#endgame reader insert

[wildflowersandvibranium]

A Morning Of Mending

Pairing: Endgame Bucky Barnes x Girlfriend Reader

Summary: Carrying the weight of his past and his desire to heal , Bucky visits the Starks with his girlfriend by his side to meet Tony Stark’s young daughter , Morgan. He bridges the gap between grief and hope , making ammeds.

Word Count: 2.3k+

Content: Established relationship , Fluffy but some angst , buckys past mentioned , tony starks death mentions , kissing , and some angsty anxiety and regret from bucky

A/N: haiii heres a little something for you!! im writing my epilouge and editing chapters for my series but through this in to keep ya fed till next chapter is out June 4th! also but a btw! i dont write during weekends but do almost everyday as i am at home on summer and work from home!! enjoy and see ya later bbys 💖

The world outside the window of Bucky's car was quiet.

The bright early morning light was just beginning to melt the cool blue of dawn into the start of the day. 

Bucky’s hand gripped the wheel , his knuckles turning white with this grip. 

Beside him , you had your head propped up on your arm as you watched the houses and fields blur by , the soft hum of the engine the only sound for most of the drive.

You could feel the nerves radiating off him and into the car. 

The way his shoulders tensed each time he shifted slightly in his seat. 

He’d barely spoken since you left your guy's apartment , but you didn’t mind. 

Words weren’t always needed. 

You reached over and placed your hand on his thigh , your thumb slowly brushing over the seam of his dark washed jeans.

His breath caught. 

He glanced at you , blue eyes flickering with something , silent gratitude, maybe. 

He took one hand off the wheel and placed it in yours , so your fingers could thread together. 

Metal and flesh , cool and warm. All together grounding

“You okay?” you murmured , your voice soft. 

He swallowed , his gaze dropping to your joined hands , as his thumb now began to run over your knuckles.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. 

His voice was rough , the way it got when he was wrestling with too many thoughts and things all at the same time. 

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. But… actually being here and about to do it… it’s different.”

You squeezed his hand. “You’re here and moving forward with it. Thats all that matters.”

He didn’t say anything , but his jaw softened just a little. 

You watched him take a deep breath , shoulders lifting and falling with a lengthy exhale.

Then he turned his gaze and attention fully back to the road.

The Stark house was exactly as you imagined it would be. 

There was a wooden fence , a garden full of summer flowers , a neat stone path leading to a dark oak door. 

Bucky parked the car and killed the engine , staring at the house for a long moment. Not moving from his seat in the car.

“Do you want me to come in with you?” you asked quietly.

He didn’t answer right away. 

You could see the war behind his eyes , the part of him that wanted to do this alone and the part that was terrified of what he’d find or be met with.

Finally, he gave a small nod looking at you.

“Yeah,” he said. “I… I don’t think I can do it alone.”

You leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his scruffy cheek. 

“Then I’m with you,” you whispered.

Bucky took another final deep breath , then reached for the small bag in the backseat. 

You’d seen him pack it that morning—careful , precise, full of a specific intention. 

A few things he’d found and a few he made himself. 

He’d been so focused , his brow furrowed in that way it did when he was trying to be sure he got something right because he had to do this right.

Now he held the brown paper bag like it was the most important thing in the world.

He opened the door , and you both stepped out into the crisp late morning air paired with a breeze.

The walk up to the door felt like it stretched forever. 

Bucky’s steps slowed as he reached the porch. 

He looked down at his hand on the doorknob , metal fingers glinting in the light.

You touched his arm gently. “It’s okay,” you said again, your voice like a balm. “She’s just a little girl. And you’re here to show her that you care.”

He nodded , though his lips were pressed into a thin line. 

Then he knocked. Firm ,  but not harsh.

A moment later , the door swung open. 

Pepper stood there , her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a high pony , eyes bright but guarded. 

She took in Bucky’s face , then yours , and a small smile softened the lines around her mouth.

“James ,” she said. 

He nodded. “Thank you for… for letting me come , oh and this is my girlfriend.” He began to stutter then gave her your name.

She stepped back , opening the door wider. 

“Come in. She’s in the living room.”

Bucky hesitated for half a second before stepping inside. 

You followed him , your hand brushing his lower back in quiet reassurance. 

The house smelled of fresh bread and vanilla , warm and comforting. 

You could hear the faint sound of a little girl singing to herself somewhere deeper in the house.

Pepper led the way , her steps light but controlled. 

In the living room , Morgan was sitting cross-legged on a soft rug , her toys spread out around her. 

She craned her neck and looked up as you entered , her bright brown eyes curious.

“Hi,” she said shyly.

Bucky took a small step forward. His voice was softer than you’d ever heard it. “Hi, Morgan.”

She tilted her head , studying him. “Who are you?”

Your heart clenched at the question.

 Bucky’s shoulders straightened a little , and he knelt down so he wasn’t towering over her. Not wanting her intimated.

“I'm Bucky,” he said quietly. “I… I knew your dad.”

Morgan’s eyes widened a little more.

Instead, she reached for one of the toys at her side a worn pink teddy bear. 

“You knew my Daddy?” she asked.

Bucky nodded. 

His hand tightened on the small paper bag he held. “I did. And… I brought you something. If that’s okay.”

Morgan’s gaze flickered to the bag then to her mom , her curiosity piqued. 

She gave a small , eager nod.

 Bucky swallowed , then carefully set the bag down and opened it. 

From it , he pulled out a small wooden deer he’d made himself, its petals smoothed and painted in soft neutral colors. 

He held it out to her, his hand shaking just a little.

“I made this,” he said. “For you.”

Morgan’s eyes went wide. 

She took the deliacte deer in both hands , turning it over , her fingers tracing the delicate shapes and lines. 

“It’s pretty,” she said , her voice bright with wonder. “Did you make it run?”

Bucky smiled , a flicker of relief in his eyes. “No, but… I can show you how to make it look like it does.” 

He reached out, his metal hand careful as he took the deer back and showed her how to gently move its legs. 

Morgan watched , fascinated.

You stood back , your heart swelling at the sight of them. 

You knew how much this meant to Bucky—how much he’d agonized over this meeting and the regret he had with Tony.

 And here he was , kneeling on the carpet, showing Tony's little girl how to make a wooden deer “run.”

Pepper watched from the doorway , her eyes soft and a little wet. 

She caught your gaze and gave you a small nod , like she knew. 

Like she understood.

She knew of Bucky's story and his past , and was more understanding than her late husband. So when Bucky called after his funeral and told her of him making amends, she had thought this was good for him and his healing.

Morgan’s giggles floated through the warm air of the living room as Bucky showed her how to move the wooden animal , its tiny legs flexing and mimicking movement.

You watched his shoulders relax more and more , the way he leaned forward and let a small , genuine smile bloom across his face. 

It was rare , that smile. 

But it was there now, just for her.

Pepper stood beside you , her arms folded loosely over her chest. 

She had that same small,  relieved smile on her lips , though her eyes still looked a little tired—like she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in months. 

You turned and reached out , your hand brushing her elbow gently.

“Hey,” you said softly, your voice careful not to intrude. “How are you doing?”

Pepper blinked , as if the question had surprised her. 

Then she let out a quiet breath , her shoulders dropping.

“I’m… okay,” she said after a moment , her voice low. 

“It’s been a lot. There are days that feel like I'm drowning and will be forever. But Morgan and what he left behind it… she keeps me going.”

You nodded, understanding in your chest. “She’s a good kid,” you said. “Strong, like her parents.”

Pepper’s lips twitched , and she looked at you. 

“Thank you,” she murmured. “For coming with him today. I know this can’t be easy for either of you.”

You glanced over at Bucky and Morgan again. 

She was showing him one of her drawings now—bright colors swirling across the page in the clumsy , wonderful way that only a child could manage. 

Bucky listened intently , nodding and asking her questions about the rainbow , about the sun and the little scribbled stick figure in the corner.

“He’s been thinking about this for so long,” you said quietly. 

“He wanted to come alone at first , but… I think he needed to see that it’s okay to share this part of himself , his healing.”

Pepper’s eyes softened , and she reached out to squeeze your arm. 

“I’m glad he has you,” she said. “It’s even… healing, in a way for you, isn’t it? Watching him here.”

You nodded looking at your boyfriend. “Yeah it really is.”

You all fell into a comfortable silence , the kind that didn’t need to be filled with words.

 You both watched as Bucky carefully reached for another small item in the paper bag—a little music box. He wound it up and set it on the floor beside Morgan. 

A soft , tinkling tune filled the room , and Morgan’s eyes went wide with wonder.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“I thought you might like it,” Bucky said , his voice low and almost shy. 

“It used to belong to someone I cared about. I wanted you to have it, if you’d like it.”

Morgan looked up at him , her doe eyes wide. Then she nodded and hugged the little box to her chest.

“Thank you Bucky,” she said softly. “I love it.”

Bucky’s smile wobbled a little at the edges , but he reached out to pet her hair. “I’m glad kiddo,” he murmured.

You swallowed around the tightness in your throat , feeling the weight of the moment. 

Pepper rested a hand on your shoulder , her quiet presence as steady as your own to his.

The soft melody of the music box still drifted through the living room , filling the quiet spaces between Morgan’s wonder and Bucky’s gentle tone. 

Morgan had settled into an easy rhythm with Bucky , as if they’d always known each other. 

She was now talking about her favorite colors , the tiny braids in her hair bobbing as she shifted from one foot to the other as she stood.

“Do you like red ?” she asked him , holding up a small crayon showing the color.

“I do,” Bucky said, his voice warm and a little husky. “It’s a good color. It’s brave.”

Morgan beamed at that. “I think it’s a hero color,” she said proudly.

Bucky let out a quiet laugh—low and a little unsure, but real. “I think you might be right.”

You could see the way his shoulders aren't  tight at all anymore , the way his hands were relaxed on his knees. 

He was here , truly here , in this soft , safe space with her. And you.

Pepper leaned in a little closer to you , her eyes still a bit glossy as she watched them now discuss how green is a silly color.

“She’s never been afraid of people,” she murmured. “She has this way of seeing the good in everyone. Even… even when they don’t see it in themselves.”

“She’s amazing,” you said softly, your own heart tightening.

Pepper looked at you, really looked, and nodded. “She is,” she said. “And… he’s good with her , with kids. Better than I thought he’d be when he first brought up the idea , if I’m honest.”

You smiled a little at that , watching as Morgan showed Bucky how she liked to arrange her crayons in a rainbow. 

“He needed this ,” you said. “Not just for him , but for her too. He’s carried so much… it’s time he left some of it behind and filled others with hope and joy that was stolen from him.”

Pepper’s lips twitched into a soft , understanding smile. “I think you’re good for him,” she said.

You felt a small flush in your cheeks , but you didn’t look away. “I hope so,” you murmured.

There was a pause then , and Pepper gave your arm one more gentle squeeze before stepping back a little, giving you space as you watched , she retreated to the kitchen.

You took a quiet breath and walked a few steps into the living room, stopping beside Bucky and Morgan.

He looked up at you , his eyes soft , and you reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind his ear.

Morgan noticed the small gesture and looked between the two of you with a curious expression. “Is she your friend?” she asked Bucky smiling up at you.

He blinked , a faint blush rising in his cheeks. “She’s… more than a friend,” he said carefully. “She’s someone I care about very much.”

Morgan considered that for a moment, then nodded solemnly. “She’s pretty,” she said matter-of-factly.

You laughed, your hand still resting on Bucky’s shoulder. “Thank you, Morgan,” you said warmly crouching down next to them.

Bucky’s smile was small but real , his eyes shining as he glanced up at you. “She’s right,” he murmured so only you could hear.

You squeezed his shoulder gently, your touch saying what you didn’t need to put into words. 

You're doing great. 

You’re healing.

You're moving forward. 

I'm proud of you.

-end

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[loversrocktvgirl2]

my mini multiverse of madness…

Falling Asleep Headcanons (Tony, Steve, Peter)

masterlist

Tony

When you fall asleep near Tony, it’s cuddled up in a blanket on a chair, watching him in his workshop, in his element. It takes about fifteen minutes for him to realize you fell asleep, and the second he does, he feels bad. 

You’re gonna get a neck cramp in the morning if you sleep on this damn chair all night, and y’know what? He’s not gonna have that. 

Keeping you in your little blanket wrap, he picks you up and he carries you upstairs to go to bed. 

Normally, Tony can spend hours upon hours upon HOURS down in the workshop, fine tuning and inventing and building. It’s been a bit of a problem for everyone who knows him—his lack of sleep can make him insufferable in Stark Industry meetings, and it’s not good for him to be alone for so long with his thoughts just to keep them all to himself—but you’ve been the exception in the sense that, instead of insisting on dragging him up to bed night after night, you just come downstairs and stay there. If he’s gonna be your problem, then you’re gonna be his. 

He likes that you come and keep him company now, but sometimes he gets so caught up in his work that he forgets you’re there, and when he remembers, he always feels guilty. 

So tonight, he carries you up to bed and instead of sneaking back downstairs, he decides to stay with you.

You make yourself comfortable with him so easily that his heart sort of melts a bit, and he holds you closer to him, gently tracing soft circles on your back, breathing in rhythm with you. The cold night air comes in through the cracked-open window, and he finds himself relaxing enough to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, something he’s struggled with for a long time. 

When you wake up in the morning and find yourself here, you smile, because you know that he loves you. 

Steve

When you fall asleep on Steve, it’s after the two of you went on a date. You’d gone to a nice restaurant and then out dancing, and you’d had a wonderful time with him. You liked that he was a little bit old fashioned. It was a nice change of pace from all the more modern men you’d been on dates with. You felt like he treated you with more respect than they did, too. 

You rode back to the Avengers tower on his motorcycle, your arms wrapped around his toned chest, feeling the cool air against your skin and his warmth against you. 

You felt comfortable and safe. Motorcycles normally scared you a bit, especially when there was a great deal of traffic. But riding on Steve’s motorcycle on a back country road in the cool night, hugging onto him, you felt safe and happy. You were tired, your feet hurt from dancing in high heels, but you were content to be there. You leaned your head against his back and closed your eyes, relaxed. 

You weren’t quite asleep by the time he’d gotten you both home, but you’d almost drifted off a bit. “Sorry,” you said casually. 

“No, it’s okay,” Steve assured with a smile. “I like that you trust me enough.” You smiled back and him, and he helped you off of the motorcycle. Carrying your shoes, he walked you up the stairs to your bedroom.

While you got unready from your date and ready for bed, he did the same, sliding off his shoes and jacket and switching out his dress pants for pajama pants, leaving his white t-shirt on. When you came back into your bedroom, he was already lying under the covers. You climbed into bed and he brought your into his arms, and you drifted off to sleep. 

Peter

When you fall asleep on Peter, it’s in the middle of your movie night together. You’re relaxed on the couch with his arm around you, watching a bad comedy movie from twenty years ago, and you’re pretty tired. 

You like the movie, it’s not that—but you’re so comfortable this close to him, the blanket wrapped around you, back against the couch and head on his shoulder, that you find yourself drifting off to sleep. 

When Peter realizes that you’ve fallen asleep, he gets a little bit stressed out. 

What does he do? Does he just stay still? Does he carry you to bed? Does he fall asleep too? He’s panicking. 

Tony passes by the room and chuckles when he sees you peacefully sleeping and Peter stressing out over it. “Hey, kid, it’s okay, just stay still,” Tony says quietly, amusement clear in his tone. Peter nods in understanding and just freezes. Tony laughs a little, keeping his voice down so that he doesn’t wake you. “Don’t freeze, just…stay there. Finish your movie.”

Peter nods again. “Okay,” he whispers. He tries his best to remain calm and relax back into the couch. 

Within thirty minutes, he’s fallen asleep with you.

Thor passes by to grab a midnight snack and he sees the two of you passed out on the couch together, and he lets out a soft chuckle. “Ah. Young love,” he remarks quietly to himself and walks away, letting the two of you sleep. 

In the morning, you both wake up, still on the couch. Natasha’s sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper casually. “Morning, lovebirds. Don’t worry. Everybody already saw you cuddling.”

Peter blushes and you laugh. You turn to him. “I’m hungry, you wanna get breakfast with me?” He nods and you grin, and he follows you into the kitchen.

[tldrthor]

The Princess (and the chaos she brings with her) - steve rogers x fem!reader (1/?)

Summary: when Thor asked the avengers to guard a dear friend of his, they didn't think twice before saying yes. What they didn't know was that said friend is the princess of one of the nine realms, and a lost love of one Captain Rogers.

Part 1 // I thought you were dead // word count: 3.5k

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"(y/n), you have to eject, right now!" Steve screamed over the torrents of wind whistling through the ship. Schmidt was dead, gone. So was the tesseract. But it wasn't over yet. "I have to put her in the water!"

The girl behind him widened her eyes, battling against the elements to reach him. "There's no world in which I let you do that, Captain!"

"I'm not asking for permission!"

"Well then, I guess we go down together!" She painstakingly made her way to him, every step a feat of strength. Her previously neatly pinned curls no longer even resembled what they once were as her hair whipped around her face.

As Steve turned to face her, she somehow still looked angelic. He felt that right now, she was more heavenly than ever. He couldn't let her die with him.

"Buckle in." He commanded, as they began their quick descent. He looked at her, the first woman who had ever made him feel seen, the only person he had ever met who was as crazy as he was.

As the ice flew closer, he turned and placed a hand tenderly on her face. Tears welled in his eyes as his mind wandered to the future they could've had. God, they could have been amazing.

"I'm sorry, (y/n)." He whispered. She could only just hear it, even though they were right next to each other.

He pulled the yellow ejection lever on the seat she had just buckled herself into, watching as her eyes widened. "No! Steve, no!" She lifted her hands to stop him, to jam the lever, anything to stay with him. She wasn't quick enough.

Steve closed his eyes as her seat was ejected, hearing her scream his name. There was no world where he allowed her to go down with him, and he trusted that wherever she ended up, Stark and Peggy would find her. He hoped they would be able to find him, too.

He hadn't prayed in a long time, but as he went down, he bargained with God for her safety.

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"It is my honour to introduce the new and improved Captain America and the Howling Commandos exhibit, in honour of the 100th birthday of Captain Steven Grant Rogers." The crowd clapped as the senator stepped off the podium, motioning for Steve to take the mic. Bucky and Sam laughed at how uncomfortable the Captain was as he stood thanking everyone for an exhibit he never wanted. All part of the job, he supposed.

After the handshakes, and the photo ops, and the autographs and the meet and greets, the boys finally got relative peace to wander around the new exhibition.

