#oh and my kitchen to have a dinosaur themed apron waiting for me????

[biohazard-inevitable]

It may be silly and quaint but I like to daydream about my future fridge that is organized by just me…

Eggs would be in a clear, reusable container so i can see how many are left

A well kept drawer just for cheese

Perishables like potatoes and fruits would be front and center, easy to grab and see if they’ve gone bad

Clear nozzled bottles that are labeled for different cooking oils wether it be cooking wine, olive oil, etc all labeled with the name and last restock date

A drawer for herbs like garlic cloves and other vegetables in that sort of vein

Little clear organiser baskets of snacks places in a line like they would be at the grocery store

Sodas also in a similar clear container so i can see when to restock

2 % milk and Heavy cream aplenty as well as whipped cream

A butter section seperate from everything so i dont have to go digging for it every time….

Everything neat and tidy and easily accessible for any recepie I may try

OH! And a basket organizer purely reserved for leftovers in tupperware so they dont get forgotten about

[oingo233]

By The Lake*Chapter Seven

Summary:  A family friend offers you a place to stay to get away from an abusive past.  Her home is a place that you are familiar with, an old town with a large lake you spent many days in. You went there years ago for one full summer, where you became close friends with a very young Daryl Dixon.  You two were inseparable until you had to leave.  But now you’re back, escaping from a past much like his.  You will need to weave your way through the town’s problematic people, your own problems, and above all the confusing Dixon.  Will you two find your way back to each other again?  Or will he push you further away?  And above all, will your past cease to haunt you?

MasterList

Pairing: Young Daryl Dixon X Reader

Warnings: Mentions of abuse and violence(potential triggers), cussing, more mature themes(not smut or anything tho), slow burn romance, described wounds and injuries

Authors note:  I don’t own the character Daryl Dixon, he belongs to the creators of The Walking Dead.  This fic talks about abuse, and the terrible reality involved to spread awareness about the matter, not to romanticize it. Also, I was writing the last couple of paragraphs with a horrible sense of deja vu because I could have sworn I wrote it already, and then I realized that I have but tumblr didn’t save it, so I wrote the end with immense caution and fear in case my wifi cut out again. But it’s okay because both endings have sticky sweet fluff!                        

Word Count: 2.2k

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It was the dreaded dinner of the century.  Cherry’s words lingered in the back of my mind like an all consuming fog.  “We have to talk...dinner?”.  And her face, god, her face was so sad.  Was I disappointing her? Do the kids not like me? I glance to Daryl who looks just as nervous beside me.  Does she know?  Daryl catches me looking, and he glances over my expression, his own frown forming.

“Don’t stress ya’self out too bad, huh?  We’ve gotten in trouble a plenty times before.”  He adds with a wink, I roll my eyes, grateful for the smile he brought out of me.  He shifts the angel cake to one hand and knocks on the door with the other.  Cherry answers with an uneasy smile, that turns into a slack jaw as she sees Daryl.

“Daryl?”  I think she meant it as an excited hello, but it came out more as a threatening question to me.  That is probably because I forced him to come with me as a buddy for the night.  If Cherry’s going to tell me off for Daryl, then he should be here too.  Or if Cherry wants to kick me out, I’m going to need emotional support in the form of a redneck, tough love friend.  Daryl’s the best option.

“Daryl, are ya alright?”  She goes to touch his face, not knowing it’s the best of his wounds.  His long sleeve shirt and jeans covered everything else.  He flinches back slightly but she didn’t back off.  Daryls breathing picked up as she traced the bruises and cuts.  I restrain myself from pushing her hand back as Daryl takes a slight shift back and gives her a stiff nod of his head, mumbling something about roughhousing with friends.

“M’sorry for just showin’ up.  Thought Mark would’ve liked to talk about our day tomorrow.  Cars almost done.”  He offers a small smile which she returns, though she gave me the stink eye.  God bless his soul for covering for me like that, but everyone knows he’s here cause I asked him.  At the mention of his name, and apparent super hearing, Mark pops up behind Cherry.  His smile the widest out of all of ours.

“Daryl!  What a good surprise!  That cars almost done ya know.  Come in, come in.”  He ushers everyone inside and Daryl hands over the angel cake.  Cherry sets in on the table further inside, glancing behind her shoulder to make sure I was following.  Which I was, I was following her like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs.

“(Y/N)!  What the hell?  Daryl comes around looking like he got bulldozed.  Is everything alright?  Did he really come here to talk about cars?”  She looked stressed out, bags under her lightly mascaraed eyes, deep enough that no amount of coverage could hide it.  Her hair was fizzy, and for the first time I’ve seen it, unkept.  Does this have to do with her news?  Could I really lie to her in her state?

“I’m sorry Cherry, I just-it’s just that-”  My voice came out more strained than I meant, a familiar burn in my eyes start to work up.  “I can’t tell you all of it alright?  But things are bad, I just don’t know what else to do.”  She steps forward and raises her hand, I nearly jump out of my shoes, but she just rests her palm on my cheek and wipes away a tear.  I don’t tell her about Daryl’s truth, it isn’t mine to tell.  I don’t tell her about him staying with me, although she should probably know.  I don’t tell her about the crushing weight of it all, or that I feel like I’m betraying her.  But I don’t have to.  She saw it, and now she is the one comforting me.  She rest her forehead against mine and nods softly.

“Lets just breath darling.  I’m not going to punish you for anything.  I just want to know if you’re doing what you think is right?  That’s enough for me.”  I take a few breaths in until they run steady.  

“I am doing what I think is best.  Whats right.”  I whisper out, drained from the past couple days.

“You always do, doll.” She kisses my forehead. “Now, lets eat!”  She cheers, pulling back and quickly wiping her own tears.  

“Wait-”  I pull her back to me, quietly over the sounds of the family and Daryl rushing into the kitchen to eat I ask her.  “What was the news you wanted to tell me about?”  She doesn’t say anything, only gives me a small smile.

