#f.)) rhodes

[literaryavenger]

Broken

Summary: after Civil War you meet and bond with Bucky Barnes. You want to help him, but do you really realize how hard it's going to be?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Minimal use of Y/N. Hints to eating disorder. Language probably, for now just fluff and innocent and broken Bucky. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 2.7K

A/N: This is my first story, and it's taken me a long time to even decide to post it. As of now I honestly have no idea where this story is going, the idea just popped in my head and I ran with it. I do have the first three chapters ready and I'm starting the fourth, I hope I find a plot at some point, we'll see how this one does and go from there.

Also, this is a reader version of a story I have on wattpad with an OC, if anyone wants to check that out the name's the same :) I had to rewrite it accordingly so if there are any mistakes that's why, feel free to point them out so I can fix them thanks.

Masterlist

You enter the kitchen of the Avengers tower and saw two people sitting at the counter, immediately recognizing the one closer to the door.

"Stevie!" you practically yell, running towards the blonde man who stands up and opens his arms in time for you to jump on him, hugging him tightly while he raises you in the air and spins a little.

"Good morning, koala bear." he says while chuckling lightly.

"When did you come back?" you ask excitedly after a few minutes of hugging, not letting go just yet.

"Last night." he answered "Nat said you had just gone to sleep, I didn't wanna wake you."

"Steve, what's happening? Is she hurting you?" a voice you've never heard says.

You let go just enough for him to be able to put you back on the ground without letting go of you.

"It's okay, Buck, it's just a hug." he say to the other man as you turn a little to look at him better. He has a confused look on his face, at which Steve adds "It's just a way to express affection, it's fine."

At this you're a little confused yourself so you look at Steve who gives you a look that tells you not to question him, so you don't.

Instead you let go of Steve, turning completely towards his friend and stepping a little closer.

"Hi," you say looking at him and introducing yourself.

He doesn't look very comfortable so you don't try to shake his hand, choosing to wave a little with a smile.

He answers with a quiet "Bucky." while looking at the ground, like he's quite sure if he's even allowed to answer.

You tilt your head to the side, considering him for a second before saying "Do you want a hug, too? I promise I won't hurt you." you add quickly after he raises his head a little and you notice a slightly worried look on his face.

He thinks about it before just shrugging and nodding his head slightly.

"Okay. Do you... want to get up?" you hesitantly ask and he raises his head a little more, still not looking at your face but slowly getting up from his chair.

You glance at Steve who seems very interested in what's happening and is watching intently without making a sound. Your eyes meet for a few seconds and he raises an eyebrow and motions slightly towards his friend as if to tell you to keep going. You nod and get closer to Bucky until you're right in front of him.

You watch him for a couple of seconds and when his head stays lowered you decide to take the lead and move to put your arms around his neck, slowly so as not to startle him.

After several seconds of you gently hugging him while he stands with his arms to his sides, you're about to pull away when you feel him slowly move his arms to your lower back and keep them there lightly, being very careful like he was afraid of hurting you.

You smile a little into his shoulder and wait a couple of minutes before pulling away.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" you tease, your hands still on his shoulders.

He gives you a little smile and finally looks you in the eyes for the first time and, as soon as his eyes meet yours, you're transfixed by how blue they are.

You're not sure how long you two stay looking into each other's eyes, but you're brought back to reality by Bucky's voice.

"Are you okay?" he asks, seeming genuinely concerned.

"Yes? Um... if you ever want another hug I'm always up for it... I love giving hugs." you say smiling and taking your hands off his shoulders as he drops his arms to his sides again.

He drops his gaze to the ground again, while your eyes stay on his face and you see a small smile and a slight nod.

After a few more seconds of looking at him you turn around and start walking towards the fridge, passing Steve and noticing a weird smirk on his face.

"What?" you ask him with a confused look but still smiling.

"Nothing..." he says, still smirking.

"Okay, weirdo." you say back laughing a little.

"Okay, weirdo. Breakfast?" he asked.

"No, I'll just drink some water." you say casually, avoiding his eyes.

"Y/N..." he says warningly.

"It's fine, Stevie, I'm just not hungry." you say, still not looking at him and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

As soon as you turn around you're met with the slightly disappointed face of Steve and the confused face of Bucky.

"Besides I don't have to train until this afternoon..." Steve's worry doesn't fade, so you add "I'll eat something later, I swear." you don't know if he's convinced, but his face softens and he lets it go.

"How about you fill me in about what happened while I was gone?" he says, changing the subject with a sympathetic smile.

"Sure, I'll just take a shower first, is that okay?" He nods and you run to your room to take a quick shower.

After you come out you put on some sweatpants and a sports bra just to not have to change until after training.

You grab a hairbrush and run back downstairs where you find Steve waiting for you alone while sitting at the table.

"Hi koala, that was a quick shower." he says with a smile when he sees you.

You lean with your back to the counter in front of the table he's sitting at and start brushing your still damp hair.

"Yep, you know me it's either 5 minutes or 50." you say smiling while he chuckles. "Where'd your friend go?" you ask casually while concentrating on brushing away a knot in your hair.

"He went to take a shower. Last night he was so tired he practically passed out in the guest room."

You humm a response before asking "So, is he gonna live here now? You know, be a part of the team and all? Tony refused to share any details with me..." you add with disappointment, which you're sure he notices because of his answer.

"Tony's still not 100% okay with it, but he's getting there. You know how he is, he doesn't talk about things until he's finished processing them... anyway yes, he'll live here and eventually be part of the team, I hope."

You look up and think about his words before nodding and waiting for him to speak again, but when he doesn't you try to sound as casual as you can while asking questions about his friend. "Why did you have to tell him what a hug is?"

He doesn't look you in the eye and you know he's getting uncomfortable so you don't really expect him to answer. But he does nonetheless

"Buck's not really been himself for the last 70 years... he hasn't been shown a lot of kindness or humanity. That's why I was surprised that he let you hug him so fast. Don't get me wrong I'm happy about it, it's real progress I just wasn't expecting it so soon..." You let him talk without interrupting, pretending to be more concentrated on your hair than his word so as to not make him even more uncomfortable.

You know stories about Bucky in the 40s from Steve and you have seen photos of him, only in black and white, but it was nothing compared to having him in front of you. Something about him just made you want to know more, like you were drawn to him.

You guess Steve picked up on this because, after a little pause, he adds "Look, I know you want to know more, but it's not my story to tell. If and when he's ready, it's up to him who he wants to tell." damn him for knowing you so well.

Of course you understand what he was saying and you know he's right, so you nod and say "You're right... I won't push it, I promise." before he has time to reply though Bucky enters the kitchen with different clothes and wet hair.

To not let him know you were just talking about him Steve quickly says "So, tell me, what have I missed around here?"

You thought about it for a moment as you watch Bucky make his way through the kitchen and sit at the table next to Steve.

"Um, well, Tony made a new addition to the team. It was very abrupt and it's weird that he's so young, but he's a nice kid. His name is Peter, he's 15 from Queens and apparently he's this Spider-man that's been all over youtube. What?"

As you talked you could see a bit of guilt on Steve's face. "We've met him... didn't know he was a kid though..."

"Well, what happened?" you ask, getting more and more frustrated that no one will tell you anything.

You're part of the team after all, and, even though you don't have powers or are a super soldier, you think you have a right to know why everyone suddenly disappeared one day on some mission that you weren’t allowed to know anything about, and why it took half of the team a couple more weeks than the others to come back.

It's not that it was uncommon for you not to know details of a mission you weren't assigned to, but, since Fury chose you from the SHIELD agents to join the Avengers several years ago, it's never happened that a mission required the WHOLE team except one single person.

What pissed you off even more it's that you're not the youngest in the team, nor are you the newest or the least trained.

You started as a SHIELD agent right before Natasha, granted you were a teenager, but both of you trained a lot together with Clint and you fought alongside the other Avengers in the battle of New York.

You also fought together against Ultron, where you united forces with the Maximoff twins, Wanda and Pietro, (the latter had to spend a lot of time in the medbay after, having almost died) and then also Vision, which is still a little weird since you still have Jarvis controlling the tower.

In all of this time you developed family-like bonds with the whole team.

You honestly consider Tony a father figure, him and Pepper treat you like a daughter and you love them for it. Rhodey, Happy and Bruce are like uncles.

