#i love bruce hes my special little guy but anytime hes in something else i immediately groan because its annoying for major fans

[martyrbat]

you heard of the bechdel test but now get ready for the BATchel test—where i attempt to read a comic without a baman character randomly being mentioned or appearing

[princessjaqulinechess1031]

Plant

Day 1: Plant

Description: Mar’i and Marinette have fun in the garden.

I’m doing a self-imposed 30 Day creative challenge where I take a prompt and apply it to Daminette! Hope y’all enjoy!

Marinette’s hair was wreathed with a crown of flowers, stems twisted into braids with her dark raven hair. Marinette walked across the garden of the Wayne Estate, Mar’i laughing and giggling as she followed after her.

“You look so pretty Miss Netty!” Mar’i said. Marinette smiled and leaned down to Mar’i’s height, taking note of her own crown of flowers nestled in the half-Tameran’s hair.

“Not as pretty as you, ma petite-fours,” Marinette replied. Mar’i smiled a dazzling smile and floated just a little off the ground at the compliment, eyes a bright green that was electric to see.

Marinette had been designated as Mar’i’s babysitter for the day, given how busy the rest of the Wayne family was. Not that Marinette really minded – Mar’i was a ray of sunshine, so sweet and kind that it was infectious. Watching after her felt more like a reward than a job, getting to for a few hours relive her own childhood and be a flower princess in the backyard.

Mar’i crooked her head to the side. “What does that mean?”

“It’s a special cake,” Marinette explained. “It’s a small pastry, with frosting and sometimes fruit. We eat them in France.” She booped Mar’i’s nose and the little girl wrinkled her nose with a slight giggle. “They’re adorable, much like you.”

Mar’i smiled and flew across the yard, landing right next to a rose bush. Marinette followed after her and picked a flower off of the bush. She brushed aside part of Mar’i’s hair, pushing the rose behind her ear, creating yet another addition to the flowers decorating Mar’i’s raven and purple hair.

“Beautiful,” Marinette encouraged, and the girl blushed. Then the girl brightened and jumped up and down excitedly.

“We can be flower princesses,” Mar’i decided. Marinette smiled and took Mar’i’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Marinette said. Mar’i brushed her khaki pants and frowned, and looked up at Marinette gravely.

“But we don’t have any dresses!” Mar’i said gravely. Marinette caressed her cheek gently and grinned.

“You don’t need a dress to be a princess,” Marinette whispered. Mar’i looked at her skeptically, as if Marinette had just said something almost too unbelievable to be true.

“You don’t?” Mar’i asked. Marinette nodded and put a hand on her heart.

“No, you don’t,” Marinette assured. “All you need is to be honest and kind and brave.”

Mar’i’s eyes widened, and she leaned toward Marinette, looking around wildly as if the secret she was about to share was of upmost importance.

“Mommy says you have to be all that to be a superhero,” Mar’i said. “Does that make princesses secret superheroes?”

Marinette brought a finger to her lips and pretended to think deeply about the issue. She then pursed her lips and shrugged.

“I guess so,” Marinette answered. Mar’i smiled wickedly and floated off of the ground, spinning round and round excitedly.

“That means Mommy is a princess!” Mar’i exclaimed. “And you’re a princess too!”

Marinette laughed. Marinette supposed that would make sense as part of the logic of superheroes and princesses they had decided on. Marinette had once upon a time dreamed of being a princess, almost every little girl did. This had been the period right before she decided she wanted to be the knitting fairy, but that didn’t mean the dream still hadn’t been strong.

“And you too,” Marinette pointed out. Mar’i frowned and turned to Marinette, crossing her arms in confusion.

“But I’m not a superhero,” Mar’i replied. Marinette smiled and booped her nose again, causing the six-year-old to giggle just a little before she returned to her confused frown.

“But you’re smart, and kind, and honest, and brave,” Marinette explained. “There are lots of ways to be a hero. You always share your toys, and you help your friends when they’re sad, right?”

Mar’i nodded, unsurely.

“Well, that makes you an everyday hero,” Marinette said. “And those are just as important as any superhero. Maybe even more.”

Mar’i was silent, and then she broke out into a large smile.

“I’m a princess!”

“Of course, you are, dove.” Mar’i looked up to see her father coming towards her in the Gotham sunset, cast into an orange glow. Dick walked towards them, and Mar’i rushed him, wrapping her arms around his chest into a large hug.

Marinette smiled and rose back to full standing, catching sight of Damian over Dick’s shoulder. Damian was wearing his Gotham Academy uniform, frowning slightly as he always did, before his eyes lit up just a little when they met Marinette’s. Damian was just finishing up his final year of schooling at Gotham Academy, and Bruce had offered to enroll Marinette in the school, but she had simply gotten an American GED and resolved to one day go back to French university one day. When she was ready to go back home, when the wounds were less fresh.

“Daddy, Miss Netty says I’m a princess!” Mar’i excitedly said. Dick smiled and looked over at Marinette, taking in their two flower crowns.

“Why did she say that?” Dick asked. Mar’i clapped her hands together.

“Because I’m smart and kind and brave,” Mar’i explained. Then she looked up at her father, conspiratorially. “She also says superheroes are princesses too!”

Dick rose an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah, because they’re smart and kind and honest and brave!” Mar’i listed off, slightly out of breath. Marinette smiled and walked over to her boyfriend, placing a kiss to his cheek with a cheeky smile.

“Don’t you agree, Princess Damian?” Marinette asked. Damian looked at her, startled, and then rolled his eyes.

“I suppose by that logic, you are correct,” Damian conceded. Marinette knew that he was going to agree. Mar’i Grayson was one of the few people that Damian was unabashed about showing compassion and affection for. He was not going to disagree when it could make Mar’i upset. If it had been anyone else, he might have argued the point of how princesses and superheroes were completely different.

“Alright, Princess Mar’i,” Dick said, holding his daughter in his arms, “I think it’s time we head home.”

Mar’i frowned and crossed her arms. “Can’t I spent the night with Miss Netty and Uncle Damian?”

“Well, we were having pancakes for dinner,” Dick said, “but I suppose you can –”

“Pancakes?!” the little girl exclaimed. Marinette giggled and leaned her head on Damian’s arm, slipping her hand into Damian’s, earning a gentle squeeze from him. Marinette didn’t feel bad coming in second to pancakes. She had come second to much worse in her years.

“Bye guys,” Dick said, taking his leave. “Thanks for watching Mar’i, Marinette.”

Marinette waved him off. “It was my pleasure. She’s such a sweetheart.”

Marinette crinkled her nose at Mar’i, and Mar’i returned the gesture before breaking into giggles. Dick and Mar’i left the yard, leaving Damian and Marinette alone in the gardens. Marinette sighed and looked up at Damian, who was staring at her flower crown in confusion.

“It seems you really are my nawaret aynaya today.”

Nawaret aynaya. Flower of my eye.

Marinette grinned and reached up to place a gentle peck to Damian’s lips.

“Mar’i wanted to make flower crowns,” Marinette explained. Damian fingered one of the flowers, playing with the petals, pulling one off to inspect.

“Well, you look beautiful,” Damian said. Marinette grinned and brushed off her bright green sundress, looking up at her boyfriend with love in her eyes.

“Do you ever think about it? Having one?” Marinette asked. Damian tilted his head to the side, confused, but then his expression smoothed out as he realized what she was asking. Having one. Having a kid someday.

“Sometimes,” Damian admitted. “But I am hesitant. Any child I have will be another heir to the League, another pawn someone could take and manipulate. I don’t know if I want to expose a child to that. But at the same time….” He kissed the tip of her nose with a smile, “…..if it was with you, I think I’d be willing to take the risk.”

Marinette herself had thought about having kids a lot. She had fantasied for years about having three kids and a hamster with Adrien, back before she realized he was more like her brother than a boyfriend. The thought of having them with Damian felt more like an eventuality than a question of ‘if’ – she loved Damian with all of her heart, and she wanted to bring something into this world that was a mix of the best parts of them.

But if Damian was hesitant…she would not force him.

They still had a long time before they had to make a decision. They were only a few months into their relationship, and Marinette had no plans for even attempting to make a child anytime soon.

“We could always get a plant,” Marinette offered. Damian rolled his eyes.

“As if we don’t already have a thousand animals to take care of,” Damian retorted. Damian loved his animals with his whole heart, which meant that Marinette loved them as well. It was hard not to when all of them were so sweet and affectionate, so unlike their owner it was laughable.

Damian placed a kiss to her cheek, and she smiled to herself. Maybe not completely unlike Damian.

[sohotthateveryonedied]

Gender? In THIS Economy?

Read here on AO3!

Summary:

Duke is questioning stuff and goes to Tim for advice. (feat. trans!Tim and nonbinary!Duke)

“Here you go. One Batburger with extra pickles, extra onions, and extra extra mayonnaise.” Duke drops the paper takeout bag unceremoniously into Tim’s lap. “Your taste buds need a tune-up, bro.”

Tim unwraps his burger and takes a bite. Batburger may be questionable when it comes to copyright laws, but damn if they don’t pile on the condiments better than any fast food restaurant in Gotham. “Sounds to me like you simply haven’t reached the sky-scraping level of enlightenment that I have, grasshopper.”

“Enlightenment would have been going to Red Robin and using your uniform to get a discount,” Duke says. He sits beside Tim on the rooftop’s edge, their legs dangling side by side a hundred feet above Gotham’s plunging gray streets. He digs into his own burger and makes a face. “Enlightenment would also be getting the Robin Nuggets next time. This tastes like dried leather.”

“I like it,” Tim says with a shrug. “It has personality.”

“So does raw sewage, but you don’t see me eating that.”

Tim concedes the point. His communicator buzzes in his belt. He checks the screen and discovers an alert from Cass composed entirely of clown emojis and red harlequin diamonds.

Duke notices. “Should we get that?”

Tim pockets the communicator. “Nah, Spoiler’s got it. We have time to relax.” And he’s not about to pass up quality time with the one little brother who doesn’t hate him. It’s hard enough as it is for Tim and Duke to find the time, what with them being on opposite sleeping schedules and work snatching their attention away with grabby, toddler-sized hands.

“Don’t get a lot of that during the day shift,” Duke says. “Every time an alarm goes off, it’s my business.”

Tim knocks him in the side with his elbow. “That’s what you get for turning to the light side instead of kicking it in the shadows with us. More employees to go around.” He sips his soda for a moment. “Why did you come out tonight, anyway? I thought you stayed in on weeknights.”

“Right. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.” Duke says it carefully, like he’s testing the waters. “I need advice.”

Tim has to admit that his chest puffs out a little at that. It’s not often people come to him for advice when Dick and Barbara are right there, all full of adult wisdom that Tim is too pitifully shrimpy to possess. “What’s up?”

“It’s kind of...personal.”

“Yes, Bruce does have special powder for suit-chafing. It’s in the cabinet under the first-aid supplies.”

“It’s not that,” Duke says, though he snorts in half-hearted laughter. He looks down at his hands like he’s dreading the words lodged in his throat. “What was it like, realizing you were a dude?”

One of Tim’s eyebrows shoots up. “Oh.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s an invasive question.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You just caught me off guard, is all.” It’s not like this is the first time someone has asked. Tim used to be uncomfortable talking about it, but he’s grown up since then. Talking about his trans journey is as normal as talking about what he did yesterday. He eats a fry. “What do you want to know?”

Duke searches Tim’s face for a sign that he’s lying, that he should back off. When he doesn’t find one, he asks, “How old were you when you figured it out?”

Tim thinks back. “Nine, I think? But even before that, it’s not like I ever really felt like a girl. I knew there was something wrong, but I didn’t know what. When I first heard about what being transgender meant, everything I’d been feeling until then clicked into place.”

“What was it like?” Duke asks, “growing up the way you did? Presenting as a girl when you knew you weren’t?”

Tim shrugs. “I don’t know. It was life at the time. I dealt with it.”

“Was it hard? Pretending to be something you weren’t?”

Tim doesn’t know what answer Duke is looking for, or why he’s so interested, but he won’t ask. “My parents always had this idea of me being the perfect daughter, all obedient and graceful and crap. I’m pretty sure their hope was to eventually marry me off to the highest bidder so they could reap the business benefits.”

“That sounds awful.”

Tim shrugs again. “I didn’t start feeling any different than I should have until around six or seven. I was always a tomboy. I liked doing boy stuff and playing sports, but my parents thought it was a phase I would grow out of. They’d make me wear dresses and go to fancy parties with them, all the while I just wanted to claw my skin off and go home.”

He remembers the nights he would lie awake in bed, imagining what it must be like to have been born someone else. Anyone else. To grow up as a little boy who was allowed to run around, to get dirty, to be himself instead of following some arbitrary guidelines someone else drew up the day he was born. He imagined what it would feel like to answer to a different name than the one he’d been given, which grated on his ears the longer time went on, like an itchy sweater he couldn’t shed. It was hell.

He gives Duke a sly grin. “But the upside of having absent parents is that there aren’t as many people watching you. No one cared if I went to school in the boy’s uniform instead of the girl’s. No one was there to stop me from cutting my hair short the way I wanted it.”

Duke's eyes widen. “You cut your own hair?”

“It went exactly the way you’re thinking. I had to go to the barber the next day and have them fix it because it was so uneven. But by the end of the day, it was the way I always imagined it. I was finally starting to look like the person I wanted to be.”

Duke stares intently at the remains of his burger as if the universe’s answers to an unspoken question were written in sesame seeds. “Did it get better after that? Did you feel...at peace?”

“‘Course not. The world wasn’t magically fixed just because I took a step in the right direction. My problems didn’t go away.” When he says that, Duke looks almost...disappointed? “But,” Tim adds, “it was better than it was before. I still had to act for my parents and the rest of the world, but I didn’t have to hide from myself anymore.”

“How did your parents react when they found out?”

Tim grimaces. “They...didn’t take it well.” He can still hear his father’s voice in his memories, bringing up therapy and camps and whatever places he could think of that would “fix” his little girl.

“But, after a while,” Tim continues, “it was clear that I wasn’t going to change my mind anytime soon. I guess they figured it would be easier to go along with it than fight me every step of the way. They still didn’t like it, but they tolerated it.”

Duke is quiet.

“Why do you ask?” Tim prods.

Duke’s expression doesn’t give anything away. It’s nights like this when Tim can see how perfectly Duke fits into this mental institution they call a family. For all that Duke thrives in the light, he keeps his cards just as close to his chest as the rest of them. He gives Tim a half-smile. “Just wondering.”

“Okay.”

They fall into weighted silence, the scales tipping on either side of their post, but never settling. Tim waits. He finishes his burger and busies himself with reorganizing the pouches in his belt, giving Duke the privacy to think.

“I don’t know,” Duke starts after several minutes, “if I’m a boy.” He looks at Tim. “I think I might be something else.”

“Okay,” Tim says calmly. “What do you feel like?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve always felt different, y’know? When I was a kid, it was because I was smarter than everyone in my class. And it was fine, because I knew what it was and how it worked and why it was a good thing, being the smart one. It made sense. Time went on, the other kids started catching up, but that mismatched feeling never went away. I never felt right in my skin.”

Duke’s face rises to the dark clouds, the Batsignal shining from the top of the police station like a holy beacon. “Then I met Batman. My powers started to come in and everything clicked into place, all at once. That was why I never felt like I fit in with everyone else, because I was different. I had powers. That must have been it.”

“But it wasn’t,” Tim guesses.

Duke shakes his head. “I thought it would be. I mean, what else could it have been, you know? It should have explained why I never felt at home in my identity. But time goes on, I learn how to use my powers, and it fixes some of it, but not everything. There’s still part of me that looks in the mirror and sees something off. Some detail out of place.”

“Do you feel like a girl?” Tim ventures to ask.

Duke folds over the corner of his straw wrapper again and again in tiny triangles. “Nah, I doubt it. I like some feminine things, but I don’t think I’m a girl. Or a guy. I think...I might be nonbinary?”

Tim does his best to channel Bruce’s “supportive dad” energy and smiles. “Okay. What pronouns do you want to use?”

“They/them, maybe? For a while?”

“Duly noted.” He puts a hand on Duke’s shoulder. “I really do appreciate you telling me.”

Duke rubs the back of their neck, their cheeks flushing. “It feels good to say out loud. Not just in my head.”

“Do you think you’re going to tell anyone else? You don’t have to if you’re not ready, but our whole family will support you.”

“Yeah.” Duke picks at their nails, nodding absently. “I know they will. I’m not worried about that.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

Duke takes a deep breath in, and Tim is reminded of a balloon close to bursting. “My parents aren’t dead. I’m going to get them back. And when I do...what are they going to think when they wake up after half a decade and find out that their son isn’t their son anymore? What if they don’t like the person they see?”

