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sycamorelibrary754 · 5 months

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Guardian Angel

Chapter 10: MacGyver

Summary: Wanda and Monica hurry to Rome to save the team from San Castillo's catacombs while you anxiously wait for news about Wanda and your newfound family.

Warnings: Mentions of injury, asthma, anxiety

Word Count: 8k

A/N: The latest chapter of Guardian Angel is the longest yet. Thanks to everyone who's reading! I'm excited about where the story is headed, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Guardian Angel Masterlist

Tony slowly opened his eyes, but all he could see was darkness. The faceplate of his Iron Man helmet slid open, and he heard the dripping sound of condensation. The only indication that he was still alive.

Steve stirred next, feeling the damp air and touching the hard stone floor. He started crawling on all fours and ripped off his oxygen mask, coughing as small pebbles from the drop scraped against his skin.

“Buck, come on. There you go.” Steve tapped his friend's cheek as he started to come around. “Wow,” Barnes gasped as he looked back up at the height of the drop.

Yelena crawled towards Natasha, her face and arms stained with dirt and blood. Despite the pain in her wrist, she began moving the small pile of rubble that had buried her older sister's lower body.

“Are you okay, sestra?” Her voice was muffled under the oxygen mask, but she managed to ask.

Nat slowly sat up and let out a hiss as the pain in her right leg began to hit her. Looking down, she noticed a gash spanning the length of her lower leg, visible through her suit. Although the cut wasn't deep, it was enough to cause her discomfort.

All around them, there was an eerie silence that sent shivers down their spines. The darkness was so thick they could barely see anything beyond a few feet.

Carol quickly sprang into action, helping Peter and Kate to their feet, while Sam and Clint sputtered and coughed as they crawled out from behind a chunk of stone slab covered in a cracked fresco painting that had fallen along with them. The sound of the debris crashing against each other had been deafening, and it had taken them a few moments to get their bearings.

Thor was the last to appear, tossing rubble and rocks aside like Legos. His strength and determination were evident as he worked to clear the wreckage.

“Is everyone alright?” Steve asked the team.

A smattering of grunts and mumbles floated out of the team in response. Everyone was nursing a modicum of injuries, but somehow, all were alive.

"FRIDAY, can you give me an IR scan of the space?" Tony's voice echoed through the underground catacombs.

FRIDAY's response was unexpected. "This is not part of the previously mapped subterranean pathway, boss."

Tony's curiosity was piqued. "What do you mean? Are there any air currents?"

"This catacomb is not accessible to the general public. Therefore, no air currents were constructed at this depth," FRIDAY replied.

Steve had a sudden realization, "How much oxygen is left in the masks?"

"Undeterminable, Captain,” FRIDAY said.

Panic set in as the realization hit them - they were running out of oxygen. "Maria, can you hear me?" Nat urgently called out through her comms, hoping for a response. But all she got was static. "Is comms working for anyone?" she asked, looking around for a glimmer of hope, but no one could get through.

Not waiting for further instruction, Carol swiftly flew up the shaft. The team could hear the distant sound of energy blasts as scattered debris and water droplets fell from above. She returned shortly after, displaying an air of calm anxiety similar to Natasha's.

"We fell at least one hundred feet," Carol reported, removing her oxygen mask. "The top of the shaft narrows, and the passage is blocked by rubble from the fall."

Thor looked around in frustration, "This is ridiculous," he lamented. "I'm getting us the hell out of here," he declared as he started to spin Mjölnir.

But Bruce quickly stopped him. "No, don't you remember what Friday said before the fall?" he said, grabbing Thor's forearm. A core reactor holds the tunnel together. We have no idea what is behind the energy surges. Introducing thunder into the mix could collapse the entire catacomb."

Thor's face contorted in exasperation, "So what do we do now?" he asked, the tension rising.

*^~^*

“How far out are we?" Wanda inquired.

The low and gentle hum emanating from the Quinjet reverberated through the atmosphere as it soared through the endless expanse of the bright blue sky.

"Just a few minutes. Their trackers are still active, but I can't say how long they'll stay online," Monica replied, glancing down at the GPS display.

Wanda wasn't sure what to say. This was the first time she and Monica had been alone together since the events in Westview. Despite the hug they had shared on the loading dock, Wanda wasn't sure where they stood. However, she couldn't bear to dwell on what they might find when they arrived in Rome. She needed a distraction.

"So... how have you been since, well, since..." Wanda began.

"Since you trapped Westview, New Jersey in an idyllic suburban illusion of your grief and turned me into a photon," Monica finished for her, raising an eyebrow.

Wanda buried her face in her hands, feeling embarrassed. "In a manner of speaking, yes," she mumbled.

"I've been okay. After the Hex was dismantled, Fury sent for me. I was recruited into S.A.B.E.R. I've been shuttling back and forth between Earth and the space station for the last year," Monica explained.

Wanda nodded in understanding, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions as she absorbed Monica's words. After a moment, she turned to face her. "Listen, I-"

"You don't need to say anything, Wanda. You already apologized, and I meant what I said that day. I understood how you felt, and given the circumstances and your powers, I would have tried to bring my mom back, too," Monica said, her voice filled with empathy.

Wanda nodded in recognition and gratitude, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Now, I have a question for you," Monica said. "What's the deal with you and Y/N?"

"Our meeting was pure luck, and now... now I can't imagine my life without Y/N. Losing Vis was a turning point in my life. The world around me crumbled, leaving me and my boys vulnerable and exposed. But I had to be strong and protect them, even if it meant building a fortress around my heart. But Y/N, she shattered the fortress the moment our eyes met. It's weird; sometimes it feels like Vision sent Y/N to me, you know? Like she's my guardian angel."

"That's amazing, Wanda. I'm so happy for you,” Monica declared.

"Approaching target landing zone. Cloaking technology initiated," FRIDAY announced.

*^~^*

Darcy seemed to have an unmatched familiarity with the Overwatch system—she navigated through it with precision and ease, almost as if she had designed and constructed it. You couldn't help but notice how meticulously she calibrated her equipment, making every adjustment with utmost care and attention to detail.

“What kind of data were you seeing before the fall?” Darcy asked.

“Mostly thermostats,” Maria said. “A core reactor holds together the stabilization of the tunnel structure.”

At this point, they could have been speaking a foreign language. You were having difficulty washing off the shock of the last few hours. You were also worried about Wanda putting herself in danger to rescue everyone.

“Why were they all on this mission, anyway?” Darcy continued. “Jack Sparrow doesn't usually push all his Poker chips into the middle of the table for surveillance.”

Maria pulled up the mission file on the screen, "In the city of Rome, there are more than sixty catacombs composed of miles of underground tunnels in which thousands of tombs are found. Currently, only 5 of them are open to the public. For the last month, we have received some unusual readings from the Catacombs of San Callisto. It spans five floors and more than 12 miles in length,” Maria continued. “Despite our best intelligence, we were unsure about what we were walking into because it wasn't publicly accessible. Fury wanted us to be prepared for any contingency."

Darcy caught sight of your zoned-out expression. “Hey, Y/N, you okay over there?”

“Yeah, I just,” you trailed off. “I mean, I make candy for a living. The most dangerous thing I encounter in my day is Harper forgetting to turn off the stove,” you said, starting to get worked up.”

“Y/N,” Maria said, seeing your anxiety rising.

“I just watched the Avengers fall to God knows where, and my girlfriend just left to try and rescue them with her magical powers…. What the hell is my life?”

“Y/N, it’s going to be okay,” Maria repeated as she and Darcy approached you.

“How can you possibly know that? This is fucking terrifying!” You shouted. “What if we never see any of them again?”

As you were spiraling into a state of panic, Darcy's hand came down hard and made contact with your cheek, jolting you back into the present moment.

“You were spiraling,” Darcy said, patting you on the back with a smile. “All good now.”

Y/N," Maria said as she placed her hands on your shoulders and looked you in the eyes while you rubbed your cheek. "Everything will be alright. Their trackers are still sending signals, and I just received an update on everyone's vital signs. They're in distress, but they're still stable. Wanda and Monica will find them.”

After a deep breath, you said, "I'm sorry, Maria. I don't know how you guys do this every day,” wiping your hand across your face. “With Natasha down there, I don't know how you're holding it together."

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that Nat doesn’t give up. If anything, this entire ordeal has pissed her off, and she’s even more of a fighter when she’s angry,” Maria said.

You glanced at your watch. "Shoot,” you sighed. It's almost 3 p.m. I have to go pick up Billy and Tommy from school. Please call me as soon as you know anything.”

*^~^*

As you arrived at the boys' school, a sense of nervousness washed over you. You had only met Billy and Tommy once before, and you weren't quite sure what to say to them. You remembered Wanda’s request not to go into detail about the reason for her unplanned departure, so you were hesitant about how to approach the conversation.

Within just a few minutes of your arrival, the sixth-grade class began to come out of the building. It didn't take long for you to spot the twins, carrying their backpacks and books, scanning their surroundings for you.

You called out, "Boys, over here!" Billy and Tommy ran towards you.

“Hi, Y/N, how come you’re picking us up today?” Tommy asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Yeah, where’s our mom?” Billy added, looking a bit confused.

“Your mom had to go on a last-minute mission with the rest of the team,” you said, trying not to go into too much detail. “So, she asked me to look after you boys until she gets back. Is that okay with you?”

Billy and Tommy looked at each other, seemingly communicating a message without words, and then turned back to you with a nod. You couldn't help but wonder if they had some secret twin language that only they knew. Either way, you were relieved they seemed alright with you taking care of them.

It felt odd stepping foot in Wanda’s home without her. It was your first time there, and the absence of her presence made the atmosphere feel eerie. However, you took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling, reminding yourself to focus on Billy and Tommy.

Once settled, you asked, “Okay, so what do you guys usually do first when you get home from school?”

Tommy and Billy stood in the kitchen, looking up at you with hopeful eyes. "Well," Tommy began tentatively, "Mom usually lets us play video games after school."

Billy nodded eagerly, adding, "And then we have ice cream. It's our favorite snack."

You couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. "I see," you said, playing along with their little routine. "And after video games and ice cream, you'll probably get started on your homework, right?"

At this, Tommy's face fell. "We don't have any homework," he admitted sheepishly.

You chuckled, leaning back against the counter. "Listen, boys," you said, adopting a more earnest tone. I know we don't know each other very well yet, and you're probably thinking this is a free-for-all. But you should know I invented the 'I don't have any homework' line," you said, placing your hand on your chest. "I was a kid once, too, you know."

“It was worth a shot,” Billy said.

Why don't you two bring your homework out here, and I’ll fix us a snack in the meantime?” You suggested.

“Okay,” they said in unison before clambering down the hall.

You shook your head at their cheekiness and set about preparing a snack. You sliced up some crisp apples, added a dollop of creamy peanut butter, and poured some refreshing lemonade.

After spending some time helping the boys with their homework, which turned out to be more challenging than you remembered, you decided to tidy up around the house. As you walked into the living room, your attention was immediately drawn to the family photo on the wall. Vision stood tall and robust, with Wanda's arm around him, while Billy and Tommy grinned from ear to ear. The image was a gentle reminder of her life before you. Rather than jealousy, you felt a deep empathy and sorrow for all the hardships and heartbreaks she had endured.

You couldn't help but wonder if Wanda was okay right now. If they were all okay.

*^~^*

As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, a soft glow began to spread across the ancient cobblestones of the Appian Way. The air was still and quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the distant chirping of birds. The surrounding landscape was bathed in a golden light, casting long shadows stretching across the fields and trees. Amidst this stillness, the Quinjet lay concealed in a nearby field. Wanda and Monica walked down the cobblestone path and made their way through the Arch of Dursus, their footsteps echoing in the quietness of the night. The entrance of the San Callisto catacombs suddenly materialized, rising from the ground like an ominous apparition.

The iron gate had been meticulously re-welded shut—Tony’s standard attempt at not drawing suspicion after they entered. Wanda’s hand began to swirl in red.

“I got it,” Monica said, breaking the lock with electrifying blue energy.

The two women donned oxygen masks and walked down the stone stairs into the catacombs, their communications and body cameras crackling to life.

As they descended the steps, their feet moved steadily, one after the other. The count of each step eluded them as they were fully immersed in descending. As they reached the end of the stairs, the first of the tombs revealed itself, emerging from the darkness before them.

Do you feel anything?” Monica asked, “Anyone?”

Wanda shook her head, “Not yet.”

“We’re looking at 90 acres of catacombs to search, ladies,” Maria said over the comms.

“So, you know, it may take a minute,” Darcy added.

*^~^*

Yelena frustratingly turned to Tony, "Can't you fly us out of here? I thought Iron Man could do anything?"

Tony snapped, "Oh gee, I hadn't thought of that blondie. Thank God you finally mentioned it after five hours!"

Natasha intervened, "Take it down a notch, Tony."

Tony sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Don't you think if I could have flown us out of here, I would have done it by now? The energy surges compromised the calibration of the thrusters. FRIDAY is down, too.”

Sam nodded in agreement, "Same here. It's a complete multisystem failure."

Suddenly, Kate's voice echoed off the stone, "Help!!"

Peter dropped from the wall onto the floor, webbing still hanging loosely from the rocks. "I couldn't find any other openings."

Bucky added with a hint of sarcasm, "Terrific. Well, Steve, we died once; looks like it's going to stick this time," he lamented, as he pulled a small flask from inside his leather jacket and removed his oxygen mask.

“Bucky, stop,” Steve sighed.

Clint chimed in, "Hey, give me some of that," as he took a swig out of the flask.

The archer passed the flask to Thor, who reluctantly sipped,” Your human alcohol is so weak.”

Natasha stood and hobbled over to Bruce, the cut on her leg now causing her more significant discomfort.

“Do you want me to look at your leg?” Bruce cautiously asked.

“No,” Nat said, ripping off her oxygen mask. “I want you to get your green ass off that rock and go MacGyver something with Stark to get us the fuck out of here!”

“What’s a MacGyver?” Peter asked.

“It's not a what, it's a who,” Kate responded.

“I've never heard of him,” Peter continued.

“MacGyver is amazing!" exclaimed Kate, her excitement bubbling over. "He’s a super resourceful secret agent who uses his vast scientific knowledge to escape dangerous situations. He uses everyday items like matchsticks, paper clips, and rubber bands to complete his missions.”

Nat's voice echoed through the cramped quarters as she shouted, "Knock it off!" The two young Avengers quieted down immediately, their eyes fixed on her.

Steve took a deep breath and scanned the room, his eyes settling on each of his teammates in turn. "Look," he said, getting everyone's attention. "We don't know how long Wanda and Maria will take to find us, but we must assume they're close. That means we need to stay calm and do everything we can to conserve oxygen in this tiny space and our masks. We don't know what will happen next, but we're in this together, and we're going to make it through."

*^~^*

It had been an hour since the boys had gone to bed. Now that you were finally alone with your thoughts, you couldn't hold back the tears. Your mind was consumed with worry and fear, and you had not received any updates from Maria and Darcy. The silence was deafening, and the longer it persisted, the more scared and anxious you became.

You gazed at your phone, considering calling them, but decided against it. Instead, you wiped your eyes and scrolled through your camera roll, looking at pictures of you and Wanda that reminded youof your favorite memories together.

You suddenly felt like someone was watching you. You looked up and saw Billy poking his head around the corner.

"Hey, Billy. You okay?" you asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Are you?" the young boy asked in return, his voice barely above a whisper. "Your thoughts are really loud."

It took you a moment to realize what he meant, but then it hit you. Of course, like his mom, Billy could hear other people's thoughts. You wondered how often he had to deal with that and how overwhelming it must be.

"I'm sorry, Billy," you said, trying to keep your thoughts in check. "I didn't mean to be so loud."

"It's okay," he said with a shrug as he joined you on the couch. "I'm used to it.”

You sat in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to say next. Then, you remembered why you were there in the first place.

"I'm just excited for your mom to come home," you said, trying to inject some positivity into the conversation.

"Same," he said, his face lighting up a little. He scooted closer to you on the couch. It was a small gesture, but it made you feel like maybe you were doing something right.

"You and Tommy love your mom a lot, don't you?" you asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, she's amazing. She's always there for us," he explained with a smile.

"I can tell," you said, pulling a soft blanket off the back of the couch and placing it over Billy. "She talks about you and Tommy all the time. She's so proud of both of you."

"Really? What does she say?" Billy asked curiously, his eyes widening with interest.

"Well," you began, "she says you're both brilliant, funny, and sweet young men. She admires your sense of humor and your kindness towards others. Tommy is a great athlete, and you like to draw. She thinks you're a very talented artist."

"Mom told you that?" he said, surprised. "I didn't know she talked about us so much."

"Yes, she does. She loves you two very much," you replied, smiling at him warmly.

You followed Billy’s eyes as he stared at the family photograph you admired earlier. "I miss Dad," he said. "Tommy does, too."

"I know you do," you replied. “I’m sorry.”

"We were happy in Westview," Billy said, fidgeting with his hands just like Wanda. "Then, one day, we woke up, and Dad was gone and Mom said we had to go."

"That must have been difficult," you said softly.

"Yeah, at first it was tough," Billy continued, "but then we came here. Mom got Uncle Tony to build us this cool house, and we have a lot of fun.”

You couldn't help but smile as he talked about Wanda. "Your mom is the coolest person I know," you said, and Billy beamed with pride.

"You miss her too, don't you?" he asked, and you felt a pang of longing in your heart.

"You're good, kid," you said with a smirk as you ruffled his hair. "Yes, I miss your mom very much."

“She talks about you too, you know,” Billy mentioned.

Your surprise showed on your face. "Really?" you asked.

"Yeah," he said matter-of-factly. "She says you make her happy, and you make the best chocolate in the world."

You giggled at the compliment, but then you noticed the time. It was almost 2 a.m. "I think we both could use some shut-eye, Billy. We want to be well-rested when your mom gets home."

"Okay," he agreed, climbing off the couch.

But before he left, you had an idea. "Hey, what do you say you and I and Tommy make brownies tomorrow as a treat for everyone when they get home?"

Billy's eyes lit up. "That would be awesome!"

"I think so, too," you said with a smile. "Okay, now, bedtime. Off you go."

Unexpectedly, the young boy hugged you goodnight, and you felt a warmth in your heart. "Thank you, Y/N. Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight, Billy," you said.

