#but Peter wants that apple pie life so bad

[stackthedeck]

Tell me about that house. Their kids, their cats, their lizard. What kind of lizard is it? Does Aunt May watch the kids on date night? Have they been given the most heartmeltingly ridiculously nerdy names? What is MJ up to?

listen here's my lukewarm take but Peter Parker just wants to be normal. He's not a hero because he's looking for glory or praise, he's doing it because he can and therefore should. Spider-Man is not a career, it is a hobby and he's going to settle down one day if he can

So maybe in some universe, Norman doesn't turn himself into the green goblin, maybe Harry goes to therapy and lets someone else run Oscorp. Idk how it happens but Harry and Peter get married and buy a little house in Queens not far from Aunt May and Uncle Ben's place because that neighborhood has always felt more like home to Harry than whatever stuffy mansion Norman raised him in. Harry just adores that there are people present in his life. No matter how late he has to stay up, Peter always comes home to him. He never has to worry about if he's measuring up because Harry will always be enough for Peter.

Now I think Harry Osborn is a cat person and I don't think anyone is going to argue this point. Harry can be outgoing, but he prefers that quiet one on one time. Like people with daddy issues get cats that's just the rules of life. They get the dumbest cuddliest orange cat they can find and they name it flash. I can't explain it, but Peter Parker has reptile person energy. Guys that are into very specific sciences and are genuinely good people have some kind of pet reptile, I've never been proven wrong. I think they'd have a crested gecko because they're relatively low maintenance and they're busy people but they're also so sweet once they're comfortable with you. Also, they love climbing and jumping and I think it'd be really cute if Peter and this gecko just hung out on the ceiling together. Harry tries to get Peter to name it Curtis, this is soundly rejected. They decide to name her Lex after the girl from Jurassic Parker because I don't care what time period the spider-man story is set, Peter is a 90s kid.

Also I think they'd adopt older kids. Because Peter is out here doing superhero shit and every other hero has the heartbreaking backstory of dead parents and being tossed around the system till they get powers or are sponsored by a billionaire. But how many kids are in the same situation but don't get powers or are drawn to the dark side instead of the good guys. And like yeah, Peter started doing superhero shit too young as well, but as he gets older the grim reality of that hits harder. So Harry and Peter foster and obviously they can't adopt every kid that passes through their home, but they want to give them everything they need to build the best life they can, even if it's just for a little bit. The kids they do adopt are already too old to change their names, but they ask for suggestions for their middle names, or maybe their trans and want to change their first name too and Peter suggests Ben and May (obviously) but also just the names of fallen heroes and just normal New Yorkers that have helped Spider-Man throughout the years. Harry is the best dad ever even though is terrified that he's going to fuck up the kids. He's constantly scared of acting out like his father, but he's always there for his kids and they feel comfortable telling him anything and he listens. They have enough money from Harry's trust fund and Oscorp that they're comfortable and finally Peter doesn't have to worry about money, but they don't spoil their kids, mostly because Norman used buying things for Harry as a way to skip actually showing affection. They're an "only getting gifts on birthdays and holidays" family. Peter is a "do your homework" kind of dad and Harry is an "I don't feel like going into the office today so you're skipping school and we're going to the zoo and getting ice cream" kind of dad. Also, Harry is the king of the PTA, he only brings the finest homemade baked goods to the school bake sale. And obviously, Aunt May watches the kids, she comes over uninvited (well, she's always invited of course) to hang out with them and the kids agree, Peter's aunt is way cooler than him.

MJ in this universe is still close with Harry and Peter and you know I'm not opposed to a polycule but maybe she didn't have time to settle down. Maybe her own parents' constant fighting just put her off the idea of marriage and commitment. And of course, she loves Peter and Peter loves her, but they just couldn't mesh like that, but they're still friends. MJ pursues her dreams to become a Broadway actress and she is an absolute star, Peter and Harry go to see her opening night of every show. Eventually, she decides she's meant for bigger and better things. She writes and directs her own plays and musicals, she's the biggest name in the industry and she writes a Spider-Man musical and it's a smashing success. And maybe she and Gwen Stacy have a thing since we're just creating the perfect universe. They all meet up for drinks at least once a month if not once a week. And sure, Harry and Peter are married, but they're friends first and Peter has built a family out of his friends and when he has Harry, MJ, and Gwen all together, everything is perfect.

[chaoticpete]

Arvin’s Song

Arvin Russell x Fem!Reader

Warnings: F L U F F with a bit of angst cause I can’t help myself sometimes

Authors note: So this is based off of Mary’s Song by Taylor Swift. It was originally supposed to be a Peter one but then Arvin entered my life and damn that boy. So yeah I’ll probably still write Peter’s though but for now...ENJOY!

"I was seven, and you were nine

I looked at you like the stars that shined

In the sky, the pretty lights."

Standing by the entrance of the school, you rock back and forth in your small Mary Jane shoes waiting for your best friend, well only friend, Lenora to show up.

Hearing a honk you look up to see her uncles old pickup pulling up. Waving at the truck you see Lenora and some boy climb out of the truck. Lenora running towards you and grabbing your hand. “Y/n! Guess what?” “What?” “I got a new brother!”

The boy finally reaches the two of you taking in his surroundings. You watch him carefully. He was tall. Skinny. Looks a bit older than you and Lenora though.

You will admit though, he was kind of cute. You feel your cheeks heat up a bit at the thought of actually thinking a boy was cute.

“Arvin, this is my best friend Y/n. Y/n this is my new big brother Arvin.” Lenora says before leaning closer to you to whisper. “He’s nine.”

The bell rings telling students it’s time to head inside. Taking one last look at Arvin, you feel your little heart beat increase a bit and that’s when you realized.

You had it bad at the age of seven.

As time passed, the three of you became very close. After the news of Arvin’s father made its way around town, then the findings of Lenora’s mother, you three became the three biggest outcasts. Well you were always an outcast a bit in town.

On a summer's day, the three of you are wandering through the backyard woods, climbing over fallen trees. “Arvin! Y/n, wait up!”

Looking around the tree you and Arvin were hiding behind, you suppress a giggle turning back to the brown eyed boy.

Getting a quick idea in your mind, you feel a evil little smile make its way up to your face. “So Arvin.” “Hmm?” “Have you ever kissed a girl before?” You asked him nonchalantly.

The young boy's eyes open wide at the sudden question. “What?” “Have you ever kissed a girl before?” “I- I kiss you and Lenora on the cheeks all the time. You’re both like little sisters to me.”

That made your happy music stop a bit. At nine years old the last thing a girl wants for the guy she’s been crushing for the past two years.

Before you can even say anything Lenora cuts the conversation short popping up begins Arvin. “There you guys are, ready to go by the lake?”

Well, I was sixteen when suddenly

I wasn't that little girl you used to see

But your eyes still shined, like pretty lights

After spending the summer with some family in the city, you came back to Knockemstiff, a new girl. Climbing out of the family car, you carry the apple pie your mom made. There was a new Rev in town and honestly he wasn’t the one you were looking for today.

Even years after Arvin called you his little sister , you had a bit of feelings for him. “Here ya go Mama. Is it okay if I can go look for Lenora before service?” “Don’t you wanna meet the new reverend?” “I’ll meet him after.” You call back heading in the opposite direction.

“Y/n!” You hear someone say your name, turning around to the source. Seeing that old pickup, Lenora climbing out of the backseat, Arvin following behind. Except this time he climbed out the driver's seat. You watch as he tosses his old baseball cap onto the seat, running his fingers through his hair.

Getting taken back to the first day you saw him, you feel your heart speed up again. You watch as he helps his grams out the car, holding her dish. Arvin was always such a sweetheart, especially to those who he loves and mentally vowed to protect. It’s one of the many reasons your little crush from all those years back turned into love.

Feeling Lenora’s arm warp around you, you smile missing your sister from another mister. “Lenora!” you say pulling her close to your frame.

“I have so much to tell you!” You tell her looking into her blue green eyes. “Y/n! How lovely to see you. Don’t you look beautiful.” Emma says patting your arm. “Hi Mrs. Russell, and thank you. That smells mighty tasty you got there.” “Why thank you. Let’s hope the Rev likes it. I’ll meet you kids inside.”

She walks away and you turn back to your two best friends. “Arvin, you’re awfully quiet today. Maybe I should go away more often if you missed me so much.” “No! I-I mean it’s good to have you back Y/n. Really missed you.” He says pulling you into a hug, a sort of long hug. Both of you pull back, looking into each other’s eyes. Lenora looks between her brother and best friend and lets the small smile appear on her lips.

She only seen that look on one other person before, it’s the look you give Arvin everytime you see him.

Standing by the truck, you both watch as Lenora tells her mom about her day and reads her a passage. “So, um Y/n.” You hear Arvin asks as a slight wind picks up. “Hm?” Turing to look at him, he takes one last drag of his cigarette before stomping it onto the ground. “There, uh showing a movie this weekend down in town. And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go and see it. You know, with me.” He says rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes still on Lenora.

Trying to contain the excitement, taking in a deep breathe and smile.

“Yes.”

Take me back to the creek beds we turned up

Two AM, ridin' in your truck

And all I need is you next to me

Take me back to the time we had our very first fight

Slammin' of doors 'stead of kissin' goodnight

You stayed outside till the morning light

Sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, you watch out the window. Not like you can see much anyway in the dark, but it was better than facing Arvin’s wrath right now.

Glancing over at him, his hand gripping the steering tight. If it was alive it would be long dead.

“Arv...you need to slow down before you get us killed. Or atleast calm down.” “I’m gonna kill that son a bitch that’s what I’m going to do.” He says but he still slows down a bit not wanting to scare you or put you in danger.

The ride home continues in silence. Pulling up to your small house, Arvin climbs out going to open your car door for you.

”Arvin just let it go. Please?” You plead as you make your way to the door. “No Y/n I won’t let it go!” He says slamming his truck door hard. You’re a bit surprised the old thing didn’t fall off.

“They disrespected you, Lor and my grams and uncle. They talked about my parents like they actually knew them! They don’t know shit!” “And that calls for you to wait to go beat them til near death?!” You say snapping around. “If it gets them to respect then yes.” “Arvin, that's not respect. That’s fear. And if you’re not careful one of those guys is gonna pop up a gun and shoot you. Then where will we be at?” You yell back, fighting the tears that’s trying to leak through your eyes.

This was your guys first real fight and after knowing you all these years he’s never seen you so angry.

“Marry me?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Marry me? Please? Y/n tonight made me realize I don’t wanna lose you. Like ever. You just make me so happy and you know how to calm me down like no other. So will you please make me the happiest man on this planet and become Mrs. Arvin Russell?”

The tears finally unleash from your eyes but for a different reason from when they started.

“Yes.”

Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle

Our whole town came, and our mamas cried

You said, "I do, " and I did too

Take me home where we met so many years before

We'll rock our babies on the very front porch

After all this time, you and I

Sitting on the porch, you watch with contentment as your two little girls play tag with each other, Bones the family dog chasing along.

Arvin comes out, staying his hands off with a rag after just fixing the truck. “I think it might be time to turn her in, honey. Old girl isn’t working as well as she used to.” He says standing behind your seat, wrapping his arms around your neck, giving your cheek a kiss. You pour him a glass of iced tea.

“Shame. I recall we had some pretty good times in the truck. One of them is running around over there.” You say giving him a flirty smile.

A laugh leaves his lips before he takes a sip of the tea. “Oh by the way Lenora called. Asked if we would like to go up to the city for the weekend. The kids can stay with my parents.” “Hmm, that would be nice. Been a while since we spent some quality time. Haven’t been able to have you to myself for a while, especially since Aj was born.” Right after saying that, the cries of your infant son can be heard as he wakes from his morning nap.

“Speak of the devil.” Arvin mumbles as you laugh getting up from the seat. “You sinner. But don’t worry soon we’ll have a weekend to ourselves.” You say pressing a sweet kiss on his lips. After being married all these years, his kisses was still the greatest thing you’ve ever tasted.

It was cut short though by the pair of ews from your little girls and the cries of your son. “Promise me we won’t come back with another one those though.” Arvin whispers a smirk playing on his lips. “Guess we’ll just have to pray

And I'll be eighty-seven, you'll be eighty-nine

I'll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky

Oh, my, my, my

Tags:: @underoosjae @sovereignparker @allegra-writes @andromedaaaaaaaaa @spider-parker04 @cunaeparker @lost-space-ranger @hey-its-grey @gwenvrse @marvel4geeks @kitkatd7 @spidey-boy-89 @buckys-other-punk @peterismymans @dreamofaprilsblog @parkerpeter24 @marvelousmrstark @peeterparkr @spidey-reids-2003 @starlight-starks @localpeter @chloe-geoghegan1 @spideysparklee

[css1992]

could u do more high school au's pls? I was thinking maybe rich popular peter who seems untouchable and then grungy tony who just doesnt care for appearances and hes been pining after peter his whole school life

+

could u make it so that tony is rich and everyone knows it but he just doesn't care about his money and doesnt act rich so it's one of those things that u know but dont acknowledge. also if tony's daddy issues made an appearance id be so happy ty.

I’m so sorry for the delay, but I really do hope this scratches your itch! 

***

He had that sort of beauty that almost hurt to look at. So pure and soft. Pink cheeks, small eyes that squinted when he laughed – which was often –; brown, wavy hair, so shiny and silky-looking; thin, pink lips, always stretched in a smile. He had the most beautiful smile Tony had ever seen, too. Honest and wide, happy.

He was never alone. Of course he wasn’t. He was too magnetic, there were always people drawn to his light, following him around, laughing at his jokes, making him laugh in return. Everyone seemed to want a piece of him, a scrap of his attention. And he, being the lovely human being that he was, made room for anyone who wished to bask in his light.

Jocks liked him. Peter was great at team sports, he was light on his feet and good with his hands. He wasn’t in any teams, though, claimed he didn’t have the time, but he was always picked first in P.E. group activities. Tony knew, watched him at practice way too often – from a distance, of course, as he did his stretches and sit-ups with Rhodes.

Nerds liked him, too. He was really smart, an asset to the Decathlon team, and was always willing to help anyone having trouble in class. Even the weirdos from drama club, glee club and the school band loved him – he never made fun of them, on the contrary, he was always very vocal about how talented they were and how he wished he could be a part of their clubs, too.

Girls swooned at him. He was kind and sweet, a good listener, and gorgeous. Guys weren’t immune to his charms, either. The ones Tony knew for a fact that were gay or bi didn’t even try to pretend they didn’t watch him when he walked down the halls, but even supposedly straight guys, like Steve Rogers, sneaked a peek now and then, face flushed, if he was wearing specially tight jeans.

Tony was jealous of all those people, but he learned to deal with it. He’d been, well, admiring him from a distance for years. He was used to seeing people make passes at him, ask him out. Peter was discreet, though. If he ever dated anyone, nobody ever heard anything about it. He was a mystery, Tony wasn’t even sure if he was gay, straight, bi or whatever – there were rumors that he had made out with Wade Wilson in freshman year, but neither of them confirmed or denied it. Tony hated the guy anyway.

“If you keep staring, people are gonna know you’re in love and not actually dead inside,” Rhodey spoke up right next to him, taking a huge bite of his tuna sandwich. Tony averted his gaze from Peter’s table for a minute and looked at his friend, annoyed. “It’s gonna ruin your whole aesthetic.”

“Very funny,” He rolled his eyes and looked back at Peter. There were so many people around him he could barely catch a glimpse of his smile, which was annoying.

His dad’s company, Parker Innovations, had just released a new phone a few weeks earlier, it was ridiculous how many people thought they could get one for free if they kissed his ass hard enough. At least Tony didn’t have to endure that kind of nonsense anymore. People in that school learned very early on that even though he was related to Howard Stark, he wanted nothing to do with the guy – or his company, or his money. They also learned sucking up to him did nothing but annoy him, so they kind of just forgot he existed over time and he blended right in with everyone else – a blessing in its own right.

“Rhodey is right, you’re drooling, it’s a little embarrassing,” Natasha looked at him with boredom as she nibbled on her fries. “You should just ask him out, you’ve been pining for ages.”

“I’m not pining,” he huffed, irritated, and the redhead smirked, raising a perfectly manicured brow.

“Right, yearning might be more accurate. Bruce?” She glanced at their other friend who scratched his chin, pretending to think about it.

“I think obsessing sounds more like it. Rhodey?”  

“Fuck you guys,” he barked before they could keep the game going, and all three laughed at him. Someone got up from Peter’s table and he caught a glimpse of his beautiful face, their eyes made contact for half a second and Tony looked away.

“No, but seriously, Tones. Just go talk to him, he’s a great guy, I’m sure he wouldn’t be an ass about it.” Bruce adjusted his glasses and said that like it was simple. Like he would have the guts to do it if he was in Tony’s position – he wouldn’t, he’d pined for Thor, an exchange student, for a year, and never worked up the courage to ask him out. The guy went back to Norway or whatever and Bruce never even said hi to him.

“I know, of course he wouldn’t, but I don’t wanna be one of those people begging for his attention, just look at that.” He pointed at the little crowd around him, people were almost literally fighting for his attention, the poor guy could barely finish his lunch. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you’re not them,” Natasha said that like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Tony frowned.

“How am I different?”

“You’re a certified genius, you and him have similar interests and you look hot in a ‘I’m gonna fuck  you raw in the back of my car’ kinda way. I don’t know, maybe he’s into that.” The redhead shrugged, again, saying all that like it was obvious and an unquestionable truth.

“Yeah, right, sounds just like him,” Tony scoffed.

Peter was perfect in so many ways – perfect face, perfect body, perfect grades, Tony was sure he pooped out candy or something – of course he wouldn’t go for a guy like him. He had a bad reputation, he was in detention more often than not and people in general considered him an asshole – all because he didn’t partake in their little games of social climbing or whatever. No, Peter wouldn’t go for his grungy ass. He’d probably go for all American, apple pie, boy-next-door Steve Rogers.

“No, she’s right, I’ve seen him looking at you several times.” Bruce pointed out, not for the first time, and Tony scoffed.

“Oh, yeah? When?”

“AP chemistry class. I’m his lab partner, remember?” How could Tony forget? As Mr. Erskine called out their names, Tony prayed to a God he didn’t even believe in that he’d be paired up with Peter, but no such luck. “He stares at you whenever he has a chance or an excuse. You know, when you blow things up, for example.”