Tim can’t say that he hadn’t swum with the same thoughts years ago, back when the person who is Tim Drake was still on the drawing board. But there’s a difference between his situation and Duke’s. “Your parents love you, Duke. They’re not going to stop loving you just because you’ve grown up since they last saw you.”

“What if it’s too much? The superpowers and the crime-fighting and the new gender...it’s a lot to take in.”

“Well, sure,” Tim says. “It might take some time for them to get used to it, but this is who you are. They’re going to love it just as much as they love the rest of you.”

Duke smiles, and if their eyes are a little misty, Tim pretends not to notice.

“Besides,” he says. “If I were you, I’d just lead with the superpowers thing. Anything after that sounds perfectly acceptable.”

[chokemewanda]

Fun

Main Masterlist Only Child Series Masterlist part ten / part eleven / part twelve chapter warnings: violence, sarcasm, swearing, fatalist humour, nightmares, jealousy

"So this is what you do for fun?" Peter, for all the super-senses he boasted, almost fell off the side of the building he was sitting on. He caught himself with his web, hauling his body back over the edge of the building and gasping dramatically.

"You almost killed me." He told her, accusation heavy in his voice. She shrugged, taking a seat next to him, looking over the streets of Queen's. "What are you doing here?"

"I was officially ungrounded this morning. But I had homework so I've only just gotten time to leave the tower. Everyone else is asleep." She told him, picking at her nails. "I figured I'd come to see what you were up to."

"Patrol." He answered simply looking back out to the city. "There's been a couple of break-ins around here this week so I thought I'd just come out and keep watch."

"That sounds incredibly boring but my options are this or wait and hope someone has a nightmare so they can watch movies with me." She told him so she made herself comfortable and looked out at the darkness.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Peter asked quietly. "You're always up before I am when I stay at the tower and anytime I've come in late you're still up."

"Sleep and I are on bad terms. Have been since I was like twelve. I function best on short naps." She told him honestly. "I'm basically fuelled by spite and caffeine."

"Like any upstanding Gen-Z would be." He nodded, elbowing her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, taking in the unchanging landscape.

"So, besides sitting on buildings that have a ridiculous amount of stairs in them and fight the evil powers that be what do you do for fun?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Homework. Not like I've got time for hobbies." She nodded in understanding and the silence drifted in again. Y/N wasn't sure if Peter felt awkward but she sure did.

"So no girlfriend?" She asked and then hesitated. "Or boyfriend I guess. Or a nongendered specific person with whom you choose to spend time?"

"No." Peter laughed a little. "No one special. I've got a best friend though, he's great. His name is Ned and he's like in love with you?"

"Is he?" She asked idly.

"Well, he thinks your hot and that you kick ass," Peter told her.

"Understandable. My new suit has been doing wonders for my image. Tony knows how to look good while staying protected." She had even spotted a Buzzfeed article about it and her ego had grown hugely.

"I mean Steve's suit? The one Tony made him? Shapes his ass way better." Peter nodded his head as he agreed with her point.

"Thank you! I've been telling him that forever. Bucky can't keep his eyes off him half the time he's wearing it." She laughed and Peter tilted his head.

"I've been wondering, are they uh- you know, together?" He asked, unsure if it was okay.

"We don't really know. They share a bed but that's been happening since Bucky came back and he was, you know, understandably traumatized. Also apparently they used to share a bed before because there was only one in their shitty apartment." Y/N told Peter who absorbed the information. "I mean they're definitely soulmates. But I'm not sure if it's platonically or not."

"You guys seem like the sort of people who would meddle with that sort of thing," Peter said and she winced.

"Not anymore. There was a time when we thought Natasha and Bruce might be good together but that went pear-shaped so fast and Bruce disappeared for a little while. He came back eventually but we all just collectively don't mention it." She told him.

"Oh, I thought Natasha and Clint were a thing?" Peter asked.

"Nah. They're platonic soulmates, I'd bet Pietro's life on it." She explained and Peter laughed.

"Why Pietro's life?" He asked.

"My life is much more important. I could never risk it with something so trivial as a bet." Peter laughed and she smiled, leaning against him as the night wore on. They talked about stupid things like his classmates and how they all generally ignored him which would be a bother if he didn't have Ned. Besides they were all obsessed with Spiderman which he found hilarious.

"That Spiderman is a bit of a dork. I don't see the appeal." She shrugged.

"Hey, I'm not going to argue." Peter laughed and sighed as the sun began to rise. "Well, that's my cue to get some sleep before school."

"I'm going to hang around for another while, make everyone worry about the fact I disappeared, and then appear with Starbucks. Wins them over every time." She shrugged and Peter laughed, shaking his head and swinging away from the roof.

///

Peter settled in startlingly well with the Avengers. He got used to the way things worked in the Tower with ease and Y/N would have to begrudgingly accept the fact that he wasn't as bad as she thought he was.

That was until she began to notice subtle changes in their routine that now included Peter. She was okay with the swap from waffles to pancakes in the morning. Even grudgingly accepted that Monopoly was not the board game of choice on game nights anymore.

She even managed to control herself when she found Bruce and Peter working on cell synthesis in the lab together when he was supposed to be showing her how to make something that would explode.

All these baby steps led to her time with the others being cut down and she held it all in, accepted that things changed sometimes. She drew the line at stumbling out of her room, her nightmares stealing away her sleep once more only to find the horror's of her dreams had nothing on the reality of finding Steve and Peter watching Bob's Burgers.

She wasn't ashamed to admit she went back to her room and cried.

She stopped making an effort with Peter after that day, instead running herself ragged to remind everyone that she was their favorite kid. That Peter was a poor replacement.

It started with handing in all her homework on time, as it was asked of her. She stopped bothering with Robert Frost and studied Sylvia Plath. She handed in all her chemistry work on time hoping that Bruce would invite her to his and Peter's little science bro's session. No such luck, Peter was too smart.

She stopped going out to the living room after her nightmares because she knew she'd only feel worse if she found Peter watching one of her comfort programs with someone.

She still hadn't entirely forgiven Steve but she hadn't told him that. He wouldn't care.

[taglist: @llamadramaonthefarma ]

[kyber-crystal]

Maybe It’s Meant To Be

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~3.7k

Summary: Sometimes, love finds people in unexpected ways. In this case, fate has extra special plans for America’s golden boy and one of SHIELD’s best agents in history. And you know there’s no running away from fate once she’s set out your futures for you. 

Warnings: mentions of violence and blood, angst, and once again, soft steve :)

A/N: I haven’t attempted a soulmate AU in over a year. this is one of my fav works but it’s really poorly written rip. The age gap between you and Steve is ~3 years. 2017 AU where they made up after the Accords :) Steve’s back with his WS look bc that suit was hot af

Tags: @pies-writes-and-more​ this is for you! THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING SO ACTIVE ON MY BLOG AND FOR YOUR SWEET AND SUPER ENCOURAGING WORDS. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. AND @marvelsswansong BECAUSE YOU'RE MY IDOL AND I LOOK UP TO YOU YOU'RE AMAZING

Soulmates.

You'd heard plenty about them growing up. Seeing your parents' perfect relationship blossom over the years piqued your interest, and for the longest time, your only wish was to find someone who could love you with their whole heart and soul and mind, like the way your Mom and Dad loved each other.

Unfortunately, as all stories must come to an end, love stories had to find their ending. And not all of them ended on a high note.

Their jobs should've kept them apart from the beginning. Your mother was head surgeon at one of the best hospitals in Brooklyn, and your father was head of SHIELD's navy division. Constantly out and about, they were rarely granted any time to rest. Yet they still found a way to make things work; and it all started because of a run-in at a café around the corner.

Then when you were fifteen, you got word that your father had been deployed overseas again, but this time, he wasn't coming back.

You had to stand there and watch your mother slowly fall apart, breaking down a little more each day until she fell gravely ill. A mere week after her diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, she passed away in her sleep.

A person's soulmark didn't appear at a specific time. It could show up at any point in their lives, when the Gods believed the time was right for them. When those Gods felt the time was right for you to find out who it was, you'd feel a slight tingle where the mark was etched into your skin.

Some people didn't receive the soulmark at all. Along with this came a sense of freedom to fall in love with whoever they pleased, but often times it would end in a loveless relationship. But they were additionally granted the ability of being able to carry on by themselves.

If your soulmate got injured in any way, you would feel the same pain that they endured. And if they died, you would carry a weight around with you for the rest of your life that slowly progressed into a disease. So ultimately, those left in the world without their soulmate would also die in the end, further proving the claim of humans being unable to live without love.

One by one, you watched your friends find their match. They would excited come up to you, goofy grins on their faces as they showed you their marks. You were happy for them in the beginning, of course. But as years went by, and you passed adulthood with still no sign of your designated soulmark, you slowly began losing hope. There was no point in looking forward to the future when you watched one fall apart before your very eyes.

Maybe it was because of your job. None of the Avengers had received their soulmarks either, asides from Tony and Pepper. But they were an exception. Everyone could see it coming from the day they first met, judging by the way they lovingly gazed at each other from across the room. It was a match made in heaven.

You believed that maybe, just maybe, you were destined to be alone. So when you woke up one morning with the burn mark on your wrist, you were taken completely by surprise.

"Hey, Tony? Bruce?" you asked, walking into the lab with a frown. "I need to ask you guys a quick question."

"Ask away, Killer," Tony nodded, using the nickname he'd given you years ago when you first joined the initiative. "What's on your mind?"

"So, um..." you fiddled with the sleeve of your sweatshirt for a moment, before pulling it up to reveal the mark, "this happened."

"That's a soulmark," he stated.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock," you rolled your eyes. "But why would it appear now? I don't see any sign of me meeting them anytime soon."

"When did it appear?"

"I don't know. I woke up this morning and saw it."

"Let me take a look at that," Bruce carefully took ahold of your wrist, squinting as he adjusted his glasses to peer at the mark, "huh. So it appeared last night...have you felt any side-effects?"

"Not that I know of yet, no..."

"If you start feeling any severe symptoms, I can prescribe you some medication to deal with the pain, though I doubt that's going to happen. In the meantime, we need to figure out who this could be."

"Imagine if it was someone who already died, and I'm slowly dying right now," you joked.

"No, if that were to be true, you'd be lying in a hospital bed right now."

"Does the symbol have any specific meaning?"

"That I'm not so sure about," Tony shrugged.

Bruce was silent as he began typing away for a bit, before turning the screen over to you.

"I've checked out over a dozen different sites about this, and..."

"And what?"

"Well...once both people discover their mark, they have a week to find each other before both of them disappear off the face of the earth, forever."

"Sounds like a damn time bomb to me," you muttered. "What the hell? I thought that the point of this whole thing was the gods trying to push us with someone else! Not the other way around!"

"I don't know, Y/N," Bruce sighed. "Feel free to do your own research, but everything I've read up on so far says the same thing."

"So basically, what you're telling me is I'm gonna die if I don't find out who the hell has this same mark as I do," you repeated.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Well, I'll have to worry about that later. Got a briefing with Cap, Bucky, and Wilson in five. Fury's gonna kill me if I'm late again," you breathed out as you tugged your hoodie's sleeve back down. "See ya."

"Agent Y/N," Nick Fury gave you a curt nod as you burst into the meeting room, breathless. "I hope you slept well last night."

"Of course."

"I need you four to track down a weapons dealer in Skagway," he explained as he handed Steve a black manila file folder, "shut down the base, download the intel onto the flashdrive. You’ll be staying at a safe house in Juneau afterwards for about a week to keep things on the down-low in case something goes wrong. Simple in-and-out job."

"When are we leaving?" Sam questioned.

"You're taking off in half an hour. Suit up."

You sighed. Finding your soulmate would just have to wait, then.

...

"Y/N, look out!"

You quickly whipped around and narrowly missed a bullet whizzing past you, as Steve tugged you around the corner, an arm wrapped firmly around your torso as he hid you both behind his shield.

You gasped as you felt a sharp pain in your chest, and Steve immediately pulled away from you in alarm, gripping your shoulders worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you panted, trying to steady your rapid breathing, “I’m fine. But we’re gonna have to split up from here if we wanna get the job done faster.”

“Y/N, I can’t-”

“Steve,” you interrupted, the firm tone of voice making him immediately shut up. “I can handle myself just fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure! Go find Sam and Bucky, and I’ll meet you guys by the rendezvous point as soon as I’m done. Okay?”

“Alright.” He looked around for a moment before stepping away, as if he was hesitant to leave you on your own.

Ignoring the slight ache in your chest, you parted ways, darting down the hall with your guns up and ears alert. 

From there, it was easy to fall into your usual routine. Keep all eyes and ears open; don’t hesitate, shoot on sight unless ordered otherwise. If necessary, engage powers but if not, use your fists or bullets. The mantra repeated itself over and over in your head as you followed through with your job.

You hid behind a tower of wooden crates, back pressed up against the steel walls. “Sam. Status update?”

“Controls room with Barnes, disabling all security systems. Steve’s retrieving intel from the north wing. You?”

“Outside on standby,” you murmured, keeping a finger pressed to your ear. Three technicians were loading equipment onto crates as the other six stood guard several yards away. “I make nine hostiles on the load dock straight ahead at twelve o’clock. Three dozen in total scattered around the area. Most likely preparing for an overseas arms trade. We’ll have to stop them.”

“And...done. We’re heading your way,” Bucky reported. “Be there in three.”

“Roger that.”

Exactly three minutes and two seconds later Bucky showed up, with Steve and Sam in tow. You came out from your hiding spot and began making your way towards the loading dock where the agents were stationed. They were quick to stop what they were doing and noticed the four of you approaching, whipping their snipers out and proceeding to open fire.

...

Your breath came out in white wisps of fog as you got caught in between a fistfight with one of the three dozen men on the docks, the freezing cold slowing all your movements and making them feel more sluggish than usual. If it weren’t for the thick material of your suit and your enhancements, you would’ve succumbed to the harsh weather hours ago.

The man captured you into a tight headlock with his thick arm but despite your frostbite you were too fast; you quickly whipped around and grabbed his wrist, twisting it to the side. His eyes widened slightly as he cried out in pain, the sickening crunch of bone echoing through the frigid Alaskan air as you swiftly dodged each one of moves as he attempted to come at you, countering with a sharp right hook to his jaw. 

His body slumped to the ground with a thump. 

“Why the hell do you even carry around a sniper if your fists do all the work for you?” Sam yelled over the cacophony as he released Redwing, swooping down from the rooftops. “Seriously, you don’t need guns! You’re strong enough as it is!”

“I prefer versatility in fights, Wilson!” you yelled back, grunting as you dodged a blow to the stomach, sweeping out your attacker’s feet from underneath him as his head smacked against the wall, before sliding down to the ground with a dull thud. 

“Y/N, look out-” Bucky called out, but it was too late. You didn’t get to hear his warning in time before you felt something cold and hard hit your lower abdomen. A yell of pain ripped through your throat as you felt a sticky warmth spread across your skin, your knees hitting the ground as you clutched the wound.

At that exact moment, Steve felt a sharp pain flare up his side as well. “Shit,” he cursed to himself, “Buck, cover me so I can get to her.”

You were barely clinging on to life by the time he reached you. Your breathing was heavy and labored, your eyes beginning to roll back as you struggled to stay awake. Everything hurt. Your arms and legs felt like they were weighed down with bricks. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t open your mouth to scream, either - you had no energy left to do so.

“Come on, Y/N, stay with me, please stay with me,” he muttered as he began carefully applying pressure to your wound. You let out a hiss of pain at the same time he did. “Just hang in there for me, please. Sam’s getting the Quinjet ready. We’re gonna get out of here in just a few minutes, okay? Please don’t die on me.”

“Look, if I don’t make it-”

“Don’t say that,” he spoke in between clenched teeth while fighting back tears of his own, “you’re not going to die. Not today, not tomorrow, and certainly not on my watch.”

“Steve…” you croaked out, the stinging from the wound almost becoming impossible to bear. Your eyes were becoming heavier by the second, your body throbbing painfully now that all the adrenaline had worn off. It was a struggle just to take in a single breath and to stay awake. "I'm so tired, I can't do this anymore..."

He disappeared from your line of sight as your began seeing spots at the edges of your vision momentarily, before reappearing and pulling you into his lap, trying to put pressure on the area of injury again in an attempt to stem the bleeding. But it didn’t seem to work. There was so much blood. So much of it, coming out so fast. There was no way you’d last out here for longer than ten minutes before bleeding to death.

"Stay with me..." he murmured as he looked up around him. "Hang in there for a few more minutes, please…Damn it, Sam, how much longer is this gonna take? Y/N’s down. We gotta get her to the safe house as soon as we can. She’s bleeding out.”

