#literally there was other lab partners in the room smarter than me why did I think this??? my brain is so illogical???

[totsandnuggsrebloggs]

@ the aroace community

Girl help. How do we survive?

[starshipsofstarlord]

💕 reader turns into a baby and obsessed with Bucky. Awww 🥺

Infant Issues

bucky barnes x reader / masterlist

warnings; fluff, morgan definitely being tony’s kid, biting, swearing, spoilers for IW and Endgame, mention of the blip, childish behaviour from adults, terrible humour (I really am sorry), spoiler for WV, mention of age gap, kinda a crossover, an absolute mess 😂

“Morgan?” Bucky frowned, as the girl tried to speed past him. It was not wise for anyone to allow the mischievous child run around the compound alone, she always got up to nothing but trouble, and there was such a glazing in her brown eyes.

She didn’t spare him a glance, instead, she bolted, causing the super soldier to sigh. He would have went after her if there weren’t already footsteps recurring from the path that she had just came from; it was his father. It so happened that there was a bundle of joy in his arms, crying like the sudden crack of dawn.

“What were you going to do, wait another five years to tell everyone about this one, Stark?” Bucky asked with a chuckle, though the cries from the infant muted at the sound of his voice. The child wiggled in Tony’s grasp, trying her utmost to reach out for the vibranium armed hero.

“She’s not my daughter, if she was, I think me and you would be having conversations.” Tony’s words spurred a frown to combust out onto Barnes’ face, and the billionaire sighed, shifting the baby so that the baby was in Bucky’s arms.

The child cooed up at him, her eyes were a baby blue, sure to avert possibly into a different colour once she grew elder. “Look, I didn’t ask if I could hold her, she’s cute, but why do you-“

“Morgan did it.” Tony willingly blamed his own daughter. With her various experimentations, she was definitely taking after him. He’d be sure to keep this one quiet from Pepper, otherwise he was almost certain that he’d be banned from bringing Morgan on expeditions to the compound.

“I though y/n was supposed to be watching her.” Stated the enhanced soldier, cocking his head at the information that he recalled. He promptly remembered you abandoning him half way through training the newbie recruits, because Happy was dropping Morgan off, and you had offered watch over her, despite the associate being there.

“She was, and now you’re going to have to watch over her.” Tony pointed specifically to the child in his arms, and that was when realisation hit Bucky. He gulped, breathing through his nose to calm himself, as all the pieces clicked perfectly together.

This was not just a child - it was you. As he gazed down at you, he could finally see the pouted expression that would fixate upon your face when you paid attention to him when you were drunk, there was a glazing over your eyes as you raised your small and innocent hands, scraping down the stubble of his chin, as you curled further into his arms.

“I am going to kill you.” He steadily spoke, huffing as Sam went to walk past, but stopped himself when he saw the bundle of joy that was content in the brooding soldier’s arms. 

“What the hell! Did you and y/n have a baby or something without telling anyone?” Oh, how he wished those were the circumstances, and if the pair of you were to ever have a child together, then he would be impartial to the idea of doing so.

"This is not my child, it's y/n, thanks to Stark over there." He bounced you in his arms, he even felt a small dribble of spit seep through his shirt, but he didn't mind, not as his icy glare was intently prized upon the philanthropist.

"Hey, it was my daughter's fault, not mine!" Tony excused himself from the blame, holding his palm against his chest, as he received as such. Sam ogled at him for a second, before returning his attention back into Bucky, and little you.

He came forwards, reaching his hand towards you, keening as you went to grasp his. As you did so, a smile broke out upon the man’s face, until it contorted into a sharp frown, the noise of a yelp escaping from his lips. “That little bitch bit me.”

“Language.” Steve rounded the corner, his golden brows raising when he saw the infant contently resting in his best friend’s arms. “Did you and y/n have a baby without telling us?”

“That’s what I said!” Sam beckoned to the blonde, as he averted a strong gaze to you and your normal sized partner. "Until she bit me, it reminds me of that time that I tried to steal her fries."

"I don't see why your complaining." Bucky rolled his eyes, bracing you up straighter so that your forehead was pressed lightly against his shoulder. "I'm the one whose partner is an actual child."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam rolled his eyes in reference to how you were beforehand, before Steve cut in, directing his leading tone towards the men that were stood idly by.

"What actually happened?" Tony found his enquiry to be an opportunity to avert the fault from himself; how lucky indeed was it that Steve asked such a thing.

"Technically it's your fault capsicle. Morgan found your prototype of your unsuccessful time machine. As you can see, she turned into a baby, much like Lang. And if you want to push the blame off of yourself, blame these two for their asses disappearing."

"Hey, if I wanted to disappear, I wouldn't have made such a dramatic exit. I'd have just left for my sister's." Crossing his arms, Sam shook his head at the man that was not wearing his iron suit. He was unable to take any responsibility, unless it was for his genius brain wave of creating the true transportation for the time heist.

"Well I'm going to keep that noted for any future repercussions." Oh, how Wilson regretting mentioning that now.

"You left it out, within your daughter's reach." Bucky quirked his brow, as he prepared to head towards the storage of the private laboratory that was shared between the two science bros.

"Technically, that was the big green guy." Bucky vouched not to listen to Stark, instead, he continued to walk, leaving the three other men in his rear view, though for the most part, he could still hear them bickering.

"Maybe we should turn you into a baby, I doubt much would change."

"Maybe we should turn you into a baby, I doubt much would change." Tony mimicked Steve, thus only proving his point. He was certainly a man that enjoyed pressing people's buttons, it was a shining attribute of the once playboy, and god, did it annoy the hell out of Barnes.

As he entered the laboratory, he found the lab to be in a state of havoc. "Hey, it wasn't me this time." Scott laughed, as he used an extinguisher against the frayed machine, that was blubbering sparks from its ruined exterior.

"Smash!" A small green child, wearing glasses that were far too big for him, ran across the room, followed shortly by a child with long blonde hair wrapped up in a red cape, as though it were some kind of makeshift diaper.

"Explain." Bucky bluntly stated, clenching his jaw, as he cooed lightly at your cries that pierced the air. He bounced you in his arms, not quite certain of what he was supposed to do.

In his time, there wasn't exactly an education system to teach the men going to war how to parent, or even care for a child. A part of him panicked; it was you, he hated seeing you cry in general, but now he couldn't attempt to find out the cause for your falling tears.

"Aw is that y/n?" The man half dressed in his ant man suit asked, a bright smile on his face, as he reached out to hold you. To say Bucky was hesitant to pass you to him was an understatement. "I have a daughter, I've looked after a baby before."

"From jail?" The white wolf asked, as he heard a crash exhibit from the connecting room, obviously being the fault of the two most destructive avengers, or at least, their little versions. Being aged down was definitely certification for trouble, everyone knew that.

"Okay I wasn't in there for that long." Scott reassured him, he picked up a bottle of milk from the table, handing it to the metal armed man, whom had never fed a child before. He found himself, cautiously, keeping a watchful eye, passing you over to the former criminal, intently watching every movement that the man made.

Lange simply fed you. "Always thought you and y/n would have a cute baby, imagine its- oh yeah, well after all that stuff that happened with vision and SWORD, we thought it best to destroy any technology that was recovered from the old base. This part survived, and well, I went into its- okay, you don't want to hear the science, but basically Thor insisted he could break it with his hammer, albeit whilst I was inside of it, and it sent energy around the room that turned them into pubescent children."

"I can see that it did nothing to you. And I thought Morgan did it.”

"I was so relieved, lucky I- wait, was that an insult?" Bucky remained primitively silent, and that answered Scott's question. The hero sighed, as you finished nursing, and your arms reached for Bucky, to whom he passed you to. “And I lied...”

