quote it non stop. It had such a big impact on me from when I first saw it at a sleep over. As stupid as Austin Powers but with far more charm. The best thing about this movie is seeing how many cameos there really are. Talk about star studded as well! Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Christine Taylor, and countless cameos including David Bowie in maybe one of the best movie scenes of all time. 
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Marissa. Tomei.  I’m gonna go ahead and tag @beardedbarista @hatglasses @impure-lace @pmastamonkmonk @everyonespinkontheinside but no pressure
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boop-le-snoot · 3 years
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@buckyownsmylife hey babe! Remember that one time you threw that cool challenge? Here's my entry. Prepare to get absolutely ruined because daddy!Bruce is exactly that sort of man.
main masterlist ☀️ taglist
emotional support nerd
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Your best friend's dad, Dr. Bruce Banner, is hotter than you thought he would be. 6k words, NSFW. Kind of Alt!Reader - she refers to herself as 'goth' in one instance. Tony Stark makes an appearance because God forbid I write a fanfic without him in it.
This is filthy pron, ft. age difference (reader is college aged) daddy kink, throat fucking, dirty talk, praise kink, cream pie, possessiveness, belly bulge and ending with a hint at a threesome. I really crammed all I could from Eyre's wheel in here, didn't I. Oh well.
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"How much longer, dad?" Lyra's annoyed voice struck a chord within me. I tried to hide my snickering - unsuccessfully might I add - causing my best friend to shoot me a hurt look, equally fed up with me as she was fed up with her forgetful adopted father. "You know what, we'll take the subway."
Lyra's father's voice, both agitated and apologetic, reached my ears in bitten-off phrases as the traffic noises around us grew in volume, NYC rush hour rapidly approaching its peak.
With a sound huff, Lyra removed the phone from her ear, staring me down with the most amount of petulance I've ever seen on her usually reserved, placid face. "It's twenty more minutes. Apparently he's driving Tony's car," she offered in the way of explanation, like it actually did anything to better the cold, wet situation we found ourselves in. "Please, and I can't stress this enough, please don't be weird."
I felt a flood of amusement at Lyra's pleading tone. "Darling, if you wanted a normal friend, you should have looked elsewhere," I gestured to my outfit. I looked like a goth boy's wet dream: chunky platformed boots, fishnets, heavy eyeliner. Of course, all in black.
"You know what I mean," she whined, waving off my pointing hand and fixing me with a hard stare. "The least my dad needs is someone that is terrified of him just because sometimes he turns into a big green monkey. It's not as exciting as internet thinks, anyway," the last part of the sentence was mumbled but I heard it nonetheless as Lyra stared out into the traffic, clever eyes looking for a particular car model.
What Lyra didn't know was that I was not at all considering to be terrified by the man who dosed himself with radiation and developed an advanced version of split personality disorder. I could be intimidated by him, sure, because he was incredibly intelligent, a world class scientist with more PhDs than I had zeroes in my bank account, but even despite his green problem, Dr. Bruce Banner was about as far away from 'scary' as a man could be.
The few scarce pictures of him on the internet showed a short, stocky man with kind eyes and salt-and-pepper curls, always dressed in un-ironed, crumpled button-ups with dorky patterns. Looking at him, I mused that there was a high chance he spoke with a stutter and that fact amused me to no end. Jekyll and Hyde, alright.
Lyra was much the same way. Shy and reclusive, with curly brown hair and doe eyes, she spent a good chunk of her first semester in college being avoided by everybody because of her last name; I, on the other hand, avoided everyone out of habit, I'd never been a social butterfly, but the way people subtly made sure to exclude Lyra from all the activities filled me with quiet, seething rage, and I stepped over my general distaste of people and removed my bag from the seat next to me so Lyra could at least study in relative peace.
Yeah, yeah, you've heard it all, I'm sure. Weird goth chick adopts a socially awkward, shunned nerd and they become best friends forever. I had to admit that under the shy exterior, Lyra was smart, witty and even funny sometimes. She was willing to entertain my crude jokes without moaning, at least, and I was perfectly okay with listening to her rant about science every now and then.
Rain banged on the slanted roof of the café we were hiding in, the autumn wind howled, making both of us shiver at the prospect of having to go outside, even if it was for a short moment to run to Lyra's dad's car. The day had started out warm and sunny, but much like a badly calculated chemical formula, it all went downhill a split second after we had set out to leave campus.
"There he is," the grouch in Lyra's expression had me once again unsuccessfully attempting to conceal my snorting.
Nonetheless, I followed her out into the rain, struggling to keep up with the brisk running in my platformed shoes, unceremoniously crawling into the car behind her without sparing a glance at the driver in my eagerness to get out of the freezing downpour.
"Hi, dad," Lyra's tired voice spoke up at the same time as I angrily shook out my hair.
"I've just about McFuckin' had it with New York," I was afraid the dye in my hair would bleed out into my clothes, or even worse, the nice, cream-colored car seats.
"Hello, ladies," the voice that greeted us was low, gravelly and apologetic to boot.
My eyes shot up, meeting an expression full of surprise and amusement. I stared at the shockingly handsome face of Dr. Bruce Banner like a deer in the headlights.
The fine mimic wrinkles had stretched into a resemblance of a smile, soft, plush lips revealing a set of straight, white teeth. The five o'clock shadow framed his jaw, giving it a sharp, defined edge, his clever brown eyes slid down my form, faltering on the pentagram on my belt and my fishnet-covered legs, settling on my chunky boots before hastily snapping back up to my face.
"Dad, this is..." Lyra's voice was full of suspicious bewilderment as she attempted to dissipate the sudden awkwardness.
"Oh, yeah, I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, but you can call me Doc or Bruce," he cleared his throat, turning himself towards the windshield and starting up the car.
"Nice to meet you," I busied myself with putting away any stray hair just to occupy myself with something during the time I needed to recuperate from being just... Looked at by Lyra's dad.
It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I was so taken aback by his handsomeness and his aura of a gentle but powerful man that the ride to Stark tower, however swift, went on in slightly awkward silence. The streets outside were, thankfully, noisy, and the lack of an attempt to have a conversation could easily be attributed to Bruce's need to focus on the road, but Lyra's increasingly concerned looks did very little to settle the sudden racing of my heart.
"C'mon, I'll give you some sweats so you can let your..." Lyra's vague gesture towards my upper body disappeared behind her side of the door. "Hey, Tony," she suddenly interrupted her sentence, very obviously addressing another person who I managed to miss as Bruce parked in the spacious garage.
"I've been told you're finally bringing your friend, Green Pea," a voice I'd heard a thousand times on the TV poked fun at Lyra.
She bent down to retrieve her bag, shooting big eyes at me and mouthing an exaggerated "Sorry!"
Tony Stark looked about a week in debt on sleep, a contrast to the way he usually appeared in public. The exaggerated eyebrow raise made me shuffle awkwardly in my spot; the Led Zep tee caught my eyes as I lingered on it, aware of my own Mötorhead top on display. He noticed it too, causing his face leave the snide territory.
"Wow, I didn't expect kids these days to have any resemblance of taste in music but you've surprised me, Corpse Bride," he gave me a quiet wolf-whistle, watching me through lidded eyes.
I felt my eyebrow crawl upwards at his attitude but Bruce spoke up before I could say anything: "Tony, no," so firmly, I had to raise both of my eyebrows. I felt a smile tug at my lips, the situation strikingly familiar in it's essence. Like father, like daughter...
"No," Lyra's identical expression, fond and annoyed, topped up with an accusing finger pointed in my direction had everyone snorting a giggle at the situation.
"Lyra," I whined, just so I could coax her grin that she was very obviously trying to conceal. "See, I told you, every crazy genius needs their emotional support nerd," I fixed her with a pointed look.
She promptly grabbed me by the arm, leading all of us to the elevator as the two men behind us shared a hearty laugh at my well-timed joke. It was either that or I would have completely embarrassed myself by gaping and drooling over both THE Tony Stark and Lyra's father.
The rush didn't stop there. I was promptly and generously offered not only a spare pair of pants but also a whole room to stay in after an invitation to dinner I simply could not refuse. Dr. Banner firmly coaxed me into staying overnight with his pleading eyes and a hearty seasoning of guilt tripping, softly crooning how he simply could not let a young woman to wander the cold, rainy night in NYC alone.
Tony added something too, in a tone way too surefire and patronising. I guessed he noticed my eyes lingering on Dr. Banner, being a genius and all.
In a short amount of time, I found myself seated at a dinner table next to a happy, giggling Lyra who'd downed a glass of wine and was well into her second. I found it adorable how much of a lightweight she was; not hesitating in the slightest to point out that fact when she made hands for a pitcher of water.
Tony was the first one to snark back something vague about his college days and all the wild parties he used to throw, booing Bruce upon discovery that he, in fact, actually studied in college in favour of partaking in various illicit activities. That had both me and Tony giggling with Lyra promptly joining in, both of us losing it over the running joke or her being either a test tube baby or the result of immaculate conception.
Bruce's face blushed scarlet. He sputtered, a few stray drops of his lemonade landing on the (ironed!) collar of his purple shirt, cough disappearing in the wake of Tony's truly amused cackling. Dr. Banner was well on his way to either choke on his Lo Mein or turn green; thinking quickly, I decided to defuse a situation by sharing a harmless, funny story that happened to me as a freshman.
"I went on a date with this guy who said that music was the most important thing in his life, and I thought, wow, that's so beautiful!" I began my story over Lyra's incessant snickering. "So we had dinner and went back to his place because I'm a whore," the whole table erupted in laughter at my deadpan remark, Tony reaching over to give me a high five.
"And as we got there, he put on one of his demos which was just a bunch of sampled and remixed Guns'n'Roses songs, and I thought wow, that's gotta be one of the worst things I've ever heard," I pointedly looked away as Lyra's cackling grew in volume, having heard the same story several times by now and the outrage I expressed at the situation first hand.
"But instead of that I said, wow, that's so cool! Then we did the thing and his whole bedroom was covered in Axl Rose posters and I'm sure at some point Mr. Rose stared right up my asshole," there were tears streaming down Lyra's face as Tony flopped his upper body onto the table and Bruce convulsed helplessly in a silent fit of giggles. "And then I thought to myself: wow, I would have to pretend to like his music if I dated this guy and I just couldn't do that..." I breathed out, succumbing to the mirth at the dinner table. "It was good but not November Rain good, y'kno?"
Bruce snorted loudly, sliding down his chair with a hand over his face. The table shook with the force of Tony's cackling; I didn't see his expression but the howling, rasping noises sent me into another fit of laughter, right on par with Lyra.
"Is this..." Tony rapidly inhaled the much-needed oxygen. "Is this why you keep wincing whenever I play the 'Roses in the lab?" Tony wheezed and Lyra nodded.
"I just... I can picture it, and I-" she made a vague, encompassing gesture and a face.
"Please, don't," I urged with a snort. "There are better ways to get disappointed."
Dinner went on by smoothly after that, everybody happily making remarks on my dating fail, the topic of Lyra's birth and Tony's college shenanigans dismissed.
I caught Dr. Banner's pointed look as we finished our dessert - he was studying me, eyes searching for something that he very obviously wished was there. From the damp roots of my hair to the soft, cotton top clinging to my chest, I wasn't left unscrutinzed and unexamined. Like one of the many specimens he studied on a daily basis, Bruce lingered on the many characteristics that made me stand out in the grey crowd.
"Would you like to see the labs?" He asked, appearing behind me without a single sound.
The freshly cleaned dishes clattered in my arms. I'd almost dropped them, startled, but Bruce's hand landed on the top of the stack right before the top plate would have slipped off and shattered into pieces on the cold tile of his kitchen.
Blood rushed to my ears. "I'd love to," my brain had briefly returned to reality, the rush of meeting both Stark and Banner succumbing to logic and reason. My and his fields of study briefly overlapped, the question he posed was more than reasonable. In fact, many people would cheat, lie and steal to be in my position.
Bruce smiled, opening a cabinet and taking half of the dishes I was holding to stack them up in their proper place. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, exposing wide, muscular forearms littered with dark, coarse hair.
I was sure my face was flaming. After waving off Lyra's attempts to put shoes on me and leaving her to watch her TV show, a wide, warm palm rested on the back of my waist, gently steering me towards the elevator.
I tried to keep my eyes off Bruce in the large mirror on the walls of the car as it swiftly moved down, scrutinizing my appearance instead. My throat bobbed, the elevator car suddenly too small and too hot.
His eyes left marks on me - invisible ones, the kind that I knew were there just from the scorching heat sizzling on my skin.
There was a certain je ne sais quoi about him. Perhaps, it was in the way he was acting - a polar opposite of what I'd had expected, Dr. Bruce Banner possessed a quiet confidence and his patience appeared to be endless, heartily doused with an appreciation for his closest ones. The way his eyes lit up in response to people smiling around the dinner table was hard to miss.
When Bruce spoke about his research - whatever wasn't classified, anyway - the spark expanded into a mischievous fire. I could hardly understand the nuances in his work, scratch that- I could not understand a single word he was saying, at all. The individual syllables registered as they should, but my traitorous brain could only focus on the way he licked his lips in between quickly inhaled breaths.
"You're not... Following, are you?" The corner of his mouth lifted upwards, clever brown eyes fixed on my face.
God, I hoped I wasn't drooling. But to deny the obvious would have been a stretch. "No, not really," I swallowed, willing my eyes to lift from the large veins on the hand that was pointing at a set of equations. Reasonably good at math any day, they looked like the scribbles of a madman to me at the time.
Dr. Banner sighed, letting silence creep among the whirring machinery in the lab for a brief moment. "I don't scare you?" He removed his glasses, cleaning them with the corner of his shirt.
The question reeked of self-doubt and, perhaps, insecurity. "No," I answered simply, not giving him the slightest chance to find doubt in my words. I was barely holding my voice from shaking, afraid he'd misunderstand my reaction to the sudden change in atmosphere.
He was closer to me than I recalled. My hip was almost brushing his, the bulk of his shoulder millimeters from touching against my bare skin, the smell of something herbal, like tea, and sharp chemicals clouding my senses. It was such a contrasting experience.
Bruce turned to me, an expression between hunger and regret forcing me to shiver and look him straight in the eye. A hand landed on my waist, holding me in place with gentle firmness. "I'm a monster, I could hurt you," he whispered, leaning into me like a touch starved kitten. The man screamed contradiction. "We shouldn't."
Vivid images of the Hulk and the rampages years prior flashed through my mind; the rubble, the collateral damage in the form of many lives. I barely remembered it, having been too little to really understand what was going on. One thing, though, I knew for sure: ever since the world became aware of Lyra's existence, there had been no incidents. Sure, the Hulk still appeared when there was a threat, but there were no documented incidents of the green creature running amok, accidentally.
"You won't hurt me," I spoke with conviction. Perhaps, I was bluffing just slightly but I wouldn't lie like that to myself. The variable, the... Twelve or so percent chance of things going... Awry, it made a small, malicious worm inside of me rejoice and fill my limbs with familiar adrenalised yearning. "You're not a monster. Far from it, actually," I used the hand that was not supporting me against the desk to gently cradle the side of his face, letting my fingertips brush over the rough five o'clock shadow on his cheek.
Bruce emitted a sound somewhere between an agitated grown and a pleading whine, sagging with the sound exhale, pressing himself flush with my chest. His face slipped from my palm, the warm tip of his nose running a steady line up my neck, sending goosebumps running wildly down my back as his hot breath tickled the arch of my throat.
"Baby," the nickname punched a stuttered gasp out of me with the intensity contained in just that one word. "I've been hearing all these amazing things about you," his voice dropped, low baritone rumbling straight into my ear. "I won't be able to hold back. I'll want you all to myself," his bicep flexed under my hand.
My knees would have bucked if I wasn't grasping onto Bruce for dear life after those words. I had some sense of personal pride in me, so while my body was an easy, traitorous thing, my mind was more than eager to participate in this game, to ping pong a little bit before... "Yeah? What things?" I breathed.
Teeth briefly closed around my tender skin, nipping for just a second. "You're kind, beautiful," his hand took a steadfast hold on the back of my neck, exposing my throat to his mouth. More skin to mark, more time to whisper. "Intelligent, bright and clever," the more he spoke, the fiercer he became. Bruce's grasp tightened until I was pliant in it, willingly following his silent commands. "A bit of a pain in the ass," a healthy dose of humour was added into the mix as my ass was roughly grabbed, our fronts pressed together at his insistence.
"That sounds about right," I didn't resist the sudden urge to snark, thoughts lazily floating in my head, like clouds on a bright sunny day, fleeting and sparse. None of them caught on. I was focused on feeling the need, on my need to feel.
A sharp smack landed on the plump of my ass, the sound resonating in the eerily quiet lab. The sounds of machinery had dulled at some point, leaving just the two of us panting our lust into each other's space. "I know you can be a good girl. Will you, princess?" His fingertips dug into my flesh, surpassing the soft sweatpants as if they weren't even there.
I could only nod, dumbly, overcome by the sudden rush of blood to my body. The life coarsing through me sang, demanding a release of the pent-up tension.
"What's that?" Bruce removed himself from my neck, catching my unfocused eyes with a crooked smirk on his lips.
"Yes," I swallowed, breathing through my mouth.
"Mmm," he hummed, running both hands over my sides, over the frayed edges of my Mötorhead top. He admired it, briefly, setting his eyes on the band logo that was right over my breasts. Having decided something to himself, Bruce promptly removed it, lifting it over my head with ease and leaving it right on the science lab table.
Taking hold of my hand, he walked over to a hidden set of sliding doors that revealed a rather large, frequently used bed, shutting them just as I walked in, wearing only my bra and borrowed sweats. My back was pressed to the door in mere seconds, hot palms chasing away the chill of the lab as Bruce slotted his lips over mine.
He tasted like something I've never had before. His lips - so plush and supple, took hold of the kiss with practiced gusto, sucking me in without a chance or the desire to escape. I drank from him, sucked on the bottom lip as his tongue explored my mouth, danced with mine.
The room was spinning, the ringing in my ears growing in volume. I was only partly aware of the sensation of sliding down the wall; our knees thudded on the carpeted floor simultaneously, heavy breathing the only noise I could distinguish.
"Breathe, baby, that's it," Bruce coaxed, gently stroking my nape. The soft cotton of his shirt crumpled under my fingers where I held onto him, desperately searching something to ground myself with.
The buckle of his belt clattered and then clinked again as he wrapped the worn leather around my wrists, bringing them together in front of my chest. I exhaled sharply at the intimate gesture, a whine bubbling up from my chest when Bruce used a single fingertip to raise my chin.
My eyes met his; a brown iris tinged with the faintest of green around the outer edge. "This okay, princess?" He sought my face for confirmation, for agreement, for anything.
I nodded, stuttering mid-gesture, remembering our previous interaction. My mouth did not want to cooperate but I forced it to, even if it came out as little more than a pitiful mewl. "Yes, daddy," the word, sweet and sticky like fruit syrup, poured from my lips.
My eyes slid shut as my conscience - or was it common sense? - took hold of the situation. I was on my knees in front of my best friends dad, a virtual stranger, and I'd just-
Bruce's soft chuckle stopped the negative spiral of my thoughts. "That's my girl," he sounded a tad more breathless now, a hairliner in his perfect façade of self-control. As if he'd sensed my indecisiveness, he tugged on the makeshift restraints, pulling me closer, closer and into his lap.
A warm, solid chest with a healthy amount of fluff greeted me. Bruce let my lax, pliant body fall into his arms, catching me effortlessly and bringing my face to his lips. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, you're my good girl," he peppered soft kisses all over my flaming cheeks, my twitching nose, my fluttering lashes.
"Please," I begged, shame giving way to the flood of arousal that seemingly hit me all at once. I was aware of the dampness collecting in my panties, the stiffness of my limbs from holding back the ravenous desire to paw at Bruce like a wild animal. "Please, daddy..."
"I know, I know, baby girl," he soothed, not stopping his tender assault on my face. "Daddy will make it all better. I know just what you need," Bruce finally pulled away. I heard the sound of him undoing his zipper and then the awkward shuffle of him shucking off his pants.
Somewhere in between of all that, he'd ended up sitting down on the bed, wearing only his boxers, his shirt hanging open. The red crawled down his chest, partially masked by the coarse salt and pepper hair; his lips were cherry red and his hair was sticking out in odd directions. Bruce looked sinful.
My eyes inadvertently landed on the impressive bulge in his boxers; in response to my widened eyes, he reached out for it, stroking the outline of his thick cock through his boxers. "Like what you see, baby?"
"Yeah," My mouth watered.
"Baby wants a fat cock?" He teased, sounding like he knew exactly what he was doing, testing my self-control like that. With a flick of his wrist, it sprang free, slapping against his tummy, coating the fine hairs with drops of clear, musky fluid.
I swallowed, feeling the taste of him from afar and yearning for more where I was parked between his spread legs.
In a gesture almost loving, he tugged on the belt still wrapped around my wrists, bringing my face to his leaking shaft and my hands to the base of it, letting me feel the weight of his balls in them. The cock throbbed, neglected, weighed down by the heaviness of his full balls.
"Go ahead, baby, suck my cock," the encouragement came with a gentle push to my head.
I obediently followed, wrapping my lips around the pink, moist crown of it, a hum beginning in the back of my throat. My God, Bruce tasted heavenly... I whirled and slipped my tongue a around his head, I dipped into the slit to drink the nectar right from the tap, idly coming to awareness of the broken, choked moans coming from the man above me.
Raising my head got me a view of his chin; head thrown back, the lax O of his mouth glistened in the meager light. My eyes slid lower, to the flex of his abs. Bruce fought hard to stay still. The desire consumed me, a sudden rush of power at having Dr. Bruce Banner's cock in my mouth and the man at my mercy; I inhaled, sliding my mouth further and further down his throbbing length.
"Fuck," I heard him mutter before his hands gripped the sides of my face. "Hungry, baby, are you?" His eyes glowed a faint green; I shuddered at the power he held within himself. Held back for me. "Tap my thigh twice," he spoke and I had no choice but to obey. "Okay. Do that if it gets too much, alright?" I nodded. He gave me a wide, beaming smile. "Good girl," he praised, experimentally bucking his hips into my mouth a few times.
In and out. I focused on my breathing, sharp, little inhales: his girth took up all the free space in my mouth, the tip of it barely fit into my throat. The burn, the stretch; I felt every tenth of an inch, every bulging attempt of my body to accommodate Bruce's huge cock. It was delicious, I couldn't help but crave the same stretch in my neglected, sopping wet pussy.
"Fuck, you're taking it so well," Bruce moaned wetly. "Your mouth... S'like heaven... Could fuck it all day, that's my good girl," the rambling increased in it's intensity as the pace of his hips hastened. Drool and tears flowed like a river; my chin was dropping with it, spit connected my face to his pelvis. "Oh," there was a brief pause to his movements; suddenly, he pulled out, fisting the base of his cock, staring me down with a ferocious gleem in his eye.
I must've looked a straight mess; my face like a crime scene, my clothes disheveled, covered in fluids and most of all - I was desperately grinding against my own feet, too focused on the glorious cock in front of me to notice the weakness of my own flesh. "Daddy?" I questioned, wincing at the grating of my own voice.
Without a word, the belt was tugged once more; in a set of movements just slightly north of acrobatic, I found myself laying on my back in the middle of the bed, my sweatpants suffering a haste demise in the corner of the room.
Bruce crawled atop me, leaving a trail of sloppy kisses on every inch of my skin he could reach, mouthing something inaudible into every pore of my body. As he drew closer, I discerned bitten-off phrases, stringing my desire into sticky, tangy mess at the apex of my thighs.
"My perfect baby girl," the words reached me; all tongue, he kissed me once more, arching into me as much as I arched into his hot grasp. A brief inspection of my face - he was satisfied with what he saw - and Bruce crawled back, settling in between my spread legs, breathing hot air on the lips of my sex still covered by a sopping wet piece of fabric.
"Oh fuck," I yelped, feeling him smooch it soundly, the hot wetness of his tongue penetrating the meagre lace barrier with ease.
He moved it aside anyway, with a single finger, giving my pussy a broad lick, moaning into my cunt like a man gone mad. It took a few more licks for him to feel sated enough to surface, all the while holding my hips down. I was so sensitive, I felt even the tiniest flicks to my clit, I was sure if I didn't cum then and there, I would explode.
"Such a pretty pussy, princess," his heavy breathing paused briefly. He nipped my thigh. "So wet, is that all for me?"
"Yes, yes, daddy," I rasped, pushing my cunt into his face, losing all shame and trepidation.
"So tasty," he continued the torture, outlining my lower lips before taking another nosedive right into it, swirling his tongue around every fold, sucking onto my clit.
Bruce ate my pussy until my thighs shook, until my core quivered and I could no longer hold back the choked, ragged screams starting somewhere in the low of my belly and coming out as unholy, all-consuming yowls filled with unadulterated lust.
"Louder for me, baby," he inhaled rapidly, and then, he sucked on my clit.
The world stopped, halted on it's axis, every muscle going rigid in my body and every nerve ending simultaneously coming alive. Faintly, I heard a chant, repeating two syllables over and over, it sounded like my voice - but I had no control over myself. All I could do was weakly grind my hips against Bruce's mouth, faltering when the crashing waves of my orgasm began to recede.
The infuriating overstimulation stopped; blinking hazily, I saw Bruce's eyes glimmer brown and green in front of my face. His nose and his chin was glistening with a thin coat of sticky fluid; disheveled and red, he looked a man on the verge of a revelation.
Something hot and blunt nosed at my cunt, bringing back the moment to me - I realized, with a great deal of impatience - how empty I felt. The decision was minute. "Daddy, fuck me, please, I want your cock," the words came easily.
"That's my girl," his eyes fluttered shut as the first inches squeezed through the snug of my cunt. I was sopping wet and as relaxed as I'd be, but even then, it was a stretch. "Good girl, good baby," the mumbled praise made me whine and my pussy clamp on his cock. "Relax, let daddy fill you up." Breathing through it, I consciously unwound myself around him, letting my palms rest freely on his shoulders. "Let daddy take care of you."
Like melted sugar, his husked words stuck to me inside and out. Short, sharp thrusts; Bruce was patiently burrowing himself inside of me, making his way to reach the deepest parts of me I didn't even know existed. His cock head pressed against something hard and spongy inside of me; stars burst behind my eyes I'd clamped shut on reflex.