"Three minutes, tops. I’m circling the perimeter as an extra precaution," Sam replied. "You guys hang tight for a sec."

"We don't have time!" he raised his voice. "Just hurry the hell over here."

"I'm so sorry," you choked out before going into a coughing fit, blood dripping down your lips and chin much to Steve’s alarm. "I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for being reckless and not keeping a look ou—"

"Shhh, it's okay," he soothed, "There’s nothing to be sorry about. Just save your energy for later, okay? You're gonna be just fine."

"Hold my hand," you begged hoarsely.

"I already am," the super-soldier answered, but his look shifted to that of an alarmed one when he realized you couldn't feel it. "Y/N—"

"I'm cold," you said weakly, already feeling your limbs grow heavy and numb and your vision growing blurrier with each passing second. "I'm so tired, Cap, I just wanna sleep—"

"No no no, please don't leave me," he pleaded as he felt his head begin to spin as well. Where had the sudden wave of dizziness come from? "Hang in there for a little longer, please, I l—"

You didn’t get to hear the rest of his sentence before your eyes fluttered shut and everything went dark.

...

When you came to, your throat felt dry and raw, the metallic taste of dried blood around your lips and chin overwhelming your senses as you adjusted your eyes to the harsh bright lights streaming into the room. It looked like you were in some sort of antique coastal house, strangely void of belongings with the only decoration being a plain floral calendar hung on the wall opposite you, above the fireplace.

You were still in your suit, but your wound had been treated and wrapped up in a thick set of bandages. The couch you were on was old but extremely comfortable, so you found yourself not wanting to sit up at the same time you wanted to get up and look around.

The blinds were drawn shut, but the sunlight still managed to shine through. It was light outside, but you  weren’t sure what time it really was. The walls were a dull grey, and if you listened hard enough you could hear the faint ticking of a nearby clock and probably Bucky or Sam talking on the phone upstairs with someone in hushed whispers.

You finally pulled yourself up into a sitting position, glancing around at your surroundings. Someone quietly entered the living room and you looked up to see Steve. His shoulders sagged in relief upon seeing that you were awake.

“Hey,” his voice came out so softly it took both of you by surprise. You moved over slightly to make room for him to sit. “How are you feeling?”

“Like crap,” you groaned lightly, feeling a dull ache in your stomach where you’d been hit. “But other than that, I’m fine. What about you? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“Body aches that come and go, but I’m fine. It isn’t your place to be worrying about me right now though, Y/N. You got shot.”

The curtains fluttered and a cool breeze rushed in, making you shiver. Steve took notice and stood up to go light up the fireplace, then sat back down and wrapped the fleece blanket around your body. You let out a small sigh of contentment. “Thanks.”

“Are you sure you’re alright? You knocked out for over twenty-six hours .”

“I’m fine, Steve, just tired...hey, how’s Bucky and Sam?”

“Sam’s upstairs radioing Fury on the mission status. Bucky’s taking a nap in the guest room.”

“Oh. Okay. So, I-” you were interrupted by a sharp stabbing sensation in your wrist. “Ow. Fuck.”

“Language,” he joked lightly, but when he saw the obvious pained expression on your face, his face fell. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just...I get those random pains from time to time. I don’t know why, but...they’ve gotten worse since we took off for Skagway and then came here...”

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, eyes glassy with unshed tears, “I should’ve kept a closer watch over you. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine...I should’ve watched my own back better.”

You both fell into an awkward silence for several minutes before he spoke up again, the realization finally dawning on him. 

"Y/N."

"What?"

"Your wrist."

Your brows furrowed in confusion as you looked down and saw the star glowing brightly, sending a white-hot pain down your arm. "What about it?"

Steve pulled at his shirt's sleeve for a few seconds before lifting it up to reveal the same exact symbol.

"We're soulmates," you breathed out, the realization hitting you like a flash flood.

"Yeah, I guess we are, huh," he smiled softly.

“W-when did yours appear?”

“Monday afternoon.”

“Mine appeared in the morning...I showed it to Tony and Bruce and they said I had a week to find who it was or both me and my soulmate would die. So I guess we got lucky, huh? Only four more days, then...”

“Yeah, we did,” he exhaled. “I’m glad you’re the one. I can’t imagine living out the rest of my life with anyone else.”

“But Peggy...”

“She found her soulmate decades ago,” he explained, “which explained why our relationship was so short-lived. I didn’t expect to find mine...especially not after coming out of the ice. Maybe I had this coming from the get-go, I’d wonder...”

“Then how come they’d appear now?” Your brows furrowed together in confusion. “I don’t get it. We’ve known each other for years.”

“Because it was only this year that I accepted it.”

“Accepted what?”

“That I’d fallen in love with you, and I kept that inside for far too long.”

“You...what?” You were officially rendered speechless. 

“Yeah,” he chuckled lightly, face breaking into a gorgeous, million-dollar grin before turning serious again, lowering his voice. “Y/N, I’m in love with you. You are my infinity and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re my present and my future, and I hate that I couldn’t see that sooner. I should’ve known from the start that Peggy and I wouldn’t work out, but I never understood why...until I met you. I didn’t believe in the concept of soulmates because I felt I was undeserving of that love, but then you came along...and I started hoping and praying I’d find someone who’d love me as much as I love you. So now that I know for sure it’s you, that it always has been and always will be...I couldn’t be more happier that you’re my soulmate.”

You didn’t realize you were crying until he reached forward to brush your hair away from your face and wipe the stray tears that fell, before wrapping an arm around you and gently pulling you towards him.

“God, I made you cry, I’m so sorry,” he choked on a sob of his own. “I’m the worst.”

“I’m not mad at you, Steve,” you sniffed as you wiped your nose with your sleeve, and looked up and cracked a small grin. “You’re just so cheesy.”

“Can I kiss you?” he whispered, so quiet you almost didn’t catch what he said. 

“You can kiss me any day, Captain,” you smiled.

“I love you more than you know.”

“I know. I love you too.”

He then brought a hand up to cup your face, allowing his thumb to lightly skim against your cheek, his warm breath fanning against your skin.

When his lips met yours, it was like you were turning back the clock. Everything in the world stopped and held its breath,  and all the hurt, all the sadness and heartache and pain bottled up inside your body, washed away.

...

BONUS

“HOLY SHIT, Y’ALL ARE SOULMATES?”

The sound of Sam’s screeching made you finally break apart for air. You could’ve been like that for two minutes, two hours, or two weeks, you weren’t sure.

You blushed and quickly averted your gaze. 

Steve’s face was as red as a tomato. “Yeah. We are.”

“I KNEW IT! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GONNA HAPPEN BETWEEN THEM SOON! PAY UP, BARNES! YOU OWE ME TWENTY BUCKS.”

“Come on, man,” Bucky groaned, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill. “We’re gonna head back home soon, anyways! And you’re not even poor.”

“A bet’s a bet, Barnes.”

“Of course you two bet on it,” you groaned. “Classic Sambucky activity.”

...

NINE MONTHS LATER

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Captain Rogers,” Fury announced, a rare smile gracing his normally stoic features. 

Steve did his best not to break down sobbing as he slid the ring onto your finger. With the backdrop of the waves gently crashing against the shore and the sun slowly sinking lower and lower into the horizon, he leaned down and cupped your face in his hands, passionately pressing his lips to yours. Your soulmarks glowed brightly in tandem, lighting up in a brilliant gold hue. 

Needless to say, there wasn’t a single dry eye in the house. 

[kumeko]

For @dickgraysonexchange2020, for courage_boss! I had a lot of fun with this one.

Prompt: Dick gets a coupon book for his bday and uses all but the last one.

…

…

…

…

If there was one good thing about Bruce Wayne’s string of adoptions, it was that events were never a quiet affair. No matter how much Jason or Damian might have wanted them to be. Dick, on the other hand, embraced the fullness of the manor. The place felt too empty and stuffy on a normal day, what with most of the family out and about.

 It was only for special days, like his birthday, that everyone gathered together again. Between his friends and family, every room felt full, the manor bursting with sound and life. A far cry from the dreary dinners when it had just been the three of them, with Bruce awkwardly figuring out parenting and Alfred kindly filling in the gaps.

 Walking around with a slice of cake, Dick spotted Alfred and grinned. He meandered over. “Alfred, one of these days, you’re going to realize just how much you’d make running a restaurant.”

 Alfred chuckled. “Perhaps, Master Richard, but the last time I left, the manor collapsed.” His expression was fond. “It’s too much work fixing it after.”

 “That…” Dick couldn’t even argue. Anytime Alfred left on vacation, sabbatical, whatever, nothing went right. The kitchen burned. Bruce forgot to eat or sleep. Mold and dust became new tenants. “It’s all a ploy to keep you here longer.”

 “Then it is certainly working.” His smile looked more amused than weary. “You certainly do keep me on my toes.”

“Dick!” Tim poked his head out of the study. Spotting him, he gestured for him to come. “Got a sec?”

 “It’s only a party,” Dick teased, nodding to Alfred before going. “Not like I have anything important to miss.”

 Tim rolled his eyes. “You could have been talking to someone.” Despite his cavalier words, his cheeks reddened from embarrassment.

 Dick didn’t press the matter, storing it away instead for later teasing. “What’s up?” he asked as he stepped into the study.

 There was no such thing as a small room in the Wayne manor. Yet, crowded with Damian, Cassandra, Tim, Bruce, and Jason, the study suddenly felt cozy. Dick grinned, unable to help himself. “The whole gang’s here!”

 Jason clicked his teeth. “Let’s get it over with.”

 “For once, I agree with the failure,” Damian added, crossing his arms.

 “Aww, don’t be like that.” Dick sidled up to them, planting himself in between. Before they could react, he loped an arm around their shoulders. “You both came, after all.”

 “I made sure of it,” Bruce said simply. Dick wasn’t sure what that entailed. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

 Damian squawked. “I didn’t—”

 “Don’t you—” Jason growled, tossing off Dick’s arm.

 “We got you a gift!” Tim interrupted, before a fight could erupt. He held out a small, neatly wrapped box. The wrapping paper and ribbon were a soft blue, matching his Nightwing costume. “Everyone chipped in.”

 “Chipped in?” Dick reluctantly let go of the two to accept. Ignoring how Damian and Jason immediately escaped to the other side of the room, he carefully pulled the ribbons and unwrapped. What could it possibly be, if everyone chipped in and it was so tiny? Tickets? A gadget? A thick wad of cash?

 Oddly enough, none of those. Instead there was a small book inside, roughly the size of a chequebook. Scrawled neatly on the top was Coupons.

 “A coupon book?” Confused, he looked up at Tim. “You guys chipped in for a coupon book?”

 “Look inside,” Tim encouraged, his smile so wide it nearly split his face in half.

 “Okay…” Still bemused, he quickly flipped through the pages. Defeat your enemies. Do a chore. Take the night off. Massage. The writing differed from page to page, from Damian’s neat, cramped writing to Cassandra’s messy flowing one. Most of them were made by Tim though, and they were of course all the normal ones.

 It was better than anything he’d imagined. Feeling utterly soft, he quickly hugged Tim. “Thanks.” Without missing a beat, he pounced on Damian and Jason. Despite their protests, they didn’t squirm out of his grip. Finally, he rounded on Cass and Bruce, both of which hugged him back awkwardly, as though they weren’t sure quite how.

 “I can’t believe you made this,” he said, finally untangling himself.

 “Well, considering everything we have, it’s hard to buy gifts.” Tim shrugged. “Steph had the idea, actually.”

 Well, that made sense. She always had the fun, interesting ideas.  Dick made note to thank her later. “I can’t believe you two agreed to this,” he said, looking at Damian and Jason.

 “A little strong arming from Cass,” Tim explained.

 “I did not get threa—” Damian protested, glaring at Tim. Hopefully this didn’t lead to the two of them stabbing each other in the batcave later. Then again, there was a clean the batcave ticket too, maybe he could have them clean up after their mess.

 “I did not have to…convince Damian,” Cassandra replied stiffly. Despite how much time had passed, words were still her second most fluent language. “He was…agreeing to this.”

 “Really?” Jason guffawed.

 “That’s because no one can strong arm me,” Damian growled, his lips curling into a sneer as he glared at Jason. “And that means she did strong arm you.”

 “Stop,” Bruce warned, rubbing his forehead. “We’re in the middle of a party.”

 “Oh, don’t worry, I have that covered.” Dick whistled as he flipped through the coupon book, stopping at one of them. Tearing it out, he grinned. “Now, one of you two has to compliment me…who should I pick?”

 -x-

 “You…want me to cook?” Cassandra’s brow furrowed as she stared at the little slip of paper in her hands.

 “More or less.” Dick grinned as he led the way to his kitchen. His apartment was a small thing compared to the manor, but it was home, and there was something energizing about having someone over. If there was one thing he loved about the coupon book above all else, it was that it gave him an excuse to invite his far-flung family over.

 She cocked her head, still looking troubled. “I am not…good at it.”

 “That’s fine!” Dick hummed as he pulled out two aprons from his cupboard, handing one over to her. “As long as it’s edible.”

 “You…have one too?” Cassandra awkwardly stared at the bird-print apron, then at him.

 Laughing, he slowly put it on, demonstrating how to tie it all together. He should have expected that; his family was more comfortable fighting than they were in the kitchen, and it showed. “Yeah, we’ll cook together. It’s more fun that way, right?”

 Cassandra smiled, a small thing, and nodded. “Yes.”

 -x-

 Standing next to the old grandfather clock, Bruce crossed his arms. Honestly, he didn’t need to wear a mask to intimidate; his scowl was more than enough to scare off any random two-bit goon. “This isn’t what they were intended for.”

 Despite his words, he still hadn’t opened the passage to the batcave, and Dick considered that victory. It at least meant that Bruce was willing to hear him out. Holding out the paper, he shook his head. “How? I’m using them.”

 Bruce’s frown grew deeper. “Dick, that is supposed to be a night off for you.”

 “No, it just says night off.” Honestly, Bruce should have known better: Dick loved arguing semantics. Finding loopholes in Bruce’s rules was what he lived for. “So I’m giving you a night off.”

 “I—”

 “Babs and the Birds of Prey agreed to cover.” Dick pressed the coupon on Bruce’s chest confidently. “You’re not in the middle of a case. Perfect time for a night in.”

 “Dick…” Bruce ran a hand through his hair. Another push and he’d cave in. “Look, I appreciate it, but…”

 “Master Richard, Master Bruce.” Alfred stepped into the room and while Dick would never accuse him of something as underhanded as eavesdropping, the timing was suspect. “I have prepared the living room for your marathon. Master Timothy and Miss Cassandra are already there, though Master Damian has refused to join.”

 “Et tu, Alfred?” Bruce sighed, giving in. “Fine, but drag Damian down too, Dick. He’s not allowed to worm his way out.”

 “The if I go down, he goes down with me gambit.” Dick grinned. “I got it covered.”

 -x-

 Tim stared at the fruity mocktail he was holding, worrying his bottom lip. “I don’t think this is what Jason had in mind.”

 “I never go by what Jason has in mind,” Dick countered, drinking his own cocktail. Sipping from his ridiculously curly straw, he leaned back in his seat. “It’s always more fun that way.”

 “That’s…true,” Tim reluctantly agreed, surveying the rest of the batcave.

 Honestly, there couldn’t be anything better than relaxing by the computer, eating popcorn, and watching Damian and Jason handle all of the cleaning. Sure, they had automated robots and machines to handle this. This chore had been struck from the list years ago, after Bruce had upgraded the whole cave.

 Yet, sometimes Dick just wanted to see things done the old-fashioned way. Like Jason washing the batcar. Or Damian scrubbing the costumes. Both of them were quietly swearing as they worked, occasionally shooting him a dirty glare. He didn’t have to read their minds to know he’d have to watch his sleep for the next week; if they could murder him, they would.

 “Don’t forget the bat droppings,” he added cheerfully.

 If he was going to die young, might as well go out with a bang.

  -x-

 Dick sighed as he stared at the coupon book. In the span of a month, he’d managed to use almost all thirty of them, most of them in the most frivolous way possible. He didn’t regret it; it had been fun. No matter what ridiculous thing he came up with, his family had done it. Begrudgingly, at times, but they’d still done it.

 The whole thing had given them so many excuses to hang out, no matter what else was going on in their lives. And now it was all over. All he had left was a single Do whatever you say for a day ticket. One last one and the gift would be done.

 He sighed again. This gift was far too precious to use on a passing whim. Carefully, he folded up that last coupon, tucking it in securely into his wallet. Dick would save it for the best opportunity, for the final memory that couldn’t be replaced. A rainy day when he needed a pick-me-up.

