#just say the only characters you actually know are tony and steve and move on

[ronanceisintheair]

Marvel crybaby want comic book accuracy but then complain when comic book accuracy applies to the women of the mcu. Like the way Carol or Wanda are "overpowered" or the way Kamala looks up to Carol with sparkling eyes and big adoration.

[innorogers]

Reverie

Steve Rogers x Reader (You)

Summary: Steve doesn't care about you past, but he is hesitating if he should take things further. Until he saw that punk trying to make a move on you...wait, did he say his name is Walker? John Fucking Walker?!

Warning: Minors DNI / Minors DNI / First Time / First Date / Fluff? / Smut / Unprotected Sex /

Characters: Natasha, Tony, OCs, John Walker, Timeline is after Endgame and everyone is happy and alive.

Also: You don't have to read the previous two chapters, but it would enhance the experience if you did. And thanks in advance for repost or any feedback ❤️

Chapter 1: Insomnia | Chapter 2: Lucid

"We'd better get going…" you panted between breaths, your words more moans and whispers than actual sentences. As his lips moved further into your skin, the glasses of the windows grow foggier and steamed.

"...I know... we should," he replied, marking your collarbone with his voice hoarse and raspy. One hand pressed against your thigh, lifting your leg to wrap around his hip, while the other tangled in your hair. "I just don’t think I can…" he muttered, kissing your breast and leaving love marks, sucking and soothing them.

Me neither. You thought to yourself while grabbing his head to pull him closer. And I don't want to.

But the car horns honked twice outside the building, jolting Steve to a halt.

"Shit, I don’t think we’re getting away with this..." he sighs, breathing heavily as he rested his head on your shoulder, trying to calm his body. It was hard, though, especially with you looking the way you did—hair disheveled, cheeks flushed, forehead damp, and lips swollen. Goddamn, you are sexy as fuck. Your shirt was half-torn, shoulders marked with bites, and you were panting in a way that drove him wild.

"We need to..." He tried to button up your shirt but sighed and gave up. Honestly, he wanted to do the opposite.

You laughed, fixing his messy hair. Jumping off the desk, helped straighten his collar. "There." You smiled up at him as he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "As much as I want to stay, we’d better hurry."

"I know, I know..." Steve grumbled as the car honked again. "Do you need to change?" he asked, adjusting his shirt and glancing at the waiting car.

"Nope, thank goodness for this," you said, grabbing your lab coat. "Or it would be too obvious." You covered yourself and smoothed out your clothes.

"Too obvious of what?" he teased. "You think they’ll suspect something?"

"Well... no." You quickly got ready and helped him by tugging the back of his shirt. "I doubt anyone expects us to show up together—they’ll just think it’s a coincidence."

"Tony knows. That’s why he sent the damn car." Steve scoffed, taking your hand as he led you outside, opening the door for you.

"In his defense, this meeting was set two weeks ago." You smiled, taking his hand once seated, fingers intertwined as you sighed contentedly. "I just forgot because I was... very distracted."

The car began moving, thankfully driverless and on autopilot, giving Steve the chance to take your hand again. The cool AC calmed both of you, letting you think more clearly. You tried to focus on the upcoming meeting, but it was impossible when he started kissing your fingers.

"He wants us to concentrate and send a car with no driver?" Steve grinned as the campus blurred by. “He is challenging my imagination.”

"Maybe no one wants to see what’s happening here," you whispered in his ear, as if anyone could hear. "Or we'd have to kill them afterward."

He laughed, finally relaxing, just holding your hand and gazing out the window.

You tried too, looking at the passing green grass and buildings, but your eyes kept drifting to him. And your mind is going wild. 

OMG what you’ve done, and what's happening here.

You and Steve had only met two days ago on the training field at midnight. Both of you were suffering from insomnia, and what began as a friendly, slightly naïve conversation to help each other sleep turned into the best night of your lives. 

And now... this.

Well, you weren’t sure what "this" was. 

After that night, he walked you to your room, kissed you goodnight, and probably went straight to read your file. 

Then, the next thing you knew, he showed up at your secluded lab and kissed you like there was no tomorrow.

Until your boss/friend Mr. Stark interrupted you from heading a home run all the way, by calling to remind you there were cameras everywhere and that PG-18 scenes should be saved for after hours or, better yet, off-campus. 

He also kindly reminded you that the meeting both of you were expected was in 20 minutes. And just in case you "got carried away and lost track of time," his words, he sent the car.

After a few seconds of silence, as you try to make sense of things, Steve suddenly realizes: "I don’t even remember what this meeting is about."

"It’s not a meeting. Technically, it’s a... how’d you call it? Hmm... an opening ceremony?" You repeat the words Tony used when he walked you through it. 

"Important people from important groups are coming to visit around, and to make peace after the Blip. They’re deploying their heavy hitters, so all our level 3s have to be there."

"And you’re... level... 2?" Steve asked, trying to recall. He had read your file but only focused on some key details of your past, not the present.

"I’m a level A," you chuckled at Steve’s 'is that even a thing?' expression and explained, "Just like Peter Parker. I have access to everything, as long as Tony wants me to."

"Oh... and... why do you need to be there?" Steve wanted to know more, but as the car approached the destination, he could see people walking toward the grand hall.

"Well, I’m not expected by the guests, but by Tony. And you know what they say: the most dangerous place is the safest. After all, I’m not exactly on their 'white list'..."

You saw his expression change, and he tightened his grip on your hand. "You shouldn’t be hiding. You didn’t do anything wrong."

"I didn’t?" You looked into his eyes, and he didn’t know how to respond. He hadn’t had the time, or the courage, to read your full file. He was just following his instincts about you, his feelings, and his heart.

"But still, I don’t think they’re ready for 'this'." You gestured to your intertwined hands. 

"And this shouldn’t be the topic of today’s conversation. I think this event is more about ‘how we’re friends again with the Avengers’ or ‘world peace is our only priority,’ kinda stuff…"

That made him laugh. He leaned his head back against the seat, muttering softly, "I wouldn’t care if they saw us."

"Eventually." You smiled at him. "And there’s something sexy about keeping it a secret, Captain." You sit in closer. "I like it." You blinked, motioning to the people passing by the car. 

"When they’re out there... and they don’t know... about this." Then you leaned forward to give him a kiss.

Steve’s body tensed at the touch of your lips, so you immediately pulled back, thinking you were pushing too far. 

"Yeah you are right, I’m sorry, they might have seen us..." You nervously glanced outside. "Although these windows..." and before you could finish, he grabbed you by the shoulders and kissed you deeply and fiercely, leaving you breathless.

"You’re right," he whispered, his voice low and ragged, as he bites your lower lip. "It is sexy. I love when you do things like this...it drives me crazy..."

“Oh…” your face was burning: “That’s settled then.” And you see the car is about to enter the parking lot arriving at its destination: “Can we do that again?”

Steve let out a loud chuckle before leaning over and kissed you gently: “Yes ma’am.” 

To be honest, he doesn’t know what he is doing either.

As soon as Steves leaves you – You’ve finally decided to enter the compound separately, but not before he kissed you deep and hard in the elevator – His mind starts to clear. Senses are coming back to him.

As one of the greatest military tacticians in history, Steve acknowledges your past: a Hydra experiment, held captive your entire life until your escape and rescue; he knows you weren’t brainwashed, but borned and raised under Hydra’s control, and yes, he met you just two days ago.

His reasonable mind is making a lot of rational thinking as the military savant he is, and his strategies have always been like complex webs of logic, each thread delicately woven to ensure victory, while his enemies find themselves ensnared before they even realize it.

So yeah, he should be analyzing you, reading your file, investigating your past, predicting your moves—or at the very least, watching you closely to see if any remnants of Hydra remain.

But instead…

He can’t take his eyes off you.

You were steps ahead of him, and he felt like seeing you through those large professional lenses, where all the background is blurred in macro, drawing circles of light, and only your silhouette is sharpened.

You were smiling and nodding to people saying hi to you, a little bit shy, somehow oddly adorable... He was in awe. Some folks saluted you as if with…respect? He observed quietly. He even saw a lab guy saying to his teammate something like 'omg she said hi back to me'.

What's your superpower, Steve wondered. 

He’s sure he never noticed you before (how could he have missed you?), and he's certain you’ve never been on a mission together.

Suddenly, someone with a lab coat runs by your side, all excited as if they've drunk ten coffees in a row. 

"Dr. Lancaster, Dr. Lancaster? I figured it out..." He shows you an iPad, and Steve can see how everyone around you is pretending to be minding their own business but is actually listening to the conversation.

“…If we could modify the energy matrix in the arc reactor, we could potentially bypass the Coulomb barrier altogether…we can be talking about cold fusion without the magnetic confinement…!” The lab guy seems all over the clouds.

“Oh.” You look surprised yet shy, you sweep your hair back: “um…How do you plan on stabilizing the reaction without the electromagnetic field imploding?”

“I knew you’d get it!” The tech was so excited he nearly dropped his glasses: “What if we shift the reactor’s frequency to align with zero-point energy fluctuations?” He was jumping all over the place: “The Casimir effect could, theoretically, counterbalance the repulsion long enough to initiate fusion. No magnetic field required!”

“You wanna um…tapping into the vacuum energy of the quantum field to power the reaction?” You look amazed but concerned: “I mean, sure, theory holds, but the amount of energy you’d need to harness would be… astronomical. How do you prevent runaway entropy?”

“If you can artificially create a gravitational lens, focus the zero-point fluctuations and keep them from destabilizing. That’s how I did it.” A voice chimes in from behind. 

Tony, hands in his fancy suit pockets, shrugs and taps his watch. "Five minutes everyone, or you'll miss the warm-up act."

When everyone hears the big boss, they start walking faster toward the compound. 

Tony glances at you and the lab tech. “Test that theory using vibranium as the containment medium. It can store large amounts of kinetic energy without degrading, so you won’t vaporize this whole place. The first prototype is broken and used, so…we can get another one. And honey…” He turns to you and, with a glance at Steve, sighs in irritation. “Ugh... forget it.”

Tony walks past Steve and whispers as they head inside, "Ten minutes late. That’s a first."

“And worth every second,” Steve replies, giving you a final glance, smiling as he notices your blush.

“So... what’s her talent?” he asks once they’re a bit further away.“Being super smart?” 

It sounded sarcastic but he was super serious. Steve might’ve once thought being smart wasn’t a superpower, but after witnessing what Tony and Bruce can do, he now knows it’s one of the most powerful things of all.

“Yeah ‘smart’ is not even close, ‘brilliant’, or ‘magnificently intelligent’ would be the right words, and also…not that’s that important, but um…” Tony makes that typical ‘not a big deal’ face, trying to play it off.

“She…um…She possesses bio-synthetic ocular emitters that generate and manipulate high-frequency electromagnetic radiation across a variable spectrum, allowing her to penetrate solid matter and perceive stratified atomic structures and molecular compositions in real-time, facilitated by a neuro-integrated quantum processing cortex that reconstructs layered 3D imaging at the subatomic level with unparalleled precision."

Tony winks at Steve. And then rolls his eyes and says: “She’s got some kinda X-ray vision that lets her see the layers and components of things.”

“Couldn’t you just say that…”

They walk past the people and head backstage, where the team and a bunch of other people are waiting. Steve knows they won't be able to continue the conversation due to all the smart chat they'll need to do with these VIPs, so he stops before entering the room.

He needs to ask the most important question.

“Why did you keep her? Nat said you went through hell to keep her out of the feds' reach. Why?”

Tony raises an eyebrow, trying to suppress a smirk. Oh, Rogers, you’re falling hard, huh? He blinks at Steve. 

“Do you want me to be brutally honest?”

“Don’t I always?”

Iron Man started counting: “First, I genuinely think that someone with those powers would be highly prejudicial and harmful if she is on any side but ours. Second, I like her, well, not in the same way you like 'like' her...…but she is good, she is…” He tries to find a word: “Selfless. That makes me nuts, cause when you have no human ambition, what you gonna do to be a keeper, right?  Aaaand third, she asked. So...”

He shrugged his shoulders and started thinking aloud and spoke quickly as Tony always does. “You know what? This is perfect, yeah, so…I’ve struggled…no, never mind, this is perfect. Yeah ok, we gotta go…” 

He tilts his head toward Pepper, who’s staring at him. “Before I get locked out tonight.”

Steve has a hundred more questions, but when he sees Maria giving him the same look Pepper is giving Tony, along with all those important suits waiting, he gives in. “Yeah... right. The heavy hitters.”

The "heavy hitters" weren’t just important people from important organizations. 

There was the Secretary of Defense, a bunch of senators, generals and colonels from the U.S. Army, the National Security Advisor—whatever the title is—Wakandan generals, CIA directors and their agents, and a whole lot of U.S. soldiers.

Steve was impressed, not by their presence, but because he had completely forgotten this event was on the agenda. And the reason for that? You.

Yeah the whole speeches, panels, interactions were just as you said, about ‘how we’re friends again with the Avengers’ or ‘world peace is our only priority,’ blah blah blah, Steve wasn’t even listening. Who gives a damn.

His thoughts were elsewhere.

He was focused on you, and his mind was a mess.

So you can see through solid objects, huh? Does that work on people too? Do you see him as a walking skeleton? Is your power what makes you so smart, or were you always brilliant and Hydra just added the ability? Are you free tonight? What did you mean when you asked if he “considered taking this thing further”? Further to where? To like a date, or further as…forever?  Is that a love bite on your neck? Did he do that? God, you look stunning with your hair like that...

“If your gaze were a lightsaber, that poor girl would be ashes by now,” Natasha whispered as she leaned over to Steve. “Would you stop? It’s really weird.”

Steve chuckled, trying to put on a serious face, but he couldn’t help himself. He glanced at the speaker on stage, doing his best to focus.

It was a struggle, though. From what he knew about you, you came across as socially naive, unworldly even, with a deep trust in others. He was tempted but didn’t want to do anything that might feel like he was taking advantage of your vulnerability.

But…he’s doing it again, staring at you from afar, you look so adorable, damn it. Your hair is still a little messy, standing in the crowd and biting your thumbnail like a bored student waiting for the bell to ring.

You caught his stare, your eyes flicking up, and Steve couldn’t help but smile at you. He mouthed a ‘I miss you’, and your heart raced so fast you dropped your phone. Someone passing by picked it up for you, and you probably mumbled something like “'ank you” cheeks blazing so red you couldn’t even make eye contact or finish the sentence.

Steve forced himself to look away, but the grin wouldn’t leave his face. His expression must have been strange because even the speaker started to turn red. 

Natasha nudged him with an elbow, and they both smiled at the poor guy, who was now panicking under the combined stares of Captain America and Black Widow.

“Hey…” Steve overheard a voice behind him.

“Do you know who that girl is?” The guy who picked your phone up—some military man—was talking to his teammate, he was several rows behind and talking low but Steve could hear it anyway.

“Who? Where?” his companion asked.

“That one, I just picked up her phone. There…in the second row.”

“Oh! That one? That’s…” The team mate teased: “…someone completely out of your league.”

“Shut up.” The guy chuckled: “I’m gonna give it a try anyway. I’ll ask for her number. Damn that’s the most beautiful girl I’ve seen.”

Ok. Steve clenched his jaw. Fuck chivalry. He was done worrying about your social skills. Maybe it was time to take your advice and take things further. Or he could have Jarvis or Friday change your number...

“I bet you don’t get it.” A third voice joined the conversation. "Hoskins is right, Walker. She’s out of your league."

Did he just said, Walker? Steve’s eyes widened as his fists tightened.

“Yeah John, first round you don’t get it.”

“Well…” John laughs, “Guess you’ll be buying two rounds for me and my date tonight.”

In your fucking dreams, Walker. Stay the fuck away from my girl. Steve pulled out his phone. Not even thinking about how you’d gone from "who is she?" and "what are her powers?" to "my girl."

A message from an unknown sender just popped up on your screen.

"What are you doing tonight?"

You frowned. Who is this?

You usually don't give your number to others. Mainly because you don't actually know your number (you don't have enough social events to bother remembering it). Plus, it’s in the public records for investigation departments, in case someone from work needs it. Cause who else would need it?

You glanced around. A few colleagues were watching you, but none gave any obvious signs of being the sender. 

Just in case, you replied: "Testing in the lab." The task Tony had given you earlier sounded promising, and you’re eager to give it a try.

"Can I join you?" The reply comes almost instantly. Must be Dr. Lin then—it’s his discovery, after all. Makes sense.

"Sure." you reply.

"Anything you’d prefer for dinner?"

Oh. No, wait. Now you're uncertain. When was the last time Dr. Lin had anything but organic food? The guy counts calories in every meal since you’ve known him.

"Who is this?"