“Yeah, which is why he must stare, he must be afraid for his life.” Tony hated to admit that he was way more prone to causing explosive accidents when Peter was in the room. It was fucking embarrassing.

He sighed, drinking the last of his coke. No matter what his friends said, he knew he didn’t stand a chance with Peter. He was… Untouchable. He was too good for him, Tony wasn’t even sure he’d want to taint him if he had a chance –  no, scratch that, he definitely would.

He chose to watch him from afar, allowing himself a few fantasies and daydreams. He had this really stupid and lame one, where he walked up to Peter in the hall, people just parted to let him through, then he gave him his trademark, lopsided grin and asked him out. Peter smiled brightly up at him, holding his books to his chest, cheeks flushed, eyelashes fluttering as he whispered a shy “yes” and leaned up to kiss him. Yeah. That was the whole fantasy.

Peter was so untouchable to him that he didn’t even dare to dream further than that. Of course when he was alone in his room, late at night, relieving himself, a few… less pure fantasies popped up unsolicited, but he felt so guilty then, dirty even, like he was disrespecting him somehow. It was all very confusing, but he still came, shamefully, to the thought of his beautiful face scrunched up in pleasure as dream-Tony fucked him.

The bell rang and everyone hurried to get to their next period, Peter was no different, he gathered his things and stood up, looking around the cafeteria like he was looking for someone. Their eyes met again for a second, but Tony quickly looked away, grabbing his backpack in a hurry to leave.

It was Thursday, the worst day of the week for him, none of his friends were free to hang out with him until later, so he either had to head home and deal with Howard or he had to find somewhere to be for a couple of hours, until Rhodey was done with football practice so they could go to his place. That day, Tony decided to just stay by his car, smoking a cigarette and singing along to Black Sabath’s Iron Man, it wasn’t like he had anywhere to go. He was so distracted watching the smoke dissipate into thin air that he didn’t notice when someone approached, and jumped almost a foot in the air when they spoke.

“Aren’t you afraid of getting caught smoking on school grounds?” Tony almost dropped dead when he registered the angelic voice. He was already having a heart attack as it was, but the boy was so close and he had that beautiful smile in place, blushing cheeks and all. It took almost a full minute for him to calm himself down.  

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” The older teen answered when he finally found his voice and got his breath under control enough not to make a fool of himself. Peter smiled wider, biting his lower lip.

“Your secret is safe with me.” He fake whispered, leaning a little into the older boy’s space and he almost choked on nothing. Peter’s smell was inebriating, expensive and sweet, but not overly so – perfect. He recomposed himself quickly, though, and nodded, but didn’t say anything else. He wasn’t sure why Peter was talking to him and, frankly, he was too fucking nervous to think of anything cool to say. The younger teen deflated a little faced with Tony’s silence; he looked around, seeming a little lost. “You’re Tony, right?”

Fuck, the way he said his name. His name. It was fucking music to his ears, the most beautiful tune. But how did he even know his name? Sure, he was Tony Stark, so not really anonymous, but people often forgot about it.

“Yeah. And you’re Peter.” Tony didn’t play games, he didn’t even try to pretend like he didn’t know who Peter was. It would be dumb anyway, everybody knew him. The other boy nodded shyly, it looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept biting his lips and looking around nervously. Tony frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“No. I mean, yeah, sure, it’s fine, it’s just, uhm. I have a flat tire and the wheel bolts are really tight and I couldn’t get them off, so I thought – I mean, could you, uh –“ He gestured wildly as he stuttered out his answer, looking in the general direction of his flashy, cherry red sports car. “I mean, it’s okay if you’re busy, but I –“

“Sure, I’ll help, don’t worry.” Tony threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it. He was a little more at ease now that he knew why Peter was talking to him – he just needed help – and the best thing was, Tony was really good with cars. Of course, one didn’t need to have a PhD in mechanics to change a tire, but it still made him feel really good that he would be able to help properly.

“Thanks, you’re a life saver.” The chirpy attitude was back, as well as the smile, it made Tony’s heart flutter. He nodded sharply, looking away from his face, and gestured for Peter to lead the way.

When they reached his car, Tony whistled lowly, crouching down to look at the completely flat tire, as he tried to find the source of the problem. He was surprised to notice a two-inch cut on the surface of it, and it didn’t seem accidental.

“Fuck, Peter, it looks like someone sliced your tire.” When he looked up at the younger boy, he didn’t look surprised, but nervous. It was an odd reaction. Tony wondered if Peter already knew that – maybe he knew who did it and was scared of them? It made Tony’s blood boil. Why would anyone do that to Peter?

“Wh-what? How do you know that?” He bit his lower lip nervously, scratching his arm, and Tony frowned, worried.

“Here, look.” He gestured for Peter to crouch down next to him and pointed at the cut. “This is clearly a stab mark. Judging by the size and shape of it, I’d say this was probably done with a pocketknife.”

“Oh. Yeah, of course. Clearly.” He face-palmed, like he felt stupid, maybe for not seeing it before, but Tony still worried.

“If you want, I could go with you to the administration. We can ask them to check the security cameras. I think that one might have caught whoever did this.” He pointed at a security camera nearby, Tony knew where all of them were in the parking lot area – he’d been caught smoking way too many times not to know.

“What? There are –? I mean, look, it’s okay, it’s probably just someone trying to play a prank, it’s no big deal, it’s fine.” He stood up quickly, shaking his head, and Tony was positive he felt threatened somehow, he was acting so weird.

“If you’re sure… But if you change your mind, I’ll go with you, ok?” Tony stood up and took off his leather jacket. The weather was nice, just a bit chilly, so he was wearing a thin, white t-shirt with short sleeves underneath. He thought he heard Peter’s breath hitch for a second, but it was probably just his imagination. “Can you hold this for me?” He held out his jacket and the boy blushed, blinking rapidly.

“S-sure.”

Tony bit his bottom lip to refrain from asking, again, if everything was fine. Peter looked so freaking nervous, he was even sweating a little at the temples. Tony was positive he knew who did that to his car, but didn’t want to tell him for some reason. Maybe he wanted to protect whoever did it, maybe it was a boyfriend, or an ex. He gritted his teeth, hands closing in fists, but didn’t say anything, just crouched down and got to work.

The first bolt came off easily, it wasn’t tight at all, so he thought maybe Peter had already loosened it when he tried earlier. The second and third ones came off just as easily, though, only the fourth one was a little trickier, but nothing the younger teen couldn’t have handled himself. Tony thought maybe he hadn’t tried too hard, maybe he was afraid the person who did that would show up or something. He was so glad he was there to help, he wondered if Peter felt safe with him around, and the thought made him feel oddly proud and protective of him.

He made quick work of changing the tires, making sure not to screw the bolts too tight, then put the sliced one in the trunk of the car. When he turned around to look at Peter, he was looking intently at him, almost hypnotized, holding his jacket close to his chest like it was a puppy.

“All done.” Tony smiled and the boy seemed to snap out of a trance.

“Oh, thank you so much, really, you’re too kind.” He smiled broadly and the older teen scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Don’t mention it.” They were silent for a few seconds after that, but Peter kept holding his jacket and didn’t make any move to give it back to him. “Uhm, could I–?” He gestured towards the jacket and again the boy jumped up in surprise.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, here.” He handed it to him and quickly crossed his empty arms over his chest. “So, uhm,… Your dad is having a gala this weekend, right? Are you gonna be there?” Ah, so Peter did know who he was, not just his first name. The older teen leaned against the car and stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging.

“Not if I can help it.” He smirked, trying to act cool, but now that he didn’t have anything to do with his hands, he was growing nervous.

“Oh,” Peter looked… disappointed? He dropped his gaze to the floor, shuffling his feet, and Tony stood up straight, frowning.

“Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just – my parents are going, so I thought I’d tag along to, you know... but it’s okay.” He kicked an imaginary rock and avoided Tony’s eyes. The older teen stared at him with wide eyes, heart beating fast – what was the end of that sentence? Peter couldn’t possibly mean–

“I don’t – what, you’d go to, like, hang out with me or something?” He felt stupid when he stumbled on the words, but Peter didn’t seem to notice, his cheeks were burning red and he was looking anywhere else but at Tony.

“I mean, you must have much better things to do, of course, I was just –” He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, finally looking up at Tony. “Sorry, just forget about it, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“No, wait!” He rushed to interrupt him and Peter looked back at him with huge, Bambi eyes. Tony coughed awkwardly, blushing a little. “I mean, like, uhm… If you – would you wanna go as my date? To the gala?” He blurted out, finally, because what the hell. The worst that could happen was Peter say no, and he could deal with it. He would survive, for sure. It wouldn’t be a big deal. Really. It wouldn’t.

But he didn’t say no, he smiled broadly, eyes twinkling in excitement.

“I’d love to!” He answered quickly, and Tony’s heart fluttered, Peter looked genuinely happy.  “Could you – uhm, text me what color of tie you’ll be wearing? If you want! I understand if you think it’s lame, but I thought–”

“No, it’s fine.” His heart was beating so loud, Peter Fucking Parker wanted to coordinate ties with him, it was fucking corny and cliché and he loved it. “Uhm, here, give me your number.” He fished his phone from his back pocket and gave it to the younger teen.

“Cool.” Peter typed in his number and as soon as he gave his phone back, Tony sent him a smiley face so he would have his number, too. “Cool, cool, cool...” He rocked on the balls of his feet and looked around, like he was looking for something else to say.

“So… Do you have to be home soon or…?” Tony stuck his hands in his pockets again, wondering if maybe he was pushing his luck, but Peter shook his head quickly.

“Not really, no, my parents don’t really mind what time I get home as long as I let them know. You?”

“They don’t really care.” He shrugged, taking one step closer to Peter. “So… are you hungry, by any chance?”

“I’m starving.” He nodded, looking up at Tony in anticipation. It drove the butterflies in his stomach crazy.

“I know a place where they serve great burgers. We could go in my car and I could drop you off here on our way back, I’m just a little worried someone is gonna try to fuck up your car again. I mean, what if they’re targeting you or something?” Just the mention of what happened earlier made Peter nervous. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket and shook his head.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’s fine.” He didn’t look worried, though, at least not anymore.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, trust me, I am.” Tony found the sudden change odd, but thought maybe he was just trying to play it cool, so he let it go.  

“Okay, then, c’mon, my car is right there,” Tony gestured to his car and Peter smiled, taking his hands off his pockets. When he did, though, something slipped out and fell to the ground with a metallic noise. Tony quickly crouched down to get it for him, when he noticed what it was. “Wh – is that…?” He frowned, examining the pocketknife as if it was alien material. He was confused at first, because Peter didn’t seem like the kind of guy to carry one around, but then it dawned on him. When he looked at the younger teen, his face was so red it looked like he was about to explode.

“Uhm… If I told you I’ve never seen this before in my life would you believe it?” He chuckled nervously, scratching his arm, as Tony stood up. The older teen raised a brow at him.”Sorry, I just – I wanted an excuse to talk to you.” He said quietly, dropping his gaze.

“You know, you could have gone with the weather or whatever.” Tony answered, amused, and it made the younger boy look up at him.

“You’re just very intimidating,” He looked at him with huge, scared eyes, and Tony cocked his head to the side.

“Me?” He raised a brow.

“Yeah.” Peter answered pointedly, and Tony smirked, offering him his knife back.

“You do realize you just sliced your own tire so you’d have an excuse to talk to me, right? And I’m intimidating?” He joked, but Peter didn’t seem to find it funny. He winced and covered his face with his hands, clearly embarrassed.

“You must think I’m such a freak,” He groaned, voice muffled by his palms.

“Hey, hey, yes, I do think you’re a freak.” He grabbed Peter’s thin wrists and marveled at how perfectly they fit in his hands. He definitely saved that thought for later. “But you’re a really cute one.” He grinned and Peter chuckled, a delicate flush rising onto his cheeks.

“I feel stupid.” He admitted, worrying his bottom lip, but Tony shook his head, working up the nerve to cup Peter’s face in his hand.

“I feel flattered,” He said, honestly, and Peter’s breath hitched. He stared up at Tony, eyelashes fluttering, moist, pink lips slightly open. The older teen leaned down slowly and when the Peter closed his eyes, their lips touched. Just like in his fantasies, Peter tasted sweet, his lips were soft and his arms circled Tony’s neck in a warm embrace. When they parted, Tony smiled down at him, stroking his blushing cheek. “Just promise that if this doesn’t work out you won’t, like, key my car or something.”

“Oh, God,” he groaned, but they both laughed out loud, as they walked hand in hand across the parking lot.

[petersonofloki]

Chapter 1

May gave him a concerned look as she handed him his backpack.

“You’re sure you’re alright, Sweetie?” she asked him.

“Yes, aunt May,” Peter replied. “I’m fine.”

Peter was used to the headache. He’s had them ever since he was eleven. Most of the time it was just a dull ache that he could normally ignore. However, sometimes it would flare up to the point where it was hard to concentrate on anything else, and every now and then, it would explode into a fullblown migraine.

It had of course not been better after he was bitten by that damn spider and all Peter’s senses dialed up to an 11. On the contrary, a sensory overload and a migraine seemed to easily trigger each other. The particularly bad day came seemingly random, but for some reason they seemed to frequently occur on Fridays, like today.

“You know I’m sure Tony or Stephen could come pick you up early it becomes too much,” May insisted.

“Yeah, I know, but I’ll be fine,” Peter insisted right back.

May sighed. Peter was just too stubborn for his own good, just like his uncle Ben and his father Richard had both been before him. And perhaps even his mother, who knew.

“alright,” she relented. “But promise me you will at least go to the school nurse if it gets worse.”

“Yes, I promise.” 

And then, he was out the door, on his way to school. May sat down at the kitchen table. Her nephew had so much on his plate. Both school work, social life, home life, and he was also a superhero on top of everything. May suspected such a busy life did not help his constant headaches that no doctor they had seen could really explain. May moved to the counter to grab some pain killers when she felt her own head ached up.

Peter’s school day was more or less normal. Classes, periods, hang out with Ned and MJ at lunch... the usual. It was after lunch things took a turn. His headache, that he so far had tried to ignore flared up, and that in turn, caused a sensory overload. 

Peter closed his eyes and covered his ears in an attempt to block out all the imprints around him while he tried to mentally force his headache to subside. But that only seemed to make things worse. He could every whisper around him and every laugh down the corridor. The light from the lamps was blinding him. Many of his classmates used far too little doedorant, or far too much parfume. And his head felt like a dosen spears was piercing through his skull. 

MJ noticed her boyfriend’s distress and tried to get their teacher’s attention.

“Hey!” she called out. “Peter needs to be taken to the school nurse!”

The teacher turned around from the board and sighed.

“Is it those headaches now again, Mr.Parker?” the teacher asked.

MJ felt her blood boil. Some of the teachers actually had the nerve to believe that Peter was faking these episodes. No matter the fact that an actual doctor had it written down a statement that the migraine was very much real. No, to these teachers there is no such things as a headache, only students trying to get out of classes. But Peter was in no condition to help himself, so MJ took it upon herself to handle the situation.

She grabbed a set of headphones to place over Peter’s hyper sensitive ears and led him out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher calling after them.

Stephen was busy in the kitchen, trying to bake a pie of those apples no one was going to eat. Tony had asked him whether or not that was a good idea. Seriously, you destroy the oven in an attempt to make crème brûlée ONE time, and no one will let you forget it! But as he worked with the dough, Morgan called for his attention. Apparently his phone had been ringing without him noticing. Stephen answered the call, it was the nurse at Peter’s school. Peter was having a migraine attack and needed to be taken home early.

Stephen was qiuck to action. He knew, unlike the school, that Peter’s migraines often was the cause of, or the result of, some sensory overload, and he didn’t want waiste a second to get Peter home and in bed. After turning off the oven, and putting the dough in the fridge, he portaled himself and Morgan to Peter’s school. The father and daughter made a beeline for the nurse’s office, it wasn’t the first time they had to pick up Peter from school for this very reason.

MJ and the school nurse was waiting for them in the office. MJ explained what had happend and Stephen made a mental note to make sure a meeting was scheduled between him, Tony and May, and the principal and that incompetent teacher. The nurse filled in with her thoughts about this incident, most of it Stephen had already heard before, then she released Peter to go home.

Back home Stephen led Peter to his room in the cabin.

“Morgan, daddy should be home soon from the store. Could you go tell him what happend?”

Morgan, who had been holding her adopted brother’s hand through the portal, happily oblied and ran down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Stephen tucked Peter into his bed and set to making sure the room was as dark as possible. Once the windows were covered, he cast a soundproofing spell on the room. Peter had now relaxed somewhat, but Stephen placed a healing spell on him to dull the pain anyway.

“How do you feel, Pete?”

“Ugh... hurts...”

“Yes, I know...” Stephen sighed. “Get some rest, I’ll check up on you in an hour, okay?”

“M’kay...”

Stephen closed the door as quietly as he could on his way out. Tony was in the kitchen packing up the food from the store with Morrgan’s help. When he spotted his husband coming down the stair he sent the girl to her room.

“How’s he doing?” he asked when Stephen entered the kitchen.

“As usual,” Stephen said. “We should try and find another doctor to run a diagnosis, and I will start reserch for a better healing spell first thing monday.”

He turned the oven back on to finish his apple pie.

“Also we need to call May and set up a meeting with Peter’s principal. There are still some teachers who think he’s just faking it.

“I’m on it.” Tony picked up his phone and dialed May’s number. He went to the living room to talk and left Stephen to finish his pie.

He didn’t say it out loud, but Peter’s frequent headaches were not normal, and Stephen was worried. No doctor could tell them why Peter’s migraines flared up so often. The same goes for May, and Ben Parker had apparently also suffered from them. It could be genetic, but it felt like the fact that May also had problems with migraine was too much of a coinsidence. Tony had once let a team of experts investigate whether it could have something to do with the environment they lived in. But nothing beyond normal, and none of their neighbours had the same problem.

All of this had Stephen laying awake many late nights. He kept worrying about what if...? Like, what if this was the first stage of something fatal? That was Stephen’s worst fear. That they could potentially lose the kid, their son in all but blood...