*^~^*

Meanwhile, half a world away, Wanda and Monica ventured through the dark and musty catacombs. The eerie silence was only broken by the echo of their footsteps. They had been walking for hours with no sign of anyone. Suddenly, Maria's voice broke through their comms, sending chills down their spine.

“Our last point of contact was down this secondary tunnel just ahead,” she said.

Wanda's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the area. "Watch your step," she warned. "If this is near where they dropped, we're on unstable ground."

As they continued, the walls around them became adorned with ancient symbols and paintings, marking Papal tombs. But their peaceful exploration was abruptly interrupted when Monica came to a sudden halt. "Stop," she said, sensing a change in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Wanda spun around to face her. "What is it?" She asked, her anxiety rising.

Before Monica could answer, the ground began to shake violently, throwing both women to the ground.

As the ceiling crumbled, debris rained down onthe two women. Acting quickly, Wanda summoned her powers to redirect the falling fragments away from them.

“Are you two okay?” Maria asked nervously.

“Yeah, we're okay,” Wanda said as she helped Monica to her feet. “What was that?”

Take a look around," Darcy pointed out. "Do you see those fissures along the walls? Someone is utilizing the catacombs as a natural storage space for geothermal energy. But there is something wrong with the core reactor. It's causing the structure to become destabilized.

Monica's voice trailed off as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "So, in other words, we're..." she hesitated, unsure.

Darcy picked up on Monica's hesitation and completed her thought. "Walking on eggshells. You need to find them, and soon.”

*^~^*

Clint, feeling a tad bit drunk from sipping from Bucky’s flask for the last few hours, began singing to himself, “Nobody knows the troubles I've seen.”

“No, we need to find some physical conductor for the thrusters! We can't use Thor or Danvers down here,” Bruce exasperated.

Clint, not paying attention to the conversation, continued his solo performance, “Nobody knows my sorrows.”

Tony suggested, “We could use Barnes’s arm,” side-eying the super soldier sitting against the wall.

Bruce momentarily thought about it and responded, “That could work. We could use the vibranium and cybernetic implant to hot wire the thrusters”.

“Nobody knows the troubles I've seen,” Clint shamelessly continued.

Bucky, who had been quietly listening, pulled down his oxygen mask so that only his eyes were visible and said, “Come try to take it; I dare you.”

“No one at all!” Clint finally finished singing. Natasha gently coaxed her best friend back into a sitting position beside her and Carol.

Nearby, Yelena, Peter, and Kate sat on the ground. Kate’s head rested in Yelena’s lap, doing her best to clean the cut on the young archer’s forehead.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Kate, her voice muffled by the oxygen mask.

Yelena had attended to Nat's leg gash and now turned to the cut on Kate's forehead. She took out a disinfectant wipe from her vest pocket and dabbed the wound gently.

“Stop moving, and it won't hurt so much, Kate Bishop,” Yelena said, trying to hold her still.

Suddenly, the sound of Peter wheezing broke the blonde's concentration away from Kate's forehead.

"Woah, are you okay, spider?" Her voice was filled with concern as the boy tore off his oxygen mask.

Peter gasped between every word and said, "I don't know, I can't,” he sputtered. “Catch my breath."

Kate sat up nervously, "Hey, what's happening? Where is your inhaler, Peter?"

Peter's voice strained, and his breaths became shorter as he said, "On the jet."

Bruce took charge of the situation, moving Peter into a sitting position against the wall. He placed an ear to his chest and frowned at the raspy, short breaths.

"Peter, look at me," Bruce said gently as he held the boy's face. "Are you certain that you don't have a rescue inhaler with you?"

He shook his head, his eyes filled with fear as each breath became more labored.

Tony quickly turned to Steve and said, "Help me out of the suit."

Steve was confused and asked, "What?"

"FRIDAY is down. I need you to get it off me, do it!" Tony's voice exclaimed anxiously.

Steve found the central seam of the Iron Man suit and tried to pull the chest plate apart, but it wouldn't budge.

"Buck, Thor, help me!" Steve shouted.

The sound of Peter's shallow breaths was drowned out by the metal bending as Bucky and Thor worked to free Tony from his suit.

"It's going to be okay, Peter. Stay with us," Sam said, as he and Carol did their best to keep him calm.

Peter's vision began to blur as his breathing was reduced to a squeak.

"Shit!" Bruce exclaimed, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Tony quickly stepped out of the broken pieces of his suit just as Peter was about to lose consciousness. He reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a rescue inhaler. He shook it several times before removing the cap as Nat lowered Peter’s head into her lap. Tony tilted the puffer slightly, angling it down his throat as he gave two puffs into his mouth.

"Slowly breathe in, kid," Tony instructed. "One, two, three, four, five."

Tony administered two more puffs of the inhaler before Bruce listened to Peter's chest and confirmed his breathing had improved.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Peter whispered as his lungs began to open up. "Where did you get that inhaler?"

From Aunt Mae. It was one of her conditions for you to join the team. I always have it on me," Tony explained.

"You broke your suit," Peter realized.

"It's an easy fix, kid. You're not," Tony smirked.

Peter continued to use the inhaler as Tony kissed his forehead and walked away, his hands trembling.

Kate and Yelena comforted Peter while Bruce examined him.

"You're okay, Peter," Bruce said. "Continue using the inhaler, and when you feel up to it, put your oxygen mask back on." He picked up Peter’s mask, but his eyes widened with anxiety. The gauge was empty, and the light had turned red.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"The mask is out of oxygen," Bruce whispered.

"I'll give you mine," Carol offered, taking off her mask and giving it to Peter.

"Thanks, Carol," Peter said as he continued to use the inhaler.

Steve pulled Bruce to one side. “Be honest with me, Bruce. How much time do we have left?”

"It's hard to say. With Peter's preexisting medical condition, he may have been using more oxygen than the rest of us. I'll check the other masks, but with so many people in this small space—”

“Bruce,” Steve said solemnly.

“An hour. Maybe,” Banner conceded.

*^~^*

Instantly, an avalanche of disordered thoughts rushed into Wanda's mind, emanating from Peter. The intensity of his anxiety was so profound that Wanda had to cling to the wall of the tunnel to steady herself. Overwhelmed with relief and anguish, she burst into tears. It was as if Peter's distress was contagious, and his emotions threatened to engulf Wanda's consciousness. His mind was a chaotic maze of thoughts, all leading to the same inescapable conclusion: they were all going to die.

Monica's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Wanda, what is it?"

Wanda had to grab the side of the wall for support. "Peter. I can feel him; he's close."

It was as if Peter’s thoughts broke the dam, and one by one, the desperation and fear of her teammates came through. But soon, it was replaced with something else entirely: acceptance. They seemed resigned to their fate, and Wanda couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

“This way,” Wanda said as the two women doubled back.

A dark tunnel forced the two women to duck as they crawled through it. As they forced their way through the ancient passage, they were relieved when it opened into a larger space—rubble scattered everywhere and the feeling of uneven ground underneath their feet.

Maria's voice echoed through the comms, "What do see?"

Monica took a deep breath and replied, "It's much cooler in here." The air around them was refreshing, starkly contrasting the humid air in the rest of the catacomb.

Wanda knelt and placed her hand on the ground, feeling the dampness seeping through her fingers. "The ground is damp, too," she added.

Darcy's ears perked up at their report, and her eyes widened. “This is it! If the water sinks into the ground, it's coming out somewhere.”

Monica took notice of the uneven gravel. “Don’t move,” she said as she phased through the ground, leaving Wanda alone with the team’s thoughts in her head.

*^~^*

Bruce, true to his word, carefully examined all the oxygen in the ten remaining masks. Unfortunately, five more had depleted, leaving the group with only five masks to share. They sat in a circle and passed the masks around, agreeing on five-minute turns, but the adults made sure Yelena, Kate, and Peter had the masks on for a bit longer without saying anything.

As they breathed heavily and coughed occasionally, it became apparent that the air was running out. Suddenly, a low rumbling sound made everyone scramble to the walls. Yelena instinctively reached out for Natasha, who was struggling to stand on what was now most likely an infected cut in her leg.

"Cover your head!" Steve shouted, not sure if it was another energy surge or if the catacombs were finally caving in.

Suddenly, Monica dropped through the stone ceiling and landed on Carol, causing her to grunt in pain. Monica quickly stood up, dusting herself off and helping Carol to her feet.

Kate screamed in relief, "Oh my God, it's Monica!!" and hugged her. Yelena tried to pry Kate off Monica while everyone else watched in surprise.

"You found us," Carol said, hugging her next.

"Actually, Wanda found you,” Monica said as she held Carol. “She heard Peter's thoughts," turning to the young Avenger.

"Thank you for having asthma, you wonderful little arachnid!" Clint said, kissing Peter on the cheek.

"Umm, you're welcome," Peter replied.

"Wanda is here?" Steve asked.

"I knew she could do it," Natasha said under her breath, recalling the day Wanda returned to the compound.

"Wanda," Monica said, pressing her comms closer to her ear. "You were right, they're down here."

"Are they alright?" Wanda asked, her voice a mix of anxiety and relief.

"More or less," Monica responded, looking around at the sweaty, exhausted, and dirt-covered group. "When I give the word, you do your thing."

"Got it," Wanda replied.

"Everyone move away from the center," she instructed.

After ensuring that everyone was safe, she issued the command, "Alright, Wanda. Now.”

The redhead stood still, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Her hands and eyes began to emit a bright red glow, almost like they were on fire. As she closed her eyes, your words echoed in her mind.

“The magic that courses through you is the true measure of who you are, Wanda. Don't let a single mistake define you or your legacy."

She focused her energy and channeled her magic to lift the endless amount of heavy rubble that blocked the narrow shaft. As she lifted the debris, the sound of rocks and debris tumbling down from above echoed through the small space. The team looked up as they saw a faint ray of light piercing through the small opening over a hundred feet above them.

Wanda's heart pounded as she floated down, eager to reunite with her family. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Natasha enveloped her in a warm embrace. "No arm tied behind your back anymore," she whispered, her words full of relief.

Tears filled Wanda's eyes as she nodded, overwhelmed with emotion. Then, Tony stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "I can't even tell you how happy I am to see you, Red," he said, his voice filled with genuine joy.

"Same here, Tony," Wanda replied, a smile spreading across her face.

But their reunion was cut short by Maria's voice crackling over the comms. "You can all exchange pleasantries on the way home; time to rejoin the above-ground dwellers," she said briskly.

Wanda quickly wiped away her tears and, with a wave of her hand, conjured a ladder leading out of the shaft.

After Wanda and Monica checked the stability of the ladder, Bucky, Clint, Sam, Thor, and Carol led the way up. Monica offered her assistance to anyone who needed it.

"Does anyone need a lift?" Monica asked, glancing around at the group.

Tony immediately pointed to Peter, who quickly protested, "What? No, not necessary, Mr. Stark. I'm fine."

However, Tony was quick to dismiss Peter's objections. "Nice try, kid. Your asthma almost killed you. Let the Photon carry you. That's an order," he said, picking up the broken chest plate of his suit and ascending the ladder.

Peter reluctantly acquiesced. "Fine," he grumbled, "but no one tells MJ.”

Monica picked Peter up bridal-style and flew up the shaft, ensuring that he made it to the top safely.

Natasha leaned on Yelena and Kate for support as she hobbled toward the ladder.

"May I offer you a lift?" Wanda asked with a smirk, knowing that Nat would be hesitant to accept help from anyone.

"Do I look like Peter?" Nat replied sarcastically, trying to shrug off the offer.

Wanda's smirk turned into a concerned expression as she noticed the pain she was in. "No, but your leg looks pretty bad, and I have someone on the line who wants to speak with you," she explained, handing Nat her comms earpiece.

Nat begrudgingly grabbed it, knowing precisely who would be on the other end. She put it on and said, "Hi, Maria.”

Maria's voice echoed through the earpiece. "Natalia Alianovna Romanoff! I can see your leg on their body cameras. Let Wanda help you, or I swear to God, you are sleeping on the couch until it heals," she shouted in a stern tone.

Natasha let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that Maria was right. She reluctantly handed her earpiece back to Wanda and nodded in agreement.

"Have a nice conversation, did you?" Wanda teased, noticing the annoyed expression on Natasha's face.

"Shut up, and get me out of here," the Black Widow grumbled.

"Good choice," the redhead said with a smile as she used her magic to lift Natasha out of the shaft. She then turned her attention to Yelena and Kate and gestured for them to follow. "After you."

The last one to leave, Steve smiled broadly at Wanda, his dirt and blood-covered face unable to conceal his immense pride in her.

“Are you going to give me some big hero speech, Cap?” Wanda asked, half-joking.

"Maybe later," Steve replied with a sigh. "But for now, all I want to do is this." He wrapped his arms around Wanda, pulling her close. "Welcome back, Wanda," he said, his voice filled with warmth.

Night had descended upon Rome by the time the team finally boarded the Quinjet. Monica took control of the jet and put it on autopilot, allowing her and Wanda to attend to everyone's injuries. The mood was somber as they tended to the team.

"No more underground missions!" Sam declared loudly, wincing in pain as Wanda wrapped his shoulder. "I mean it. If we need to go underground, Fury can send in the incredible shrinking Scott or use Red Wing. I was chasing ghosts down there, and we still don't know what the hell was going on."

Monica tried to reassure him. "You were probably just hallucinating from a lack of oxygen," she said.

Ha! Probably!" Sam responded, his tone skeptical. "See, that's not exactly comforting. Steve, I need you to make sure this is included in the mission report. We can't afford to overlook any potential threats."

Looking around at the team, Steve agreed with Sam. "I think we could all use some rest first though," he suggested. "We can reconvene in the morning and go over everything in more detail.”

*^~^*

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of your phone ringing on the coffee table. You had decided to sleep on the couch after Billy went back to bed, in case either of the boys woke up again. As you picked up the phone and saw Maria's name on the screen, your heart skipped a beat.

Anxious and nervous, you answered the call, "Maria? Have you heard anything?”

Maria's response brought tears to your eyes, "They're all safe. A bit bruised and battered, but alive. ETA is about 2 hours."

Relieved and grateful, you could feel a weight lifted off your chest. "Oh, thank God… and Wanda?"

"She was amazing, Y/N. You would’ve been so proud," Maria's voice was filled with admiration.

You couldn't help the tears that fell down your cheeks. You asked, "So, what happens now?" while looking around the corner to make sure Billy and Tommy were still asleep.

"Well, they'll have a short debrief when they get back and presumably a visit to the med bay. But I know Wanda will want to see you and the boys ASAP," Maria explained.

You nodded, even though she couldn't see you, "Okay," you said while running your hand through your hair and looking at the clock. "We'll be there."

"Good, see you in a bit, Y/N," Maria said.

"Bye, Maria," you replied before hanging up the phone.

As you were putting the couch back together, Billy and Tommy, still in their pajamas, walked into the kitchen. You greeted them with a warm smile and said, "Good morning, boys! I have some good news for you - your mom is on her way home."

Tommy's face lit up with delight as he exclaimed, "Yes!"

Billy looked at you with curiosity and asked, "When will she be here?"

You checked your watch and replied, "In a couple of hours. I was thinking we could all meet her at the compound. What do you think?"

Both boys nodded eagerly, thrilled at the prospect of seeing their mother again.

Then, you added, "Cool! So, I was thinking, would you like to help me make some brownies to bring as a welcome-home treat for everyone? It's a very special recipe from The Candy Bar."

You raised an eyebrow, waiting for their response. The boys looked at each other, then back at you, with wide grins on their faces. "Yes, please!" they exclaimed in unison.

As you stepped into the kitchen, you were struck by the state-of-the-art sound system that Tony had built into the house. You paired your phone with it and turned on your “Baking playlist” to set the mood for your baking session. Billy and Tommy sat at the kitchen island, eagerly awaiting their tasks. You laid out all the ingredients for your fudgy chocolate brownies on the sleek granite countertop, admiring how they gleamed under the overhead lights.

“Okay,” you said, clapping your hands together. “Tommy, you mix the dry ingredients, and Billy, you mix the wet ingredients.”

You couldn't help but grin as the boys rolled up their sleeves and got to work, their eyes fixed on the recipe book as they measured each ingredient with utmost care.

While the brownies were baking to perfection, you whipped up a decadent chocolate frosting that would add an extra layer of sweetness to the treat. The smooth, velvety texture of the frosting was the perfect complement to the chewy, chocolatey goodness of the brownies.

Once you finished frosting the brownies and placing them in the refrigerator, you checked the clock and said, "Okay, why don't you guys get showered and dressed? You want to look your best for your mom."

In perfect unison, they responded, "Okay." That's when Tommy suddenly zipped away and returned in a split second, ready to go.

"Whoa! That was fast," you said, impressed.

"I know, right? I have super speed, just like our Uncle Pietro!" Tommy proudly announced.

"Ah, your mom has told me a bit about him," you replied, nodding in understanding.

"Well, that's why I'm so awesome at sports!" Tommy exclaimed with a huge grin.

"Actually, that's not true," Billy interjected. "Mom doesn't want him to use his powers while playing."

"Ugh, don't listen to him. Sometimes I use them when she isn't looking," Tommy said, a mischievous look creeping across his face.

"What?! I'm going to tell Mom!" Billy shouted, looking outraged.

"You will not!" Tommy said, pushing his brother playfully.

"Hey, hey, hey!" You stepped between them, breaking up their squabble. "Billy, you can go get ready, and Tommy, how about you help me pack the brownies?"

"Fine," Billy grumbled.

"Okay," Tommy said with a nod.

*^~^*

As you entered the compound, you were informed that the team had already finished their debriefing and were receiving post-mission examinations and oxygen treatments in the med bay, as per Fury's orders. You and the boys patiently waited outside the medical facility, observing as doctors and nurses went in and out.

After what felt like an eternity, you finally caught a glimpse of Wanda. The sight of her filled you with joy, and you couldn't help but smile. Wanda was scanning the room before her eyes landed on you and the boys. The twins' excitement was palpable as they ran towards Wanda with unbridled enthusiasm.

Wanda hugged Billy and Tommy tightly, kissing the tops of their heads. You hung back, holding the Tupperware full of brownies, not wanting to impose on their family reunion.

“I missed you boys so much!” Wanda said, kneeling to hug them.

“We missed you too,” Tommy replied.

“Yeah,” Billy agreed, “but we had a great time with Y/N. She's so much fun, and we made brownies for everyone, see?” pointing back at you.