Steve let out a loud laugh, and everyone stared at him, especially the speaker on stage, who was in the middle of a serious and tragic speech and was going through the emotional part.

"Stop it." Natasha shook her head, warning him in a whisper while smiling at the speaker. "Just stop it."

Tony rolled his eyes in the front row. Ugh, lovefools.

But Steve couldn’t stop laughing, and he didn’t stop messaging you.

"I’m your date, if you’ll have me."

"Oh. Mike? Sorry, I didn’t have your number."

His laugh stopped.

"Just kidding, Cap. I’ll have whatever you want ;)"

Oh damn, you got him. His heart leaped back into place. Steve looked up and spotted you, blushing as you put your phone away. He felt like giving a big smile but held back—for the poor speaker’s sake, who had already been tortured enough.

"A date it is." he replied. He considered adding an emoji, but nope—he didn’t know how that worked.

So, "whatever you want", huh? What should he bring? Did you mention anything about your preferences the night you met? Italian? Chinese? Thai? Japanese?

"Is there..." he asked Nat, his voice low enough only she could hear, "any good takeout within five minutes?"

Natasha was about to answer when her phone buzzed with a message from Tony: "Tell Rogers to knock it off." 

So they both put on their best serious faces and listened to the rest of the speech. Luckily, it was short, and Steve applauded harder than he should, just to make up for his weird behavior throughout.

"If you go straight to her." Once the whole thing was over, Natasha said softly in a voice only he could hear, "it’ll be too obvious. And Tony and Rhodey will shoot lasers from their eyes to your ass, stay put, this is important."

"I know." Steve smiled, shook hands with some senator, and stuck around for a bit of small talk, though his attention was elsewhere. 

He spotted John Walker approaching you. So moving without drawing attention, Steve shifted the group he was with closer to you.

He hated to admit it, but John Walker? The guy was fine. In that military uniform, with all those badges, he could probably charm any girl—if this wasn’t a hall full of superheroes. Steve listened carefully through the room’s noise, trying to catch your conversation.

Of course, you had no idea.

You didn’t know someone was nearby, standing and staring at you. You were too busy smiling at your phone like an idiot.

"Excuse me. What?" you asked when this guy repeated himself. The hall was full of chatter, so you had to get closer to hear.

"John Walker, ma’am." He flashed a bright smile, but you weren’t looking.

"Oh." You recognized him as the guy who picked up your phone earlier, and a blush crept onto your face as you recalled how clumsy you’d been, dropping your phone because Steve had smiled at you. 

"Oh... yeah, um, I’m Ilithyia, Ilithyia Lancaster. Thank you for that... Captain?" You weren’t sure about his rank, guessing based on the uniform.

"Nice to meet you, Ilithyia, Ilithyia Lancaster." He widened his smile, mistaking your blush for something else, and shook your hand. "Well... since I rescued your phone, any chance I could get your number?"

"Aw!" Steve’s hand suddenly clamped down on some poor guy’s during a handshake. "Quite a grip you’ve got there, Cap."

 "I beg your pardon." Steve forced a smile through clenched teeth, still listening to your conversation.

"Oh..." Now you were blushing for real. "Um..." You were trying to figure out how to get out of this awkward situation. 

Not only because you didn’t know your number, but also because you didn’t want to give it to Captain Walker. 

You thought fast and came up with the first lame excuse that popped into your head.

"I can’t. " 

You look at him with your most innocent and serious face. You sound so sincere and genuine.

"It’s confidential."

Steve let out a burst of laughter. That’s my girl. The senator in front of him—yes, the same one he had been teasing through the whole event—went pale. He was telling another moving story about his experience during the Blip when Captain America giggled. 

Tony threw an arm around Steve’s neck and mumbled in a warning tone: "What. Is. Wrong. With. You?"

"I’m so sorry." Steve hurried after the poor man, trying to keep a straight face. "Come on, Senator Kingsley...I’m sorry…" 

As soon as John Walker’s attention shifted to Steve, you took a step back and mumbled something like, "Um... Nice to meet you, Captain Walker. Gotta go."

"Yeah, what? Yeah, sure..." Walker turned around, but you were long gone before he could come up with a smart reply.

Of course, you had to go—you had a date.

Two hours later, the idea was still circling in your mind. But...

"What am I wearing?" you suddenly blurted out.

"...What?" Dr. Lin looked at you, confused. "Now? A white coat…" 

He was just in a very inspirational speech about the theory of a quantum anchor to handle subatomic fluctuations when you interrupted with that.

You thought for a second, then decided you didn’t give a shit about the possibility of opening a wormhole that could deviate spatial-temporal coordinates or create a cascading paradox that unravels dimensions as you know them. You cared more about the upcoming date.

It was not just a date, it was the date.

So you took a deep breath, looked at your colleague seriously, and said, "I have a date, Dr. Lin. And I don’t know what to wear because I’ve never had one."

"Oh..." Dr. Lin looked you over. "That’s not a surprise, Dr. Lancaster." He whispered something like, "We should have known... you live and breathe only in this lab... just like your plants."

"I don’t have... anything." You spread your hands. "He’s coming to my lab in a few hours... should I...?" burn all my clothes and buy new ones? No way you’d make it in time.

"Well." He gave you a ‘what are you gonna do’ face and circled you. "Mm... not much we can do, actually. Here, lift your hair. No, not all of it, leave some strands. Yes..." He took off your glasses. "Do you have lipstick? No?! You don’t? Girl... GOD. Um... okay."

He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a chapstick. "Here. This is cherry. I don’t know... um... oh, and this!" He handed you a bottle. "Put this on."

"What is this?" You opened the tube, sniffing it. "Perfume?"

"Better. This, Dr. Lancaster, is the Felix Felicis of perfumes."

"Like... in Harry Potter?"

"Theoretically, this is a chemical liquid compound that exhibits adaptive olfactory reactivity, dynamically modulating its molecular structure upon detecting neurochemical feedback from the subject's sensory receptors, thereby... transforming into the individual's most psychologically favored aromatic profile." He grinned like a proud scientist.

"So, it’s a magic liquid that becomes your favorite scent when you smell it?"

"Not favorite, Dr. Lancaster. The most arousing smell." Dr. Lin’s eyes lit up as he introduced his invention. 

"Girl, put this on, I guarantee, he’ll be all over you. And call me Robert, I beg you.”

"Is that..." You raised an eyebrow. "Is that even legal?" And this was Steve you were talking about—the guy had senses times four.

"Oh come on, just use one drop." Dr. Lin dabbed a bit on his finger and tapped it on your neck. "There. I don’t think he’ll even notice, but just in case..."

"Oh. Okay." You still didn’t know what to expect.

"Look, I’ll leave you to it then." Dr. Lin—no, Robert—gathered his things. "Enough testing for today. And you’re gonna tell me all about it on Monday, okay? Oh, and Dr. Lancaster..." 

He glanced around your lab. "This is perfect. Private, secluded... just make sure to put away all the explosive liquids you have around... ok? See ya!"

“Oh.” You glance around too. Yeah, that’s a great point, you nod as you wave goodbye to a very excited Dr. Lin, still not having a clue what you’re supposed to do. So, you do what you do best: you work.

You do a little bit of cleaning, organizing; the place looks amazing, at least from your point of view, and since you had time, you start another round of testing.

You don’t even notice when Steve walks in, with the sunset sky behind him and the first stars rising in the north. He’s carrying a basket, and his breath is taken away by the sight of you standing at your workbench, bathed in the warm light of the setting sun, turning the whole room into a glowing, serene golden rose.

He stands there for a while, just watching, taking it all in.

“Cap, are you coming in anytime soon?” you ask, adjusting the metal pieces of the robotic arm. 

“I’m really hungry and tired of pretending I’m so cool with robotics here.”

Steve laughs and sets the basket on the table before wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing your hair. “Hey.”

You inhale deeply, finally letting go of the breath you’d been holding since you heard his footsteps. 

“Well, that’s not gonna do.” You smile and give him a proper kiss on the lips. “Yeah, now I’m recharged.”

Steve grins, holding you tighter as he kisses you back. “Yeah, me too.” He deepens the kiss. “God… you smell so good.”

Oh wow. You open your eyes as you return the kiss. Did Dr. Lin’s magic elixir really work this fast?

Well, then there’s a good chance this could go further, right?

Of course he’s taking it further.

Steve doesn’t know what’s come over him. 

Maybe it’s because he’s been thinking about you all day. Maybe it’s because he was so mad and determined to be with you after that punk tried to make a move on you. Or maybe it’s just you—you have this unknown thing that drives him wild.

It's the way you move, the way you smile or talk or breathe or just… exist, that makes him unreasonably and madly… in love.

You finish dinner (a unanimously voted menu by the whole team—who knew the Avengers were so bored?), and are just starting on the cold white wine when he tries to wipe some ice cream from your lips. The next thing you know… you’re all over the couch.

Well, you started it, you think as he hovers over you. 

Maybe you shouldn’t have bitten his thumb when he was caressing your lips, or maybe you shouldn’t have breathed so heavily while he was kissing you and roaming over your body. Maybe you shouldn’t have whispered his name like that… but oh god, who cares? It feels so good.

“We should…” Stop. Steve tries to pull out his rational side, but his hands are far too busy running down your side, lingering on your hip.

“Go to bed?” You’re panting and shivering, your hands on his neck and his back, trying to pull him closer. “There’s, um… a bedroom right at the back, and… it has a beautiful garden view.” As if that mattered now at all.

Steve lets out a soft chuckle, resting his head on your neck. Then, after a pause, he lifts himself slightly, creating some space between you two.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… there’s no coming back from that. Are you…” He gasps, caressing your face. “And if we don’t do anything, it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“And…” You sit up straight, looking at him, intrigued. “How… how do you feel about me?”

“It feels...” He thinks for a moment, intertwining your fingers with his and giving you a soft smile.

“Correct. Right. Complete.” He kisses your fingers, then looks up at you. “You make me feel complete.” He paused: “And you?”

You stay there for a moment in silence, glancing at him.

“Like…”

You try to describe it with nice words but you can’t.

“It's like my heart is so full, I can’t take it anymore…” You inhale as if you're feeling it right now and smile. “Like all the stars have fallen to one place and are shining too brightly.”

There's a moment of quiet before Steve speaks, his voice soft, like making a wish.

“I wish I’d found you sooner. I wish… I could’ve spent all the years I’ve been here with you.”

“This is perfect.” You kiss him with a smile, gentle and devoted. 

“Everything is perfect.”

He smiles and kisses you back, gently cupping your face in his hands, his touch filled with tenderness and love. But as the kiss deepens, Steve feels like he's burning. 

Everything about you is a vortex of sensations: his mind fuzzy, your warm body in his arms, your hair smelling of white roses, your sweet breath, your lips, and your tongue. He pulls you closer, one hand sliding down to rest on your hip, rougher than before, his lips moving more insistently. He doesn’t want to stop; he needs to feel more of you.

“If you’re not stopping…” He hesitates. “I don’t think I can …”

“I don’t want you to.” You sit on his lap, holding him close, fingers in his hair, whispering.

Steve lets out a shaky exhale, his voice a little rougher than usual, his gaze locked onto you like a lifeline.

“Are you sure?”

“…Steve…” Your voice is almost a plea. “Please don’t make me beg…”

And that does it.

Steve lets your request override any other thought. His tongue explores your mouth, hungrily claiming it as his own. One hand grips your hip, pulling your body flush against his. His mind is a mess, tangled with desire and excitement, everything around him melting away except for you. He leans into you more, guiding you back until your hips hit the nearest wall, pinning you there.

“Where's the bed?” he whispers in your ear. You stretch out your arm and point in the right direction.

“Hold on tight.” He smiles as he carries you to the room at the back and can’t help but awe when he arrives.

“Oh, so it was true. It has an amazing view.” He admires the floor-to-ceiling window with the garden in full bloom outside, bathed in a violet and blue sunset.

You laugh between the pillows. “Would you mind… saving that for later?”

Steve chuckles as he comes back to your lips and your arms: “I’m sorry…” his fingers follows the line of your body, pressing one in your waist and the other interlocking with yours: “I promise nothing will distract me from you now…” 

He was feeling the surge of his powers –  everything was enhanced: the scent of you on the bed sheets, the shivers running through your skin at his touch, the way your hair brushed against him, and the intoxicating sound of your voice…his body was reacting accordingly, and it was impossible to hold back. 

Especially when you kicked off your clothes and he could feel the whole of you: your skin silky and warm, the jasmine scent from your bath lingering. He was utterly lost in lust.

He feels his heart racing, his breath coming in short gasps, his hands guiding you with slow, deliberate movements, trying to hold onto some control despite the intensity of his desire. 

He interlocks your hand with his, while the other holds your face. He can’t look away from your gaze as you wrap your legs around him, pulling him closer, sparking a wildfire of need within him. He whispers your name against your lips, his voice thick with hunger and longing.

“I don’t think I can’t hold back any longer…”

You gasp, drowning in a whirlwind of emotion: “Please don’t hold back…anything...” And you feel him to complete you, his fingers entwined with yours, murmuring something before sealing you with a kiss.

The moment he was in you was overwhelming, but you wouldn't recall the pain.

You were filled with sensations, having his lips in your ears, the fierce pressure of his fingers interlaced with yours, his body as close to yours as it could possibly be. Every centimeter of your being was united with his, melting into his warmth.

You felt him everywhere. In the intense gaze he held as he moved in a pace to match your pleasure, in his low moans and groans,in the droplets of sweat falling from his body onto yours, in his shivers and trembling, in the way he pressed his hand in your waist and marked every movement as he was lost in lust.

“God…” 

Oh no, Steve was not lost, he was drunk in a haze of pleasure and need. 

He had this urge of possession, hunger of dominance, mixed with the overwhelming and insatiable need of you.

He looks at you. Your watery eyes glistening with pleasure and desire, your moaning lips, red and swollen, naked body covered by a thin sweat and marks he left in your collarbone, in your shoulders and breasts, you dig your fingers into his skin, the sounds of your moans filling his ears and driving him even wilder.

“Please don’t stop…” 

God that begging tone of yours, he just can’t take it, he needs more.

“Steve…” You whispered again, your hands cupping his face. His breath mingled with yours as he leaned in closer: “please…don't stop…”

Steve moaned, his brain short-circuiting momentarily at your words, the sound of your voice begging it drives him wild with need and desire. 

He tightens his grip on your hips, his movements becoming rougher and rougher as you beg for him and you are lost in his fastened paces, and he knows you are close, the moans that’re leaving your lips driving him mad.

“Babe you are driving me insane…” He can't hold back his low growl as you whisper in his ear, his movements becoming more urgent and rough as he pushes you harder, his hands gripping your thighs tighter as he gives you what you ask for, pulling you closer and closer, and he can’t help to moan as he looks at you reaching your climax: “Yeah baby that’s it…I got you…” 

You gave in as he kissed you and the bed knocked so hard against the wall, Steve’s senses are coming to an edge too as you finally reach the limit, your moan is the most perfect and most pleasing thing he’s ever heard. 

He murmurs your name on the verge of losing control, so you press your whole body to him as helping to be there, Steve’s mind suddenly goes blank as the pleasure takes over, every sense, every nerve ending consumed by ecstasy. 

He cums long and warm inside you, and that alone makes you feel you could come all over again. 

His words strangled groans of pleasure. He looks down at you, completely at your mercy, eyes hazy, filled with pure, unadulterated ecstasy as he tries to speak, but you seal his words with a deep kiss. 

“That was…” His breaths came in hard and fast: “That felt…”

“Complete.” You finish the sentence for him.

Complete. He used the right word. That’s how you felt. 

He laughs and falls on top of you, cupping your face and kissing your chin, removing stands of sweaty hair from your face. 

His chest is rising and falling rapidly as he tries to catch his breath, his body still quivering from the intensity of the orgasm. 

" I... I've never experienced anything like that…You were incredible…You're incredible…"

You were panting too. But you were also reacting over his kisses.

Oh damn, Dr. Lin’s felix felicis worked just fine.

“So…um…” You couldn’t catch your breath: “You do have…Saturdays off, right? Does…the Avengers get that? Weekends?”

“What?” He was already laughing when you asked, but still nodded: “Yeah I have time…”

“And…how fast does your serum work? Do you need to like…some hours to recover?” 

“What?” Steve can't help but let out a laugh at your question. You marvelous, adorable, perfect girl. You are the woman of his dreams. 

He leans in to kiss you. Yes, complete. That’s definitely the word. He had never felt this way with anyone before, but when he was with you, everything seemed to align, as if the universe had conspired to bring you both to this moment, to this connection. He felt like a lost star in the universe finally finding its way home.

