#as if Infinity Wars and Endgame weren’t enough

[cherriiramen]

I DONT TRUST THIS, I DONT KNOW IF ITS REAL OR NOT, NEITHER HAVE I EVEN STARTED THE LOKI SERIES YET, BUT I THE SOUND I JUST MADE.. 😭

[foli-vora]

without you

matt murdock x f!reader

A/N: made myself hurt with this one tbh. I'll think about a part 2 if enough are interested, but I'll warn you - it won't be a happy ending lmao. Enjoy the angst-fest loves! x

Summary: You return after the 'blip'. Five years is a long time, and a lot of things can happen in that time.

Word count: 2.1kish

Warnings: ANGST. ANGST ANGST ANGST. i got sad af writing this. i don't even know what to put in the warnings. the events of infinity war & endgame, brief mention of the avengers, severe and utter fucking heartbreak, i would lose my fucking mind coming home after an apparent 5 years and finding the love of my life *******, lots of anxiety/panic, severe panic attack, passing out. no hate to karen here - she's a fucking babe.

-

It happens within a blink.

One moment there’s no one, and the next, an older woman is suddenly standing in your way and you can’t help the brief twitch of annoyance that she’s there. You have a meeting, you have groceries to get… you can’t just play chicken with a stranger on the pavement all afternoon.

She freezes, like many others you notice, and your frown deepens, confusion starting to take over the irritation. They all look at you, but not just you.

Time seemingly comes to a momentary freeze and you just don’t understand. Why is she looking at you like that?

The next minute—panic.

There’s a rush.

People scramble for their phones, they run. Cars swerve and there’s chaos. There are people crying, people start screaming, but there’s also awe, laughter. People embrace strangers. You know they’re strangers by the way they look around in complete bewilderment in the arms of the other, seemingly just as confused as you.

Five years.

Why do you keep hearing ‘five years’? Why are shop fronts different? What the hell has happened? 

“You’re… you’re all back,” the woman utters, tears starting to build along her lash line.

Back?

You feel it in the pit of your stomach, a sick feeling of dread slowly building until it feels like it sticks uncomfortably in your throat. Something happened. You don’t know what, you don’t know how, all you know is that you need to go home immediately.

It’s halfway back to the apartment, after passing things that weren’t there previously, shops that you had passed just hours before now different, and your phone simply refusing to connect for unknown reasons, that you break into a panicked run.

You want home, you want somewhere familiar.

Matt left for work the same time as you—would the new mayhem taking over the streets bring him home to you? Maybe he’d already be waiting, sensing the frenzy before you?

The view of your building is a welcome relief, and you slow as you reach the door, heart pounding in your chest as you take the stairs as quickly as possible. The apartment is unlocked, and you berate yourself for forgetting to lock up earlier, but Matt’s cane resting by the door turns your inward irritation to understanding.

He’s home. He got here before you. He must be waiting, maybe he’d have answers—

“Matty?” you call, “do you have any idea what’s—”

A clatter, a sweep of air, and then he’s on you.

He’s curled around you before you can even finish, his arms so tight and constricting you struggle to take in a full breath. He’s talking, muttering incoherent words into the skin of your throat and all you can do is stand there, mind whirling in a maddening rush, not even able to lift your arms to return his embrace due to his restrictive hold.

“You’re here,” he breathes, almost disbelieving, “you’re here. I didn’t want to have hope but—God, I—”

“Matt, I’m so confused,” you breathe, unsure of why tears are starting to gloss your eyes or why your heart suddenly feels like it’s beating in the back of your throat, “what’s going on? It’s crazy out there, I don’t know wh—”

“I know. I know, sweetheart. I’ve missed you. God, I’ve missed you. It’s been so long, I didn’t think I’d ever—” he trails off, unable to finish his sentence and a few more panicked kisses press into the side of your throat.

He’s crying.

You feel the wetness of his tears smear over your skin and it’s enough to bring your own falling heavily from your eyes. What is he talking about? You saw him this morning, only mere hours ago. You made breakfast, you kissed him goodbye like every other day, nothing had been different. 

“Matt,” you whimper, “what the hell is going on?”

—

Five years. You were gone for five years. Just one day—poof. Out of existence, never to be seen again. The city had been clouded by dust, remnants of those also taken disappearing with the autumn breeze. So many people just lost. You don’t remember any of it.

There was no pain, no suffering. You had no recollection of the time lost at all, and yet for Matt it had been years.

Years since he had touched you, kissed you, felt you. He tells you that he looked for you for weeks, months. Even went to the damn Avengers—or what was left of them—and found out what had happened. He’d been distraught, falling into a deep, dark pit of despair and heartbreak from the sudden loss of you.

You cry for him, for the time you’d lost together.

Nothing could ever make up for it. Sure, you’re here now, but could you ever truly make up for the loss of time? What had he gone through during your absence?

The two of you don’t part for what feels like hours.

Matt clings to you, inhaling you deeply and kissing whatever inch of skin he could reach. He doesn’t pull away to answer your questions, instead letting the low rumble of his voice melt through the fabric of your shirt and flooding warmth along your shoulder.

His hands still roam over you, almost as if they’re retracing your dips and curves to remind himself of how you felt when you disappeared five years ago. You catch his fingers with a sweet flutter in your chest, lifting his hand to press a tender kiss to the back of it when the smooth feel of metal catches your attention.

It’s a simple gold band, fit snug around the fourth finger of his left hand and you rub your finger over the shiny surface of it in curiosity. He wasn't wearing a ring this morning...

A ring. 

A wedding ring.

You feel sick.

He senses the moment you realise it, picking up on the sudden quicken of your heartbeat and the clammy sting of sweat that builds along the back of your neck.

His tongue darts out to moisten his lips as you stare at the smooth gold band in shock, feeling as if the room had suddenly gotten ten times smaller. He starts to shift, his fingers quickly flipping to wrap around your wrists to keep you from moving away.

“Let me explain—”

“You… are—are you married?”

“Sweetheart, please—”

You hurriedly stand, wrenching your hands from his and stumbling on your quick step back as he advances after you. He’s married? How can he be married?

Maybe he’s not. Maybe he just slid the ring you both picked out onto his finger when you disappeared in an effort to keep your memory fresh… but with the shine of guilt starting to seep into his features, you fear it’s not as sentimental as you hope.

Panic consumes you. Your eyes flitter around the room, your ears filling with a dull ring that drowns out whatever words fall from his lips as he cautiously steps after you.

It’s your apartment, but it’s… it’s not.

You start to notice the little things you had missed upon coming home so quickly. That throw over the back of the couch isn’t yours. The coffee mug next to Matt’s on the kitchen counter isn’t yours. Your trinkets aren’t lingering on the shelves where you’d placed them. Your shoes aren’t thrown by the door. Your photo with Matt isn’t in its usual spot on the wall.

Instead, another picture hangs there.

Bile burns the back of your throat. Your heart thunders away in your ears. You know what it is, you can see the general feel of it and who stands within the frame through blurry eyes, but you simply can’t accept it.

It’s morbid curiosity that makes you take those few steps towards it, a part of you screaming to not look, to turn away before it really hammers that final nail into the coffin and fucking destroys you. Maybe your mind needs to truly see it in order to make sense of it… but no. It only makes you more confused, more distressed.

What the fuck?

Oxygen is impossible. You can’t fucking breathe. You can’t—

“Sweetheart—”

It’s a wedding photo.

Matt’s wedding photo.

Matt and Karen’s wedding photo.

“Oh my god,” you whimper brokenly, clutching a hand to your chest in an effort to keep yourself together. You press where you feel the rapid beat of your heart, half wondering if you’d be able to feel the break of the frantic organ under your palm.

The room starts to spin.

This morning you’d woken up with an apartment and a fiancé, and now, only a few hours later, you have nothing. How can you have nothing? The apartment is home to you—you left your pyjamas on the floor of the bathroom this morning. You had your coffee at the counter. The love you feel for Matt is present as it always had been, there in the centre of your entire being, so sweet and consuming and yet, his love for you had seemingly vanished.

Disintegrated, along with your body apparently five years ago. Maybe with a clearer head, you’d come to understand that five years is a long time and it’s understandable that he had to move on at some point, but in the moment you feel nothing but hurt—rage.

Matt’s hands are frantic on your body, grabbing at your arms and keeping you from falling to the floor as a sob tears its way out of your chest. You can hear him try to soothe you, hear his worry that your heart is erratic and you just need to breathe.

Breathe, sweetheart—please, breathe.

You can’t. You simply can’t.

Oxygen isn’t coming as easily as it should. Your lungs burn. You’re shaking, unable to stop the tremble taking over your body as you choke on your tears. They burn your skin, painting your cheeks with the bitterness of your heartbreak and they just won’t stop. 

He supports you as you sink towards the floor, legs no longer having the strength to hold you up. He goes down with you, hands cradling your head to his chest and you can’t find it in you to push him away and escape his touch.

It’s Matt. Your Matt. 

You shouldn’t want to shrug him off. You shouldn’t feel guilty at his touch. He’s your Matt, has been for the eighteen months you’ve been together. It was meant to be you in that frame, swimming in white with a smile stretched along your lips, Matt dressed to the nines in an immaculate tux and his ever present red shades beside you.

But it’s not. It’s… it’s Karen.

It’s not you, there’s no trace of you anywhere to be seen. Had you been that forgettable? Foggy’s there, Marci a step behind holding a beautiful little girl with ribbons in her hair. They had a baby? You’ve missed so much.

You start weeping for the life you’d missed out on, for the chances and opportunities of growing older with them and the sweet potential you had had with Matt.

Gone.

All of it, just—gone.

Where would you be now had your soul not been chosen? Married? Promoted? A godmother to the sweet little angel cradled in Marci’s arms? 

“Sweetheart, come back to me,” Matt’s voice cuts through your despair, low and soft in your ear and you cling to him tighter, “breathe. I’ve got you, I’m here.”

“I-I’ve lost so much,” you choke out, hiding your tear stricken face in his throat and desperately trying to get ahold of your body jerking with each difficult inhale and broken exhale, “and I didn’t even know—”

You didn’t know. You didn’t know anything when you apparently ‘returned’. It’s all so haunting and overwhelming and so fucking confusing. 

He stills smells the same, feels the same, despite all these years. You cling to him, desperate for comfort in the moment of your utter heartbreak, but it doesn’t work like it used to and that only makes your pain increase tenfold. His hold feels wrong now. His hold isn’t for you anymore. He has a wife.

You still don’t understand. You can’t comprehend the fact that he’s married, that the arms that hold you are now meant for someone else. They were yours this morning. It’s not possible. You had him this morning; you felt him this morning, you kissed him—

“Sweetheart,” he’s urgent now, manoeuvring you in his hold until you sit in front of him, your back pressed up against his chest and his arms tight around your torso, “breathe with me. Feel my chest, listen to me and follow—in… and out. Come on—”

You pay attention to the exaggerated feel of him breathing against your back, focusing on every expansion of his chest and attempting to match the pace of your inhales. It doesn’t work. Your heart still thunders away against your ribs, your mind still runs fucking wild, and your eyes threaten to roll back from the rush of it all.

“Stay with me,” he begs, but his voice starts to sink to the back of your mind, taken over by the high pitched ring sounding in your ears.

It’s not long until black fully engulfs your vision, and Matt’s voice calling your name is the last thing you hear, frantic and terrified. Maybe you'll find peace in the darkness.

-

matty tags: @javier-pena, @dihra-vesa, @a-reader-and-a-writer, @radiowallet, @januarystears, @danidrabbles, @amneris21, @acourtofsnakes, @mstgsmy66, @evyiione, @stardust-galaxies, @kelseyxyeslek, @greeneyedblondie44, @you-got-me-starry-eyed, @withasideofmeg, @mad-girl-without-a-box, @fangirl-316, @xoxabs88xox, @federleichtefreiheit, @lavenderluna10, @mindidjarin. @stardustingold, @androah, @itwasthereaminuteago, @wildmoonflower, @naughtynecromancer, @h-hxgirl, @Unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men, @juletheghoul, @punkerthanpascal, @itswanktime, @omlwhatamidoinghere, @celestinemuse, @chaoticemz, @alexxavicry, @mylifeispainandiloveit, @cran-berry-vodka, @nishi-reads, @mandocrasis, @lawfulgranola, @ew-erin, @fuckoffbard, @spaceserialkiller, @captain-jebi

[uniiiquehecrt]

Pre Ragnarok Thor used to be playful at times. Post Ragnarok Thor is a full on himbo.

But people mistaking / aligning his past playful behavior with his current himboness is what makes me pull out my hair.

"He was always a himbo!" NO HE WASN'T!

I’M JOINING YOU THERE 😭😭😭 Thor was PLAYFUL. He was SASSY. He was FUNNY and good-natured and kind and knew how to navigate situations to lift people up again. But Ragnarok!Thor and Love and Thunder!Thor just hurt me. The way he shattered that glass temple without a thought in the L+T introductory scene hurts my soul....

The only films I will defend as NOT disrespectful and out of character for Thor are “Infinity War” and, surprisingly enough, “Endgame”. (Both of which are unsurprisingly the ones NOT DIRECTED by our favorite daffodil man.)

But I mainly say that because Infinity War!Thor is in league with the original 2 Thor films, characterization wise, just with a darker tone, more fierce temper, and an entire insanity arc + revenge quest in tow... and Endgame I give a pass ONLY to Thor himself, and the things that he says and the actions that he takes. Mostly: the excessive drinking, food consumption as a stress reliever, and the concept of trying to escape his real world through a fantasy of some sort... (though I DESPISE the video game gag. It should have been actually anything else.)

The issue I take with Endgame is not Thor, but how the world and the characters surrounding Thor react to Thor from the first second to the last. They’re constantly making fun of him, belittling him, not including him in any team planning, blaming him for the snap, not trying to help him stop his blatantly obvious self destruction, are otherwise are openly and callously disgusted by or uncomfortable by his being there in the room for the aforementioned self-destruction, and that’s not talking about ABANDONING HIM FOR FIVE YEARS when everyone NOT NAMED TONY should have known better. (And I guess Clint because they weren’t ever close and Clint had his own heavy stuff going on.)

Steve should have checked in. He’s the leader and was Thor’s closest friend on the team. Natasha should have checked in, because she always USED to try and check in, and was taking charge of the team at the time. Bruce should have never left Thor completely in the first place, because nobody would understand how vulnerable, unsteady and in a dangerous place Thor would be in, mentally, emotionally and physically, than Bruce “The other guy spat it out” Banner, who let me remind everybody was THERE DURING THE LAST THREE TERRIBLE TRAGEDIES TO SEE IT FIRSTHAND. Rocket doing his own thing makes sense but then AT LEAST have him act with some level of patience towards Thor because he clearly was able to during Infinity War, and he would know better than anyone else (not named Bruce) how Thor is feeling and how awful it is.

And before anyone says “well they were all going though their own stuff and couldn’t be there for him” then I raise to you that Natasha was almost obsessively checking in with everyone and actively trying to keep things running, and Steve was hosting an emotional support and therapy group for post!snap victims in Falcon’s stead. Bruce was doing god knows what. The only person actually indisposed was Clint and he and Thor weren’t ever even close to begin with. And if you say “oh but they probably blamed him for the snap and that’s why” I just need you to really think about that statement and how awful that is, because they’re supposed to be his team and his friends. His earthen found family outside of the Jane crew. And even if they did blame Thor because they don’t know about Peter Quill and Gamora (who I’m sorry but I love Gamora; the snap is ENTIRELY her fault.) then that STILL doesn’t mean they can just ostracize and abandon the man and his people for five years because they’re mad.

I also take extreme issue with the cinematography team and the editing team for that film for deliberately making Thor the butt of the joke during the “how do we get the stones” scene in particular. (when Thor would have been the most valuable team asset. You know. Because he researched them and the glove made for them was made in one of HIS territories with HIS space metals.) and probably also that stupid “I think I’m having a panic attack” line because nobody says that. Otherwise, the man is drowning in his own despair at best and actively suicidal at worst because of everything that has ever happened to him the past 10 year phases 1-3 run, but yeah sure I guess that’s funny. And not unbearably heartbreaking.

[wulfvie]

a list of my favourite marvel quotes

spoilers ahead, deadpool & wolverine included.

CA: TWS,

you’re my mission.

then finish it. ‘cause i’m with you ‘til the end of the line.

+

bucky?

who the hell is bucky?

BLACK WIDOW,

the best part of my life was fake, and none of you told me. - yelena belova

don’t say that. please, don’t say that. it was real. it was real to me. - yelena belova

+

+

you have done nothing but tell me how bored you were. i was the chore, the job you didn’t want to do. to me? to me you were everything. - yelena belova

+

it was real to me, too. - natasha romanoff

DOCTOR STRANGE,

we never lose our demons, mordo, we only learn to live above them. - the ancient one

+

you cannot beat a river into submission; you have to surrender to its current, and use its power as your own. - the ancient one

+ i control it by surrending control? that doesn’t make sense. - stephen strange/doctor strange

+ not everything does. not everything has to. your intellect has taken you far in life, but it will take you no further. surrender, stephen. - the ancient one

THOR: RAGNAROK,

have i said enough, or would you like me to go back further than the past two days? - thor odinson

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR,

i’m not your daughter. everything i hate about myself, you taught me. - gamora

+

you are in wakanda now. thanos will have nothing but dust and blood. - t’challa

AVENGERS: ENDGAME,

you’re weak. - 2014 nebula

+ i’m you. - nebula

+

you took everything from me. - wanda maximoff

+ i don’t even know who you are. - thanos

+ you will. - wanda maximoff

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME,

i thought you had super strength? - happy hogan

+ it still hurts. - peter parker

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE,

you got the wrong guy. - james ‘logan’ howlett/wolverine

+ you were always the wrong guy. ‘til you weren’t. - laura/x-23

[bbyboybucket]

Ya know, the more I think about it, the more Tony Stark annoys me and I’ve realized that the events of Infinity War (and ig Endgame too technically) are literally all his fault. Because it all started with him in AOU when he went behind his teams back to create Ultron without thinking through any of the consequences and being arrogant enough to think that everything would go right because he’s the one who’s building it. If Sokovia was never destroyed, then that woman wouldn’t have came to him in CW about her son’s death. Which then caused Tony to AGAIN go behind his team’s back, and get the Ross/the Government to practically punish and restrict everyone, which is already bad enough but then he gives a whole speech trying to guilt the rest of the Avengers for fighting and correcting the problem that he literally created in the first place. He’s quite literally the reason for the sokovia accords that brought so much tension among everyone and once again, if he’d never built Ultron, Sokovia would still be standing and Zemo would have never did those things. So really, Tony IS the whole fucking reason the avengers broke up and weren’t together to fight Thanos the first round. But even more than that, the avengers (besides Thor and Banner) could’ve been all together to fight Thanos, having a better chance, if only Tony woulda swallowed his damn pride and pettiness and called Steve when he needed back up, instead of just being like “mmmm no I don’t wanna talk to him so I’m gonna fight this universe level threat without that support”. Literally everything is Tony’s damn fault, all because he wanted to make Ultron.

[themculibrary]

Peter Quill Masterlist 2

part one

20 questions (ao3) - bevioletskies gamora/peter T, 118k

Summary: Wasp has a new competition in store for the students of Avengers Academy, and there’s money involved. So obviously, Peter and Gamora have to pretend to be a couple in order to win. Wait, what?

a bother-figure (ao3) - judypoovey T, 7k

Summary: It wasn’t going to do him any good to get all sentimental and excited about meeting his dad, considering his dad had kidnapped his sort-of-replacement dad.

all fucked up and no place to go (ao3) - scioscribe drax/gamora/peter E, 4k

Summary: Peter Quill is the only omega in all of space.

It sucks.

A Matter of Restraint (ao3) - fayedartmouth T, 3k

Summary: Peter’s not exactly known for his brilliant strategies.

And Get Nowhere (ao3) - Wawa_Girl gamora/peter T, 7k

Summary: "Why?" Gamora asked from several feet below them, an eyebrow raised and her tone slightly less hard - curious, suspicious, like she wasn't sure whether to buy this explanation.

Peter didn't know if she was asking, 'Why is that a common joke on Earth?' or 'Why weren't you thinking before spitting it out right now?' but either way his quick reply was the same. "No idea!" he said with the biggest fake smile. "No clue, makes no sense, stupid--I don't know why it slipped out, meant nothing, forget it, I'm sorry..." he continued rambling and reassuring to spare himself the fate of sleeping outside for the next month during the impending hail storm.

(Or: Sometimes Peter has really bad "no filter" days, and rooftop antics ensue.)

Base of Support (ao3) - interabang T, 3k

Summary: The Guardians discover that Yondu would do anything (when he feels like it) to give Peter help when he needs it.

break the chain (ao3) - evotter T, 16k

Summary: “Thanos is the worst threat you could possibly imagine.” Gamora says. Her voice sets a chill in Peter’s bones. “We need to get ahead of him as quickly as we possibly can or we will lose if he even gets the slightest bit in front of us. Please, Peter Parker. We need all the help we can get. You do this for us, and we will do something for you. Anything you need.”

Anything is pretty nice. Especially considering he might need them to guard him so Tony doesn’t totally murder him. And they seem like nice enough people. And if Strange trusts them… “Okay,” says Peter, rather reluctantly. “I’ll go with you guys to space.“

(or: peter contacts star-lord and meets the guardians of the galaxy. not infinity war/endgame compliant.)

bring it on home to me (ao3) - bevioletskies T, 19k

Summary: The fight of everyone’s lives may be over, but for Nebula, Peter, and the rest of the Guardians, the search for the person they love most has just begun.

don’t need no credit card to ride this train (ao3) - Sholio T, 5k

Summary: Peter gets a second chance to make a very important change.

Five times Rocket claimed Peter as his own (and one time he realised what it meant) (ao3) - prosodiical peter/rocket T, 4k

Summary: "You," says Rocket lowly, "keep your distance, and I won't have to kill you." He pauses, then adds, as though it isn't obvious enough already, "He's mine."

Rocket's got a bit of a possessiveness problem when it comes to Peter Quill.

Fox on the Run (ao3) - Sholio T, 13k

Summary: When bounty hunters get the drop on Yondu, 11-year-old Peter is the only person in a position to do anything about it.

Go For The Throat (ao3) - laylabinx T, 9k

Summary: Peter finds out the hard way what it means to be the Ravager mascot and Yondu uses this as an opportunity to teach him how to kick someone’s ass.

Happiness Goes On (ao3) - Wawa_Girl gamora/peter T, 25k

Summary: "What does it mean? The day the music died?"

The words were said without the inquisitor looking at the human beside her, owner and expert of the tunes they were sharing.

"I guess..." Peter spoke up, his tone distant. Faraway. Lost. Gamora realized she would have given nearly anything to obtain Mantis' powers and know what he was feeling, what was going on in his head. "It means when people stop...appreciating it. Or learning from it? Or...use music to do...bad things."

Please Rewind (ao3) - interabang gamora/peter E, 4k

Summary: When Rocket and Groot gift Peter with a TV and VHS tapes, he’s excited to relive his childhood memories with the group - so excited, in fact, that he won’t stop talking throughout the movie. After his rambling drives the other Guardians away, Gamora quickly finds a way to shut him up.

Ruins (ao3) - TheFictionalMe gamora/peter M, 51k

Summary: Five times Peter told Gamora to go right, and one time he didn’t.

“Why does somebody always have to die in this scenario?”

Vacation! All I Ever Wanted (ao3) - clockheartedcrocodile gamora/peter E, 7k

Summary: The Guardians of the Galaxy have a nice day at the boardwalk.

you lay your bets and then you pay the price (ao3) - orphan_account gamora/peter T, 32k

Summary: (or: five times Peter idiotically risks his life for Gamora, and the one time he… can’t)

Zuneology (ao3) - interabang gamora/peter T, 13k

Summary: After the war, Gamora listens to Peter's music player and reflects on her memories with him.

[thirsty4villains]

Bound | A Loki x Reader Fanfic

Rating: E  

Warnings: Eventual smut, human sacrifice, torture, blood and injury, violence, angst

Tags: sharing a bed, slow burn, eventual romance, fix-it, canon divergence of Avengers Infinity War/Endgame, humor, limited use of Y/N, action and adventure

Summary:

A year has passed since the Snap. As you look to find a fresh start in life, you end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. A small cult dedicated to the newly revitalized Norse religion chooses you as a sacrifice with the belief that this will give Thor and the other gods the strength to undo what Thanos has done. What you don't know is that human sacrifices come with a powerful magic — those who are sacrificed become linked with the god they have been given to.

It's been a millennia since a human was sacrificed to one of the gods. You've been bound to Loki.

CHAPTER 4

That night, you had nightmares real enough that you believed you were there again. The heat of the fire engulfed you, paralyzing you in your bed; that feeling of choking returned as you tasted that black smoke once again. You heard your own heart pounding, the roar of the fire as the flames grew higher, and the shouting and chanting of the mob who put you there. You woke up screaming. There was a hoarseness in your throat that you were not sure was attributed to the smoke in the dream, or the screaming afterward.

Very little light shone through the window. You had no clock but you guessed that it had been only about an hour since you went to bed, and dusk wasn’t for a few more hours. You laid back, resting your head on your sweat-stained pillow and looked up at the darkness above. There was a heaviness weighing on your eyelids but sleep wouldn’t come back to you. Maybe that was a good thing, because you were not anxious to experience those nightmares again. It was hard to sleep with your hands and body shaking anyway.

You stared at black nothingness for what you would guess was another hour as your anxiety settled. Irritated and exhausted, and irritated at your exhaustion, you flung the blanket off your body. Since you clearly weren’t falling asleep any time soon, you’d rather find something to do. There were sconces in the halls. You didn’t know what Folkvangr had to offer, but at least you could find your way to the library, or the dining hall if your appetite would ever return.

You were also too tired to care if you ran into somebody in the pajamas Freya gave you. Except Loki, maybe.

In the library, there were thousands of places to start, but you couldn’t decide where. You peered down your right, then your left. You looked at the signs indicating the content of the areas you passed through. Theoretical science, astronomy, theoretical magic, spellbooks, history of Asgard, history of Vanaheim, history of dozens of more realms and planets you had no clue about. History of Midgard didn’t earn a second glance.

After absorbing hundreds of titles, you looped back around to the books about magic. Something in here must contain information about how to undo binding magic, and once that’s over and done with you wouldn’t have to worry about Loki anymore.

The light in the library at night was not very helpful. The candles on the walls allowed you to read the titles of the books, but you were sure to get a headache if you tried reading pages. You took a small stack of books you collected for yourself and carried them to the small lounge. Thankfully, as you came closer, looking at the fire did not trigger the memories again.

You yelped in surprise as you bumped into a figure exiting a row of books an aisle or two over. Some of the books knocked out of your hands and onto the floor with a loud smack.

“Clumsy,” Loki remarked, handing back the books quicker than you could think. Of course it was Loki you ran into, literally. Tucked under his arm was a book titled Transportational Magic. You fumbled to think of something to say. Or maybe you shouldn’t say anything at all and walk past him with your nose in the air. You were still pissed at him, after all.

“Why are you here so late? I thought no one else was in here. You scared me.”

“I can see that.”

Looking up at him, you realized how tall he was, and the power his presence commanded — which definitely made him appear even larger. Every other interaction you had with him he was degrading you while you were laid in a bed or on the floor, or degrading you while making you run after him to keep up. His height and stature, along with his centuries of life under his belt probably made you seem like an ant to him. You certainly felt small now.

The lack of proper lighting of the sconces on the walls made it difficult to see Loki’s face, and honestly you weren’t sure if that made you feel better or worse.

“Why are you here so late?” he asked. “After what happened this afternoon I would expect you’d be exhausted.”

“It almost sounds like you care.”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

You would have weaseled past him if not for the fact that he was taking up most of the space in the tiny walkway that leads to the fireplace.

The answer to your question about the darkness was answered when Loki made a gesture with his fingers. The candles on the walls flickered with new life in them. His face, more specifically, his cheekbones were highlighted under the candlelight. There was an intensity in his eyes that made you want to retreat back into a shell, but at the same time it made your heart pound. You might consider him attractive if he wasn’t so terrifying. And rude.

“I’m here because I couldn’t sleep,” you said.

“I do most of my reading during the night,” he replied. “I usually only sleep for a few hours at a time, if that.”

“Is that like a god thing?”

“It’s more a me thing.”

Gods can have insomnia? You would have asked but you could tell Loki’s easy agitation with you was coming up again. You never knew anyone who could be so offended by questions.

Loki’s analytical eyes flickered from you to your stack of books. “What do you have there, mortal?” Loki gestured to the stack that was growing heavier by the minute.

“Books about magic. Maybe something that can undo this binding thing.”

“And you think you can find it?”

He really got off on making you feel stupid. You stared at him, waiting for his inevitable explanation as to why you, silly human, could not simply do this thing.

“Binding magic is ancient and powerful magic. There might be a spell to undo it, but to my knowledge, that spell either doesn’t exist or has been lost to time.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “How do you lose a spell?”

“The spell is written down and gets lost, stolen, or destroyed. There are many ancient spells from millennia ago that may never be recovered.”

“Well, the least I can do is try,” you said, pushing past him to sit down in front of the fireplace.

“Or we could always just do it the easy way.” The smirk on his face was evident even though you weren’t looking at him.

He really wants to be slapped.

“If you want to get laid so bad, go ask one of the Viking women. Maybe one of them has enough misjudgment to want to sleep with you.”

Loki gave a small chuckle. “I have little interest in them.”

He turned and left, and you did not see him wandering through the library the remainder of the night. He must have returned to his room, or wherever else Loki frequented. As you flipped through the tomes, searching for any solutions to this binding magic, his voice spoke in your head, repeating his last words to you: “I have little interest in them.”

When you were woken some time later with a book in your lap you found that you were able to fall asleep again without nightmares. Freya stood over you, lightly nudging your shoulder.

“I was wondering if I would find you here, since you weren’t in your room,” she said. “I’m sorry for waking you, but I wanted to show you something.”

You told her it was no big deal and rubbed the sleepiness from your eyes.

Freya led you out of the library and down the winding, mazelike halls until you were brought outside. A small hint of light on the horizon indicated dusk was soon approaching. Your tiredness and mild confusion of what Freya had to show you disappeared when brilliant rays of blue colored the early morning sky. Aquamarine interspersed with other shades caused the sky to look like it held a sea.