He literally blamed a five year old for the screw up of grown men. Tony was going to thrive off this information, whence he knew that his daughter was in fact not the culprit.

"What do we do now?" He was eager to find a cure for this betrothed science. Those whom were responsible for your decrease in age, well, one was running around the compound, and the other, well, he was even younger than Morgan currently.

"You could wait twenty years, I mean you two already have quite a big age gap, and please don't kill me. I'm not sure that Cap would approve, I am a vital source to the team!"

"I'm not going to kill you tic tac. Or at least not at least until we fix these three."

"Phew." Scott wiped his brow, blowing air from his mouth. "Wait thre- oh yeah, the little guy carrying the hammer that is bigger than himself, and the

"Okay, we need someone smarter." Bucky sighed heavily, as he hugged you in thought. "You tried hitting it again with the hammer?"

"Oh my god, I could be worthy!" Gasped Scott, running off to the next room, only to come back limping, a pained expression on his face. "Little Asguardian bastard hit me!"

Bucky contained his smirk, and instead passed you to Lang, venturing into the other part of the lab, finding that Bruce was asleep, a blob of snot hanging from his nose, he could see the hammer in the middle of the room, almost as though it were waiting for him to attempt grabbing the handle, and Thor was-

The minuscule god jumped from one of the shelves, wrapping his arms around the front of Bucky’s neck, as he put all his weight on the super soldier’s back. In all practicality, Thor was strangling him, and Bucky tapped his arm, trying to convince him to let go.

“I know who Noobmaster69 is.” Thor quirked his head, lessening his hold, as he promptly awaited his now older friend to continue. “It’s, its- his name is Wade Wilson.”

“Wilson!” No, gosh no. Bucky stood completely, making sure to keep Thor in the vicinity, he needed him to be so so that he could reverse the affects on the son of Odin.

“Not Sam. Wade.” He had never met the man before, but god did he seem like a dick. When the pair of you were getting a taxi, the driver Dopinder just could not shut up about his friend, who liked to wear red, and had a kink for unicorns.

Wade certainly sounded like a weird one, but right now, his pass time was getting Thor to pick up that hammer. “Where can I find this Wade?” It practically left his mouth as a hiss, if the imagery and proven death supposed otherwise, he’d possibly think it was Loki instead.

“I will tell you, if you pick up that hammer, and hit it against that old machine. Got it buddy?”

“It’s name is Stormbreaker!” Bellowed the norseman, who tried to slide off his back, but Bucky kept a hold of his legs, refraining him from going anywhere. “Get peter to do it, I don’t want to play that game anymore!”

“Uuh, hi Mr Barnes...” That voice, oh he knew it, and the majority of the time it irritated him, he was Tony's little pet. “And, baby avengers?”

“Don’t ask kid.” Peter nodded, as he went to reach for a spanner. “Can you pick the hammer up, are you worthy?”

“Am I worthy?” He wondered aloud, his eyes fixated on the hammer, as he stepped towards it, holding his hand out, and clasping his palm around the handle, it feeling weightless in his grip, as he picked it up without effort. “Oh my god (it’s Robert Downey Junior)!”

“Great, now take it out there, I’ll deal with these two. And don’t do anything yet.” He was certainly feeling like a sergeant, throwing all the orders to the others, Peter complied, carrying the hammer as though it were an empty duffel.

“Can I try?” Instantly, after Peter passing it to him, Scott had such hope, until the force of gravity hit, and it fell on his foot, causing a light scream to ripple through his throat. “Get it off, get it off!”

Peter did so, as Bucky kept Thor on his shoulders, and grabbed a hold of Bruce’s chubby little ankle, dragging him into the other room. “Shit he’s heavy.” He saw that you were sat in the grand spinny chair, making Bucky relived that you weren’t in Lang’s arms as he attempted to have a moment of worthiness.

“What’d you do, go all Winter soldier on his ass and knock him out?!” Half screamed the prodigy of Hank Pym.

“Of course not, I think Thor did it.”

“Oh yeah, blame the kid because I did the same.”

“Put your suit from Stark on kid, unless you want to become a fetus.” Bucky ignored Scott for the moment,

“I got Hope to send her outfit, it will stretch to accommodate you, but I also think it would hug your shape nicely.”

“That was fast.” Muttered Peter, and Bucky shook his head, eyeing the outfit with weird eyes.

“I’m crazy, but not crazy enough to wear that.” Sighing, he grasped it in his hands, walking to the other room to squeeze into it. He noticed you watching, and thus he turned the chair around so that you couldn’t see anything. Little did he realise until he came out, that you had spun it around again, and was giggling. “Don’t laugh at me, or you won’t be allowed to see it when you’re returned to normal.”

A pout settled on your small lips, and it appeared as though you were getting ready to cry again, but before you could do so, a distraction intervened. An uninvited, and confusing one.

“Stop. Can I just say, that is some cruel declaration for the both of you, you’re my fave ship, after me and Hugh Jackman of course, but he doesn’t even know that this version of me exists.” A newfound imposter called out, his arms raised in the air. Leather gloves crinkled as he twitched his fingers, his white eyes freaking Scott the fuck out. “May I join you on this journey? I read about you guys in comics. And can I just say, I want to see these hunks and that hottie all grown up.”

“You want to see me go Winter Soldier on someone Lang?” Bucky gritted his teeth, prepared to murder this man for ever posing such words about you into the open air. Him speaking obviously drew some attention to him though, but it was not his rage that was mentioned, instead, it was his attire- or well, Hope’s.

“Nice suit Buck Buck. Can you do a twirl for me, I wanna see if it competes with America’s ass. Damn, does that man have some buns on him.”

“I know right!” Scott eagerly agreed, earning a smack in the nuts, to which had made him close to crumbling.“You had to use the metal hand, didn’t you.” Whimpered the Ant to the false Wasp, clamping his hands over his goods as he half hunched over. “I thought you often forgot to use it coz your right handed.”

“You’re on my left.” Gross, he sounded like Sam.

“Who the hell are you?” Thor spoke, and it felt familiar on his tongue. It was as though he had asked an enemy the same thing before...

“I, am Noobmaster69.”

“Hi, I’m Peter. Oh, we’re using our made up names, I thought Sam said it was that guy from that tech place.” Peter scratched his head through the mask, providing a small verbal distraction, as Thor willingly set himself free, launching at the intruder, whilst snatching the hammer from a suited up Peter.

“Aaasrrrghh.” He screamed like a true deity of the vikings.

“Thor, no!” Lang screamed, knowing that he’d have to come up with another excuse. The cameras had been fused whence Thor had first struck the hammer in the room, and it abused the guy in the red suit as he went for his legs, attacking the friend of Dopinder.

[tsipasce]

Same Difference, Ch.08

A/N: [ insert “Growth” gif]

Chapters: 01  |  02 |  03 |  04 | 05  | 06 | 07

AO3 | Fanfic

The weekend flew by, mostly thanks to the great time she had with Hitomi. Though after Saturday night’s events, Nanami’s only thoughts were on her friend’s suggestion to get self-defense training. Well, that and the cute doodles on a now-bookmarked page in her planner. She smiled to herself remembering that night and the unexpectedly pleasant company. The image of him sitting next to her as they joked brought a warmth to her face she was very reluctant to accept. Snap out of it and focus. She chastised herself as she quickly remembered what had happened earlier that night when she felt she couldn’t defend herself.

Sure it turned out fine, but what if he’d been more aggressive and I was alone? Or what if he had a quirk or got training to use it against people… Nanami didn’t finish the thought but she knew where it led and she was honest enough to admit it scared her. Sunday night she made a list of classes to check out. Usually being a thoughtful shopper, she figured it would be smarter to vet the classes by observing before diving in. She had an hour or so after work before she went to the lab, so why not squeeze in an errand?