After they defeated Thanos in the Battle of Earth, Thor and Loki had spent mounths trying to get New Asgard back in order. Half of their surviving people had been dusted when it was first established, now when they were back they had to redo so much work. Thor and Valkyrie were teknically the ones who had to stay, being the current and former ruler (apparently you don’t count if you were posing as Odin) but Thor had insisted that Loki stayed to help. They half-suspected that their brother was only looking for an excuse to keep Loki around, just in case they would disappear. Loki could partly understand their brother’s sentiment, but really, they also had things they wanted to do now when Thanos was out of the way. They, for example, hadn’t seen little Peter (probably not that little anymore, since the child aged at a midgardian rate) since he was eleven. And Loki yearned to change that, they didn’t even know if the child would be 21 or 16 by now, because of the snap...

So it felt like a blessing from whatever higher power that gods would pray to, when Thor anounced that he would travel to New York to see his old friends and asked if Loki wished to come along.

“Thor, brother, I have wished to go to New York ever since I returned from my exile to fight against the mad titan! Do you really think that I would throw away the chance now when it’s presented upon me?” they asked as an answer to their brother’s question.

Thor looked a little perplext.

“So... you will accompany me then?”

“YES! I will come with you! When are we leaving?”

Thor smiled at his sibling.

“Exellent! We will be leaving tomorrow morning!”

When Thor left the room, Loki fell down on their bed and simled to themself. They were going to see their little Peter!

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2020 - Best TV Show

It was prime time for TV in 2020, with many more free hours to fill. I managed to get through a lot of my backlog in fact, finally getting around to watching shows like The Strain. It’s a show about a deadly disease that tears society apart because a lot of arrogant people think they are exempt from quarantining. The disease turns people into vampires, so it’s technically escapism. Here are the Aarons for Best TV Show: 

#10. The Plot Against America (Miniseries) - HBO

It’s not TV, it’s not HBO, it’s real life. The Wire-creator David Simon’s penchant for illustrating the human fallout of institutional failures made him a perfect collaborator for HBO’s Plot Against America, an adaptation of Phillip Roth’s alternate-history novel. Following a Jewish family in New Jersey navigating the increasingly-fascist America of a hypothetical Charles Lindbergh administration, the show is a terrifying warning of what happens when hatred and conspiracy theories are allowed to accumulate political force. Notably, while the book ends with history back on the right track, the closing moments here are left ambiguous. The show was a limited series, but in many ways, The Plot Against America is ongoing.

#9. Mrs. America (Miniseries) - FX

Its interests are married to The Plot Against America, but Mrs. America traces the country’s rising extremism from a more historically accurate perspective. The miniseries centers on political activists in the 1970s on opposing sides of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, but its dialogue isn’t a strict dichotomy. The episodic format is expertly utilized to build out intersectional ideas from the likes of Rose Byrne’s Gloria Steinem, Uzo Aduba’s Shirley Crisholm, and Margo Martindale’s Bella Abzug, detailing the difficulties in building a diverse coalition, and the dangers of a single-minded one. Drawing parallels to current debates, its compelling centerpiece is how conservative Phylis Shafley (Cate Blanchett) successfully defeats the Amendment; voting against your own self-interests, Mrs. America says, is as American as apple pie.

#8. The Outsider (Miniseries) - HBO

Societal collapse comes from within in the two shows mentioned above, but the threat in HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 2018 novel is decidedly an “other.” King clearly had his mind on modern manipulations of truth when crafting the ingenious premise: a man is arrested for the murder of two young boys due to irrefutable DNA evidence, only to provide an air-tight alibi for the crime. To match King’s procedural prose, HBO brought on The Night Of’s David Price, who layers the original work with meticulous mysteries. The Outsider has all the pulpy jolts expected of the author, but the show’s true horror lies in its overbearing grief, best brought to life by Ben Mendelsohn’s Detective Anderson. To say more would be to spoil its secrets; you’ll want to be on the inside.

#7. Perry Mason (Season 1) - HBO

Just like the famous fictional attorney, HBO can’t seem to lose, with Perry Mason marking its third entry on this list. The reimagining of the long running court drama actually takes place before the character’s illustrious law career; here he’s a down-on-his-luck private eye caught up in a scandalous child kidnapping case. The result’s a gangbusters production of old-fashioned moody noir: political corruption, femme fatales, and a more morally-complicated Mason, as played by The Americans’ Matthew Rhys. The lavish period details and character-actor cast, including Shea Whigham, John Lithgow, and Tatiana Maslany, will help draw viewers in, but, I’ll confess, I was already hooked by the season’s chilling opening moments.

#6. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (Season 1) - NBC

Dour seasons have dominated this list thus far, but Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist sings a different tune. It’s a lovably oddball premise: an accident during an MRI causes a young woman, played by Jane Levy, to hear other people’s thoughts in the form of popular music. It’s all karaoke, but, emphasized by the presence of Skylar Astin, a worthy inheritor to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s musical-comedy crown. The tracklist, workplace antics, and love-triangle drama all exist in a comfortingly familiar network TV realm, but the show takes additional steps for inclusion with stories highlighting Zoey’s genderfluid neighbor (Alex Newell) and an American Sign Language performance of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.” During a year in need of shuffling off stress, there was no better time to queue up Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

#5. What We Do in The Shadows (Season 2) - FX

FX’s expansion of the mockumentary feature film of the same name lit up some of the darker corners of its universe in the show’s second season, transforming mundane-seeming material into something completely, uniquely batty. Each creature of Shadows took their turn in the spotlight this season, from a middle-management promotion gifting energy-vampire Colin Robinson unlimited supernatural power, to undead Nadja befriending a doll possessed by her own ghost, to Matt Berry’s Lazlo forging a small-town persona as a bartender/volleyball coach to escape a vengeful Mark Hamill. As always, it was the sympathetic Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), a Van Helsing descendent desperate to become a vampire, who gave the show its emotional stakes, and the vampires within a different kind altogether.

#4. Stargirl (Season 1) - DC Universe

Shadows was lit, but few things burned brighter this year than Stargirl (perhaps too brightly for the flamed-out DC Universe). The superhero drama is one of several that will outlive its original streaming service - fitting, given its obsession with legacy. Based on a character created by DC Comics stalwart Geoff Johns after the tragic loss of his sister, the show finds a young girl taking on the mantle of a fallen hero after moving to a town run in secret by supervillains. With sprightly fight choreography and an unabashed embrace of its comic book lore, Stargirl outshines the overabundance of small-screen superheroes out there. Its highlight is the bright performance of lead Brec Bassinger; put simply, she’s a star, girl.

#3. BoJack Horseman (Season 6b) - Netflix

Throughout its run, BoJack Horseman garnered acclaim for routinely delivering unexpected pathos, and the final season kept it on that track until the end. ...Get it, because horses run on tracks? The unexpected porter of television’s legacy of antiheroes ended in much the same vein as its sister shows - with consequences finally catching up with its protagonist. No amount of fanciful animal puns could soften that painful catharsis, as the show finally trampled its tricky web of abuse through bittersweet means. The series closed out with an especially thoughtful scene, the kind viewers who looked past the wonky pilot years ago were regularly blessed with; to the very end, BoJack, you were a gift, horse.

#2. Better Call Saul (Season 5) - AMC

As good as Bad ever was and better than ever before, the fifth season of AMC’s spin-off completely upended the world of its eponymous lawyer while bringing Vince Gilligan’s universe one step away from full-circle. Saul Goodman found himself in way over his head, and viewers found themselves way on the edge of their seats, as his first foray into “criminal” lawyering swiftly dovetailed with an escalating drug war. Despite the emotional distress of watching fan-favorite character Kim Wexler placed in perilous situations, there are no objections to be had with the drama’s continued masterful storytelling. Ramping up the slow-burn storytelling, season five saw Kim and Saul’s relationship develop in rich and unexpected ways, while still keeping their final fates unresolved. Fans are thus waiting with bated breath for the show’s final call next year. 

#1. The Great (Season 1) - Hulu

Who could be the best but The Great? There was a minor television controversy this year over Netflix marketing The Crown as a historical drama despite its fictional interpretation of events; The Great has no such pretentions. An asterix adorns every title card of the show, letting viewers know that its take on Catherine the Great’s coup against Emperor Peter III of Russia is only “an occasionally true story.” The show indeed is not great for education, but it’s the most entertaining television of the year, locking stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult in a battle of wits and a fight for the country’s soul under the watch of The Favourite co-writer Tony McNamara. The uproarious comedy slyly collates leadership based in cruelty with leadership based in goodwill in the background of its quite bawdy escapades, a subtle bit of relevant political maneuvering that lets it successfully claim the crown this year.

NEXT UP: THE 2020 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!

[snowstark]

Hi lovely! I had a prompt idea. How about Peter almost being too late for school so just quickly grabbing an apple & right before lunch Flash corners him & threatens to lock him up in one of the lockers (Peter has bad claustrophobia since the building so he complies) but bc of his metabolism he’s feeling super dizzy & down so when he gets to the tower/compound to work with Tony he’s not himself & he faints. Tony is super worried, takes care of his baby and makes him fess up about the bullying. X

“You’re late, Parker.”

The apple fell from Peter’s hand and landed on the ground with a light thump before rolling away. Peter closed his eyes tightly, feeling the hard metal of the locker press into his back.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared, Petey-pie? Do you want me to call your mommy?” Flash laughed and patted his face. “Oh, wait, I can’t; she’s dead. When was the last time you saw her again, penis?”

Peter’s eyes shot open, a rush of anger washing over him until it was nearly overwhelming. “Shut the fuck up, Flash!” he snapped, raising a fist. “At least I’m not stuck with your miserable snobby parents.”

It was true; it was no secret that Flash’s parents were rather apathetic towards their son. And Peter’s words had clearly hit a sore spot, judging by the way Flash’s scowl grew. Coldly, the other boy responded, “Say that again, Parker, and I’ll shove you up into this locker. Then we’ll see who’s talking.”

Peter paled, feeling his heart skip a beat at the prospect. His mind flashed back to the incident with the building, how he’d barely managed to escape in one piece. He shuddered at the thought of being locked up in a small dark place. No, never again.

Flash smirked, seeing the look of fear on his face. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He gave Peter one final rough shove, making his head hit the locker with a clang before storming away. And to top it all off, he kicked Peter’s apple hard enough to send it rolling down the hallway.

Peter rubbed the back of his head with a hand, wincing. Even being Spider-Man didn’t mean he was invincible against bruises. And he could already feel one forming.

Peter sighed ruefully when his stomach growled. Another thing that came with being Spider-Man was his fast metabolism. And Flash had kicked away the one thing he’d brought to school with him today. Great. Well, he would just have to manage.

The rest of the school day was uneventful. His stomach kept growling insistently, reminding him of his sad fate. He had to go work with Mr. Stark now; not that he minded because he adored working with the older man. Mr. Stark was just a different breed, Peter mused as he left the school property. Peter loved to debate with him and just talk their asses off; it felt nice to know someone who understood him so well.

It didn’t take long to get to the Tower. Peter may or may not have taken a shortcut by changing into his suit and swinging the rest of the way. But hey, who could blame him?

It wasn’t until he landed in front of the Tower, panting, that that probably hadn’t been the best idea. Using up that much energy made him even more tired and hungry, and fuck, it was going to be a long day.

Tony seemed to notice that something was off the moment he met Peter’s eyes, but Peter didn’t give him the chance to ask him about it because he jumped right into their current project, babbling on and on. It wasn’t until Tony reached out and placed a hand on his chest that he realized he’d been rambling too much.

“You okay, kid?”

“Yeah.” Peter nodded, and whoa, he suddenly didn’t so good. He swooned and mumbled, “‘m fine, Mr. Sta…” Then, he fell backwards, the world spinning in front of him.

When he awoke, it took him a moment to regain a sense of his surroundings and figure out where he was. He blinked and stared into a pair of eyes that glittered with concern. “M-Mr. Stark?”

The man’s face cleared instantly and he huffed. “Jeez, kid, you passed out hard.”

Peter winced when he was jostled and realized with a flush of hot embarrassment that he was cradled in Tony’s lap, as though he was a small child. “‘M fine,” he mumbled, but his actions proved his words wrong when he couldn’t even make himself sit up on his own.

“You fainted,” Tony said gently, steadying him before giving up and just pulling him onto his lap. “You’re going to be feeling tired for a while.” Smoothing back the hair on Peter’s forehead affectionately, he added, “What happened? Do you know why you just passed out like that?”

A pause. Then, Peter shook his head reluctantly. “No. Not really.” He hated lying, but he didn’t want to tell Mr. Stark what had really happened. What if he thought he was weak, and didn’t deserve to be Spider-Man anymore? Peter couldn’t stand the idea of that. He was nothing without the suit.

But it seemed he’d given the wrong answer because Tony frowned, looking even more concerned. “We’re going to the doctor,” he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “No, actually, I don’t want you fainting again on the way. I’m calling a doctor here so he can check you over.”

“No!” Peter yelped, scrambling to his feet and staggering. “I’m fine, Mr. Stark!”

And of course, because life fucking hated him, his stomach growled. Like it was trying to make a statement. Or remind Peter of his lie. Or expose Peter’s lie. Did it even matter?

Tony’s eyes flashed to his stomach, and then slowly moved up to his face. Uh oh, he looked dangerous. “Peter,” the man said slowly, stepping forward. “Did you pass out because you were hungry?”

Peter gulped. “Um,” he managed intelligently.

Tony facepalmed himself, staying like that for a while until he just silently gathered Peter in his arms, holding him close. “What happened?” he asked gently. “You can tell me.”

And before he could stop himself, Peter was spilling the entire day out to Tony, seeking comfort and validation against Flash’s nasty words. When he finished, Tony was quiet for a while. So was Peter.

Then, Tony spoke. “You know his words weren’t true.”

Peter nodded jerkily and to his shame, felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Tony sighed and gently wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “We’re going to eat pizza,” he informed Peter softly. “And then we’re going to talk about how to handle pretentious little brats like him.”

Peter nodded again. He was directed by Tony to sit down and he obeyed without question. He watched Tony move around methodically, calling their favourite pizza place and placing an order before plopping down on the couch next to him. “Mr. Stark?” he ventured.

“Yeah, kid?”

“How do you deal with bullies like Flash?”

Tony smirked and shot a glance at him. “Do you want a demonstration tomorrow, kid?”

Peter couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at his lips at the display of protectiveness. “Maybe,” he admitted. It wouldn’t hurt Flash, only ruin his pride. He knew Mr. Stark wouldn’t actually do anything to harm the idiot anyways.

Tony grinned. “Alright. You want a demonstration, you’ll get one.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.” Peter couldn’t express how grateful he was, so he just leaned against Tony’s shoulders, relaxing when he felt the man wrap his arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t mention it, pal. For now, we’re just going to work on finishing the forty boxes of pizza I ordered.”

“FORTY?!”

[raysreads]

Teen Wolf Character Scents

Okay this might sound weird, but I’ve been reading a lot of Teen Wolf fic lately and it always puts a heavy emphasis on what the character smells like. Because...werewolf senses and everyone has a natural scent. I personally love this so here are my headcanons for what each characters natural scent would be!!!!!

(I give reasons for why I went with those things but some of the reasons themselves are headcanons, and some just came to me and have no reason at all besides that fact that i love it that way)

So background info: I headcanon some scents are from birth, while some are added/change based on experiences, temperament and emotions. You have your own scent and it does its own thing, even when you’re human. Humans cant smell them since they aren’t necessarily real, they are more a smell supernaturals pick up that’s a cryptic reflection of ones personality.

Stiles: Gotta start with the main boi!!!! He smells like spicy chili peppers, honey and everything spicy. He is wild and loud and so so sharp. He uses cutting anger and snark and sarcasm as a defense mechanism, this reflects in a scent that burns your nose. But he cares and loves a lot and is super soft, hence the honey. If you focus on his scent too much your eyes water with the chili. When he gets angry he send tears down everyone’s faces and even reddens the cheeks and burns the tongues of the supernatural pack members in his anger, his scent becoming physical as his spark acts up.

Peter: He smells like cold. Like cold, and petrichor and mint toothpaste. He always has. He smells like the cold of ice, the cold you smell when you open a freezer in the cold isle of the grocery store and like Vick’s Vaporub but 10x as strong. As the left hand of the pack it was his job to kill, to eliminate threats, his job to bear all the blood on his hands, to have his hands permanently stained sticky red and his eyes glow blue, so that no one else in the pack has to live with the guilt of murder, even when justified. His first kill was at 8 years old and he would never forgive the fact that he had been given that burden. So he became unmovable ice and unending cold. With the thick smell of rain for the warmth he would always keep hidden.

Theo: His scent is that of fresh, right off the smoker, BBQ sauce-soaked ribs and apple juice. Its a scent he was born with, one that reflects the gooey warmth of his soul and his innocence before he was manipulated and tortured. His scent always throws people off since it usually reflects ones personality and he’s not a good person by any means, he is amoral and cruel; and such a warm, soft scent doesn’t make sense. But his soul (though no longer pure) would always hold his original innocence. The apple juice isn’t actually his scent, but his sisters, her heart such a part of him that his guilt manifested her soul in his scent. And if you focus hard enough, underneath all that you can find the sting of bleach. His time with the dread doctors (and the fact that he was surgically tortured into being a chimera) leaving part of his scent mangled and altered into the artificial tang of bleach. The fact that he forced his scent to remain mostly unchanged throughout his life (which was worse than hell on earth) is Very Very Impressive, even more so when in the beginning he wasn’t even supernatural.

Scott: Our ever-sweet true alpha. He smells like overly sweet pink and blue cotton candy and hot, buttered, movie theater popcorn. He’s literally sugar and spice and everything nice. His morals and warmth translating to the hot popcorn and his perpetual smiling and niceness coming though as cotton candy. He smells like fairgrounds and the laughter of children. Underneath all that he bears the subtle scent of rust,  a permanent reminder of his forced change to the supernatural and permanent resentment of the burden he must bear (and the guilt about that resentment)

Derek: He smells of Sandalwood, Patchouli, and Frankincense. He always smells like incense and spices, like the inside of a stereotypical fortune tellers shop. He becomes heat, warmth, and flame. Something that pulls at his soul since the fire. Something that is a comfort to the wolves around him. He also smells heavily of smoke (something that makes Peter unable to be in the same room as him for longer than 30 minutes unless forced) because of his never-ending guilt about his family, something that seared the event into his scent. When he’s angry (which is a lot) his scent gets stronger and the incense smell becomes extremely heady and makes his betas lethargic.

