#it's actually a two shot but sshh it's a secret

[asfodelle]

Hello, hello, here's the first scene of the one-shot I've been writing the last few months. It's about a 'He Tian is involved in the mob and returns occasionally tho feelings never leave' situationship neither can walk out of, Mo is a boxer, there's a touch of religious themes, made myself cry writing it, it's a blast.

1. May 5th 7:12 p.m. - Bell

Before leaving the car, He Tian lets out a long sigh, blowing smoke. He should probably get to praying.

The door snaps shut, echoing in the small street he parked in. Past the intersection he hears kids chatting, going home for dinner maybe. He Tian takes a second to watch himself in the reflection of his tinted windows. He readjusts the collar of his shirt, brushes his pants wrinkled from the long hours of driving, throws his hair backwards and the damp air soon gets him to fold his sleeves up. He doesn’t look so bad, he thinks. Tired. He rubs his face with both hands to bring back some color to his cheeks, then under his eyes as if he could dim the blue tint that’s been settling there, but it doesn’t have very conclusive results. He starts walking.

The entrance of the old warehouse is slightly different from the last time he’s seen it. It looks more welcoming, but it might just be a trick of the light. The peach clouds of the spring evening just paint a nicer ambiance than the grey winter sky did, last January. The gates have been adorned by new tags that have been sprayed on top of the old faded ones and there are flyers encouraging people to join the Sunday mass down the street glued all over, though they don’t reach very high. He Tian imagines a troop of old women roaming the streets, spreading the holy word but his little game of guesswork doesn’t help him relax one bit. 

He gets in front of the door, a smaller entrance within the large sealed gate that used to let trucks in and out of the warehouse. He grips the handle for a second, takes a long inhale and gets in. His eyes slowly adjust to the dimmer lighting but he quickly notes that, contrary to its facade, the inside of the place hasn’t changed much since the last time he saw it. Between high walls of concrete and sheets of metal lie mismatched sets of equipment. Barbells, slick black punching bags, discolored benches of various sorts, a couple old bikes in the back, punch mitts forgotten over a pile of cardboards. A few training boxing rings give shape to the room, the space between them gives the illusion of corridors. The walls are covered in overlapping posters, the grey disrupted by layers on layers of paint and graffitis that even cover the high windows. They let small rays of tinted light in like the stained glass of a church, though the candles are replaced by tens of flickering LEDs lights. There are a few people here and there, busy with dumbbells or talking in their little spot but the room is so wide they can’t be heard. Stairs crawl by the walls leading to more rooms and places He Tian had never been to. Music resonates, low and muffled from a speaker somewhere in a corner.

In the middle of the room stands another ring, a bright red one standing higher than the rest, with white thick cords. When He Tian sees him, he’s sat there, on the side of the wooden platform the red ring rests on. He's listening attentively to a trio of teenagers, leaning backwards on his hands. 

Guan Shan had taken a liking to boxing in high school. A good outlet, he said, one that taught him to measure his emotions. It stuck through the years and he’s been great at it. Then he started giving advice to newcomers, to give some of spare time to help young blood he saw himself in and slowly it transformed into actual lessons and training sessions he holds after work. These kids have been coming here for a couple years now, He Tian remembers them. They are reenacting punches and kicks, arguing and giggling over different combinations and they turn to their coach for approval whenever they get a new idea. He nods along and fixes their posture a couple times, something soft in his eyes. He looks beautiful. Toned and pale as ever, the bare skin of his chest clashes with the black shorts and the tattoos that spangle his body. He Tian stands close to the entrance, leaning cross-armed, his shoulder against a pillar and keeps on watching over him though he struggles to truly appreciate the contrast of colors due to the fifth character in the scene.

A guy he doesn’t know is sitting close to Guan Shan, too close. His hair is an ugly shade of bleached blond and he keeps looking at Guan Shan whenever he speaks with big dumb eyes, mouth agape and enamored. He looks young, but maybe He Tian only feels so much older than his age. He looks stupid.

He Tian hasn’t moved but Guan Shan suddenly lifts his head and catches him right away, as if he’d known all along where he was hiding. The way his eyes widen for a second betray his surprise however but he quickly regains control over his face. It seems like he excuses himself from his little group, the blonde argues something, he wants to follow but he’s brushed away by a dismissing hand.