Packing up her things, she headed out of the office, pulling up the directions on her phone. After a couple blocks, she arrived in front of a studio with large, glass windows and a dozen or so occupants inside. It wasn’t very long before she realized this wouldn’t be a class where she’d learn much. The “assailant” was really just some poor guy in a thick layer of padding, standing still as the students formed a line to shyly “punch” or “kick” him with all the brutality of a raucous pillow fight. Everyone moved at their own pace, but pragmatic as she was, Nanami knew whatever she learned from this class wouldn’t be enough to repel someone who really meant trouble. After checking out two other classes yielding similar results, she decided to give it a rest for the day and head to the lab. They had a lot of data to analyze from the most recent round of tests, and she wanted to get a leg up on preparations.

Parking in her regular spot, she walked up to the front gates and knocked. She cocked her brow in confusion after waiting for a minute. Where the heck is Kurono… Usually if she was due to arrive at 6:00pm, he’d be in the front room waiting with an extra cup of tea he’d just so happened to have made at 5:45pm. Despite their initial meetings, they’d gotten closer over the past couple months, trading looks when Overhaul was in one of his “moods” and taking breaks together. No one was as meticulous and punctual as Overhaul, but Kurono would definitely be a close second, so seeing him late was surprising. This is odd. Nanami began to think as the door opened and she was greeted by another man she’d seen in passing.

“Good evening, doc. This way, please.”

“Oh, good evening. Lead the way,” she said, brushing off the concern from earlier. It wasn’t unreasonable to think they’d changed schedule every now and then.

The man escorted her to the lab and shut the door, leaving her to some work she was happy to do alone. After Saturday night, she wasn’t completely sure how to interact with her lab partner. Sure they hadn’t necessarily done anything untoward, but it would be a lie to say it was nothing.

Five minutes passed by, then ten… once minute number fifteen rolled around she began to get Worried? Nope. We’re not going there today. It’s probably just “business” or something else shady. If he doesn’t think this research is important, that’s his loss. She convinced herself, a little irritated he’d blown her off without even one of his curt “I’m busy. We’ll speak later” texts. Just as she was about to mentally practice the argument she’d have with him when he finally decided to come in, the door burst open, startling her as she almost dropped the samples she was moving.

Turning towards the door, she saw the angry little Muppet, already preparing to hear some kind of smart remark. Thought everyone else had warmed to her in one way or another, Mimic made it clear the only person worth any courtesy was Overhaul. “Well how can I help you Mimi—”

“Please—please just come with me right now. I don’t have time to explain, just hurry and follow me!”  the small creature shrieked. Well, in a way, he always shrieked, but this time Nanami could hear a desperation she’d only heard during her E.R. days. Switching gears, she knew to drop what she was doing and follow him. Whatever he needed, it was serious.

Racing down the long, winding hallways behind him, she was grateful to have kept in some semblance of shape. Just before she reached her limit, they stopped at a familiar door. Her heart sank, Isn’t this his office? She realized before Mimic quickly opened the door and promptly closed it once they entered. She looked confused as she saw Overhaul lying face down on one of the couches in the office. Kurono was blocking most of her line of sight to him as he was kneeling by his side. Hearing the door close, he looked back, moving out of the way, a grave look on his face. As she took in the scene, she heard a voice croak out “I… I can’t reach...”. She was confused for a moment before she saw there was a sizeable, deep gash across Overhaul’s back and hives, Probably from being touched and carried in here she guessed. By the look of it, she knew even breathing had to be excruciating and even a contortionist would find it challenging to bend their arm behind their back to touch it. Traditional medicine would be a gamble…she thought, as she took off her gloves, resigning herself to the obvious option.

“Alright, lift him up, very gently.”  Nanami commanded firmly, noticing the significant blood loss.

“Touch me again and I’ll kill the lot of you.” He seethed as his subordinates backed away, knowing better than to take the threat lightly.

She tried to think quickly as she needed to see if there were any other injuries before acting. Remembering all the times he’d touched her yet hadn’t broken out, she decided to give it a shot. “Then I’ll do it.” She said resolutely. He mustered up enough strength to turn his head and glare in warning. She cautiously moved forward and knelt beside him to whisper. “You’ve touched me before without breaking out, remember? You and I both know there’s a time limit and the longer your wound is open, the harder it will be to repair. I promise I won’t let anyone else make contact, just let me help you.”

He seemed to accept she was right and that he had no other choice. The warning was still in his eyes, but he nodded reluctantly. Though moving him was a two person job, she knew she’d have to make due. With one of her hands at his head and another along his side she tried to keep his head, neck and back aligned while rolling him onto one side. She tried her best to be careful, but it was hard moving him at all without earning a wince and hiss. Good, it’s just the back. She confirmed noting the lack of blood underneath him as she quickly looked over him before her arms gave out.

Letting him down, she knelt down beside him, assessing the situation. His weak, but at least he’s conscious. I can do this. She reassured herself, not used to having such a captivated audience watching behind her. Usually when she’d used her quirk to fix something so drastic, she’d make sure she was alone with the patient and they were sedated. The Eight Bullets knew about her quirk, but it was still nerve-racking having to perform in front of so many eyes.

“Just do it” he exasperated from behind gritted teeth. He seemed to be bracing himself, but she was confused as to why.

Brushing it off, she took a deep breath, disassembling his shirt to get a better view of the wound. It was as bad, if not worse, than she thought. Within seconds she reconstructed the damaged bones, sinew and then skin until the wound vanished, earning her a sigh of relief from her patient and the onlookers.

“There you go, good as new.” She piped, almost slapping him on the back like a fixed car before stopping herself short and gently patting instead. “Who did this to you?” a note of genuine concern in her voice.

“It doesn’t matter, it was a cheap shot. None of them exist anymore.” He replied too simply for someone who’d probably just murdered multiple someones. Nanami never forgot what he was, but it didn’t make the regular confirmation any easier. “Kurono, Mimic: Leave us.” He added, now moving himself to rise from the couch.

They filed out of the room, Kurono looking back, giving her a small nod and thankful glance before closing the door behind them. Turning her attention back to him, Overhaul was already at the closet in his office, putting on another, identical shirt. Knew it. She thought remembering her theory about his wardrobe.

He continued buttoning it up, his back turned to her as he began,” How did you do that?”

“Um… the same way you do?” She replied, perplexed as to what he meant. She’d disclosed most of what she was able to do with their shared quirk already, and he’d shown that he knew how to heal himself. She’d become leagues more cooperative and transparent during their research, so the question caught her off guard.

“No, you don’t. It’s been a long day, and I’d greatly appreciate it if you gave up this little act and just explained it to me.”

“I... I don’t know what you mean…” Ok now I’m really confused…

He turned around, an obvious look of suspicion in his eyes, “I won’t ask again.”

Nanami was taken aback, insulted,” So I save your ass and in return I get an interrogation?”

“First of all, it was my back, not my ass. Secondly, I only interrogate uncooperative parties, so cooperate and explain how you healed me like that?” he intoned, now stalking towards her, an accusatory look still in his eyes.

“Like how? I have literally no idea what you mean!” Genuinely confused at why he was so angry with her all the sudden, she was really hoping he’d throw her a bone here.

“Without the pain!”

“…the what?” She looked at him searchingly before realizing what he meant, a pained and slightly embarrassed look on his face. Her tense stance relaxed before continuing, “Have you… just been feeling it all the entire time?”

“You haven’t?”

“Hell no,” she shot back before continuing, thinking out loud, “To feel every singular cell being ripped apart and put back together every time? That would be…” His eyes were no longer meeting hers, his jaw tightening, “…unbearable.”