"I can't believe you used to wear these stupid suits." Sam laughed, standing in front of the main exhibit. Bucky sighed, budging Sam's shoulder. "Says the asshole who wears a bird suit to fight." He retorts.

Steve laughed at his friends antics, but walked away when he noticed an addition to the exhibit he hadn't seen before. He stared, wide eyed at the name in front of him.

(Y/N): THE MISSING HERO?

Steve found himself drinking in every inch of the gorgeous photo underneath the text, her bright smile and barely visible freckles. The lighting highlighted the different hues in her immaculately pinned hair. She looked just like an angel, as she always did in real life.

Steve looked down, forlorn eyes investigating very few artefacts in the glass exhibit. Her folded uniform, found in her room after the plane went down. The blush lipstick you wore every day. Finally, an object that Steve didn't recognise. A golden ring, encrusted in unidentified jewels and a family crest no one knew. He frowned.

He had known her only a short few months, but he regretted never asking about her family. And now, it would haunt him that he never did until his last breath.

"They never found her, huh?" Bucky placed his covered hand on Steve's shoulder, a sadness tinged in his voice. He had only met (y/n) briefly, but he knew even then that Steve's heart rested in the palm of that woman's hand.

He had asked about her, once, but the look on Steve's face when her name was mentioned told him everything he needed to know.

"No. Howard searched for years, found nothing. Turned out that she had lied on her intake forms for the SSR, too. We don't even know if (y/n) was really her name." He took a beat. "We have no idea if she survived or not."

Steve didn't have to make the subtext clear, Bucky knew he worried that he had killed her by ejecting her from that plane. Bucky also knew there was no sense in trying to tell him she would have died either way, that the ice would've killed her.

"You okay?" Bucky asked, after another few moments of silence.

Steve nodded, looking at the photo. "I'm glad she's remembered. I just wish I didn't have so many unanswered questions."

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"So," Tony started. "Thor is arriving with the guest of honour later today, who we have agreed to protect here for the meantime. We don't have a lot of background for this one. The dark elves are the ones we're protecting her against, but Thor said threat could come from many areas. Do we have any questions?"

The team looked nothing short of bored. Well, most of them. Cap always had the good grace to sit up and look interested. Scott was straight up asleep.

"Is she important? How long will she be staying with us?" Steve asked.

"No idea, and uh, no idea. Anything else?"

"Is she single?" Sam asked, earning a laugh from some of the others. Steve shook his head disapprovingly, but smiled at his friend's levity.

As Steve stood up to go back to training, FRIDAY sounded around the room. "Excuse me everyone, my satellites have detected a bifrost signal heading for the compound imminently."

"Speak of the devil!" Tony clapped his hands as everyone headed out to the bifrost landing site (something that had been instituted after Tony's lawn got scorched one too many times).

Bucky smacked Scott upside the head to wake him up with a jolt. "Oh, where are you guys going?" He called behind them, jogging to catch up. Steve waited behind from him, laughing at his groggy friend.

A bright light connected with the grass just beside the landing site. Tony's hands covered his eyes as he mouthed are you fucking kidding me. When the light cleared, Thor stood tall in his usual armour.

"My friends!" His voice boomed, "I present to you, my fellow avengers, the honourable princess of Alfheim, jewel of the Alfar and ambassador to Asgard." Thor's voice boomed through the halls of the compound. "This is my friend, (y/n)."

Beside Thor stood a girl. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a heavenly stature. She looked like she could have been carved from marble by the hands of God himself.

A light Asgardian pink dress was covered by a golden chest-plate which fit her body like it had been moulded just for her. It was covered in intricate etchings of suns and stars, which caught the light and shone brilliantly. She wore golden jewellery, which was nothing like the avengers had ever seen. Golden ear cuffs covered her pointed ears, with her long hair pulled into an up-do, emphasising the golden, bejewelled tiara on her head.

"Princess?" Sam squeaked. Wanda smacked him, with a look that screamed don't embarrass us.

Tony tilted his head in confusion at the guest, who he could almost swear he recognised from somewhere. "Thor, you did not inform us that we were looking after the ruler of a planet. We would have been more prepared."

"I am not ruler yet, Mr. Stark." The girl cast her eyes up at Tony, as she smiled sweetly. Her voice was honey smooth, and anyone who heard it felt themselves being charmed by it. "I have heard much about you all from Thor."

"Should we bow?" Bruce whispered to Tony, who shrugged his shoulders. Thankfully, (y/n) took the lead and shook each of their hands.

She looked around at each of the gathered avengers. Thor made his introductions to the rest of the group. "Where are the others?" Thor enquired.

"Here!" Steve smiled at the site of his old friend, his view of the princess obscured by the large man. Bucky and Scott tagged behind him, also happily greeting Thor.

"Captain, it is very good to see you. Please, let me introduce you to the Princess (y/n)." Thor stepped aside to introduce them, but his eyebrows knitted together in confusion when neither of them moved, almost frozen in place.

"Uh... hi." Scott side-stepped the Captain and caught the eye of their guest. "My name's Scott Lang."

The girl tore her eyes away from the captain, unsure really on what to do. But her training kicked in, knowing that being rude was one of the worst sins a princess could commit. "Hello, Mr. Lang. I am (y/n)."

"Holy shit." Bucky breathed out.

The rest of the avengers watched the rather silent exchange with confusion. It was very unlike Steve to get so tongue-tied, and he would never be so rude as to not introduce himself.

"Captain Rogers..." The girl spoke first, confusing them further. "I believed you dead." Tears had welled in her eyes, intriguing the observing crowd even more.

"I thought you were dead." He breathed. "What... what is going on?"

Bucky interjected. "Um, hi. I'm Bucky, we met briefly in '45."

She smiled softly at him, but her eyes betrayed her confusion. "Sergeant Barnes, of course! Didn't you... also die?"

"Yeah, we've all got a lot of explaining to do." Bucky laughed as the absurdity of the situation caught up to him.

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Thor's eyes darted between his friend and the captain. When Thor asked the avengers to guard her from the war on Alfheim, he knew some hijinks would ensue. This is not what he expected. He knew you had spent some time on Midgard before and when you returned you were emotionally distraught. He had simply figured the war you had fought with the Midgardians had taken it's toll.

He eyed both the Captain and you, suspiciously. You were his dear friend, but you had never talked to him about any mortal love.

"So, Princess. You've been here before." Tony enquired.

The Princess licked her lips nervously, glancing at Steve, who had barely moved a muscle, his eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, Mr. Stark. I spent some time here during the second world war. I left Midgard when Johann Schmidt was defeated, and haven't returned since."

"Tell us about your world, Princess. I've never heard of it before." Natasha, the red-head in the corner, asked the guest.

"You have heard of it before." The princess smiled, explaining. "I believe we are now known as a fantasy character here - you call us elves." She pointed to her pointed ears as each avenger clung to her words.

Thor smiled at his Midgardian friends' curiosity.

"The Alfar still live amongst you, they are simply unseen. I believe you may know Tolkien?" At the mention of the author's name, everyone's ears pricked. "He was one of my father's greatest friends and many of his book settings were inspired by Alfheim."

"What!" Scott exclaimed. "That's insane."

"Really, Ant Man?" Bucky responded, pointing out that they were all ridiculous, when you thought about it. The world was crazy now.

The princess chuckled, and rose from her seat at the conference table. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Avengers. I would quite like to rest in my chambers, if you would be so gracious to allow me."

"Um, yeah... consider yourself allowed." Tony stumbled over his words. Very unusual for him, and it did not go unnoticed by the others. "Dinner is at seven."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. Captain Rogers," She addressed the Captain, who looked up quickly. His face was pale, and he nervously twiddled his thumbs. "Would you be so kind as to show me my rooms?"

He popped up, almost comedically fast. "Yes. Yeah, sure. Um, this way." He walked out quickly, darting his eyes back to make sure the princess was following him.

She followed, gracefully. Her skirts fanned out behind her as she walked. The avengers in the room could scarcely take their eyes off her as she faded from sight.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the room devolved into chaos. People shouting theories and questions left, right and centre. Mostly, everyone was just bewildered. Bucky and Thor discussed how they had both known the couple separately, and whether each had talked about the other.

Natasha watched as Tony sat quietly on his tablet for a few seconds, searching for something she could only assume was relevant to the discussion at hand.

"Bucky, what's the deal there?" Clint asked.

He was interrupted by Tony. "Aha!" Stark called, silencing the room. "I knew I recognised her from somewhere."

He projected a photograph to the wall, and the avengers gasped.

The photograph consisted of Steve and Bucky front and centre. Bucky had his left arm wrapped lazily around Tony's dad, Howard. And Steve was looking directly at the girl next to him, holding her to him by the waist. It was the princess. The gaze he looked at her with... it was like nothing they had ever seen from him.

"They didn't just know each other, they were in love." Bucky replied to Clint's question, a hint of sadness underneath his words.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Y/n) followed Steve along the large corridors of the compound, her smaller legs working double time to match his long strides. They walked in silence, for the most part. It wasn't the comfortable kind.

"Captain." She spoke first, again. As she called for him, he stopped walking abruptly, turning slowly. He met her gaze and then cast his eye down.

"(y/n)... I mean, um, Princess." He responded.

"(y/n) is sufficient." She whispered, almost guiltily. "I can't believe you're alive..."

"I can't believe you're alive," He retorted. "I searched for you, when I woke up. They couldn't find any records of you other than your enlistment form, and they found you had lied. People think you're just a ghost story..."

He took a breath. "I can't believe you're here and... an alien princess?"

"I know it's hard to believe, I hope you understand why I couldn't tell you back then." She laughed. "When I found that you and Sergeant Barnes were dead, I couldn't face being here anymore... I returned to Alfheim."

As she thought back on it, a tear sprung to her eye. On seeing her reaction, Steve couldn't help himself but place a friendly hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles. She briefly froze at the contact, but quickly, she moved her own hand down his arm until she was holding onto his hand with both of hers.

So much went unsaid, but the contact confirmed what they had both most desperately wanted to know. Would it be the same?

"If I had known that you and Sergeant Barnes were alive, Captain..." She admitted. "I would have returned in an instant, I give you my word."

He smiled, rubbing a thumb over the back of her hand. A red blush hugged her cheeks as he did so.

It was typical of him that he couldn't concentrate on the moment, "Why are you here?" He asked. "What are we protecting you from?"

She sighed. "The Svartalfar, or the dark elves. You may know them - they attacked Thor in the Midgardian city of London some years ago now." He nodded in recognition.

"They are determined to conquer Alfheim, and have set their sights on my family. They have already managed to get close to killing me."

She pushed the collar of her dress down, showing a large, angry, red scar just above her collarbone. His hands flew up to trace the scar. She gulped at the close contact, her eyes meeting his.

His expression gave away his concern, knowing that Thor had suggested she was in a lot of danger. "Don't worry, Princess. You're safe here." He smiled, softly. "We'll protect you with everything we've got."

"Thank you, Captain."

"It's just Steve." He unhooked their hands, and gave her his arm. She linked her arm in his, and he resumed wandering down the halls to her rooms. "Do you have any bags?"

"No, I fled to Asgard with nothing when I needed healing. The Asgardians were kind enough to offer many gorgeous clothes for me to bring, but I figured they were a bit conspicuous."

Steve laughed, "Yeah, they might be."

They walked for a little while longer, before Steve entered a room to the side. It was rather basic compared to what she was used to, but it would more than suffice for the meantime.

"This is your room." He stood by the door as she entered. "I'm just down the hall if you need anything. I'll get Tony to send you some less conspicuous clothes. See you at dinner."

"Thank you, Steven." He laughed at her inability to be too informal with him. He nodded at her, and turned to walk down the hall to his room.

As he entered, the photograph of her from the Smithsonian caught his eye from the nightstand. He picked it up, tracing her features with his finger - unable to stop the smile spreading across his face. Who would've thought? Not only was his girl alive, she was also alien royalty. Sometimes, just sometimes, he adored his strange, strange world.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sir," The agent walked into the dark room with purpose in her every step. "The Princess has been spotted."

The man in the chair looked up at the mention of his target. "Show me" he ordered. He watched as agent transferred the images on her tablet to the big screen, showing grainy, far away surveillance of the avengers compound.

As low quality as the image was, the woman arriving with Thor in the distinctive Alfar dress and armour was certainly the princess.

"Oh, my dear..." The man's deep voice dragged out. "You have walked right into our sights."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a/n: let me know what you think! if you can't tell, this is basically the set up for a longer series... i'm really excited to explore this character and get deeper into the relationships!

i've never really written in the third person POV before, so let me know if it's something you like or not, and i can switch for the next part.

please like/reblog if you enjoy! let me know if you would like to be tagged in the next part <3

[spidney]

Changed Times, Old-Fashioned Love

(a masterlist, 233k words)

After SHIELD falls and the disaster HYDRA leaves in its wake, you, a reformed STRIKE agent, decide to make amends and help Bucky in his recovery by offering him friendship and a semblance of normalcy at the Avengers Tower. It lasts a while, both you and Bucky officially join the team and when Ultron is created with the intent to destroy you, you are forced to lay low at Clint’s house. There, the match is struck between you and Bucky. Something awakens within you, something you had pushed in the far corner of your mind as it also stirs low within Bucky, something he thought was impossible after living an insufferable long life. And yet, you happen to him when he least excepts it. The series follows the events of the MCU’s storyline with some modifications along the way. This is a tale of love and loss. Who says being happy is a simple task? Having what you want requires sacrifices, blood and tears, but you would do it all again because there’s nothing that could ever be in yours and Bucky’s way no matter big or small the threat.

• Part.1: Show Me Your Love (Before The World Catches Up)

After the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bucky takes the time to remember and to heal by Steve's side instead of disappearing. Later, he joins the Avengers. You are also part of the team and after a mission has gone awry, Ultron still in the wind, the team is forced to lay low at Clint's house. There, you discover a different Bucky, he is more open, less intimidating and you don't know who decided to let their guards down first.

• Part.2: Raise Me High And I'll Make You Fly

True to your last conversation at Clint's house, Bucky and you have decided to move on from your life as Avengers to build a peaceful, quiet life together. You even get to adopt a cheeky white cat that seems to only have eyes for Bucky.

After a year of living in the European countryside, everything falls apart when Steve shows up loaded with bad news.

The start of a chaotic journey to prove both yours and Bucky's innocence shatters some friendships along the way. But Bucky and you are stronger together and you won't let anyone interfering between the two of you, whatever the cost may be.

• Part.3: Your Name Tastes Like Ashes On My Lips

Accepting T'Challa's offer, you get a second chance at a peaceful life with Bucky. Wakanda treats you nicely; you get a place to yourselves, a farm... and goats. Bucky, Alpine and you readjust to a normal life as you witness Bucky having to learn how to be himself again minus his left arm. This particular inconvenience will spice things up in some terrible yet hilarious ways on the daily.

Picking up where you left off with your relationship with Bucky, you see it grow and new exciting things will bloom between the two of you as months pass.

But the Earth now left unsupervised and defenseless since the disaster of the Sokovia Accords, The Avengers scattered around the globe, the inevitable threat of a stronger opponent will make its appearance. And maybe this time, there will be no endings where any of you come out on top.

• Part.4: Light Years Away

With Bucky gone, you learn how to live on your own again and how to navigate the different stages of grief. Five years is a long time but you never once stopped loving him.

• Part.5: Something Blue

Some stories lie in the crevices of what’s dwelling dormant between good and bad. This grey area where neutrality takes place. Some wrong decisions made by good people. Some right decisions made by bad people.

It can be all subjective and life did have a tendency to kick you while you were already down, after all. Where do you go from there, do you keep going or do you give up? It’s how you face those challenges that defines who you are. So what happens when a life-changing decision is taken for you and rocks your world, reshapes who you are at your core and those around you?

How hard you wished to spiral into control just for once but whoever was playing chess with yours and Bucky’s life was definitely bad at this game.

[leighbaye]

— PUPPY PRINCE

written by mina leigh 𝜗᭪ , mike wheeler 𝔁 m! reader | wc 1446

summary. so called biology project being an excuse to see mike, desperately wanting to see him after asking him out. being mike wheeler’s first boyfriend. celebrating the honeymoon phase with lots of kisses!

labels. no definite description of reader, amab reader (anyone masculine presenting/labeling), he/him pronouns used. proud hellfire member mike + basketball player boyfriend. ♡

‧₊˚ ୨୧ mina speaks. hi everyone, i haven’t written a male reader fic in a minute so decided it was time to bring it back. school is starting august 21st for me so id really appreciate it if anyone requests for a drabble before i go mia. lots of love!

y/n pedaled through the streets of hawkins, the wind cool against his face as the familiar houses blurred by. he had one destination in mind: the wheeler household. he hadn’t told mike he was coming—why would he? surprises were always more fun.

as he reached the suburban neighborhood, y/n slowed his bike and hopped off, the tires crunching against the gravel driveway. he parked it by the side of the house and made his way to the front door, a small smirk playing on his lips as he thought about the expression mike might have when he saw him. with a quick knock, y/n waited, his heart racing a little in anticipation.

the door swung open to reveal karen wheeler, a welcoming smile on her face. ❝ hello, can I help you? ❞

putting on his most polite expression, offering a charming smile. ❝ hi, mrs. wheeler. uh i’m y/n, one of mike’s … close friends from school. ❞ a sour tone coming out from lying to his soon to be mother in law.

karen’s smile widened at the introduction. ❝ oh, hello, y/n! i’ve heard mike mention you a few times. what brings you here today? ❞

y/n glanced down, faking a moment of shyness before looking back up. ❝ we’ve got a biology project we need to work on. i figured we could get a head start, if that’s okay of course! ❞

❝ of course, of course honey, ❞ karen said, her voice warm. she turned slightly and called up the stairs, ❝ mike! y/n is here for your .. biology project! ❞

a few moments passed before the sound of footsteps echoed from above, and then mike appeared at the top of the stairs. he was in casual loungewear, clearly not expecting company, and a look of mild annoyance crossed his face. but that all melted away the moment he saw y/n standing there. His eyes widened, and he froze in place, caught between surprise and disbelief. ❝ y-y/n? what are you—❞

before mike could finish, y/n shot him a knowing smile, and mike’s irritation shifted into something more like panic. he forced a smile and quickly descended the stairs, grabbing y/n’s arm and pulling him towards the stairs.

❝ uh, thanks, mom! ❞ mike called over his shoulder as he practically dragged y/n up to his room. as soon as they reached the sanctuary of his bedroom, mike shut the door with a soft click and locked it, turning to y/n with an incredulous look on his face.

