#pete hid behind the paper

[lulublack90]

Prompt 2 - Oyster

@wolfstarmicrofic June 2, word count 711

Previous part First part

They had a bit of free time while all the new campers got settled in before the next activity started, so they were all relaxing in their cabin. 

“What are we doing next?” Sirius asked from his bed where he was firing tiny bits of balled-up paper with an elastic band at James, who was giving as good as he got.

“Arts and crafts today, to ease in the newbies,” James replied, his paper missile pinging out of the elastic band and somehow lodging itself up Peter’s nose. “Oh, shit, sorry, Pete!” James put down his band and went to help Peter. Sirius looked at Remus and burst out laughing. Remus chuckled quietly. 

“They’d better have something good to do and not like last year,” Sirius said as he shot paper balls at the back of James’s head. 

“What did they do last year?” Remus asked, unable to help himself. Sirius jumped up from his bed and flopped beside Remus, rolling onto his side and propping his head up with his hand. 

“Ah, dear, dear, Remus. Last year they gave us oyster shells to paint as jewellery dishes and poor Peter here managed to break his and slice his fingers open with the sharp edge. Had to go to the hospital, didn’t you Pete?” Peter nodded and held up his right hand to show Remus the little scars that formed a perfect line across the lips of his fingers. 

“You seem to be a bit accident-prone,” Remus blurted out before he could stop himself. He sat horrified. He’d only just met these people.

“That’s the understatement of the century,” Sirius snickered while Peter stuck his fingers up at him.

“Peter stay still,” James told Peter off as he turned his head back to where it had been. James put his hands on his hips and huffed, puffing out his lips as he tried to figure out how to get the paper out of Peter’s nose. 

“Has anyone got any tweezers?” Remus asked, looking at Sirius at the same time the other two did. 

“Why do you all assume I have tweezers?” Sirius pouted. “Oh, alright! They’re in my toiletry bag.” Remus’s eyes widened when he realised that Sirius expected him to go get them. When he didn't move, James went through to their little bathroom and grabbed them.

“Keep very still Petey,” James warned, his tongue already poking out of the corner of his mouth. 

“James, are you sure you can do this? Maybe I should go see Mrs Pomfrey,” Peter said, with a note of panic in his voice. 

“Pretty sure Pete,” James said as he moved the tweezers towards Peter's nose with a slightly shaky hand. Peter noticed. 

“Nope,” He said as he darted away from James. He jumped on Remus’s bed and hid behind him. “Remus, save me!” Remus got a sudden surge of courage and held out his hands for the tweezers. 

“Give them here, James. I’ll do it,” Peter didn’t look any happier about it. “Don’t worry, Peter,” Remus said kindly. “I’ve got a steady hand,” He held up his hand to show how it didn’t move. “Lie down, and I’ll have it out in a second.” Peter flopped back onto Remus’s bed. Remus tried to ignore the fact that everyone bar James was on his bed. He shook his head and moved closer to Peter’s face. 

He held the tweezers out and just as he was about to pluck the paper out of Peter’s nose, James sat on the bed, bouncing them. Remus froze. “You two,” He pointed at James and Sirius, “Off. Go and stand over there.” His bossy self took over. James and Sirius didn’t even question him and went and stood in the corner quietly. Remus turned around and in less than a second had the paper out. Peter hadn’t even noticed having his eyes screwed shut. “All done,” Remus smiled. “Now get off my bed,” He ordered, pushing Peter off his pillow. 

"You're brilliant, Remus," Sirius grinned as he bounced across the room, closely followed by James, and jumped straight back on Remus’s bed. Remus sighed, sensing this was going to become a regular occurrence. But he felt for the first time in his life he might finally have some friends. 

Next part

[milligramspoison]

Welcome to the FOB edition of this list! I originally did this with MCR :)

North America

LIVE DEBUT OF G.I.N.A.S.F.S. (Chicago)

CHRIS LIVESTREAMED THE SHOW

Live debut Heaven, lowa!!

Live debut of Baby Annihilation!

A cover of Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne!

The Take Over, the Breaks Over for the first time since 2017!

GIANT DOG HEAD BEHIND PATRICK

Someone wore a Mikey Fuckin' Way shirt to the show (he's already somehow made his way into this list and it's only night one)

Someone else wore a Hey Chris shirt

The Pink Seashell was the intro!

They opened up the tour with LFTOS (it's called Otherside on the official setlist!)

GINASFS being labeled GOLF on the setlist

William Beckett and a handkerchief

They played Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey!

They played Fake Out for the first time with Joe!

New merch tour merch!

CLANDESTINE MERCH

Security/ushers going hard during Centuries!

Pete straight up disappearing off the face of the earth before Crazy Train

Setlist got leaked (very reminiscent of one of MCR hometown shows lol)

Not tour content but Pavlove has randomly appeared on Spotify but is currently unplayable (Maryland Heights)

Patrick was spotted watching the openers!

A paper had to be made for presumably security to not mistake the guys as a concert goer (fucking hilarious)

Andy was also spotted watching the openers!

THEY'RE PLAYING RAY'S ICONIC SPOKEN WORD PART OF I'M NOT OKAY BETWEEN SETS

Each city is getting its own special shirt!! (This was revealed during the Missouri show!)

Setlistfm user mommymilkers live updating the setlist for us (icon)

LIVE DEBUT OF WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

GIN JOINTS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2008

JOE SINGING DURING CHICAGO

No one could tell if they either played Gin Joints or Tell That Mick at first

Setlistfm saying they covered Super Bass by Nicki Minaj (it was a troll but a funny one)

Patrick saying he wants to talk to the dog during This Ain't a Scene

Pete petting the dog

Pete giving his pick to a young fan <3

Stardust Funhouse! (Bonner Springs)

Fans with vip packages get their own magic 8 ball! (This has been happening since Chicago but wasn't revealed until night 3 of the tour!)

Patrick and Andy were watching Alkaline Trio together :)

PATRICK IS WEARING THE FEDORA

TOUR DEBUT OF HUM HALLELUJAH

I’M LIKE A LAWYER FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014

SOPHOMORE SLUMP ALSO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014

More trolls saying they covered ME! by Taylor Swift

“Fall Out Boy is my favorite fucking band”

New (I think) BMTH merch! (Woodlands)

BMTH joining the tour! (Been waiting for them since the announcement lol)

FOB SETLIST GOT LEAKED AGAIN

BMTH fans exploding over the fact that Kingslayer wasn't on BMTH's setlist

FOB fans being sad over the fact Pete isn't wearing his skirt (I think someone lied about this so understandable tbh)

THEY COVERED SOMEBODY TO LOVE BY QUEEN

THEY ALSO COVERED TAKE ON ME BY A-HA

Someone on setlistfm trolling everyone by saying they performed Golden for the first time since 2007

Someone else also trolling on setlistfm saying they covered Princess Diana by Ice Spice

Same troll mentioned above saying Ice Spice was there

More trolls saying they did WAP by Cardi B

LIVE DEBUT OF KINTSUGI KID

MORE trolls saying they did I Write Sins and Viva Las Vengeance by P!ATD (the trolls were really annoying tonight tbh)

What a surprise more trolls saying they covered Dear John by Taylor Swift

“I DRESS THIS WAY BC IF THE CROWD IS FEELING HOT AND MISERABLE THEN IM GONNA BE HOT AND MISERABLE WITH YOU GUYS WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER”

Patrick getting a friendship bracelet and having some banter with Pete <3

The lovely @andoutofharm leaking the setlist for us that says Kansas City even though they're in Dallas (Dallas is proving to be chaos) (wasn’t actually tonight’s setlist but funny it was there)

Joe is hiding his book for fans similar to how MCR hid drumsticks for fans!

Clandestine merch returns in Dallas!

Oli giving FOB a brief shoutout before MANTRA!

PETE IS IN THE SKIRT

Speech about support staff!

Speech about TTTYG’s anniversary!!!

WHAT A CATCH DONNIE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013

THE (AFTER) LIFE OF THE PARTY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007

Pete walked around in the audience!

“Trying to keep it cool in Texas”

Patrick’s speech about imposter syndrome <3 (whole thing is very sweet and nice)

BMTH not performing in Phoenix :( (sad times)

PETE IS IN A SKIRT AGAIN

Patrick is wearing the black button up again but tucked in!

TAKE OVER AND HUM HALLELUJAH IN THE SAME NIGHT

Pete talking about prioritizing love <3

SPOTLIGHT BY PATRICK WAS FUCKING PLAYED HOLY SHIT

ALSO PATRICK’S FIRST TIME PLAYING SPOTLIGHT SINCE 2011

SPACE CAMP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013

They played one extra song tonight! (They usually play 27 songs a night)

Played the instrumental version of Stardust at the end of the show!

Patrick’s speech before Spotlight <3

Pete got Grimaced but Patrick lives on in peace lol

MIKEY FUCKIN WAY IS AT THE FUCKING SHOW (Chula Vista)

A COVER OF NOTHING COMPARES 2 U BY PRINCE

(COFFEE’S FOR CLOSERS) FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009

Patrick and Pete didn’t do the waltz :(

MIKEY PLAYED FUCKING SATURDAY WITH THEM

MIKEY WITH PETE WHILE PLAYING SATURDAY

MIKEY RUNNING TO THE STAGE TO PLAY

Mikey posting Andy on his story <3333

PATRICK AND MIKEY HUGGING <33333333

Mikey with the entire band <3333333

I nearly spread an entire rumor that Mikey posted sim versions of FOB on his story (oops)

Pete doing this weird/messed up bow thing towards Patrick

“Love you dudes!” on Mikey’s story <33333

“My two dads” on Gabe’s story (never change Gabe)

Patrick stopping the show to make sure a fan is okay <3

Kristin reposting Mikey playing with FOB on her story <3

The pit during BMTH’s set

Oli is missing a fucking shoe

I predicted Mikey performing with FOB :3

Mr. Blue Sky cover! (LA night one)

GOLDEN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007

G.I.N.A.S.F.S. IS MAGIC 8 BALL ONCE AGAIN

AMERICA’S SUITEHEARTS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009

TWO MAGIC 8 BALL SONGS AS YOU CAN SEE ABOVE

They played 29 songs tonight!! (They usually about 27 songs a night)

PETE AND PATRICK HARMONIZED DURING SRAR

Pete spotting his trainer in the crowd (literally the equivalent of Gerard from MCR talking about their mailman during a show)

Patrick’s speech before medley <3

“New car smell stadium”

Demi Lovato was at the show and performed with Royal & the Serpent, one of the openers!