Clinically, she knew they utilized their quirk differently, but seeing the real-world effects was another thing entirely. Of course, someone who’d grown up only weaponizing their quirk wouldn’t think about minimizing pain, and conversely someone who’d used it almost exclusively for healing would prioritize comfort. If it had just been a theory she’d concocted in a vacuum, she’d probably think it was fascinating, but now it just seemed… Sad. Knowing he’d been in that kind of pain for so long caused an aching in her chest.

“Do not pity me.” He seethed, misjudging the look on her face.

“What? No. Look, I know this may be a novel concept for you, but there is such a thing as empathy.”

“I have no use for that either.”

“You sure did a couple minutes ago when you were bleeding out.”

“Yes, and you were useful, as most tools are, but for now I need nothing else from you.”

She couldn’t help the look of hurt that flashed across her face, his hard stare unwavering. Looking him up and down with disgust, she knew it wasn’t worth the effort to continue the discussion. He was lashing out at her because he was embarrassed, and she wouldn’t tolerate it.

“This… was a mistake. Fuck you.”

She turned on her heel out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Fuck that guy. Fuck that guy. Fuuuuccckkk that guy. She cursed to herself as she stormed down the hallway and back to the lab. The nerve of him to be bleeding all over me, begging for MY help one second, just to turn around and humiliate me the next. Fuck him.

Bursting through the doors to the lab, Nanami saw Kurono redrawing one of her diagrams in their notes, “I’m sorry Dr. Watanabe, it’s nothing against you it’s just—Wait, what are you doing?” he asked, noticing she was angrily shoving her things into her bag.

“I’m leaving.”

Kurono sighed, confident that Overhaul had to have said something cruel. “I’m not sure what he said to you, but I do know he’s been lighter than he has been in a long time since you started working together.” He confessed, hoping it would strike a chord with her. She paused, a sad look crossing her face before it reverted to anger and she began packing again. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay?”

“Help me kick Overhaul’s ass and make him apologize.”

“… it has been a pleasure working with you.”

Pausing for a minute, her fists clenched in frustration, she realized what she’d be losing by leaving. “Just this morning I had one of the most exciting research projects of my career and felt like maybe we’d become just a little bit closer to… whatever counts as forward in this weirdass partnership thing. But he just had to piss it away.” It was upsetting to say the least, months of work would now come to a halt and collect dust, all because of his ego, “It’s not fair.”

Her eyes were trained on the ground, too angry and hurt to move when she heard him get up from his chair and walk over. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Care for one last cup of tea before you go?”

Sighing heavily, trying to release the tension from her shoulders, she nodded solemnly attempting to give a small smile, “Yeah, one more for the road.”

“Ok, I’ll leave you to your things. Come to the front room upstairs when you’re ready.” Kurono patted her shoulder as he walked past her, leaving her alone to finish packing up.

The anger was still present, but soon enough the sadness of loss came washing over her. No. We’ll feel all the feels later, let’s just get out of here she thought sniffling and recomposing herself. She was going through some papers when she heard the door open behind her.

“Sorry, Kurono, I’ll be done in just a minute,” she said, still focused on her task. When there was no response, she looked to see who came in, a grimace instantly plastered across her face. He walked over to the workbench across from her and stood quietly, his arms folded. She scoffed before turning back to her task, ignoring him. Packing up the last of her things, she glanced around briefly before her eyes landed on her planner that laid on the workbench he was in front of. Rolling her eyes, she marched over, standing only inches away from him before reaching past to grab the booklet behind him. As she turned to walk away, she thought she heard something.

“Excuse me?” she looked back at him, a tinge of irritation in his eyes. She rolled hers before turning again. “Why do I even ask...”

“I said, I’d like our partnership to continue.”

She was sure she was going to get whiplash from dealing with him, but responded anyway, unable to let this slide. “You have a real funny way of showing it.”

“But I am showing it, right now by asking you to continue.”

“You do not get to humiliate me and then just pretend like saying that will be good enough. You’re calling it a partnership right now, but a couple minutes ago I was a tool.”

“So, you’d give up all of this work because your feelings were hurt?” his tone cold and almost annoyed.

“Because my feelings were hurt? No, you disrespected me. I helped you—which I was glad to do—and you spit in my face. No thank you, no nothing. Partners don’t do that, at least not any I’d consider working with.”

“We may be partners, but our standing is not the same. My mastery of overhaul exceeds yours, thus you need direction.”

“You have a mastery of violence. Just because I don’t use it to fight or kill people whenever my ego isn’t stroked just the right way… that doesn’t make me lesser than you, and it certainly doesn’t make you better than me.”

“You agreed to come into this world knowing exactly what it was. This is not about ego, this is about the natural order of things here. You admit you couldn’t hold your own in combat, so where does that leave you in a world that bases order on the violence you’re abstaining from?”

“I’d say right next to you.” She stepped forward, solidifying the confrontation. “For all your power, you still had to be saved, by me. As far as I’m concerned, whatever fight you were in tonight would have been a draw without me, so who really decided the ‘natural order’? My value is the same, whether I’m inside or outside this world, and I will not stay where people refuse to see it just because it doesn’t conform to their narrow definition of it.”

He stared at her a beat searchingly as she stared back in complete defiance. She knew logically she’d have little recourse if he made the snap decision to disassemble her, but she wouldn’t want to live with herself if she let him think this was ok. As much as she lectured about ego, her pride never ceased to get the best of her.

“You…have a point.” He managed to get out, the words sounding like they were causing him physical pain. He couldn’t deny respect was paramount in the world of the underground and her demand for it was not unreasonable, not to mention how useful she could be in the future. However, for that to be true, he’d have to acknowledge the possibility that he was in the wrong, something he’d only ever done for his father, the only other person to save him. He knew what had to be done. He closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath, unintentionally inhaling what he knew was a light smell of lavender. She was standing much closer to him than anyone he wasn’t planning on fighting, but he found himself not loathing it. Savoring it for a moment, he turned to walk around to her side creating some much-needed distance between them. Clearing his throat by swallowing what could best be described as his own pride, he locked eyes with her. She was still royally pissed, but also watching intently, reluctantly curious.

“I…I do find you valuable. To compare you to a tool was… unfair.” By his tone and furrowed brows, she could tell this was difficult for him, but she needed to hear him say it. Her expression softened slightly, but she stood firm, waiting to hear the rest. She didn’t want to leave, but their arrangement couldn’t continue if he was going to treat her like he had earlier, and she needed to know he knew that. “You have my gratitude. I would like for you to reconsider your decision and to move forward… with me… on this project.”

It was a relief to hear, but he’d left out one important word. “… is this your way of saying sorry?” she asked, knowing the answer. His arrogance might not let him say it outright, but judging by how worked up he’d gotten, she was sure it was as close to an apology as anyone had heard from him.

“Think what you want,” he replied turning his gaze from her to stare at a cabinet that was suddenly very interesting. “… I won’t refute your assumption.”

Close enough. For now.

Her gaze dropped from his face as her hand massaged the back of her neck, resigning herself to this curve ball fate had thrown her. She sighed, walking back to the workbench, placing the notes down as they had been earlier. She went into her bag and retrieved a small box and began walking towards the lab doors.

“… Where are you going?” He asked, the slightest tinge of worry in his voice.

“Tea break and snacks.” She said waving the small box,” I’ll be back in 30. We can go over notes then.” She replied simply.

“… I see. I’ll be waiting then.” The subtle sound of relief in his voice did not go unnoticed. She paused, with her back still turned to him and spoke over her shoulder.

“Overhaul?”

“Yes?”