“Later.”  she says with a shrug, masking her true emotions.  Mark was near and pulled her aside when he heard this.  I meant to give them privacy but it was too late, my curiosity got the better of me.  

“Cherry, are you sure we should wait to tell her?” I’ve never heard him so serious in my life.

“I’m sure, they’re just kids.  We should let them be that for a while-”  The rest of her sentence was forgotten because Daryl scared the shit out of me.

“Curiosity killed the cat ya know?”  He scoffs out behind me, obviously not proud of my behavior.  I give him a sheepish smile.

“But satisfaction brought it back.”  I point my finger at him making him roll his eyes.  He guided me away from snooping on the married grown ups, and to the dinner table.  When walking to his seat, Daryl casually snatched Rosie’s napkin, and dropped it on her lap for her.  This made Rosie giggle, so when Daryl sat down she took his napkin and put it on his lap. We all laughed at Daryl’s surprised expression, it held a softness I haven’t seen before.  He laughs with us and says a quite thank you to her.  

Cherry and Mark came and sat down minutes later, both giving each other mean looks.  They obviously had a heated conversation.  But as dinner went on everyone was happy.  Daryl and Rosie were talking about this Magic Tree house series she was reading, and at one point Rosie wiped food off from Daryl's cheek. “So messy.”  She mumbled exhausted under her breath. Everyone nearly died laughing at this, Daryl included.  Monty told him all about his favorite dinosaur and Daryl even mentioned a few he liked, which surprised me.  The kids loved him, and dinner was a blast.

Although dinner was fun, cleaning was not.  Cherry assigned Daryl, Rosie, Monty and I on cleaning duty.  

“Ow. Heavy.”  Rosie complained, she came walking in with a grumpy expression nearly hidden by the stack of dinner plates she was bringing into the kitchen.  Before I could warn him, Daryl fell right into her trap.

“I’ll take those for ya!”  Daryl all but hummed, as he lifted the “weight” from Rosie.  She beamed up at him.  

“Thank you Dare Bear,” Daryl blushed and gave me a sheepish look when the nickname came. “I’m just so tired, it’s past my bedtime.”  Before she could fake a yawn I spoke up.  

“It is not, you liar.”  Rosie gave me an offended look, I was going to ruin her plan. But she was smart, smarter than me apparently. Her lips curled up and her eyes, as if she was a talented working actress, teared up.  Daryl was at her side in an instant, giving me a shocked look. I didn’t miss the amusement in his eyes though.  I gave up right then and there, her plan was going to work.  She had Daryl wrapped around her finger all night.

“Don’t ya call her that.  She’s sensitive.”  He whispered the last part to me as he picked her up.  “Lets get ya to bed.”  I nearly melted at the sight, as Rosie wrapped her small arms around his neck, and he rubbed her back soothingly as he carried her off to bed. She gave me a bratty smug look, pulling a smile from me. “C’mon Monty.”  Monty, who didn’t feel as hopeful on getting out of cleaning duty until now, ran towards the two, beaming.  

Then there was one.  I walked to the hallway to get a rag from the laundry closet, it was next to Rosie’s room.  I heard her giggle before her little voice echoed in the silence. I was holding my breath.  I didn’t dare to ruin the moment.

“Here Dare Bear, you can ‘ave it when doing the dishes for me.”  There was a few moments of silence before I heard Daryl chuckle, almost in defeat.  

“Alright. Thanks.”  He chuckled again.  “Sleep well, Rosie.”  I rushed back to the kitchen when I heard his light footsteps approaching.  

Minutes later and I turn around as he enters the room.

“Oh.  My.  God.”  I try so hard to keep it in, I really do, but I laugh the hardest I have in years at the sight before me.  I nearly hit my head on the wall from leaning back and cackling so hard.  I can’t form the question I want to between trying to breath and laugh.  

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Say what ya will, but I look good.”  He tries to joke about it, but his blushing face said he knew he looked ridiculous.  Tied around his waist and neck, was a pink daisy apron, made for a 5 year old.  It didn’t even cover his whole torso.  Wordlessly, I pointed my finger in the air and spun it.  Daryl stared at me exasperated before he did a little twirl for me.  A giggle escaped me and I sent him a wink.  He laughs now too, taking the rag from my hands quickly and swatting me with it.

“Shut it and get to work.”  We do as he says for a while but I just could not focus.  It was starting to annoy Daryl by the way his fingers would twitch every time he saw me drying the same plate for five minutes.  

“Play music.”  He scoffed out after I nearly dropped the cup in my hands, he was giving me a pointed look.

“Fine, if you want it so bad.”  I mumble as I make my way to the radio.  It turns on with a familiar tune, Daryl and I share a smile with one another.  

“Ain’t for me.”  He whispers, noticing how I get back into the easy rhythm of cleaning.  I blush as I realize how well he knew me.  Some things never change.  I move my hips to the song and notice him doing the same.  It nearly makes me laugh but I hold it in so he won’t get shy.  The song was “I see it, I like it, I want.” by Shirley Ellis.  We knew the song well.  Whenever Daryl and I would hang out in town, my mom would give us money for groceries and a little extra for ice cream.  The ice cream shop played that song religiously.  So often in fact, Daryl and I could never decide if we loved it, or hated it.  But by the way our bodies moved to the beat like old times, it was clear we did not hate it.  

“You look damn good in an apron.”  I giggle out, I would have been shocked at my boldness if it was any other song.  But this song makes a girl get what she wants.  

“Ya think so?”  Daryl asks, turning around with a soapy sponge in one hand and a dripping plate in the other.  I nod and he sets the two things down, his eyes playful as he engulfs at me.  

Soap was everywhere.  Slipping wet through my hair, and dripping down my arms as he grabbed my hands and swung me in a dance.  When I was pulled back into his chest his lips were by my ear, the song playing from his lips sounded much better.