“Is this an aurora?” you asked.

Freya nodded. “Yes. It’s an aurora that appears every hundred years. It’s called Freyr’s Blessing, after my brother. At my age, I’ve seen it quite a few times, but I never tire of its beauty.”

“It is beautiful,” you said, staring at it in awe, just as Freya and other individuals who had gathered around to witness the event. “On Earth our auroras are usually green.”

The aurora disappeared after a few minutes, fading away slowly as the light from the rising sun peaked further over the horizon. Soon, the sky began to assume its regular peachy color, which was still a sight to behold on its own.

The sizable crowd dispersed and you noticed not far from you stood Loki. The two of you locked eyes as he turned to leave, his gaze lingering on you a moment.

“So, Loki enjoys looking at pretty things?” you asked Freya with a smirk.

“Failed tyrants need entertainment, too.” Loki spoke. You could feel your face going pale, you didn’t think he would hear from the distance he was.

He approached you and Freya, his eyes flicked from you to her. “We still haven’t had our conversation.”

“You know what my answer is. My priority at the moment is acclimating our new guest to Folkvangr.”

“This girl’s comfort takes precedence over me trying to right the wrongs of —”

“Wait,” you said, interrupting Loki’s fast-increasing agitation. “I thought we were going to undo this binding magic thing.”

Freya frowned. “I am so sorry, Y/N, but as far as I know there is no way to undo binding magic. It undoes itself, and since we don’t know how to meet the conditions of your sacrifice, I’m afraid there’s not much that can be done.”

You took a step back, eyes narrowed. “It sounds like you won’t help me rather than you can’t help me. I’m not just going to sit around when I haven’t even tried yet.”

Freya opened her mouth to speak, her eyes sad. You waited for her counterargument and when there was none, she closed her mouth again.

“I’m going back to the library,” you said, leaving the gods behind you.

Back in the library again, you continued where you left off before drifting to sleep. The book open in your lap had sections about all sorts of magical links; between animals, between objects, between individuals. All of these had their incantations to do and undo these links, and what each of them achieved. When you had finally found the section about binding magic, you read it with hope. At the very end was sacrificial binding magic. The paragraph gave a little more information but summarized mostly what you heard from Loki and Freya yesterday:

Binding magic conjured by sacrifice is one of the strongest known forms of binding magic there are, second behind binding magic by pure love and devotion. The intense emotions not only coming from the crowd, but the sacrifice as well, create this magic. Upon the brink of life and death, the sacrifice is transported to the location of the individual they have been sacrificed to. Although the magic is nearly as old as magic itself, it is not fully understood. The intense and often feral emotions built up in the participants make it hard to pinpoint how the sacrifice can unlink themselves to the individual they have been given to.

If one attempts to break the bond by separating themselves from the individual they were sacrificed to, it can prove fatal. The further a sacrifice strays from their individual, the weaker they grow. Most often, a sacrifice is a woman given to a god under the condition she lie with him so that he may be more inclined to grant the request of the community. As this is usually the case, the bond will cease once intercourse has been completed. Bonds may also break by fading over time, sometimes in a matter of days, but usually they are strong enough to last years or even the sacrifice’s entire lifetime.

You ended at the last period of the paragraph at the end of the page. There had to be more than this. You flipped the page, even inspected the binding to see if a page had been ripped out. That was all the knowledge the book contained.

You set the book aside and began your search through the other books in your small collection. Soon you discovered that each was turning out to be as useless as the last. You shut them closed hard enough to elicit a thump that reverberated through the room. Whatever, it’s not like there’s a librarian prowling around to shush you.

“There is no need to take your emotions out on the books,” said a voice. Loki’s. He was excellent at creeping up on people, you were quickly noticing.

And worse than a librarian.

“I have a right to be frustrated,” you said, not turning in your seat to look at him. You rubbed your eyes which were protesting your long study session.

Loki walked around the plush sofa you had settled yourself in, his long legs passing your seat to seat himself in the one adjacent. He crossed one over the other.

“If you do find this lost spell you’re wasting your time looking for, how do you suppose you’ll perform it?”

“Don’t you have something better to do?” You snapped.

“Careful, pet,” he warned. “But do enlighten me, how are you going to cast the spell?”

You looked into his taunting eyes, you knew he would revel in the answer you were about to give him.

“I’ll teach myself.”

Loki threw his head back and laughed. His chest and shoulders rumbled as he did so. You stared icy daggers into him while he mocked you.

“Teach yourself.” His amusement disappeared in an instant. “Have you ever performed magic in your short, meaningless life? Do you understand the emotional and psychological energy you need to expend to break a magical bond? Once you have trained many years in spellcasting can you teach yourself new spells, but since you have no experience whatsoever, you wouldn’t even be able to conjure a needle out of thin air.”

“Then teach me.”

Loki’s eyes widened out of genuine surprise. This was soon replaced by a shake of his head. “That would be a waste not only of your time, but mine as well.”

He stood up to leave.

“What do you have to lose?” you asked, following him down the main corridor. “You teach me magic and when I find the spell I undo the binding thing and I’m out of your hair.”

“Even if you do find the spell, you will not be proficient enough to cast it.”

He walked fast, but you walked faster so you could cut him off. It wouldn’t kill him to listen to you for two freaking minutes. “Then you cast it and you don’t have to put up with me.”

“Move aside.”

“No.”

Loki gritted his teeth. “I said move aside, mortal.”

“I deserve at least an ounce of respe-”

Your sentence was cut off when Loki backed you against the wall. A grunt escaped your throat as you back thudded into it. Your heart raced and your eyes widened in fear. Loki had a firm grip on your shoulder to keep you right where he wanted you.

“I owe nothing to you, mortal. Your concerns are your own. I don’t have time to teach you an art you will never be able to grasp.” His free hand found the base of your neck, not squeezing, but you were sure that could change in a split second.

“I can impart on you this wisdom though: not to agitate those who have no quarrels in harming you. This magical connection means nothing.”

He stared at you with that gaze that made you wish you could look away, but he was right here in front of you. There was nowhere else to look. The connection of the binding magic didn’t help either. Every time you touched it felt its strongest, and like when he grabbed you by the waist yesterday; comfortable, and you had a hunch it was the same for Loki. But his agitation and his focus were stronger than the distraction of the link, and it shook you to your core. You felt completely exposed under him, like he could read every emotion, every process going through your mind. The grip on your neck tightened slightly, sending a new wave of fear through you despite the magic of the bond. He was expecting a reaction. Knowing him, he wanted you to scream or beg. He smiled a wolfish grin at you.

“You should really stop calling me mortal when you’re the one that’s dead.”

Loki exhaled through his nose. He was amused. His grip on you receded, but he was still too close for comfort.

He replied, his voice low in your ear. “That may be the smartest thing I’ve heard from you yet.”

You shivered.

He left the library and you, who was still up against the wall. You watched his departing figure. Once he was out of your sight, you wondered why you felt flushed.

-

So, fine, Loki wouldn’t help you. He wasn’t the only viable teacher in Folkvangr. You found Freya later in her garden you had yet to explore. There had to be thousands of species of flowers. Many were similar to the flora on Earth, but there were other, exotic flowers that caught your eye. Orange vines with red buds growing against the wall of the castle wrapped their way all the way up to a window. One small patch of white flowers closed their petals before you even touched them. Fruit trees lined the pathway that wound through the garden. Most looked unripe, but honestly, it was just a guess.

Freya waved you over when you locked eyes. She was kneeling in front of a small rose bed. Or what looked like roses, anyway.

“I was just watering them.”

The roses glistened under the sunlight but there was no bucket or container, and you were sure hoses didn’t exist here.

“With what?” you asked.

Freya extended a hand and a light shower descended from it. You watched with fascination.

“Do you think you can teach me?”

“How to cast a watering spell?”

“Anything.”

“I’m not sure I would be the best teacher. I do know some magic but my knowledge is limited. It would be even harder since you’re human.”

There was a tense silence before Freya spoke again: “I’m sorry for earlier. I didn’t mean to come off as unhelpful, but the fact of the matter is binding magic is unstable and unknowable. And while you’re here, you won’t die. The Vikings who died and came here dreamt and sang about the afterlife.”

“Folkvangr is beautiful, Freya, but I don’t belong here.”

“Are you pestering the poor fertility goddess now?” asked Loki, right on cue. The creeping, seriously.

“Don’t you ever just start with a hello?”

“She certainly won’t teach you,” Loki said, continuing with his thought.

“Everyone says I can’t do magic, but no one has actually tried to teach me.”

Loki approached you. “Picture a needle.”

You frowned. “What?”

“I’m teaching you,” he said. “Picture a needle.”

“Okay.”

“Picture a time you’ve seen a needle, and picture that needle in front of you where you are right now.”

There was silence among the three of you as you did so. Was there a next step? You were picturing doing exactly as he said. Were you supposed to say abrakadabra?

“I said picture it.”

“I am!”

He crossed his arms. “Nothing happened because you’re human.”

You huffed. “Okay, smart guy. What about Doctor Strange? As far as I know he’s human. From New York, in fact, which is about as human as you can get.”

“That oaf got lucky to learn a card trick or two,” Loki muttered.

You shook your head. “No, I’ve seen what he can do. He can do magic. So can I.”

“You can’t even conjure a needle —”

“Maybe if you actually acted like a teacher. Conjure your own needle.”

A moment later, a needle popped into existence just in front of Loki. He took it between two of his fingers, holding it out to you as his way of saying “See? Simple,” then it faded back out of existence.

“Loki, why can’t you teach her?” Freya asked.

“If it’s so I don’t have to be pestered about it any longer, then fine.” He turned his head toward you. “But don’t think because you’re human I’ll make it easy on you. If I find you’re incapable of performing magic, I won’t waste a second longer than I have to on this fool’s errand.”

You pushed the assholery of his comment aside for giddiness. “Wait, so you will teach me?”

“Yes, but you won’t ever reach levels of mastery, I can guarantee you that.”

“If the needle thing is supposed to be easy, show me a master spell, then.”

Loki quirked an eyebrow. His lips tugged into a smile and he told you and Freya to stand back. Suddenly, he moved and began what you could only describe as some kind of dance with his hands. The concentration was evident on his face, but so was calm. His arms moved so fluidly it was like watching someone move in water. It was kind of beautiful, really. The way he moved himself with grace and confidence meant he’s performed this spell before. He wasn’t half-assing a second of it. His passion for the art of magic shone through in his performance.

It was short, but every second of it was a treat to see. When he finished he placed his arms in front of his torso, one crossed over the other, palms up. He glanced at Freya, but his eyes quickly flickered over to you. Loki raised an eyebrow up and down at you, indicating what was to come.

It happened instantly. A tower of fire whooshed up and encapsulated Loki. The roar of the fire picked up as it spun clockwise around him. All birds resting peacefully in the trees took flight to escape the sudden danger that erupted in the garden.

Though the flames were a bright orange, you could see Loki behind them, his head slightly tilted, still looking at your awe-struck face. He relished in the fact that you were impressed by it.

Your jaw dropped when the vortex of fire began to take shape of a bird. The wings extended out to what had to be a wingspan of fifty feet. The head of the bird sprouted a beak and feathers made of fire grew out of the top of its head. The phoenix breathed out a line of fire and ash into the air. It was breathtaking and struck a combination of awe and a sense of danger within you. Satisfied with himself, Loki made a smooth gesture with his hands from inside the phoenix, and the flaming vortex disappeared with only a few flakes of ash falling to the ground.

Freya gave Loki a quiet applause of three or four claps. He stepped forward, stopping in front of you once again.

“Did that satisfy your curiosity?”

You nodded. In your dumbstruck silence you noted how the flames hadn’t left a single trace on him. No burns, no ash, his perfectly styled raven hair not a hair out of place, not even a drop of sweat on his brow. Nothing to indicate the marvel that just transpired. Except for one, and it was hard to miss. Loki’s eyes weren’t green but yellow and orange, the same color of the fire. Looking close enough they might have been actual flames, the colors shifted and moved like a fire would. They were striking, and brought out even more by the contrast of his green and black garb and his black hair.

With each blink, the fire faded and you watched as the orange changed into red, to black, to green.

“How much longer are you going to stare?” he asked.

You felt yourself blush. You hadn’t realized you were gazing up at him even after they turned green. His eyes roved over you in amusement.

“We can start tomorrow.”

You felt the same confusion you did back in the library after he departed. Freya offered to show you around the rest of the garden. You agreed, hoping the flowers would get your mind off it. She told you the names of the flowers you were curious about but you hadn’t noticed in your thoughts you’d been trying to shut out that you’d been making faces.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” you lied.

It wasn’t just the pull of the link between you.

You were attracted to Loki.

[celestialnxva]

Unexpected

Stephen Strange x Reader

Summary: The Avengers never thought in a million years that anyone would put up with Stephen Strange, so naturally they’ll want answers as to why you happened to be his partner.

Warnings: typical-canon violence and some angst at the beginning, but don’t worry because it gets pretty lighthearted.

Timeline: post-endgame au where everyone lives.

WC: 3k+ words

A/n: the reader is a powerful witch btw. If you want information about the reader in MCU, read here.

dr. strange masterlist. | main masterlist.

Stephen was so incredibly tired. Anyone would feel like that if they spent five years fighting nonstop to defeat a giant purple alien threatening to destroy the universe. As much as he wanted to go to sleep, he still had to fight the endless amount of aliens that Thanos commanded.

When he looked around him, he watched in silent pride as many of his friends fought valiantly alongside him. Each person contributed to the battle in their own way, and from the way the battlefield looks, he could only assume that they were going to win this battle quite soon.

Yet, he was afraid, worried about Tony. Even though this is the only outcome in which they win this battle, Tony was going to have to sacrifice himself in order to defeat Thanos and his armies. His fears only doubled when he saw Captain Marvel fighting Thanos on her own. He could only watch helplessly as Tony slowly looked over towards where Stephen was preventing the ocean from flooding the battlefield. When they finally made eye contact, Stephen held up his finger, silently conveying to Tony that he was the key factor to winning this war. Understanding his message, the armored man quickly rushed over to where Thanos stood with his arm already inside Tony’s gauntlet. These events were all he had expected.

What he didn’t expect, however, was your sudden appearance beside him.

His heart dropped. You weren’t supposed to be here. He purposefully left you out of this battle so you could be safe, yet here you were, stubborn as ever to fight for the sake of the greater good. He watched as you worked with Tony in determination to take the stones away from Thanos. However, like the Time Stone prophesied, Tony was the one who ultimately wielded all five stones. And with just one snap, the world grew quiet.

While his eyes readjusted from the sudden blinding light that spread across the battlefield, he panicked. He could care less about the enemies around him dissolving into dust. He didn’t even care about the cheers of victory his comrades shouted towards him. No, he was frantically searching for you in the midst of the dead bodies around him because the last thing he saw before the bright light came was Thanos slamming you onto the ground repeatedly until you were unconscious.

His frantic eyes searched for you, his beloved, the only one who inspired him to push himself harder for five years straight, just so he could see you again. Now that it’s over, he might not even be able to hold you in his arms ever again. He tried not to distract himself from that depressing thought as he pushed his way through the crowd of Avengers. However, when he finally made it through, he wasn’t expecting you to not only be alive, but to also be strong enough to nurse Tony back to full health with your water magick. His eyes widened in shock. This was not something he foresaw in this outcome. Was this ending allowed?

Everyone talked amongst themselves while your watery hand hovered over Tony’s cheek and sealed the last of the cracks on his face. You smiled at him faintly, not wanting to show to anyone how absorbing the Infinity Stones’ powers inside Tony in order to heal him had almost killed you as well. But, magick always came with a price, and you of all people understood that. You lowered your hand and collapsed tiredly against the large, upturned rock while Tony stood up. A woman you assumed to be Tony’s wife ran up to him and cried onto his shoulder in relief as a wave of people made their way over to hug Tony in gratitude.

You didn’t blame them for not caring about your condition. They barely knew you, since Stephen refused to talk about you or even let you participate in this war, but you were just grateful that you were able to break Stephen’s protection spells and make it to the battlefield in time. You smiled at the thought of Stephen finally being back after five years without him. Though your thoughts were peaceful, your body was still struggling to process the foreign power coursing within you, so you needed to think quickly about where to transfer this power.

Stephen was too busy thinking inside his head about how on earth you ended up in an outcome that he did not foresee. From what he knew about the Mystic Arts, what you did was supposed to be impossible. But his thoughts dissipated away when he heard the sounds of your pained grunts on the ground. He looked down at you crawling over to where Tony’s fried gauntlet was while your hands radiated the bright colors of the Infinity Stones. He was too afraid to even touch or approach you because he still couldn’t believe the you were here, right in front of him.

After you took Tony’s gauntlet into your hand, you shakily slammed your hand onto the five stones, causing bright lightning to spark and the warbling sound of sheer power to resonate across the entire battlefield. Immediately, this got everyone’s attention, a mixture of curious and fearful eyes turning towards you with the hope that you would be able to survive too. When all the power was finally transferred back into the stones, everything stopped and you collapsed onto the ground with a series of terrible coughs of blood. Everyone around Stephen immediately rushed over to you, Steve already assigning tasks to the others on how to get you to the hospital as quickly as possible. This was Stephen’s last straw. Nobody was going to take you away from him any longer.

He impatiently shoved everyone out of his way, not caring anymore if he sounded too rude to everyone else. This was all about his partner and he was about to be the only one out of everyone who didn’t get his happy-ever-after. All he wanted to do was cry in frustration about your condition, but he had to stay strong for you.

When he finally shoved Steve out of the way, his breath hitched in the back of his throat when he saw you bloodied and weakened from what you just did. When your eyes finally made eye contact with your husband’s, you felt like your whole world fell apart and rebuilt itself back up all over again. You didn’t know if you wanted to cry or if you wanted to slap him for being dead for five years.

“Stephen…” you trailed off, your eyes filled with the unspoken and raw emotion he knew you only had for him. Oh, how he missed staring into your beautiful eyes. Both of you didn’t care that you now had a crowd that was watching you two interact. But before you could hear him say anything back, your eyes blurred as your world suddenly went dark.

———

When you woke up, you had been informed by Rhodey that you were unconscious for four days now. You weren’t surprised, as those Infinity Stones really did drain you, but you knew you were going to be fine. When you asked about how your husband was doing, Rhodey only gave you a tired sigh and offered for you to come see him yourself. His offer only worried you more, so you accepted. He carefully set you into a wheelchair and took you to the living room, where you could see some of your friends awkwardly observing Stephen. You reached out to grab Rhodey’s hand and silently requested him to stand behind the door so you both could listen in on what the others were saying. He chuckled at your request but did as he was told. You two leaned in to listen.

“I’m not gonna lie here, Strange. I’ve never seen you so stressed out. Since when did you started caring about people?” You heard Tony say sarcastically to your husband. You suppressed a giggle at his words. “It’s none of your business, Stark,” your husband growled out. From his shaky, hoarse voice, you could tell that he’s been up for days in complete distress. Poor Stephen. The others protested to his words at the same time.

- “Why won’t you tell us??”

- “Is (y/n) really so horrible to the point where you can’t even tell us who they are to you?”

- “Why do you care about them so much?”

“Wait,” Steve cried out, immediately silencing the others. You heard him take a step forward. “Do you love (y/n), Strange?” he asked suspiciously. Everyone fell into a tense silence as they waited in anticipation for what Stephen had to say. You looked up at Rhodey and he knew it was your cue to go inside.

Before Stephen could say anything, you entered the silent room with Rhodey and it took everything within him not to cry out in relief. You looked as healthy as you could be. You saw how his eyes softened slightly towards you and you, in turn, smiled softly back at him. “Hi Stephen,” you said sweetly, causing the man to stutter in his arrogant stature. Just from one greeting from you, he was already melting like putty. He really missed you. He greeted you back, but he couldn’t hide from you the clear tension he had from holding back his feelings for you in front of the others. The other Avengers watched you interact with him suspiciously, Tony being the only one to be completely amused by this situation. He has waiting for a chance to make fun of Stephen and now was finally his chance.

“What were you all talking about?” you asked, feigning innocence. Rhodey snorted under his breath as he settled you next to where Stephen sat on the couch. Stephen’s hands twitched in his lap, desperately wishing to touch you. Steve coughed in embarrassment. “Uhh… nothing, (y/n). We were just talking about how we hoped that you would wake up soon and—“

“Wait, I thought we were talking about the wizard man having a crush on Mx. (Y/n)?” Thor asked innocently. (Was it innocent, though? Nobody would ever know). Everyone grew silent and felt the wrath of Stephen’s glare before they all looked at you sheepishly. You blinked a few times at Thor’s blunt words while Stephen tried to explain himself.

“W-well, uh. You see… (Y/n)—“

You leaned back in your wheelchair and chuckled at your husband.

“You have a crush on me, Stephen?” you gasped lightly, amusement sparkling in your eyes. He was about to utter more grumpy protests until your bandaged hand reached out to caress his cheek. All previous stress and anger melted away the moment he felt your skin against his and his eyes shone bright with unyielding love and adoration for you. He couldn’t hide his affection for you any longer. He turned his head slightly to kiss the palm of your hand with all the tenderness that he could muster up for you. “I should hope that our wedding vows would be enough for you to figure out that answer, Mx. Strange,” he shyly replied back. He was practically gushing from one sentence and a simple cheek caress from you. Though it was humorous to hide your marriage for so long from everyone else, you were relieved to finally be able to show your affections for him in public.

Meanwhile, everyone was shocked beyond belief.

“Okayyyy, pause on the romcom scene,” Tony stated while everyone was murmuring in confusion. You chuckled and looked at the others. You felt Strange tense up again, so you gestured for him to come to you. He smiled gratefully and simply wrapped his arms around you and buried his face into your neck. He could hear Tony’s disgusted groans and Peter and Thor’s ‘awww’s’ but he just couldn’t care anymore. You were finally in his arms again.

Tony crossed his arms. “So let me get this straight. Since the time I knew Strange and you, you guys have been hiding the fact that you two were married? Why?” You shrugged nonchalantly while you slowly rubbed your husband’s back. “Many people wanted him dead and many people wanted me dead. If word got out that we were each other’s weaknesses, all of our enemies would have a field day,” you mused. Your husband sat up properly and turned to glare at everyone. “Exactly. And if Thanos was your first rodeo with intergalactic, powerful beings that want to destroy the universe, think about how all of our enemies want do the exact same thing, or worse— destroy the multiverse,” he boasted grumpily. You hummed and pat his back lovingly. He wasn’t going to get away with being arrogant in front of you this time. “That, and this stubborn man here wants every one of you to think that he has no weaknesses because he wants to be superior to everyone! Isn’t that right, darling?” You cooed innocently while pinching his cheek.

Everyone just stood there stunned as they watched you exchange loving coos to a man who they thought was unreachable, and watched as said man grumbled and pouted when you doted on him. Witnessing this was a bit of a whiplash for them, they had to admit. They stayed silent for what felt like a very long time before one of them spoke up. 

“Um, Mx. Strange?” Peter called out timidly. You stopped your attacks towards Stephen and looked back at the young Avenger. “Yes, Peter Parker?” He smiled back at you nervously before shuffling his feet. He was probably going to get in trouble for this question, but he really had to know. He looked at Tony before looking back at you. “Is Doctor Strange like really soft like a teddy bear or is he always really mean to everyone?” he blurted out quickly before mimicking gluing his mouth shout. Everyone burst into laughter, Tony’s laugh being particularly heard in the room. Peter started apologizing profusely to everyone in the room while Thor used this outburst as a cue for him to walk up to you. He knelt down in front of you and took your hand into his own. “I would only hope that your husband is treating you like you are royalty, for it is the duty of a husband to make sure that a beautiful creature such as yourself is treated as such,” he said smoothly to you before leaning down to kiss the back of your hand in reverence. You choked at his action and stuttered out a series of compliments back towards the god, as you weren’t exactly sure how to process the fact that an actual god is giving you such high compliments. 

That, and with how jealous you could see Stephen getting from the corner of your eye, you couldn’t help but selfishly indulge a little in the compliments Thor gave you. 

While you simply watched the god kiss your hand, you decided to answer Peter’s question. “Since my husband is in the room right now, I would rather not answer that question, as I would actually like to be able to sleep in the same bed as him tonight,” you joked lightheartedly. Looking down at the man before you, you slowly slipped your hand from his gasp and pat his cheek. Thor took the hint, stood up, and walked back to his place behind the couch. Stephen immediately grabbed onto the hand Thor was kissing earlier and started to rub it, as if he was actually trying to scrub off Thor’s kisses. You turned your head to stare at him in confusion, but he only leaned in to kiss your lips in a brief, but passionate kiss. Stephen pulled away and glared at everyone. “I’ll have you know that our marriage and relationship is none of your guys’ business. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you guys about our relationship,” he growled out irritatedly. In response, you hushed him, patting his hand to calm him down. To everyone in the room, it was like you were the sun itself and Stephen was as icy and dark as the moon was. You two were opposites, through and through. 

Rhodey walked back into the room and handed you a glass of water and you took it gratefully. He sat down next to Tony while you sipped your water. “So wizard,” Tony started, already receiving a frown from your husband. “How’s it like to be in a relationship with someone who is better at magic than you?” he challenged, wishing to relish Stephen’s embarrassment for just a while longer. Stephen grew furious when Tony spoke up, but when he finally processed his question, he calmed down. Instead of lashing out, he grew smug. “Actually, it’s amazing. (Y/n) is the most powerful witch I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and it’s almost unbelievable that I get to call them mine.” As if to emphasize his point, he leaned down to kiss your hand tenderly before he looked back up at you. “They are mine...”

He looked at you like you held his entire world in your hands. He trusted you with his life, just as much as you trusted your life with his. Despite how different you two were, you two were always a team. It had taken you too many years to get to the stable marriage you both now enjoyed, and all those years of hardship and heartbreak was worth enduring when you got to feel his lips against your skin and hands intertwined with yours. You were his and he was yours. No one and nothing else mattered, as long as you two were together.

You heard someone clear their throat and you both turned to where Steve sat, his own face red from the situation he had gotten himself into. “Well, I guess we should leave you both to it, then?” He declared. The rest of the Avengers grumbled and proceeded to leave the room after Steve indirectly told them to leave you both alone, for now.

When all of them left the room, Stephen finally let out a sigh of relief that he had been holding in since he saw you. He immediately pulled you into a loving embrace, clinging onto you as if you were about to flutter away from him at any moment. “Finally, alone time,” he grumbled against your skin. Lovingly, you pet his hair, making sure he felt all the love you had to give him in your embrace. You were content in staying like this for the rest of the night, but of course, your stubborn husband had other plans in mind.

When he thought you were surely about to fall asleep in his arms, he started kissing down your neck, causing you to groan out in protest. “Noooooo,” you whined out teasingly, trying to tug yourself away from him. He, of course, refused to let this go and excitedly stood up to grip onto your wheelchair handles. “Come on, darling. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” he said cheekily before speeding down the hallway towards the golden portal at the end of the hall. You laughed happily and gripped onto the handle bars tightly, your wedding ring glinting brighter than before. Though he will always be an arrogant man to everyone he meets, he is your arrogant man, and you wouldn’t have it any other way; avengers or enemies be damned.

[breezymichelle99]

Let Me Go | Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes.

Summary: After Thanos Everything changed including your relationship with Steve. And now a life changing decision could change everything. 

Warnings: Unrequited Love, multiple POVs, loving someone else, Endgame, Infinity War spoilers, Steve:Peggy, Feelings of regret, reader feeling like the were never enough, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of terminating said pregnancy, tough decisions, Bucky being an angel, best friends girl, friends to lovers, mentions of depression, almost losing a baby, Stress, hospital visit, Wanda Using her powers, suicidal thoughts, story line inaccuracy, time travel, life changing choices, mentions of marriage, mentions of sex, babies, Worried Bucky, Steve feeling like an idiot, Reader having to make the best choice for their family. Writing this made be cry several times (I think think that should be a warning. lol), Happy ending.  (As always let me know if I missed anything) 

A|N: I hope you enjoy. I spent a lot of time trying to navigate the Dynamic of this story in the best way I knew how. I hope you guys enjoy it :) 

(Photo’s for the moodboard are all from Pinterest, I do not own). 

When you met Steve you knew his heart belonged to another; Peggy Carter. He’d loved her for most of his life but then he met you and things began to change for him. He began to feel something he hadn’t really fully experienced; true love. Though his love for her faded over the years you wondered if he ever truly stopped loving her. That thought was always in the back of your mind no matter how long you and Steve had been together. 

Over time Steve fell more and more in love with you. Perhaps more than he had ever loved Peggy, especially after her death you thought the memory of Peggy Carter had faded from Steve Rogers mind and finally things between the two of you had actually begun to blossom.

“I love you.” Steve whispers as he’s holding you tightly as the two of you lay together in bed one night after he had spent hours working with Bruce in the lab, searching for a way to get the “Infinity Stones.” back to where they belong to reset the timeline. You run your fingers over his perfectly sculpted chest, Looking up into his gorgeous blue eyes. “I love you too, Steve. You whisper as he leans down to kiss your lips gently. He snuggled you into him and you fell asleep quickly unaware of the heavy weight that Steve now carried. 

As long as you’ve been with Steve he’s never been able to resist the urge to save the world, it was just who he was. So when he came to you with an Idea to finally get the stones back you weren’t entirely surprised that he would be involved somehow. For the last few days Steve had been acting strange with you. It didn’t take you long to realize that it had been the anniversary of Peggy’s death this week. Would you ever be able to escape the hold this woman had on your relationship? Not only was it the anniversary but the long hours spent working out  a plan with the team, and the desperate undeniable urge to save everyone always that plagued him. So when he got into bed beside you mentally and physically exhausted you knew something was wrong. 

“What is it?” you ask him as he pulls you into his body, holding you a little too tight.  You knew then something was wrong. There was a long lonely silence that filled your shared bedroom. “I think Bruce and I have finally come up with a plan to get the Infinity Stones back to where they belong.” you notice almost immediately that he’s not making eye contact with you. You move on the bed sitting up so you are looking down at him beside you. “Okay what is it?” you ask, he looks away. “Steven Grant Rogers, look at me.” you demand. “Baby please..” he says. Silence fills the room again and you know in your heart you aren’t going to like this plan. 