Guan Shan glances back to He Tian’s shadowy corner and starts moving towards the closed rooms in the back of the building, grabbing a few boxes on the way. He Tian traces behind him with a confident walk and ignores how all of his body stiffens with apprehension, every single muscle a little too tight. Guan Shan enters the room first and He Tian follows a few seconds after. He closes the door behind them. The handle creaks and his hands are sweaty.

It’s not quite messy in here, but the little office room is packed. The desk is covered with stacks of papers, cardboard boxes are neatly piled up in the back of the room; some are already opened and uncover the gloves, the tapes and bandages they hold. The window is open too, letting in the noise of the city. Guan Shan sets the boxes he carried over on top of one of the piles and gets to fumbling in his bag, almost turning his back to the door where He Tian stands.

« Hi. » he tries, and braces himself for what’s coming. 

« You know it’s fucking weird creeping in corners like this? »

He Tian pinches his lips in a thin line.

« Why are you here? » Guan Shan asks then, still busying himself in his bag. He doesn’t sound angry, just a little cold, maybe annoyed at the disturbance.

« I’ve got some business to handle in town. »

« I thought you were abroad until September. » Guan Shan muses, finding the shirt he seemed to be looking after, a large black one. He Tian follows his hands and notices he has splatters of white and red paint over his forearms, his short nails are stained too.

« The schedule is never really steady. » 

Guan Shan scoffs. He Tian know that’s a first warning but he can’t help but focus on the way his muscles jolt, on the way they flex as he flips the shirt over. He tries to not lose his eyes on the curve of his biceps. It’s a struggle. 

« I negotiated a little. » He adds « Took over Cheng’s spot. »

Little negotiations that involved a precarious alliance, three weeks of tailing for intel and a couple of threats. It was worth it.

Carefully, He Tian moves away from the door, closer to Guan Shan. He probably shouldn’t, definitely shouldn’t yet he lifts a hand and reaches out to touch his bare back. Guan Shan freezes.

« I wanted to see you. » he explains, voice low as his knuckles trace the bumps of Guan Shan’s spine. It’s daring. It might earn him a hook but the pull is magnetic.

As their routine dictates, they hadn’t parted in very good terms the last time and for that, coming back to him is always a gamble. A game of Russian roulette even and quite a dangerous version of it; one where he never even knew how many bullets were hidden in the cylinder, each of them taking a different shape. At times He Tian had handled days of scowling looks and a soft kiss that had left him bleeding out, he had received sharp words from petty fights without wincing but just the weight of Guan Shan’s rehearsed indifference could pierce his lungs and leave him breathless. He will take the hits, he does not care. It’s a game they’ve played for years now and as long as the other still accepts to pull the trigger on him, he’d take anything. After all, He Tian is the one who bound the gun to his hand in the first place.

A punch never lands this time. Guan Shan sighs, his shoulders drop then he turns around and throws his arms around He Tian’s neck, knocking the air out of him all the same. He Tian holds back tightly, and finally breathes out, his fingertips digging into hot freckled skin.

« I missed you. » He Tian whispers. What a fucking understatement. 

The arms around his neck tighten in response, only for a brief second before they hear loud noise by the door. Their embrace ends as quick as it started, Guan Shan stepping back and turning to put on the shirt he had discarded a second ago. He glares at the door, expecting it to open at any moment but thankfully, the people outside only pass by. 

« I’m training the kids all evening, and there’s a party at eleven, but I don’t think it’ll stay long. » Guan Shan says when the room has quieted down enough. 

« I’ll pick you up then. »

Guan Shan nods. That should be He Tian’s cue to leave, he has a couple things to settle tonight anyway but the other looks as if he’s pondering over something. He Tian catches how amber eyes roam over his face, for a brief moment they even settle on his mouth, but then return to the door. 

« Get lost. » he tells He Tian, tilting his head towards the door but there’s no bite into it.