“From the moment I laid eyes on ya,

This is what I said, I said a beautiful sight to see

Because everything that makes ya, you, means so much to me!”  He spun me around once more before letting go and circling around me with bad dance moves.  I pushed him to a stop before singing the rest of the song to him. 

When that song was over one played that we haven’t heard before.  But it was slow and beautiful.  Daryl fit his soapy hand in mine and leaned down close to my ear.  His lips danced shyly against my cheek as he spoke.

“Ya know, I don’t just dance for anybody,”  He pulled away and looked at me with those beautiful eyes of his.  An easy smile was on his soft lips, but only a fool would miss the anxiety ridden twitch they would have every couple seconds.  He was nervous.  I lend him courage with a squeeze of my hand and the words spilled out of him like butter.  Like he was never more sure of anything.  “Go on a date with me?”  

We stopped our dancing as I gaped up at him.  A date with Daryl?  The thought of it made my heart swell.

“Nothing sounds more perfect.”  A large smile breaks his intense stare as he gives me a kiss on the cheek, whispering in my ear he says.

“Keep ya eyes off the lake tomorrow, sunshine.” Words proceed me, as I just nod up at him like a love sick puppy.  Nothing witty comes to me so we get back to work after he twirls me once more. We finished cleaning the kitchen with laughter, our horrible dance moves, and shy intimate looks at one another over our shoulders. He winked at me when he took the rag from my hand and finished the last dish.  Oh I just can not wait for tomorrow.

TagList:

@courtnytrash04​

@pansexualgrapes​

@fanfictionsilove​

(If I forgot or you would like to be added to the taglist just let me know)

[hymn2000]

Chiquitita - MCU AU fanfic - C28

Story summary: Something strange is happening. Someone from space has made their way to Earth, armed with a strange weapon. Targeting teenagers, their ray gun, when fired, turns the victim into a toddler. The Avengers set out to stop this, and find a way to reverse the effects. However, they don’t all come out of the battle unscathed.

Previous chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22   23 24  25  26 27

Part of my Frostiron and Spiderson series.

Warnings/themes: de-aging, family stuff, corporal punishment (early chapters only), mental health stuff, hurt/comfort, hospital/medical stuff

Chapter 28 - Heartaches

-

Morning did come. Loki had managed to sleep a little bit, but now he was awake, lying on his back with Peter snuggled up on his chest, still asleep. He could hear the clock ticking, and he could hear the birds outside, as well as the distant sounds of early morning traffic. He could hear his pulse beating in his ears too, and that was the loudest sound of all. 

-

Tony asked Loki to do breakfast while he got Peter dressed. Loki blinked at them when they joined him in the kitchen.

“Are those..?”

“The clothes he wore that day? Yeah”

Loki swallowed. “Why?”

“They look good on him”

“That’s not your real reason” Loki said, wincing. His chest hurt. “I’m not ready to do this”

“I don’t care. It’s happening, no matter what”

“Just a few more days, Anthony. That’s all I ask. We can talk about this”

“Is that food nearly ready?”

Loki stayed quiet and served breakfast, keeping his eyes cast down for the most part.

“Thank you, daddy!” Peter grinned. “My dinosaur plate!”

“Yes, your dinosaur plate” Loki said. “And your dinosaur cutlery, and even one of your dinosaur cups”

Peter giggled and picked up his fork. Loki sat down beside him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

“Loki?”

“Mm?”

“How are you doing?”

Loki shrugged, picking up his fork. It should be perfectly obvious how he was doing. His heart was thudding and he felt hollow and shaky inside, and he was certain that much was evident. 

“Daddy?”

Loki cleared his throat. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Where are we going today?” Peter asked. “Park or swimming?”

“We’ll see”

“You said that yesterday!” Peter pouted. “I wanna go out!”

“Later, darling” Tony said. “Finish your breakfast”

-

Peter was happily pushing his baby doll round the corridors in its buggy when he heard the front door open. He left his baby buggy and leant against the seal at the top of the stairs. His face lit up when he saw who it was.

“Uncle Thor!”

Thor put a finger to his lips. Peter gasped and copied him. He stepped back, waiting till Thor reached the landing before holding his arms up to him.

“Hi!”

“Hello, little Peter” Thor smiled, lifting him up for a cuddle. “What are you up to today?”

“I’m taking my baby for a walk!” Peter said. “You can put me down now: I must get back to it”

Thor laughed and did as he was asked. Peter grabbed his buggy. 

“Daddies are in the living room” he said. “I didn’t know you were coming today!”

“I did tell your daddies” Thor said, walking with him. “How’s your baby today?”

“She’s ok” Peter said. “We’re waiting”

“Oh. What for?”

“Daddy hasn’t said if we’re going to the park or swimming today. We want to go out”

“Oh, I see” Thor said. “Let’s go and join your daddies and then we’ll see how the day goes”

“Daddy keeps saying that” Peter said, wrinkling his nose. “I need to find my drink. I’ll join you in a minute”

Thor chuckled. “See you in a minute then”

-

It was obvious as soon as Thor went into the living room that Loki wasn’t in there by choice.

“Good afternoon” Thor said.

Tony smiled at him. “Hey, Thor. Have you passed the kid on the way in?”

“Yes. He said he had to find his drink but would just us in a minute”

Tony shook his head fondly. “He’s a funny kid”

“How are you, Loki?” Thor asked.

Loki merely narrowed his eyes at him. He pulled away from Tony and stood up.

“Loki? Hey, where are you going?”

Loki ignored him and walked out. Tony sighed. 

“It’s better to just leave him" he said. “He’s not feeling great”

“I can imagine. He looks so pale and tired”

“Mm. His heart was going a mile a minute just now, too. I know he’s on the wrong side of the table, but I do feel a bit sorry for him. His heart is in the right place, I suppose”

“Yes, poor Loki. How are you feeling about it all?”