Wanda glanced back at you, and her eyes lit up with joy upon seeing you standing there. “Hello, my love. I missed you too," she said, pulling you into a warm embrace, and giving you a soft kiss on the lips, which made you blush.

“You brought everyone home,” you said, repeating the words you spoke to her before she left. “I knew you could do it,” you said, as you both tried to hold back tears in the middle of the med bay.

Lost in the moment, Tony's voice brought you back to reality. "Aww! Look at the lovebirds," he exclaimed. You saw Stark walking towards you, holding Pepper’s and Morgan’s hands. He looked a bit worse for wear than the last time you saw him, with a limp, butterfly stitches above his eyebrow, and a cut on his cheek.

You hugged all three of them. "Mmmm, what do we have here?" Tony asked. "Very nice! I don't remember you making brownies for me when I came home from a mission,” turning to his wife.

Pepper shot back, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm a little busy running your entire company. If you want brownies, make them yourself."

Natasha appeared next, being pushed in a wheelchair by Maria, followed by Yelena and Kate. Natasha's lower right leg was heavily bandaged, "Oh, Nat, are you okay?" you asked.

"I'm fine," she said, reassuringly smiling as you leaned down to embrace her. "This is all just precautionary."

Maria chimed in, "Right, that’s why Dr. Cho also gave us precautionary antibiotics," doing air quotes, and you couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

"My sister has always been stubborn," Yelena said as she and Kate joined the group. The blonde adjusted the brace on her wrist before hugging you and grabbing two brownies.

"Yeah, you should have seen her down there," Kate added. "It was like the Black Widow on steroids," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around you.

"What was that, Bishop?" Nat asked, giving Kate a suspicious look.

"Nothing," Kate responded nervously. "Would you like a brownie?"

"Mmhm, that's what I thought you said," Nat smirked as she took the brownie.

*^~^*

You joined the team for dinner but retired early to your room, wanting to give the group some space to decompress after a traumatic mission. While resting on your bed, a knock on your door caught your attention, and Wanda poked her head inside.

“Sorry, sweetheart. Were you sleeping?” she asked.

“No, just resting my eyes,” you replied as you sat up with a yawn.

Wanda joined you on the bed, giggling. “Yeah, that's how I usually feel at the end of the day with the boys, too.”

You wrapped your arms around her and kissed her cheek. “The boys were great. It was nice to spend more time with them.”

“They feel the same way, love. To quote them, Y/N is super cool,” Wanda smirked.

“Super cool. I should put that on my business card,” you joked.

“Seriously, Y/N. Thank you. I know two 11-year-old boys are a handful, and I put you in a challenging position, but it means so much to me that I can trust you.”

As soon as the word "trust" was uttered, memories of your parents' dubious actions over the remains of Sokovia and your conversation with Tony flooded your mind. The weight of the past seemed to take its toll on you, and your anxiety was on full display, which the redhead must have picked up on.

Wanda glanced at you with concern etched on her face. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked, her voice laced with tenderness and care.

You tried your best to put on a reassuring smile and push the nagging thoughts out of your mind. "I am now that you're home," you replied softly.

Taglist: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @bibliophilicbi @darkstar225

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olsenmyolsen · 2 months

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Chapter Four: The Farmer's Daughter

The Farmer's Daughter - (A WandaNat Story)

Masterlist

Summary: Natasha quickly realizes how fucked she is with Wanda Maximoff on the farm.

Word Count: 1.4K

Content: The Start of Big Time Flirty Wanda Maximoff

The woman spoke in a slight accent, making Natasha smile like an idiot.

"I uh-" The redhead cleared her throat. "I'm Natasha. Natasha Romanoff." She took steps forward with her extended.

Green eyes watched her carefully before quickly looking Natasha up and down.

Yes, she noticed the tags around Natasha's neck.

"I work here. On the farm." Natasha spoke with honesty as a soft hand met hers. The touch was gentle. "Oh!" Green eyes sounded surprised with a hint of excitement. "Well, in that case, I'm Wa-"

"Wanda!"

"Our girl!"

Everyone turned to the sound of Erik and Magda exiting the house and running down the porch steps. Excited to see their daughter, Wanda Maximoff.

Their daughter Wanda!

Natasha's eyes became wide. She pulled her hand away and watched as the mysterious person turned around and greeted Erik and Magda with a hug.

Shit! Natasha thought. She hated how her heart was beating right now.

What's worse was the smile Wanda shined when she briefly looked Natasha's way after exiting the hug with her parents.

It was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen be graced upon someone. Natasha especially liked the two front teeth. They were cute, and she could feel herself start to melt under Wanda.

This was trouble for Natasha. Wanda could sense this as she looked back at Natasha before glancing at her friends.

"Sam!" Erik turned away from his daughter and stuck his hand out to shake the driver of the Jeep. "Sir." The man inside the open Jeep stuck his hand out the nonexistent window and shook Erik's hand. Erik then looked from the man named Sam to the other occupants of the SUV. "Bucky, Carol, Darcy, Monica. Hello!" Erik smiled and waved.

They waved back.

"Hey, Mr. L. Who's that?" Asked a dark-haired younger woman with glasses. Darcy. She was pointing at Natasha.

All eyes were on her again.

"Oh!" Erik spoke up with a smile. Natasha moved a few steps closer and made sure to make eye contact with everyone. She raised her hand and waved. "Hi, I'm Natasha. Natasha Romanoff, and I'm Mr. Lehnsherr's new farmhand..." Her eyes slowly drifted past Erik and Magda and to the green eyes of Wanda. "I see myself being her for the foreseeable future." Natasha's eyes darted away.

Sam looked down at Natasha's chain.

"Did you serve?"

"Samuel!" Erik snapped his head towards the driver and shook it. Sam made a what?? face. Natasha cleared her throat and nodded. "No, it's alright," Natasha said to Erik as politely as possible. "But, yes, I did. Eight years."

Natasha missed the sound of Wanda's quiet gasp.

Sam swallowed his throat. "I have a buddy, Riley, who serves. It's honorable." Natasha smiled but shook her head. "Thanks." She wasn't ready to talk about the past she just left.

Wanda could see that, and her teasing smile and wandering eyes softened as she stared at the side profile of the sweaty redhead.

"Well, you're jacked!" A supportive voice came from the guy in the passenger seat. Wanda quickly looked in the direction of her friend Bucky. She watched his eyes scan Natasha like she was something he wanted.

Wanda unconsciously flared her nostrils and stepped forward, faking enthusiasm before Natasha could respond. The older woman watched Wanda. "Well, thank you, Sam, for driving!" Wandas walked up to the door and hung on it with a smile as she looked back at Carol, Darcy, and Monica. "Keep these boys in line, Danvers." The blonde laughed. "You got it."

Darcy looked from Wanda to Bucky.

She noticed and would always have Wanda's back. "It's rude to stare, Buck," Darcy said, making him pull his eyes away from Natasha. "I wasn't staring." He said before realizing how loud he was and turned away.

Missing the glare Wanda sent and the tilt of the head from Natasha.

Regardless, Sam laughed and got the jist. "Have a good one, Wanda." He said quietly with a wink. Monica slapped the back of his shoulder. "Just drive."

"See ya, Mr. L!" Darcy sang from the backseat for everyone in the car. Erik smiled and waved back as Sam started to turn the Jeep around. "Be safe!"

Everyone waved as they passed Natasha, who smiled and returned a courtesy wave. The redhead noticed a wink sent by the man named Bucky from the side mirror. She turned away and found the eyes of Wanda Maximoff looking up her body. Natasha swallowed and cleared her throat. "Well, I'll let you all catch up." Natasha smiled and turned to walk away when Wanda spoke up. "Wait!"

Natasha stopped and slowly turned back. "Come join us for lunch." Natasha looked past Wanda to Erik and Magda. They weren't planning on having lunch quite yet, but there was nothing wrong with having Natasha join and help out.

Especially if Wanda was going to join instead of spending her time ignoring her responsibilities by posting pictures and videos on the internet all day.

"Oh no, I have more work to get done and-" Erik stepped up and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Romanoff, come on. Wanda won't bite." He joked, but that's just what Natasha was afraid of. Wanda sinking her teeth into her because Natasha knew the second that happened, it would be all over.

Natasha cursed internally and nodded. She placed her work gloves into her back pocket, and followed the family inside their home. And Natasha didn't mean for it to happen, but her eyes found themselves glued onto the back of Wanda's tan thighs.

Wanda could feel it and hide a smile as she turned her head to the side. She cleared her throat.

Natasha immediately looked up and turned red from being caught. Wanda looked up and down Natasha before raising her eyebrows and turning back. "Mama," Wanda spoke up as she kicked off her shoes by the front door. Natasha was afraid of what was going to come out of Wanda's mouth. "Yes?" Magda and Erik stopped to hear their daughter's next question.

Wanda briefly glimpsed at Natasha, who was gently stepping out of her boots.

"Oh shit." The redhead thought.

"Where is Natasha staying?" She asked, knowing she made Natasha sweat. "Tiny House," Erik said. "No need to worry about her." He smiled and kissed his daughter's head before turning to Natasha. "Once you wash up, join me in the kitchen, and we'll cut up some potatoes." Natasha nodded. "Yes, sir."

Magda patted her husband's shoulder as he walked past. "Like Papa said, no need to worry about Natasha here, little one." Magda then turned to Natasha as Wanda walked up a few steps. "She always worries about the farmhands." Natasha looked past Magda and found Wanda winking.

Oh, she definitely "worried."

Natasha smiled. "Well, nice to know there's another person that'll be here in case anything happens." Magda smiled at that. "Oh, is chicken, potatoes, and rice okay for lunch? My husband just assumed." Natasha thought back to all the pecking she endured. She nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Magda smiled and went to join her husband in the kitchen.

Natasha looked up to Wanda on the steps. Wanda was staring back with a teasing smile. "You were checking me out." The younger of the two said.

"You checked me out, too," Natasha replied. Wanda lightly laughed. "Yeah, but didn't you hear? I worry about the farmhands."

Natasha closed her mouth and rolled her tongue over her teeth, unknowingly making Wanda bite her bottom lip. "Well..." Natasha looked up to Wanda. "You don't need to worry about me. It won't do us any good."

Wanda didn't like that. She pulled her teeth back into her mouth and smiled with the look of someone who hated being told no.

She stepped down a few stairs and lowered her voice just above a whisper. "Being bad is more fun." Natasha swallowed as Wanda came closer and looked up at the body of the redhead slowly. "Natasha." Wanda husked out her name and made Natasha look her way as their green eyes reached each other. "You'll see." She said before turning around.

Natasha could breathe again.

"Oh, and in case you were wondering, my room is at the end of the hall on the left." Natasha gave nothing. So Wanda smiled. "You know the window you can see from the tiny house."

Natasha walked away with this new information and locked herself in the bathroom.

Her hands gripped the sides of the sink as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Get yourself together, Romanoff." She whispered shouted at herself. "Yes, she's fucking incredible, but she's your boss's daughter." Natasha sighed, and a flicker of Wanda smiling and her tan skin worked its way into Natasha's mind.

She looked up at herself in the mirror again.

"Get it together."

dividers by @/benkeibear

Tag list: @xenaizogie

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fandomnerd9602 · 1 year

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I was wondering if you could do a Darcy Lewis x Male!reader?

Darcy stares at Y/N…

Darcy: you will buy me a coffee and feed me one of your French fries

Y/N: you don’t have hypnosis powers

Darcy does the puppy dog eyes…

Darcy: pretty please

Y/N: oh alright

#marvel #marvel imagine #marvel fluff #mcu #mcu imagine #mcu fandom #marvel incorrect quotes #incorrect marvel quotes #darcy lewis #darcy x reader #darcy lewis x reader #darcy Lewis imagine #kat dennings #wandavision

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0blobthefish0 · 1 year

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Hey I hope you're fine and you had a good week

I want to request a Darcy Lewis x fem!reader fluff, tbh I don't really have a prompt just I think Darcy deserves more fic.

Of course you don't have to if you don't want to. Have a good day ☺️

darcy lewis masterlist | main masterlist

Darcy does deserve more fics!! Thank you so much for requesting her and my week has been pretty good thanks, you have a good day as well ☺️

Darcy Lewis x Female Reader 827 Words

Darcy catches you staring at her as she works on her project.

It was late, and you were sat cross-legged on Darcy's bed while she sat hunched over her books at her desk. The blue light from her computer illuminated her face - her dark brown hair framing her face perfectly - as she clicked her mouse and scribbled in her notebook and you couldn't help the small smile from forming as you dazed dotingly at her. Darcy's eyebrows knitted together and she pushed her glasses back up with the first knuckle of her forefinger before moving closer to the screen, as if proximity was the reason why she was so confused, and you bit your lip to hold back the chuckle that was threatening to escape you.

Darcy's eyes traced the words on the screen before quickly jotting down the new-found information on her messy page. And, as she moved her focus from the screen to the pad resting on her knee, she noticed you watching her. Her gaze flicked up from her book and landed on you. The look on your face nearly knocked the breath from her lungs and she swallowed her nervousness.

"What're you staring at?" She mumbled with squinted eyes, the end of her pen pressed against her bottom lip.

"You." You answered with a sly smile on your lips and you watched in amusement as your girlfriend scrunched her nose and shake her head whilst looking back down at her work, but she wasn't quick enough to hide the steady blush covering her cheeks. Gods, she was adorable. She had been working for too long and you wanted her back where she was supposed to be - in your arms.

"Hey, what are you hiding for?" You teased with a smirk. "Let me see your pretty face," you pleaded with a pout, "please?" With a roll of her eyes, Darcy looked back up at you with a light scowl and all you could do was grin at her.

"I love you," you sung, your eyes sparkling full of adoration, and Darcy felt her heart leap out of her chest and all she wanted to do was press it into your hands; exposed in its wholeness, fragile and beating, faithful in whatever you would do with it. You had her whole heart and she wanted you to have it. Nothing could have prepared her for the way she loved you and never, not even in a million years, did she expect you to return those feelings.

"Stopp it, you're distracting me, I'm supposed to be working," she groaned and threw her head back to rest against the back of her chair.

You let out a light laugh as you walked to stand behind her chair, "what, I can't tell my girlfriend how beautiful she is and that I love her?" You shrugged as you rested your hands on the arm rests and leaned over to place a kiss on Darcy's cheek. "What are you even working on?" You questioned as you looked up at the computer screen. "Ar-" your eyebrows furrowed as you looked closer at the word, "Archae-" you frowned, it should be easy, two words you knew put together in one, but it just wasn't working for you. "Ar-chaeo-astron-omy," you finally butchered out and Darcy responded with a belly laugh.

"What? No, I said it, that was right," you defended, but Darcy continued to laugh. "You say it then." You huffed in defeat.

"Archaeoastronomy," she squeezed out, voice light from laughter, with a grin on her lips - the scene causing your heart to flutter. You pursed your lips and left to leave, back to the bed. "Noo, come back," Darcy protested as she wrapped her hands around your wrists and dragged you back to stand in front of her. You stared down at her with a smile on your face when she pulled you down closer to her and pressed a kiss to your lips, "I love you too," she smiled against your lips and you gave her another peck.

"Come to bed," you begged Darcy as you moved back, "you've been working for hourss," you dragged out, "and it's bed time." Darcy's eyes flickered to the clock on her computer and let out a sigh.

"Finee," she let out in faux annoyance, truthfully, Darcy didn't think that she could keep her eyes open any longer, and turned off her monitor before you pulled her up from her chair and toward the bed.

She watched as you crawled under the duvet and you felt her slump onto the bed next to you. After a few moments of movement, the two of you finally fell silent and you felt yourself relax into Darcy's arms. Her gentle breathing lightly tickled the hair behind your ear and she smiled as she felt your finger drawing patterns across the skin of her arm. With one final deep breath, Darcy pulled you in and pressed a soft kiss behind your ear before you were both lost to a dreamless sleep.

#female reader #x reader #wlw tag #reader #wlw #reader insert #fluff #marvel #mcu #marvel mcu #darcy lewis #darcy lewis x reader #second person pov #imagine #Blob's fics

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nyxlaufeyson · 10 months

Text

Winter Wonderland Masterlist

Find my main masterlist here

This is a collection of oneshots/drabbles that revolve around a December prompt list I made for myself. A lot of them involve winter elements, but a select few will mention Christmas, and those will say in the beginning as I understand not everyone celebrates. They will mostly be Loki/reader, but who knows what else that might end up in here! Happy Holidays!

❤️= Fluff

🖤= Angst (not necessarily heavy... I can't write sad endings guys. If I do, I will warn you, I swear.)

Loki x Reader

Day 1 "Snowball Fight": Snowball Fight ❤️❄️

Day 2 "Fire": Fire is a Beautiful Thing ❤️❄️

Day 3 "Ice Skating": Quite Alright ❤️❄️

Day 7 "I Hate Christmas": I Hate Christmas ❤️🖤❄️

Loki x Amora

Day 4 "Stars": A Moment Away ❤️❄️

Loki x Darcy

Day 10 "Tape": Sticky Tape ❤️❄️

#loki #loki fanfic #marvel #loki fluff #loki friggason #loki laufeyson #loki oneshot #loki x reader #fanfic #loki x you #loki x yn #loki x y/n #loki/reader #loki fanfiction #loki/you #enchantricks #loki x amora #tasertricks #darcy lewis

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janeykath318 · 1 year

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Natasha Lends A Hand (Shieldshock)

“I thought you’d turned your accounts private,” Steve said, looking concerned and placing her phone on the end table out of her reach.

“I did, but thought it would be safe to check Tumblr. There’s people threatening to unalive themselves or burn all their Captain America gear if you marry me. They all hate me,” she sniffled. “I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it does.”

Steve sighed and repositioned himself so she was snuggled against him and wrapped his arm around her. Darcy sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.

“They’re just letting their bitterness and jealousy get to them. Block the hell out of them.”

“You bet I did. I guess no more social media for me until after the wedding,” she sighed. “Though how we’re going to pull that off without the angry mobs coming after me, I don’t know.”

“We’ll get through it. You’re the one I love and I get to spend my life with. Nothing will change that,” Steve reminded her softly, kissing the top of her head. “Shall I get the emergency ice cream?”

“You know me so well, babe,” Darcy sighed fondly. “Yes, please. I’m so grumpy, I don’t even care what kind it is.”