“I'm going to take the stones back myself.” he says. You gasp. You knew it.  “Steve, no. You can’t.”  you beg him. “You don’t always have to be the hero, it’s not always up to you to save the world.” you sob. He touches your face, wiping away the tears. “I know but I feel like I have to do this.” he says not telling you the entire truth because he knows it will only break your heart more. 

“I know there's no talking you out of this so I’m not even going to try.” you say getting up from the bed. He can see the heartbreak in your eyes and he can’t stand the way he feels right now. “You know I love you…right?” he says as he watches you walk out of the room. A deep aching silence fills the space between you. “Yes Steve, I know.. I love you too.” you say leaving the room struggling to look at him, knowing you had a secret of your own. 

In the coming weeks things are tense between you two and you struggle to find the words. When will you be enough for him? Will you ever be enough for him?  If it’s not peggy then it’s saving the world. To Steve Rogers you will always be second best in his life. 

Finally, Everything is ready and the day comes when Steve would risk everything to return to the infinity stones. 

Steve was holding you close. You still have no idea of his true intentions even though you know in your heart that Steve Rogers was not planning on returning to this timeline when he returned the stones. 

“I love you always.” you whisper to him as you hold him close. There was a distance in his eyes and you weren’t the only one that noticed it. Bucky was standing there beside you and noticed it too.  He was worried his best friend was about to make the biggest mistake of his life. After everything they’d been through this was how their story ended; with the dumbest decision in history. 

A long deep sigh leaves Steve’s lips. And you know this is it. Steve turns to Bucky first. They hug and Steve says something to him that you don’t hear. But Bucky nods. Then it was your turn. Your turn to say goodbye to the love of your life, who no matter how much you loved him it would never be enough… You tried to stay strong to hold yourself together. Maybe you were wrong, maybe he’d return the stones and then return to you and the two of you would live happily ever after and this would all be like a bad dream. But you knew better, you could feel it in the air between you, in the way he looked at you and the way that his lips didn’t quite kiss you the same… This was goodbye. 

“I love you Steve Rogers… Never forget that.” you sob. He gives you one last long sad look as he steps into the time machine. You feel Bucky put his arm around you and you don’t know what to do, how to feel. Steve nods at Bruce and without another word he’s gone.  You begin to cry. 

 There is a long period of silence between everyone. “He should be back by now.” Bruce says breaking the deafening silence. You begin to sob again. You knew it. Everyone begins to panic. Bucky’s looking at you. Other than the tears that filled your beautiful eyes you were calm. You look too bucky. “He’s not coming back.” you cry and turn into Bucky’s Arms. he holds you tightly. “What do you mean?” Bruce says. Everyone is looking at you more confused than ever.

“He went back to her.” you whisper. Bucky the one hearing your words. His heart sank. Steve you idiot. He thinks to himself. You break free of Bucky’s hold and you walk away. He wants to go after you but he knows everyone else deserves an explanation. So he gives it to them. Bucky does his very best to explain Peggy Carter to his friends. 

“After her death and the Thanos events Steve realized he was still in love with her and wished that he could go back in time to see if they ever had a chance together and Then you two discovered he could travel back in time, he knew this was his chance to get back what he lost; to finally get his chance with her.” Everyone gasps.  “It’s not that he didn’t love Y|N we all know he did but there was always this ache inside him for a girl he’d always dreamed off and he knew that wasn’t fair to Y|N to only half love her, he knew she deserved better.”  Bucky does his best to try and explain everything to everyone; who are all shocked. But how could they have known?

As you walked away from your friends from the man you loved deeply and unconditionally, you realized there was something in your pocket; a letter, he must have slipped it into your pocket when he was hugging you. You pull it out, unfold it and quietly begin to read. “My dearest Y|N, I know at this moment you are confused, upset, heart broken and you probably hate me more than ever but I need you to understand that I do love you. You were my true love. And I need you to know that you deserve to be more than half loved, to be treated like the absolute light you are. For someone to worship the ground that you walk on and that man is not me. I am sorry and I hope that you can find it in your heart to someday forgive me. I need you to let me go, be happy, fall in love, be wild, be crazy, live a life full of all the things that you deserve and so much more. All my love always. Steven G Rogers.” 

Your heart breaks into a million pieces as you hold his final letter in your shaky hand. You slide your hand down to your stomach, clutching your secret. A few weeks ago before all this craziness with Steve going back in time, you found out you were pregnant. You and Steve were going to have a baby, you were going to have a family…Together.  You had been searching for the just right way to tell him when he broke the news to you that he would be time traveling to return the infinity stones. And you knew then you couldn’t tell him because even a baby wouldn’t make him stay and you knew that. 

You walked into your bedroom. The silence was deafening. You grabbed his shirt from the floor and slipped it over your body, that had now been taken over by uncontrollable shivers. His picture beside the bed you grabbed it clutching it to your chest as you climbed into bed and sobbed uncontrollably. How has this become your life? Alone, broken, sad and pregnant.  There was no way you were going to be able to do this without him; especially since being without him made you want to die. How could you go on?” 

You hear a sound as the bedroom door creaks open. “Y|N?” you hear. Bucky’s sweet velvety voice fills the room. You groan in response. “I know you don’t really want to see anyone right now but I thought I would check on you.” he whispers. As he peers over into the bed. The first thing he notices is the handwritten letter from Steve and then you sobbing into his pillow on the bed. “Fuck Steve you really are a god damn idiot.” he curses outloud as he sits beside you on the bed.  

“I'm Sorry.” Bucky says pulling you into his arms and just letting you cry. “I don’t know what to do, Buck.” you finally say absolutely sobbing. He wasn’t sure what you meant. 

“I loved him more than anything, he was my everything. I always knew deep down he’d never love me as much as he loved her, I always knew that no matter what I would never be enough for him, but I clung to the little bit of hope that at least for a while he loved me enough and that was good enough for me.” you sob into Bucky's chest. Bucky hated the way Steve had made you feel over a girl he seriously only kissed once, but he knew it was the “What If” of it all for Steve. What kind of life could he have had with her that kept him yearning for something he had never known.

“Sweetie.” Bucky pauses to wipe the tears from your eyes. “You know he loved you.” he adds. “Obviously not enough.” you continue to sob. Silence fills the room. Several long minutes pass without either of you saying a word. “James.” you whisper, breaking the silence. “Yes.” he says as he continues to rub your back. There was silence again as you tried to find the words to say. “What is it, Y|N?” he asks, knowing it must be serious if you called him James.  You look up into his eyes hoping to find some answer within them.

“I'm Pregnant.” you sob and just like that your heart aches at the thought of the little one you could possibly bring into the world, of the love he or she will never know from one of the greatest men you had ever known. You hear a quiet gasp leave Bucky’s lips as he searches your eyes for his own answers. 

“Did he know?” he finally mustered up the courage to ask. You swallow. . “No” you say dryly. “I had just found out right before he told me about the plan to go back in time and I was still looking for a way to tell him when he told me his plan and I knew the moment he told me, that he didn’t plan to come back and how could I make him stay somewhere he didn’t want to be just because of me. I couldn’t ruin his chance to finally be happy, to finally be with the woman he always wanted to be with. I couldn’t take that from him” you sob. 

“Oh Sweetie.” Bucky holds you tightly and you cling to him. Sullen with the decision you now had to make. “I don’t think I can go through with it, I can’t do this alone. I just can’t. This baby deserves two people who can love them unconditionally, not just me desperately trying to cling to the last memory of Steve I will ever have….” there is silence again as you weep. “I just can’t do it.”  Bucky’s heart broke for you. 

You knew this was a huge decision. But you knew what the right decision was. You were in no place right now to raise a baby, one that deserves your undivided attention and love. And how could you love someone in such a way when you couldn’t bear to love yourself in such a way right now. You had your mind made up. This Baby deserved better. 

You had always dreamed of having a family; and you always hoped you’d have one with steve. A beautiful wedding, a few kids, a house in the hills but now you’d never have anything with him. 

In that moment Bucky knew what he had to do. There is no way he could let you lose your last connection to Steve. He’d do anything to help you hold on to that little glimmer of him. “Listen to me.” he says as he tucks his fingers under your chin so you look up at him. His eyes begging you to listen to him. “Let me help you. Let me take care of you, of this baby. Let me give you everything you’ve always wanted.” his eyes are begging you to let him in, let him take care of you. 

You swallow hard. You can’t ask him to do this and you know it. “Oh Bucky, I can’t ask you to do that.” you are looking up at him as his hand caresses your cheek. “Please.” he begs. You sigh. “Buck I can’t ask you to do this, to take care of me, of a baby that’s not yours, to put your life on hold for me, to keep you from finding the love of your life. I can't, I just can’t do that to you James I'm sorry.” you look away from his intense gaze. 

He pulls you into his arms. “Trust me beautiful, there is nothing I’d rather do, please I promise you’ve got me always.” he says Steve’s last words echoing in his ear. “Please take care of her Buck.” 

After a very deep and intense conversation between you and Bucky you decide to keep the baby, with James by your side. 

But despite everything you’ve been struggling a lot these days and not even a sweet conversation and warm bath could calm your broken heart. You still missed Steve a lot and no matter what you did you could not seem to mend your broken heart. “I need a favor.” you ask Wanda one day. She looked at you hesitantly. “Sure, what is it?” she asks. You knew Bucky was out with Sam and there wasn’t a better time to ask. “I need you to show me Steve.” you ask as tears fill your eyes. 

You had just found out last week you were having a baby boy and the thought of him growing up not knowing his dad was Captain America was killing you inside. Wanda gave you a sideways look. “Please Wanda, I need to know he’s at least happy wherever he is.” you beg her. “Alright.” she gives in. “Just this once, okay.” she knew you were very pregnant and very emotional and she hoped that maybe this could give you some closure. 

So she did what you asked. She placed her fingers to your temple and she showed you a vision of Steve. He and Peggy were dancing in the living room, some 40’s music playing in the background as they laughed and kissed and you saw that glimmer in his eyes you always wished he’d shared with you, he was happy and they looked like they were very much in love.” you began to sob. “Alright that’s enough. Sweetie please, I want you to be happy.” you grab Wanda’s wrist. “How can I be happy without him?” you shout leaving the room in tears. 

You keep torturing yourself with Steve’s happiness, begging Wanda to keep showing you his happiness over and over again until you had somehow managed to forget completely bout the little life that you carried inside of you. You were so depressed and lost that you didn’t care about anyone or anything anymore, and it’s not like you could drown yourself in booze and bad habits, no you’d much rather just torture yourself until you were barely hanging on. . “Please Wanda just one more time.” you begged. “Y|N ths is the last time I’m not doing this anymore.” she warned but once again she placed her fingers to your forehead as she took a peek into another timeline, where Steve was happy without you. 

You feel yourself getting light headed, you hear Bucky yelling at Wanda in the background as you pass out. You hadn’t been taking care of yourself lately and you knew it. You woke up to the sound of beeping. Your vision was blurry. Bucky by your side. “Hey you.” he smiles but you can tell there's something wrong, his eyes filled with worry. “The baby?” you gasp. As you realize what you have done. How could you? Bucky takes your hand. “He’s fine, he's a fighter, just like his mom. Everything’s going to be just fine.” he whispers. You smile at him as you close your eyes exhausted. “I'm sorry James.” you whisper as you fall asleep. You feel him squeeze your hand. “No need to be sorry doll. I'm here I’ll always be here.” he says, he never lets go of her hand. 

After your hospital scare you decide it’s time to make a change in your life. Everything is about you and this baby and Bucky. Through everything you and Bucky had started to get really close. Finally after what seemed like a wild 9 months you have your little Boy; Noah August Rogers. Bucky is amazing with him and with you; so patient and kind and loving. 

You and Bucky begin to fall for each other.  Slowly in the way he looked at you and the way he always dropped everything for you and how he held you and how much he loved your son like he was his own, and how he listened to you and how you always felt like you were the only girl in his world. You fell in love with James Buchannan Barnes. 

He realized as he sat there in the light green nursery that the two of you had painted together, as he held baby Noah in his arms, slowly rocking him to sleep as he let you have a few minutes to yourself ; that he had fallen in love with his best friend's girl. Even though Steve had forfeited that right when he left you both alone. 

But somehow in the late movie nights, and soft giggles, and lunch dates with you and Noah, and how you asked him to hold you at night till you fell asleep, and how you always seemed to be looking at him with so much love and admiration as he bounced your baby boy on his knee, or how you never judged him for the things he did when he was the winter soldier. 

The two of you are healing each other, him from his past as the winter soldier and you from your broken heart caused by Steve. 

It was late Noah had been asleep for a while now and you had fallen asleep in Bucky’s lap as you watched some stupid movie on TV both exhausted from taking care of Noah all day. “Doll, let's go to bed.” he says smiling as he looks down at you smiling in your sleep. You groan. “Fine.” you whine with a smirk as you pull yourself from Bucky’s arms. You stare at him for a second. 

“What is it?” he asks, smiling back at you.  “Thank you.” you whisper. He tilts his head at you a little confused. “For what doll?” he asks. You sigh. “For everything.” you say touching his cheek with your soft fingertips. “I feel like I don’t tell you enough how grateful I am for you… You saved me Buck, you kept me from making the greatest mistake of my life. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I definitely wouldn’t have survived without you.” you confess. Bucky blushes, he can’t stop his body from leaning forward, his lips capturing yours. You pull yourself into his lips, fingers running through his long brown locks. 

He pulls his lips from yours slowly. “Oh My Gosh I'm sorry I didn’t…” he words are halted by your lips on his again. once more. “Don’t be sorry.” you whisper into his lips. You’ve been feeling something wild for him lately. Something you never thought you’d feel again. You were so grateful to him for sticking by you all this time, for taking care of you, of Noah. he didn’t have to do any of it but he did and you would forever be grateful to him. 

It had taken until this moment right now for you to realize that you were in love with James Buchanan Barnes and he was hopelessly in love with you. You pull your lips away from his slowly, a flash of worry dances in his eyes, but you reassure him with a soft smile. “Come On Buck let’s go to bed.” you whisper, getting up from the couch beside him and pulling him with you. He gives you a questioning look. “Together.” you smirk. It takes a minute for his brain to process what you are asking. But once it did there was no stopping the handsome super soldier. “As you wish, my lady.” he smirks as he sweeps you up in his arms, you giggle and his heart for the first time feels complete.  

As the days went on you and James became inseparable, finding a love in each other that you never thought either of you would find. “Close your eyes.” he insists as he guides you from the car. You had been driving for sometime at his request because he had a surprise for you. “James, where are we?” you giggle as you feel grass beneath your feet. “Patients sweetheart.” you hear him chuckle. Suddenly you stop. “Alright doll, open your eyes.” he says moving his hands from your body, stepping aside so he can get a good view of your reaction.

You open your eyes and gasp. “JAMES! OMG” you look at him shocked. “What is this?” you ask him as you stare at a gorgeous one story house, surrounded by trees, with a play set in the backyard, and a wrap around porch with rocking chairs, and a little barn. You look at him begging him to explain, as you stand there in the front yard of this gorgeous home. “You needed a place of your own, a place for Noah to grow up, a place for a fresh start, some place peaceful and beautiful just like you.” he whispers. There was silence between you for a minute as you tried to stop the tears that escaped your eyes. “You… you did all this for me.. For Noah?” you reach out for him. 

The look in his eyes, the look he always had for you, the look of a man who truly loved you unconditionally. “Bucky?” you whisper. “I thought it was time you got out of the compound, had a place of your own, a place to heal, I’ve been working on it for a little while now trying to get everything just right for you..” “For us.” you whisper interrupting him. James takes a deep breath as you look at him taking his hand. “For us James, I wouldn’t be at this place in my life without you. Without you helping me with Noah, and taking care of me when I wasn’t at my best, for this gorgeous, thoughtful home you made, none of this would be possible without you James..” you pause. Because you are about to say something you never thought you would ever say again. “I love you James Buchanan Barnes, and I Can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me and for Noah...” you say the words feeling so natural and safe and meaningful as they leave your lips.

His hand is on your cheek in an instant pulling your lips to his kissing you wildly. “I love you too, doll.” he whispers, barely taking his lips from yours. “You and Noah are my world and I hope you never forget that.” he says kissing you again. “I could never.” you whisper into his lips. “Never ever.” his hands fall to your hips, yours are in his hair as you make out in your new front yard. He pulls his lips away from yours slowly. “Do you want to see inside?” he asks, taking your hand. “Of course I do.” you laugh. “I can’t believe you did this. It’s so beautiful, Bucky I just can’t believe this is ours, Our home.” the way your voice; so happy and warm and full of love says “Our home.” melts Bucky’s heart and for the first time in a very long time he really does feel like he’s home. 

He opens the door for you and you walk inside. Everything is so open and bright. As you wander room to room, giggling and gasping; James holding your hand. From the gorgeous kitchen, the spare rooms, and the master bedroom, and Noah's perfect little nursery. The huge backyard with the swingset and pool. The perfect quiet place for two people who had been through so much. “What is it?” he asks as you look over at him. You lick your lips as you turn to him. “I think you and I should take full advantage of this time alone.” you whisper. “Just you and me in our little world, no baby, nobody asking us how we are, just the two of us.” you say as you pull him in close to you.  A smirk crosses his lips. “I like the sound of that.” he whispers into your lips as he presses his body into yours. Fingertips tracing your body as he backs you into the wall. Soft little moans leaving both of your mouths. 

“James.” you groan. As you find yourself in your new bedroom. “Yes beautiful.” he whines. “You are my everything.” you say breathless. A smirk crosses Bucky’s beautiful lips. “As you are mine.” he says into the soft skin of your neck as he kisses down your body, clothes scattered on the floor of the bedroom. Your bodies tangled together in the sheets of your new shared bed. The air filled with the sounds of each other's names, soft little moans and breathless whispers. Back’s arching and nails digging into skin, kisses and sweet little cries. “I love you doll.” Bucky whispers as he holds you in his arms, as you both try and catch your breath

Neither of you had felt like that in a very long time. As you lay there in Bucky’s arms you can’t believe this is your life. Though you always imagined your life differently since you always thought you’d be here with Steve but that didn’t matter now. “I can’t wait to bring Noah home.” you whisper looking up at Bucky as you lay on his chest. He smirks as he runs his fingers through your hair, gently kisses your forehead. “Well let’s go get him.” Bucky smirks. You lean up, a sparkle in your eyes. “Really?” you say placing soft kisses to his chest. “Yeah babe, let's go bring our baby home.” he says leaning over you, kissing you slowly. You pull your lips from his slowly, fingers caressing his cheek as you look deep into his eyes. “I love you James.” you whisper as you give him a quick kiss, then jump from bed to get dressed so you can go and get your baby. 

You drove back to the compound, Bucky holding your hand across the center console. The two of you are laughing and talking about the future. Everything was perfect. When you get back to the compound you find Nat snuggling baby Noah on the couch. “Well don’t you two look happy.” she says with a smirk. You squeeze Bucky’s hand and give him a loving look. “I think we’re getting there.” you smile. “We’re?” Tony asks as he brings a bottle in for Noah. you and bucky look at each other. “We.” Bucky smirks, pulling you in close to him and giving you a gentle kiss on the cheek. Tony and Nat look at each other with large grins. “We are happy you two found each other, you both deserve it.” they both say. You sit with Nat as she feeds your sweet little baby, talking about the gorgeous home Bucky had made for the three of you, showing her pictures of all the gorgeous rooms and all the thought and love he had put into everything. 

It takes you a few weeks but you finally get everything moved out of the compound, finally you three have settled into your gorgeous new home.  “Bucky dinner.” you call placing Noah in his highchair. “Coming doll.” he calls to you as he comes from his office down the hall. You feel his lips on your neck. You melt into him. “Smells amazing, love.” he says, grabbing a beer from the fridge. You smile at him as you set the dinner down on the table, “Roast, mashed potatoes, asparagus. My favorite.” Bucky chuckles as you kiss him gently before you sit down at the table between your two favorite boys. 

You were settling into life as a family pretty easily. Bucky still went on a few missions every now and again, which you didn’t mind. You worked from home so you could take care of Noah. But no matter how far Bucky went he always came back to you. It was after a particularly difficult mission when he came home to you exhausted. The two of you were laying in bed when he asked you something you never thought you’d ever hear. He’s holding you tightly in his arms, kissing gently down your neck, you snuggled in close to him. “Marry me?” he asks. “What?” you ask, leaning up looking down at him. “Marry me.” he says again, his hand caressing your cheek. “Be my wife. You and Noah are my family and I feel like it’s time I make an honest woman out of you. Please marry me.” he says again. A tear drops down your cheek onto his chest. He reaches up to trap another with his thumb. The two of you look at each other for a few minutes. “I would love to Marry you James.” you say his lips capture yours, your fingers run through his hair deepening the kiss. He pulled his lips away from yours in an adorable smile, as he reached over into the bedside table drawer, retrieving a small velvet box. 

He opened it, revealing a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. A tiny gasp left your lips. “James, it’s beautiful.” you say as he slides the most perfect ring onto your shaking finger. “I love you so much.” you whisper, capturing his lips with yours.  “I love you more doll.” he whispers, kissing your forehead gently as you both fall asleep. When you wake up the next morning, you catch a glimpse of your new ring shimmering in the sunlight off of Bucky’s tanned chest. You couldn’t help but smile. He was still asleep beside you. “I love you James Buchanan Barnes.” you whisper as you kiss his cheek slowly, letting him sleep a little longer, he deserved it after all. You got dressed and went to get Noah from his Crib who had been babbling about for a while now. 

As you sat at the table, cup of coffee in one hand, baby in the other. You finally get a moment to take everything in. You were a Fiance. Someone wanted to marry you, and all your baggage. But not just anyone; the most sweetest, selfless, loving man you had ever known. Somehow out of the darkness you two had found the light; in each other. “Good morning, beautiful.” Bucky says kissing you slowly. “Good morning.” you whisper, getting a quick look at him, shirtless and in gray sweatpants. You chuckle. Bucky leans down to give Noah a soft kiss. 

The two of you talk a while after putting Noah down for a nap later that day. About the engagement, about the wedding, about the future. Working everything out. Deciding on a quick engagement. The two of you had waited long enough to be happy. Why waste it? You did let Nat throw you an engagement party at least.  

There he stood at the end of the aisle, tears in his eyes as he watched you make your way towards him. You couldn’t stop smiling. Tony Holding Noah in the front row. “Mama” he called with a giggle as you walked by, you blew him a kiss and returned your gaze to Bucky. He reached out for you as you made it to the altar. “You look beautiful.” he whispers. You couldn’t help but blush. You hand Nat your flowers as you take Bucky’s hand. You both decided to read your own Vows, and everyone was in tears. It was the most beautiful day. “You may kiss the Bride.” “Finally.” Bucky Laughs as he leans in to kiss you. “I love you.” he whispers. “I love you too.” you say. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. James Buchanan Barnes.” Everyone cheers as you walk by Bucky scooping up Noah in his arms as the three of you walk out together. 

After the wedding you threw a reception for your friends and family. Noah had fallen asleep hours ago and you couldn’t get Bucky off the dance floor. “I'm proud of you.” Nat says as she finally is able to steal you away from Bucky, who is now taking shots with Thor. “You’ve been through so much. And through it all you managed to find love again, to have a family to get married, to survive. I am so very proud of everything you’ve gone through babe.” she says. You sigh. “It was difficult there for a while, honestly I didn’t think I was going to make it. But James rescued me, if it hadn’t been for him I would not have made it here, with a sweet little son and a gorgeous husband. He saved me. I fully believe if it hadn’t been for him I would not be here.” you admit. You look over to your husband who was already looking at you. “Hi” you whisper. He winks at you. God you loved that man. You and Nat talk a few more minutes before you are interrupted. 

“Sorry to interrupt but would you mind if I steal my wife?” he says, wrapping his arms around you and kissing your neck. “Not at all, Congratulations again to both of you.” Nat says, giving you a little wink as she walks away. “What do you say, we grab our sleeping son and get out of here.” he grins against your neck as you sigh, melting into him. “Well Husband, I think that sounds like a great Idea.” you say leaning into his kiss. 

You grab your son who was still sleeping and head home. You undress Noah from his little suit that matched Bucky’s and place him into his crib. You and Bucky looking down at the sweet little sleeping Blonde haired blue eyed boy. You turn on the night light, and close the door. The first time getting a good look at your new husband. “I feel like I have barely seen you today.” you whisper. “I know.” he says, kissing you gently. You two held each. “Hey James.” you say looking up at him. “Yeah Doll.” he says looking down at you with so much love, like he always had. “Thank you for being the best husband, dad and friend that I could have ever asked for. You didn't have to take care of me and Noah but you did and you never ever complained. You loved me always and I don’t think I tell you enough how much I appreciate you, for taking care of us, for loving us.” you whisper. He tucks his long fingers under your chin making you look up at him.

Your eyes meet his gorgeous blue ones. “There is no place I would rather be. Being with you, and having Noah has been everything to me and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Having you as my wife is something I could only dream of. You and Noah changed my life and I couldn’t be more grateful to you. I love you so much baby.”  he says leaning down to kiss you. You both fall into bed, laughing and giggling. The perfect day, with the perfect man. 

Two Years had passed now and your little family was growing. You were 5 months pregnant with a little girl Ivy Sophia Barnes. Noah was 2 and running around like crazy keeping both you and Bucky on your toes. “Noah August get back here.” you laugh as you chase him through the kitchen his little giggles filling the kitchen. Bucky was standing over the stove stirring some concoction he was making for dinner. He looked out of the kitchen window, he thought he saw someone standing there, a ghost from the past but he knew it couldn’t be. 

Outside of this gorgeous white house, with a wrap around porch, toys in the yard stood Steve Rogers. As he looked in through the kitchen window a scene played out in front of him that made his heart ache. Steve had spent his time with Peggy and soon he had come to realize he had made a very big mistake. Being with her was not exactly what he thought it would be. He missed you, he missed his friends, he missed his old life. So he decided to find a time loop and go back to the present day, hoping to pick up where he left off but was surprised by what he found. 

As he looks in he sees you with a toddler on your hip and another on the way, Bucky his best friend with his arms wrapped around you as he reaches to grab some plates from the cabinet above where you stood. The life that he always wanted, that he craved being played out in front of him. “You wanted them to be happy, you wanted him to take care of her, he kept his promise, he loved her when you couldn’t” a voice echoes in his head.  Steve moves from the window as he sees Bucky look out, almost noticing him. 

Steve leans against the wall struggling to decide if he should ruin their happy life together, or if he should just disappear like he was never there and let them live their lives. He decides he wants to see you and knocks on the door. A small blonde-haired blue eyed little boy opened the door. Steve stared down at the tiny child, and it was like he was looking into a mirror, he swallowed hard, could this little boy be his son. “Uncle Steve!” the little boy shouts wrapping his little arms around Steve’s leg. Steve greets the small boy with a smile. “Hi there buddy.” he says. The same blue eyes as his staring back at him. “Noah How many times do I have to tell you about opening the door..” Bucky stopped in his tracks as he saw Steve standing in the door. “Holy shit.” he says. Steve Smiled. “Language Buck.” he whispers. Bucky couldn't help but laugh. 

“James, who’s at the door?” you ask as you turn the corner. “Steve.” you gasp. “Mama look it’s Uncle Steve.” Noah Calls to you. “I see that sweetie” you say as you scoop up your young son in your arms. The three of you stare at each other silently for what seemed like a lifetime. “I’ll let you two talk a minute.” Buck says as he takes Noah from your arms. You give him a look like please don’t leave me. But he knew you needed this. 

Bucky gives you a gentle kiss and sweet I love you before he leaves the room. You swallow hard, your heart racing. He looked as good as he ever did. “What are you doing here Steve?” you ask, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape your eyes. Years of mourning the loss of this man and here he was at your front door like nothing ever happened. You led him to the front porch so you could sit down. You sit and he sits beside you. “Talk to me Steve.” you say arms holding your pregnant belly as you try to get comfortable. 

Inside Bucky was playing 20 questions with Noah who hadn’t shut up about Steve’s arrival. “Dad, why is mama so sad? Is uncle Steve going to stay with us? Dad, I thought Uncle Steve was gone?  Dad was mama crying? Dad, will Uncle Steve show me his Captain America shield?”  “Son I don’t know, we will have to just wait and see what happens okay.” Bucky tells his young curious son. He had no intention of letting the little boy get his hopes up. Bucky’s heart raced as he wished he knew what was being said outside on the porch. 

“I'm sorry Y|N.” Steve begins. You swallow. Here we go. “I'm afraid I made a huge mistake.” he confessed. “I thought a life with Peggy is what I wanted but it turns out it was nothing like I imagined it would be, she wasn’t you.” Steve whispers. Oh no, here come the tears. “Steve.” you manage. He didn’t have the right to do this. He chose what he chose and it wasn’t you. He didn’t deserve an explanation. You stood from the porch swing. You couldn’t do this. 

“You know what Steve, I went through hell after you left. I didn’t even want to be alive. I hated you and myself and the whole fucking universe for doing this to us, to me. I needed you and you weren’t there, but James, James was. And he loved me when I thought I was the most unlovable person because of you, he chose me when I couldn’t even choose myself. So please don’t tell me you’ve made a mistake because it’s all too late.” you say as you reach for the door looking away from him, trying to run away as fast as you could back to the safety that was James. That was until Steve’s words stopped you dead in your tracks. 

“Noah is my son, isn't he?” the words stung in your ears. There is a thundering silence between you before you answer. “Yes Steve, Noah is your son but only by blood, James is his dad and nothing.” he interrupts you as he stands to reach for you but you pull away.”If I would have known.” he says. “If you would have known you would have still chosen Peggy, Steve you and I both know that. You had your mind made up then and there was no changing it. So please just let us be happy.” you beg him. 