“You know, I think I’m gonna miss the toddler. But he never should’ve ended up this way, and I need my teenager back. It’s gonna be a hard day. But it’ll be worth it... right?”

Thor squeezed his hand. “We’ve spent hours going over this. We’re doing the right thing”

Tony squeezed Thor’s hand back. “I know”

-

Loki found Peter in the back room, searching for his cup, with his baby doll balanced on his hip.

“Everything ok, my darling?” Loki asked gently.

Peter looked up. “I can’t find my drink!”

“Did daddy give you a cup after lunch?”

Peter shook his head.

“I don’t think you’ve got one on the go, then” Loki said. “Why don’t we go to the kitchen and sort you one?”

Peter nodded. “Can I leave the buggy in here?”

“Of course” Loki said. “Come on”

Peter trotted after him to the kitchen.

“Which cup would you like, darling?” 

“Dinosaur” Peter said. “Where’s my rocket?”

“In the living room, chicken” Loki said, filling one of Peter’s dinosaur sippy cups with orangeade. “Would you like a little snack or anything while we’re in here? You could have something from my special cupboard if you like?”

“Um...” Peter shook his head. “No, I’m not hungry”

“Ok, darling” 

Loki handed him his sippy cup. Peter took it with one hand so he didn’t have to put down his baby to drink. Loki watched him for a moment, biting his thumb.

“I like fizzy orange” Peter said, lowering his cup. “Can we go and see uncle Thor now?”

“If you like...”

Peter nodded. “I like uncle Thor!” 

“Uncle Thor likes you too” 

“Are my other uncles coming?”

“Not today, darling” Loki said. “Maybe some time in the next few weeks”

“Oh. What about mumma?”

“I don’t know”

“Oh”

“Oh indeed. What do you want to do now?”

“See uncle Thor!” Peter said. “I said that”

“Of course. Sorry. Come along, darling. Maybe you can play a game with him”

“Yes!” Peter grinned, walking along at his side. “I wanna play with my marble run! Can I play with my marble run?”

“Of course you can. You can play with whatever you like”

-

Peter demanded Loki set up his marble run for him. He hadn’t quite mastered the art of it himself, but Loki always set it up so that it zigzagged perfectly. Loki sat sorting the marbles into colour groups while Peter told Thor how to use the marble run.

“You put the marbles in the top. You can use this side or this side, or both at the same time! An’ then you just let go and it goes down to the bottom” Peter said, picking up a blue marble and dropping it in the top of the marble run.

They watched as the marble zigzagged down and shot out of the bottom of the run. Peter grinned at Thor, handing him a marble.

“Now you try!” 

“Well, since you’re offering” Thor dropped the marble in the run.

“It’s fun, see? It’s fun!”

“It’s quite satisfying to watch, isn’t it?” Thor said. 

“You wanna know what’s more fun?” 

“What’s more fun?”

Peter picked up two fistfuls of marbles and dropped them in the run. He waited until there was a marble on each level, and then pushed it over so that it fell with a clatter, the marbles scattering in all directions. Peter laughed, clapping his little hands.

“Now now, Peter, what have I told you about that?” Tony said sharply. 

Peter looked shocked for a moment, and then hung his head. He looked up at Tony.

“No more marble run?”

“Play with something else if you can’t play sensibly” Tony said.

Peter looked at Thor, shook his head, and sighed. “Parents”

Thor burst out laughing and ruffled the boys hair roughly. “You definitely take after your dads, little boy!”

He helped Peter tidy away the marbles and the marble run. Peter went over to his toy boxes, rifling through. Thor looked at Tony and Loki.

“Are you ready?”

“Let him play” Loki snapped. 

Thor nodded. Peter came back over to them, struggling with his box of farm animals. Thor took the box from him.

“Woah there, little one. You’ll drop them if you’re not careful”

“We’re gonna play farm soon” Peter said. “There’s fences and hedges and trees and everything!”

“I’ll help you set it up if you like” Thor offered.

“I wanna paint first!” 

“No, Peter” Tony said. “You painted yesterday”

“I wanna paint again! PLEASE!”

“No”

“PLEASE!!”

“Ok, just for a little bit” Loki said before Tony could say no again. “Let’s go to the kitchen”

-

Tony told Peter he could only have half an hour of painting time. Peter accepted that. He was happy messing about with his paints. Thor sat and painted with him while his parents stayed close by, tidying the kitchen and having a drink.

“Peter, your half an hour is almost up” Tony said after twenty-five minutes. “I think you’ve got time to do one more painting”

“Oh” Peter said. “Ok. I know EXACTLY what I’m gonna do!”

Peter stuck his brush in the yellow paint and started painting his hand.

“Peter!”

“No, leave him” Loki said. “He’s creating”

They watched as Peter layered the paint on and pressed his hand to the paper. Once he’d done that, he dipped the brush back into the yellow paint, painted his other hand, and pressed that to the paper, next to the first hand print. Then he rinsed his brush, dipped it in the red paint, and shakily wrote ‘Peter’ underneath the hand prints. He put his brush down, and grinned at Tony.

“Finished!” 

Tony ruffled the boys hair. “Let’s get you cleaned up”

Loki looked at the tiny hand prints. He’d done something similar with Peter weeks ago, and he was surprised the boy remembered. He looked at the paper, not sure how he was feeling.

“Loki?” Thor said gently. “Are you ok?”

Loki turned away quickly, pretending he had a text to answer. Thor didn’t push it.

Tony helped Peter wash all the paint off his skin and got him out of his painting apron.

“Tony?” Thor said.

“Yeah?” Tony said, passing Peter over to Loki.

“I think we need to think about moving things along”

“Yeah, of course” Tony nodded. He looked at Loki. “That’s fine, isn’t it, Loki?”