Pete being shipped to the audience (Amazon same day delivery)

America’s Suitehearts being labeled as ASS on the official setlist

Oli in a cult leader tank top (literally just says cult leader)

The band had a secret show earlier on in the day! (LA night two)

Technically tour stuff, but Pete possibly hinting at an MCR x FOB tour for 2024!

Someone on setlistfm deleting the entire setlist

LIVE DEBUT OF I’VE GOT ALL THIS RINGING IN MY EARS

A COVER OF EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

SOPHOMORE SLUMP WITH WILLIAM BECKETT OF THE ACADEMY IS

THE (AFTER) LIFE OF THE PARTY ONCE AGAIN

LIVE FUCKING DEBUT OF BANG THE DOLDRUMS

Pete’s speech <3

Pete has a new jacket!

Saturday with Adam T. Siska!

“It looks like there's a lot of you, it's a little intimidating” ~ Patrick (Mountain View)

What A Catch Donnie once again!

A cover of Alison by Elvis Costello!

THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS AND FAKES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013

Pete and Andy briefly turning the show into comedy hour

Pete stood on the piano (thanks piano)

Random guy checking his emails during BMTH’s set (lowkey pretty funny, shoutout to this iconic guy)

Not tour stuff but Electric Touch by Taylor Swift featuring FOB came out today! (July 7th) (West Valley City)

Patrick telling everyone to sing along to Grand Theft Autumn

Cover of Hold The Line by Toto!

THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2018

Someone having a Frerard license plate (honestly super funny)

Patrick saving a bug

Pete broke up a fight (pls don’t fight at concerts that’s not fucking cool) (Greenwood Village)

THEY DID FUCKING BANG THE DOLDRUMS AGAIN AND IT WASN’T EVEN MAGIC 8 BALL TIME

ACOUSTIC GUITAR FOR MEDLEY

PATRICK PLAYED AN ORIGINAL SONG BY HIS DAD <33333

Patrick’s dad is at the show! <3

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014

“The party tonight is awesome” ~ Pete

“The last thing you want to do is go and brag tomorrow that you got into a fight at a fucking Fall Out Boy show. And it wasn’t even with Bring Me The Horizon, y’know what I mean?” ~ also Pete

The song Patrick played from his dad is called Goin’ North!

There’s bubbles during Disloyal!! (This has been happening the entire tour but I haven’t seen anyone bring it up until the Colorado show!)

Cover of Peace Love and Understanding by Elvis Costello & The Attractions! (Rodgers)

I SLEPT WITH SOMEONE IN FOB FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2015

A speech about Stardust!

Patrick during Saturday <3

“I’m gonna go play Super Mario Brothers”

Pete chatted with a kid during the show <3

Storm delay just before FOB’s set, thankfully everyone was safe!! (Somerset)

Oli has lost his fucking shoe once again

Drunk guy took his pants off and had security chase him (hope they caught him)

THEY SOUNDCHECKED BANG THE DOLDRUMS

The venue is apparently in a cornfield

Only half the stage got set up :(

The dog is named Blitz (yes it took me till Wisconsin to learn it’s fucking name)

THE EYES ALSO FUCKING GLOW

“People ask us what it was like at old fob shows and the answer is that it was kind of like this, we would just play until the police kicked us out” ~ Pete lol

LIVE DEBUT OF FAME < INFAMY CONGRATS WISCONSIN YOU FUCKING DESERVE IT

No medley tonight (storm delay and strict curfew)

Also the shortest show of the tour so far! They played only 16 songs when they usually play about 27-28 songs (again storm delay and strict curfew)

One of the openers wore a cheesehead apparently!

BMTH’s drumhead says Steve for some reason??

Oli hugged a fan <3

OLI RAN THROUGH THE FUCKING MERCH STANDS

Double rainbow!! (Cincinnati)

LIVE DEBUT OF FAVORITE RECORD

Patrick being proud of himself after performing Favorite Record <3

Joe got a new tattoo entitled Z-Bone for his youngest daughter Zayda! <3

Troll on setlistfm saying they covered Harder, Better, Faster Stronger by Daft Punk lol (Noblesville)

Same troll saying they covered Mr. Brightside by The Killers and I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas

Same troll saying they covered Peaches by Jack Black

Patrick skipping around <3

WHERE DID THE PARTY GO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014

Patrick randomly became a wizard during the show and made Pete disappear :3

Pete being a gamer boy on his ig and playing Fortnite <3

The same troll from the other night saying they covered Daft Punk (again) and fucking Nintendo (Cuyahoga Falls)

“I have like, 3 brain cells left” ~ Pete

MEDLEY HAD I’M LIKE LAWYER

Cover of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen!

LIVE DEBUT OF 27

Pete smiling and waving to his two youngest kiddos, Saint and Marvel during Dance Dance <3

A fan also gave Meagan and the kiddos friendship bracelets! (Revealed in the tags in the link above!)

PETE’S IN A SKIRT (Bristow)

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER ACCOUSTIC

TOUR DEBUT OF SHE’S MY WINONA

SHE’S MY WINONA FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009

I FUCKING PREDICTED SHE’S MY WINONA

New merch for the magic 8 ball! (Charlotte)

Someone the day before the show put an entire fake setlist on setlistfm lol

A Jehovah’s Witness is at the show (slay ig)

And apparently another person randomly preached at the show??

Someone is also barking in the pit??

Lean On Me by Bill Withers cover!!

DEAD ON ARRIVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013

S’mores after the show is over on Pete’s story

Oli dedicated Can You Feel My Heart to FOB!

POSSIBLE 7 MINUTES SOUNDCHECK?? (Virginia Beach)

7 MINUTES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007

PATRICK PLAYED THE DRUMS

“Sing it with me, honey!” Patrick to Blitz during This Ain’t a Scene

In typical Florida fashion…severe thunderstorm warning to start off the night (West Palm Beach)

Karaoke by the merch stand!

Setlist got leaked!

8 ball hint is gator bites…

Andy is back!!!

PETE’S IN THE SKIRT

THEY COVERED DANCING QUEEN BY ABBA

TELL MICK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013

ACCIDENTALLY PREDICTED TELL MICK IN MY DMS WITH @frankierosbackbends

DEAD ON ARRIVAL IN PLACE OF CHICAGO TONIGHT (Tampa)

MISS MISSING YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2015

ALSO THE TOUR DEBUT OF MISS MISSING YOU

Facebook completely simping for Pete on instagram

Oli dedicated Can You Feel My Heart to FOB again!!

PATRICK MAY HAVE SANG FRICTION IN HIS JEANS (Atlanta)

Played Nothing Compares 2 U in honor of Sinead O’Conner as she passed away </3

LIVE DEBUT OF FROM NOW ON WE ARE ENEMIES

FOB (kinda) ARE IN THE FUCKING BARBIE MOVIE

Pete revealed in the RATS podcast that Saint (his youngest son) drew the backdrop for Blitz! (Clarkston)

William Beckett is at the show for whatever reason??

He also performed Chicago with FOB!

Trolls on setlistfm saying they covered Blood by MCR

Pete falling into the box during Crazy Train

DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I THINK I AM FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007

Cover of Coffee Mug by Descendents as a tribute to Milo Auckerman

The crowd booing people who were fighting (Toronto)

Pete also mocking the people that were fighting

THEY CUT LAST OF THE REAL ONES

LIVE DEBUT OF WEST COAST SMOKER

I PREDICTED WEST COAST SMOKER

THE RETURN OF DOUBLE 8 BALL

Oli taking someone’s drink and BMTH posting the person’s reaction on their story (op got a good laugh out of it, I saw the video from their pov!)

Pete playing tennis at the venue just before tonight’s show! (Forest Hills)

PETE IS AIRDROPPING THE NEW GAMES WE PLAY SONG TO FANS

JUST ONE YESTERDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2014 FOR MEDLEY

STEREO HEARTS AND CUPIDS CHOKEHOLD FOR MEDLEY AS WELL

TRAVIE FUCKING MCCOY PERFORMED WITH THEM

COVER OF ENTER SANDMAN BY METALLICA

LIVE DEBUT OF I AM MY OWN MUSE

DOUBLE FUCKING 8 BALL AGAIN

TRAVIE SAID GYM CLASS HEROES IS COMING BACK

Oli down in the pit saying “don’t tell Patrick” for whatever reason lol (Boston)

Joe posting a bunch before tonight’s show!!

I’m Shipping up to Boston cover by the Dropkick Murphys!

Cover of Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond!

LIVE DEBUT OF WAMS DURING MEDLEY

XO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007

THIRD DOUBLE 8 BALL IN A ROW

“I’m standing in your spotlight now” Patrick to Pete during riff banter!!

“I like it, I like it” Pete to Patrick also during riff banter!!

GET BUSY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2006 FOR MEDLEY (Darien)

Pete saying Patrick has a “teddy bear vibe but he gets the job done”

Patrick also blushed when Pete said that

LIVE FUCKING DEBUT OF YOU’RE CRASHING

FOURTH DOUBLE 8 BALL IN A ROW

DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ AND ENTER SANDMAN IN THE SAME NIGHT

Pete saying Patrick reminds him of Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills quarterback

Patrick also being incredibly confused by the bullet point above lol

Oli dedicated DiE4u to Snooki (Holmdel)

Pete’s bass very briefly caught on fire after The Phoenix…Pete is VERY THANKFULLY okay (this apparently happened at another recent show too)

Dead on Arrival was dedicated to RATS aka Royal & the Serpent!!

“We’re very happy you're part of our family” Pete to someone at their very first FOB show!!! <3

LIVE FUCKING DEBUT OF I’VE GOT A DARK ALLEY FOR MEDLEY

A mini stage was set up on the lawn for Pete for Dance, Dance!

LIVE DEBUT OF BOB DYLAN

FIFTH DOUBLE 8 BALL IN A ROW

Games We Play played bass for Pete during Saturday!!

Bob Dylan and I Am My Own Muse being labeled as Willie Nelson and Super Smash Bros on the setlist

They randomly played the national anthem at the show?? (It’s apparently a venue thing??)

Gabe Saporta trying to make it to the last show of the NA tour but LAX keeps delaying his flight :( (Camden)

Pete posting food onto his story that is presumably on Patrick’s piano to practice for medley lol

DEAD ON ARRIVAL WITH RATS!!!

Rats requested Dead On Arrival a bunch of times!!