“I’ll get the big bowls, then,” Steve declared, extricating himself from the sofa and heading to the fridge.

Despite her irritation, Darcy took the opportunity to shamelessly ogle him from behind.

“Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave,” she crooned flirtatiously.

Steve chuckled as he dished up two heaping bowls of cookie dough ice cream.

“You’re ridiculous and I love it,” he responded, presenting her with her cold treat. Darcy gave him a thank you kiss before diving into her favorite comfort food.

Her mood cleared up and for a couple days, things were chill as rumors quieted down, but then an old photograph surfaced of Darcy leaving a bridal boutique and the furor was rekindled. Darcy deleted all social media apps from both of their phones and holed up in her apartment, calling Jane to inform her she’d have to work remotely for a bit.

The TV was no help either. Steve finally shut it off in disgust.

“I’m calling Natasha,” he finally declared. “This is out of hand.”

“I thought she was in New Zealand?” Darcy queried, trying not to sound too hopeful. She knew Nat would have useful tips for dealing with the crazy and would be there in a heartbeat if she could.

“Got back night before last,” Steve informed her. “She’ll keep the wolves at bay.”

“That she will,” Darcy agreed, flipping aimlessly through a bridal magazine. She’d long ago found her dress, but she loved looking at all the pretty styles and gleaning useful tips from the articles.

Sighing at a very romantic looking pose, she dog eared the page to add to her photo shoot ideas.

Two days later, Darcy found herself unceremoniously being hauled out to a waiting sports car by Natasha herself.

“Am I being kidnapped? Did I finally piss off Fury enough to have me disappeared?” she queried jokingly.

Natasha only smiled mysteriously.

“You’ll soon find out,” she teased evasively. “I assure you it is a good surprise. Now smile for the paps.”

Darcy blew a kiss to the gathered cameras and smirked as she left them in the dust.

“Where are we going?” she asked after they’d left the city well behind.

“Getting you married.”

“What?” Darcy spluttered. “Now? I mean, how?”

“I have my ways and several invested friends. We’re tired of seeing you and Steve so stressed and we’re going to give you a happy day with no paparazzi or snoops.”

“If you can accomplish that, my friend, you really are a miracle worker,” Darcy said, with a half sigh, half groan. “It’s a good thing I love that man as much as I do.”

“The fact that you’re not protesting speaks volumes,” Natasha observed. “And if I overstep in any way, please tell me.”

“You know I trust you, Nat,” Darcy assured her. “I bet you got me time off, packed my bags and my gown, and probably booked the officiant as well.”

“Pretty much.”

Darcy laughed and leaned back in the seat. A lot of decisions had just been taken out of her hands and for once she wasn’t mad about it.

Steve, meanwhile, was huddled in the backseat of an SUV being lovingly lectured by his friends.

“You should have said something sooner,” Bucky chided him. “We could have had this well in hand weeks ago.”

“Yeah,” Clint agreed from the driver’s seat. “I wish I’d paid more attention. I didn’t realize the press was hounding her so bad, the jackasses.”

“You guys have much bigger issues to deal with,” Steve protested. “I thought Darcy and I could handle it.”

Bucky gave him the stink eye and Sam sighed.

“The point is, Steve, you shouldn’t have to handle invasion of privacy and personal attacks. It’s not okay,” Sam told him. “Calling Nat was the right call. We’ll get you hitched in peace and quiet.”

The destination turned out to be a mansion in upstate New York with very tight security. Darcy’s eyes boggled as they drove through the gates.

“What kind of strings did you pull, Nat?” she asked in wonder, staring at the magnificent building.

“Never you mind,” Natasha replied. “Let’s just say someone owed me. There’s plenty of good options for either an indoor or outdoor ceremony. We’ll give you the grand tour tonight and have you saying I Do tomorrow. Then we’ll leave you alone to enjoy honeymoon bliss the rest of the week.”

“I like that plan!” Darcy agreed, cheerfully.

The two vehicles pulled up in front of the mansion and Steve and Darcy were handed their suitcases and ordered inside while their friends unloaded the other luggage. They gaped open- mouthed at the grandeur inside.

“That staircase is really something,” Steve admired. “The chandelier!” Darcy breathed in wonder. “I feel like I’m in the American version of Downton Abbey.”

“Yeah. Where’s Carson?” Steve joked with a chuckle.

Presently, Natasha swept in carrying the bag that contained Darcy’s dress.

“Follow me,” she ordered, “you too, Steve.”

Natasha assigned them to separate bedrooms, much to Darcy’s dismay, but assured her it was just for the one night, per tradition.

“I’ll be right next door,” Jane assured her. “We could turn this into a slumber party!”

Eyeing the gigantic four poster bed, Darcy certainly saw the potential.

Natasha hung up Darcy’s wedding dress in the spacious wardrobe and added another dress beside it.

“I brought your red dress along for dinner tonight, she informed her. “It’s a dressy occasion.”

Darcy just nodded, deciding to just roll with it.

The grand tour was one jaw dropping sight after another and Steve and Darcy decided that the lawn behind the mansion was perfect for a ceremony setting. It faced a beautiful row of pools and landscaped hedges that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The forecast looked good, but in case of inclement weather, they agreed on the enclosed porch for a backup.

Steve and Darcy lingered on the lawn, relishing the view and the peace. Darcy thought he looked more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. Steve was glad to see the tense lines and constant wariness erased from Darcy’s expression. She hadn’t deserved all the stress being with him had caused, but he was so grateful for her.

“I’m sorry I let it get to this, Darcy,” he sighed, holding her close. “You could have walked away from all the drama and I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

“I’m too stubborn to quit on us and I love you too damn much,” Darcy replied, looking up at him contentedly. “I won’t gonna lie, it’s been awful, but we’re worth it.”

“Yes, we are,” Steve agreed, kissing the top of her head. He loved how perfectly they fit together. “We have the best friends, don’t we?”

“Most of the time, yeah,” Darcy agreed.

Dinner was a happy affair and everyone looked incredibly gorgeous in their dressed up state. Natasha thought Darcy was positively glowing as she laughed and playfully argued with Clint about who had won an age old bet. Bucky eyed the bride and groom to be with a great deal of fondness and just a touch of wistfulness.

“I want what they have, don’t you?” he murmured to his table neighbor, Wanda.

“Yes,” Wanda sighed, smiling pensively. “They are so good for each other and so loyal through everything. That is a relationship to strive for.”

After dinner they went outside and stargazed while reminiscing about various escapades. Darcy and Steve shared the story of their meet cute again and the men took the opportunity to lovingly roast Steve.

Darcy went to bed after a very satisfying goodnight kiss, giddy at the thought that tomorrow she would be Mrs. Rogers.

Jane woke her with giddy impatience.

“Wake up! It’s your wedding day!”

“Ahhh!!” Darcy squealed, when she’d fully come to her senses. “It’s happening! It’s actually happening!!”

They clutched each other in an exuberant hug.

Natasha and Wanda joined them for a cozy ladies only breakfast, (Steve had been forbidden to see her before the ceremony), then they chilled out on the balcony for a while, champagne in hand.

They helped each other out with hair and makeup and Darcy could only stare in amazement at herself in the mirror as Natasha put the finishing touches on her updo.

“Wow! I look like a princess!” Darcy remarked, awestruck. “Nat, you’re a wizard. I should feel bad that my mom’s not here, but I can’t. She’d be throwing out the backhanded compliments like candy. Another benefit of eloping, I guess.”

“Truth,” Jane agreed. “They’ll have to settle for watching the video and pictures.”

“You got a photographer on this short notice?” Darcy asked, eyebrow lifting in surprise. “That’s quite a feat.”

“She’s pretty new to the business, but very talented,” Jane told her. “As soon as Natasha told me the plan, I called her: My wedding gift to you and Steve.”

“Jane. That’s……so sweet….I might just cry,” Darcy batted away tears and Wanda shook her head.

“No weeping and spoiling makeup yet, Darcy,” she commanded her. “Let’s get you into that beautiful dress….”

Everybody sighed in unison when Darcy unzipped the garment bag and revealed her beautiful gown. The strapless A-line design was covered with intricate beadwork on the bodice and lacy details on the skirt hem.

“Steve’s brain is gonna explode when he sees you,” Wanda commented, as they helped her into the dress.

“Not literally, I hope,” Darcy quipped. “I want him to live for our wedding night.”

She wiggled her eyebrows in a way that made Natasha chuckle and Jane wave her finger in playful rebuke.

Steve was sketching while he waited for his summons on the back balcony overlooking the garden. He hadn’t had this good of a view in a long time and his pencil flew across the paper as he drew. He supposed he should be feeling nervous, but he wasn’t. The flutters in his stomach were sheer excitement at finally marrying the woman he loved, a dream he’d thought long since died. But then Darcy had crashed into his life, quite literally, and nothing had been the same.

He felt a cool hand on his shoulder and Bucky spoke up.

“Nice to see you drawing again, punk,” he said. “Calming the nerves?”

Steve shook his head.

“I’m distracting myself from breaking Nat’s rule and running to see Darcy. I can’t wait. Are you and Sam behaving?”

“Us? Misbehave? Where’d you ever get that notion?” Bucky asked, feigning shock. Steve just chuckled.

“Only whenever you’re left alone for more than five minutes,” he retorted. “Kinda like me getting into fights, only now the tables have turned.”

Bucky shrugged sheepishly.

“You’ve got me there.”

A figure joined them a few minutes later and both men stared as they took in Natasha, looking beautiful in her light aqua bridesmaids dress, red hair curled and spilling down her back. Steve saw Bucky swallow hard.

“Fifteen minutes, gentlemen,” she told them, returning their admiring glances, her eyes lingering on Bucky. “Damn. You clean up good, boys.”

“So do you,” Bucky replied in a strangled sounding voice.

Steve grinned. He couldn’t wait to help these two get a clue.

“You’ve got it bad, Buck,” Steve observed sympathetically after Natasha had disappeared.

“No…..aw, hell.” Bucky muttered, unable to lie to his best friend. “But She thinks love’s for children. What’s the point?”

Steve sighed.

“The point is, she’s had everyone she cared about ripped away and The Red Room philosophies were deeply ingrained in her. Believe it or not, I haven’t heard her utter those words in nearly two years. And clearly, she now believes in love enough to make sure I didn’t screw things up with Darcy and then gave us this…..” he gestured toward their surroundings as he flipped his notebook closed and stood up. “You’re about to witness firsthand how taking a chance is absolutely worth it. And this is coming from someone who’s known to be hopeless with women.”

Steve grinned at Bucky, who smiled knowingly back and stood to give him a man hug.

“I wouldn’t miss this miraculous moment for the world,” Bucky declared, with another affectionate thump on the back. “Now let’s go get you married.”

There were no decorations or aisle runners or musical accompaniments, but Darcy found herself not missing any of it. She simply waited until she’d seen the bridesmaids and groomsmen line up in front of the officiant—was that Agent IPod Thief?—and strolled outside to join them, escorted by Clint. (Thor was sadly unavailable, being busy with Asgardian stuff, but he’d sent Darcy a very congratulatory text message in all capital letters).

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Steve was looking at her like she was his entire world. The harassment that she’d been dealing with from social media and the press faded away in the reality of their happiness.

The jealous bitches can suck it! she thought gleefully.

Agent Coulson (How was he not dead?) looked exceedingly pleased to be overseeing the wedding of his childhood idol. It was kind of cute, Darcy observed vaguely, before Steve distracted her by winking flirtatiously at her.

“Yes, I do take this fine specimen of man to be my husband,” she proclaimed, when prompted. Steve’s ears reddened and Sam snickered.

“…..to love, honor, and cherish, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, through alien attacks and allergy attacks, through portals and peril, through midnight snacks and cuddles, until death do us part.”

“Awwwww….” Wanda sighed.

Steve squeezed Darcy’s hands, looking like he wanted to kiss her right then and there.

“I take this amazing, beautiful, fearless woman to be my wife, to love, honor, and cherish in sickness and in health, through alien attacks and allergy attacks, through tasers and tesseracts, through slow dances and silliness, until death do us part.”

They’d gone off script, but clearly their friends appreciated it and applauded their ad-libbing.

“That was impressive,” Bucky murmured, as he handed Steve Darcy’s ring.

She gave him another one of those glowy smiles as he slipped it on her finger. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was and how lucky he was.

Darcy slid Steve’s ring on with a dramatic flourish and then they were pronounced husband and wife and he was kissing her exuberantly.

Everyone cheered.

Afterward, as they meandered through the gardens, hand in hand, Darcy told him, “Today was a fairytale. This was so much better than the big shindig I used to imagine.”

“You’re not upset about not having the big party we talked about?” he asked, fingering one of the dangling curls by her cheek.

“No,” she told him. “It felt so right. So us.”

“It did,” he agreed. “You look completely radiant, Mrs. Rogers.”

Darcy flushed at his warm words.

“If you keep using that tone with me I’m not gonna be able to control myself,” she playfully warned, running her hand up his chest. Steve in a tux was a very impressive sight and she felt a strong urge to climb him like a tree.

“I’ve dreamed of this ever since I crashed into you in the hallway that first time,” she admitted, feeling his heartbeat beneath her fingers.

“Groping me or marrying me?” he asked in amusement.

“Yes,” she answered mischievously, making her new husband laugh and then kiss her again. When she’d finally regained her senses afterwards, she saw a very pleasing sight.

“Oh, look, babe, looks like Bucky’s getting cozy with Nat over there.”

Steve followed her gaze to see Bucky walking alongside Natasha very closely. He said something that made her throw back her head and laugh in a way that she very rarely did.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” he murmured.

“Right?” Darcy exclaimed. “I ship it so hard! They deserve it so much.”

“They do,” Steve agreed. “I hope they realize that. She spent so much time trying to find me a wife and now the shoe’s gonna be on the other foot.”

He rubbed his hands together, very ready to help the BuckyNat ship sail.

“First order of business when we get back from our honeymoon,” Darcy declared. “In the meantime, how about we sneak inside and find a handy closet where I can ravish you?”

“Much as I like that idea, you’d better make sure you’re done with pictures first, because when I get through with you…..” Steve playfully threatened, dropping his voice intentionally. Darcy gulped.

“Right. Good point. Excellent point,” she rambled, fanning herself. “We should probably quickly round up everyone for a group picture. I’ll go get Jane.”

She picked up her skirts and scurried off, leaving Steve to smirk after her and then head to round up his friends. This newlywed thing was going to be fun, he thought.

#shieldshock #darcy lewis #steve rogers #wedding fluff

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rebelmeg · 8 months

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Chapters: 12/13 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster/Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes & Clint Barton Characters: Darcy Lewis, James "Bucky" Barnes, Jane Foster (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Baker Bucky Barnes, Happy Eater Darcy, Jane is a grimy science gremlin, Thor is her secretly smart himbo boyfriend, Fluff and Humor, Dessert & Sweets, you might say there is..., Tooth-Rotting Fluff, I'll show myself out, First Dates, First Kiss, Dating, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Human Disaster Clint Barton, No plot just fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, but they are all fluffy, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Background Jane/Thor, as backgroud as they can be when they are actively snogging onscreen at least once, Bucky Barnes & Clint Barton Friendship, Feelings Realization, yes i made myself hungry as i wrote this, i've been craving cake all year because of this fic, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Flirting, just so much flirting, absolutely plotless nonsense Summary:

Bucky runs a bakery and tries to keep his disaster best friend from eating him out of business. Darcy loves baked goods and tries to keep her science gremlin bestie out of shenanigans. It's a match made in heaven, so just add a dash of fluff and a dollop of humor, mix until the plot is thin on the ground, and bake until cute. Serve with a generous portion of frosting, and don't forget to kiss the cook on your way out.

Chapter 12: Bucky's Birthday Present

Summary: Darcy tries to think of what to get Bucky for his birthday, Jane is unhelpful, Thor is very helpful, and Clint is her partner in actual crime.

Notes: For my @buckybarnesbingo square B2 - “I got nothin’” (swapped prompt), @marvelrarepairs Bingo B2 – image of Bucky, and @anyfandomfluffbingo N3 – free space

#rebelmeg's fanfic #buckybarnesbingo2023 #marvel rare pair bingo #affluff #bucky/darcy #bakery au #no powers au #darcy lewis #jane foster #jane & darcy #jane/thor #thor #bucky barnes #fluff and humor #bucky's birthday #clint barton #fanfic #mcu

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aenariasbookshelf · 2 years

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Preview - untitled holiday story

In my defense, the entire story is outlined, even though I only have a few thousand words written so far. But it is the right season, and I need an entry for this week’s challenge for @darcylewisbingohq. This preview perfectly fits the ‘returning home prompt’, if I do say so...

title: ...I’ll get back to you on that when I figure it out author: Aenaria rating: this bit is Gen, the whole story is likely to be M/Explicit prompt filled: returning home characters: Darcy Lewis, her family, Steve Rogers, a whole host of other Avengers pairings: Darcy/Steve (this should not be surprising by now) tags/warnings: none for this part, but I’ll update this field as needed link: summary: In which Darcy Lewis returns home for the holidays.

Chapter One - Friday, December 20, 2019

“Yes, Grandma, I swear, I’m coming tomorrow. Yes, I’ll be there by sundown. I’ve already got my train ticket!”

That last statement is a total lie, but Darcy will never tell her grandma that.

She doesn’t have a time management problem, she swears. It’s just that sometimes other things (like helping Jane explore the universe) end up taking priority and she forgets things like buying an Amtrak ticket until she’s at the station, hoping like hell there’s still a seat available and paying through the nose for the one remaining business class ticket on the entire train. But this time? Well, the first night of Hanukkah’s on Sunday. And Christmas is just a few days after that. And everyone under the sun (or at least in the United States) is going to be traveling this weekend.

She’s so screwed.

Maybe she could rent a car and drive? It’s not that long to get to Brooklyn from the Avengers’ Compound, only a few hours. She thinks, at least. She’d have to look at a map.

So, so screwed.

Darcy shoves the latest stack of printed results under one arm, and uses her other shoulder to keep her phone propped by her ear. “Did I what?” she asks, then rolls her eyes when her grandma repeats her question. “No, not yet. I’ll get them something down in Brooklyn...yes, I realize we have all sorts of artsy villages and stores upstate, but I haven’t had time to pick up the perfect trinket for Aunt *insert name here*...why? Because work...look, I’ll text you when I’m on the train tomorrow...Okay, bye Grandma.”