Loki held Peter closer, kissing him on the forehead. All of a sudden he felt sick again, much worse than before. He could feel himself shaking, and those silly tears were back in his eyes. He took a deep breath. This day was going too quickly.

-

Peter wanted to set up his farm and play, but Tony took him from Loki and kept hold of him. 

“I wanna play!” Peter squeaked, struggling. “I want to play!!”

“No, darling. Let’s have a cuddle” Tony said. “Let’s have a lovely cuddle, my little bambi-looking baby boy”

Peter pouted, wriggling. “Ok, but I want my rocket!”

Tony found it and gave it to him. “There. Now, shall we have that cuddle?”

Peter still looked a little unsure, but he settled against Tony, sighing relatively contentedly. He rested his cheek against Tony’s chest. Tony held him close, one hand on his head, the other on his lower back. 

“I love you, little boy” he said. “You’re a little sweetheart”

Peter lay against Tony’s chest. He felt funny. Why wasn’t Tony letting him play? Why did he sound so sad? Loki was sad too. Even Thor seemed a bit sad. Peter didn’t know why, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he was right, but he could definitely sense that something was up. He held tight to his rocket with one hand. 

“God, I’m starting to feel funny” Tony said, breathing in. “I’m gonna miss this”

“Let’s put it off then” Loki tried. “We’ve talked about this so much. There’s options, there’s so many reasons he can stay this way. We don’t have to do this”

“Yes, we do. We really do” Tony said, resting his head against Peter’s. “I love him, but you know what has to happen”

Tony held Peter for a long time, talking softly to him, recounting their days out and good memories, and telling him how important he was. It was so much quieter than usual. Peter was used to the radio and music playing all the time, but the speakers had been switched off today. It felt strange. 

“Ok bambino” Tony said gently. 

He looked at Loki, who was sat by his side. He was looking at him, but his eyes didn’t seem to be focusing. Tony kissed Peter firmly on the cheek, squeezing him tight.

“Why don’t you go cuddle other daddy for a while? There’s a good boy”

Peter didn’t lie against Loki’s chest when he was handed over: he put his hands on Loki’s chest so he could look at him.

“Daddy?” he said, feeling uncertain and worried. “My tummy hurts”

Loki sighed, stroking Peter’s hair gently. “I know darling. Mine does too”

“Will a cuddle make it feel better?”

“Maybe” Tears filled his eyes, and he had a hard time keeping his voice strong. “Shall we give it a try?” 

Peter nodded and lay against Loki’s chest. He looked at Tony for a moment, and then turned his head the other way. Loki was trembling, and he shook when he kissed the boys head, but he held him tight, strong and loving. Peter snuggled into him, bringing his rocket close and rubbing his nose against the cone of the rocket. Loki spoke to him, telling him he loved him more than anything, that he’d do anything for him, and that he always wanted what was best for him. Peter listened to the sound of Loki’s heart beating, and although it was fast, it was regular, and that, coupled with Loki’s loving words, soon soothed him.

-

After half an hour, Tony put an arm round Loki’s shoulders, holding him tight and resting a hand on Peter’s back. Ten minutes after that, Thor retrieved his shoulder bag, setting it on the coffee table. He stood up, went over, and kissed little Peter on the head. He rested a hand on Loki’s shoulder.

“Loki” he said softly. 

Loki opened his eyes and looked at Thor. He knew what he was saying, without the words being uttered. He took a deep breath and nodded, a single tear escaping and dripping down his cheek. He sat Peter up and kissed him hard on the cheek.

“I love you” he said, his voice cracking. “I love you so much. Me and daddy, we love you more than anything else in the world”

Peter blinked at him, and smiled, blissfully unaware. “I love you too! You’re my daddies!”

Loki pulled Peter close again. He shook Tony’s arm off him and stood up. Thor squeezed his shoulder.

“Do you mind if I give him a cuddle?”

Loki nodded and handed him over.

“Hi again, uncle Thor!” Peter smiled up at him. “Are we going to the park now?”

“We’re going to play a little game” Thor said, cuddling him close and kissing his cheek.

“Oh!” Peter’s face lit up. “Ok! I like games! Are we playing farm?”

“No, this is another game”

Loki took Peter back from Thor, hugging him close. He took a deep breath. He felt so sick. He was shaking and trying so hard not to cry. His eyes were watering and his throat was tight. He couldn’t do this. He could let this little boy be torn away and sent back to his teenage life and all the horrible memories that went with it.

“Loki” Thor said. “Why don’t you settle him?”

“I can’t”

“Loki”

“I can’t let him go. He’s so happy this way”

Tony stood up. “Darling, we’ve been through this. It’s time”

“We’re gonna play a game!” Little Peter said. “Game time, game time! You need to put me down!”

“You need to settle on the sofa, my son” Tony said. “Daddy’s going to put you down now. Isn’t that right, daddy?”

Loki took a very deep breath and carefully set Peter down on the end of the sofa, nestled in the cushions. Peter settled happily, positioning his rocket carefully beside him and waiting to find out what the game would be. Loki knelt down and kissed him on the nose. He couldn’t speak. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Tony knelt down beside him. He stroked Peter’s cheek gently.

“I love you”

“I love you too, daddy!”

Tony kissed Peter on the cheek, and took Loki’s hand.

“I love you, my little darling” Loki said thickly.

Peter giggled. They’d both said it a lot today. “I love you too! I love you, I love you, I love you!” 

Loki gave Peter another little kiss on the nose, and then let Tony lead him back over to his seat to sit down. He held his hand tight. Peter looked up at Thor.

“I love you! Now is it time to play the game?”

“And I love you! Yes, now it’s time to play a little game” Thor said. “Ok?”

“Ok!” Peter giggled. “Let’s play a game! Game time!”

“How are you feeling? Happy?”

“I’m happy!” Peter giggled. “Happy, happy, happy!”