Natasha is like a big sister and Wanda is like a younger one. Clint, Thor and even Loki (since he's been made to spend his exile with you as punishment for New York) have been like big brothers to you, Vision and Pietro are kind of like younger brothers, and now even Peter the last few months.

Scott is another new face that's quickly becoming a chaotic best friend. Sam is like a best friend that still shamelessly flirts with you, after years, obviously knowing nothing is going to happen.

And Steve is your absolute best friend, your favorite brother. He's overprotective (to be fair they all are when it comes to you) and caring, can't really say no to you, spoils you a little and you love every minute of it.

They are your family, and having them keep what feels like a very serious and important situation from you, and only you, not only makes you extremely angry, but it's also very sad to think they don't trust you enough.

Or at least that's what it feels like even though they keep telling you that's absolutely not the case.

You can see how uncomfortable Bucky is getting, while Steve is looking more and more guilty by the second, but neither is saying anything, so you just give up.

"Fine," you say, a little disappointed. "Don't tell me. I guess I'll have to wait on Tony to know."

You don't wait for them to answer as you bring your attention to Bucky.

"Can I?" you ask him while pointing to his hair with the brush that you just finished using on yourself.

He gives just you a confused look, so you explain. "Your hair is pretty long, it would be better if you brushed it before it dries otherwise it hurts like hell to do it later."

He looks at Steve with an uncertain expression, and, when the blonde just shrugs in response, Bucky looks back at you and nods.

You go around the table and position yourself behind Bucky. "I'll be as gentle as I can, but I'm sorry if I hurt you. If you want me to stop, just say so, okay?"

He nods again and you start to slowly and carefully brush his hair while telling Steve all the things you did with the others while he was gone.

The mysterious mission happened about 3 months ago, half of the team came back after a day, the others a couple of weeks later, while Steve and Bucky were the only ones to come back just now.

You tell Steve how you bonded with Peter over being "Tony's children", how Scott became something of a girlfriend and the time you spent with him and his daughter, Cassie, who was just adorable.

You tell him about the weird best friend-like friendship that Peter and Loki developed, much to Tony's annoyance, but that you find very cute and funny.

You tell him about all the pranks that you pulled with anyone and against everyone, specially with Sam, Scott and Loki and against Happy, Clint and Thor.

Steve knows everyone in the team is very quick to forgive you, he always jokes about how you have everyone wrapped around your finger, especially Tony.

And you have to admit, he's not totally wrong. Nobody really stays mad at you for more than a couple of days, and sometimes you're definitely treated like the kid of the family. The golden child.

Even Fury has a soft spot for you, which is very rare, to the point that you're the only one allowed to call him Nick.

You also tell Steve of all the "family time" he missed, which is essentially a whole lot of movie nights, game nights and things like that.

You tell him all the jokes you can remember being said, all the funny moments, all the missions and all the times when you missed him like crazy.

By the time you're done telling him everything you could remember, he's crying laughing and you're almost done with Bucky's hair.

"Are you okay? Am I hurting you?" you ask Bucky, as Steve tries to compose himself, still laughing at the prank you and Sam pulled on Clint where you turned his whole room into a giant bird's nest.

Bucky shakes his head and says a quiet "I'm okay" that you're sure Steve doesn't even hear over his own laughter.

You gently finish brushing his hair, then sit in the chair next to him leaning in and gently turning his head towards you so you can check you did a complete job.

At this point his hair is dry and falling down both sides of his face. You push his hair behind his ears to see his face better and smile, his eyes scanning your face.

Neither of you take notice that Steve has stopped laughing and is watching you with the same smirk he had after you hugged as you're both too intent in taking in each other's appearances.

"Is that better?" you ask after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" he ask, a little confused, which makes you giggle.

"Your hair. Is that better?" you ask again.

"Oh. Yeah, thank you." he says blushing, his voice still very quiet.

"You're adorable." you said with another giggle that makes Steve laugh too, while Bucky blushes even more.

You smile at him again before getting up, giving Steve a kiss on the side of the head while you pass him and going towards the door. "I'll see you guys at lunch. I'm supposed to meet Scott and Cassie in 10 minutes. Bye, Stevie."

"Bye, koala bear." Steve answers.

"Bye, Bucky."

"Bye." he says, still kind of quiet but loud enough for you to hear.

You turn around and give him one last smile before going through the living room to the elevator and to the floor that Scott's now living in and where Cassie spent the night.

part 2

[weirdlookindog]

H. T. F. Rhodes - The Satanic Mass [a Sociological & Criminological Study], 1954, Pedigree Books UK , 1957 editon.

Cover art by Ron Turner.

[thunderstruck9]

Carol Rhodes (British, 1959-2018), Industrial Belt, 2006. Oil on board, 71.5 x 81 cm. National Galleries Scotland

[swan-of-sunrise]

His Girl Friday

Summary: At Tony Stark's forty-fourth birthday party, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist and his longtime personal assistant finally address what's remained unspoken but secretly acknowledged between them for many, many years.

Pairings: Tony Stark X F!Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Hi guys! This is my first time writing a Tony-centric fic and I had a lot of fun with it, so thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy!

His Girl Friday May 29th, 2014 Avengers Tower, New York City (Fanfiction Masterlist)

Being employed as Anthony Edward Stark’s personal assistant was a challenging and often times perilous job, and that was before he’d announced himself to the world as Iron Man. But (Y/N) (Y/L/N) was no ordinary personal assistant; she stood by the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist when he vowed to stop producing weapons at Stark Industries after being imprisoned by terrorists for three long months, she stuck with him when his secret illness and subsequent erratic behavior drove nearly everyone else away, and she flat-out refused to believe he’d been killed at the hands of the Mandarin. It was evident that Tony Stark was the closest thing she had to a best friend. Lately, however, she’d begun to notice a significant shift in her feelings towards her employer, feelings that definitely went beyond friendship and feelings that she suspected he was feeling as well; she tried her best to keep them at bay, fearful of ruining such a meaningful friendship and throwing away the only job she’d ever truly enjoyed on a baseless suspicion, and thankfully, there were always plenty of distractions to keep herself preoccupied with in her unique line of work.

From her place at the back of the room, (Y/N) scanned over the enormous checklist in her hands to see if she’d missed anything important; the guests were chatting, dancing and taking full advantage of the open bar while the DJ was playing all of Tony’s favorite songs in honor of his forty-forth birthday. All in all, not one of the worst birthday parties I’ve ever planned for him, she thought to herself, a reluctant smile playing on her lips as she recalled the disastrous thirty-ninth birthday party that resulted in the Malibu mansion’s near destruction at the hands of Tony and Rhodey. That particular birthday party was the reason why she’d initially been a little nervous at the prospect of the Avengers attending the soiree, but it only took a brief glance around the bustling common room to see that they were the perfect guests; Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson played pool with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, while Bruce Banner hovered near the back of the enamored crowd of people that surrounded a slightly-inebriated Thor and listened to his enthusiastic re-tellings of the adventures he’d had on Asgard. Pepper and Dr. Helen Cho were seated at the bar and chatted over glasses of Chardonnay while Happy was hyper-focused on his phone, no doubt catching up on an episode of Downton Abbey. With an inward chuckle, the personal assistant returned her attention to her lengthy list of tasks as the classic rock music continued to play.

“Hey beautiful, how ‘bout a dance?”

“Sorry, but I’m worki-” (Y/N) looked up to see Tony Stark himself standing before her, looking as handsome as ever in his expertly tailored black tuxedo and flashing her his signature grin that never failed to make her heart skip a beat. “Hey, you. How’re you enjoying your birthday party?”

Tony tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged noncommittally. “It’s one of your better-executed extravaganzas, I will say, but it would absolutely skyrocket to the top if I could spend the rest of the evening with my favorite personal assistant.”

(Y/N) arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Tony, I’m your only personal assistant.”

“Exactly, which meant you get the title by default. Yay you!” The billionaire gave her a small applause and she simply heaved an exasperated but fond sigh at his typical theatrics. “C’mon, Girl Friday, you’ve been working your ass off all night and the Birthday Boy says that you should take a well-deserved break.” As his trademark smirk softened into a gentle smile, Tony took his hand out of his pocket and offered it to her in a clear invitation to join him. “Please?”