 More importantly, it literally would force someone to do whatever he said for a day. Power like that had to be considered before he used it.

[endof-theline]

Day 22- Tropetember: Age Changes AU

Day 22 of super early Tropetember with Age Changes AU! No one quite knew how old Tony Stark was and he liked it that way, too bad he lives with nosey spies...

On Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32753695

No one quite knew how old Tony Stark was, as a baby his parents refused to tell people when he was born and constantly said different ages when they were asked and it carried on through the whole of Tony's life up until they died in that car accident. Tony knew why they kept his age a secret and he kept it going, he liked having some small part of him that was just his, he knew his age, he knew his birthday and no one needed to know it but him.

It helped that Tony was a kid genius and went through schooling rapidly which threw everyone off their guesses, no one was sure if the schools were in on throwing off his age as they reported him rushing through school in a few years or if Tony really was just that intelligent.

Of course it was harder when he had friends that wanted to celebrate, Tony trusted them absolutely but this was a secret that no one ever knew about him so he gave them the month and a shorter age range than the public had for him. The public went between twenty five to thirty five which was just guessing from what his parents had said as a kid, Rhodey and Pepper were given twenty one to twenty six and they were stunned at how wrong the public had his age.

It was even harder once Tony became Iron Man, Shield hated not knowing his age and had to use the rough guesses of the public as Tony denied them at every turn and constantly said different ages or dates of birth. When Tony joined The Avengers, the team also hated not knowing how old he was and it had been a long-term argument over it and the lack of trust he showed to them, there had been threats of throwing Tony off the team but no one could deny that Tony was good at what he did.

He juggled Iron Man, Shield Consultant and his work for Stark Industries like a master. He had promoted Pepper to CEO as soon as he took on Shield's extra work since he knew he wouldn't have time and didn't want to ruin his father's good work.

It was almost the end of May and Pepper had made the mistake of not checking for nosey Avengers when she saw Tony, he grinned immediately and was pulled to her and into a tight hug.

She didn't think about it when she chirped "Happy Birth-Month, Tony!" Tony tensed briefly but smiled and accepted the kiss on his cheek before she spotted the Avengers all sitting around in the kitchen behind Tony, Pepper swore under her breath but Tony just chuckled.

"It's okay, Pepper, couldn't keep it from them forever" Tony reassured her before she dragged him into the common area and pushed him down onto the sofa with a grin, knowing that Tony would prefer the distraction instead of fussing over the mistake.

"I know you don't like present, but we got you this small thing because I think it's sad you never got anything special for it" Pepper explained before she pulled out a black box and pushed it into Tony's hands, Tony poked his tongue out at her before opening the box and looking surprised to find a watch "I know you have a million watches, but it's special, look at the back"

Tony carefully slipped the metal watch out from the box and turned it over to read the engraving on the back 'Happy 21st Birthday Tony, love Pepper and Rhodey', Tony stared at it for a moment before carefully putting it back in the box and setting it to the side. Pepper quickly went to defend her and Rhodey's thinking but was cut off by Tony hugging her tight and pressing his face to her shoulder, Pepper cooed when she felt her shoulder slowly grow damp as Tony cried weakly.

"Oh sweetheart" She cooed as she started to run her fingers through his hair, Tony very rarely hugged them and started the contact himself so she knew that this hug was special for them "It's okay, you're alright, do you like it?" Tony just nodded into her shoulder making her smile, Natasha came over with a curious look on her face so Pepper just nodded over to the box and watched as Natasha read the words on the back and gave her a questioning look to which Pepper shrugged at "No one knows how old you are, but so many people have something to celebrate their twenty-first and we didn't want you to miss out"

"I really love it, th-thank you" Tony sat back and wiped furiously at his face before looking up to Pepper with a shy smile on his face "I don't have anything with my birthday on or anything, this is so great"

Tony took it gently from Natasha and quickly replaced the watch he was wearing to his new one from Pepper and Rhodey, smiling away anytime his eyes caught the metal and he wondered what he did to get such amazing friends. He wanted to tell them his birthday, he wanted them to know how old he actually is, but it terrified him to put that information out into the world.

But for today, Pepper made sure that he didn't have to think about his fear as she had cleared their day and spent it how Tony loved to spend their birthdays together, curled up with ice cream and horrible rom-coms that made them both cry.

"29th of May, 2000" Natasha said confidently in front of the team, minus Thor who was off-world, everyone just shot her confused looks before she pointed to Tony who was staring at her in shock "That's his birthday, he's twenty-one"

The room exploded into noise as the team argued with Natasha about how accurate and how she had found out, they argued if Tony should even be allowed on the team if he was just barely a legal adult, what it meant for Tony to have joined the team a couple years ago and joined Shield a year before that. They bickered between themselves and completely ignored the man in question who had curled up into a ball in his armchair, hands covering his ears and eyes screwed shut.

"He's too young, he shouldn't be risking his life!" Steve snapped and was quickly caught off guard when the argument died as a sob silenced them, their heads whipping round to find where it came from and finally saw Tony as he sobbed.

Tony flinched hard when a hand landed on his shoulder, eyes peeking out from the protective huddle he had formed to look up to Steve who had knelt down to meet his eyes. Steve did well not to react to how terrified Tony looked, how devastated he seemed now that the team knew. He looked every part of a scared child that it knocked Steve sideways for a second as he quickly realised that Tony had to grow up a lot quicker than anyone should ever have too.

"It's okay, Tony, you're not in trouble" Steve said calmly and winced slightly as Tony couldn't hold back a cry at his words "What's got you so scared, just us knowing or something else?"

"N-No one has known since I was fourteen" Tony croaked and leant into Steve's touch as the blonde squeezed his shoulder gently, a little smile on the blonde's face as Steve encouraged to speak up "You want me g-gone"

"Not gone, Tony. It's just scary for us having someone so young risking his life with us, you could die on the missions we go on and you're barely a legal adult" Steve said calmly and Tony screwed up his nose at that, the team all coming to sit around Steve so Tony could see them as they spoke "You've got the weight of the world on your shoulders and have done since you were a kid, have you ever had time to just be a kid?"

"M'not a kid" Tony grumbled which just made his team chuckle at him as Steve grinned at him brightly before Tony shook his head slowly "Mum and Dad said it was better if I made myself seem older"

"And you did a good job of it too, but you deserve to be able to go out and do things people your age do. Have you ever been to a bar or gone travelling?" Clint asked in a soft voice and smiled weakly when Tony just shook his head innocently, Tony's face was still streaked with tears and he was still holding himself defensively as he looked over his team.

"I don't want to though, I like doing this, I like working with you guys and Shield and SI" Tony refused as tears gathered in his eyes again and Steve carefully wiped away the tears before Tony could cry again, the soft gesture making his bottom lip shake slightly as he tried harder not to cry "I don't wanna go"

"Go?" Bruce prompted and Tony just nodded with a whimper "What do you mean 'go'?"

"Y-You're gonna make me leave" Tony's voice came out as a whine as the tears fell again, he rolled with Steve as he was pulled into Steve's lap and was hugged tight "I don't want too!"

"We're not making you leave, Tony, we just want you to understand why it's hard for us to have someone so young on the team" Steve hushed him as Tony clung to him desperately, Steve could tell that his parents must have planted the thought in Tony's head that as soon as people knew how young he is then he was going to get left behind or kicked out.

"'Cause you don't want me to die, but I've been doing it for two years and never had a serious injury" Tony pointed out, muffled by Steve's chest but the team still heard him fine as he sniffled "Please don't tell anyone, no one will take me seriously"

"Not even Pepper and Rhodey?" Natasha asked and saw how Tony tensed up in an instant "They won't leave you once they realise how young you are, they love you, Tony, and they just want you to be happy"

"Not ri-right now" Tony said despite Natasha's reasons and the team quickly agreed to Tony's terms, just wanting to help calm him down and settle him back into the team "I gave them an age range that didn't include my age and they were upset at how young I might have been"

"Probably for the same reasons as us, you've never had the chance to be a kid and act your age" Steve hummed before Tony leant back with a tired yawn making Steve smile down at him "Come with me"

Steve gently nudged Tony out his lap before standing up and leading Tony over to the bar, something that the team had always noticed Tony stayed away from. The team followed and gathered around the bar as Steve laid out five shot glasses and poured an amber liquid into each of them, passing them out once they were all poured.

"Happy 21st birthday, Tony!" Steve cheered as he picked up his shot, everyone else following his lead as they cheered before throwing back their shot and laughing as Tony scrunched up his nose and coughed as it burned his throat "First shots are always awful, but it's an important part of turning twenty-one"

Tony smiled bashfully as the team all joined in to celebrate his birthday, despite it being a few days ago, and all took their turns to give him a tight hug. Reassuring their young team mate that they were still friends and that they didn't want to throw Tony out.

Natasha had kept her arm around Tony's shoulders before whispering "I'm sorry for forcing it to light like this, but I knew you would never do it and you deserve to be happy"

"It's okay, and you're right I've wanted to tell you for months but I never knew how" Tony agreed before hugging her and Natasha just smiled fondly as she hugged him back, both of them safe in the knowledge that there was no bad blood between them.

Tony waited until he could get Rhodey and Pepper together at the same time to tell them about his birthday, he made sure that he had on the watch that they brought for him. He had dragged them up to his room and sat them down on the sofa before losing his nerves and wringing his hands as he paced around anxiously.

"When Pepper gave me the watch, you were right" Tony said and then realised how awkward it came out as his friends frowned at him confused "You didn't miss my birthday"

"Oh, oh my god, Tony" Pepper squealed as she jumped up on her feet and pulled Tony into a tight hug "The 29th, that’s your birthday!”

Tony laughed as he felt Rhodey join their hug and squished the youngest between him and Pepper, it was this happiness and excitement that prompted Tony to keep talking instead of keeping it bottled up “You didn’t miss my twenty-first birthday either, I am twenty one. Natasha found out and told the team, it went pretty well so I’m telling you too, but I still don’t want the world to know!”

Pepper kissed his cheek as Rhodey hugged him even tighter and suddenly Tony knew that everything was going to be okay, his friends didn’t question him or try to get him to step down from SI like he thought they might. His team had promised that it wouldn’t get back to Shield and Tony had promised that they could teach him hand-to-hand combat so that if he was ever out of his suit then he could defend himself.

The world didn’t end just because a handful of people knew Tony Stark’s age, but it sure felt like Tony’s life was just getting interesting now that the people closest to him knew his secret.

[enchantedlokii]

Avengers: New Assembly

Chapter Two

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, FRIDAY

Mentioned: Peter Parker, Carol Danvers, Okoye, Thor Odinson, Peter Quill, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, Nebula, Mantis, Nick Fury, Thaddeus Ross, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, T’Challa, Shuri, Ramonda, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, James Rhodes, Howard Stark

“You know we have a computer, right?”

Bucky glanced up as Sam walked into the room, eyeing his notepad. He had constantly been asking Sam for something to do, hoping to keep himself occupied throughout most of the day. He wanted to be helpful if he was going to be staying at the tower, and while Sam had assured him he didn’t have to worry about it, he gave him something to do whenever he asked.

“Back in the day, we used a pen and paper,” Bucky said with a small smirk. Really, he didn’t have much of a reason to prefer this to typing. It was just the way he liked to do things. “Did you talk to the boy?”

“Yeah,” Sam sighed, leaning forward on the table. “He said he would come sometime. Didn’t say when. Which is fine, obviously, but doesn’t help us out any. Did you manage to get ahold of Danvers?”

Bucky shook his head. “Don’t think she’ll be joining us anytime soon,” he replied. “Okoye says that they used holograms a lot while we were gone. That might be the best idea here for her and for Thor and the Guardians. I don’t see them stopping by every month to come say hi.”

Sam rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Bucky knew that the man was stressed out. Fury had put him in charge the moment that Ross dropped the charges from Germany, and he hadn’t known how to react. Bucky told him he should have been expecting it when Steve gave him the shield, but Sam had just pressed that it should be someone who was on the team longer than him. There weren’t many options, but he wasn’t the most senior Avenger and he felt like there were others more deserving.

“Did Okoye say if they would be stopping by anytime soon?” Sam asked after a few moments, finally looking up again. Okoye had been dubbed an Avenger when Natasha was in charge, and Sam had given T’Challa and Shuri the invite soon after taking over. The three had mentioned making a second headquarters in Wakanda, an idea that Bucky thought was great and Sam agreed with.

“She didn’t say,” Bucky told him. “Ramonda has been very protective over T’Challa and Shuri lately, so I wouldn’t hold my breath on them coming anytime soon. Okoye might come, but I think the two of them will be staying put for awhile.”

Sam took a deep breath and nodded. “Sorry, Man,” he sighed. “I know I’m probably getting too worked up over this, but I just can’t let the team fall apart again. I know that the Accords were the breaking point, but even before that I feel like we just. . . I don’t know how to explain it. I didn’t even join the team officially until after Sokovia, but I could tell that it was starting to crumble even then.

“Bruce disappeared. Thor was off in Asgard or wherever else he hangs out. Tony and Rhodey were never really at the Compound. We just weren’t a strong enough team. I don’t want that to happen again.”

“I wish I could’ve seen the team in the beginning,” Bucky admitted. “I’ve seen clips and all, but. . . It must have been great to be there for it.”

Sam shrugged slightly. “It was interesting, that’s for sure,” he told him. “I watched the footage from the Battle of New York that same day. Never imagined I’d meet Captain America himself a year later.”

“I guess it never crossed your mind that you might be Captain America some day, huh?” Bucky prompted.

“Not in a million years,” Sam told him before standing up straight. “I still just feel like I don’t deserve it. I’m not a super solider. I haven’t done anything special. I’ll never be half the man Steve Rogers is and I’m terrified I’m going to mess this up.”

“I think that the fact you’re so worried about it just proves that Steve was right,” Bucky told him, his voice a bit quiet. “Steve. . . What made Steve Captain America wasn’t the serum. It was the person he was before. It was. . . It was being that little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to back down from a fight. The kid who was ready to split the one candy bar he would get for the next six months with the boy he just met.”

Bucky lowered his head as he finished speaking, faintly aware of Sam moving behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “You deserve this, Sam,” Bucky continued. “I may not know you as well as he does, but I know that he’s right.”

“We’ll see,” Sam said. The man moved away again, glancing at the paper that Bucky had been writing on. “Has Bruce come out of the lab today?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Bucky told him. “Last I talked to him he said what he was working on is dangerous. I think he’s trying to undo his whole Mr. Green thing.”

“Like permanently or just how he was before?” Sam asked.

“Don’t ask me,” Bucky said with a small shrug. “I think he just knows that there’s not much Hulk can do now with one good arm. Probably thinks it’s best to just let the Big Guy hang out in the background.”

“Yeah, let’s just hope it doesn’t turn out like Jekyll and Hyde,” Sam murmured. “That radiation is no joke.”

“I think the fact that he survived using the gauntlet shows that we don’t have much to worry about,” Bucky pointed out. He remembered being on the battlefield right after Tony had used the Infinity Stones, and everyone could feel the energy pulsing from the gauntlet. “No human should be able to survive that. It’s. . . It’s incredible, really.”

Sam nodded in agreement before straightening himself. “I’m going to head down to the gym for a bit,” he said finally. “You’re welcome to join me if you’d like.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass,” Bucky replied. “I think I need. . . Less destructive ways to release stress. Like gardening. Gardening sounds nice.”

“A garden in the middle of Manhattan, huh?” Sam chuckled, backing towards the door. “Good luck with that.”

“It was just an example,” he groaned, closing the notepad in front of him and putting it and the pen he had been using away. “Have you not seen how people have been making like rooftop gardens? Because that’s apparently a thing now and I’m here for it.”

“You do you, Man. You want a garden, go for it. I won’t stop you,” Sam told him. “I draw the line when you start trying to bring your goats, though. They can stay at the Wakanda base when it’s finished.”

“You mean you don’t want to meet your namesake?” Bucky called as Sam stepped into the hall. “I swear the idiot thinks he’s a bird.”

“You can’t see it but I’m flipping you off right now, Barnes!” Sam called back.

“You know you love me!”

“In your dreams!”

Bucky couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. “Hey, FRIDAY,” he started. “You think you could get me some dirt sent here?”

“I believe so, yes,” FRIDAY replied. Bucky absolutely loved FRIDAY. When he had first heard her, he had been amazed. For a moment he found himself back at Stark Expo, watching as Howard Stark revealed his flying car. It had brought back a piece of himself that had been taken from him, and he had been so excited that he called Steve going on and on about the new technology. Sam commented later that he had never seen Bucky so happy before as he was when he talked about science.

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” he replied. “Do you think we could get some seeds too? I know I can’t really plant anything until spring, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, yeah?”