“I want you to close your eyes, and count to twenty in your head. Ok?”

Peter nodded. “I can do that!” he exclaimed, and covered his eyes with his hands. 

Thor carefully reached into his shoulder bag, pulling out the reversal gun. A sob escaped Loki as soon as he set eyes on it.

“Please don’t do this. I can’t do this-!”

Tony held Loki tight, trying to keep him quiet. Thor didn’t look at them. He felt a bit sick too, and the horrible, strained, desperate look on his brothers face was too much to bear. He was hurting so much already. But everyone knew what had to be done, whether Loki liked it or not.

Thor raised the reversal gun, pointing it at the oblivious toddler, who was counting quietly under his breath. He took a deep breath, taking one last look at the little boy, and he pulled the trigger. 

*

[deamstellarus]

A Touch of Ink (6)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Cupcakes are a weakness, art is everywhere, and someone receives an unwanted phone call.

Word Count: 3438

Warnings: Some fluff, some angst

A/N: So sorry this chapter is a lot shorter than the other chapters. I’ve been riding the struggle bus for a bit, but! chapters will come out more frequently and then there’s a sequel of fluff coming up after!

Series Masterlist | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5

Chapter 6:

“Well, aren’t you two just adorable!” Pepper gushed as you and Bucky stepped into Tony’s diner, holding hands. You blushed but you were happy to see the red tint appeared on Bucky’s face too.

The two of you had just come from dropping Noah off at school. It had been a little over two weeks since you became an official couple. That news had gotten around town much faster than you’d expected but you’d only heard good things from people who stopped you on the street. Bucky had decided to tell Noah about your relationship outright, because he didn’t want Noah to find out about it at school and not from him. To say Noah was happy is an understatement. He was excited that you would be over to his home more often, and he could talk to you about dinosaurs and watch movies and play games. You had laughed while the animated six year old went on and on in his excitement.

What surprised you more than anything was how comfortable you had already become with them. You had a bit of a routine. Most days you would meet the boys outside your apartment and walk Noah to school, then you’d go get breakfast, sometimes at Tony’s but more often than not, you went to the Hideout and had coffee and muffins with Becca. Bucky would give you a kiss on the cheek, and you’d split off and go your separate ways, Bucky to the tattoo shop, and you back to your apartment to work on your different projects and commissions. You met up a couple times for lunch, but most of the time, you’d join each other for dinner and make it a team effort to make dinner for the three of you. It was so domestic and normal and you loved it. Every minute of it. You felt at home already. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t worry you a little, but you decided not to dwell on it, and instead chose to enjoy your time together with the Barnes boys.

“Good morning, Pepper,” Bucky smiled.

“Y/N!” Wanda came out from behind the counter and gave you a hug. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever! You have to stop keeping her away from me, Bucky!” Bucky just chuckled, shaking his head.

“It’s good to see you too, Wanda,” you said, hugging the girl back.

Bucky pulled you along and found a seat by the front window.

“The usual today, Buck?” Wanda asked.

“Please, and the strongest coffee you can make me.” Bucky had woken up extra early today because someone wanted to try to make breakfast before the sun was even up, so excited to be going on a field trip today.

“And for you Y/N?”

“Uhm…” You looked through the menu menu quickly before settling on the Red, White, and Blue french toast. “And a coffee too, please.”

“So, what do you have planned for today?” Bucky’s hand reached across the table to hold yours.

“I’m working on a commission actually. Fantasy themed.” You leaned in and whispered, “I’d tell you more but then I’d have to kill you.” Bucky laughed loudly in the small diner and drew the attention of the other patrons. You blushed, and avoided their gazes.

“Well, Doll, your secret is safe with me.” He winked.

“What about you? Do you have a lot of clients today?” Wanda came back and set down your plates in front of you and you dug in immediately, finally realizing how hungry you were.

“Uh, not today, no. I have one this morning at eleven though that should take a while. It’s a pretty large leg piece, so we might have to do a second session but it’ll depend on her pain tolerance.”

“Who’s getting the tattoo?” You speared a strawberry and popped it in your mouth.

“New client. They’re from the next town over. College student. Apparently she wanted to rebel against her parents and get a tattoo, but her motto when she was explaining the design was, ‘Go big or go home, and I don’t plan on going home anytime soon.’” You almost choked on your coffee when you laughed.

“That’s a good motto I suppose.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He looked out the window and waved at someone. You peered out and sure enough, Natasha was across the street, heading into the Black Widow. You sighed.

“What’s wrong, Doll?”

“Nothing.” He gave you a look and you rolled your eyes. “It’s really nothing. It’s just that… I don’t think Natasha likes me very much.”

“Oh come on, she likes you! You’d know if she didn’t, trust me.” You frowned.

“She doesn’t do more than nod to me when I see her. Am I do something wrong?” He chuckled and brought your hand to his lips and pretty a kiss sticky from syrup to your fingers.

“Sweetheart, she does like you. If you’re really worried, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leans across the table and you follow his lead. “She has a huge sweet tooth, bigger than anyone I know. Always has. Red Velvet cake is her weakness,” he whispers. He winks and kisses your lips, before going back to his food. You know you’re smiling like a fool when you lean back but you can’t help it.

“Does that help, Doll?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah, actually it does.” You could put off doing work for an afternoon, you thought. “I’ll stop at the store before I head back. I’ve got some cupcakes to make.”

You finished eating and Bucky insisted on paying the bill. You walked with him across the street to kissed his cheek before setting off to the store. You made it back to your apartment and were just starting to make the batter when there was a knock on your door. You wiped your flour-covered hands on your apron and opened the door to your blonde neighbor.

“Heya Steve, What brings you here?”

“Hey, Y’N. You-” He stopped and looked down at your apron. “Are you baking?”

“Yup! I’m making Red Velvet cupcakes for Natasha.” His eyes widened.