Although her heart was screaming at her to take his hand and allow him to whisk her into an evening of laughter and coy flirtations, the rational part of her knew that she had a job to complete and that anything more than a friendly conversation could jeopardize their platonic relationship. Masking her disappointment with a shrug and apologetic smile, (Y/N) shook her head and held up her checklist for him to see. “I’m sorry, Tony, but I still have so much to do; I’ve gotta do another check-in with Maria and the security team downstairs, make sure that the pastry chef brings out the cake on time, that the waiters serve the guests champagne at the right tempera-Tony!” She exclaimed when Tony’s hand shot out and snatched the checklist out of her grasp. “Anthony Edward Stark, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting rid of an obstacle,” Tony easily replied, holding the checklist above his head and snickering when she unsuccessfully attempted to snatch it back. “Seriously, Girl Friday, just one dance and I’ll let you get back to your boring planning. I’ll even avoid bugging you the rest of the night if it means I can spend a little time with one of my best friends.”

Tony’s rare sincerity softened (Y/N)’s heart, and she felt her resolve crumble as she stared into his gleaming brown eyes. “All right, one dance. Do you ever get tired with always getting your way?”

“Nope!” Tony happily popped the ‘p’ and tucked the checklist into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket before offering her his hand once again, and (Y/N) smiled to herself as the billionaire escorted her to the edge of the dance floor and whisked her into a slow dance to Bon Jovi’s ‘Bed of Roses.’ The warmth of his hand on the curve of her waist combined with the feel of his body brushing up against hers caused her heartbeat to quicken its pace, and she silently prayed that he wouldn’t notice the effect he had on her. “You know, I was being serious before. You’ve truly outdone yourself tonight, (Y/N), and can I just say that you look amazing?” Tony’s eyes briefly glanced down at her red chiffon evening gown and he gave her an appreciative nod. “Mm-hmm, hot-rod red is definitely your color. So, what’s your secret? How is it you can organize and schedule a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist’s entire life and look drop-dead gorgeous while doing it?”

(Y/N) chuckled in amusement, the skirt of her gown swirling around her legs as he twirled her in a circle. “We all have our own superpowers; you fight aliens and terrorists in a red and gold Nitinol suit, and I oversee the hectic life of the man inside the suit to the best of my abilities.”

“Not sure which is the more dangerous job, to be honest.” Tony smirked, expertly guiding her back into his arms and holding her slightly closer than he had before. “But if I could do that death-glare that you’ve perfected over the years, then that would sure make my job a helluva lot easier and people would think twice before messing with Iron Man.” (Y/N) arched a brow and in response, Tony snickered. “Yep, there’s the death-glare!”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but this death-glare is tailor-made for Tony Stark and Tony Stark alone,” (Y/N) replied with a wry smile, and the billionaire’s grin widened as she looked into his sparkling brown eyes. They danced together in a comfortable yet expectant silence, almost as if one was waiting for the other to speak first, but both remained quiet while the 80’s power ballad continued to play; it wasn’t until she noticed the way he was biting his lower lip – one of the few tell-tale signs that there was something weighing heavy on the billionaire’s mind – that (Y/N) finally mustered her courage to address him. “You got a lot of cool presents this year, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable donations gifted in your name. Not too shabby, huh?”

Tony shrugged and replied, “I’m a sucker for gifts and I’m beyond stoked that we’ve raised so much in donations, but…” His eyes briefly flicked downwards to focus on the fluttering movement of her chiffon skirt, suddenly appearing as anxious as (Y/N) felt. “Can we play a quick round of Hypothetical Hold’em?”

A nostalgic feeling washed over (Y/N) at the mention of their old game. Back in the more impulsive and less responsible days of Tony Stark, it had been an effective form of decision-making created out of the billionaire’s respect for her opinions and general advice; they hadn’t played very many rounds in the years since he announced to the world that he was Iron Man and while she was happy that he’d grown and matured so much over the years, a small part of her missed their little game. “I’m a little rusty but I think I’ve still got it. Shoot.”

“A guy I know, Walter, he’s got just about everything he could possibly want in life, except the only thing he really wants is something he can’t have. You see,” Tony expertly dipped her and her breath hitched at the sudden movement, their eyes connecting as he continued. “There’s this woman – let’s call her Hildy – and he’s been in love with her for a while. And Hildy, she’s goddamn fantastic: smart, kind, funny, gorgeous, the whole enchilada.”

Heart sinking into her stomach, (Y/N) mustered up a small smile to hide her pain while he slowly righted her. “Hildy sounds wonderful. So, what’s stopping this Walter guy from telling her how he feels?”

“A couple of things, actually.” He took a deep breath. “She’s not just one of his best friends, but…you see, she’s also his personal assistant.”

The din of the party faded away as (Y/N)’s eyes widened in shock at the billionaire’s candid words; if not for the seriousness written across Tony’s face and the longing gleam that had formed in his brown eyes while he stared into hers, she would’ve assumed that he was pulling her leg. But she knew him, knew him far better than almost anyone else in the world, and it was clear as day that he was speaking directly from the heart. “…Oh.”

Tony nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a tried and true attempt to hide behind a more lighthearted façade. “She’s taken such good care of him. He was a loose cannon for a long time…still is, in a way, but she’s gotten him through all the tough spots. He’s good friends with some ex-assassins, a super-soldier and a literal god, but she’s the strongest person he’s ever met and the only person he could ever imagine giving his heart to. But as much as he loves her, he’s not willing to roll the dice and risk losing her from his life forever; that’s why he…” Tony cast his gaze downwards and his hand gripped hers tight. “That’s why I never said anything before.”

“So, what changed?” She whispered as she slowly moved the hand that had been resting on his shoulder to press against the spot where his arc reactor once resided, feeling his rapid heartbeat and silently marveling at how perfectly it matched her own.

“Looking across the room and seeing you with your checklist; you’ve planned over a dozen successful birthday parties for me, but that didn’t stop you from treating tonight as if it was the first. It’s one of the thousand ways you show how much you care about me, and that’s what gave me the courage to walk to the back of the room and finally ask you for a dance.”

The booming opening chords of AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ filled the room and while more guests took to the dance floor for the lively song, (Y/N) grabbed Tony’s hand and practically dragged him away from the crowd, not stopping until they were tucked away from any prying eyes in Captain Rogers’ nearby office. When she closed the door behind them and turned around, she was met with an apprehensive-looking Tony and her subtle smile grew into an all-out grin as her eyes filled with happy tears. “You love me?”

“I love you,” Tony replied, his voice growing steady and his eyes filling with confidence at her obvious happiness. “C’mon, Girl Friday, you’re killing me here. Do you love me or what?”

Beaming with joy, (Y/N) brought her hands up to cup his face between them and nodded. “You’re such an asshat, but I love you with all my heart.” Tony’s grin grew to match her own and he leaned forward to kiss her, but was halted by her fingers covering his eager lips. “And in the spirit of covering both our asses, I’d like to take this moment to formally tenure my resignation, Mr. Stark.”

“Duly noted, Miss (Y/L/N). And since I’m such a good ex-boss, I’ll send your resume and a letter of recommendation to a certain defrosted super-soldier who could use all the assistance he can get.”

“Becoming Captain America’s personal assistant? It’ll be a cake-walk, but at least I’ll have my favorite hot mess to come home to.”

(Y/N) moved her hand and giggled at how quickly Tony’s arms wrapped around her waist to tug her closer, but her amusement soon gave way to passion as their lips finally met in a long overdue kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I figured that we all could use a little fluff, and what better way to deliver it than in a friends-to-lovers trope-fest? Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, and I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season!

Fanfiction Masterlist

Marvel Taglist: @brooke0297​

All Works: @crowleysqueenofhell​ @momc95​ @groovy-lady

[constantlywriting1]

Everywhere: Warren Rojas x F!Reader

Pairing: Warren Rojas x F! Reader

Warnings: Drugs, Alcohol, and implied sex

Summary: You are being interviewed for the tell all story on Daisy Jones and The Six, but all you can seem to talk about is Warren. This is the events of your story with him and how it all panned out. This is the first part to what I am expecting to make a three part series.

Y/N: Living in Pittsburgh wasn’t at all interesting. I used to go to a catholic school, all girls. It was the worst. Being closed in like that only made me want to do all the things I wasn’t supposed to. My parents practically locked me in my room back then. They would find me somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be and I’d be grounded for months.