❝ what are you doing here? ❞ mike asked, his voice still tinged with disbelief, though there was a hint of something else—something softer.

y/n leaned casually against the door, crossing his arms with a playful grin. ❝ like i said, a biology project, ❞ he teased, winking at mike as he ruffled his hair and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead.

mike huffed in response, cheeks flushing slightly as he snatched y/n’s backpack and tossed it into a corner of the room. ❝ you’re crazy, ❞ he muttered, but there was no heat in his words. he gave y/n a light shove, guiding him toward the bed.

y/n allowed himself to be pushed, settling back on the bed with a content sigh. mike followed, slipping under the covers and resting his head on y/n’s chest. for a moment, they were quiet, simply enjoying the warmth of each other’s presence.

❝ you could have warned me you were coming over, you know, ❞ mike mumbled into y/n’s shirt, his voice soft and a little pleading.

y/n chuckled, running his fingers through mike’s dark hair. ❝ where’s the fun in that? but fine, i’ll give you a heads up next time—just because you’re my boyfriend ❞

mike made a noise of protest, but the faint smile on his lips betrayed him. he snuggled closer, letting out a small sigh of contentment. ❝ so, how’ve you been? ❞ y/n asked, his voice a little more serious. ❝ it’s been a week since we started dating … how’s it going for you? ❞

mike tilted his head slightly, thinking back to the whirlwind of emotions that had come crashing down on him the moment it all began. ❝ honestly … it still feels a little unreal. i remember how it all happened so … clearly. ❞

y/n nodded, encouraging him to continue. mike took a deep breath and let his mind wander back to that day.

mike had been frustrated, to say the least. lucas had been missing so many hellfire meetings lately, and eddie was getting increasingly annoyed. mike couldn’t understand why basketball had become such a big deal to lucas—it wasn’t like it was anything special. it was just basketball, after all. but lucas had made a deal with mike, a deal that mike couldn’t resist.

lucas had noticed the way mike’s gaze lingered on a certain someone—a certain someone who happened to be lucas’s teammate. and lucas, being the observant friend that he was, had concocted a plan. if mike covered for him with eddie, then lucas would help set mike up with y/n. it seemed like a win-win, and mike, desperate to keep hellfire together, had agreed.

but the situation had spiraled out of control. eddie had caught on to their little scheme, and so had dustin. mike found himself cornered in the hallway, frustration bubbling over as he lashed out at lucas. It was then that y/n appeared, his hand tapping lucas on the shoulder, signaling him to leave and head for practice.

y/n had stayed behind, his expression sincere as he apologized for lucas’s behavior, explaining that basketball was something lucas truly enjoyed. mike had been taken aback by the apology, his mind scrambling to process the words. but before he could respond, y/n had taken a step closer, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone.

❝ you know, mike … you’re not the only one who’s been hiding a crush. ❞

mike had felt his heart skip a beat, his breath catching in his throat. was y/n … was he saying what mike thought he was saying? he hesitated, unsure, but when y/n looked him straight in the eye, the answer was clear. mike didn’t even think—he just reacted, throwing his arms around y/n and blurting out a breathless, ❝ yes! ❞

it had been so out of character for him, so spontaneous and unlike the usual mike wheeler. but he couldn’t help it—he had been so overwhelmed with relief and happiness. y/n had laughed, a warm, genuine laugh, and hugged him back tightly. from that moment on, everything had changed.

❝ i will never regret not holding back, i'm so glad about it. ❞ mike says, his head looking up at y/n

y/n smiled down at him, his heart swelling with affection. ❝ i’m glad you didn’t hold back either. i’m lucky to have you, mike, ❞ he said, his voice full of warmth. he leaned down and began placing soft kisses on mike’s face, starting with his forehead, then his cheeks, and finally, the tip of his nose.

mike felt his face heat up under the onslaught of affection, but he didn’t pull away. instead, he flicked y/n’s forehead playfully. ❝ you’re such a nerd, ❞ he teased, though there was no denying the fondness in his tone.

y/n yelped in mock indignation, rubbing his forehead before leaning in closer. mike’s hands cupped y/n’s face, and he pulled him into a slow, gentle kiss, pouring all the affection he felt into that one moment. y/n’s arms wrapped around mike’s waist, pulling him closer until y/n shifted, rolling on top of mike. he grinned down at his boyfriend, his hands resting on either side of mike’s head.

mike giggled, the sound soft and carefree, as y/n began trailing kisses along his jawline, then down to his neck, his chest, and finally his stomach. each touch sent a shiver of warmth through mike, making him feel both safe and cherished.

but y/n wasn’t done yet. he suddenly reached over to where he had tossed his backpack and pulled out a textbook, a mischievous glint in his eyes. ❝ so … there’s no biology project, ❞ y/n confessed with a smirk, holding up the textbook. ❝ but we do have a final coming up, and i figured we could use this time to study. take advantage of the situation, you know? ❞

mike rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. ❝ you’re unbelievable, ❞ he muttered, though he didn’t resist when y/n flipped open the book and settled back down next to him.

❝ unbelievable in the best way, right?❞ y/n teased, pressing one last kiss to mike’s forehead before they both turned their attention to the pages in front of them.

mike snuggled closer, the warmth of y/n’s presence making the idea of studying almost bearable. as they began to read, mike couldn’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, he was the lucky one after all.

© MINA LEIGH 2023 - 2024

[jjdoeswritings]

Clipped Wings

Chapter 1; what am I?

Percy Jackson x Daughter of Eros Reader.

NOT BETA READ.

You know, as far as funerals go this wasn't a bad one. They had air conditioning, the people were avoiding talking to you, and it was a relative you didn't even know.

You honestly had no idea why your mother had dragged you to such a shindig, she was always blabbering on about how you need to ‘socialise more’. How were you supposed to do that here? You had no idea. Hardly worth talking to the corpse, you'd never get a reply.

The venue was a somewhat classy, but not at all upscale funeral home. It would’ve been totally run-of-the-mill if not for the random statues scattered around. Your mother had said it doubled as a museum. What a peculiar combination. But one old thing is as boring as another you supposed.

Looking around, you couldn’t help but wonder, wasn’t calling it a ‘museum’ a bit of a stretch for a place full of neighborhood junk? Who wants to stare at an old, cracked fireman’s helmet and read about how some guy jumped into flames to save a family cat? You certainly didn’t. It felt like a pitiful attempt to make you feel proud of the poor, polluted dive you were unfortunate enough to be born into.

The air inside the funeral home was dry and stuffy, like no moisture was allowed in lest your dead great-uncle start growing mold. The wallpaper was straight out of the 1950s, picked, maybe, by a housewife who’d spend her whole life staring at it. It wasn’t cheerful. Just faded and tired, like it had outlived its purpose but no one had the heart to tear it down. The place itself wasn’t a total disaster, but the little things—like the small tear in the wallpaper in the far corner—never escaped your eagle-eyed attention.

Sighing you decide to go check out some of the so-called artefacts. A seldom visited collection of the most random miserable stuff you'd ever laid your eyes on. Everything, even if it was under protective glass, was clearly aged. Chipped or dust covered.

A part of you wondered how much the museum attendants must have cared to let these objects get in this condition. But a part of you reminded yourself that this was still more a funeral home than a historical centre.

The collection itself was paradoxical, vast and yet strangely empty. The same and yet so different.

One item in particular caught your eye. A jar that used to belong to a grandma in world war 2? Apparently she had used the jar to hold spices and had never hesitated to share the food she made with the hungry neighbours, particularly when rations ran low.

It was the type of story to try and get you to feel for your fellow man. To feel pleased of where you came from or maybe just to react like anyone would expect to a touching story.

Wow. They'll really do anything to try to get you to be even a little proud of this place.

Glancing back, you notice your mother deep in conversation with another woman from the block, passionately debating the “proper” way to cook miniature ‘meat’ pies. Your mom thought they were the greatest thing in the world. You didn’t. Even if someone who actually knew how to cook had taken over the kitchen, you wouldn't buy into that cheap beef and instant pastry propaganda.

Boredom had crept so deep into your bones, you were so bored it ached like hunger.

Who knew silence could starve you?

Settling for something a little less putrid than the aforementioned mini ‘meat’ pies you just toss a few small things onto your paper plate. At least these things were somewhat palatable. The food was clearly thrown together at the last minute. You could tell that nobody had the heart, or the time, to take proper care of this man's last day above ground. Like the man's friends and family had given up before they'd even started. Absolutely no way to go out.

“Not good?” A woman seemingly appearing out of nowhere interrupts awkwardly. Her voice is enough to bring you out of the self pity you had buried yourself In.

The woman's gaze settled on you. The prickle of discomfort that followed was almost instant. The way her eyes had locked onto your face, even from the side you could feel her sharp piercing gaze following every small movement. There was no use in pretending otherwise, she was stunning. Dark red hair fell dramatically as if it was a waterfall of mulberry locks cascading down her back and spilling just slightly over her shoulders. Long black nails, looking freshly polished, curled around her wine glass, her index finger tapping impatiently as if she was waiting for something to happen. The dress she was wearing was certainly a fashion statement. She wore a midi dress that hugged her form tightly, and if the rest of her outfit wasn't already defying the occasion enough. The deep plunge of her neckline left no doubt. Everything about her screamed that she wasn't a guest at this funeral.

You shake your head, a twinge of unease settling in your chest. “No ma'am.”

She laughs, her laugh is full but something about it sets off alarm bells in your head.

“I'm not nearly old enough to be considered a ma'am yet.”

‘You look it.’ You thought as tension started to creep up your spine swiftly.

“What's someone so young and full of life doing here?” There's a weird edge to her voice. You didn't like it at all. It sounded as if she had stumbled, quite happily, onto a field full of sheep after being stranded at sea for 20 years. Like she'd found her next well-rounded meal.

“My mother made me come” You rasp, almost too focused on the different drink options.

“Oh, such a pity,” she laments, her gaze finally shifting from the side of your face. You swear you see her lick her lips as your eyes flicker to take in the strangely sultry-dressed woman who clearly doesn’t belong at a random funeral home on Cygnus Row, New York.

“I'm the funeral director,” she adds out of nowhere. “Your family paid big bucks for this funeral, kid.” She almost sounds impressed. “Not that it matters. We all end up in the same place, after all.”

Was there something wrong with her?

“I suppose-” you start, but the words catch awkwardly in your throat. “I should probably go, my mom is waving at me”

It was a blatant lie. You were positive she was aware. The dark look she shoots you made you think so anyway. A sharp edge to her gaze warned you to not push further.

“Liar. Little girls like you shouldn't lie.” Her tone had dropped what felt like a million octaves. Low and dangerous.

A cold sweat runs down your entire body - then you hear it. The clicking. The sharp deliberate clicking of a high heel against the tile.

Only? You were certain there was only one heel making the sound. Which couldn't possibly be right.

Click. Thud. Click. Thud.

With every step, a shiver runs down your arms, making the hairs stand on end.

You don't dare glance down, terrified of what you might see.

Your pulse hammers desperately in your ears as the sound draws nearer and nearer.

Click. Thud. Click. Thud.

Resisting every urge in your body to look down, you keep desperately scanning the black adorned mourners looking for your mother. Where was she?

“No one can save you little hero… child of Love.” The words leave the woman's lips in what sounded like a mix of a sneer and growl.

You freeze as you let the words wash over you. Settling in your very being like a whisper slowly turning into a scream begging to be silenced. Threading itself into your bones. That was the last thing you were.

Click. Thud. Click. Thud.

The sound stops. You can feel her presence - less than a centimetre away from you.

Ignoring what she said was easy, especially when you glanced down and almost let out a blood curdling shriek.

“Go on then” she whispers, your neck hairs standing on end, her voice, slithering up your spine, cold and honey slick “wave back to mommy.”

But you couldn't bring yourself to look away from her feet. Or foot.

Her foot had a slick black glossy heel with an almost too perfect shine, whilst her other leg… had a hoof?!

You suck in a breath. Louder than intended, harsher than needed.

Trying desperately to not look at this- this thing in the eye your gaze darted around the room. Landing on a mirror-esque picture frame.

Her reflection was no longer the woman who had been standing beside you a mere minute ago.

It was ugly, tainted.

Her glowing eyes and teeth, too long - too fang like to be human. Her once flawless skin melting away to reveal her true form like a candle would throughout a long ancient night when electricity didn't yet exist.

Her grins reflected in the glass, her lips stretched far too wide for her smile to be natural. It almost looked as if it was almost tearing her face apart. Her red lip shade became more and more overrun by the blood pouring from the wounds that had reopened on her ugly scarred face.

“What are you?” Your tone is surprisingly steady. The words are remarkably unshaken. You don't know how you managed to remain sounding so aloof.

“It's who am i, girl!” She snaps, irritation burning in her glowing ember like eyes. it seems to anger her, funny she doesn't seem the type to care too much about grammar.

She couldn't be real.

This was just another tantalising thing - like the winged horse you saw back in second grade, or the man with 1 massive eye you spotted sleeping in cardboard boxes in downtown New York after a field trip.

Your heart was pounding in your ears. This couldn't be real. This wasn't real. No it was just a figment of your wildly overactive imagination.

You try to calm yourself down but she reaches out and grabs your arm. “It's too bad I'm not after you little demigod.”

You tried to process what she said. What the fuck is she talking about?!

She slowly backs away. Her every move felt more and more snake-like.

“Do not mistake my mercy for kindness half-blood.” her tone holds a warning. “There will come a day where you will not have the honour of me sparring you. That day… I will eat well.”

Okay so she is mad? But then again… where the fuck did her hoof come from?

“I'll be back soon, puppet. Until then.” you feel the brush of something against your leg.

It was a tail?

It was a fucking tail!?

The tail looked to be almost entirely formed of shadow as it almost seemed to be petting you goodbye, like you were supposed to be a loyal dog. But that feeling, the tail petting your leg, that was real. You felt it. You saw it!

What. The. Fuck.?

WHAT THE FUCK?!

Within the next second she was gone, and you remained frozen, hairs still on end.

Finding your mom through all these people was your top priority now. You needed to get out of here.

Finding her was more difficult than you'd imagined. Your heart was pounding so bad it blurred your vision and brought tears to your eyes. The room was still bustling from the aftermath of the funeral service, only making it harder to make your way through the maze of mourners. Panic had started to take up the root of emotion in your chest, but you eventually found her talking to the widow of the man who had died.

You promised yourself you'd apologise later. Right now you just needed to get out.

“Mom?”

She puts her finger up as she continues her lengthy conversation with the widow which is something she'd always do no matter where you were or who you were with. If there was a chance to talk to someone, she would take it.

“Mom?” it came out more desperate this time but she shushes you

“MOM!” you hadn't wanted to yell, especially at an old man's funeral. But you needed to leave now.

“Young lady I am talking-”

“There was a woman with a tail!”

She goes quiet. Her eyes wandering over the room after my yelling had caused a small scene.

She laughs politely and coughs “if you'll excuse us” Then she practically drags you out of the room and onto the street.

“Get in the car” she says, her tone sharp, almost bitter.

“Mom?” You tried, but even to your ears it sounds small and uncertain.

“We don't have time! Get in the car ___!” Maeve sighs, sliding into the driver's seat before slamming the door shut.

“What's happening to me?”

“You're awakening.”

You tried desperately to ask what she means, but her lips stay sealed. She had that look again — the deep wrinkles stretching around her face, the kind that only appeared when she was really stressed. You should know. You’d been causing her stress since you could walk.

“Get your things from the apartment. Only the most important stuff. Go. I’ll be here. And hurry up!” she barks when you hesitate.

You don’t even know what you were supposed to be packing for. So you grabbed a bit of everything. Essentials, definitely. Sentimentals, probably not. With a stuffed bag slung over your shoulder, you slide back into the passenger seat.

“What’s happening?” you ask again as she puts the car in drive.

She takes off without a word, but stays like that for a few minutes. The car was silent. Your mother looks to be considering what to say to you.

“You're half God, ___.” Maeve grips her steering wheel as if braving for the biggest storm ever known to man. She was right to.

“What the hell are you talking about?” you can't help but roll your eyes but the death glare she sends you is enough to make you send you one back.

“I'm serious. You're a demigod, sometimes known as half-bloods.” Maeve pauses, taking a breath through her teeth.

“Half-blood…?” Your eyes widened inexplicably “that's what that woman called me! The funeral director?”

Your mother shakes her head incessantly

“Not a funeral director… A monster.”

Now you have to laugh.

“Mom, you're being a little crazy.” You just hoped she'd reveal just what a funny joke she had thought it all was.

“Am I?” Her tone is hard again, perhaps harder than you'd ever heard It. It was enough to make you at least listen to what she has to say.

“When I was 19 I fell in love with a man..” She gulps, eyes flickering to you as she tells her tail. “He was a God. You're a half-blood. Half God half mortal.” She seems desperate to have you believe her

“Okay mom, if I am a so-called half-blood who's my father?”

She freezes, clearly uncomfortable. “I'm not allowed to tell you.”

“Well then.” You rolled your eyes, still convinced she was taking the piss.

“I made a deal okay? A deal I regret everyday but I kept it.. And if I break it now, gods help us both!” Maeve grinds her teeth anxiously.

“Wait mom, why would the gods be hanging around New York? And what gods?” she interrupts you

Her voice cuts through the tension like a knife.

“They move with the west. And to answer question 2, Greek.”

You frown, crossing your arms “So I'm half Greek?”

Maeve sighs through her nose, trying her best to keep patient. “Not exactly.. you're half divine energy.”

You shake your head laughing under your breath. “Absolutely none of this is believable to me.”

Maeve slams the brakes a little too hard at the red lights, causing both if you to jolt forwards. Her hands are clenched so tightly on the steering wheel her knuckles have gone ghostly white.

“Oh yeah?” she hisses, turning to face you fully now. “Well I didn't believe it either.. not then at least. Everything you've experienced your entire life, The fidgeting, the ADHD, the dyslexia. It's all because of who you are. You are a half- blood. Your brain is hardwired for ancient Greek, not English. And every single time! Every time you said you saw a pretty flying horse I had to lie to your face! Tell you there was no such thing! I had to send you to a therapist under the special recommendation of your teachers. Do you know how bad it would look if I didn't follow through and look like I wanted to get you ‘help’? When there was nothing wrong with you?”

A beat of silence, a sniffle from the woman driving. “Gods help me, I shouldn't have said that.”

You couldn't help yourself but to fall silent.

All those things you saw? All those doctors telling your mother you had a serious problem?