“Awww :(” Patrick after Pete said that this is the last night of the us leg of the tour

JET PACK BLUES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2018 FOR MEDLEY

Jet Pack Blues into I’ve Got a Dark Alley into Golden for medley </3

LIVE FUCKING DEBUT OF FUCKING PAVLOVE

TRIPLE FUCKING 8 BALL

Somehow fucking predicted a triple 8 ball a couple of days ago 0.0

manicpixiefinalgirl on tiktok started a Joe chant in the pit!!

Hello if you’ve made it this far!! Ty for taking the time to check this out and go through it all!

This will be back for FOB’s Japan shows later this month and for their shows in Europe in October and November, so stay tuned for that!

I had a fantastic time following the North American tour with everyone, can’t wait to do it again with you all soon! :)

[waklman]

Double Take

Chapter three: The Chase

synopsis: the hard-deck believes their prized solo artist needs to boost her social presence before a long awaited album release, with the help of a manager (babysitter). yet, you manage to ditch or chase away every artist manager that gets assigned to help you. as a last resort, the label contacts the only manager who was able to tie you down, the now retired Pete Maverick Mitchell, asking for a referral. lucky for you, the one person that comes to his mind is Bradley Bradshaw—who’s in need of a new job.

warnings: no use of y/n, mature themes 18+, explicit language, reader is 21 and bradley is 23.

word count: 3.4k.

previous chapter | next chapter | double take masterlist.

Maybe you should’ve tried harder when it came to your efforts towards evading Bradley. Or maybe you shouldn’t have underestimated his determination in the first place. He was brung up by Maverick, after all. And the old man wasn’t exactly known for being a quitter—nor does he raise them. 

It was three weeks ago when you first ditched Bradley, abandoning him at some after party you can barely recall. And it took him less than five minutes to track you down—tucked away in a corner of a nearby coffee shop. 

Since then, you were met with many more failed attempts at shaking him off. Whenever you thought you had finally escaped him, he would appear right behind you like a second shadow. 

You make a run for the library to avoid a public dinner appearance? He’s waiting between two hard cover books—until you skim through that shelf. You think you successfully slipped past him during a promotional event? Yeah, no he’s already standing by the exit with a grin on his face. 

There was nothing you could do without him already being one step ahead of you. He even stalked you enough to learn about your special spot. The Miller’s Bookshop. 

“Hey, sweetheart?” Mrs. Miller, softly calls out for you by her spot at the register, knowing you’re not too far off. 

“..Yeah..” you answer absentmindedly, nose stuffed deep into a poetry book. 

“Your handsome friend is here looking for you again,” she chuckles, amused by the little cat and mouse game you two have been playing at.

It seems like everyone finds this situation funny—but you. Like it’s some fool-proof joke that you’re left in the dark about—doomed to never grasp understanding of. 

You toss your head back against the wall, closing your eyes in defeat. Handsome friend? No one else comes to mind. “I’m back here, Bradshaw.” 

“Anyone in the mood for breakfast?” He sings loudly, shaking the bag of food for you to hear—trying to beckon your interest. 

Bradley offers Mrs. Miller a polite smile, before making his way to you—turning his body to fit through the narrowly spread bookshelves. He ducks his head, dodging the paper cranes that hang from the ceiling, knowing how to maneuver around the place from being here so often. 

He assumes it’s just part of your creative procedure, to stow yourself away in here until you’re able to pump out song lyrics. 

You recently entered the process of songwriting, after finally getting back to Javy about his project files. And with that, you’ve been quietly sneaking out of your apartment and into the bookshop before Bradley could even stir in bed. 

If anything—it worked out in his favor, because Bradley’s slowly starting to catch up on sleep—and he knew exactly where to find you in the mornings. 

It was a dingy little bookstore—small, cluttered, and tightly tucked between two trendy cafes that wildly outshined it. Yet you were always there—sitting quietly in one of the reading cubbies–a private space for customers to look through their books after a purchase. 

His eyes skim over all the little nooks, spotting the toes of your sneakers peeking out from one of the occupied cubbies. “Mind if I join?” He asks, pulling back the worn out curtain that hid you away. 

“I mind very much, actually,” you reply, not bothered enough to look away from your book. Opposite to your word, you’re already scooting over to let Bradley sit besides you. His determination lets him squeeze his big frame into the cozy compartment with you. 

“Ouch–watch it,” you scold, finally snapping your eyes to him. “Are you trying to sit next to me or sit on top of me?” Bradley lightly laughs, lifting his butt so you could pull your loose pant-leg from under him. 

Bradley sits back down. “You know,” he starts, leaning the opening of the bag towards you “..girls don’t typically complain when I’m on top.”

“Why? Because they’re too busy rethinking their life choices?” You mockingly remark, reaching inside to grab your bagel. You skim a hand through the rest of the bag, there’s nothing else inside there but napkins. “Where’s yours?” You ask, withdrawing your hand.

“Ate it on my way over,” he shrugs, extracting the item of food from you. He carefully peels back the wrapping paper, uncovering enough for you to take a bite. You hum, taking it back from him. 

Then it falls quiet again, with you taking slow bites of your toasted bagel, waiting for inspiration to strike while Bradley flips through the book for you—closely waiting for you to nod, a signal for him to turn the page. 

It’s oddly intimate—the routine you two fell into. Bradley started to pick up your regime faster than you expected him to, adjusting himself seamlessly into your daily life.

Graham even pointed out that Bradley’s outlasted all your previous managers, with the exception of Maverick—and he was right. Bradley’s already learning how to deal with you.

Finishing the page you’re on, you nod for Bradley to detect the motion. But he doesn’t move, leaving you to stare at the same text. 

Again, you nod your head, waiting for him to flip to the next page. His reaction is delayed—swiping to a fresh page for you, one full minute after you signaled him to. “..My bad.” he mutters the apology, with a yawn following right after. 

“Take a nap,” you mutter the command, with a mouth full of food–plucking the book from his hands. 

Bradley’s cheeks fills with air, holding back a second yawn. “Why? So you could sneak out while I’m knocked?” He asks, finally pushing the sign of tiredness away. 

It was a joke, yet you provide him with a serious answer. “No—I’ll be here awhile, since they’re closed for the next few days. The Millers are taking off to celebrate their anniversary,” you reply, adjusting the book in your lap. 

“What about your book? I always hold it for you.” 

“Just sleep. I can read on my own–been doing it long before you came around.” You’re only half paying attention to what you’re saying, too busy reading over a line of poetry that brews an idea.

Bradley purses his lips, seeing that you’re already set on it. “Whatever you say boss.”

“You’re funny if you think I’m letting you sit like that, Move in,” he scoffs, reaching backwards to pat the empty space between you two. 

When you guys finally left the bookshop, you expected to leave in his Ford Bronco–not a brand new Harley. 

“How’d you convince Ms. Benjamin into buying a company motorcycle?” You question, leaning over to check out the side of the bike. It’s not as sweet as Maverick’s ride, but you can’t deny that it’s definitely a looker. 

Bradley grins under his helmet, knocking back the kickstand with his heel. “Told her it’s better for your image. I figured you have car sickness. You can’t keep showing up to events lookin’ like you’re about to hurl.” 

“How'd you figure that one out?” You ask without thinking, grabbing his shoulders as he balances you two. 

“Are you kidding me? The image of you hanging out the side of my car like a paper doll lives rent free in my head,” he reminds you, slightly offended that you forgot about that whole fiasco. 

“Hm, forgot about that,” you brush him off, with a shrug of your shoulders. 

Bradley’s tongue presses flat against his teeth. “Lack of lyrics clogging up your brain?”

“Horrible jokes clogging up yours?” You plainly throw back at him. 

“You just love rewording my jokes, don’t you?”

“Yeah, cause I make them funnier,” you answer flatly, with an empty expression sitting under your own helmet. 

“Right. Now hold on tight, dollface,” he pats the side of your thigh. 

You listen to his instruction, scooting forward to lightly press your front onto his back—until you fully catch what he said. “What did you just call me?”

“What? Isn’t that what Mav calls you when he drives you around?” He inquires, revving the engine—letting it roar back at him. 

“I was one of his clients–not one of his flings,” you correct him. 

“What is it then? My girl? My sweet litt–”

“Don’t make this conversation weird, freak,” you cut him off coldly.

Bradley’s tongue pokes his cheek at the insult. Freak? 

He stretches his jaw, annoyed. “I was told by Mav growing up that if little girls are mean to me, it means they have a crush on me,” he says, mockingly. 

“Well, I was told by Mav that if your helmet is on too tight, you can’t think properly,” you start to fire back. “So maybe you should loosen that thing on your big head before you say anything stupid. Oh wait—it’s already too late for that.” It’s like getting repeatedly shot by a gun after already being killed. For once, he would rather you turn to physical violence instead of using your words. 

Bradley bites his tongue, knowing this is only getting messy since you’re both just spurred on by hunger. It’s been hours since you both had breakfast—and a small one at that. 

He lets out a sigh, willing himself to ignore the blow to his ego. “…Wanna try to get those poke bowls again?”

You puff your cheeks, embarrassed by the burst of anger. “…I want spicy salmon in mine.”

If Bradley learned one thing from his babysitting days, it was that—playing with a toddler til they drop was the best way to tire them out.

But in this case, you weren’t a toddler—just a restless girl who can’t keep her hands off that stupid book you brought home. 

“I’m never touching that copy again,” you voice your annoyance, turning your back to him. 

“Good, cause you’re addicted to it,” he sternly replies, fluffing the pillow under your head. 

The only way Bradley could keep your paws off the damn book was to finally stuff it down his pants after wearing you down in a fight for it.

Before reaching that conclusion—he managed to snatch the book from you, holding it up in the air, leaving you to jump on your tippy toes—trying to reach for it, for almost an hour as insults came flying out your mouth.  It was like watching a toddler discover what curse words are.

After successfully wearing you out, Bradley’s now crouched next to your bedside, watching your shoulders relax under the sheets. 

“What’s in that damn thing that’s got you so hooked anyway?” He whispers. Bradley doesn’t think of any consequences when reaching out a hand to stroke your head next. And to his surprise, you let him do it.

In some ways, you remind him of the untamed puppy he had as a child. You were stubborn and grouchy in every way possible—but for some reason Bradley wasn’t willing to give up on you. Maybe he just liked having a challenge. Just maybe.

“Reading helps me write all my hit songs…I’m nothing without it,” you mumble tiredly, unsure if you’re imagining the comforting strokes or not. 

His pinky slightly brushes over the shell of your ear at your confession. “Are you sure? I haven’t seen you write down one line, Taylor Swift.” 