But you can’t stop the tears anymore and you leave Steve standing on the front porch and you head to your room slamming the door behind you. Bucky comes out with Noah. “I'm sorry.” Steve says “This isn’t what I wanted.” he adds. Bucky looks at him. Tempted to torture him by leaving him in a room with Noah and his millions of questions but he knew he probably shouldn’t do that. “I know Steve. I get it, us together wasn’t what you expected when you decided to come back. You hoped you could just pick up where you left off with her, like she waited around for you to decide Peggy wasn’t really what you wanted. You should have seen her, Steve, she was heart broken and there for a while I didn’t think she was going to survive without you but she did and she’s the strongest woman I’ve ever known. You can’t blame us for being together.  It just happened we needed each other after you left and.” Bucky stopped, he didn’t owe Steve anything. “And you should know that the decision for you to be part of Noah’s life is going to ultimately be up to her, whatever she choses.” Bucky reminds him. Steve nods. “Now do you want to meet Noah, word of caution he has A LOT of questions.” Bucky Chuckles. “I think I can handle it.” Steve laughs. Bucky shakes his head. “I dunno.” 

He left Noah and Steve in the living room while he goes to check on you. He knocks on the door. “Baby it’s me.” Bucky calls. “Come in.” you say through sobs. Bucky opens the door slowly seeing you crying on the bed. “Oh baby,” he whispers, coming to you, holding you in his arms. “I can’t do this Buck, I can’t go through this again. I almost lost everything last time and I just can’t.” Bucky kisses your lips. “Shhh baby. It’s going to be okay. I don’t think his intentions are to ruin anything. He made a mistake babe, we made it, you and me. I don't think we should hold it against him but like i told him the choice to let him in Noah’s life is going to be up to you. If you want him to go I’ll make him go. You tell me what to do babe. I’ll support you in whatever you choose.” he says, kissing you slowly. 

You can’t help but smile.   “I love you James Barnes. You have always been my rock and I think Steve deserves to get to know his son, but on our terms.” you say. Bucky smiles. “I'm sure Noah has talked him to death anyways so we probably won't have to deal with it.'' Bucky Chuckled. You laugh. “We probably should go rescue him.” you say. Bucky wipes your  tears and kisses you on the forehead. “Everything is going to alright Doll, I promise.”  you squeeze his hand, and head out to the living room to find Steve and Noah sitting together on the floor, Noah chatting away and Steve just nodding and laughing. Bucky heard you sigh. As you look out at Steve with your little boy. A sight you had always dreamed of. Bucky began to worry. Was his marriage about to be in trouble? 

“Steve, you can stay for dinner if you want, it seems like you and Noah have a lot to talk about.” you finally say, you hadn’t noticed the instant fear in Bucky’s eyes, the fear that he was about to lose everything. You walked into the kitchen and set another table setting. Steve stayed for dinner and then played with Noah for a while before bedtime. “Thank you for letting me have this chance.” Steve says. “I want Noah to get the chance to know you, but please don’t make him any promises you can’t keep Steve, I’m begging you. Our family has been through enough.” you say with a sigh. “I'm not going to ruin it this time. I appreciate you and Buck even giving me a chance.” Steve says as he gets ready to leave. “Hey Steve.” you say. He turns back up the porch. “Yeah.” he says, his perfect blue eyes meeting yours. “Here’s Bucky’s number. If you want to see Noah Just call, we'll arrange it. I want you to be a part of his life Steve. He doesn't deserve to never know the kind of man his dad is because we were idiots.” you say handing him a small note with Bucky’s number on it. “Thank you Y|N” he says. “Also I'm pretty sure Buck is over the moon to have his best friend back.” you smile. Steve can’t help the smile that crosses his lips. “Thank you.” he nods and he heads out to his truck. 

You stand out on the porch as you watch him leave. Knowing your simple little life, just became more complicated. You sigh as you head inside. Bucky had finished up the dishes and was sitting on the back patio. You knew today had to have been a lot for him. You walk out to him. “Hey you, let's go to bed. It’s been a long day.” you look down at him as he smiles up at you. You could tell something was on his mind but you didn’t press him you knew he would tell you whenever he was ready. He took your hand and you led him up to bed. The pair of you lay there in silence, you were tucked tightly into Bucky’s arms, listening to his heartbeat. The slow and steady rise and fall of his chest. 

You hear Bucky sigh. You turn to him. “What is it, Buck?” you ask him, turning in his arms so you can look at him. There is silence again. “Baby, talk to me.” you say your fingers caressing his cheek. He melts into your touch. “Do you still love him?” he whispers, he can’t believe he’s saying this. He knows the answer. But still he can’t help that it’s on his mind. You look over at your sweet husband. 

“Of course I still love him James, I’ll always love him in some sort of way he gave me Noah, but you, you James Buchanan Barnes you gave me love and light and happiness, loved me when I thought I was absolutely unloveable, you saw me when I was invisible babe you gave me everything, including this sweet little girl we have on the way, who is going to be such a Daddy’s girl, and never have a boyfriend till she’s 45.” you pause because Bucky was finally laughing. “You got that right.” he chuckled as he rubbed his hands over your growing belly.. “You gave me everything James and not even Steven Grant Rogers could change that. You are my Forever Bucky Barnes and I hope you know that.” you whisper into his lips. “I do know that baby, I'm sorry I just got a little insecure.” you smile down at your husband. “Baby you have nothing to worry about. I promise. It’s you and me forever and always.” you kiss his lips then down his chest as you disappear under the blanket. “And I promise to prove it to you every day if I have too.” you whisper. You hear him groan and you know your distraction is working.  

The next few months you saw Steve more and more. Noah was loving having his “Uncle” around. What could be cooler than knowing captain america right. Bucky and Steve were getting their friendship back and finally everyone was settling into their life of having Steve back. Someday when Noah was older and you knew he would understand you’d tell him the truth about Steve but for now you’d let him have his Heroes. Baby Ivy was Born and Bucky was over the moon, and that sweet little girl had your husband wrapped around her tiny little finger. Somehow You, Bucky, Noah, Baby Ivy and Steve managed to work out in this weird new family dynamic, finally getting a happily ever after that everyone deserved. 

The End.

[russiandoll-from-brooklyn]

Just Once

Pairing: Tony Stark x fem!reader

Summary: It’s been nearly two years since Thanos destroyed half of life in the universe. Since then, you’ve been alone and depressed. Tony’s marriage has been in the gutter for years now. When Tony comes to visit his old friend, you decide that just one time -- in the name of staving off loneliness -- can’t hurt. Is it wrong to not want to be alone?

(Takes place after Infinity War, before the time heist in Endgame.)

Warning: SMUT, dirty talk, slight dom!tony, fluff/angst, dub cheating(?) technically, friends with benefits, oral (female reader receiving) soft!tony

[Basically this is a super fluffy, a little sad, friends to lovers type story. Lots of soft!tony, emotion, and smut.]

Word Count: 4.4k. [long, sorry. had sooo many thoughts writing this]

[Also Part 2 is now here!]

------

As soon as you shut the door to your apartment, you take off your raincoat and shake off the moisture. Tony does the same.

“Well, I guess you’re really getting the full Seattle experience,” you remark with a grunt, sweeping the rain-drenched pieces of hair out of your eyes. 

Tony scoffs playfully. “You couldn’t have gotten an apartment with a connected parking garage?” He hangs up his jacket next to yours. “And I’ve been to Seattle before. I don’t need an experience.”

“Wow. You’re welcome for picking you up from the airport, by the way,” you say, rolling your eyes at him sarcastically. Despite his words, you knew that Tony was happy to see you. It’s been nearly two years since Thanos, and the past 700 days weren’t easy. They were filled with grief, anger, regret, and most of all, loneliness. The Avengers had effectively broken up -- Steve and Natasha were still in New York, holding onto some hope of undoing the past. The rest of the team were dealing with their grief in other ways: Bruce was off somewhere holed away with his work, Thor was in New Asgard, and Clint had completely fallen off the radar. Tony had moved him and Pepper to a beautiful cabin property in Georgia. You had thought that Georgia wasn’t really Tony’s style, but perhaps he was just taking a page out of Clint’s book.

You had relocated to Seattle, where you took up a part-time lecturer position at a university. Honestly, you didn’t much care for the job, but it was something to fill the time and keep your mind from laying idle. You kept busy enough to avoid it most of the time, but you were deeply depressed. Although you initially tried, you didn’t keep in touch much with your former teammates. However, your line of communication with Tony stayed strong. You were always similar personalities back at the Avengers facility, and you were close friends. Something else you liked is that Tony rarely brought up Thanos or the past. With the others, every conversation felt like a minefield. You didn’t like to linger on the past. It hurt too damn much, and there’s nothing you can do to bring everyone back. You wish there was.

You had visited Tony’s cabin a handful of times in the past two years, but this was his first time coming to pay you a visit. After you were changed out of your wet clothes and settled in, it was nearly 8 p.m. You pour two generous glasses of whiskey for you and Tony, both of you sinking into the couch. Tony doesn’t drink often, but seeing an old friend -- perhaps, his best friend -- was a special occasion.

The apartment may be small, but it felt spacious. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows and an airy loft are the highlights of the apartment. It’s not cheap, but you had the money, and you loved the feel of the space. The rainstorm outside sends pattering water drops against the large windows. A low growl of thunder rumbles in the distance.

Tony had changed into a thin dark red cotton long-sleeve. He takes a long sip of his drink before turning to you.

“Nice place. Very Scandinavian-chic.”

“Not too quaint for Tony Stark’s taste?”

He laughs. “Almost. But the high ceilings elevate the place. No pun intended.”

There was always something comfortable about you and Tony. Maybe, it was your shared gravitation towards sarcasm. Or, it was just that the two of you had known each other for so long.

The two of you talk about how you like Seattle, then about the latest publication of Technology & Life Journal. The conversation touches on the oppressive humidity of Georgia, then Tony’s opinion on intermittent fasting. Eventually, as the night comes into its full darkness, the subject drifts to more personal matters.

“And there’s nothing... nothing... Pepper hates more than the sound of my chewing,” Tony explains, waving his hands for emphasis. 

You scrunch your nose and chuckle. Both of the whiskey glasses are empty now.

“So, the situation over there hasn’t gotten much better?” you ask with a sympathetic expression.

Tony and Pepper’s marriage has been on the rocks for years. You remember the first time Tony had told you that he and Pepper were taking a break. That was right before Sokovia.

“Oh, god, Y/N,” Tony replies. “So much worse. We barely even talk anymore. I can’t stand her, and she can’t stand me. We’re just kind of like roommates, barely tolerating each other, anxiously waiting for our lease to be up so we can move to opposite sides of the globe. Except, who knows when the lease will be up.”

“Why haven’t you gotten a divorce?”

“What’s the point? She can leave whenever she pleases. If the sound of my chewing is really as ear-grating as she claims,” Tony remarks with an intense eye roll. He gazes out the large window to the right of the couch. His reflection in the darkened glass stares back at him. “And I don’t want to file first because of that horrendous pre-nup situation.”

“I still can’t believe you agreed to that.”

“Me neither. But I was crazy about Pep when I first met her.”

You feel a pang of sadness for your friend. You know just how debilitating loneliness can be. But loneliness is a million times worse when someone you used to feel so happy with is still right there. Out of reach. Together but alone.

“So, you’ve been investing in a lot of sex toys lately, I presume?” you tease with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. 

Tony lets out of a hearty laugh at that. The two of you were never bashful when it came to topics of “natural concern.”

“Actually, yes,” he replies with a toothy smile. “I haven’t had sex in literal ages. It’s a sad, sad existence.”

“You and me both, pal,” you say, reaching to pour another glass for you and your friend. “I’m convinced every single person my age is a lousy lay. I’ve decided that hookups are a titanic waste of time and energy.”

“What makes someone a lousy lay?” Tony asks, curiosity etching a peak into one of his inquisitive eyebrows. “In Y/N’s expert opinion, of course.”

“Selfishness, overconfidence, acting like it’s a race to the finish line... I could go on and on.”

“That’s just inexperience. Sorry about the bad sheet-tumbles though, truly,” he replies in his usually snarky tone. “I could make you a cybernetic dildo, if you want?”

You both burst out with laughter. God, you missed your friend.

You just barely catch it, but suddenly something changes in Tony’s eyes. His cheeky smile shifts just enough to give an impression of seriousness.

“Or,” he starts, not meeting your eyes. “We could just fuck.”

You pause. Glancing over at him, he has his eyes locked on his drink.

“You wish,” you retort with a chuckle. He must be kidding.

When Tony speaks again, his voice is just quiet enough to give it an unusual quality. A quality that sends a shiver up your spine.

“I’m actually, sort of, maybe, kinda serious.” He finally raises his gaze to meet yours. “Why not?”

The little cock of his head on Why not? gives his words a lightness -- you’re almost fooled that Tony didn’t just suggest what he did. What was he thinking?

“Well, for starters,” you begin. Your tone is serious now. “You’re married. Your wife might be more of a roommate than a wife -- in your words -- but she’s still your wife. And besides that, you’re my friend. It would be weird.”

Tony seems to consider your words for a moment, mulling it over in his head. He swirls his drink a few times. You catch an almost imperceptible blush on your friend’s face, and for a second, you feel sorry for turning him down.

“It’s not like we would rent billboard space and announce it to the world afterwards,” he begins, a little quieter than usual. You’re certain now that he’s dead serious. “It’s just... we’re both lonely, aren’t we?”

He holds your eyes. He was right. You were desperately lonely. Skin-on-skin affection, real affection (even if the motives behind it are dubious) would be heaven right now. You can’t help but let you eyes trail down to Tony’s chest, so broad and adorned with that familiar glowing emblem. Your gaze continues down his biceps... his exposed forearms... his long, delicate fingers, so nervously clutching the whiskey glass.

When you snap your gaze back to his, he’s still looking at you, intently. He seems to be searching your face for any indication of how you’re feeling. Any indication that he didn’t just make a fool of himself, or worse, damage your shared friendship.

Finally, you speak.

“Just once.”

As soon as your words break through the silence, you see relief wash over Tony’s face. His typical snarky expression is suddenly back.

“Just once as in one time? Or one night?” he jests, setting his glass down on the side table. “Because I happen to be a man of stamina.”

There’s the Tony you’re familiar with. A smile spreads across your face, too. What the hell did you just get yourself into? Is this really happening? You half-expected Tony to burst into giggles, telling you this was all a joke.

“Are you ever not cocky? I could’ve sworn I just told you that I find overconfidence a-”

Before you can finish your retort, a pair of warm lips are pressing into yours. You forget to breathe for a moment as your heart jumps into your throat. You hadn’t even noticed Tony move from his spot on the couch. He was now standing over you, one knee on the cushion beside you. One hand on the back of the furniture, and the other on your cheek, guiding your jaw towards him. His kiss is firm, but confident. Unrushed. Intentional. 

When Tony pulls away after a few seconds, his eyes are scouring your face for a reaction. You can see the slightest glisten of wetness on his lower lip, and suddenly, you feel a rush of primal warmth through your body. You want him.

You languidly take one more sip from your glass before setting the amber-drink down on the table. Tony watches your slow movements like an animal.

Then, the coil breaks loose. Your hands come up to his face pulling him back down. Your lips crash together, hungry with desire. His grip on your jaw is firm as his mouth moves in expertly minuscule motions. What am I doing? I can’t believe this is happening. Thoughts course through your mind at light speed as you grab at Tony’s hair, tangling your fingers in his soft brunette locks.

He lowers himself further over you, guiding you to lay back on the couch. The slight roughness of his beard drives you wild. His kisses are hungry yet controlled: a lethal combination that shows how experienced he is. He catches your bottom lip lightly between his teeth. When he parts his lips, you take the opportunity to snake your tongue forward. A low groan erupts from Tony, sending wetness to your core. He’s on top of you, between your legs now, still being careful not to put his full weight down. 

Without warning he pulls back, his face lingering inches from yours. You look at him with concern, one hand holding his cheek. His beautiful brown eyes are dark with lust, yet tinged with an unexpected innocence.

“Is this wrong?” he whispers to you.

You think for a moment before replying.

“It is wrong to not want to be alone?”

With that, your fate was sealed. Tony’s lips return to yours, mouth dancing with a burning desire. You can feel yourself getting more turned on by the second with his experienced movements. The way he caresses your neck, face, and arms with such deliberation. You wrap one leg around his back, drawing his hips in to press against you. You both let out a soft moan at the contact. 

“You know,” you say between kisses. “I haven’t shown you my bedroom yet.”

“Show me now.”

You both rise from the couch, and you eagerly pull him towards your bedroom by the hand. As soon as you’re through the doorway, Tony’s back on you. He swiftly presses you against the wall, holding you there with his hips. His hands are gripping your jaw as his kisses continue to send shockwaves of desire through your body. Your fingertips trail from his shoulders to his chest, further and further down until you reach the hem of his shirt. You tug softly, and Tony briefly releases your mouth to pull his shirt over his head. 

The sight of his bare chest is stunning. Tony’s lean yet muscular figure was just what you liked. You had never been into the extreme body-builder look so many girls lusted after.

You remove your shirt, too, and Tony moans at the sight. You start walking him backwards towards the bed, pushing him down onto the mattress when you reach the edge. You straddle him, leaning down to kiss him more. Something about his lips is absolutely intoxicating. You test the waters by lightly rolling your hips on his. You’re nearly surprised by the loud gasp that escapes Tony’s lips. His eyes flutter closed as he pressed his head back into the pillow. You can feel his erection under you, strong and straining against his jeans.

“I never took you for a screamer,” you tease, moving to plant sloppy kisses on his jaw and neck. He laughs under you.

“Oh, trust me. This is nothing compared to how you’ll be moaning soon.”

You nearly growl at his words, the wetness in your panties continuing to grow. You feel Tony’s hands reach around your back to effortlessly unclasp your bra. You sit up for a moment to discard the piece of clothing on the floor.

“Fuck,” Tony says quietly, taking in your bare top. “You are stunning.”

In one swift motion, he flips you onto your back. Tony is on top of you now, caging you in with his forearms on either side of your head. He starts grinding his hips down into your clothed core, making you gasp raggedly. He starts to work his mouth down your neck, stopping to kiss and lightly bite at the sensitive skin. He’s careful not to kiss so rough as to leave a mark. After all, you don’t belong to him.

Moving further down, his mouth closes over your right nipple, making you moan and arch your back. A hand comes up to caress your other breast. He alternates back and forth between them, keeping his movements relaxed. You loved how he was taking his time. He wasn’t in any rush, and god, did he know what he was doing.

Your hands tangle in his hair, relishing the feel of his tongue, lips and fingers on your breasts. After a few minutes, Tony continues to travel downward. When he gets to the waist of your pants, he stops to look up at you.

“Y/N,” he says. His dark brown eyes blown out with lust. “Can I take these off?”

You nod eagerly, feeling weak and warm at his asking for permission -- even as he already had you a moaning mess under him. Yep, consent is sexy.

He swiftly pulls your pants down your legs, tossing them onto the floor behind him. You watch, biting your lip gently, as Tony hooks his fingers into the waistband of your panties. He slowly removes those as well, eyes locked on you. Seeing Tony kneeling above you, looking down hungrily was enough to make you groan with anticipation.

Tony lowers himself, head coming closer to your core. He uses his hands to gentle coax your legs apart. He starts kissing at the inside of your knee, trailing closer and closer to your pussy. His facial hair scrapes against your sensitive skin. By the time he gets to your core, you can’t wait another second for him to pleasure you. You feel his breath on your glistening pussy lips, and a moment later, Tony starts licking a thick stripe with his tongue. You cry out in pleasure.

His tongue travels from the base of your opening, all the way up to your clit. He does this a few more times, going slow, hands gripping into the side of your hips. Then, he latches onto your clit, expertly moving the bud between his tongue and lips. You had never felt this kind of ecstasy from oral before. Tony seemed to know just how to touch you. You shut your eyes tight, seeing stars form behind your eyelids. You clutch the sheets, trying to ground yourself.

“You like that?” Tony moans against you.

“Fuck,” you manage to say. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Shit, you are really fucking good at this.”

You hear Tony chuckle at the intensity of your pleasure before continuing to work you with his mouth. You feel one hand release your hip, and a few seconds later, a warm finger nudges at your entrance. You groan as Tony slowly slides one finger into you, starting to move against your silken walls. He lifts his head from your clit to lock eyes with you. He watches you intensely, as if studying your face. The sight of his juice-soaked lips makes your head fuzzy. He looks utterly turned on.

Suddenly, his finger hits that sensitive rough spot on your upper wall. Your eyes roll back into your skull as you let out a feral cry of pleasure. 

“Ah, there it is,” Tony says with a grin.

That tone of smug accomplishment normally made you want to sock him on the shoulder, but right now, you didn’t care. This man was a god in bed.

Tony inserts another finger and continues to work your g-spot. The pleasure you feel has you writhing under him. The warmth in your core grows rapidly, and before you know it, you’re moments away from your release.

“Tony, shit! I’m so close. Don’t stop.”

He continues to eat you out, fingering you in just the right place. You can see his hips starting to buck down into the bed, turned on by your own ecstasy. Suddenly, you come, convulsing around his fingers and moaning his name. Your heart feels like it’s going to jump out of your chest. You slowly come down, Tony continuing to gently coax out the last pulses of your powerful orgasm.

Once he satisfied that your orgasm has faded, Tony rises up to his knees, wiping his mouth with his fingertips. The sight makes you salivate. You waste no time jumping up yourself to meet him, reaching down to undo his pants. He kisses you fiercely as you both work to fully remove his jeans. Despite the solid deliberation of his movements, there’s a sense of desperation as well. You’re both panting like animals, needing more. Needing this.

As Tony removes his boxers, his cock springs free, rock-hard and engorged. You can’t help but stare. He’s well-endowed, and just anticipating his dick sinking into you is enough to make you bite your lip and groan. You reach down to start stroking him in your hands. This elicits a deep moan from Tony, who throws his head back at the sensation.

“Lay down,” you whisper. “I want to suck you.”

To your surprise, Tony pushes you back down onto your back. He comes down over you, immediately attacking your neck with his mouth.

“You can blow me on round two, sweetheart. Right now, I just need to fuck you,” he commands. His voice has transformed to have a darker edge now. There’s a primal quality that makes your pussy throb.

You reach over and open one of the small drawers of your bedside table. You quickly retrieve a condom, which Tony takes from your hands. He sheathes himself with desperate speed, keeping his intense gaze on your face.

He lowers himself back over you, and a moment later, you feel his cock beginning to prod at your entrance. He kisses you hard, moaning into your lips as he slowly begins to sink into you. God, he feels so good. The way he stretches your walls is perfection. You clench your eyes tight and can’t help but claw at the flesh of his back. He hisses in pleasure at the sensation.

Once he’s buried to the shaft, he begins to expertly stir his hips in a circular motion. You cry out. Holy shit. This was a new level of ecstasy. With every rotation, his public mount presses and rubs your clit. Most men you’d been with just defaulted to jackhammering in and out, chasing their own high as fast as possible. Tony’s movements were calculated and obviously geared towards your pleasure. This was definitely the best sex you’ve ever had, and it wasn’t even over yet. Your moans fill the room.

“Y/N. God. You feel so fucking good,” Tony growls softly into your ear. “Wrapped around my cock like this. Letting me take you.”

His words -- so nasty and so erotic -- drive you crazy. You start to feel that familiar rising warmth in your stomach again. Tony continues to grind on you as he takes your earlobe into his mouth, gently nibbling with his teeth. You can feel how much restraint he has in keeping his motions intentional. He’s a like a bull, ready to burst from the pen at any moment, but he’s holding back in order to give you as much pleasure as possible.

“Just like that, Tony,” you whimper. “Keep going. I’m going to come again.”

And right on cue, it only takes a minute or so more for you to unravel. Waves of intense pleasure ripple through your body, rocking you from the inside out. Tony’s name spills from your lips in an unholy chant as you orgasm. You dig your nail into his shoulders, unable to do anything but let your orgasm pass through you. It’s heaven.

You’re still experiencing the last convulsions of your high when Tony swiftly flips you over onto your stomach. You feel rough hands on your hips as he repositions himself at your pussy. You scream in pleasure as Tony’s cock rams back into you in one long motion. One of his arms comes down beside your head to steady himself while the other stays on your hip, pulling you back with each thrust. The sounds coming from Tony’s mouth behind you are pornographic. The grunts, moans, and growls come in a cascade along with explicit swears and peppers of your name.

He’s rough. He’s finally letting himself take the pleasure he so desperately needs. And you let him. You want to let him feel good. And, shit, does it feel good for you, too.

Laying down flatter so that his chest touches your back, Tony snakes an arm under you. Still fucking you forcefully from the back, he starts to draw circles on your clit, rubbing you into ecstasy. Even as he takes his own pleasure, Tony is still thinking about you.

It doesn’t take long before Tony’s thrusts start to become sloppy. You can feel the sheer primal need behind every stroke.

“Y/N, sweetheart. Oh, god,” he moans behind you. This is followed by a string of curses and growls.

Suddenly, along with an animalistic moan, you feel his cock pulsing inside of you. He’s holding your hip with a death grip, eyes clamped shut. After a few more half-thrusts, he slowly pulls his cock out of you. Tony collapses beside you, chest rapidly rising and falling as his breath returns to baseline. You roll onto your back, equally feeling the indescribable glow radiating throughout your body.

It must have only been a few minutes of silence, but it feels as it time stands still. It’s just the two of you, laying there in the mess of sheets. The only sounds filling the room are your heavy breaths and the soft pattering of the rain on the window. Finally, it’s you that breaks the silence.

“That was... Really. Really. Fucking good.”

You’re almost in disbelief that this just happened. You and Tony Stark, your closest friend, just fucked each other’s brains out. And it was amazing.

“That’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Tony replies with his signature chuckle. His eyes are still fluttered closed. “And you were totally louder than me. No competition.”

A smile spreads across your lips. You reach over and punch him playfully in the arm. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe this didn’t change anything. Maybe this was OK. You so wanted this to be OK.

“Not true. You sounded like a porn star. Everyone probably heard you,” you joke back. “But I will say: that thing you did with your tongue. Jesus. Good job, dude. Kudos.”

He laughs heartily, and you follow suit.

“I’ll do it again for you right now,” he says cheekily. 

He opens his eyes to flash you a devious glance. The corner of his mouth curves into a mischievous smile as he starts to snake his hand down towards your pussy. You chuckle and slap him away playfully, feigning mock offense.

“Dream on, playboy,” you retort, grinning from ear to ear. “We agreed, just once.”

“Unless I’m mistaken, we didn’t settle on the specifics of that verbiage.”

In that moment, Tony’s eyes say a million words. There’s so much teeming below those deep brown irises, and you see it all. Mischief, desire, intensity. But also softness, longing, affection... love? You don’t dwell on the thought, but you do allow yourself to fall into his pretty gaze.

“Then, I guess we can just do what feels right. And then sort it out in the morning?”

“Oh, I love it when you live in the moment, Y/N,” Tony announces with a smirk. “Irresponsibility always has a place, in my humble opinion.”

You giggle, and he seizes the opportunity to crawl back on top of you. He starts to tease you again, breathing soft kisses onto your neck and collarbone. Tony Stark. Dangerously charming, as always. You let your eyes close, letting the sensations bury you.

Just one night, you tell yourself. Is it wrong to not want to be alone?

——

[Part 2 here!]

[maximons]

Back Together

Summary: Y/n L/n and Wanda Maximoff have been through hell and back. Y/n going missing shortly after the final battle with Thanos, and Wanda creating the Hex and dealing with the aftermath. After so long apart, what happens when they make their way back to each other?

Word Count: 8,992

Genre: Angst w/ a happy ending

Requested?: Yes

Warnings: Mentions of death, dismemberment, implied sex

A/N: Holy shitt, this is a long one. I really got carried away with this, but I hope you guys enjoy it, I worked on this one for days. Spoilers for Infinity War, Endgame, and Wandavision btw as if y’all need it lol Happy reading :)

The last 24 hours or at least to you were just...insane.

The last thing you remembered was being in Wakanda, fighting a bunch of aliens in an attempt to ward off another bunch of aliens from stealing the stone out of Vision’s head. 

You had faced, what you assumed, was the main bad alien. Thanos, you think it was? It wasn’t really the time to remember names. You had seen Wanda, your best friend and the woman you were in love with, have to be the one to destroy the stone in Vision’s head. Killing the man that she was in love with.

As much as it hurt having to see the woman you loved love another, you weren’t about to let her go through this level of pain on her own.

You had the power of absorption. Basically, any material you laid your hands on you can instantly cover your body with. With the right ones, you could gain great strength and durability. You were also able to shift your hands into different types of weapons while in this state.

You were a pretty useful Avenger. Not the strongest by any means, but you were essential.

And you were gonna do your best to make sure you won.

You saw Thanos begin to make his way towards Wanda and Vision, and you realized you had to move fast. You ran over to where King T’Challa was laying, unconscious.

“Sorry about this, your highness. Please don’t sue me.” You rested your hand against his chest, quickly absorbing the material of his vibranium suit. 

You ran back over to Thanos, shifting your right hand into a sharp blade, and swung. Your blade nicked the back of the titan’s legs, making him fall to his knees. He quickly recovered, and turned to you, but you held your ground. You lasted for a surprisingly long time, and if this wasn’t a drastic situation you would’ve bragged about it.

But unfortunately, your luck ran out. Thanos delivered a powerful blow to your stomach, and with the help of the power stone, it sent you flying several feet away. You landed on the ground hard, and fell unconscious. Armor shedding, returning you to your normal state.

You managed to buy Wanda enough time to destroy the mind stone, but it wasn’t enough.

Thanos reversed time, ripped the mind stone out of Visions head, and attached it to the gauntlet.

Then he snapped.

By the time you woke up, you looked over to see Wanda kneeling over Vision’s body. 

“Wanda?...” You croaked out, hoping it was loud enough for her to hear. You saw her look up at you, her eyes widening. Before you could question why, you began to feel...odd. Almost as if your body was drifting away. You looked down towards your legs, and sure enough, you saw them begin to fade away into dust. Your head snapped back up to Wanda, your eyes now filling with panic, but before you could get a word out, you were gone.

For like five minutes.

Next thing you knew, you were waking up, still on the forest ground in Wakanda. You sat up and looked around, confused. Weren’t you just turning to dust? Why did it feel like you were just waking up from a nap?

You didn’t have time to process any of this though, because a man that looked like a wizard quickly told you that everyone needed your help at the Avengers compound, and he opened a portal for you to step through.