I moaned weakly, tugging on his arm, pressing myself closer. It felt so, so good. Like a raw nerve had been exposed and he was stroking it, pushing that little switch with every stroke of his hips.
"I'm not gonna last," he muttered as once again, my cunt squeezed him snugly in place, just as greedy as I was to feel that tiny explosion spark up within me again.
"I want..." I panted. Bruce set in a punishing pace after that, a palm under my ass, squeezing it so hard there would definitely be bruising. I craved it, I needed to see the evidence this was not some elaborate fever dream. "I want... Daddy to fill me up," words came out garbled; it sounded like gibberish to my ears but Bruce - they spurred him on.
"Oh yeah?" That breathless, boyish cockiness was back in his voice again; despite how fucked out he sounded, I prepared myself for something truly out of this world. I just knew.
He sat back on his shins, dragging me by the hips with him, making me shiver and moan and twitch and clamp onto him again as his throbbing cock hit that special spot again. And again. And again.
"Look at me, baby," a hand on my belly and his eyes burning right through me. As they slid down, towards the apex of my thighs where he was still moving within me almost lazily, I saw it.
"Oh fuck," I couldn't utter much more than a two-syllabled profanity. There was a bulge in my belly, just above my pelvis, moving in rhythm with Bruce's hips. And then he pressed on it and I-
Something, someone, somewhere was screaming. The noise was loud and pitched, but even then, I could barely hear it though the neverending waves of bliss that enveloped my whole being. Gold and silver at the edges of my rapidly darkening vision; I was drowning in something that smelled and felt like Bruce. The safety of his arms, the warmth of his heated body, the rapid snapping of his hips-
Oh.
"I'm gonna, fuck," the last word was but a ghost of a human speech. Growling low and filthy, Bruce leaned into my ear, his breath hot and moist. "Mine," his hips stuttered, his cock nestled deep, the sensation bordering on painful, forcefully extracted pleasure. It throbbed with every spurt of his seed; each one felt like a solid punch in the gut to my abused pussy.
"Daddy," I mewled, my body jerking away from him but my mind and my soul yearning for more. His rapidly softening flesh made the idea of being separated unbearable.
"S'good, s'my good girl, m'so proud," he mumbled, looking slightly disoriented as he removed himself from me, immediately pressing me to his side and interwining any free, flailing limbs.
We laid in silence, each of us slowly coming back to Earth after the completely unreal experience we just had. I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do as the realization set in, the post-orgasmic haze giving way to a sudden rush of clarity.
"I can hear you overthinking," Bruce's voice was fond.
Before I could muster up the courage to snark back, the divided doors opened, one very concerned Tony Stark standing there, armed with a tranquilizer gun in one hand and a pack of cookies in the other. His mouth, previously open to (probably) yell at us, remained as open when his eyes had registered the scene in front of him.
I stared at Bruce. Bruce stared at Tony.
"The noise," he offered in the way of explanation, dangling the pack of cookies, looking, for once - speechless. He recovered quickly, however, even if the remark was a thin ghost of his usual sass: "You pick the nerd over me? I'm hurt," he scoffed in mock irritation, although I was pretty sure I saw some satisfaction in there, too.
Bruce looked at me. I looked at Bruce.
A mischievous grin slowly crept up his face, an identical one beginning to appear on my own face seconds after.
"Hey, two nerds is better than one, right?" My response is what did it; or, rather, it was the evidence of my previous throat-fucking clearly audible in my voice... Tony dropped the cookies and then, the tranq gun.
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Bruce Banner taglist: @pilloclock @mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @persephonehemingway @mostly-marvel-musings @schemefrenzy @lillsxd @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @sapphicnoodle69 @couldntbedamned @xoxabs88xox @marvelsbanner @tripleyeeet @tatestripedsweater @stuckybarton
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justfandomwritings · 3 years
Text
By The Norns (Part One - Soulmate!Loki)
Pairing: Loki x Reader, Soulmates AU
Word count: 2.1k
Warnings: Nobody was harmed in any way in the making of this story... but there was some arson.
Summary: She wasn’t a goddess. She wasn’t even an elf or a dwarf. She was a mortal, a Midgardian, a human. To Odin, she was a curse. To Loki, she was a second chance.
Notes: Don’t worry. Despite what the chapter and the description may make you think anyone whose read my stories before will know I am not a fan of soulmate aus that take away the character’s choice. This chapter is set up. Stick with me on this. I promise. Posted in honor of @muna1412​ being very excited at the prospect of another soulmate au.
This is not related to Loyalty in any way... I just have an unhealthy obsession with Soulmate aus. 
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Fate was a funny, fickle thing. Loki knew that much. After all, he’d met her. 
Them, to be more precise. The Norns.
Urdr, Skuld, and Verdandi were their names: Past, Present, and Future, as they should be known.
It was they who watered the tree, and they who grew its leaves. The task fell to the Norns to write, shape, create, and control the fate of every being under the branches of Yggdrasil. 
A poor, dwarven craftsman working on the surface of Nidavellir, a beautiful, golden elf living on a hill in Alfheim, a meager, puny human scurrying around the surface of Midgard. It was they who made the dwarf rich, who killed the elf in his sleep, who let the human sow the land. They did not exchange the gold; they did not wield the dagger; they did not draw the plow. But it was by their hand, by their grace and mercy, that the worlds turned, that life waxed and waned, that the Realms drew breath. 
Every birth was through their will. Every death was by their hand, and everything in between was because they decided it would be so.
All fell under the gaze of the Norns. The kitchen cook, Andhrimnir, who served the Aesir’s table at night, owed everything to the Norns. They allowed his birth into Asgard. They raised him above the station of a lowly tavern boy. They gifted him the family he cradled so dearly to his chest.
Odin, King of the Nine Realms, Protector of Asgard, owed everything to the Norns. He was born by their choice. He survived a thousand battles because they said he would do so. He married Frigga because they put her on his path. His sons… 
Well, one of his sons.
Loki knew the exact moment Odin stopped looking at him as a son, the exact moment Odin chose Thor over him, the exact moment Odin turned his back on him, the exact moment his father marked him disappointment.
It was, like all things, the doing of the Fates. The Norns.
Fates were theirs to command from the highest branches of Yggdrasil down to its very roots. From king to beggar, slave to master, aristocrat to pauper, farmer to merchant, sailor to soldier. From Loki to her. She was their doing.
Love was an inevitable part of life. Not even the Norns, with all of the power of the gods and then some, could stop that. Humans, Aesir, Elves, Vanir, the sentient beings of the Nine Realms felt an overwhelming urge towards emotion, and one of the strongest, one of the most inevitable, was love.
They couldn’t stop it, but they could direct it.
It fell under the purview of Fate to decide who one loved. People, god and mortal alike, fell in and out of love all the time. 
Sometimes, though, every now and then, the Norns would reach down and touch two beings. The Norns would take two souls in two bodies and braid them together, weave them together, mold them together, as if they were one.
Those who knew magic well, those like Loki, could see them, watch them, doing this. 
They could see Urdr floating, invisible amongst them, deciding the pair. They could see Skuld, plucking up their souls. They could see Verdandi tying them together.
Loki watched them when they took his soul.
“Mother, Mother,” Loki tugged on his other’s silk skirts and pointed up into the rafters of the Grand Hall. “What’s that?”
Frigga followed her son’s gaze and gasped. Magic was not her proficiency, though what little she had she wielded well. She had enough to see the Norns, floating ghostlike in the air over her younger son. She had enough to see his soul in their hands, and another at their side. 
In the old days, before that fateful night, it was considered an honor to be chosen by the Norns. It was a guarantee of a great, powerful destiny in the future. It was a promise of passion, understanding, and respect on the horizon. It was the mark of one who would know true love. 
The Midgardians called them soulmates. The Aesir called them the destined. 
“The Norns have touched Loki,” Frigga whispered to Odin at her side. “They are gifting him a match.”
“With who?” Odin asked because he could not see them for himself.
Frigga squinted in the direction of the apparitions tying together Loki’s future. “I cannot tell. She appears to be…” Frigga’s eyes whipped around to Odin, “Midgardian.”
Odin turned up his nose and sniffed.
Midgard. The word, the world, that had sentenced Loki to a lifetime of second best. 
His ‘destined’, his ‘soulmate’, his curse.
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It was centuries before the soul tied to Loki’s found the body it would spend its own life in.
(Y/n), her parents named her. 
They weren’t sure why they named her that. When asked, they said they saw the name once in a book. Or was it on the tv? Or in a dream? 
Neither could really remember. All they knew was that, as she grew, the name suited her perfectly. Almost as if fate itself had chosen it for her.
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For centuries, millennia even, her soul had been lingering on the edges of reality, existing but not quite feeling. She floated through time and space, following the ties that bound her to existence, waiting.
By the time her soul entered her body on Earth, she had existed longer  than any other Midgardian ever had or would in all of history. She had lingered for years just out of reach of one of the most powerful beings on Asgard, her soulmate. Lifetimes had passed her by in the blink of an eye, and though she didn’t remember any of them, they remembered her.
Her soul hovered above its mate, basking in the magic that dissipated into the air around him like smoke. She breathed it in, soaked it in, drew it in.
In many ways, even subconsciously, she showed her age, her mate.
Even as a baby, she never woke her mother up screaming, to the jealousy of her mom’s friends. She was the model toddler, even through her terrible twos. She almost never cried and rarely threw temper tantrums. They called her a prodigy when she started speaking in full sentences before time doctors even expected her to be learning her first words, and they called her a genius when she learned to read full children’s books while other kids were still struggling through their first alphabet flashcards. Even though she ran around playing in the mud or splashing in puddles, somehow her clothes were always pristine. She taught herself faster than the teachers could and skipped two grades in elementary school alone. She was suspiciously charismatic for such a little girl and made, literally, hundreds of dollars off her lemonade stand. She listened to a family speaking another language in the store once and ran up to them to answer a question they had; when her parents asked her how she’d learned to understand or say that in another language, she had no idea what they were talking about and seemingly hadn’t even realized she’d done it. 
And yet there were other things, darker things. 
When she was born, the nurses didn’t question the little shock of static that jolted through them as they held her. No one commented how, in the right light, the baby’s eyes could look terrifyingly aware. She lied as easily as she breathed and almost never got caught. A girl made fun of her friend's hair once at school, and that night ended up being rushed to the hospital by her parents with all the signs of a heart attack in a five year old child. She liked having things her way, and even when her parents refused her, they always found themselves oddly compelled to do whatever it was anyways. She had an affinity for snakes that often found her letting them in the house. The pranks she pulled on her little brother sometimes got out of hand and often resulted in loud crashes and screams, though by the time any adult arrived nothing ever seemed broken. Her father used to joke that she must be some kind of shape shifter because he swore that, from day to day, her eye would change their color. Sometimes, when he looked in them, he swore they weren’t his daughters, but when he blinked and looked back they always returned to normal. 
Most of it was written off as the simple oddities of a child or exaggerations of first time parents. 
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Superheroes did not exist when (Y/n) was a child. 
It would be another decade before Tony Stark would stand on a stage and proclaim before the world, “I am Iron Man.” It would be even longer still before Peter Parker would put on a red and blue jumpsuit and call himself, ‘Spiderman’. Bruce Banner hadn’t even begun his research into the serum that would be his ultimate undoing. Dr. Stephen Strange was finishing up med school. Thor hadn’t made his presence known. Wanda had just been born. Hawkeye and Black Widow were still assassins working in the shadows. No one outside Wakanda had ever heard of the Black Panther. Vision hadn’t been built yet, and Captain America had been dead for decades. 
Even if they did exist, it wouldn’t have helped (Y/n). Most of them weren’t born super. Most of them became so by lab experiments or radioactive insects or training or technology. 
In the world (Y/n) grew up in, there were no superheroes. And if there were no superheroes... then what was she? 
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She was 12. 
It was her big day. 
Not her birthday, she didn’t particularly care about birthdays. Something about them just felt off to her. When she turned 11, she asked her mom if she could have two of those candles that were shaped like the actual numbers, and she’d put them pressed against each other on top of the cake. She ran around all day telling everyone she was 1,111. Some people laughed, but mostly to humor her.
That was why she hadn’t had a birthday party when she turned 12. She didn’t like people fake laughing. It felt like lying. She didn’t particularly mind lying herself, but she hated thinking that people were lying to her. Especially because she could always tell when they were. 
No, instead, she had this. The Science Fair.
She’d won first prize the night before. She knew she had because one of the judges had told her she’d won.
That morning, they would be handing out the awards, and she was so excited for everyone else to know the secret, to know that she was the best, even better than the older kids in her class.
The judges were walking up on stage, and any moment, once they got past the category winners they were going to call her name.
“In third place we have Jesse Martin with his project in the biology category!” 
A cheer went up that, judging by the pitch, absolutely must have been from Jesse’s mom. The other parents in the room clapped while Jesse ran towards the stage, turning red in the cheeks from his family’s overzealous encouragement. 
“Congratulations, son,” the Dean smiled as he bent down to shake the boy’s hand. The mike picked up a small bit of Jesse’s anxious thanks before he ran to join the line of winners.
“And in second place we have, (Y/n)! With her wonderful….” 
Second place. 
But Mr. Sellers, the science teacher had told her she won. 
Was he lying? Did he honestly think second place was winning? Was he just saying that to shut her up? Or was he being mean? Did he want to laugh at her when his real favorite won? 
The parents were cheering her, including her own. Her father was nudging her towards the stage, but she didn’t at all appreciate the gesture.
No. They told her she was going to win. 
Her face screwed up in pain, and she balled her hands into fists.
At the back of the room something exploded. 
A scream went out. 
“Fire!” Someone shouted. “Fire!”
The poster boards up and down the hall were catching fire. It jumped easily from paper to paper. It didn’t help that there was no smoke, for some odd reason. That the sprinklers, that the fire alarm, didn’t turn on.
Someone grabbed (Y/n) by the waist. Her father no doubt. 
(Y/n) barely noticed. She was still upset staring at the trophy on the stage over his shoulder. 
Slowly, before her eyes, it began to melt.
She smiled. Good. If she couldn’t have it, no one could.
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“She caused the fire.” He whispered, staring down at the floor in front of him with glassy eyes. 
“Wayne, that’s crazy; you know it is.” 
“I saw it with my own eyes, Elle. She clenched her first and suddenly Christina Danvers poster exploded. She gets second, and the first place project explodes the moment she throws a fit?”
“Our daughter doesn’t throw fits.”
“Not normally, but she did today. She was about to, and then everything caught fire.”
“Wayne, you can’t be serious about this right now.”
“She was smiling.” He whispered. “When everything burned down, she was smiling.”
(Y/n) listened silently from the hallway as her parents talked.
She loved to eavesdrop on her parents late night. They never knew she was there. It was another one of those odd coincidences of her life that (Y/n) was the only person in the house who never made the steps creak when she walked up and down the stairs. 
She was old enough to know what they were saying, what they were implying. It should’ve bothered her more than it did.
(Y/n) walked back upstairs, silent as the grave, and opened her closet.
She needed the duffle bag her father kept tucked away in the top of her closet, but she was nowhere near tall enough to reach it. As the door slid open, the bag teetered on the edge of the wire shelf and fell to the floor. 
“How convenient,” (Y/n) mumbled to herself. 
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“Hey Kid,” The man shouted at her out the window of his semi-truck. “What’re you doin’ out here at night? It ain’t safe!” 
(Y/n) shrugged. “Not safe at home either.” 
The man gave her an understanding look. 
(Y/n) watched him carefully as he opened the door of his rig and offered her a hand. 
Her mother had always told her not to talk to strangers, but (Y/n) had found she could always tell what people wanted. Besides, she was pretty sure she was a greater danger to them than they were to her. 
“Where ya’ headed?” The man asked.
“West.”
“I can take ya’ as far as Texas.” He offered. 
(Y/n) hopped off the curb and grabbed the man’s offered hand, hauling herself up into the passenger seat. 
She didn’t know where she was going or why she was going there. But something inside of her told her she had somewhere to be.
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Next Time On.... Part Two
Thank you very much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed. I have just come back from a hiatus and a great deal of why I went on said hiatus was the stress of managing ‘added features’ for lack of a better expression. I like writing. I don’t like formatting or managing the blog side of things. 
As such, no taglists. Please don’t ask me to be on a taglist. Keeping track of it stresses me out too much. I don’t feel like doing it. I don’t appreciate being pressured into doing it. In the olden days of tumblr, people used to follow each other, and I promise you that feature still works. If you follow me you will see part two when it’s posted. 
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htfanimevocagirl02 · 2 years
Text
Timdami (fem!Damian headcanons)
-I headcanon that fem!Damian takes after Talia more; dry, arrogant, dictating, dangerous, pretty, feminine, blunt, charming, frank.....though she's also pretty scarily unhinged, manipulative, believed that killing others were the right thing at first, arrogant and sadistic. In some ways she's still like her male counterpart except she takes after Bruce's good side, holding a bit of conscience and she yearns for affection so she's not mean to the Bat team.
-Instead, she uses her favourite trick she learns over her assassin years; charming everyone with her cute dolly face to look innocent, naive, lovely, super polite, humble, angelic and fragile like a doe to decieve them into giving her their attention only and loving her only--and even get them to get her what she wants because she finds living with Bruce better. She is incredibly good at playing the damsel in distress and infuriatingly making others look bad. And one of her favourite victims to us is of course, Tim.
-But not in a bad way because she has a sort of puppy crush on him but is completely fine with it and finds his cluelessness so funny and entertaining.
-When they first met and Tim held out his hand for her to shake, Damian shook it and politely introduced herself nervously with shiny admiring eyes, asking if he was her adoptive brother and making him taken back at how lovely she is. He just kind of expected them to be good companions under the same house but she kept showing up around him and continuingly asking him questions about him/telling things about herself and gush at how cool he is like he was a role model, that was done on purpose to catch his interest and favor.
-Instead of hating and attacking him, Dami likes to make him fall for her and win his heart over by researching everything he likes and giving him things he knows he'll love to see, talk about the things he likes, taking his side in arguments, unecessarily bragging about him to everyone, being all lovely and affectionate towards him, helping him on stuff, making him proper meals with Alfred, checking to see if he's taking a rest or eating well....etc. And funnily enough, it works and Tim is all over her and they get along well.
-Tim was kind of overwhelmed by her at first but soon got to warm up to her down to earth personality quickly and began to like her a lot as his precious little sister, and soon became a great sibling duo who did everything together outside of their secret life and as vigilante partners. When Damian kept filling his head on how she admired him as a role model and he realized that he was going to be her mentor like Dick was for Jason, he gets so excited.
-He promises to be her best teacher and gets so protective of her to the point he won’t let her do dangerous missions even though she already knows everything but she lets him teach her anyway because he’s super cute when he’s like that. And she just tugs all the strings in his heart with all the appreciation and recognition he is finally given and swears to protect her from the world so he won't lose another precious person to him.
-Damian is very affection to him by hugging him whenever she meets him, getting him cool things she knows he would find super interesting or love to have, cuddling his arm while they observe something, giving him romance advice, checking if he’s having enough sleep, making him the most amazing food to refuel, telling him what he needs to hear if he needs someone to talk to, fixing his clothes for him or wiping the dirt off his cheek during missions.
-Unknown to Tim, Damian is more protective of him and scares off anyone who wants to pick on him. That goes mainly for Jason. If Jason ever gives him a look or thinks of anything and Tim isn’t looking, Jason would feel his back burning like fire and find her there crouching, standing or sitting in random spots as she watches all his movements in the dark with studying eyes that makes his blood run cold. She doesn’t say why she’s there, but he clearly knows what she wants and doesn’t dare to argue and begrudgingly standing back 10 meters away from Tim.
-So like Tim and Jason runs into each other one night and Jason is about to say something really cocky until he lowers his eyes to see her staring at him behind Tim like she’s daring him wonderingly with wide glowing eyes on what he’s going to do next and Jason immediately freezes and trails off in his sentence while Tim just stands there like ‘what? why did you suddenly go silent? what were you going to say?’ and Tim turns to look at Damian who just innocently tilts her head angelically on her best behaviour 'as usual’ which she promises everyone to do.
-Damian becomes his favourite sibling and Tim dotes on her everytime. He likes to make her weapons disguised as pretty items (cosmetics, plush toys....etc) because she loves them and cleverly hides them like her sword inside her parasol which she carries around her to smack people she detests with. Literally is super excited to give her a present he made for her at every valentines, birthdays and other events.
-Tim just appreciates her out of everyone in the manor and ironically thinks of her as a saint, despite knowing her true face which he likes anyway because she's down to earth than tight after she curiously learnt to be kinder. Like when Tim is in trouble, she'll just as be there for him with every power she has as well and comfort him soothingly when he has nightmares especially, and he'll just be huddling against her as she pats him. Because she has more time than everyone else, Tim goes to her the most to the point that he doesn't even need to ask her when he just wants someone to be with him.
-When Damian is in trouble, Tim won't unfortunately have time for a chat but he will be there for her and will do anything for her if he can which she'd understand, though she won't want to bother him so she rarely ever go to him to talk about her problems or feelings. Damian has this scary sense she always knows he's kind of off when she sees him and reach out to him. And when they both have free time, they go out to see the movies, watch funny videos, make their favourite snacks and just about do everything together to just relax.
-They're just together all the times that Dick even sometimes feels left out and jealous that he butts in between them to join in the fun as well, Jason is all 'pfft whatever' but lowkey is scared of the two now they can team up to kick his butt and everyone is just more relaxed with less headaches because the two can get along than fight like cats and dogs every minute, everyday.
-Before Tim realizes he loves her, he feels bothered and posessive whenever Dami says she's going out on a date with boy since she's literally the queen bee of the school and has lines of admirers chasing after her with heart eyes, which she only agrees to go out with them to play with boy's feelings after Talia teaches her about mean and get them to buy her things. He literally researches on the boy she's dating and does terrible things to them like trolling or hacking them.
-He also hates it when they are needing to go undercover and Dami has to dress up nicely or have to flirt with anyone so he avoids getting her into those sort of missions, that he would do the job if he had to. And when he does, he gets a bit hurt and jealous or even a bit self conscious that Damian might not like someone like him romantically but when she returns his feelings truthfully, he's the most happiest bird boi out there.
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flashfam and birdflash because im WEAKKK
so barry and iris take wally in because rudy is a FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT
lets imagine this happens early teens or so
wally never even comes out to his dad because he just. Knows exactly what his parents would think
he kind of. subtly tried to bring it up with his mom but she made her opinion Pretty Damn Clear so wally is like great this is awesome
as a result of both the superspeed + switching cities + adhd wally has practically 0 friends growing up which really concerns barry and iris
so barry is like, babe, i have a fantastic idea, im going to set up a playdate with batmans kid
and iris is like I GUESS
(also the way wally behaves in a relationship is 100% modeled after barry and iris because they literally have the perfect relationship. see exhibit a) babe as a pet name)
((this is also probably why hes a little upset when he finds out about barry and hal because its like. you think you understand your parents and then they hit you with this massive bombshell that kind of forces you to change your whole perception of them? and even though nobodys done anything wrong its still really upsetting? and maybe if wally had known earlier that barry was bi wally wouldnt have been so fucking stressed out about coming out?))
anyways. robin and kid flash playdate. a meeting for the ages.
wally gets a crush like. right away but doesnt realize so he oscillates WILDLY between being REALLY nice to robin and also being kind of fucking mean lol wally was very much pulling robins pigtails
like one day wally shares half his ants on a log that iris made him with robin and then the next he puts gum in robins hair and robin cries while alfred cuts it out
robin is like UGH kid flash is SO MEAN and bruce is like you dont have to hang out with him and robin is like NO IM GONNA
wally gets out of the mean phase quickly though lol
barry and iris realize right away its a crush and are like aw cute but then it... doesnt go away... ever...
so then they go REALLY hard on the PFLAG thing and keep like brochures and pride flags EVERYWHERE which actually does make wally a lot more comfortable
when wally comes out they all cry lol
wally calls barry and iris uncle and aunt but when hes much older he switches between aunt/uncle and mom and dad
anyways when dick leaves bruce/is fired/complicated feeling stuff dick spends most of his time at titans tower BUT also spends a significant amount of time at barry and iris' place
because the westallen household is adhd central, dick actually learns a lot of tips for dealing with his own adhd from them
dick is trying to Figure out his place in the world so he actually gets really into the journalism scene for a while because of both iris and clark
iris: hi this is my nephew, dick, hes my intern :)
clark: no, this is MY nephew, hes MY intern :)
lois bugs bunny meme: OUR nephew-intern
wally Does Not get it at all bcus he is 100% a STEM kid but hes still like i support you babe :^)
barry and iris LOVE dick. dick doesnt really open up about his situation but they kind of get the gist so barry is like. really annoyed with batman whenever they have to work together
iris writes a very scathing series of articles about the batman of gotham and dick is very vindictively pleased
dick actually finds out about hal and barry first bcus he comes downstairs and theyre making out on the couch and and dick is like UHHHH and halbarry are like UHHHHHHHH and dick is like I AM CALLING IRIS RIGHT FUCKING NOW and halbarry are like NO ITS COOL
iris is like. Mom supreme. dick for the past decade has had like no mother figures (selina doesnt really count because her and bruce are messyyyyy) so he both really wants iris's affection and also gets really overwhelmed by it
also barry. like, isnt emotionally constipated? wally tells dick that the west allens have weekly dinners where they talk about whats up with them and their feelings and dick is like aw thats cute and then wally is like dick u should join us and dick is like WAIT NO THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT
so dick is now required to be at family dinners once a month and talk about his feelings which is both exhausting and liberating
barry cries at the wedding and iris is like I Am Not Crying How Dare You Imply That I Am.
bruce and iris. the most begrudging in-laws. everytime bruce sees iris hes immediately reminded of the phrase "The Batman is a violent, depressed loner who gets his thrills by beating up homeless people and drug addicts." and its like jesus fucking christ iris way to gut the man
iris 100% uses the fact that shes dick graysons mother-in-law aunt-in-law to get sources. its a dog-eat-dog world out there, kid.
dick adores the twins bcus he loves babies
wally gets SO annoyed by bart its very funny to dick. wally and dick both grew up as only children but dick has had more time to adjust to having siblings so hes much more fond of bart than wally initially is
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1ddiscourseoftheday · 3 years
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Mon 12 April ‘21
Liam enjoyed the rest of his BAFTAs night post show; while the good reviews of his performance flooded in and Midnight re-entered the itunes charts he had some drinks (“a rum or two deep celebrating”) and had some fun posting with the BAFTAs filters and his digital avatar-- he posed with the digital Liam avatar (“not often you get to take a picture with yourself!”) which, again, looks even creepier and worse with the contrast of real Liam looking cute and like, HUMAN, right there! Later in the night he turned against the stand in, posting a pic of it scribbled up with glasses and moustache and devil horns and more, quite right. Burn it with FIRE!! Ghost hunter pal Zak Bagans also has some doubts about that uncanny imposter and commented about how you aren’t supposed to meet your doppelganger-- “exercise me spiritual guide,” said Liam, (which I personally think is a VERY funny typo for exorcise) and “ghost adventures honorary member when do I start,” well if you ask me Liam you can start by bringing back Cornelius, ANYTIME. He also got official BAFTAs posed pics, he looks like a proper movie star himself! Nice to see him again, and he enjoyed being back too- today he posted a pretty selfie captioned “still on a high from yesterday’s performance felt like a lifetime since I’d been onstage.” And not only that, he posted some art! The beginning of a drawing of a person (“beginning something really special I hope”) and a pretty older piece. A+++ Liam content all around, even with that scary fake!Liam!