“None of the things I saw were made up?” You didn't realise it at the time but later on you'd see indentations on your palms from how tightly you were trying to anchor yourself back into your reality in any way you knew how. None of this could be true. Maybe this was still just a very bad dream.

No it couldn't be real.

It was all a prank and your mother was just going to leave you in New Jersey to die. That had to be it.

She wasn’t that cruel to just not tell you, right? She couldn’t be…

You know it wasn’t fair. Not really. But right now, fair didn’t matter. Not to you.

“If you’d told me the truth, maybe I wouldn’t have sounded insane every time I opened my mouth. Maybe I’d have known what to do.” you couldn't help but hiss out the end of your sentence. A whole life of somewhat normalcy? You had the chance to have that.

Maeve scoffs “They would've locked you up and thrown away the key, and I would've had to watch.”

She laughs bitterly, tapping the steering wheel “Look, I know I didn't do everything right and I definitely could've done some things better than I did. But I really have tried my best your whole life for you to be able to live a somewhat normal life.” her voice wavers a little “I always told myself that if you were loved and had food on the table then I was successful. I just needed you to grow up without the pain. You understand me don't you?”

“Yes.” The words tasted bitter on your tongue, but you supposed she did what she had to do. “Where are we going?” The question is considerably gentler now, even to your own ears.

“Camp.” Maeve breathes out a long sigh. “You'll be safe sweetie.” her eyes were sharp but also carrying a flicker of something deeper. Something sorrowful. Filled with trepidation.

“Safe?” You swallowed hard, the emotion thick in the back of your throat. “I don't even know who or what I am. How am I supposed to feel safe?”

Your mom lets out a cold chuckle “you'll figure it out, you have been since you were three.”

You hum absentmindedly, biting your lip “What If I can't this time?”

She shrugs, “Then you'll die.” The words hung heavy. Absolute. Something inside you wanted to ask more but you just couldn't. This was all too much.

The silence that falls, falls thick - stretching out between you and your mother so tightly it felt like it was wrapping around your throat. Heart pounding and head filled with new questions that demanded answers.

The silence that fell over your both was beyond deafening. With only the gentle hum of the engine running in the background your thoughts had begun to run amok.

You clench your jaw, emotion thick In your chest. “What if I - I don't know, what If I die? I can still die right?”

Your mom lets out a huff through her nose. Her eyes soften for a split second but then her voice drops low. “That's why you must fight. No one else will do it for you so don't even expect them to.” Her tone is final but softer than before.

The city blurs past the car window as the two leave the city. The tall skyscrapers, slowly morphing into trees the longer the two of you stayed in the car.

As the thoughts in your head started spiraling out violently you felt a cool wave wash over you. It wasn't pleasant. Almost as if you were sweating ice. The thoughts seemed to whirl faster, almost surrounding you entirely.

They accelerate, trapping you where you stood. The tight feeling in your chest that had been forming now without a doubt noticeable, pressing down so hard that it felt like you wouldn't ever be able to escape.

As you get further and further away from the city your mind gets engulfed deeper and deeper by your own thoughts.

The soft almost rhythmic sound of the indicator fills the cool air of your mother's car. Smooth and steady and almost maddening.

Click click click

The sound was mind numbingly incessant - the only thing keeping time as your world spun out.

You just didn't understand.

This was so confusing. The type of confusion that breeds frustration all too quickly. The type of confusion that's born of you wanting so badly to understand something so desperately that the effort only twists things further out of your reach.

Your fingers tingle as they start to fiddle with whatever they could find. In this case the fluffy lining of your mother's budget customisation of her leased car. Breath caught in your throat as raindrops hit the windshield. Your chest felt so tight. Your ribs felt like they were about to collapse around your heart.

You dug your nails into your palm, not too hard, just enough to feel something. Just to ground you. The world outside presses in, the leather of the seat against your back, the faint smell of your mom's perfume, the ceaseless clicking. You close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then let it go.

Then again.

Then nothing.

All those thoughts that had previously tormented your mind had vanished in a span of a few careful breaths.

Your thoughts no longer screamed at you. Instead, they recoiled, shrinking away - distant and unreachable.

Your mother coughs, trying to catch your attention “We're here.”

You look out past the car window, it was just a hill? What?

“Get your things, we don't have all day.” Your mother sighs before getting out and grabbing your bag from the back seat of the car.

You mumble a small thanks as you accept your bag. “There's nothing here?”

“You'll figure it out.” Your mother responds half heartedly as she climbs back into the car.

You watched as she gears up to leave. You yap gently on the window, suddenly desperate for an answer to a question you'd been wanting to ask for a while.

“Did I ruin your life mom?” you question. Tightening the strap of your backpack. You couldn't bear to look in her eyes.

She sighs, almost contentedly “Good luck sweetie.” before revving off back the way they had come.

You listened as your mother's car faded out of sight. The hum of the engine is no longer in earshot.

Looking up at the hill you take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

[cece693]

Numb (Tony Stark x Gender Neutral! Reader)

Something that I had saved and forgot all about.

Summary: You didn't understand Tony's decision; he'd left you with a gaping hold in your heart. It was easy to feel anger and resentment, but was it really a surprise how things ended?

tags: slight comfort, post-endgame, Tony's dead, reader handles the loss, mourning, last words/message

You stood there, numb, as Tony's heart drifted farther down the lake, a small, fading dot on the horizon. The weight of what you had done pressed down on you, and without a word to anyone, you turned away, heading home. As you stepped into the house and climbed the stairs to your bedroom, everything appeared the same—yet it all felt different. The one piece that truly made this a home was now gone forever.

When Tony sacrificed himself, it was easy to be consumed by anger. How dare he leave you like this, sobbing and begging for him to return, all for the sake of Earth? After everything, after all the times they had wronged him, it was you—the one person who never turned their back on him—who was left behind. That anger still simmered beneath the surface, but now it had dulled into a numbness that spread through your entire being.

Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey had all tried to comfort you, offering words meant to soothe the unbearable loss. But their attempts only made it worse. They didn’t understand—they couldn’t. What they had lost was different from yours. Tony was your husband and he'd failed your wedding vows. Through sickness and health—the battle with Thanos had no place there.

All you wanted was to be alone, to sit with the emptiness that had taken root inside you, to feel it in its entirety without anyone trying to take it away. That emptiness, as hollow and painful as it was, felt like the last piece of Tony you had left.

Looking around, your vision blurred with unshed tears, taking in the sight of the room. It was a mess, but that was typical when living with Tony. The wardrobe door was flung open, shirts haphazardly hanging half in, half out. His favorite jacket was draped over a chair, and a pair of mismatched socks lay abandoned on the floor. It was like he had just stepped out for a moment, like he would walk back in any second with that roguish grin, asking if you’d seen his watch or where he left his keys.

Your eyes moved to the messy bed, and you couldn't help but collapse onto it. Bringing Tony's pillow to your nose, you inhaled deeply—taking in his familiar cologne and the faint scent of oil and metal that clung to everything he touched. As you lay there, your mind replaying happy memories, something caught your attention.

Hesitantly, you reached out and picked it up, your fingers trembling as you recognized the Stark tech design. With a deep breath, you activated it. A hologram flickered to life, and there he was—Tony, looking at you with that familiar blend of warmth and determination that only he could pull off.

"Hey, love." his voice was soft, almost soothing, but there was an undercurrent of sadness. "If you're seeing this, it means I'm gone. And I know you're angry, probably cursing my name right now. Believe me, I didn’t want to leave you. God, I wanted to stay more than anything."

He paused, as if searching for the right words. "But…you know me. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to save everyone. It’s who I am—who I've always been. I know that’s not an excuse, and it doesn’t make it hurt any less. But I need you to understand that I didn’t choose them over you. I chose all of us. I couldn't bear the thought of a world where you weren't safe."

Tony’s image flickered slightly, and you could see the pain in his eyes. "I hate that I hurt you. But you…you're stronger than you know. And I need you to keep going, to live your life, even without me in it. Because, in a way, I’m still here. I’m always with you."

He took a shaky breath, and his voice softened. "I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and I will love you until the end of time. Forever, remember? That’s what we promised. And I’m keeping that promise, even now."

As the hologram continued, you could hear the faint background noise—a gentle clinking of dishes, the hum of a movie soundtrack. Your heart ached as you recognized the scene: it was the last day you spent together. The day you cooked dinner side by side, the laughter you shared, and the quiet intimacy of watching a movie on the couch.

Now everything made sense. Tony’s extra affection, his words of love, and the lingering touches—they were all part of his farewell. It was as if he had known he wouldn’t have another chance to show you how much you meant to him. The realization hit you like a wave. How long had Tony known his fate? How long had he been preparing to say goodbye, knowing he had to make every moment count?

As the hologram began to flicker and lose its stability, Tony’s image took on a more solemn, resigned expression. His voice softened even further, as if he were speaking directly to your heart.

“I have to go now. But remember this—no matter where I am, my love for you will never fade. It’s with you always, even in the darkest moments. If there's an afterlife, I'll be waiting for you.” The hologram shimmered one last time, and with a final, loving glance, Tony’s image faded into the darkness. Clutching the device to your chest, the tears that you have been holding back finally spilled over.

[lilstephenlover]

Wong: how much longer are we going to let them do that? Stephen: *rubbing the bridge of his nose* just... just give him a minute Y/N: *still pushing the doors of sanctum that are clearly labeled pull*

[escape-music1432]

After

(MCU! Adam Warlock x Ex-Avenger!Reader)

Next | Previous | Beginning

Description: I live for angst, and this is going to be just a short few parts where reader rejects Adam's advances but slowly find themselves being hit with the realization that they do indeed harbor feelings; although, not as strongly, but they were beginning to grow.

Warnings: mentions of canonical deaths, canonical violence, swearing, reader fell for Steve Rogers, alcohol consumption, kidnapping, Adam hurts reader, unethical experiments, animal abuse, vague hint of sexual thoughts, Rocket may or may not have feelings for reader, way too many near death experiences,(more will be added accordingly)

Word count: 2,706

If you're reading this then... the description is clickbait cuz it doesn't happen till way later in this short ahh story I'm writing.

Follows the MCU timeline so keep up!

However I’d like to inform you that this is very much simplified and is based around vol.3 of Guardians of The Galaxy as well as Endgame, a small brief moment of Love and Thunder and the Holiday Special.

Enjoy and pls don't come for me, I'm just having fun and simping for this golden mf :)

You helped Quill rewire the controls to the spaceport, your earlier entrance doing more than enough damage in the moment, but as you burned your finger against one wire you began to think that maybe it was too much damage. 

The sound of many small footsteps had you turning your head, the sight of the children had your heart aching in your chest. You knew they weren't as experimented on as much as Rocket had been but the thought still made a lump build in your throat. The rumble beneath your feet turned your attention toward the familiar sight of Nowhere, the port side readily waiting with Cosmo on the other side. 

The sight of home, made your nerves calm down for just a second. You ran toward the entrance while Cosmo took a ready stance to close the gap between the High Evolutionary ship and the celestial god's eye. 

Once the bridge was secure you jumped to the other side, helping children down off the ship and onto Nowhere. You held onto the hand of one of the little girls, a small smile up at you had your head turning toward her returning the smile but you caught the sight of gold in your peripheral that had stolen your full attention. 

Groot knelt beside the Sovereign man you loathed. Your body moved before you could fully register what you were going to do. The blade on your belt within your hand in seconds. Groot turned to look at you, his gentle smile dropping at the sight of the knife in your hands. You were stopped in your advance for the man laying behind Groot, his hand flew up to rest against your chest stopping you in your tracks. 

You looked into Groot's eyes. Your other hand coming up to shove his off your chest, but his branches wrapped around you, securing you in place while you struggled against him. You huffed after a moment glaring into Groot's eyes, scanning for an explanation, irritation already eating away at your very soul. 

"I am Groot." His words were slow, trying to calm your down. 

"No, I won't. You don't know what you're talking about, not after he-" before you could even finish your sentence the Sovreign stirred awake. 

He blinked up at you and Groot, slowly sitting up off the ground; his attention turning fully to Groot as his brows creased up in confusion at him. Then he spoke so softly, nearly finishing your sentence for you. "Why are you doing this? I tried to kill you." 

"See he even knows what he did, just let me-" you struggled against Groot's hold once again only for the branches to wrap tighter around you while he held you in place. 

"I am Groot." You could feel your jaw tighten at his words; the absolute betrayal you felt stung. 

You turned your head to glare at the golden man, your chest heaving while your gripped tightened on the blade in your palm.

There was a look of confusion on the man's face at Groot's words, then he glanced at you like some lost puppy, like you were going to translate for him. Then Drax spoke up, a look similar to your own as he translated. "He says, everyone deserves a second chance." 

The Sovereign looked back to you and Groot, a little less confused than before. You backed away from Groot's hold, he took the hint and slowly unwrapped you from his branches. You roughly sheathed your knife back into its cover dismissing the golden eyes that followed you. 

You knew if you continued to be this close to the bastard that nearly killed Rocket you'd be caged by Groot, and knowing there were more pressing matters at hand you followed alongside Drax as an example and continued helping the children. 

When the last of the kids were coming to a stop, you caught sight of Nebula carrying and guiding a few. You glanced behind her wondering where Rocket was. Quill beat you in questioning her about it, "Where's Rocket?" 

You could tell there was a flash of confusion, then worry on Nebula's features. "He's not here?" 

Her question was already answered by the look you each gave each other. 

You and the Guardians were on the hunt for Rocket after finding out he hadn't come back, you all decided finding him would be easier if you split up. You called his name loudly, but just like all the other time you were met with silence. 

You could feel the tension in the air at the sound of screaming from down the hall, you were quick on your feet in rushing to find the source and pulling out your knife. You peeked around the corner cautiously, only to be met with each of the guardian's taking turns in beating the High evolutionary. 

Gamora had kicked him with the right amount of force in your direction, and he fell right into your blade. He choked at the sensation of the cool metal buried deep in his ribs. You twisted the knife slightly, seeing the surprise in his expression as you pushed it down harder and twisted further. You could feel his breath fan against your face as he gasped, his hand draping over your hand that held the knife. You looked into his eyes for a moment, examining the man who wanted a perfect society. You scoffed; it was always the ones who lacked perfection that wanted such a thing. 

Quick footsteps approached at your side, the glimpse of emerald, green obscured your vision. Gamora had grabbed him by the throat pulling him off of your knife, she hummed softly as her hand came up to the side of his face where loose skin hung. 

The thought that this much damaged was caused by Rocket had your stomach turning in disgusted at the torn-up face of the High Evolutionary. The groups voices were drowned out as Rocket gently tapped the side of your thigh in comfort. He already knew what you were thinking and the mention of vengeance, not wanting you to fall victim to it more than you already were. 

With every breath you heaved in there was a burning in the back of your throat, you sighed heavily as you ran toward the spaceport. You readjusted the small raccoons within your hold. The confused look on the faces of your peers nearly made you trip face first if you hadn't caught yourself at the last second. You were going to warn them, but the sound of heavy footsteps shook the floor beneath you. You didn't waste any time in moving to the side, hoping you'd be out of the way for the bigger mammals running in after you. 

You could hear Cosmo over your comm, her strained words as the High Evolutionary's ship began to crumble just like her will. She was struggling to keep the bridge between them closed. 

You watched as Abilisks followed behind the mammals; you could see the goofy grin on Mantis' face as she guided them into the port. Just as the end of the line of animals began to disappear, there was another big explosion that sent you falling back into the wall, the raccoons within your hold jumped and ran alongside the other animals into Nowhere. 

You ran forward and grabbed hold of Nebula's hand as she jumped across, she nearly fell backwards but just when you pulled her in Cosmo's body finally gave out as she fell onto her side. You could feel your heart stop at the sight in front of you, Quill was sprinting toward the port. You could feel your heart jump as he was only a foot away from the edge, he was so close. 

You felt your heart leap in your throat at the sight of the crumbling floor beneath him, as he fell through the floor, landing harshly on his stomach. 

You could see the struggle in his movements as he tried to get up, the longer he took the further he got. 

"Quill hurry!" You could hear Drax yell from beside you. 

He can make it. 

He can make it. 

Those four words kept repeating as you watched Quill sprint toward the end of the port. Relief was already flooding over your body when he was able to fling himself forward through the small between the ships, but just as quickly it vanished. 

He was only a short distance away when the debris from the ship had blocked his straight shot toward Nowhere, holding him in the void of space. You could see his brows knit together as he floated slowly back his hands trying so desperately to reach out to you. His worried expression began to freeze in place, the void of space taking hold of his body. 

It was horrifying to see such a sight, none of the description of dying in space could compare to the horrors of the real thing. You could only watch as his face began to puff, the water within his body boiling and freezing over. 

You could hear the cries from Mantis and Groot. 

Groot tried to stretch out his branches to pull him back, and just as they stretched a few feet they began to freeze and break off. 

You couldn't see through the tears that began to cloud your vision, he wasn't going to make it. Without thinking you took quick steps forward, your hands reaching out toward Quill, you knew you wouldn't get far but you had to try no matter the cost. 

There was a hand on your shoulder that pulled you back into someone's chest, you wanted so desperately to punch whoever just pulled you back. But your glare came in contact with Drax, who had his arm securely around your waist holding you back so you wouldn't get yourself hurt too. Not even your body could last in space, no one's could. 

You looked back at Drax, already feeling anger rise in your chest as you sobbed. You tried breaking free, but you could tell from the look on his face that he wouldn't be letting you go. You wanted to scream at him, to yell at him but there was a quick thud from beside you that caught both of your attention. 

The Sovereign had Quill within his hold, as they lay on the ground. You and Drax wasted no time in running to Quill. Nebula had turned him onto his back while Mantis knelt beside him, her hand holding his shoulder. You waited, hoping he wasn't out there for too long. You could see his chest beginning to rise and fall, his eyes trained on Nebula as he strained to speak. 

"Did that look cool?" You couldn't help the small smile, of course he would try to make light of a serious situation. 

The tears and sobs that left you had your body crumbling, your hand finding its way against his chest. Nebula and Mantis helped to lift him up and you were one of the first few that wrapped your arms around him, feeling the below freezing temperature of his body. You could feel your tears staining his suit as well as hearing the silent cries from Mantis. 

You could feel Cosmo bump against your head as she began to lick Peter's face, giving him kisses. Quill's whole body moved as he chuckled, not being able to fight off Cosmo and her kisses with everyone wrapped around him. 

"Cosmo! I'm okay." 