Lydia: She smells like metal, like your hands after handling handfuls of change. She smells like she bathed in pennies, her standoffish coldness bringing the bitter smell to her scent. Since she became a banshee she also smells strongly of spider lilies (also know as hell flowers), japans flower of death. You would think the contrast between bitter metal and floral scents, so strong you choke, would be bad but its actually strangely comforting. And while bitter its the only thing that can get Jackson to relax some days. The scent of the only person there for him for over a decade-and-a-half sometimes even more comforting than the scent of his boyfriend.

Isaac: His scent is of strong cologne even though he never wears any, he smells like he bathed in the Mahogany Teakwood candle from Bath and Body Works, or lived in an Abercrombie & Fitch for 50 years. He always had that smell, even as a child, but it just gets stronger the more confidence he gains. His childhood innocence and cleanliness of soul translates as a strong laundry soap smell. But hidden underneath there's an undertone of metal, plastic, and cold; that takes over his scent when he's scared and overwhelmes everything in a mile radius. It takes the Pack far too long to realize it smells like a freezer and metal chains.

Allison: She smells strongly of ozone and static (not rain though, never rain). Her anger and righteous fury making her scent like electricity and making the static-y-ness tingle in everyone's nose - sometimes making Scott sneeze. Nothing in her scent is pleasant or comforting to everyone's confusion. Its only when she feels negative emotions that she smells like roses and summer. Its like a warning but in reverse, the opposite of what it should be. Bad scents usually mean bad emotions or feelings or memories, and good scents mean good moods and positive things but for her its the opposite. Just like how she took the opposite path then what was laid out for her.

Jackson: He smells very very heavily of cherries, his scent so strong and sweet its like he took a bath in a hot tub filled with cherry cough medicine, chloraseptic cherry sore throat spray, cherry pie, cherry starburst, cherry Jell-O, and maraschino cherries. Its thick and sticky and strong enough to drown out the scent and stick for hours on anyone standing near him or touching him and it lingers on the Pack members even if they haven’t seen each other for years. Case-in-point: Jackson left for England after the kanima thing and Isaac left for France not long after. When Isaac came back 6 years later (2 years after Jackson came back) he still had the smell on him pretty strongly. Why cherries? No one knows. But its thick as hell and stronger than epoxy when it binds to things together forever. The Pack thinks it stems with his identity and abandonment issues, but once he claims you he wont let go, not even his scent. He is very self conscious and embarrassed about it so its never discussed, and he’s been friends with Danny for so long that his scent almost drowns out Danny’s own. 

Ethan: Ethan’s scent is subtle and barely there. He was the one who always stood in front of Aiden to protect them, and took the beatings when possible so his scent became as bland and barely-there as possible. The Pack can only smell his scent with intense focus and at least an hours meditation (unless you’re Aiden). He smells of freshly baked bread and homemade jam, comforting smells that easily calm Aiden down. In times of distress he smells of burnt toast, he scent twisting with negative memories. A reminder that all good things have eventually turned bad for him and his twin.

Aiden: Aiden on the other hand smells strongly like curry and lavender. An odd combination but one that speaks of his guarded- but angry, headstrong and stubborn- nature. The abuse left him angry and twitchy and paranoid, everything setting him off and his moods turning on a dime. His scent fluctuated wildly between spicy curry and calming lavender which indicated his mood and Ethan was the only one able to calm him down, doing so with a single touch between his shoulder blades where they merged.

Danny: Danny smells like he lived in a Eucalyptus oil factory for 50 years, the scent soothing and calm like he is. Its always the same and never changes, not even when his emotions do. It was concerning at first, since everyone else’s scents changed throughout the day, even when their mood didn't (the only other scent that barely changed was Peter’s but that was because the man hand an iron grip over his emotions, even in his scent. Which is super impressive). He was just that calm at all times, even when annoyed. The one time he got angry- and I mean really angry not just the pretenses he kept when ‘annoyed’ with Stiles who he more endeared with than anything- his scent overwhelmed the entire apartment complex ( the one Derek had bought out for his loft) with the horrible, strong, pungent scent of burnt rubber. No one angered him again.

But they did have a chat about his witch ancestry.

Erica: Her scent was that of a bonfire. A blazing bonfire, gasoline, and the smell of the world when it was so hot outside the air above the tar street shimmered. She was competitive, and fierce, and pure heat and burning. If she wanted something, she would take it she had always been that way, even when she was sick. And while her sickness may be gone she had a subtle distortion to her scent, one like poison, that made her always smell slightly sick. (Peter almost had a panic attack when he first met her because of her scent, he now never came within 10 feet of her).

Boyd: He smelled like a flower garden. He was so stoic that the floral scent took many by surprise. He had always smelled like soil and dirt, his down to earth personality manifesting as a calming and grounding scent. He also smelled like the ocean, like salt and brine, and waves. But that was all drowned out by the overwhelming smell of flowers, a scent that used to be his sisters, one that he subconsciously adopted after her death when he was still human. He empathized with Theo and would exchange heavy glances when the pack discussed their natural scents as a ‘pack bonding exercise’, they were both drowned in guilt for different reasons, but both over lost sisters. They never discussed it. That was all folks!!! Feel free to add on to this and/or use it as a fanfic reference!!! Do you agree??? What are your headcanons???

[anika-ann]

Errare Humanum Est - Pt.7

Of Monsters and Men

Type: series, soulmate AU series  (part 1, part 2)      x Supernatural

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader (past?)    Word count: 2490

Summary: ‘Nat’ and the boys are still on the road and to kill the time more than anything, they talk monsters and most importantly, witches. 

You know what they say: speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Warnings: mentions of violence, monsters, supernatural elements, mentions of amnesia and interesting dreams and swearing (always)

Story masterlist

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“Hold onto me tight. Can’t have you falling off, doll…”

“You’re such a troublemaker-“

“I want to see you come undone first. Can I, doll?”

“Do I look unwilling, doll? I’m actually pretty eager to find out how long do you need to recover…”

“Eyes on me, darling-”

You jolted awake with a gasp for air, your eyes snapping open into sharp midday sun. It took you a second to realize where you were, what the low purr under your body meant, music on low volume and a male voice softly humming along.

You blinked, meeting Sam’s gaze as he turned his head to face you.

“Hey. You alright?” he asked, concern furrowing his features.

You took a deep breath, trying to ignore the blood rushing to your cheeks at the memory of the dream. They were bits and pieces, sweet and hot, yet leaving dull ache in your chest in their wake. You were absolutely sure this was your consciousness recalling moments with your soulmate, but you were unable to make anything useful of them. It was like chasing ghosts – eh, actually, did ghosts exist? What was it like, chasing them? Never mind-

You were supposed to be a ghost, because apparently you had died.

Alright. Shake it. Snap out of those messy thoughts.

The more awake your body got, the more you realized your chest wasn’t the only thing that was tense and it wasn’t only your neck that nearly cramped.

“Yeah,” you muttered finally, while Sam’s eyes managed to get really worried, still on you. “Just… call of nature.”

In more than one ways. Your bladder might actually burst soon, but you couldn’t deny your arousal either. Gee. Why did it have to be that kind of dream you had? Why couldn’t you see your soulmate’s face clearly instead? Nope scratch that, his ID would be better, complete with his freaking address.

“Hold on for about half an hour, Nat. I’d like to stretch my legs anyway and Garth should be waiting for us.”

You smiled at Dean despite him being unable to see it, his eyes focused on the road. It was sweet of him. You might as well be sweet back.

“Thanks, Dean. And you can turn the volume up, if it was low just because of me,” you hummed, holding back a chuckle when his hand immediately moved to the radio.

“Thanks, Nat. Wanna tell us what that dream of yours was about? You seem a bit shaky,” he nudged, surprisingly gentle. You would expect such approach from Sam, but he only glanced at you, apparently wanting to know as well.

You sighed, wondering how to put it without sounding like a horny teenager.

“It’s… I think they’re like memories? But they don’t make any sense,” you said in the end, casting your glance down, fiddling with the hem of your shirt, fingers interlacing and disjointing again. “It’s my soulmate, I know as much. Or, you know, I’m pretty sure. It’s nothing useful though.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam soothed, his voice genuinely regretful. You just shook your head, sending a sad smile his way.

“The only pattern is a… a pet-name, I guess.” Well, until now, it was just one. ‘Darling’ was new. “He keeps calling me ‘doll’.”

You didn’t know why you told them, you weren’t planning on it. Except they were so genuinely nice to you it hurt and you felt like honesty was the least you could give in return. Now, you could practically touch their surprise.

It was Dean who commented on it, but not in a malicious way, which you were eternally grateful for.  

“Doll, huh? Maybe he’s a mafioso. Sounds like something from an old movie. Heh, maybe you time-travelled too!” he speculated out loud and you only gulped, not as amused as you should be. Was that a thing? Time-travel?

“God, I hope not,” Sam whined, effectively startling you. So it was possible?

“Nah, I bet it’s just him being a gentleman, ya know, the old-fashioned kind of guy. After all, how could he not, having such a… swell dame for a soulmate?”

Both you and Sam eyes Dean with wary and confusion.

“Since when you’re an expert on war era slang?” Sam demanded, amused surprise lacing his voice.

“Simpler times, Sam. Simpler times. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Sam just chuckled, shaking his head. You laughed as well despite not quite understanding what it meant. You simply enjoyed the banter and teasing that was strengthening their brotherly love; you already caught up that much, that they loved each other greatly. How could they not? They were both absolutely amazing despite their differences.

People might find it strange for them to be so close at their age – not that you knew theirs precisely, or yours for that matter – but you thought it was endearing. If they killed monsters for living, their lives couldn’t be normal and conventional, could they? It spiked your interest once more.

“Alright. What can you tell me about what you do and how you get your money?”

“Not sure you wanna hear that, d-- now I have the nickname stuck in my head, dammit. It’s not a pretty chat, Nat. You sure?”

You nodded, but agreed out loud for the god measure. After all, Dean was still driving.

“Your choice. We hunt monsters. But let me tell you, humans are actually the worst… well, humans and witches…”

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Dean and Sam hadn’t even told half about the monsters that lurked in the shadows and you already felt overwhelmed, grateful when you reached Bedford and the older brother called his ID maker.

Garth was a nice guy, if a little overexcited and goofy.

He called you a madam, gave Sam a newest book by George R. R. Martin (who?), which seemed to excite the hunter greatly and Dean received a piece of apple pie. You couldn’t remember your life, but if you had, you were sure it still would have been Dean’s smile that was the brightest you had ever seen. Note to yourself; when repaying Sam and Dean, a pie and a book were necessities.

Your trio didn’t stop to chat with the man for long though – you needed to be on your way. Garth was apparently in the business of hunting, because he made a face way too similar to Sam’s at a mention of witches. You weren’t sure if you looked forward hearing about those; you guessed they weren’t wearing pointy hats and befriending cats.

The remaining hours to your destination flied; the brothers continued to educate you in monster food chain (people were usually the food, which you did not enjoy learning), briefing you on existence of things you could barely imagine. Also, they weren’t only friends with an angel, apparently – they were also on rather good terms with king of Hell.

“King of Hell?” you parroted, bewildered. What the h— heaven?!

“Yeah. Dean used to be bestie with him, too,” Sam quipped, half delighted at his brother’s annoyed face when sharing this fact, half bitter for pretty obvious reasons.

“Dude.”

“You keep the weirdest company,” you stated, your head buzzing with all the info you got. You grimaced when you realized that the company included you.

“We know,” Sam sighed, turning his tablet on. “But it’s not all bad. I mean, Garth, the guy you just met… he’s a werewolf and-“

“He’s a WEREWOLF?!” you yelped, causing the brothers jump in their seats and Dean jerk the steering wheel aside, throwing you all of balance.

“Christ, woman! Keep the volume low!” the driver spitted out as he returned to the correct lane, ignoring the honks of other cars. “I know, I know, shut up, I’m not drunk…”

“Sorry,” you blurted out on autopilot, your mind pre-occupied with the fact that the sweet dorky guy you had just met was a fucking werewolf.

It was Sam’s turn to apologize or he thought so. “My bad. I shouldn’t have just dropped that on you.”

“But he was so nice!”

“If you say so,” Dean assented reluctantly, voice dripping with doubt. You weren’t trying to figure out why he questioned such an obvious thing. It wasn’t your place. Not to mention you were still too astonished by the announcement.

Sam cleared his throat. “Anyway. We have two victims so far. Both are young women, Alicia Peters, 16 years old and Helen Sanders, 16 as well. They were apparently classmates, rather good students, but not friends. One of them was found three days ago, the other yesterday. They both sneaked away in secret, some other classmates claimed to them being… eh, giggly. They thought they had new boyfriends,” Sam summed up, while Dean nodded every now and then. “Why do you think witches? Could be dragons… which would be probably even worse.”

“…dragons? You’re joking.”

Dragons were real now?!

Dean ignored your incredulous remark. “Virgins, right? That’s what I thought. But check this out – according to the coroner, they had a puncture wound over their heart like from some very thin needle – or, more likely, a very thin straw, because their hearts were completely drained of blood.”

Your head was definitely spinning now, your stomach flipping over. You had been getting hungry before, but not so much anymore. You wanted to tune the conversation out, but it was inevitable to hear it. Your ears wouldn’t listen; it was like watching a train-wreck happen and being unable to draw your gaze away. Morbid curiosity played a part too.

God, you really were weird company.

“That’s disgusting,” Sam stated, his fingers moving swiftly over the screen.

You only hummed in agreement, trying to get the visual from your brain. Soulmate. Think of your soulmate and his sultry voice calling you doll. You took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, shocked that it actually worked. His voice washed over you, cocooning you in a soft blanket.

“Tell me about it,” Dean agreed darkly, but Sam held out his hand all of sudden, causing both you and Dean freeze.

“What?”

“They found two young men this morning. John Doe One and Two for now. They were…” Sam wavered, eyeing you in the rear-view mirror. Now he was checking with you? You guessed your face was pale as a sheet of paper, but hey, it wasn’t like you couldn’t just try and cover your ears. You nodded at him encouragingly and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “…found in one bed, stabbed in the heart and… ugh, with their… tools ripped off.”

Dean winced, while you just blinked. Did he mean like… wow. Oh, wow. You weren’t sure how to react to that.

“There was a note. We apologize for ruining such pure lives of the sweetest kind and as a prove of our remorse, we present their families with-“ Sam faltered in his speech, gagging. “Yeah, alright. Apparently, the missing part of their bodies was found with the… note. No need to go into details.”

“Yeah, Sammy, I’d be pretty grateful if we stopped talking about that. What now, though? Do we believe this crap?”

“You could have an ally,” you quipped shyly, receiving Sam’s sigh in reply.

“Brutal one, but yes. We need to at least check it out.”

“Yeah, but we get a lunch before that. I need something to comfort me. You traumatized my love muscle, Sam. Do you have any-“

“Yeah, alright, just… stop right there,” Sam stopped his brother, as if shielding himself from TMI by holding out his palm against Dean. “Got it. We need to stop for a bite.”

You giggled, the sound interrupted by your stomach growling. When had you got your appetite back?

“I guess lady in the back agrees,” Dean hummed, grinning in Sam’s direction. You laughed when you came to conclusion that he enjoyed making his younger brother uncomfortable, Sam making a face back at him as he realized the same.

They seemed like a greater pair of siblings the longer you spent with them.

It only took several minutes to get to the town and find a place to eat; Dean seemed to have a talent for finding food, which you appreciated immensely. You hadn’t been eating much, ashamed of using the brothers like that, so you were hungrier than you would be willing to admit. You had a sneaking suspicion that Sam was beginning to notice, because his eyes were narrowed as you picked the cheapest thing on the menu that appeared edible.

“You’re not eating,” he pointed out bluntly the moment the waitress left.

You just gaped at being caught and so shamelessly called out. Dean’s gaze shifted to you and now you had two men glaring at you keeping you company in the boot.

“I’m… not hungry.”

“Your stomach said differently,” Dean reminded you with his eyebrow arched in challenge. You opened your mouth uselessly, the protest dying in your throat at the intensity of his bright green eyes. “If this is about money, get your head out of your ass, Nat. You need to eat.”

“But-“

“But nothing. We’re having a desert,” he shut you up effectively, not permitting any objections.

You sighed, guiltily merging with your seat. A menu was placed in front of you, Dean’s fingers pointing at it.

“Actually, you’re picking one right now.”

You wordlessly obeyed, defeated. “I don’t mean to be difficult,” you whispered apologetically and Sam just shook his head with a smile.

“We know. And I get it, you don’t want to impose and use us, but… we chose to help you. Try to accept it, alright?”

You only nodded, determined to at least find the best dessert. The corners of your lips quirked when you found it.

“Looks like we’re in for an apple pie,” you decided, smirking in Dean’s direction. His eyes lit up and you couldn’t but feel the warmth around your heart at that. You actually did that, made him smile. Maybe you weren’t the worst company in the world after all. “Unless you’re sick of it after-“

Dean’s hand snatched the menu away, shutting it close. “Shut you piehole, Nat.”

Sam laughed as they brought your food.

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You were just finishing your infamous dessert, when the brothers stiffened at the voice coming from behind their back, the other side of the boot.

You frowned, not finding anything strange about the female voice with British accent.

“Thank you, darling. It will be all,” the woman said politely.

The moment the waitress left, Sam and Dean stumbled from their seats and towards the other boot. The tension in their shoulders only grew and they let out a ridiculously synched irritated sigh, multiple emotions playing on their face; you caught annoyance and a bit of anger for sure.

“Rowena,” Sam greeted her in pretended politeness and you couldn’t but check the situation out. They didn’t seem to be happy about running into their acquaintance.

You got a glimpse of a redhead sipping at her tea delicately, her pinkie raised as she held her cup.

“Hello, boys.”

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Part 8

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I adore that woman, I swear. She’s so classy and sassy. 

Also, for those who haven’t seen SPN, I extended the guide at the end of chapter one - you’ll find ‘Chuck’ and ‘Rowena’ there ;)

Thank you for reading!