A picture was posted of Niall out playing golf and may I just say DAMN NIALL that’s a lot of LOOK for the golf course!! The Fashion, the Hair, wow. But that would be where he would care about Bringing It, idk why I’m surprised. He also congratulated both the winner of the Masters and a fan whose fantasy league picks were good, but no word on the Anne Marie collab- the agency that worked on the shoot visuals posted about it but no new info.
Louis didn’t show his face but we got to see it anyway- a huge collection of outtakes from his House of Solo photshoot from late 2019 was posted! The photog from that shoot has posted outtakes before a few times and it’s been a little pointless, just almost exactly the same as the posted ones, but this batch is different and way more exciting! There are actual behind the scenes shots of him breaking the Serious Model Face, and also plenty of brand new seriously gorgeous posed shots. They were posted not by the photographer this time but by a fan burner account?? Very mysterious! Louis himself just commented on a post by his keyboard player Zak of him playing music, a cover- “YES LAD”.
And the girl that took the pic of Harry at the park the other day posted more from that encounter and announced that in fact he was with Olivia! Very unlikely given that… well mostly given that they’re not actually dating but also, you expect me to believe this person is someone who wants us to know they were together but didn’t take a pic of her and also didn’t mention it until just now? Come on. I mean even if she was there they still aren’t dating so w/e, but I just find that EXTREMELY  hard to believe. Olivia has been seen many times lately (because she keeps getting herself papped) over by the house she and Jason are sharing in South London, but not near Harry’s place. Eleanor was over near there though! She, like many Londoners, celebrated today’s re-openings by heading out- she went to the Spaniards Pub with friends (and Bruce, her dog.)
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fridayfirefly · 3 years
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Cowboy Like Me
Read Cowboy Like Me on AO3
Masterlist
Written for Maribat March Day 5 - Last Time
Now I know, I'm never gonna love again
Marinette was a terrible sentimentalist. After such a bad breakup it might have been cathartic to tear up the pictures of them, but Marinette just couldn't do it. No, she could bring herself to destroy the evidence of her six-year relationship. Marinette kept all the pictures, all the movie tickets, all the handwritten notes and put them in a shoebox at the top of her closet, somewhere that she couldn't reach without the help of a stepstool. Maybe the pads of her fingers could brush against the smooth cardboard if she stood on her tiptoes. But Marinette could never open it again. Inside that shoebox were the memories of being in love, kept safe, locked away, just out of reach.
As Marinette boarded the plane, she looked back on everything that had gone wrong. Though the cause of all the destruction in her life was uncertain, Marinette could pinpoint the effects exactly. There were a few things Marinette knew for certain: Marinette would never fall in love again, the city Marinette once loved now only held bad memories, and once the plane took off, Marinette would say goodbye to Paris for the last time.
Never wanted love, just a fancy car
The socialite scene of Gotham was dreadfully boring in the winter, Marinette learned. The weather was so brutal that anyone who could afford a second house in Key West or Malibu left as soon as the first snow-fall hit. Marinette stayed inside her penthouse apartment for weeks, designing her wardrobe for the next few months. It had been so long since she had been able to design for herself, without input from anyone else. It was freeing, to work with the colors, the patterns, the styles that she wanted. Marinette had forgotten what freedom felt like. For so long, she had worked for the whims of others, crafting to someone else's design.
Marinette made her first friend two weeks after the move. Silver St. Cloud was Marinette's neighbor in the apartment to the left. Silver was a model and influencer, and a self-proclaimed expert on all of the rich single men in Gotham. Upon their first meeting, Silver offered to show Marinette around Gotham and introduce her to the socialite scene. Marinette, hesitant but hopeful, accepted.
"Bruce Wayne is the best that Gotham has to offer," said Silver as they leave Starbucks, lattes in hand. "But there are plenty of men who are worth your attention - women too, if that's what you prefer."
"Bruce Wayne is the best?"
Silver nodded. "The Waynes have owned this city for as long as Gotham has been on a map. I wouldn't set your sights on him completely, though. Bruce Wayne doesn't date anyone, not even a former member of Kitty Section."
Kitty Section was known around the world, the biggest band to come out of France in the last decade. Their songs topped charts. Their albums won awards. Their well-crafted image of reclusive, mysterious artists led to a media sensation over the members of Kitty Section. Everyone wanted to know them - Luka Couffaine and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the lead vocalists whose relationship enchanted their fans. Rose Lavillant, the backing vocalist and keyboardist, and Juleka Couffaine, the bass guitarist, who were unashamed of their love for each other. Ivan Bruel, the mysterious drummer who had the name Mylène carved into his drumsticks. They were famous. They were at the top of their game. They were unstoppable.
Marinette ruined it all when she left the band. Her split had been big news, exposing a dark side of Kitty Section that their fans were never supposed to see. But after their breakup, Marinette quickly realized that she never loved music. She loved Luka, and once that love faded away, she loved nothing.
"I guess I'll find someone else," said Marinette, but it was a lie. There was Luka Couffaine, and after that, there was no one else. She might be able to love fancy dresses and expensive cars, but Marinette would never love a person again, not the way she loved Luka. When it came to love (deep, true love, not just the infatuations of childhood) Luka was her first time, Luka was her only time, and Luka would be her last time.
Perched in the dark, telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear
Marinette quickly learned the art of charming everyone she met, either through her impressive resume (founding member of Kitty Section) or through her newfound ability to flirt. It turns out, once you turn off your feelings it becomes very easy to pretend that you can still love.
Marinette and Silver became thick as thieves. The girls became a popular pair, charming every birthday brunch and charity dinner. For Silver, it was all about networking. As she explained to Marinette, "I'm trying to create a brand. I'm trying to turn my own name into something that can be sold, and for that, I need connections.
For Marinette, it was something to do. As long as she used her money wisely, Marinette had enough saved to comfortably live out the rest of her days. The real problem came in finding something to pass the time. Marinette rarely felt joy in living her life, the way she used to back when she was a child, the bright-eyed girl who aspired to be a designer. Now, everything from charming a billionaire to designing a new dress felt like a chore.
"Come meet Bruce Wayne," urged Silver as she grabbed Marinette's hand. "He just got back from Nepal. It's his first time in Gotham in six months. He skipped his own New Year's Gala to go soul-searching in the Himalayas. It's my job tonight to convince him to stay in town for longer than a week."
There was a determination to Silver's voice. From everything she had heard about Bruce Wayne, Marinette doubted that Silver could make him change his ways. However, that wouldn't stop Marinette from helping her new-found friend.
Silver's whole body-language changed, shifting from a determined march to a delicate float as she made her way over to a dark-haired man in a well-fitted tux. "Hello, Bruce. It's so nice to see you again."
"Silver." Bruce acknowledged her, sounding bored. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was the lead singer of Kitty Section before the band split up a few months ago."
"Kitty Section... I might have heard of them before. The band was... French?"
Marinette nodded. "Yes. All the members were born and raised in Paris. Have you heard of any of our music?
"I'm certain now that I have. It was very... commercial."
Marinette ought to have slapped him across the face right then and there. Not only was commercial not a compliment, but it also wasn't even true. It was the biggest criticism of Kitty Section, their reticence to work with popular music trends. Despite her overwhelming desire to assault the most wealthy and influential man in the ballroom, Marinette instead steeled her face and gave Bruce a pleasant smile. "Thank you. So what do you do for a living, Mister Wayne."
"I travel."
Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He spoke two words to her. The conversation was anything but interesting. "How interesting. Have you ever been to Paris?"
"I'm not a tourist, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I travel to much more interesting places."
Marinette officially gave up on the conversation. She would let Silver (who looked to be itching to have her turn to talk to Bruce) try and fix the train-wreck of a conversation that Bruce created. "You sound like a man with a lot of stories to tell. I hope you can tell me them over lunch someday."
"Perhaps."
Marinette gave Bruce her politest smile. "I have to excuse myself. Silver, why don't you tell Bruce about your new sponsorship from Lululemon."
Silver lit up. "Oh, you have to hear about this email I got last week. It was amazing, it's so good for my brand..."
Marinette walked away, letting her distaste towards Bruce leave her. Secretly, a little part of her hoped that Bruce would leave Gotham, as he was well-known for doing. Though Silver was her friend, Marinette didn't think she could pretend to like Bruce.
"He's intolerable, isn't he?" joked a voice from beside Marinette.
Marinette turned to face the stranger, a beautiful woman, taller than Marinette by quite a few inches, with dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin. She wore a dress of royal blue silk, so elegant it reminded Marinette of the sort of thing she always dreamed of making. "Who?"
"Bruce Wayne. Who else would it be?"
Marinette let out a quiet laugh. "He is quite unpleasant. I take it you know him."
"I accompanied him on some of his travels. Bruce is a good friend of mine, but these parties tend to bring out the worst in him. He hates this city and he especially hates the wealthy of this city." The woman grabbed a glass of wine off of a server's tray and handed it to Marinette, who gratefully took it.
"Then I doubt Silver will have any luck convincing him to stay." Marinette tried to keep the satisfaction out of her tone, but the woman laughed anyways, an indication that it didn't work.
"You're quite funny..." The woman paused for an introduction.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And you are?"
"Diana-"
The sound of shattering glass interrupted Diana's introduction. The crowd started to get frantic, and Marinette was pushed one way while Diana was pushed the other. The glass of wine was knocked out of Marinette's hand, staining the fabric of her dress. Marinette struggled to stay on her feet, desperate to not twist an ankle in her four-inch heels.
"Listen up!" shouted an oddly-dressed man. "You're all going to listen to me, and no one will get hurt."
Marinette had a very odd feeling that this would be a moment she remembered for the rest of her life.
Never thought I'd meet you here. It could be love
"They're calling him a supervillain. Apparently, his name is The Riddler," reported Marinette, looking up from her phone, where she was reading about the events of the night before.
Silver glanced up from her seat on the sofa across the room where she was painting her nails a delicate shade of pink. "It's about time Gotham got its own supervillain. Metropolis has had Superman and all the villains that follow him around for years."
Marinette snorted out a laugh. "You think that a supervillain is a good thing?"
"Sure. It means that Gotham will be getting a superhero of its own soon." Silver brightened up. "Plus, the hostage situation from last night meant that I got to spend a whole two hours with Bruce."
Marinette groaned. "I can't believe that you two are going on a date. Bruce Wayne is one of the most insufferable men I've ever met."
"It's not a date. Bruce specified it as just dinner between friends. You should come too, Marinette. I'm sure that once you spend some time with Bruce you'll warm up to him."
Marinette gave Silver a skeptical look. "You want me to come with you on your date with Bruce?"
"Again, it's not a date. Bruce said that he would be bringing one of his friends along as well."
Marinette finally understood Silver's intentions. "You want me to come with you so that I can partner up with Bruce's friend, and you can get some alone time with Bruce."
"Well it doesn't sound very nice when you put it that way," huffed Silver.
Marinette giggled. "I love devious plans. We'll just have to make it look natural."
It took a little time to get all the details, but Marinette and Silver got their plan in order. Silver would arrive first and meet Bruce and his friend. Marinette would arrive later, strike up a one-on-one conversation with Bruce's friend, and spend the night engaging Bruce's friend in conversation so that Silver could flirt with Bruce. Marinette's only concern about the evening was that Bruce's friend would be just as unbearable to talk to as Bruce himself.
The restaurant that Bruce picked out was very fancy, but Marinette didn't mind. It allowed her to wear her new dress, a pale blue and silver creation meant to mimic the shimmering quality of ice. Marinette thought it might be a little too experimental for the old-fashioned Gotham society, but Silver approved of it, and Marinette trusted her friend.
As soon as Marinette walked through the doors her eyes caught sight of Silver's white-blonde hair. Then she noticed Bruce sitting beside her friend, his eyes trained on Silver with an odd intensity. Finally, Marinette noticed Bruce's friend. She was shocked to see that it was Diana, the very woman that Marinette had met at yesterday's gala, the very woman whose introduction was interrupted by the untimely arrival of the Riddler. For a second, Marinette was shocked into stillness. The chaos of the night before had overshadowed her meeting with Diana to the extent that Marinette had forgotten how very charmed she had been by Diana. Now, it seemed Marinette had the perfect opportunity to get to know the charismatic woman from the night before.
"Marinette," the surprise in Diana's tone told Marinette that she was just as blind-sighted by their meeting.
"Hello, Diana. Fancy meeting you here," said Marinette with a smile.
Bruce raised one eyebrow. "I didn't know you two knew each other."
"We met last night," explained Diana. "I wanted to let her knew that you aren't usually so insufferable."
Bruce looked affronted. "I wasn't insufferable."
"You lied about having listened to Kitty Section," piped up Marinette. "There are a lot of valid criticisms of Kitty Section. However, our music being too commercial is not one of them."
Bruce had the decency to look guilty. "I apologize, then. I'll make sure to take the time to give your music a real listen."
For Silver's sake, Marinette was willing to forgive him. "Maybe next time you can give me some real criticism."
Bruce nodded graciously. "I'll do that."
Diana took that moment to bring back up their introduction the night before. "So Marinette, I don't believe we got the chance to finish our introductions last night. I'm Diana Prince, newly a curator at Gotham's Art and History Museum."
"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, former member of Kitty Section, currently taking a soul-searching sabbatical."
"Soul-searching for what?" asked Diana.
"I suppose I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. When I was younger I was so passionate about fashion. I made my own clothes, entered my creations into design contests, spent years creating a portfolio. I'm trying to rediscover that passion."
"Maybe you could show me your designs some time," offered Diana.
"I would like that," agreed Marinette.
"Actually," chimed in Silver, "Marinette made the dress she's wearing right now."
"Really? I would have assumed that it was professionally made. It's a gorgeous dress," praised Diana.
Marinette blushed, a warm fluttery feeling stirring deep within her. The rest of the night passed in a blur, with Marinette hanging on Diana's every word. It was easy to talk to Diana. She was so naturally charming that Marinette couldn't help but enjoy herself. As the evening winded down, Marinette felt only regret that they would have to part so soon.
As Marinette stood outside the restaurant, waiting for a taxi, she felt Diana's hand settle on her shoulder. It had been a while since Marinette had felt such an intimate touch. "I had a nice time talking to you tonight." The feel of Diana's fingers gently trailing down Marinette's arms was almost more than Marinette, touch-starved and hungry for more, could bear.
Marinette smiled. "I did too. I hope to see more of you."
"I'm sure you will." Marinette took comfort in the certainty in Diana's voice.
And in the back of her mind, Marinette began to rethink her policy of never falling in love again. Something about Diana made Marinette think that Luka wouldn't be her last time after all.
And the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up
Marinette could not believe he did this. After everything they had been through together, Marinette's one final request to Luka was that he not release a song about their breakup. But there it was, top of the charts, the lead single of Luka's new solo album, Different Cities. And if it wasn't bad enough that Luka broke the only promise she asked him to keep, included in the song was a snippet of the last voicemail she sent to him. She left it for him weeks after they broke up, as an explanation to him, to let him know she was leaving Gotham.
In the last few seconds of the song, Marinette's voice is hesitant as she speaks. "I know that you wanted me to stay so that we could work things out, but I don't think that our relationship is fixable. So I guess I'm calling to tell you that I give up. I'm leaving Paris next Friday. I've already bought the plane ticket. You can't change my mind. Goodbye, Luka."
It was the rawest emotion Marinette had shown since the breakup, and Luka exploited it for his own gain.
Marinette spent the day joylessly deleting emails from various news outlets begging her to tell her side of the story. As if she would give Luka the satisfaction of giving free publicity. Everyone loved drama, so Marinette was going to make her reaction - or lack of reaction, in this case - as boring as possible.
Every time her phone rang, Marinette ignored it. The voicemails started to stack up, and eventually, Marinette found herself going through them one-by-one. One from Alya, letting Marinette know that she was there for her when she wanted to talk. One from Adrien, more joking in tone, trying to cheer Marinette up. One from Ivan, directly threatening to punch Luka in the face if Marinette wanted it (and that was the only voicemail that actually brought her spirits up). One from Juleka, an apology.
In the voicemail, Juleka's voice was rough, like she had been crying. "I'm so sorry, Marinette. I begged Luka not to release it, but he wouldn't listen to me. He said- he- he said-" Juleka broke off into a sob, and Marinette couldn't help but sniffle along with her. "I can hardly recognize him anymore. Rose and I aren't on speaking terms with him now. He's no longer my brother."
Marinette wished that she could pick up the phone and tell Juleka that it was okay to forgive Luka, but Marinette couldn't. The wound was still fresh, still bleeding out.
One step forward, one steps back. Two days after Marinette considered the idea of loving again, and she was right back where she started - in too much pain to even consider friendship, let alone love.
Speak of the devil, Marinette's phone rang, Diana's name lighting up on the screen. Part of her wanted to throw her phone across the room and curl up under her blankets. The other parts of her answered the call. "Hello?" spoke Marinette, wiping away the moisture at the corner of her eyes.
"Marinette, are you okay?" Diana's voice was soft. It was the most comforting thing Marinette had ever heard.
"Not really. I can't decide if I want to punch Luka in the face or if it would hurt too much to ever see him again."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Marinette sighed. "I met Luka when I was fourteen. He was my classmate Juleka's older brother. Luka had his own band, so all the girls in our class thought that Luka was so cool, but he mostly ignored us. Then one day his backing vocalist got bronchitis and he needed someone to fill in. I was a soloist for the school chorus, so I volunteered. Luka was hesitant to let me join his band until he heard me sing. He told me I had the voice of an angel. Two days later he kissed me, and I fell in love with him so hard and so fast I didn't have a chance to consider if he was really the one."
Marinette took a deep breath, then continued, "It was a whirlwind after that. We started dating. We started a new band and named it Kitty Section. We started writing songs together. The weird part was, he never asked how I felt about any of it. He never asked me if I wanted to date him, he never asked if I wanted to join the band, he always assumed that I wanted what he wanted."
"And what did you want?" asked Diana.
"Back then, I thought I wanted a future with Luka. Now, I guess I just want to feel passion again. I've felt so empty since I left him."
"You might feel better with some company. Do you want me to come over to your place?"
Marinette looked around at her empty apartment, at the way the shadows filled the room, at the way seemed to lurk in every corner. "Sure."
"You could show me some of those designs you were telling me about the other day," suggested Diana.
Marinette glanced over at her sketchbook, which had laid empty for months. "That sounds good."
As she hung up the phone, Marinette realized that talking to Diana had made her feel a bit better. The knife wound that Luka had left in her heart had begun to close up at the edges. Marinette took a deep breath and picked up her sketchbook. If she wanted to rediscover her passion, she needed to work for it.
Now you hang from my lips, like the Gardens of Babylon
Marinette let out an appreciative noise as Diana re-entered the room, modeling one of Marinette's creations. "Give me a little spin."
Diana turned herself around, letting the red fabric swirl around her legs. Something about the way that the dress looked on Diana made it so much prettier in Marinette's eyes. Suddenly the fabric wasn't just red, it was carmine. The dress wasn't just being worn, it was being modeled. It didn't just move, it flowed. "It's a gorgeous dress," complimented Diana as she looked over her shoulder at the mirror behind her to admire it.
"It is nice, isn't it." Marinette had been so caught up in her head she had forgotten to truly admire her creation. Suddenly an idea occurred to her. "You should keep it. One of Bruce's charity galas is coming up in a few weeks. You could wear it there."
"I couldn't," protested Diana.
Marinette shook her head. "It looks best on you. I could never pull off such a vibrant shade of red." There was a second part to the sentence that was left unspoken. If Marinette made the dress knowing that it wouldn't look good on her, she must have made it for another reason. She must have made it with Diana in mind.
Diana smiled, seeming to have caught those unspoken words. "Well if I'm going to wear the dress, you'll have to put up with me gushing about how talented you are all night long."
Marinette flushed. "It's no big deal. It's just a dress."
"It's not just a dress. It's your passion." There was truth in Diana's words that Marinette couldn't deny. It was so much more than a dress. It was the passion for design that Diana had helped her rediscover. It was the newfound friendship with Diana that chased away the loneliness and despair that had taken over her life. It was the glimmer of hope for a future with Diana.
Takes one to know one, you're a cowboy like me
Diana looked beyond gorgeous in that carmine dress. Marinette could keep her eyes off of her as they mingled around the ballroom. Marinette's dress was nice, made with the same passion that Marinette had in her younger years, but it paled in comparison to Diana. However, Diana made up for this disparity by gleefully explaining that Marinette was the creator of the dress every time it was complimented. By the end of the night, Marinette had spent so much time blushing over compliments that she worried her face would become permanently flushed.
The gala was a complete success for everyone involved. The charity, which happened to benefit Gotham Child Protective Services, raised twice their goal amount. Marinette got to spend time with Diana. Even Silver had spent the night looking very pleased with herself, her hand resting on Bruce's forearm as they walked through the ballroom together.
As the night winded down, Marinette and Diana found themselves walking out of Wayne Manor towards Diana's car. Diana had offered to drive Marinette there and back, and Marinette had eagerly accepted. Marinette hated driving in Gotham, as Gotham was known for its aggressive drivers and high rates of automobile accidents.
Marinette sat down in the passenger seat with a sigh, kicking off her heels. "Tonight was nice."
"It was nice," Diana agreed. "We'll have to attend galas together more often."
"You just want an excuse to get your hands on another one of my dresses," teased Marinette.
Diana laughed. "I wouldn't say no to another dress. But really, Bruce's rich friends are much more bearable when I have someone to make fun of them afterward with."
Marinette shuddered. "And to think I thought that Bruce was bad. His friends are intolerable. I never want to talk about golf again in my life."
The two women chatted as they drove through the dark streets of Gotham, back to Marinette's apartment.
"Thanks for driving me home," said Marinette as the car pulled up in front of her apartment building.
"It was no problem." Diana hesitated, before continuing. "I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night."
"Dinner sounds good," Marinette replied, strapping her shoes back on.
"I'm asking for this to be a date." Diana finished.
Marinette looked up at her, surprised. Her friendship with Diana had been so easy that Marinette had forgotten that it could be anything else. She had half a mind to decline, to stay in the familiar, but that little bit of hope in her heart urged Marinette to take a leap of faith and accept. "I would like that. What time will you pick me up?"
Diana smiled, her whole face lighting up. "How does six sound?"
Marinette smiled back, her heart feeling lighter than it had in years. "Sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."
And as Marinette got ready for bed, she realized that all of the sadness that lingered in her heart since the breakup had gone away. All that was left for her to feel was hope for the future.
@maribatmarch-2k21
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captainsimagines · 3 years
Text
To Topple A Giant || Chapter Eight
Summary: You had made it your mission to destroy even the smallest evils. When the opportunity arises to finally take down your own family after years of gaining their trust, you reach for it. And so does Steve, the man who represents a symbol of everything you hate.
Pairing(s): Steve Rogers x Reader || Avengers x Reader
Part 8 of 10 ~ Mini-Series
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Warnings: This story contains mature themes and discussions such as extreme canon violence, strong language, emotional angst, mentions of Endgame deaths and recoveries, sexual situations, and emotional/physical abuse. This is purely fanfiction.
Warnings in this Chapter: abusive parental relationship; extreme canon violence (gun violence, hand-to-hand, baton use, knives); strong language; mentions of drug smuggling, drugs, and human smuggling; mentions of blood and blood loss; major/minor character death (not the mains, don’t worry!); angst; gunshot wounds; heavy alcohol consumption
Word Count: 14,600+
A/N: Listen... you know damn well I had to put some American Pie lyrics in this. The reader’s and Jackeline’s relationship is not modeled after Nat and Yelena lol it was literally the biggest coincidence. 
~
MedBay - The New Compound, 2024, 1:52 pm     
     “He did what?”     
Bruce smiles sheepishly as he lugs Steve’s practically lifeless body onto one of those beige medical beds. Dr. Cho is pacing calmly around the room, getting her instruments cleaned and ready. She tries to ignore the way you’re crowding her, inspecting everything she touches and in turn is going to end up touching Steve.      
“He took a bullet for someone.”     
“And where is that someone?” you bite. You immediately want to apologize to Bruce for your tone but you’re distracted by the tiny groans of pain coming from the pale super soldier beside you. You have to look away to avoid whimpering yourself, but you can’t exactly make yourself deaf. “Don’t tell me he took a bullet for you.”     
Bruce rolls his eyes and steps to the side as Dr. Cho begins cutting away Steve’s pants. “Everyone else is on vacation. He has no one here to take a bullet for besides. It was a shitty liquor store robbery and Steve was, of course, being a hero.”      
“Where’s he hit?” you ask, heading over to grab a pair of gloves yourself. No one questions it.      
“Femoral artery. Seems like he was plugging his own wound until he could get help.”     
Dr. Cho is right. There’s a massive gash in his thigh that’s leaking excessively and the skin surrounding the wound is raised like Steve’s own fingers had plunged so deeply it left an imprint. Not only that, but his hand is covered in his blood. So is Bruce’s, you realize, because he had tried to plug the artery as well.      