She jabs her thumb down on the little red button with far more force than is needed, and drops the phone into her pocket. The sigh that she lets out is near explosive, and she resists the urge to bang her head against the doorframe to the lab. This really is a minor issue, and Darcy knows she’s making all too big a deal out of something that has a simple solution. But she’s already got that reputation in her family, the one who would be late for her own funeral if she had the chance, of being just that much of a flake because she legitimately forgot about something. And the last thing she wants to do is let down her grandma.

“Okay,” she tells herself, taking a deep breath. “Walk this stuff over to Jane in the main building, then research trains, then research rental cars. You can do this, girl.”

Jane’s lucky in that she and Darcy have a small little lab building to themselves to work out of on the main Avengers’ Compound, so that they can do work at night to their heart’s content and not have to worry about disruptions from busybodies, but there are some days when the main building has the equipment that they need. Also the 24 hour canteen there was a godsend on those days when Darcy had to make sure Jane actually fed her body and not just her brain.

It’s in this main building where Darcy overhears what could possibly be her Hanukkah miracle. It’s a little fuzzy, overheard with one ear as she’s rushing past.

“What time’s your flight at LaGuardia tomorrow? I want to make sure we leave here on time.”

Darcy literally freezes in her tracks, then walks backwards until she’s standing next to Steve and Sam, who have paused in their chatter to watch her bemusedly. “Did I hear you two say you’re heading down to the city tomorrow?” She may be perpetually late, but never let it be said that Darcy doesn’t have balls. Just because Steve may be Captain America doesn’t mean that he’s not a friend of hers (that she has a mad crush on, but she’s not going to think about that right now in her hour of need) that she can’t ask for a favor.

Steve’s eyebrows raise up, and there’s a slight smile on his face. “Yes? I’m giving Sam a ride to the airport.”

“Got room for one more?”

#Darcy Lewis #Steve Rogers #darcy x steve #shieldshock #fic #my fic #mcu #holiday fic #unmitigated fluff

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ibelieveinturtles · 1 year

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Title: *no title yet*

Squares Filled:

DLBHQ Weekly Challenge: Criminal Week

DLBHQ Mega Card: C1, Space

Any Fandom Fluff Bingo: B4, Outer Space AU

Author: ibelieveinturtles

Fandom: MCU

Pairing: haven't decided this yet either

Rating: G for now

Tags/Warnings: passengers au but very loosely, kidnapping,

Summary: How did Darcy end up in cryo-sleep on a spaceship when she was just trying to get coffee?

Word Count: uhhhh (count later)

Link:

Author Note: there's a lot of worldbuilding & plot decisions I haven't made yet so this will probably get rewritten or a very heavy edit before it shows up on AO3.

@darcylewisbingohq @anyfandomfluffbingo

Darcy typed in the last few numbers and clicked save. Picking up her coffee mug, she was disappointed to discover it was empty.

“Already?” she muttered to herself, pushing her chair back, stretching as she stood up. “I swear I only just filled you up. Jane, you ready for more coffee?”

There was no reply, and looking over her shoulder she realised that Jane wasn’t there. Huh. Must have gone to the bathroom or something, Darcy decided. She’d been so caught up in her data analysis she wouldn’t have noticed a bomb going off. Jane moving around wouldn’t even have registered.

Collecting her mug, she headed off to the break room. It was two in the morning and they should probably both have gone to bed hours ago but SI Headquarters had asked if they could refine some of the navigational algorithms and so here they were.

Entering the break room she flicked at the switch on the wall, frowning when the lights didn’t come on. She flicked it again, looking up at the lights as she toggled the switch back and forth but nothing happened.

“I’m too tired for this shit,” she muttered. She could make coffee in the dark. It was practically instinct by now. Fill the water reservoir, spoon in the coffee, push the button, turn around to see what the noise behind her was, barely register that someone who wasn’t Jane was in the room with her, feel the prick of a needle in her neck and then the room went a lot darker.

—

There was a strange buzzing noise ringing in her ears and Darcy opened her eyes. Or at least, she tried to open them. She felt heavy from her toenails to her eyelids, as if she’d been floating in a pool or lake for hours and now had to get out of the water.

Her bed began to rise, tilting slowly. She must be in hospital. Why would she be in a hospital? Memory leaked in of a shadow in the break room and a sting in her neck. Whatever they’d injected her with must be what was making her feel so heavy.

She half-opened her eyes again, watching through leaden lids as the world moved and tilted. There was a sheet of frosted glass above—no, in front—of her, moving up and away and around…

Her stomach lurched and she closed her eyes again. Her sense of direction was all out of whack. She couldn’t tell if she was lying down or standing up; what was up or what was down.

The bed stopped moving and she lay there, drifting in and out of sleep, the world making a little more sense each time she regained consciousness.

Eventually she felt awake enough to move. Reaching out with her hands she realised that she wasn’t in a bed at all. Her hands touched glass—or plastic or metal, she couldn’t really tell—and when she turned her head, she realised she was in a cryo-pod.

How the hell had that happened?

Confused, she struggled to sit up, and in response, the pod resumed its movement, tilting more until it was almost upright. A hologram sprang into life in front of her, the friendly face of a Stark Industries employee welcoming her to the SI Starship Avenger.

Darcy blinked, sure that she must have misheard.

The hologram continued speaking, saying something about disorientation and recovery time as the pod clicked into the upright position and stopped moving.

A drawer slid open in the side of the pod and the hologram told her to take the pills it held and drink the box of nutrient-enriched fruit juice. Recalling an information session she’d attended about cryogenic hibernation once, she did as she was told. The pills would help her wake up and the juice would provide her with a boost until she could eat a proper meal.

It was hard to see anything through the hologram in front of her but pushing away from the pod she managed a few hesitant steps into the room, the hologram sliding around to the side and moving with her (how does it even do that? she wondered idly in a slightly more switched on part of her brain.)

Heavy-limbed and fuzzy-brained as she was, she followed the holograms guidance to the shower, stripping out of the hibernation suit and somehow managing to wash herself clean.

By the time she finished dressing she was starting to feel more awake. The hologram disappeared to be replaced by a tiny robot that appeared out of nowhere.

Before she had time to wonder more than what now? a different voice came from the ceiling, instructing her to follow the little robot guide to her assigned quarters.

Confused and only half listening, Darcy followed her guide, one part of her mind registering how pristine and empty the ship was while the rest of it tried to figure out what was going on and how she’d ended up here.

In spite of the shower and the walk she still felt disoriented when the voice informed her she’d reached her room. When it instructed her to hold her ID bracelet up to the access panel, she had to check both her arms before seeing the slim circlet of metal on her left wrist.

The room was small and spartan, with a narrow bed inset in one wall and a two-person bench seat taking up the small wall opposite the door. The other long wall contained a door leading to a tiny bathroom, and an assortment of cupboards and drawers.

The hologram from her cryo-pod reappeared while she investigated the room, full length this time. In the same bright cheery voice it welcomed her to the cabin, prompting her to scan her ID again in order to have her luggage delivered. Darcy frowned. What luggage? She didn’t remember packing anything. She hadn’t had any kind of trip or vacation planned.

When she didn’t respond, the voice prompted her again, and again, and eventually she scanned the bracelet just to get it to shut up before collapsing onto the narrow bed and drifting back to sleep.

—

#darcy lewis #dlbhq #weekly challenge #darcy lewis bingo hq #any fandom fluff bingo

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thorloko · 9 months

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i forced mobius and darcy to be bff

#lokius fic #lokius fluff #loki x mobius #mobius m mobius #mobius & darcy #are friends #darcy lewis #pls read #not me promoting

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the-widow-sisters · 2 years

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Can you do, "If we both stick to the story, they can't prove anything," with Yelena and Darcy?

A/N: Thank you so, so much for this request!!! 🥰💞💞💞 I got a little carried away with this one and made it a tad longer 😂

I hope you enjoy!!! 😊

Please do send in some requests from my prompt list here if y'all have some! I'm currently only taking requests from the list, but I hope to be back to normal requests at some point soon 💗

Word Count: 1.8k+

Honestly, Victoria’s Secret was the last store that Yelena would be caught in. She would rather be dead than have to go to a lingerie store.

But alas, she realized that some sacrifices had to be made in the name of successful tormenting.

She was here currently to find a piece for Kate just so she could tell her that she could wear it for Clint despite the fact that there was absolutely no way that Kate would actually do it or even have an opportunity to do so. She mostly just wanted to see Kate positively melt into a puddle in the floor at the mere implications of the statement, and then she would believe that all of the horrors of going to what she believed was the worst store in the world would be perfectly valid.

“Yelena?!” someone suddenly cried, interrupting Yelena in the midst of looking through underwear on clothes hangers and delighting in her evil plan.

Yelena looked up quickly, gaping blankly as she realized exactly who was in the store with her and who happened to be on the other side of the ring with the clothes hanging.

“Lewis?!” Yelena almost yelped, and Darcy stared at her for just a moment more before laughing like a nutjob.

Yelena finally snapped out of her stupor, and she glared at Darcy unhappily.

“Oh, yeah, laugh it up. I’m here for something to embarrass Kate Bishop with. What are you here for?” Yelena asked her. Darcy instantly faltered, and Yelena just stared her down, waiting for her answer.

“Uh… That’s not important,” Darcy tried to distract and deflect, but Yelena was not about to afford her the luxury.

“Uh-huh, sure. You’re in a lingerie store and the reason you’re here isn’t important. Try again, Velma,” Yelena shot back sarcastically, and Darcy narrowed her eyes.

“I think it’s more concerning that you’re here to embarrass Kate. I could just tell her what you’re up to, you know,” Darcy subtly threatened.

“Oh, and then I could tell everyone that you’re buying special panties here at the secret store,” Yelena met her blow for blow, and Darcy paused for a moment, taking in Yelena’s threat quietly.

“Well. Let’s just not tell anyone we were here, then,” Darcy astutely decided, and Yelena scoffed.

“That’s an idea. I think it’s the first time you’ve ever had one of those, much less a good one,” Yelena responded, and Darcy let out a breath, rolling her eyes heavily as she uncomfortably looked through the clothes before them.

There was utter silence between them as they searched through the clothes, the both of them largely only pretending to be occupied rather than actually putting their mind to things.

This went on for just a bit longer until Yelena finally broke the quiet.

“I can’t find anything here that I want in purple,” Yelena complained after a moment, and Darcy shrugged.

“Yeah, I can’t find anything either and even if I did, it’s already too weird in here anyway.”

“Can’t get any weirder than you wearing thongs,” Yelena commented, starting to head toward the exit with Darcy next to her. Darcy instantly let out a long and pained sigh of utter humiliation and unhappiness.

“Ugh… You remember that?!” Darcy cried, and Yelena smirked widely.

“That is the only thing I remember from that night, but it’s undoubtedly the best thing,” Yelena pointed out, referencing their wild night on New Year’s Eve not too long ago where she, Kate, and Peter had gotten drunk.

“Why did you wait so long to bring it up?” Darcy asked, unable to help her curiosity.

“Because I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment. And I’ve found it,” Yelena declared smugly, and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Well, I guess the good part is that you’ll never be able to give me crap in front of the girls about catching me at this store because it incriminates you,” Darcy shot back, and Yelena smirked.

“Maybe not, but there’s always when it’s just us,” Yelena pointed out, and Darcy just scoffed tiredly, completely unimpressed with Yelena.

Darcy, however, suddenly thought of something and she stopped in place.

“Wait,” Darcy stopped them for just a moment, and Yelena turned to look at her strangely.

“What if someone we know sees us when we head out of here?”

“Well, then I suggest we think of something to say. Preferably a lie,” Yelena answered.

“Okay, then, expert, what would you suggest we say then?” Darcy asked, looking far too sassy to be the one that was in the most embarrassing situation between the both of them.

Yelena nodded to her easily, already coming up with something on the spot.

“That is simple. We had to go to the bathroom, and this was the nearest place,” Yelena simply declared, and Darcy nodded before pointing out something else.

“How do you explain why we were together? We don’t exactly make a habit of spending time with each other one-on-one,” Darcy explained, and Yelena groaned, glaring at her.

“Must you always look at the negative side?” Yelena complained before shaking her head as she thought it through. Unfortunately, Darcy had made a good point despite Yelena’s gripes.

After only a short moment, she quickly came up with something.

“Okay, look, so we wanted to get to know each other better or something and so we… went out shopping together,” Yelena begrudgingly declared, unhappy with her own explanation because it was far too emotional for her liking. Darcy huffed, pleased with the statement.

“Uh-huh… That sounds exactly like us,” Darcy forced a sickly sweetness in her voice.

“Oh, shut up.”

Ironically, as they headed out the doors of the place, they suddenly realized that their timing for making up the story they had made up as a contingency plan could not have been more perfect.

“There’s Carol! And she sees us!” Darcy whispered nervously, completely losing her cool and sarcastic demeanor at the sight of the older woman, and Yelena’s eyes went wide as she instantly realized exactly how deep they were in it now and how quickly they had gotten in that state.

Sure enough, Carol had spotted them the moment that they headed out the front doors of the store, and although Yelena legitimately felt like having a heart attack, she knew she had to keep it together.

After all, this was Carol. Yelena knew exactly how she would react. She would be positively relentless and utterly merciless.

“If we both stick to the story, they can’t prove anything,” Yelena assured her, pretending that she was looking behind her so that she could hide the movement of her mouth. Darcy nodded just barely in agreeance with her, trying to remain subtle so that Carol would not perhaps notice.

“Well, well, well… What is happening here?” Carol questioned, already far too interested and the conversation had not even gotten particularly involved just yet.

“Before you start getting fired up, Boomer, there’s a perfectly logical and sensible explanation for this,” Yelena told her, and Carol nodded slowly, regarding her carefully with a raised eyebrow.

“What? You guys were trying to figure out Victoria’s Secret?” Carol questioned before laughing at her own wisecrack. Yelena narrowed her eyes, and Darcy spoke up.

“Don’t worry, we all know by now that she was made up by a dude,” Darcy deadpanned as she referenced the popular TikTok song, trying her best to be nonchalant.

However, Yelena could easily read the anxiety rolling off of her in waves. She just hoped that Carol could not see it so effortlessly.

“As interesting as that is, I’d like to hear your secret,” Carol pointed out, redirecting them back on the right track.

Yelena and Darcy shared a brief glance and just as Yelena was going to open her mouth to speak and tell their perfectly logical, completely fabricated explanation that was relatively simple, Darcy spoke up and interrupted.

“We were going in there because we saw Jen,” Darcy stammered just a little, and Yelena looked at her carefully, narrowing her eyes just a bit before realizing that was actually something that they could work with.

“Jen, huh? Isn’t she in LA doing her lawyer thing?” Carol questioned, quick on the uptake as she grilled them.

Carol was on the prowl for information, and her natural, innate affinity for teasing was currently raging like a fire as she sought any fuel she could to keep it going.

“She must’ve come to visit Bruce. Or that lawyer boyfriend that lives here in New York or something,” Darcy supplied, and Yelena subtly jammed an elbow in her side as she tried her best to keep her quiet.

They were adding too many details to the story, and it was making too complicated of a mess for the both of them to have to keep up with to maintain the lie.

“Yeah? And where’s Jen now?”

“Oh, you didn’t let four-eyes finish,” Yelena declared, and Darcy shot her a definitive glare for her rather rude nickname that she had come up with for her.

“Jen’s still in there trying things on, so we just decided to leave her to it. Some of those outfits were absolutely disgusting,” Yelena waved a dismissive hand in the direction of the store, her nose wrinkling as she tried to accentuate just how nasty it had been.

Carol slowly nodded, looking slightly more convinced. After all, that did sound like something Jen could believably be doing.

“Hmm… So you guys weren’t in there for any other reason?” Carol asked, still fishing to see if there was even the smallest juicy detail that could incriminate them. Yelena shook her head confidently, completely unbothered.

“Nope. Just that,” Yelena assured her, and Carol looked at them for a moment longer before shrugging and seemingly letting it go.

“Okay. Well, I’ve got to get going. I came here to look in that biker clothing store place Natasha told me about, and there’s a leather jacket calling my name,” Carol joked with them, and Yelena nodded quickly.

“You go for it,” Yelena told her, and Darcy nodded with her.

“Yep.”

“See you guys around,” Carol told them as she turned to head out, and Yelena offered her a wave in an attempt to be as cool about it as she could.

“What did you think of my improvisation? I’ve been practicing,” Darcy proudly declared.

As Yelena opened her mouth to reply, Carol suddenly spoke up once more.

“Oh, and by the way, I’m going to call Bruce later and fact-check,” Carol called, raising her voice as she moved away. Yelena and Darcy instantly blanched.

As soon as Carol turned away from them, Yelena turned to Darcy, her eyes narrowed as she practically hissed.

“Stick to the story! What part of stick to the story do you not UNDERSTAND?!!!!”

#yelena belova #darcy lewis #carol danvers #black widow #captain marvel #jen walters #she-hulk #kate bishop #jennifer walters #she hulk #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel fanfic #marvel fic #marvel fanfiction #fluff and humor #humor

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realityuniverse · 2 years

Text

after westview

Wanda: I love you. Reality: I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that. *Wanda and Reality kiss passionately* Darcy, to Monica: You owe me 20 dollars.

#reality #darcy lewis #monica rambeau #wandality #darmonica #wanda maximoff #rwm #cute #fluff #westview #wandavision #reality waited for this since 2016

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fandomnerd9602 · 1 year

Note

Hi, sorry to bother, but may I request a Darcy x Wanda x Male!Reader story where R is terrified to ask the two women out?

Y/N: w-will you go out with me for coffee?

Darcy: you talking to me or Wanda?

Y/N: I-I-

Wanda: I’m more than happy to share

Darcy: I’ve always wanted to be part of a throuple! Let’s go!

Wanda and Darcy grab Y/N and haul them off for coffee…

#marvel #marvel imagine #marvel fluff #mcu #mcu imagine #mcu fandom #marvel incorrect quotes #incorrect marvel quotes #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #darcy lewis #kat dennings #darcy lewis x reader #elizabeth olsen

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woodelf68 · 2 years

Text

FAIR PLAY Summary: He'd never had Thor's gift of making friends easily. But perhaps moving to a new town had changed Loki's luck. For once, things are going his way. Non-magic AU, a very late fill for the @sifkiweek 2022 prompt "Stranger". Rated G. Wordcount: 11,812.