[starkerforlife6969]

What if peter was like a pack omega, not necessarily in a relationship with the whole pack, but he calms everyone down and cooks and cuddles all the avengers who just adore and dote on him.

TW: a/o dynamics, housewife Peter

Tony doesn’t quite know how it happened. Natasha and Clint went off on some super secret spy gig that Fury won’t tell him anything about. Wanda and Vision are off travelling the world, and then all of a sudden the tower has become a bit of a boy’s club.

It’s just him, Steve, Bucky and Thor.

It was kinda fun, at first. Like being in a fraternity back in college. Of course, he’d been quite young when he was a freshman, so the drinking and partying had been…not absent, but definitely the shadier side of legal.

Now, the four of them eat pizza and train and go and save the world when they have to. Tony tinkers in his lab, Steve and Bucky play the never-ending game of catch up, and Thor imbues himself in earth-culture.

But still, they’re four alphas. And sometimes they’re training gets a little rough, and sometimes they snarl at each other and get wound up.

After a particularly bad day, Steve wades through the trash all over the living room. He kicks aside grease-stained thai-take out boxes and empty wrappers- nearly trips on Thor’s hammer- before reaching Tony.

Tony arches an eyebrow at him, and takes a long sip of his black coffee.

“This place is becoming a real state.” Steve says meaningfully and Tony laughs.

“I hope you’re not suggesting I clean it. I opened up my home to you rascals-“

“Don’t you have a cleaner?” Steve grumbles, rubbing at a smudge on the countertop with his thumb.

“I did. Lovely woman. But you’re not gonna find a beta willing to live with four Alphas, Steve. And we do need a live in. I’m pretty sure Thor ate raw chicken the other day.”

“Why not an Omega, then?” Steve asks, and Tony hums thoughtfully.

It’s not a bad idea. Omegas are a pricy investment, because they’re so rare, but they handle Alphas beautifully. They cook and clean and soothe. Tony thinks they could all do with a little soothing. There’s a hell of a lot of Alpha pheromones everywhere, and it’s making him antsy. It’s tough to concentrate in the lab, and only he goes in there.

“I’ll look into it.” He promises, and Steve nods: satisfied, before wading back through the trash.

*

When Bucky gets back from his run in the late afternoon- he freezes.

The penthouse is sparkling. The balcony doors are open and the cool summer breeze is rolling in. There are- new cushions everywhere- and a vase almost bursting with fresh flowers on the coffee table. Everything’s polished and clean, and smells of freshly baked cookies. There’s another smell. Something sweeter than the cookies, more fragrant than the flowers. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“What the hell…” he whispers. Did someone finally clean up? He can’t imagine who. And who would go and pick flowers?

“You must be Bucky!” Comes a delighted voice, and Bucky turns to see- probably the most gorgeous Omega he’s ever seen in his life. He’s a tiny little slip of a thing, with huge eyes and fluffy hair and a blue sweater. He’s barefoot too, and there’s flour on his cheek.

“Uh…” he says unintelligibly, following the Omega towards the kitchen.

“I like your metal arm! I’m making cookies, would you like yours warm straight from the oven?”

Bucky takes a seat at the kitchen counter and blinks in surprise when he can see his own face reflected in the marble. “Sure,” he stammers, and then before he knows it, a plate heaped full of warm cookies and a glass of cold milk are being presented on a flowery tray.

“I’m Peter,” the omega says, and his eyes are like sunlight mixed with amber. He’s got skin like fresh cream and lips so pink Bucky wants to reach out and touch-

Instead, he crams a few cookies into his mouth and groans. Goddamn, they’re delicious.

Peter beams at him with glee. “You like them? I’m so glad! Tony said that he didn’t know if you preferred chocolate chip or blueberry, but I went with chocolate, because everyone loves chocolate! I’m gonna make steak with quinoa tonight, do you like that? I also bought some pastry for apple pie for dessert- that’s Steve’s favourite right? That’s what he said- but I’d already bought it, so maybe he was just being polite and-“

“Ah, Bucky,” Tony waltzes in, chuckling, ad Bucky blinks at the sight of him. He looks remarkably better than yesterday. The dark circles under his eyes are gone, his beard’s groomed and hair brushed, and he’s in new clothes that smell of laundry detergent. “I see you’ve met Peter, quite the little angel, isn’t he?”

Peter blushes, and it’s possibly the most beautiful thing Bucky’s ever seen. “Did you have a good nap?” Peter asks, plating up some cookies and milk for Tony.

“None for me thanks, gorgeo-“ he cuts off, and Bucky watches as Peter pouts; his eyes huge and disappointed, hands still holding out the plate and glass as offering.

Bucky thinks he’d lay down his life for those eyes.

“Fine,” Tony grumbles, taking a cookie. He snorts at Peter’s happy smile. “You’re gonna make me put on a couple of pounds, aren’t you?”

“I’m gonna make sure you get all the nutrients you need.” Peter corrects, and Bucky drains his milk to ask:

“Are you Tony’a new Omega?”

Tony answers for him. “Gorgeous, isn’t he? Super expensive, but definitely worth it. He’s for all of us, and have you seen the place? He’s folded the towels into little swans-“

“You bought him for all of us?” Bucky gapes, and Tony’s eyes soften a little.

“Well, yeah. We all live here, we could all use a little love. And look at him,” Tony squeezes the nape of Peter’s neck and the Omega lets out the most melodic little moan. “Help yourself, ask him for anything- Peter’s happy. He has his own bedroom- near mine, obviously, but I doubt he’ll spend the nights there, right, gorgeous?”

Peter blushes again, and subtly nudges another cookie towards Tony.

Bucky thinks it would probably be impolite to ask Peter to bend over the counter right now, so he saves it for later.

* After two weeks with Peter, everything is perfect.

The penthouse has never looked better, Tony’s never felt so well-rested, so well-fed. The fresh vegetables and new recipes- each more exotic than the last- have left him feeling stronger. Healthier.

Peter’s gotten Steve into Yoga, and more often than not, Tony will wake up to see the two of them out on the balcony under the New York sun, stretched out on yoga mats.

He likes to appreciate the view for a moment.

Before Peter makes them all a big breakfast. Smoothies for all of them and Tony gets pancakes, Thor gets a full english, Steve gets a fruit salad and Bucky gets waffles, all of them on rotation.

Peter spends a lot of time out and about with Thor. The god can hoist Peter onto his shoulders and is clearly completely smitten with the tiny omega. He keeps regaling him with Asgardian fairytales and giving him little gold trinkets.

Bucky gets deep tissue massages- he likes the way Peter’s fingers work into all of his muscle. Often Tony will see Bucky lying on the couch chest-down, with Peter straddling his thighs and working onto all that scarred tissue.

Everything’s just better.

And then of course, when Peter was cleaning up and he’d moved Thor’s hammer- picking it up for a moment, dusting underneath it- then setting back down, humming sweetly all the while, and the four alphas had just stared in absolute amazement. 

Tony likes buying Peter silks and satins. Or sparkly diamonds that Peter wears around the house. Steve gives Peter his sketches- leaves them lying around the house for Peter to find as he’s cleaning, and the little omega lets out a pleased sound of delight every time. 

It’s just better. Effortless. 

Tony stirs (his sleeping pattern is so much better now) when he feels his mattress dip, and he smiles lazily with pleasant surprise, as he tugs Peter into his chest.

“Mm, haven’t seen you for a few days, gorgeous.”

“Thor had a lot of pent up stress,” Peter mewls, one soft hand already sliding into Tony’s pants. Peter is a selfless lover, as all omega are, he peppers Tony’s face with kisses, whispers praise, and teases him just the right amount.

“I want you to knot me, please, alpha,” Peter whispers sweetly into his ear, already moving- he does all the work, Tony doesn’t have to lift a finger- and he’s already slick, and he manoeuvres Tony’s throbbing cock to his hole easily. “Do you want that?”

“Fuck, yeah, baby,” Tony grunts, eyes still lidded. “Make me feel good.”

Peter moans like it’s his pleasure, and gets to work.

[malereader-inserts]

Way Down We Go

Fandom: Harry Potter Pairing: Remus Lupin & Son!Reader Summary: Oh, father, tell me, do we get what we deserve? Word Count: 2,135 Request: @apple-pie-and-ice-cream  “Can I request Lupin x son Reader where the reader is also a werewolf?” A/n: Headcanon that the week of the full moon, senses are heightened because here’s some whump for yer. Remus is so easy to write for, send me more request for this dork

“Think I’m losing my mind.”

Hermione rolled her eyes as you leaned your head down on the long tables in the great hall, tired as you struggle to keep your eyes open, after a full moon in May you were getting back on your feet after being bedridden after the full moon.

“You’re being dramatic, (Y/n),” Hermione vocalised, though she paused when she hears your wince, “Are you okay?”

“Sensitive ears,” You hummed, rubbing them gently before propping up your face, leaning your elbows against the wooden tables, “I’m fine.”

Hermione narrows her eyes, opening her mouth to say something until she decides against it. You stare at her, knowing what she was thinking. She had her suspicion for a while since Snape had set the werewolf essay back in November - she’s been keeping an annoyingly close eye on you.

It happened over the summer, Dumbledore was right at the door the day after the full moon with Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. Your mother had been worried sick, considered pulling you out of Hogwarts. So, as you lay in your bed recovering from the bite, Dumbledore explains to your mother about your predicament.

Dumbledore had explained that you could continue going to Hogwarts, as Hogwarts is the safest place to be. Madam Pomfrey would tend to you and McGonagall was there just to support your new life, to mother you when you get to Hogwarts. 

The two women remember a boy your age, with similar eyes like yours. If they could provide Remus Lupin one good time at Hogwarts, they sure will do the same for his son.

“You know, your father came to my office on Wednesdays for tea, you’re welcome to come visit,” Poppy says, smiling softly as she heals the wounds as best as she could, grimacing that there would be a permanent bite on your neck and scars running from your torso to your stomach.

You sat up so she could look at your back, you were much more scarred than your dad, more on the body and less on your face. 

“I’m slowly turning into dad,” You hummed, “Next thing, I’ll be reading books willingly and wearing sweaters with patches on the elbows.”

McGonagall couldn’t help but smirk, “Yet, your dad was one of the greatest pranksters of his year, and your dad isn’t bad.”

“I’m a were,” You snorted at the joke as McGonagall and Pomfrey roll their eyes because that was a common joke that was thrown around, before frowning when they noticed how you stared at yourself in the mirror, “I’m hideous.”

Sure, there were no major scars on your face, just minors one. Two serrated scars cutting through your right eyebrow, small but definitely someone would mention. There is a scar on your lip too, in the same direction as the other two but this was cutting through the upper lip and space before the lip. 

“I think you’re still handsome,” McGonagall says, “If I recall, many people fancied your father because of his scars, and I tell him all the time whilst he was in school that features do not define who you are, it’s what on the inside that does.”

Being at school was bearable but you had no heart to tell your dad about the condition, Snape was involuntarily making wolfsbane potion. Remus would have his monthly batch delivered by Snape whilst Snape drops yours off at McGonagall’s office where you would collect yours.

You talk a lot to your head of house, how you couldn’t bear to tell your dad about your condition because he was so happy to find out that his son did not burden with such a heinous illness. The shrieking shack is a place you were supposed to go, but you avoided that area since that’s where your dad takes place to shift. 

Though you notice a cat in the forbidden forest in your first shift, it stayed with you all night and when morning came, dragged clothes by its teeth close by for you to notice but at the same time not giving you any looks before running away so when you shifted back bare you had clothes to change into.

So, over the course of a year, you got closer to McGonagall and Pomfrey, had Friday teas with your dad to catch up weekly and spend time with your beloved father, keep up with your studies, stop yourself from decking Snape in the face when he has a snark with you, and try not to die whilst being friends with Harry Potter.

Then, just a few weeks before the June full moon, you informed your conditions to your friends, they comforted you that you were no different to what you were before they had known.  You explained you hadn’t told your dad and some professors were known of your situation.

“It doesn’t make you any different, you said Snape has been giving you potions?” Ron asked as you nodded, “So, you’re not a monster, you’re a brilliant person (Y/n)!”

You smiled, “Really?”

“Really, mate,” Harry nodded, grinning, “Can we make wolf jokes though?”

“Yes mate,” You laughed, nodding, “But, not too obvious.”

“I’ve always wondered where you got the scars from,” Harry says, thumbing your scars on your face, “I noticed the ones on your back.”

“Have you been watching me dress, Potter?”

“Can’t help it, Lupin,” Harry teased, grinning impishly, “You talk loudly, you draw attention to yourself.”

“Sod off, Harry.”

Which brings you to the present, hearing your dad snap at Peter as Hermione and Ron watches you gag on the potion, your back facing your dad.

“How does that taste?” Ron asked.

“Spectacular,” You responded, sarcasm evidently on your tone.

“Full moon this week,” Hermione asked, as you furrowed your eyebrows, “What is it?”

The trio was aware that you had to drink the wolfsbane potion the week leading up to the full moon and just before the full moon.

“I don’t feel so good,” You gagged again, stumbling away from your friends.

Remus turns his attention towards you, getting concern when he sees you stumbling away from the rest of them then cringing when he hears you emptying your stomach. He wants to go to your aid but then he had to keep an eye on Peter.

“Harry!” Hermione shouted, pointing into the sky and seeing the full moon.

Harry’s eyes widen, driving straight towards his friends watching his godfather beg his best friend to remember who he is. The three off them watch in horror to see their professor transform in pain, they can’t imagine what you’re going through.

“(Y/n)!” Harry exclaimed, trying to look for you in the long grasses.

“Harry, no!” Hermione bellowed, gripping Harry, “He’ll be fine, he’s taken his potion.”

Harry had turned his attention to Snape grabbing them, before getting floored as the werewolf tried to wipe them clean. Of course, a dog intercepted mid-air swing, the two were at it before the dog was once again flung into the long grass.

The werewolf slowly made it’s way closer before getting attacked by another werewolf, smaller. The trio watches with wide eyes as you protected your friends from your dad who was no state of mind of his actions. 

“(Y/n)!” Ron shouted, causing you to turn to look at him before your dad had attacked you.

Whimpering as you watched the werewolf snarl at you move towards the long grass were Sirius had landed as a dog. Harry had escaped Snape’s grip to follow.

“(Y/n)?” Hermione softly says, Snape was about to snap at her but stops when he hears the werewolf whimper slightly.

Looking at them, you paw your face then neck, blood was seen before stepping away. 

“He’s injured,” Ron says, his eyes softening when he sees your human eyes plead, “He’s-”

A werewolf howl was heard into the forest before they knew it, you followed your dad before anything else could happen. Your friends prayed you were okay.

Morning breaks out, the summer sun shining through the trees. You groaned as you found some clothes by the bushes, you smiled to yourself as you put them on. Feeling the comfort of the sweater, you noticed that there were extra, larger clothes for your dad. You sighed, touching your chin to feel dried blood.

You remember most of the night, you followed your dad into the forest and it was hunting. You tried to pry him away, fight him, but he was larger and stronger. You had lost him for the rest of the night.

You try to crack the discomfort in your bones, your body weighing you down as you try to search for your dad in the large forest. When you found him, he was just coming around to the land of the living.

You threw him his clothes, shielding your eyes, “Morning dad,” You mumbled.

Your eyes too sensitive to the sky and you did not want to see your dad naked. Remus opened his eyes and noticed you, shutting your eyes close.

“Go to the shade,” Remus says, groggily, “What are you doing out here?”

“Making sure you’re okay,” You say, taking a few steps back into the shade, “Are you decent?”

“Mhm,” Remus confirms as you pull your arms and hands away from your face, “(Y/n)... What happened last night?”

yes, Remus felt like utter shit, but you were bleeding and bruises were formed. You were pale, uncomfortable, you looked sick almost. 

“The full moon happened,” You say as if it explains everything, but continues as you did not want to make out your dad had attacked you to become a werewolf, “I took my wolfsbane potion, you didn’t.”

Remus remembers now, he had witnessed seeing your head tilt back with a small vital in your hand, taking down its contents before you suddenly started to retch in the long grass. 

“Did I-?” 

“No,” You interrupted, knowing what he would ask, “Sirius and I, well, mostly I put up a good fight, Merlin, is it always this loud?”

Remus knew what you were complaining about, sensitive ears - everything was louder. You were looking down rather than looking at him, the sun was blinding you even more. Remus had gotten used to the heightened senses, but the way your body shook he could tell you were not used to it.

“Come on, it’s a long walk back to the school grounds, but if we go now, we can make it before anyone wakes up or notice us.”

You don’t wait for his response as you start to limp your way back to the school grounds. Remus groans as he stands up, popping back his joints into place as he made his way next to you.

“When?” Remus asked, his voice soft as he hears you softly wince.

“Summer,” You responded, “I hadn’t had the heart to tell you...”

Remus’ fatherly senses could tell that you were ashamed, he knows what you’re feeling - he went through it your age. 

“I could have helped you,” Remus says, coming to your aid as you limp, he may be in immense pain but he was used to it - you, not so much, “You don’t have to do this alone.”

He stops you, makes you face him as he sighs, his thumb runs over a bruise under your right eye, he examines you. The scars, the scabs, the bruises. He noticed your werewolf bite in your neck, he wonders how he has never noticed it. He placed a firm hand on your shoulders.

“We have each other’s back, you said that yourself,” Remus comforted as a small smile started to form.

“I know, but-” You shake your head, “You would just, I don’t know, be afflicted with all my problems.”

“(Y/n), you are my boy, my son - as a parent, I have to guide you. I want you to be better, to know better. I can’t do that when you’re keeping secrets.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” You let out a shaky breath, offering him a smile, “You’re too good of a dad, I don’t deserve you.”

You lunged yourself on to your dad into a massive hug, you both groan at impact, but he grips your tight nevertheless, afraid you would slip out of his arms.

“You’re still my boy, werewolf or not. As you said, we have each other’s back, we do things together, all the way down we go.”

“Way down we go,” You affirmed, you shuffled before cowering, “I really need to get to the hospital wing so can we wrap his hug up for later?”

Remus simply laughs, as he lets you go, helping you onto the Hospital Wing.

“Do you think Madam Pomfrey will let us have chocolate for breakfast?”