“Why does she get them?” If you weren’t mistaken, he was pouting.

“I’m trying to get on her good side.”

“Oh..”

“Steve? Did you need something?”

“Oh! No, I just saw these were in front of your door and I figured you’d dropped them,” he said, handing you the package of cupcake wrappers. “Makes sense now of course.”

“Thanks Steve!”

“No problem.” He was about to turn away but stopped mid turn. “You know, I could be a taste-tester. Only if you need one of course.” You giggled.

“Come on in Steve.” He walked in behind you and took a seat at the stools on the other side of your kitchen counter.

You mixed the batter while Steve told you tales about him and Bucky as kids. You still couldn’t believe the six foot three wall of muscle used to be a tiny asthmatic who got into fights. Steve snuck a swipe of the batter with his finger and popped it in his mouth. He hummed happily.

“That’s already great, Y/N.” Steve tried to sneak another taste but you lightly smacked his hand away.

“Thanks, but no more tasting! You can have one when they’re done.” He pouted, and you stuck your tongue out in response.

Not long after, you had the cupcakes cooled and frosted with cream cheese frosting. Steve waited patiently, eyeing the desserts as you arranged them on a platter. In this state, he reminded you of a golden retriever. You took pity on him and placed a finished cupcake in front of him. He looked like a kid unwrapping it, before taking the bottom off the cupcake and flipping it on top so it was like a sandwich. He shoved the whole thing in his mouth and closed his eyes, letting out a small moan.

“Good?” you chuckled.

“Not good. Great. Fantastic,” he said through the mouthful of cake.

“Do you think Natasha will like them?”

“Y/N, if she doesn’t like them, I’ll take them off your hands.”

“Thanks Steve,” you beamed.

Steve walked with you to the tattoo shop after you had the cupcakes all packed up. Clint was the first one to spot you when you stepped in.

“Oh! What are those?!” He practically stumbled over his feet to get to you and Steve swiped platter out of your hands and held it way above his own head to keep them away from the man.

“Not for you, Barton.” Clint pouted.

“Sure, Barnes gets everything.” You giggled. They really were like a group of teenagers.

“Not for Bucky either,” you said.

You spotted your boyfriend at his station, hunched over a blonde girl’s thigh, inking an intricate design into her skin. He looked up when he heard you say his name, he stopped the machine and sent a smile your way. He said something to the girl then set down the tattoo gun and walked over to you. He slipped his arm around your waist and pulled you to him, placing a kiss on your lips.

“Hi, Doll. What brings you here?”

You looked up at the cupcakes Steve still held above your head and gave Steve a look. He brought them back down to your level, and you took them from him.

“Oh you made them! They look great!” Bucky kissed your cheek.

“Who made what?” Natasha asks, coming from the back of the shop, her eyes focused on some papers in her hands.

“Y/N made cupcakes!” Clint said excitedly. Nat’s head popped up and she locked eyes with you. For a second you forgot how to speak. Bucky gave you a gentle push forward.

“Uhm, I uh, I made you red velvet cupcakes.” Nat quirked her eyebrow. “I heard they were your favorite.”

Natasha eyed the sweets and you shoved the platter practically into her face. She squinted her eyes at you, before selecting a cupcake. Pulling down the wrapper, she took a bite into the sweet treat. Her eyes closed briefly and a smile formed on her face. Clint’s chucking brought her back to the group.

“What do you think, Tash?” Clint smirked. She rolled her eyes.

“Those are...amazing.” She reached for another and began to unwrap it. “Thank you, Y/N.”

“It was my pleasure, Natasha.”

“You can call me, Nat.”

You grinned up at Bucky and he mouthed an “I told you so.”

“Excuse me.” You knocked on the open door of the classroom. “Is this Mrs. Moore’s room?”

A woman with warm tan skin and kind brown eyes spun around with a clipboard held to her chest while several kids ran around her legs.

“That’s me. And you are?” she asked.

“I’m Y/N. I’m here to pick up Noah. Bucky got stuck at the shop and wasn’t able to leave to pick him up.”

“Oh! You must be the woman Noah keeps talking about. Something about dinosaurs?” You laughed.

“Yeah, that would be me. Is Noah ready to go?”

“Oh yes, he should be around here somewhere.” She looked around, spotting the brunet boy. “Noah! Y/N is here to pick you up!”

Noah set down the toys he was playing with and walked over to you, but with the lack of excitement, you immediately knew something was wrong.

“Noah? What's wrong sweetie?” You crouched down to hug the six year old. You realized he was crying when you felt your shirt get damp.

“Bobby Miller’s...mommy said… Daddy isn’t an artist,” he hiccupped.

“Oh yeah, well Bobby Miller’s mommy is wrong.” You stood up and took his hand. “Come on, let’s go home.”

You took his bag from him and headed out of the school.

“Tell me everything that happened, honey.”

“Well, we went to the zoo, and she was the leader of my group because Bobby was in my group and so was Peter and at lunchtime, she asked us what our parents did, and I told her Daddy was an artist. And she asked if he painted. And I told her he draws tattoos. And...and..she said Daddy wasn’t an artist.”

“Oh honey.” You ran your fingers through is hair. “Some people like Bobby Miller’s mommy don’t see the beauty in art if it isn’t on a canvas. What your daddy does is amazing. He draws really awesome things and it stays on people’s skin forever. Even better, it makes people happy. That doesn’t sound too bad does it?”

“No.” He shook his head. His eyes started to dry and his sniffling stopped. “I guess not.”

“I need better than that, mister. Aren’t you proud of what daddy does?”

“Yes!” he said excitedly.

“Good! You should be. Plus I know Daddy is proud of you too.”

“Really?!”

“Yep!” His energy was back and you breathed a small sigh of relief. “Now Let’s go back and I’ll show you what I use to make art. What do you think about that?”

“Let’s go!” He started running, pulling you along to get home faster.