“To answer your question, I disassemble the nerve fibers connected to the tissue I’m repairing until I’m finished. I’d usually just rely on the anesthesia since most of the patients I work with have to go into surgery anyway, but in cases like tonight, that is how I do it without pain.” She explained before leaving the lab.

“…I see. Thank you.” He intoned with a level of sincerity that felt foreign to him. Though he’d never admit it, the sight of her lab coat hanging next to his brought a strange sense of comfort.

[quiet-onset]

Grounded

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!reader

Requested by Anon: “Supitty Sup Sup! Can I request a Peter Parker (Tom Holland version of course) x Tony’s Daughter! Reader in which the reader is caught sneaking back in from a fight against HYDRA and is stuck in her dads lab for like e v e r (1 week) when she’s not at school or under the supervision of another avenger”

Word Count: 3k+ (aka Tumblr needs to fix the damn read more so ppl don’t have to scrool past my long ass fics)

A/N: I finished this at 5 AM while laying in bed with back pains, so hopefully this fic is coherent enough to post lol. My Marvel tag list is open if anyone wants to be tagged in my Marvel fics

You weren’t sure what had gotten into you.

It started when the team returned back to the complex after a mission. You’d busied yourself with making some improvements to your own iron suit (which your father had no idea about) while on the phone with the neighborhood hero who’d become the center of your romantic imagination since taking your father’s ‘internship’. “I think it’s cool, Y/N, but don’t you think you should tell Mr. Stark?”

“For the love of god, please stop calling my dad Mr. Stark.” You rolled your eyes as you soldered two wires together. You blew a quick breath on it to cool it down before speaking again. “He’d never understand, Pete. You, of all people, know that. He’d just tell me no.”

“I mean, maybe he’s right.” Peter said shyly. You groaned loudly as he tried to continue. “Come on, you’re the daughter of Tony Stark. There are literally hundreds of people, and at least a few aliens, who want him to suffer. You’d be the easiest way to do that.”

“All the more reason to be able to protect myself with my own suit.”

“You’re not talking about protecting yourself though.” He chuckled. “Plus, what would I do if something happened to you?”

You dropped a circuit board you’d been working on when he asked you that question, your heart suddenly racing faster than the speed of light. You cleared your throat as you picked it up, “You’d find another lab partner.”

He laughed shortly and sarcastically, “You’re hilarious.”

“I get it from my father.” You joked. “What if I agreed to be your sidekick? Would you change your mind then?”

“You be my sidekick? Yeah, right. You know you’re not anyone’s sidekick. You want to be a hero.”

You held your freshly painted helmet in your hands and smiled. “I want to do good, too. Sue me.”

Peter only laughed and rolled his eyes. “Maybe I will. Well, besides building a super secret iron suit, have you studied for the Spanish test tomorrow?”

“If I’m making a super secret iron suit, do you really think I studied for the Spanish test tomorrow?”

“Good point. You should do that though, alright?”

Just as Peter finished speaking, you heard the quinjet approach the cargo bay. As it docked, you rushed to put everything away before your father could see. “I won’t, but I appreciate your effort. I gotta go, Peter. My dad just got back. Call you later?”

“‘Course.”

Only moments later, you were whispering for FRIDAY to hide all of your schematics and files and initiate your stealth protocol. “Switching to Private Project mode.” She’d said, purposefully lowering her volume.

As your schematics and prototype were being whisked away, new schematics were set in front of you; new ideas for the Hulkbuster suit and some gadgets for Falcon. As soon as you heard footsteps, you popped your head out of the lab, seeing them gathered on the cargo bay. “So how’d it go?”

“Not great.” Steve said.

“What happened? Is Dad okay?”

Just a second later, your father emerged, his eyes dark and upset. He walked straight past you, a breeze catching your hair. “I’m fine.” He muttered.

You turned to Steve who sighed and gestured for you to follow him onto the quinjet. You were met with your father’s suit, covered in soot and scratches, sparking with damage. You’ve seen his suit take some hits, but you’d never seen it that bad. “What happened?” You asked.

“They made some kind of new technology.” Steve fished a small blue disk out of his pocket. “As soon as they got it on his suit, it just stopped working.”

You felt your lips twist into a frown as he placed the disk in your hands, the soft whirring of the technology frustrating you. Steve knew you felt a bit guilty; Tony had let you make some improvements to his suit after months of begging. He placed a hand on your shoulder and looked into your eyes, “This is not your fault, kid.”

“I should’ve anticipated something like this.”

“And how exactly would you have done that?” He asked knowingly.

“I’m the daughter of a genius, Steve. I could’ve used a logarithm to find out the different possibilities of failure or cross-referenced my improvements with recent Hydra technology to try and counteract any sort of weapon. Or—”

Steve stopped you with a single look. You knew that look all too well. Tony gave you the same look whenever you resorted to self-loathing. He swore you got it from your mother, but you knew that was all Tony Stark. Without another word, Steve gave you a little shove towards to the lab, silently urging you to speak with your father.

You heard some mumbling as you entered. You realized he must’ve been talking to FRIDAY, probably telling her to pull up some schematics of his suit. You watched him move them around in a messy attempt at organization. He muttered a curse under his breath and began to turn around, calling for Steve, “I need that disk!”

You held it up, “This one?”

When he caught your eye, Tony sighed. “Yes, that one.”

The silence was thick as you both stared at each other. Your eyes were suddenly on the floor as he walked closer to you. You could just feel the shame in his eyes with every step he took towards you. You wondered how you could possibly be Tony Stark’s daughter; he would’ve thought of some sort of defense mechanism. But you? You wouldn’t have been able to see this coming if it was staring you in the face.

“Kid,” He called your attention. “I didn’t mean to snap at you back there. I just—”

“It’s okay, Dad. I deserved it anyways.” You slid past him and went to place the disk on the scanner tray, practically whispering to FRIDAY to pull up the schematics of your enemy’s device as soon as they were processed.

Tony stood on the other side of the room, confused and dazed. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I know I should’ve thought of something to protect your suit from this when I was making changes.”

“Uh, that’s definitely not what I meant.” Your father followed you as you went to sit on the workbench. When he sat next to you, he resisted the urge to make a joke to diffuse the tension as he realized how upset you were. He sighed, “What made you think that?”

You shrugged. “I should’ve known better.”

He actually chuckled at that. You were almost angered by him laughing at your sadness, but he threw an arm around your shoulder before you could. “Hon, I didn’t even see this coming. Not that that’s saying anything; You are substantially smarter than I am.”

“Then why did you snap at me?”

He drew in a deep breath, “I was frustrated. I mean, I’ve never been in a position where my suit just completely shuts down because of a disk the size of my eyeball. That’s no excuse though, and I’m sorry, kid.”

The corners of your lips tugged upwards in a small smile as you slung your other arm around your father’s waist. He hugged you tight and kissed the crown of your head before standing up. “I’m gonna head to bed.” He told you. “Getting your ass beat really takes it out of you.”

“I’m sure it does.” You grinned. “I’m gonna stay up for a little bit. Analyze this piece of crap.”

“Don’t stay up all night this time, alright?”

“Yes, father.” You rolled your eyes.

As your father exited the lab, you turned your attention to the screen. Your eyes ran over the schematics that FRIDAY had just pulled up. Suddenly, your brain was moving at a thousand miles a minute. You hadn’t noticed the time pass by as you modified your father’s suit and your own. Before you knew it, it was midnight.

And again, you weren’t sure what got into you.

But you took one look at that disk, and you were infuriated all over. Feeling a wave of irrationality wash through you, you walked to the cargo bay, telling FRIDAY it was time to suit up. “Should I notify your father, Y/N?”

“He doesn’t need to know.”