Warren: But she never stopped going out. She was everywhere. We’d go for a gig at some random bar in town and there she was in the front row cheering louder than anyone.

Y/N: When I met Warren the Dunne Brothers were barely what they would become. It was more of a hobby, but I liked saying I knew a guy in a band. My parents hated that I hung out with him. Of course they thought we were screwing and that really got under their skin. It wasn’t true… but I never denied it.

Eddie: I didn’t like her very much back then. I mean, for all I knew she was a total tease. I saw the way she acted with Warren, but they would never do anything. After a while you start to wonder what the hell is going on. But I didn’t know her like he did.

Graham: She was sleeping with some guy from the corporate offices downtown. He was married with kids and he was promising some sort of life for the two of them on the side. I remember when she told me that. I just felt so bad. She really believed him and Warren really liked her. It was just a mess.

Y/N: Yeah, I don’t know, he was nice to me. His name isn’t important but yes he was married. I was 17 and he was somewhere in his 30s. It wasn’t right and I knew that then, but I felt validated by him. He was the only adult in my life who treated me like an adult in every way. I do want to be clear though, it was not my job as a teenager to make sure this man stood true to his vows. I didn’t care about any of that. I just wanted to be loved.

Warren: I loved her, even back then. But I knew it didn’t matter. She genuinely thought that’s what she deserved and there was nothing I could do about it. She was just my friend and I decided to wait it out.

Y/N: I always liked Warren. He was following his dreams and I wanted to be just like him. But I didn’t have any dreams back then. I couldn’t see a future for myself that I enjoyed. I was living for everyone else back then and I didn’t see that ever stopping.

Billy: We met Rod and we knew we were going to California, all of us except Chuck. It wasn’t really a question, in my head at least. Warren was a little torn up about leaving her behind, but there was nothing we could do. She wasn’t coming, and honestly I just thought she was trouble all around.

Y/N: He said that? [laughs]. I wasn’t trouble to anyone but myself. Billy always looked at me like he could see right into my soul. When I’d see him around town it was always that same look. He was disgusted, and I wanted to shove it right in his face. Sometimes I’d imagine myself just walking up to him and saying Hey asshole, you know I’m not blind right? How about you mind your own business and I’ll do the same. But I knew better than to say that to him. Everyone in Pittsburgh had Billy Dunne’s dick in their mouth and I, surprisingly, seemed to be the only one who didn’t.

Warren: I wasn’t gonna ask her to come with us. I’d mentioned it in conversation a few times, just telling her that we were thinking about leaving, but she never seemed interested so I never asked.

Y/N: He didn’t have to ask me. Things were going down hill with my… partner at the time. His wife had caught on to his sneaky behavior and I could tell he was trying to figure out a way to leave me without causing a big scene. Between that and my parents getting increasingly less cool, I started to seriously consider my options. Warren told me when they were leaving and I didn’t say anything. I was still thinking it over, wondering if there was a chance with the older guy and hoping that somehow my relationship with my parents would miraculously fix itself in the three days that I had before the van left for California.

Of course none of that happened, and in those three days I realized that it never would.

The van was leaving on a Saturday morning. I had graduated high school by then and there was nothing holding me back in Pittsburgh. I stood up all night that Friday, packing my belongings into a tiny pink suitcase and thinking about whether or not I was making the right choice. By the time my bag was fully packed, the sun had barely started to rise. I sat down on my bed, my room looking nothing like the one I had spent my life in. And as I sat there waiting for the morning to come I realized how far away Pittsburgh felt to me already. There was no good reason for me to stay, but I sat there and fought myself to find one. I closed my eyes tight and searched my mind for a good memory, a good feeling attached to my home. The only thing I could come up with was Warren and his music, the band. And when I opened my eyes again I realized how stupid I would be not to go with them. So I grabbed my bag and ran out of my house.

Warren: I was sitting in the driver’s seat, just about to take off for our roadtrip to California and then I saw her running down the street. She had this big pink suitcase that she was trying so hard to carry. I almost thought she was gonna fall over, I just couldn’t stop laughing. I guess I got out of the car at some point, everyone started yelling at me wondering what I was doing. They hadn’t seen her yet. I remember running up to her and just holding her so tight in my arms. I could hear her laughing in my ear, a genuine cackle that warmed my heart. She held me just as tight, her fingers locked in my hair.

Eddie: We were all wondering what the hold up was. At some point I got out of the van and I just saw Warren hugging her and I knew she was coming with us. Well that and the suitcase. I rolled my eyes and got back in the van to spread the news.

Graham: I was happy she was coming with us. Billy was bringing Camila and I thought having a single girl with us could be cool. But Warren made it clear she was off limits.

Camila: She got in the van all giggly like a school girl. Eddie was sitting in the passenger seat and she just opened up the door and handed him her suitcase. He didn’t move at first but when he looked around and realized nobody else was moving either he grabbed her bag and made his way to the trunk. While he put her bags in the back with everyone else’s she sat down in the passenger seat beside Warren and closed the door. By the time Eddie got back around she was buckled in and carrying a conversation. He didn’t even try to get his seat back, he just came and joined the rest of us.

Y/N: I talked to Warren almost the whole way to California. When he got tired I would move to the back of the van with him while Eddie drove. I sat there hanging on to every word he spoke. He was a lot funnier than I ever realized.

When we got to the house in Laurel Canyon I was shocked at how beautiful it was. A little worn down, sure, but it felt like home with everyone else there. I had my own room, no one else wanted it because they thought it was haunted. It didn't matter very much to me, I was barely in it.

Warren: We started spending a lot of time together. When we’d go out together she would come with us. Most times we’d end up at some jukejoint and I swear she’d queue songs on purpose, somehow always ending up pulling me in for a dance. She would turn her back toward me and wrap her arm around the back of my neck. She’d pull all of her hair over one shoulder and I would just watch as she grinded against me.

Eddie: At this point I was getting pissed. She had been stringing him along since we left Pittsburgh and every night they would go their separate ways. She would go into her room and he would go into his. I started to tell him to just give it a rest. He had never tried anything with her and at this point I figured he had just plain struck out. I told him to accept the fact that they were always just gonna be friends and move on with his life.

Y/N: It wasn’t that I didn’t like Warren, because I did. But I didn’t want to fuck him up. I had a lot of… baggage back then and I couldn’t bring him down with me. He was my best friend and I figured we could get a little close without it meaning anything serious.

Billy: I don’t know why, but when she got in the van that day I didn’t imagine her staying in California with us. I didn’t take her seriously. But when I realized she was planning on living with us I had to have a conversation with her.

Y/N: He told me, “If you’re going to keep stowing away with us you have to start contributing.” I think I laughed when he said that, then I realized he was being serious. I asked him what he expected me to do and he said, “I don’t know, learn how to wait tables I guess.” and then he left.

Eddie: She became a waitress and bought a guitar with her first check. We all laughed about it.

Billy: She thought it was that easy. Just buy a guitar and all of a sudden you’re a rock star. No one said anything about it because it was obviously just to spite me. I told her to get a job and she said fine, I’ll do your job better. I wanted to see her try.

Y/N: I didn’t buy the guitar because of Billy, and I hated that it took him telling me to pull my weight for me to be able to afford one. Like I said before, I didn’t know I wanted to make music when we were in Pittsburgh. I had been in a few musicals and things like that, but I was worried about so much else.

In California I didn’t have to worry. I had the time to think about what would make me happiest in life and I started to write down lyrics here and there. I didn’t have a full song when I bought the guitar but I didn’t want to have to imagine the melody anymore. I would watch Graham and Billy play during rehearsals and try to pick up some chords from there. By the end of the month I could play very simple versions of a few of their songs, and from there I started making my own.

Warren: We would stay up late in her room and I would just watch her strum away, learning faster than I’ve ever seen anyone pick up anything. She wouldn’t play me her songs though. I’d watch her scribble away in her journal and before I could even ask about it, the book would be hidden once more.

Y/N: I never trusted anyone as much as I trusted Warren. We would stay up all hours of the night getting high on whatever we could get our hands on. Most times we would just split a few joints and sit there laughing in each other's arms.

I remember one night we were on mescaline and I was just staring at him. He was so beautiful to me and though it wasn’t the first time I noticed, it was the first time I was able to take it all in. He looked back at me and I swear he was going to cry. I put a cigarette to my mouth and he pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

“I am really happy you came with us.” He whispered to me as he put the flame to the end of my cigarette.