“Sure.” A blue screen popped up in front of Bucky with a whole website that he could search for what he wanted. He smiled and immediately started scrolling through his options.

“You know what,” he murmured to himself. “I think I’m starting to love the future.”

[fandomtrash465]

Time Fluff: Chapter 3

A/N: Hi lovelies! Sorry that this chapter took a little bit longer to get posted, I just wanted to make sure that this one is really good with the action and everything. I hope that you guys still like it as much as the other two chapters! And special thanks to all of you that commented on my last post, luv you all <3

Summary: Bucky x reader. Bucky and reader have liked each other for a long time but they’re both in denial of the other’s feelings. What will happen when Tony’s new invention accidentally brings 40sBucky and 40sSteve to the present? If this were to go in the actual MCU timeline it would probably be sometime before infinity war and before they actually figured out time travel. And for anytime that 40sBucky or 40sSteve are mentioned I used * to make it less confusing for which Steve or Bucky it is. 

Word Count: 1595

Warnings: Like two swear words

Other Chapters: Time Fluff Masterlist 

 *Howard Stark’s lab, 1943*

“I’d be careful with that if I were you pal, you’ve got no idea what you’re messin’ with over there” Howard says this to Steve when he starts looking around the area at all of the contraptions. 

“How do you keep track of all this? Do you even know what everything here is?” Bucky asks while holding up a small metallic object. 

“I-“ Howard begins to respond but a faint blue light coming from the wall catches his eye before he can finish his thought. “I guess I don’t?” He cautiously walks toward the wall, gaining the attention of Bucky and Steve. 

“What the hell is that?” Bucky slowly reaches out to touch the growing light. 

“No, Bucky stop!” Steve shouts and grabs Bucky’s arm, but it’s too late and by the time that Steve had a hold of Bucky the blue circle of light had already sucked them in, and they disappeared. 

 *Tony Stark’s lab, present day*

“Oh my God! What was that thing!?” Bucky exclaims while trying to catch his breath and takes in his surroundings. 

“I have no idea what that was or where we are. What is all of this? This is even crazier that Howard’s lab” Steve gets up from being thrown on the floor, also trying to regain his breath. He starts to hear footsteps coming toward the door, a benefit of the super soldier serum. “I hear someone coming, quick Buck, hide” Bucky runs to grab something that looks like a gun and hides behind a large machine. Steve is just barely able to grab something to defend himself with and hide behind the big object near Bucky before the door to the lab starts to slide open.

*Reader’s POV*

In the middle of having a delicious dinner with the whole team we all heard a loud bang come from the lab upstairs. I took a quick headcount of everyone at the table and noticed the others doing the same, no one was missing so who could have made that noise? “Did we leave something on?” I asked Tony and Bruce in a quieter voice than I normally would have. 

“Not that I know of…” Bruce answered cautiously.

“I’ll go check it out” I say and begin to get up when Bucky gently touches my arm. 

“I’ll go with you, we’ve got no idea what’s down there” He says and rolls up his sleeves.

“I’ll come too” Wanda adds, knowing that if there is a threat that she will be one of the most powerful people to have up there. We start heading up normally and get quieter as we approach the door. 

“Be careful” I whisper as quietly as possible to them. Just before I open the door I hold up my fingers and do a countdown from three down to zero. I push the door open silently and hold out the gun that I almost always have on me. The three of us look around and I notice something off about the time machine, whereas before we only needed one more part now almost the entire thing has been demolished. I suddenly gasp and aim my gun as I see a figure crouching behind one of Tony’s inventions. 

“Who are you and what do you want?” Wanda asks calmly when she notices what I have. The figure slowly starts to move to a standing position and I can now see their face.

“Oh my God you freaking jerk. How did you get down here before us?” I ask as I now come face to face with Steve Rogers*. I set down my gun and roll my eyes at his prank even though he for some reason looks confused. I look over to Bucky as he’s been oddly quiet and I notice him staring at a different machine of Tony’s.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am” Steve* says politely as if he doesn’t even know me.

“Who’s that?” Bucky asks in a small voice and as the figure comes out he falters a bit because of how shocked he is at staring at himself from 70 years ago, the “other Bucky*” also looks very shocked. My eyes widen and I look between the two of them and Steve* trying to make sense of everything. 

“Okay what is going on here?” Wanda looks just as confused as I am, if not more so. 

“Friday? Please tell Tony, Steve, Bruce, Natasha, and Vision to come into the lab” I ask Friday without taking my eyes off of Bucky* and Steve*. She doesn’t respond and I figure that that’s because she didn’t want to frighten Steve* and Bucky*, but I knew that she had told the rest of the team because I could faintly hear their rushed footsteps. 

“Y/N! Friday told us that you needed us” Steve bursts in, immediately followed by all of the others. He takes a quick inventory of the room and freezes when he sees himself dressed in garments from the ‘40s. “What is this? Who are you?” They ask each other at the same time.

“My name is James Barnes, his is Steve Rogers, but I have a feeling that you already have that figured out” Bucky* says and looks all of us over, I notice his gaze lingering on himself, Steve, and I a bit longer than the others. 

Tony comes up behind me and says quietly “I think that the time machine worked” My eyes widen when I finally put the pieces together.

“How did you guys get here?” I ask, now wondering how they would have traveled over without us making anything happen. 

“The jerk over here decided to touch this glowing light coming from a wall in Howard’s lab” I can almost hear Tony’s breath hitch at the mention of his dad’s name. 

“Alright, well to be safe and make sure that you’re telling the truth I’m going to go set up a lie detection test” Natasha says with her arms crossed and gives me a look that says ‘you owe me an explanation’. 

“With all due respect Miss Romanoff, I could do a scan of these two and find out what timeline it is that they are from” Vision suggests while raising a hand to interject. 

“That’d work, thanks Vision” Nat responds with a smile and looks relieved that she won’t have to set up an entire interrogation when we all already feel the need to believe the two of them. Vision rises up and starts to visibly scan the pair while they look absolutely terrified, and rightfully so seeing as the craziest thing that they’ve seen science create is Steve. 

“Scan complete. Their DNA suggests that they are indeed from 1943 and are telling the truth” Vision sinks back to the floor while giving his evaluation. 

I sigh and rub my head for a moment and try to stay calm, especially because both Steves and Buckys look like they’re about to lose it. “Okay, Tony and Bruce? Can you go explain all of this and everything that we were doing to Steve and Buck, our Steve and Buck. Vision, go tell everyone else what’s happening. I’ll explain everything to Nat and then I guess I’ll have to show these two around the compound seeing as with this thing the way that it is they could be here for a while” I say and end with a gesture towards the charred-up time machine.

“That is if you two are comfortable with me showing you around?” I ask Steve* and Bucky* to make sure that they’re at least somewhat okay with how we’re trying to handle this situation. 

“Of course, doll” Bucky* says and nods in my direction politely with a small smile and it feels odd to be called ‘doll’ by someone other than the Bucky that I know. I notice Bucky almost glaring at his younger self but I don’t think much of it.

“Okay then. Let’s go people” I say and everyone goes in their respective directions. I pull Nat aside and begin quickly explaining everything to her.

“So, you spent almost two weeks huddled up in this lab figuring out time travel?” Natasha recaps while deadpanning after I finish explaining myself.

“Yeah pretty much” I say cautiously, unsure of how she will respond. 

“I honestly don’t know what else I expected. I mean it was you, Tony, and Bruce in here for two weeks, I’m kind of surprised you didn’t get done with this sooner” We both exchange a light laugh “But seriously, be careful with those two, especially with Barnes 2.0, don’t want a jealous super soldier on our hands” She finishes with a wink before walking out and I blush a bit at the thought of being able to make Bucky jealous. 

“Okay you two. You have basically no idea what is going on, do you?” I ask while trying to ignore how weird it is talking to my two friends as if we’ve never met before. 

“I’ve put together that we somehow time traveled to the future and there is somehow a Bucky and me here that look almost exactly the same as us” Steve* tells me kindly as if he can tell how close I am to freaking out about this whole thing.

“Yeah, and why does future me have a metal arm and looks like he’s homeless?” Bucky* asks curiously with a hint of concern in his voice.

“I’ve got a lot to explain to you guys” I say while looking between them both.

[abrunettefangirlnerd]

Not Too Big

Prompt: You and Bruce have grown extremely close through your time with the avengers till finally he asked you out. You want to take your relationship to the next level but Bruce isn’t so eager.

Pairing: Bruce Banner x reader

You head into the kitchen at the avenger headquarters where you find Steve and Natasha in a deep conversation. Not wanting to bother them you head over to the fridge to get out a bottle of water. As soon as the first drop hits your tongue your original thirst triples. Downing the entire bottle in seconds you sigh in satisfaction.

             Turning you find out that you have an audience. Steve and Natasha have stopped whispering, their eyes trained on you. You stare back with a perplexed look that melts into a soft laugh from nerves. You’ve never been really good at being the center of attention by more than one person at a time. Before now you thought they were used to you being around, and you know you haven’t broken a rule that only avengers can use the refrigerator.

             See you’re not really an avenger. Tony Stark hired you along with a couple dozen agents. Some of them live here but most live off base. Residing here definitely has it’s perks, aside from living in walking distance from your boyfriend. It makes you a first responder to anything the avengers need backup on, and it lets you sleep in an extra half hour before having to get to work.

“What’s up guys?” You try to diffuse the tension. “If it’s the smell or my appearance that’s all thanks to that mandatory workout.”

“We were actually talking about-” Steve starts but looks over at Nat, who finishes. “You. Well, you and Bruce.”

             Your temporarily stunned, you thought they would have made a comment about anything other than your relationship. You never fully understand why people have to involve themselves in other people’s relationships like that. Don’t they have their own lives?

“Have you and Bruce, you know?” Steve looks uncomfortably at his empty plate in front of him. “It just has been oddly quiet, and we wanted to make sure everything is okay. If something affects one of us, it affects all of us.”

“Well we’re fine,” you nod along. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

             Before either of them could say anything else, you shoot them a smile and rush out the door. Not caring where you end up, your mind races with your own insecure thoughts.

It’s not that you don’t want to be with him like that, it’s that he doesn’t seem to. Anytime you try to take things to the next level he pulls away. It doesn’t make any sense, you know he’s overly careful but you thought he wanted you. Now you’re not so sure since everyone else has been noticing it as well.

Perhaps he just needs a bit of encouragement. An idea flickers in your mind and you race towards your bed room to tear through your drawers in search for your black lingerie. You bought them not too long ago, never been used and it might just be what you two need.

After showering, you quickly slip the pieces on and give yourself a once-over in the mirror. Making minor adjustments to your hair with your fingers you also adjust some straps. Slightly getting nervous you fidget with a few minor details of your thin attire before wrapping your deep red robe around your body.

Making your way to Bruce’s room you start to have second thoughts. There has got to be a reason why he hasn’t wanted to sleep with you. You just don’t know what that reason would be.

“Bruce,” you wait for an answer. “It’s (Y/N).”

“Come on in.” His voice faint through the barrier.

             Slowly opening the door you try to get your breathing under control. Pausing you remind yourself that you’ve been dating him for months, you care about each other, and you are sexy as hell.

             The bed comes into view where you find Bruce sprawled out with a book in his hands. His classes perch on the bridge of his nose as his eyes skim across the page, lips slightly ajar. You can tell that he’s done for the day from the red boxers he is lounging in.

             You peel the robe, stopping around your shoulders to highlight your neck. However, Bruce’s attention seems to be heavily train on his book. He repositions his glasses and raises the book closer to his face as if trying to block out any distractions.

             Moving closer you sit at the end of the bed closest to him. You position your legs to lay off to the side, crossing them you hope he notices how bare they are.  In response, Bruce moves slightly to the other end like he’s trying to make room for you, or trying to run away.

             Doing away with the rest of the robe, you seductively drop the fabric on the floor at the end of the bed. Attempting to move closer once more you manage to perch your body next to him. Placing your head on his shoulder your fingers graze up and down his chest.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Bruce rests the book against his lap. “I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”

“Then you’d be right.” You whisper into his ear before kissing his tightening jaw bone.

“(Y/N),” he slightly moans.

             Before getting too far, Bruce stops you by getting off the bed. Retreating to the other side of the room you suddenly feel very naked. Wrapping yourself in your once discarded robe you watch Bruce run his fingers through his hair, seemingly at war with himself.

“I’m sorry,” the words come out small and confused. “I should go.”

“No, (Y/N).” Bruce tries to stop you. “Come back to bed.”

             Fighting tears in your eyes, you try to shake your head but you can’t bring yourself to do that. Heading towards the door you feel the weight on you double. He doesn’t want you. Plain and simple.

“I just-” you pause to control your quivering lip. “I just want to be alone right now.”

             Your feet start you into a run that leads you back to your room. Changing into your pajamas you curl into a ball on your bed. Tears stream down your face as you rack up a list of reasons Bruce doesn’t want you.

1)   Not skinny enough

2)   Not pretty enough

3)   Not an avenger

4)   Not special enough

5)   Not enough

****

             The next few days are rough. You try to avoid places you would run into Bruce. Even though headquarters appears to be huge, it is quite small when you are trying to avoid someone. Typically taking refuge in your room you find yourself constantly hungry from skipped meals.

             Not being able to remember the last time you ate, you cave. Leaving your Bruce free zone, you make your way down to the kitchen. Watching every corner, you finally make it to your destination.

             The room is empty except for a folded piece of paper. Growing closer you realize it is addressed to you in nonother than the brilliant scientist’s handwriting. Unsure, you pick up the note while looking around the room for him. Finally unfolding it you read the note:

Meet me on the roof at midnight. Alone.

             Strings pull at your heart arising a small gasp as you reread the note. You wonder how long ago he wrote this. What if you go up there and he’s not there? What if he has been up there waiting for you the past few nights?

             Disregarding your earlier need to eat, you walk back to your room. Never taking your eyes off the letter you sit crisscross on the end of your bed. Warm tears stream down your cheeks as a minor sob escapes you, followed by a couple more you let yourself go.

             Rubbing your already swollen eyes you glace up a the clock hanging on your wall. It reads 11:47 pm. Do you really want to go? Should you go? Your internal thought process fights with itself. If you do not go you will never know what he has to say, but what if you go and he has given up?

             Frustrated at yourself, you head towards your closet and pull out a cream oversized sweater and black leggings. Combing your hair, you pull half of your (Y/H/C) locks into a pony. Next you look at your disheveled-pinked face and attempt to apply some light makeup.

             Once deciding that this is the best you are going to look you set off toward the roof. You’ve only been up there a handful of times, all with Bruce. Guess that makes sense for it to be a meeting area, it’s sort of your place. Up there he genuinely opened up about his fear of the Hulk, it’s where you both said ‘I love you’ for the first time under the stars. So much as happened up there in so little time.

             Opening the door to the outside, you are instantly taken aback. Lights wrap around the troughs that you once planted sunflowers in. Getting closer you can see baby sunflowers barely poking through the surface of the soil. In the center of the floor lays a blanket with two empty wine glasses.

“(Y/N),” a familiar voice comes from behind you.

             Turning immediately, you come face to face with Bruce. His usual curls have been slick back in attempt to appear neat and tidy, but you can see some strands fighting against the gel. Along with that he matches it with your favorite shirt, a blue button down that you love with his eyes. Getting a second glace that’s when you notice the bags under his eyes and the subtle gruff peaking out wanting to form a slight beard.

“I got your note.” You state, not sure what to say. You haven’t felt uneasy around him in a while, you’re so used to feeling so secure in what being around him would entail. But that’s what happens when your relationship is hanging in the balance.

“Yeah I uh, put a sensor in it.” He nervously rubs the back of his neck. “Tony picked it up yesterday, so I had to personalize it to only go off if you touched it.”

“Good thinking on that brain of yours.” A smile forms. “It may have been Tony you’d be sharing a glass of wine with.”

             You two walk side by side, not touching but sneaking little glances at the other. Reaching the blanket you kneel down to take a seat but find that Bruce is still standing, unmoving. Confused you stand back up and attempt to make eye contact, that of which he would not meet.

“I’m sorry about the other night-” he starts.

“Bruce.” You put your hand on his arm but he pulls away.

“Well I am, but I’m not.” He scratches the back of his neck again. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before… and it scares the shit out of me. And not just for the usual reasons that most guys are scared, I’m terrified of the other guy hurting you.”

             You can tell by his voice that he’s serious. After a while he was okay with joking about the other guy, but you know this isn’t a joke. His voice is sullen and his posture defensive. He is truly scared of hurting you, something you never thought about. Bruce has always been so sweet and caring that most of the time you forget about his other half, his stronger half.