“How is he not dead yet?” Dr. Cho more mutters to herself than to you guys. Steve’s head is lolling to the side and his lips are an awful shade of white. His eyes are fluttering open and closed… open… closed… and he’s still mumbling random phrases. There’s a rough tug at the bottom of your stomach that pulls and pulls and there’s a weird urge to crawl onto the table to keep Steve warm.      
“He needs blood,” you say, even though all parties in the room know that as fact.     
Bruce, however, winces. “Sam’s not even in the state right now and I don’t think we have enough time to fly him-”    
“Is he Sam’s blood type? What’s his blood type? Why can’t Bucky do it? Bucky’s in Brooklyn, he can be here in five minutes if he runs.”    
Bruce starts rummaging through the upper level shelves and freezer cabinets. “Can’t mix the serums. We’ve tried.” He finally finds the blood bags, pulling them all out and spreading them across the clean tables. “It’s - shit - do we not have?”     
Dr. Cho is now covered in blood, working as fast as she can to close the wound. “What’s his blood type?”    
Bruce repeats it out loud and watches as Dr. Cho’s face falls. “I ran out yesterday. The blood drive isn’t until this weekend. I had a patient come in yesterday, I - I ran out yesterday.”     
They seem to be having their own conversation with their eyes and are too focused on each other to see you already stripping your long-sleeve shirt and wrapping that horrible blue rubber band around your upper arm. “Me. Take mine.”    
Bruce immediately shakes his head, stuttering as he tries to remove the rubber band. “Nu-uh, I don’t know if you know this but you’re human. I need two bags, three tops. I can’t just take it all from you right now!”    
“Then get me some cookies and a juice box. I don’t care how much you have to take to make him speak a coherent sentence. Do me.”    
Bruce hesitates but he rushes to the cabinets for the needles, vials, tubes, whatever - “No, do it direct.”     
Your words startle the two doctors but they don’t question it. They hook you up and poke the needle in the first vein they find, attaching the tube instead of a single vial and direct it to Steve.      
“You sure your blood matches?”     
You give Bruce a pointed look as if that isn’t something written on your dog tags or on your weekly personal reports.      
In the end, you’re told that you gave him the equivalent of two pints of blood. Not that you were awake for the second anyway but you vaguely remember Steve’s voice ringing in your ears. You’re not awake as he regains consciousness or to witness his very confused glare at seeing you in the bed next to him.     
He swears he heard small mumblings… ‘If you die because of some highway robbery, Rogers --- I’m never gonna fucking stop bullying your grave --- haunt it’.... ‘Stay --- with me, please’.... ‘---supposed to apologize first’....   
He tests the waters, mumbling a name he only says with annoyance nowadays. But now, it’s gently said. Soft, a whisper that sounds like a fractured hymn. 
Present Day, 2025, 12:05 pm
     There isn’t a set emotion in the world that seems appropriate. What are people supposed to feel when they’re singled out and chosen to suffer a life of pain? Self-hate? Pity for themselves? Anger? Sadness? Remorse? Nothing?
You really don’t know what you’re feeling. In the middle of rubbing vaseline on your newly acquired cuts and scrapes and bandaging yourself up, biting on a belt as Bucky set your shoulder back in place, and lying with Steve discussing everything and nothing all night after your promise - well, what the hell are you supposed to feel? As inevitable as it was considering he had ordered you shot before, the one feeling you know you feel is betrayed. Because even though Ernesto has proven himself evil time and time again, to his own flesh and blood, there was still a small part in your heart that didn’t think any parent truly wanted to inflict pain on their children. And your heart keeps proving itself wrong again and again.
“You just... jumped out of the car?”
Ramirez’s voice snaps you from your inner thoughts. He was let out of custody this morning. He’s currently filling in anyone who asks about the shipment, about Ernesto’s future plans, about the role he thought he had.
“Against my better judgment, but yeah.”
He chuckles and grins like he’s a kid hearing the best story ever told. “That’s what superheroes do. At least, what I’ve seen in the movies. John Wick, Bond, esos tipos.”
“I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, Omar,” there’s a teasing tone, “but I’m a fucking Avenger.”
That makes him laugh louder and in turn pulls one from you. “Ya se, ya se. I’ve known you since you were born. It’s weird hearing stories about you saving the world and jumping from bombed cars.”
“Mm, wait until you hear about that time I went into space and landed on another planet. Or time traveled. Take your pick.”
He’s stunned into silence and after a few more praises, he lets you return to typing out your report. There are plenty of other agents around for him to busy himself with. The base is tiny and not at all what you expected, but it’s secure enough to fit Torres, Sam, Bucky, and about fifteen other agents as they prepare for tonight. The plan you and Steve outlined was simple: attend the wedding, butter everyone up, send Steve away to help Ernesto retrieve and move the shipment, Scott and Sam will infiltrate, Bucky would be on standby to help you fight, and the rest of the team at base will begin arrests and sweeps. If everything goes according to plan, at least.
It’s easy to speak negatively about these things - there really were only two ways this could go.
You finish your report and go to stand, only realizing a minute later walking through the base that Ramirez is following you. You send him a funny look over your shoulder and he returns with a small smile of his own.
“Tengo preguntas!”
You stop and let him catch up. “Hmm?”
“Okay,” he starts, motioning his hands wordlessly until he could form them. “Are you and the Captain actually... juntos? Or just Avenger partners?”
“That’s personal, Omar,” you say with a roll of your eyes. “But I guess? That’s weird discussing with you.”
He nods in agreement. “It’s okay, I was just curious. So, him being mad was just an act? He doesn’t really hurt and threaten you, no?” He’s treading lightly, but you can already see the cartel mind turning. He would order Steve’s execution if he had to, even if he believed it to be morally wrong in some situations.
“Never. It was just an act for Ernesto.”
“Ah, Dios. Thank goodness.”
“Yeah, keep your men in line. It’s fine.”
He chuckles at that. “And the other Avengers?”
“They’re my family, Omar,” you grin wide, waking slower for the old man to keep up. “They would never hurt me.”
“That’s good, but not what I was asking.”
“Oh?”
“What are they like?”
Handing your report to one of the agents at a handful of monitors, you laugh loudly. “Do you want to meet them officially?”
“Aye, I know my daughters would like that...”
You raise an eyebrow.
“But I would like to meet them, too.”
“That’s what I thought. C’mon.”
The rest of the team are all relaxing and discussing the past days events in the lounge area, which is really just a glorified break room. Bucky’s still in his morning sweats same as Scott, Torres is already suited up, and both Sam and Steve are wearing their Avenger gear (minus Sam’s wings and Steve’s battered shield). Steve is the first one to notice you enter and he instantly gets up from his chair to greet you with a kiss on the cheek.
“Gross,” Bucky mumbles.
“You’ve been trying to get me a girl for over ninety years, Buck. And now that I’ve finally got someone who likes me back, you bully me for it?”
“Who’s bullin’? I said the same thing when Agent Carter smooched you in the weapon’s room and you thought you were alone.”
You pat Steve’s shoulder. “Think about it, Rogers. When Bucky settles down with someone, you have free reign.”
Steve pulls a thin smile and glances back at Bucky. “I’ll make them hate you.”
“Love and hate are the same thing, pal. It worked out for you two.”
“Okay, we’re done. Everyone, Omar wanted to formally introduce himself.”
Ramirez gives a shy wave. Torres returns it. It’s kind of hilarious to witness. Here you all are, Avengers and some standing over six feet with one of the most wanted drug lords in the world, and the all mighty drug lord is shy. 
“I’m so sorry we got off on the wrong foot.” You notice how when Ramirez speaks to strangers or those he deems good people on his side, his accent is a little thicker. It’s like he wants to speak only in Spanish other than the Spanglish you were all accustomed to. “But it really is an honor to meet you all.”
Scott is the first to stand and shake his hand. “Sorry I pointed my gun at you, man. Habit.”
Ramirez chuckles, “Sorry I broke into your room.”
Steve interjects, “Thank you, though. For telling us what more we’re fighting for.”
Ramirez nods, a solemn look spreading over his face. “The minute I found out, I didn’t know who to tell. I’m lucky you were never truly on his side.”
“And what will you do after all this is over?” Bucky stands. “How do we know we can truly trust you?”
Ramirez sneaks a glance at you and you raise your hands. “Hey, I’ve got the same questions as him.”
Ramirez must know he isn’t getting out of this one because he answers quickly. “Drugs have a market where people choose. I just meet supply and demand protocols. I don’t do the unnecessary violence or blackmail. There is no need to. People will always want drugs.”
There’s a round of agreement throughout the small room. Ramirez continues, “But smuggling humans? There is no choice, nothing moral about it, it’s evil.”
“But people get addicted to drugs. They die from them everyday,” Sam argues.
“I produce and deal what you American’s call weed. Ernesto does the big stuff, as does White. I’m,” he laughs a little. “I’m their weed guy.”
“That is true,” you confirm. You’ve moved and packaged Ramirez’s product before. “Literally just weed.”
Everyone seems deep in thought, like their processing Ramirez’s words and the weight behind them. Ramirez ran with the big boys and was the biggest distributor of marijuana in Mexico and America alike, but he never messed with any other product. Besides producing, selling, and smuggling illegal weed, his only other crimes included conspiring with Ernesto on how to get the product over state lines.
“Okay,” Steve starts. “So how is tonight gonna work? We have to discuss that.”
Ramirez bows his head. “You’ve allowed me safety, you’ve listened to me speak, and you’re saving both my life and my daughter’s. If you must arrest me, then you arrest me.”
“The minute you’re transferred to a prison with less security, Ernesto’s men will get you,” you reason, already shaking your head no.
Ramirez gives a nonchalant shrug, “But you’ll get him and White. That’s all that matters.”
You look over to Steve for some other ideas, but like you he doesn’t have any. No one seems to have any.
Torres matches his shrug and his voice is small as he speaks, almost like his next idea is insane. “We can always put him in the Raft.”
Everyone’s eyes go wide.
“That’s where all the enhanced humans go, no?” Ramirez is stunned. “Do I count?”
“We’ve got no idea,” Steve rubs at his chin, looking at you for confirmation he knows you don’t have. “But it’s an idea.”
     The plan is no longer singular. Fury had sent his best field agents for the job, the ones with the best aim, the ones with great strategic planning. Although you and Steve were still in charge, it was no longer just your mission. Your mission was to arrest the big three, big four when including Seda. That was it.
The plan goes like this: half the team will be focused on the venue itself, hidden in the shadows and monitoring the big three as well as your mics, and will aid you in the physical fight and arrests. Some are on the ground while others in the sky. Afterwards, they’ll sweep the estate and collect stolen property or priceless artworks. The other half is split into two, where one of those halves will be spread out for miles to capture anyone that might slip through, like guests who were on the most wanted list or guests that have helped Ernesto in the past. The other part of that half will intercept the shipment (once Steve radios in the location), save the hostages, and shut down the routes. 
They instruct Ramirez to call Ernesto and to ask him if there’s a vegetarian menu offered. Ernesto responds with only a muttered groan and in a wild turn of events, asks if Ramirez can call you to make sure you arrive earlier than expected to make sure Jackeline walks down that aisle. He’s completely serious. Not only does Ramirez play along, but Ernesto doesn’t give any indication that he knows about the car bomb. So the team makes a judgement call: this was only Seda’s doing.
Ramirez is then told that the Raft is not an option; both the US and Mexican government want him and the only reason he hasn’t been arrested is because he still has many cards to play. The more he helps, the less time he’ll get. 
One thing is known: this is the biggest mission anybody has been on in over two years. 
      Bucky remembers things in bits and pieces. Sometimes he’ll be minding his own business, enjoying this new world and the countless amenities it offers, and remember exactly where he was on the hottest day of the year in 1936. He remembers the blistering heat, boiling his once pale skin and giving him that beautiful olive he was now known for. He remembers the way his tongue dried almost instantly the moment he stepped outside and how he asked his next door neighbor, Ms. Kranshall, for a cup of water before work. He remembers her massive square glasses and how they nudged the tip of her nose as she nodded sweetly at him. He remembers her high but smoky voice and the way she patted his shoulder as he drank the cup down. 
The first time he remembered Natalia was around the same time he remembered Steve. He sees a flash of ember in strands, speed almost matching his, and he sees those panicked green eyes he was once all too familiar with. 
She was twelve when he first met her, forced to throw her around like a ragdoll until her ribs were bruised and her spirit broken. He went again and again, and when he wasn’t forced he would teach her how to fight properly and how to shield her most vulnerable areas. Scared as she was, she never showed it in those private moments, and decided to follow his lead in most things. And she learned to be fierce, no matter how hard he hit, and he still remembers the look in her eyes and the pull of her young face as they yanked him away for cryo before he could congratulate her on winning her first fight. 
The first time he remembered you was when you leapt onto T’Challa’s back as the chase neared, tackling the young prince become king, and watched with sad eyes as both him and Steve climbed onto the jet for Siberia. He remembers your clumsy punches when you fought him with half his brain and how he kicked you so hard you flew. He also remembers how when you took that kick for Steve, the sound of his wail almost deafened the soldier. 
Everytime he remembers something, a memory, no matter how strangled it may arise, the twinge in his chest is good. He’s remembering. He’s James Buchanan Barnes.
He feels that same twinge when a face full of freckles greets him at the entrance, documents raised above her head in a show of selfish glee, and a pep in her step that tells him she remembers him too. 
“Sergeant Barnes!” Maribel gives a toothy grin. “Never thought I’d see you again!”
Bucky tilts his chin up and rests the tip of tongue between his incisors. “What? Hydra wasn’t enough for you, you gotta infiltrate the Mexican cartel, too?”
She scoffs playfully, “Other way ‘round.”
He snatches the documents from her hand and leads her inside. “I hope you got something here. Steve put a lotta faith in you.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Y/N does. That’s enough for me.”
Rolling her eyes, she snatches the documents back to turn the pages herself. “Follow me. We need to chat in private.”
“Shouldn’t we get-”
“I’d rather you know, and you tell them later. No audience.”
This causes Bucky to tense. He follows her in further and closes the door behind them both. 
The left side of her face had less freckles back in 2012, he remembers, and now she’s covered in them.     
Bucky remembers things slowly, but he remembers them. 
      It’s cold outside, air bruising your skin, and there are hundreds of goosebumps now erupting. You joke with yourself that in the end, you’ll most likely have to ask Steve for his jacket and ruin your overall look but hey, you’ll be warm. The wedding doesn’t start until five in the evening and it’s one’oclock right now, and there are white clouds in the sky instead of gray and the songs of some desperate birds searching for their lunch near your ears. It at least drowns out the constant noise of the agents hammering away at each other and preparing for tonight.   
It makes your stomach roll: these agents are putting their lives at risk because of you. 
     You stepped through the discarded papers and tried not to leave your footprint anywhere important. His office was empty, left in a state of purgatory, and his lamp was still on. It’s like he stepped out for a minute.
You picked everything up: pens, computers, books, chairs. Under everything, there was dust. 
He really did die.
As much as you wanted to step on his remains and spit on him, you couldn’t. The gash in your heart was still open and bleeding for everyone else and there was no room left for anger. You were indifferent, for lack of a better word. Frustrated?
A paper crumbles outside his office. No one had followed you in - a week after the snap and every single person on earth was still searching for loved ones or running from something - so no, no one else was supposed to be here. Mexico had been hit hard, it’s government shattered, and every cartel was picking up pieces or tearing the world further apart. There was no line anymore. 
You twisted around and aimed your gun at the door, immediately lowering it when you saw Natasha raise her hands. She had this embarrassed smile on her face like she knew she had been caught.
“I meant to say hi over your mic. But you turned it off.”
You sighed deeply and dramatically shrugged your shoulders. “Well, I’m here. Guess who’s not.”
Natasha only nods and steps further into the room. She looks over the same things you did. “He’s gone? Good, good riddance.”
“But his death means nothing if trillions of others died also. It’s so fucking typical of him. If he’s going down, he takes everyone else with him.”
“He didn’t take them, Y/N.”
“I want to be happy,” you spit out through clenched teeth. “I want to feel relief. The fucking bastard is finally gone and I can’t even enjoy it properly.”
Natasha takes one more look at the hallway before letting her guard down almost completely. She envelopes you in a hug, squeezing tighter each time your breath hitches. “Hey, listen to me.”
“He’s gone.”
“I know,” Natasha’s voice is low and reminds you of the gentle hum of record static. “He’s gone and he can’t hurt you anymore.”
“But everyone-”
“No,” she pulls away and places both her palms over your neck. “He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
It takes a while before you’re nodding along, repeating her words gently.
“You’re more than the pain he inflicted. You’re more than his name or crimes. You’re worth more than his impact ten times over. He can’t hurt you anymore. I know everyone’s gone, and we’re going to fight like hell to bring them back, but in this little moment, this little thread you can pull - pull it all out - he can’t hurt you anymore.”
She’s all muscle and bone and blood and real. What would you do without Natasha?
     The grass beneath your bare feet calms you down. It’s tendrils are a little ticklish and there are droplets of silver morning water fog melting as they touch your skin. Focusing on the feeling isn’t enough to get you out of your own head and for a wild second, you think the God of Thunder is going to come up behind you and hold your hand. It’s peaceful out here, but what you wouldn’t give to see him again. 
The day before Steve and Carol returned the stones, he had been here. He did as he promised: the second the flood of happiness extinguished like a Christmas candle, he found you settled in the mass of pillows with only instrumental music playing. He left for two cups of tea, sat in silence with you as you both drank, and whispered a strangled ‘I’m sorry’ as if you weren’t meant to hear it. Apologizing for someone who did come back, and you for someone who didn’t. 
‘You know I don’t regret what we did. We brought everyone back.’ 
‘Don’t try and justify your sadness. Not at all, not with me.’ His voice was stern and his eyes serious.
‘I’m sorry he didn’t come back.’
His eyes had closed, as if he was expecting that apology, and he looked out the window where the sun was just barely rising, shining on him and him alone. ‘I’m sorry, too.’
There are footsteps, though. Heavy ones, footsteps that announce his upcoming presence on purpose so as to not startle anymore. Bucky was too generous for his own good. 
“Had a visitor.”
You remain silent as Bucky sits next to you, looking up from his spot and expecting you to sit as well. “There’s water on the grass.”
“There’s water in the air in this godforsaken state, now sit down.” A push of laughter escapes your lungs but you follow his instructions anyway. 
You sit in silence for a few minutes, admiring the way the pine trees bend slightly with the gusts of wind and how the birds have changed their pitch. You expect Bucky to speak first so you occupy that time by playing with the strands of wet grass. 
“In 1997, I was taken out of cryo for a mission.”
You wince on accident. This wasn’t how you expected the conversation to start. 
Bucky continues, “There was this man south of the border.” He points south to prove his point. “Hydra wanted to take him out because he was interfering with the drug routes they were monitoring.”
“Hydra controlled drug routes?”
“Hydra had their heads in plenty of places. They didn’t control them, but they did monitor them.”
You shake your head in understanding. “And this man?”
Bucky sighs heavily. His eyes are focused on the gentle yellows behind the trees instead of you. “He was told to take out another man traveling through and out one of these drug routes. He made a different call.”
“Who was your visitor?”
“Maribel.”
“Wha-?” You go to stand but Bucky gently pushes your left shoulder back down. “Why are you telling me this and not her?”
“She wanted me to tell you. And I guess, in turn, you tell Steve and the rest of the team.”
“Bucky,” your voice trembles on accident. “Tell me.”
“The man I was ordered to take out was Maribel’s brother.” He chuckles at your frantic shuffling and pushes you down again. He continues, “Hey, it’s okay. She never knew him and she doesn’t hate me for what I was.”
You don’t really believe him. But his face isn’t telling you otherwise. You're stuck between wanting to dig for more information and giving him a giant bear hug. “Did you… succeed?”
“The soldier ever rarely lost.”
Your face contorts. “Bucky…”
“He disobeyed orders, Hydra didn’t like that since it disrupted the drug routes, and so I was sent to help. Hydra didn’t seem to care about the man he let go, though.” Bucky shrugs and starts playing with the grass behind your hand. “The thing was, Maribel’s brother had been doing this a long time. Ernesto was on Hydra’s radar but in a good way. Maribel’s brother was also given very specific orders from one other person - their mother.”
The story pieces are all discarded haphazardly, pieces that are from different boxes and don’t seem to entangle properly. 
“She told him to let the man go. Because this man was an American, and killing an American on Mexican soil was something that was impossible to hide from the claws of the law. So, this American made it back on US soil safely and was never heard from again. Until 1998, when he tried to re-enter Mexico under a false name but with one purpose. To see his newborn baby girl.”
The yellow behind the pine trees fades into orange. 
“Are you saying-?”
“Maribel’s mother kept everything your mother left her when she tried to cross the border herself. Your real birth certificate, her real birth certificate, you.”
Bucky looks over finally, sad smile and all. “Maribel thinks, and now I think, that Ernesto isn’t your real father.”
There are so many questions formulating at the base of your skull that you don’t really take the time to absorb the news. “What did she bring you? What was in those papers?”
Bucky seems startled that your reaction wasn’t one of shock. “Like I said, Maribel’s mother kept a lotta things.” He pauses momentarily before speaking again. “Blood results was one of them. Still trying to authenticate them.  The American was a doctor, after all.”
“A doctor,” you whisper. 
“A doctor. He changed his name but he’s alive. Maribel’s checked.”
“Why would she tell me this now? Why now just hours before the wedding? Isn’t that why you guys didn’t tell me about what was really in the shipment?”
Bucky winces and his expression tells you he’s sorry. 
You continue, “Why now? Why does it even matter anymore?”
He inspects you quickly, scanning your features for any signs of discomfort. “You’re okay? I thought this would surprise you more.”
The chuckle you release is dry, kind of harsh. “It actually answers a fuckload of questions. Like, number one, why he fucking hates me.”
His eyebrows scrunch together. “You think he knows?”
“If he doesn’t, then he’s a super fucking asshole instead of just a fucking asshole.”
Bucky pauses again and smiles up at the sky. The clouds are white and extra large today, and he suddenly remembers the taste of that mini popcorn he had bought and shared with his little sister Becca… Becks… while watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the theater. The salt and butter had stuck to Becca’s fingers and she had wiped them on Bucky’s sweater. He remembers scolding her for that but giving her a napkin in between his giggle fit. He feels the same swell in the meat of his heart listening to you. “We don’t deserve you. You’re like the moon. Always there, shaping yourself into what that person needs, crater after crater beat into you and yet, you move the tides.”
The little snort that leaves your nose hurts a little. “That’s pretty damn poetic for this moment of ‘you’re not the father!’”
Bucky bites his lip and smiles toward the yellow and orange hues. “Like the moon.”
      The hotel had replaced the door, no questions asked. The reason Sam decided to bust open the door instead of using the very functional key you had given Torres? No one knows. But the poor receptionist was told that you couldn’t possibly change rooms because this was top secret business and you absolutely wanted to slap Scott upside the head for worrying her. So they fixed the bolts and gave you all new keys. 
Didn’t matter much anyway since you weren’t sleeping here tonight. You had already packed and made the beds. 
You lay your dress and Steve’s dress attire on the respective beds. The dress sent over was a backless red silk, spaghetti strapped and slit on the left side - you’ve wanted to wear it since it arrived when Scott did. 
Steve knocked before entering the room. You almost laughed at the gentlemanly aspect of it. “Thought for sure they’d have kept you for another hour at least.”
“I gotta change sometime. That your dress?” Steve shrugs off his uniform and climbs on top of his freshly made bed.  
“That’s my dress. Sort of skimpy for a wedding, no?” You hold it up to show him the front and back.
“Does ‘skimpy’ mean bad?”
“Means slutty.”
He gives you this disappointed look, like he’s judging your vocabulary. “I wouldn’t use that word. So no.”
You silently apologize and move the dress over to the end of your bed. Everyone else was also getting ready for tonight. Agents were posing as local police, many infiltrated the wait staff, suits were being double-checked for any malfunctions. There was so much going on, but all was relaxed in your room. Steve smiles at you from his bed, head resting in his palm as he leans up to stare at you. It’s impossible not to blush under his stare, so you move to climb into his bed. You lay down with your feet to his head, the sides of your hips pressing together; just two upside down puzzle pieces. He chuckles and goes to lay on his back, right arm coming up to lay rested on top of your right thigh. 
“All this week I thought I wasn’t ready.” You’ve had no more nightmares. “But I am. I’m ready to end this.”
He runs his fingers delicately along your thigh. “I’m ready to help.” He sighs deeply and cranes his neck to try and meet your gaze. “We’ll make sure they get maximum time.”
“You know that’s not our call.”
“Still.”
You rest for another few minutes, gentle touches calming you. His body is so warm, emitting sweet thoughts like the beginning of spring heat, and it’s impossible not to curl up into it. Steve breaks the comfortable silence, “What are you thinking about?”
You suck in a breath and tell him the truth. “That in the matter of like… five days, you and I are basically lovers now.”
“Lovers?”
“Lovers.”    
He laughs out loud and goes to sit up.  “I intend on taking you out when we get back home.”
Lifting your head, you rest on your elbows and grin at him. “Oh? And where are you planning on taking me?”
He thinks for a second before pressing his lips together and giving up. “I have to ask Peter or Wanda. I have no idea where you go during the day to eat.”
You laugh, “Seriously? I could’ve sworn you tagged along once or twice.”
“Nope. I always refused.”
You frown slightly, “Riiight.” Not wanting to rehash the reasons why, you try to soften any wrong feelings about what that implies. “I’m sure you’ve been, though. I take Bucky places, too. Ask him.”
“Mmm, I have my pride. Can’t have Bucky thinkin’ he knows more about my girl than I do.”
You smile largely now and hope no lipstick rubbed off on your teeth. “Your girl?”
Steve averts his eyes like he’s just now asking for your name and if you’d like to go dancing. There’s a beautiful scarlet glow painting his pale cheeks. “Like I said, I’m taking you out and asking properly.”
“We’ve already surpassed third base. I remember it vividly.”
His smile falls comically and he turns to grab a throw pillow to smack you with it a couple times. “Crude! Crude as always. Goddamn.”
“I’m sorry! Hey, I’m sorry!” 