“I know I cannot talk you out of this, but I would not suggesting taking this route.” FRIDAY said as your suit began to cover your body. “Perhaps I can analyze a few better-suited methods.”

“I’ve got this, FRIDAY. My AI will take over from here.” You vaguely heard her confirmation before another voice surrounded you, your helmet lighting up with different programs and notifications.

“Where to, Y/N?” Your AI, TORI, asked.

“Analyze the origins of the blue disk and take me there.”

“You’re aware this is a HYDRA base?”

“Yep.”

“Very well.”

Not an hour later were you in a full on fire fight with half of the base’s agents. You tried everything you’d equipped in your suit, and it still didn’t seem to be enough. You were taking some pretty hard hits when a call rolled through.

“TORI, reroute twenty percent power to thrusters.”

“Not recommended. They’ve got your thrusters locked on.” She told you. “Also, patching a call through. It’s Peter Parker.”

“No, TORI, don’t—”

“Hey, Y/N.” Peter’s voice stopped you. “I knew it was late, but I didn’t expect TORI to answer for you.”

“Yeah, well I’m kinda in the middle of something.” You shot missiles at one of their rockets before dodging another. “What’s up?”

He laughed nervously, “I just noticed that I actually have your Spanish notes. So if you want, I can just swing by, no pun intended, and—”

Suddenly, your left thruster was hit by a rocket, sending you tumbling towards the ground. “Power is at thirty-five percent.” TORI stated.

“Was that an explosion?” Peter asked, suddenly anxious. “Y/N, where the hell are you?”

“Thirty percent.”

“I’m fine.” You shouted through the noise. “Just dealing with some complications. TORI, emergency power mode, half to left thruster and fifteen percent to defense systems.”

“Emergency power mode? Are you crazy? You’ve never been in the field before! Are you by yourself?” Peter asked incredulously. All the while, he was tripping around his room, trying to slip on the Spiderman suit. “Where are you? I’m coming.”

You were too focused on the fight in front of you to even notice that the boy you’d been dreaming about for the last year was ready to come save you at a moment’s notice. You grunted as you took another hit, barely balancing yourself out. “Pretty sure Argentina’s a bit too far for you to swing.”

“Argentina? Y/N, I’m calling Mr. Stark. You need help.”

“Peter, don’t—”

“He’s ended the call.” TORI told you.

It wasn’t even ten minutes later that your father’s voice filled your helmet. “What the actual hell is wrong with you?”

“Dad—”

“Do you know how incredibly dangerous what you’re doing is?”

“I just—”

“Y/N, you’re the only person I have left, and you’re throwing yourself in danger’s way! What if you died?”

“But I didn’t.”

“Don’t you dare say that to me.”

Suddenly, you were hit again. This time much harder than the last. Both of your thrusters were blown off, and you were barreling towards the ground. TORI sounded urgent as you started to pick up speed. “Thrusters destroyed. Calculating landing coordinates for least bodily damage.”

“Y/N!”

—

“I don’t know, man. It’s been a week. She hasn’t even texted me.”

“You gotta give her space.” Ned clapped a hand onto his best friend’s shoulder as he closed his locker. “She’s probably not all that happy you ratted her out.”

“She could’ve died, Ned.” Peter said, adjusting his book in his hand. “Her thruster had just been hit. And that suit was just a prototype. She’d never used it before.”

“Dude, Mr. Stark told you she’s fine. You did the right thing. You’re just worried because you’re in love with her.”

Peter punched Ned’s shoulder and whispered, “Shut up. I don’t need to whole school to know that.”

“I mean, this is better than last time. At least this time, the dad of your crush isn’t a supervillain that wants to kill you.” Ned pointed out, rubbing his sore arm.

“Mr. Stark would kill me if he found out I liked Y/N, okay? She’s his everything, and I’m just some kid from Queens.”

“Correction.” Ned smirked as they arrived at the cafeteria. “You’re Spiderman. Don’t get me wrong, she’s way out of your league. Out of everyone’s league.”

“Thanks Ned.” Peter groaned and rested his head on the table.

“But Mr. Stark would approve of you.”

He looked up, “You really think so?”

“You’re smart. You’re strong. You’re a hero, so you’ve got morals. And you’re better looking best friend isn’t interested, so.”

Peter thought about it as he ate his lunch. He wanted you to have your space if you were mad at him, but he couldn’t live with this uncertainty. He couldn’t go on without seeing you and knowing, for sure, that you were alive and well. He chewed at his nails for the rest of the day, debating with his subconscious.

But finally, at midnight, he decided that he just couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t care how angry you were with him. He had to make sure you were okay. Then you’d get your space.

You limped your way over to the window of the medbay, opening it and breathing in the fresh air. A deep voice behind you made you jump. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

“I needed some fresh air.” You told your father. “And this is the most I’ll get until I’m not grounded anymore.”

“You are absolutely right. So enjoy the windows.”

You began to limp back to your bed when Tony asked if you needed help. “No.” You answered, one hand on the wall. After another moment or two of your attempts, he strolled across the room and lifted you, bridal-style, carrying you to your bed.

He stopped you as you opened your mouth to argue. “No, you’re not too heavy, and I’m already carrying you, so it’s too late, kid.”

He laid you down, careful not to bump the casts on your wrist and leg. Sitting down next to you, he placed a warm, comforting hand on the crown of your head as you averted gaze. “I’m not doing this ‘cause I’m mad at you, kiddo.”

You blinked at him until he rolled his eyes. “Okay, so yeah, I’m a little mad. I think I get to be after what you did.” He sighed. “But you gotta understand, you’re all I have. HYDRA can do whatever they want to me, but if something had happened to you? Something worse? I don’t know if I could’ve gone on.”

All of your emotions and thoughts from the past few days suddenly overwhelmed you as tears started to fall down your cheeks. “I just felt so guilty. I wanted to help you.”

He wiped away your tears, “You help me all the time. This was just one time something didn’t work, the first of many. You can’t go doing crazy, irrational things because something doesn’t work. That’s my job, alright?”

You choked out a laugh, “Yeah, alright.”

“Good.” Tony smiled. “Now I’m gonna go make that tea you like, for whatever reason, and get the medicine Dr. Banner prescribed. I’ll be back soon.”

He pressed a kiss to your temple before leaving you in the medbay, the cool breeze wafting inside the room. You sniffed a few times as your remaining tears fell from your eyes before your eyebrows scrunched together. You sniffed again and realized that you weren’t crazy — You were smelling food. The scent of churros filled your nostrils when you heard a soft pad on the floor. Looking to the window, there stood Spiderman with a white paper bag, no doubt filled with the warm, delicious treat.

Peter pulled the mask off and shook his hair out, an action that made heartbeat quicken every time. When he locked eyes with you, he seemed nervous, afraid even. Little did he know, you felt the same way. What if he was mad at you, just like your father was? “I brought a peace offering.” He held up the bag.

“A peace offering?”

“I know you’re probably mad at me for calling Mr. Stark, but I had to. I couldn’t save you, and he could. Plus, he’s your dad. I couldn’t not tell him.” Peter rambled.

You let a sigh of relief and chuckled as you watched his cheeks tinge with pink. He really was the cutest boy you’d ever known. You beckoned over while you responded. “I’m not mad at you, Pete. I never was. Dad took my cell phone.”

As he sat by your side, he reached in the bag and offered you a churro. “Grounded?”

“For two months.”

“Yikes.”

You bit into the treat and sighed at the taste. It’d been so long since you’d had an authentic churro. They quickly became your favorite treat when Peter let you try his months ago. Since then, they’d become an unspoken thing between you two. Kind of like the other unspoken thing you had going on.

“Save me?”

He looked up, “What?

“You said you couldn’t save me.”