“Hours?” He kisses your neck and starts to go down: “babe…you might be a genius...but I really need to show you how this serum works for me…hours? Please don’t underestimate me…” 

His hands starting to caress your body, cupping your breasts and leaving a trace of kisses, feeling you reacting at the same time that he was getting hard again, still inside of you. 

You let out a soft, deep moan, your body responding instantly to his touch, your eyes lost in lust again.

“Steve…” 

He loves that begging moan, he was so ready to hear it again. And he was going to make you to do that all night long. 

“The night is young.” He positions his hands in your waist, holding you tight, as he presses himself again inside of you, harder than the first time, his eyes locked on yours as he speaks: “And I’m glad for it.”

“Dr. Lin? um…Robert?” You knocked your colleague’s lab door on Monday, with a gift basket and a bottle of wine.

“Heeeeyyyy…” He was so happy to see you, Dr. Lin just turned around from his chair with a curious smirk: “Soooo? How was it? The mysterious date? I can tell you are satisfied…” he was practically singing. 

“Well…” You blushed slightly. 

The “date” has lasted the entire weekend. 

For the first time in your life, you were thankful for the body Hydra had given you, enough to endure and enjoy a weekend of endless lovemaking. 

You think you lost count of your orgasms by Saturday afternoon. But then of course, Sunday was also off, even for the Avengers. So you carried on. 

“Ahem…!” You cleared your throat, offering him the basket with the wine. “I’m just saying the Felix Felicis worked... as expected, even with just a drop.”

“Oh.” Robert's expression shifted. “Oh my gawd, I’m going to hell for this... Honey?” 

He patted your hand as he took off his glasses. “There’s no such thing as Felix Felicis…”

“What?”

“Yeah I lied…It was just a joke.” He made a ‘Sorry, not sorry’ face: “It was just perfumed alcohol.”

“Oh.” You were surprised. “Um... still... that’s just...” 

Wonderful. You couldn’t help but smile, handing him the basket anyway. 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Lin— I mean, Robert. Really, thank you.”

“Ohhh…you’re blushing,” Dr. Lin winks at you. “You look like someone who just discovered the meaning of life.” By going out of that lab and finally having human contact, and not dying there like a potus, he thinks to himself.

You grinned. “Maybe I did.”

“Well, whatever it was, keep that glow. It’s contagious,” he said with a wink before turning around and continuing his work.

“I’ll try my best.” You nodded, smiled at him, and headed back to your lab. You were in the hallway when you received a message from Steve.

“Miss you already,” with a heart emoji.

You sighed and smiled. 

Maybe it wasn’t Felix Felicis, but magic did exist—and it was real every time Steve looked at you like you were the only thing in the universe that mattered.

End but TBD

Yay! That's a wrap on Chapter 3! ❤️ Thank you for reading so far. I apologize if my English isn't perfect; it's not my first (or even second) language.

I hope I got through the intensity and love that was intended. (At least at their first time, should be more about making love than fucking? If that makes sense...?)

Anyway, don't know where to place the timeline, but definitely is after Endgame and everyone is happy and alive, aaaand the fact that John is here with Steve in the same place, makes it more interesting :3 (I just love writing jelous Steve)

Hope you liked it! Every feedback is highly appreciated <3

Love.,

Moon.

P.S: Chapter names are all related to dream states ;) I'm posting something every friday :) So see you next friday!!!

[restinslices]

I found your twilight post with the Lin Kuei brothers amusing and relatable 🤣

Can you do headcannons on watching marvel movies with the reader? Captain America is my favorite character in the movies lol

The MCU is huge so lmk if there was something specific you wanted to know about

Bi-Han

I don’t see any of them watching a lot of movies so you definitely introduced it to him 

He takes the longest time to finish the movies because it’s not on the top of his list when it comes to concerns 

He’s one of those overly critical watchers so he’s annoying as fuck to watch movies with 

I can see him liking Ultron

Why? I think he’d like the concept of Ultron and understand why he’s thinking the way he is 

The type to agree with Thanos until someone points out he could’ve just doubled the resources 

His favorite Phase is Phase 3 purely because Hela is his favorite character in the entire MCU 

He’s legit upset she was killed off 

I’d say which show is his favorite but I only watched Wandavision and TFATWS so moving on-

I don’t know if I see him reading the comics. Maybe if he’s curious enough 

The Avengers and The Guardians of The Galaxy are pinned against each other a lot, but what does he think?

I think it changes a lot. Depends on his mood

One thing’s for sure; he prefers the OG Avengers 

Not one of those Marvel fans that remembers everything and he doesn’t really stay up to date

Hasn’t even watched any of the shows yet 

Please bring Hela back and stop pissing him off. She ain’t do nothing wrong 

Quick afterthought 

He’s Team Cap

He don’t even wanna listen to Liu Kang. Why the fuck would he agree with the government controlling The Avengers?

Kuai Liang

NOT one of the overly critical watchers so thank fuck 

If he spots something that’s off, he’ll call it out but that’s as bad as it gets 

He likes a mix of villains and heroes

If the villains got a point, then they got a point. That’s just how it is.

He likes villains that can become better people. The pure evils ones he’s like “yeah you suck” but villains that are actually victims or who have done certain things but try to become better, he likes 

Because of that I’d say his favorite villain is The Winter Soldier 

He’s done terrible things but Kuai Liang feels pity for him and enjoys his story 

I think either Avengers or Civil War is his favorite movie 

He prefers the og era of the MCU and I think the Avengers as a whole reminds him of his family (petty as fuck towards each other but there’s ultimately love there) and Civil War was a banger

A situation where there’s technically not a right side is a topic I can see him liking 

With that being said, he is both Team Cap and Team Ironman 

Since he follows Liu Kang I can see him being like “sometimes teams need to be reined in and need someone to follow”

But in the same breath this is the same government that is corrupt and has proven themselves as not trustworthy 

And people could always die before the heroes are able to help

Then there’s Bucky and he once again understands why Steve wouldn’t tell but he also understands Tony’s anger 

He stays somewhat up to date when it comes to the new movies and shows 

He knows when they come out but he doesn’t see them right away 

Tomas

I can see him staying up to date and seeing the movies whenever he could 

Has possibly read some comics too?

Prefers Heroes 

Do I wanna say his favorite character is Spider-Man because the PS5 Spider-Man voices Tomas?

Yes

So that’s what imma do

Does he have a favorite Spider-Man?

I’m not sure. I can see him seeing the positives and negatives of all the Spidermen 

Team Cap for the accords 

Team Ironman for the Bucky situation 

His parents were killed so are we surprised? No

The type to see the positives of Phase 4 instead of just saying it’s shit 

Is it the best? No. But it’s not all ass. Damn.

He prefers the Guardians so when Gamora was killed, his heart was in SHAMBLES 

“Maybe Gamora and Peter can fall in love again”

I have bad news 

Favorite Phase is always changing. Each Phase has bangers and non bangers so it changes day to day 

I know I said he loved all the Spidermen but his favorite movie is probably a Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie 

Do not tell him the Avengers are more like coworkers than family. Do not fuck up his day 

He likes found family movies so he enjoys the movies that focus on the groups 

[sapphirerogers]

I don't know what you expected but I am still not done talking about the infamous fifth episode of the What If...? show.

Spoiler warnings ahead.

Throughout the episode, while trying to pull Steve out of the mind control, Peggy keeps repeating "Steve, this isn't you, wake up" an abnormal amount of times. It's actually sickening how lacking the scriptwriting is, at least for her character.

Bucky interacts with Steve for barely a minute and even then, his efforts to get Steve back display a wider vocabulary than Peggy's throughout the whole episode.

Furthermore, I'd like to break down and compare Steve's words to Bucky and CATWS, and Peggy's words to Steve in What If...?

Steve: "I'm not gonna fight you," and here he drops the shield into the river below, "you're my friend."

Moments later, as Bucky nearly punches him to death, saying "YOU'RE! MY! MISSION!", Steve's calm, collected response is "then finish it, cause I'm with you till the end of the line."

Yes, tear-jerking, we know. Let's move on.

Peggy, having gone up against Steve in a huge (around the same size as the armour Tony built in the cave) metal suit, made of plutonium or something, and still standing straight up, says:

"I don't want to fight you, I can't fight you anymore. I'm done fighting, I've been fighting for so long, to end the war, to forget what I lost...I'm tired. Steve, I want to be with you. I want you, even if this is the end."

Keeping aside the frustrating repetition of the word "fight" in just a few lines of Peggy's speech, let's look at the motivation behind both the dialogues.

Peggy talks about herself. About how she is tired of the war and of losing people, how she tries to forget how Steve isn't in her life anymore, about how she wants to be with him. Her entire purpose is not to save him, but to save him for herself. Her actions come from a selfish point of view, and by the time she says this, she is far from being as battered and bruised as MCU Steve. In fact, she gets away with just a couple of bruises at the most.

On the other hand, Steve's intention was to free Bucky from Hydra's torture, to protect his childhood best friend and lover. He had been shot multiple times, stabbed at least once, had his skin split open in several areas when he dropped the final bombshell. Steve was nearly dying while he was saying all that; yes he would've loved a second chance at life with Bucky by his side, but it was never his primary focus.

His primary focus was making sure Bucky had a second chance at life, even if he himself died trying. It was as if to say "I may die right here right now, but I love you too much to hurt you any further than I already have. You've always been more dear to me than life itself, so if your mission is truly to kill me, you know I'll support you in it even as you're taking my last breath out of me. All I ask for is your safety and well-being."

And it shows in the consequences too - in CATWS, Bucky not only regains just enough of his memories to stop, but also pulls Steve out of the Potomac before he can drown to death and places him somewhere he knows Sam and Nat and the others will easily spot him.

On the contrary, Hydra Stomper Steve barely shows any affection, shock or remorse towards the woman in front of him, but instead, he flies up to the Red Room and destroys it. It is unclear whether he survives the crash himself.

Like I said before, despite Marvel trying their absolute hardest to push StevePeggy as the superior pairing, they still end up portraying Steve and Bucky's (I say romantic, because Steggy mirroring Stucky proves the latter to be a romance) bond to be far stronger than that of Steve with a woman he only knew for a couple of years at most during a world war.

They dug their own grave and cannot crawl their way out of it. Stucky prevails.

@buckymilf @mainly-marvel @oneofstarkskids @jjmaybanksgun @averageambivert

[frankthesnek]

I have seen a lot of content here and on other platforms talking about how much people hate Steve's ending in the Infinity Saga, and I wanted to give my two cents. So buckle up folks!

Fisrt off, just to get it out of the way, I personally do not like Steve's ending. I don't like it because of the canon implications. They make a big deal about not changing things by getting the stones and returning them when they are done.... then Steve stays behind, and I'm sorry, but that opens the potential for SOOOO many plot issues canonically. Anyway, on to all the reasons I DON'T TAKE ISSUE WITH his ending.

The two things I see used most often as reasons to why Steve's ending sucks is 1) it's not in character for him, and 2) he abandoned Bucky waaaahhh! Let's talk about both.

1) not in character? Completely disagree, because pure and simple Steve is not the same person at the end of the Infinity Saga as he was at the start of his story.

An important thing to remember is that Steve was young when he became Captain America. He was only 25, which is like... the start of actual adulthood. He got the serum, and from that moment on, his life was not really his own. Let's look at how his life goes after becoming Cap:

Steve becomes a show pony for the USO (not what he wanted or thought he would be doing).

Steve ends up in the middle of war (yes, he wanted to protect his country. That doesn't mean you enjoy war).

Steve willingly sacrfises himself for the greater good.

Steve comes back to a new world where everything he has ever known and all the people he ever loved are gone.

Steve ends up fighting wars, again.

Steve is young and ends up in pretty much back to back situations where he is the leader in dangerous situations, something that yes he excels at... but here's the thing, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should/are prepared to. I'm not saying Steve is a bad leader (he's not), but Rhody says it best in Civil War, "Steve that.... that is dangerously arogant." Steve IS arogant. It's not intentional, just a result of power and leadership at an early age.

By the end of the Infinity Saga, this arrogance has been checked and is gone. Steve has grown, aged, seen, and experienced so much more. He has experienced not only other people's failures but his own. He has grown into his power and learned with it. We see this process as we move through the movies. At the start, he wants to have a life and settle down someday. Then he becomes Cap and at first he still wants this but, as time goes on he questions if he can ever do that because he doesn't think he can walk away (Steve says this himself in AoU). Then in the end Steve has done his time, served his term of duty and realizes he CAN walk away (I personally feel this comes a lot from Steve seeing Tony make that shift too late in life and lose his family before truly getting to experience them).

Long and short of it, Steve at the start would not have gone back. Steve as the man he is at the end, would have.

2) but he abandoned Bucky! Steve wouldn't do that, right? Yeah, yeah he fucking would. I get that it seems bitterly unsatisfying for him to just leave Bucky after everything Steve went through to save him and get him back.... but here's the thing if anyone understands Steve's struggles and what he's been through, it's Bucky. Bucky lost his life too. He went to war young, got captured and reprogrammed, was forced to do horrible things, and lost the world and people he knew and loved.

If anything Bucky would have been the one to encourage Steve to do what he did. Picture Steve going to Bucky and being like, hey I have this crazy idea, and I need you to talk me out of it. Would Bucky talk him out of it? No, Bucky would encourage it because he KNOWS first hand what Steve has lost.

Bucky clearly knows what Steve is planning when they say good bye in that last scene. Just like how Steve was willing to put everything on the line to save Bucky—Bucky was willing to let Steve go live the life he deserved. Really, that right there is what it all comes down to in the end. What did Steve deserve? After everything he has done, he deserved happiness, and that's what he got. Bucky wasn’t gonna talk him out of that because he loves Steve, and that can mean letting people go, just like it can mean fighting for them.

Anyway, just my thoughts. The end.

[darsynia]

Um if it sounds fun to you could you write a reader (character of your choice but I think Tony works for this, maybe Stephen or Steve) where reader is a professional and has been so focused on work they don’t feel sexy or desirable anymore? New or established I guess but fluffy/cheeky and uplifting. Only if it inspires you, LOVE YOUR WRITING!

-🤓

This was fun as hell, and thank you! I chose Tony Stark/F!Reader.

Summary: Tony wakes you up in the early morning after staying up working on his cars. He knows your job is stressing you out, and if he can't make things better at work, he can at least make you associate certain work things with him…

Warnings: Minors DNI! Oral sex (f receiving) and PiV sex.

Length: 2,288

Tags (if you'd like to be tagged for Tony posts or other characters please let me know!): @starryeyes2000 @raith-way @fyreball66 @themaradaniels @starksbf @chickensarentcheap @tiny-anne

Liquidity (Or, Well Deserved)

You’re dreaming, and it’s a really good one. In the dream, you’re on your stomach draped over a cloud, and a warm, loving hand is stroking your back. The hand slides up into your hair to scrape fingernails along your scalp before moving back along your neck and over your shoulder blades, pushing your wide-necked nightgown out of the way.

The realism of the dream is wonderful. You can even feel the way the front of your nightgown presses against your nipples in tension as the man drags the fabric down and out of the way. He starts dropping kisses along your spine, and you shiver, mmm-ing in your sleep at the tingling way his comfort is turning erotic.

The dream-cloud shakes a little, and you can picture the whole scene. You are sleeping in Tony's bed when he comes up grease-stained and horny after taking advantage of your late hours at work. Once he’s scrubbed his hands, he gives up on the shower, hoping you’ll join him if he can manage to be persuasive enough. 

That thought sends half-asleep you into a spiral of dirty thoughts, but you aren’t quite sure if you’re actually dreaming or if the confident, sensual kisses on your back are real. Tony’s usually not quiet-- but he can be, if there’s motivation enough.

The word ‘motivation’ reminds you of everything that’s stressed you out at work lately. It derails the heated scrape of beard hair that trail after each open-mouthed kiss, and, fuck, what time is it? It’s not Friday, is it? It’s Saturday, right? If it’s Friday, you’ll have to rush to--

“You just tensed up,” Tony whispers, and he’s right, you did.

“I’m sorry, I was up in my own head again,” you groan, sliding your knees up underneath you in a vain attempt to hide your disappointment. You’re a compact package of overworked misery. “It’s Saturday, right? My boss would totally invent a time machine just for the glee of demanding an extra workday.”

“If I wasn’t pretty sure you’d roll off the bed in frustration at my inability to shut up about it, I’d order you to quit your job. Again,” Tony says, grabbing a handful of your nightgown and throwing himself onto the mattress beside you. 

With him anchoring you, you can’t roll over or move away, and he knows it. Tony moves his head near to where yours is, reaching over with his free hand to move your hair out of the way so he can see your face. 

“It would serve you right if I rolled off anyway,” you tease.

“Do it. I’ve always wanted to rip this thing off of you,” he grins.