Fuck it. You stepped through, and were immediately thrown into another fight.

This one was way more intense than the last. Both sides had gigantic armies, it was survival of the fittest. A fight for all of humanity, more than that, all of existence. 

And this time, you guys won. But not without sacrifice.

Tony was the one to deliver the final blow. He managed to get the infinity stones and gave the final snap, turning Thanos and his army into dust the way that you had not too long ago. 

He didn’t survive.

And you try your hardest not to let the guilt swallow you because you knew you likely could’ve absorbed the energy and lived.

You also learned that in order to get the soul stone, someone had to give up their own. Clint was the one who made the jump, devastating his family when they returned and learned of his sacrifice. You saw the guilt start to consume Natasha as well.

And Wanda...she was far from okay.

While Vision’s technically been dead for five years now, to Wanda it was only moments ago. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was going through, and you weren’t sure how to comfort her. So, you simply walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. She reciprocated immediately and began crying into your shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Wanda.” You whispered, hoping it would bring her even a tiny bit of comfort. She just continued crying, and you remained silent while rubbing her back.

Soon it was time for Tony’s funeral, and you stayed by Wanda’s side the entire time. You two didn’t exchange words, you were merely offering a friendly presence, and it seemed like that was all she needed. But shortly after the funeral, she took off.

She didn’t tell you where she was going or what she was doing, you weren’t even sure if she knew herself, she just told you to take care of yourself and left. You didn’t want to let her go, but you figured she needed time. You didn’t chase after her.

You were left alone. Not completely alone of course, but without Wanda it was like you were lost in a forest with no hope of escaping. You were now homeless, you lost two people that were like father figures to you, and now the love of your life had left without you. You didn’t know where to go from here.

So when Steve said he was going to travel through time to return the infinity stones, you offered him a helping hand. Surprisingly, he said yes.

The next day, you were fitted with a red and white suit which was pretty cool if you said so yourself, and hopped onto some sort of pad with Cap. You gave him a nod as he handed you the suitcase with the infinity stones inside. You watched him make the helmet form over his head as he picked up Thor’s hammer.

“I always knew I saw that thing move when you tried that night.” Steve chuckled and shrugged bashfully. You formed your own helmet over your face, and Bruce started the countdown.

“Alright, in five...four...three...two...”

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself for the feeling of time travel, and before you knew it, you shrunk down and were off.

Things went bad, fast.

Bruce stated that you two would come back not long after you left. Sam, Bucky, and Natasha were waiting for your arrival, waiting for this thing to finally be over.

“And they’ll be back in five...four...three-” Before Bruce even finished the countdown, Steve had reappeared.

Without you.

“Steve!” Nat shouted as she ran over to him, the other three guys following. “What happened?”

Instead of answering the question, Steve made his helmet go away, and fell to his knees. The events of the past few days finally catching up to him. “I...” He got out before he let out a sob. Everyone looked down at him in worry, but waited for him to calm down so he could continue. A few moments later, he caught his breath. “We were on Morag, returning the power stone. We must have triggered something, because next thing we knew, we were surrounded. We tried to fend them off, but they overwhelmed us...She was taken.”

“Bruce can bring her back, right?” Sam asked, but Steve shook his head before he even finished the question.

“Her suit got damaged.”

“Well then lets go back and-” Nat started but Steve cut her off.

“We’re out of Pym Particles. Morag was our last stop, and the last bit was used to bring me back...” He trailed off, not being able to finish the sentence. Everyone knew what he was implying though, and they bowed their heads. Bucky was the one to speak up.

“She’s gone.”

Wanda was going through hell. 

At Tony’s funeral, Natasha had informed her of what happened to Vision’s body. They had brought him back to the Avengers compound after Wakanda, but so much had happened after that. Since Tony was technically the synthezoid’s guardian, and Wanda had been blipped, he had final say over what happened to his corpse. The man was angry and bitter after their loss, so when SWORD approached him asking for Vis’s body, he turned it over without a second thought.

Let’s just say Wanda was less sad about Stark’s death after finding out.

She knew what she had to do after that. Vision deserved a proper burial, and she was going to bring him the justice he deserved. She had her own mission now. SWORD. 

She had thought about bringing you along, she really did. She was so happy to see you alive on the battlefield, the sight of you fading away had burned itself into her memory just as much as seeing Vision be killed was. But by the time it got to Tony’s funeral she was numb, the events of the past few days catching up to her. She had one goal in mind at this point, and after thinking about it, she didn’t know what good bringing you along would do.

So she said goodbye, and set off.

After her discovery at SWORD, she pulled out the deed that she received a few days prior. Westview, New Jersey was her next stop. She drove through the town, taking it in, before she finally arrived at the address. It was an empty lot. She slowly made her way out of her car, bringing the deed with her, and walked to the center. She opened the deed and saw Vision’s note inside. To grow old in.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. He bought a house for them, for her. She felt like her legs were going to give out, but she stayed strong. She didn’t care how she looked to the residents of Westview, she felt like she was slowly dying. 

And then her phone rang.

She wanted to ignore it, but she figured she could use the distraction from her slowly breaking heart. She pulled her phone out, and saw it was Steve. She did her best to calm herself down, and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Wanda.” Steve sounded down. Something was up.

“Is everything alright, Steve?”

Steve sighed. “No...no, it’s not.”

“What happened?”

“I just got back from returning the Infinity Stones...Y/n came with me.”

Wanda’s breath hitched at the mention of your name. “Is she okay?”

“...No. She didn’t make it back.”

Wanda stopped breathing. No. No this couldn’t be happening. You were supposed to be alright, the one person who could never leave. Anger began to rise in her. “What do you mean she didn’t make it back?” She gritted out.

“It’s a very long and complicated story, but basically we had to go through time and space to return them. We got to our last stop, and we were ambushed. We were overpowered...”

“Well, go back and get her! Help her for fucks sakes!”

“Believe me Wanda, If I could, I would! The device that would’ve let Y/n return home was damaged in the fight, and there’s not enough power left for us to return to her.”

Wanda’s legs finally gave out, and she landed on her knees. “So...So what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying...she’s gone.” Wanda let out a sob, her hand came to cover her mouth. “I am so sorry, but I figured you should know.” She didn’t have it in her to respond, so she simply hung up and began to break down.

She had officially lost everything. You were the last piece of hope she truly had in this world, and now you were gone. She had nothing. She felt her heart shatter, she was all alone. The phone and deed both fell out of her hands as she began to openly sob. She just wanted to fix it, she wanted everything back.

And then she exploded. Literally.

One Year Later

The grounds where The Avengers Compound used to reside were now completely abandoned. Some structure remained, telling those who might’ve passed by that this was once the home of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but mostly it was covered in dirt, moss, and the growing weeds throughout the area.

But then, something started to happen. The first sign of life that this ground has seen in over a year. A mass of energy began to form, swirling as it got bigger. It grew, shining brighter for a few moments, until it exploded. 

You came out.

You landed on your hands and knees, trying to catch your breath. Your once pristine Avengers suit, now in taters. The time traveling device on your wrist, held together with wires that were now falling apart. 

“Fuck!” You let out, not enjoying the feeling of the trip. You took a moment to catch your breath, before quickly standing up. You took a look around, recognizing where you were. You took in a deep breath, relishing the fact that you were back on Earth.

More importantly, you were home.

“Yes!” You through your hands up in the air in excitement. “It worked!” You let out a joyful laugh, as you began sprinting. You had no idea where you were going, but you were to happy to care. You slowed to a stop after a few moments when the excitement died down, bringing your hand to the back of your neck to try and form your helmet that had your com inside. You shivered at the cold metallic feeling that hit your skin.

You had yet to get used to your newest change. Your hand was now gone, replaced with a metal one. It was similar to Bucky’s metal arm, but had that extraterrestrial vibe to it considering it came from space and all. As shitty as it was to lose a limb, you couldn’t help but be excited that you had a default material you could absorb without having to go searching for one.

Looking at the bright side and all.

You used your other, normal, hand to try to trigger the helmet instead. This time it worked. “Hello!? Is anyone there? Can anyone read me?” You heard a crackling sound on the other end and cursed internally. “Hello!? This is Y/n! I don’t know how long it’s been, but please tell me someone’s on the other end of this thing?” Still no answer.

“Shit.” You dropped the helmet and took off. You weren’t sure what to do, or how long it’s been. The compound was destroyed, the Avengers could be literally anywhere, and you had no way to contact them. You had one idea though.

You arrived in San Francisco, after trying to scrounge up as much money as you could for a bus ticket, and you were outside of what you remember to be Scott Lang’s house.

While you were on the run after the events of the Sokovia Accords, you made a point to visit Scott whenever you could. Even though you only met right before the airport battle, you two shared a wall in the Raft as your cells were placed right beside each other. You two got close, considering you shared similar personalities it wasn’t a shock.

You knocked on the door, praying to whatever God was out there that he would answer. 

You almost cursed the the heavens when a teenage girl answered. You sighed, composing yourself. The girl had yet to speak, so you started. “I’m sorry, I must have the wrong address-”

“Y/n?”

You tilted your head in confusion, not sure how this girl knew you. Yeah, you were a famous Avenger, but the way she said it sounded like it was personal.

“Um...I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“It’s me. Cassie.” Your eyebrows shot up. What? Last time you checked Cassie was like 10 years old. Sensing your confusion, Cassie continued. “Y/n, it’s me. I haven’t seen you in 6 years. Everyone thought you were dead.” She threw your arms around you in a tight hug, and you hesitantly reciprocated, head still trying to catch up with what she said. “Hold on, I’ll get him.” She let go, and made her way back in the house. “Dad!” You heard her yell, but you remained frozen in place. A few moments later, then man you were looking for appeared.

“Y/n?” Your eyes snapped up, Scott stood there looking just as shocked as Cassie did moments before. 

“Hi.” You breathed out, not sure what else to add. Scott simply pulled you into a tight hug, this time you reciprocated without hesitation.

After your reunion, you explained to Scott what happened to you. He in turn explained that it’s been over a year since Steve returned without you, and everyone had assumed you died. They even held a funeral for you. To you, it’s only been a few weeks, so this definitely came as a shock.

“So...what happened to everyone?”

Scott took a deep breath. “Well, I’m not always kept in the loop, but from what I know, Steve retired from being Cap and gave the title to Sam, who’s killing it by the way. Bucky tagged along with him. Natasha is still running missions here and there, so is Rhodey. Carol’s back in space, um...” Scott racked his brain, trying to think of what happened to the rest, but you only had one question on your mind.

“What about Wanda?”

Scott froze for a second, before he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “Uh...yeah that one’s complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“She...ugh, hold on.” He pulled out his phone and began typing, before he slid it over to you. You grabbed it and read the headline that was dated a little less than a year ago.

The Westview Anomaly: How Former Avenger, Wanda Maximoff, Terrorized An Innocent Suburban Town.

“She...kinda went nuts.” You heard Scott say, but you didn’t tear your eyes away from the phone, as you began to skim the article. You read how she created this sort of Hex, trapping civilians inside and mind controlled them to fill out her fantasy. You didn’t believe it, this wasn’t the Wanda you knew.

“What happened to her?”

Scott shrugged. “No one knows. She disappeared after, no one’s seen or heard from her since.” You remained silent, but Scott knew the determined look on your face. He sighed. “You’re gonna try to find her, aren’t you?” He knew about your feelings for the witch, you weren’t going to give up on her.

“I have to try.”

“As a misunderstood criminal myself, I can’t really tell you not to. Just...be careful.” 

“I will.” You nodded, and Scott tilted his head.

“How are you gonna find her?”

You thought for a moment, before sighing. “I don’t know. She could be anywhere-” You cut yourself off as your eyes went wide in realization. “Wait, I got it!” You held out your metal hand so it was flat on the table, palm upwards, and a small hole opened up in the center of it. Scott’s eyes widened.

“That’s freaky.”

“Right?” You agreed with a laugh. “Let’s just hope ‘freaky’ helps me out here. I just need something of hers to get her location.” You thought for a moment, before reaching inside your suit with your other hand. You pulled at the necklace you were wearing before tearing it out. You had put it on right before you left with Steve, it had been yours for over a year, so you weren’t sure if this was gonna work. 

You placed it in your hand, and watched as it was scanned. A few moments later, a small holographic of Earth appeared and a red dot began flashing on it. Thankfully, not in San Francisco as you had feared, but it looked to be somewhere in Eastern Europe. You let out a breath of relief. “I can’t believe that worked.”

“Me neither.” Scott laughed. “Well, looks like you know your next stop.”

“I just need a ride first.”

Scott thought for a minute. “I might be able to help with that.”

Scott had connections from his time with The Avengers, and him and Rhodey were still on good terms. Without letting it slip that you were back from the dead and you were on your way to go find a wanted fugitive, he managed to get you a jet. “Let’s hope you remember how to fly.” He joked and you laughed.

“It’s like riding a bike...I hope.” Scott laughed and patted your back. “Thank you Scott, I’m so happy to see that you’re okay.”

“And I’m happy to see you alive, Y/n.” He said genuinely, before he gave you another hug. “Keep in touch, alright?” 

“You know it.”

He let you go and you began to make your way to the jet. “Good luck, Y/n.”

You climbed in the jet, and before you closed the hatch, you replied. “Let’s hope I don’t need it.” And with that, you took off.

After a few hours, you began to descend as you approached the, hopefully correct, location. You became confused and unsure as you began to dangerously descend into a bunch of trees, but you remained determined. Soon the trees turned into an open field, which was definitely safer, but still concerning.

“I guess she always was an outdoor person.” You said to yourself as you continued your descent. You were about to release the wheels, when everything began to glitch. “Fuck!” You cursed, beginning to frantically hit every switch you could, trying to regain control. You quickly noticed the tell-tale red wisps surround the jet before everything shut off, sending you plummeting. Quickly absorbed the metal of your hand, covering your entire body to protect yourself. Next thing you knew, you crashed.

You punched a hole into the side of the destroyed jet, making it big enough for you to crawl out. Once you did, you fell on your back, trying to catch your breath as your armor faded away. “What the hell?” You tried not to focus on the fact that you were now completely stranded as you sat up. You noticed the sole cabin in front of you. It was nice, bigger than a typical cabin, but smaller than an actual house. You went to bring the hologram back up on you hand, but before you could, you noticed a figure ascend from the building.

You squinted your eyes, trying to get a good look, but before you could, you were lifted from the ground. You were surrounded in familiar red wisps, as the figure floated closer to you. Upon closer inspection you saw who it was.

Wanda.

She dawned a brand new outfit, and you had to say it looked good. Like, really really good. This was not the time to focus on that though, as Wanda looked angry as she approached. You went to throw your hands up, but realized you couldn’t.

“Wanda! It’s me, it’s Y/n!” You pleaded. You saw Wanda’s eyes soften at your reveal, but she quickly tilted her head, expression becoming angrier. You were slammed down to the ground, being held in place as the witch landed as well.

“Y/n is...” She trailed off, but caught herself after a moment. “You’re not Y/n. Who are you really? I’ll give you one chance.”

“It’s me, it really is!” You struggled against your binds to grab the item from your pocket. You succeeded, as you pulled out her necklace. “I forgot to thank you for lending me this.”

Wanda’s eyes locked on the item in your hand, and gasped. She grabbed the item with her powers, floating it over to her hand. She inspected it, tears beginning to well up in her eyes as it hit her. It was you. She raised her hand to lift you and stand you up before undoing the binds. 

You took a deep breath, relieved that she let you go. “Holy shit, someone’s been practicing.” You never remembered her being that powerful before, you truly missed a lot. 

Wanda ignored your statement as she walked over to you, eyes refusing to tear away from you, afraid you’d disappear if they did. She reached you, and brought shaky hands up to your face. You grabbed both her wrists, and she finally noticed how one of you hands was now metal. She’d ask about it later, as she was just beyond happy to simply see you alive. “You’re...you’re really here.”

“I am.” You responded softly. “I’m here.”

Wanda couldn’t help herself as she wrapped her arms around you in a tight hug. She buried her face into your neck as you hugged her back just as tight. You guys stayed there for a few moments, before you spoke up.

“I’ve had a very long hard couple days. Actually few weeks...months? Time is kinda lost on me right now.” Wanda giggled against you as she pulled away, hands returning to your face. “You don’t happen to have a shower, do you?”

Wanda had welcomed you into her cabin. The first thing you did was shower and ate. Wanda had lent you some of her clothes, and you began to protest before Wanda worked her magic to get the clothes to fit you better seeing as you were taller than her.

You sat down with her at the table in the middle of her living room, and reached your hands out to her. She sat down and slowly grabbed them, still unsure if you were truly here. When she felt the warmth of your skin make contact with hers, she became more certain. You were here. You were real.

She took a moment to truly take you in before her attention turned to the metal hand that was grabbing her right one. She lifted it slightly. “What happened here?”

You sighed. “Well, long story short, when I went with Steve to return the stones, we were ambushed on a planet called Morag. They must’ve knocked me out, because when I came to, I was on another planet. I think it was called Xandar. Anyway, I tried to escape again, and I absorbed the concrete of the ground to try to fight back...turns out those guys had pretty powerful guns, because it blew my hand right off.” You felt Wanda’s hands tighten around your own. “I got away though, hitched a ride to yet another planet, Knowhere, and that was my saving grace cause I found a guy there that gave me this nifty little thing.” You gestured to your hand with a chuckle.

“And how did you get back?”

“That one I can’t really explain. I wasn’t really caught up to speed with the time travel rules before we left, so I really didn’t know how to get back on my own. The device on the suit had something to do with it I think, and the guy that helped me with my hand also managed to fix it and gave it enough power to get me home.” Wanda shook her head and looked down, trying to take all of this is in. You tightened your grip on her hands, giving her moment.

“I’m just...so happy you’re okay.” She whispered and you smiled.

“Me too. I really didn’t know what was gonna happen to me.” You let out a breath. “Okay, so enough about me. What’s going on with you? New outfit, new digs, you’re like way more powerful now then I remember. It’s been a year for you, hasn’t it?”

Wanda chuckled as she let go of your hands, sitting up. “You could say that.”

You paused, unsure of how to gently ask your next question. After thinking on it, you figured it was best to just rip the band aid off. “What happened in Westview?”

Wanda’s eyes snapped up to yours. “How did you know about that?” She asked, now very defensive.

You lifted your hands up in surrender. “I went to see Scott, he showed me the news articles about it.”

Wanda groaned and stood up, beginning to walk away from you. “Whatever he told you, whatever they’re saying, it isn’t true.”

“I know Wanda, I know you’d never hurt anyone.”

“But I did.” Wanda sighed, turning around to face you again. “That’s the thing, Y/n, I did hurt people. That’s why I came out here.”

You stood up, and made your way over to her, placing your hands on her shoulders gently for comfort. “Well, seeing how bad you seem to feel about it, and how you completely isolated yourself, I know you didn’t mean to.” You squeezed her shoulders, eyes still locked on to hers. “I believe you, I’m on your side, I just want to understand what happened...you can tell me.” 

With that, she collapsed into your chest and started sobbing. She never had the opportunity to really process everything that happened, and now that you were here, offering her a shoulder to cry on, she finally let the emotions she’s been burying for the last year consume her. You held her gently, rubbing her back, not saying anything as she let herself fall apart.

When she calmed down, she told you what had happened. How she found Vision’s body and what SWORD was doing to him, how she went to Westview to find the house that he had bought for them, and that she received the call that you were missing in that moment. She didn’t even mean to, but somehow she created her own little world, with her own Vision, as she lived out a nice life throughout the decades, her love of sitcoms being the backbone of it all. 

And then it all went to hell. Her neighbor Agnes revealed herself to be Agatha Harkness, a witch form the 16th century hellbent on stealing Wanda’s powers. She was shown how she was torturing the civilians of Westview as she was living out her fantasy. After defeating Agatha and unveiling her true potential as The Scarlet Witch, she took the Hex down. Having to say goodbye to Vision again, and now her kids, in the process.

After she finished her story, you let out a breath, unsure how to respond to all of that. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.” Wanda gave you a minute to process what she had told you. You scratched the back of your neck, and looked up.

“The Scarlet Witch, huh? Gotta say, that’s a pretty kickass name.” Of course you had to break the tension with a joke, but Wanda couldn’t bring herself to be mad about it. In fact, she laughed.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

After that little therapy session, you had asked Wanda if you could stay with her, seeing as you had no place to go and most people thought you were dead. She agreed without hesitation.

You settled into your new life pretty nicely. Being stranded miles away from civilization should’ve made you uneasy, you’ve always been a city girl but being able to be with Wanda again after so long made it all okay. It was nice to finally be able to relax as you’ve been on the move for so long. You first went on the run in 2016 after the accords and now it was 2024, almost 2025. Even though five of those years didn’t happen for you, you still thought you were more than deserving of the rest now.

Wanda had told you about the Darkhold, and how she was trying to figure out how to get her boys back. When she first told you, you thought she was crazy, considering they were never real in the first place. She explained to you the multiverse and a bunch of magical jargon that you couldn’t really comprehend. You just told her that you trusted her and to just be careful, and she promised she would.

You’ve been living with Wanda for about three months now, and in those months your feeling for Wanda began to resurface. Not that they ever went away, but between seeing her with Vision knowing how much she loved him, and the events of the past few years distracting you, you managed to push them down. Now that you were finally able to relax, and had Wanda around 24/7, it’s no surprise that those feelings were back with full force.

You were scared. You were sure she didn’t feel the same way, she never did. She created a whole reality where she was married to the synthezoid for fucks sake, and now she was working tirelessly to find a way to bring back the children she had with him you were still confused as to how the robot was able to impregnate Wanda, but you thought it best not to ask. You would just have to deal with your feelings somehow, which was especially hard considering you lived with the woman, and she was the only person you saw now. You were certain it was a done deal.

You quickly started to doubt that.

You noticed Wanda became more tender and caring with you. She always had been of course, you had been best friends, but this just felt...different. She went out of her way to provide you with whatever you needed or wanted, her hugs and cheek kisses lingered a little longer than what would be acceptable for a friend, it was confusing. You thought that maybe she was just scared to lose you again. You knew you were all that she had left, and she’s been alone for so long, so maybe this was just her way of showing how much she appreciated you.

But then you slept together.

You weren’t sure how it happened exactly. You were watching a movie one night, Wanda curled up to your side as the movie played. Wanda turned and wrapped her arm around you, her hand slowly trailing up your torso. You shivered at the motion, and looked down at her, surprised when you saw her already looking at you. You gave a shy smile. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah...yeah, I’m just...” You swore you saw her eyes trail down to your lips quickly before they snapped back up. “I’m just really happy you’re here.”

“I’m really happy I’m here too, Wan.” You whispered, throat suddenly feeling dry. Your eyes remained locked for a few more moments. This was getting dangerous. You coughed and pulled back slightly, turning your head towards the movie again.

Wanda had a different idea.

She moved herself up your body so she was level to your face, she reached up and turned your head back to her and crashed her lips to yours. 

You knew you should’ve pulled away, but couldn’t find the strength to. You’ve wanted this for so long, and she was the one who initiated it. As the kiss continued, getting deeper and more passionate, you felt yourself give in entirely. You were completely under her spell. 

The next morning, you woke up naked in Wanda’s bed. You wiped your eyes and reached over to hold the woman next to you, but your hand met empty sheets. You groaned and let your head fall back onto the pillow. “Shit.”

You got up and began to get dressed before making your way out to the living room. You saw Wanda sitting on the couch you were on last night, staring blankly at the TV, a random show playing. You slowly made your way over, trying not to startle her. “Hey.” You said softly, and Wanda’s head snapped up to yours.

“Hey.” She responded in the same tone. You leaned against the back of the couch and let out a breath.

“So, to get the elephant out of the way, do you wanna talk about it?” You said bluntly, slightly surprising Wanda, but she made her face remain neutral.

“It was fun, it was, but we should just let that be a one time thing. It was a moment of weakness, it shouldn’t have happened at all.”

You couldn’t say you were surprised at the answer, but it didn’t lessen the hurt at all. That’s all you’d be to her in that context. A mistake. You sighed, hand coming to scratch the back of your neck. “Sure...we can just forget it ever happened.”

Wanda nodded, attention turning back to the TV. “Alright, sounds good.”

“Yeah.” You breathed out, trying to contain your emotions. “Okay, I’m gonna go make myself some breakfast.” You didn’t wait for a response from her as you left.

Things were very weird after that.

Wanda became less and less affectionate, not wanting to spend as much time with you. It was almost as if you were just a roommate now, a burden. Living with Wanda in isolation used to be a dream, but was now a nightmare. A prison. You hated the new development, and after a few weeks of this treatment, you’ve had enough.

“I have to leave.”

You burst into Wanda’s room with the announcement. She was laying in bed and her head snapped to you. She raised a brow at this. “You have to?”

“Yeah, I do. I can’t take this anymore.” You knew you didn’t have to specify what you meant, you knew Wanda knew what she was doing. You could’ve sworn you saw hurt flash across her face, but she quickly wiped it away.

“Alright.”

You let out an incredulous laugh. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Well, what else do you want me to say, Y/n?” She responded coldly. Her eyes were now off of you, acting as if she were annoyed with the intrusion. You let out another bitter laugh as you shook your head.

“Nothing, Wanda. Wouldn’t want you to stress yourself.” You left her room.

You were only three steps away from the door before you turned around to head back. If this was the last time you were going to see Wanda, you were gonna let it all out. No point in hiding it anymore. You burst back into the room, Wanda’s attention still not going to you.

“I love you, y’know. I’m in love with you, I have been for a really really long time.” No response. “I know you don’t feel the same, and that’s fine, but damn, you really had to give me a shred of hope that you felt the same only to take everything away the next day. Not even treating me like a friend.” Still no response. You saw her face and jaw tighten as you spoke, eyes clenching shut, but she still didn’t acknowledge your words. You sighed. “Well, I guess that’s it then...I’ll be out of you hair in the morning. I hope you find your happiness one day, Wanda, I really do.” You left again, this time less angry as the finality of the situation dawned on you.

You let the tears fall as you went back to your room.

Wanda let her eyes reopen when she heard the door close. She brought her knees up to her chest and let her head fall. She knew she was being unfair to you, she didn’t want to hurt you, that was the last thing she wanted...but she couldn’t do this. Part of her was still longing for Vision, she had a mission to find her sons, and most importantly...she couldn’t risk losing you. Not again. 

She knew how hypocritical it was to feel that way when she was letting you walk out of her life, but she could live with it. She could live with you being away from her and alive, than being close and wind up dead.

After thinking on it for a few moments, she knew she was making the right decision in letting you go. She couldn’t be what you deserved. She didn’t want to leave things off on a bad note with you though, so she’d give you the night to let it all out, and she’d see you in the morning.

The next day she woke up early, and made her way to your room, only to find it completely empty. You must have decided not to waste time and set off in the middle of the night.

She walked into your room, slowly sitting on your freshly made bed. She dropped her head into her hands and began to cry.

She made the right choice...so why did it feel like her heart was breaking all over again?

Six Months Later

You returned to New York City. It was a long hard journey leaving Wanda’s considering you had no mode of transportation, but you made it. You reappearance quickly made headlines, as everyone had known you to be dead. That was six months ago, and the hype behind your ‘rebirth’ had died down, so you were now able to walk the streets of New York without being harassed.

You were now staying with Steve in his place in Brooklyn. The man had cried tears of joy for hours when he first saw you alive. He quickly called the rest of the remaining Avengers telling them the news, the ones that could make it came over to see you once again. Natasha cried, and you weren’t gonna her live that down anytime soon.

You began volunteering at local shelters and hospitals, specifically for amputees and helped them adjust to their new life as best you could. As for employment, the government was paying you as long as you continued your work as a hero. You were hesitant at first, but Sam reassured you that the Sokovia accords were now dead and you wouldn’t be held under a tight leash. You’d say your life was going well.

Mostly.

You still missed Wanda dearly, wishing she could’ve reciprocated your feelings. You still loved her, that would never go away, but you were doing a better job of living with it. You went on dates here and there, but nothing ever stuck. And you were okay with that.

As much as you wanted to fight it, you couldn’t stop your mind from wondering how Wanda was doing now.

Wanda was not doing well.

It’s been six months since you left, and she’s only been getting worse. She thought she made the right decision of letting you go, but it was at the cost of her own heart.

She hasn’t admitted it to herself yet, but she was in love with you.

She couldn’t help herself that night when she kissed you. She tried so hard to keep her growing feelings buried, but she slipped. A moment of weakness...and it was one of the best nights of her life. She wanted nothing more than to continue that with you, even fully being with you, but something stopped her. Guilt.

Guilt that she’d somehow be betraying Vision, that her love for him was somehow less than if she pursued something with you. Guilt because she’d be attaching you to a monster, someone who tortured innocent people for her own gain, someone who was destined to destroy the world. Guilt that she’d keep you from living the life you deserved.

She never told you this, and she didn’t really know why at the time, but you were in her hex as well.

It wasn’t a situation like Pietro where Agatha mind controlled a random guy to make her think it was her brother, but it was you. You looked like you, spoke like you, acted like you, even had your powers. 

You were a local firefighter in Westview. Wanda met you again during the 60s era right before the magic show. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw you. You were dressed in firefighter pants and a Westview Fire Department T-shirt, unusual garb for a woman in that era, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“...Y/n?”

You turned your head towards her and smiled. Yeah. This was really you. How was this possible? “Hiya there, Mrs. Maximoff! Is everything alright?”

“I...yeah, I think so.”

“Great!” You exclaimed before coming closer. “Don’t tell Dottie this, I’m supposed to remain impartial, but I’m rooting for you tonight.” You smiled, and Wanda couldn’t help herself, she threw her arms around her in a hug. You stumbled back at the impact, before wrapping your arms around her as well. “Whoa there! Are you sure you’re alright?”

Wanda nodded against you before pulling away. “I’m more than alright.”

You stayed throughout the rest of the decades, still a firefighter, even becoming a babysitter for the boys when she needed one. She tried to see you whenever she could down at the station, as she found comfort in you presence. Especially when things began to fall apart.

It wasn’t until Agatha walked her through her memories when she finally understood where your role in her fantasy came from.