You’re starting to doze off, but you still catch his lame joke. “That better not be an insult to Taylor…” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare Mousey, not with you around,” he says softly, brushing a strand of hair back.

You don’t answer him. 

As carefully as he can, Bradley leans in to hover over your still body. A small smile tugs his lips, seeing that this the first time you’ve fallen asleep before he has. 

That hard expression you’re always wearing is long gone—and your lips are just barely parted as you let out calm breaths. You look cute. 

For someone who was so adamant on you getting to bed, Bradley’s pulling you right out of it. 

“What.” you grumble—pulling the door open to see him fully awake—not one part of him screams tired. 

The grin plastered on his face, just sets your annoyance to sink in even deeper. Was this why everyone called him Rooster? For waking up at criminally insane hours? You would ask, but your reluctance to be out of bed right now overweighs the curiosity. 

Bradley’s purpose for appearing at your front door slips his brain for a moment, and his eyes shamelessly rake over your sleepy appearance. The oversized shirt you had on is wrinkled from sleep and he could barely make out if you’re wearing anything under there or not. Were you one of those people who strip in their sleep or something? 

As if on cue, Maverick’s stern face appears in Bradley’s head like an unwanted pop up ad–reminding him that he should make a better effort to be professional.

“Hello?” you make a face at him, weirded out by his silence.

Bradley clears his throat. “Your stylist told me she needs you to try on these archives. We’re uh-we’re attending a big movie premiere tomorrow,” he reports awkwardly, lifting the stack of black garment bags into your line of sight—attempting to distract you from his stuttering.

Your brows knit together, wondering where his kiddish demeanor wandered off to. 

Bradley remains motionless, letting you scan him up and down with an unimpressed look in your eye.

He probably hit the gym before knocking at your door. Bradley’s sporting athletic wear—he has on a pair of running shorts—probably as short as yours, riding up his lower thigh with a navy blue long sleeve clung tightly on his upper half, revealing his progress at the gym. 

Without saying a word, you turn around to let him follow you inside. 

He carefully picks out his next words, trying to find the best way to bring up his following request without sounding predatory, afraid he might tick you off. “She also asked me for videos of you in the outfits, you know—to see how they fit.” He sets down the bags onto your couch for you to grab. 

“Do you have your phone on you?” You reach down for the garments. 

“Um. Yeah.” 

You leave him unanswered, dragging your heavy feet over to your bedroom–with the racks of clothes thrown over your shoulder.

“Bradshaw?” you call out for him, hesitantly. “Are you sure this doesn’t belong to someone else?”

You’ve finished changing into the first outfit, speaking to him from inside your room while he waits for you on the couch. “Can you come look? I don’t think this is mine.”

Bradley throws his phone off to the side, pulling himself up from your cushions. “Are you sure? Your name was labeled on the bags and everything Mouse,” he assures you, walking towards your bedroom.

He patiently stands in front of your door, watching the knob jiggle as you work to unlock it. 

Slowly, the door is pulled open, revealing the outfit that's causing you so much uncertainty. “This is…I don’t think I put this on right,” you mutter, awkwardly stretching out your arms for him to see.

Bradley blinks. 

He’s not even sure what you have on. It looks like you have a scarf wrapped around your body, covering only bits and pieces of you that make him nervous to even acknowledge. 

It doesn’t help that the fabric is dangerously thin and looks like bandage wrappings.

Bradley begins to sweat. You’re starting to resemble that sexy nurse out of that bad 70s porno he and Jake watched one time—as a joke. The woman wore nothing but bandages.

Bradley licks his lips, trying his best to appear put together with a serious look on his face—but you start to turn—to show him your backside. “..Like the back is even worse, Bradshaw. Here, look,” you tell him, unaware that his beads of sweat had spawned from looking at you—and not from his previous visit to the gym. 

And all it takes is one peak at the sparkly thin band of your underwear to get him to snap his head to the door frame beside him. Why the hell did you own so many cute pairs of underwear? He took you for a girl who wore those unflattering granny panties. You preferred comfort over looks, didn’t you? 

“Christ. Stay still, you’re gonna fucking flash me,” he warns, turning you back around so your front is facing him again—as if that even helped his case. 

“Maybe we should ask her to pick out something different for me. This won’t capture well on camera,” you conclude, stiffly looking down at your outfit. 

Depends on what kind of camera, actually. There’s a dreadfully long list of willing participants who would love to see you in this get up. 

He clears his throat, dismissing his awful imagination–hesitantly dropping his gaze back on you. “I’ll have to agree with you on that Mouse. We shouldn’t let paparazzi see you in this.” He scans you one last time. 

“When I make this hand gesture, you guys can step up for your pictures.” The man with the clipboard makes a signal with his hands, showing Bradley what he means. 

“Got it. Thanks man.” Bradley gives the staff member an understanding nod. 

As the worker walks off, Bradley looks over to you, checking if you paid attention to the directions. But you look like you’re on the brink of fainting, staring at the swarm of men juggling their heavy cameras behind the velvet ropes, repeatedly clicking their shutter buttons. 

His curious eyes drop down to your neckline, noticing that you’ve been anxiously twisting the pendant on your necklace. 

Bradley cups his hand over yours—prying your fingers off the expensive piece of jewelry. 

He sighs to himself. Your stylist would kill him if he returned the necklace damaged. He was sure the french woman already had his name on her hit-list the moment he came back with your outfits in hand, asking for a new set of clothes.

The crowd of fans camping behind the horde of paparazzi collectively awe at Bradley’s seemingly romantic gesture–yelling over each other to catch your attention, waving their cd copy of your last album over their heads–paying no mind to the well-known actress who’s currently posing on the red carpet. 

Bradley drops his hold on your hand, to protectively move his body in front of you–shielding you from the next set of rapid flashing lights, as the actress strikes a new pose for the cameras. You look up at him, surprised by his sudden mannerism. 

Bradley’s hazel eyes finally meet your nervous ones. The stress of being next in line for photos is clear as day on your face. 

This is the first time you’re ever officially appearing with someone on a red carpet. If this didn’t poke at the flame of your dating rumors with him, you wouldn’t know what will. 

It’s perfect for what Penny wants for you. If Bradley wanted to keep his income steady, he wouldn’t ever let you walk out on this. 

For fuck sake, Bradley can practically imagine the praise he’d get for this—leading you in front of the cameras, holding onto the small of your back as he gives you a loving look as instructed.

You spend the next minute staring up at him, tuning out the layered shouting and deafening chatter swirling the air around you two. This is it. You can’t run from this.

Bradley’s determination starts dwindling the more he looks into your eyes. It tugs at his chest, leaving him unbelievably weak. 

Bradley lets out a breath, not believing what he’s about to do. 

“Let’s ditch this place. We didn’t get to eat lunch yet,” he casually offers with a shrug.

What? 

Confusion washes over you, as he tilts his head towards the exit, the one you both marked upon arrival. 

“But Penny–”

“Won’t fire me. If we just say you ran off again,” he proposes, raising an eyebrow at you. “I technically have to chase after you if you slip past me.” He steps aside, hinting at you to go.

You look over at the exit, then back at him with an unsure look on your face. 

He nods, giving you the go ahead.

You finally give in, lips pulling into smile. Bradley falters at the unfamiliar sight. You’re smiling at him for the first time.

“You think you can catch me Bradshaw?” You tease.

He loosens his tie, with a grin. “Oh, I will,” he answers, playing along. “Preferably outside? Where my bike is parked?” 

“I mean, where else would I run off to?”

note: ahh this took me a second to get out..but!! mouse and bradley finally being friends?? who would’ve thought..! but that only means trouble will start to truly stir soon

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taglist: @bethbunnyy @averyhotchner @alexa4040 iamaslytherin0

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

This Little Piggy

Summary: Peter 1 tries a game on his oldest brother ❤️

(Fluffy game for @parker-fluff ❤️ because you're too cute when tickled 😁)

Peter 2 was stretched out on the couch while playing on his phone. After a busy week at work, this lazy Saturday was exactly what he needed. No papers, no worries, just a lazy day on the couch.

However, the oldest Peter soon sensed he was not alone. He looked up from his phone to see his youngest's brother studying him from the entry way.

"Hey Pete."

"Hi. Will I annoy you if I come in?"

"Of course not Bug. You can come in here if you want."

Peter 1 stepped into the living room. "Two?"

Two looked back up. "Yeah?"

"Can we play a game?"

The oldest set his phone aside. "Sure Bug. Which game did you have in mind?"

Peter 1 hurried forward and plopped himself on the couch next to Peter 2's feet. One then picked up his older brother's feet and placed them in his lap.

Peter 2 curiously watched his baby brother. "What ahare you doing?"

"Juhust plahaying a game."

Before the oldest could ask what he meant, Peter 1 grabbed Peter 2's toe.

"Thihis little piggy went toho market." Peter 1 wiggled the biggest toe.

Two chuckled. The game wasn't super tickly to him, but the silliness made him laugh.

Peter 1 wiggled the next toe. "Thihis little piggy stahayed home."

"Oho?"

Peter 1 wiggled the third toe. "Thihis lihittle piggy hahad roast beef."

Peter 2's giggling picked up as One continued laughing at his own game.

Peter 1 grabbed Two's fourth toe and gave it a wiggle. "Thihis lihittle phiggyhy hahad nohone."

"Pohoor tohoe."

One was giggling so much he almost couldn't finish his game. He finally managed to grab Peter 2's last toe and wiggle it. "Ahand thihis lihittle pihiggy wehehent . . ."

"Went whahat?"

The youngest Peter scribbled across the oldest's foot. "Wee! Wee! Wehe! All thehe way hohome!"

Peter 2 giggled lightly as his younger brother beamed at his game. "Ahare ahall the pihiggys back hohome?"

One tapped his brother's other foot. "Nohot these ones!"

Peter moved his other foot over. "Wehell, go ahead ahand get them home."

"Ohokay!" Peter 1 grabbed his big toe and wiggled it. "Thihis little piggy wehent to maharket."

Peter 2 chuckled again as Peter 1 walked through his game again. It was adorable to watch him enjoy "turning the tables" on the oldest Peter.

Peter 1 wiggled Two's littlest toe. "Ahand thihis littlehele pihiggy wehehent . . ."

"Went whahat Pete?"

The youngest Peter smirked as he scribbled along the oldest's heel. "Wee! Wehe! Wehe! Ahall the wahay hohome!"

Peter 2 squealed. "PETER!"