“Tony!” you groan in frustration, but suddenly he’s pulling you over on top of him. He’s hot as a furnace, clearly hard, and the clock on the nightstand reads 4 AM. “Don’t,” you whisper, suddenly shy. “I didn’t have time to do anything but fall into bed. No shower, no teeth, and the bags under my eyes--”

He stops you with a kiss that’s filthy and enthusiastic, sliding his big hand up to the back of your head to hold you steady as he symbolically chases all of your objections away with swipes of his tongue against yours. “Good,” he whispers against the curve of your jaw. “Be dirty with me. I probably got grease swipes on your back, I was too impatient.”

That word sends you into another anxiety spiral, no matter how hard you try to fight against it. Tony’s impatient because it’s been days. The project at work isn’t finished, and you have a feeling you’ll get a call sometime today from your boss promising a bonus that won’t actually materialize if you pop into the office for a few hours.

“There you go again. Hon, if you can fuss about work, I’m clearly not on my A game,” Tony says from beneath you. In a move that takes your breath away and coincidentally presses his barely-clothed cock right where you want it, he expertly reverses your positions. You end up on your back with your nightgown hopelessly twisted up out of the way, and Tony’s sliding down.

You want that, but fuck… Tony Stark may be your boyfriend now, but before that he was known for his women, clean women, women who spent their whole lives hoping that he might look sideways at--

Tony interrupts your spiraling thoughts by yanking you toward the foot of the bed, and you lift your head to see that he’s actually dry humping the mattress as he grins up toward you, barely visible in the dim light of his bedroom. Every line of his body is painted with desire, desire for you, and as soon as he sees that you’re watching, he slides his bent knuckle along your core. Just to ensure you’re well and truly wrecked, he pulls his hand back to lick it.

“You’re going to relax, and if you don’t, I’m going to make you associate work stress with this,” Tony says, hooking your knees in his hands and pulling you down just within reach. He leans his head down to kiss you right above your mound, nuzzling you with his nose as though that soft part of your body makes him wild with desire. Hell, Tony doesn’t seem to enjoy faking things much, so maybe it does.

While you’re reckoning with that, Tony settles in, groaning low and deep as he caresses you on the way to resting his hand on your stomach. There’s something about being known like that; he has to anchor you, you’re always like a wildcat when he tastes you.

Does he know that the warmth and pressure of his possessive hand on you while he takes you apart is half the reason you’re so responsive?

“Fuck,” Tony says. “One sec.” He lifts up and you watch as he tears his sweatpants off, unable to resist pumping himself once as he glares at you as though you’re completely to blame. “Waistband was going to chafe, and I need to be able to focus,” he says.

You laugh and take the opportunity to pull off your nightgown, too. Tony is nothing if not controlled chaos in bed. His hands are usually everywhere; he’s always swearing and praising under his breath, hips always moving, but sure, his waistband will derail him.

“Oh, that’s it,” he says, crawling up to look sternly down at you with one hand on either side of your head. “You’re going to tell me your morning routine while I do this. If you stop talking, I’ll stop.”

“Tony, I do not want to mix--”

His mouth takes yours, one hand cupping your face tenderly even as he nips your bottom lip and soothes it with his tongue. “Neither do I. You started this, I’m going to finish it.”

With that he drags his cock right against you, following that with beard hair on your nipple to make you cry out from the overstimulation and smack him.

“Well?”

“Oh my god, it’s not like you’ll get up and walk away if I don’t--”

Tony interrupts you by reaching down to jack himself, his knuckles brushing against your heated core incidentally, nowhere near enough.

“Goddamnit Tony!”

“That’s my girl,” he purrs. “Go on.” Another hand movement, and you’re desperate.

You grab two handfuls of sheet to anchor yourself and start speaking, using an annoyed, disapproving tone. “I walk in and say hi to whoever is working reception.”

Tony swirls his tongue to soothe your nipple and runs his nose along your stomach on his way back down. There’s no time to be self conscious, because he’ll just make you watch him instead, probably while teasing you with useless, sexy touching.

“I head upstairs, usually on the stairs, because you never know who will be lurking near the elevators,” you continue, maintaining your tone of disinterest right till you reach the word ‘elevators,’ because that’s when Tony spreads you with both thumbs. “Oh my God, if you make me think about this while I have a meeting with my boss, I’ll have to quit my job!” you whine, hating the way he just stops.

“They’d have to hire three people to replace you,” Tony says, his lips brushing the thin skin of your inner thigh. “I’m sure I could come up with something for you to do.”

“Just don’t hire three women to do this,” you mutter under your breath. 

Tony says your name, and you bite your lip and look at him. As soon as you do, he slides two fingers inside you, slowly and gently, his gaze intense. It’s an effort to keep yours open, it feels so good. Then, because he’s making a point, he pulls back out and strokes his cock, using your arousal as lubrication.

“Keep going, love.”

The ‘love’ just slays you. The man is inexorable in everything, and the promise of a mind-blowing but agonizing orgasm (not to mention an exciting life together) forces you to capitulate, begrudgingly.

“I sit down at my desk,” you whisper, eyes caught by the way the uneven shadows cast by the dim lamps heighten Tony’s sensuality as he allows himself one last swirl of his fist. “I turn on my-- ahhh, my computer,” you whimper at the first swipe of Tony’s tongue. The next minutes are a fight for coherence as you rock your hips against the steady pressure of his hand holding you still, gasping out mostly nonsense syllables that barely resemble your log-in tasks. Tony clearly relishes what he’s doing, drawing reward words with the tip of his tongue after each completed sentence.

Your orgasm takes both of you by surprise in the most delightful way; one second you’re swearing because Tony’s challenged you to remember all the headings in your most-used Excel spreadsheet, the next second he’s pulling his glorious fingers out of you and lifting his head, tutting at your inability to focus. You’re so frustrated that you put all your strength into bucking your hips up to chase him, and for once, you overcome Tony’s strength. His hand slips on your stomach, sliding up to crash into your breast, and he falls face-forward onto you.

His throaty chuckle and opportunistic nipple tweak send you, and as you shudder and moan, Tony recovers enough to thrust in.

“Oh fuck, that’s--” he gasps, hand desperately grabbing for yours. You wrap your legs around him and pull him down for an open-mouthed, gasping kiss that’s more about sharing breath than anything else. Tony’s hand is bigger than yours, and his finger-threaded grip is just this side of painful, but he’s driving into you like his life depends on it, anchored by the places you’re joined. It’s emotional, sexy, and affirming as hell.

Your orgasm lengthens, spurred into extra ecstasy with Tony’s fervor. Once you’re in that post-bliss intensity, the final column header he’d been demanding comes to you, even as Tony gives up trying to kiss you and just presses his forehead onto the pillow. He’s swearing again, praising the friction, the feel of your smooth legs against his sides, and a number of things you’d blush to even think to yourself in the privacy of your own mind.

“Tony, I remembered the last column,” you whisper against his ear, capturing the lobe in your lips. His hips stutter against you, and you scrape him with your teeth gently before he groans and moves in for a greedy kiss. You lose focus for a few heady seconds, but you can tell Tony’s close, so you pull back. “The column,” you remind him. “Aren’t you going to punish me for stopping?”

Tony lets go of your hand so he can grab your hips, holding on with an iron grip. He’s glaring at you, looking joyful but frustrated.

“I deserve this, don’t I?” he groans, but manages to hold still inside you. “Well?”

You arch your back and run your hands along the corded muscles of his arms, letting out a sigh that you know for a fact drives him crazy. When you lift your head again, he’s trembling against you, so you take pity on him and make direct eye contact. Tightening your inner muscles around his cock, you say a single word on a breathy sigh, sliding your fingers around your nipple just to enhance the effect.

“Liquidity.”

“Oh, I’ll give you liquidity,” he growls at you, grinning.

“Are you saying you’ll show me your assets, Mr. Stark?” you blink up at him innocently, holding completely still but for another pulsing squeeze of your inner walls. 

Ever since you started dating, Tony’s joked about Accountant/client roleplay, and even though you knew he wasn’t serious, you’ve always teased that you couldn’t possibly. Now you’ve turned the tables on him, and the litany of swear words Tony lets out in utter amazed, erotic frustration is only balanced by the power of his renewed thrusts. He basically drives your body back up the bed, and it’s so fantastic you feel another peak rising. Tony does too, and he slips a hand between you, capturing your lips and fucking you with cock, fingers, and tongue into a devastating orgasm that leaves you both breathless.

When Tony finally rolls off of you onto the bed, reaching to twine your fingers together in silent satiation, you can’t stop smiling.

“You asshole, you woke me up at four o’clock in the morning after I worked all day and I’m not even mad at you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m the one in trouble here,” he chuckles, pressing a kiss to your bare shoulder.

“Oh?”

“I have an appointment with my financial advisor today.”

Note: I'll be honest, after 20+ years of marriage I often forget about protection, because it's just not part of my life anymore. Definitely protect yourself and protect your partner, but also please forgive me for letting that slip my mind. It's important, but this is also fantasy.

[sineala]

Fall of X (Steve/Tony Edition)

For anyone else who is a comics Steve/Tony fan who doesn't usually read X-Men comics and is now finding themselves needing to wade through the Fall of X, this is everything I have found that's out now (or coming out very soon) in the order you should read it, that pertains to Steve and/or Tony. This is accurate as of today (September 16); we are obviously not done with the event so this list will not stay accurate, but if you want to hop on now, this is how you'd do it.

Iron Man #7

Avengers/X-Men FCBD 2023

Hellfire Gala 2023

Iron Man #8

Iron Man #9

X-Men #25

Uncanny Avengers #1

X-Men #26

(Uncanny Avengers #2 when it comes out, Sept. 20)

(Iron Man #10 when it comes out, Sept. 27)

(Iron Man #7 is not technically part of this but it does have some lead-up with a subplot involving Rhodey and Feilong. I am assuming you are all reading Iron Man anyway.)

I am also not a regular X-Men reader so it's possible that I've missed some stuff, but this is everything that has Steve and/or Tony or is directly relevant to them that I have found. So this isn't the entire event, but if you're just trying to get through Iron Man comics there are definitely some comics that you want to read.

I mention this because it might not be entirely obvious to anyone just trying to read through Iron Man that there are crucial events in the Free Comic Book Day issue that was released months ago. But there are. And I would like to save everyone else the trouble of getting halfway through Hellfire Gala and wondering why all of a sudden someone has been trying to assassinate Captain America off-panel and thinking that, wow, I really must have missed something somewhere. Which was the experience I had. So, yeah. That was actually depicted in the FCBD 2023 issue. Surprise!

(The most necessary part of the ordering, for our purposes, is Avengers/X-Men FCBD, Hellfire, and then Iron Man #8. There are several important events that we see from various points of view throughout these issues, which all take place on the same night, in that order. Iron Man #8 also assumes you have read Iron Man #182 but I feel like probably everyone has done this.)

Tony is on the main team (although the main Avengers book is not part of the Fall of X event); Steve is currently leading the Uncanny Avengers, which is part of the event. Both Steve and Tony actually appear together briefly in both X-Men #25 and Uncanny Avengers #1 as part of the meetings the remaining resistance is holding against Orchis. I don't know if Tony will be in this week's Uncanny Avengers #2. He wasn't in the preview and he isn't in the character list on the recap page, but that was also the case for both X-Men #25 and Uncanny Avengers #1. I think the character lists only cover the team members in this particular series.

I have reordered a couple of issues from the order they were released in. Uncanny Avengers #1 was released the week before Iron Man #9 but it has to happen in the opposite order. IM #9 takes place the night of the Gala and on into the next day; it picks up immediately after #8 and resolves the cliffhanger there. UA #1, even though it came out before this, takes place weeks after the Gala, as established in the issue. Judging by the preview, UA #2 will (at least partially) take place immediately after UA #1 but as it hasn't come out yet, I can't say for sure.

Similarly, since Iron Man #9 is right after #8, I've put X-Men #25 after that, since it also takes place weeks after the Gala, even though it came out before IM #9. I might end up moving Uncanny Avengers around some more later as well, but this works for now.

X-Men #26 is the X-Men half of the wedding issue along with Iron Man #10. The IM half isn't out yet, so we'll see what happens there.

[theconstantsidekick]

Avengers: Age Of Ultron ft. Static (1) | s.r

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader, Tony Stark x Stark!Reader (siblings), Natasha Romanoff x Stark!Reader (just a sprinkle)

Genre: Fluff with hidden angst.

Summary: The Avengers decide to party in the middle of which Tony and Natasha discuss his sister's embarrassing love life with the Golden Boy.

(These scenes incorporate y/n, codename—Static, into the pre-existing story as a character without making drastic changes to the plot or mythos. All the major plot points from the MCU remain in place with the addition of the reader as Static, who is not only a Stark but also enhanced. Whatever events from the canon aren’t mentioned, take place without much change.)

Warnings: Swearing, Drinking.

a/n: I couldn't help myself. I have no idea why I think this is funny. Dedicated to @buckrecs cause she was wayyyy too kind and gave me a shoutout!

Captain America: Civil War (ft. Static) | Series Masterlist | The Avengers (ft. Static) | Captain America: The Winter Soldier (ft. Static) | Static Verse Masterlist

“A little birdy told me your Brooklyn boy’s been looking for a new place.”

They’re at the farewell party. Both Stark siblings are safely tucked in a corner at the bar, looking over at the guests with warm eyes and warmer throats, CAUSE OOH! The whiskey might be smooth going down but doesn’t make feel you any less hot.

She rolls her eyes. “Sam told you that?” She cocks her brow in question, “He voluntarily shared that information with you?” 

“Maybe he did,” Tony shrugs. “Or maybe I overheard him while I was passing by.”

“While you were snooping,” she corrects him.

Leaning her back against the bar top by her elbows, he’s gotta admit; his sister never fails to surpass him stylistically. She’s wearing a gorgeous green dress and looking ethereal, as per usual.

“I admit to no such thing,” He counters from where he’s standing next to her, facing somewhere halfway between her and the party ahead.

“You just did,” she bites back.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“DID TOO!”

“DID NOT! Take it up with my lawyer!”

She rolls her eyes again in mock offense but the small upturn of her lips gives her away. 

He smiles too. Then back to the point he goes. “Why don’t you ask him to move in with you?” Tony suggests.

“You think you’re the first person to come up with that bright idea, Stark?” She asks with the utmost discontent and a cocked eyebrow. 

Yeah, no. Tony’s not taking her shit on this one. “Okay, smartass. Be nicer and answer politely.”

Sighing, she throws her head back in a kind of defeat he’s not used to seeing on her. “I already offered, he declined.”

“How’d you ask?” That shit really fucking matters… he may or may not be speaking from experience. “Maybe you didn’t do it right.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean? You think I don’t know how to ask my boyfriend if he’d like to move in with me?”

He shrugs again, dubious. “You’ve never actually had a serious relationship before this… maybe you did it wrong.”

“I didn’t do it wrong!” She seems adamant, he thinks.

He needs to be sure though.

“But what if you did?”

“My god, Stark! I did it perfectly well. And his answer was clear; he is not interested,” she answers, frustration clear in her voice.

“But what if it went over his head?” Leaning in closer, he whispers, “The old timer is older than—” He decides against finishing that sentence, instead opting to point towards her with his eyes. “You catch my drift?” 

“Stark,” it’s a warning.

As if warnings work on him.

She didn’t even call me ‘Anthony’, he thinks. Easy territory.

So, undeterred he continues, “You should be straight forward. Go up to him, say, ‘Hey, cuddle pie, I know you’re looking for a place (on account of your long lost best friend coming back from the dead destroying your old one) and I, coincidentally, happen to have one! So you should move in.” 

“Tony I—”

Cutting her off with a wave, he confesses, “The cuddle pie thing is a little weird, I’ll admit that but the rest is fair enough. Come on! What’s the worst that can happen?”

“He could say no… which he did.” 

“That’s why I’m suggesting that you try it my way—”

“Dude!” She cuts him off, loudly. “That is EXACTLY what I said—verbatim… which, by the way, is really weird that you guessed it to a T.” Squinting, she mumbles almost to herself, “Maybe we spend too much time together.”

“Too late to worry about that now,” once again he waves his hand, dismissing her concerns, focused completely on the dumpster fire in front of him. “You said that? Exactly that?” She just nods in response. “And?”

“He said no.”

“What were his exact words?” He’s fucking curious. More than that monkey George ever was. This is curious stuff. Come on.

She stands up straighter, puffs up her chest, pretending to be the star-spangled man himself. “‘I really appreciate the offer, but I kinda like living in Brooklyn… and I wouldn’t want to impose.’”