You sighed into Peter's chest, feeling the warmth slowly starting to return to his body. The faint feeling of drowsiness ate away at your subconscious, knowing that when you got back to your apartment you'll be sleeping like a log. 

These last few days were definitely the most heart wrenching experience you've had in a long while. 

You awoke from your nap to knocking on your door. You sluggishly sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you lazily swung open the door. You were met with Mantis and Peter; you could tell from their expressions something was wrong. You assumed the worst, only for Mantis to embrace you in a tight hug. 

"We're leaving," Mantis' voice was just above a whisper, her expression hidden from view. 

"L-Leaving?" You stuttered over your words, not expecting the sudden statement being thrown in your face. 

"I'm going back to Earth," Quill gently wrapped his arms around you and Mantis, laying his chin on your shoulder. 

You could feel from how Mantis' gripped tightened that she could feel your sadness and worry. 

"It's no one's fault. We just need time to grow, find ourselves." Her words eased your worry a bit but then another worry took its place. 

"Will you be back?" You closed your eyes hoping they didn't hear how shaky your voice was, but you already knew Mantis felt just how heartbroken you were. 

"I-I don't know." Quill responded so quietly like he didn't want to give you false hope. 

There was another squeeze from Mantis that had you realizing that you were about to argue, not out of anger but out of heartache. 

You shakily sighed as you leaned further into their hold, letting the tears slip freely down your cheek's. "Just let me know how you're doing once in a while, or I'll find you and drag you back here. I swear." 

They both chuckled, slowly easing their hold on you as they spoke in unison. "We'll miss you too." 

You helped Nebula hand out food to the kids, one of them was hooked to your side keeping a tight grip on the hem of your suit as you walked around. The faint sound of music began to play through the speakers, your eyes finding their way to Rocket who was basking in the lyrics and instruments. You already knew what was going to happen and you couldn't help the smile that formed on your face at the scene unfolding before you. 

Everyone began to dance in the square, it felt like when you first celebrated on Nowhere. 

It made you feel light at the sight of everyone being able to let loose after such a horrible scare within the last three days. You even found yourself swaying to the music, holding the small girls' hands as you guided her alongside Nebula to dance. 

The howling laughter from Rocket had your head turning to him and Groot swaying their hips, kicking their feet and swinging their arms to the music. You could see Cosmo not too far off dancing with one of the toys she had, next to her the small F'saki jumping up and down. 

You looked around to find Drax, only for your gaze to land on the golden man sitting wrapped in a blanket. You could see his gaze on his pet, and as much as you wanted to feel annoyed or disgusted, you felt sadness. You quickly refrained from acknowledging that feeling and went back to enjoying yourself, not sparing another glance at the Sovereign. 

You could feel your head spin as you were twirled by Kraglin, his howling laughter ringing in your ears as you stumbled to regain your footing. He went right back to holding your hands to steady you, you laughed along with him going back to dancing. 

There was a short break in the song that allowed you to rest for a moment, your chest rising and falling as your heart thumped against your ears. 

You finally caught sight of Drax in the crowd of people, seeing the knowing expression on his face made you break out into an even wider smile. The beat started to pick up again and Drax finally let his body flail around to dance, letting out a holler of excitement. Cosmo's howl made your ears ring as everyone whooped and hollered out, the excitement and joy rippling through the entirety of Nowhere. 

You knew there was no place in the galaxy you wanted to be more than here.

[writing-house-of-m]

Endgame

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: The group talks about the fight against Thanos

A/N: Three for three! I hope this one makes up for the angst posted yesterday 😊 For those who care, here is the request. Comments, reblogs and likes are much appreciated!

Prompt: "That was the night I nearly lost you."

It is the end of another party. This time, one thrown in celebration of successfully defeating Thanos once and for all.

It didn't matter where you were hiding Vision from him, Thanos kept finding him. So, when a plan was formed to hide Vision in Wakanda, everyone was ready to make it the last stand. It was a good thing Strange and Wong were able to gather so many people.

Most of those who helped in the final battle were still here, dotted around in the lounge area.

Everyone was exchanging stories about their version of events. All of you were in agreement about being in awe when Carol destroyed a ship single handedly.

You wouldn't have believed Bucky when he spoke about the raccoon he was fighting alongside if you didn't see the creature with your own eyes. You along with Thor and Peter had to corroborate his story. Especially to Tony who was sceptical.

Okoye spoke about the relief she felt at seeing the King again after he was thrown across the field. King T'Challa commented, saying the experience was not one of his finest moments making everyone laugh.

There were no major casualties and no deaths so it felt easy to joke about such things. You can only imagine what it would have felt like to fail such a risky plan.

It was Wanda's turn to speak, "That was the night I nearly lost you," she says, looking at you and squeezing your knee as she leans more into your side.

You and Wanda had each other's backs the whole time, fighting alongside one another. You have always worked well together. Finishing off enemies for the other left and right.

"I left your side for like, a second," you scoff, cinching your eyebrows, everyone laughing and looking amused at the scene.

Knowing Wanda could hold her own you left her so you could help Scott who was covered with aliens, like an apple overthrown by ants. Because she didn't notice you leave, too busy 'kicking names and taking ass,' as Mantis put it, Wanda was worried you were hurt. That was until she heard you compare Scott to Godzilla through her comms.

"I know, but I thought you were hurt," Wanda pouts.

You smile at her antics and begin to lean in to kiss her saying she is being ridiculous but you are cut short with all the jeers you hear from everyone in the room.

"No one needs to see that, lovebirds," you hear Natasha's disgust, loud and clear.

The conversation swiftly moves on to Thor talking about his new axe, Stormbreaker, and all the things it can do. Your attention is turned to Wanda as his voice drones on in the background.

"Hey," you whisper to get Wanda to look at you. When her green eyes meet yours you think of how lucky you are to be able to call her yours.

"You know I'm never gonna die, right? I still need to marry you," you say quietly while grinning.

Wanda smacks your chest, her grin matching yours. Before her next action she quickly looks around the room. You don't have time to ask what she is doing because in the next second her lips are on yours but gone just as fast.

"That's all good and well but you have to propose first," she says, centimetres from your lips.

You want to rebuttal but your attention is sucked back into the discussion around you when Scott says your name, recounting his events on almost being drowned alive by 'smelly aliens'. Hope, who is sitting beside him, shakes her head giggling at his explanation.

Conversations and drinks keep flowing long into the night.

Steve makes a heartfelt speech about everyone doing a good job in keeping the people on this planet safe. He goes on to say everyone who showed up for the fight has given everyone on Earth and even life beyond the stars a chance to appreciate their loved ones and live another day.

You always wondered what the endgame of this superhero life would be for you. But it's this. You're holding it in your arms and are surrounded by it.

The next step in your life is to make Wanda your wife, which you will do as soon as you perfect the proposal you have been planning. Together you will build a real life together and your friends will be there to witness it all.

Resting your head against Wanda's, your mind drifts to a normal life filled with white picket fences, crying babies, school pick ups and drop offs, regular home cooked meals. The stress of PTA meetings, bake sales, sports tryouts, college options. It all has you smiling to yourself.

You can't wait.

[a-spes]

S I X F E E T A W A Y - One shot.

Words count - 2,6k.

Tags & Warnings - Natasha Romanoff x reader, light angst.

Summary - You were Natasha's girlfriend. It has been a year since she died and you still can't accept it, visiting her grave whenever you can.

Song - It'll be okay, Shawn Mendes.

— — — — —

It has been a year. Twelve months, fifty-two weeks, three hundred sixty-five days. In other words, it has been an eternity. The thought of all the time that has passed makes you sick. Even after a year the pain is still the same, the people that told you it will eventually fade were a bunch of liars. You hate them because you are going through every day thinking the next one will be different but it is not, the urge to cry, scream, throw up and destroy everything around you never disappeared. At best, it fades during the good days.

However, this feeling always comes back. You don’t even know how you survived this year without her by your side. She has been your whole world since the first time you met. At the time, you agreed to join the Avengers only so you don’t have to leave her - you regret that decision now, convinced that she died because of them. 

You were supposed to be a family but the team fell apart on the first difficulties and doesn’t even exist anymore. After they saved the world, bringing back the missing population, the members that weren’t dead decided to leave. 

They said they needed some personal time, which you understand, but never told you for how long. It has already been a year and none of them checked up on you or replied to your attempt to get in touch, you can’t help but feel abandoned.

Since you have been back, being at the compound never felt the same anymore. This place no longer felt like home, it was just an empty building, full of ghosts and memories. After a few weeks you decided to move out, unable to stay here for one more day. 

New city, new start, new life. 

At least, you were hoping it would be that easy but it wasn’t. At first, you didn’t know where to go but you eventually decided to move to a small town in Ohio. She was your only family, you couldn’t imagine being far from her. Even if the only thing left is a stone with her name engraved on it, not even a body, you still wanted to be as close as you could.

The way everything happened made your grief journey harder. The worst is that you didn’t even get to say goodbye. Every time you think about it you can feel how your stomach twists. The last time you saw her, you were oblivious she would be dead the next one. 

As half of the population, you disappeared for five years because of Thanos. Five years for the one who stayed but it felt like a few seconds to you, barely the time to blink but yet you missed so much. 

You are blaming yourself for that. Even now, you are convinced that things would have gone a different way if you were here, that you could have done something. It probably wouldn’t have changed a thing, Natasha being stubborn, but being angry and denial is your way to deal with the pain of a loss.

Whenever you can, you are paying a visit to her gravestone. Sometimes, you would stay for a few days, refusing to leave : how could you when you know that she died alone ? Most of her life she thought she was alone, she didn’t deserve to die like that. So, now that she is gone, you are doing everything you can to make up for that, to let her know that you will always be here. 

You firmly believe that, wherever she is right now, she is looking at you and knows what you are doing, you need to believe that she can hear and see you because it means you are not alone. Even death can’t separate two persons.

That is why you have prepared this visit for days, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect for your lover. You prepared a whole picnic, everything being homemade, and decided to wear one the last outfit you bought together, a classy dress. You even braided your hair for the occasion. That is why your hairstyle is looking like a mess, it has never been your thing, Natasha usually being the one to do it. 

Some people would find it weird to celebrate her death date but it is really important to you. Painfull, for sure, but still important. That day, a year ago, she sacrified her life for the world and she deserves some gratitude. You feel like too many people don’t even know she is the one that saved them, the rest refusing to acknowledge what she did just because of her past. Even your former teammates don’t bother to care. 

So you decided to pay her a visit so you can celebrate her actions like the world should have. However, it doesn’t make you less angry or hateful against the whole world.

You check your bag one more time to make sure you didn’t forget anything. You are feeling a bit stressed because you really want everything to be perfect. After that last glance, you secure it at the back of your bike, ready to go.

Her gravestone is only thirty minutes from where you live. As you are lost in your thoughts, the journey felt like a few seconds. 

You realize you are almost at your destination when you enter the forest. Natasha’s grave is not in a cemetery but in a lovely clearing. As there was no body to bury, you were able to place it wherever you wanted. You spent days and nights thinking about the perfect place to eventually choose this one. It is in a lovely clearing in Ohio, a quiet and hidden place. Only a few people know her grave is here, she didn’t have a lot of family. 

You leave your bike against a tree on the roadside.

After a few minutes walk, you arrive at the clearing. You know she would have loved that place. A smile on your face, you take your time to settle everything around the grave. You brought a blanket, to sit in, a lot of food and even a speaker so you can play music. It feels the silence, making things less awkward for you. 

Obviously, you didn’t forget to bring a gift and some flowers. This time, you choose roses because they have always remembered you of her : they sting but yet are so delicate and gracious. She used to mock you for that, never answering your “ if you were a flower, which one would you be ? ” kind of questions. So you had to figure out the answers by your own. 

However, you know that, deep down, she was enjoying it. She would stay for hours, listening to your explanations about why she would be that drink rather than another one, with a faint smile on her face. She was just too stubborn to admit it. 

The thought of the past makes a sad smile appear on your face as you are replacing the old flowers with the roses you brought.  

“ I- ” once you have settled in, sitting on the blanket with the food out of the bags, you start talking. Except that, once again, you don’t know where to start. “ I made peanut butter sandwiches, … more than the last time. ”

Those are her favourites. She has always refused to share hers but, sometimes, she would make some for you so you had a snack when you came back from a mission. 

Now, you have to do them by yourself and it doesn’t taste the same, it doesn’t taste love. Yet, you still ended up eating the dozen you made last time you visited. In your defense, you were crying and it is the only thing that could bring you some comfort. 

However, you are still feeling bad for not leaving at least one for her so you decided to make some more this time. A lot more if you are being honest. 

“ Anyway, what can I say … ” you are thinking out loud. It is your thing, coming here and telling her everything that is going on in your life. 

Sometimes, you even come here just to share with her something that happened during your day. A bad or a good story, it doesn’t matter, you would come here immediately without considering what time it is when the urge to talk to her hits you. 

Once, you pedaled here in the middle of the night. It was creepy, if you are being honest, so you didn’t do it ever again. Plus, you are sure Natasha wouldn’t appreciate it.

“ I have found a new job. I am a cashier now and it is going well for the moment, I didn’t throw anything at a client yet ” you say, feeling proud about that fact.

A few months ago, you were fired from your job as a waitress for that reason. You definitely don’t have the patience or the tact required by that kind of work. 

“ Even if the clients are really annoying. It is frustrating, you know ? I am being yelled at all day, talked like shit and insulted but I don’t even have the right to be rude ” you stop talking for a few seconds, taking a deep breath - you won’t let the anger you feel towards these people ruin this moment. “ I liked it better when we were kicking bad guys’ asses. ”

You are thinking about this part of your life with nostalgia. You never had a normal job. When you were seventeen, you dropped out of high school so you could join the army. Somehow, mainly because of your curiosity, you ended up in some dirty stories - that is how the S.H.I.E.L.D noticed you, offering you to become one of their agents.

It is only a few years ago that you made the decision to leave the agency to be a part of the Avengers. It was a difficult choice to make but you did it because you wanted to follow Natasha, even a few years ago, you already couldn’t imagine living far from her. 

The two of you met when she joined the agency. As you, when you became an agent, she was lonely. Everyone was avoiding her because of the rumors about her past. You immediately thought it was unfair - if Fury thinks she has a place here, then you can trust her for sure. Plus you knew how it feels to be in that situation. 

So you decided to step up, being the first and only one that has tried to talk to her the first years. You never left her side since, always defending her when the others were talking dirt behind her back - which got you into a lot of trouble.

All that stuff, being a cashier or a waitress, is not something you are used to, you don’t think you are cut out for this kind of work. If you are being honest with yourself, you hate those jobs, you are just not ready to go back working for Fury. 

When you came back, he let you know that there will always be a place for you as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, you thanked him but said no. For the moment, you just want to give a try to those normal jobs, even if fitting in is harder than you thought, being undercover having nothing in common with living it for real.

“ I also decided to eventually repair the broken things in my apartment. So far, I’ve fixed the front door, the fridge and the light in the living room. I think it is a good start, don’t you ? ” you wait a few seconds for an answer but, obviously, the only one you get is the silence. You eventually chuckle. “ I still hate that place tho’ ” and since you moved in, you can’t wait for the day you will be able to afford a better place. 

But for now you are stuck in that small, dilapidated and cold apartment, trying to convince yourself that it could be worse.

“ Anyway, I am here because I have a little something for you … ” you start, trying to not smile too hard. You take the present out of the bag, it is something in a dark blue box of the size of your hands. “ Ready ? ” you ask but it is more for you this time. You take a deep breath before you resume. “ Natasha Romanoff, for saving the world for so many years, for sacrificing your life for the sake of Humanity and, most important, for ... being the love of my life ... I have the honor to give you a medail ” your acting broke on the last sentence, the fake enthusiasm being replaced by sadness. 

Once you are done with your little speech, you carefully put the medail on the grave, with the flowers and the other presents. 

It is not a real medail, you asked someone to make it. It is supposed to be a replacement for the one the government refused to give her, even if she deserved it. Her name on a wall is the only thing she got from them.

“ But don’t think it means I forgive you. It was very stupid, but yet very … you … to sacrifice yourself for us. You always thought you had a redemption to earn ” you stop talking, trying to hold back your tears. “ And maybe it was true that people never trusted you but I did. I trusted you and you left me like that. I didn’t even get to say goodbye or … or … to give you a last hug. I- I blinked and, just like that, you were … gone, forever ” your voice is shaking, the last sentence being noticed more than a whisper. As tears are running down your cheeks, you still find the strength to add one more thing. “ I will never forgive you ” you say in a quiet voice.

You weren’t ready to lose her, you had plans for your future together. You were supposed to buy a lovely home and found a happy family. She shouldn’t have died before you could live your life together, before you had your happy ending. Only age should have taken her away from you, except that she decided otherwise. 

She has always been so stubborn and so hard on herself because of the things she did in the past. You truly believe that, if someone deserved a peaceful life, it is her but it is too late now that she is gone. The idea that you never had a chance to show her how sweet life can be is making you sick, you should have convinced her to leave earlier. 

When you came back from the dust, you were alone and lost. Not only did you need to accept that five years of your life have been stolen but you also had to learn how to live without the woman you love. It is the hardest thing you ever had to do in your life.  “ But … I love you so much, my idiot ” you eventually whisper. “ I just wish you were still here to hear that … ”

[mcubuckyxlokisbitch]

Out of all the Time Lines Chpt1: Avengers I need your help

Short Series !

Female Asgardian reader (now avenger) X TVA Loki

MASTER LIST

Summary: After your Lokis death and have moved on and joined the Avengers. After the aftermath of Endgame you and the other remaining Avengers all seek shelter in the new Avengers Warehouse Pepper Potts bought as a temporary replacement while the Avengers mansion is being renovated. What happened after a very tired mission. Well, you're speechless, to say the least.

---------------------------------------------------

You entered the living room with the rest of the team all covered in dust, scratches and tired faces. All of you just saved another casual disaster but the aftermath was the annoying part, burning buildings, hurt people, without Tony stark it meant the clean up crew for the Avengers were the Avengers.

"Alright, what movie and what restaurant shall we engage in tonight." You say as you use your magic to teleport your sword to your room and grab the telephone on the coffee table, plopping on the couch.

"I don't know, but I am in the mood for some Mexican food," Sam said walking in and taking off his goggles.

"Yeah no we just had Mexican yesterday Sam there is no way I am eating another burrito, enchiladas, or taco for the 5th time this week." Bucky shouted as he stretched out on the loveseat next to the couch.

Scott, Thor, Wanda, Peter, Kate and Yelena walked in as they made their way to the kitchen and the living room to relax after a long day.