Peter 1 continued his attack on Two's heels. "Lohooks lihike the pihiggys found theheir way hohome!"

Peter 2 playfully kicked One's hands away. "Yohou stihinker!"

The youngest Peter grinned at the oldest. "Ahaw, buhut we wehere havihing soho much fun!"

"Yohou want sohome fun." Peter 2 grabbed One's leg and pulled it up to him. "Ihill show yohou fuhun!"

One squealed as he landed on his back. Two had rested his foot on his chest then wrapped his arm around One's ankle.

Two wiggled One's big toe. "This lihittle pihiggy went to market."

The youngest giggled adorably at the action.

Peter 2 grinned as he wiggled One's second toe. "This lihittle piggy stahayed home."

"Awahaw, pohoor pihiggy."

"It's okay." The oldest tapped the toe he had just tickled. "Hehe's aha home body anywahay."

"Hohome bohody?"

"Bahasically an introvert."

"Oh, ohokay!"

Two wiggled One's third toe. "Nohow this little pihiggy had roast beef."

"Yahay pihiggy!"

The oldest Peter wiggled the youngest's fourth toe. "And this little pihiggy hahad nohone because hehe was a vegetarian."

"Ihits ohokay piggyhy! Wehe hahave carrots!"

"Wehell give hihim ahall to carrots." Two then grabbed the youngest's smallest toe. "Ahand thihis little pihiggy? Do you remehember whahat he dihid?"

One squeaked as he hid his mouth behind his hands.

"Ihi thihink you do!" Two wiggled the littlest toe. "This little phiggy wehehent . . ."

A final squeak slipped out of One's mouth.

Two scribbled along One's foot. "Wee! Wee! Wee! Ahall thehe way home!"

"Ehehehe!" Peter 1 snorted at the ticklish attention.

"Ahaw, lihittwe pihiggy did find hihis way home."

"No shuhush!"

Two chuckled and stopped his tickles. "Do yohou want toho come cuddle Spihider pihiggy?"

The youngest Peter scrambled up and jumped on top of his brother.

"Wohow! Ihi only hahad to ahask once!"

Peter 1 snuggled into the oldest. "Mh-hm!"

Peter 2 hugged his baby brother tight. "Lohove yohou Snuggle Bug."

"Lohove you toho Bihig Bear."

[looneyformooney]

Kyle + Pete

[lisa-is-writing]

inspired by @awesomestarker 's post

Peter sincerely believed that he would outgrow this "collecting-everything-possible-from-comics-to-socks" phase. When you're sixteen, assembling a construction kit and reading comics doesn't seem like something childish. When you're nineteen, it's a little weird, but sidelong glances can be avoided if you just don't talk about it with someone other than friends. When you're twenty-three, your business starts to go up, and you have a healthy long-term relationship with Tony Stark, also known as a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and who proposed to move in together three days ago, it's a tragedy.

All of Peter's former partners viewed his hobby as something insignificant, stupid, and pointless. They laughed every time he brought a new Lego set or a fresh issue of a long-awaited Captain America comic, and indulgently ruffled his hair. They considered his bright eyes and the expression of absolute delight on his face as a sign of immaturity. So when Peter met Tony, he swore to keep his mouth shut and not even mention his strange collections. As soon as they started visiting each other, Peter scooped up all the construction kits, comics, postcards, mugs, more than thirty pairs of brand-new socks with labels, and other stuff in boxes and hid them in a far corner of the pantry. Without shelves and cabinets filled with all sorts of small things, the apartment seemed empty, it became uncomfortable for him to be at home. But this incredible relationship with Tony was worth it. He was happier with him than with anyone else.

Moving in together was only a matter of time. They had a great time together, and Peter knew that sooner or later Tony would suggest moving his things to the huge dwelling in his tower. The most important thing was that Peter wanted to live with Tony, but deliberately slowed down the process of taking their relationships to a whole new level. But after weeks of uncertainty, Tony couldn't stand it and put the question squarely, after which Peter had no choice but to agree, so as not to fuck up everything. He had hoped to just leave the boxes in the pantry and pick up the rest of his things, but he had miscalculated. He didn't think Tony would pay the movers to clean his apartment and move everything to the Tower. And when he said “clean”, he meant that only the walls, floor, ceiling and basic furniture had remained in the apartment.

In panic, he basically not came, but flew to the Tower. The penthouse met him with the living room littered with boxes and piles of things. Tony's tousled head poked out from behind the further stuff. He was smiling from ear to ear, waving his hand unusually actively at him in greeting.

"Hey, Pete!" he exclaimed happily, and got to his feet with the intention of approaching his boyfriend. Peter's heart skipped a beat when he saw one of his collectible mugs in his hands. And a little trouble if it wasn't for a mug in the shape of an ass. "I found something here-"

He didn't have time to finish. Peter flew over to Tony in a second, snatched the mug from his hands, and threw it into the nearest open box. There was the sound of broken ceramics, to which Peter grimaced – he paid five dollars for this mug. Tony froze in shock, turning his head toward the box where the piece of kitchen utensils that had been in his hands a moment ago had disappeared. Peter was clearly panicking. He left his coat and a folder of documents and ran between the dumps of boxes, checking where Tony had already looked. To his horror, the ones with Lego sets were open, and nearby he saw a package of collectible Kinder Surprise figurines. Carefully wrapped in newspapers, the mugs peeked out from under the lines of ink everywhere uneven paper breaks. Comics stood in neat columns on the floor, next to socks of all possible colours. His hands began to shake. Peter breathed nervously through his nose, closing the boxes with ragged movements, but the first try he could barely do anything. Things just flew in different directions, the cardboard was torn and crumpled in weak fingers.

"Pete," Tony called, but got was no answer. Peter was so ashamed that he kept his eyes on the floor and could barely hold back tears. "Pete, look at me." Tony sat down beside him and gently stroked his cheek with a warm hand, turning his face toward him. "What happened? Talk to me."

"I- I'll throw all this stuff away, I promise," Peter said, nodding his head in acknowledgment, then went back to putting his collections back into boxes, as far away from his eyes as possible. "Don't kick me out. I know it's stupid and childish, just let me…

"Peter!" Tony's voice was stunned. "I… w-why throw it all away? What for?"

"Because it's rubbish," Peter said impatiently, pausing for a moment; the shame slowly receded, leaving anger and annoyance after itself. He rubbed his unhealthy red cheeks with the cuff of his white shirt and shook his head. "This is complete shit and doesn't suit a grown man like me. I don't know why I didn't throw it all away sooner."

"Is this really what you think, or did someone tell you that?"

There was silence, and Peter froze in fright. His tense shoulders shook slightly, his fingers tugging at the fabric of his formal trousers. Tony was patiently silent, looking at his boyfriend with piercing eyes.

"Did you see me angry because of it," Tony said softly, "or noticed any sign of disgust?"

"No," Peter muttered under his breath, though he suspected the question was rhetorical.

"I love you," Tony's hands gently settled on his shoulders, squeezing them palpably, "and I want you to be happy. If this junk, as you say, is what it takes to bring you joy, then I'm more than willing to fill our entire apartment with it. I love you just for who you are, and these collections are a part of you. I already like them, no matter what you think of them."

Peter didn't say anything, just put his arm around Tony's neck and buried his face in the shoulder, sobbing briefly. Tony held him close and kissed the top of his head, his broad, warm hands stroking his back.

"I'm lucky to have you," Peter said, his voice muffled but not so heartbreaking anymore. "I love you so much."

"I know," Tony said, his smile palpable. "I love you, too. But you better wipe your little tears," he smiled at the bewildered look in Peter's reddened eyes and winked playfully, "we still have a lot of work to do."

And while Peter wasn't immediately convinced when most of the shelves and cabinets in their house were filled with his collections, Tony's habit of drinking coffee exclusively from an ass-shaped mug glued together from the wreckage at least made him stop considering them meaningless. And that would be enough for a while.

[soggywert]

Icemav Ice Rink Date - fic

This is based off of my ice rink hc i made for the two!

Link: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/hangman-puzzlesolver/692206064923541504?source=share

Characters: Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky

Words: 5.08k

Warning: start is a bit slow, but it gets a bit better :) | oh, also, that I know jack about ice skating

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

It was a hot morning in the Miramar sun. It pelted down on the land and made looking ahead hard. If someone were to ask Maverick to look ahead without seeing any heat waves, he would lose that bet in an instant. Everywhere you went, you would need sunglasses to reflect the light away from your eyes.

It was a weekend, a chaotic one at that. You couldn’t go out to the local bar without all the seats inside taken; the beach was packed, every square inch taken up by a family or couple. Though, finally, for once, Mav had pre-planned a few things. A few tickets hid up his sleeve.

It had been his turn to plan a date day for himself and Ice.

“Ice!” he called out down the hallway, shuffling along the carpet barefooted. A blonde head poked around the corner, his lips pursed, and his eyebrows scrunched up. He was dressed in a single tank top (that didn’t even make an attempt at trying to fit him) and some beach shorts, a bag slung around his shoulder full of random assortments. “What is it?” he drew back a little into a more upright position as Mav reached the end of the hallway to be face to face. “let’s not go to the beach; we won’t get a spot, '' he huffed, crossing his arms. Ice looked up and down at the other, the cogs in his head ticking along to make assumptions. “We don’t have air conditioning for jack in here; and I am not going to the god damn public pool down the road” he vowed. Maverick had a smile drawn across his face in response. “I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength for once”

Ice drew a hand around to clasp Maverick’s waste, a glint in his eyes. “Then where are you thinking of taking us?” he questioned. Mav spared a glance down to Ice’s hand that crept along him in a gentle sway. “How about the Ballad Ice Rink?” Ice’s eyes snapped out of the glint, his eyebrows furrowing up again and the corner of his lip curling. “Mav, are you serious? That would be packed by now, wouldn’t it?” he queried. “Yeah, you’ve had to prepay for a session- “Mav glanced down to his own shirt, reaching into the pocket on his chest to pull out two slim papers with words printed on them. “And guess who actually came prepared for once?” “… That’s… your date idea?” Ice asked, looking back and forth between the tickets and Maverick’s shining smile. “Yeah? Why wouldn’t it be; we’ve never been ice skating before and its hot today! Perfect date” he gave Ice a small peck on his cheek, before he turned around to make a move to his bedroom.