Tony stares at her for a second. His hand slowly comes to cover his mouth in complete dismay. “Best case scenario? He really doesn’t want to move in with you… Worst case scenario? The man is beyond saving.”

She nods in agreement, “I mean, I think I would have taken it better if he just told me he doesn’t want to live with me.”

Tony tilts his head, nodding in confused agreement. “This was horrible. I am embarrassed on your behalf.”

“Share the burden with me, Stark. I need the assist.” Clinking their glasses together, they empty their respective drinks. 

“You sure sound like you do.” A voice chimes in from behind them.

“HOLY MOTHER OF FUCKS!” Both of them scream out in unison, turning to the intruder of conversations, and suffice it to say, there’s not an ounce of shock regarding who it is.

“How long have you been there??!” Tony asks, hand on his heart, trying to calm it down.

A completely unbothered Natasha answers, “Long enough to feel embarrassed on your behalf.” The woman is so unbothered, she doesn’t even look up from the drink she’s making for herself. “So what’s the plan now?”

Sighing, Y/n reaches over the bar and pours herself… that’s a double and a single, that’s a triple, fuck. She pours herself some (read; a lot) of whiskey. “I think the sane thing to do would be find his realtor, put an offer on whichever place he picks, and make sure he can’t get a place at all.” She drinks the whole thing in one fluid motion.

Natasha nods in agreement. “I can get his number.”

“I can put the offer,” Tony proposes.

“Or I could do the insane thing and have an actual conversation with him,” Y/n muses, pouring another drink and chugging it down as well.

“Talking has never solved anything,” Natasha claims at the same time as Tony asks, “Who’s ever found peace via a conversation?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Y/n agrees with a small smile.

“I must say, I never thought you could embarrass yourself,” Natasha comments, taking a sip of her drink.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/n counters, brows furrowed in confusion.

“I hate to say it, but the woman’s got a point,” Tony takes the bottle from Y/n’s hands and pours himself a drink, just to break her cycle if nothing else. “I’ve never actually seen you being rejected before.”

Y/n levels both of them with an unimpressed look. “I’ve been rejected plenty.” She points to Natasha then, “Take this one for instance. She’s been rejecting me since day 1.”

Natasha just smiles.

“Let me amend my statement,” Tony offers, leaning closer to the bar top. “I’ve never actually seen you being defeated before… You take your rejections in stride.”

“This one’s different,” Y/n answers simply.

“How so?” Natasha asks, taking another sip of her drink.

“Cause it’s Steve—?” Y/n throws her hands up on confusion. Huffing she tries again, “I don’t know. It feels… I don’t understand. I don’t understand him.” She snatches the bottle from Tony’s hand and man if that doesn’t leave him with war flashbacks from his 21st birthday. “There are days—days where he looks at me and I can tell he feels at home… Like he’s found a piece of home? Maybe? I don’t know… But then there are other days where he looks at me and I can tell he doesn’t want to get any closer than we already have. Like there is something holding him back.”

There is silence. 

Then both Natasha and Tony speak up at the same time, almost talking over each other. “Talking about this major issue in your relationship is obviously not the solution,” she says, while Tony comments, “Honest conversations are a trap made by Satan himself! I forbid it!”

Smiling a little, Y/n looks at them. “Don’t act all high and mighty like either of you are any better than me,” she accuses, pointing from one to other.

And, what blasphemy does this woman speak! Tony’s a star honest converser.

“I absolutely am better than you! My girlfriend does live with me,” Tony bites back.

Which is instantly followed by Natasha’s defence. “No, no, no. This is exclusively a Stark siblings issue—” both Starks’ oncoming arguments are cut off before they even begin. “I have my fair share of faults but this is not one of them.”

Apparently that makes Y/n scoff. “Oh yes yes. Both of you are exemplary examples of talking feelings. I mean it’s not like—” she looks at Tony, “—you ever lied to your girlfriend about slowly being poisoned to death by the palladium in your chest.” Then her eyes turn to Natasha, “And of course you lovingly serenade everyone to sleep so they can avoid their big, bad, green anger management issues.”

The three of them stare at each other in silence for a few seconds. 

And then,

“I think Sam’s the one who got Steve his realtor; I’ll get his contact information,” Natasha offers.

“I’ll go tell my staff to start making aliases so we can put down counter offers,” Tony says.

With that both of them walk away, scattering in different directions. 

Y/n nods to herself, triumphant with a smirk. “That’s what I thought.”

Find the Static Verse Masterlist here. Read The Avengers (ft. Static) here.

tag list : @aryksworld @freeflyingphoenix @arikarapli @just-anotherstan @justab-eautifulmess @ceo-of-daichi @roxannejblack @liketearsintherainn @paintballkid711 @starkleila @heyitsmereading @fairlygothparents @euphoria-svt @sidepartskinnyjeans @mini-kunoichi @third-broparcelicito @siwiecola @haleybutnotthecomet @mvaldez7821 @rockybutmakeitlame @romanoffswoman @ashpeace888 @hopeofwinter @percabethfangirl987 @lilfuturescars

Hit me up if you want to be added or removed from the tag list.

[ncisfranchise-source]

With only a few weeks gone by since NCIS’ Season 21 finale aired — and with Season 22 more than three months away! — fans of the long-running CBS drama still are fretting over the career decision that Special Agent Jessica Knight (played by Katrina Law) made, as a crestfallen Jimmy (Brian Dietzen) looked on.

As a supplement to what Law herself already shared with TVLine, we now present co-showrunner Steve D. Binder’s detailed insight on Knight’s Season 22 fate, as well as the blast from Special Agent Alden Parker’s (Gary Cole) past that got teased in the same finale.

TVLINE | What is Katrina Law’s status for Season 22? What are you saying? Well, you know, we’ve set something up there, and I will point you toward our track record where “You never know.” We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it’s found out they weren’t going away, and then people who just disappear like Gibbs..

We’re really trying to follow what I call “the Tony DiNozzo departure” where, in his case he actually did leave the show, but you ask yourself, “What would it take to get a certain character away?” In the case of Tony DiNozzo, we thought he wouldn’t be going anywhere — except for a child, and suddenly that’s the motive that would make him leave. And to get [Knight] to leave this team, it’s a combination of a thing that she had applied for and wanted to do — she’s talked about the plan with her father — and then having this relationship with Jimmy where suddenly things are in flux in a way that it makes it easier for her to say goodbye.

So, I will say this. We do aim to please, and we think the audience will be satisfied with where they see this go. Sometimes that satisfaction is bittersweet and sometimes it’s just pure joy. You’ll have to wait to find out which one it’s going to be.

TVLINE | In Jessica’s last interaction with Jimmy before giving Vance her answer, she told him she realized that he had a point. What specific point of his was she conceding? I think that with their relationship, you have to imagine there’s a lot more to it that we’re not seeing on the screen. And then I go back to this setup where [the relationship] is working but are they going to get married? They’re old enough now where they’re not just hanging around having fun. Jimmy’s a parent and he was married and that’s the sort of relationship he’s looking for. But is that the sort of relationship that she’s looking for? And are they going to move forward that way? If they’re not going to move forward that way, then maybe they should end it, and I think that’s kind of what she’s leaning into. “If Jimmy doesn’t think we’re going to go forward, then maybe it’s time just to end it.”

TVLINE | Talk about the decision to end the season with her answer to Vance, instead of her about to give her answer. So, that was an ongoing conversation — and I don’t know that we pleased everyone on that conversation. If we had ended it with, “What’s it going to be?,” that felt artificial to those of us who won the debate. That’s what we’re going to hang our hat on? “Is she going to leave or not?” And if doesn’t leave, it’s going to seem like we cheated in a way. It seemed more mature and more honest to take that next step and let the audience be pining for, “What’s this look like now?” instead of “What’s it going to be?” We want people to be wondering, “What’s next year going to look like?” as opposed to, “Is she leaving or not?”

TVLINE | Indeed, the more interesting question is, what if she doesn’t actually leave? What would make that happen? Or maybe she leaves for a bit and comes back, because, “You know what? I’m so damn in love with you, Jimmy Palmer!” Yeah. Well, people [on NCIS] can leave for a little while, too….

TVLINE | And that gives you a chance to bring in an interim agent, or make that sunlight-craving guy from the basement a probie. Right, right. We sent Michael Weatherly away for a little while, when [Tony] was an agent afloat [at the start of Season 6].

TVLINE | Turning to Parker: This “Lily” person that he both hallucinated and had a memory of while wounded aboard the ship, do we have enough information to surmise what that was all about? Well, we [the writers] do, but the audience definitely doesn’t. No, there are some things [to be revealed] that will be more meaningful after the fact once you look back, some little things that are planned. But there is nothing that you’d be able to put together with what you’ve been shown so far.

TVLINE | Lastly, do you think that NCIS at some point next season might tease or set up in a way the Tony/Ziva spinoff [which begins filming this summer in Europe]? You know, that’s been a long-running creative process, going through several incarnations of things…. Let’s put it this way, I would love to. I would love to do that, and I don’t speak for Michael [Weatherly], but I have a feeling Michael would be up for anything like that. So, we’re all for it.

One thing that’s nice about [NCIS:] Origins [the other upcoming, “Young Gibbs” spinoff] is that it takes place in a different time period, so you’d need to get a little more creative if you want something to cross over from one episode to another. But that would be super-fun, too.

So, I’m absolutely open to any ideas anybody has. They are totally welcome to show them to me and see what we can come up with.

TVLINE | Or, I’ve been thinking, between Cote [de Pablo]’s final [Season 17] appearance and Michael’s recent [Season 21] cameo, that’s your setup right there. That’s certainly a jumping off point that can be used, if that’s what you’re referring to, like the way it starts. But we might be able to do a little more than that.

[thomase1]

Two broken make a whole

Avenger!Loki×Fem!Avenger!Reader

What would happen if you were an assasin with the Avengers? What would happen if Loki became one of earths mightiest heros too? Can you two become friends? Or even more? Will you be able to move on from your past? Will he be able to move on from his?

Marvel AU; all Avangers are alive, Ragnarok happened.

Slow burn, talks of past abuse and trauma, angst, loss, randomness, a lot of humour, missions so fight scnes, later smut; a LOT of smut.

Every chapter will have individual warnings. 18+ chapters will be marked as such.

-The character Medusa from the Marvel Comics is not this one, I forgot about that character.-

Also, this is going to have a lot of things not matching up with the actual movies, just an example: I still use Jarvis as the AI even though Vision exists in my story. (Friday just isnt as iconic, sorryyyy :D)

I can tag you if you want, just tell me in the comments and I will tag you! ♡

First chapter below.

Chapter two.

Chapter three.

Chapter four.

Chapter five.

Chapter six.

Warnings; a bit of cursing, yelling, comedy, bit of Loki thirst, wacky attempt to capture the Avangers characters.

Wordcount: ~3000

Enjoy.

It was a normal day when they arrived. Well, normal for you at least.

You were standing in the common room, half living room, half kitchen. It was early in the day, not long after 1pm, so like any normal adult, you went to make yourself some cereal. This is breakfast for you.

You dont have a mission today, so you obviously slept in.Saying that, you were hopeing for a nice, relaxed day, however your wish was not granted. Your peace is beeing disturbed. Not only with their arrival, but also with a lot of Avangers here to welcome the now additions. Most were at least quiet, but Tony and Steve bickering and bitching like little kids is something else. You also know that with Sam beeing here, you will have to hide your snacks. That guy is always hungry. And Scott can be just as bad, him beeing able to shrink to ant size really makes it difficult to hide stuff from him.

As you reach the cupbord, after climbing onto the counter to reach it, they arrive.

Not quietly of course, no, it was with a loud boom of thunder, almost makeing you fall.

You guessed it, the beloved god of thunger and his infamous brother, the god of mischief, here to join earths mightiest heros. You knew Thor ever since you got here yourself, you are good friends. He could be a bit dull sometimes and very oblivious to, well, about pretty much eveything, but he really is just a giant teddy bear.

You never had the pleasure to meet his brother Loki however. Now, you say pleasure, you havent exactly heard good things. Given that the Avangers are your family and he mind controlled Clint, threw Tony out the highest point of the tower and attacked with an army of freak aliens,... To say you arent that fond of him would be the nicest way of putting it.

There was a whole briefing going on to be prepared for their arrival. Lokis arrival. A few members, such as you, have not been part of the team when he attacked earth, that was the reason for the briefing. So everybody got a list of his abilities and such, something that looks like a wanted poster.

-Lokis powers-

Teleportation, Shapeshifting, forming Energy blasts, casting illusions.

Able to read minds and project his thoughts to others, no physical touch needed.

Skilled in magic (seiðr), skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Genius level intellect.

Heritage: Jotunn.

You have memorized the list of his powers, it worried you. Not only that, no, his whole person worries you, god of mischief and lies, a frost giant. You would be toothless against him. Your weapons would have no effect on him, normal daggers wont pierce his skin. Bullets only leaving bruises. So even your trusted Kunai would fail you. Yes, it worries you.

What also worries you is that his is so damn good looking.

While Thor did assure that "Loki is a changed spirit. He no longer wishes to bring suffering to midgard.", nobody was fully convinced. But you promised Thor to give him a chance; for him. You know he loves his brother, even though they dont really express it too much in the crazy relationship they have.

So now you stand here, in your PJ's, pink fluffy socks and hair up in a very messy bun. So much for first impressions.

The others swarmed around Thor, who was booming with delight to see his friends again, hugging his old pals way too tightly. They look like those anti stress balls with eyes that pop out in his giant arms.

Loki on the other hand stood two steps behind his brother, seeming pretty annoyed by the whole ordeal. It appears he isnt one for big gatherings either.

You get away from the cabinet and lean onto the kitchen island, listening to the things Thor has to say. He ends up talking about new Asgard, which is where they came from right now.

After they successfully stopped Thanos, they went to new Asgard, help build the new kingdom further. Everybody thought Thor would, naturally, become king of new Asgard, with both Odin and Frigga dead. But he renounced his claim to the throne, leaving Valkyrie and Heimdall to be voted as the rulers of new Asgard since Loki was voted out by the people.

"Why dont you take that throne already? Oh blondie...", Tony claps him on the shoulder, shakeing his head. "I do not wish to rule, I only wish to build a peaceful future. Possibly with a family of my own." "Let me guess...", Tonys lips thin in a upside down smile. Several people, in unison, answer for him, "With Jane.". Thor nods solemnly and proceeds to tell the others about going to meet Jane later, seeing if they could be able to reconcile.

Poor guy still loves her.

It is the same old story; any time you two really have a chat, you end up at the talk of how much he misses her. You do feel bad, but youve heard it so many times by now. At some point you lost interest and went back to retreiving your cereal, only to realize somebody put the empty box back into the cupbord.

This really took the cake; your day officially ruined. You snatched the empty box and stormed to your roommates and teammates, doubting it was your roommates Nat and Bruce.

"Ok, which assh-" "LANGUAGE!", Steve heckles. You shoot him a fuming, warning, look and continue, "WHO ate all the cereal and put the empty box back?!", you look through the small crowd of people.

Nobody speaks.

Peter looks terrified, but you know he wouldnt, hes just a little timid. Then you spot it, the slight panic in Tonys eyes. You point at him, "You! I see the panic in your eyes, you did it!", you stride towards him. As you do, your bun loosens and plaps down the side, Tony smirks and reaches for your hair. You snap your head towards him, "Do you want to lose a hand today?" He hurriedly pulls back, "Ok ok I did it. I was hungry ok? I'll buy you some later.". You pout, "So am I! This is my day off and all I wanted was a relaxing day and now I cant even have my breakfast!".

"Its after 1 Y/n.", Nat says matter of factly. "What didnt you understand when I said 'day off' and 'relaxing day'?"

Clint looks at you dead serious, "No thats actually the perfect day off. I'm with you on that one." "You also love hanging out in your jammies and pink fluffy socks with your hair in a bun, stuffing your face with snacks all day?", you ask him in play seriousness. He nods, "Yes of course, normally I do paint my nails and put on a nice face mask too.", he plays along. "I always make myself a nice salad and go shopping.", Scott joins in with a nasal tone.

You three break character at that point and fall into laughter. Nat just shakes her head with a grin. Its a real talent of them, they always lighten the mood.

Your stomach growls, "I'm so hungryyy.", you whine. "Cant you just eat something other than cereal?", Sam asks. You think, "I mean, I do have some leftover food in the fridge and some cooki- Why are you looking at me like that?". Sam's jaw flexed when you mentioned the cookies and Bruce looked away when you said leftovers. "Oh come on! When did you even eat my cookies? I saw you come in, thinking 'oh, Sam is here I need to hide my snacks'.", you pout again, but now you are actually a little sad, feeling betrayed. "When you put your hair up. I'm sorry ok? I didnt know it was your day off and you wanted to relax.", he says a little guilty.