“Well yeah.” He said sheepishly. He scratched the back of his neck, “I was actually putting the suit on while I talked to you. Obviously, Spiderman probably can’t swing to Argentina.”

“But you would’ve tried? To save me?”

“Of course. I’ll always save you.”

You weren’t really sure which one of you was leaning or if either of you were leaning at all. You just hadn’t realized how close you were until this moment. You noticed little brown freckles splattered beautifully across his neck. His breath fanned over your cheeks as he looked into your eyes, getting lost in the color of them. Slowly, your hand intertwined with his, the sweet churros long forgotten.

All either of you could focus on was how close you were to one other. How fast your hearts were beating. How easy it’d be to just kiss one another.

“Please tell me,” He started slowly. He let out a short breath, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. “Please tell me you’re okay with this.”

Your nose nudged his as the gap became smaller, “I’m more than okay with this.”

That was all he needed to press his lips against yours, careful not touch any of your injuries. His lips were soft and still had a hint of sugar on them as he let go of your hand and cupped your cheeks. The only thing you could hear was your heartbeat, pounding against your ribcage in time with his. It felt much too soon when he pulled away and leaned his forehead against your own. You let out a content chuckle. “You taste like churros.”

He chuckled along with you, “You do, too.”

As your heartbeats slowed down, and your senses returned to normal, you heard footsteps coming down the hall. You gasped and sat up, Peter’s hands falling from your cheeks. “That’s my dad!” You whispered.

His eyes widened. “Shit.”

He stood up and yanked his mask halfway on, headed for the window before you pulled him back by his arm. “He’ll see you!”

“Well, what should I do?”

Moments later, Tony walked in and smiled at his daughter, a tray with tea and medicine in hand. You’d finally picked up your Spanish textbook and began studying for the test you missed. “You’re not fluent yet?” He joked.

“Are you?” You flipped a page.

“Touche.” He smirked as he sat down next to you, something crunching underneath him. “I’ve got your tea and your medicine. Banner says takes two of these every night before bed and keep the leg elevated, alright?”

“Yeah. I got it.”

“Good.” Tony stood up and headed for the door. “Ya know, if you keep this whole studying thing up, I might give your phone back. But in the meantime. Parker?”

The room was quiet as Tony kept his back to you, only turning his head when he was answered with silence. “Parker.”

“... Yes, Mr. Stark?”

“Get off my ceiling.”

“Yes, Mr. Stark.”

Tony turned as Peter landed on the ground, sheepishly holding his mask in his hands. “I’m telling May you were out past curfew. And this,” He gestured from the ceiling to the two of you before pointing you. “Earned you another month.”

“What!”

“I don’t make the rules. Oh wait.” He laughed. “I do!”

Forever Tags:  @jockarchie, @kimmy-h-life, @ben-platt-deserves-the-world , @thewordofthenerd , @wishuponastarlana, @yumel21, @here-for-your-bullshit, @bethbat, @iamafangirlofeverything, @loveisloveandmorepeopleneedit

[coloredinsanity]

She didn't remember arriving here... The last thing she recalled was how bad her fingers hurt while she tried carving words into the wall with a broken syringe.  She'd spent what felt like several hours in the bathroom but had only been about one hour.

"Fuck..." She rested on the edge of the toilet as she dry heaved a couple times - letting herself fall to the floor for a brief moment as she tried to figure out if she had anything left to chuck up. Gene felt like what most people imagined dying to feel like...The few bites of food she'd been able to keep down since her tongue burning incident was all lost as soon as they'd started plying her with drugs - She didn't know what was in the syringe but there was a high followed by a low that reminded of her of food poisoning.

Gene slowly pulled herself off the cold tile despite how refreshing it felt against her skin and weakly stumbled back into her hotel room as she glanced out the window for a brief moment before everything began to spin and blur again and stumbling and staggering and with a loud creak, falling onto the bed. curling up into a ball and holding her stomach... The distorted sounds of the TV on in the other room filled her head as she laid there trying not to think about the pain in her stomach and arms.  

'Genevieve Rivers, daughter of Karen and Steel Rivers. Model and designer in Port Lyndon is still missing. Authorities originally believed her current romantic partner was responsible but with further leads they are saying now that they believe that he was also abducted in a bid to frame him for her disappearance.."

The voice faded as she passed out again - the pain was to much to deal with right now...

-----

Laz glanced across to the other side of his sports car where Murphy despite his protests had finally dosed off as there wasn't enough coffee left in the city to keep him awake. He'd been going for three weeks straight practically and then some...

He'd already managed to paint a massive target on his back by breaking several people's bones and setting a drug lab on fire... His tiredness only made his anger more delirious. Laz was fond to have a moment of silence as he drove... Him and his men knew Blacklight better anyways - He was confident that someone would find the breadcrumb trail Gene was leaving.  

The words usually were short or a small sentence; 'Gunshot, men dead, new man :c, pain, drugged, black car, white seat, i broke the mirror.'  It wasn't incredibly informational but Murphy knew Gene enough that it kept them right on her trail as they knew what to look for.

They knew she was on some hard drugs just from the few words she left and that'd given the best lead as they knew the person who orchestrated this now - well. His code name 'Zeus'... Laz hadn't heard of him and if Murphy had he didn't say anything but that didn't really matter to him right now anyways, Laz noted how badly he cared about Genevieve. He'd noted how he practically died inside every time he answered his phone as if someone would tell him she was dead...

Laz sighed, he hadn't felt that yet but he knew of someone who almost made him feel that way and if she stayed around - he'd probably feel exactly the same way Murphy did about Gene. The buzzing of his own phone bringing him from his thoughts as he glanced at it and reached over, nudging Murphy's leg a couple times until he woke suddenly, sitting upright and quickly trying to compose himself. "What?" He asked quickly and harshly.

Laz turned the car into a parking lot as he turned and pulled down a side road to cut down there time before speaking calmly. "Found the car, love.  Ras' is almost there to check it out and the boys are watching it."  Murphy pulled himself upright as the adrenaline instantly returned and the anger brewed.

"Location, What's the location like?" He asked as he rubbed his face and tried to shake off whatever tiredness remained.  "It's a shitty hotel above the only casino that Faust doesn't own. Makes sense since your boss seems to have Faust on a short leash right now... They're probably running out of places to keep her. Imagine that generic hotel you see in every single movie. It's like that."

---

Genevieve woke up several times off and on as she heard voices outside the door talking about about things.

Monroe slamming his hand against a table with a sick grin on his lips. "We'll torture the bitch and get it out of her... Her parents pay for half her fucking lifestyle, it's obvious. They have to have a connected account and her parents are inept - they haven't put a hold on anything."

The withdrawal was rough as she laid there, in and out until she felt weight on top of her and gasped a little bit, panicking. The room still spinning and the blurred figure of the man on top of her freaking her out as she tried to claw and hit the man but her wrists were already tied together again above her head - they knew how combative she was now.

"Shh...Shh.." She felt a finger on her lips as her eyes slowly focused on the man; Monroe. He'd shot the other two men in the head and for a brief second just due to his appearance she thought he was Murphy as they dressed similarly and his hair was only slightly longer than Murphy's.  He wasn't Murphy, not at all...  He was sick and sadistic and practically got a hard on the first time he choked her and hit her. She just felt sick in his presence and she knew he was dangerous. He was smarter than the other men she'd been with who already were professionals.

Monroe's hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over her, kissing her neck and whispering to her as he slid his hands along her arms and got a reaction of her trying to break his grip despite not having the strength or the use of her hands. "I can see why he likes you... I'd apologize, but, I'm honestly going to enjoy hurting you..." His voice was soft and calm as he spoke and contrasted against the sharp pain she suddenly felt.