Ice followed in suit, dropping the bag by the corner of the hallway. “Mitchell, if it’s sessions, what time do we have to be there by?” he asked from behind, sliding an arm around the others shoulder. “12:30 to 3:30” Mav replied, shovelings the tickets into his pocket and slipping a hand up to meet Ice’s, to enlace them with his own. “How far away is it?” Ice questioned again. Mav huffed at all the questions. “15 minute or so drive,” he replied. A shuffle came from Ice, but it was too far out of Mav’s peripheral vision to tell what he was doing.

The next comment clicked the puzzle pieces together. “Well, we have to be there in 20.” Maverick glanced at his own watch. It was 12:10.

Oh shit.

Once both of them rushed into some jeans (as instructed by Maverick, because Ice wanted to put on shorts) and a shirt that was more appropriate for the occasion, Ice rushed outside to his 1962 Chrysler convertible, to start it up. Maverick rushed around, trying to pack a bag for them to store two bottles of water for them to share, two spare zip up hoodies to wear if they get cold and two pairs of gloves if either one of them wants to be extra safe. Mav cringed at the sound of the horn sound, honking in a tune that must have been practiced numerous times. He rushed to the vivid white front door that had a mosaic glass window on it, bag in one hand, keys in the other. He snatched his pair of brown tinted aviator sunglasses and slipped them on, as he opened the door with a quick thrust. He slipped through the door frame, slamming the door shut behind him and shuffling the keys into the keyhole to seal the house up.

His feet flew down the little staircase to the driveway’s pavement, then speed walk to Ice in the Chrysler. It was silver and was extremely well looked after. It shone so much; it could be its own light source. The roof was down, which made it easier for Mav to throw the bag in, and charge up to make the attempt to throw himself in afterwar-

“Don’t you dare! Use the god damn door, Maverick” Ice snapped in the driver’s seat, turning towards the other with a pointed finger. Mav pulled back into the present and contemplated the words. Not worth the fight. He opened the door and slipped into the seat, putting the bag under the dashboard, before digging into the glove box to pull out the pair of aviators Ice used for his car.

Ice had multiple pairs of aviators for specific jobs. There was one in the car, for driving, another for beach day, another for flying and so on. All in their specific places, which Maverick knew off by heart. He only had his brown tinted aviators to wear around, because he didn’t see the need to harbour multiple. He had a brand to keep up with. “Here you go, sweetie” Maverick cooed, as he passed the glasses to Ice. He just rolled his eyes, making it as obvious as he could for Mav and slipped them on. “You scratch her or put a dent in her, and I will make you pay for the trip to the dealership. You’re not in Hollywood, not every entrance has to be dramatic” Ice scolded. Maverick leaned in for a kiss on the others cheek. “You know you love me”

Soon, they were on the road, rushing to the ice rink near town. Both made small talk about their experience with ice skating (well, Maverick mainly did, Ice listened) or argued on which road to turn down.

Of course, Maverick’s godly power of showing up just on time came into light, and they found a parking lot to park across the street. They jumped out, jaywalked across the road, and slipped into the building in the nick of time. The clock hit 12:30. The sign in room was lit up by fluorescent lights and the air conditioning was the biggest break either of them had from the hot Miramar air. Maverick slipped his glasses off approaching the desk with a grin on his face. A lady with a curled bob glanced up from her newspaper to give a quick glance up and down. “Here for the 12:30 session?” she asked, her voice dulled from repeating the same question over and over again like a script. “Yeah” he pulled the tickets out from his jeans pocket, slipping them across the desk. She analysed them, checking the information printed on them. “Alright, you’re here till 3:30. Go to the blue desk on the far right of the building, opposite the beginners ice rink and pick up your shoes there” she repeated like a robot, a small attempt at uplifting her tone. “Thanks darl’, appreciate it” Maverick replied, after the lady picked out two coloured wristbands for the two to put on. Mav felt a burning sensation from Ice’s stare hit him in the back after his little ‘darl’ comment. “Of course, have a lovely day” the lady replied nonchalantly, going back to the newspaper. Mav turned around to meet Ice’s gaze, a challenge in his eyes. “Come on, we only got 3 hours here” he sent a provoking smile Ice’s way.

Ice stared back but decided against taking the bait. He slipped an arm around Mav’s shoulder again, leading them through the hallway to the other side. They were met with another wave of icy air, music, and flashing LED lights up above, spinning around the ring in a mix of reds, blues, greens and purples. It was mesmerising.

Give or take a few minutes, and Maverick and Ice had a seat at a table, slipping their ice skates onto their feet. Mav was tugging and shoving his foot into the last ice skate, swearing under his breath. Once he had it on, he started tugging at the Velcro straps to keep the skate enclosed around his ankle tightly. This was to prevent his ankle from giving out and spraining it. He looked over at Ice who was doing the same thing, a cold focus in his grey eyes. Mav was soon finished and using the table as a way to push himself up to stand up right. “Almost done?” Mav asked when Ice let out a sharp exhale. “Almost done” Ice repeated the other words. He glanced up, a slightly defeated look on his face. “Can... you help me up?” Ice asked, holding out his hand for Maverick to clasp. Mav did that and added a slight tug to help Ice to his feet, which it did. A stumble to regain their balance and a moment of holding each other in their arms later, the couple found themselves able to stand sup straight. Chest to chest, Maverick found himself laughing, holding onto Ice by the triceps. He stared up at the other through creased eyesight from his big grin, Ice staring back with a similar smile. Ice was chuckling, holding onto Maverick’s triceps as well, the glint returning to his eyes. One only Mav could recognise. One reserved for him and him only. The moment shriveled up when a couple beside them looked over with an annoyed stare.

Mav drew away, not wanting to bring any more attention to them both and started his strut to the beginner’s rink. His ankles wobbled on the spot, making him have to pause to find a wall to help support his crumbling balance. He took a quick glance behind him to see Ice still standing in place, arms held up to balance his own wobbly legs. This is new, Mav thought to himself, biting down on his lip. He wobbled back to the other, holding out an arm. “You alright?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously. Ice forced a nod, grabbing Maverick by the wrist. “Fine” he replied, taking his first few steps, not sparing a second to glance up in front of him. If Ice looked away from his feet, he’d probably lose his footing and go face first into the ground. Maverick would love to see that, but he bit down that comment.

Soon, Ice found his footing quicker than Maverick, taking the lead to the beginner’s rink. They didn’t let go of each other’s arms, it could be seen as a platonic hand hold in public, one friend helping another. Ice reached the gate to the rink and stared down to the ice. Maverick soon followed suit past him and into the rink instantly, holding onto the railing on the wall. “Come on, Ice. It’s your natural habitat” Maverick purred, waiting for the other to step onto the ice.

For a second, Maverick thought he caught a nervous flash appearing in Ice’s eyes. Ice still didn’t move, contemplating how to approach this. “Kazansky” Maverick initiated. Ice looked over to Maverick, his eyebrows knitting. “What? Hold your horses, Mav. I’m thinking” he replied sharply. Maverick just grins, tilting his head a little to his left. “Don’t make me say it” “Say what?” “Don’t think…” “Holy shit, Mav, don’t. I will put this skate up your ass” Ice warned. “Juuust…” “Mitchell…” “Do”

That got Ice moving. Maverick drew his arm away from the other before the grip could strengthen, and skated off, trying to find his footing. There was shouting from Ice behind him, as per usual. At least Ice was on the ice rink. A yelp of distress sounded from behind Maverick, which made him turn around in a quick whip motion, holding onto the railing to steady his ass from doing a 360 spin. He watched as Ice fumbled for balance on his skates. It was like watching a cartoon from Warner Bros, the corny slipping and sliding around in an attempt to not fall on their ass was being perfectly displayed by Ice. Maverick’s mouth gaped, as he watched someone who was known for his cold hard precision slip and stumble around, trying to maintain his balance.

He stifled a laugh, covering his mouth with a free hand. “Ice do you- “

“No!” Ice said between an almost tumble to the ground, his hands fumbling for the railing. Ice was soon back into a balanced stance, his arms, and legs out to keep balance. It was as if he was a mannequin in a star jump pose.

Maverick snorted, buckling his shoulders a bit.

“Ice cold, no mistakes” Maverick commented, repeating what Goose had used to describe Ice the first time he had come up on topic. The first time they had met and shared that glace. That little talk. The tension was stronger than today’s heat waves. The passive aggressiveness was all that everyone surrounding them could only pick up; but, between them. Maverick and Iceman. Pete and Tom. The glint in Tom’s eyes sparked a small flame in Pete’s heart. It made him yearn for more. And now, they had become a fire. A fire that burned bright than a-

“Mitchell, you’re gonna have to stop with the lovey dovey eyes. It’s distracting me” Ice comment broke Mav from his trance. Mav met Ice’s eyes and formed a smile, his ears drawing back a little in habit. He had learnt how to wiggle his ears, and now they just moved when reacting to anything. “Oh, I’m glad I’m distracting to you, Kazansky.” Maverick commented. He held out a hand for Ice to take. Ice didn’t obligate.

Soon, they found themselves slowly doing loops around the rink, shuffling along the ice at a calm pace. Ice kept stumbling here and there, which Mav was always ready to hold an arm out to help the other. Kids and parents kept flooding the rink, soon able to pick up the pace and skate ahead of the couple. Maverick kept seeing a snowman ice skating aid with kids, and a more straightforward ice-skating aid by grown-ups and teenagers being used. Maverick saw them across beside the pickup and drop off area for ice skates and contemplated on going to snag one for Ice so he could start skating ahead again.

He felt a need for speed, to put it simply.

He kept pushing on, biting down on impatient impulses to skate off. “When you push to go forward, try maybe…” Maverick paused to think of a way to put it into words. “Try… try coming back in. Like, in and out, with your feet. You don’t need to lift your foot, just in an out, kind of like a snake” Mav demonstrated on his own feet, giving a little push to get some speed, then doing the slithering motion on the ground with both his feet. In and out. In and out. Ice watched, holding onto the other by an arm slung around his neck. “How… did you push off again?” he asked, doing the awkward stepping forward motion to catch up with Maverick. Mav looked back, making sure Ice had caught up, before demonstrating. “You want to push from a slight angle. Kind of a step you take, it’s on an angle, then you push forward” he replied, bringing Ice over to the railing. “Hold onto this, let me skate around to show you”

Once Ice was in a secure place, Maverick took off, leaning forward to keep his balance as he started skating forward. He started to make his way around the ring, smoothly avoiding obstacles, also known as children, and picking up speed. He passed by Ice, turning his torso towards the other, a grin ever present. Ice just watched, a smile creeping up his face. It made Mav’s cheeks rise, growing redder on the spot. The Ice’s face turned more serious. Maverick then felt something knock into him. A small splat sounded on the ground.