“You wish, kid.”

[pearlposts]

The Best of Soft Rock: More Than A Feeling

 SONG TITLE                                ARTIST       TIME

Lowdown                                     Boz Scaggs    5:18

Whenever I Call You “Friend”  Kenny Loggins    3:18

Piano Man                                    Billy Joel         5:40

Longer                                     Dan Fogelberg    3:18

Miracles                                Jefferson Starship  3:33

Lost in Love                              Air Supply          3:55

More Than I Can Say              Leo Sayer            3:39

Rosanna                                         Toto              4:03

More Than a Feeling                  Boston              3:26

Take It on the Run               REO Speedwagon  3:37

Make Me Lose Control           Eric Carmen         4:48

Total Eclipse of the Heart       Bonnie Tyler         5:35

Living Inside Myself              Gino Vannelli          4:25

The Flame                            Cheap Trick            4:50

Sara                                        Starship               4:23

SONG TITLE                                  ARTIST                   TIME

Livin’ Thing                         Electric Light Orchestra        3:34

This Is It                                   Kenny Loggins                 3:59

Africa                                                Toto                          4:59

Eye In The Sky                      Alan Parsons Project          4:35

Look What You’ve Done to Me       Boz Scaggs                5:18

You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling Daryl Hall & John Oates  4:36

All Out Of Love                              Air Supply                    4:03

Can’t Fight This Feeling           REO Speedwagon            4:55

The Search Is Over                        Survivor                       4:14

All by Myself                               Eric Carmen                    7:11

Without You                               Harry Nilsson                   3:21

Year of the Cat                           Al Stewart                        6:38

Dust in the Wind                         Kansas                            3:27

Vincent                                    Don McLean                       4:01

Please Come to Boston         David Loggins                     4:09

SONG TITLE                                    ARTIST                                  TIME

Baby I’m-a Want You                           Bread                                   2:32

A Horse with No Name                       America                                 4:09

Diamond Girl                                    Seals & Crofts                          4:04

I Saw the Light                                 Todd Rundgren                         3:01

Blinded by the Light                Manfred Mann's Earth Band              3:51

It Might Be You                               Stephen Bishop                          4:14

She’s Gone/Sara Smile/Rich Girl        Hall & Oates                           3:29

Minute By Minute                         The Doobie Brothers                     3:28

Sentimental Lady                                Bob Welch                              3:46

How Much I Feel                                 Ambrosia                                 4:44

Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime The Korgis                               4:12

If You Leave Me Now                          Chicago                                   3:57

Sailing                                        Christopher Cross                             4:17

Waiting For A Girl Like You             Foreigner                                     4:52

Against All Odds                            Phil Collins                                    3:25

SONG TITLE                                    ARTIST                                              TIME

Ride Like the Wind                        Christopher Cross                                  4:32

Saturday in the Park                          Chicago                                              3:57

Sister Golden Hair                              America                                              3:20

You’re So Vain                                Carly Simon                                            4:18

If                                                          Bread                                                  2:35

Ooh Baby Baby                              Linda Ronstadt                                        2:42

Him                                                Rupert Holmes                                         3:40

You Are the Woman                         Firefall                                                    2:45

All I Need                                       Jack Wagner                                             3:32

Walking In Memphis                       Marc Cohn                                                4:19

Making Love Out Of Nothing At All  Air Supply                                                5:01

I Want to Know What Love Is        Foreigner                                                   5:00

The Living Years                    Mike + the Mechanics                                       5:33

Drive                                               The Cars                                                   3:57

One More Night                           Phil Collins                                                   4:48

I’ll Be There                             The Escape Club                                             4:57

SONG TITLE                                                     ARTIST                                TIME

Summer Breeze                                           Seals & Crofts                             3:26

Key Largo                                                     Bertie Higgins                             3:19

Make It with You                                                 Bread                                    3:12

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?     Chicago                               3:22

Dream Weaver                                           Gary Wright                                  4:18

Hello It’s Me                                            Todd Rundgren                                3:52

Sara Smile                                      Daryl Hall and John Oates                       3:12

Chuck E.’s In Love                             Rickie Lee Jones                                  3:28

Black Water                                  The Doobie Brothers                                 4:16

Still the One                                             Orleans                                           3:56

Hurt So Bad                                      Linda Ronstadt                                      3:18

Cool Change                                  Little River Band                                      4:08

Biggest Part Of Me                            Ambrosia                                              5:27

Never Be the Same                    Christopher Cross                                       4:41

You Can Do Magic                           America                                                 3:57

SONG TITLE                                    ARTIST                                                TIME

The Guitar Man                                 Bread                                                   3:45

Tin Man                                           America                                                  3:27

Wildfire                               Michael Martin Murphey                                     4:50

25 or 6 to 4                                  Chicago                                                     4:52

Lotta Love                               Nicolette Larson                                             2:43

What a Fool Believes         The Doobie Brothers                                          2:27

Steal Away                              Robbie Dupree                                              3:31

You’re the Only Woman              Ambrosia                                                   4:22

Sexy Eyes                                Dr. Hook                                                       3:00

Kiss You All Over                       Exile                                                           3:30

Even the Nights Are Better   Air Supply                                                       3:59

Arthur’s Theme                  Christopher Cross                                             3:55

Dance with Me                       Orleans                                                         3:21

Beautiful in My Eyes            Joshua Kadison                                              4:10

Black Velvet                        Alannah Myles                                                 4:48

SONG TITLE                        ARTIST                                                         TIME

California Dreamin’      The Mamas & The Papas                                       2:54

Kokomo                        The Beach Boys                                                     3:36

Ventura Highway             America                                                               3:32

Listen to the Music      The Doobie Brothers                                               3:27

I Can See Clearly Now     Johnny Nash                                                     2:43

It Never Rains in Southern California  Albert Hammond                             3:38

Thank You For Being A Friend            Andrew Gold                                   4:45

Everything I Own                                    Bread                                           3:07

When Will I Be Loved                     Linda Ronstadt                                     2:10

I Keep Forgettin’                         Michael McDonald                                    3:41

Baby Come Back                               Player                                                2:16

Circle in the Sand                       Belinda Carlisle                                         4:27

Hold On                                     Wilson Phillips                                            3:41

I’ll Be Over You                              Toto                                                        3:50

Just the Way It Is, Baby          The Rembrandts                                           4:09

 SONG TITLE                            ARTIST                                                     TIME

We Don’t Talk Anymore       Cliff Richard                                                      4:13

Baker Street                       Gerry Rafferty                                                     2:13

When Your in Love with a Beautiful Woman  Dr. Hook                                  2:56

Fool (If You Think It’s Over)       Chris Rea                                                     3:33

You’re No Good                     Linda Ronstadt                                                 3:46

Reminiscing                        Little River Band                                                 3:17

The Air That I Breathe           The Hollies                                                       4:12

Sad Eyes                            Robert John                                                        1:55

I Go Crazy                          Paul Davis                                                           5:23

Hearts                                Marty Balin                                                           4:19

These Dreams                     Heart                                                                  4:17

Jessie                           Joshua Kadison                                                         4:22

Release Me                   Wilson Phillips                                                          3:54

The Doctor                 The Doobie Brothers                                                    3:45

SONG TITLE                    ARTIST                                                               TIME

Maggie May                Rod Stewart                                                               5:15

Higher and Higher      Rita Coolidge                                                             4:01

Whatcha Gonna Do?  Pablo Cruise                                                              4:15

I’m in You                   Peter Frampton                                                           4:11

Drift Away                     Dobie Gray                                                              3:56

More Love                   Kim Carnes                                                               3:37

Babe                             Styx                                                                         4:01

Into The Night        Benny Mardones                                                            4:31

It’s a Heartache       Bonnie Tyler                                                                 3:45

While You See a Chance   Steve Winwood                                                 4:06

Show Me the Way       Peter Frampton                                                        2:30

Fooled Around and Fell in Love    Elvin Bishop                                           4:37

Lonesome Loser           Little River Band                                                     3:54

I’m Not in Love                10 CC                                                                    6:07

I Just Wanna Stop         Gino Vannelli                                                           3:37

SONG TITLE                    ARTIST                                                              TIME

Daniel                          Elton John                                                                3:53

I Need You                   America                                                                    3:07

I Can Dream About You    Dan Hartman                                                       4:11

Escape                      Rupert Holmes                                                            3:54

I’d Really Love to See You Tonight  England Dan & John Ford Coley          2:38

On and On                 Stephen Bishop                                                          3:01

Tempted                        Squeeze                                                                  4:01

The Things We Do For Love   10 CC                                                           3:31

The Best of Times           Styx                                                                      4:18

Cry                       Godley and Creme                                                          3:55

Your Wildest Dreams   The Moody Blues                                                    4:51

Higher Love                 Steve Winwood                                                       5:46

More Than Words           Extreme                                                               5:36

I’d Do Anything for Love    Meat Loaf                                                          5:17

Do You Feel Like We Do      Peter Frampton                                              7:20

SONG TITLE                      ARTIST                                                          TIME

So In to You             Atlanta Rhythm Section                                             4:23

Fly, Robin, Fly           Silver Connection                                                     3:50

Sentimental Lady        Bob Welch                                                              3:46

Show And Tell             Al Wilson                                                                 3:29

Wild Flower             The New Birth                                                             3:59

Delta Dawn             Helen Reddy                                                               3:09

American Pie          Don McLean                                                                8:35

Rock Me Gently      Andy Kim                                                                     3:29

Go All The Way      The Raspberries                                                          3:22

Mr. Big Stuff            Jean Knight                                                                 2:49

Oh Babe, What Would You Say     Hurricane Smith                                   3:26

Hooked On A Feeling     Blue Swede                                                         2:53

 Having My Baby           Paul Anka                                                             2:33

Last Song                     Edward Bear                                                          3:13

The Streak                   Ray Stevens                                                           3:18

SONG TITLE                  ARTIST                                                               TIME

Rhinestone Cowboy   Glen Campbell                                                         3:16

Too Late To Turn Back Now  Cornelius Brothers And Sister Rose             3:20

Boogie Fever             The Sylvers                                                              3:30

Reminiscing            Little River Band                                                         3:17

I Just Want To Celebrate    Rare Earth                                                      2:54

One Bad Apple           The Osmonds                                                         2:43

Have You Never Been Mellow   Olivia Newton-John                                 3:33

Magic                            Pilot                                                                      3:05

Boogie Oogie Oogie     A Taste of Honey                                                  3:38

Right Back Where We Started From   Maxine Nightingale                        3:15

Sad Eyes                        Robert John                                                        1:55

Gonna Fly Now                Bill Conti                                                            2:48

My Sharona                  The Knack                                                            4:02

You Sexy Thing          Hot Chocolate                                                        4:05

Puppy Love               Donny Osmond                                                       3:06

SONG TITLE                 ARTIST                                                              TIME

Love Train                  The O'Jays                                                              2:58

Knock Three Times     Dawn                                                                      2:55

Brandy                    Looking Glass                                                             3:04

Little Willy                  Sweet                                                                       3:12

Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me    Mac Davis                                              3:06

Take Me Home, Country Roads    John Denver                                         3:13

It Never Rains in Southern California   Albert Hammond                           3:38

Brand New Key                Melanie                                                              2:26

Come and Get Your Love       Redbone                                                      3:32

More. More, More (Part 1)      Andrea True Connection                              3:02

I Can See Clearly Now         Johnny Nash                                                  2:43

Everybody Plays the Fool     The Main Ingredient                                       3:22

Indian Reservation             Paul Revere & The Raiders                              2:52

The Cover of “Rolling Stone”   Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show                2:55

When Will I See You Again      The Three Degrees                                     3:00

SONG TITLE                           ARTIST                                                      TIME

Rich Girl                    Daryl Hall and John Oates                                        2:23

Lady Marmalade                    LaBelle                                                         3:21

Best of My Love              The Emotions                                                      3:41

Fire                             The Pointer Sisters                                                  3:28

Miracles                        Jefferson Starship                                                 3:33

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing    Leo Sayer                                            2:51

Here You Come Again         Dolly Parton                                                   2:58

Disco Lady                        Johnnie Taylor                                                  4:25

Saturday Night                Bay City Rollers                                                  2:56

Rock On                           David Essex                                                      3:26

Wildfire                  Michael Martin Murphey                                              4:50

You Take My Breath Away   Rex Smith                                                    3:15

I Go Crazy                      Paul Davis                                                         5:23

Stumblin’ In        Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman                                      3:31

Torn Between Two Lovers    Mary MacGregor                                         3:44

SONG TITLE                      ARTIST                                                          TIME

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown     Jim Croce                                                         3:00

Don’t Pull Your Love     Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds                          2:41

Love Will Keep Us Together  Captain and Tennille with Neil Sedaka        3:24

Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song  B.J. Thomas             3:22

She’s A Lady                 Tom Jones                                                           2:51

How Do You Do?       Mouth & MacNeal                                                   4:07

Black and White        Three Dog Night                                                      3:51

Escape                      Rupert Holmes                                                        3:54

Drift Away                 Dobie Gray                                                              3:56

It’s a Love Beat     The DeFranco Family                                                 3:09

I’m in You               Peter Frampton                                                          4:11

The Candy Man     Sammy Davis, Jr.                                                      3:10

Spiders & Snakes   Jim Stafford                                                              3:05

Billy, Don’t Be A Hero  Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods                       3:40

The Morning After     Maureen McGovern                                                2:20

SONG TITLE                                   ARTIST                                          TIME

Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves          Cher                                               2:36

Maggie May                                Rod Stewart                                         5:15

Baby Come Back                            Player                                              2:16

I Just Wanna Stop                   Gino Vannelli                                           3:37

Jackie Blue                 Ozark Mountain Daredevils                                  3:37

Higher And Higher               Rita Coolidge                                              4:01

I’m Not in Love                           10 CC                                                   6:07

Y.M.C.A.                               Village People                                            3:45

Will It Go Round in Circles     Billy Preston                                              3:46

I Just Want to Be Your Everything   Andy Gibb                                        3:44

Do You Wanna Make Love        Peter McCann                                        4:01

Signs                            Five Man Electrical Band                                    4:02

Disco Duck                              Rick Dees                                                3:14

Montego Bay                       Bobby Bloom                                               2:55

If I Can’t Have You            Yvonne Elliman                                              3:00

SONG TITLE                         ARTIST                                                     TIME

Play That Funky Music      Wild Cherry                                                    3:16

One Toke Over the Line    Brewer & Shipley                                            3:21

Afternoon Delight          Starland Vocal Band                                           3:14

Life is a Rock                      Reunion                                                        3:31

I Can Help                         Billy Swan                                                       2:57

My Maria                       B.W. Stevenson                                                  2:31

Magnet and Steel            Walter Egan                                                     3:25

Beach Baby                    First Class                                                         2:42

The Rapper                   The Jaggerz                                                        2:45

Brother Louie                  Stories                                                               3:57

Precious and Few            Climax                                                              2:46

O-o-h Child               The 5 Stairsteps                                                      3:15

Playground in My Mind    Clint Holmes                                                     2:57

Put Your Hand In The Hand   Ocean                                                        2:53

Please Come to Boston    David Loggins                                                  4:09

SONG TITLE                      ARTIST                                                         TIME

Turn The Beat Around    Vicki Sue Robinson                                            3:24

Ring My Bell                     Anita Ward                                                        3:31

Sometimes When We Touch   Dan Hill                                                      2:22

Rose Garden               Lynn Anderson                                                      2:49

In The Summertime      Mungo Jerry                                                         3:37

Seasons in the Sun      Terry Jacks                                                           3:30

The Night Chicago Died   Paper Lace                                                       3:32

Rock The Boat            Hues Corporation                                                  3:09

Don’t Give Up on Us        David Soul                                                        3:39

Kung Fu Fighting         Carl Douglas                                                         3:17

Love Grows                Edison Lighthouse                                                  2:51

Sweet Mary              Wadsworth Mansion                                                 2:42

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia   Vicki Lawrence                     3:36

TSOP             MFSB featuring the Three Degrees                                   3:35

Feelings                    Morris Albert                                                            3:45

[smokeybrand]

Welcome Back

I am a card carrying geek. I was that nerd in grade school, reading comics, watching anime, and larping with his friends during recess. I’ve always loved things like books and film, mostly because my ma had a penchant for the sci-fi and we would share in her hobbies. I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who since i was a wee lil’ Smokey and had a particular fondness for Max Headroom’s shenanigans. My chosen proclivities lend themselves to alternate universes, divergent timeless, and the interdenominational doppelganger or two. What i am trying to convey, here, is that i am not stranger to the revisit of a franchise. For me, rebooting an established work or expanding a loved lore is not a transgression. I am a fan of narrative. If you can tell a unique story, it really doesn’t even have to be that good, but something creativity and compelling, i am totally on board. This isn't as difficult a feat as you'd think considering how well Hollywood can adapt international films. The Ring and The Departed are effectively remakes of their original Asian fare and those films are spectacular. Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is the best example of this i can give. His deconstruction of the Batman mythos was one of the best cinematic and storytelling experiences I ever had. If you can take an established narrative, an established universe, and inject your own flavor into it, i am down for that, too. The Kelvin Star Trek timeline immediately comes to mind. Again, comic book guy, specifically a Spider-Man shill.

While i have years worth of alternate Spider-Men in the books to pull from, i think the most concise example i can give for a layman is to think Into the Spider-Verse, only with thousands more Spider-Men and Spider-Women. That’s the world I'm broaching this subject from, where there are decades worth of stories and reboots and remakes and reimagings, basically revisits, of a character that i absolutely love. Some are great like the Ultimate Spider-Man or the world of Renew Your Vows, and some are not so great, like that version Abrams’ kid came up with. That whole story was the worst. We have actually seen a little bit of this narrative reincarnation in the Spider-Man film franchise, itself, both good and bad. If we take the very first Spider-Man films, those campy, Raimi classics, as a starting point, then we had a terrible reboot in the Amazing franchise and a rather brilliant reimagining in the MCU outings. I really like the MCU retool. Tom Holland is THE onscreen Peter Parker and you can fight me about it all day.