Wanda and Agatha walked out of Wanda’s room in the compound and towards the compound kitchen. “Where are we now?” Agatha asked, but she didn’t tear her gaze away from the figure standing by the stove. You. You looked focused, counting on your fingers as you tried to work out how long your dish had to cook for.

“The kitchen in the compound. After Vision, Y/n was the closest person I had. I was still new, and she was trying to make me feel better.”

You looked up when you heard the presence of someone else. “Hey there!” You smiled, but Wanda didn’t move. Agatha nudged her.

“You’re on.”

“Please don’t make me do this...I can’t take it anymore.”

“It’s this or your boys, Wanda. You know what to do.”

“Are you okay?” You asked. Wanda wiped away a tear quickly, before joining you.

“As okay as I can be.”

“Yeah, I understand.” You said sadly, but Wanda snapped her head up.

“How could you possibly understand what I’m going through?”

You paused, scratching the back of your neck. “Well, I don’t exactly, I guess...but I know what It’s like to lose people. I know how draining it can be...almost as if you’re drowning.”

Wanda softened her expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“It’s okay, again, I know that feeling. You’re on edge, everything and everyone offering a bit of comfort is the most annoying thing at the moment. I get it. Which is why, I’m simply offering a ‘Welcome to the team’ gift.” You smiled, and Wanda tilted her head.

“What’s that.”

“Well, I looked up some popular Sokovian recipes online, and I don’t know if you even like this one, but I figured it was a safe bet-” Before you could finish your sentence, smoke started pouring out of the oven, triggering the fire alarm. “No, No, No! It said leave it in for 45 minutes!” You ran to grab the fire extinguisher, and returned to the oven, opening it. Flames dangerously shot out, and you covered yourself in the material of the extinguisher to protect yourself before putting out the flames.

When the fire was out, you returned to your normal state and sighed. “Well there goes that.”

Wanda chuckled, amused at the situation. “Well, it’s the thought that counts.”

“I guess so.” You put the extinguisher back, dejectedly. “Well, hey, if this superhero thing doesn’t work out, I can make an exciting career as a firefighter.” Wanda laughed at that, making a smile form on your face.

“Yeah, you would.”

Wanda began to cry at the memory. She was an idiot, if she was being completely honest with herself, she’s been in love with you since that moment. She was too cowardly to tell you though, and so when she went on the run, she began to see Vision.

And she loved him, she really truly did. You would never be a replacement to him, just as he couldn’t be one to you. Her love for him completely consumed her, and she left you behind when she learned what happened to his body.

If she had just brought you with her, you wouldn’t have disappeared for a year.

But then you came back.

You were both different now, going through your own traumatic experiences, but you came back together. And that love she felt for you so long ago began to come back. And then it all fell apart.

When you told her you loved her, she wanted to launch herself into your arms and declare she felt the same, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t go through what she went through with Vision again with you. She wouldn’t be able to survive.

So she let you go. In a move that she had initially thought was selfless, she was now realizing was beyond selfish. You wanted her, despite her flaws, and all she did was hurt you and push you away, just because she was scared.

She needed to find you, she needed you back.

Wanda’s magic was now strong enough that she could locate anyone anywhere in the world with just a mere thought. She quickly found you, you were back in New York.

She was wanted in America, she knew there would be risks, but she didn’t care. She had to get to you.

You were in the middle of a fight. Some enhanced individuals decided to use their powers to rob a bank. You entered, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Bank robbery, huh? Little cliché, but hey, whatever floats your boat.” The thieves turned to you and began to attack. One had fire powers, but his attacks didn’t affect you as soon as you absorbed the metal in your hand. Another one had super strength. You dodged his attacks, hitting back with your own, standing your ground.

Your luck ran out when the last one, with super speed, hit you with full force, sending you crashing out the bank window and landing out on the street. You sat up and shook the attack off. “Ow.”

You stood up and quickly saw the super speed one rushing back towards you. You got in a stance, this time ready for the attack...but nothing happened.

You looked to see the man now faceplanted into the street, legs bound together. It took you another moment to realize that they were bound together by familiar red magic. You straightened up and tilted your head. “What the...”

 The man was lifted up by his legs in the air, you looked up and saw a figure floating there, holding him up.

Wanda. Or more accurately, the Scarlet Witch.

You went back to normal as you watched her touch down to the ground, roughly slamming the man on the concrete. He got up and backed away in fear at what he saw, the other two having similar expressions. “Fuck, it’s Wanda Maximoff! We gotta get out of here!” You heard them say, and heard them scurry off. You didn’t care though, only focusing on the woman in front of you.

“What are you doing here?” You were surprised to say the least. Not only because she came to you, but also because you knew she was wanted here. “You know you can’t be here.”

“I don’t care.” She came close to you, holding your face in her hands gently. “I needed to see you.”

You squinted and tilted your head again in confusion. “You know phones exist, right? Facetime’s still a thing.”

“It’s not the same.” She chuckled, before getting serious again. “I needed to see you, in person.”

“Why?”

“Because...” She trailed off. She had spent her whole trip working up the nerve to tell you what she felt, but seeing you again for the first time shook her confidence.

You, despite your better judgement, brought your hands up to hold her wrists. “It’s okay, take your time.”

Wanda chuckled, incredulously. “How can you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Be nice to me. Trying to comfort me when I’m the one who hurt you.”

You thought on it for a moment before shrugging. You knew there wasn’t a logical explanation for it, so you went with the truth. “Because it’s you.”

Wanda couldn’t hold back any longer and surged forward, crashing her lips to yours. You hesitated for a moment, surprised at this, but quickly kissed her back. You guys stayed there for a few moments, taking each other in, before Wanda pulled back and rested her head against yours.

“Wha-”

“I’m in love with you.” She interrupted you, and your eyebrows shot up. “I am so in love with you, I have been for a long time, I just didn’t want to admit it...especially after everything.” She admitted, and a large smile formed on your face.

“You are?”

“I am. And I’m so sorry for the way I treated you, Y/n. You deserve so much, much more than I could ever give you, but I-” This time you cut her off, leaning down and capturing her lips in another passionate kiss.

“Don’t say that.” You said after you pulled away. “Wanda, you’re more than enough. You always were. Always will be.” 

Wanda smiled brightly, tears of joy beginning to fill her eyes. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” You both surged forward this time, meeting in the middle.

You both knew you had things to figure out, but right now you couldn’t focus on anything other than getting lost in each other.

You were finally back together. This time for good.

[tricksters-captain]

Bucky Barnes Imagines - Some Sunny Day Part 1

AN: My Marvel obsession has been lying dormant since Endgame finished but Wandavision and Falcon and Winter Soldier have brought it back to life.... This is going to be a series based off the show. Kind of like my ‘Oh Dear’ fic, it’s the series with an added characters and story lines. 

Summary: Before the Blip, you and Bucky were close. After you both returning and Tony’s funeral, you decided to go back to your home town to spend time with your family. When duty calls, you return.  

In this chapter: You reunite with Sam and Bucky (Based on S1 EP2)

Pairing(s): Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader, Sam Wilson x Platonic!Reader

Word Count: 6,883

Warnings: Spoilers for episode 2, strong language, violence. 

You and Bucky had always been close. 

You were close with Steve before Bucky joined the avengers and you fought on Steve’s side during the small civil war between the avengers. 

Steve was your best friend and Sam always knew how to make you smile but there was something about Bucky that was different to the rest of the avengers. 

You had spent some time in Wakanda with Bucky at Steve’s request and you two had always fought side by side and it crushed Steve when you both taken during the blip and he wasn't. 

When you returned, you were thrust back into battle almost immediately. The final fight against Thanos which resulted in you losing Tony and then Steve. 

Nothing seemed to matter except the fact you had been gone for 5 whole years. You had missed 5 whole years with your friends and family. They had changed whilst you were gone and you came back the same as you left.

When Steve returned the infinity stones, he hadn’t given you warning that he wasn’t coming back the same age he was going in but he had warned Bucky. They had spoken about it before apparently and after everything, you felt kind of betrayed. 

You knew you’d never understand Steve’s choice but it was his choice. You were just upset Bucky didn’t warn you. 

You returned to your home town after that day. 

You returned to find some people had changed and some hadn’t but you knew you wanted to be around and spend time with them. 

After all the years fighting for the avengers and only calling every once in a blue moon. It seemed to finally dawn on you that you should spend time with them whilst you still could. 

However, that only lasted around 6 months before you found yourself answering a phone call from Sam. 

You were at a birthday party for one of your old school friend’s daughters when you felt your phone go off. 

You put down one of the little girls who had be asking you a hundred questions about being apart of the avengers and excused yourself from the party. 

“Tell me why I got an awful feeling when I saw your caller ID come up on my phone.” You answered, folding your free hand under your arm as you leant against the wall. 

“It’s cause your subconscious is reminding you about that one time you said no when I asked you out on a date and you regret that now.”  Sam’s voice instantly made you crack a smile. 

“Or maybe it’s because every time I get a call from you it’s to do with the world ending or something worse.” You shot back. 

“It’s good to hear your voice too.” Sam chuckled at your comment before he had responded. 

“So what’s going on? I haven’t heard much from you in months.” You asked. 

“That’s around the time you up and left us for the old way of living.” Sam reminded you that you were the one that decided to go cold agent and return home. 

“There isn’t anything wrong with a little quiet.” You told him as you looked back through the window to the children that were the opposite of quiet. 

“No there isn't.” Sam agreed, “However, I got a situation here at the moment that I could really use your help with.”

“I guess it’s a bit bigger than the usual military op or you wouldn’t be calling?” You frowned. You were in the loop enough to know Sam had been apart of the airforce these past 6 months and had been taking part in frequent missions but nothing that concerned you. 

“I’m sending you over the details now. I’d appreciate it if you could come.” Sam sent you through a file and you pulled your phone away from your ear to open it. 

“You don’t need to convince me, Sam. I’ll be there since I know you wouldn’t ask unless it was serious.” You answered honestly. 

“Guess I’ll be seeing you soon then.” You could practically hear Sam’s smirk through the phone.

“Depends how quick I can get a bag together and your jet can get me to you.” You told him as you picked up your jacket from the coat rack. 

“Well it’s no Red Wing but it’s pretty fast.” Sam stated. “Oh and (Y/n)... You haven’t seen the news in the past hour or so, have you?”

“No? Why?” You frowned at the hesitation in Sam’s voice. 

“Just... take a look.” Sam told you before you ended the call. 

You opened up the news on your phone and what you saw made your mouth go dry and your stomach drop. 

‘JOHN WALKER; NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA’

You felt an anger rise up in you as you watched the wannabe waltz onto screen with Steve’s shield in his paws. 

When Sam gave up the shield, you didn’t know how to feel at first but now... now you weren’t surprised Sam didn’t elaborate on what he wanted you to see.

You said your apologies and your goodbyes pretty swiftly and you had already stashed an emergency bag ready to go under your bed so you were soon on your way.

It didn’t take terribly long to get to the air base where Sam was waiting for you. 

“Who the hell is this guy and why is he calling himself the new Captain America?” 

“Nice to see you too.” Sam wasn’t surprised at the attitude once you stepped off the plane.

“Sam, first you call me up to help deal with this wannabe terrorist group and now I just find out that Steve’s shield, which you gave up, is being held by some wannabe superhero.” You dumped your bag on the floor as you closed the gap between you and Sam.

“Trust me, I’m not happy about it either and I knew nothin about it but we have bigger fish to fry right now so can we cut the dramatic and get to actually saying hello?” Sam stared down at you with his hands on his hips. 

You sighed and gave in.

You wrapped your arms around the man and hugged him warmly.

“I’m sorry. I just––”

“–I know.” Sam didn’t need your apology. He understood how you were feeling. You both loved Steve so much. 

“Miss (Y/N)(Y/L/N), it’s a pleasure to meet you.” A voice brought your attention away from Sam to a man approaching you both. 

“(Y/n), Torres. Torres, (Y/n).” Sam introduced you to the uniformed man and you shook his hand politely. 

“Nice to meet you.” You weren’t sure if you had gotten used to the way most civilians looked at you after you became apart of the avengers. When you joined you didn’t realise becoming famous would be apart of the gig.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but Miss (Y/L/N) has to come with me to get logged into the clearance system and sort out a couple things.” Torres pointed over his shoulder as he explained. 

“And by that he means sign an autograph for his kid sister.” Sam teased the man. 

“What?” Torres’ cheeks tinged pink. “No!”

“It’s alright. Lead the way.” You picked up your bag and sent a quick smile to Sam before turning back to Torres. “Oh and you can call me (Y/n) by the way.” 

It didn’t take too long for Torres to fill you in on Sam’s plan for the mission as he logged in a few details so you could have clearance around the airbase. 

You did end up signing an autograph after a little tiptoeing around the question and then by the time you walked back out into the open you spotted someone you hadn’t expected to see. 

It was Bucky. 

“Looking good for a senior citizen.” You spoke up as you approached Sam and Bucky. 

Bucky had his back to you but the sound of your voice soon paused his conversation with Sam and he spun around. 

“Hey Buck.” You smiled but you couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous. “Long time no see.” 

“(Y/n).” Bucky stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you. 

You chuckled at his tight embrace but hugged him back just as tight all the same. 

“You, uh, you look good.” Bucky cleared his throat as he pulled away from you. 

“If you’ll excuse us, Casanova, we got places to be.” Sam tried to pull you away from Bucky but Bucky only followed. 

“I’m coming with you.” Bucky announced. 

“No, you’re not!” Sam argued. 

You hadn’t missed the men’s bickering...

In spite of Sam’s protest, Bucky ended up on the flight anyway. 

“So how’s it been away from the Avengers?” Bucky asked you as you both prepared for the mission.

Sam was up with Torres in the cockpit so you and Bucky were alone for the first time since you saw each other.

“It’s been okay. Spending time at home. Doing non-hero regular folk stuff.” You chuckled weakly as you pulled off your sweater. Bucky’s eyes fell to your chest as you had only wore a vest underneath. You felt your cheeks burn as you pretended not to notice.

“Uh, same.” Bucky cleared his throat before he spoke.. “Been strange without you around.”

“Buck, you know I needed time away from everything. From Sam, from you... After Steve, I...” You let your words drop away. 

There was a short silence before Bucky decided to change the subject.

“I’ve been seeing a therapist. Court mandated. She’s got me doing this whole redemption thing. Contacting people in my past. Making things right.” 

“And how’s that going for you?” You couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the idea of Bucky forcing himself to face his past at the request of a therapist. 

“Well I have three rules I’m meant to stick to and let’s say I’m not exactly following them closely.” Bucky admitted as he folded his hoodie.

“Does your therapist know that?” You cocked an eyebrow at the man with a light amused expression.

“What do you think.” Bucky smirked back at you.

“Be careful. I might tell on you.” You sighed playfully. 

“You’re actually on the list.” Bucky suddenly confessed. “I wanted to make things right after...” Bucky paused for a moment. “...After Steve. I should have warned you. Should have told you the truth.” 

“Bucky.” You stopped him. “It’s okay. Steve made a choice and he chose to talk to you about it. You’re his best friend and the only other person on the team who could’ve really understood why he did what he did. I’m not holding it against you.” 

“I’m still sorry.” Bucky looked you in the eyes as he spoke, “You were with him for so long when I wasn’t around. You should’ve got a real warning.” 

“Thanks Buck.” You pressed your lips into a brief sad smile before looking down at your boots. 

“I’ve really missed you, (Y/n).” Bucky uttered. 

“I really missed you too.” You stopped tying your lace to look up at the man. 

His short hair had really revealed his face and you couldn’t help but notice every part of it. The lines by his eyes when he smiled, the curve of his lips, the shadow that was just coming on.

You straightened up and stepped towards the man. 

“I like the new haircut by the way.” You reached up and let your fingers brush the top of his forehead. “Makes you look almost like a civilian.” 

Bucky couldn’t help but feel his body tense under your touch. 

“You look tired though.” You let your hand drop down to his cheek. “Not been sleeping well?”

Bucky forced himself to move away from your touch.

“Bad dreams.” Bucky murmured. 

“I figured therapy might have been helping you with those.” You frowned, “I remember sharing wake up duty with Steve like it was yesterday.”

“Every time it was your turn you’d make hot coco.” Bucky reminded you. It brought back images of you and Bucky sat in a small kitchen drinking hot chocolate that you had made despite Bucky’s insisting that he didn’t want any. 

“Seems like a lifetime ago.” You smiled but the memories only made you feel dismal. It seemed those were simpler times. Steve was still around, at least. 

Bucky handed you your jacket in the silence and you took it gratefully.

“I’m not interrupting something, am I?” Sam said rather loudly as he climbed down the ladder. 

“No, we were just getting ready which is what you should be doing.” You picked up Sam’s bag and tossed it to him which he caught effortlessly. “I’m going to check a few things with Torres. Try not to kill each other whilst I’m gone.” 

Bucky watched you climb the ladder up to the cockpit and Sam watched Bucky. 

“I’ll never understand why you won’t just shoot your shot with the girl.” Sam shook his head as he opened his duffle. 

“Shoot my what?” Bucky glared over at the man with confusion clear in his eyes. 

“Your shot, man. (Y/n) has clearly been in love with you since Steve dragged your ass onto the team. What she sees in you compared to this, I’ll never understand but she clearly sees something.” Sam had gestured to himself when he spoke but Bucky just rolled his eyes. 

“Maybe instead of talking about (Y/n), you should actually tell me what the plan is?” Bucky suggested as he zipped up his jacket securely. 

“How about you stop avoiding your feelings?” Sam retorted which made Bucky shut up and sit down. 

“I’m not avoiding my feelings.” Bucky grumbled as he glared at the man. 

“Yeah right.” Sam scoffed, shaking his head as he started to change. 

You didn’t return to the boys until you were approaching the drop off. 

“(Y/n), you’ll be out first.” Torres explained as you put in your ear piece, trying your hardest to ignore Bucky and Sam starring daggers at each other behind you. 

“Great. See you on the ground, fellas.” You jumped from the aircraft just as you heard Bucky ask what the plan was in your earpiece. 

You had to jump earlier then the men since you were approaching the building from another angle but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hear them bicker still on the aircraft. 

When you reached the warehouse, you remained hidden in the trees. You watched several people start to load two trucks with large boxes. 

“You’re doing the staring thing again. They’re in there.” You heard Sam’s voice in your earpiece. He must have been talking to Bucky inside the warehouse. 

“Where’s the guy?” Bucky asked. 

“I don’t know. I think they’re smuggling weapons, though.” Sam responded before you could. 

“Well, I think you could be right.” Bucky agreed with a passive aggressive tone. “But there’s only one way to find out. I see a clear path. I say we take it.”

“We’re not assassins.” Sam argued with Bucky.

“I’ll see you inside or not.” Bucky must've walked away from what you could hear. 

“Hey, come on, man. I’m just messing with you! Come back.” You could practically see Sam’s smile in your head.

“If you guys are done, I have a visual on the targets. They’re loading up two red trucks.”

“We’re moving up now.” Bucky replied to you. 

“Look at you. All stealthy.” Sam was teasing him. “A little time in Wakanda and you come out White Panther.”

“It’s actually White Wolf.” Bucky corrected him and Sam’s reaction almost made you laugh out loud. 

You tried to move closer to the trucks to see exactly what was going inside but it was risky with the group constantly checking around them. 

“All right, I’m inside. Therefore, way ahead of you. It’s not great, but very doable.” Bucky’s voice came up again. “Hello. How are you?” Bucky sounded irritated. Sam must've snuck up on him. 

“Good. What did I miss? Nothing.” Sam whispered back. 

“All right, let’s go.” Bucky commanded but Sam stopped him. 

“No, wait.”

“I got a vibranium arm. I can take them.” Bucky held up his arm as he fought against Sam’s halt.

“And I can fly. Who gives a shit?” Sam muttered. “Wait. I want to see where they’re going.”

“Guys I may not be in the same location as you but I can hear everything you’re saying so quick the arguing” You whispered lowly as you kept your eyes trained on the trucks. 

You tried to zone out the boys bickering as you crept forward. A crashing noise from inside the warehouse made you jump back and hide as the flash smasher members all stopped and looked. 

“Be careful.” You hissed at the both of them.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Bucky tried to defend himself but frankly you didn't care. The trucks were staring to close up and their engines switched on. 

You watched the people pile into the trucks and you dived over, taking hold of the backdoors and clinging on. 

“They have a hostage.” Sam told you as the trucks drove off with you attached. 

“Then get moving.” You commanded. You pulled open the door you were hanging to and opened it. 

“No sight of a hostage in here.” You informed Sam as you looked around. “Just boxes of vaccines.” 

“I found her.” Bucky must've gotten inside the other truck. “Hi. You okay?” Bucky’s voice was then followed by a crashing sound. 

However, you had your own problems... 

You heard a loud bang behind you and you turned to see two men at the end of the truck. They both had masks on. 

“Cute masks.” You taunted them before they charged at you. 

You threw three knives at them, two managed to hit one of the men in the thigh and chest but the second man had knocked the third one away. 

You went to attack the uninjured one first as he drew closer, you punched him but he was strong. He didn’t even flinch. 

You felt a small panic in your chest as you started to fight. He was taking moves that would usually floor someone like he was being attacked by a pillow. 

You managed to get him to the ground by wrapping your thighs around his neck and flipping him over you before you threw another knife at the injured soldier. He seemed to retreat, climbing out of the truck and onto the roof. 

“Could use some back up, Sam!” You called out as you followed. 

You climbed up onto the roof and the first soldier chased after you. The injured one grabbed hold of Bucky along with a third guy and so you were left with the big one. 

You heard Redwing shooting at the roof before you saw it but a redheaded female smashed it in half like it was but a plastic toy. 

With that, Sam finally swooped in and started throwing punches. 

He was thrown to the other roof as you continued to fight your own battle. You were getting tired and his punches seemed to only be getting stronger and more painful each time.

You pulled out another knife but he grabbed your wrist and squeezed. You couldn’t help but cry out at the pressure, you dropped it before he could break your wrist. 

Then suddenly a helicopter appeared from what seemed like nowhere. Cap’s shield bounced off one of Sam’s attackers as two new bodies joined the fight. 

The distraction allowed you to kick your attacker off the truck and start to help Bucky. 

“Sam, John Walker; Captain America.” 

“Lemar Hoskins.”

“Looks like you guys could use some help.” Walker and his sidekick introduced themselves. 

 A surge of rage from the introduction of ‘Captain America’ helped you regain some adrenaline. You turned and started to fight once again. 

You let yourself become distracted as Bucky fell from the side of the truck which allowed one of the guys to send you off the truck too.

Sam was quick to fall back with his suit and grab you before you hit the concrete road. However, the impact of him grabbing you did leave you winded. 

“Bucky.” You wheezed as the man settled you on the side of the road. 

Sam flew up and chased after the trucks. 

You took a moment, wincing at your aching body before you rose to your feet and took off in their direction. 

You couldn’t catch up to the trucks but it didn’t take long to find Bucky and Sam once you spotted they were both coming out of a field. 

“If someone told me I’d be fighting a whole bunch of super soldiers today I would’ve wore my nice pants.” You stated as you approached the two men.

“We knew they were strong but not like this.” Sam defended himself from your anger. 

“One of those guys took a knife to the chest and could still walk away.” You threw your arms up as you informed him. This was so much worse than the documents had described. 

“It’s going to take a lot more than just a knife to stop these guys.” Bucky’s eyes seemed to carry a storm as he thought. 

“How can this be possible? I thought the super soldier serum was gone. What happened in Siberia was supposed to have put an end to it all.” You remembered the failed super soldiers as clear as day. 

“We know about as much as you, (Y/n). Unless you tried to, you know, your weird seeing thing?” Sam asked.

“No. It takes it out of me and I can’t do it whilst I’m trying to fight for my life so.” You shook your head as you walked beside the men. Whilst you weren’t as powerful as some of the Avengers, you were a great assassin like Natasha Romanoff. Your talent was your knife throwing but under all the training and all the knowledge, there was a gift. A gift you’d had since birth.

If you touched someone, you could see their entire past, everything they had experienced up until that moment. It really drained you of your energy and over the years you trained yourself so that you could switch it on and off so it didn’t happen every time you touched someone but when you did use it, it usually required a lie down afterwards. 

“Sorry about Redwing.” Bucky spoke up after a moment of silence. 

“No, you’re not.” Sam rolled his eyes at the fake apology before asking: “What’s going on in that big cyborg brain of yours?”

“It’s computing.” Bucky grumbled. 

“You know what? I can actually see it. I can see the gears turning. Oh, they’re malfunctioning, shutting down. Yep, they’re on fire.” Sam couldn’t help but make fun of Bucky which only made you walk ahead of the men. You weren’t in the mood for this.

“We gotta figure out where the serum’s coming from.” You said to stop their silliness. 

“Yeah. And how in the hell after 80 years are there eight Super Soldiers runnin’ loose?” Sam agreed with you just as a transport vehicle began to pull up along side him. 

“So that didn’t go as planned, huh?” John Walker’s voice penetrated the space like a foul smelling fart. 

He opened the truck’s door to allow you all to hop in but you all ignored him. 

“Alright. Let’s keep going.” He told the driver before directing his attention back to you. “Look, at least we know what we’re up against now, huh? And we’re pretty sure it’s one of the Big Three, so…”

"Aliens, androids, or wizards?” Sam spoke up just to prove to Bucky that others knew of the ‘Big Three.’

“Pretty sure.” Walker nodded.

“There’s no such thing as wizards.” Bucky exclaimed which made you cock an eyebrow at the man. You clearly missed a conversation here. 

“Then it’s aliens, or androids.” Walker shrugged as if it were obvious.

“––Or Super Soldiers.” Sam added. 

“Shit. Super Soldiers, for real?” Walker’s colleague responded with the reaction you just about expected. 

“Yeah.” Sam confirmed. 

“Wow. All right, well, then we gotta work together.” Walker’s eyebrows rose as he spoke. 

“That’s not happening.” Bucky declared.

“I think we stand a much better chance if we all just––”

“––Just ’cause you carry that shield, it doesn’t mean you’re Captain America.” Bucky cut Walker short and you were grateful for it. The man was making your head ache. 

“Look, I’ve done the work, okay?” Walker sighed. 

“You ever jump on top of a grenade?” Bucky shot back but he wasn't met with the answer he wanted. 

“Yeah. Actually, I have. Four times. It’s a thing I do with my helmet. It’s a reinforced helmet. It’s a long story, but, any… Look, it’s 20 miles to the airport. You guys need a ride.” Walker got his driver to stop. “Get in.” 

You looked back at Sam and Bucky. You hadn’t said anything yet which Sam thought was a record of yours. You chose to give in and climbed into the truck with Bucky and Sam since your body was already aching from the previous fight. 

“Okay, so we’ve got eight Super Soldiers on a bulk supply run. Why?” Walker asked, his eye on you as you sat in between Bucky and Sam. 

“They say their mission is to get things back to the way it was during the Blip. Maybe they’re just trying to help.” Sam told Walker what he knew. 

“They had a funny way of showing it.” Bucky grimaced as a bruise on his face started to form. 

“That serum doesn’t exactly have a great track record. No offence.” Walker looked over at Bucky as he hinted at the winter soldier. 

“We need to figure out where they’re going.” You wanted to shift the attention away from Bucky. 

“She speaks? I have to admit I was starting to wonder.” Walker smiled at you which only made you want to punch him even more than you already did.  

“How’d you track ’em here? The Flag Smashers?” Sam could tell you were a second away from decking the new Captain America and hopping ship so carried on the conversation. 

“Uh, no, we didn’t track them, we tracked you, uh, through Redwing.” Hoskins notified Sam. 

“You hacked my tech?” Sam was beyond irritated at this point. 

“Sorry. It’s not exactly hacking. It’s government property. Kind of the government.” Walker laughed as he gestured to himself. “Does he always just stare like that?” He stopped laughing under Bucky’s stare. 

“You get used to it.” Sam muttered. 

“Okay, look, you know, things have gotten kind of, uh––”

“––Chaotic.”Hoskins helped Walker find the word. 

“Yeah.” Walker cleared his throat. “The GRC, they’re doing the best they can to get things up and running smoothly, post Blip.”

“Reactivating citizenship, social security, healthcare. Basically just managing resources for the refugees who were displaced by the return.” Hoskins tried filling you in as if you hadn't heard about it before. The GRC propaganda was plastered across all the cities in America. 

“The Global Repatriation Council does all that. We understand but why exactly are you two here?” You questioned, cocking your head towards Walker. 

“Well, they provide the resources and we keep things stable.” Hoskins replied first.

“Yeah, violent revolutionaries aren’t usually good for anyone’s cause.” Walker added on. 

“Usually said by the people with the resources.” Sam smirked at the men. 

“Well, we got a lot of resources. If you guys, if you joined up with us, we could––”

“––No.” Bucky shut Walker down immediately. 

“I got mad respect for both of y’all. But you were getting your asses kicked till we showed up.” Hoskins wasn’t helping the situation. 

“Who are you?” Bucky asked genuinely. 

“Lemar Hoskins.” Hoskins introduced himself once again. 

“Look, I see a guy hanging out of a helicopter in tactical gear, I need a lot more than Lemar Hoskins.” Sam backed Bucky up on that one. A name was nothing in this situation.

“I’m Battlestar. John’s partner.” Hoskins nodded towards Walker and you couldn't stop the smile that spread across your lips when Bucky responded. 

“Battlestar? Stop the car!” Bucky called up ahead. 

The car slowed as it pulled into a bus stop. Bucky pushed open the door and you followed. You couldn't stand sitting in front of that man in that uniform another second longer. 

"Look, I… I get it, okay? I get the attitude, I do. You didn’t think that the shield was gonna end up here. I get it, Bucky. And I’m… “ Walker turned back to Sam. “I’m not trying to be Steve. I’m not trying to replace Steve. I’m just trying to be the best Captain America I can be. That’s it. It’d be a whole lot easier if I had Cap’s wingmen on my side.” 

Sam scoffed at Walker’s choice of words. Wingmen? He really had the audacity. 

“It’s always that last line.” Sam jumped out of the vehicle and followed you and Bucky. 

Once back on the aircraft you stripped of your weapons and jacket. 

Sam and Bucky did the same. 

You sat down on your seat and rested your head back against the wall. You needed an ice bath. Your muscles were screaming at you. 