What happened next was horrific as they tried to break what was left of her... To get the info they wanted...

----

Murphy practically hopped out of the moving car as they arrived, his breath rough. He knew he had to focus past his anger and stress - If Gene was even alive he knew that she'd probably end up in a hostage situation by the end of this... He didn't plan on letting anymore of her blood spill. He impatiently waited for Laz to catch up as he walked around the car quickly, grimacing. Stupid neon lights. The reflection practically was giving him a headache...  He walked to the passenger side and noted the cracked window, it looked like someone punched it. He'd have to try to remember to tell Gene how good she did... If he got to tell her.

He shook off that thought as Laz caught up from parking and led the way inside to the kitchen that looked - disgusting.  Murphy was glad he wasn't on the table side of things here as he looked at the layer of water and sludge on the floor and several dead rats piled in a corner next to the box of rat poison right beside the canister of flour or some cooking ingredient.   His eyes glanced around at the cocaine resting beside the fish and even blood splatter on the wall.  

The rough moan behind him made him jump as he glanced back to see a girl up against the wall getting fucked by some dirty hobo looking guy... It was just, disgusting.  He held the gag in his mouth as Laz handed a handful of cash to the man standing there who screamed in what sounded like Japanese or Chinese and after a moment several women appeared in similar maid outfits as Laz held up his phone with a picture of Gene and held up what looked to be about two hundred dollars.  Two of the women starting to talk but of course neither one of them really knew what they were talking about.

Murphy  grimaced a little as he didd't see how this was going to help... He knew a slim amount of Chinese that stopped somewhere after 'hello, goodbye, thank you'  and even then he couldn't really recall how to pronounce it.   Laz however was as calm as ever as he held up his hand with a 'one second' gesture as a disinterested and tired voice answered. "What...?"   Laz just raised his hand and made a 'repeat' motion with his hand as the women started talking and repeating what they'd said quickly as they reached for the money a couple times but Laz kept it out of reach until it was 'translated' and then the voice of a girl in the background yelling "DAAAD!" resulted in the call ending and Laz glanced to Murphy as he handed over the money. "Tenth floor, 402. Three men, Rude man who 'looks like you with tattoos and longer hair.' "

Murphy grimaced and felt his stomach flip over as he began walking towards the elevator and clutched the gun in his holster - he fully expected that Gene would be missing fingers and limbs or worse. Laz catching up quickly.

"I'm all good getting shot for you, Man. Who are we dealing with? Friend?" He said 'friend' with mounting sarcasm as Murphy punched the floor in and paced back and forth as much as he could in the junky elevator. "Monroe worked with me - He's psychotic, I don't even know a better word to explain how disturbed he is. He freaking tortured a woman for two days over a fucking missing bag of weed or some shit. Rita was pissed and literally was going to shoot him but he skipped town before she could. He loves torturing women and gets off on it." Murphy said as he slammed his hand against the elevator as if it'd make it rise faster.

He didn't even realize he was running until he got to the door number in question - the tv turned up but even with it loudly blasting behind the door he could hear Gene.

"Aaah!" Her scream was harsh and rough but it brought Murphy a bizarre comfort  - He was upset of course she was being hurt but it meant she was in there... He found himself freeze however as he debated how he wanted to do this.

"I can take a bullet." Laz said quietly as he double checked and cocked his own gun.  "I'll go first and take out who I can, Stealth as long as possible. Sound good?" As much as Murphy felt uncertain about him - He knew enough about supernatural bullshit to know if someone says they can take the bullet that it's a better option.  He made a mental note to himself in that thought that he'd have to consider involving Rayne when he found this 'Zeus' cocksucker.

Laz slipped the lock easily and went in first. His footsteps light and careful as he aimed his gun towards the room, Murphy watching his back somewhat but focused towards the door he heard another cry of pain behind.

And in seconds the gunshots started.  Laz went first and fired two shots taking out one of the 'thugs' and the third shot he fired at least injured the second one before he hesitated as both of them were to close to the blonde crying heap on the bed he assumed was Gene. The bullet fired at him was fast and took him right in the side, making him drop. Monroe focused on Gene as he untied her and lifted her off the bed. Gene screaming as the drugs made the gunshots and all the movement freak her out. "No - No - No  - No " She mumbled as she struggled against his grip.  

Murphy was careful as he rested against the wall and saw Laz fall, He looked dead... He didn't have time to think about it as he got and opening and fired, dropping the other one and leaving just him, Monroe and Gene... Gene. He felt himself almost drop the gun when he saw how horrible she looked...

Gene didn't even realize how bad she looked as she practically relied on Monroe to even stand and was completely unaware of the gun pressed to her head as her eyes floated around the room in a blur... Her clothes was ripped off and her bare body was visible. unfortunately. There was so much blood that Murphy couldn't even tell what was injured. He had to focus, his eyes glued with Monroe's as he entered cautiously.

"Just, Let her go." He stated calmly - He wanted to scream, so badly.  He wanted to cuss him out and scream at him but the gun pressed to Gene's head was the problem with that... He had to keep his cool until Gene was at least safe.  He knew he wasn't going to give him the sweet relief of a bullet wound though.

"Gene, Babe... I'm here." He stated, he didn't know if she'd be able to process it but he hoped she would, Monroe rolling his eyes. "Really...?  Can't you tell how fucked up she is? She don't even know her own fucking name..." He snorted, laughing as he tapped the gun against her head.

'I'm here..' the words lingered as a blur in Gene's mind as she trembled in Monroe's arms... Though, some part of her knew... She felt so miserable but she pushed past it as she weakly and sorely lifted her foot and started stomping on his and her fingers pushing against his arm. Her strength was so limited or at least it felt that way but it was exactly what Murphy needed - as soon as she lifted her leg and pushed against his arms it let him fire, hitting Monroe's leg, right through the knee. The pain stunning him long enough as Gene stumbled forward a couple steps before falling onto the bed somewhat, her legs still half off it. Didn't matter. Murphy grabbed Monroe's gun and tossed it over to Laz who was awake again but hadn't gotten up yet and dragged Monroe into the bathroom and the sounds - Somehow the sound of a beating turned wetter and wetter as it went on. It sounded like Murphy was punching a bowl of wet meat.  He came out with a fury in his eyes as he grabbed the curling iron that was resting on the nightstand and the knife and stormed back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut - The screams were horrific - almost worse then the ones that Gene had made herself.

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Laz found out in the news later what exactly they found in that bathroom and the answer was something that resulted in several police officers puking... A man who'd been so brutally beaten there was no way to identify him and they were still finding his teeth - one stuck in the wall and one in the shower drain it'd flown so far away. The burns on his body from the curling iron were severe and it'd appeared that once his teeth were all broken it'd been inserted into his throat on the highest setting.  His fingers bent into positions that were completely abnormal. And there wasn't a shred of evidence to be found aside from Gene's hair and blood leading to them assuming it was just another gang member or something.

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Murphy's eyes lingered on Gene as he tiredly laid in the large arm chair... Rich people hospitals were great.  He'd been catered to by Gene's parents like a fucking king since he'd been back but personally he found himself delighted in the sound of the rain pattered on the windows... He'd never been so happy to hear it in his entire life.

"S-Skye..." Gene mumbled a little bit as she opened her eyes before closing them quickly, wincing.  She felt slightly less horrible... Murphy wanted to grumble about her using his name but he let it go as he sighed, leaning over and taking her hand. "I - I'm sorry..."  He admitted, His throat dry as it tightened a little bit.  Her fingers tightened around his a little bit. "Shh.."  She made the sound weakly as she closed her eyes, Pulling his hand weakly over and cuddling it a little as she dosed back off.