Jurassic World and The Force Awakens are an interesting situation in the whole Revisit discourse. Both of these films are effectively reboots of the entire franchise and a whole ass remake of their initial entries. Beat for beat, theme for theme, these two films are basically the same as Jurassic Park and Episode IV, just less than they are in every conceivable fashion. Now, on paper, i should hate this but i don’t. There is a reason both of the imitations made billions for their respective franchise and that is simply nostalgia. We. as a culture, were starved for a Jurassic sequel and new Star War. When we got these movies in earnest, no one cared they were rehashes of the films that made them so important to the cultural zeitgeist. It was like seeing A New Hope and that initial outing to Isla Nublar for the first time, for a second time, but with much better effects. It had been decades since either of these movies had a proper release so we all just accepted that these were refresher courses in the lore. It was with the sequels that these things sh*t the bed so hard.

Fallen Kingdom and The Last Jedi skewed so far from what these franchises were, from the rules that had been established in the preceding films, including the first in their new trilogies, that they were offensive. Legitimately offensive. Jurassic World and The Force Awakens, as flawed as they were, left their worlds in respectable places. The narratives that could be built from those starting point were incredible. That potential was palpable. Lucas, himself, said that the stories should rhyme and you see that in his six films. Familiar yet different. Nostalgic yet original. Respectful yet original. None of that was recognized in the follow-ups and that is why these two franchises are on life support. It’s sad because there was potential there. Characters introduced were compelling and narrative threads left unties, could have become something great. Instead, expectations were subverted and the world completely sh*t on in an effort to be edgy, to distance itself from the established lore. That sh*t is whack. It’s not about being a fan of the franchise or a zealous istaphobe or whatever else the Twatter mob wants to accuse people of being. It’s about bad story telling. it’s abut a complete betrayal of a decades old franchise. It’s a bout being disingenuous with the property for personal gain.

I said at the beginning of this essay that i love a revisit. That’s why i went to see these sh*tty films. I also made very clear that i love storytelling. Fallen Kingdom and The Last Jedi lack in that fundamental aspect, that’s why they suck. They’ve done irreparable damage to the entire franchise and canon of these worlds that were so meticulously crafted by proper visionaries. Michael Crichton is rolling in his grave at what became of his Dinosaur Westworld and Lucas effectively bogarded his way into running Lucasfilm again after they sh*t on his legacy and that’s the thing; Legacy. These two franchises are part of American culture. They’re as revered as Apple Pie and Institutional Racism here. They’re not cash grabs or vehicles to push your politics. They’re modern fairy tales, myths, and should be respected as such. The thing is, though, i don’t believe there are actual creatives out there that have the vision to create like Crichton or Lucas anymore. Or, at least, Creatives that are willing to work within the constraints of this ridiculous studio system.

Modern film studios are disgustingly risk averse. That is a problem with anything making entertainment media nowadays but it’s most egregious in Hollywood. Films like Star Wars and Alien were made in a time when budgets didn’t swell to hundreds of millions of dollars so directors had to do what he could, with what they had, and that level of imagination birthed classics. It’s rare that creators get a blank check to deliver their vision nowadays, and even rarer that what they get to make if they receive that loot, is actually good. Zack Snyder and the train wreck that is Sucker Punch demonstrates my point perfectly. the new Lucases and Camerons are rare but there are a handful of directors who carry that torch. Denis Villeneuve is an incredible visual storyteller. He has a distinct vision for the grand and manages to craft proper worlds. Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best films i have ever seen in my life but it didn’t make money because people have been conditioned to ignore great storytelling for great effects. That sh*t is why people can say to me, with a straight face, that they think Batman v. Superman is better than The Dark Knight rises. That sh*t is stupid, shut the f*ck up. Deni was given the reigns to the Dune reboot and i think this might be the film that breaks him through to the mainstream.

Dune is a reboot. It looks like a revisit to the old David Lynch flick but with Deni’s penchant for the epic. This movie feels like what Jurassic World and The Force Awakens wanted to do; A respectful acknowledgment of what came before but an original take going forward. Dune is one of the greatest sci-fi novels ever written and Deni is one of the most profound visionaries in the game right now.  I have no doubt the new film is going to be fantastic. This combination is a match made in heaven, similar to Alex Garland with Annihilation or, more accurately i think, Luca Guadagnino and Suspiria. Those two films are f*cking incredible and they adapt the source material in a very, specific, manner. Annihilation is a reimagining of the book and carries its own themes and tones while the new Suspiria is a complete reinterpretation of what came before, that i believe eclipses the original. Dune looks excellent but i don’t know that it will be well received. Deni has his work cut out for him because the world of revisits is riddle with the corpses of films that couldn’t care the weight of what came before or what could have been. Still, i don’t want Hollywood to stop. As unoriginal as remaking things is, i adore a fresh set of eyes on familiar fare. There are infinite ways to tell the same story and that’s the fun of revisiting an old tale.

[iron--spider]

the first birthday after

Tony wakes up on his fifty-third birthday and it’s raining outside. Things are hard, since it all ended. Losing an arm was an unexpected side effect of wielding the stones, and the nanotech replacement arm is hit and miss in its early stages. He can hardly walk without collapsing, and he’s left this bed a total of five times in the week they’ve been here. And he’s all burned to hell, streaked with the kind of pain that knocks him out from time to time, the kind of pain that would eat right through him if Carol hadn’t jetted back real quick with whatever the hell alien medicine they’ve been giving him.

 He feels older than fifty-three. He feels a hundred and twenty seven. He feels ancient, a stone monster, a zombie lying in a bed that’s too white, in some SHIELD facility he doesn’t know.

 But at least he’s alive.

 And most importantly, and despite everything else, Peter’s alive too.

The kid still seems like a ghost, except now other people are talking to him too, so he must actually be there. He must finally be a real, living being, and not the hallucinations Tony sees out of the corner of his eye in his living room. In his backyard. And more than anything, in the garage, when he’s working. Like they used to do together, in the lab, when Peter’s laughter would carry and the bots would flock to him, like they could tell how important he was.

 He’s alive. And that makes it all worth it.

 The rain falls harder and Tony turns, his neck creaking and cracking, and he sees Peter asleep over by the window. He’s holding a small, flat box, and he’s slowly slipping to the right side of the easy chair he’s in.

 Tony thinks about letting him sleep, but he finds himself speaking anyway. “Pete,” he says, his voice rough and raspy.

 Peter immediately startles awake. “Happy Birthday,” he says, almost like he’d fallen asleep practicing it, planning to say it as soon as he woke up. He blinks at Tony, shivering a little bit, and then he smiles. “Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday.”

 Tony snorts, smiling back. “Thanks, bud,” he says.

 Peter scoots his chair closer, and Tony listens to it drag across the tile before Peter abandons the idea altogether and sits on the edge of the bed instead. He holds the box like he’s trying to hide it, and he smooths his fingers over the corners. “How are you doing?” he asks. “How...how are you feeling?”

 Like garbage. Like death. Like I’m goddamn useless. Like I’m wasting away. “Better than yesterday,” he says, because it’s not a lie. “What time is it?”

 Peter looks at the clock above Tony’s head. “A little after ten,” he says. “I fell asleep waiting for you to wake up.”

 Tony used to wake up at six in the morning. Now, half the time, he can barely stay awake for more than three hours at a time. In the first couple of days he couldn’t stay awake at all.

 “Doctor Cho said things were getting better,” Peter says, and Tony sees him glance over at Tony’s right arm, the new one, but there isn’t any judgment or fear in his eyes. Peter always regards things simply, for what they are. It’s one of the things Tony likes best about him. “She was here earlier, for a while. And Miss Danvers, uh, she sent a message, said something about bringing an elixir—”

 “Good,” Tony says. “Though that alien ointment or whatever the hell—smelled like burning rubber—”

 “It wasn’t that bad.”

 Tony huffs. “Well, hopefully the elixir tastes better than the medicine smelled.”

 “I’ll contact her,” Peter says. “Put in a request. Green apple flavor. Or key lime pie.”

 Tony smiles, a flurry of memories presenting themselves in his mind, from what feels like another life. Him and Peter in that pie shop, trying to find something for May’s company party. They tried so many ‘samples’ that day that Tony didn’t ever think he’d eat again.

 “Good thinking,” he says. “Make recovery tolerable.”

 Peter laughs a little bit, and Tony meets his eyes. He still can’t believe he’s here. He can’t believe it. It feels unreal.

 Peter sighs, chewing on his lower lip. “I know this isn’t….I mean, this isn’t a good birthday. Spending a birthday in bed is—I mean, it could be okay, but this is—I mean—” He sighs again.

 “Well, the service here is terrible,” Tony says. “Pillows are like rocks. No one replaces my shampoo bottles. No microwave in my room, no fridge, these are...these are essentials. I leave towels on the ground, they’re still there the next day—terrible hotel, two out of ten. I won’t be leaving a good tip.”

 Peter snorts, fighting a smile. “I’m trying to be serious.”

 “Don’t. It’s overrated.”

 Peter shakes his head, blowing out a breath. He’s still holding the box tight. “I, uh—went out yesterday, finally, with Happy, trying to...find you a gift. But everything was just...so weird, so different, and it feels like just yesterday to me that it...wasn’t like that—”

 “You didn’t have to do that, kid,” Tony says. “For real.” He knows what a mess it is out there. He knows they need to get to helping, as soon as he’s back on his feet. Feet that are hopefully steady and won’t keep buckling underneath him. He pushes himself up a little bit, pressing his hands into the mattress. Peter reaches out and grabs Tony’s elbow, helping him and readjusting his pillow behind his head. Tony nods, and he flexes his fingers on the nanotech arm. Strange. But he’s getting used to it.

 “You okay?” Peter asks.

 “Peachy keen,” Tony says, but he knows he’s already sweating from the smallest of movements. At least he’s sitting up a little straighter. “I hope you didn’t torture yourself too much, looking around. Not for me, not for fifty-three. Fifty-five, we can do something huge. I’ll throw a big bash.”

 “Every birthday’s important,” Peter says. “Especially this one, for you, because—because—”

 “I’m still here,” Tony says. “I know. I know. You’re right.”

 “I didn’t find anything because...because everything out there sucks right now and maybe I got kind of weirdly emotional and Happy had to deal with that, whatever, but, uh—when I got back, I had an idea, and—Morgan helped me out.”

 Tony’s mouth quirks up and he tips his chin towards the box. My two kids he thinks, and his face goes red.

 “Here,” Peter says. “It’s not much. I’ll do better next year.”

 Tony takes it with his good hand, and concentrates with all his might to untie the small red bow with his right one. He manages it, drops it in his lap, and tentatively pulls the top off the box.

 His breath catches in his throat.

 It’s a black and white photo of Morgan and Peter. Their heads are together, and Peter is holding the camera out in front of them. Morgan is laughing like she does sometimes, so hard that her eyes are clamped closed with the joy of it. Peter is grinning too, his eyes cutting over at her. It’s in a wooden frame with gold glitter and, horrifyingly enough, Tony’s eyes are filling with tears. This is something he always imagined, and now it’s here, in front of him. It’s happening, it’s real, this is proof. This image. Them. The two of them.

 “Happy has this nice film camera just lying around, for some reason, so Morgan and I had a little photoshoot yesterday. We took like—thirty pictures, I’ve got a bunch of fruit stickers on my face in most of them, she’s wearing a tiger mask we made—I created a dark room in one of the broom closets, developed them all, and finally picked this one. We made the frame together.”

 Tony stares at it, for what feels like forever and ever. He tries to memorize it.

 “I know it’s not a lot—”

 “No, it’s a lot,” Tony croaks. “It’s the most—it’s—it’s the best. The best gift I’ve ever gotten. By far. No contest.” He turns it over with his good hand, and sees the message ‘WE LOVE YOU!’ in alternating letters that clearly belong to Peter and then Morgan, making up the sentence together.

 “Morgan and Pepper are actually making cupcakes downstairs right now, red velvet, duh, and I’m only invited to help when it comes to the decorating because of what happened with the cookies on Thursday.”

 Tony blows out a breath, nodding. He can hardly focus. He wants all the pictures they took together. He wants to paper the walls with them. “Hey, bud, c’mere. Absolutely necessary birthday hug.”

 Peter smiles, leaning in and tucking himself against Tony’s left side. Tony hugs him as tight as he can, closing his eyes. Not a hallucination. Real, solid. Alive.

 “I don’t care how fucked up I am,” Tony says. “How insane everything is—this is the best birthday because you’re back. Because I have you back.” He claps Peter on the shoulder and Peter pulls back—thankfully, he’s a little teary now too. Always easier when both parties are crying. “All of this was worth it because my family is safe. You’re here, you’re safe. You’re my family.”

 Peter nods, sniffling. “I’m gonna be here the whole time,” he says. “Until you’re better. And after. And always. Until you want me to go away.”

 “Which is never,” Tony says. “Except right now. Go tend to red velvet cupcakes, Pepper can’t bake and Morgan eats too much raw batter, and I’m gonna need a couple minutes for a good old manly cry.”

 Peter laughs, and quickly hugs him again. Tony holds him with both hands this time, the nano hand curving around his shoulder and, thankfully, not malfunctioning. It’s learning to adapt.

 “I’ll keep you updated through Friday, she’s in every room now,” Peter says, pulling back. “Expect lots of singing when we come up. Hopefully not too much fire.”

 “Yeah, candles for me is a dangerous blaze,” Tony says. “Or getting there.”

 “Not yet,” Peter says, getting up and heading to the door.

 Tony watches him go, and can’t stop himself from smiling. Yeah, he feels like shit. Yeah, he lost an arm. He can hardly walk, he has trouble breathing, his hero days might be behind him. But he looks at the photo in his lap—sharp and beautiful, Peter might have a future in photography—and he knows it was all worth it. Every bit of it.

 He’s gonna get better. He’s gonna see fifty-four, fifty-five and past that. And Peter will be there to see them too.

here it is on ao3 if you want to kudos or comment :)

[miraclealignersv]

Hello frens, here's my official master list! Requests are open and here are some of the fandoms I write for. You can just shoot me an ask if you have a question about certain characters I write for. 

Quick note: My main blog is @curraheev so if I reply to your amazing comments on my works it’s gonna be using that account cos, I cannot for the life of me figure out how to reply using this account.

Also, if you want to be tagged in any of the fics or certain fics for certain fandoms, you can also shoot me an ask :)

Prompt list found here

Bucky Barnes:

Sway

Distance

Steve Rogers:

Dance Little Liar

Health Troubles

Love of My Life

Peter Parker:

Accidental Kiss

Loki:

Feelings

Stephen Stange:

Sleep talking (1/2)

Welcome Home (2/2)

Confessions

Jason Todd:

Newly Wed Pt 1 & Pt 2

Torn Pt. 1 & pt 2

Late Nights

Richard Winters:

“Can I Kiss You”

Stress

“You’ll Be Okay”

Change

Puppy Troubles

Here

Bill Guarnere:

“That My Shirt?’‘

Bad habit

Joe Toye:

Mornings

Eating for three

Promise

Kisses

A Deal

A Deal pt 2

All of Me

Attention

Chuck Grant:

“You look like you could use a hug”

Let go (S M U T)

Never Stop Smiling

Naive

Morning Talks

Blue Moon

George Luz:

Family

Coming home

Truce

Flutter

Eugene Roe:

One day

Sick

Happiness

At the Wrong Place at the wrong time

Good Morning (S M U T)

Summer wind

Joe Liebgott

Tickle

Realizations 

Realizations pt. ii

“It’s Just a Cut”

Johnny Martin

Smile

Accidental confession

Patience

“I love you”

Lewis Nixon

Dilemma

Growing up

Storytime

“Marry me instead”

Half a plan

Ronald Speirs

Morning After

Scared

Drunk Words, Sober Thoughts

Not Ready

Buck Compton

Embrace

Loved

Babe Heffron

Unplanned

Forever Home

Memories

Everything’s wrong

Sleeping Problems

Skinny Sisk

Regrets

Alex Penkala

Apple Pie

Floyd Talbert:

Drunk

Labels

Carwood Lipton

In Sickness and In Health

Pretty

Shifty Powers

A Little Push

Henry Jones

A Friendly Game

*Supernatural* (Idk what happened to the header uhhh)

Dean Winchester:

Let Me Go

Only You

Sam Winchester:

Wedding Bells

[cancerousjojian]

learn to move on | peter parker

-- WARNING: ENDGAME SPOILERS!

summary: peter needs you more than you need him, which is a whole, whole lot. some post-endgame angst because i apparently i love to suffer.

pairing: peter parker x reader

This isn’t fair.

Peter is trying to focus. He’s on the bus on his way home from school. He gets on, moving passed the crowd of people in the middle of their commutes, excited to go home to Aunt May. He thinks she might surprise him with her famous apple pie -- he’d been craving it all week. He decides to fiddle around on his phone to pass the time.

He’s watching a YouTube video now, some indie news show about technology, but every time his stomach growls or the bus goes over a particularly deep pothole, he loses a bit of focus. Nonetheless, he tunes himself back in, adjusting his headphones and sinking further down into the seat.

“As we all know, Tony Stark has changed the history of technology for the better,” he hears the weird-looking man on his screen say and it’s like his whole world stops. He can’t even hear the rest of the sentence, the pang in his chest is too heavy for that. In a state of slight panic, Peter pauses the video and yanks the earbuds out of his ears. Without warning, his palms start to feel all sweaty and his eyes threaten to spill tears.

It’d been a month since it happened. Peter was just starting to heal, but he learned through Aunt May that grief comes in cycles, waves was the word he thinks she used. A natural part of the healing process, she claimed. But that didn’t mean it hurt any less, even if it was a month ago. Tony Stark was a role model, a father figure, and a friend to Peter. He still tears up every time he hears his voice or someone, anyone, mentions his name.

Every. Damn. Time. Not fair.

Of course, he has to remind himself that grief is not something he cannot deal with. He remembers the billions of people who experienced it five years ago, at the gruesome hands of Thanos. In fact, the whole world seemed to be in one collective state of grief, and healing. It was a weird time to be alive, for sure.

And now, he hides his sobs in his coat jacket and prays the bus speeds up a little bit, anything that can get him home faster.

Peter can’t remember if he had plans or not that day. He doesn’t bother to check, instead choosing to toss his book bag on the floor and head straight to his room. May notices immediately, something is wrong. But she decides to leave him be, she knows that if he wanted to talk, she and her nephew would be sitting across from each other on the kitchen table over quickly-melting bowls of ice cream, or perhaps apple pie. She sinks back into the couch, turns back to the television, and waits for him to be ready.