“I don’t know, sometimes I feel like I just made it harder for you guys.” I replied.

“You didn’t, you made it easier, at least for me.” He was being honest.

Warren: Yeah, I remember that night. She was only wearing a bikini even though we hadn’t gone out to the beach that day. She kept saying she was hot, and I mean hey, I wasn’t gonna tell her to put clothes on. She sat there next to me, smoking her cigarette and I just took her in. I couldn’t remember feeling that way about anyone I had ever met before.

At some point she took her cigarette and put it up to my lips. Without thinking I leaned forward and took a drag. My lips touched her fingers and we just sat there for a moment. When I leaned back, her eyes were glued on to me.

“I’m cold now.” She sighed. And then she got up, her long legs untangling effortlessly. She walked the few steps over to me and just sat right on my lap. I was shocked at first, a little confused. But it felt… right. So I put my arm around her and held her there.

Y/N: I don’t know why I insisted on torturing him. I knew how he felt about me. Camila would always be the one to tell me to stop messing with him, and it just made me want to be with him more. I was tired of everybody telling us what we could and couldn’t be. I didn’t think Warren had a problem with it.

When I sat on his lap that night I knew nothing was going to happen, because he respected me. I had never known a man to do that and I liked how it felt not having to worry about being used. I sat in his arms for hours, just listening to his heart beating. He put his hand on my thigh at some point and I thought I was in heaven. Well it was probably that and the drugs.

Warren: When she got up I felt like I was incomplete. She had been on top of me for so long, I forgot we were two seperate people. I watched as she stood there, expecting her to leave me alone like she had done so many times before. But to my surprise she didn’t move.

“Do you want to come back to my room?” She asked, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I had never slept in her room before, and she had never slept in mine. But I said yes.

Y/N: I grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet. We were both coming down and I knew I had to get to bed before I was fully off the drugs. I held his hand loosely in mine as we walked down the dusty hall’s of our house. When we got to my room he hesitated at the door.

“Is it actually haunted in here?” he questioned.

I scoffed quietly before pulling him further inside.

Warren: I sat down on her bed and turned away while she put on a night gown that barely covered anything. I wanted to ask her what we were doing but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

She lingered onto the queen sized mattress, the length of her just barely reaching the edge. I layed next to her and just let her watch me.

And then she said it. “Can you sleep in here tonight?”

I turned toward her, I didn’t know if she was joking or not. But when I saw her eyes, sincere and full of sleep, I knew she was asking because she needed me to say yes. She needed someone to hold just for the night. So I nodded and we got under the covers. I still had my jeans on but I didn’t care.

Y/N: I slept very well next to him that night. And when I woke up late that afternoon he was still holding me. When I started to move I realized he must’ve been awake before me. I can’t imagine for how long.

I turned to face him completely and we both just smiled. I asked him how he slept and he made a joke about my bed being way more comfortable than his. I laughed and grabbed the top of his arm. I made my way down to his hand and held it for a second.

“Thank you, Warren.” I told him.

He said. “Don’t mention it,” and got out of my bed.

Warren: I didn’t know what happened. I couldn’t tell if it was the drugs or if she was just messing with me. I was happy it happened and that I could be there for her, but I thought it better I leave.

Y/N: I didn’t mention it after that and neither did he, but it was clear that everyone else in the house knew we had slept in the same bed. Like always they were making it into some big deal and I was so tired of them all forcing us into a box.

That afternoon Graham convinced Billy to call Karen on a pay-phone at lunch. We all huddled around the phone and listened as he blubbered to the British woman. Eventually, Billy took the phone and convinced her to join the band.

When she showed up the next day to move into the house we realized she had no place to sleep. Eddie suggested that I move into Warren’s room and I laughed but nobody else did.

“Why would I move into Warren’s room?” I shouted.

“Well, you guys had sex so I just assumed…” Eddie started. I walked right up to him and shoved him as hard as I could. I could feel my face heating up.

“Do you guys all think we had sex?” I yelled. No one said anything.

I wasn’t planning on saying anything, but what Eddie said got me so mad I couldn’t stop. “Warren and I are friends,” I said. “And we can do whatever we want without all of you questioning us all the time. We didn’t fuck but if we did it would be none of your fucking business.”

Warren: She stomped away and slammed her bedroom door behind her. They all looked at me and I just smiled and shrugged. She was a complicated person but I understood why she was upset.

Eddie: She didn’t have to push me. Maybe I shouldn’t have said what I said but I thought it was true. [laughs] I guess that doesn’t make it any better.

Karen: While she was in the room they all began to try and deal with the situation. I remember laughing to myself about the mess of it all. I mean, she was acting like a child.

Billy: Just as we were starting to figure out how to rearrange everyone she came out of her room with that pink suitcase and looked right past all of us to Warren. He smiled and quickly made his way over to her. Eddie scoffed and we all just kinda looked around, like none of us had actually expected her to do it.

I think that’s when I realized how completely wrong I was about her. I had been imagining her as the same naive kid in Pittsburgh but it just wasn’t true anymore.

Warren: We went to my room and she threw her suitcase on the bed. I watched as she opened it and started angrily going through drawers to see where her things would fit.

“I can’t believe Eddie would say that,” she started grunting.

I felt bad, I didn’t want her to think that’s what I told him. But when I opened my mouth to tell her she just said, “I know.”

Y/N: That night was different. Warren only had one bed in his room and it was smaller than mine. We both barely fit because of how far apart we insisted on being.

And then I had a thought. Why was I ignoring his feelings? There was no real reason we couldn’t be together and I was the one making it harder than it had to be. My heart started to beat so fast, I thought he could hear it.

I turned toward him and he was already facing me. his dimples were showing even with his small little smirk. I didn’t say a word, just leaned right in and pressed my lips against his.

Warren: I wasn’t expecting her to kiss me, but when she did I melted. I don’t know, I think there’s something really special about waiting for someone, watching them grow and knowing they’ll be ready for you someday. Of course I didn’t know it was gonna be that day, but who really knows with her?

Y/N: I got on top of him and started kissing every inch of skin that I could find. I had been holding myself back from him for so long, I just needed to feel him.

Warren: She was loud that night. I remember thinking there was no way we were going to be able to live it down. It wasn’t late enough for anyone else to be asleep, and if it was we would’ve woken them up.

Graham: The next morning she came out of that room… lighter. We were all snickering about what we had heard and she just sat with all of us and watched for a minute.

And then she said, “Now we’re fucking, so I hope you’re all happy.”

We all laughed, even Eddie.

[jfkkennedy]

Jack at Bailey’s Beach Club in Newport, Rhode Island, 1962🤍

Looks like Jackie and Caroline in the background💕

[crossovershipsandedits]

Could you please do Marinette Dupain Cheng from Miraculous x Asuka Tenjini from Yu GI Oh gx

Romantic

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng x Alexis Rhodes/Asuka Tenjōin

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug | Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Relationship: Romantic

Submitted by @yukii0nna

Sometimes I forget YuGiOh has different names for characters in Japanese. Got me real confused when I saw this familiar face and didn't recognise the name XD

[strwbrrykss]

OK OK GUYS

I'm going to clear out my inbox and start accepting prompts from THIS LIST HERE

They can be for any of the characters (and fic pairings we've talked about) I write for, if you're unsure, ask first 😊 I'm sooooo excited to get back into drabbles etc!

[calochortus]

Western "Raccoon" bandits by Adrien Bitzenhoffer Via Flickr: One more "Sainte-Croix" park picture with a funny scene looking like taking place in an old western movie 😊

[captiveinwayhaven]

morgan: pffft jail time? you? *judgemental look at the unassuming detective*

juila: hacks her computer and makes it screech fuck you at max volume. changes wallpaper to something obscene. the only thing youtube will play is a rickroll video.

morgan: i’m gonna fuck her

farah: up?

morgan: ...no

[kaardio]

Bro I’m never watching wrestling again. I’m done. I can’t keep going through this heartache anymore.