"Well I for one could actually go for some Phò." Wanda said while grabbing a glass of water. "Yes that actually sounds nice," you replied.

"Second it." Bucky Raised his hand and passed out on the loveseat.

"I will fiest on any of your choosing," Thor said while taking off his cape to wipe off the gunk from storm breaker.

"Phò sounds wonderful. Just make sure I get one of those spring roles. Oh and don't forget were running out of chilli sauce." Yelena shouted from the fridge.

"I just restocked." Scott threw his arms and groaned. "hah." Yelena mocked.

Peter took off his mask and rubbed his forehead combing his hair back, he had the worst migraine ever. Was this a spider sense? Why is it worse than ever?

You shouted for his attention, "Peter man of the hour, Mexican or Phò." Peter didn't answer, he was trying to hold himself on the table trying to compile himself.

"Peter?" You looked towards him. You started to get worried and walked towards him. "Peter. Did you hear me, Phò or Mexican?"

Peter looked at you and fell on his butt.

"Look kid we all are tired but at least try to make it to the couch I ain't carrying you." Same teased.

"Peter are you alright," Wanda said with a concerned face rushing towards him.

"Just tired... crazy migraine, feels like a spider sense but not ...it's the worst I've had." Peter looked at the concerned faces towards him, while he found support from your hand "Probably just tired." he chuckled.

"Well Phò it is, maybe next time Sam." You shook the phone and gave it to Scott to take the orders because he knew the team lie the back of his hand.

"Peter do you require help to get on the couch." You brought Peter back up as he tried to make his way onto the kitchen island.

"I'm fine just need water and a good meal. Imma lay by here." He groaned and slipped onto the table face on the surface.

You went to the sink to pour him a glass of water. Placed it on the counter making sure he drank every drop.

You grabbed a popcorn pack from a top shelf and brought it to the microwave as you set the time. You looked back at Peter who was getting a second refill.

You crossed your arms as you leaned back on the wall waiting for the timer on the microwave to go off. You closed you eyes resting your head as you looked up the ceiling.

"Teya what movie...Not silence of the lambs"

"Action or Comedy, Sam I don't mind..." You sighed not opening your eyes taking some shut eye before the alarm in the warehouse blares for the next emergency.

"Cassie said Gnomeo and Juliet was nice," Scott said looking through his phone.

"Bucky is scared of the Frog." You chuckled.

"In my Defense doll I only said it to make my move on you." he smirked kissing your cheek.

"Now thats a new level of low and pathetic." Sam groaned in disgust. You try reach for an aspirin on the top shelf but Bucky beat you to it.

"Here." he passed the bottle to you.

"I lift cars, I think can lift a shelf handle." you retorted to him

"We talked about this doll," he places both his arms on your shoulder.

"Right..." you breathed and dialouged dramatically " Why thank you, James, you're such a gentleman." flipping your hair.

"OH I call dibs on Robocop" Yelena raised her hand after laying out all the snacks.

"I'm letting the kid's pop culture spinner decide." Sam takes the remote from Scott and faces back to Peter. "Yo Pete what movie."

"Babylon," Peter replied from the kitchen island still rubbing his temple.

"As long as it's not Hamilton." You teased.

"Sams got it all memorized by now." Bucky continued.

"Not as much as you Buck, I heard him belting burn last night," Sam replied. The microwave beeped as you turned your back from the crowd and you grabbed a bowl to place the pack in.

"Heh well, you can say he's gonna be your right-hand man." you giggled at your cringe joke. "Get it." but no response was made, just silence from the crowd.

"Oh cmon that was fun-" you turn to see the reason of their response and froze "Ny......"

"Avengers I need your help."

[tldrthor]

Part II: The Princess (and the chaos she brings with her) - steve rogers x princess!reader

summary: the princess gets to grips with life in the avengers tower, the captain does his best to not allow his feelings to get in the way of acting normal. everything is nice... but for how long?

part 2 // it was an honour and a privilege, for his words to reach only her ear // word count 2k

you can find part one here and here's my masterlist <3

a/n: nothing much happens in this one but i needed to set the scene! hope you enjoy this short and fluffy fic x

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Steve felt a kind of giddiness he had never felt before. It was almost nauseating; somewhere between the greatest euphoria and the deepest of depressions. He felt himself unable to bring words to his lips, when Bucky knocked on his room door to ask him how he was holding up.

“This is fucking crazy, man.” Bucky had breathed out. It seemed the same cat had got his tongue.

Steve had breathed out a half-laugh. “Yeah, it’s definitely crazy.”

He felt delirious. Dizzy with every emotion he had ever, and will ever feel. He found himself staring at the clock as time ticked by, agonisingly slowly. He fought against every instinct he had to run to her, make sure she never left his sight again.

It had been nearly 80 years since they had last seen each other. What if she had moved on? What if he was too different for her now? What if she was different?

As they had talked, it felt the same. But the talk they had had wasn't quite enough for the captain. He fought against every instinct he had to charge into her room and demand answers to the thousand questions running through his head.

His best bet would be going for a run, clear his head, work off some energy. It was a nice day outside, and a weekend so most of the agents and personnel were off-base. He shrugged on some gym clothes and headed out. He found himself lingering, as he walked past her door, trying to fend off thoughts of charging in and blurting his deepest thoughts to her.

The sound of... struggling? He could hear her, with ragged breath and the sound of what he thought was someone bumping into furniture. His eyebrows furrowed as he went into avenger mode.

"Princess?" He knocked quickly on the door, listening as he did for further sounds. As he knocked, the noises stopped. It was only through his supersoldier hearing that he could still hear her ragged breaths.

A small, breathless voice came from behind the door. "I'm okay, I'm alright!"

The captain wasn't entirely sure what to do. "Do you need help with anything?"

There was silence for a moment. And then, the lock on the door turned and she stood, once more, in front of him. Now, she was more flushed, and her hair had fallen ever so slightly out of place. The captain still thought she was the most radiant being he had ever seen.

"I... I am sorry to ask, captain. I am so used to having handmaidens that I can't get my armour off by myself." She looked away as she said it, and Steve cursed himself as a blush spread it's way over his cheeks.

"I'll help!" He said, perhaps a little too much enthusiasm behind his words. He immediately pulled it back, "or I could get Natasha, if you want."

The princess smiled at him. "It's okay, I wouldn't want to bother Miss Romanoff, if you don't mind helping?" She held the door for him and he entered her chambers. If she had been on Alfheim, or Asgard for that matter, this would have caused great scandal. For a brief moment, regardless of the circumstances, she was grateful to be back on Midgard.

She lifted her arms to show him how the chestplate connected around her torso, and he began to undo the intricate mechanism stitching it together. They were both hyper-aware of their closeness in that moment, each fighting not to think about it too much.

"It's beautiful." Steve tried to cut the silence, but his voice came out as more of a whisper. "Your armour, I mean. The carvings." He cleared his throat.

She made eye contact with him, and he nearly audibly gulped. "Thank you." As the mechanisms finally gave way, she pulled the piece over her head, holding it in front of her. "It belonged to my grandmother, the last Queen of Alfheim. They say even the stars themselves bowed to her."

Steve didn't miss the sadness layered in her voice.

"I never knew anything about your family before. It's crazy that they're kings and queens." Steve confessed.

She placed a hand, lightly on his arm. She couldn't think of what to say in response to that, but the gesture was enough. She hung the armour in the wardrobe, then began to take off her jewelry starting with her jeweled tiara. As she pulled it from her hair, he audibly gasped.

With the way her tresses fell, and covered her ears, it was like the princess disappeared and was replaced with (y/n). His (y/n). The one he ejected from the plane to save, all those years ago. The one he had mourned since he came out of the ice.

She turned to him, smiling. "You look the same, you know." She continued, "As when we last saw each other."

Steve caught a glimpse of himself in her mirror. He didn't feel the same as back then. He had been so full of hope, so naïve. The modern world made it hard to be optimistic.

"I'm older, now. You haven't aged a day." He responded.

She chuckled. "Steven, you are the same boy who jumped on the grenade at Camp Lehigh, it doesn't matter how you've aged." The kindness of her words as she said his name moved him in a way that no one had in a long time. "My people age far slower than Midgardians, so physically aging is an honour. I hope that one day, I experience the blessings of the years."

"What... what age are you?"

"Are you quite certain you want to know?" She asked, a hint of a smirk on her lips. When he nodded after a moment's hesitation, she continued; "I am 578 years old."

His jaw nearly hit the floor in shock. He looked at her features intently, his mind clawing desperately for anything to say. She didn't look a day over 25, and hadn't since the 40's.

"That's... um, pretty old." He stuttered out. Well, that was not what he had meant to say.

Her melodic laugh reached his ears and he had to admit, he breathed out a sigh of relief. "Captain, that is not a very becoming thing to say to a lady," She giggled. "I am barely a quarter of the way through my life span."

"God, sorry I didn't mean it like that, just... It's all so strange."

"I know, Captain. It is a long time in comparisons to a Midgardians life. I hope that it does not disturb you too much."

In the silence of the room, Steve suddenly became aware of the distance between them, or rather, the lack thereof. She was so close he could almost feel her breath on her face, as her eyelashes fluttered, looking up at him.

Her irresistible eyes.

He could reach out and grab her, right now. It would be easy, romantic, passionate, wonderful. He wanted to do it, badly. To feel his hands on her waist, to wrap her in his arms. He wondered, briefly, if she would tangle her hands in his hair.

In the real world, he couldn't do it. They had been apart for nearly a century, and even when they knew each other, they hadn't gotten that far. He didn't know if she still... felt that way.

His head was spinning, everything seemed to be moving too quickly and too slowly at the same time. Mayday, mayday, mayday.

He cleared his throat and moved away. Well, it was more of a jump. So much for looking normal, he thought to himself.

"We should go for dinner, uh... people will be waiting." He examined her features. She smiled politely, but her eyes betrayed something else. Was that... disappointment he detected? He was probably wishful thinking.

"Of course, Captain. I will get changed into the clothes Natasha brought for me, and then we shall go." She elegantly picked up some clothes, and wandered to the bathroom.

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Dinner was lively as ever. At Thor's request, everyone had joined the team in the dining room for some pizza. Steve and the Princess wandered in later than everybody else, but were welcomed with cheers and laughter. It was nice.

"Princess (y/n)!" Thor boomed, motioning his friends over to two empty seats beside him. "I believe you have met everyone bar the young master Parker, over here." He pointed towards a young brunet boy, sitting rather awkwardly at the corner of the large table.

He waved, whispering a barely audible "Hi."

"Hello, Master Parker. I am (y/n) of Alfheim."

"Yeah, I heard, um. It's Peter, not Master Parker. My name I mean. If you want to- if it's your tradition or whatever you can call me that too I just... um, most of the uh avengers call me Peter, I mean." He placed a hand over his face in what even the princess understood was teen angst.

"Peter, then." She smiled politely at the young, flailing boy.

"I call him bugboy, if that's any more appeasing to you." A familiar voice parted through the din of the many, many conversations being had around the table. The princess looked to see Bucky sitting across from them, next to the man called Sam.

She laughed politely, at his joke, understanding immediately that the young avenger certainly experienced a lot of jokes at his expense.

Her attention was diverted, once again, by Mr. Stark. "Have you ever had the Midgardian delicacy of pizza, your highness?" There was a hint of sarcasm to his deference, that was not unnoticed by (y/n).

"Tony, she lived in Brooklyn in the 40s. Of course she's had pizza." Steve spoke up for her, also noticing the way Tony laced disquiet with her titles. He was being overprotective over pizza, and even though he was aware of the fact, he couldn't stop himself.

"Actually, Captain, I never got around to trying it during my time here."

A silence befell the dining room.

"What?" The harsh words came from Bucky, but it was a sentiment echoed quickly by Cap, and then young Peter.

"How could you have lived in New York for several years, and not had pizza?" Steve laughed at the Princess, who sheepishly smiled.

"I honestly did not realise it was a food, and I lived mostly on army rations anyway..." She explained.

"Oh my god, she's never lived." Sam spoke, dead-pan.

Tony finally interrupted the cacophony. "Well then, ma'am, consider this evening an education."

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The evening was lovely. The conversation (and wine) flowed, never a dull moment. Thor and the Princess dazzled with tales of their worlds and the many battles they had faced. Steve and Bucky reminisced with the Princess about the times they had shared together.

As the evening grew quieter, the Princess found herself feeling safe, for the first time in a while. She was all too aware of Cap's arm slung over the back of her chair, dangerously close to being around her shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat every time he leant down to her ear, to share something only with her. It was an honour and a privilege, for his words to reach only her ear.

For the last 80 years, she had felt like she was spinning out of control. With the war, and especially the last attack, things had been worse than ever. But now, she could get used to this.

She dared, as she laughed at one of Tony's jokes, to put her head on the Captain's shoulder. As she did, she happened to catch Bucky's eye - he smiled and winked.

Yeah, she could definitely get used to this.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't get the chance to.

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== TAGLIST ==

@vicmc624 @jvdgement @capswife @megluv1 @moviegurl2002 @aliciaasky @yiiiikesmish

i tagged everyone who said they wanted part 2, but let me know if you want to be removed from the taglist at any point! thanks so much for your support on the first part x

[gabriel-xander]

I Wish You Died Instead Ch. 2

[Scaramouche x Fem!Reader]

A/N: I started writing this before all of his lore came out/Before the last Sumeru Archon quest, so there will be a handful of inconsistency later on. My advice to you? Just go with it!

{Also on Quotev, Ao3, and Wattpad under Gabriel Xander}

Chapter 2: You Get Slapped Twice

You sigh quietly when you knock against Scaramouche's office door.

The other Fatui agents had looked at you with some sort of judgement when you entered the building with Kazuki. You always made the effort to separate yourself from everyone else, so your reputation with the others was pretty shit. It's not like you were hated (hopefully), but they probably wouldn't go out of their way to save your ass if they saw you getting attacked.

That being said, they were all openly praying for you when you made your way to Scaramouche's office. Kazuki even hugged you before you left??

"I didn't tell you right away because I wanted to spend one last moment with you," Kazuki had told you, "Out of everyone I have ever met, I've always hated you the least."

You're gonna die for sure. <3

Scaramouche's voice snaps from the other side: "What."

That was the cue and permission to enter. Just his special way of showing he cares or whatever. You open the door and step inside, immediately feeling the overwhelming presence of the Balladeer. You close the door behind yourself, getting on your right knee to show false respect towards the Harbinger.

"My Lord, you wanted to see me?"

You kept your voice flat and bored, your expression was half hidden by your mask, though it was for naught as your face is devoid of emotion.

"Where were you during the meeting?" Scaramouche asks, not looking up from whatever paperwork he was completing.

"Reviewing the reports from my last deployment," You keep your response short, as you learned that Scaramouche hated the chatty ones, "I apologize for my absence."

"Did something go wrong?"

Why does he care?

"..."

You open your mouth but quickly close it again.

He doesn't care, he probably asked just to tell you to shut up. You see him do that with other agents, and you're not feeling like you're up for his sass.

"Whatever, I don't really care," Scaramouche sighs, "Start packing your bags, we're going to Liyue tomorrow morning with Tartaglia."

"Fuck."

"What was that?"

Ah shit. You didn't mean to say that out loud. The air is tense, there's no going back now. You're going to regret this opening your stupid mouth.

"With all due respect, My Lord-"

You wince when you hear Scaramouche push the chair back to stand up. He's walking towards you.

"-This is a sudden decision and a departure to a nation across Teyvat requires more planning. Not only that, my recent report-"

SMACK!

Your cheek burns from the aftermath, and you thank your luck for not falling over from that painful, backhanded slap. You bite your tongue to stop yourself from yelling in anger, and you dig your fingers into your palm so you don't slap him back.

This is exactly why you never fucking talk to Scaramouche.

"Get ready for tomorrow, [L/n]," Scaramouche smirks sadistically, "I'd hate to kill you so soon. You're the most tolerable second in command I've had so far."

You don't respond, not because you know to stay quiet, but because you don't want to waste your breath for someone like him. You stand up and keep your head low, stuffing your hands into your pockets to hide that your fists are shaking with aggression.

"Yes, My Lord. Is there anything else?" You ask quietly.

"Hm... yeah. Now that you mention it, I was going to do it myself, but since you're here..." Scaramouche walks to his desk to grab a few papers, "Do you know where Tartaglia is?"

You furrow your brows, "Yes, My Lord. He's-"

"-Just take these to him and tell him the plans for the departure," Scaramouche basically thrusts the papers at you, so you had no choice but to get them, "Can you handle that?"

Motherfucker is mocking you.

"Yes, sir," You bite back, "Would you like a coffee with that order?"

"Watch your tongue."

You look down at the papers and frown. You've only spoken to Tartaglia that one time, and you're honestly praying he won't recognize you. He might want to fight you or something.

You bow slightly before leaving the office, jogging down the halls to find the ginger bread man. Scaramouche rolls his eyes at your departure, heading back to his desk to complete the paperwork.

He doesn't like how simultaneously expressive and monotonous you are. You have so much fighting spirit, but your delivery is so dry. It's most definitely a front you display in front of him since you know how to behave. But Scaramouche wishes you can hide that true part of yourself better.

...

He doesn't know why.

——

You lean your back against the wall, watching Tartaglia beat the living shit out of his subordinates in the largest training room. That included Kazuki, so it was amusing to see his cocky ass get ate.

The Zapolyarny Palace was home to many Harbingers and Fatui agents. While there were a few from each group that had their own homes out of the palace they lived in, you unfortunately lived with the majority in the damn palace.

Sure, staying in the same building with the Tsaritsa was epic and all, but... you're not a die-hard worshiper like most people. In fact, you don't really have a favorite Archon. You thought Barbatos was pretty nifty, but that's about it.

Joining the Fatui wasn't to devote yourself to the Tsaritsa and her mysterious plans. You joined because you're curious about the truth behind Khae-

"[L/n]?"

You're brought back when Kazuki calls out to you. Poor Kazuki was laying on the floor and panting with exhaustion. Tartaglia was standing above him victoriously, a sadistic smile plastered his face.

"Kazuki," You nod in acknowledgement, both of you keeping it strictly professional when you're around others.

Tartaglia looks at you and widens his eyes a bit: "[L/n]? Oh, I remember you!"

Ah shit.

"Lord Tartaglia," You bow deeply, "it's a pleasure."

"Hey, didn't I tell you to call me Childe?" The Harbinger chuckles as he steps over Kazuki towards you.

"Oh, yes. Apologies, Lord Childe."