He stops his attack and pulls you into his chest. He warms your back instantly. “So, you’ll let me take you out?”
“I really, really like french fries,” you hum lightly and tilt your head back to lean into his shoulder. 
“That narrows it down, thanks.”
You chuckle due to his sarcastic tone. He rubs his hands up and down your arms. An idea formulates while in the warmth of his body. “You know what I really want to do after we finish with this?”
“What’s that?”
You tell him honestly. “Rent a cabin. Spend a Christmas there, maybe. Catch some fuckin’ fish. Experience the snow properly.”
His eyebrows furrow like he’s dissecting such a claim. “I… wasn’t expecting that.”
You shrug, “Sounds cool though, right?”
“Got room for one more?” He looks down to meet your gaze and there’s a glint of hope shimmering in the blue of his eyes.
       “Nat… Natasha.”
Natasha took in a sharp exhale as she lifted her head from the desk, left cheek numb and pink. Steve shot her a funny grin and continued shaking her shoulder until she fully opened her eyes. She slaps his hand away with a huff of laughter. 
“Come here to do your laundry? You know, there’s only so many times I can help prevent shrinking shirts.”
Steve scoffs, “I used to do laundry by hand. I can figure out a few buttons.”
“You would think.”
Steve rolls his eyes and bumps her shoulder with the palm of hand before speed-walking into the kitchen. “It’s one of those days.” He opens the high cabinets and pulls a few vodka bottles. 
Natasha pushes down whatever was starting to eat at her. She calms her deep breaths and rises from her chair. No words needed to be exchanged. She makes her way over to pull two glasses from the same high cabinets. 
Steve watches her a little hesitantly, but she has that lopsided smile that pinches through only one cheek and her eyes are the slightest bit swollen from her power nap, and Steve breathes a sigh of relief. She tilts her head to the other side of the kitchen, that lopsided grin gracing her bare feet. Steve fumbles through a few cleaning supplies and some plastic bags before he finds the bottle. 
“I hid it after… after Thor had that meltdown a year ago.”
Now, he was second guessing. It was a small bottle, only half left, but half a bottle of Asgardian liquor was enough to knock the God on his knees. For Steve, a few sips would do the same. But he needed it, he needed it, god help him. It’s been four years, he needs it. “Be my designated driver?”
“How about you spend the night? Y/N wanted to start a new show anyway.”
“I’ll be passed the fuck out during the opening credits.”
“But you’ll be here.”
Steve sighs and pops open the bottle. Natasha puts her hand up to stop him from pouring, “Check under that sink again.”
His eyebrows pinch together but he does as instructed. More cleaning products… more cleaning products. He tilts his head to look at the corners and there it was: a small, pink paper airplane taped mid-flight. Steve hunched his shoulders to grab it and crawled out carefully. “You know, you’re not supposed to tell me where you hide them.”
“Well, I felt bad! I’ve found like fifteen of your blue ones and how many do you have of mine?”
“That’s besides the point-”
“Say it. You’ve found six.”
His cheeks turn hot. “I’m not here all the time.”
“Excuses.”
“I leave mine in good spots. You probably got better eyes or something.”
Natasha laughs, loud and from her chest. “Sure. But hey - I’ll promise you somethin’.”
Steve pours the Asgardian liquor into his glass and straight vodka into Natasha’s. “What do you have in mind?”
“You find more than me by the end of this year, and I’ll take that vacation.”
Steve takes his first sip and tries not to pull a hard face. “You’re on. But what if you win?”
Natasha raises her glass and clinks it with his. He wants to apologize for forgetting to toast but her eyes are playful and forgiving. “You come with me. I’m not the only one who needs it.”
“So, I win regardless?”
She takes a sip and pulls a funny face. “Easiest battle, don’t ya think?”
They’re off their right minds twenty minutes into drinking and the common area is chaos. Pillows are thrown, the TV somehow ends up with dozens of fingerprints, and they’ve broken a couple flower pots. The cushions of the couch know Natasha’s bare feet and Steve’s boots; the walls fail to constrict their loud singing; Rhodey has already snuck past them to get himself a snack undetected. 
‘And so I cry sometimes when I’m lyin’ in bed, just to get it all out what’s in my head!’
‘Hit the high note, Rogers!’
‘When you do, I will!... I scream from the top of my lungs-’
‘What’s goin’ on? And I say, ‘hey!’ ‘hey!’ I say ‘hey!’ What’s goin’ on?’
Steve’s still clear-headed enough to twirl Natasha around. She’s flexible enough to climb onto his shoulders.
‘I pray every single day - for a revolution!’
She’s starting to slur her words and Steve wonders if that blond streak in her hair was there last week. 
‘The story of my life! I take her home, 
I drive all night to keep her warm and time, 
Is frozen!
The story of my life, I give her hope, 
I spend her love until she’s broke inside!
The story of my life.’
She can longer feel her toes but seeing Steve let go makes her so incredibly happy and breaks her heart. I needed this too, she thinks.
‘So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die!”’
She’s all muscle and bone and blood and real. What would Steve do without Natasha?
     “You wanna come?”
“Sure. I’ll cut down the trees for wood. Have a real fireplace.” He’s serious, you realize. Like, really truly serious. 
Your heart swells with excitement and some other feeling you can’t quite place. But it’s good, like really good. The sigh you release is full of sweet wonder. “A real Christmas tree.”
Steve tightens his grip around your arms. “December’s right around the corner. Trees should be ready and standing tall.”
It’s almost too much to imagine. You have the sudden urge to talk specifics, to plan out this vacation. A beautiful, rustic cabin with only a coffee maker brought from the outside century, knitted quilts, real snow, Steve’s body heat, Christmas lights… inviting Sam, Scott, Wanda, Peter, and Bucky down for Christmas dinner and presents. A whole sleepover filled with ghost stories, candle burning, board games, Christmas movies. You’re up and tucking your knees under yourself to look down at Steve in an instant. “You’d throw on that checkered shirt, grow out your beard even more, and chop down a few trees for me? With me?”
“There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be,” Steve says, eyes crinkling. For a second, he’s worried you’ll realize that he’s quoted your letter. But that same moment, you’re giggling with excitement over your future plans.
“Well, we lasted a week here without killing each other. The holidays always hold a few surprises.”
Steve picks up another pillow.
       Business is not conducted during the church service. It feels normal, with half the guests attending the service and watching the happy couple exchange vows, while the other half only arrives for the party. 
Jackeline’s dress is modern with a mix of vintage - simple, with long sleeves of lace and fabric that isn’t entirely white but with hints of beige; the dress dips lower in the back than it does in the front, and it’s tight near the waist but loose as it drapes down her long legs. Her hair is left loose and her make-up is heavy, and she illuminates under the sun rays that burst through stained cathedral glass. You don’t even pay mind to Ernesto and Seda seated in the aisle in front of you - not when Jackeline looks the way she does. 
As the service ends, Steve tells you to wait until most of the guests exit. The priest eyes him warily, inspecting his young face and build and obvious persona. He says nothing, but he places a gentle hand over the cross on his chest as he follows the guests out. Steve stands, and out of respect dips his fingers into the holy water provided near the heavy wooden doors. He signs the father, the son, and the holy ghost and dips his fingers in again to sign the same on you. With a silent thank you and tender wipe to your forehead, you don’t question it. He’s not Catholic, or at least you don’t think, but you know he does it for what’s to come. No matter your beliefs, he just wants something, someone, to protect you. You turn back to the cathedral and grip the door as you bend down to one knee and tip your head. 
       Everything is grander, that’s for sure. The decorations are tripled; the violet lights are reflecting like diamonds off every marble and glass surface; the chandelier’s are no longer gold sculptures but diamond; the clay flowers hanging from the ceiling yesterday are now a part of the centerpieces, squeezed in with the largest bouquet of roses and violets; the live bands (because of course there are two) are each still setting up as everyone is getting seated; and there are about fifty round tables circling the large dance floor. There’s still a nice view of the lake and the pine trees ahead, and the tarp was abandoned as there was no rain in the forecast. All in all, and there were a thousand other things you could focus on but didn’t have the energy to, everything was beautifully put together.
Jackeline wasn’t lying when she said half of Mexico was attending. Besides family, there were celebrities in attendance, famous musicians who were simply guests and not performing, family of some of the other biggest drug lords from both countries (minus Europe), and a couple politicians who dipped before the new couple even walked through the doors after seeing Steve. But Steve worked his magic like he had yesterday and had everyone eating out of the palm of hand in pure amazement. He even had a famous actress hanging off his shoulder in under three minutes. Walking away to go congratulate Jackeline, Steve doesn’t miss the quick, sarcastic flick of your middle finger aimed in his direction.  
“You’d tell me if you needed my help, right?” Jackeline asks after a while, bottom lip dripping champagne. She wipes it gingerly, careful not to smudge her pink lipstick. 
“I would if there was anything wrong,” you respond truthfully. She pauses to swallow her sip and squints. She follows your gaze to Steve, whose right arm is being tugged by a girl who looks about twelve with five multi-colored bows trailing down her french braid, and who is also trying hard not to blush at the very attractive actress he can’t seem to get rid of. 
“You’re going to stop him, aren’t you?”
You glance to your left, but it isn’t really a question. Jackeline knows. “Yeah.”
She nods and tilts her chin up, eyes still on Steve. “Make him watch as you burn it down.”  You know she’s referring to Ernesto. She continues, “Every last bit of it.”
Smiling down at your feet, you raise your glass at nothing in particular. Just to salute the night air and whoever is watching. A few seconds pass as you both watch the guests enjoy the music and appetizers. Jackeline shuffles in her heels but she doesn’t seem to want to leave your side just yet. “You run, you understand?”
She’s only momentarily startled by your words. “Okay.”
“I never meant to leave you here, Jackie. I just had to find a way out first.”
“You found a loophole,” she chuckles, but the next moment she’s serious. “There is no way out.”
“Might not be,” you admit, downing your glass in one shot. “But I know this. He can’t hurt you anymore.”     
      You don’t exchange more than a few words with Steve before he’s called by Ernesto’s men and motioned toward those massive dry lava rock doors; doors that don’t muffle sound but are strong enough to withstand a bullet wound. You watch him leave with them, and he shoots you a smile over his shoulder to simply look at you. Your eyes swell only slightly, burning the corners and blurring everything. He’s bright and brilliant, walking head first into Hell and shining like the bolts of Zeus.
Steve has faced giants before, from all backgrounds and all worlds. He has blocked their punches, taken near mortal injuries; stared them in the face with every ounce of anger and determination his cells could produce. There was always this whispered voice in his head that warned him of the last day he would pick up that shield. In 1945, the voice was loud and raging as he drove that nosediving plane into the Arctic. Over the last few years, however, the voice had quieted and let Steve ponder his fate himself. Steve swears the voice, or rather his own conscience, is getting tired. 
He listens intently, responding only when spoken to, and prays his mic is picking up every bit of this conversation. Ernesto commanded the room as he screamed orders in both English and Spanish. His men fell in line; some as determined as the old man, some quiet, some bothered. Didn’t matter what the orders were. Steve noticed the few who would glance at one another and speak their distaste with their wandering eyes. And when Ernesto would speak directly to Steve, the same men would pinch their lips into a thin line and glare. 
The shipment had arrived mid-conversation and as men were sent out to do their jobs, Ernesto kept Steve behind. I need you to stay with me until the shipment is secure and can be moved - you’re my bodyguard, Ernesto had told him, confident and only slightly bending his back in discomfort from the weight of the day. Steve agrees, and hears Bucky mention how they have eyes on the shipment from the sky. 
Steve stays by Ernesto’s side even when Ramirez is called in. He’s prepared for a bloodbath, for two big men to cement their graves in this tiny office, but it doesn’t happen. Or at least, it doesn’t happen yet. Ernesto regards Ramirez as an old friend and finally trusts him enough to tell him what the shipment contained. Steve isn’t surprised, however, when Ernesto takes nasty satisfaction at Ramirez’s horrified expression. Because even though Ramirez had already known, the confirmation adds a multitude of terror. Steve can feel his palms sweating. 
As expected, Ernesto tells Ramirez that he plans to use his lands for his gain. The safe thing to do would have been to agree, to nod along, and to live in the knowledge that the shipment most likely wouldn’t head out. But Ramirez, for some reason Steve can’t fathom, stands up and says no. 
Steve understands now; the odd shaking of your shoulders even when your face was completely blank and emotions calm. He watches the beads of sweat drip from Ernesto’s forehead onto the tip of his nose; he watches the way his chest heaves as his voice becomes louder; he watches until he can’t take anymore and he enlarges the shield with Scott’s tech and tells Ernesto to move away from the other man. Steve understands now - the man really is scary, even if he wants to admit it or not.
      “You really are a phenomenal actor.”
Swaying slowly, you try not to step on Seda’s feet as he guides you across the dance floor. The music is calmer than it was five minutes ago, the guests are enjoying dinner and conversing, and Steve had told you fifteen minutes ago that he would be right back. Ernesto had sent you a malicious wink, but you knew better. Steve’s name was written in blue and Ernesto’s real target had to be you. 
“Acting with what? Acting that I enjoy this dance? Acting like I respect you?” Your upper lip twitches into a teasing smile. “Or acting like I don’t know it was you who planted that bomb?”
He matches your smile, looking down at you with a glint in his eyes. His grip around your waist tightens. “Acting like you’re really on our side.”
Lowering your voice just a fraction, you lean in, top of your head level with his chin. “I’m on Ernesto’s side. You almost had me and my Captain blown up.”
His left hand is settled on your shoulder and he uses the opportunity to dig his nails in. All around him, his men are watching. “How did you get away?”
You give a dry laugh. “You think that was my first bomb? It was childsplay.”
Seda scoffs, “You speak of this Avenger business like I don’t know who you are. You’re still that scared little girl who hid in her room when alien’s fell from the sky.”
“I may be. But there’s a difference between you and I. I actually stared them in this face and won.”
“The second time, maybe”
Sticks and stones, but goddamn did those words always hurt. Blame goes a long way but you and your team are used to keeping it close to home. “Why do you want me dead?”
His scowl deepens and the wrinkles by his eyes crinkle over each other as he squints down at you. “The Avengers are not secretly on our side. Tony Stark never was but Ernesto loves to tell people otherwise. Same about your Captain. You’ve been playing us for years.”
“What evidence do you even have? For years, we’ve done nothing but clear the roads for you,” you say, shaking your head in disbelief. 
He unwraps his arm from around your waist and sets both hands around your upper arms. He’s pressing down as hard as he can but still loose enough not to draw unwanted attention. He breathes a sharp exhale, and the puff of air hits your cheeks. “I don’t know what happened to my men after you got what you deserved. They were good men and just like that, erased.” He smirks. “I know you had something to do with it.”
A guest with bright red hair laughs loudly to your side as she is twirled around by her partner. It’s not as vibrant as you’re used to, but you still imagine that lopsided smile you hadn’t seen in forever. “Does it matter? You know what they did, so why is my hypothetical revenge chastised?”
“Tell me right now that none of your Avenger friends did your dirty work. Tell me your Captain’s hands are clean.”
“I promise you, my Captain is clean.” Seda doesn’t show any signs of believing you. Still, your mouth twitches into a mocking smirk. “But our once mutual friends Tony and Natalia tell another story.”
“Am I supposed to believe that two people who are dead are responsible for this? Ironic,” he grits his teeth.
You repeat, clear and true. “My Captain is clean.”
He fakes a tiny gag but you know he means his disgust. “You turned over so quickly for him. For the heroes who destroyed the world. Pathetic.”
“You really need to stop underestimating me,” you practically order, voice full of warning and annoyance. 
Seda continues, “Following orders from a fascist. Following orders from a country that only does harm.”
He turns you around as the dance instructs, a half-hearted waltz that didn’t have a beginning, middle, or end. You take that second to scan your surroundings and weigh your options. “I agree about the country part. But I don’t follow orders from the country, I follow them from my Captain.”
You’re facing him again and in those hellish eyes you see truth. “No, he’s a symbol of everything we hate. Of everything we need to destroy.”
“Touch Steve and I’ll blind you.”
His feet stop mid-step, as do yours. His eyes widen only a little, but it’s all the ammunition he needs. “I knew it.”
It’s barely a whisper, a tickle from a single strand of hair, but you catch it. No longer keeping it a secret, or rather a secret you didn’t care that you let slip, Seda now knows it was all a lie. All this time you had never referred to Steve as anything other than your Captain.
You feel the blunt head of a .22 press against your abdomen as Seda laughs, “You never could get a mission right.”
Twisting his arm and knocking the gun from his loose grip with your wrist was easy. So was catching the gun mid-air and elbowing him in the ribs. Seda falls to the floor in a state of shock, instinctively gripping his chest. You aim the gun at him and like you’ve seen in the movies, place the tip of your heel just below where his belly button would be. He releases a sharp breath and his eyes are challenging, practically begging you to dig deeper and get on with it. 
You can hear the screaming and frantic murmuring from the guests surrounding you and the leveling of guns from Seda’s men. But you’re focused on the man trying so hard not to quiver beneath you, his nasty grin spreading wider. 
“You’re alone,” he bites. “Your Steve is helping Ernesto right now, no? You’re alone.”
Your grin forms slowly, and you’re counting down the seconds you have until his men start firing, but you lean your upper body down slightly to make sure he hears you. “That’s never been a problem before. Don’t you remember?” You click back the safety as discreetly as possible. “I was trained by the Black Widow herself.”
You quickly raise the gun to shoot the closest of Seda’s men in between his collarbones, effectively starting the bloodshed. You jump out the way in a flash, rolling across the floor and behind a table. Tipping the table over is easy and it seems like a smart idea at first, until you realize the tables are all glass. The tablecloth had covered that detail, which sucks like hell, because now the bullets are shattering through and you’re forced to kick yourself away and run behind the pillars instead. The heels are kicked off at the same time you’re fishing underneath your dress. 
A stray bullet hits the pillar’s side making you squeal. It makes you work faster, though. 
Once you find the secure nano-tech ‘button’ (as Scott liked to call it), you strip as quickly as you can and slap the button on your bare shoulder. The nano-tech spirals and threads into itself as intricately as frost spreads on a window, shielding you in both metal and kevlar. 
When a storm of bullets hits the pillar and cracks the marble, you’re forced to crouch and hope Seda’s .22 and the myriad of weapons you’re now equipped with are enough. Before your thoughts can creep into a ‘last man standing’ mode, a roar of wind sweeps across the estate and between the cracked pillars, causing your loose hair to slap your face and blind you for only a second. Quickly putting your hair up and pulling the metal batons from the back of your suit, you’re met with the best sight - one that was a little late, in your opinion. 
“Kind of you to show up!” 
Sam ignores your quip as he flies into three men at once, feet first with his wings extended with the might of a guardian angel. He immediately shields runaway guests who were caught in the middle. He takes the ones on his left, you take the ones on his right. 
You let them swing first. They’re fast and pulling their punches and are clearly aiming for the end result of sticking you to the ground. But you’re quicker and deflect the punches. You manage to deliver a solid punch upward to crack the nose of one. As he reaches up as instinct, his ribs are open season. 
He falls out cold easily after your batons do their damage and the next man isn’t nearly as fast as the first. He doesn’t move enough to his right to avoid the harsh kick to his sternum. Each ambitious kick to the chest seems to demolish the man’s protective wall he’s trying desperately to keep intact, but once you give your legs a break and switch back to the batons, he doesn’t stand a chance. There are bullets raining across the venue, but Sam is shielding you and deflecting them elsewhere. It allows you the freedom to rip into whoever you think deserves it. 
You’ve got two men on your tail and after knocking their weapons from their hands, it seems like a fairer fight. The first doesn’t step back far enough to avoid your roundhouse kick and he falls hard on his ass, gasping for a lick of air. The second is closer, however, and manages to wrap you in a chokehold. Releasing yourself to fall deadweight for only a second, gravity tricks him and you use the momentum to kick up and fly over his shoulders. It’s hard to do without a wall to propel yourself off of. But your abs and thighs are clenched and you don’t quite think you’ll actually end up on this guy’s shoulders but you do. You don’t dwell on that moment of personal pride, though. Tightening your thighs, you use your upper body weight to lean downward and wring his neck. Once he’s down, you sweep your leg around across the floor to trip the other man who was just barely standing back up. With the .22, you fire point blank. 
Detaching yourself from the gore has never been much of a challenge. Eyes rolling back and clouding, limbs dangling limp after having just been full of life, bodies thumping against the floor after eating your bullets - you don’t so much as grit your teeth anymore. 
Sam is dealing with his own mess closer to where that poor cake is now destroyed, vanilla filling exposed and now two stories instead of four. The other cakes are no better. Sam pulls the trigger once more at someone charging at him and he averts his eyes. Sam, however, clenches his jaw. 
“Where’s Seda?” you shout, firing at men who are jumping out from behind tables but giving away their location before they even surprise you. 
“Lost him. I think he’s heading over to Steve!”
You look over the room and pray everyone got out safely. There are no civilians lying in their own puddle of blood, no guests begging for help, but you can never know for sure. “We need more hands. Where the hell are Scott and Bucky?”
A storm of bullets starts crashing into the tables and pillars beside you. Trying to duck doesn’t work and you’re grazed in the left arm. Sam tackles you behind the stage, wings extending further and out bending around you. 
“I’ve been shot!”
Sam can’t help the laugh that erupts from his throat because of your dramatic tone. “You’ve been grazed. The nano-tech has already rebuilt itself.”
“I don’t care, I hate being shot. It’s not nice. I’ve been hit.”
“Dramatic.”
“Y/N?” a harsh whisper sounds from under the stage tables. Watching your eyes bulge paints a mournful expression on Jackeline’s face. Julian is right beside her, pistol out but not shooting. You wonder if he knows you’re the invader.
“What in the hell are you still doing in here? I told you to run!”
“I’m sorry,” Jackeline squeals as bullets continue firing. “Everyone crowded. I was scared so I just got down.”
“Sam.”
Sam nods, already reading your mind. You had to find Steve; you couldn’t stay here. But there’s bullets still blazing in your direction and you find yourself hopping on your ass slightly each time a bullet connects to the ground beside you. The nano-tech does great in deflecting the lead but it really isn’t an invitation to get shot more times. The graze on your arm is already starting to burn. 
“Sam is going to guide you both out of here, alright? Julian, cover her. Sam will cover you.”
There’s a war going on behind Julian’s eyes. His face does a thousand things at once as he hears your orders and the scream of guns combined, but he nods. He grips Jackeline’s waist and pulls her in close, but before they can begin crawling Jackeline turns back to you. 
“Mátalo. Okay? Para nosotras dos.” She’s got this fierce determination in her eyes and her accent is as thick as can be. 
“Okay.”
Sam relays his location over his mic and who he has behind his wings, but before he can safely guide the married couple down the stage, a new wave of men enter and open fire. Sam’s wings can only take so much, and even though they’re vibranium, his suit is not. Ducking behind the table and reloading your gun, you then lift your head over to view the scene. It’s a mess and you could surely take them down hand-to-hand if you were close enough, but you’re stranded with your batons and seven bullets and a world of automatic machinery pointed at you. 
The storm of bullets pauses and every single person looks up to the sky. You thank the Gods for no rain today because the absence of a tarp allows for the quinjet to settle over the chaos and create a much needed distraction. Sam takes his leave, wings still wrapped around your sister, and you do the same. Running from behind the stage with batons lit up and tazed, you knock out the closest men. They fall in a strangle of electricity, vibrating and convulsing as each shock travels through their veins, ultimately paralyzing them for however long it turns out to be. This gains the attention of almost everyone else but before they can train their weapons back toward you, the back of the quinjet opens. There were a few tables still standing and it seemed the super soldier liked them better than the flat floor. 
The glass shatters from the impact of Bucky’s weight, glasses of champagne and plates with unfinished meals folding onto the shards. He’s dressed in his tactical gear and a dark navy blue jacket without a trusty sleeve. Even if the arm was covered and his hair was long rather than the short length it was now, the men would certainly know who just fell from the sky. Almost immediately, the men scatter. Bucky takes them down one by one, shot after shot, and decides to use his knives for the ones who don’t run. It’s tricky, but he manages to lodge his knives in the base of the spines of those who later changed their minds. 
He catches your eye after you manage to snap the neck of one of the runners. He tilts his head toward the left and watches you run to give Steve the backup he needs. 
     The mansion seems longer, wider, just generally bigger as you rush through the rooms and halls to get to Steve. The stuffed exotic animals follow your gaze and you can’t ignore them for long. There are men following you and men leaving Ernesto. You duck behind the standing polar bear and wait until the footsteps sound farther. Checking the amount of bullets in your gun, just in case, you finally flick the safety off and run.
There’s really only one thing of importance floating around the padded confines of your skull - get Steve out. Another thing you two had in common: both sacrificial idiots. But there wasn’t any way that you would give up the chance to save his life, as he would yours. Didn’t matter if the man you were protecting him from was your father or not. It hadn’t really settled, hadn’t truly digested, and you didn’t think it ever would. Because for years, this man was your father. He was the only man with that title. He wasn’t fatherly, far from it, but he had the label and that’s what you were going to focus on. It made no difference. 
You push the office door open and start stuttering over your words. You want to ask what happened, why there’s so much blood, whose blood it is, but all that comes is a fractured series of what the hell’s? The last syllables push through with necessary force, hardly intelligible, but exhaled at last. 
Ernesto is kneeling with his head hanging low and his hands behind his back, defeated. But it isn’t Steve who’s holding a gun to the back of his head - it’s Seda. 
No, Steve is in the corner clutching at his right hip and gritting his teeth, a wild look on his face that tells you he too was blindsided. He’s hurt. He’s gasping and wincing at the slightest of movements and it ignites the flame you’ll use to burn this world to the ground. It’s splitting your fucking ribs apart. 
“Don’t move!” Seda yells, gun still locked on Ernesto’s head but eyes on you. “Put the gun down.”
“Seda-”
“Put the fucking gun down!” 
Biting your tongue, you flip the gun in your hand so it’s facing downward and move to gently place it on the table. Flicking your eyes to where Steve is, you get your answer as to why he’s been so easily shot. His massive body and shield are draped over Ramirez, who is also disarmed and pissed. 
The self-righteous idiot, you think, he’s always gotta save the little guy.
“We’re gonna talk about this like the gods we are, yeah?”