CODY WHYYYYY😭😭😭😭THE ROCK AINT SHIT WHYD YOU LETS HIM GET YOUR SPOT AFTER YOU MADE HISTORY AND ALL HES DONE IS SHOW UP, SPOUT SOME BULLSHIT, AND LEAVE

[bibaybe]

OC New Years Challenge // Day Two: I Polish Up Real Nice

Who you are is not where you’ve been You’re still an innocent You’re still an innocent

remake of this gifset

taglist: @eddysocs @ocappreciationtag @foxesandmagic @wordspin-shares @veetlegeuse @raith-way @oneirataxia-girl

[themculibrary]

Pepper/Rhodey/Tony Masterlist

all i want is to be your harbor (ao3) - starkly G, 1k

Summary: Rhodey and Pepper both had a bad day, so Tony does his best to turn it around for them with a date night in.

Alphas Initiative (ao3) - YukiRiikus_Reading_Room peggy/bucky, clint/steve, steve/bucky, pepper/rhodey/tony E, 10k

Summary: Steve's had a crush on the most popular Alpha at his university for as long as he can remember. But when Clint starts paying attention to him, Steve can't help but wonder if it's really love, or if it's just because he's an unknotted Omega...

Dates, Lies, and a Trip to Rome (ao3) - misura T, 3k

Summary: In which Tony thinks it would be a great idea to get Pepper and Rhodey to date. Except for the part where he thinks it's actually a terrible idea.

Do You Know What Today Is? (ao3) - Not Applicable (not_applicable) E, 3k

Summary: or, 5 Times The Avengers Thought Tony Or Pepper Was Cheating With Rhodey, and 1 Time When Steve Got It Right.

Tony seems none-the-wiser to all the flirting between his girlfriend and his best friend. Or at least that's what the team thinks.

each pond with its blazing lilies (ao3) - Tieleen G, 2k

Summary: Pepper coughs and sits up, raises an absent hand to brush at her cheek where she may well now have a paragraph of legalese stamped backwards in transferred ink. "Morning, JARVIS," she says. "I'm sorry, my alarm usually sounds a little different."

finders, keepers (ao3) - starkly G, 1k

Summary: The problem with dating two people instead of one is that you have to deal with twice the amount of clothes being stolen.

national treasure (ao3) - imposterhuman G, 1k

Summary: “I’m pretty sure we were supposed to go left there,” Pepper said with her nose buried in the map, which Tony was fairly certain she was holding upside down.

Rhodey grunted where he was clearing their path of spiderwebs and other icky things (Tony and Pepper had both screamed loud enough to wake the dead the first time they’d walked into a massive spider web, so Rhodey had been unanimously elected the clearer of paths. Funnily enough, he had not gotten a vote). “The GPS says to go straight.”

“Why, exactly, do we have both a GPS and a paper map?” Tony asked, as if either of his partners were going to answer him. “The map is over a century old, right? And what did you set the GPS to to find hidden treasure that exists only in stories? Does no one else see the problem here? And we were supposed to go right.”

Recovery (ao3) - Jaune_Chat E, 41k

Summary: After Tony is forcibly turned into an omega, he has to discover who he is now, who he can trust, and how to learn to live with his pack.

Recovery Protocol (ao3) - westiec M, 1k

Summary: “In my defense,” Tony says tiredly, “I did warn you both this could happen.”

“When you said metabolizing Extremis would involve ‘hormonal fluctuation, volatile emotions, and intense cravings,’ I didn’t realize you meant…” Pepper trails off, gesturing with hands that are only slightly glowing at the fingertips at the three of them sprawled across the mess of the oversized bed.

Dealing with the Extremis in Pepper's system comes with some interesting side effects, but a little stay-cation might be just what she, Rhodey, and Tony need.

second honeymoon (ao3) - starkly G, 1k

Summary: “We’re never too old to enjoy ourselves,” Tony says. “Hence the second honeymoon.”

“I think it’s just called an anniversary,” Rhodey replies, though he smiles at last, setting his hands on Tony’s hips.

“Nope, second honeymoon. Because you weren’t there for our first one.”

Sudden and Silent in its Arrival (ao3) - PheonixFalls E, 24k

Summary: 22 1/2 hours of drive time, 1,461 miles of increasingly icy roads, and Los Angeles still isn't far enough back in Pepper's rearview mirror. But when her car breaks down just over the South Dakota state line, she meets a pair of men who give her a reason to stop running.

tony has a type (ao3) - graveltotempo N/R, 3k

Summary: In a universe in which James Rhodes is Iron Man and Tony Stark is his mostly stay at home husband (and Pepper Potts' trophy boyfriend), Tony finds out that Rhodey's team includes a hot tall blonde and a short handsome genius.

So he does the most obvious thing a petty and bitchy househusband such as himself would do.

He throws a dinner party.

we wished upon parallel lines (ao3) - sabinelagrande T, 1k

Summary: There's something always missing, something that can't be found.

What Good Is The Moonlight (ao3) - circ_bamboo M, 7k

Summary: On his thirteenth birthday, Tony Stark wakes up with a name on his chest and a name on his shoulder.

Fortunately, so do Rhodey and Pepper.

[haileybiebspics]

Hailey Bieber arriving at the F*ck Fashion Week Party, thrown by Starino and friends, at the DeFlower club in Paris, France. (09.26.23.)

🎥: (taoualitamar / TikTok)

[swan-of-sunrise]

Hawkeye (Part IV)

Summary: Christmas Day arrives and while (Y/N) and Steve enjoy a quiet day with their daughter, a familiar face pays them an unexpected but ultimately welcomed visit.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Hi guys! We've finally made it to the last chapter of this little mini-series and trust me, there's no content warnings but you'll for sure wanna read this with a box of tissues nearby lol thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Hawkeye (Part IV) December 25th, 2024 The Home of (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Steve Rogers, Brooklyn (Previous Chapter)

Christmas Day had finally arrived, and the Rogers-(Y/L/N) family spent their morning amidst a flurry of shredded wrapping paper, discarded ribbons and cast-off decorative bows, their home overflowing with holiday cheer. The television was turned on to a broadcast of the Yule Log and while Christmas music played faintly in the background, the scent of (Y/N)’s famous hot coca and Steve’s homemade cinnamon rolls combined with the smell of fresh pine emanating from their sizable tree to create a warm, heavenly aroma. Outside, snow leisurely came down from the cloudy sky, dusting their lawn and the near-deserted street and creating a tranquil landscape that (Y/N) couldn’t help but admire each time she glanced out their windows.

Carina, after tearing through all the presents she’d gotten from her parents and her many aunts and uncles, was sitting content on the floor of the living room and playing with her brand-new Mega Bloks while Indy, whose fur had been lovingly decorated with bows by the enthusiastic fifteen-month-old, was curled up in his dog bed by the heat vent and munching on his new bone. (Y/N) and Steve took advantage of the peace and quiet to exchange gifts with one another; they initially agreed on giving something small and possibly handmade, but it quickly became apparent that they both went behind each other’s back and splurged on one another. (Y/N) beamed with joy when she opened her expertly wrapped package to reveal a handmade cassette mixtape, featuring various songs that had special meaning to the two of them and their relationship, and her jaw subsequently dropped when she withdrew a gorgeous antique pearl necklace. Steve laughed in delight when he pulled a custom Viewmaster out of his box, marveling at all the pictures of their life together she’d added to its many reels, and his azure eyes went wide when he saw the autographed 1941 Pee Wee Reese – one of his all-time favorite Brooklyn Dodgers players – baseball card tucked into a hard protective sleeve.

It was then that (Y/N) and Steve finally unsealed the envelope that Dr. Prince had prepared for them together, scanning their most recent sonogram and gasping in unison when they read ‘It’s A Girl!’ printed along the bottom. “We’re having another girl!” Steve exclaimed and (Y/N) laughed in delight as his hands came up to cradle her face and he captured her lips in an enthusiastic kiss; when they came up for air, he pulled her into a tight hug and murmured into her ear, “I told you so…”

(Y/N) playfully dug her fingers into his sides, smirking at his surprised yelp and leaning back to meet his mirthful gaze. “Come July, you and Indy are going to be outnumbered around here.”

Grinning, Steve trailed kisses along her jaw and towards her smiling, kiss-swollen lips. “We wouldn’t want it any other way, sunshine.”