Maverick turned his head back to what it was, pulling to a halt to not go any further. He saw it was a little kid, landing on his side. He had blonde hair, a vertically striped shirt, with a dark blue hoodie over the top. He leant down, to squat, a wave of concern washed over him. “Oh shit, you alright buddy?” he asked, holding out a hand. The kid's lip quivered, but he looked up and nodded his head. “Aw, here” he held out his arms to help the kid up and brush him off.

“Where are your parents?” Mav asked in a soothing tone, trying to level with the kid. 

“Right here” a woman’s voice spoke up. 

Mav glanced up, a spark of dread crawled down his spine. She had straight brown hair, and she was in a hoodie as well, gloves on her hand. “I am so sorry; I wasn’t looking where I was going and- “he slammed his jaw shut when she went down onto her knees to pick up her child.

“No, it’s okay, I told him to go the direction everyone else was, but of course he didn’t listen” she scoffed, brushing him down. Mav stared up, feeling a bit dumbfounded. He didn’t see this one coming. “Jude, you alright?” she asked the young boy in her arms, who nodded his head, looking away shyly from the rising figure, not daring to meet Maverick’s gaze. A presence appeared behind Maverick and a hand gently rested on his waist. It was cold to the touch. Ice. Maverick shifted on the spot, to kind of hide the hand on his waist. It was an automatic thing Ice did when there was any tension. Ice would hold Maverick close, in an effort to comfort him. If anything tried to stir his hot head up, Ice was there to cool him down.

“I’m still sorry about that; I should’ve looked,” Maverick pressed. The woman did a brisk nod of her head. “We all make mistakes, don’t worry” she replied, giving a small smile to the two of them. “I think he needs a bit of a snack break, anyway. You two have a lovely day” the lady turned on the ice and skated away back to the exit. Maverick felt himself let out a breath that had been caught in his throat for the longest minute of his life.

“Jesus” he mumbled to himself, sinking a bit into Ice. Ice, thankfully, had the balance to accept the embrace. “Y’know, I think we might need our own snack break” he suggested, putting his arms around Maverick, who snorted at the comment. “Wise move, Ice. Let’s go get something at the café” he replied. He pulled Ice along towards the exit of the rink, finding now after spending some time on the ice, he was way smoother. He could actually change direction, turn and go faster easier. Though, stopping was still one of his down sides. He for now is doing a t-stop, which he knew was bad for the blade if he kept it up.

He helped Ice off the rink fist, before getting off himself. “Y’know, I think that was a sign from god to never adopt” Ice said, holding out a hand for Maverick to take. Maverick grabbed him by the wrist, so it wasn’t suspicious. “Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, Bradley has been enough; I don’t know how Carole does it” Maverick laughed, wiping off a bit of sweat from his brow. “How about you go order the chips, and I’ll go grab our jackets; deal?” Mav turned on the spot, to face the blonde. Ice turned to Maverick as well. He leaned in a bit closer. “Alright, deal” he said, taking a quick glance around before leaning in and giving Maverick a quick peck on his lips. “See you at the table?” he suggested. Maverick nodded his head, a rush of adrenaline hit him at how risky that kiss was. But it’s what kept Maverick coming back. The risk they had made. It was addicting.

“See you” he said, watching Ice walk away, almost too good in the ice skates. The one thing he was apparently good at on skates. Maverick turned to the table and journeyed over. He slipped down onto the seat, picking up the bag and zipping it open. Ice isn’t good at ice skating, Maverick thought, irony staining those words. He grinned at the thought of showing off. Finally, a battle he could win at. He was good at ice skating, while Ice wasn’t. He took a sip from one of the bottles he had brought along. He took out a grey hoodie that had a scratched-out Laker’s logo on it, the other being a plain dark red hoodie. He rubbed his hands together, glancing around the room to the main ice rink.

That was where most of the couples gathered that thought it would be a good challenge to try the big rink. It was fun to watch a lot of them lose balance, while the other tried helping stabilise them back onto their feet. Odd one or two fell flat on their asses. Every now and then, both partners would fall. Mav grinned in grimace at the idea of them doing that. Him and Ice.

He turned away, seeing the tables full of either family, couples or groups of friends. If only they could be as open about their relationship as everyone else was. It always had to be masked as a strictly platonic relationship. Hell, the adrenaline rush Maverick got when they would tease each other with small kisses, hands on the waist, and wiggling eyebrows towards the bathroom got him on a high. But…

Sometimes… it would be nice to just cuddle, and no one would question it. Carole and a lot of the Top Gun class didn’t mind. Anyone who knew didn’t mind, but, well, the rest of the population usually would have something to say.

A lump in his throat always grew when the thought crossed his mind that they might get hurt being together.

Mav looked up to Ice walking over with a single cardboard cup of chips in hand. “Only one?” Maverick queried. “$7.35 for one. I am not buying two” Ice grumbled, his nose curled into a crunched-up look like if something stank. “I don’t want to be wasting any more money here” he huffed, sitting next to Maverick, offering the cup in front of the other. Maverick snagged a chip, the smell of salt and spices emitted from it. “I paid for this date” Maverick raised an eyebrow, turning into the table to face Ice, crossing a leg over the top of knee. He pressed an elbow on the table and kept a hand on his temple to hold his head up.

“I should be getting a bit back in return,” he complained. “I’ll put more effort into the next date, don’t worry. I just don’t like paying for overpriced mediocre chips'' Ice commented back, looking down at the cup.

Mav contemplated Ice’s words, shoveling the chip into his mouth. He was spluttering it out in the next instance, the heat burning his tongue and the roof of his mouth. “It’s hot, by the way,” Ice said, taking a small bite from a chip he drew from the cup. “Asshole”

Maverick threw the hoodie into Ice’s arms, then throwing the half-eaten chip under the table. “You’re feral” Ice scolded the other, slipping the hoodie on and doing the zip up. “Yeah, well, I’m not the first” Maverick dismissed the others comment, before snagging another chip.

“Can I show you something?” he asked standing up. “Do I have a choice?” Ice’s gaze followed Maverick in his stance, glancing up and down in his usual flirtatious way. A smile grew across his cheeks, his lips riding up to reveal his gum. Maverick felt his cheek become warmer, by the second, a flustered look on his face. 

“No, on the rink. We can go there after” he joked.

Ice rolled his eyes, slipping up and off the table smoothly. He put an arm around Maverick’s shoulder, and snatched back the cup of chips, taking two out offering one to the smaller man. Mav didn’t oblige to the offer and took a chomp out of it. “Alright, no more, or I might throw up on the rink” the sarcastic comment snaked out, but Mav didn’t show any sign of regretting it. Ice rolled his own grey eyes, shuffling along to the wall of plastic glass and painted wood that surrounded the ice rink. Mav paused to consider what he was about to do. He moved out the way when a couple wanted to get past him onto the rink. “Alright…” Maverick breathed.

“Want to come on with me, or stay out here?” he asked, turning to Ice. “No food allowed on the rink” Ice pointed out, shaking the cup.

“Looks like you’re gonna have to go on your own. Sure you can handle it?” Maverick scoffed. “Try me”

Ice grinned, sending a ‘dare you’ nod Maverick’s way. “Show me what you got, Pete” the smile grew. Maverick held the gaze for a little longer, before strutting onto the ice, turning back to look at Iceman. “Hold onto your cup, Kazansky. This one is gonna be a show” he grinned, starting to push his skates to go backwards. This caught Ice’s attention through the shield.

That’s right, keep staring, Maverick thought, his heart skipping a few beats at the idea of what was going through Ice’s head right now. “Talk to me, Goose,” he whispered to himself. It was a verbal ritual he used to get him to focus, not let any other intrusive thoughts invade his mind.

Time to turn and burn, Mav.

He blasted off in his skates, starting to pick up some speed. This was challenging enough, trying to maintain his balance. In and out. In and out. In and out. Push, push, push. He felt like he was in the cockpit again, going a million miles an hour. Now, he could feel the wind brush against him, if he imagined hard enough, he would be able to visualise the air flow around his not so aerodynamic body. The F-14 was easier than this, but this? This had to be second best. Leaning forward, bending his knees, he pushed on and on, getting faster and faster.

It was fun just doing this, but Ice wasn’t here to be impressed by how fast he could get. He had to put on a show. He had to slow down first. He started to drop in pace, at an average pace he started to make his way back to Ice. He got his back straight, held his arms out, bent down into his knees to prepare himself. Leaning forward…

Mav twisted his torso to the left, his knees riding back up to turn his feet to face behind him. He dipped back down to catch himself from going off balance. Maverick was now going backwards. To put it simply, he did a Two-Foot Three Turn. He looked back to Ice to catch his expression, leaning to the left more so he could do a circle around. Backwards. He needed to impress him a little bit more. Ice didn’t even try to hide it. He was impressed.

Maverick grinned, before slowing himself down to turn around to face Ice. Now he was gonna demonstrate his next trick. It wasn’t much, but he started making an attempt at circle work, going around and around, doing a few cross overs before making the attempt into a two footed spin. It was… alright. Could’ve been worse. He tried at another one, but this one he slipped up and almost went face first into the ice. Right now, he was crouched down, to prevent himself from doing just that.

There was a laugh from behind the shield, which made Maverick’s ears perk. A hot wave of embarrassment hit him, and he pushed himself up from his crouched position. He skated over to the exit and crossed his arms.

Ice turned to him, face to face with the shorter man. The music was louder here; the song was currently: Horror Movie by Skyhooks. They shared a smile; Maverick ran his tongue along the inside of his lip. Ice’s lips parted slightly; his tongue idled at the base of his top row of teeth. He looked up at the speaker, before motioning his head to a quieter corner of the building. Maverick nodded his head and started leading the way to that area, a hand brushing against his triceps to hold onto it. Ice cold.

Once he made it to the wall, Ice put a hand up against, holding the cup idly by his chest.

“I didn’t know you could skate '' he stated, looking Maverick up and down to the other. Maverick stared back, forcing himself to keep his posture. Ice had a habit of melting him on the spot. “You never told me you couldn’t, '' Maverick replied, crossing his arms. The glint returned to Ice’s eye, as his mouth gaped into a small chuckle.

“Touché Pete. Fuckin’ Touché”

Pete picked a chip out of the cup, and idled it in his mouth, he chewed through a bit of it, till he saw Ice moving in to take a bite out of it. They closed their eyes, nibbling through it together, before lips touched, the odd salt grain resting on the other's lip burning Maverick’s own. It added to the flavour. There, they took a long kiss, the world around them becoming a mumbled blur. In this moment, they could only talk in a language only they shared. No one could interrupt them, even if they tried.