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Thor was going to lose, Loki thought, his eyes going between his brother and his main competitor, a burly, red-bearded man who was shoving hot dogs down his throat at a truly impressive speed. Thor was giving the guy a run for this money – he had always had a hearty appetite and had entered his first pie-eating contest as a child -- but he was also an athlete and valued his body too much to indulge in any practices like deliberately stretching out his stomach with gallons of water, not after their mother had done her research when they'd both still been children and made sure Thor was aware of the dangers of such things. Thor liked to win, but for one or two casual contests per year, he wasn't about to do anything more than skip breakfast on the day of an event. That had been enough to win him the occasional small prize usually on offer at places like the county fair, but it wasn't going to be enough to claim the championship this time. He was, as always, both fascinated by Thor’s ability to wolf down a massive amount of food without (usually) becoming sick afterwards and being faintly disgusted by it. At least the hot dogs were a lot cleaner than pies, although one of his favourite home videos of their childhood was that of a grinning ten year old Thor with his face absolutely covered with blueberry pie filling; it was good blackmail material to threaten Thor with if he had a new girlfriend he was trying to impress. The other two competitors were still gamely eating, but were obviously fighting it out for the third and fourth place standings.

"Five minutes left!" the man running the event called.

"You've got this, Volstagg!" a voice called encouragingly from the sidelines. "Just keep going, you're in the lead. Those tickets are going to be yours."

Loki looked around to see who this Volstagg's cheering section was, and saw a rather pretty girl of around his own age, her long dark hair caught back in a silky ponytail. He circled his way around the row of spectators to stand beside her.

"I assume Volstagg is the guy rocking the Viking biker look?" he asked conversationally. "Friend? Family? My brother is the disgustingly handsome blond."

The girl laughed. "Yeah, and he's a friend. I babysit for him sometimes." She glanced at Loki, a glance that turned into a slightly longer look. "Haven't seen you around here before. New in town?"

"Yeah, we just moved. I'm Loki." He nearly stuck out his hand for her to shake, but this didn't seem quite the place to trot out his best manners.

"Sif." She glanced between the two brothers. "I don't suppose either of you are going to be attending North College?"

Loki nodded. "I'll be starting there in the fall. Thor's already got two years under his belt; he's getting his credits transferred."

Sif brightened. "Great! It'll be my second year, I'll be right between you. Probably won't share any classes, but I can show you around."

"That'd be great." Loki smiled back; genuinely pleased. They'd been too busy unpacking and settling in to figure out the local hang-outs and meet anyone their own age yet. To be honest, he'd been perfectly fine with waiting until fall for that, he'd been enjoying the peaceful summer that they'd been having so far. With Thor cut off from his old crowd of friends, they'd been spending more time just hanging out with each other than they had in years, even with the part time hours that Thor had picked up at the local hardware store on one of their trips there to choose paint for their new bedrooms. It was nice.

"Where do you live?"

"About two miles east of the Asgard library." Loki loved living so close to a library; he could easily bike over any day without needing to ask for a ride or to borrow the car. He had already made time to check out the place and had discovered a light, airy space with the pleasant surprise of a decently sized used book store room crammed with everything from books and magazines to CDs and DVDs and like-new donated jigsaw puzzles selling for only 50 cents each. He'd left the store only after he'd started wondering how he was going to carry all his spoils home; luckily the volunteer at the desk had had a big paper shopping bag with handles under her desk that he'd gratefully accepted. Working on the jigsaw puzzles had become the new family activity; the first already finished and the second half-assembled on the table in the den, their parents opportunistically taking interest as soon as he and Thor had gotten the hardest part done and the picture was taking shape. It was a nice, non-demanding way of spending time with his father, working in a companionable silence without feeling the need to make conversation unless they actually had something to say, while his mother was exactly the opposite, always full of light chatter -- their neighbour Fulla had invited them over for a backyard barbecue, she'd say, or she'd heard of a new restaurant they could try from the women at her hair salon, or that there was going to be a rummage sale at the church on Pine Street. (The barbecue had been great, the restaurant had had a fun '50s theme with a jukebox, and he was looking forward to the rummage sale.)

"It's a nice subdivision, older houses, a lot of big shade trees," he added. Their front porch was kept pleasantly cool and shaded until mid afternoon by a large ash tree in their front yard; it had become Loki's favourite spot to read for a while after breakfast and watch the antics of the squirrels running up and down the tree and through its branches. There were a pair of ravens, too, that he'd named Hugin and Munin. He'd wondered if they were a mated pair, but hadn't seen any sign of a nest or babies, unless they were in a nearby yard. Or maybe they were young brothers, who hadn't found a mate yet, enjoying their freedom before the responsibilities of adulthood set in. In the backyard they had a flowering crabapple, some flourishing rosebushes (his mother had claimed the room with the window framed by one of the climbing roses as her sewing room, and he didn't have to ask why when the window was open; the whole room smelled fantastic), and a couple of lilacs half-covering the garden shed, not to mention the tangle of blackberry canes in the opposite corner aggressively spreading out from their original bed into the lawn. Plans to prune them back and install some decorative metal fencing to keep them in check were on hold until the bushes were done putting out berries for the year. Eating berries that he had picked himself was somehow much more satisfying than eating ones that had been bought at the store. His mother was in gardening heaven tending to everything, planting various annuals and some slightly late but hopeful vegetables and waiting to see what would bloom next in the flower beds.

Sif thought. "Are you anywhere near Teasdale's convenience store?"

Loki looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, it's only about a half mile away once we get onto the main road." He couldn't be so lucky as to have her living close by, could he? He didn't usually have Thor's easy way with making friends, but maybe his luck was changing.

"What street are you on?"

"It's called Roan."

Sif's face lit up. "Oh, this is awesome,you're just on the next street over from me. I'm on Sorrel." Two hot new guys around her age moving in within easy walking distance? If she was really lucky they'd be on the same end of the street as her. She cast her mind back, and vaguely remembered seeing a moving van a few months ago. Someone moving out, not in, though; she must not have been around when the new family had moved in or she'd have been more interested in hanging around and introducing herself. Somewhere in the middle of the street, Sif thought, not too bad. Heimdall wouldn't mind it if she cut through his yard; she'd made friends with him when he'd been the crossing guard for her elementary school and he could be relied upon to always let "his" kids through as long as they closed the gate to his backyard behind them so his Great Dane mix Hofund didn't get loose. Some people might have thought twice about crossing the massive watchdog's territory -- best guess was that his other parent had been a mastiff -- but he was a gentle giant around kids and Sif adored him and had made good pocket money over the years serving as occasional dog walker while Heimdall was at work. And Sif usually just vaulted the fence anyway. And Doctor Eir, whose house backed up to Heimdall's, never minded Sif crossing her yard either, as long as she didn't disturb anything, in particular any of the medicinal herbs she grew. Sif's summer was definitely looking up. "Do either of you have a car? We could share rides if we wanted to go places. I've got a motorcycle, but -- "

Loki's eyes flicked over Sif. White t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, sturdy-looking cargo pants, equally sturdy-looking boots, a small canvas cross-body bag. "You have a motorcycle?"

"Yes, I -- "

"Big enough to give me a ride?" he asked, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

Sif smiled. "Maybe if you're a really good boy. But I can't take two passengers, so if either of you have a car -- "

"Thor's got a pick-up; he's always happy to give rides to his friends. And I am the bestest of boys," Loki said in his most sincere tone, tipping his head down slightly so he could look up at her through his lashes. It was a very effective look, he knew.

Damn, thought Sif, feeling something fluttery stir in her stomach. "Oh, well in that case..." She certainly wasn't opposed to the idea of taking a ride with an attractive man's arms around her.

"Time!" called the announcer as the timer finally rang and all the contestants sat back in their seats, swallowing their last bites and groaning as they stretched.

"A very good showing from all our competitors this year," the event coordinator said, "But our first place winner is Volstagg Haraldson for the fourth year in a row!" He handed over a fat roll of tickets to the Midway. "Enjoy the rides!"

Volstagg took the tickets with a happy smile. "My little ones certainly will."

"You have children?' Thor asked. It made him feel better about losing hearing that. While he and Loki would have enjoyed getting the free tickets, they could afford to buy their own without any problems. Maybe this Volstagg needed them more. He didn't look like the sort of person who would have a high-paying job like a doctor or lawyer or business executive, more like a roadie or a bouncer or someone who worked the assembly line in a factory. The thought of little kids getting extra rides made him happy.

"Yes," the man said proudly. "My youngest just turned one; my eldest is seven."

Thor looked around. "Where are they?"

Volstagg looked as well, but he remembered his wife catching his eye and pointing first to one of the kids and then to a nearby small brick building. "I believe my wife had to take one of the children to the bathroom," he said, unconcerned. "I expect they'll be back any minute."

"Daddy!" As if on cue, a little girl -- the seven year old, thought Loki -- with reddish brown hair in long pigtails came running up. "Did you win?"

"I did!" Volstagg boomed, gathering her to his side. "Although this young man gave me a run for my money this year." He nodded at Thor. "I haven't seen you around before. New in town?"

"I am," said Thor, then corrected himself. "We are." He beckoned to Loki to step forward. "I'm Thor and this is my brother Loki."

"Welcome to Asgard County! I'm Volstagg, as you heard, and this is my eldest, Hildy. And this handsome young fellow is Alaric -- " A fair haired boy a couple of years younger stepped forward. "The lovely lady behind him is my wife Hildegund, the wee lass clinging to her hand is Flosi, and the little one in the stroller is our Rolfe."

"A fine family," proclaimed Thor.

"And a large one," said Loki, guessing that each child was about two years apart. "You have been busy. Planning on having any more?"

"Not planning, no," said Volstagg, sounding regretful. "The house is full to bursting as it is; If another were to surprise us, though --"

"They won't," said Hildegund firmly.

"Hey Volstagg, guess where they live?" asked Sif happily. "Next street over from me, Roan."

"Oh, that is nice for you," Volstagg said jovially.

Sif turned to Loki. "Do you guys want to hit the Midway with me?"

Thor burped. "Not for a while. Loki and I already made the rounds of the rides before the contest because going on the Scrambler with...how many hot dogs did I eat?"

"22," said the man who was cleaning up the table. "Feel free to share the rest on your plate with your friends."

Loki promptly claimed one in each hand. "Thank you," he said.

"Yeah, 22 hot dogs and being whipped around at high speed is not a good combination," said Thor. "We were planning on doing the carnival games, though," he told Sif. "Want to join us?"

"Yeah, I haven't done any of those yet either."

"Excellent," said Loki, finishing his hot dog and starting on his second. They'd be better fresh off the grill, with condiments added, but he wasn't about to turn his nose up at free food. He could use the money he'd save for a cold lemonade. He'd treat everybody, he thought generously. "I'll win you a giant stuffed animal."

"Feeling confident, are you?" teased Sif.

"Thor. The balloon game, with the darts. How good am I at it?"

"He's very good," Thor told Sif.

"And the knocking things over with baseballs?"

Thor scoffed. "Please. As if I'd let my little brother grow up not knowing how to throw straight."

"The rings tossed over the bottle necks?"

"Batter at that than me," Thor admitted.

"The duck shooting?"

"I think I'm a bit better at that, but you are a perfectly decent shot."

"All of this to say," said Loki, "That yes, I feel fairly confident that I can win you whichever tacky fairground prize that your heart desires."

"Or if he can't, I can," Thor said gallantly.

"What if I'm perfectly capable of winning my own?" asked Sif.

Loki wrinkled his nose. "What fun is that? How can I prove my gallantry to a fair lady if not by gifting her with the tokens of her choice?"

"Hm, all right, tell you what. I'll let you give me something if I can give you something in return." She mentally filed away the phrase "a fair lady" to think about later, and decide how much he meant by it.

"Deal," said Loki promptly. He grinned, delighted. He leaned over and confided in a stage whisper "I like her, Thor."

They said goodbye to Volstagg and his family and, after Thor made a quick visit to the toilets, strolled over to the rows of carnival games, Loki buying lemonades for himself and Sif on the way, Thor saying he'd already drunk enough water washing down his hot dogs for now (a water-soaked bun dissolved and slid down with almost no effort at all) but he would take one later. Loki grinned when the first booth they came to on the end of the row was the balloons and darts game.

"See anything you like?" he asked Sif, gesturing to the hanging rows of prizes.

Sif surveyed them critically and saw what she wanted. "The stuffed unicorn in the second row." He looked very soft, and had a sweet face.

"Are you sure you don't want one of the larger prizes?" Loki looked up at the big stuffed animals hanging above it.

"No. They're too big, I want one small enough to cuddle in bed."

The thought of Sif cuddling something that he'd won her pleased Loki no end. "All right, how much for the medium sized unicorn?" he asked the guy staffing the booth.

"Six balloons popped and he's yours," the man said. "Darts are three for $3."

Loki put down some money. "I'll take six." He picked up the darts he was given, and surveyed the board the balloons were pinned to, looking for those that were inflated the most. Taking aim at a green one, he threw the dart so it struck the balloon sharply at a slight downward angle, his height making that a lot easier to do than when he'd been a boy.

POP!

Sif cheered.

POP!

"Oh, we are going to make some money off of you at the Student Union dartboard before everybody learns how good you are," said Sif with satisfaction.

"Am I nothing more than a tool to be used for the advancement of your bank account?" Loki protested.

"Well, if you're not interested -- "

"I didn't say that. All right, you can set me up with people who've got a chunk of spare cash they can afford to lose."

"My thoughts exactly." Sif started thinking about who'd be confident enough to place a large bet, never thinking they would have to pay it off.

The next dart glanced off the balloon he'd meant it for, hitting another as it fell but not with enough force to pierce it. Thor and Sif groaned.

Loki rolled his shoulders. He'd hoped to do it in six throws, but seven would still be impressive. He nailed the next two balloons. POP! POP!

"I don't suppose I can buy just one more dart?" he asked the guy running the booth.

The guy grinned. "Nope. We have to make money to afford all of these high quality prizes."

Loki snorted, but he had to admit the unicorn was cute and looked to be a cut above the quality of most fairground prizes. "If I have leftover darts, can my brother or my friend use them as part of their turns?"

The man shrugged. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

Loki passed over more money and tested each one of the darts he received for the one that felt best in his hand. "What's your favourite colour?" he asked Sif recklessly.

"I like burgundy and silver," she said. "Or red, if you're asking me to pick a colour of balloon."

"Oh!" he realised. "We've heard you, roaring up and down the street. And seen you, a couple of times, if your bike is burgundy and silver."

"It is," Sif confirmed.

Loki filed away the preference for silver for future jewelry-related purchases and looked at the two red balloons left on the board. The top one looked fuller. Blessing his height again, he let his dart fly.

POP!

Thor and Sif whooped with a satisfying amount of enthusiasm. "The stuffed unicorn, for the lady," Loki told the man, grinning.

"Nicely done," the mad admitted, and took down the fluffy unicorn, white with a gray mane and tail, and passed it to Sif.

Sif took it and pressed a kiss to its nose. She had been right; it was very soft, and smelled of fresh air and sunshine. She smiled at Loki over the unicorn's head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said giddily. Six out of seven wasn't bad; he'd only missed one. "is there anything else you want here?"

Sif glanced at the cheaper prizes. There was a metallic red keychain flashlight with silver accents that she wouldn't mind. "Yes, but I want my turn with the darts. Here, you can hold Moonbeam." She passed him the unicorn.

Nonplused, Loki took the unicorn. "Moonbeam?"

"Yes. It's his name," said Sif firmly. "Can I use your other two darts or do you want them to get something for yourself?"

At the moment, Loki wanted to do nothing more than keep on winning things for Sif, so he shook his head. "You can have them."

It took those two plus the three more she had to buy, but Sif won her mini flashlight and then Thor had a turn and claimed what he thought was a rather nice looking keychain with a piece of rough-cut quartz on the end of it to add to his own collection at home. They moved down the row of booths, playing games and collecting prizes, Loki allowing Sif to gift him a decently-sculpted model horse painted gold at the shooting range, and Thor winning a framed mirror with the name of a favourite band on it. By the time that they got to the end of the row, the boys had accumulated enough prizes that they couldn't fit in their pockets that Sif took pity on them constantly having to put them down at each new booth and pick them back up afterwards or asking each other to hold their things and fished a crumpled plastic grocery bag out of her canvas bag, where she'd tucked Moonbeam in securely with his head sticking out so he could look around. "Want to put the stuff you've won in here?"

"Yes, please," the boys said gratefully, almost in unison.

Sif shook her head in amusement. "Don't you ever think ahead? Stick a bag in your pocket next time."

Thor and Loki exchanged glances.

"Would you think it terribly immature of us if I told you we would usually be seeking out our mother around now to dump our stuff in her tote bag?" Loki asked, looking sheepish.

Sif laughed. "Perhaps a little, but it's also sweet if she doesn't mind. Is she here somewhere?"

"Yeah, she has a weaving entered in the fibercrafts show." He glanced at his watch. "We're supposed to meet her and Father at six in front of the bandstand."

"Oh, that's perfect; that's where my friend Fandral's band is playing; they do cover songs from the sixties and early seventies. And you should have told me about your mom; I would have liked to see her work. Is she any good?"

"All the crafts are on display until the fair closes, I think," said Loki. "We can go see it later and you can judge for yourself. I'm sure Mother would be happy to tell you all about it if you have any questions."

"We should head over to the bandstand now," said Thor, checking his own watch, then grinned when he saw the strength-testing machine at the end of the row. "That is, after I've had a go at that." He passed Loki the bag of prizes that he had been holding, and moved towards the tall contraption, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "All right, time for me to shine," he said gleefully.

Sif eyed his biceps. "I'm going to hear that bell ring, aren't I?"

"The last time he couldn't do it was probably in junior high," said Loki. "If the darts are my sure thing, this is his." He looked at the prizes on offer as Thor handed over some money to the attendant running the game and accepted the sledgehammer in return. "You could give Mother one of those coloured bud vases, Thor." They looked like plastic but were pretty, in a wide range of pastel colours. "Maybe that light green one?"

"Hm." Thor considered the vases. "It's not bad, but she's already got a lot of vases."

"Then save it for your next girlfriend and give it to her with a flower in it," suggested Loki. "Unless you see something you like better?"