Some time later, they FaceTimed their friends one by one to share their happy news with them. The Barton’s and Kate Bishop were thrilled, and (Y/N) was pleased to see how much the young archer was enjoying spending Christmas Day with her new partner and his family; the Wilson family was equally ecstatic, with AJ and Cass letting out a cheer at the news and Sarah immediately listing off various foods that would help with her lingering nausea, and they all burst into laughter when a disgruntled Sam reached into his wallet and handed a folded bill over to a smug-looking Bucky. Everyone else they contacted – Bruce, Scott, Rhodey, Pepper, Brunnhilde, Carol, Wong and the Guardians of the Galaxy – seemed to be enjoying a wonderful holiday season with their own families and they all eagerly congratulated them on their second pregnancy; none of them said anything, but (Y/N) could tell that they were relieved to see another signal that life was slowly but surely returning back to normal after Thanos and the Snap.

“Shouldn’t you put the ham in the oven soon?” (Y/N) asked, her arm outstretched to grab a wayward scrap of wrapping paper that somehow ended up underneath the armchair. When she finally succeeded in grabbing it, she sat up with a tired huff but frowned once she realized that her husband hadn’t answered her; glancing over her shoulder, she smiled to herself as she watched Steve and Carina stacking her new blocks together, both wearing near identical looks of concentration as they completed their task. Like father like daughter, she thought with an inward chuckle before pointedly clearing her throat. “Sweetheart? The ham?”

Steve’s head shot up and his brows rose in surprise as he craned his neck to look at the clock hanging over the entryway. “Time sure flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? I’ll be back in a minute, angel.” He kissed the top of the infant’s head and let her continue playing before standing up and walking over to where (Y/N) was kneeling, offering her a hand and helping her clamber to her feet. “What’s that look for, sunshine?”

“Do I need a specific reason to admire my handsome husband and his newfound appreciation for toddler architecture?” She countered with a teasing smile.

Chuckling, one of Steve’s hand rested on her waist while the other moved to cradle her cheek. “I suppose not, but I’m afraid it’ll cost you a kiss.” He leaned in and planted a swift kiss onto her forehead. “One more.” His lips brushed against the bridge of her nose and she giggled at the ticklish sensation. “Wait a sec, one more.”

“Steve!”

“Nope, that last one didn’t count.” Steve gave her cheek an over-exaggerated kiss, a devious smirk playing on his lips as she laughed. “One more, baby.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, I’m carrying your child and if I don’t eat something soon, I promise that you’re going to live to regret it.” Her half-hearted threat went unnoticed by her husband, who was preoccupied with peppering kisses along her jawline, so she was forced to place her hands on his chest and firmly push him away with a laugh. “Go!”

With a playful wink, Steve turned and sauntered into the kitchen to prepare their Christmas Day dinner, and (Y/N) looked over at Carina with an exasperated sigh. “Your Dada’s silly, isn’t he, lemon drop?” She chuckled when the infant giggled and clapped her chubby hands together, leaning down to ruffle her daughter’s (Y/H/C) hair and letting her continue stacking her blocks while she gathered up the rest of the wrapping paper; after she crammed the last of it into her brown recycling bag, she carried it into the kitchen and set it down by the back door to dispose of later. Steve was setting the oven’s timer when she sidled up beside him and leaned in to kiss his cheek, but the sound of their doorbell ringing throughout their otherwise quiet home interrupted her.

“We didn’t invite anyone over, did we?” Steve asked and when (Y/N) shook her head, the muscle in his jaw clenched as his brows furrowed in worry. “Guess we should’ve left Brienne activated after all…”

“I sincerely doubt that any of Kingpin’s lackeys would be dumb enough to announce their presence by ringing the doorbell,” She reasoned, but her own logic didn’t stop her from bringing a hand up to her lips and whistling Indy’s command to guard; they exchanged a look before leaving the kitchen and heading down the hallway to their front door, and she spared a brief glance into the living room to see their senior German Shepard standing alert beside an unaware Carina as she continued to play. They passed by their entryway table – stopping for a moment to retrieve several stun discs they’d stashed away in its hidden compartment for emergencies – and Steve wrapped a protective arm around her waist as she unlocked the door and cautiously pulled it open.

Standing on their porch was a young woman, with long blonde hair intricately braided over her shoulder, numerous silver ear piercings decorating her ears and dressed in a stylish emerald-green winter coat. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and while her pale green eyes were outlined with dark blue liner, the makeup couldn’t mask the uncertainty and the hint of fear in her gaze; her lips were pursed and her hands were shoved into her coat’s pockets as she looked between them both, and after a tense moment she finally spoke. “I’m so sorry for imposing on your Christmas, but I was in the city on a work trip and I couldn’t leave without stopping by. My name is-”

“Yelena,” (Y/N) interjected, her eyes widening in surprise; Natasha’s description of her little sister was spot-on, but it wasn’t until she heard her thick Russian accent that she fully realized who she was.

Steve, who was doing a far better job of hiding his shock, opened the door wider and gave the young woman a tight-lipped smile. “Please, come in.” Yelena hesitated for a moment but stepped through the doorway, her eyes carefully scanning their festively-decorated entryway as she slipped off her coat and black leather gloves. She allowed Steve to hang her coat on their coat-rack and followed them into the living room, and (Y/N) caught the blink-and-you-miss-it smile that formed when she spotted Carina and Indy. “Would you like something to drink, Yelena? Water, hot coca, hot coca with a splash of whiskey…?”

“I won’t lie, the third option sounds very good right about now,” The former Black Widow replied with a wry smirk, although it was still easy to see the apprehension that she was trying so hard to hide. “Thank you.”

Steve’s azure eyes briefly met (Y/N)’s before he turned and headed into the kitchen, whistling the command for Indy to join him, and (Y/N) scooped Carina up before sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Yelena; the infant squirmed on her lap, seemingly displeased to have been taken away from her Mega Bloks, but she was quickly distracted by the stuffed Hulk – a Christmas gift from her Uncle Bruce – that (Y/N) wriggled in front of her. “If it wasn’t for this little gumball,” She patted the side of her baby bump with her free hand. “I’d have a spiked hot coca the same as you.”

Yelena smiled politely. “Congratulations. Do you know whether it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

“We actually just found out this morning; it’s a girl, and we’ve already decided on her name.” (Y/N) took a steadying breath before continuing. “Natalia Austen Rogers-(Y/L/N).” When they were initially brainstorming various baby names, she and Steve came to the agreement that they would find a way to name their little boy or girl after Natasha and Tony; Natalia, being the spy’s birth name, and Austen, being the long-lasting nickname that the billionaire bestowed upon her the very first time they met.

The younger woman’s green eyes misted over, but she was quick to duck her head to hide her emotional reaction. “That’s…um, that’s a wonderful name. Natasha would like that.” She anxiously began to twirl one of her many rings around her finger. “I’ve been working up the courage to speak with you for quite some time. I came close earlier this week, at the pizza parlor in Greenwich Village, but I…” Trailing off, Yelena’s eyes flicked up to meet (Y/N)’s, carefully reading her before continuing on. “Judging by the overwhelming tension that is emanating from you and your husband, it would be safe to assume that you’ve been in recent contact with Clint Barton.” When (Y/N) mutely nodded, Yelena sighed to herself and threaded her fingers together in her lap. “Firstly, I would like to assure you that you and your family are not in any danger. I was hired to remove an obstacle and while it was an assignment that I was admittedly eager to complete, I ultimately decided against completing it; Barton was not responsible for my sister’s death, and I couldn’t see that until it was almost too late.”

“But you did see it, and that’s what really matters,” (Y/N) reassured her as she gently smoothed out her daughter’s hair, smiling when the infant waved at the former Black Widow and babbled away in excitement when she waved back. “And if it makes you feel any better, Clint’s not really the type to hold a grudge…well, except for that one time when Nat bit him during a fight. He still likes to bring that up from time to time.”

The corner of Yelena’s lips briefly twitched upwards before she sobered. “Secondly, I would like to thank you for helping my parents arrange for Natasha’s memorial. Ohio was…it was the first place where she was truly happy, and I’m glad that there is something there to honor her memory and her sacrifice.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, (Y/N) adjusted her hold on Carina and cast her eyes downward. “It was the least I could do. Nat told me a little about her past after she went on the run and helped take down the Red Room, but she opened up more in the years after you Vanished.” She glanced up and met Yelena’s gaze with a sad smile. “She was so proud of you, Yelena, for traveling around the world and making it your mission to give all those Widows their freedom. Everything she did to help us reverse the Snap she did because she loved you, and she never once gave up trying to get you back.”