Back at your apartment, you made Noah a snack of apple slices and Cheez-its and sat him at the table. You took the time to set up your drawing tablet and laptop, and connected it to your television so Noah could have the full experience.

“Wow! What’s that?” Noah exclaimed plopping on the floor next to you.

“This is a drawing tablet. You use a special pen called a stylus to draw on here like you would paper and you can paint it or color it however you want and see it on your computer.” You demonstrated a little bit, sketching a quick face.

“Cool! Can I try?”

“Sure thing, Little Man. These right here are your colors, and these are your brushes. You just tap them to change from what you’re using, okay?” He nodded in confirmation and that was the last time he spoke for a while.

You turned on some soft music and watched him draw, snapping a few pics for Bucky to have later. It was another hour before Bucky came through your door. You put your finger to your lips to signal him to stay quiet, then pointed to Noah who was super focused on his masterpiece. He leaned down to kiss you over the back of the couch, then smiled at his son. A few minutes later Noah finally sat back and put down the stylus. He turned around to talk to you when he noticed Bucky.

“Daddy!” Noah jumped on the couch to launch himself at Bucky.

“Hey kiddo! How was your day?”

“It was awesome! We went to the zoo and got to see all kinds of animals, even the lions and the tigers!”

“And the bears, oh my!” Bucky said, and you snickered.

“Mhm! We saw polar bears. And then, when we got back, Y/N let me draw with her special drawing thingy.”

“Drawing tablet,” you supplied.

“Right! And I drew all of us at my birthday party!” Sure enough the picture on the screen did depict several figures in a party setting.

“That’s great, bud!”

“Y/N. Will you come to my birthday party?” Noah asked, using the famed Barnes puppy eyes.

“Of course, Noah. I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Y/N, how do I keep this picture?”

“I’ll save it for you honey.” You moved the tablet to your lap to finish saving the file for him.

“Why don’t you go wash up then you can help me and Y/N make dinner? Alright, buddy?” Bucky said.

“Okay!” Noah rushed into the bathroom and you knew the two of you had only a couple minutes to yourselves before he came running back. Bucky swept you up from your position on the couch and into his arms, pressing a kiss to your lips.”

“Well that went far better than I thought it would.” Bucky said, bringing his arm around your shoulders.

“It went well. He seemed to have a good time.” You leaned your head on Bucky’s shoulder, and wrapped your arm around his torso.

You were sitting together on the front porch swing at Bucky’s parents’ house on the warm May night. Noah’s birthday party had just ended and his friends had gone home. Noah was tucked into his bed in his room at the Barnes’ house. You had forgotten what it was like to be a kid and hyped up on sugar until you were surrounded by twenty 6- and 7-year olds.

Noah ended the night with more toys than he could possibly need. Bucky and you would give Noah his gifts on his actual birthday on the 8th. You were nervous to give him his gift, if you were being honest. You decided against getting toys but something you thought he still might like. You found a couple books on astronomy because he seemed so fascinated with science and learning, as well as one of those night lights that cover the ceiling in stars. Sure it was themed but you thought it was cool, and Bucky encouraged it.

“Thank you, for helping out and putting up with the little guys with me,” Bucky said.

“It was no problem, Bucky. I actually had fun. I don't remember the last time I had a full ice cream bar to choose from.” You were going to regret the amount of sugar you'd consumed tonight but at the moment, you couldn't bring yourself to care.

“You're perfect, you know that?”

You wanted to argue that; you were far from perfect. You had baggage too, you had fears that you hadn't shared with Bucky yet. But then Bucky kissed the top of your head and you decided to leave it alone for tonight, and instead enjoyed the moment instead.

Fireflies danced around the yard, blinking in the dark , reminding you of the night sky. That was another thing you really loved about this town. It was small enough that there wasn’t a ton of light pollution, and if you traveled out of the center of town, the stars were really clear to see. Nothing like you had ever seen at home.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” You were mesmerized by the stars.

“You sure are.” You looked at Bucky and rolled your eyes.

“That was so cheesy, Barnes.”

“It’s not cheesy if it’s true.” He grinned at you.

“Well, thank you.” You kissed his cheek.

“I’ll always tell you you’re beautiful, Doll.” His hand cupped the side of your face. “Won’t let you forget it.” His eyes were intense even in the dark, and you had to blink a few times to break away from his gaze.

“Yeah yeah, Romeo.”

You poked him in the side, which turned out to be a bad idea. Bucky retaliated and started tickling you, and your laughter broke through the quiet of the night.

Bucky’s phone rang just after he tucked Noah in for the night. You had just gone back to your apartment after the quiet birthday dinner you’d had for Noah. He was so excited to go to bed so he could turn on the new starry night light, that he had Bucky tuck him in early. Bucky answered his phone without looking at the caller ID, assuming it was you or Steve.

“Hey Doll, did you forget something?”

“So the rumor is true then.” Bucky felt his stomach drop when he heard her voice.

“Annabelle.”

“Aw, so nice of you to remember me.”

“What do you want, Annabelle?” She laughed on the other end of the line.

“I’ve heard from a pretty reliable source that you’ve moved on from my sister. You know, you’re dead wife.”

“Now wait a-”

“No. You don’t get to speak. How dare you think you can just replace my sister. She was too good for you. She’s barely been gone a few years and all of the sudden, some new girl comes into your little town and you’re already in a relationship.”

“Annabelle-”

“You really didn’t care about my sister did you? You didn’t try hard enough to save her. She’s gone because of you. You don’t deserve to be happy, Barnes…” She paused, “In fact, I’ll make sure you aren’t.”

“Anna-”

“I’ll be seeing you Bucky. Tell my dearest nephew I said happy birthday.”

Annabelle hung up, and as soon as Bucky heard the click of the receiver, he collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table, with his head in his hands. How did she know about you? More importantly, what was she planning?

[Chapter 7]