Thor looked at a Budweiser mirror, torn. "We'll see," he said at last, and swung the hammer back and forth a few times, getting a feel for it. Loki took a step back, taking Sif with him. Thor positioned his hands on the handle -- one near the end, the other up by the head, and swung the hammer up above his head and then down, slamming it directly onto the center of the pressure pad. The marker puck flew up rapidly and slammed into the bell at the top.

BRRINGGG!

Loki and Sif cheered, and someone else behind Thor wolf-whistled in appreciation.

"Nice job, big boy."

"Darcy!" a fourth person hissed.

"What? If I worked that hard on my muscles, I'd want people to appreciate what I could do with them."

Thor turned, amused, to see who had stopped to watch him, and saw two brown-haired young women, both on the short side. The darker-haired one with glasses gave him a cheerful wave.

"Hi."

"Hello." He smiled back at her but then his attention was arrested by her companion.

"You! You were the one who ran into me in the bumper cars!"

The woman looked sheepish. "Oh, yeah, hi. Isn't that the point, though? I didn't give you whiplash or anything, did I?"

"No, just stalled my car out." Thor smiled at her brilliantly. "My name's Thor, by the way."

"I'm Jane. Nice to meet you." She remembered a glimpse of a handsome face before she'd zoomed off to avoid Darcy hitting her, but she hadn't had a chance to appreciate his height when he'd been folded up inside a little bumper car. Or his muscles, she thought, noting them now. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled shyly.

"Actually, the original point of bumper cars was to avoid getting bumped," said Loki knowledgeably. "That's why they're also called Dodgems. But some people apparently find it a more enjoyable outlet for their tendencies toward violence over skill."

"Sounds like someone got bumped a lot," observed Darcy.

"My barbarian of a brother -- " Loki pointed at Thor, who was currently looking at Jane with the smitten expression of a lovesick sheep -- "Always goes for me as soon as the ride starts and ignores everybody else. That's why your friend was able to ram him so hard, he wasn't paying attention to anyone but his chosen target." It was only with a great deal of difficulty that he refrained from sticking his tongue out at Thor as he remembered Thor's car skidding across the floor of the ride area away from him with a good bit of satisfaction.

"Hey, uh, are you going to pick a prize or not?" the guy running the strength-testing machine asked. "Other people might want a go."

"Oh, right, sorry!" Thor glanced at the prizes again, then at Jane. She really was strikingly beautiful. "Is there anything I might gift you with, Jane? As a thank you for a memorable bumper car experience?"

Loki nearly rolled his eyes as Jane blushed faintly. "Oh, that's sweet of you, are you sure? I...um -- "

"She'll take the star," said Darcy decisively.

"Darcy!"

"What? All right, fine, you tell him what you want." Darcy crossed her arms over her chest and raised one eyebrow expectantly.

"I..." Jane looked at the stuffed stars, the fabric that particular shade of pale yellow that made her think they would glow in the dark, each with a hanging loop at the top and a stitched on happy face. "Okay, yeah, I want the star. I'm studying astrophysics, stars are kind of my thing."

The game's attendant passed Thor one of the stuffed stars and Thor presented it to Jane in turn. "A star for my lady, to match the ones sparkling in her eyes."

Jane blushed harder as she took the star. "Thank you."

"Smooth," admired Darcy.

"Like shark skin?" asked Loki.

Darcy ugly snorted.

"I think shark skin is rough," said Sif, dimples appearing in her cheeks.

"No, I've touched one," said Thor, mirth dancing in his eyes. "They're smooth."

"Like baby bottoms," said Darcy, not missing a beat.

"Like dolphins," agreed Loki, grinning widely.

"No, I'm pretty sure -- your name's Sif, right? You were in that self-defense class I took last year -- Sif's right; shark skin is rough." Jane looked baffled for a moment as the two boys and Darcy burst into laughter, Sif grinning as well. "Wait, is this one of those internet memes?"

"I'll find the post to show you later," promised Darcy.

Thor seized on the salient fact. "You go to the same college as Sif?" She was no longer just a pretty face glimpsed briefly on a fairground ride, she had a name, and they'd be going to the same college. Maybe they could get together before then as well, he thought hopefully. Go get an ice cream or something.

"Yeah," said Jane. "Do you guys go there? I haven't noticed you before."

"We've just moved here; we'll be starting there in the fall."

"Yeah, if I had seen either of you two before, I would have remembered," said Darcy. "What's your majors? Mine's political science."

Loki brightened. "I'm going for a business degree, but I'm doing a minor in poli sci. I'd like to get involved at the local level at some point in the future; there are so many positive changes that could be made if we just get the right people in charge." They had moved out of the way of the strength-testing game as they talked, but not far. Loki was debating whether to have his usual go at it and come up short in Sif's eyes. He could usually get the puck up to a respectable level, but knew he probably wouldn't hit the bell. Not many people did; he watched a fairgoer's face fall as the puck didn't even make it past the halfway point on their attempt.

"Oh hey, we can be study buddies," said Darcy happily.

"Mm, maybe," said Loki noncommittally. He usually did quite well studying by himself but didn't want to pass up the chance of making another friend, or at least a friendly acquaintance. "What year are you in? It'll be my first."

"Sophomore, but that just means I'll be familiar with your classes and can offer tips on what's going to be on your tests." Darcy turned to Thor. "How about you, big guy?"

"Third year, kinesiology with a minor in coaching," said Thor. "I want to coach kids' sports teams, but that isn't exactly a full time career. So I'm hoping to land a job as an elementary school gym teacher; that'd put me in a good position to get in some coaching on the side."

"Well, it sounds like you've got your future all figured out; they sound like good goals," Jane approved.

"Well, I like sports and I like kids, and if I can't be a ten year old again feeling the joy of seeing the bin of dodgeballs being brought out, then I can at least be the one putting that expression onto other kids' faces."

"Why shouldn't you?" asked Sif thoughtfully, also remembering the pleasure of a good dodgeball game. "I wonder if we could organise some dodgeball games at the gym. A weekly class or something?"

"I'd sign up," said Loki promptly.

"Same," agreed Thor.

"I'll ask Mr. Skurge about it," said Sif. "What about you two?" She looked at the two other girls.

"Uh, no," said Jane. "Thanks but no thanks. Dodgeball does not favor the small."

"On the one hand I agree with Jane," said Darcy, "Small plus glasses. But on the other hand -- it does sound kind of fun. Maybe? I'd be willing to try it once at least."

"Cool. The more interest the better. Maybe Fandral and his buddies in the band would want to join. Although Fandral might be more worried about getting a ball to the face than he was before puberty hit and he started caring more about his looks," Sif grinned. "And I bet Hogun would say yes; I'm not sure about Haldor." She hadn't met Haldor until high school, but she could remember Hogun methodically taking down one kid after another whenever they'd played dodgeball in elementary school. Fandral had always been right up in front, too; she hoped he'd join them if they could get a class together.

Loki felt a stab of jealousy as Sif mentioned Fandral's apparent good looks and decided to channel that into an attempt at the strength-tester. "All right, I'm going to go hit something; I'll be right back," he said, and took out his wallet, approaching the game again. Of course everyone instantly shifted their attention to him as he took up the sledgehammer, Thor calling out encouragement.

"Remember, use your core, slam it down sharp and fast and focus on making sure the hammer strikes the center of the pad as solidly as possible," Thor said helpfully. "You can do it."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Yes, Coach Thor, I have done this before." He felt like Thor was more invested in him conquering this game than he was; it didn't matter if he didn't hit the bell, he told himself, as long as he got the puck up near the top and made a good showing. He swung the hammer as Thor had, getting a feel for its weight and balance and judging how close he needed to stand. Then in one quick movement, he brought the hammer up and slammed it down as hard as he could. The puck flew up at a satisfying speed, slowed as it reached the coloured area just below the bell, hovered for a moment, and then dropped.

There was a general groan of disappointment. "Oh, so close," the man running the game sympathised. "Want to have another go?"

Loki hesitated, then shook his head. "I never do any better on second tries with this, I put my best effort into the first one. As it is, I can walk away feeling good with how high I got it, if I do worse in a second try, then I'll walk away feeling worse."

The man, an older gentleman with graying hair, nodded. "Fair enough. But I'll tell you what, I like seeing kids who think about other people. You really were only a hair's breadth from hitting that bell; I'm saying that's close enough today." He reached out and plucked the light green vase off of its shelf. "Here, put a flower in it and give it to your mother. Or a pretty girl if there's one you've got your eye on." He gave Loki a wink.

"Really?" Loki asked in delight, a grin spreading all over his face. He accepted the vase. "Thank you! And I will."

"You have to promise to come back next year and try again, though," the man said.

"If nothing prevents it, then I will," Loki promised.

"And don't tell anyone I'm giving out prizes for 'close enough'", the man said. "This is my one good deed for the day and that's it."

"What prize?" asked Loki, tucking his vase away in their bag. The man nodded approvingly, and Loki felt almost certain that the man had kids himself.

"Well done, little brother." Thor thumped Loki on the back cheerfully.

"I thought you were going to hit the bell for sure," said Sif. "Here, let me try."

Sif took out her wallet and then unhooked her bag from her shoulder and held it out. "Someone want to hold this for me?"

Darcy snagged it. "I love your unicorn. Where'd you get it?"

"Dart game with the balloons, down at the far end of the row." Sif pointed as she took up the hammer.

"Janie." Darcy looked at her friend with her own version of puppy dog eyes. "I need a unicorn. Look at him." She made Moonbeam wave one foreleg at Jane. "You're gonna help me win one, right? He can be friends with your star."

Jane laughed. "Yeah, sure, if I can." Despite being in general a non-athletic person, she was actually a decent shot at darts; she and her father had used to play together. She wasn't going to win any competitions, but she could probably break a few balloons if Darcy needed help. "Let's just see what Sif can do first."

Darcy raised Moonbeam's two forelegs in a victory celebration. "Yay!"

What Sif could do with the hammer was send the puck flying about three quarters of the way up the backboard of the tower.

"Thou hast made a valiant attempt," Loki read the words written opposite the band of colour where Sif's puck had reached its peak before dropping.

"Thank you," said Sif with a short bow, deciding that was good enough for this year, and handed the hammer back to the game's attendant.

"I can give you some workout tips if you want a better chance at this next year," offered Thor. "Have you ever tried using a medicine ball?"

"No, and that'd be great. I've never bothered to specifically train for this, but why not?"

"Anyone else?' the attendant asked.

Jane and Darcy shook their heads in unison. "Not me," they chorused.

"Gotta save our money for unicorns," said Darcy matter-of-factly. "It's not like any of them are going to come lay their heads in my lap in real life anymore."

Loki was so, so glad he had long since finished his lemonade, because he probably would have spit it out if he'd had any in his mouth when he realised what she meant. He did splutter a bit, though, and Darcy winked at him.

"Should you need any assistance," said Thor, reluctant to let them go when he didn't know if he'd see Jane again before college started. He didn't know her last name, or her phone number, would it be too creepy to ask for it so soon after meeting her? "My brother or I would be happy to help you get a unicorn for yourself."

"Well, we'll see," said Jane. "We'd like to have a go at it ourselves first."

"Of course," agreed Thor. Winning something was nice, but playing the game was the fun part. "We're heading over to the bandstand area, and will probably be there for a little while at least if you want to find us."

"The Daytrippers are playing," offered Sif. "Do you know Fandral? Or his band?"

"Errol Flynn wannabe?" asked Darcy casually. "Yeah, he's cool." She decided that they didn't need to know he was the reason she wouldn't be luring in any real life unicorns anymore. Totally worth it, though. "We'll try to come by before his set's over."

"Great!" Thor enthused. "And maybe we can hang out sometime, before the summer's over?" The words spilled out without conscious thought, borne out of the need to get some kind of contact information for Jane.

"Yeah, sure," Darcy accepted cheerfully. "Have you guys been to Vanir Beach yet?" She ignored the look that Jane gave her; Jane could suck up her dislike of the beach for once in her life. It's not like there were any opportunities to see some hot new guys shirtless at the planetarium.

"No," said Thor and Loki together, both looking immediately interested.

"It's a bit of a drive," began Jane --

"But really not that far," finished Darcy. "Here, give me your phone number, we'll give you a call and set something up."

Loki took her offered phone and entered his number. "Hey, Thor, want me to give her yours -- "

"Yes," Thor said immediately, but he was looking at Jane, having not missed her reaction to the mention of a beach. "Jane? Do you not like the beach?"

"Ah, you noticed that, did you? It can be okay, depending on the day -- but it can also be noisy and crowded and hot. At least around here there are patches of shade all over the place -- " She gestured. "And it's only a once a year thing. And I have to say that I prefer a nice clean pool over a lake with a mucky bottom."

"Can't bodysurf or get a game of beach volleyball going at a pool, though," said Sif pragmatically. "But you're not wrong about the bottom feeling kind of gross," she admitted. "You just gotta get your feet up and start swimming as soon as you feel it get that way."

Darcy, having gotten her phone back, was typing something into it. "Jane, shall I give them your number too?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." Darcy had good instincts about guys, and if she thought it was safe to give out her phone number, then it probably was.

Loki's phone pinged, and he grinned as he saw the text from Darcy containing both hers and Jane's phone numbers. He promptly forwarded it to Thor's phone as well.

Thor glanced at it when it arrived and grinned happily. He had her number. "We'll go to the beach one day, but I'd also enjoy going someplace else with you another day, Jane. Where would you recommend?"

"Oh, well, I'm always up for stargazing, but for a more daytime activity..." She ran through possibilities in her head. "There's a park I know, with some nice trails through the woods for hiking. We could do that?"

"That sounds perfect." Thor smiled at her warmly. "I'll have to look at my work schedule, but I'll call you and we'll set up a date."

Jane couldn't help smiling back, feeling warmed straight through. He could just mean what day of the month, but she really liked the sound of the word "date".

"Okay, and we'll figure out which day works best for everyone as a beach day," Darcy said. "I could call you guys tomorrow? Give everyone a chance to look at their schedules, and I'll look at the weather forecast and send you two a map showing where the beach is."

"Sounds good," said Loki. He'd missed having somewhere to swim; a hot beach wasn't his favourite thing either, but a lake full of cold water most definitely would be. And the thought of seeing Sif in a swimsuit was even better. "Sif can ride with us, and we can meet you two there. That is, if Jane wants to go."

"Well, if everyone else is, then yeah, I guess," Jane decided. Maybe she'd bring a float. And she did like the shuffleboard courts. Her decision had nothing to do with the prospect of seeing Thor shirtless and dripping wet.

"We should head over to the bandstand now," said Thor, looking at Loki and Sif. "Maybe get something to eat for you two? I think I could manage that lemonade now."

They said their goodbyes and left the rows of carnival games, Thor ducking into a porta-potty and emerging feeling much less bloated. They followed Sif as she headed towards a food truck advertising the usual selection of fair food. "So, tell me," she said, turning round to look at them and walking backwards for a few yards. "Do either of you play sports? I mean," she gestured at Thor. "Obviously you do, you want to be a coach, but let me guess which ones." She looked Loki up and down. "You're a runner," she said, pointing at him. "Or a swimmer, or maybe both?"

"I like swimming, but not competitively. I ran track for a year in junior high, but it conflicted too much with band. But yeah, I do still like to go for a run most days if the weather is decent. It's a nice time to be alone inside my head."

"Yeah, I know what you mean; I feel that way when I exercise. But band is cool too; what instrument do you play?"

"Flute."

Thor grinned. "He wanted to be Ian Anderson." He mimed playing a flute while standing on one leg.

"Can you do that?" Sif asked, interested.

"Mm, yeah, a bit," Loki admitted modestly. Thor in a food coma had toned his personality down to that of an average person, but he seemed to be coming back to life.

"Cool; you'll have to let me watch you play sometime. Maybe you can jam with Fandral's band one day." She felt pleased at finding a way her new friend and old could mesh together.

"Yeah, that might be fun."

Sif turned to Thor as they took their places in line at the food truck. "You -- weightlifting?" It was an obvious guess, his tank top showing off heavily-muscled arms and shoulders.

"Yes as far as staying fit, that and a general gym workout, but not competitively." Thor nodded at her t-shirt, which bore the name of a gym and the words Life is tough. Be tougher. "I like your shirt. Is that a local gym you belong to?"

Sif brightened. "Yes, I take a kickboxing class there. If you want to join, I'll take you down there one day and show you around, get you set up. And before you ask, apart from gym workouts and jogging, I played softball and basketball. So, what else for you? Baseball? Football?"

"Yes and yes, and rugby at my old college. Swimming and surfing for fun. Ice hockey in winter. I throw a mean frisbee." He thought. "Tennis a bit, if anyone needs a partner, but Loki likes it more than I do."

"Our mother taught us," Loki explained.

Sif imagined two young boys in tennis whites and was charmed by the image. "Did you play doubles against her? Or did your father join in to make it even?"

"Mm, no, Father's more of a hockey man, or at least he was when he was younger. Or a playing catch in the backyard kind of man," said Thor. He could remember endless summer evenings and weekend afternoons with his father and a baseball the year he'd joined Little League, Loki too young to practise with yet, but willing to scamper off and retrieve any stray balls.

"Billiards," said Loki helpfully. "Or chess. He taught me how to play chess."

"Have you got a pool table?" Sif asked hopefully.

"Sadly no," said Thor. "It got left with the old place. Father said they'd had to take the moldings off the doors to get it indoors in the first place and he wasn't going through that again."

"We're campaigning for a new one, though," said Loki. "There's room in the basement."

"Is there room to get it in the house, though?" queried Sif.

"There must be," said Thor. "People have them in their houses, I know they do."

"We'll just have to measure everything first," said Loki. "There are probably different sizes of tables."

"Maybe he'll get us one for Christmas," mused Thor. "He could wrap the cue sticks and put them under the tree. Cue sticks for one of us and the rack and balls for the other."

"And maybe he'd already smuggled it into the basement and we'd been barred from going down there," said Loki, happily going along with this pleasant scenario. "And we just assumed it was because of our usual pile of presents waiting to be put out after we went to sleep."

"If you guys get a pool table for Christmas," said Sif, "I expect to be invited over before the day is out. Or the next day would be all right, but call and tell me about it at least."

"Promise," said Loki. They had moved up in line as they spoke, and had reached the window of the food truck. "Okay, what does everyone want?"