Yelena, overcome with emotion, nodded in thanks as she wiped a wayward tear from her cheek. A moment later, Steve walked back into the living room with a full mug of hot coca cradled in his hands and Natasha’s old knapsack slung over his shoulder; the former Black Widow murmured her thanks when she accepted the mug and while she took a cautious sip, Steve shrugged the knapsack off and leaned on the arm of the couch beside (Y/N). “I’m so sorry for your loss, Yelena. Your sister wasn’t just one of a kind, but she was a hero.” One of his hands moved to rest on (Y/N)’s shoulder and she briefly brushed her lips against his knuckles in comfort as he continued. “As I’m sure your parents already told you, Nat left you a message before she died; we’ve kept it safe since then, along with a few of her things that survived the Battle of Earth.”

After another sip of hot coca, Yelena set her mug down onto the coffee table and gingerly accepted the knapsack, her expression unreadable as she examined the faded name patch sewn onto the sturdy canvas. “Can I…?” She cleared her throat and looked up at them, her green eyes tinged with red. “Would you mind if I listen to it now?”

“Of course not,” (Y/N) assured her with a tight smile, allowing her husband to help her stand and positioning Carina to sit against her hip. “We’ll, um…we��ll just be in the kitchen, if you need anything.”

Yelena nodded and while she tentatively reached into her sister’s knapsack, the (Y/L/N)-Rogers family made their way to the kitchen to give the younger woman some much-needed privacy to finally face her grief head-on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, what’s Yelena like?” (Y/N) asked, reaching into her satchel for another apple and offering it to the massive rhino behind the wooden fence; the Border Tribe had been gracious enough to allow both the visiting members of Wakanda’s new outreach program and the fugitive Avengers to visit their impressive herd of rhinoceros and since (Y/N) hadn’t seen the spy since she’d gone on the run after Siberia, she invited Nat to join her at the enclosures.

“She’s strong, much stronger than she realizes. She’s funny, smart as hell and although she can be a little bit of a pain in the ass, she’s the kind of person who’ll have your back no matter what.” Natasha’s sincere smile turned playful as she arched an appraising brow at her. “Come to think of it, she sort of reminds me of another person I know…”

(Y/N) sighed in exaggerated exasperation. “You better not let Sam hear you saying that, ‘cause his ego’s inflated enough as it is.”

Rolling her eyes, Natasha lightly shoved her shoulder as she burst into giggles. “You know damn well that I was talking about you, hot-shot, and I meant every word of it.” Both women shared a look of understanding and while her heart burst with affection for the spy, (Y/N) patted the rhino’s neck and fed her another apple. “She likes music almost as much as you do, you know, and lately, she’s turned into a bit of a fashionista. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to meet her someday; you guys would totally get along.”

“I think so, too. We can talk about music, clothes and all the best ways to annoy the hell out of you,” (Y/N) chuckled as Natasha shook her head in disbelief, giving the rhino one last pat before looping her around hers and smiling brightly, “C’mon, we should head back to Bucky’s farm and make sure he hasn’t fed Birdbrain to his goats.”

(Y/N) smiled to herself as she recalled her conversation with Natasha so long ago and leaned down to kiss the top of Carina’s head. It had been nearly a quarter of an hour since they’d left Yelena alone in their living room with Natasha’s final message for her, and they were trying to distract themselves from the emotionally-fraught situation with their daughter and their dog; Steve was crouched on the kitchen floor and scratching a pleased Indy behind the ears while (Y/N) entertained Carina by singing various Christmas songs, beaming with pride as their daughter sat on the kitchen island in front of her and happily babbled along with her.

“At this rate, she’s gonna be singing her ABC’s before she even turns two,” Steve remarked with a proud grin, standing up and watching Indy stroll over to his water bowl for a moment before leaning against the kitchen island and jiggling her stuffed Hulk in front of her. “Aren’t you, angel? You’re so smart, just like Mama.”

“Mama smart!” Carina exclaimed and clapped her chubby hands together in glee.

“Yep, but so’s Dada! He’s very, very smart, lemon drop, just like you.” The infant giggled when (Y/N) gently booped her nose with her index finger, and she glanced over at her husband and smirked when she saw the bemused expression on his face. “Don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart; your intelligence is one of the many, many things that I love about you.”

Steve’s brow playfully arched and he hummed in interest as his arm not-so-subtly moved to wrap around her waist. “Is that so? Mind tellin’ me what the rest of ‘em are, or is that classified intel?”

“Not necessarily, but it is the sort of intel that comes with a hefty price-tag.”

“I’ve got a pint of A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge and two Three Musketeer bars stashed in the downstairs freezer-”

“Sold!”

Just as a chuckling Steve leaned in for a kiss, Yelena hesitantly entered the kitchen and cleared her throat, giving them an awkward sort of smile when they both looked over at her; her pale green eyes were puffy from crying, but (Y/N) could see that for the first time since entering their home, the younger woman’s features were free of any anxiety and trepidation. I hope that Nat’s final message helped her find some closure, she thought to herself as she watched Yelena gently place the empty mug onto the counter before finally speaking. “I want to thank you both, for the delicious hot coca and for inviting me into your home so that I could accept my sister’s personal items.” She hugged the knapsack close to her chest and gave them a tiny smile, and (Y/N) could’ve sworn she spotted a hint of longing in her steely gaze as she continued. “I’ve taken up enough of your time, so I should leave you to enjoy the rest of your holiday.”

Steve and (Y/N) exchanged a look as the former Black Widow turned to leave, an unspoken agreement passing between them before Steve spoke up. “Yelena?” She turned back around to face them and Steve gathered Carina up into his arms, his trademark smile of sincerity spreading across his face as they walked around the kitchen island to stand before her. “I know that you’ve only just met us and that there’s probably other ways you’d rather be spending your Christmas Day, but we’d be honored if you joined us for dinner.”

Yelena froze, seemingly unsure of how to respond to their invitation. “I…that’s very cool of you to ask, but I-I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

“You wouldn’t be intruding at all,” (Y/N) promised as a smile of her own began to form. “It’ll be great, so long as you don’t mind listening to a fifteen-month old incoherently sing along to Christmas songs and fending off an adorable German Shepard as he begs for some of your dinner.”

As she looked between them both, Yelena’s pale green eyes softened and a softer, more genuine smile slowly illuminated her features. “Well, I do like your American Christmas songs and adorable dogs…”

At the start of the holiday season, (Y/N) planned on spending her picture-perfect Christmas with her beloved Steve and Carina, and she assumed that the biggest surprise in store for them would be finally learning the sex of their new baby. But after over ten years of living the life of a superhero, it should’ve come to no surprise that even the best-laid plans could change in the blink of an eye; in a week where she’d watched a Broadway musical loosely and hilariously adapt her husband’s entire life, helped her favorite archer and his biggest fan take on one of New York City’s most notorious criminal organizations and finally met her deceased best friend’s mysterious little sister after she nearly killed their friend, it just made sense that they’d add another place setting to their dining room table and enjoy their Christmas Day dinner alongside a talkative and overall happy Yelena Belova.

Neither (Y/N) nor Steve dared ask Yelena about Natasha’s final message to her, both unwilling to dampen the younger woman’s cheerful mood, but if her sparkling eyes and joyful laughter was anything to go off of, then (Y/N) knew that the message succeeded in helping Yelena finally find some closure. Yelena, being the sort of person that was quick to open up once she felt at home, was a delightful guest; while they enjoyed their dinner, she regaled them with stories of hers and Natasha’s childhood in Ohio and her journey of self-discovery since being freed of the Red Room’s chemical subjugation and in turn, (Y/N) and Steve shared their happiest memories of Natasha with her. If this is any indication of what the future Rogers-(Y/L/N)’s Family Christmases will be like then I’m all in, (Y/N) thought to herself with a smile as Steve and Yelena laughed at her story and Carina nodded off in her highchair, stroking a hand over her growing bump and basking in the cozy holiday cheer that occupied their home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: And there you have it, a little Christmas fluff for ya'll in April! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ziGMhEsAw833GQ9eV44nR?si=6dfead09c76848d5 

Stumblin’ In Book VII: “Superhero Snapshots” Masterlist 

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Acropolis of Rhodes, 1973