"No, just... ah, we'll work on it," The ginger sighs, "Did you come for your friend here? Or did you finally miss me enough to come find me?"

You see Kazuki in your peripheral vision pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. You almost do the same.

"Oh, how did you know?" You reply humorlessly, showing Childe the papers, "Actually, Lord Scaramouche made me his messenger girl. He wanted me to inform you that his branch will be departing to Liyue with you tomorrow morning. And he wanted me to give you these."

Childe raises a brow as he takes them. You see his eyes move side to side as he quickly reads through the first paper.

"Hm... Well, me and my subordinates were actually supposed to take this ship to Liyue for some business as well. It seems Scaramouche wants to preserve resources and have us both leave tomorrow." Childe summarizes for you.

Which he really didn't need to. Maybe he's just being friendly so you can drop your guard just so he can find a weakness and exploit it.

He then frowns, "That's way too soon for a spontaneous trip. The ship won't have room for all of us if Scaramouche plans on bringing all his subordinates."

You simply stand there with your hands behind your back, listening to Childe's woes quietly. Not that the gossip will help you, but you can never be too careful about observing people for later references.

"What do you think, Wakus Bonkus [L/n]?"

You frown, not understanding why your opinion matters for this.

"I-"

"Ooh! You naughty, Wankus Bonkus!"

"-Actually! Come with me, won't you, [L/n]?" Childe starts walking out of room, "You too, Kuzashi!"

"It's Kazuki," The male in question sighs quietly as he pushes himself to stand.

You wait for your comrade before you two leave the room, quickly trailing after the Harbinger who took long strides.

"You're alive," Kazuki says with wonder.

"No shit, Sherlock," You scoff out a laugh, "Wait, no!"

You skip ahead to walk in front of Kazuki, walking backwards so you can face him.

"Kazuki~! Kazuki~~!" You sing in a low and "spooky" tone, "This is the ghost of [L/n]~! I've come back with a warning~!"

The brunette rolls his eyes, though you couldn't see thanks to his mask. You snicker quietly and spin around to walk normally.

"Lord Scaramouche just wanted to yell at someone, honestly," You said, "He wanted to tell me about the departure to Liyue for tomorrow morning. Apparently, he also wanted us to tag along with Lord Tartaglia and his subordinates. Something about saving the resources?"

"What? But... You guys can't leave Snezhnaya yet. Your recent report about-"

"-Yeah, I tried telling him that but he fucking pimp slapped me into the next nation."

You're pretty sure you heard Childe snort.

"...Are you okay?"

"What, are you worried about me? Don't be getting soft on me, Kazuki."

"Well, fuck you too, then."

"Charming." You tense up suddenly when Childe stops in front of Scaramouche's office, "Lord Childe, why are we here?"

Childe knocks on the door twice before opening it, "I'm coming in, Scaramouche."

God dammit, Childe.

You wait until Childe enters the office before you silently throw a tantrum and stomp towards the office. Kazuki was watching that happen with deep understanding in his eyes.

"What do you want?" You hear Scaramouche spit out before you enter the office with Kazuki.

You almost wave awkwardly when Scaramouche looks at you with, what you believe is to be, disgust. The Balladeer pushes his chair back and marches around the table and towards you. You honestly expect him to beat you up right then and there.

"Did you bring him?"

"What is this about your trip to Liyue tomorrow?" Childe interrupts with a frown, "This is too soon for your departure, especially with the amount of people that will be coming."

Scaramouche frowns, "Deal with it. I have no other business to attend to here, so I might as well head to what concerns me next. The next ship heading to Liyue doesn't arrive until next month, I'm not waiting that long."

You feel Kazuki's eyes on you, you had to bite your tongue to not speak up. Unfortunately, the Archons have chosen you to be their silliest clown for today.

"And you, [L/n]?" Childe crosses his arms as he turns to look at you with expectancy, "What is your opinion on this?"

...

Wat?

You widen your eyes from behind your mask and shake your head, instinctively taking a step back when you see Scaramouche get closer in your peripheral vision.

"Oh, I—don't-my opinion isn't-"

"-No, tell me, [L/n]." Scaramouche was suddenly standing in front of you, causing you to flinch, "You clearly have something to say. Then say it."

Childe is literally dead to you now. If you weren't a subordinate, you would've given Childe a look that read exactly as "I fucking hate you".

"Well... Two months ago I received an "anonymous tip" from a Fatui agent who received that tip from a civilian somewhere in Snezhnaya," You made air quotes when needed, then placed your hands on you hips, "Apparently, a Treasure Hoarder group had ambushed some Fatui and stole not only their equipment, but also the Visions from those who had it."

Scaramouche frowns, "Yeah, I remember that. I sent you out to deal with it."

You nod, "Right. The Treasure Hoarders were dealt with, but we lost a handful of men and their entire beings disappeared. However, those Treasure Hoarders were no doubt killed."

You had made the order for their execution, but you didn't stick around to see the monstrosity you made your soldiers become. You couldn't handle it.

"So, what's the issue?"

"Two days ago, when it was my day off, I got um..." You furrow your eyebrows to think, "I guess ambushed is the correct term, but I wasn't in danger. Anyway, I got a surprise visit from a random civilian. She told me that she was the one who sent that anonymous tip from before. But she had actually deceived us at that time."

Kazuki crosses his arms, "And how did she recognize you?"

"Her son was one of my subordinates, and he was the one who gave me that tip in the first place. He gave a detailed description of my appearance to her just so she could come find me."

"What happened next?" Childe asks with a serious expression.

"Well, two months ago, she and her son, Isaac, were beaten near death by several groups of Treasure Hoarders. They took Isaac hostage and stole his Vision, then they threatened to kill his mother if Issac didn't agree to cooperate and become a supplier. So, Isaac led a group of agents to a false camp site to get ambushed. And that was the version of events we were exposed to."

You had kept your voice monotonous the entirety of your explanation, not wanting Scaramouche to have a reason for calling you emotional or whatever. Either way, it just comes naturally to you when talking to the Harbingers.

"But I guess those agents we thought were dead, are actually still alive and are part of the Treasure Hoarders. They've been using their Visions and equipment to replicate the technology, armor, and weapons. Isaac is probably dead, but it's for sure known that he at least stopped cooperating with them. I haven't heard from his mother since two days ago."

You hold your hands behind your back, waiting in the tense silence for what the Harbingers might say.

"[L/n]..."

SMACK!!

You could barely see the hand coming towards you, the next thing you knew, you were on the floor with no doubt a bright handprint burning your right cheek. Your mask had flown off from the force, causing it to slide against the floor and out of your reach.

This motherfucker slapped you.

Again.

You...

Really hate Scaramouche so fucking much.

Kazuki takes a step towards you in concern, but he remembers where he is and stops. Folding his arms behind himself to preserve his image, Kazuki looks away, opting to just look at your mask.

"Scaramouche-"

"-I deal with my subordinates however I see fit, Tartaglia," The Balladeer says coldly, cutting off the ginger, "I'm staying in Snezhnaya after all. It seems I haven business to take care of."

You can taste your blood pooling in your mouth from how hard and suddenly you bit your tongue. You keep your head down and stay where you are, knowing that behaving like this will make him happy about "making you submit".

"Our business seems to be done now, correct?" Scaramouche starts walking to his desk, "Leave. All of you. I'm getting tired of looking at you."

Well, Childe didn't want to keep looking at Scaramouche either! He grabs your mask and leaves the room without another word. Kazuki was quick to follow while you were just getting up from the floor.

"Come back tomorrow morning after Tartaglia is to depart," Scaramouche says, "You don't want me to be the one to seek you out first."

"Yes, My Lord," You mutter quietly to keep your lips as closed as you could to stop the blood from seeping out.

And with that, you leave his office for the 2nd time that day with a bruise already coloring your face. You close the door behind yourself and immediately turn your head to the side to spit out a surprising amount of blood.

Gross.

You hear Childe telling Kazuki some orders, but you were more focused on spitting out the metallic liquid to actually pay attention to what was said. When you hear a pair of footsteps grow distant, you assume Childe has left you alone. You pull down your sleeve and wipe at your mouth to rid of any red that may have stained your lips.

"Here," Childe's gloved hand (even though the glove looked like it was halfway on) holds out your mask to you, "Is... Scaramouche always like that?"

Childe's eyebrows were furrowed together, a small frown etching his lips. You can't help but notice that his two red earrings compliment his blue eyes. You've always acknowledged that Childe looks pretty, but it was more of a physical thing. His personality is starting to shine through in making him more attractive.

You smile softly, "Thank you... And yes. But you learn to tune it out... Or so I've been told by an apparent liar."

Childe chuckles, "I didn't mean to get you in trouble like that. But also, you did save me from an unpleasant trip with him, so I guess I owe you one."

"No, there's no need," You don't bother putting your mask back, "You're the reason why I was able to get a word in at all. So, I should be thanking you, Lord Childe."

He shakes his head: "Just Childe."

"Lord Childe."

"Childe."

"Master Childe?"

"Childe."

"Sir Childe?"

"..."

"Childe, sir?" You couldn't help the grin, "Mr. Man Childe Sir?"

The blue eyed male rolls his eyes with a grin matching yours, "Alright, alright, wise guy. You should get some rest now, no doubt your boss will run you ragged tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know," You sigh and begin to bow, "Have a g-"

"-You don't need to do that," Childe pats your arm to get you to stand up right, "We're more like casual friends, don't you think? Relax a little."

Uh-

"O-Okay," You smile nervously, your habits yelling at you to stop being so expressive with a Harbinger, "Have a good night, Lor-erm, Childe."

"Good night, girlie."

[munsons-hellfire]

It All Fell Down | Steve Rogers

SUMMARY: You and Steve promised each other a life together after you bring everyone back. 5 years had been enough for you two to marry and have a child together, but with a possible chance to bring everyone back including your brother it was worth it. You just wish you knew the risk before it all fell down.

PAIRINGS: Steve Rogers x Reader

CONTENT WARNINGS: SFW, fluff, angst, time-travel, alternate universe, death, blood, gore, thanos.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so this song is definitely inspired by Dynasty by MIIA. I was listening to it on repeat and came up with this idea, I thought about writing it for ACOTAR but I felt that the idea I had in mind fit Steve better so here we are. Highly recommend listening to the song at least once, mainly towards the end of the one-shot, when their facing off against Thanos. This is also a AU as it doesn't quite follow the movie ending. I took a different route. Also I have included a dragon in this story but I'm kind of changing things up so it might seem confusing when introduced to the dragon. I hope you like this!

WORD COUNT: 5.8K

James Rogers giggled as he ran around your house. Your husband was out and you were home watching your son. Your parents were there to help, they were in the kitchen cooking dinner for the five of you. The only thing missing was your brother. He had been one of the many people who disappeared when Thanos snapped his fingers. He was right by your side, fighting with you and Steve.

Then he was gone before you even had a chance to register what was truly happening. It was a struggle at first for everyone to live in a new world where only 50% of the population lived. When you found out that you were pregnant life became a little more bearable. You still helped out at the Avengers compound but you had taken to motherhood quickly and loved it more than anything.

Steve was an amazing father to your son and you couldn’t wait to tell him that James would be a big brother in a few months. But everything changed when Steve returned, Natasha with him and an old friend you thought had also disappeared. The shock was evident in your face as you stopped in your tracks standing in the hallway and staring at Scott Lang,

“Scott?” You breathed out, the shock leaking from your voice as well. He walked towards you pulling you into a tight hug.

“It’s so good to see you.” He whispered after pulling back from the hug.

“How?” You didn’t understand what was going on and you wanted to cry, your emotions were all over the place.

“I was stuck in a place called the Quantum Realm.” He explained.

“Daddy!” James yelled running past you and Scott and immediately jumping into his father’s outstretched arms.

“You two have a kid?” He asked, looking from you back to Steve. The blond soldier smiled softly, holding onto James tightly as he walked up next to you.

“We do.” Steve answered.

“James, this is mommy and daddy’s friend Scott. Scott, this is our son James.” Your child tried to hide away in his father’s grasp, his shyness taking over at the new person. Scott smiled at your son. “What’s happening?” You proceeded to ask, wanting to know why Scott and Natasha were here.

It was normal for Natasha to always be here. She had married your brother before the Accords had happened. Therefore she was your son’s Aunt by marriage. And even after he had disappeared Natasha still came over. She spoiled James to death and you love their relationship.

“We might be able to bring everyone back.” Natasha said, hope lingering in her eyes. Something you hadn’t seen in the last five years.

“What?” Your words were choked as they fell from your lips. Steve reached out and grabbed a hold of your hand entangling your fingers together.

“If we can go back in time and retrieve the stones we might be able to reverse what Thanos did. We can bring everyone back!” Scott said excitedly.

You exchanged a look with your husband, he had his eyes on you. Your parents entered the room looking at the group and understood what needed to be done.

“Do it.” Your mothers voice ran through your ears and you turned to look back at them.

“Mom, I can’t leave James. One of us has to be here with him.” You said.

The older woman stepped forward, she grabbed your free hand and held it in hers. A soft sad smile graced her pink lips, she too had hope clear as day in her brown eyes.

“James will be fine with his grandparents. The world needs Captain America and The Dragon Rider. The world needs saving, and if you can bring everyone back, if you can bring Lu back, then you need to go. You need to be there when he returns.” Tears started to flow down your cheeks.

“Okay.” You paused and looked at your husband. “After we do this we retire permanently.”

“I can agree with that.” Steve said softly, sending you a bright smile.

You turned back towards Scott and Natasha. “Let’s go bring our family home.”

───── ❝ ◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸ ❞ ─────

In the days since you and Steve had agreed to help bring the others back, you had gathered everyone that was left. You and Natasha had found Clint and brought him back. It was a sight to see and one you had never expected to see. When others joined you some had to be introduced to Egan, your fire-drake. He was the last of his kind, looking for his bond partner. The dragon had bonded with you years before you had become an Avenger. He heard your cry for help one night when you were out on a mission as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

You had sustained an injury to your abdomen and were left to bleed out. Had it not been for Egan you wouldn’t be here right now, you wouldn’t be an Avenger, or a wife, or a mother. You wouldn’t have everything that you have. You found the bond between you and the dragon and held onto it until he had managed to get you back to S.H.I.E.L.D. From there he never left your side.

The two of you started to train together, and he showed you how to use his powers. The bond that tied you two together allowed you access to the fire-drakes powers, it allowed you to use them as you pleased. With communications you were the only one who could understand him when he talked, oftentimes you’d translate for him if he talked to the others that were a constant in your life.

For this mission you’d be going back in time to 2012 with Steve, Scott, Tony, and Bruce. However you’d have to leave Egan behind. He wasn’t going to be thrilled about it when you went to tell him. He had been your protector for years, you couldn’t be separated from each other and if you were it would only be in death if one of you died. His duty to you as a bonded partner was to help keep you safe.

You stood looking at the machine that would take you back to 2012. While you were so excited to bring everyone back, to bring your brother back something felt off about this mission. Your gut was telling you that something was going to happen. The others had gathered behind you looking at what you had been looking at.

“I need to talk to Egan before we leave.” You mentioned Steve and the others listening to you. They kept their gaze on the time traveling device. This plan had taken a few days to get together, especially having to learn more about each of the stones and where they’d be.

“He’s not going to be happy when you tell him he has to stay here.” Steve said, as he walked up to you placing his large hands on your hips and pulling you close to his body.

You glanced up into his green-blue eyes, a hand lifting up to rest on his cheek. You moved your thumb back and forth, the feeling of touch enough to comfort you.

“I know. And even though we’re moving back through time, he’ll still be able to feel our bond and I’ll still have access to his powers. It will be okay.” You tried to smile but you couldn’t ignore the gut feeling. You heard a thump coming from outside, indicating that Egan had returned from the lake, his favorite spot on the Avenger’s compound. It was odd for a fire-drake but he loved it.

Steve placed a kiss on your temple and removed his hands from your hip. Your hand fell from his face and you started to walk away, heading outside to speak with Egan while everyone started to prepare for the mission.

“Egan.” You called out, when you stepped outside.

“Yes, my dear Rider.” He called back, whispering in your mind.

You came to a stop, lifting your eyes to look at the fire-drake. He leaned his head down towards you. You lifted your hand and scratched underneath his chin. The scales were rough, but it was nothing you weren’t used to.

“I have to leave for a mission and I need you to stay here.” You said, looking away from the dragon.

He released a puff of air, the sentence enough to anger. “Why, Rider?” Egan had a knack for calling you “Rider” instead of using your name but you really didn’t mind. If that’s what he preferred to call you then that’s what you allowed him to call you.

“We’re going through a place called the Quantum realm, you can’t go in there and you can’t go back in time. But the bond will still work and I will still have access to your powers. Therefore I’ll be able to keep myself protected until we get back.” You explained.

“Why does this mission require that of you?”

“We’re going to bring everyone back, Egan. There is a way to do it and this is the way.”

“You know dangers will follow you back, that’s why most do not reach further back in time.”

“I know, and my gut is telling me something will happen but we have the chance to bring them back. We need to bring them back. So I’m going despite what my gut is telling me.”

“As long as you don’t die on me, Rider.”

“I won’t, I have you to come back to, and a kid to come back to.”

“Is this truly the last mission? Does this mean retirement is finally on the horizon?”

“I hope so, why?”

“I smell the child you bear, when the child is born I will become their new bonded dragon.”

You looked at the dragon, his orange eyes gleaming at you. “I forgot you could smell babies in the womb. Why not James?” You asked.

“He is bonded to another dragon, and that dragon will make its appearance known when James calls out to it. Just like you did, and just like the child inside you calls to me.”

“You’ll protect this child?”

“It is my duty, just like it was my duty to protect you Rider. So long as you promise to be safe on this mission.”

“I promise.” You looked back as Steve stood at the door holding it open. “It’s time to go, I’ll see you when we get back.”

“If you need me to talk, I’ll be there through the bond.”

“Thank you, Egan.”

With these words you watched Egan lift off into the sky and fly back towards the lake. You turned around and headed towards Steve. Then you’d all leave to retrieve the Infinity Stones, one step closer to bringing your brother back.

───── ❝ ◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸ ❞ ─────

You returned, a smile on your face. All the stones had been collected. You were now closer than ever. As you looked around however you noticed one person missing from the group. Natasha. You stepped forward, away from Steve.

“Where is she?” You asked, calling attention to everyone. Clint fell down to your knees. When he did you felt it then and there. You walked to Clint, until you too fell to your knees. Your hands reached out for Clint, he looked at you with a defeated look on his face. His best friend was gone, your sister-in-law gone, there was no way you could bring her back.