Your face pulls awkwardly, “Seda, what is happening?”
���Don’t act like you’ve been on this asshole’s side the entire time now,” Seda bites, shoving the head of the gun harshly into the base of Ernesto’s neck. “Go on, tell him.”
“The shipment was intercepted,” you tell him. But you’re not just telling Seda, no, it’s the first Steve is hearing the good news and it allows him to feel a bit of relief. “You’ve both lost.”
“What have you done?” Ernesto screams, cheeks vibrating and face red with anger. He pays no mind to the gun and dares to glare at you. “Tell me!”
The top of your lip greets a run of tears and snot and it isn’t until then that you realize your hands are shaking mid-air and your throat is closing. “My mission.”
Blood or not, this man had the power to tie your thoughts into knots. He only had this power at precious moments and sadly, this was turning out to be one of them.
Seda bites out a laugh - it’s wet and bloody and scares you half to Hell. “I’m not the only one here who wants to kill you. But I’m going to beat her to it. She brought you back, I can’t have that.”
“No!” You curse inwardly at your involuntary hiccup. “We’re not here to kill you!”
“Oh?” Seda raises the gun at you. “What’s the endgame? Que mas necesitas?”
“I don’t need anything. The shipment is intercepted. The estate is on lockdown. Your routes are down. You’re cornered. It’s over.” You let your shoulders drag just a little. “For both of you.”
Surprisingly, Seda doesn’t pull the trigger when Ernesto charges toward you. He doesn’t pull it when Ernesto wraps his hands around your throat, either. 
It’s instinct for you to hold out your hand to stop Steve from doing what he does best. He’s already halfway up and wincing with each push to help you, to rip Ernesto from your capable body, but Seda clicks the gun in his direction. Steve watches the way your arm extends, all five fingers spread in a hopeless plea of ‘don’t you sacrifice yourself for me, don’t you dare’. 
“I have done nothing but help you! I put food on the table and clothes on your worthless back! You spent my money!” Ernesto’s eyes are practically bulging and his thumbs are almost crushing your windpipe, but his placement is off. You can still breathe air, no matter how bruising his grip may be. “This is how you treat me? I should have killed you all those years ago. I should have ripped you limb by limb until your cries bled!”
“Please,” you whimper out, hand still extended toward Steve and the other attempting to push Ernesto by the chest. 
“Please? Please? Te voy a matar aquí, ahora, porque siempre te lo mereciste!”
You let out a strangled scream and are about to fight back. To save yourself and to end Steve’s suffering of watching you suffer, of watching his newfound hope dwindle right before him, when a gunshot erupts. Everyone screams, ears ringing, and there’s blood splattered all over your cheeks and neck, spots and leaks that trail down into the collar of your bodysuit. A heavy weight lands on you and knocks you back into the shelves. You hold Ernesto’s now limp body as best you can, knees locking painfully. There’s a massive hole where the top of his head should be and for the first time in years, you have to look away to keep from throwing up. 
“Dejalo.”
You open and close your mouth but regret it when the taste of copper lands on your tongue. You follow Seda’s order and drop Ernesto to your feet, the thud sending a shiver up every single one of your vertebrae. 
“Por qué hiciste eso?” you ask him, voice small. You choke on another hiccup. 
“Don’t lie to me and say you weren’t going to do it yourself.”
You look over at Steve. His eyes are just as wide as yours and the same red specks, now turning brown, are tainting the flush pink skin of his beautiful neck. 
“No,” you whisper. Steve hears your lost accent returning and it clutches at his heart. 
“It was for the best.” Seda marches over to grab Ramirez by the tie, ripping him up from the ground and pointing the gun to his head. Steve lunges forward and Seda fires another bullet into the same hip. 
“No!” Your throat is raw, scratched, and Steve hits the floor in another heap of muffled groans. Seda returns the aim on Ramirez. 
“Imagine my surprise when I saw this one confronting Ernesto with your Captain. Imagine my fucking surprise when I tried to find all our passports, all our files, and nothing was here! Imagine my surprise when I saw that fucking idiot White being taken away by one of your agents!”
“Seda, please.” You were never much of a negotiator. It was always go in and let the others do the talking. Steve was the talker, he was the negotiator, but he was out of his element. He was always the enemy to Seda. He could never convince him otherwise. 
“You’ve given me new purpose,” Seda grins and Ramirez is rather calm in his arms, like he accepts this. “Look at the crime scene. I’m using the gun Ramirez got from your team. My men are still loyal.”
He pauses and smiles with all teeth, blood in between most of them. “You shot Ernesto. You shot your Captain. You shot Omar.”
The frightened look on your face seems to fuel him even more. He continues, “We’ll never stop hunting you.”
“Try it,” Steve manages, standing up again and vaguely registering the flash of light to his right. His shield is no longer there. “You’ll have to kill me to win. You’ll have to kill all of us to win. Me, Y/N, Omar, Sam.” He breathes in deep but smiles. “The Winter Soldier.”
You swear Seda’s face pales but his grip around Ramirez’s waist only tightens. “Easy.”
“It won’t be,” you finally say, voice no longer wavering. There’s no plausible way Seda could win. But one thing is fact: whether they’re Seda’s or Ernesto’s men, they’ll never stop hunting you now. “You lost, Seda.”
All stills but there are shouts and the ring of gunshots still echoing near the lake. 
“No,” Seda looks to you and to Ernesto’s body. “I didn’t.”
He aims the gun at you and fires. 
Steve’s wail is grease to the fire in your soul and you accept whatever pain might hit. There’s space and then there isn’t. There’s emptiness and then there’s a space being filled by that horrid but lifesaving shield. There’s no one and then there’s Scott, blown up to his regular size with shield in hand and in front of you. The bullet bounces off the shield easily and hits the wall. You’re pushed into motion and in about two seconds, you’ve grabbed your gun again and do not hesitate to fire. The bullet hits Seda in his exposed chest and Ramirez fumbles to get the gun from him. Seda hits the floor and no one else follows. 
The shot hits its target perfectly. Seda doesn’t so much as stutter. 
“God,” Scott grumbles, eyes trying to focus on anything other than the pools of blood. “Was I late?”
You don’t pay any mind to Scott and rush over to Steve, where he’s barely holding himself up with his hip tilted on the edge of the desk.  “Steve? Steve. Did he hit anything important?”
“Besides the fuckin’ meat of my stomach?”
There isn’t a way to see beneath the kevlar, but your fingers have a mind of their own as they try to dig in. “You know what I mean.”
Steve huffs a laugh and gently slaps your fingers away. “No, but motherfuck me Christ, I get shot way too much and it hurts no less.”
“Was the shield not enough? You had to sacrifice your one-hundred year old hips? Are you hit anywhere else?”
“I was caught off guard. What about you? I heard over the mics that you were shot and-”
“Are you two done?” Scott interrupts, clearing his throat awkwardly but half a mind still paying attention to his own mic. 
It’s like you’re snapped back to reality. There’s not only Steve but others, alive and dead, and the smell of copper is all too familiar.  “Sorry, I’m still in shock. I don’t really know how to proceed from here.”
“Y/N-” Scott tries, but you resume.
“We were supposed to arrest them. Just arrest them.”
“Okay, I think we should get you outta here,” Steve acts like he’s the one guiding you, but his weight is falling. You faintly register a phone ringing in the room but Steve, ever so persistent, is still acting like he is holding you up. He lunges forward with a sharp wince, and your hand immediately goes to his hip. 
“Captain.”
Ramirez lowers his phone, call ended, and he wears an expression Steve recognizes immediately. It’s an expression that looks all too similar to Dugan’s when he relayed the news of enemy forces breaching their base. “...How many?”
“They’ve already sent the news to their men in Mexico.”
“Have they shut down the border?”
“It wouldn’t make a difference.”
“They don’t know two of their men are dead, so we can-“
Scott shakes his head, shield still in hand with specks of blood drying on the blue stripe. “They know White was arrested. That’s all they need. They’ll assume the rest, the worst.”
You sigh, “Seda was right.”
Scott literally pouts and he looks like he wants to wrap you in his arms. “No, don’t send yourself there.”
Steve, however, agrees with you. “If they know about White, then they know about Omar. Seda had time to tell his men.”
“Then we make sure he’s arrested and taken to a secure facility. We can keep an eye-” Scott starts, but you shut him down quickly.
“He’s wanted by the US government, not the Avengers. We can only transport him. We can’t guarantee his safety.”
Ramirez gives a small smile. “Mija, voy estar bien. No te preocupes.”
“I don’t know.”
Scott looks between the three of you. He places the shield against the wall near the door. He raises his eyebrows at Steve and looks to his wounds, but Steve waves him off. Reluctantly, Scott nods. “I’m gonna go check on Sam.”
There’s a pool of blood near your boots. You don’t want to know if it’s from the dead or from Steve.  
“Doll, what are you thinking?”
He can’t hurt you anymore. “That I need you to go, too.”
Steve forgets about the pain in his hip and focuses solely on you. “What?”
“Go. If there’s one more thing you can do for me and my reckless family, go check on Sam.”
“You know I can’t leave you here alone with him.”
Your voice is steady and calm and it’s scaring Steve. It’s scaring him. “I promised myself that you wouldn’t be hurt by this mission. I stand by it.”
“I promise, Captain, I have no resentment. Whatever she does, I will follow,” Ramirez speaks, and Steve doesn’t even pay him a glance. 
“I can’t just go.”
“Steve,” you interlock your fingers behind his neck. “Please. Listen to me.” He looks so confused, a million questions flying through his mind and almost escaping those sweet pink lips. Fierce, you whisper for only him. “He can’t hurt me anymore. He can’t hurt me anymore.”
He relishes the feeling of your soft hands behind his neck. They’re bloody, but yours. His neck is bloody, but you don’t seem to care. “Two minutes.”
“Two minutes,” you confirm.
He pulls from your hold and turns to leave. He picks up the shield. Before he leaves, he grips the doorway and looks over his shoulder, eyebrows pinched and jaw tense. “Two minutes, I swear to Almighty Christ, Y/N. I’m coming back for you.”
You smirk, the dim light from the office lamps creating nothing short of a sparkle in your eyes. “I don’t expect anything less, Rogers.”
Steve hesitates for a moment and then he walks away. Once his footsteps are no longer heard, you turn back to Ramirez. There’s a voice in your head telling you this was a bad idea and that you were an idiot to have your back turned on him for so long, but Ramirez is simply leaning on one of the chairs and grimacing at the bloody scene before him. 
“Remember when Ernesto bought you that car when you were thirteen? And then another when your brother crashed it?”
Your nose pinches, “I don’t feel like reminiscing when he’s lying right there.”
“Do you remember what you told me when he bought you that second car? The sports one?”
You sigh. Ramirez was clearly going to continue speaking. “‘No lo quiero. Soy una niña. Get rid of it.’”
“And I did.”
“You did.”
He smiles, and for the first time you notice all the gray hair dusting his head, the most by his temples. There's a limp in his step too but you can’t remember if he had before or after the wedding. “I’ll get rid of this.”
“What?” you blink, unsure if you heard him right.
“I’m already a traitor. If I spin this, you can continue the mission. You can arrest even more of his men. They’ll come after me instead of you.”
It’s what he’s been trained to do. It’s what he’s done since he transported his first shipment. It’s what he’s done time and time again for Ernesto, for Seda, for some of his own careless men. He’s numb to it, just as you were a few days ago, but now you can’t stop thinking about the aftermath. Where would he put their bodies? Would they be buried here or back in Mexico? Would people really care if Ernesto was dead? They didn’t seem to care when he was snapped out of existence. But Ramirez has this sag in his shoulders that tells you he’s already calculating the best way to wrap the bodies and how deep he plans on sending them… or burning them. Burning them was always easier. 
“They’ll come after your family. Your daughters.”
He shakes his head, “I’ve ensured their safety. They’re safe.”
Against your better judgement, you tap your mic discreetly and turn it off. “I can’t let you take one for the team.”
He chuckles, “I’m a part of your team? I’m an Avenger?”
You can’t help but laugh with him. It’s not a light moment, but it’s a moment nonetheless. “Sure, Omar. But we don’t trade lives.”
“I had this coming.”
“No, you didn’t. You don’t.” Straining your ears and shutting your eyes, you mumble a quick prayer in hope that this plan of yours worked. You pass Ramirez your own gun and speak low. “Go.”
He’s shocked and he stutters. “Que haces? Que esta pasando?”
“There’s no one on the east side right now. All the guests were moved to the front. It’s clear. But not for long.” Pushing him to the door, you make sure he’s not leaving any bloody footprints behind. He’s clear. “Go.”
“This will kill us both.”
“But it will give us a head start.”
“No puedo hacer eso! No quiero hacer eso.”
“Omar, they’re not going to protect you once you’re charged. I can’t protect you then. So I need you to go.” You reach into your suit and pluck that random Roman coin you had stolen just a few days earlier. It was a token of good luck but you didn’t need it anymore. You avoid looking at the carving for fear that the likeness to Steve will make you change your mind. You place it in Ramirez’s hand and clench his fist shut.  “If there’s one thing you can do for my stupid, anti-hero mentality, go.”
“Que hago con esto?”
“No me llamas. But let me find this.”
He looks at you with pity. It’s so much pity and understanding for your situation that you have to look away. “I owe you my life.”
Eyesight now on the wall over his shoulder, you offer him a thin smile. “You wouldn’t be the first.”
He stumbles at first, unsure if this is really happening, and finally passes by. “Y/N.” 
You figure it’d be pretty rude not to answer. You turn slowly. He continues, face somber and head shaking with so much pity. “The amount of Hell that’s coming...”
It’s funny, really. You shoot him that famous smile you were known for. It tricks him like it’s supposed to. “I’m already going to Hell for the lives I’ve taken and the crimes I’ve committed. But the journey to my fate has been worth it.”
     The estate is being swept as quickly as possible. There are agents dressing wounds, reading rights, snapping photos, on the phone, etc. It’s organized chaos and there’s so much happening but it’s never impossible to catch Steve’s side profile in a crowd. His nose is pinched up and he’s dealing with his wounds himself. No one is even looking at him. 
Speed walking to him, you hook your arm in his and turn him around. He’s too tall, and your toes strain as you rise on them, but you wrap your arms around his neck anyway. He returns the gesture and squeezes you as hard as you’re squeezing him. After a few seconds, he whispers quietly.
“Where’d Ramirez go?”
If he saw your eyes, he would know you were lying. You keep your arms in place. “He got away.”
He tries to push you away but fails. “Y/N.”
“He got away,” you repeat. Slowly, regretfully, you pull back.  “We should go.”
There’s a horrible crease in between his eyebrows and he knows he’s caught you in a lie, but he also knows that if there was one thing he knew most about you, it was that you were just as stubborn as he was. Quick with wit, always asking to be punched, and stubborn to the point it made strangers worry. So he doesn’t question it, and turns with you in the direction of the jet.  “Maribel has the safehouse set up. Montana.”
“You sure you can make it to the jet? Should I get Bucky to come with us?”
The quinjet is empty except for a few supplies, a medical bag, and Friday. There are only two seats and by the way Steve’s bending over to show his true pain, you’d be flying it. Once you land, you can fish out those bullets.
“No one else.” Steve bites. He can’t risk anyone else - hell, he doesn’t even want to risk you. “I’ll protect you.”
You board the jet and watch as the trees sway in rhythm to the movements of everyone doing their job. It’s dark, and you push the fact that you’re so horribly night blind to the back of your skull, and it’s starting to eat away at you that the mission didn’t really go as planned. No one seems to notice yet that you never brought them the two main players they were hoping for. It only makes you close the quinjet faster. You sit Steve down in one of the seats and kneel before him. “And I you.”
If anyone asked, Steve would lie and say he was tearing up because of the bullets piercing his skin in half.  To protect and be protected. 
“Let’s go.”
~
TAGLIST: @dumb-ass-writer @justab-eautifulmess @supraveng @mycosmicparadise @missnighttigress​
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kimberly-spirits13 · 4 years
Text
Random Characters with Creative/ Designer S/O HC:
Characters: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Bart Allen, Conner Kent (RSS), Jamie Reyes
Damian Wayne (Fashion Design):
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·      You’d started off your career when you were young
·      Your father wasn’t super supportive of everything and said that you were too young to start a business or what have you
·      So, with approval from your mother, you started one behind his back
·      He didn’t know until one day you ended up treading and going viral with a dress you made for a very famous celebrity
·      At that point he couldn’t stop you and was just impressed that you made it for months without him knowing
·      As long as you were keeping up schooling, it would fly
·      You ended up getting to travel the world and go to fashion week
·      More specifically NYFW
·      New York was the big one
·      That’s where you and Damian met
·      He was there for a business trip with Bruce and saw you at one of the shows the girls dragged him to
·      He was immediately infatuated with you and wanted to meet you
·      Thank the heavens he has sisters who wear your clothes to almost every gala
·      They got to go back stage and talk to you which led to you two exchanging numbers and the rest is history
·      When you started dating it was really hectic
·      You had a few kidnapping scares which made him want to break it off especially after you found out about the entire Robin thing
·      Heeeellllllllll no
·      You didn’t let that happen at all
·      Bruce actually commented and said that if you were that stubborn, Damian should probably keep you
·      Fashion week becomes more tiring and you also hate not being able to see Damian as much
·      He comes and visits though to make sure you don’t throw yourself out a window or something lol
·      When it’s over, you guys always take a long vacation to Lake Tahoe in a house Bruce owns on the Nevada side
·      He loves seeing your studio since it’s so organized and colorful
·      You’ve got walls of mood boards and mannequins with unfinished garments everywhere along with a massive soft couch that one of you is always sprawled out on
·      Sometimes he’ll send you pictures of pretty things he thinks you’d might like which ends up being incorporated into something
·      You taught him how to drape and make his own suit so that Alfred can have a day off
·      If anyone has a wardrobe malfunction and you’re around, you’ve got the needle and thread kit on hand at any given moment
·      Some things in the kit come in handy for picking locks too
·      He thinks it’s hilarious if you ever critique something or just call it straight ugly
·      If you’re at a gala and do it it’s even funnier
·      “Omg...”
·      “What is it beloved?”
·      “The drape and hem of that dress is the most preposterous thing I think I have ever seen. The fabric isn’t even the right material or fit for their shape. How rich are these people? And they can’t afford clothes that look decent on them?” You said giving them the famous inspecting side eye, “Also, who wears pearls with double sided sequins and fur?” “They can’t fix everything sweetie.”
·      *intense snickering from Damian*
Tim Drake (Software/ Web Designer):
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·      It’s a match made in heaven
·      The two of you meet at a tech conference
·      He thought that you were such an interesting person to talk to and you had offers from places like MIT
·      You got along so well and then he found that you liked coffee like he did
·      Omg
·      He asked you out in the nerdiest way by making you decipher code on your own computer
·      You were kind of mad since you had been doing some other things for some major companies but after reading the message you determined you were fine with it
·      I mean how could you say no
·      Anyways the date when off great and eventually the media caught heavy wind of what was happening
·      You already knew about the Red Robin thing pretty quickly into the relationship though
·      Tim was a genius and you weren’t far behind
·      It was scary how similar you two were
·      From expressions and shared humor and meme taste, it was everything
·      Staying up together was another thing you did
·      Although, after some time one of you would pass out and the other would go to bed too
·      It was like a competition in sorts of who could stay up the longest but at the same time you needed him to sleep
·      The time he felt most betrayed by you was when you replaced his coffee with decaf
·      You guys just sometimes hang out in his bed tangled up in the weirdest way watching vines or weird movies
·      Totally the couple that would watch the worst rated movies just to laugh at them
·      Damian commented on it once and got a tired middle finger from you once
·      It wasn’t the classiest move however you couldn’t care less and Tim laughed his ass off
·      After that Damian seemed to respect you more
·      You guys probably have matching hoodies or something with really funny or obscure culture references
·      Clingy couple but nothing too over dramatic
Bart Allen:
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·      Your designs in architecture went down in text books
·      You were famous for some really amazing builds and constructions
·      You started off by building these really insane LEGO sets or doll houses based off of designs in your notebook
·      Your mother still has the models in the attic which is kind of embarrassing when he sees it but he thinks it’s really cool
·      When he came to your time line he knew immediately who you were
·      He also totally came to you and complimented your work plus some additional hinting at what was going to happen pretty soon
·      Bart was there at the rise of your success
·      He basically was your number one fan the entire time
·      He’ll stay up with you as long as he can when you’re working
·      It’s kind of funny seeing that when you’re designing the things you went down in history for you’ll be stuck on something and he’ll just tiredly recommend what he remembers learning
·      You let him look through the designs sometimes but he understands if you don’t really feel comfortable with it
·      He also knows that in order to do all of this, you’re wicked smart
·      When the cave needed remodeling, you were the first person that they called in
·      The League was very glad that you were there and they didn’t have to pull any strings to get anyone different in
·      Plus, you knew what was needed since you were there all of the time
Kon Kent:
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·      You got your start writing
·      It was the best thing that you did to relive stress
·      Once your parents saw that you were such an imaginative child, they got you in a ton of art related classes but you liked writing the most
·      Your writings had won awards before but then you wrote a book and it did amazing
·      So now, that’s what you do
·      Kon secretly actually really likes your books and met you at a book signing
·      Nerd
·      He got your number there and then you realized who he was
·      It was kind of funny cause you were both in that moment of realization like
·      Ohhhhh I know who you are.... kinda thing
·      He finds it hilarious that sometimes you’re just all over the place
·      When doing research your room isn’t terrible messy, it’s just piles and piles of notes and articles
·      You also probably have an expansive collection of literature yourself ranging from all genres
·      You don’t really like him to proof the book, however if you have an idea for something he’s all ears
·      Coffee dates to strange hole in the wall joints
·      Clark really likes you and finds your humor funny in the sense that it’s close to Bruce’s
·      Both very sarcastic and dry
·      Lex is just glad that his son found someone with an intellect
·      You don’t really like Lex though
·      That’s because you hear everything that Kon has to say about him
·      Although, without giving the man too much credit, the charade that he plays on the daily in quite impressive
·      You will never admit it however
·      Ma and Pa love you
·      So does Lois
·      You get along because of the writing
·      Sometimes Kon will just take you to some random part of the world if you need inspiration
·      “Hey wanna fly to Morocco?”
·      “Why not?”
·      You make a day trip out of it but if it’s a long one you’ll stay longer
·      Short distance he’ll fly you himself but overseas or something, he takes one of Lex’s jets
·      He likes to tease you sometimes but will take it easy during the editing phase
·      Those aren’t fun at alllll
·      You get cranky sometimes during that and he just backs off lol
·      He will make you sleep though
·      He doesn’t want you turning into Tim or anything for an extended amount of time
·      Nope
·      Not doing it
Jamie Reyes:
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·      The team didn’t know anything about your job as an artist
·      You were internationally revered
·      No one knew of your job but for the boy wonder who saw the paint in your hair
·      Once the team did know however, everyone was amazed
·      You and Jamie were already dating by then though
·      He was always impressed with what you did
·      Laughed when you were covered in paint
·      He lets you paint or draw on his hand
·      You both have matching hoodies or jackets from your clothing line or merch that you painted
·      If you have a YouTube channel, he’s in some of the videos
·      Scarab notes that you have a more creative personality which Jamie responds to with a sarcastic remark
·      Your clothes are partly covered in paint
·      He’ll go to every show
·      During the Reach thing you still stayed with him
I have more parts of the Damian Wayne x reader story coming and also requests but I’m just getting into school which is my priority so that’s why I’ve been a bit more inactive. Anyways I hope you liked this one and I can’t wait to put out more 
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peterxwade24 · 3 years
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Safety Found in Red Sleeves
Chapter 6
So, who’s ready for chapter 6? We get to see all of temp heroes. (Brielle, Alicia and Bellamy belong to @soap-lady and her lovely fic “Fashion Upgrade” go give her some love).
Anyways, onto the fic.
You’ll notice minor edits, such as Kim’s hero name. He went through a very minor edit after I discovered the Vietnamese zodiac.
Renarde Véloce looked at Alicia, her Miraculous, a yellow circle with the Leo star sign, hung against her chest, before nodding. “Say Mullo get squeaky to activate the Miraculous. When you’re ready to detransform, without your timer being up, say piailler.”
Alicia nodded and smiled, bouncing on the pads of her feet and shaking out her hands. “Mullo, get squeaky.” Alicia was consumed in a sardine gray light and when it disappeared  she was no longer Alicia.
Standing in her place was a hero in her own right. Her hair was piled atop her head in a beehive, her hair was an ombre of violet to pale purple to gray. She wore a white long sleeve jumpsuit that was tight around the arm but loose fitting after it reached her waist. Over her jumpsuit she wore a green shawl with a thick white ribbon along the top edge that ended just before her waist. Her hands and feet were covered in a thin skin coloured material to give extra protection. She had a thin green headband a few inches away from her bangs and an even thinner ribbon wrapped around her waist three or four times. She had a pale yellow-green veil around the bottom of her face with a purple masquerade mask which had light purple details.
Renarde Véloce smiled and twirled her finger in a circle. “Turn around.”
She spun in a slow circle before finally facing Renarde Véloce. “What do you think?”
“Very good. What’s your name?”
“...Sournoise.” She responded before tapping her cheek and nodding. “Yeah. Sournoise.”
“Cool.” Renarde Véloce smiled and grabbed Sournoise’s hand. “Let’s go.”
---
Trâu looked over Bellamy, his Miraculous, a thick leather arm band, seemed to give off a puff of steam, before a tiny smile grew on his face. “You say Longg bring the storm to transform, clear skies to detransform before your timer runs out. Have at it.”
Bellamy smiled. “Longg, bring the storm.” He was consumed in a crimson light and when it disappeared, he was no longer Bellamy.
He had a large straw hat atop his head with a thin white veil around the brim. He had a red tank under a dark brown robe tied with rope around his chest and upper arms. The rope was tied with a smooth white stone in the shape of a club or a mushroom. He had three red claw-like marks on each shoulder and fanciful designs in the same red up his neck and across his face. He had black on his eyelids and his lips while his eyes were slitted like a dragon’s. His eyes glowed golden through his veil, an unimaginable heat radiated from his pupils.
Trâu nodded, stretching his arms over his head. “Punaise will want you to have a hero name. Have you thought about it?”