"And I didnt know it was your left over food. I'm really sorry.", Bruce says. Oh man, you cant be mad at Bruce, he probably worked late again and forgot to eat until he almost passed out. It has happened before, Tony found him. Ever since that day Jarvis is able to tell the heart rate and general well beeing of people inside the tower.

You sigh, "Its ok guys, just... ask in the future ok? I just remembered, I should have some waffles- oh god please no...", you see Scotts smile drop and know exactly what that means. "I thought they were Tonys, I'm sorry.", he exclaims. "Hey! I'd be very careful Tumbelina. If I held a grudge, I could, litrally, smash you like a bug.", Tony looks at him through hooded eyes.

You sigh and awkwardly sway on the balls of your feet, "I'M HUNGRYYYYY!". That got everybodys attention, all eyes are now on you and you blush a little.

You arent just hungry, no, you are hangry. A dangerous state for an assasin to be in.

"Ok. Lets just settle this. Pizza on Tony?", Steve looks at Tony. He rolls his eyes but nods. Just as you happily turn away you realize how rude you actually are.

"Oh and-", you walked to Thor, giving him a big hug which he happily returns, "Welcome back thunder.". "Y/n, havent lost your wit I see.", he says with a chuckle as you pull apart. "No, I havent. You got to with these scatterbains.", you chuckle too. You hear several offended noises in the room which only seals your words.

You turn around to Loki who still looks pretty detached, but also so unfairly handsome. "Havent had the fortune of meeting you up to now. Y/n, alias Medusa.", you put out a hand to shake, looking into his eyes.

His eyes remind you of dense treetops; a dense green through which the bright blue sky shimmers. He looks at you for a second before stepping closer, giving your hand a firm squeeze, "Loki, god of mischief. I am certain you have heard only the very best of me.", he smirks.

He smells of leather, mint and winter. Like fresh snow. Devine. You bite your tongue to distract yourself.

"Yes, precisely. Like throwing Tony off the rooftop.", you smirk back. "Alright, thats it! Go order that Pizza before I change my mind!", Tony interrupts with an offended hand at his hip. "Lets order together then.", you suggest, squeezing onto the couch next to Peter. You like the kid, you are only 4 years older than him, so you get along quite well.

After 20 minutes you finally ordered all 11 Pizzas. Took Thor a bit to convice Loki to give it a try, saying 'it tastes like Valhalla in a box'. And you agree with that analogy wholeheartedly.

You took Peter with you to collect them from the lobby and going straight back to the common room. You didnt even have time to announce the feast before Sam and Thor snatched the boxes out of Peters and your arms. Its a mistery how they didnt scatch up your exposed skin. "You guys act like you havent been fed in weeks!" "I have not eaten in five hours! I am practially starving. It takes substance to maintain this physique!", Thor tries to reason. Loki rolls his eyes, one of the first emotions you saw on his face up to now. "So you have a reason for nearly takeing my arm, but that one just stole and ate my cookies!", you point to Sam who is already opening every box to find his Pizza. Hearing you he just shrugs and continues looking.

You sit down again, next to Peter who sat back in the same spot he just left. After a few moments everybody is seated and has their Pizza.

To Thors joy, Loki enjoys the food he was praising to him. Not openly of course, but he couldnt keep the corner of his mouth from twitching up. Everybody knows, no complaint is praise enough.

"So, where will you guys live?", Steve asks to break the silence. Loki just looks at Thor, who swallows audibly at the question, "Well, we would need to look for a place to stay except- You know, if we could take residency in your noble castle Stark.". You stop eating, giving this your undevided attention. "I mean sure, theres enough space. Just dont call the Hammer through the walls; better yet, dont break stuff at all. And behave!", he looks directly to Loki at the last part. He raises his hands in mock surrender, "I wouldnt dare.". "Dont worry Stark, I wont let the goat mistreat your benevolence. Thank you for your kindness to not leave us without shelter.", the blonde god bows with a teethy smile.

Your eyes wander to Loki who is seated on a hassock, jaw clenched at the nickname Thor just called him. Mighty lord above, that jaw- You swear something inside you just ignited. And those thighs, wait. Why the hell are you staring at his thighs? Why must that armour of his be so tight in those places? I bet he purposefully got them made like that. God get a grip woman! You pinch yourself and peel your eyes away from that sinful eye candy which now even lives here. Ugh, thats gonna be a challenge.

"I know, I'm such a self less guy, right?", Tony says, shoving a piece of pizza in his mouth. You scoff at him, and even Bruce raises an eyebrow at him.

Which reminds you of bounderies that have yet to be set. "No takeing my stuff and no going in my room without permission!", you raise a pointer finger, pointing between both of them. "Of course lady Y/n.", Thor assures you, to which you narrow your gaze. As long as there is enough pop tarts your food should be safe from Thor, but Loki?

You will have to see what happens.

That dude can teleport, shapeshift, he could go into your room without you even knowing. The thought makes you tingly, NO! Get your mind out of your panties Y/n! Hell, he could probably even shift to look like Nat! You nearly spirall down the lane of paranoia but you shrug it off. You panicking would only encurage him.

"If there are two more residents now, we really have to start writing down groceries. This cant keep on happeing, or somebody's gonna get shanked." Tony looks at you annoyed, "Just tell Jar what to get. It will show up in the app. As I've told all of you at least ten times.". "Hey! Dont get pissy with me! At least I try to make a homemade meal every now and then, everybody else just orders food! No wonder Fury orders annual fitness exams!", you lay an offende hand on your chest. "Just tell him in the future!", Tony rolls his eyes.

"Fitness exams? Well, that is new.", Thor laughs. "Oh yea, these [you point at Tony, Sam, Scott and Clint] have got cought one night, throwing something which can only be described as a grease feast.", you tell the god who hadnt been here for a few months. The culprets avert their gaze, clint starts whistling and Scott clears his throat. "That sounds revolting and yet I want to be part of a feast like that.", Thor mutters, makeing you face palm yourself and Sam clap his shoulder with a nod. "Well, you will have to do it secretly, Fury is onto all of us. Which reminds me, we have to burn the evidence of this right here or he'll make us do burpees again.", the memory makes you shudder.

"Oh come on, a bit of exercise would be really good for all of us.", Steve says sternly, earning several annoyed grunts. "A bit of exercise?! Have you forgotten what Fury did last time?", Tony says in a higher than usual voice. "It wasnt that bad-", Steve tries to continue but several people cut him off. "NOT THAT BAD?!"

"Thats easy coming from the super soldier!", Nat speaks up. Yes, even she struggled during the Burpee incident. "I had to wear my suit to even go to the bathroom! Do you know how much Pepper mocked me?!", Tony bores his fingers into Caps chest, furious from the reminder of those days.

"Three days I couldnt move! And the following week was hell on earth, every movement hurt! Even the hulk was out of it!", Bruce whines. You swear you heard Loki snicker and whisper "Server you right.". Brucy was in so much pain, the hulk broke out, but even he couldnt move. It was a pathetic sight, the unbeatable hulk starfishing in the hallway, whiped out by some burpees. If Loki knew, he probably wouldnt stop laughing, given his and the hulks history.

"I couldnt lift my arm to press the elevator buttons! I CRAWLED to my room, THATS how bad it was!", you damn near cry at the memory.

"You are all just out of shape!", Steve shakes his head. "Shut up!", Nat throws a magazine at him but he, of course, catches it.

"I'm so glad to not be an official member yet. I think I would have died that day, I'm not even kidding.", Peter says small. "Lucky.", you mumble.

There is a few moments of solemn silence, until Thor says, "So when are we doing the next grease feast?", earning himself a room full of offended glares.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 14

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own a few OCs like Elizabeth, Katherine, Stacy, and Jessie. I do not condone any copying of this.

You were waiting nervously as Wanda, Pietro, Vision, Katherine, and Jessie made their way up to the door.

Not everyone was there. Clint was along with T'Challa, Thor, and Fury. But the others were all somewhere in the house. The only kid that was with you was Lucy, who was jumping up and down, unable to wait and see her Aunts and Uncles.

Clint welcomed them into the home with ease. It felt awkward, but maybe that was just you. Lucy excitedly jumped into Pietro's arms and he greeted her with a huge smile.

Skylar had grown up a lot. He looked like he might be even taller than Minerva, despite being a few months younger.

The twin boys named Tommy and Billy seemed much older than they should have been. Eight already? That couldn't be possible at all. Minerva and Skylar were only six and a half, almost seven. Lucy was just turning seven and a half. How were they eight?

You figured it had something to do with Wanda and Vision themselves, so you didn't say anything about it.

Katherine and Pietro had a little girl as well, who was four now and her name was Brittany. It was clearly Katherine's choice in the name and definitely not Pietros'.

Soon, Steve, Stephen, and Tony came down with the other kids. Minerva was on Tony's shoulders, while the rest of the kids except for Lloyd and Vera scampered down the steps to meet their Aunts and Uncles.

Steve meanwhile was holding Vera in one arm. Stephen was holding Lloyd in his arms.

You watched as Wanda's eyes swept over the kids before landing on Minerva on Tony's shoulders.

Minerva, of course, knew that these people were her soulmate parents, but she was still clinging to Tony like he was her protector. And really, in a way, he was.

Though Tony had put her down on her feet, she was hiding behind him, her small arms wrapped around his leg so that he couldn't move. She peered out at the others in front of her, before ducking behind his leg.

"Minerva?" Wanda asked uncertainly, bending down so that she could be on her level.

Minerva peeked out from behind Tony's leg again.

"I'm Wanda." Wanda said softly.

Minerva looked up at you. You just smiled, not wanting to tell her to do something one way or another.

Minerva looked back at Wanda. The others were suddenly consciously aware of the encounter and Fury and Clint were quick to take the other kids back to the living room where they could wait until Minerva had met her soulmate parents.

T'Challa also slipped out of the room, leaving Minerva with Pietro, Vision, Wanda, Jessie, and Katherine in front of her. Tony, Stephen, Steve, Lloyd, Vera, and yourself were behind her.

Minerva seemed to hold on even tighter to Tony's leg. "I don't know you."

Wanda's smile was sad and Pietro's looked almost guilty.

"I know sweetie, I'm sorry." Wanda said softly. "But if you want, we would all love to get to know you. Would you like that?"

Minerva looked scared, now that she had been asked a question. She kept looking upwards at you and Tony for comfort. Tony bent down, wrapping his arms around the little girl. "What do you think Minnie? You don't have to decide right now. They're going to be here for thirty whole days. You can get to know them over that time, of course. Hmm?"

"Okay." Minerva said softly. "Can I go and find Uncle Loki now? He wanted to read to me."

"Of course sweetheart." Tony said, letting her go.

"Bye!" Minerva said cheerfully to her Aunts and Uncles, and then scampered up the stairs to go and find Loki.

Wanda got up from where she was crouching down.

"Does she always spend time with Loki?" Pietro asked, his distrust about Loki being around his soulmate daughter apparent in his voice.

"If you actually cared about whether or not Loki was around her, you would have taken care of her from the start." You snapped, heading up the stairs.

"Y/N!" Wanda called in protest behind you.

But you didn't turn around.

This was going to be a torturous thirty days.

***

No more was said on the topic of them abandoning Minerva. Dinner wasn't as tense of an affair, as you had sat down at the end with Tony and Stephen with James and Temperance. The others had sat up near the front. Minerva was somewhere in the middle so that she was with the familiars, which were Loki and Thor at the moment, and those she was supposed to get to know, who was Vision and Wanda.

After dinner, Steve and you did the dishes, before you headed upstairs by yourself. You tucked in the boys, giving them kisses and hugs. You sung to them when they asked, and then you went to head over to the girls room.

Peeking in, you saw that they were all fast asleep, except for Minerva who was laying down in bed while Loki sat next to her.

Loki didn't notice you, the same poetry book that he had read to you before was in his lap now.

"You see this poem?" Loki asked quietly. "Can you read it aloud for me?"

Minerva looked at the words and then said slowly, "A family is like a circle; the connection never ends. That is a short poem!"

Loki chuckled. "It is short, isn't it? But you know what that means, right? It means that no matter where you go, who you talk to, who you spend time with. No matter what other people tell you, the only people that really matter in your life are your family. Family always sticks by you, no matter what. Family is the most important thing in your life, you find that out after a while."

"Like my Mommy." She said.

"Just like your mother." Loki said softly.

Minerva rolled over, snuggling into Loki's knee. "Did my mommy like poetry too?"

"She loved poetry." Loki said with a smile. "In fact, did you know she actually wrote a poem?"

"She did?" Minerva asked, looking up at him with big eyes. "What did she write?"

Loki smiled softly, before he opened up the book to the back and pulled out a sheet of notebook paper. "Your mommy gave me this. She knew how much I loved poetry so she wrote it and asked me to critique it. I think you should have it."

"Will you read it to me?" She asked.

"It's sad." Loki said.

"That's okay." Minerva said. "I get sad all the time when I realize I can't know my mommy. But then you tell me about her and I get happy. So please?"

You thought Loki might actually start to cry.

He licked his bottom lip, unfolding the piece of paper and read:

"Life is to short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. And believe that everything happens for a reason... if you get a chance- take it; if it changes your life- let it; Nobody said that it would be easy... They just promised it would be worth it."

"Do you think I should go with Wanda?" Minerva asked as Loki folded the piece of paper back up and put it on her bedside table. He had long closed the poetry book and looked back over at her.

"I think. . ." Loki said softly, tucking her in completely. "That you should follow your heart. Everything happens for a reason, you just have to find it. Maybe that sounds overwhelming, but you'll see. Now go to sleep sweetheart."

You watched Loki turn off the light and then he came out of the bedroom.

"Hello my Queen." He whispered, kissing you on the lips while closing the bedroom door.

"Did she really write that?" You asked softly when Loki pulled back. "I didn't know she wrote poetry."

Loki smiled a little. "I'm always shocked to learn all the things Elizabeth could do. And she always said she didn't know how to do anything. Why do people always say they have no talents? Everyone always has hundreds of little talents up their sleeves."

"I have found it is very hard for people to say good things about themselves." You said softly. "Either because they don't believe they do, or because they don't want to come across as a bragger. But Tony doesn't have a problem with that."

"Tony has no talents." Loki smirked.

You hit him playfully in the arm. "Take that back."

He chuckled. "I'm just kidding my love. Of course he has skills. He did create all of his superhero outfits. And Vision. I just like messing with the metal man."

You smiled. "Thank you for reading to her. For watching over her. I know it can't be easy, since she's not your soulmate daughter."

Loki shrugged. "I know what it's like, being put second because your parents aren't yours. Odin and Frigga did try with me, but they couldn't help putting Thor first either. I don't want her to feel that."

You nodded. "I thought it might have something to do with that. But it doesn't lessen my thanks."

"Well, you're welcome." Loki said with a smile, dipping you again to kiss you. "Where are you going tonight?"

"Clint's." You answered. "He already asked me to spend the night with him tonight this morning, so yeah."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, if my luck proclaims it." Loki murmured across your lips again. "Have a pleasant night tonight Y/N."

"Goodnight Loki." You murmured, kissing him one last time before moving down the hallways to Clint's room.

Once inside, you stripped off your clothes, crawling into bed next to a sleepy Clint. "Love you Birdie." He said sleepily, leaning over to kiss you before pulling you close to him.

"Love you too trouble." You smiled, falling asleep in his embrace. 

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 16 – DARK FIC

The Laird in the Water by jellybeanforest

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: M Words: 17,920 Tags: Dark Fairy Tale Creatures, Graphic Violence, Cannibalism

Summary: In 14th century Scotland, Steve is a child with an imaginary friend that lives in a nearby river, the site of many drownings and horrific discoveries. His Nan claims it to be the work of a kelpie. Steve doesn’t believe her of course. Kelpies are a myth, old wives tales to keep children from playing near swiftly-moving streams and young women from entertaining the company of handsome strangers. However, as he grows, Steve realizes that the young man in the water may not be quite as imaginary nor as innocuous as he once believed.

Reasons why I love it: I love, love, LOVE the world building in this! It always amazes me when people can write in a style that perfectly emulates the time period the story is set in, and jellybeanforest does an excellent job of it here. The setting is so good, and I absolutely love the dark fairy tale elements. I adore this fic, so if you haven't read it yet, I hope you give it a go!

Stars and Stripes Forever by Anonymous

Pairing: Steve/Tony, Steve/Avengers, Steve/Loki Rating: E Words: 29,604 Tags: Rape, Major Character Death, Sexual Slavery

Summary: Steve wakes in a very different 21st century. One where he's owned by the man who fished him out of the sea.