When He Tian gets back to the car, his cheeks hurt. In the tinted window, his smile might look shy but it’s wider than it’s been in the last four months.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN - ME AND MO

LEGACY: A Tony Stark Daughter Story

MASTERLIST

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Word Count: 1,700ish

Summary: Bailey and her sister, Morgan, are close. No matter the age gap.

I returned to the lake house later that day. As I drove up, I noticed my small family was waiting on the porch for me. When I stepped out of the car, Morgan did her best to come running over to me. She was a little over two years old and you could already tell she had way too much Stark in her for her own good. I picked her up and spun her around as we hugged. 

“Mo!” I kissed the side of her head as I held her close to me. “I missed you so much!”

“Miss you too B!” She practically yelled in my ear.

I laughed as I moved her to rest on my hip as I walked us up the drive way. “Did you miss me more than Mommy did?” I eyed Pepper, who smiled at my comment. Tony had his arms wrapped around her from behind as they watched Morgan and I head toward the house.

“Yes!”

I laughed again and then leaned close to her ear and said quieter, but still loud enough for Tony to hear, “Did you miss me more than Daddy missed me?”

“Yes!”

“Who’s your favorite person, Mo?”

“You!” She giggled as she wrapped her small arms around my neck. 

I laughed as Tony shouted, “I heard that!” 

I quickly got into Morgan’s head. “We made daddy jealous.” We both giggled out loud. “I think that tonight we should play a prank on him. You in?” Morgan quickly nodded.

“What are you girls talking about?” Pepper asked. It was a known fact that I would enter Morgan’s head and we would have secret conversations.

“Oh, just sister stuff,” I replied as I poked Morgan’s nose. “Right Mo?”

“Yeah! Sister stuff!” She said. Once we reached the porch, Tony and Pepper each kissed one of my cheeks. 

“How’d your work trip go, B?” Pepper asked as we began to make our way inside.

“Just as planned. Well… yeah, exactly as planned.” Pepper raised her eyebrow skeptically at me. “I just ran into an old friend as well as found an answer to a question.”

“Who and what question?” Tony piped in as he held the front door open for us to walk through.

I turned to him as we walked through. “I’m going to take you up on your offer,” I said, ignoring his question.

“Offer?” Pepper jumped back in. “What offer?”

I gave Tony an angry look. “You haven’t talked to Mom about it?”

“I was waiting to get your opinion and answer first,” Tony tried to defend himself.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Pepper. “He thinks he found a way to help me control my visions and, hopefully, my nightmares. And so, we’re going to try it out."

“Is it dangerous?” She questioned.

“It shouldn’t be,” Tony answered. “I’ve ran multiple scenario tests and, lately, they’ve all been successful.”

Pepper’s worry began to roll off her in waves. I quickly spoke up. “You don’t need to worry, Mom.” I gave her a comforting smile. “This is just to help me control my powers, not get rid of them. It’s temporary.” She took Morgan out of my arms. “I promise, Mom. Everything is going to be alright.” She gave both me and Tony skeptical looks. 

Tony came up behind me and set his hands on my shoulders. “It will be okay, honey. You know that I would never do anything that would put Bailey in harms way.”

She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “Fine.” Tony gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze.

“Thanks Mom.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah,” Tony came up to her, “Thanks hun.” And he kissed her.

Morgan quickly covered her eyes with her hands. “Ew!” She exclaimed. 

Tony and Pepper pulled apart and we all laughed. Tony pulled me in and we all hugged each other. It was moments like these that I wished I had saved on a video tape, but I did safely store them away in my mind. So that I could recall them when ever I was feeling down. 

After dinner, we all went to bed. Yes, even Tony. Ever since they married, he had been doing better about keeping to a normal sleeping schedule. I waited in hour before sneaking into Morgan’s room and gently waking her. Once she realized it was me waking her, she remembered our secret plan. 

“Trick Daddy?” She tried to quietly say. 

“Shh..” I put a finger over my mouth before pointing to my head as I quickly entered her head. “We need to speak like this, so that they don’t hear us.”

“Okay.” 

I picked her up and had her rest on my hip. “Okay. Do you have any ideas?”

“Lab?”

“That’s a great place to start Mo.”