“Before I go on I just want you to know that when I picture myself happy… it’s with you. You really mean everything to me (Y/N).” His eyes finally match yours. “But I’ve done terrible things. I have killed so many people, stretched some limb by limb until they pass out from the pain. So let’s say we are together physically and I lose control. (Y/N) I will hurt you, most definitely kill you.”

“Am I supposed to be scared of you?” You wrap your arms around him. “Is that what you are trying to do? Scare me?”

             Wrapping his arms around you in response you can feel his need to hold on. Tightening your hold on him you pray that he just lets it all out, every thought, every frustration. You want it to expel from his body. You want him to understand that you’re not going anywhere no matter what.

“Ideally, yes you should be terrified of me.” He sniffles. “But a part of me doesn’t want you to be.”

“Well I’m not.” You pull back to see his tear stricken face. “I’m not going anywhere, and no matter what you say I am not changing my mind.”

             Forcing yourself on your toes, you attempt to kiss Bruce’s forehead but instead find his lips. Soft and hungry, his lips consume yours as he presses your body closer to his. Looping your arms around his neck, your fingers play with the stray hairs untouched by the gel.

             A groan erupts from him through the kiss as he grabs at your thighs. Jumping, you tangle your legs around his torso as your back reaches the door to the outside. His swollen lips now dance along your jaw arising a few moans buried in your throat.

             Then suddenly you are on the ground, alone. Your eyes search for Bruce where he appears on the other side near the ledge. From where you are you can see his shoulders moving up and down as he takes deep breaths. You call out his name but he puts his hand out yielding you to stop.

“I’m sorry.” He croaks, turning around finally.

             Getting up you feel the hit your bottom half took and rub your legs. Trying not to show any pain you make your way over to Bruce. Wrapping your arms around his waist you look up into his eyes.

“We’ll go slow.” You assure him. “It’ll be okay.”

[misfitgirlwrites]

Chapter One

        "You're making it hard to get in touch with you." The woman tapped her pen on her notebook and smiled softly. "If you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to do this, Aniyah."         Aniyah sighed and ran her fingers through her faded orange hair. "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to do this. It's just--I'm--"         "Scared? I understand. But you need to understand that he's not getting out of Arkham anytime soon. You're safe."

        "I want to believe that, Kelly. I really do, I just--" Aniyah sighed again. "I don't feel safe. I'd rather stay in the house." She mumbled.

        "Then I'll come to you." Kelly smiled. "Would that be okay?"

        Aniyah nodded, looking away. "Thanks." It was quiet now. Her auburn eyes looked around the room with baby blue coated walls, starting to feel a bit awkward.         " I heard that your book is selling pretty well. How's that?" Kelly asked.

        "It's good." Aniyah smiled. "I'm really happy about it."

        "That's good. I might buy it and see what all the fuss is about." Kelly winked, "You know, people miss you. Harleen called yesterday and Pearl called today."         "Yeah, I'll call them today." Aniyah nodded.

        "And, I'll see you next week. Try to go out more. Even just on a porch. It will help, I promise." Kelly said.

        Aniyah paused before nodding. "I'll try." She said, standing to leave. "See you next week." She quickly left the room and made her way to her car. She got inside and sighed, resting her head on the steering wheel. After she sat there for a few minutes she sat up and started her car, deciding to call Harleen.

        "Hello?" Harleen's voice was monotone as she answered the phone.

        " Hey, Harleen," Aniyah said.

        "Aniyah! How are you?" Harleen asked.

        "I've been better." Aniyah smiled slightly.

        "Well, I'm glad you called. Can Pearl and I come over? Have some tea or something? We really miss you, Aniyah." Harleen said.

        "I miss you guys too. I should be back home in about thirty minutes." Aniyah said.

        "Well I get off in an hour, so we should be there by six maybe. I'm glad you're okay. Kelly told me you weren't going to therapy and you weren't answering the phone. I was worried."

        "That's where I'm coming from. Don't worry, I'm still in therapy." Aniyah said.

        "How's Bruce doing?" Harleen asked.

        Aniyah didn't respond right away. "Bruce, he's--" She sighed. "He won't talk to me."

        "Oh...I hope he's okay." Harleen said.

        "Yeah. So do I." Aniyah said. "But call me when you're on your way."         "Alright, I will. Bye." Harleen hung up.

        As soon as Aniyah put her phone down, it started to ring again. She rolled her eyes and answered. "Hello?"

        "Hello."

        Aniyah paused, her eyes widening slightly. "...Mom?"

        "How are you, Aniyah?" She asked.

        "I'm--I'm fine." Aniyah smiled slightly. "I'm glad you--wait." Her smile quickly fell. "So after nearly four years, I get to talk to you." She said.

        "You know I'm in Germany."

        "Yes. I get that. But--"

        "I couldn't just drop all of my work. That's why I'm calling you now."

        Aniyah clenched her jaw, taking a deep breath through her nose. "Like I said. It's been nearly four years." She said slowly. "And it's not like you just heard about what happened. I know because of the painting you made on the day of Michaela's funeral--"

        "Well, it wasn't exactly a painting, Blueberry. I drew it with colored pencils." Her mother stated.

        'I don't give a fuck.' Aniyah rolled her eyes as the line began to beep. "Alright, Mom, we'll talk later, someone's calling me, bye." She quickly hung up and switched lines. "Hello?"

        "You don't sound very happy."

        "Bruce." Aniyah smiled.

        "Are you okay?" Bruce asked.

        "Eh. Are you okay?" Aniyah asked.

        "I've been better." He said.

        "Well, I'm almost home. Did you plan on seeing the sunlight today? It's real nice." She teased.

        "You know, Alfred told me he had to make you leave," Bruce said.

        "...Yeah. My therapist is coming to me from now on." Aniyah sighed

        "The sunlight isn't that good then, huh?"         "Yeah well, you can still come out of your room at least. I don't see you as much as I used to." Aniyah said.

        "I know. I'm sorry. I'll try." Bruce asked.

        "It's okay. If you try, I'll try." Aniyah smiled. " I'll see you when I get home."

        "Okay. Be careful." Bruce said.