Reasons why I love it: This fic is all the Steve whump our sick little hearts could desire. Please do mind the tags – everyone aside from Steve is the darkest possible version of themselves, and they act accordingly. It gets pretty graphic at times, but that's what we love about dark fic, isn't it? Anyway, this fic is amazing, and if you like disturbing shit, you'll love this one!

Not In Kansas Anymore by fohatic

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 28,585 Tags: Multiverse, Non-Con, BDSM

Summary: It was truly uncanny, how alike they both were. His voice. His mannerisms. His meticulously-groomed facial hair. If he didn't know any better, Steve would've thought that it was the same man he’d left back on Earth-617... The only noticeable difference between them was that look in his eyes... Steve hadn't missed it, the way that this Tony was watching him as if he were a rabbit that had wandered into a tiger's lair, regarding him with an unsettling sort of amusement as he invited him deeper into the penthouse, brown eyes sharp and smoldering with something that Steve didn't recognize. -- Steve Rogers attempts to covertly gather intel on a mysterious weapon from a parallel universe's Tony Stark, and ends up in a predicament that he never saw coming.

Reasons why I love it: Okay, first of I just have to say – the scenario that fohatic came up with here is an actual stroke of genius. It's so, SO well thought out, giving the perfect reason to have completely unavoidable non-con in a fic, with neither of the parties involved being at fault. And the turmoil when what happened is revealed is all the more delicious for it. I love this fic so fucking much, and if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do, because it's brilliant!

[stuckytoyoulikeglue]

I've been wanting to get my thoughts on Steve's ending off my chest for literal years and I read something earlier that finally prompted me to write it all down.

This is entirely my own, personal, biassed opinion.

I do not want a fight. Or even a 'healthy debate', if I'm being honest.

If you don't agree, that's cool, just move along, nothing to see here.

Please don't be mean, I'm a delicate flower and I can't take it.

So... Like most of the people I've come across in my preferred branch of the fandom, I didn't love Steve's ending.

Unlike a lot of people, I didn't actually have a problem with the end result, just the motivation behind it.

Chris was done, Steve needed to be written out, Tony founded the universe and deserved to be its ultimate saviour, so the best case scenario was to give Steve a happy ending. I'm glad he got a happy ending. I love him, I wanted him to be happy.

But...

The exact same story arc, only without it being his choice, would still have given him the happy ending that Marvel presumably wanted for him. It would have given him the girl that got away, and the chance to finally live the life that he thought he'd lost, and all without betraying his character.

I still think it was incredibly dumb not to leave him trapped in the past (and making the most of it) after returning the stones, rather than having him choose to walk away (from everything, but especially Bucky, no matter how you see their relationship), but one thing that I keep seeing posts about (some joking, but most not), that I do not get at all, is why so many people seem to think that everything else would have played out exactly the same, just with him as Peggy's hubby instead of the man she married in the MCU timeline (I'm not debating here whether that was Daniel or not).

Yes, Steve's character was damaged by his choice to walk away, but he's still Steve. He wouldn't have sat idly by and watched Hydra sink its claws into the SHIELD Peggy was building in front of him. He wouldn't have just left Bucky to stew in Siberia. We don't even know if he actually put down the shield for any real length of time.

After all, he didn't return to pass it on to Sam until he was an old man, and the shield he passed along was a different shield. Maybe it was a new one that was made for him after his old one was lost to the ice, maybe he had it made specially to give to Sam, who knows? But what we do know as a result, is that whatever happened in his new timeline, it was not the same as what happened in ours.

Personally I choose to believe that Bucky lives next door, the Starks come round for tea most weeks, and everyone just dotes on ickle baby Tony, not least his dad. They're still in touch with the rest of the Howlies, though they don't get to see them as often as they'd like, and ideally Zola is rotting in a cell somewhere.

Admittedly, I'm not sure what I reckon happened to the original Steve from that timeline. Maybe he didn't survive the ice, maybe they defrosted him early and the two Steves started a rota for playing Cap so they both get a chance to actually have a life in between punching bad guys. Maybe he's living in sin with Bucky, pretending he's our Steve's identical twin brother if anyone ever sees them both at the same time. It doesn't really matter.

My point is that damn near anything could have happened in that new, mysterious universe, because the only certainty we have is that it was exactly like ours until Steve went 'back' to it, and it was definitely not the same as ours from that point on.

Butterfly effect and all, Steve's mere existence guarantees that it's different and, as I already mentioned, the shield that he gives Sam provides concrete proof of it.

Of course, I'm not saying things necessary played out any better. Maybe SHIELD didn't fall, but the governments of the world did. Maybe Steve saved Bucky only for him to be hit by a bus mere weeks after he brought him home to Brooklyn. But in no world did Steve sit there casually tossing a salad while fully aware that his brainwashed best friend was off to murder the president.

That is all (for now).

PS. I love Peggy. I'm still miffed they cancelled Agent Carter. I don't think having her marry Steve in an alternate timeline takes anything away from who she was or what she built in ours. Her legacy is entirely intact in our world, and in another world she was doubtlessly equally kickass, she just got to have Steve too.

[iam93percentstardust]

tony stark for your ask game? <3

peachy fren! thanks for the ask!

Favorite thing about them All of him. Every last bit. I left this question for last because I had no idea what to say. He's my favorite character of anything ever. Picking just one favorite is impossible.

Least favorite thing about them Hmmmmm, maybe how smart he is? But mostly just because it's so difficult to write. Oh, I know! The fact that Marvel, in an effort to keep up with the economy, has made him a billionaire because I'm so tired of seeing the coldest takes on how being a fictional billionaire makes him the literal devil.

Favorite line MCU: "I am Iron Man" (the first time) I'll admit I wasn't sold on the idea of Iron Man when I originally saw it. I grew up on the Tim Burton Batman films and only watched the X-Men movies for the scenes with Rogue in them (baby Alle had a crush), so I thought I knew what superheroes were and I wasn't overly impressed with them. And then Tony stood there and took accountability for his actions and at the very young age of 12, I sat up and took notice. Comics: "Good morning, beloved" because he's just so blasé about the whole thing. Why are you calling him beloved, Tony, hmm? Answer me, Marvel. I demand answers.

brOTP Rhodey & Tony. Hands down. Best brOTP in the entire world. My favorite chaos duo. Super smart when they're apart, the biggest idiots in the entire world when they're together.

OTP I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but Stony. *gestures vaguely at my ao3* Obviously

nOTP Any of the pairings that came out of CACW. Are there good ones out there? Yeah, absolutely. Are they overshadowed by the absurd amounts of bashing fics that were written just to dump on Steve whether or not he'd been romantically involved with Tony in that verse? Yeah, and I don't feel like scrolling through all of them just to locate the gems.

Random headcanon Tony learned how to play the piano from his mom. She had a grand that was kept at the mansion that moved with him to Malibu and then to the tower (he's beyond thankful at his past self for insisting on having it moved instead of leaving it in the Malibu house to sink into the ocean when it was destroyed).

Unpopular opinion My unpopular opinion about Tony for the greater MCU fandom (and non-fans) is that he's a good character who doesn't deserve all the hate he gets. For actual Tony fans? My unpopular opinion is that he has the same mentor/mentee relationship with Peter that he has with Harley and the only reason Peter's gets so much more emphasis in the fandom is because Peter had his own movie with Tony in it.

Song i associate with them Taylor Swift's The Archer

Favorite picture of them This one. He just looks so happy!

[beefromanoff]

Going Under Ch. 21

summary: a whole 21 chapters in…they finally go on a first official date. it’s only fitting that this is the longest chapter yet. enjoy 🖤

characters: Bucky Barnes x OC

soundtrack: i can see you - Taylor Swift

warnings: fluff, pop star fantasy x love story, set in an AU where the Avengers reunite after Civil War, pre-infinity war, slight angst, hurt/comfort, lonely reader/OC.

author’s note: longest chapter yet WOOOOO! i know it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, but next chapter will have some flashbacks and fill in gaps. thanks for reading, xo!

chapter list

_________________________________________________

The sun was barely beginning to peek over the horizon, but Gianna was already out at the lake. She couldn’t sleep. All night, she’d tossed and turned and played the previous night over and over in her head. Finally, around 4:00am, she just got up. Luckily, the shift change for the night crew was around 4:30, so the grounds weren’t completely empty. She still felt a little spooked from time to time, and wandering around alone in the middle of the night didn’t do much for her nerves. 

She scrawled lines in her notebook, having written almost a whole song in the time since she’d been up. Looking over what she’d written, she sang softly to herself. 

And we kept everything professional

But something's changed, it's somethin' I, I like

They keep watchful eyes on us

So it's best that we move fast and keep quiet

You won't believe half the things I see inside my head

Wait 'til you see half the things that haven't happened yet

But what would you do if I went to touch you now?

What would you do if they never found us out?

What would you do if we never made a sound?

'Cause I can see you waitin' down the hall from me

And I could see you up against the wall with me

And what would you do, baby, if you only knew?

“Let me guess…it’s about Sam.” 

Gianna jumped as Steve’s voice interrupted the quiet morning. She turned to see him walking down the dock towards her, grinning. 

“It’s about Natasha, actually.” She rubbed her forehead, heart pounding. “You scared me.” 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt. I was just finishing up running. I can leave you to it.” He smiled sheepishly.

“No, no, this was good. I usually don’t have heart palpitations until my third cup of coffee, so you’re saving me time.” She stood to her feet as he chuckled. “Speaking of which, cup number two is calling my name.”

“I’ll walk with you. Long night?” Steve always found the balance between teasing and being kind, which Gianna appreciated. 

“Couldn’t sleep.” 

“Something tells me you weren’t the only one.” 

Gianna glanced up at him, eyebrow raised. 

“Bucky passed me an hour and a half ago, he was finishing up right when I got started. Which isn’t exactly late in the day. I’m guessing he’s in the training room now.” 

“Is that a good sign?” 

“Let’s just say he hasn’t been on a first date in…a while. He’s just nervous.”

“He has nothing to be nervous about, we spend every single day together. Literally. Every day for the past four months, with the slight exception of me being unconscious in the hospital, we’ve been together.” 

“He was there, too. In the hospital.” Steve smiled. “He left before you woke up. But he was there.” 

Gianna frowned. “See? I don’t want him to feel stressed, I feel bad, this shouldn’t be something upsetting.” 

“No, trust me, he’s not upset.” Steve laughed, waving her concerns off. “He just gets in his head. For a guy who doesn’t get too enthused about much, he actually cares quite a bit about doing things right. It’s endearing, once you get past the grouchy exterior.” 

“If you say so,” she smiled. “The last thing a semi-stable one hundred year old man needs is added stress.” 

“Hey, watch it. Age is just a number.” 

“Now you sound like Tony.”

“Don’t insult me.” 

_______________

For the rest of the morning, Gianna followed her normal routine. Get coffee, make herself slightly (only slightly) more presentable, chat with whoever happened to be in the common area (today, it was Sam), and then head down to watch Bucky train. With their evening plans hanging in the air, she felt a strange flurry of nerves in her stomach as she walked down the trail to the training building. 

Since it was a Friday, they’d be going over weapons out on the range. After a week of getting their asses handed to them in combat training, Steve and Bucky liked to end the week on a more positive note. Rounding the corner to the shooting range behind the building, Gianna spotted the duo standing near a rack of weaponry. The recruits weren’t set to begin for another ten minutes. 

“Good morning, Buck! Good morning, again, Steve!” Her voice was cheery as she greeted the super soldiers. 

“Good morning, again.” Steve smiled, stepping off to the side. 

“Morning, sunshine.” Bucky’s smile had a hint of orneriness to it. “You look cheerful this morning.” 

“I have a hot date tonight.” She winked. 

“Oof,” Bucky put a metal hand over his chest. “Don’t make me jealous.” 

“Don’t be too upset, I’m just planning on using him for his body.” Gianna kept a straight face as she shrugged. 

“Ah, I see.” He grinned. “Something tells me he won’t mind.”

The activity around them picked up as the group of SHIELD agents began to file around the corner. Gianna stepped back and began to walk towards a shady tree a few yards behind them, the perfect place to watch without being in the way. 

“Oh, Gianna,” Bucky called after her. “Be ready at 7.”

She did a mock salute as she slunk down at the base of the tree. Suddenly, her mind filled with questions about the logistics of the evening. Where the hell would they go? What should she wear? Was she even allowed to leave the compound? She whipped out her phone.

Gianna: WANDA. SOS. 

Wanda: ???? what’s wrong?

Gianna: Bucky asked me to dinner. TONIGHT. 

Wanda: omg - it’s about time! i still need deets about last night!

Gianna: deal, but I need help! I don’t have any clothes here that aren’t sweats! I don’t even know what he’s planning! 

Wanda: meet me at my room in an hour. 

Gianna: my hero!

Looking up, Gianna went back to observing the class. The gentle fall breeze provided a welcome calm in contrast to the butterflies in her stomach. She sat, hazelnut latte in hand, and focused her attention solely on the training area, not all her questions about the evening. She admired how effortlessly Steve and Bucky moved as they demonstrated each technique, their years of experience evident in every precise movement. Seeing Bucky at work, channeling years of horrific experiences into something good, it couldn’t be beat. 

Especially since his training attire was more on the snug side.

As she watched, Gianna couldn't help but marvel at Bucky's rugged charm. His dark hair was tousled from the wind, his large frame commanding even in a group of elite agents. His focus was unwavering as he instructed the recruits, his voice calm and authoritative. Ever so patient, he took a pistol from one of the recruits and demonstrated proper hand positioning before handing it back. She smiled to herself. 

I am a huge Bucky Barnes fan. 

However, Gianna's admiration was interrupted when her gaze landed on a dark-haired female agent among the recruits. The agent seemed to be going out of her way to catch Bucky's attention, a subtle flirtatiousness in her actions as she showcased her skills with the weapons. Every time she’d hit a target, her eyes flicked back to see if he was watching. Gianna couldn't deny the twinge of jealousy that washed over her. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to see if she recognized the girl. 

She was taller than Gianna, which wasn’t saying a ton, and had a long, lean stature. Gianna made a mental note to ask Nat who she was. 

Bucky, to his credit, remained focused on the task at hand, offering equal attention to all the recruits. He provided constructive feedback and demonstrated techniques, his professionalism unwavering. But even he couldn't help but notice when the female agent made a particularly daring move, doing a front somersault into a defensive position, firing the gun straight into the center of the target. 

When she inevitably glanced towards him, he gave her a nod of approval. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy reaction, but it made Gianna’s stomach turn just the same. 

As the training session continued, she shifted her focus back to the demonstration as a whole. She watched as Bucky effortlessly disarmed one of the recruits, his movements fluid and precise. There was a deep sense of respect and admiration in the way the trainees looked at him. 

Except for this bitch. I know that look. She’s undressing him with her eyes. Gianna recognized it because it wasn’t exactly unfamiliar for her. She set her jaw, reminding herself who he had the date with that evening. Pulling out her phone, she sent Wanda another text. 

Gianna: def gonna need something sexy. 

As the training session came to a close, most of the new recruits filed off to the side, discussing their progress and exchanging stories. The brunette agent, however, hung back, her gaze fixed on Bucky, determination etched across her features.

He was gathering his training materials, unaware of the lingering presence nearby. He tucked his hair behind his ear, oblivious to the brunette's intent. She took a step closer, her smile just a touch too friendly as she spoke, 

"Sergeant Barnes, that was an incredible session. You really know your stuff, not that anyone’s surprised. I’d love to get some follow up instruction sometime, maybe after class next week? I have a few techniques I’m having trouble perfecting."

Before Bucky could respond, Gianna decided it was time to make her presence known. With a confident stride, she approached the pair, fueled by the little ball of envy in her stomach. She stopped right in front of Bucky, a warm smile gracing her lips as she tilted her head to look up at him, her back to the brunette as if she didn’t exist.

"Bucky," Gianna purred, "I can't wait for tonight."

She stood on tiptoe, her lips finding Bucky's in a sweet, lingering kiss. Her hand wrapped around the back of his head, feeling his soft hair in her fingers. Bucky was taken by surprise, but as their lips met, he felt a rush of warmth that left him momentarily breathless. He smiled into their kiss. 

The brunette agent, however, was far from pleased. Her eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back, clearly annoyed that her moment had been so abruptly interrupted. She cleared her throat and shot Gianna a rather icy glare.

Pulling back, Gianna turned to the agent as if seeing her for the first time. “Oh, I’m so rude! Hi, I’m Gianna.” She held her hand out to the agent who reluctantly shook it. 

“Agent Allison.” 

“Nice to meet you.” She gave her most innocent, America’s Sweetheart smile before turning back. 

Bucky, still somewhat dazed by the unexpected kiss, managed to find his voice. "Tonight. I can’t wait.” He had that adorable half-grin she adored. 