We quietly snuck out of her room and down the stairs. We swiftly walked through the kitchen, mud room, and then out the door to the garage/lab. As we walked in, the lights automatically turned on. I set Morgan down on a stool before looking around to see what we could do that wouldn’t make Tony too mad.

“How about we paint one of Dad’s suits?” I asked Morgan. She clapped her hands and rapidly nodded. “What colors?”

“Pink! And…. Bwue!”

“Pink and blue it is.” 

I smiled as I went over to the cupboard that held the paint and grabbed the needed supplies. After setting up the supplies, I went over to a computer and had one of Tony’s older but favorite suits brought to the lab. And then we went to work. Morgan with the pink and I with the blue. We scribbled over the suit with the paint, occasionally painting each other. We laughed and painted, all while chatting in your minds. After about an hour, Morgan began to get tired. So I signed our names, put the paint away, the suit away, left a note on Tony’s desk, then picked up Morgan and headed to bed. I did my best to change her and clean her up without waking her before putting her back in her room. I kissed her good night and started a good dream for her. 

After I quietly shut her door, I snuck past my parents room and into my own. I collapsed onto my bed with a sigh of contentment and a smirk. I really enjoyed having sister, maybe a little too much. I absolutely adored Morgan. I would do anything for her. I curled under my blankets and began to fall asleep. Unfortunately, like the night before, a nightmare came again. I was back at HYDRA, like all those years ago, chained to a table. Dr. M was torturing me for information on my family’s location. He wanted to get to Morgan, to hurt us all and to train her to be a successful version of me. 

“I won’t let you have her,” I loudly said in my sleep. Beads of sweat were coming from my hairline as I tossed and turned. “No!” I shouted. “Please no!” 

My shouting caused my parents to jolt awake. Tony was quickly out of bed and rushing down the hall to me, with Pepper not far behind. He threw open my door to see me shouting and thrashing around.

“No! I’ll do anything,” I continued to shout. “Just let her be!”

“Bailey!” Tony exclaimed as he ran over to my thrashing body and grabbed onto my shoulders. “Bailey, sweetie, it’s not real. I need you to wake up.”

“Please don’t hurt her. I’ll do anything!”

Tony began to shake me. “Kid, wake up!” My eyes shot open and I frantically looked around as my breathing became heavier. “Look at me, B.” Tony put his hands on my face to try to get me to focus. “Look at me. It wasn’t real… You’re at home. You’re safe. We’re all safe.”

I looked into his eyes, terrified that my nightmare could possibly become reality. “They…” I sobbed. “They were trying to get to her… through me…”

“Trying to get to who, honey?” Pepper gently asked as she sat down on my bed.

“Morgan…” I sobbed a replied. “They wanted… to do to her… what they had tried to do… to me… I… She…”

“Sshh,” Tony said as he grabbed my shaking form and held me close to his body. He began to gently rock us back and forth. “HYDRA won’t be able to get you two… I won’t let them touch you ever again… And between us, Morgan will never have to go through what you have… We would never let that happen. Okay?” I shakily nodded against him. “You haven’t had one this bad in a while.”

“Actually, Boss,” FRIDAY interrupted, “She had one last night."

Pepper and Tony shared a worried look as she set a caring hand on my back. “I’m going to be right back, okay B? I’m just going to run and get Morgan.”

I gave a little nod before Pepper got up and left to get Morgan. Tony began brushing through my hair as he held me. When Pepper brought Morgan in, she was awake enough to realize that something was wrong and quickly outstretched her arms to me. Tony let go of me so that I could hold onto Morgan. Morgan soon fell back asleep in my arms and I laid down and soon fell asleep as well. Tony gave us both a kiss on our heads before meeting Pepper at the bedroom door. They quietly closed the door most of the way before heading to their bedroom.

“Will…” Pepper took a deep breath before continuing. “Will the nano bots help her with her nightmares?”

“They should,” Tony replied. They both laid down. Pepper turned to her side and Tony quickly wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. “She hasn’t ever had one about Morgan before… I think this is really going to shake her up.”

“See if she’ll let you inject the nano bots tomorrow. That might help her calm down… Might help us all calm down.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Tony kissed the back of Pepper’s head. “I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, Tony.”

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