You, in your Queens apartment bedroom, are trying to remember how it happened; the snap.

You remember the feeling, mostly. The feeling like you were about to faint. But when it happened, you remember feeling like you were falling asleep, almost in a trance in the seconds before you were completely gone… dust. Ashes on the sidewalk. You don’t even want to think about where you would be now if you didn’t have a particularly selfless group of heros to avenge the population.

You start thinking about Tony Stark, which makes you think of Peter Parker, of course. Your heart feels heavy. You decide to call him, just to see how he was doing. He’d been distant lately, understandably, but he seemed to be doing a lot better at school that day. He was rambling on all day about about a movie he was dying to go see with you. Maybe he’d want to go grab a milkshake at the diner down the street, just to get some fresh air and take your minds off things. Or perhaps you would take him up on his offer to see the movie. You dial his number in your phone, but it rings and rings and you’re eventually met with his answering machine.

Okay, maybe he’s doing homework.

You text May; Hey May, what’s Peter up to? Just want to make sure everything is okay. He didn’t answer my call.

She responds quickly, almost like she was anticipating you reaching out. Hey Y/N. Peter’s feeling down again. I’m not sure why. I can tell him you called if you like?

You tell her yes, even though you both know why exactly Peter would be in a bad mood. He has every reason to be. You want to help, but you can’t and won’t if he doesn’t want you to.

Minutes later, you get a call and see that it’s from Peter. You answer without hesitation. “Hello?” You say, and you’re a little anxious to hear his voice.

“Y/N?” Immediately you can hear the pain in his voice. It’s shaky and damaged, leaving you with a stomach of rocks. “C-can you come over here? I really need someone.” You hear a sniffle from him and feel yourself welling up with tears at it.

“Yes. I’m leaving now.” You hang up as soon as he thanks you, and toss your phone across your bed to slip on some shoes and head over to his place. The part of you that wants to help Peter kicks in again, and you realize you’re speeding to his house. You can’t help it. His dejected voice rings in your head and you feel like you’re on the edge of tears when you park outside his house.

Rushing in, you only take a minute to kick off your shoes and greet May before going to Peter’s room. You knock timidly, and he answers in seconds. The sight physically hurts you to look at; Peter Parker, the strongest person you knew, was an absolute wreck. It all seems so dismal. Eyes puffy, red, and bloodshot, he lets out a small sob before you capture him in a warm embrace. He’s reminded that you’re there for him, now and always.

You join him on the bed, and you both sit in silence for a little bit. You’re running a hand through the locks of his hair as he occasionally wipes away tears. Your shirt has tear stains all over it but you truly could not care less.

“Sorry,” he suddenly speaks, breaking the silence that filled the room. “I made you come over here and I’m not even saying anything.”

In reality, Peter has never felt more defeated in your life. You’ve seen Peter feel down, but you’ve never seen him so… heart broken. He’s thinking about what he would do if he didn’t have someone like you or May to help him through these things. The thought is grim and he pushes it away as fast as it came to him.

You shake your head and feel like you can taste acid on your tongue. “Don’t apologize. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. We can just sit here and be in each other’s company if that helps you feel better.” You rest your head on his and watch him wipe away a tear.

“I just miss him a lot.” You nod in empathy. His voice quivers halfway through the sentence and you feel a single tear escape your own eyes.

“I know, Peter. It’s awful and terrible and I wish it never happened. But he did it so you, me, everyone could be here today.” You’re full-on crying now, and Peter places a gentle hand on your knee in comfort. “We gotta learn to move on.”

“We’re gonna be okay.” He says.

“Yeah. We are.”

In one fleeting moment, the sun emerges from the clouds, striking into Peter’s bedroom through the curtain windows. The beam of sunlight strikes a photograph of Peter’s, the one of him and Tony in front of the Avengers compound. It feels deliberate, and you smile to yourself at the sight. You think Peter sees it too because you feel him squeeze your hand a bit before closing his eyes.

He’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna be okay.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

She Gave Her All

Peter Parker x Reader, Tony Stark x Daughter Reader

Words: 3026

Part One, Part Two

Summary: During the battle to bring everyone back, the reader is fatally injured. Now, with a newly resurrected Peter, the roles are reversed and Peter and Tony fight to keep the reader alive.

Notes: I thought it’d be really interesting to turn the tables and have Peter being the one worrying. Now, I have no idea how they will bring people back (if they are, but I mean, come on) so I’m just kind of making stuff up and skipping over what would be vital things just because I have no idea how else to do it. Please don’t be mad at me! Now I plan for this to be the last part unless I get an idea that would add to this. I’ve had so much fun writing this little series and I hope you all have enjoyed reading it.

You couldn’t believe it. Thanos disappeared before your eyes, turning to dust. It was over. You’d won. You ignored the pain in your stomach and looked around, seeing your father turn to you.

“We did it.” You gasped. “We actually did it.” The other Avengers still stood in shock. You stood on the red Titan ground, no one making any movements. That’s when you felt the wind, and dust rose up from the ground, taking shape. First was Mantis and then Drax. Star-Lord formed from the ashes with a confused expression.

“Are we… are we back?” He stared at the group around him and fixed his eyes on a figure walking over the hill. He sprinted to the resurrected Gamora and the two collided in a lover’s embrace. Tony stood in front of you and his eyes grew wide.

“Mr. Stark?” A voice said behind you. “Y/N?” You turned around and there he was. All of the emotions that fueled your fight with Thanos came rushing back as you sprinted into his arms. Peter. Your Peter. He lifted you off the ground, relishing in the feeling of holding you again. Of just feeling anything again. Even Tony had tears in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the both of you.

“I hate to interrupt you guys, but I think we need to go check on Earth.” Cap chuckled merrily. He was eager to be reunited with his friends, but he was happy to see that his fellow New Yorker was alright.

“He’s right.” Tony gave Peter a pat on the back. “We should get out of here.” Peter put an arm around your shoulder but as you stepped forward, you swayed on your feet, a blinding pain shooting up from your stomach. Like you were being crushed from the inside out.

“Y/N?” Peter said, his voice worried. Tony turned back around just as you collapsed. “Y/N!” A chorus of panicked voices was the last thing you heard.

“What happened?” Tony asked, checking your neck for a pulse. Peter was shaking.

“I-I don’t know. She just… fell.” Peter scooped you up in his arms as Tony yelled at Thor to hurry up. In the moments it took for Thor to take them back to Earth, blood dripped out of Y/N’s suit, causing Peter to panic even more.

“We have to get that thing off her now,” Tony ordered and Peter carried her to the nearest table and set her down. Tony tried to get the suit to disassemble, but all systems of the suit were fried. Their only option was to pry the metal pieces off of her. Every member of the team started to help, but as they pulled more fractured pieces off, the more they almost wished they hadn’t. It seemed every time they removed a part of the suit, only bloody gashes, and badly bruised skin was revealed.

“Let me try.” Dr. Strange suggested and carefully began to take off the suit with his powers while Tony and Peter had to watch helplessly. Stephen examined the damage and gave Tony a grave look. “We have to work fast.”

When you opened your eyes, the light was almost blinding. As your eyes adjusted, you felt the warmth of a large, fuzzy blanket wrapped around you and you could smell something sweet wafting through the air. Was that… apple pie? You stood up and looked around you. It was your childhood home. The one you lived in before…

“Hi, sweetie.” You nearly fell back onto the couch you woke up on.

“Mom?” She smiled and you ran to her to be caught in one of her famous bear hugs. You cried into her shoulder as she rubbed soothing circles on your back.

“It’s okay.” She cooed. “I’m here.”

“I missed you so much.” You sobbed. Then the realization hit you. “Wait, am I-”

“Not exactly.” She gave you a small smile and lead you back to the couch. “You seem to be stuck in between. What’s the last thing you remember?” Your memory was a little blurring, but you couldn’t forget the pain as Thanos crushed your suit in on you.

“During the battle… I was fighting Thanos, but he got a hold of me with one of the stones.” You winced, feeling as if it was happening again.

You charged towards him but stopped suddenly. It was as if your suit was turning against you.

“Ah, the young Stark.” Thanos chuckled. “I had hoped you could have joined me when this was all over.” He curled his fingers and your limbs were pinned to your sides, despite how much you struggled against him. “You remind me of someone I once loved.” His eyes softened for a moment, but then his expression darkened and he clenched his fist. The metal suit started to cave in on you, crushing you with every move of his fingers. You cried out. “But you’re too much like your father.”

“You say that like its a bad thing.” You snarked before screaming out in pain, shards piercing your skin as they broke off from the suit. It wasn’t until Captain America threw a large rock and Thanos that you were released.

“I thought he was going to kill me.” You whispered and let out a bitter laugh. “I guess he did.”

“You can’t give up, Y/N.” Your mother took your hands in hers. “After everything you’ve been through to get that boy back, what was it…” She tried to think of his name.

“Peter.” You told her, bringing a small smile to your face.

“Exactly; Peter. You’ve just got him back and now he has to lose you?”

“What am I supposed to do?” She looked you in the eyes intensely.

“You have to fight.”

Tony could hardly believe it. How could anything be so small?

“I think she looks like you,” Mallory noted with a smile. “She’s got that little twinkle of mischief in her eyes.” She laughed and proceeded to speak with one of the nurses. Tony held the little bundle of blankets in his arms and felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time: fear. How was he supposed to be a dad? When he’d gotten the call the Mallory was going into labor, he flew all the way back from Singapore, but now that he was here, he was terrified.

He was Tony Stark; one of the biggest playboys in America. How was he supposed to be a father? Mallory could tell by the look on his face how nervous he was. She smirked. It was almost entertaining- big tough Tony, lord of American weapon manufacturing, cowering over a newborn infant. And she knew that he was completely wrapped around that little girl’s finger.

“Her name is Y/N.”

It was then that he promised himself that he would be there.  Even though he and Mallory weren’t together anymore, he was going to be a part of his daughter’s life. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes that his father had. The baby in his arms opened her eyes and looked up at him. A smile spread across her small face and a bell-like laugh rang out through the hospital room. Tony couldn’t keep himself from beaming.

There was a loud crash outside the room- a nurse had dropped the pile of clipboards that she had been carrying. Y/N started to cry, fat tears falling down her soft cheeks. Tony held her closer to him, cradling the back of her head as he tried to calm her down.

“Shhh,” He cooed. “It’s okay. I’m here.” He lightly bounced on the balls of his feet. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Tony hadn’t slept at all that night. He’d stayed by Y/N’s side all night. She was kept in one of the hospital rooms in the Avengers facility. Everyone had come in and out to check on her, but one person had stayed throughout the night.

Peter sat across from Tony on the other side of Y/N’s bed. After being ordered by Tony to get some sleep, his head rested against the wall and his eyes were closed. Tony watched him with a thousand thoughts running through his head.

How could he have let it all happen? He should have been with Y/N, fighting by her side the entire time, but instead, the moment she was left alone, she was put at risk. And now he could lose her. He could lose everything. And what about Peter? Where did he fit into all of this? His seemingly peaceful sleep started to shift as his breathing became rapid and his face winced.

“I don't want to go.” He whimpered. “Please Mr. Stark, I don’t want to go.” Tony rushed over to him and gently tried to shake him awake.

“Peter.” He whispered, trying not to scare him. He knew what it was like. To have every moment of sleep haunted by images of terror. “Peter, wake up.” Peter’s eyes shot open and he leaped out of the seat.

“Thanos!” He exclaimed, his gaze darting around the room until it landed on Y/N. He collapsed back into his chair. Tony put a hand on his face.

“It’s okay, kid. It was just a dream.” He pulled the scared boy to him, wrapping his arms around his trembling body. Peter didn’t take his eyes off her. She was lying there, with so many machines hooked up to her, he couldn’t even keep track. Tony pulled away, following Peter’s eyes and sighing. “I think I’m going to go grab a cup of coffee.” He announced. He was going to need some caffeine if he was going to make it through the night.  “Why don’t you come with me?”

“I think I’ll just stay here if you don’t mind, Mr. Stark.” Peter declined, a million thoughts running through his mind. Why did it have to be her? Tony nodded and gave him a pat on the back before leaving the room, running his fingers through his mess of black hair. Peter nervously took Y/N’s hand, recoiling when he felt how cold it was. He captured it in his hands, gently rubbing her skin to try and warm it up. “Hey.” He greeted quietly.

Maybe it was the silence, or perhaps the shadows cast on her face that broke his heart. He couldn’t help it. Tears spilled from his eyes, streaking down his face faster than he could try and wipe them away.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I’m sorry that this happened. I’m sorry that you did all of this for me.” He held Y/N’s hand up to his lips and pressed them to the inside of her palm, his tears collecting on her skin. “You were never supposed to get hurt for me.” His mind raced back through memories of when he met Y/N. She was beautiful and brilliant… and the daughter of his mentor. He never expected a girl like her to even notice a nobody from Queens like him.

“You’re not nobody Peter.” She had told him, running her fingers through his light brown hair. “You’re Spider-man. You’re a hero.” She and her father were the first people who truly made him believe in himself. How was he supposed to face Mr. Stark after this? It was his fault that his daughter was fighting for her life in a hospital bed right now.

Tony was surprised to see someone else standing in the kitchen when he walked in. Steve slowly drank from a glass of water and gave Tony a small wave of acknowledgment. Tony turned on the coffee machine and waited for it to brew in silence.

“How is she?” Steve asked, keeping his voice low. He didn’t want to wake up anyone else up. They all deserved their rest after all they’d been through.

“She’s going to be fine.” Tony gave him a false smile, but he couldn’t find the energy to fake it anymore. His expression turned to one of desperation and sorrow. He took a shaking breath. “She still isn’t waking up.” He leaned against the counter. “I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“You should have heard her going up against Thanos.” Steve chuckled to himself. “Thanos told her that she was too much like you, and do you know what she said? She said ‘You say it like it’s a bad thing.’ There she was, facing the person who wiped out half the universe and she wasn’t even scared.” He put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “She gave her all.” Tony looked down at the floor. Steve knew what it was like to lose people and despite his and Tony’s differences, he wanted to help him through this. “She’ll make it. She’s a tough kid, Tony. Just like her dad.” He gave him a small smile before returning to his room.

When Tony came back to the infirmary, he found Peter with his face buried in his hands, his body shaking with sobs. Peter looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark. T-this is a-all my fault. It’s my fault she’s hurt. It’s my fault she might not-” He stammered through his cries. Tony pulled him into his arms once again.

“You can’t think like that, kid.” He said sternly.

“I don’t what I would do with-without h-her.” Peter clung to Tony if only to keep himself from collapsing.

“I don’t think I know either.” Tony agreed quietly. Y/N had changed his life in so many ways. She made him a better man and a better father than he ever thought he would be. He promised her the day she was born that he would never let anything happen to her and now he could lose her forever. Mallory would know what to do. She always did.

You watched them with tears streaming down your face. You stood in the corner of the room, your mother holding your hand next to you.

“They need you, sweetheart.” She gave your hand a gentle squeeze. You turned to her.

“What about you?” You sniffed. “Have you just been alone all this time?”

“I’ve been watching over you.” She placed a hand on your cheek. “I’ve seen you grow into a hero just like your father. I’ve seen you fall in love with that boy and fight to get him back. And no matter what, I will always be with you. Every step of the way.” You pulled her into one last hug.

“I love you, mom.” You sobbed. She ran her fingers through your hair and placed a kiss on your forehead.

“I love you too, my sweet girl.” And just like that, she vanished and you woke up.

“Dad?” You said weakly. Tony and Peter immediately broke apart. “Peter?” Both pairs of eyes went wide as they rushed to your side.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Tony asked, carefully pushing a strand of hair out of your face.

“Like I ran into  a giant purple wall.” You laughed but winced at the pains in your torso. You looked at Peter. “Hi.”

“Hey.” He beamed, the tears in his eyes turning from those of sorrow to pure joy.

“You had us all pretty scared.” A voice said from the door. Steve down at you. “But I knew you’d make it. You’re a fighter.” Tony gave him a slight nod and you knew that whatever fight they had, was finally coming to an end.

“Cap, let everyone know she’s awake.” He requested. “And get Stephen. He should come have a look at her.” Cap gave you a small salute before stopping at Pepper and Bruce’s rooms first. Peter drew delicate circles on the back of your hand.

“You know, all this time I’ve been thinking about…” He trailed off.

“What?” You wondered as he cheeks turned red.

“Well I was thinking about all the things we wouldn’t have been able to do, you know?” After everything he’d been through, he still had that boyish innocence that you loved so much. “We wouldn’t graduate together, o-or go ice skating at Rockefeller center like you always said you wanted to or… you know… go to prom, if that’s even still a thing.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Tony rolled his eyes.

“Peter Parker, are you asking me to prom?” You grinned, half amused and half just completely enamored by him.

“What? Uh… n-no, I mean, uh,” He stuttered. Tony elbowed him in the side. “Yeah, I guess.” You ignored the pain for a moment and grabbed him by his hoodie, pulling him into a kiss. Tony made an uncomfortable sound and decided to study the mechanics of the lamp.

“What’s going on? Cap said that she-” Bruce started, turning the corner with Pepper. Both halted and chuckled at the scene. They entered, followed by Stephen, who concluded that you were going to be alright.

“Thank god,” Pepper sighed in relief sitting next to Tony. He wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. “I didn’t think I’d be able to keep him in line by myself.” You both laughed and Tony gasped in mock-offense.

“Especially with the-” You started but she vigorously shook her head. Your eyes went wide. “Wait, you haven’t told him yet?”

“There hasn’t really been time!” She exclaimed.

“Tell me? Tell me what?” Tony’s eyes shifted between the two of you, wondering who would crack first. Pepper took a deep breath.

“Do you remember that dream you were telling me about before all of this happened?” She asked. “The one about me being-”

“Are-are you- are you-” Tony stuttered.

“Pepper’s pregnant!’ You exclaimed. The crowd of other Avengers outside the door cheered. A joyously shocked Tony pulled his fiance in for a kiss as the others filed into the room. You laced your fingers through Peter’s and looked around at the strongest people you knew, feeling tears streaming down your cheeks. The Avengers was and always would be your family.