Gianna's smile widened. "Great! See you later, Buck.” Turning, she let her hips swing just a little more than usual when she walked away. Fully aware of both sets of eyes on her, she smiled to herself. I got a little territorial, so what?

As she walked away, Bucky barely glanced back at Agent Allison, who was still standing there, fuming and forgotten. “Yeah, uh, good work. See you next week.” 

He walked back toward the training building, catching Steve’s eye. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged as Steve chuckled. 

“I think Gianna just marked her territory.” He clapped a hand on Bucky’s back.

“I guess so.” Bucky shook his head, still grinning.

_____________________________________________

Gianna sat cross-legged on Wanda's bed, surrounded by a sea of outfits that had been meticulously pulled from her wardrobe. Clothes were strewn across the bed and even scattered on the floor, creating a colorful and slightly chaotic scene. 7pm was rapidly approaching, and she hadn’t even brushed her hair yet.

Wanda, perched on the edge of a chair, regarded Gianna with a knowing smile. “I don’t want to brag, but I’m kind of a fashion connoisseur. Just about anything in here would knock Bucky off his feet, especially with you in it."

“Ugh, thank you so much, seriously. I haven’t even had to think what to wear since I got here, it’s basically just sweatsuit city. I didn’t think I’d need date attire.”

Wanda raised an eyebrow. “Really? You didn’t think this would happen?” 

“I don’t know…I guess I hoped it would. I just, I didn’t know how he felt. We worked together, then I kissed him at the party, then everything went to shit, and now I’m here.” 

“Well,” Wanda stood to her feet, pulling three outfit options from the bed. “I’m glad you’re here. Until we can have an official shopping spree in the city, what’s mine is yours. Try these.” She thrust the clothes into Gianna’s arms. 

Gianna nodded as she examined the options. She wanted something that would look pretty, sweet, but also sexy. Especially after the encounter with the brunette agent who had been eyeing Bucky a little too closely.

As she slipped on the first dress, Gianna couldn't help but vent her frustrations to Wanda. "You won't believe what happened earlier during the training session. Agent Allison, the brunette one, she was practically throwing herself at Bucky. I mean, I could practically see the hearts in her eyes!"

Wanda smirked, a hint of amusement in her expression. "Really? What did you do?"

"Well…I kissed Bucky, told him how excited I am for our date tonight, and then shook her hand.”

“Damn, subtle. You're not one to hold back, are you?"

Gianna grinned. "Nope. Not when it comes to something I want."

Wanda giggled. "I can see why. But remember, Gianna, you don't need to compete for his attention. Bucky cares about you, and he's chosen to be with you. Girls have been fawning over Mr. Dark and Mysterious since he got here a few years back, I don’t even think he notices."

Gianna sighed, smoothing the fabric on the dress as she looked in the mirror "You're right. It's just hard not to feel a little possessive when someone’s basically throwing themselves at your…well, I guess he’s not my anything yet.”

“Oh, shut up.” Wanda looked over her shoulder in the mirror and fluffed Gianna’s hair. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? He’s yours.”

Blushing, Gianna fought back a smile. “I’m really glad you’re here. It’s been nice to have a friend. Like, a real girl friend.” 

“Don’t make me emotional.” Wanda waved her hand. “We have work to do.” She winked, handing another dress to Gianna to try on. 

___________________________________________

6:55pm. 

That was the time Bucky knocked on her door. 

He’d waited as long as he possibly could. Living with Natasha and Wanda, and having grown up with a sister, he knew it was a severe offense to rush or interrupt the getting ready process. But here he was, standing outside her door with flowers in his hand, a whole five minutes early.

After training, he’d struggled to find ways to kill the rest of the afternoon. Gianna was nowhere to be found, Steve could only handle his nervous energy for so long before he made Bucky go for another run, and it took less than an hour to set up for the date he’d meticulously planned. Even though he’d only officially asked her last night, Bucky had asked the girls to help him round up some supplies as soon as he noticed Gianna’s favorite place at the compound. 

He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as he heard her footsteps approaching the door. “Hi.” The door opened and there she was. Gianna Cruz, waiting for him to come retrieve her like she’d done so many times over the past few months. Except this time was different. This time, he wasn’t working. He wasn’t here as her security, ready to escort her to her real life obligation. He was here as her date. Finally. 

“Hi,” She was grinning from ear to ear when she opened the door, eyes crinkling even more when she saw the flowers in his hand. Her hair was loosely braided, a few imperfect curls falling into her face. She’d kept her natural hair, something he’d always loved but couldn’t remember if he ever vocalized. “Two days in a row? James Buchanan Barnes. Ladies’ man extraordinaire.” 

“You ready?” He smiled and held out his arm for her to take. 

“Mmm, you could give me another two hours and I’d still be changing my hair. So it’s best just to call it.” She brushed a curl out of her face. 

“I don’t think you should change a thing. I always liked your hair like that.”

“Messy?” She looked at him sheepishly. 

“Natural.” He reached up and touched one of the curls hanging beside her face, sending a shiver down her spine when his fingertips brushed her ear. “It’s so pretty. You don’t even have to try.” 

“I try really hard, actually.” 

“You don’t have to. Not with me.” He pressed the button to the elevator button and let her step in first when the doors opened. “Do you know how amazing you look tonight, or should I go ahead and tell you?” 

Her face contorted as she fought back another smile. “You should probably go ahead and tell me.” 

“Ah, okay,” He grinned, putting a finger beneath her chin and looking straight into her eyes. “Gianna Cruz, you look so unbelievably good tonight. I cannot believe I get to call you my date.” 

The smile broke through, her face warming under his touch and attention. Just as the proximity started to cloud their minds, the elevator doors slid open. Bucky offered his left arm to her, the flowers still held in his right. Wrapping her hand around his bicep, she felt the cool metal through his long sleeve. They crossed the lobby and stepped out into the cool evening air. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow across the entire compound. 

It was suspiciously empty on the grounds, but that was the last thing on Gianna’s mind. The path before them was sprinkled with rose petals, illuminated by single floating candles spaced every few feet along the way. Looking up, she saw that it followed the oh-so-familiar walk down to the dock. 

Wordlessly, she looked up at Bucky, her face showing a kind of happy he’d never seen before. She still fought back the full smile, so much so that her cheeks ached. They walked down to the lake in comfortable silence as Gianna took in every bit of the scenery and Bucky took in every bit of her reaction. The trail took a short curve through the thick woods before opening up to the clearing where the dock began. It made for a more private setting, mostly shielding it from the rest of the compound. Tonight, the element of surprise was exactly what Bucky had been counting on to help with the final reveal. 

They turned the final corner, warm sun hitting their faces as the trees cleared. 

“Bucky,” Gianna breathed, eyes widening. 

“Come on.” He slid his hand down to hers and led her to the end of the dock. There was a table with two chairs, complete with candles, wine, and full dinner setting. 

Gianna could hardly believe the moment she was living in. Mouth slightly open in awe, she didn’t even know where to look as they reached the end of the dock. Bucky pulled the chair out for her to sit. 

“I don’t even…Bucky, I…” She looked from the table to the sunset and back to him. “I don’t even know what to say. You did all this? How did you -” 

“I had a little help.” He half-smiled, pouring wine into both glasses. “After the first few days here, you kept saying how much you liked the lake. I knew you came down here as much as you could. I told Wanda what I had in mind and she found all this stuff, had it shipped to the tower. They brought it with them when they flew in a few days ago.”

“But, we just made this plan last night…?” She felt at a loss for words in the best way. 

“I know. I thought I was going to have to hide 500 candles in my closet until I finally got the balls to ask you out.” 

Gianna grinned. “I’m glad you got the balls sooner rather than later.”

“Me too.” Bucky passed her a wine glass. “To you never realizing how far out of my league you are.” 

She raised her glass to his. “To you, having the balls to ask me out.” Their glasses clinked together and they both took a slow sip of wine, neither one breaking eye contact until the glasses were back on the table. 

A low hum filled the air. Looking up, Gianna saw a midsize drone hovering across the lake, carrying silver serving platters. 

“I didn’t know there was room service at the Avengers’ Compound.” She raised an eyebrow. 

“There is if one of the programming agents in the robotics division is afraid of you.” He shrugged. 

“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind next time I go to intimidate a SHIELD agent.” She laughed, faltering when she remembered the run in from earlier. “Bucky…about earlier.” Her eyes were wide, equal parts embarrassed and amused. 

“Mhmm?” He took the dishes from the drone and set one in front of each of them, lifting the lids off to reveal the most incredible looking pasta Gianna had ever seen. 

“Oh, my God…this looks insane. Bucky! How did you do this! Last time I checked, the cafeteria doesn’t serve gourmet food.” It smelled heavenly. 

“Tony’s here for the next week, he usually flies his chef out when he’s here for too long. I just asked for a couple extra servings.” He tried to hide his grin, seem casual, but her excitement was contagious. 

“I can’t even think straight.” She took a sip of her wine. 

“I hope that’s a good thing. It’s been a while since I last went on a date, so I’m a little out of practice.” 

“It’s a good thing.” Gianna leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. “A very, very good thing.” 

As the sun slowly sunk below the horizon, dinner conversation flowed effortlessly. Bucky told stories from the past few years as an Avenger, including how Peter’s first words to him were about how cool his metal arm was - during a fight, no less. Gianna gushed about all the situations she’d been stuck in throughout her stardom where she wished she had someone to share it with, someone who saw it all and could laugh about it on the drive back to the hotel every night. It was easy. It was natural. 

Laughed lulled as Bucky finished a story about how Tony had once gotten way too drunk at a party and announced to the entire crowd he’d peed in the Iron Man suit. 

“Oh my gosh, ow.” Gianna leaned back in her chair. “My stomach hurts. I laughed too much. I definitely ate too much.” 

“There’s no such thing.” Bucky leaned forward, splitting the last of the wine between their glasses. 

“Mm, yet another reason I like you.” She winked, raising her glass towards him before taking a sip. 

“So,” Bucky grinned. “How am I doing?”

“Are you seriously asking for feedback in the middle of our date?” Gianna giggled.

“Hey, like I said, it’s been awhile. I just want to make sure I’m on the right track.” He put his hands up defensively. “Plus, Wanda may or may not have shown me photos of your last few dates. Tough acts to follow.” 

Rolling her eyes, Gianna set her glass down. “Which photos did you see?” 

“Helicopter ride with that football player?” 

“We were paid by the helicopter company. We’d only spoken twice before that and once after.”

“Dinner on a yacht with that actor?” 

“Horrible. He only talked about himself. I’m also pretty sure he thought I was someone else. He told me I was shorter than he expected and then asked me if I was allowed to eat dessert since the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was coming up.” Gianna groaned. “I thought it was a really weird thing to say, but when I thought about it later I realized he definitely didn’t think I was me.” 

“His loss.” Bucky gave her a half-smile. “Okay, last one…what about the guy who rented that restaurant out for you? Didn’t you…weren’t you pretty serious?” 

“No.” She smiled, but it was somber. “That was a PR stunt. He had a big movie coming out, they used two of my songs on the soundtrack, it was supposed to be big for both of our careers. And it was, I guess. It’s just, sometimes it can be hard to pretend without forgetting what’s real and what’s work. It gets messy.”

Bucky watched her, spinning the stem of his wine glass between metal fingers. 

“It was also a long time ago.” Gianna continued, giving a reassuring look. “I was very young. I didn’t really know how things were done in the industry and that made me vulnerable. That’s why I haven’t really dated over the past couple years…I wanted something real.” 

She reached her hand across the table, replacing the wine glass in his grip.

“I still do.” 

“I’d assure you that this is real, but truth be told, I’m still waiting for someone to pinch me.” Bucky squeezed her hand ever so lightly. If she ever felt strangely about his vibranium hand, she never showed it. 

She met his eyes, relaxing in his gaze. “You and your lines, Sargeant.” 

He stood to his feet, still holding her hand. “Is it too old-fashioned if I ask you to dance?” 

“Maybe,” Gianna slid out of her chair, letting him guide her to the center of the dock. “But that doesn’t mean I want you to stop.” 

The soft music that had been playing throughout dinner was paired with the quiet creaking of the dock and the crickets as they swayed slowly. 

_________________________________________

“Shh!” Wanda hissed. “You know sounds carry across water!”

Peter shut up and retreated to the back of the balcony. The group had gathered on the patio, claiming to want fresh air after dinner, but secretly all hoping to catch a glimpse of the date they’d all helped facilitate. 

“See anything, Rogers?” Natasha called, taking a sip of her drink. 

“I told you, I don’t condone spying.” He looked up from his chair. “They’re dancing.” 

Grinning, Nat stood to her feet and walked to the railing where Wanda and Sam stood. 

“You think they’d notice if I sent Red Wing over there? I could get us some live footage.”

“Sam, if you give Bucky any excuse to rip that thing out of the sky, he’s not going to hesitate.” Steve reluctantly joined them, thankful the dock was far enough away that it took super soldier vision to really see what was going on. 

“They’re hopeless.” Wanda said. “So in love.” 

“Are you saying that as a mind-reader?” Peter asked, wide-eyed. 

“I’m saying that as someone who talked to them both today.” She rolled her eyes. “And as someone with eyes.” 

“Okay, alright. Let’s give them some privacy. If you want to watch someone on a date then put on that trashy show you’re always watching.” Steve ushered them inside. 

“Steve, you know the Bachelor is only on Monday night.” Sam elbowed him, walking through the door. “What, a man can’t enjoy quality reality television?!”

When he was the only one remaining on the balcony, Steve took one last glance down at the dock just in time to see Bucky raise Gianna’s hand and spin her around. Grinning, he stepped inside and shut the door. 

[sea-owl]

So I'm rewatching the Marvel movies and I just finished Captain America: civil war and I was wondering about you opinion of the movie?

Oh that can of worms. Okay before I start know this is just my opinion and that's okay if your's differ from mine. Just be respectful or you will get the block button.

So my opinion on Civil War, short answer, I deeply dislike it and will never watch it on my own free will again. The only saving grace for me with that movie is the good angst hut/comfort fics the fandom has written after.

Long answer I don't like it for many reasons, narratively being a big part of it actually. I believe the MCU jumped the gun for Civil War. They put it in too soon without doing the work for all the needed buildup for it. I believe they chose the wrong directors for this movie and I 100% believe this should not have been a Captain America movie.

In my opinion this movie was made too soon. One of the core plot points for Civil War in any rendition is that it's a break up between two people that is so bad and so strong it divides an entire community. Those two people for Civil War is Steve and Tony, which the MCU had neglected working up their relationship to pull Civil War that soon. The outside conflict was there, you could see the outside tension rising with each moving but the dynamics of Steve and Tony, hell all of the Avengers was not. Had they wanted to do this in the time frame they did there needed to be crossovers from the two characters into each other's franchise. The audience needed to see them actually liking each other and the movies building up on that and the other Avengers' relationships as a team. Hell even a mini series that connected to the movies to give us those bonding moments would have helped.

Like many others I also believe this should never have been a Captain America movie, it should have been an Avengers movie. Right off the bat it's gonna try to frame Steve in the right which no. If you want to pull this divide off you need to have the narrative neutral or both Steve and Tony need to be right and wrong. They are both two sides to this fight, and personally both should be held accountable to what happens during and after. Which leads me into the directors, the Russo brothers should not have been the directors. By their own admittance they do not like Tony, they are Cap fanboys, and had they had their way Tony would have died in this movie. This type of plot is not meant for a singular franchise character it is an ensemble plot, and you would need a director who knows how to work an ensemble cast and in my own opinion neutral to both sides. Neither Steve or Tony should have been framed as all the way right or all the way wrong. The politics to this movie is actually very complicated without even adding on the whole Bucky side plot.

Speaking of the side plot, it felt kinda unnecessary and was added for Steve's pain/a way to tie up his brainwashing healing (at least the commands) in a nice little bow. I always say Bucky came back too soon and I still hold that belief. Should've kept him a shadow for a while and maybe saved him for Sam. Sam's cap arch is already doing more for Bucky's character than Steve's ever did.

And since I know this will probably be a follow up question, my opinion on the Accords is that I'm pretty neutral. Yes as they stood amendments were defiantly needed for it, but also the Avengers really had no accountability. The group that was supposed to hold them accountable, SHIELD, was gone. In the eyes of the public they were a loose canon. I don't blame other countries not wanting this American based military like group coming into my home, fucking shit up, and then dipping out. The whole situation needed compromise, but since this is Steve's movie and Steve doesn't know compromise if it bit him in the ass it's not framed that way. Despite the fact we have whole scene in the movie where Steve was proving these people's fears right.

What do I know though, I think the movie is a mess and if I had my way I'll never watch it again.