        "I will. Bye." Aniyah hung up and put her phone down, turning on the radio.

~~~~~

        "I see you're back in one piece," Alfred said as Aniyah walked into the kitchen.         "As always, Alfred, you were right." Aniyah chuckled.

        "Mrs.Kopski called and said that she was stopping by." He said.

        " Nothing special, Alfred," Aniyah said.

        "I know that by now. No, this," Alfred pointed that the chicken. "Is dinner for you and Master Wayne. I made sandwiches for you and your friends."

        "Well, I'll help you cook so wait for me." Aniyah winked.

        "At least you're making an effort no to lock yourself away. Now all you need is a nice man by your side."

        "Oh my God, Alfred." Aniyah groaned.

        "You know I want the best for you, Aniyah," Alfred said.

        "I know, Alfred. But for good reason, I'm not looking for a relationship."

        "Alright, I won't push. For now." Alfred said.

        "Thank you," Aniyah said as someone knocked on the door. "I'll get the door. Can you sit the sandwiches out in the garden for me?"

        "Of course," Alfred said as Aniyah went to open the door.

        "Aniyah." Harleen smiled and hugged her tightly.

        Aniyah smiled and hugged her back. "Hey. Come in." She let Pearl and Harleen inside.

        Pearl stepped inside and held up Aniyah's book with a big smile on her face. Aniyah blushed slightly, glancing at it.

        "So you liked it?" Aniyah asked.

        “Liked it? I loved it!" Pearl exclaimed.

        "It was really good, Aniyah. I was actually surprised since you usually stuck with Science Fiction." Harleen said, following Aniyah out to the garden.

        "And Red? She's amazing! Well, actually, she's terrifying." Pearl chuckled.

        "Terrifyingly amazing." Aniyah winked.

        "She could've destroyed the whole city if she wasn't stopped," Harleen said. "But she's shamelessly my favorite character."

        "Makes you feel guilty, doesn't it? You kind of want Red to win." Aniyah said.

        "Yeah, honestly, I did." Harleen chuckled.

        "What town were they in?" Pearl asked.

        "A lot of people see Gotham," Harleen said.

        "Well, what did you see?" Aniyah grabbed a sandwich and took a bite out of it.         "I saw New York," Harleen said.

        "I saw Baltimore." Pearl grabbed a sandwich as well.

        "Well, in the beginning, I pictured the main character's mind. Everything was in order and she had control over everything until she got involved with Red." Aniyah explained.

        "Oh, I get it. I want to see for myself so don't tell me." Harleen smiled.

        "Alright." Aniyah smiled as well.

         "How are you?" Pearl asked.

        Aniyah's smile faltered slightly. "I've been better." She sighed, sitting back. "Today was the first day I left the manor in a while. I wasn't that paranoid, but--"

        "I understand. You don't have to explain." Harleen nodded. "I'm really glad you're trying though." She smiled.

        "Yeah." Aniyah smiled slightly. "I just wish I could act like nothing happened. I want to forget so bad."

        "...I--" Pearl stopped and looked away.

        Aniyah sighed, shaking her head. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep bringing it up."

        "It's clear that what we--what you went through inspired your book." Harleen let her hand rest on the cover of Aniyah's book. "But, I think you should write something else. Something more personal. Maybe if you write about it, you'll feel better."

        Aniyah paused then nodded. "I'll think about it." She said. "Enough about me, Ms. Head of Arkham Asylum. How's work?" Aniyah asked Harleen.

        "Busy." Harleen sighed, chuckling. "Super busy."

        "I can believe it." Aniyah nodded.

        "You know, Poison Ivy's been asking about you," Harleen said.

        "Woah, really? I thought she would've forgotten about me. That's cool." Aniyah smiled. "Tell her I said hello. I don't plan on stepping foot inside Arkham for a very long time." Her smile dropped. "...Speaking of Arkham, how is he?"

        Harleen shook her head. "I haven't heard from him. No one has." She said.

        "I heard that his wife is in a coma," Pearl said.

        "Really? She's alive?" Aniyah's eyes widened.

        "Well, yes. But most of her organs are failing. No doctor in Gotham makes that many transplants." Harleen said.

        "Oh." Aniyah sat back. " I feel so guilty..."

        "You shouldn't." Pearl shook her head. " The J--uh, he planned that all out. it was going to happen with or without you."

        'You see, I don't plan things. I'm not a guy with a plan-ah.' Aniyah cleared her throat and sat up. "Guys, I'm sorry. But I'm gonna go get some rest, okay?”

        "Um, yeah, alright," Harleen said as she and Pearl stood up.

        "I'll talk to you guys later." Aniyah walked them to the door and watched them leave before quickly going upstairs into her room and closing the door. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before taking off her jacket. She looked down at her forearm and ran her fingers across the J-shaped scar before shivering and covering it.

        'There's times when love can't even help you, so pain is the next best thing.'

        Aniyah sat on her bed and rubbed her temples. 'Don't think about him.' 

        'There'll be a second date, I promise. Then, uh, I won't let you out of my sight-ah.’

        Aniyah yelped as someone knocked on the door.

        "Are you alright, Aniyah?" Alfred asked.

        Aniyah let out a shaky breath. "I-I'm fine. Just, a little jumpy. I'm alright. It's over." She mumbled the last part, sighing.

        "I can only assume you're jumpy because of lack of sleep," Alfred said.

        Aniyah didn't respond, looking away from the door.

        "You don't have to help me cook." He said.

        "No, I'm fine! I still want to--"

        "Aniyah, I insist," Alfred said.

        She paused and looked down. "I guess I'll get some rest then."

        "I'll bring dinner to you. Please rest." With that, Alfred walked away.

        'How the hell did he know I wasn't sleeping?' Aniyah got up and walked into her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. "I need more hair dye." She mumbled, looking at her light brown roots. "But I'm tired of orange." She sighed.

        Aniyah washed her face and changed into some sweatpants and a tank-top before laying in her bed. 'Sleep.' She closed her eyes and relaxed. 'Just sleep.'

[placetobenation]

If nothing else, the times are busy in the WWE these days. Two PPV’s within a week of each other with NXT TakeOver: In Your House and Backlash bookending our Sundays, a change in the creative of RAW and of course, the three shows themselves. Never a dull moment indeed.

First, let’s take a look at the NXT PPV.

NXT TAKEOVER: In Your House PPV Results

NXT Championship Backlot Brawl Match: Adam Cole defeated The Velveteen Dream

NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai defeated Charlotte Flair & Rhea Ripley to win title

NXT North American Title Match: Keith Lee defeated Johnny Gargano to retain title

Karrion Kross defeated Tommaso Ciampa

Finn Balor defeated Damien Priest

Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart defeated Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

Another solid night as Adam Cole not only survived seeing his two teammates from The Undisputed Era, Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish kidnapped by Dexter Lumis, but triumphed over The Velveteen Dream, cementing his final shot at Cole’s NXT Championship. I thought the Backlot Brawl was well done as I had reservations, they were using the whole cinematic match genre too much lately. But the use of the cars as weapons worked and it brought Lumis into the feud too. Most thought, unlike me in my predictions, that TVD would come out on top, but I like the fact Cole remains on top for his next challenge.

Plus, Io Shirai stole the night and stole a sneaky pin to win Charlotte Flair’s NXT Women’s Championship, flying off the top rope to pin Rhea Ripley while Ripley was in the figure 8 from Flair. Keeps Flair strong and unpinned and brings the NXT Championship back full-time to Wednesday nights.

Karrion Kross destroyed Tommaso Ciampa. A strong performance to solidify Kross’ dominance in his debut on TakeOver.

Surprised that Keith Lee beat Johnny Gargano, but as we saw on Wednesday night, there’s still more to be done in this feud.  And yes, while Damian Priest brought a good fight to Finn Balor, Balor needed the win as he sets his sights a bit higher in the future.

As for the creative change, I was hopeful when Paul Heyman was put in charge of RAW but still thought that it was handcuffing a genius. Heyman is awesome with guiding the edgy storylines and pushing some superstars that need it. We saw that in the rise of Andrade, Angel Garza, Austin Theory, The Authors of Pain and Dana Brooke. But it just seemed like some of the details were missing and we had a lot of 50-50 booking on RAW. With Bruce Pritchard now overseeing both RAW and SmackDown, let’s see if the ideas are still split or if there’s more of an umbrella type booking for the time being. Needless to say, no crowds have hurt and that could be changing with more things opening up around the Country as we try to get back to normal, whatever that is, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A few words of advice for Pritchard move forward – think out-of-the-box, have common sense and don’t forget the details, they matter.  

Star of the Week:

Couldn’t fathom talking about anything else. Today’s #NewDayPod with @AndreasHale. pic.twitter.com/gIXQbJ0z0R

— Florida Man (@WWEBigE) June 8, 2020

The New Day – Kudos to Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods! Not only are they the SmackDown tag team champions, but they are leading the way in the WWE with their leadership and voices they’re leading to the Black Lives Matter movement. Symbolically, Big E and Kofi kneeled with one hand raised during their ring entrance on Friday night. But before then, on their podcast, there were powerful words. I just wish the WWE would put this kind of content on their shows to bring to a wider, mainstream audience than just what’s on social media. Like CM Punk’s opinion last week on WWE Backstage, it would bring a whole new dynamic to the type of change we as a Community are looking and hoping for.

BACKLASH PPV – UPDATED CARD

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

Universal Championship Handicap Match: Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison

Greatest Wrestling Match Ever: Edge vs. Randy Orton

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. Nia Jax

Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus

Women’s Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics

United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. Andrade

Predictions are below….after we take a look at the Week that Was for RAW, NXT and SmackDown.

RAW

RESULTS

Asuka & Charlotte Flair defeated The Iconics and Sasha Banks & Bayley

Aleister Black & Humberto Carrillo defeated Buddy Murphy & Austin Theory

United States Championship #! Contender’s Match: Andrade defeated Angel Garza & Kevin Owens

Bobby Lashley & MVP defeated The Viking Raiders

Charlotte Flair defeated Asuka

Loved it:

THE QUEEN DOES IT AGAIN.@MsCharlotteWWE defeats #WWERaw #WomensChampion @WWEAsuka with the assist from @NiaJaxWWE! pic.twitter.com/hn5qA3coXN

— WWE (@WWE) June 9, 2020

Asuka & Charlotte – Anytime you can get Asuka & Charlotte in the same ring twice in one night, it’s a good thing. Plus, we get the Women’s Tag Team Champions in on the fun as Bayley & Sasha Banks come to RAW for a night. The only downside of the night, and yes, we know it was a predictable one, was Nia Jax interfering in the main event costing Asuka a win over Flair. I don’t love the fact that the RAW’s Womens Champion loses on the go-home show before a PPV, but I understand why they did it.

Peep Show – Christian was spot on putting Edge in his place before pumping him back up for his Greatest Wrestling Match Ever against Randy Orton this Sunday. There’s no substitute for chemistry my friends.

Drew vs. Bobby – Nice build up to their title match Sunday with both looking strong all night. Lashley gets a win with MVP over The Viking Raiders while Drew makes the save after the match. Can’t wait for the physicality Sunday night!

Meh:

Your eyes didn't deceive you.@AndradeCienWWE just pinned @AngelGarzaWwe to earn himself a #USTitle opportunity against @WWEApollo at #WWEBacklash! #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/dnCvA1GhTg

— WWE (@WWE) June 9, 2020

Triple A: Apollo vs. Andrade again – Do we really need to see this match again? I’d rather see Crews vs. Kevin Owens get some more time than they did on RAW a few weeks back. Plus, I think we can all see Angel Garza getting a little payback on his faction brother, right?

Just for grins and giggles:

Charly and Angel – Can we just get these back together on the love train already? It was fun with the flirting but it’s kind of been put to the side the past few weeks. Charly Caruso needs her love and so do we! And oh by the way, not enough Zelina Vega this week. The Ariana Grande look rocked, but she was oddly quiet after being “injured” by Andrade.

NXT

RESULTS

Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae defeated Keith Lee & Mia Yim

Indus Sher defeated Mikey Delbrey & Mike Reed

Finn Balor defeated Cameron Grimes

Dakota Kai defeated Kacy Catanzaro

NXT Championship Non-Title Match: Adam Cole defeated Dexter Lumis

Loved it:

TICK TOCK.

#WWENXT @AdamColePro @Lady_Scarlett13 @WWEKarrionKross pic.twitter.com/WF98AASFSX

— WWE (@WWE) June 11, 2020

Tick. Tock. Challenger – That was a seriously special moment to end NXT as Scarlett brings the hourglass to the ring after Adam Cole’s successful NXT Championship Title defense against Dexter Lumis. The look on Cole’s face of fear not that Karrion Kross is in his crosshairs was awesome. This should take the title picture on Wednesday nights to a whole new level.

Kacy gets a shot – Yes, I’m biased since I’ve watched Kacy Catanzaro since her American Ninja Warrior days, but I loved that they gave her some time in the ring against Dakota Kai and actually got some good offense in too. Kacy’s better than just being used as a person in the crowd, so I’m glad they saw that. I hope it continues.

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?!?!

#WWENXT @hijodelfantasma @RaulMendozaWWE @joaquinwilde_ pic.twitter.com/jrGVxwkf5J

— WWE (@WWE) June 11, 2020

Hello Mr. Escobar – El Hijo del Fantasma is not only the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion, but now he’s the new Santos Escobar and is the leader of the Mexican Masked Mafia. With an unmasking and a beatdown of Drake Maverick, it’s a whole new chapter for Mr. Escobar.

Can’t wait –

"@RealKeithLee, when you're done playing house, come see me." @FinnBalor has his eyes on the #WWENXT #NorthAmericanTitle. pic.twitter.com/6Y85J0cWCM

— WWE (@WWE) June 11, 2020

Balor vs. Lee – So, Finn Balor wants a shot at the NXT Title he hasn’t won yet – the North American Title. I’ll take it. I wonder what Johnny Gargano thinks of all this as I don’t quite think he’s done with Mr. Lee just yet.

Thank you:

Rhea Ripley – Thank you Rhea for making quick work of Robert Stone! The tough days continue for the Robert Stone Brand.

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

SmackDown Tag Team Non-Title Match: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The New Day

Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: AJ Styles defeated Daniel Bryan to win title

Braun Strowman, Otis & Tucker defeated Dolph Ziggler, The Miz & John Morrison

Loved it:

After an INSTANT CLASSIC, @AJStylesOrg is the NEW Intercontinental Champion!#ICTitle #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/qmfaRCJgbq

— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2020

Simply Phenomenal – I think we can all agree that if there were to be a Greatest Wrestling Match Ever this weekend, it would not be Edge vs. Randy Orton, but the one Friday night between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. Anytime these two hook up, it’s good, but with the I-C Title on the line, this one was top notch. I’m hoping it’s not just a one-off either. Give these guys an Iron Man Match or a best of three series.

The New Day @WWEBigE & @TrueKofi make their entrance on #SmackDown. (via @wwe) pic.twitter.com/HH7dCJtezi

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) June 13, 2020

The New Day – While we didn’t love the champs losing again on TV, something the WWE is seemingly in love with these days with their champions, we applaud The New Day’s tribute to the Black Lives Matters cause as we said above, making them the stars of the week.

Confused:

Well … that’s gonna leave a stench.@JEFFHARDYBRAND turns the table on @WWESheamus’ impromptu urine test. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/xyiU52DSZQ

— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2020

You’re In – See what we did there?! The Jeff Hardy/Sheamus drug test to start SmackDown was just silly. Shades of the Attitude Era silliness with not enough edge. Plus, you can say “pissed off” but you can’t say “pissed on” on broadcast TV? Well, that just makes no sense. At least the backstage brawling was better to put the spotlight on Sunday’s PPV match.

Didn’t love:

Main event – If the 6-man tag team match with Braun Strowman joining Heavy Machinery to face The Miz, John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler was supposed to make me want to see the Universal Championship Handicap Match at the PPV, it didn’t. There was more of a spotlight on Otis/King Corbin and Mandy Rose than the champion, the Miz or Morrison. A total miss right there.

Quick Pick Predictions for Backlash PPV:  

WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre defeats Bobby Lashley

Universal Championship Handicap Match: Braun Strowman defeats The Miz & John Morrison

Greatest Wrestling Match Ever: Randy Orton defeats Edge

RAW Women’s Championship Match: Asuka defeats Nia Jax

Sheamus defeats Jeff Hardy

Women’s Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: Bayley & Sasha Banks defeats Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics

United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews defeats Andrade

Overall: I don’t see much changing on Backlash as far as titles go. Drew is too strong right now on RAW, but expect the feud with Lashley to continue. It would be foolish for Strowman to lose again in another handicap match. Look for Randy Orton to get some revenge on Edge for WrestleMania. There’s no way Nia Jax is beating Asuka – same can be said for the Women’s Tag Team Titles as the new champs shouldn’t lose their first title defense. Apollo Crews’ push should continue as well.

Parting shots:

Don’t forget, part 4 of The Undertaker series is back Sunday night after the Backlash PPV on the WWE Network.

I’d love to see someone ask Bret Hart about appearing on AEW on this week’s WWE Backstage. Now, THAT would truly make some noise, but I know it would never happen. Kind of surprised Hart is doing the show.

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[juki-ronin]

...oh...wow, you guys I just noticed this.

I just...wow.

About a year ago I started this blog with the intent of practicing writing for a story featuring Clark as the main character.  During this time, I learned a lot of things:

I learned how to trim fluff writing for my posts.

I learned that talking to your RP partners shouldn’t be something you’re afraid to do mid-RP.

I learned that I shouldn’t be so conscious about posting my face for Mundays (which I swear I’ll try posting more often for).

I learned that posting Musings is actually a very good way to get the creative juices flowing.

I learned that it’s OK to be bummed when I hit a dry spell of activity, and that no lack of activity lasts forever.

Most of all though, I learned that...you guys are really amazing.

I know that probably 10% of the blogs that follow me are dormant, and I know that 500 of my posts aren’t dedicated to strict RPs, but...idk guys I just feel grateful to have made an impact here.

A long time ago on Tumblr I tried making an ask blog with a similar premise and it bombed.  It didn’t help that I was a huge dork at the time, with NO idea on how to socialize since, most of my socializing online was with very close friends and I didn’t know how to dial it back for people I was just meeting (needless to say I was socially clueless).

But now I feel like I’ve grown as a person, at least a little, and the fact that...well idk how else to put it, the fact that you cared enough to follow me and interact with me...

I’m really grateful.

I don’t plan on stopping this blog anytime soon, nor do I feel like I have a reason to.  Even when I finish Clark’s story I’ve enjoyed this blog too much to let it go.

I’m really sorry if this sounds super sappy, right now I’m in a “do or die” scenario this semester at college (TLDR, vague instructions, grades are up in the air, if I don’t pass my grandma flies to see me graduate nothing, big mood amirite?), and this news put me in such a good mood.  In fact, I’m shouting out to all the mutuals I’ve RP’d with so far, because you guys deserve it:

@stinging-redemptixn-deactivated - I REALLY wish I knew what your main blog was cuz no lie you really helped me out confidence wise when it came to public RPing, even if we only planned an RP, I really look forward to when you have the time so we can get it off the ground, you’re an awesome person and I hope everything’s A-OK in your life right now!

@spears-specials/ @i-always-watch - Dude, plotting out Clark and Takuma’s first encounter (hopefully the first of more to come lol) was insanely fun.  I really appreciated how much you liked my ideas and how fun it was chatting with you, we need to talk more man! lol

@moonlightsn / @omgderpington - I legitimately love how much care you put into your muse’s backstory, and hearing about stuff you like (Like F13) is really engaging!  I really do appreciate the time we RP’d together and hope we can continue whenever you’re free.

@master-glass - I know you’re AFK from tumblr rn but dude you’re the fuckin’ best, I love having you as a friend in general.

@bubblemom - Sweet, fun, creative as hell, idk what to say you’re legit one of the nicest people I’ve seen on tumblr and you don’t deserve bad days.  IDK if Clark and Caesar will ever interact again but regardless It’s just a huge pleasure knowing you just, for real, thanks a lot. =D

@stillwouldhavesavedyou - Your Bruce is SERIOUSLY one of my favorites of all time man.  And hey as a person you’re really cool, you’re easy to talk to and fun to plot out stuff with.  I appreciate you taking a random guy during an Open Starter and running with it, you actually inspired some big ideas I had for Clark, seriously man, thank you!

@darkestxsidexofxthexmoon - We didn’t RP much, but for real, I loved the concept of your muse and his stand, and did enjoy what we did RP.  IDK what else to say you seem like a real cool person. =)

@on-crimson-wings - You had me hooked at “Raven’s Bizarre Hiking Adventures”. XD  Made even better that Raven herself is an amazing character, and I really enjoy her and Clark’s interactions with each other!  And hey, takes an amazing person to write an amazing character, I need to answer more of your memes I feel baaad.  Just, thanks for existing (oh and for Finnigan haha).

@moonlitocs - OK so technically we haven’t RP’d yet but it wouldn’t feel right NOT mentioning you here.  I appreciate how smooth plotting went for our characters meeting, you have a lot of great ideas!  And honestly, it meant a lot that you wanted to RP with me, considering how small this blog was compared to most JJBA blogs at the time.

@askpredator / @purplepimpryda (IDK why it’s not mentioning you apologies, tumblr is dumb sometimes) - Shadow is an GREAT muse, and the I really like not only the interactions he and Clark had, but your writing style in general when describing his side of the RP.  You inspired me to be more flexible when it came to how he crossed over with other muses, and inspired me to watch a legitimately good action/thriller film lol  While Shadow’s on indefinite hiatus, I wish you the best in life and your other blog w/ your other muse. =D

@pressurecooked - I legit love Mio as a character and was so endeared by her most recent post.  She’s someone I’m so excited to learn more about, and I feel bad cuz I wanna interact with your muse memes but her and Clark barely said a word to each other directly so it’s up in the air what their relationship is like ugh idk I just really like where this RP is headed and excited to see where it DOES lead.

@foxglcved - You are a cool person.  While Clark and Hikari really haven’t had any substantial interactions, you’re just a real friendly and legit nice person that I feel honored you followed me considering how well-written your muse is.  Seriously, super-creative, super entertaining, I look forward to RPing with you in the future.  Seriously you’re super cool.

Honestly I just really just appreciate the time you’ve given me and appreciate how far I’ve come as not just an RPer but as a writer.  Writing is my passion in life and I’m only able to practice my craft thanks to people like you.  Again maybe i’m just in a very sappy mood but, for what it’s worth.