“Colchis, it’s a dragon from mythology. I figured, being a dragon and all, that I’d do a little bit of research.” He smiled and bounced on the balls of his feet, despite the fact that he wore geta.
“Cool.” Together, Trâu and Colchis went off to train.
---
Althaeban lazily watched Brielle fret over her Miraculous, a yellow and brown striped scrunchie around her wrist. “You transform by saying Pollen buzz on and detransform before your timer runs out by saying buzz off. The team and I wouldn’t have chosen you if we didn’t think you would be able to handle it.”
Brielle nodded. “Pollen buzz on.” She was consumed in a warm yellow light and when it disappeared she was no longer Brielle.
She wore a long-sleeved loose-fitting yellow jumpsuit with a red-orange sash wrapped around her waist. She had an orange shawl wrapped around her shoulders which covered her entire back. She had gauntlets on her forearms similar to Poulain Rouge’s but yellow with orange bands around her wrists. Her feet were clad in brown flats with light brown socks. She had a chunky red necklace around her neck with a bee on the pendant which hung against her chest. Her hair was pulled back into a ballerina bun with brown streaks throughout it. Her face was obscured by a brown mask which stretched from her cheekbones to her forehead with black hexagonal patterned eye lenses and three black dots between her eye lenses. Two of the brown streaks in her hair stood up as though they were antennae.
Althaeban flicked her eyes over her suit and nodded. “Cool. What’s your name? BugBoy’s gunna wanna know.”
“Bumble Bee.” She smiled and did a quick twirl. “Let’s go.”
---
Thana shouldered her bag, a soft brown faux leather computer bag, filled with her emergency supplies. She grabbed her suitcase, a black twenty-one inch hard shell modeled after Batman’s suit, and left her room. “Bye Sabine. Bye Tom.”
Thana left the bakery and smiled at Chloé’s limo, which would be taking her and her friends to the airport. She loaded her suitcase into the trunk, beside Chloé’s white twenty inch hard shell suitcase. She closed the trunk and slid into the back seat beside Chloé. “Who’re we getting next?”
“Our boys had a slumber party last night so we’ll get them first before we go to get the Pinkette and Adrikins.” Chloé smiled at her friend and tapped on the divider between the driver and the back. “To the Lê Chiến residence please.”
The girls sat in companionable silence in the backseat, their phones plugged in to finish charging.
Kim and Nino were waiting on the sidewalk outside of the building. Kim had a navy twenty inch hard shell suitcase while Nino had a green twenty inch hard shell suitcase. After Kim loaded the suitcases the two boys joined the girls, plugging in their phones as well.
“It is too early to have make up on Chlo.” Kim grumbled as he laid his head in the blonde’s lap.
“Why are you so awake Chlo?” Nino asked as he grew comfortable in Thana’s lap. “It’s like three in the morning.”
“You think all of this happens naturally?” Chloé scoffed goodnaturedly. “Agreste Manor please.”
The four friends rode in silence, the two boys slowly falling back to sleep.
Adrien opened the door as Alix loaded their suitcases into the trunk, his was identical to Nino’s but red while hers was bronze.
“Hey guys.” Adrien greeted.
“Everyone wrote the address for Chloé’s dad’s hotel as the return address on their luggage tag, right?” Alix asked as she slid into the car and laid her head in Adrien’s lap.
Chloé nodded. “If your luggage tag falls off we have back ups,” she gestured to the bag of neon orange circle tags with a picture of part of the earth on them, “but try to keep track of them.”
Chloé’s carry-on bag was a yellow tote bag, Kim’s was a red backpack, Nino’s was a blue backpack, Adrien’s was a green backpack, and Alix’s was just her gray and pink sports bag.
---
Thana smiled at the informational representative as she placed her suitcase on the scale. “M. Bourgeois has kindly offered to cover the checked luggage fee for not only his daughter but also for myself and our three friends while M. Agreste is paying for his son’s.”
The woman behind the desk nodded. “Of course.” She smiled and motioned Thana on. “Find your gate, and the rest of your party, and wait for the boarding call. Have a nice flight.”
“Thank you. Have a nice day.” Thana went in search of the gate, grimacing as she found the rest of her class in the waiting area. She rolled her eyes and sat down in a chair a short jaunt away from the class, but close enough to overhear their conversation.
“-of course when I asked Bruce he just,” Lila snapped her fingers and smiled, “snapped and made it happen. He would do anything for me.”
“You see, that’s funny. Since I’m the one who wrote the essay and submitted the essay.” Adrien approached the group and smiled at Thana. “Hey Thana.”
“Adrien.” Thana waved. She went back to her Instagram feed, watching soap making videos and getting ideas for what to give her uncles and aunts for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Ōmisoka.
Chloé, Kim, Nino and Alix joined the duo soon after. The six friends calmly waited for the boarding announcement for their flight, continuing to shoot down all of Lila’s lies about how she’s the one who got them the trip.
---
Thana took a deep breath of the polluted Gotham air, the slight hint of familiarity soothing her. A small smile took over her face, and she adjusted her red hoodie, pulling the hood over her hair, as she stood just outside of the airport with her suitcase next to her waiting for her friends to collect their luggage. She looked to the rooftops, hoping to see her brother but knowing if he was running with the Bat then they were probably back in their cave, before a tap on her shoulder made her turn to look at Kim.
Kim gave her a smile, a sad smile but a smile. “Looking for him?” Kim draped an arm across her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze. “According to the email that Wayne sent Adrien, one of his sons will be guiding our tours while another one of his sons will be acting as a bodyguard.”
Thana nodded. “He’s got four sons, one’s our age and the other is younger. Best case scenario, Dick will be the guide and Jay-Jay the bodyguard. Worst case scenario, Tim will be the guide and Dick will be the bodyguard.” She shrugged and looked for their friends. “We should get on the bus before Lila and her court get the good seats in the back.”
---
Thana looked up at the building, her eyes filling with tears. “Kim. Kim, I can’t go in there. Before this was a hotel, before Wayne bought the building, I got shot at in there. I’ll give you my luggage, put it in Chlo’s room and I’ll just, I’ll just sneak in change before the morning headcount but I cannot sleep in there overnight.” Her voice was low, barely above a whisper, and it cracked with emotion, pulling a deep frown from not only Kim but also Chloé.
“Of course Fragolina. We’ll cover for you.” Chloé grabbed Thana’s hand, giving it an affection squeeze, before helping their friends form a wall to allow Thana to slip away from the group and fade into the crowd rushing past them.
-*-*-*
Jason paced his apartment, trying to decide if he actually wanted to do this favour for Bruce before remembering the possibility that his sister could be amongst their ranks. He sighed and shook his head, he’d just do what Bruce asked him to do.
He turned away from his windows, unlocked with the curtains open to give his siblings easy access to his apartment if they need to crash while they’re out, to walk into his kitchen. He set to work making a lunch for Damian, reminding himself to toss in a couple extra snacks because Damian was going to be out with Ed and John for the day tomorrow. He wrote a little note for Damian in Arabic and tucked it inside the lunch bag before putting the bag in the fridge. Jason had some business to attend to, some Red Hood business, that he couldn’t bring Damian on so he’d asked Ed and John to take him because all of his siblings were going to be busy tomorrow.
---
Jason in his full Red Hood gear, stood in the alley across the street from the dumb building Bruce bought. He’d renamed it, of course, to the Wayne Enterprises’ Kaya Hotel but that didn’t take away the memories he had. Bruce had only cared because he knew Jason had gotten shot at in there, he hadn’t cared that it was the nth time that jackass had shot at kids nor did he care about all of the other kids who’d gotten shot in there, namely Thana.
Jason tightened his grip on the can of spray paint and waited until more people had cleared out of the way. He double checked that no one was going to see him as he sprinted across the street to the side of the building. He grit his teeth and he surveyed the side of the building, he needed to make it big enough to memorialize all of the people but small enough that Batman wouldn’t know he was the one who did it.
He pulled the top off of the can of spray paint, a metallic silver, and began throwing up the rough shape of several bullets, one bullet for every kid who was ever shot at in the building, while keeping an ear out for the sound of one of his look outs letting him know someone was approaching.
He smiled as his vision was coming to life, the silver bullets getting a black outline before he numbered them in a matte fire red. One of his look outs, a twelve year old girl named Taylor, alerted him to the incoming presence of the authorities. Taylor’s siblings, Jesse and Morgan, who were located closer to his position because they weren’t quite as loud, let him know when they were closer.
Jason collected his supplies, remembering to grab the spray paint caps, before he ran off. He’d come by later to cover the bullets in a waterproof sealant to protect it from the weather. He smiled as he scaled the side of a building, going back to the rendezvous point to wait for the trio of siblings.
He tucked the cans of spray paint into his bag, waiting a short five minutes before the three siblings appeared. He smiled and tossed them a wad of cash, the exact amount unknown. “Payment for standing around and keeping an eye out for pigs.”
Taylor smiled at him and nodded. “Thanks.”
---
Jason sat in the coffee shop again, a cup of black coffee in front of him as he waited for Harvey. There was a second cup of black coffee waiting for Harvey, accompanied by a blueberry scone. Jason tapped his fingers against the table, his nerves getting the best of him.
Harvey walked into the coffee shop, his eyes landing on Jason’s black and white hair before he made his way over. Harvey sat down in the chair opposite Jason with a small smile. “Mr. Todd, what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you knew any really good private investigators. It just, there are some sketchy circumstances surrounding my sister’s relocation and I wanna look into them.” Jason batted the handle to his cup between his hands before looking up at the other man. “If you don’t know anyone personally, do you know anyone who would?”
“I might know a guy, and Cobblepott might know a guy.” Harvey sipped at his coffee. “Selina probably knows a few.”
Jason nodded. “Okay. Thanks. Do you have his card?” Jason looked at Harvey, his green tinted blue eyes boring into Harvey’s blue orbs.
Harvey passed over a business card and smiled. “Give him a call after you talk to Selina and Cobblepott.”
“Thanks Harvey.”
Jason took a minute to finish his coffee and shoot a text to Ed, who was more likely to have his phone on him than John.
Jason frowned at his phone and sighed. He shook out his shoulders and walked up to the counter. He smiled at the barista and waited for her to finish doing her task. “Hi. Can I get a venti caramel brulée crème frap to go for Selina?”
“I’ll get right on that.” The barista smiled as she started Selina’s frap.
Jason smiled and slipped a twenty into the tip jar before swiping his card to pay for the coffees he had ordered. He graciously accepted the frap from the barista and smiled at her. “Thank you so much. Have a nice day.”
---
Jason slowly jogged to Selina’s apartment. He had a few hours to chat with the woman, who for all intents and purposes was his mother, before he had to go talk to Oswald. He caught the door as a resident left the building with a smile directed at the resident, who just scoffed at him.
Jason climbed the stairs and when he stopped outside of Selina’s door.
“-come on Lina! Come out with Red and me! We’ll have fun.” Harley’s voice sounded from within the apartment.
“Selina! Come on. We never have fun like we used to.” Pam’s voice sounded from close to Harley’s.
“Girls.” Selina’s voice washed over Jason, she had always been his favourite of the women his sister claimed as aunts, letting her have the other two. “Do you two want to be in Arkham when Thana comes home?”
Jason knocked on the door, which caused all three women inside to freeze. Jason gave a tentative call of “Mom?”
Selina seemed to stumble over herself to rush to the door. She flung it open, not hard enough for it to bounce off of the wall but rather forcefully. “Oh kitten.” Selina wrapped Jason in her arms, before pulling back to look at his face. “What’re you doing here?”
“Mom, I called you. I um, I brought you coffee.” Jason held out the cup to Selina and watched as Harley and Pam peaked around the corner.
“Oh kitten, thank you.” Selina accepted the cup and took an appreciative sip. “What’s up catnip?”
“Harvey said you might know some guys, some PIs. There was some sketchy circumstances surrounding Thana’s departure from the city and I wanna look into it.” Jason looked at the floor. “B’s making me act as the class’s bodyguard while they’re in town and I, I just need to know if he had anything to do with her being removed from the city. After I leave here I’m gunna go talk to Oswald, see if he can give a couple names. I figure, the more guys searching, the better the information will be.”
Selina looked at the boy who was practically her son and felt dignified rage well up in her being. Rage at her on-again off-again boyfriend and his stupid morals. “I swear, if he had anything to do with getting Hatter’s girl outta Gotham, I will break up with him for real.” She took a breath before glancing over her shoulder at the other Sirens. “You two need to make sure you’re not in Arkham. Stop Jerome from whatever plots he’s got so he isn’t in Arkham when she gets here.”
Pamela nodded while Harley glowered at the floor. “We got that.” Pamela pulled Harley out of the open window.
“Mom, you’re friends are so extra.” Jason smiled.
---
Jason waved at Selina, who was waving at him from the window in her apartment, as he walked to the Iceberg Lounge. He had a lot of things he still had to do.
Jason walked into the lounge, waving to the bouncer posted at the door as he passed, and started looking for Oswald, Pere or Gale. He passed by several people he recognized, giving only a nod in recognition.
Jason spotted either Pere or Gale, he never could tell them apart, and started making his way over towards her. “Hey. Can you direct me to Cobblepot?”
She nodded, the grey moon on her forehead the only clue of who she was, before incling her head to indicate that Jason should follow her. She walked back to Oswald’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” Oswald’s voice burst from the room.
Jason followed either Pere or Gale into the office, where she bowed and ducked out of the office.
“Hey Oswald.” Jason greeted while he sat down in the chair across the desk from Oswald. “Harvey said you may have-” Jason was cut off by his phone ringing, prompting him to hold up a single finger as he pulled out his phone. He sighed and answered the call. “John? I’m kinda-”
“Do not. Jason, we have a situation. The Bat is out and about.” John cut him off. “Ed and Itty Bitty are in a restaurant.”
“I’ll shoot Mom a text. She’ll take care of him.” Jason sighed. “Keep me updated.” Jason hung up the phone and shot a text to Selina. She shot him back a text letting him know the Sirens were covering it. He looked back to Oswald and smiled. “As I was saying. Harvey said you may have a couple PIs in your pocket.”
“Of course. In regards to Hatter’s girl.” Oswald nodded and pulled open a desk drawer. He rifled through the documents within for a moment before pulling out several business cards. “Any of these guys, they owe me a favour.”
---
Jason sat on the couch in his apartment. All of the business cards were laid out on his coffee table, Tim, Steph, and Cass sat on the opposite side of the coffee table while Damian was asleep on Jason’s lap. “Everyone pick two or three?”
Tim shrugged while Cass nodded. All four of them grabbed a few cards before the other three shoved them at Jason.
“Okay. Everyone grab a drink and a last snack. Then it’s time to go to bed.” Jason grinned, he piled the chosen cards close to the corner of the table and pulled Damian to his chest. He stood up and carried him to bed, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Jason went around the apartment to clean up a little before stopping in the two other rooms to press kisses to his siblings foreheads. He knew that everyone would be fine as long as they stuck together.
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Text
Hi! Can i just say that i absolutely love your writing and your vibe as a whole? 🥺💞 If i may, I’d like to request a fic where the reader is a very well known socialite, but she gets very bored of her life and wants something different. She suddenly meets J in some sort of situation and becomes infatuated with him & his lifestyle. You must be busy with other requests & your personal life, so if anything, i just want you to know that i love your writing! 💘
 Sweet anon!!! AKADJSBAJSND 😭💖 I’m SO sorry this has taken me so long to get to and I hope you see it!! This was a really fun one and I had a great time writing it so I really hope you like it 💕
 Self-insert, Ledger Joker x fem reader, first time meeting Joker
Word count: 1,954
Warnings: tension, light violence
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Something Different
Another boring party with boring people in a boring place. How many more of these must you endure?
Ah the fabulous life of the daughter of Dr. Thomas Elliot, famous Gotham City surgeon and longtime family friend of the Wayne family. Being born to one of Gotham’s founding families, she lives a life of luxury. Chauffeurs, butlers, ritzy charity events, fashion shows, brand promos, intense boredom. You were certainly grateful for the fact that finances were never something you had to worry about, but at the same time, money imprisoned you. It controlled your every move like a puppet master. Stand like this, wear that, speak this way, don’t forget to smile. And don’t even think about having your own dreams. You had access to all of the means in the world to do whatever you want, right? Wrong. If it’ll tarnish the family reputation on any way, its not gonna happen. Ever. And you’d be surprised at what they consider “tarnishing.” Learning to drive, going to school, coloring your hair, going on dates, having a job, getting ice cream with friends. What friends? You never got to experience these things. Things that were normal. Now you were in your late twenties and the life of the average young adult was completely foreign to you. Its been ten years now. Since you started to hate this life.
You were attending yet another fundraiser at Bruce’s place. What was it for this time? Friends of the Gotham Railway? Society for the Performing Arts? Gotham Heights Country Club’s new golf course? District Attorney Harvey Dent. Didn’t he just get elected? Okay then. It really doesn’t matter anyway. They’re all the same. Gourmet hors d’oeuvres, expensive champagne, some phony inspirational speech, bland conversation, smile through how much your feet hurt in these heels, send a check tomorrow. The predictability you lived your life by was astonishing. When were you finally going to get to do something different?
You lifted another glass of champagne from the tray drifting past you and took a heavy sip. Can’t get to drunk though, what would the media say? You were tempted to do it on purpose, just to mix things up for once. The sound of rough whirring broke you out of your melancholic trance and you turned to see a helicopter landing on the roof top balcony outside. The man himself arriving ever so fashionably late. Linking arms with three women you could only assume to be models, how classy. And here comes the motivational speech. I believe in Harvey Dent, a safer Gotham, optimism, face of our bright future, blah blah blah. Now everybody claps. Just wonderful. Back to our mindless mingling.
The evening continued on like they all do. This time you were stuck trying not to stare at the speck of food stuck in Mr. Kane’s teeth while he droned on about the new hotel, they planned to open it across from the opera house. Would it be uncouth to express to him how little you care about any of that? When you were seconds away from excusing yourself for a bogus trip to the ladies’ room, a loud boom rang out from the entryway. You spun around and your body froze at the sound of his voice.
“Goood evening, ladies and gentle-men.”
It felt like ice was running through your veins when you saw him. Purple suit, shotgun over his shoulder, unkempt green hair, painted face. His face. Covered in white with black swallowing his eyes, bright red over his mouth and crawling up his cheeks in a wicked grin. On the news they called him The Joker.
“We are… tonight’s entertainment! I only have one question… Where. Is. Har-vey Dent?”
He was so tall, walking with a slight slouch but had an air of confidence like you’d never seen. Like he knew just how much attention his presence attracted. No, attention it demanded. Like he knew you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. He made it look effortless. Almost like he was bored by it. He tossed food into his mouth, chewing noisily while he spoke. Then he stopped and turned to walk toward the crowd, pointing his shotgun toward the people in front of him before moving on down the line. Your feet grew cold when you realized he was heading in your direction. He tossed champagne out of a glass before mockingly tossing his head back to let the last drop hit his tongue. You couldn’t move a muscle as he leaned in and muttered questions at the people standing nearby. He kept coming. Your heart pounded, climbing into your throat as he got closer.
Then you could see it. It was scars. The red smile stretching across his face, it was painted over scars. Someone had cut through the corners of his mouth on both sides, leaving behind a twisted, permanent, grin. It made your stomach drop. He said something to Mr. Kane, but you couldn’t hear it, only the blood rushing in your ears. He got so close. You swore you could feel the heat from his body, smell something sharp like acetone.
“You remind me of my father.”
Then he suddenly grabbed Mr. Kane by his collar and growled, “I hated my father.”
“Ok, stop.”
Mr. Kane was shoved into you while Joker turned to face the voice coming from behind him. Rachel Dawes, Bruce’s friend for as long as you could remember.
“Well, hello, beautiful. You must be Harvey’s squeeze-ah. Hm?... and you are beautiful.”
He circled her like a wild dog stalking prey, practically licking his chops. Relishing the feeling of cornering his victim. Waving a knife blade at her.
“You look nervous. Is it the scars?... Wanna know how I got ‘em?”
Then he reached forward and gripped her by the back of her neck and her face. You felt your cheeks abruptly grow warmer. He pulled her closer to him, holding her there, not letting her look away. A thought suddenly cut through you mind like the knife in his hand. You wondered if the leather of his gloves felt warm or cool on her skin. Your heart fluttered and a shiver ran down your back. Why were you thinking about that? He intruded without warning and started threatening people, but here you were wanting to know what it was like to be that close to him. You found yourself wishing you were her, just to know what it was like, him touching you.
You hung on to his every word. He had a wife once, who told him he worried to much, that he should smile more, she gambled, got in deep with the sharks. They carved her face, had no money for surgery, she couldn’t take it, he just wanted to see her smile again, he didn’t care about the scars, he stuck a razor in his mouth and did that to himself. He… he did that to himself?
“And you know what? She can’t stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side... Now I’m always smiling.”
You blinked and the next thing you knew, punches were being thrown and men in clown masks were falling to the floor. Batman. The masked vigilante everyone was talking about. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, coming out of the shadows to beat up the bad guys. Reality struck you in that moment. This was real. This was happening. The word surreal doesn’t quite cover it. You wanted something different. Well, this was different. Instead of fear you started to feel something else rising up from inside of you, tingling up your back. Excitement.
A punch from a clown masked man landed square on Batman’s jaw, sending him to his knee and giving Joker the opportunity to start kicking him in the stomach. All you could do was watch, spellbound by the violence occurring before your eyes, wide with anticipation. It almost happened too fast for you to see. He really had nothing holding him back. He couldn’t care less about what people thought of him. Showing up in face paint and a purple suit with a posse of men disguised as scary clowns, commanding even more attention than Bruce. He basked in it, not caring one bit what they thought, only that he left an impression. He did. Especially on you.
You blinked again and he had Rachel. He stood behind her, his arm wrapped around her chest to keep her from running, his other hand waving a handgun in the air. He wasn’t going to drop the gun, not unless Batman took his mask off, show us all who he really was. Then the window behind him shattered with a shot from the gun and he dangled Rachel by her arm out into the open air. Your chest felt tight, as helpless as everyone else watching and unable to do anything about it. But you still couldn’t shake the thrill you felt buzzing in your arms and legs, fogging your mind.
“Let her go,” Batman’s hoarse voice demanded.
Joker squinted his eyes and grinned with ironic amusement as he answered, “Very poor choice of words.”
He let go. His laugh reached down to your bones and held on, pulling you toward him while Batman dove out the window after Rachel. You didn’t know what you were doing but you couldn’t stop yourself. Your feet kept carrying you closer. People all around you started rushing for the exit, running from the taunting men in clown masks like the crowd at a Halloween fun house. Except this was real.
You kept your eyes forward, getting within a few feet of him when he turned and saw you. A chill washed over you, both icy cold and burning hot at the same time when his eyes traveled up and down your body where you stopped in your tracks. Your skin felt like it was on fire.
“Hello, there,” he purred.
You opened your mouth to speak but no sound came out. You just stared at him. Then he started to saunter toward you, slowly closing the gap that separated you, and you almost couldn’t breathe.
The corner of his mouth twitched into a sideways grin. “Aren’t you a pretty little flower, hm?”
Your heart fluttered and your lungs pulled in a sudden gasp of air, that sharp smell filling up your senses. He was right in front of you now. He was right in front of you and you could undeniably feel the heat radiating off of him. Your heart pumped faster, the adrenaline in your veins saturating every tissue. That tingling in your spine came rushing back as his tongue flashed out of his mouth to run along his lip.
“Can I, uh, help you with something, little flower?”
The last sounds of panicked voices faded, and it was completely silent. You were alone. With him. Fear tried to wrestle for a place in the front of your mind, to pull you away, to make you run back toward the door, but the allure you felt was too pervading. You remained still, trying to steady your breath while the gaze from his black-rimmed eyes seemed to swallow you up. Sirens started to echo in the distance.
Then your voice found its way out of your mouth, “I… I just wanted to… um, to get closer.”
His eyebrows shot up and his grin widened as a low hum rumbled in his chest. Your brittle nerves nearly shattered when he lifted his hand and gently took hold of your chin, lifting it and stepping forward to press his chest against yours. “Mmm, this close enough?”
His gloves, they felt cool on your skin.
Taglist!
@youmaycallmebrian​ @heavymetalnarwhal​ @neverputsaltinyoureyes @jokersqueenofchaos​ @into-crazy​ @killingjokee​ @astheworlddturns​
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Text
Through The Years Pt. 10
A/N: feedback is so so appreciated! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO WAS KEPT THEIR PATIENCE WHILE I WROTE THIS! (also, this is kind of short, my apoligies)
tags: @a-girl-who-loves-disney @the-romanian-is-bae @bihoeofmanyfandoms​
@thicc101q
takes place during: The Avengers
Italics= flashbacks
~~~~~~~
NEW YORK, 1942
SSR HQ
“As you all know, a threat has risen. Commander Johann Schmidt has his eyes on something new; they call it the Tesseract. The power it holds is unlimited and unknown. If it falls into the wrong hands, especially in times like these, this is a war we won’t win. Meeting dismissed.” Dr. Erksine said, as all the agents seated around the table got up, desperate to go home. 
You had dozed out ages ago, and would’ve practically fallen asleep if it weren’t for Howard. He laid a hand on your shoulder and shook you. 
“Y/N/N, it’s time to go. C’mon. I heard your favorite radio show is on tonight.”
“Thanks, Howwie. It’s just, there’s something-”
“This Tesseract thing? I know were supposed to believe everything Dr. Erksine tells us, but this is a stretch-”
“Except it isn’t, Howard. I got a bad feeling about this one. You know how strong my intuition is.”
“I know. That’s what worries me.”
~~~~~~
PRESENT DAY, 2012
BRUCE BANNER’S LAB ON THE HELLICARRIER
The Hellicarrier is quiet as it floats across the night sky, and you absentmindedly type some data that Tony had given you a few minutes ago. You weren’t going to  lie; you were scared then, and you are scared now. It seems like history is repeating itself; some bad dude wants to get his hands on the Tesseract and if he isn’t stopped, a lot of people will die.
Only difference was, you didn’t have a brother this time. 
Blinking back the tears that were about to escape, you kept typing as Dr. Banner was scanning the scepter for gamma radiation, and Tony was solving several different equations and theorems and god knows what all at once. 