You rested on Egan looking up at the sky as he rested on his make-shift bed that was placed in the water. While he liked to be around water he didn’t exactly like certain parts of it. You needed to hear what happened but you also needed space from everyone, Steve knew that. You had always been that way after a loss. But something like this, he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to pull you back from whatever spiral was going on in your mind.

“Calm the thoughts.” Egan whispered in your mind.

You ignored the dragon. “Do we know if she had family?” Tony asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

“Yeah. Us. Lu.” Steve said, mention your brother. The blond looked up to you, while you looked away at the mention of your brother. Now you had to tell him that he lost his wife, that he wouldn’t ever get to see her again. Tears escaped your eyes at the thought of telling him, you’d need Steve with you when you told Lu.

“What?” Thor questioned, walking over to them. He was taking the news just as hard as everyone else if not worse.

“Huh?” Tony stood from the bench looking at Thor.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Just asked him a question.”

“Yeah, no, you’re acting like she’s dead. Why are we acting like she’s dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones… Cap, we can bring her back. Isn’t that right? So, stop this shit. We’re the Avengers. Get it together.”

“Can’t get her back.” Clint said, finally speaking. A quiet sob escaped your lips as you closed your eyes.

“What’s he…? What?”

“It can’t be undone. It can’t.”

Thor laughed, looking around at his friends, at his family. “Look, I’m sorry, no offense, but you’re a very earthly being, okay? And we’re talking about space magic. And “can’t” seems very definitive. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, look, I know that I’m way outside my pay grade here. But she still isn’t here, is she?” Clint asked, as he walked away from the post he had been leaning against. You sat up on Egan’s back, looking down at the others. But your eyes found your husband. Tony pulled his glasses off and lowered his head.

“No, that’s my point.” Thor tried to fight, it seems he really was the only one fighting. You could really say much, you didn’t know what you could say.

“It can’t be undone.” The words echoed in your ears like a drum. Releasing a shaky breath you looked away from the others again. “Or that’s at least what the red, floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? Go grab your hammer and you go fly and you talk to him.”

“Clint.” You muttered, placing your eyes back on the man. He turned, pulling his eyes away from Thor to look at you. But you said nothing, his name was all you could manage to say. But he could see the pain on your face. It hurt to see that pain, he had to look away.

“It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it.”

Bruce turned back towards them, looking around at his friends. His eyes lingered on you, only then when you felt his gaze did you look at him. “She’s not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to.” Steve stood, his eyes found Bruce’s.

“We will.”

When the others left you slid off Egan’s back onto the dock. Steve took your hands in his and held onto them as he steadied you.

“You should tell him.” Egan whispered in your mind. You looked back at the dragon, a glare exiting from your face and towards Egan. He only chuckled in your head.

“What’s he saying?” Steve asked, pulling you back to him.

“He wants me to tell you something.” You whispered softly, lowering your head afraid to look at your husband. It wasn’t that you were afraid to tell him, it was more that you were afraid of what you might lose. One person near and dear to you was gone, you couldn’t lose anyone else, but that lingering feeling wouldn’t go away.

“What is it?” Steve questioned, quirking a brow.

“James, he is going to be a big brother.” You said softly, a small smile falling onto your face. The sadness had been replaced with happiness and Steve pulled you into his embrace as he released a laugh.

“When did you find out?” He pulled back to stare at you, scanning your face for any trace of a lie.

“A few days ago, Egan later confirmed it. I wasn’t entirely sure until he told me that he could feel the bond between him and our kid.” You explained, looking back at Egan who gave a nod.

“He’s not bonded with James?” Steve seemed confused, and you understood why.

“No, apparently James is already bonded to a dragon. One that’ll come to him when he calls out to it. I guess my time is coming up which means that Egan will need a new bonded Rider and it seems that our child is the perfect match to take over.”

“As long as you still make sure both our children know how to handle these dragons with care. I’m happy we’re having another kid.”

Once again you were smiling. Though the thought of having to raise this kid in a world where Natasha no longer existed broke your heart. But one thing was clear, you would make sure your kid knew who their aunt was. You rested your forehead on Steve's. He closed his eyes for a moment and so did you. The moment was broken when they called out to you and Steve. With a heavy sigh the two of you headed back towards the building to hopefully bring everyone back, to bring your brother back.

───── ❝ ◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸ ❞ ─────

Your eyes were on the gauntlet, the scan was finishing up. Steve stood in front of you, while Rocket and Tony were looking at the glove.

“All right, the glove’s ready. Question is, who’s gonna snap their freakin’ fingers?” Rocket asked, sending the question around the room.

“I’ll do it.” You shifted slightly as Thor walked over to the gauntlet.

“Excuse me?” Tony inquired.

“It’s okay.”

“Stop, stop. Slow down.”

“Thor. Just wait.” Your husband said, stepping in front of him and taking charge. “We haven’t decided who’s gonna put that on yet.”

“I’m sorry. What, we’re all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?’

“We should at least discuss it.” Scott said, jumping into the conversation. You knew none of them would be able to handle the power. The only ones strong enough to handle it would either be you or Bruce. But you knew very well with the baby growing inside you, you couldn’t risk it. Your eyes found Bruce as he found yours. The two of you exchange a silent conversation without words.

“Just let me do it.” You heard Thor whisper to Tony. “Just let me do something good. Something right.”

“Look, it’s not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent. I’m telling you. You’re in no condition.”

“What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?” Thor proceeded to ask him.

“Cheez Whiz?” Rhodey remarked, glancing at the God of Thunder.

Thor pointed to him, but his eyes remained on Tony. “Lighting.”

“Yeah.”

“Lighting.”

“Lighting won’t help you, pal.” Bruce said, taking a turn in the conversation. It’s gotta be me. You saw what those stones did to Thanos. They almost killed him. None of you could survive. Maybe Y/N, but that’s a big if.” Bruce further explained, walking right up to the glove.

“How do we know you will?” Steve asked him, his hand had found yours. You squeezed it gently but kept your eyes on Bruce.

“We don’t. But the radiation’s mostly gamma. It’s like… I was made for this.” Bruce grabbed a hold of the glove and turned away from everyone. Steve placed you behind himself to keep you and the baby protected. Steve knew about the shield that swarmed around the baby, but you didn’t have one and this was his reasoning for you behind him in case something happened.

“Good to go, yeah?” Tony asked his friend.

“Let’s do it.”

“Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago you’re just bringing them back to now, today. Don’t change anything from the last five years.” Tony explained to him.

“Got it.” Everyone shielded up as a way to protect themselves.

“Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?” Friday started to do what Tony had asked, the sun disappearing from the building all together.

“Everybody comes home.” You watched as Bruce pushed his hand forward sliding it into the glove as it shifted into a different size to better accommodate Bruce’s hand for the snap. When it was all done, the stones started working. The power moved up his body, he fell to his knee groaning.

“Take it off! Take it off!” Thor shouted.

“No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?” Steve asked, holding his hand to the side but looking at Bruce. Bruce released another groan.

“Talk to me, Banner.”

“I’m okay.” He finally answered. I’m okay.” You felt the glimmer of hope finally settling in your chest as you watched the scene before you unfold quickly. Bruce lifted his hand, and snapped his fingers. The glove slid from his hand and he fell to the ground.

“Bruce?” Steve called, running to his side and kneeling down. Clint ran to the glove, kicking it away.

“Don’t move him.” Tony said. You kneeled behind Steve looking down at your friend. Bruce looked around at you, Steve, and Thor while holding onto Steve’s arm.

“Did it work?” Bruce questioned you all.

“We’re not sure. It’s okay.” You glanced up at your husband, a smile falling onto your lips. But that smile faded when destruction fell onto the compound. Egan flew from the water and towards the building. In the midst of the collapse you were pulled away from Steve. You knocked your head in the process, and a pipe flew into your shoulder. A scream came from your throat.

“Egan!” You screamed. You were in the rubble by yourself. It felt like it was falling down, like it was going to collapse any second. You couldn’t see Steve, he was nowhere in sight. “Steve!” You screamed once more.

“I’m coming, Rider.” Egan’s voice filtered through your head. “Stay calm, deep breaths.”

You moved to your knees looking around, a sharp pain shot through your shoulder, you looked over to the left side and noticed the pipe protruding from it.

“Shit.” You mumbled to yourself. Moving your other hand you ripped a piece of your suit off. Releasing a few breaths you placed your hand onto the pipe, then you proceeded to pull the pipe out. Another scream escaped your dusted lips. You took a second to stop, then you noticed the spot you were in moved again. Panic started to fill inside you, you were trapped with nowhere to go and were more than likely going to die.

“Focus on the pipe, not death. I will get to you, Rider.” Egan said.

Taking another deep breath you exhaled again, then you proceeded to pull on the pipe again. Tears began to prick at your eyes as you continued to pull on the pipe. Finally you were able to get it out of your shoulder, then you took the cloth you had ripped from your suit and tied it as tight as you could to make sure the bleeding stopped. Just when you thought the rubble around you was going to collapse, Egan appeared, moving it out of the way.

“Climb on, Rider.” You smiled brightly at the dragon and moved onto his back, holding on as he started to move back the way he came from. The rubble from the building moved around his long body. He continued to climb up while you stayed close to him to ensure that none of the rubble hit you in the process. You could feel the pain coming from your shoulder but you were choosing to ignore it. You needed to get back to the surface to fight.

“Did you see any of the others?” You questioned, attempting to subside your panic over who might have been injured or worse died.

“No, but he returned.” Egan managed to get out as he pushed through more rubble close to breaking the surface.

“Who returned, Egan?”

“The one we lost to.”

“Thanos?” You closed your eyes, the feeling that lingered in your body was still there. It was all because of the Titan, he had returned. And he might have been from a different time but it seemed he still had the same plan. “Shit, this is not good. Fly, you need to fly now.”

Egan didn’t need to be told twice. He took off and flew up towards the entrance he had come in, upon flying through it you looked to see the army Thanos had with him. Your eyes found Steve as he picked himself from the ground, standing against Thanos even if it was a last ditch effort. Suddenly a voice came through on your speaker, that connected you to the rest of the team.

“Hey, Cap, you read me?” Hope filled your chest when you heard your friend’s voice for the first time in five years. “Cap, it’s Sam. Can you hear me?” You pulled your eyes away from Steve as something started to appear behind him. “On your left.”

A portal appeared, three figures walking through it. When you got a closer look you saw that it was T’Challa, Okoye, and T’Challa’s sister Shuri. He nodded to Steve as Sam flew out of the portal. More portals were appearing, the ones you had lost all returning to help aid in the battle against Thanos. To aid as one whole team, to win for a better future. Tears glimmered in your eyes when you caught sight of your brother on his own dragon, Terra.

It was an unfortunate event to watch not only your brother disappear but his dragon as well. He had bonded with his dragon years prior to your bond with Egan happening. He knew well before you did that you would find a dragon to bond with. Egan flew higher in the air coming up next to Terra. Both dragons sent a nod to each other as you continued to smile at your brother.

“Avengers…” Steve called out from down below. “Assemble.”

Battle cries left everyone’s throats as they all took off towards the enemy, yourself included. Egan flew lower and lower to the ground, breathing fire on the army that came towards your team.

“I need to drop down, get me as low as you can then continue to fight okay?” You ordered, looking around for your husband. You wanted to fight by his side, you knew very well that your brother would come looking for you anyway.

“I can do that Rider.” Egan lowered down close enough that you could drop to the ground. When you did you rolled forward, pulling a blade from your suit you took off running for Steve. When you made it to him, you slid on the ground throwing your blade into the familiar Chitauri alien you once fought against. Steve looked down at you, then he picked you up from the ground pulling you into a hug.

“I’m okay.” You whispered, hugging him just as tightly. “We’re okay.” You promised. When you pulled away from him you walked over to the alien and pulled your blade from its body.

“Don’t leave my side, unless you're with Egan.” Steve ordered, while you were tempted not to listen to him you understood his need to keep you and your baby safe. Before you had a chance to reply someone stepped into your line of sight.

“This looks like a great time for a family reunion.” Lu said, a bright smile covering his face. When your older brother was close enough he pulled you into a hug.

“I missed you.”

“I know, I missed you too. Now, where’s my wife?” Lu questioned when he pulled back from you. He watched sorrow fill your face and Steve’s face at the mention of Natasha. You could tell he knew just from your looks. “How? How did she die?” He pushed, a few tears escaping his eyes.

Your lips trembled, “she sacrificed herself for the soul stone, I’m so sorry, Lu.” You cried out, hating to be the one to tell your brother. He looked down at the wedding band, a soft cry leaving his lips. Then he wiped his tears away.

“Okay.” He breathed out. “I will mourn her loss after we win this battle.”

The three of you went back into the battle, you stayed close to Steve fighting as many of the aliens as you could. The gauntlet was being dragged across the battlefield to get it back to the van and return the stones. Steve grabbed a hold of you to cover you as shots were fired down around you. You moved away from Steve pushing your blade through another alien as Steve talked to Peter Parker.

The firing shots were getting worse and worse, Egan had returned to protect you from the cover until eventually it stopped. You looked up watching as Carol flew down towards the ship and destroyed it completely. A smile tugged its way to your lips as the female finally showed up to help. You moved away from Steve and Egan, swinging your blade into the aliens that came towards you. Their blood fell onto your body, but you didn’t have a care in the world.

“Y/N!” Someone shouted your name. You turned around and when you did you came face to face with your husband. He looked at you, like it was the last time he’d get to see your face light up when he appeared. He was okay with the fate he had chosen for himself, if it meant that you and his baby were alive then he was okay to die this way. Finally your eyes lowered to the blade that had been plunged into his stomach. Everyone on the battlefield seemed to halt their movements, even the ones you were fighting against.

“Breath.” Steve whispered, lifting his hand to the side of your face. When the breath of air finally left your airways he collapsed to the ground. You followed in suit, grabbing a hold of him and pulling him into your chest.

“No, no, no.” You cried out, the tears breaching through. Your hands had long since let go of the blade you had, they were now holding onto Steve’s wound. The blond looked up to you, a smile washing onto his face. “No, please don’t leave, don’t leave us.” You cried out. Your brother and Tony had appeared. Tony came up next to you looking down at his friend. While Lu came to the other side. Both Egan and Terra shielded you all but they could feel it come, they’d have to move out of the way.

“You tell James, I love him.” Steve ushered out of his lips.

You shook your head. “No, you’re gonna tell him yourself because he needs you. Our babies need you, I need you.”

“I’ll always be with you, no matter where you go, no matter what happens. I’ll never leave your side. I love…” Steve choked out the next words. “I love you… so much.” Steve looked over at his brother-in-law. “Take care of her, and the kids.”

“I will, Steve.” Lu said.

Finally your husband gave you a final glance as he took his last breath. You looked at him, never leaving his eyes. “Steve?” More tears fell down your already stained cheeks. “Steve, baby, please.” You lowered your head to his chest to listen for a heartbeat but felt nothing.

“Stay calm, my dear Rider.” Egan whispered in your head. You noticed that Lu had managed to get Tony in the air and away from you. He had climbed onto Terra and went back into the battle as it had begun to rage on again. You summoned every inch of the power that connected you to Egan.

A gut wrenching scream rushed through your mouth as the powers swam out of your body burning any alien that was a few feet from you. But you couldn’t fight anymore, exhaustion had rendered you useless. Time seemed to slow down as the powers disappeared from your body. You lowered your head back to Steve’s body and held onto him. You were numb, not able to feel anything that happened around you. This was the last thing you had ever expected.

This life you had built with Steve had been taken away from you just like that. It all fell down in the end and there was nothing you could do about it, nothing you could do to save him from saving you. At some point your brother had returned to gather you up from the battlefield. Terra had picked up Steve’s body. Nothing would be the same now that he was gone. You were just thankful to have your two kids, a piece of him remained in them and you were forever thankful.

───── ❝ ◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸ ❞ ─────

In the aftermath of the battle you had learned that Tony had sacrificed himself to save everyone else. You stood out by the lake, James in your arms and resting his head on your shoulder. Bucky came up next to you, he looked at the child in your arms. Finally you turned to look at the man that Steve called his best friend.

“Are you going to be okay?” Bucky asked, finally breaking the silence between you two.

“No. I won’t, not for a long time. But I know that I’ll get through it. I have James and his little brother or sister. I have my parents and my brother, and I have all of you. So while I say I won’t be, I will. I just need a day at a time.” You explained. Bucky gave a nod of his head.

“Was it your idea or his?” Bucky pointed to your son.

“He insisted on your first name being his middle name but I thought that James was a perfect first name and that he would love to share the same first name with his uncle. He has Lu’s name as his middle name so it works out.” You paused looking back out at the water, taking in a breath you held it.

“Breathe.” Egan whispered.

You exhaled and looked back at Bucky. “I expect you to be one hell of an uncle to these kids. I don’t want you to be a stranger, I know Steve wouldn’t be too happy about it.”

“I will visit as much as I can, Y/N.”

“Sounds like a deal, Bucky.” With those words you walked away from the man. He watched as you disappeared, going back to the life you had created with Steve even though he wouldn’t be a part of it anymore.

[short-honey-badger]

✨️Update✨️

Chapter 1 of Heavenly Demon is up! Come join me on AO3!

Ryomen Sukuna has been the demon of the Opera House for decades. He longs for glory of his own but knows that his...extra features would have him burned at the stake. That is until he meets little you, curled up and crying at the feet of a stone angel in the chapel that is rarely in use. As the years pass, the girl grows into a talented young woman, taught by Sukuna himself. However, the night of her debut, a man from her past arrives and flips their world upside down. (A Phantom of the Opera rewrite)

The young woman debates with herself. Suku wouldn't be too upset with her if she was a little late, would he? She didn't know, and you were nervous to find out. But it had been so long since she spoke with someone who knew her when her father still lived, and dinner outside of the theater sounded so nice. She glances back at the lonely spider lily that sits on her vanity and then back to the bluebells that she holds and makes her decision.

“Give me a moment to get ready. I can't very well go out dressed in just my nightgown.”

Gojo could cry to the heavens with how excited he is, but settles for telling you to take your time and that he and Getou would wait outside for her.

Unknown to the three of them, the demon has listened to the entire exchange, and hot rage boils in his chest. How dare they. He seethes in silence, all four eyes trained on the white-haired moron who thinks he can take his student away. Ryomen Sukuna would show this interloper exactly who he was intruding upon, and he would show his dear student that he did not tolerate her tardiness.

Link to AO3 -> HERE

@goth-mami-writer