“You alright?” Sam asked Bucky as he sat, his eyes locked on the floor. 

You opened your eyes to look over at the men. 

“Let’s take the shield, Sam. Let’s take the shield and do this ourselves.” Bucky sounded pretty decided. 

“We can’t just run up on the man, beat him up, and take it. Do you remember what happened the last time we stole it?” Sam sat up slowly as he furrowed his brow at the idea.

“Maybe.” Bucky grumbled. 

“I’ll help you in case you forgot.” Sam proclaimed, “Sharon was branded enemy of the state, and Steve and I were on the run for two years. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna live the rest of my life la vida loca. We just got our ass handed to us by Super Soldiers, and we got nothing.” 

Even though you did spend some time in Wakanda under protection from their government, there was a period where you were on the run with Steve and Sam and it wasn’t fun. Being pardoned after the fight against Thanos was one of the best things that happened to you; it’s what allowed you to go home. 

“Not entirely true.” Bucky pushed himself onto his feet. “There is someone that you should meet.” 

Bucky’s eyes met yours and you knew who he was talking about. 

You had seen Bucky's past. Everyone of Bucky’s memories. You had seen all the death and the pain and the fighting. You had seen the Winter Soldier and pre-world war Bucky and you had suffered for it for some time. Nightmares used to plague you but you had managed to block most stuff from your mind over the years. Especially the Winter Soldier memories because that wasn’t really Bucky; that was a weapon made by Hydra. 

You had been forced by the team to check his memories to see if he really had bombed the UN but you couldn't choose how far you looked back, you gift made you see everything from the earliest childhood memory up to that moment. 

You stood and approached Bucky.

“Are you sure about this?” You whispered, taking hold of Bucky’s forearm as you pulled him to one side.

“He should know.” Bucky’s eyes seemed so sure. You dropped your hand down from his arm to his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“Alright then.” You pressed your lips into a thin line as you accepted his choice. 

Soon enough the route was changed and the plane turned. 

“Will you come?” Bucky asked as the door to the plane opened. 

“I’ll wait here but call me if you need me.” You didn’t feel like seeing Isaiah. Some of the time if something from Bucky’s past showed up it could trigger his memories in your own head which you didn’t particularly enjoy. 

“Alright.” Bucky sighed but left without you. 

Only a short while later you had received a phone call from Sam. 

“Hello?” You answered. 

“It’s Bucky. He’s been arrested. There was a warrant out for his arrest.” Sam informed you. 

“Why?” You were confused. Bucky had been pardoned like the rest of you for his crimes and his warrant wiped. 

“He missed his therapy session or something. I’m heading back to your, we gotta go get him out.” Sam hung up pretty quickly. 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about the super solider?” Sam asked you as you made your way to the station. 

“I only knew because I’ve been inside Bucky’s head but if I listed off every single person Bucky has fought or killed or wronged it would take me a while.” You hated admitting that but the Winter Soldier had done a lot of damage. 

“But this was a black super soldier who rotted behind bars for years! Being experimented on like a lab rat whilst Steve sat in the ice and Bucky ran around playing secret assassin!” Sam was angry and you understood why. 

“I didn’t know he was in prison. I only knew of him as the guy Bucky fought in Goyang and lost. I figured if Bucky wanted him found then he would say. It’s not my place, they’re not my memories.” You tried to defend yourself but you knew Sam would never understand your logic. 

“How can I trust you if you’re sitting on information like that?” Sam catechised you. 

“Because you’ve trusted me for years. I say what needs to be said and if it isn't useful to us at the time then I don’t bring it up. I have so much inside of here from people that aren’t even around more. When I go inside someone’s head the memories don’t just go away. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s memories I’m thinking of when I look back on things. I block what I can and deal with what I can’t.” You stopped Sam in the hallway as you snapped. You couldn’t believe he was questioning whether he could trust you or not after everything. 

“I know it can be hard for you. I can’t imagine what its like but there are some things more important than others and Isaiah. Isaiah is one of them.” Sam’s words just made you turn and head to the desk. 

You tried to get as much information about Bucky but all they instructed you to do was sit and wait. 

“Sam?” A woman approached you and Sam. You lifted your head up at the sound of her voice. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Dr. Raynor. I’m James’s therapist.” 

You shook hands with the woman and introduced yourself. 

“I’ve heard some about you too.” Dr. Raynor smiled as she greeted you. 

“Thank you for getting him out.” Sam thanked her as he shook her hand but she only furrowed her brow. 

“That was not me.” She told you both. 

“Christina!” You didn’t need super hearing to recognise that voice. “Good to see you again!” Walker was signing autographs as he entered the station. 

“You gotta be kidding me. You know him?” Sam only said what you were thinking. 

“Yeah, we did some field ops back in the day.” Dr Raynor looked between Sam and Walker. 

“I heard you were working with Bucky, so I thought I’d step in.” Walker approached her which made you stepped back. “Bucky’s not gonna be following a strict schedule any longer.”

“We haven’t finished our work. Who authorized this?” Dr Raynor protested. 

“Um…” Walker pointed to himself. You felt a fire flare inside of you. “He’s too valuable of an asset to have tied up. Just do whatever you got to do with him, then send him off to me. Got some unfinished business, him and I.”

Walker then pointed to you and Sam. 

“You too, Wilson. (Y/l/n). I’ll be outside.” Walker backed away, sending a wink in your direction. 

You felt Sam take hold of your wrist quickly before you could even take the chance to lunge forward. 

“Breathe.” Sam told you. “We’ll deal with that asshole later.” 

Bucky was allowed through and Dr Raynor approached him immediately.

“James, condition of your release, session now. You too, Sam.” She insisted as she headed back towards the cells from which Bucky had just come from. 

“That’s okay. I’ll be out here with (Y/n).” Sam brushed off the offer except it wasn’t an offer. 

“That wasn’t a request.” Dr Rayor warned him. 

You pushed the man forward. 

“Quicker you’re in, quicker you’re out.” You told him. 

“Why doesn’t she want you?” Sam pouted. 

“Get moving before I get bored and decide to use John Walker out there as my new punching bag. Get myself in trouble.” You tried to make the man laugh but failed. He only groaned and dragged himself inside. 

It didn’t take long for Sam to storm out of there who was swiftly followed by Bucky. 

“Hey, you okay?” You asked Sam as he returned to you. 

“Peachy.” He sneered.

You sighed and followed both men outside. 

“Well, I feel better.” Sam announced once you were all finally outside. 

“I feel awful.” Bucky muttered which made you want to take his hand but you refrained as a siren drew your attention over to Walker and his buddy. 

“Gentlemen. Lady. Good to see you again.” Walker had a smile on that you wanted to wipe clean off. “ Look, if we divide ourselves, we don’t stand a chance, you guys know that.” 

“Well do you have anything that’s actually useful?” You folded your arms across your chest as you closed in on the men.  

"Well, the leader’s name’s Karli Morgenthau. We’ve been targeting civilians who’ve been helping Karli move from place to place.” Walker started. 

“They geotagged a location, then scrambled the signal. But our satellites have found their symbol popping up in various displaced communities all across Central and Eastern Europe.” Hoskins continued. 

“We think she’s taking the medicine she just stole to one of these camps.” Walker finished. 

“Well, there are hundreds of those all over the planet since the Blip. So I guess you’ll have to look real hard.” Bucky’s glowered at the man as he leant on the cop car. 

“Good thing I have 20/20 vision, huh?” Walker smirked as he snapped back. 

“Where is she now, Walker? Do you know?” Bucky rose his voice. 

“No, we don’t know, Bucky. It’s only a matter of time before we find out.” Walker rose his voice also. 

“Things are really intense for you, aren’t they, Walker?” Bucky was being cocky. You had to stop yourself from finding it amusing. 

“Take it easy. Look, Walker’s right. It is imperative that we find them and stop them. But you guys have rules of engagement and all kind of authorizations you have to get. We’re free agents. We’re more flexible. So it wouldn’t make sense for us to work with you.” Sam interrupted and seemed to clear the air a little. You took his last words as a chance to leave but Walker wasn’t done.

“A word of advice, then.” Walker stopped you all. “Stay the hell out of my way.”

You watched the two men walk away. Your jaw clenching together to stop you from saying something you’d regret. 

“Come on.” Sam urged you on and you forced yourself to walk away. 

Once you were far enough from the station Sam asked you both what you were thinking. 

“Well, I know what we have to do. When Isaiah said ‘my people’...” Bucky was the one of out you both to speak first. 

“Oh, don’t take that to heart. That’s not what he meant.” Sam began. 

“No, he meant HYDRA. HYDRA used to be my people.” Bucky corrected him. 

“Not a chance.” You shook your head, putting your foot down. 

“Walker doesn’t have any leads.” Bucky claimed. 

“Bucky, I know where you’re going with this and I’m saying no.” You couldn’t believe he was even suggesting it. 

“He knows all of HYDRA’s secrets.” Bucky tried to reason with you. 

“Don’t you remember Siberia?” Sam also knew exactly what Bucky meant. 

Bucky nodded. 

“So you’re just gonna go sit in a room with this guy?” Sam stared at Bucky with a mixture of shock and concern. 

“Yes.” Bucky was hesitant to answer which only made you hate this idea even more. 

“Okay, then.” Sam sighed. “We’re gonna go see Zemo.” 

“No! No, we aren’t not going to see Zemo!” You demanded causing both the boys to stop. 

“(Y/n), it’s different now.” Bucky declared. 

“It’s the only lead we got.” Sam was actually on Bucky’s side. 

“What? And you think he’s just gonna help us like that?” You scoffed out of disbelief. 

“We have to try.” Bucky started to walk again. 

“I trust this guy about as far as I can throw him, Buck!” You exasperated. 

“That’s more than me.” Sam murmured but you chose to ignore it. 

“(Y/n). We’re going.” Bucky wasn't arguing anymore. It was going to happen. 

(PART 2 HERE)

Bucky Barnes Tags

@florencxs​ @mystictimetravelcolor​ @yourphotographyteen16​ @shannon-posts​​ @darkbluenovember @sexwithhiddlesbatch​

[mysticalrambling]

Hello

I m new on your blog and read your work and i fell in love with your stories. I read you were interested in taking request so can you take my request too? I was wondering if you can write a steve rogers x reader, where y/n is his girlfriend and he leaves her after civil war and then they see each other in infinity war, he tries to patchup with her but she ignores him because in past he often compared her to peggy and also because she knew about him kissing sharon and she is hurt. During the fight she doesn't talks to him and when tony returns from space she still continues to ignore Steve and when he confronts her she snaps at him for hurting her for a long time. He apologizes and somehow they makeup and also him kissing sharon was misunderstanding because sharon kissed him. And then they are happy together and also in endgame the reader is worried steve will stay in past but he comes back and they get married with the team present and have kids and live happily

Happily Ever After (S.R)

A/N: Thank you so much lovely and I loved the plot line. I loved writing about it and I made a few additions to the story. Hope you like it and I am open to more requests.

Steve Rogers Fanfiction (Fanfiction Master List)

Summary: Steve comes back after Civil War and you are angry with him because he left you. You do not forgive him because you thought he cheated on you and he always compared you with Peggy. But he returns from the past when he chose you over Peggy and you forgive him. You eventually get married and expand your family.

Warnings: Angst but eventual fluff.

._._._._.

He stood right there in his Captain America shield with all his former glory. Your ex boyfriend looked the same but there were some differences like he had a full grown beard and he was more muscular. He kept staring at you with longing and pain but it was not even the half of what you experienced while he was gone.

“(Y/N), you need to take the position left to Steve.” Tony pulled you out of your trance and you just stared at him when you comprehended his order. He had been there for you from the moment Steve left you after the Civil War. Sitting with you when you couldn’t sleep at night and forcefully feeding you when you spent the whole day starving. He didn’t want you anywhere near Captain but you both always worked best together and there were much more important matters at hand.

“But Tony, I can be with Steve.” As much as Rhodey wanted to be away from all of the people that were responsible for his fall, he didn’t want you to suffer. They all had seen you fall apart on the Avenger base when you realised that your boyfriend left without saying good bye to you and without an explanation. Just telling Tony on a voice message to take care of you wasn’t enough.

“I’ll be okay, Rhodey. You are needed near the buildings so if some of the aliens escape our defenses, you can be there to protect the city.”

All of the avengers kept stealing glances at the both of you because they knew that it was only a matter of time before you exploded. But they were wrong. You were not the stubborn, hot headed woman that did not let anyone walk over her. That woman died when Steve left. He took her with himself.

"Take your positions and give them hell." Steve and you made your way towards your designated place.

"(Y/N), listen to me. I-"

"Do not talk to me. We are done." Keeping your eyes trained on the path, you avoided meeting his eyes.

"But, let me explain. I did not have a choice. You sided with Tony and I couldn't tell you that we were leaving." He tried to catch up with you but you were a woman on a mission.

"I did not side with Tony, I sided with the accords. And I was working my ass off to get you all out of there and I looked like a fool in the end." He collided in you as you abruptly stopped in your tracks.

"(Y/N), I didn't know-"

"You didn't know because you never tried to contact me. I was the one who had to go through multiple trials with the government because they thought I helped you all to escape." There were tears pooling in your eyes and Steve wanted to kill himself for being the cause. "I was benched for four months, for Gods sake."

You are reminded of those horrible times when you didn't know what your next step was going to be. The others tried to help you but you had to suffer through all the criticism alone. Some days you just wanted to leave it all behind and start a new life. But you weren't a coward. You wouldn't let anyone run over you like this and ruin your life. Getting back up was tough but you managed it. The day that you were allowed back on the field was the day that you decided you were not going to let anyone ruin your life.

"(Y/N), I made a mistake and I missed you so much." He tried to touch you but you flinched. A look of hurt passed his eyes and retracted his hands.

"Let's just fight. I want to kick some ass." The war crafts soon landed and you all got to fight. You had to admit that Steve was one of the best teammate that you had. He knew when to defend you and when to let you attack. You were busy fighting two of the aliens when one came from the back. Steve saw it and immediately came to your defense. You were never going to admit it but you missed this.

When the fight ended, you both made your way towards the main compound and saw all the avengers gathered together. Steve and you only had minor cuts throughout your body but nothing major. The moment you saw what all the commotion is about, your breath hitched. It was Tony with half of his skin burnt and taking his last breath.

Kneeling down beside him, you started crying. "Hey, it's okay. Just be happy and do not hold on to old grudges. Take care of family for me, please." Pepper was beside you and she started crying harder when she heard him. "Steve, come here for a second."

"I am so sorry for everything. You will always be my friend, Stark."

"We both were in the wrong, Cap. For what it's worth, do not lose (Y/N) because she is the best thing that has happened to you."

Tony was on his last breaths now and you both moved aside because Pepper wanted to have some last moments with him. There were some rifts in the team since the civil war but at this moment, you all were in this together. Tony was the one who brought you all together and saved many of you from your abusive lives. He was your best friend and you didn't know how you would spend your life without his sarcastic comments and his new inventions.

"You go, Tony. We are going to be okay. I love you." The words that left Pepper were a mere whisper but because of the pin drop silence, you were able to hear her.

"I love you too," Uttering his last words, he finally closed his eyes and all that could be heard were Pepper's wails of agony. Everything after it was a blur; the med bay, the briefing, the funeral. Time seemed to pass you by and you were numb the whole time. It was like a large piece of your heart was torn away from you and you didn't know how to react.

"(Y/N), can we talk?" Natasha lightly knocked on your door before you muttered a small come in. She looked around the room and noticed the lack of pictures in your room. The warmth that once radiated from your room was now gone. There were pictures of you with the team, with Steve and with Natasha. You liked to capture all the memories and it was one of the things the team loved about you.

"Hi."

"Hello. I just wanted to see how you were doing after everything."

"I am fine. Just processing everything." The loose thread on your blanket was the main focus of your attention right now.

"You don't seem fine. I know you, (Y/N)."

"No, you don't." Scoffing at her ridiculous statement, you felt anger bubbling inside your chest. "You were one of the first people who became my friend when I came to this tower. You knew I couldn't live without Chris and you. You both were my support system."

"(Y/N), I wanted to tell you everything. Believe me, I did. But we had to keep it a secret because we had to protect the other avengers as well."

"I have been listening to this reason from the past few days and I am done. I was ready to help you guys and you could have just contacted me once. I didn't know if you were dead or alive."

"I am sorry. I wanted to do it but it was never the right time. Half of the times you were surrounded by government officials. Can you forgive me?" The red head came and sat next to you on the bed.

"I can but I don't know if we can go back to the way things were."

"It's okay. We will be friends again. And as a new friend, I just want to tell you that Steve was miserable these past two years and he loves you so much."

"I don't want to talk about him, Nat. Let's go to the gym and spar."

"I am going to kick your ass as alway, (Y/L/N)."

"I have been practicing, Romanoff." You both went on to sparring and Natasha won in the end. However, the whole day you kept thinking about your ex boyfriend. He had been trying to talk to you from the past two weeks. It was hard for you to ignore him but you were now reminded of the times when he compared you with Peggy.

The small things that you did was always met with criticism like Peggy did not work in the field like this or Peggy wouldn't talk to him like a brat. Apparently, she was the mature one and you could never compare to her. Most of the times, you tried not to let the comments get to you but you were human. He might have done it unintentionally and you didn't want to hold it against him. But it hurt.

"We are going to talk today and you are not going to run away this time." He blocked you in the kitchen when you came out of your room to drink some water.

"Funny how you are saying that I am the one that is running away. Hypocrite much now, are we?"

"(Y/N), I am apologising to you because I can't live without you."

"You did so well for two years, I don't know why it is a problem now."

"I understand that you are angry with me. I wanted to be with you so bad but my duty as Captain prevented me from it." Your face was turned away from Steve but you turned towards him when you heard the words leave his mouth.

"Your job is more important than me?" Enraged, all you could see was red and you wanted to punch the daylights out of him.

"I thought it was but not anymore. You are the most important thing in my life and I don't want to lose you."

"Well, you have other women in your life so you don't need me."

"What other women?" Steve's confused gaze swept over your face when you spit those words out.

"I know about Sharon. You kissed her when we were still together. You cheated on me and I hate you for it." Pointing your fingers at his chest, you didn't realise when your voice started to rise.

Steve held your hands and pulled you close to his chest. "Sharon kissed me and I immediately backed off. I would never cheat on you."

You couldn't believe your ears right now. This was one of the things that helped you get over Steve. Believing that he cheated on you, made it a lot easier for you to despise him. Granted that never happened but it was still easier. However, he was still stuck in the past and he did not want to admit it.

"Even if Sharon is not a problem, you are still stuck in the past."

"What do you mean?"

"You are still in love with Peggy and I can not be your second choice anymore."

"Peggy has got nothing to do with this. She is dead and I love you."

"But I would have never been the one you loved if Peggy was here."

"That's not true. You both are totally different people and I love you now." Steve didn't know how to explain it to you. The things he felt for you were totally different for what he felt for Peggy. You made his breath hitch and his heart pounded whenever you smiled at him. He was so in love with you that he didn't think it was possible to love someone this much.

He knew that he compared you with Peggy before he left but at that time he was not ready to leave the past. It was unfair of him to do that to you while you tried very hard to meet all his expectations. However, he realised afterwards that you did not have to meet any of his expectations because you exceeded all of them. He felt so guilty and he just wanted to have you back in his life and forget about all the things that happened.

"I don't believe you."

"Please do. I want us to be okay before I go to return all the stones."

"You do that and then we can talk about us." He gave you a quick peck on the cheek before you could say anything. You were pretty sure that would stay back with Peggy and that's why you didn't want to reconcile things. You didn't want him to break your heart again.

"Ready to go, Cap?" Scott asked as he rechecked the time machine again. Everyone glanced at each other when he said that because they all thought that Steve might remain in the past for Peggy. They all had their doubts but everyone was scared to say them out loud. "You only have five seconds to get back before you are stuck."

"Ready." He glanced at you one last time and stepped in to the machine. You held your breath as Scott counted out loud and when he reached the number four, you were sure that he wasn't coming back. You were about to turn back when a snapping sound echoed throughout the room.

"I told you I will come back." Coming to a halt right in front of you, you couldn't believe your eyes. You pulled him in and kissed him ferociously.

"I love you."

"I love you too and remember that no one compares to you. I am really sorry."

"It's okay. You passed the test." When you both kissed again, all of your friends cheered for you.

As time passed by, you realised that Steve was the best person you could have possibly ended up. He was the literally the man of your dreams. Waking up to him every morning, cuddled up in your bed to going to bed with him kissing you goodnight. Steve made you breakfast every morning even when he was getting late and weekends were only reserved you.

The day that he proposed was still so clear on your mind. You remembered how he was nervous for a week that you thought something was seriously wrong with him. He would stutter and sweat when you got too close to him like it was a new relationship. There was a barbecue for the whole team on the compound and you all were gathered around the garden with drinks in hand. Everyone was enjoying it to the fullest when out of nowhere Steve knelt in front of you with a ring in his hand. After listening to his speech, you said yes with tears in your eyes.

"Are you ready?" Natasha asked you as she smoothed down your wedding dress that you spent months picking out.

"Yes." Pepper helped Morgan with the flower basket because the seven year old wanted to be the flower girl.

"Okay, then it's time." Walking down the aisle was worth it when you saw the adoration flicker in his eyes. He said some of the most heart warming words that had you ruining your eye makeup. It was a beautiful ceremony that only included close family and friends. You wanted a private wedding and you announced it to the world the next day. They all went crazy but the positive response was overwhelming to say the least.

Four months in to the wedding, you realised you were pregnant. Natasha was the one who sat beside when you waited for the test while Pepper brought a million of them for you. You were scared to tell him because you never discussed the possibility of having kids in detail.

"Just tell him. He is going to be ecstatic." Natasha tried to soothe you when you started crying with your face in between your hands.

"Okay. Steve will be home anytime soon."

"We should probably get going." Pepper and Natasha made their way towards the door and gently closed it.

"Hey, babe." Kissing you on the cheek, he immediately went to the washroom to take a shower.

"We need to talk."

"Sure. What's up?"

"I am pregnant." Blurting it out was not what you had planned but you couldn't think of another way. He stopped folding his armor midway and just looked at you with disbelief in his eyes.

"Are you serious? Oh my god. When did you find out? I am so happy, baby."

"I found out about an hour ago. And you are seriously happy?"

"Of course, I am. We will have a mini you or me with us in nine months. I love you, baby."

"I love you too." Keeping his hands on your stomach, he hugged you tightly and you knew that you got your happy ending. You were one of the luckiest people alive because you have a husband like Steve and now you were going to have family with him.

Hope you guys enjoyed it!!

._._._._.

A/N: I love Captain America and I was happy to write a fanfiction about him. If you guys have any more request, I will be happy to write about them and message me if you want to be added to the tag list.

Taglist: @justile 

Like, comment and reblog.

._._._._.

[obxsummer]

do you write for Kie? I think it would be so cute if you did one where the boys started noticing their two favorite girls staring at each other all the time and making small comments that they finally have enough and do everything in their power to get them together :)

matchmaker // kiara carrera x neutral!reader

warnings: no s2 spoilers, weed, cursing

part of #obx2celebration

masterlist

ask me anything

--

Listen, Pope didn’t consider himself a matchmaker, but sometimes, he swore he just knew if two people were the right fit for each other. He had all kinds of predictions and failures of course; John B and Sarah side-blinded him for sure, but he was holding out for one couple in particular and if he lost his bets on them, everything else was lost. You and Kiara had been pining after each other for so long, Pope swore if I had to wait longer he would die of impatient-ness.

He kept his suspicions to himself, mostly. JJ didn’t exactly have a quiet mouth and John B let things slip every now and then, so Pope kept quiet until the beans spilled one day.

“Is it just me, or are Kie and Y/N totally staring at each other when the other isn’t looking?” JJ asked. He, John B, and Pope were sitting on their boards out in the water as they waited for a wave.

“It’s definitely not just you,” John B answered quickly. “They held hands in the kitchen this morning for like three minutes.”

Pope let out a loud groan. “I have been waiting for someone other than me to notice for forever!” He let his arms flop into the water dramatically, splashing the two boys next to him.

“Why didn’t you just say something?” JJ asked as he wiped water from his face.

Pope glared at him. “You guys suck at keeping secrets.”

“Do not!”

“I’m a tad bit insulted there, Pope. Not gonna lie.”

“Can we focus?” Pope interrupted their whining as he motioned his hand towards where you and Kiara were sitting on the beach. “We have to get them together, okay? They’re my endgame.”

“Endgame? Like the Avengers and they turn to dust?”

“That’s Infinity War, you dumbass.”

With a sigh, Pope ran a hand down his face in annoyance. Clearly, it was going to be up to him to play matchmaker this time.

--

Your eyes watched Kiara out on her board as you sat in the sand. She had joined the boys in the water shortly after the two of you finished your daily crime podcast. It had become a small tradition to listen to one episode a day. John B would listen every now and again but it didn’t take long before JJ distracted him or Sarah walked in to steal his attention.

You weren’t sure what exactly was going on between you and Kie. You were infatuated with every bit of her, she was everything to you, and you guys connected instantly since the moment you met each other. You couldn’t help but crave her presence, from her fun personality to the beautiful smile on her face, Kie was everything.

“Staring at Kie?” Pope’s voice interrupted your daydream. You hadn't even noticed him exit the water to sit by you.

“Jesus, Pope, you scared the shit out of me.” You placed a hand on your chest in shock. He gave you a curious look making you roll your eyes. “Yes, I’m staring at Kie. Thank you very much.”

Pope looked back out at the water where JJ and John B were talking to the girl in question. “Go surf with her.”

“I suck at surfing we all know that,” You huffed. You had always admired the way Kie had the confidence to do whatever she put her mind to.

“Fine, I’ll give you that one. But hey, I’m sure she’d be willing to teach you.” He was trying his best to find ways to get you and Kie alone, you could tell, and you appreciated the effort.

Glancing over, you gave him a smile but shook your head slightly. “I know what you’re trying to do, Pope, and I appreciate it, but I don’t think it’ll happen. Plus, no Pogue on Pogue macking, remember?”

“I think we could make an exception,” He suggested as he shrugged. “Seriously. You guys would be so good together.”

You sighed, “Thanks, Pope, but I’m not getting my hopes up.”

--

Now that John B and JJ were on board, Pope decided to make it their mission to get you and Kiara together. Subtle nudges, random seat swaps, and oddly convenient car break downs had the two of you spending more time alone and by each other’s sides. You definitely weren’t complaining about it.

Fridays were movie nights when there wasn’t a party. JJ usually wouldn’t pay attention unless it was a horror movie so you figured they already had one in mind. You had been in charge of snacks for the occasion which the boys didn’t hesitate to devour.

“I call the couch!” John B’s voice covered the whole room as he jumped and splayed out over the worn couch cushion. JJ and Pope were quick to settle down with their backs against the furniture John B reserved, leaving the giant bean bag chair of Kie’s for the two of you.

You rolled your eyes at their actions. “Do you seriously need the whole damn couch?” You groaned. You knew what they were up to and it was hard to be mad at them, but it did make things a bit awkward.

“We can share, Y/N/N.” Kie smiled and grabbed the bowl of popcorn from the counter before sitting down in the bean bag. You flipped the boys off before stealing your blanket from JJ and plopping down next to her.

The intro to The Conjuring was the same as always, but JJ insisted on watching it. You swore it was because he was too scared to watch another movie where he didn’t know what would happen but he was adamant that wasn’t it.

The popcorn had soon disappeared and Pope’s snoring was beginning to get too loud once you hit the middle of the film. “Wanna go smoke?” Kiara whispered as she leaned closer. You quickly nodded, ready to get away from the boys and the boring movie so you followed her out the door.

“You know what they’re doing, right?” She asked softly as she rummaged through JJ’s backpack to find the dab pen that was no doubt in there somewhere.  A small cheer of success left her lips once she found it in the pocket

You hugged a pillow to your chest as you watched her before she came to sit next to you. “What do you mean?” You asked before taking a hit when she offered.

“They’re pushing us together,” She chuckled. “It’s funny actually. They’re trying so hard and think it’s not obvious but it totally is.”

You nodded as a smile formed on your face too. “They probably think they’re so subtle.”

Time passed for a bit under a comfortable silence until she spoke up again. “What if they weren’t wrong to try it?”

By now, the hits from JJ’s pen were starting to kick in but you were glad to have a chance to get your feelings out in the open. “They aren’t wrong. It’s just a matter of us telling each other and making sure they don’t know that they were right.”

Kie laughed, the sound warm and comforting as you fidgeted with the pillow in your hands. Your heart was racing from nerves, but it seemed to skyrocket when she leaned over and kissed your cheek. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag then, huh?”

“I think we won the award for slow burn romance,” You joked as you brushed a piece of hair behind her ear before leaning to kiss her fully.

“Yes! Woohoo!! I won this game of matchmaker!” Pope’s cheering was loud enough to break you apart, but too happy to ruin the moment. You and Kie pulled away laughing to look over your shoulders where the boys were standing in surprise.

Kie raised her eyebrows at their presence. “Did we invite you to watch our makeout session?”

John B quickly shook his head. “No, no, but you did just make JJ pay me five bucks.”

JJ groaned and tossed his head back in annoyance. “Damn it, John B!”

[misstyless]

as someone who shipped sambucky since civil war, I feel like I have to recommend the best pre-tfatws sambucky fics I've read on ao3

double back by flowermasters

Sam gets stuck in a time loop. In 1943.

Things could be worse, but they could certainly be better.

quick time by flowermasters

He’s never bought Sam a drink in any of the other loops—all ten of them, now. Maybe he should’ve tried that earlier.

Companion to double back.

Thanks by TheHedgehogSong

He opens the door to find Sam standing on the other side. "Me and the others are going to watch some movies in the living area if you're interested." Sam says by way of greeting.

"Steve ask you to keep an eye on me?"

"Yep." Sam replies simply. "So if you could come and sit with us it would make my job a lot easier."

"You're so charming." Bucky deadpans and Sam smiles at him.

"Hey when I'm putting on the charm you'll know." Sam says and jerks his head in the direction of the living area. "Come on, otherwise Clint will start the movie without us and if I miss the start I'm going to be pissed." With that Sam walks away. Bucky watches him for a moment before trailing after him – he guesses there's worst ways to spend the day.