“Well, we’re going somewhere now. The  gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract. But it's gonna take weeks to process.” Banner said, letting out a sigh, laying down the object he was using to measure gamma readings on Loki’s scepter.
“We bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer Cluster we can clock this at around 600 teraflops.” Tony replied from across the room.
“And all I packed was a toothbrush.” Bruce said, going back to the computer.
“You know you should come by Stark tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R and D. You’d love it, it’s Candy Land. I’m talking to you too, Auntie. Paris must be as boring as-”
“How- Tony, I can promise you its not. Paris is fine.”
“But Pepper and I miss you in New York. Think about it, will you?”
“Sure will, hun.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Stark. But last time I was in New York- I sort of broke Harlem.” Dr. Banner said. 
“Well I promise it’s a stress-free environment. No distractions, no surprises.” Tony says, while poking Bruce in his side with an electric current.
“Tony, leave him be!” you say, taking the current away from him. 
“Hey! Are you two nuts?” Steve says, scolding Tony as he walks in. 
“Oops. Jury’s here. Tell em your secret, Dr. Banner. Bongo drums, mellow jazz, bag of weed?”
“You think is is funny, Mr. Stark? Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship? No offense, Dr. Banner. You neither, Y/N.
“None taken, sir.” Bruce says, while still working on the scepter.
“Don’t worry about it, cap.” you say, while finally snatching the current from Tony’s hand and placing it down on the countertop to continue working.
“You- you don’t have to worry, capsicle. Last time I checked, you spent over 66 years stuck in the ice. You don’t know how anything works here. This little gadget-” he getsures to the comm in his hand. “will let us know everything S.H.I.E.L.D has been hiding from us since the beginning of it’s existence.”
“This is going to cause trouble.”
“Ding, ding, ding. We got a winner. Congratulations, you’ve just won a free box of popsicles. Or is that too cold?”
“What have you three been doing all this time?” Fury’s voice cuts in as he walks into the lab. “You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.” 
“We are. The model’s locked and we’re sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we’ll have the location within have a mile.”
“You’ll get your cube back, director.” You say, crossing your arms, after hopping to sit on the table with Tony. 
“No muss, no fuss.” he passes you the blueberry bag, then looks at the screen “What is ‘Phase 2′ anyway?”
At this point, Steve has had enough and decided to intervene. “Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D uses the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was moving a little too slowly for my taste.”
“Captain Rogers, we have gathered every part of information possible related to the Tesseract. This does not mean-” He’s interrupted by none other than Tony.
“What about this Nick? What were you lying?” Tony said, turning the computer so Fury could see it clearly. 
Steve takes one look between the two men, but keeps his gaze on Tony, and says “I was wrong director. The world hasn’t changed a bit.”
Thor and Natasha enter the room and Bruce asks them “Did you two know about this?”
“Dr. Banner, you might want to think about removing yourself from the premises.” Natasha said.
“I was in Calcutta, I’m pretty sure I can handle this, Ms. Romanoff.”
“Loki’s been manipulating you.”
“And you’ve been doing what exactly?” 
“Dr. Banner, You didn’t come here because I batted my eyelashes at you.” She fired back, crossing her arms. 
You hopped off the table, and on the hilt of the sword on your left side, if tensions just so happened to go to another level. 
“And I’m not leaving because you’re getting a little twitchy. What I do want to know is why S.H.I.E.L.D is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction!”
~~~~~~
NEW YORK, JANUARY 1943
SSR HQ
“Starks, Ms. Carter, General Philipps, should the case arise that we get our hands on this - ‘Tesseract’ - as it appears, it shall not, under any circumstances, be used for weapons of mass destruction. It goes against everything we stand for. Everything the SSR stands for.” Erksine says, addressing the group.
“But Dr. Erksine, The rise of facism in Europe is a threat to our national security, and if the SSR can not make weapons of not necessarily of mass destruction, but weapons to protect the country, how are we to protect the nation?” General Philipps said from across the table. 
“Excellent question, General. That’s were Y/N and  comes in. Y/N, if you will.” Erksine said, gesturing to you.
Straightening yourself up, you opened a file. “I’ve thought of this concept for the past couple of months- although just a concept, It would, has General Philipps mentioned, make weapons not of destruction, but of protection. This is why, I’ve decided to name the concept- S.H.I.E.L.D. Get it? A shield is supposed to protect, and that’s what this will do.”
“And what does it stand for, Y/N?” Peggy asks. 
“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”
“And it’s purpose?”
“To Protect and Serve, Dr. Erksine.”
“I like it, but we will discuss  it further on Monday. Meeting Adjourned.”
~~~~~~
PRESENT DAY, 2012
BRUCE BANNER’S LAB ON THE HELLICARRIER
“And I’m not leaving because you’re getting a little twitchy. What I do want to know is why S.H.I.E.L.D is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction!”
“Banner, calm down.” Natasha said cautiously. 
“No, Romanoff. He had every right to be mad and confused. With all respect, director, me and my brother did not start S.H.I.E.L.D so we could pull stuff like this.” you said.
“But we have a reason, Stark. It’s because-” Fury points to Thor “him.”
“Me?” Thor questions.
“Yes, you. Last year Earth had a visitor from another planet who held a grudge on a small town. We learned then that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.” He finishes, diverting his eye to you, but saying nothing.
“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies, as a signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war.” Thor booms.
“A higher form of war?” Steve questions.
“You had us in a corner, Thor, we had no choice. We had to come up with something.” Nick fired back.
“A nuclear deterrent. Cause that always calms everything down.” said Tony.
“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Mr. Stark?” Fury asked.
“I’m sure if Stark industries still made weapons you both would be knee-deep in-” Steve was cut off by you.
“That’s enough, Steve! Leave it alone!” you exclaimed.
“No, hold up capsicle, how is this about us?” Tony asked, in a tempting manner.
“Are you midgardians really this naïve?” Thor asked.
“Oh please, are you that immature?” Natasha said, looking between Thor and Fury. 
“Everyone, we’re a mixture for chaos. A ticking time bomb waiting to explode.” Bruce said. 
“You should step away, Doctor.” Fury said to Bruce, before being overlapped by Tony. “Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” Tony asked, putting a ahnd on Steve’s shoulder. 
“You know damn well why!” Steve yelled.
“I’m starting to want you to make me.” Tony said, coming face to face with Steve.
“Big man in a suit of armor, take that off and what are you?” 
“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”
“He’s not wrong-” Natasha said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Thank you, Romanoff! Someone with sense on this ship.” Tony said, thanking Natasha.
“I’ve seen guys none of that worth ten of what you are. The only person you fight for is yourself. You’re not one to make sacrifice play, to lay down your life for someone else. You better stop playing the hero.” 
“Steve-” you began, now both hands on both swords, both of them on your waist.
“No! You better stop acting so cocky, Rogers. You’re a lab rat, everything special about you came out of a bottle.” Tony fires back.
“If you think your think you’re so special, put on the suit then, lets go a few rounds.” 
“I’m not afraid to hit an old man.” 
“Stop it you two! You’re acting like children!” You yelled, cutting both of them off.
“You are ALL acting like children, man up, all of you!” Fury said. 
Bruce kept his eyes firm on Loki’s scepter. It seemed to glow even more now, but all of you had to resolve the argument first. 
“Something’s coming. Something bad.” Bruce muttered. “I can feel it.” 
“Keep calm, Banner.” Natasha said, and both her and Fury put a hand of the holster of their gun.
“Dr. Banner, please-” You began. 
You were once again cut off, but not by anyone talking. Thor, Natasha, Bruce, Fury, Tony, Steve and yourself were knocked down to the floor, scattered all over the room.
“What the hell was that?” Natasha asked. 
“Engine’s been blown off. I didn’t want to say I told you so, Agent Romanoff.” Bruce said, while helping you up from the floor. 
“You alright, Tony?” you ask, as You help Tony up.
“Just fine, aunty. You?”
“Barely hurts, tones.”
“What the hell was that, Fury?” Natasha asked. 
Fury looks out the window before running out of the room.
“Agent Barton.”
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dolce-peach · 4 years
Note
Hi! I really like your mcu fanfiction! Could you do a fanfic where the reader is an avenger and loves to paint and daydream and once she first meets Loki she falls head over heels and secrets dreams abt him and sketches and paints his portraits and he finds out. Hope you have a good rest of your day :)
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unspoken
pairing: loki x avenger!reader
warnings: fluff, fluff, and more fluff oml
a/n: honestly this was the fluff i needed to write in the midst of my sad life 😂😭 hope you guys like it!
permanent taglist: @kaitlynmalikisnotonfire
** TO MAKE A REQUEST -- please check the status in my bio **
masterlist
----
Once again, you got carried away sketching on your paperwork.  This time, it was Steve and Tony arguing over something petty while the mission meeting progressed.  You leaned into your arm, your pen pretty much moving on its own.
“Anyways, before I was rudely interrupted,” Steve started as he sent a playful glare at Tony, “does everyone understand their role?”
Everyone nodded.
You continued shading in various parts of the quick sketch, further capturing lifelike qualities.  The annoyance in Steve’s gaze.  The defiance in Tony’s eyes.
“Y/N?”
You looked up, setting your pen down.  “Sorry.  Yeah?”
“Do you understand your role for the mission?” Steve repeated.
You sent an apologetic smile.  “Aye, Cap’n.”
As the meeting ended, you collected your strewn papers with slight embarrassment.  It wasn’t the first time you were caught with your head completely in the clouds.  
You couldn’t help it.  Sketching helped you concentrate, as strange as that sounded, and when you had time, painting helped you take your mind off of things.  Healthy extracurricular activities that were relaxing were hard to come by, especially for a combat and stealth agent like yourself.
You made your way back to the common room, where everyone was crowding around Thor and someone else.
“Thor, you can’t just bring him here,” Steve said.  
Tony snorted.  “Yeah, what if he destroys half of New York again?  Guess who’d have to clean that up?  Me.”
“Oh, please,” Natasha groaned, rolling her eyes.  “You give yourself way too much credit.”
“No offense, but I’m not a big fan,” Clint said, eyeing the newcomer anxiously.
Bruce cowered behind Clint.  “Me too.”
“Of who?” you asked.
Everyone turned to see you standing there, your curiosity piqued.  They slowly backed away, revealing someone you’ve only heard about.
“Loki,” you breathed.
He stood in all his godly glory, adorned in his green and black robes, hints of gold making everything vivid.  He stood tall over you, making you shrink a bit at his bravado.
He smirked.  “That would be me.”  His eyes scanned you.  “And who might you be?”
“Y/N.”
“And she can kick your ass,” Tony added helpfully.
Steve sent a warning look.  “Language.”
Tony held his hands up in defeat, everyone laughing.  
Loki kept his eyes on you with interest.  You had to break away from his intense gaze, or you felt you might be eaten alive.
--
When you got done with training that day, you found yourself sitting on the balcony overlooking the night streets.  You were snuggled up in a thick sweatshirt with your pencil and sketchbook.  
You sighed happily.  
If you had to describe your ideal night, it would be this.  No missions to complete.  No errands to run.  No one to meet or please.
Just you and your imagination.
As per usual, you let your pencil draw for itself.  
You smiled a bit to yourself, seeing the rough shapes coming together to form Loki’s structure.  You began putting some fine lines in before shading ever so softly.
You’d been thinking about him the entire day.  Other than the mischievous look in his eyes, he hardly seemed like the egotistic maniac who destroyed most of New York.  Instead he looked gentle and reserved, taking in the world quietly, all while perhaps having a slightly sadistic sense of humor.
You shook your head.  You didn’t care what the others had to say about him.  You were determined to get to know him while he was here with Thor.
With your head full and your heart satisfied, you decided to brew yourself a cup of tea before heading back inside to retire for the night.  
You filled the kettle and started the stove.  You nearly jumped when you heard the fridge open behind you.  
“Do all you humans drink such revolting liquid?” Loki asked, holding up a can of soda.
“Depends on what brand you drink,” you answered.  “Would you like tea?”
He paused.  “Yes, please.”
As he put the soda can back, you reached for two cups in the cupboard and scooped some non-caffeinated tea into a couple strainer balls.  You placed them in the cups and carefully poured the boiling water, watching it swirl and change colors.
When it finished brewing, you removed the strainers and slid Loki a cup across the kitchen counter.
“Thank you,” came his quiet response.
You grinned.  “No problem.”
You sipped your tea, and looked at him again before laughing.
He blushed.  “What’s so funny?” he asked defensively.
“Nothing!” you laughed.  “I just never expected to see a god in sweatpants and a t-shirt.”
“Well, it’s quite comfortable,” Loki argued.  “And you didn’t expect me to stay dressed like that all the time, did you?”
“I suppose not,” you said, leaning against the counter.
It was quiet as the two of you finished your cups of tea.  You took his empty cup and rinsed it in the sink.
You smiled to yourself.  He really isn’t as bad as everyone says he is.
He stood awkwardly against the counter.  “Um, thank you again.”
You shook your head.  “Anytime.”
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
You blinked.  “Hm?”
“Well...”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “Usually people scream or glare or something.  They think I’ll kill them the next instant or freeze them forever.”
“I don’t think you’re so bad,” you said.  “Misunderstood, yes, but you’re not a bad guy.”
A blush colored his cheeks as he looked away.  
“Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow, Loki,” you said with a smile.
He snapped out of his momentary daze.  “Yeah.  Have a good night...Y/N.”
As you began walking away, you couldn’t help but widen your smile, feeling your heart beating a bit harder.
--
The next week was utterly exhausting.  Each of you used your abilities to the very max hunting down Hydra bases and the likes.  
Having Loki fight with you all was strange for everyone.  The Avengers always made sure to keep him in check, but you had no doubts about his loyalty, especially as you got to know him more.  
There were also things unseen and unsaid.  
You’d often catch him stealing glances at you, and you didn’t mind at all.  It was almost like he was afraid you were going to disappear.  
He’d come up to your room late at night with a cup of tea and stay into the early hours of the morning.  Sometimes you’d talk, and sometimes you just watched the cars move up and down the street.
You’d become best friends with the god of mischief.
It wasn’t until you started dreaming about him that you discovered you were also in love with him.
Loki became your sole subject for your sketches.  You loved capturing his many different expressions, especially the looks of varying annoyance.
Eventually, you gathered enough courage to begin a painted portrait of him.  You were determined to show everyone how you saw him: vivid, charming, lovely, protective.  
You used so many colors, a color for each bit of life in his expression.
As you painted, you got so lost in what you were doing, you didn’t hear Loki walk in behind you.
He silently studied you painting for a few minutes, taking it all in.
“What are you doing?”
“Jesus!” you yelped, nearly dropping your brush.  Your cheeks grew hot as you tried to cover your work.  “N-nothing!”
Loki laughed, catching you off guard.  “I’ve been watching you the past few minutes.”
“Really?” you squeaked.  “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You looked like you were concentrating.  I didn’t want to interrupt,” he said.  “And I was enjoying watching you work.”
At this point, you were a red tomato.  You had no idea why you were freaking out so much.  It was just a painting of a friend.
A friend you wanted to be something more to.
“I’m flattered,” he continued.  He eyed the sketches of himself strewn all over your desk.  “You drew more?”
“Yeah, but they’re not much...” you trailed off as you shuffled them around a bit.  “I mean, it’s just a relaxing hobby of mine...”
He carefully picked up some pieces, his eyes filled with admiration.  “These are really amazing, Y/N.”
“You really think so?”
“Of course!”  He furrowed his eyebrows.  “But why me?”
“What do you mean?”
He nodded.  “Wouldn’t it be nicer to sketch someone like my brother?  Or one of your Earth friends?”
“I guess, but they’re not you.”
You were your reddest, if that was even possible at that point.  
Loki took a moment before smiling.  “If you insist.”  He let out a small laugh.  “If you want, I could model for you some time.”
Your eyes sparkled.  “Really?”
He played with your hair.  
“Anything for you.”
part 2
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watchtower-feed · 4 years
Text
Death Do We Part
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SSA Spin-off ✧ Jason Todd ✧ Physical Link ✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5 ✧ 6 ✧ 7 ✧ 8 ✧ 9 ✧ 10 ✧ 11 ✧ 12 ✧ 13 ✧ 14 ✧ 15 ✧ Notes: The main story of SSA is on hiatus while I figure out how to end it. For now, please enjoy this three-part (or four) spin-off that’s been nagging me ever since Until Death was finished. Words: 2,000+
     A physical link is one of the most dangerous soulmate links around and that’s what you share with your soulmate. Your link with him is also more sensitive than most because sometimes your hair moves with the wind even though you’re indoors or you can taste what he’s eating.
     But what you didn’t know was how much fun your link was going to be. Ever since you started holding pens and doodling on your arm, you’ve been getting replies on the other one. You thought it was such a fun game but it nearly gave your parents a heart attack. When you could form words and read them, you started to communicate with each other.
      Jason, don’t forget your homework this time.
     Oh crap! Thanks for reminding me, Y/N.
     You roll your eyes as you say goodbye to your parents. You rush to the next block over just in time to see Jason stumble out of his apartment building. He falls and scrapes his knee. You both shout and wince at the same time.
     “Jason! I thought you were going to be more careful. Are you trying to kill us before high school?” Jason laughs and grabs your hand. He drags you to the bus stop and you make it just in time.
      Jason was careful. Both of you had your fair share of paper cuts, bumps, and bruises. But neither of you have ever sprained or broken anything. It sucks when one of you gets sick though.
     “If I sneeze, are ya gonna sneeze too?” Jason says with a nasally voice lying in bed next to you. His dad was always out and his mom had to work so your parents offered to take care of him while you’re both sick. They basically only have to take care of one child anyway.
     “I don’t know. We haven’t tried that one,” you smile and rub the bridge of Jason’s nose. He purrs. “That feels good, huh? It feels like I’m unblocking your nose.” You and Jason laugh.
     “Y/N with the magic fingers. Gotham criminals beware!”
     Your parents hush the two of you and threaten to make you sleep on the couch while Jason sleeps in your bed if you two don’t rest soon. You grab each other’s hands under the blanket and immediately close your eyes until they leave the room.
     You open your eyes and Jason is staring at you, pouting. You take out your other hand and stroke his warm cheek. He closes his eyes to lean into your touch then opens them again. “Pops hasn’t been home in days. My mom thinks he’s run away or dead in a ditch somewhere.”
     You frown and pull Jason close to you. “You’re always welcome here, Jason.”
     He knows that. He knows you mean it but he couldn’t just take advantage of your kindness like that. So when his mother runs away and he’s left alone in an empty apartment for three days straight, Jason decides it’s time to be a man and take care of himself.
     You don’t know what’s going on with Jason. He would still come out of their apartment building and go to school with you but you know he’s a little off. The first signs you pick up on are the pangs of hunger. No matter what amount of food you eat, your stomach growls and it feels like it’s eating itself.
     When your mother asks you to bring a pot of leftovers to the Todds, that’s when you realize who the real culprit is. You march over to their apartment building and find the door unlocked, the lights off, and there’s a silhouette of a boy crouching in the corner of the unfurnished apartment.
     You kneel down next to him and find that he’s awake but refuses to look at you. You call his name but he ignores you. You pinch your arm hard and it makes him jump. He hates it when you do that.
     Jason devours the food in seconds, eating straight from the pot with a big wooden spoon. Little by little, he managed to survive by selling their furniture but he still had to ration whatever money he had so he only ate one meal a day. Jason laughs, “but when ya pig out, Y/N, I get so full. I don’t even have to eat more than that if ya think about it.” You don’t find that funny because you don’t think the link actually works that way.
      He frowns and looks at his hands.
      He wants to tell you that he’s being kicked out of the apartment tomorrow. He doesn’t want to use his meager amount of money to pay for rent when he can just survive in the streets.
     He doesn’t say a word. He lets you stay with him until it’s late and he walks you back to your place.
     He doesn’t go to school the next day. You go to their apartment to scold him but find that’s it locked because new tenants were moving in soon. You ask the landlord about Jason and he tells you he’s been gone since last night.
     Jason, you idiot. Just stay with us. Mom is making your favorite tonight.
     He doesn’t reply to your messages anymore and it’s making you more angry than sad. You sit in your quiet room and close your eyes, “Where are you, Jason?” you mutter before concentrating on what you feel. You try to distinguish the sensation inside your room to what he’s feeling outside.
      You can feel humid air around your skin and sweat drenching the tips of your hair. He’s outside under the Gotham summer heat. You concentrate harder and you can hear footsteps and voices in the background. Foot traffic, so the streets? But which one? Then you hear it. The unmistakable sound of gunshots and running and police sirens. He’s in one of the worst parts of Gotham. Then you smell it, the lingering scent from Marco’s Bakery. He’s in the Narrows
     You grab the leftovers and sneak out through your window. You try to make yourself small as you enter one of the worst parts of the city. You would take the alleys and hide behind dumpsters every time you hear shouting. Then you finally find him lying on flattened cardboard.
     You kick him in the knee, bracing yourself for the sensation. He gets up quickly and his eyes widen at the sight of you. You drop the leftovers in front of him and glare. “If you don’t want to talk to me anymore, then fine. But at least eat.” 
     Walking away from Jason is hard but you know his pride won’t let him eat the food in front of you. You’re nearly home when you suddenly feel satiated. You do this every night. Leaving him food in that particular alley even when you stop finding Jason there.
     It suddenly becomes something Jason would count on because you have always been the only one he can rely on. After a day of thievery and barely surviving he would smile on the way back to his flattened cardboard where your family’s homecooked meal would still be warm.
     One night, Jason is astonished to find the batmobile in his alley. He’s admiring its size and fortress-like structure when he realizes that it had run over the food you left for him. Motivated by anger and vengeance, he finds a way to steal the hubcaps off of the batmobile’s wheels.
     “I’m sure you know who you’re stealing from.” The menacing voice shocks Jason and he turns around with a screwdriver in one hand. He takes a moment to appreciate the sheer size and intimidating stature of Batman.
     Then he glares at him and kicks his shin, “Yeah! Yer the big boob who ran over my dinner!”
     Batman is instantly puzzled. He narrows his eyes to one of his wheels and finds pasta littered on the floor and a ruined plastic container.
     Two nights after that, you’re dropping off Jason’s food and you’re surprised to find him standing in the alley in fresh clothes and a wide grin on his face. You narrow your eyes in an instant, “Did you finally inhale too much Joker gas or something?”
     “Y/N, you’ll never believe it. Oh boy!”
     Jason walks you away from the Narrows and back to your neighborhood. He tells you about running into Bruce Wayne the other night, leaving out the fact that he’s Batman.
     “He said I reminded him so much of himself when he was younger that he couldn’t imagine not adopting me,” he boasts with his thumb brushing the collar of his new shirt.
     You roll your eyes and of course, you don’t believe him. But then you arrive at your house and there’s a limo in front of your building. The door opens and Bruce Wayne steps out. Your mouth hangs open as he approaches you.
     Jason smirks and snaps his fingers in front of your face, “Y/N, I’d like ya to meet Bruce Wayne. Brucey, this is the friend I was telling ya about.”
     “It’s very nice to meet you, Y/N. Once Jason’s settled in at the manor, we’d be more than happy to invite you and your family over for dinner.”
     You gulp. Because honestly what else can you do? The richest man in Gotham is outside your house and he’s Jason’s new father.
     But Jason never did invite you to the manor. In fact, ever since he became a Wayne, you saw him less than never.
     I miss you, Jason. Why are you avoiding me this time?
     For Jason, that was anything but an easy decision. It was never really Bruce that invited him to his home. It was Batman. And Jason knows that if Batman finds out he has a physical link with a civilian, he would stop letting him be Robin.
     So he dedicated all of his time to being a good son, a model student, and a fierce sidekick. Subduing criminals before they get the chance to land a blow on him. Whenever Bruce tells corrects his movement and his fighting style, Jason always takes his criticisms to heart because it’s not just his life on the line.
     Whenever you’re missing Jason and it gets too much, you lie on the floor and close all of your senses again. You imagine him lying on a thousand-thread-count cotton bed or warm in front of a crackling fire while laughing and drinking tea with Bruce Wayne and his butler.
    But all you get is whiplash. The wind is strong and harsh against your face. Your hair is flying up while you’re lying on the floor. You can also smell the smoke of the steaming sewers wafting into the Gotham air. 
     Jason’s out in the night and from your heavy breathing and aching muscles, you can only guess that he’s happy and exhilarated. Your breathing labors against your chest and you can feel the muscles along your jaw strain hard. Jason’s laughing.
     You roll on your side and smile at the thought of Jason enjoying his life. You miss him.
     Then it happens.
     You’re out with friends at someone’s sweet sixteen party and you’re wearing a dress just like everyone else. At first, you’re laughing, something someone said about a joke you haven’t yet heard. 
     Then suddenly your whole body is thrown back as a blow to your head knocks you against the table. You use your elbows to support yourself and you watch as everyone stares at you.
     A phantom weapon hits your back and you’re kneeling on the floor, coughing out blood on someone’s shoes. That’s when the screaming starts. But you can’t listen to them now. No, you need to focus on Jason. What the hell is happening to him?
    Another blow to your back makes your body drop flat on the ground. Your lip bleeds when your teeth tear into them as you hit the ground. You groan. This is the most pain the two of you have ever been in and you think you can also feel Jason’s fear.
    “Hand me a pen!” you scream before a blow to the side of your ribs flips you onto your back. You cough more blood and you desperately try to sit up as one of your closest friends hands you a marker.
     “I called your parents. They’re on their way. What’s happening, Y/N?”
     You don’t know. You don’t know. You try to write as legibly as you can.
     Wats wrong
     You wait for a response. Then something happens. It forces your eyes to look up and you think you see something intangible floating in the air. A crowbar? Then it comes crashing down against your ribs and you hear bones crack. Your friend screams, too afraid to touch you.
     You think one of your ribs splintered and your lungs have collapsed. It’s too hard to breathe. It feels like no air is coming into your lungs. You rest your head to the side, staring at your arm. 
     Slowly, words start appearing, smeared in crimson blood.
     I’m sorry, Y/N. I lov
SSA Spin-off ✧ Jason Todd ✧ Physical Link ✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5 ✧ 6 ✧ 7 ✧ 8 ✧ 9 ✧ 10 ✧ 11 ✧ 12 ✧ 13 ✧ 14 ✧ 15 ✧
✧ Watchtower Masterlist ✧
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