"Large lemonade for me," said Thor, perusing the menu offerings. "And...is there anywhere around here that sells sno-cones?"

"Yeah, there's a cart on the edge of the grass in front of the grandstand," the kid manning the food truck said.

"Okay, just the drink for me, then. Loki?"

"Fries and a coke and some of the cinnamon peanuts," said Loki. "Sif?"

"I can pay for my own. Go ahead and get your stuff first."

Loki hesitated, then shrugged and reached for his wallet, because fairground food was ridiculously expensive. He didn't mind so much when it was a specialty food like the spiced nuts, but he could buy a two liter bottle of Coke on sale for less than the price of the one cup he was getting -- when Thor passed him a couple of bucks for his lemonade, Loki accepted them and added them to the total. He tucked the nuts into the bag Thor was carrying to eat later, and moved aside to let Sif order when he was done paying. Sif bought a Coke, a corndog and a popcorn and a bag of cotton candy, and they moved away from the food truck slowly, Loki carefully picking up fries with his teeth for lack of a free hand and Sif nibbling on her corn dog. Thor sipped his lemonade and tried to shoo away the bees that began to follow him.

"Let's try to get one of the picnic tables over by the grandstand," said Sif. "We can put our stuff down and Thor can go get his sno-cone."

Thor looked around as they approached the rather patchy grassy area in front of the bandstand, some trees along the edges of it offering some sun-dappled shade over near the picnic tables. He lengthened his stride and made a beeline for the last empty table, putting the bag with their prizes and nuts down and waving his brother and Sif over. "Got one!"

Loki inspected the top of the table for stickiness, gave it a quick swipe with one of the napkins he'd taken from the food truck, and hopped up, putting his drink down beside him and his feet on the bench seat. Then, before Thor could sit down next to him, scooted over so he had the middle position on that side of the table, leaving space for Thor on one side of him and Sif on the other.

Thor smirked knowingly at him as he joined Loki, Sif hopping up on Loki's other side and copying his position.

The fries smelled good. "Can I have a couple?" Thor asked, hovering his hand over them.

Knowing that this was one of the rare times when Thor really wouldn't take more than a few, Loki moved his fries a little bit in Thor's direction. "Go ahead."

Thor took one, savouring the salty potato taste. Some musicians were on stage, tuning their instruments.

"That's Fandral," said Sif. "Guy in the Hawaiian shirt with the guitar. Lead guitar and vocals. I've known him since kindergarten."

Loki wasn't sure about the goatee, but had to admit Fandral was handsome in a certain swashbuckling way. "I bet he's popular with the girls," he ventured. "Or is it guys?"

"Wow, you pinned him quick. He is indeed known as our local Lothario, and it's mostly girls but he is not averse to the charms of an attractive man." She turned and glanced at them. "He is going to love meeting you."

"Did you just call me attractive, Sif?" Loki turned his best sunny smile on her.

"I think she was talking about me," countered Thor, flexing.

Sif rolled her eyes. "I was talking about the both of you, and you know it."

"Thank you," said Loki modestly. "You're very pretty yourself."

Sif looked away self-consciously for a moment. "Thank you." She looked back at the stage. "Um, Hogun is on bass, Haldor's on drums, and that's Lorelei on the keyboards. I'll introduce you when we're done eating, if the set hasn't started yet.

"Watch my lemonade," said Thor. "I'm going to go get that sno-cone." He slid off the table, having spotted the cart, and headed off in that direction.

Loki took a sip from Thor's lemonade, just because.

Sif snorted.

He grinned at her innocently. "I gave him some of my fries," he reminded her. "Brothers share," he added in a tone that made Sif certain that he was repeating a phrase he had heard from his mother on more than one occasion while growing up.

Thor came strolling back a couple of minutes later, sucking on a cherry sno-cone, then taking a satisfyingly crunchy bite of the ground ice. "Miss me?"

"Did you leave?" asked Loki, and grinned as Thor gave him a good-natured shove as he sat back down, causing him to bump shoulders with Sif.

"Oh hey, there's Mother and Father." Thor lifted his hand, pointing towards the opposite side of the lawn.

Sif looked, and studied the only couple in that direction heading towards them that seemed old enough to be Thor's and Loki's parents. Their father, if she was looking at the right couple, was noticeably older than their mother, with longish nearly white hair brushing the top of his shoulders and a matching beard. An eyepatch gave him a rakish air that made her think of a pirate Santa. He was neatly dressed in casual slacks and a striped, short-sleeved button-down shirt, the predominant colours nearly matching the blue and white floral print of his wife's dress, a loose, flowy, comfortable-looking sleeveless affair that she'd paired with sandals and a wide-brimmed straw hat. Beneath the hat Sif could see a long honey-gold braid cascading down the woman's back. She was tall and pretty and looked more put together than Sif had ever felt in her entire life. She was walking with one arm tucked through her husband's, the other holding an elephant ear which she was taking dainty bites of, their heads tilted slightly towards each other as they spoke. They looked very much like a couple who still enjoyed each other's company. As Sif watched, the man snitched a bit of the elephant ear and popped it into his mouth, the woman promptly pulling it away from him with a chiding "Hey!" that carried across the grass. Her husband grinned in an unapologetic manner and she gave a little shake of her head that was equal parts exasperated and fond. Sif liked them both on sight. She was about to ask for confirmation of their identities when Thor stood up and waved his hand in the air.

"Mother! Father! Over here!"

The pirate Santa lifted his hand in acknowledgement and the couple veered slightly to come straight towards them, weaving around the scattering of other people milling around and in some cases, getting comfortable on a blanket that had spread out on the grass.

Their mother's brows furrowed in mock confusion as she saw them. "Odin, don't we only have two children? I know we used to talk about having a daughter, but I'm sure I would have remembered this lovely young lady here."

"Only two," Odin confirmed, his eye twinkling. "Although if the boys wish to adopt her, they can bunk together and she can have the extra room."

"No," said Thor and Loki in tandem.

"No need for that," Loki said hastily. "She already has a home, and not far from us, either." Sometimes he thought he wouldn't have minded having a little sister, but not one that he wanted to date.

"She lives on Sorrel," Thor chimed in. "The next street over from us."

"Oh! How nice. You'll have to come over and visit, my dear."

Loki jumped in with introductions. "Mother, this is Sif. Sif, these are our parents, Odin Borson and Frigga -- "

"Just Frigga is fine, Sif. I don't stand on formality with my sons' friends. Feel free to come over any time, and I'd love to meet your parents, too, if that's not too soon to mention. I was thinking I'd have to wait until school started up to meet any families with children around my boys' age. Have you exchanged addresses and phone numbers yet?"

"Phone numbers, yes. And I'll tell my mother about you."

"That's good," Frigga approved. "That a very cute unicorn you have in your bag." Frigga smiled down at Moonbeam, who was watching from the safety of Sif's bag. "Did you win him at one of the carnival game booths?"

"Loki did, actually. And was kind enough to give him to me."

"Oh, did he?" Frigga raised an eyebrow as she looked at her youngest son and saw the hint of colour rise on his cheeks. Like that, was it?

"Mm," said Loki.

"That was very sweet of you, Loki." Frigga reached out and smoothed back a lock of his hair, Loki leaning away indignantly. Frigga laughed. "All right, I'm glad you're having fun." She ran her eyes over her eldest. "How did the contest go, Thor?"

"Only second place," said Thor. "But I don't mind, because the guy who won is Sif's friend and he has four children and I think he kind of needed the tickets more than we did."

"Oh well, better luck next time. But yes, children are expensive," Frigga agreed. "And four of them!" She turned towards Odin and scolded him with a teasing smile on her face. "Why couldn't you have given me four babies?"

"Well, if you remember, it wasn't for lack of trying," he said wryly.

"Mm," said Frigga, smirking.

Loki made a face. "Please ignore my parents reminiscing fondly about how often they used to have sex," he told Sif.

Odin and Frigga exchanged a glance.

"What do you mean "used to"?" asked Odin innocently.

"Ahhh! I'm not listening!" Loki stuck his fingers in his ears.

Frigga chuckled. "You only encourage your father with those sorts of reactions."

"I don't care," said Loki petulantly. "Children should be able to assume that their parents had sex exactly once for each child and that's it."

Odin snorted. "'Fraid not, my boy. Take heart in knowing that all your body parts will still be in working order when you're my age."

Loki whimpered, and even Thor's face twisted up.

"Not a mental image I really needed, Father," Thor said.

Sif patted Thor's shoulder sympathetically. She knew well enough not to enter a closed bedroom door without knocking when her father was home on leave. "If you like kids, Frigga, I'm sure Volstagg wouldn't mind having another possible babysitter to call; I'm not as available as I used to be now that I'm in college."

"How old are the children?" Frigga asked.

"Between one and seven," Loki volunteered. "Two girls, two boys. Mostly redheads."

"Oh." Frigga looked intrigued. "I might be interested, if he needs someone. You said he was here? Any chance of meeting him?"

Sif looked around. The band was still tuning up and talking amongst themselves. "Possibly; they might show up here? The kids like the music. If I see him and his family, I'll introduce you. Speaking of which, Thor, Loki, come on; I want to introduce you to Fandral and the others before they start playing." She slid off the picnic bench, and glanced back over her shoulder.

Loki immediately got up to follow her, stuffing the last of his fries in his mouth and taking his drink with him. Thor followed, still working on his sno-cone, appreciating the fact that flavoured ice didn't take up much room inside him, while still being an integral part of the fairground experience.

"If you'll excuse us," said Loki.

"Of course, darling, go meet new friends. We'll save your seats for you." Frigga smiled at him, and Odin was glad enough to settle himself on the vacated bench, not particularly caring if the seat was a bit dusty from sneakered feet; all his clothes probably smelled vaguely of horse barn and would need to go in the wash anyway. He'd struck up a conversation with a man who'd been grooming a lovely grey Shire stallion for his show class and had the farm's business card safely tucked into his pocket with an invitation to visit some time. It wasn't too far, and Odin thought it would be a nice family outing one weekend, if the boys weren't too old for family outings. They'd both be in college come the fall, growing up, doing more and more things on their own. The unfamiliarity of a new town had kept the boys close to home this summer, and he'd enjoyed it.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Frigga sat down beside Odin, taking another bite of her elephant ear.

Odin eyed it. "I will share them for another piece of fried dough," he said gravely.

Frigga laughed and offered it. "Deal."

He tore off a piece. "Thinking about the boys growing up, moving on with their lives, away from us. College, and then jobs, and maybe marriage and families of their own."

Frigga smiled wistfully. "That would mean we did a good job of raising successful, independent men. And them finding someone to love and spend their lives with could never be a bad thing; in fact them starting new families of their own would only mean that ours would grow."

"Not losing sons but gaining daughters-in-law?" Odin asked wryly.

"Yes, exactly," said Frigga stoutly. "And grandchildren after that. Although..." She screwed up her face. "You're right, I'm not ready for that either. But I don't think we have to worry about empty nest syndrome just yet; Loki hasn't even started college yet."

"What if Thor graduates and gets a good job and wants to move out? I've heard him and Loki talking about sharing an apartment and splitting rent."

Frigga made a considering noise. "That's still two years away, and I don't think he'll be in any rush to move out, not if he can get a job close enough to make commuting feasible. They both seem to like the new house, and apartments are expensive these days. It would make sense to save some money by living at home for a while. Adding that pool they want to the backyard might be a good way to encourage that," she hinted.

Odin chuckled. "You want it too, don't you?"

"I would not be averse," admitted Frigga. "And just think of all the times you'd be able to ogle me in my bathing suit." She waggled her eyebrows at him.

"A convincing argument. I just don't want to be the one stuck taking care of it if the boys move out after college. I'm not getting any younger, you know."

"Even more important why you should have an excellent option for some low-impact exercise right there in our backyard," Frigga said encouragingly. "And the boys could still help take care of it if they're living close enough to come over to use it; if not, you could get someone in to clean it."

"I suppose," admitted Odin. He was not the sort of person who had any desire to go to a gym to exercise, the idea of a cool, refreshing swim in the summer instead of a hot walk sounded appealing. "It'll be more work to mow around a pool than going straight across the lawn." He tried a final objection.

"Good thing you've got two strong sons who are doing all the mowing already," she countered.

Odin grinned. "All right, I'll talk to them about it."

Frigga divided the last of her elephant ear in half and gave him one of the pieces, munching the other one herself. "The boys will be happy. Especially," she said thoughtfully, "If Sif doesn't have a pool of her own. I can see Loki being very happy if the rest of his summer involves a lot of a pretty girl in a swimsuit in his own backyard. If you want to keep the boys at home, at least in summer, a pool should do the trick."

"Hm; I agree that he seems to be smitten, but do you think she feels the same way?"

"Not sure how much yet, but I'd definitely say she's interested. And I'm so glad the boys have found a friend their own age even if nothing more comes of it. She seems nice." She watched as her sons and Sif chatted with the young man on the stage. Perhaps another new friend. She glanced around and her smile grew as she spotted the new family strolling onto the grass, a man and a woman and four young children. She nudged Odin and pointed. "Sif's friend, I think?"

Odin's eyebrows rose. "An impressive beard. And yes, I don't see who else it could be. Do you want to go talk to them?"

"I should probably wait for Sif to introduce us. Would you mind if I babysat for them occasionally?"

"Of course not, not if it makes you happy."

"I'd enjoy it," she admitted. "I do miss the boys being small." She watched as the boys and Sif left the stage and began strolling back towards them. The guitarist played a ringing chord, gaining everyone's attention, and picked up the microphone.

"All right, it's time to get this show on the road," Fandral announced, addressing the gathered crowd. "Our job, up here, is to get you all on your feet singing and dancing along. Your job is to look like you're having the best time of your lives so that all of those people -- " He gestured at the fairgoers passing by. "Stop and realise that they're missing out on all the fun and decide to join us. Can you do that?"

There was a chorus of affirmation.

"I can't hear you," Fandral said. "You're going to have to do better than that." He held out his microphone.

A much louder, more synchronised cheer came from the crowd, Loki wincing as Thor's deep, enthusiastic bellow sounded in his ear. Fandral grinned and then without any further ado the band launched into 'You Can't Hurry Love' by the Supremes, and it wasn't long before people started to get up and dance, the songs upbeat and familiar, the words known whenever Fandral pointed his microphone at the crowd for them to join in on a chorus. Sif brought Volstagg and his family over to meet his parents when his presence was pointed out, Hildegund taking the baby out of the stroller to hold in her arms, swaying to the music as they talked. The two older children danced around with the energetic unselfconsciousness of youth, and by the time the third song started, Frigga was dancing with the three year old, leaning down so she could hold onto the little girl's hands, a big smile on her face.

"Mother has deserted us," Loki announced, his voice loud enough to carry to her ears.

Thor picked up the cue instantly. "Mother doesn't love us anymore."

"Mother prefers to frolic with the children of strangers," Loki observed sadly.

"It is because we are no longer cute little boys," remarked Thor.

Frigga turned and glared at them in affront, but the corner of her lips was twitching.

"Oh! Oh! Jail for Mother," they chanted in unison. "Jail for Mother for one thousand years!"

Sif lost it, wheezing with laughter.

Frigga handed Flosi off to her mother and walked over to her sons. "Lies and slander," she said perfectly calmly, her hands on her hips. "You will always be my darling boys no matter how tall you've gotten, and you are just as cute now as you ever were; I have the photos to prove it." She glanced at Sif, smiling sweetly. "Come over and you can see their baby pictures."

"Hey!" protested Thor.

"I'd love to," said Sif, grinning.

"Now," Frigga said, holding out her hands. "So you don't feel neglected -- which one of you will dance with me?"

Loki looked at Thor with a grimace. "We didn't think this through."

"I'm still too full to dance," said Thor, glad of the excuse, although he wasn't, not really.

"And it would be rude of me to leave my date," apologised Loki. "Why don't you dance with Father?"

"Cowards," said Frigga good-naturedly, and turned to her husband. "Come on, Odin, let's show the boys how to have a good time."

Odin, though, was cuddling the smallest Volstaggson on his lap, both man and child looking perfectly content with this arrangement. "But -- " he began.

Volstagg turned and scooped up young Rolfe. "I've got him."

Frigga held out her hand, and Odin took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Well, if my lady wishes it -- " he said. A minute later they were dancing.

Sif raised one delicate eyebrow at Loki. "When did this turn into a date?"

"When I needed an excuse not to dance with my mother to..." He paid attention to the music for a moment, watching his father spin his mother around, both of them looking like they were enjoying themselves. ""Help Me Rhonda" by the Beach Boys?"

"Is your issue with your mother or are you just shy about dancing in public?"

"My issue is dancing with my mother in public in front of a girl that I'm trying to impress and look cool for," admitted Loki, being unusually forthcoming.

"Well, I think it would be sweet if you danced with your mom. But your parents look nice together, too."

"He's a completely different person when he's at work, but with Mother -- yeah, you get used to it. It can be embarrassing sometimes when they start in with the flirting, but -- "

"It's nice," said Thor, knowing exactly what Loki was going to say. "Nice to know that they have such a solid marriage. That's what I want," he said wistfully. "Someone who I can still be having fun with when I'm their age."

"Mm," agreed Loki. "What about you, Sif? What are your parents like?"

"My dad's career military, so he's not always around, but when he's home it's nice; we do things. And mom gets a chance to relax and let him take care of things for a bit."

They stood there for a couple of minutes, bopping in place, watching Odin and Frigga dancing, and Volstagg's kids jumping around, and Volstagg pulling his wife up to join them, holding his youngest easily in the crook of one arm as they danced. The song wound down and a new one started. Sif made a decision and squared her shoulders.

"Come on," she said firmly. "Dance with me." She extended her hand to Loki. "If this is a date, then there should be dancing."

Loki had never really considered "Help" by the Beatles to be a good song to dance to, but, as they figured out some moves, he stopped caring about looking silly and started having fun. It was all in the company, he decided. Maybe he'd even dance with his mother if the right song came up, maybe Jane would show up and give Thor someone to dance with. Maybe this was going to be the best summer of his life.

#sifki #sifkiweek #marvel fic #ficwoodelf #fair play #loki #sif #thor #odin #frigga #volstagg #fandral #jane foster #darcy lewis #fosterson #fluff as far as the eye can see #it was so hard to get out of writing loki sounding like an asgardian prince

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