Thank you guys, I couldn’t ask for better mutuals.

[teachingoutsidethebinary]

We Are Family Part 3: Let’s Eat!

Summary: Y/N is kicked out of her parents house after they learn she's gay. She turns to her best friend's aunt, Peggy Carter, for a place to stay and winds up at 384 Friday Avenue. The house is crammed with colorful characters all trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Avengers AU

Characters: Reader, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Thor, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, other eventual Marvel characters

Word count: 1581

Read previous parts here

Before you could even process what happened, the brownstone exploded in a bustle of activity. Sam, Nat, Bucky, and Steve raced downstairs, and you followed closely behind. You quickly tossed the sheet and blanket on your bed and walked back out to the living room.

A blonde man stood in the center of the room holding three boxes of pizza. His hair was disheveled, and his shirt was peppered with small holes. A white band aide covered a small cut above his left eyebrow. There was no doubt in your mind that this mess of a man was Clint.  

Thor (still shirtless) and Bruce appeared from their hole in the basement, and Tony walked out of the kitchen carrying paper plates and a stack of napkins. Clint carefully pushed aside some of the electronics on Tony’s workspace and placed the pizza on the table. The salty smell of cheese and rich tomato sauce wafted through the air and your stomach grumbled. You hadn’t eaten since early this morning at the train station, and you realized you were starving.

“I thought Fury fired you,” Steve said accusingly.

“Come on, Mr. Responsible, Fury can’t get rid of me that easily,” Clint scoffed. “I promised I would take some Saturday night shifts and work delivery for the next two months. He even let me take home these no-show pizzas, so really, you should be thanking me. Do we even have any food in this house?”

Steve shook his head. “We’ve gotta go shopping tonight.”

“See?” Clint replied. His attention turned to you. “And who is this?” he asked.

“That’s Y/N,” Nat replied, taking a piece of pepperoni out of the box. “Be nice, she just moved in.” She handed you a plate and gestured to the boxes. “Plain or pepperoni?” she asked.

“Plain’s fine,” you said. Nat picked the biggest piece she could find and put it on your plate.

Instead of migrating to the kitchen table, everyone found a place to sit in the living room. With all nine of you there it was quite crowded, but you didn’t mind. It felt homey. As you ate, questions bombarded you from all sides.

“How old are you?” Sam asked.

“Eighteen.”

“Where are you from?” Thor asked, his mouth full of pizza. Steve slapped his arm, and you giggled.

“Maryland.”

“Land of the crabs!” Clint declared. “I like it!” He took a voracious bite of his cheese pizza.

“What do you want to do when you’re older?” Bucky inquired.

“I want to open a music school.”

“You play?” Steve asked.

You nodded. “Piano and guitar are my favorite, but drums are cool too.”

“What brings you to the city that never sleeps?” Bruce asked.

You swallowed nervously. “Um, my living situation wasn’t working out,” you finally responded. “It’s a long story, but I don’t want to get into it right now.” Steve smiled at you encouragingly, and everyone else stared at their plates, not sure how to respond.

“Star Trek or Star Wars?” Tony finally asked, breaking the almost-awkward silence.

“Dude, Star Wars, for sure,” you replied.

Tony nodded his head in satisfaction. “I like her,” he said.

Everyone quickly finished up eating and got ready to go to the grocery store. While you waited for everyone, you decided to unpack your clothes. You had managed to stuff most of your clothing from back home in your suitcase, and it all fit in the dresser by your bed. You put your shampoo and other toiletries on top of the dresser in a neat line.

Unzipping your backpack, you pulled out your laptop, charger, phone charger, wallet, and other miscellaneous items you had grabbed before leaving. Your laptop went next to your toiletries and you plugged your phone charger into the outlet under the windowsill. Resisting the urge to cry at how little you actually had, you kept yourself busy by making the bed. You carefully tucked the sheets under the mattress and placed the blanket on top. You sat on the bed and dug around the bottom of your backpack for your money.

You had been able to withdraw almost $1,000 before your parents had called the bank and locked you out of the account. You sighed, knowing there was a lot more in your savings. You hid the money in the bottom drawer of your dresser under a stack of clothes and climbed back on your bed.

“It’s all about perspective, right?” you said aloud. “You’ve got a place to sleep, a possible job, and you’re safe.” You closed your eyes and took a few deep breaths.

A gentle knock pulled you back to reality, and you saw Sam standing in your doorway holding a pillow.

“Here, Nat said you might need this,” he offered. You gratefully took the pillow and looked at your bed, debating which end to put it on. After careful consideration, you put it on the end closest to the door. Smiling in satisfaction, you turned back to Sam.

“Thank you,” you said, shyly.

“Anytime. You ready to go?”

You nodded and walked outside with Sam. Everyone else was already waiting, but something seemed off…

“Thor!” Clint yelled. “Put on a damn shirt!”

Thor stared at his bare torso, as if he had forgotten he was half-naked. “Fine, if I must,” he grumbled, walking back inside.

“Coupons!” Tony gasped suddenly, dashing back inside after Thor.

“Oh my gosh, we’re a mess,” Bucky declared, putting his head in his hands.

“But you love it!” Nat sang, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Bucky pretended to swat her away but broke out in laughter instead.

Thor came back outside finally wearing a shirt and Tony followed with a stack of coupons. The grocery store was only two blocks away, and the cool air of the early evening made it a pleasant walk. The conversation flowed easily, and the sadness you felt earlier had almost completely disappeared.

When you finally reached the grocery store, everyone grabbed a basket and wandered through the different aisles. You paired up with Bucky and Nat.

“What do we need to get?” you asked as you walked down the cereal aisle.

“Dunno,” Bucky shrugged. “Nat and I usually get cereal and snacky foods.”

“Everyone just kind of gets whatever,” Nat chimed in. “It works out for the most part.”

“Except that one time when Clint AND Bruce AND Tony all got those huge ramen packs when didn’t all go to the store together,” Bucky interjected. He shuddered. “We ate ramen for weeks. It was awful.”

Nat nodded sympathetically as she grabbed a box of Cookie Crisp. “What kind of cereal do you eat, Y/N?” she asked. You tentatively took a box of Fruit Loops off the shelf and held it up.

Bucky grinned and added the box to his basket. “I love these! Good choice.” He grabbed two boxes of Coco Puffs while Nat chose Cheerios, Chex, and the chocolate Special K.

“You can’t live without snack foods,” Nat declared, walking over to the next aisle. You filled your basket with granola mix and other healthy snack bars. Bucky, on the other hand, grabbed a few boxes of generic cookies and chips.

About twenty minutes later, you all gathered in front of the cash registers with your food. Bucky and Nat were right, there were hardly any repeats. Fruits, veggies, meat, milk, bread, frozen pizzas and more filled everyone’s baskets. You couldn’t keep track of how Steve and Bruce were splitting everything up on the conveyor belt because they were moving so rapidly. Tony stood by and handed coupons to those that needed it, and somehow, the totals were all equaling about the same.

“Whoa,” you breathed, admiring the sight before you.

“When you’ve been doing this for as long as we have, it gets pretty easy,” Nat replied.

“How long have you all lived together?”

Nat paused and did some mental calculations. “Well, I’m 24 and we all moved in together when I turned 19. So 5ish years?”

“Wow, that’s a long time to share a room with someone. And a house with a bunch of guys for that matter.”

“Maybe,” Nat admitted. “But I wouldn’t change anything about it.” You nodded and focused your attention back to the conveyor belt.

“Okay, I think that about covers it,” Steve declared, putting the last of the items on the belt.

“Wait, Steve, where’s my pile?” you asked.

Steve shook his head. “On me tonight.” You opened your mouth to protest, but his playful glare stopped you. “You can pay me back another time, kid,” he said. You silently vowed to make good on this promise once you got a real paycheck.

Everyone grabbed a few bags and began the trek back to the brownstone. By the time you got to your new home, you were exhausted after the events of the day. With everyone’s help, the food was unpacked quickly, and they all made their way to their respective bedrooms.

“Y/N, my shift starts at 9am tomorrow,” Bucky said as he climbed the stairs. “I can introduce you to the owner of the coffee shop, and you should be able to get a job no problem.”

“Thanks Bucky,” you replied gratefully. He smiled and waved goodnight before disappearing up to the second floor.

You took a fast shower in your new bathroom and settled back under your covers. Sleep quickly consumed you, and you didn’t even have time to miss your old bed.

TAGS: @buckyappreciationsociety

[rocknrollsalad-moved]

Prompt: New

At first, it was a joke, as most things are with Tony.

Bruce had a terrible habit of forgetting his glasses. It’d be worse if he didn’t stash a pair everywhere. Tony found a pair in the refrigerator once and stood there holding them for ten minutes wondering how that had happened. In the end, he put them back.

It would be a bigger issue if Bruce was nearsighted but he only needed the glasses to see up close. His prescription was just bad enough he shouldn’t buy the readers down at the drug store but still did. So, often Bruce wouldn’t need them he’d put them down where he was and forget about them. There was always another pair nearby.

Tony put a pair on one day in the lab. Not the most clever of jokes but he sat there clicking blurry keys, that really should have been worse. He should not be able to see this well with glasses on, god, it was almost as if he was getting old. Thankfully that wasn’t happening.

Now the goal had been to get Bruce to notice, to fluster him and if Tony was really lucky, annoy him. He sat there working for so long that he grew impatient and asked Bruce to bring him a file he didn’t need and had digital access to. Bruce delivered the file and was turning back to his work before Tony had grabbed the file.

Two hours he sat in that lab wearing the oversized grandpa glasses waiting for Bruce to notice. Everyone else in Tony’s phonebook found themselves subjected to more pictures of him in the glasses than anyone needed. Ever. Both Pepper and Natasha threatened to block his number. Clint, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he couldn’t find enough emojis to express himself.

Accomplishing little and having annoyed others, Tony gave up and went about his day. Leaving the lab to do other work he told Bruce, in parting, that he could replace himself with a scarecrow and the other wouldn’t notice.

“Uh huh, yeah. I’ll lock up.” was all he got in response.

If it wasn’t so adorable the way Bruce poured himself into his work Tony would be offended. If there wasn't that absolute torturous face of joy he made when he completed something or a new discovery made, Tony would kick him out. But that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Sometimes you had to play second fiddle to science.

(God knows Tony has subjected many to the same fate)

The next time it was over dinner, they were sitting together outside the lab. Cross-legged on an expansive sectional with cartons of Chinese between them. Tony made the move to grab another packet of soy sauce but instead snatched Bruce’s glasses.

These ones were half frames, thicker than the other pair. If the last pair were grandpa glasses, these were the glasses of the dead. Tony felt himself getting older by the minute. And not that he’d tell anyone but his fortune cookie was a little easier to read as he pretended to struggle in order to mock the other.

At first, Bruce rolled his eyes and continued shoving food in his mouth. He always eats like he’s never seen food. It’s all or nothing with him and though Tony isn’t one known for his fantastic eating habits it drives him insane. Complete savage or informing everyone eating a fruit bar 10 hours ago is good enough. Not to mention it was awful to watch.

“They suit you,” Bruce finally says, there’s that playful spark in his eyes that Tony knows only he sees.

Bruce knows this is an insult. Tony’s prone to occasional bouts of vanity and glasses? They aren’t hip or trendy, no matter what the magazines say. Bruce and Tony both come from a generation, though, where you mocked the kid with glasses. You ripped your friend apart without concern when they showed up with their new specks. Some things, no matter what GQ said, wouldn’t be fashionable.

Tony preens for a minute, trying to pretend he’s complimented but it doesn’t work and he takes the glasses off. He tries not to look defeated but Bruce is sitting there looking so smug. Leaving Tony unsure if that angers him or turns him on. Perhaps both.

Tony deflects instead, putting the problem on Bruce. If he’d had better frames Tony would have looked good, naturally. “Why do you insist on buying the ugliest frames you can find?”

“Because they’re cheap.”

“Yeah, well you have got to stop basing your choices off of what’s cheap.”

Bruce rolls his eyes, stuffing what Tony is sure is an entire egg roll in his mouth at once and keeps talking. “I don’t know if you remember but I have this little problem? I get all big and green, it’s easy to miss. But it does tend to ruin shirts, pants, glasses, Harlem. You know, the usual.”

This is enough to stop Tony. Not the self-deprecating humor, he’s grown accustom to that. The logic, though. Given how often Bruce has Hulked right out of his clothes, it can’t be cheap. Why shop at Barney’s if it runs the risk of being ripped to shreds. Goodwill has to be the best option. “There has to be a better selection than 1950s nerd.”

“Steve did ask me where I got my pants the other day.”

Tony nearly chokes on the bite of noodles for trying not to laugh. Bruce throws a napkin Tony’s way in case there’s a mess. Which adds to the building laughter, the idea that this thin napkin would do anything to save the sofa (or Bruce) from noodles being spit back out is too much. And it was the exact joke Bruce was going for.

These are the moments Tony lives for. Not the quiet ones where they’re both calm and laying in bed or reading in the lab. Not working with Bruce or even fighting along side him. When they’re both just people. They laugh and joke and show sides of themselves few see. He wouldn’t trade this for anything.

For that and the way genuine smiles look on Bruce. He’d fight any villain thrown his way to see that on a daily basis. Bruce puts his glasses on with a look that says there’s nothing wrong with them, he’s almost right. They still age him and they still look like cheap, flimsy frames.

A week later Tony shows up again wearing glasses. They’re black but the inside of the arms is a bright red. Making Bruce’s glasses look even worse by comparison. There is a hardshell case in his pocket with a spare, identical pair inside.

“Geeze! And you said my glasses looked like a cliche,” Bruce says with a laugh, skipping any greeting and going right to mocking Tony. “You look like, oh god, the guy. You know the one, he died young.”

“Buddy Holly,” Tony says the words as if they cause him physical pain him. These are the moments he misses Rhodey. Someone actually from this century. “And I’ll have you know at least five of the most important and influential fashion bloggers have called these the must-haves of the season.”

“You can’t make things up to justify your fashion choices.”

“Well, yes. I can. Of course, I can, do you know who I am?”

“Hard to forget.”

“I make things fashionable, thank you.”

“Yeah, well good luck with those.”

It’s hard not to feel hurt. Not only did Tony think the glasses worked for him but they were a gift for the very man tearing them apart. Head held high, never cracking for a moment, Tony rolls his eyes as he always does.

“Learn to love them, mean and green, they’re yours.”

“You don’t know my prescription.”

“I know a guy.”

“Great. I can’t buy my glasses at the corner store but your shady, back alley glasses are better?” Bruce does all he can to keep from laughing as speaks. It was so over the top and it eases some of the sting that could have come from the words.

Tony holds them out for Bruce to take. It’s neither new nor impressive that they can tell what kind of prescription is in the lens without an eye appointment. The only trick was finding a pair of Bruce’s that weren’t the Dollar Store Special.

Bruce puts them on and his grumpy disposition and ill-timed jokes end, he can read what’s in front of him. Tony is staring as well. The glasses suit Bruce far better than he imagined.

“Alright, I...you win.”

“Damn right, I always do.”

“I’ll need the number of your shady van driving optometrist.”

“I said I knew a guy for the lenses. You won’t need new frames ever again but on the off chance the big guy tries to test that…” pulling the case out of his pocket, Tony hands over the spare. “I made the frames myself, modeling them after something a little more trendy. To call them unbreakable would be bold...so they’re unbreakable.”

Walking over, Tony checked the fit. There’d be a few adjustments that needed made and hew knew Bruce wouldn’t ask for them.

Bruce stood there short circuiting, you could see on his face as his brain worked through the dozens of created problems and tried to understand this. After a moment, he did the only thing he could and pulled Tony closer and thanking him with a kiss.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome.” 

After a few minutes Tony has Peggy Sue playing through the lab speakers, smiling to himself since he’s the only one in on the joke. Bruce has finally stopped testing the glasses, acting as though he’ll no longer be able to see if he looked at the right object. 

Next, Tony will work on that wardrobe. 

[fandomtrash465]

Time Fluff: Chapter 6

A/N: Hello lovelies! I’m so freaking sorry that I haven’t posted in a week and a half! The holidays and finals have been making me really busy and I haven’t been able to write as much as I’ve wanted to, I hope you guys don’t hate me! And special thanks to all of you that commented on and liked my last post, luv you all <3

Summary: Bucky x reader. Bucky and reader have liked each other for a long time but they’re both in denial of the other’s feelings. What will happen when Tony’s new invention accidentally brings 40sBucky and 40sSteve to the present? If this were to go in the actual MCU timeline it would probably be sometime before infinity war and before they actually figured out time travel. And for anytime that 40sBucky or 40sSteve are mentioned I used * to make it less confusing for which Steve or Bucky it is.

Word Count: 1141

Warnings: None, just a teeny bit of insecure Bruce but it’s not that much. 

Other Chapters: Time Fluff Masterlist

As Steve and I wait in the kitchen we decide that we would make dinner for the rest of the team. “What did you have in mind?” He asks me while looking over my shoulder at the recipe book that I’m flipping through.

“I’m not sure, I think that this one looks good though” I say and point to an Italian dish that I’m surprised Tony has never made for us before.

“Alright, let’s get started” He smiles brightly and gets ingredients out.

“I’ll get the vegetables chopped up, then we can start on using the stove” I plan out excitedly. It’s always so much fun to cook with Steve, mainly because he still gets so surprised by modern things even when cooking, but also because of how close of friends we are.

We jump right into conversation while he gets things from the fridge. “What do you think the plan should be for tonight?” He asks while almost his entire upper half is buried inside of the fridge.

“I was thinking that it could be a good idea to have a team game night, you know to try to introduce them to the 21st century a little bit as well as the rest of the team. And maybe if we have time we could watch another movie together” I suggest casually.

He smirks at me in response “Would this in any way be because of you wanting to get closer to Bucky”

I shush him quickly after he says that. “He’s right in the next room, be quieter please. I guess that it could be possible that my feelings for him have influenced the team bonding activities that I have in mind for tonight” I tell him shyly and blush a tiny bit as I glance at the doorway to the living room where the man in question is speaking to his younger self about his past.

“I knew it” He smiles triumphantly “He feels the same way about you, I hope that you’re able to realize that. I honestly can’t see how the two of you are so blind to the other’s feelings” He says and shakes his head with a slightly furrowed brow.  

“I hope that you’re right Stevie, and I’m going to try to find out tonight” I start sliding all of the vegetables in the pan to begin cooking them just as the younger Steve* comes in. “Hey, what’re you guys talking about in there?” I ask him, looking over my shoulder.

“He told us some things about himself, I think that it’s better for them to have some-one-on-one time for a while though” Steve* answered politely.

“That’s great! I’m so glad that none of you are completely freaking out or anything about all of this” I direct a bright smile in their direction. “If you want to help you can Steve*, or you can just stay in here to hang out with us” I suggest because I can almost sense his need to help out with something. “Of course I’ll help out! Just tell me what you need me to do” He smiles and goes over to the sink to wash his hands before he starts cooking.

 *******************************************************************************************

“Yay! This looks amazing you guys, great job” I exclaim happily once the food is done. “Now we just have to get the rest of the team to come down here and eat together”.

“Already on our way, everything smells and looks so good!” A new and familiar voice wanders into the room. I look up and smile as I see two of my best friends, Wanda and Natasha, standing in the doorway looking pleased with the scene in front of them.

“And since you’re here you can help set up the table while I ask Friday to inform everyone else that dinner is ready and waiting” I smirk as their expressions fall slightly. “Friday? Can you please tell everyone to come down to dinner?”

“Of course, Miss Y/N” Friday answers from out of nowhere before announcing to everyone that it is time to eat. Around this time is when I hear Sam cheer loudly from somewhere on the floor above.

“Hey doll, this what you guys have been working on for the last three hours?” Bucky comes in the kitchen with his younger self trailing behind him.

“For the record, it was only like an hour and a half. But yes, this is what we were working on” I answer with a roll of my eyes. Once everyone started piling in I filled up my plate and sat down in between Bucky and Sam.

“Bucky kind of explained most of the things that are happening here to us but I just want to be a little clearer so that we’re less confused. What is it that each of you has or does that make you apart of the team?” Steve* asked everyone sitting at the table.

“I guess that I’ll start because it might be easiest to explain. I’m Tony Stark so my dad was Howard and I’m rich, you know, basically genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” Tony explains briefly with a definitive smile.

“And apparently he feels the need to add the title every single time he is introduced to anyone new” Natasha sighs and pretends to be annoyed. “I’m Natasha Romanoff, I’m a spy” She informs them without giving many details at all, I assume that it’s because of her secretive nature.

Everyone else goes on to introduce themselves and the young pair seem very attentive the entire time. I notice that Bruce is the only one who hasn’t said much yet, which isn’t all that odd seeing as he is a naturally very introverted person but I have a feeling that it has something to do with how becoming the Hulk was a failed experiment on replicating the super soldier serum.

I finally catch his eye and nod my head in Steve’s* direction to encourage him to share what happened. “Uhm, well I guess my biggest attribute is my big brain but I also have this thing where I sometimes turn into a giant green rage monster. I was attempting to replicate the serum that was used on you but it didn’t work out to well for me” Banner says shyly and ends with a light chuckle. I smile at him again, proud that he actually told everything that happened.

“Well, now that we all know each other a little bit more, how about we have a game night and get to know each other even better?” Tony suggests and looks very pleased with his own idea. Yet, as he says this the rest of us, other than Steve* and Bucky* of course, groan loudly even though we know that once Tony has an idea in his head we are going to have to participate.

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