Marriage Counseling for the Inept and Oblivious by ToriCeratops

Or: How Steve Rogers likes to play matchmaker for his infuriating best friends.

my love language is annoying the shit out of you by desastrista

There's a lot of nuances of human romance that Vision doesn't understand, but he thinks he can see what is developing between Sam and Bucky. Even if no one else does.

semi-cataclysmic events by wilsonsnest

It took time travel for Steve to figure his shit out, so Bucky doesn’t think he’s doing too bad.

feat. Old!Steve, Cap!Sam and Pining!Bucky

Flesh And Bones by asgardianthot

in a world where people bond with their soulmates through physical pain, living in the same compound makes the search much easier (or it should, if they weren't so damn stubborn)

When I'm With You (i'm who i want to be) by theappleppielifestyle

Threat, his mind says, but Sam Wilson makes him feel the opposite a threat makes him feel, like he's safer than he has been in seventy years.

Honey, Til I Die You'll Have Me Too by Ithinkwehaveanemergency

Five of Bucky's Friday nights in the months following the battle of Upstate New York.

“You stayed for me?” Sam's voice is a whisper. His eyes are more open and vulnerable than Bucky has ever seen.

“Eh.” Bucky smirks, trying to escape the heaviness of the conversation. “Mostly didn't wanna go back to an era where I wasn't an honorary citizen of Wakanda. God, I love that place .”

three words that became hard to say by suzukiblu

“I wanna step out with Wilson,” Bucky says, audibly traumatized. Steve blinks again, and lowers the shield.

“Uh,” he says. “Come again?”

I just couldn't say it out loud. by ashers_kiss

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Yes?” Bucky tries.

Are you both courting? by daredeviltrash

Gamora and Mantis asks bird boy and metal arm guy if they're dating. hilarity and sad stuff ensues.

farmhouse by Tazmaster

"You know, I think I'd want a farmhouse."

"A what?" Sam turns to look at him, slightly annoyed. This was the first thing Bucky has said in the past hour and a half they've been cramped in this god forsaken car. He had a knack for impulsively voicing his dumb thoughts at the worst times, but whenever you wanted to know what was actually going on in that head of his, he'd never say.

They were staking out the front gate of a large mansion, very much not a farmhouse. It was mind numbingly boring, being stuck in a beetle with absolutely nothing else to do than stare at the gaudy gates of some rich asshole.

"A farmhouse," Bucky repeats nonchalantly, "If we ever get out of this business, or you know, live long enough to retire maybe--- I want a farmhouse. With a lot of animals."

---

Bucky keeps talking about a farmhouse and it drives Sam crazy, that is until he finally asks why.

These Walls are Shakin' with My Heartbeat by Ithinkwehaveanemergency

“Well now I need to know.” Sam rolls his eyes. “Please, enlighten me. Explain why an eighteen year old is so invested in our non-existent sexual relationship.”

“She’s almost twenty. You were at her nineteenth birthday party.” Bucky frowns at Sam, disappointed.

Or

Sam tries to process Shuri's inappropriate suggestion that he should have sex with Bucky, and Bucky won't stop eating his fucking pizza.

6PM/8PM by captainafroelf

Sam gets a call from a world away.

If I'm the Last One Standing, I Would Want to Watch it Burn With You by Ithinkwehaveanemergency

Just before the final fight in Infinity War, Sam and Bucky have a moment.

Or

My canon compliant explanation for why Sam and Bucky are so cozy and content with what happened in Endgame.

Just an illusion by Llixale

Bucky and Sam are back from the Soul stone, unaware that they shared more than the experience of being snapped.

The Simple Life by through_shadows_falling

One year since the Accords, and Steve asks Sam to check up on Bucky in Wakanda. Sam agrees, but the man he finds is the not the man he expected...though that's not exactly a bad thing.

Bucky is a peaceful goat farmer who enjoys the simple life, and who happens to be attractive as hell.

Sam is so freaking screwed.

Takes place between Civil War and Infinity War Part 1.

Alone, With You by cruxcantare

Sam's pretty sure they're dead. Bucky disagrees. But whatever this is, it isn't living.

warm blood (feels good, i can't control it anymore) by notcaycepollard

Sam's just chilling watching TV one evening when Bucky comes in and stares at him silently for a minute or two before sitting down on the couch. He's pretty close to Sam.

Okay, he's really close to Sam. Like, Sam would be using the word 'cuddling' if it wasn't so bizarre.

"What," he says, carefully not looking at Bucky, and Bucky huffs a sigh.

"Steve's not here," he says as if it's obvious. "Don't make it weird. Just- shut up."

Unexpected Houseguest by faeryn

When Sam comes across Bucky in the strangest of places, his first instincts are to run, and to call Steve. He does neither, and in doing so manages to form a strange bond with the Soviet assassin who once tried to kill him. Bucky is broken, a shell of his former self, and Sam wants nothing more than to help return him to himself. But can he maintain a respectable and responsible distance from the man, despite how Bucky draws him in, in order to help him? Or will he falter, and shatter all the progress he has made by giving in to his own desires?

The Multiverse of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier by OhHelloFandoms123

Sam and Bucky find themselves trapped in alternate realities of their lives due to Dr Strange, they have to find out how to get back to their reality.

or

“How come in every fucking universe we’re married?” Sam said, looking around the place, raising his arms in anger and confusion.

“I’m not sure, maybe it’s trying to tell us something.” Bucky replied, shuffling his feet, looking at the ground.

a couple more fics that I remembered later

[altagraye]

Time after Time A/B/O pt 1

Time after Time A/B/O stuckyxreader series pt1

Time after Time pt 1

Series Title: Time after time

Type: A/B/O Series

Stucky x y/n

POV: Omega!Fem!Asd-reader

Characterization attributes: Stimming, selective-mutism. Other asd (previously autism) thangs.

*Set in year 1946  *Spoilers for Infinity war and endgame.

Part 1: Three fabrics in time

Authors note: i apologize this isnt the finished product but i figured if i just publish this part for now i can tack on the last piece to part 1.5 later on. I have just been feeling so under the weather. I am sorry my sweet readers.

Time after Time (A/B/O)

Part 1: Three fabrics in time

Approximate year: 

-The present: 2023

-after time jump: 1946

TW: anxiety attacks, cussing, (A/B/O) dynamics, psychic powers, misogyny, ASD elements. 

Time after Time A/B/O stuckyxreader series pt1

Time after Time pt 1

Series Title: Time after time

Type: A/B/O Series

Stucky x y/n

POV: Omega!Fem!Asd-reader

Characterization attributes: Stimming, mutism. Other asd (previously autism) thangs.

*Set in year 1946  *Spoilers for Infinity war and endgame.

Part 1: Three fabrics in time.

Quote:

 “If time were governed by Eros, I would stay in your arms forever. If time answered only to lovers, I would never leave your side. The seconds pass by slower when I’m staring at the clock. And you wonder why I can’t take my eyes off you.”--Lang Leav

Day 1:

You, Steve, and Bucky have been inseparable. If anyone needed evidence for this fact, all they had to do was see your two claim-marks. You wore them proudly because you loved being their omega. 

Since they were so much a part of you, the both of them, your Sun and your Moon. They were your vital signs. They kept your heart beating in your chest and your blood pumping through your veins.

Losing either one of them wasn’t an option. You’d just gotten Bucky back after the five year blip.

And man was the blip absolute Hell. You’d felt your heart tumbling down into the darkened depths, wandering on the barren banks of the Styx.

It was already bad enough when Bucky decided to go under in Wakanda, your Alphas keeping that secret from you until the very last moment. With you separated from Bucky, your heats had lessened and you got really sick. It was Hell.

When you and Steve lost Bucky, you got extremely sick, again but this was worse. Your heats stopped completely and it had you fearing your fertility had been ruined. You haven’t had a heat in 5 years.

Needless to say you weren't about to lose another mate. You had a feeling that your Alphas knew something you didn't. 

Like Steve so quickly volunteered for this mission, and that scared the hell out of you. 

Bucky just stood there with his hands planted in his hoodie pockets, not willing to change anything. 

There is absolutely no way you were about to let this happen. The three of you were a team, partners, lovers. 

You were pissed that they'd keep this from you. That they thought you would just accept being away from them. 

You took Bucky's hand and trudged over to the platform. The mechanics of the machine whirring loudly. 

it happened in a flash of light and a crash of sound, loud like a crack of lightning. one second you were looking at Steve, a briefcase filled with all the collected Infinity stones and the next you were plopped into a bustling alleyway filled with people. You turned back, not feeling Bucky within your grasp anymore. To your horror he wasn’t.

“Alpha?” you asked, confusion warping your mind. You couldn’t see them or smell any of your Alphas’ anywhere. 

You took a few steps into the center of the bustling alleyway. So many different scents were attacking your nose. Alphas, Betas, very few omegas. The distinct scent of baked goods was thick in the air. 

Everyone was dressed weirdly. Were you transported on the set of West Side Story?

Harshly you were thrown to the brick of the alleyway. Knocked to your hands and knees.

“Shit. Get outta the way lady!” Called back a young male Beta on an old looking bicycle, carrying a bag full of newspapers. One of them fell out and within your reach. The courier didn’t seem to care much and went about his business.

You picked up the paper and scurried over to the side of a building.

A loud crash of thunder filled your ears and an overwhelming scent of Charcoal and Hay struck your nose.

“Hey, Miss. You alright? You had quite a fall.” He asked in a thick New York accent. You tried to be decent with the man, relatively nice looking, nothing seemed too off about him.

The man helped you to your feet, and looked you up and down.

“I don’t know of any women who wear denim pants? Where are you from, Miss?” he asked. Fuck. What century are you in Y/N? It’s not like the way you were dressed, you looked around ignoring the man in front of you and not making any eye contact. No one had sneakers like you, or a red and black plaid jacket, and the only people wearing anything close to a tank top were men. They all looked like they were wearing wife beaters. 

You could feel sweat drip from the back of your neck. You bit your bottom lip and shuffled through the newspaper reading the headline. It read, ‘Goering, Vonn Ribbentrop and 9 others to hang.’ 

You looked at it with a long face, your eyes jutting up to the header to read the date. Tuesday, October 1st, 1946.

“Lady are you alright? You look like you’re about to hurl.” Said the man.

“I-I-I’m okay.” You replied, cursing yourself for stuttering. Your palms were beginning to sweat and didn’t like the way this man smelled.

He pressed you up against the cold brick wall of the alleyway as it began to downpour. 

He pressed his nose against your neck as you struggled to keep him off you.

“Damn, your scent is somethin’ else, lady. Wouldn’t mind having it for myself.” he said in a low tone, his scent becoming intensified.

You touched his forehead and a silver light came flowing through your palm like soft river water. A loud snarl was heard from your left. You distracted the Alpha with one of your illusions. The Alpha was confused yet transfixed on the wild black wolf in the middle of the alleyway stalking forward through the darkness.

“Hey, what did you do?” he asked, fear bubbling up in him.

“Simple. I unleashed a Hellhound. One you can’t run from.” In a way you were telling the truth to him. Not that you thought Hellhounds were real. They weren’t, at least to you. So you made him believe he was being hunted by a beast. One like in the old days, as the legend went, all Alphas and Omegas were derived from multiple werewolf legends around the world.  The wolf snarled again and gave chase, his claws making large gashes in the brick, sharp and lethal.

The Alpha Didn’t care about you anymore and ran for his life, horrified at the bloodthirsty creature.

You smirked, thankful he wouldn’t dare to touch another Omega without consent. He would run until his legs gave out, flail around as your wolf attacked him, but to the public eye he would be reduced to a lunatic. You didn’t really feel bad about it. Who knows what he could have done to you if he was already ignoring your obvious claim marks.

 Thunder cracked across the sky like a huge drum, it sounded primal and commanding. You slumped down on the side of the building as the rain fell. You didn’t mind the rain, but you began to get cold and all you wanted was to lay in a warm nest with Steve and Bucky. But you didn’t see them nor could you smell their scent. You only had small whiffs of bliss left over, lingering on your clothes.

There were so many people around it made you very nervous and you looked different. The clothes you were wearing made the strangers around you stare. There was a young pup about 7 years old with her mother walking by. She was curious about you but her mother quickly hurried her away from you. Muttering something about vagrants.

As the rain stopped and the night came you were shivering, your teeth chattering wildly. Passersby under their breaths called you ‘slick-casher’. At first you didn’t understand what they meant but as the night went on you got  it. They thought you were a sex worker. 

You tucked your knees close to your chest and rested your head on the cold brick. Your stomach growled in protest. You didn’t have any cash on you and you doubted anyone would take it if you had it. The money looks so different. It was useless to try your cell phone, the cell towers weren’t invented yet.

The scent of the bakery was making your hunger worse. All you could think about was Them. Your perfect Alphas. But now you feel so alone. You hated being alone and fearing all these strangers. Stinging began in the backs of your eyes, and warm tears fell down your cheeks. you weren’t cut out for this kind thing. Not this place, or this time. Where the strong survived in the concrete jungle. You didn’t mean to cry, in fact you loathed crying. You felt it was just more confirmation that you were weak. Inferior.

You heard gunshots from a few blocks away and the sharp sound of tires peeling out on the road.

You felt bad for Steve, at least how he used to be when he was small. Getting beat up all the time. choosing not to run from a fight he knew he would lose anyway. You were lucky to have someone like him and Bucky who accepted you for who you were.

But you found it hard to accept yourself for who you were. Your foster parents weren’t the best. They didn’t understand your Autism.They didn’t understand why they had to keep teaching you how to do things you already knew or why you would get upset when they would move something in your room. Why you could only do one task at a time. If they gave you directions for something and there were too many steps, why would you freak out and have a meltdown.

“Hey. Why don’t you come inside? This is no place for a ‘Mega.” said a voice with a thick Italian accent.

You jumped at the realization that someone was talking to you. You didn’t want to have an experience like before, but this was a Beta. Not that he couldn’t do harm to you. You didn’t look at his face and you didn’t talk to him. He took off his coat and draped it over your shoulders. He made sure not to touch you.

“You’re terrified. I can smell it on you, clear as day. I saw that bad Alpha, somethin chased him off. had him shakin’ in his shoes. You can have whatever you want in my bakery. I got Cannolis, the finest focaccia in town, my chocolate cake is to die for. Please, I’d hate to see anything happen to you out here. Just come in to eat, if you don’t like me I can take you up to St. Mary’s convent.” the male Beta said.

You sniffed in the air to smell him out. you didn’t sense him lying. You were still afraid to look at him though. The smell wasn’t sweet, but it was pleasant to you. Freshly cut grass. a different kind of scent.

“If you try anything funny… I'm warning you.” you growled a bit. a feeble attempt at a warning combined with your own scent beginning to turn bitter. 

The man raised his hands in his defense, “Hey, no funny business. I promise.” He held out his hand to help you up as your stomach growled viciously again. 

“See. no harm, no foul. I just want to help.” He reiterated, ducking his head a little to show his submission and to get a better look at you. Reluctantly you looked at his face. you forgot to say thank you, or anything at all before following the Beta. You liked his eyes. a dark brown but soft on the inside.

For now you felt like you could trust him. But you kept your guard up.

The moment you stepped into his shop, you were dazed by the wonderful aroma of pastries and breads.

“There’s a small bed in the back. It’s no nest but it will work. What does your tongue fancy? Cannolis or something else. Here, have your pick. What’s your name, ma’am?” The Beta said, locking his door behind him. and coming over to the glass counter as you scanned at the array of sweets and breads.

“Y/N.” you muttered, preoccupied by the variety of Italian cookies. that would do for now. Fatigue was beginning to set in now that the word nest was mentioned. You missed your Alphas. Whatever they knew, it didn’t matter to you now. You just wanted them back.

“Y/N. That's a pretty name. Here take the whole tray. I’m sorry I don't really have a bath tub here, so you can’t wash up. The bed is in the back, through those doors. My name’s Giotto Enzo. But everybody calls me Gio.” He said as he gave you the entire tray of cookies. You smiled and raised your eyes a little, beginning to get more comfortable with the kind stranger.

Gio gave you a short smile and led you into the back, through the kitchen and into the very back of the bakery.

You sat on the twin bed, something just enough for you to fit in. and took your pick of the cookies. Gio sat across from you, patient and every once in a while taking a sniff to judge your scent. Seeing if you were comfortable or not.

“I’m not trying to be a peep or nothin’. I just do this for Omegas who had a bad night with their Alphas. So many of ‘em end up on the street and get into the wrong crowd. Seen a couple of ‘em not make it. Felt terrible for it, you know? So I started doing something about it.” Gio said, scratching the back of his neck.

“mmmm. These are excellent. You’re a nice man.” you said. You ate about five cookies before you set the tray to the side on a small counter next to you. Gio smiled at your compliment.

“No problem. You can take the tray with you, and anything else that fits your fancy really. I’m sorry I don't wanna be a prude or nothin’ I just can’t help but notice you’re mated.” Gio said, sitting back in his seat. but he continued, “To two people. Do you have two Alphas?” he asked in a hushed tone.

You looked up at him through your naturally dense eyelashes. You looked down and covered yourself up with the thin blanket, covering your claim marks. Was he judging you? For having two marks?

“Ah. Shit. I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t wanna make you feel bad. Stuff like that, multiple mates ‘n’ all. That’s been happening for eons. It ain’t gonna stop now. It’s natural. You can’t help your instinct right? You’re secret's safe with me. Scouts honor.” He said, raising his hand.

“T-T-Thank you Gio.” you said as you adjusted in the bed and turned around to face the wall, snuggling into the pillow.

“Nah, don’t mention it. Goodnight.” Gio said shifting against the cold tile floor.

“Night.” you said back to him. His scent lightened slightly and made it easier to fall asleep. As if you were in the middle of a meadow, the warm sun on your face.

Day 2, October 2nd 1946, Wednesday:

You woke with a jolt to the loud sounds of a fight going on beyond the kitchen of the bakery.

“Where is she! Did you touch her?! Speak Beta or I'll give you a reason to!!” You knew that voice anywhere. The scent was pungent and like a raging fire. Burning high over a field.

“Woah. Big fella, I mean no harm. I never touched your ‘Mega I swear. She- She’s in the back. I took her off the street.” Gio stammered with his words.

You clutched the pillow close to your chest, for comfort. and nearly raced through the kitchen to the other side of the bakery.

You saw him there, pinning Gio to the wall, your eyes met and you dropped the pillow, not caring that it fell to the ground.

Tears stung your eyes and you sprinted to your Alpha. Bucky let Gio go, unworthy of his attention.

Gio was slumped down against the wall, gasping. 

“Bucky! I-I-I- was so scared. I didn’t know what happened. Where were you? W-w-w-where is Alpha?” You asked, trembling in Bucky’s beefy embrace.

Bucky tucked your head close to his chest and left small kisses in your hair, a firm hand smoothing up and down your back. You’d never smelled such a wonderful scent before. To have your Alpha back was priceless. His firewood aroma enveloping your lungs, not choking you the way smoke would but something that went straight to your bloodstream and soothed you from the inside out.

“I’m here now, ‘Mega. I’m here. It’s okay. I’ll take care of you. I haven’t found Alpha yet. But we will. We will.” Bucky reassured you.

Gio stepped a little closer, taking off his hat to show submission.

Bucky kept his grip on you, and growled lowly, a warning to the Beta if he took another step, he’d be mincemeat.

“Bucky, It’s okay, he’s good. He took me out of the rain and off the street. He gave me food and a small nest to sleep in for the night. He kept me here until you could find me.” You looked up and into Bucky’s eyes. you missed those deep blue pieces of magic.

“Really? You’ve got a pair on you. Thank you. If a nearby Alpha went feral, you would’ve died.” Bucky said letting you go so you could compose yourself.

“There’s nothin’ to it. I just wanted to do the right thing. I stayed up all night so that no one broke in. If they did, they’d have to go through me and my old thompson. I just hate seein’ ‘Megas like that.” Gio said, putting his cap back on. He moved over behind the glass counter and  looked at his array of baked goods.

“Here. Have whatever you’d like, Y/N. It was a pleasure meetin’ you. Not so much the Alpha but I understand.” Gio said tapping on the counter.

“Oh. Gio. I don’t have any money on me.” you said getting a guilty feeling in your stomach.

“Don’t worry about it. On the house. My treat. Take all you can carry. I insist.” Gio said pridefully and straightened out his back, smiling at you. You cowered a little, still shy.

You pointed to the chocolate cake and to the cannolis. Giotto’s face lit up.

“Comin’ right up!” He said as he hurried to find packages to put the treats in.

“Thank you.” Bucky said accepting the gifts,while you kept his flesh hand preoccupied with your dainty hand. You never wanted to let go of him ever again.

You waved to Gio silently and he smiled back at you as you exited the shop with Bucky.

“Take care!” Gio yelled back.

Day 2 (continued) , October 2nd 1946, Wednesday:

Your grip tightened on Bucky’s flesh hand as you whimpered slightly.

“I know Doll. We’ll be there soon. Hopefully Alpha will be there too. Just focus on me okay? I got you.” Bucky smiled when you looked up at him, and you felt your nervousness melt away. There were so many people out even with it being this early in the morning. not that you could tell what the time was. You always found a digital clock easier to read than analog.

You responded by squeezing his hand back. the two of you continued to trudge forward. You had no idea where you were going but you trusted Bucky completely. You had nothing to fear now. But you couldn’t help but wonder where Steve had gone. Or if he was really there, stuck in his and Bucky’s time with you. 

“How much longer?” You asked, staring at the cake in your arms.

“Not long, just a couple blocks. Why? Is something wrong? Are you getting tired? Want a piggyback?” Bucky suggested.

You shook your head, “No. I can walk, I just really want to dig into this cake. It smells so good!”

Bucky chuckled at your cuteness. 

Your anticipation and excitement swallowed you up, so the only thing you could do was swing Bucky’s arm in quick succession, back and forth. This continued until you got up the steps to an unfamiliar apartment building. 

You followed Bucky’s lead until he stopped in front of a brick. He turned to you, kissing you gently on your soft lips. 

“I gotta let go now Doll,” he said as you whimpered defeatedly, “I know I’m sorry.” he apologized. He let go and lifted the brick up, finding a key. 

You hummed a random tune to yourself while you waited for Bucky to open the door. Your lips seemed to be stuck in a wide smile, “Cake. Cake. Cake. Ch-ch-ch-chocolate cake!” you said excitedly.

“Shhh. Doll.” Bucky whispered as the lock clicked open. Bucky motioned that he would go in first and check things out, to make sure it was safe for you to go in. You nodded and started to do a little dance, happy about your cake. 

You stayed silent and looked around at the city before you. It was wildly different than what you knew. Clothes lines swaying in the crisp winter wind. Sounds of young pups playing in groups in the courtyard and across the street. Something had you thinking  that there was an eerie-ness to this place. Like you were being watched.

“The coast is clear. C’mon, let’s get you warmed up.” Bucky said, wrapping his arm around you protectively, his eyes searching around for unseen enemies. He closed the door and locked it. 

“Awww. But what about cake? oooo. Do you want some too?!” you asked willing to share. you held out the box of cake so that Bucky could have first dibs. Bucky stared back with a smile on his face and a warmth in his heart. Your eyes were beautiful and doe-d.

“I’ll have some later, Babe. Hey. I'm sorry it’s not much but it's home.” Bucky said, pointing her over to the kitchen.

“Cake. cake. cake. Cake with my Alpha.” you ended the sentence in a giddy trill, when you put the box down on the counter and searched for a knife to cut it with.

Bucky looked around for a long moment. reminiscing on the days when he and Steve spent their lives here. He read the Hobbit with Steve on his lap on that old couch. They had a bad argument over dinner in the small dining room when Bucky had to tell Steve he was ‘volunteering’ for the war. Bucky would never let him know that he was actually drafted. He kept that a secret, even after all these years. They spent many nights in bed, curled up with each other, Bucky tucking Steve’s fragile body close to his. He remembers the first time they made love, and the first time they claimed each other. Being sure to mark the other on the wrist, some place less obvious. For Bucky, that mark is gone now, a phantom he only can remember in his mind. His scattered, scarred, fucked up mess of a mind. The mark, something he held so dearly-- HYDRA had replaced it with a machine. One that took so many lives.

Bucky jumped a little, snapping back to reality when he smelled Y/N’s strong Honey scent. Bucky’s eyes were wet with the hardened memories of his past.

“Taste it. It makes everything better. I’m sorry you’re sad Alpha. D-do you want me to make you feel better?” Y/N held out a forkful of her large slice of cake and offered it to Bucky. A lone tear falling from those cerulean orbs. Bucky smiled, genuinely. He felt he didn’t deserve someone as gentle and kind as Y/N. Bucky opened his mouth and took the forkful of cake into his mouth, savoring its flavor and his Omega’s kind gesture.

“Thank you, Doll. It tastes good. You can have the rest.” Bucky said as he moved to the small kitchen table, room enough for four. His gaze settled on the stacks of bills there on the table. Rent. dust forming on the dog-eared pages. How long has it been since this place had someone living in it? Since Steve left for  boot camp?

Someone had to have been paying the bills since Steve was left frozen in the middle of nowhere. Bucky smelled the papers, a Coffee aroma lingering on them. Y/N shoved a generous forkful of cake into her mouth and stared on in silent observance, curiosity peaked her interest.

Y/N got closer to her Alpha and sniffed at the papers, not recognizing the scent at all.

“Who smells like Coffee? Someone you know, Alpha?” She inquired.

“I don’t really remember anyone important. It's been so long. Whoever it is, they're kind. They’ve been paying rent for an empty home for the past 3 years.” Bucky surmised.

Y/N was still listening but she had wandered around the apartment. Lazily stuffing her face with the delicious cake. Every once in a while she’d make little happy noises as she explored the new location. Bucky’s heart fell in love with her more and more by the second, every piece of her he adored so much.

Y/N finished her slice of cake and put the dishes in the sink, looked around confused, searching for something she thought should have been there.

“Bucky? Where’s the fridge? H-have they been invented yet?” She asked. Bucky chuckled and pointed to a white box with a metal handle. It was a bit bigger than a large suitcase and had a strange looking globe at the top.

“That’s a fridge?! woah! It's so tiny. How does it even work? Where’s the freezer at? Are those even a thing yet?” Y/N reacted.

“Look. This is where the ice tray goes, in this corner. and everything else is kept cold like a fridge. there isn’t really a separate compartment for a freezer.” Bucky explained.

“woah. That's kind of cool! Hehe. So the cake goes in here and stays cold. Like normal. Yay. When did you guys get this? Isn’t this expensive?”

“Oh. This is old. We got this as a present from Sarah. That’s Alpha’s mom. Or was. she passed right after. I think she might have known about us. She was a very kind woman.” Bucky explained closing the fridge with a snap of its handle. His eyes were somewhere else, lost in his own past.

“Alpha? Do you think Sarah would have liked me? I know it isn’t really normal to be with two Alphas.” introspectively you said, your eyes wandering to the wooden floor, self-conscious.

Bucky couldn’t respond. instead he took you gently by the back of the neck and guided you into a steady kiss. your lips were like bliss intertwined with his. He broke the kiss softly and rested his head on your forehead.

“Don’t worry about it, ‘Mega. You mean the world to me and to Steve. We love you so much. If I have to keep reminding you of that every day, I will.” 

“Thank you Alpha. I love you too. Is it okay if I slept in your and Stevie’s bed? I’m pretty tired.” you asked. Bucky sighed.

“You don’t have to ask me, Doll. Go get some rest. I’ll join you soon.”

You turned and smiled brightly stepping on the creaky wooden floor. unknowingly there were a few nails loose on the slat that you were stepping on. Bucky had remembered this and swept you up into his arms, making you yipe a bit.

“I'll fix it in the morning. Can’t have anything hurt my perfect little Omega.” Bucky stared into your eyes, completely mesmerized by you.

you giggled and held onto his vibranium arm, admiring the gold and deep gray hues. you giggled again after a cute thought.

“My knight in shining Vibranium armor!” Bucky smiled lightly and kissed the side of your head as he effortlessly walked you to the bedroom. He set you down on the large bed and covered you in the thick bedding. You could get used to this. All you needed now was both your Alphas to snuggle up with. They were always so comforting on cold winter days like these. 

Bucky sighed as he sat next to you on the bed. He tucked a few locks of your hair behind your ear. 

“I’m just gonna check everything out for a while. Goodnight my love.” he said, getting up from the bed, creaking from the loss of his weight. You succumbed to the waves of tiredness from the events of the day. Knowing that you were now safe was a big relief.

Day 3, October 3rd 1946, Thursday :

You woke to the soft morning sunlight on your face, distant birds tweeting and fluttering about. Several cars honking and the bustle you recognized with this unique concrete jungle. Maybe this was the only thing that stayed constant? New York City was still as vivacious as ever. The bed was oddly comfortable, Bucky had scented some old shirts and set them next to you. You realized your head was feeling fuzzy. When you sat up, the room around you spun. 

You closed your eyes and grabbed onto Bucky’s shirt, swiftly shoving it into your nose and inhaling. You jumped at the sudden striking noise of a hammer hitting nails. You sighed in relief remembering Bucky said he was going to repair that wonky slat of wood later. Maybe he woke up early and went out to get supplies while you were still sleeping?

You checked the bedside clock next to you but couldn’t really read it. Instead you rose from bed and stretched, feeling an overwhelming urge to get back into your nest. Oh yeah this is gonna be a tough day. You thought to yourself.

You shuffled your feet into the kitchen quite noisily. Bucky stopped his work on the floor to gawk at you.

“Did I wake you?” he asked, setting his hammer down with a light thud. 

“No. How long have you been up?” you asked, heading to a cabinet for a glass.

“Oh a few hours. Couldn’t sleep well. But on the good side of that I got you a present.” He said, rising from his crouched position and coming over to kiss you lightly.  Your eyebrows stitched together on your face, “But it’s not my birthday. and it’s not an anniversary or anything.” you stated.

“I know Doll. I just wanted to get you something that fits the era.” Bucky kissed you on  the lips, slow and sweet. “Close your eyes, Love.”

You followed suit and played with the hem of Bucky's red Henley. He gave it to you to sleep in last night.

@imaginedreamwrite​

Chapter to be continued in part 1.5!