This was their moment.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

[slowly-writing]

Alone

Natasha Romanoff x Daughter!Reader

Requested by anon: hey, could you write a natasha x daughter!reader where the daughter is really depressed and maybe she ods on pills or something and after the daughter ends up telling nat about her feelings (if that doesn’t make you feel uncomfy) thanks! i love your writing btw😁

Word count: 3.1k (longest one yet)

Trigger Warning: mentions of depression and suicide attempts. Please do not read this if it will trigger you

You trudge through the school hallway before first period, rubbing your eyes and trying your best to shut out the world. All you can see are the smiling faces of your classmates and it makes your heart sink even further down in your chest. All you want is to be happy like them, but all you have is forced laughs and fake smiles. You’re tired. Tired of pretending to be okay. Tired of feeling the way you do. Tired of being here. Nobody notices that though, you know how to hide your emotions well, maybe too well. You learned from the best, you don’t think you’ve ever seen your mom cry, so you won’t let anyone see you cry either.

You tug on the sleeves of your hoodie for what has to be the tenth time in as many minutes, pulling them down over your hands and not daring to let your wrists be seen. You let yourself be absorbed in the music blasting through your headphones as you get your books from your locker. A tapping on your shoulder pulls you back into reality. When you turn around Peter is standing behind you smiling, and you feel a small bit of joy and the sight of the sweet boy.

“Hey, y/n! What’s up? Are you doing okay?” Peter asks in that happy tone he always seems to have.

“Nothing much, and yeah. I’m good,” you say with a shrug, shoving the last of your books in your bag as the two of you head off towards class.

“Are you sure? You seem sad,” Peter says, softer this time. His smile is still there and you think maybe you could talk to him, but decide against it as you meet his eyes. His eyes, while full of joy, also show how tired he is. He’s living with his own secrets, and you won’t burden him with yours as well.

“Yeah Pete, I’m good. I just stayed up late studying,” you brush off his concern with a lie, not thinking much of it, it seems lying is all you do these days.

xxxxx

“Hey kid, how was school?” Tony’s voice startles you as you walk into the kitchen. You expected everyone to be off training but when you glance to your right you see half the team sitting at the table.

“Uh, it was fine,” you mumble, forcing a smile onto your face and walking to the fridge to avoid eye contact. The conversation behind you picks up again and you let out a sigh of relief, exhausted at the mere thought of putting on an act.

“Do you want to do something? We were saying it’s been a while since we’ve had a family day,” Steve says and you can tell he’s smiling before you even turn around.

“We were thinking about having a movie night,” your mom suggests and you take a breath, knowing she’ll see even the tiniest hint of a lie if you’re not careful.

“I can’t. I have a big test Monday, I’m going to be studying most of the weekend,” you tell them and you see the wheels turning in your mom’s head.

“I thought you had a big test this week?” Clint questions and you momentarily panic, you’ll need a new excuse soon.

“It’s Junior year, I guess they’re all big tests,” you shrug, seeing your escape and making your way towards the door, “have fun with your movie night.”

xxxxx

You’re sitting in your room a while later staring at nothing in particular when there’s a knock on your door. You snap out of your daze, calling for the person to come in.

“Hey, I didn’t see you in class today. I just wanted to check in,” Wanda says as she sits on your bed next to you, but leaving enough space to make sure you don’t feel cornered, she knows how nervous it makes you.

“Oh yeah, I wasn’t feeling chemistry today. I hid out in the library,” you say and she nods. You think the conversation is over but when you look over at her she has her brows furrowed.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” you go to brush her off again but she stops you, “don’t lie and say you’re fine, I know you’re not. These last few days, few months really, you’ve got this cloud around you. I can tell you’re sad, and so little of the old y/n shines through. Your emotions, the things you’re feeling, I feel it all and it’s like you’re screaming at me to help you. It’s like you’re disappearing right before my eyes, and I’m the only one who can see it. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help.”

You stop for a moment. You’ve stumbled into another perfect opportunity. Wanda is sitting next to you, practically begging you to open up to her, and you almost do. Then you remember everything she’s been through. You remember the way she acted when she first moved in. She was barely a shell of a girl, her eyes held a sadness nobody should have to endure and she was so scared. She’s finally begun to be happy here, and you won’t be the one to drag her down again.

“It’s just school. I’ve got college applications coming up, I guess it’s stressing me out. You don’t have to worry about it, I’ll be okay,” you plaster a smile across your face and she sighs. She glances around your room, looking for an excuse to stay when she spots your guitar.

“You know I’ve always wanted to learn to play. Maybe you can teach me sometime?” you follow her gaze and pick up the instrument, brushing off the dust it’s collected from sitting untouched for months.

“Take it,” you hold it out towards her and she shakes her head.

“Y/n, I couldn’t-”

“Just take it. Someone should play it,” she stares at you and you nod. She gently takes it from your hand and you smile at her.

“You’ll talk to me, if you need me. Right?” Wanda pauses at your door.

“I’ll be okay,” you say, not quite lying but it seems to satisfy her and she gently closes the door behind her.

xxxxx

You look at the stack of papers on your desk, a list of everyone you’d want to say goodbye to. There’s almost a dozen notes all addressed to different members of your family, apologizing to them and explaining why you’re doing what you’re doing. You started out looking for a reason to stay but the more you stare at the notes the more you see how everyone has someone. Everyone except you.  

Steve finally got Bucky back, and they understand each other in ways you could never dream of. All you could ever be to them was an annoyance. Some kid from a time they didn’t understand.

Bruce and Tony, the science bros as you’ve been calling them since you were little, will keep on experimenting and inventing. They don’t need you wandering in and screwing up their lab equipment.

Thor has Valkyrie, and they’ve both been off-world for months anyway. They have their own people to watch over. They don’t need to worry about you too.

Wanda and Peter will take care of each other. Neither of them are strangers to loss, and they’ll pull each other through. All the great friendships come in pairs anyway, you’d just be a glorified third wheel.

Clint has a whole family to watch out for, and you’re nothing but a bad influence for his kids. A cautionary tale about paths not to go down. You know he’ll take care of your mom, they were family long before you came along. She’ll be better off without you to look out for. She’s the world’s greatest spy, she doesn’t need to be distracted trying to make sure you don’t screw up.

Everyone here will be fine without you, you can hear them all laughing in the common room right now, and you nod to yourself. It’s time.

You leave the light in your bedroom on as you step into the hallway. You close the door silently and glance to your right. The couches are crammed with everyone laughing and smiling in the dimly lit room. They fit perfectly, they don’t have room for one more. So you turn to your left, you can’t sneak into the elevator without one of them noticing you, so you take the stairs up one floor to the med wing.

You enter the room that held all the medicines, they never locked anything up here. You wonder if they’ll regret that as you look through the bottles of pills. You grab a bottle that’s labeled Benzo-something and decide it will work. You grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and make your way to the elevators. You tell Jarvis to take you to the roof and step out into the cool evening air a few moments later.

You take one last look at the New York skyline. You’ve always loved this view. You take off your jacket, and for the first time in months feel the cool breeze on your scarred arms. After a few moments you step back, sitting criss cross on the floor and opening the pill bottle. You pour a few tablets into your hand, silently wondering how many it will take to do the job. You tip the bottle again, pouring until your hand is nearly full, and decide that’ll be enough.

You’re calmer than you thought you’d be as you bring your hand to your mouth. You expected to cry, to feel scared, but you don’t. All you feel is the slight discomfort as you force the pills down your throat, then you just feel numb.

xxxxx

“Do you think we could convince y/n to join us?” Bucky wonders aloud as Steve pauses the movie.

“She’s been really down lately, it’s starting to worry me,” Tony says softly, that tone of voice is rare for him, and everyone agrees.

“She always wears these giant hoodies at school, even though it’s almost summer, like she’s trying to hide. She flinches away if you try to touch her arms. Whenever I ask if she’s okay she just makes up some lame excuse, I never want to push but I think maybe I should,” Peter joins in and a heavy silence falls over the room.

“I’m gonna go try and talk to her,” Nat says softly as she walks the few yards to your room. They all watch as she knocks a few times, entering when she hears no reply. There’s a few beats of silence before anything happens. “No no no.”

Your mom’s voice is barely above a whisper but they all know it’s bad. When she steps back out she’s holding a stack of papers. The look on her face is one that none of them have seen before, pure terror.

“What is that?” Steve asks as everyone jumps into action rushing to her side, but she can’t even form the words to tell them. Clint gently pulls the papers from her hands and skims through them. He swallows hard, trying to choke down the bile rising in his throat as everyone stares at him, waiting for an answer as to what could be found in a 16 year old’s room that scared the Black Widow.

“They’re suicide notes. There’s one addressed to each of us,” Clint says softly as Natasha grabs them back, rereading the words she knows will haunt her for the rest of her life. There’s a moment of silence before everyone starts talking at once.

“Where did she even go?” Wanda is the first to speak up, tears already streaming down her face.

“It’s a secure facility, she didn’t just disappear!” Tony says quickly, staring off into the distance as he runs through the short list of places you could be hiding.

“Everyone spread out and start looking!” Steve snaps everyone into action and they all scatter.

Nat is left alone, still frozen in front of your bedroom door as everyone fans out. She stares at the papers in her hands before she realizes where you are. She drops the papers, letting them flutter to the floor as she takes off towards the staircase. She takes the steps two at a time, making it to the roof in record time. You flinch as the door slams open and lazily roll over from where you’ve laid on the floor to look towards the sound.

“Oh, hi mom,” you flail your arm towards her in an attempted wave and she gasps at the state you’re in. Both the angry red marks covering your arms and the fact that you’re barely conscious scare her more than she thought possible. She can hear your breathing, ragged and slow and she feels more tears fall from her eyes.

“Y/n what did you do?” she yells, running towards you and picking up the mostly empty bottle of medicine.

“I want to go away,” you mumble, eyes drooping closed.

“No no no, you’re not going anywhere. Stay with me, love. I’ve got you, mommy’s here,” Natasha says as she lifts you into her arms. You groan as she jostles you, but you don’t protest anymore as you slowly drift off.

xxxxx

You hear a steady beeping and whispers as you wake up. You blink your eyes open and see a room packed full of people, all in various states of distress.

“Why would she do that? Why would…” Peter trails off. He has tear tracks down his face and his eyes are red. Tony’s sitting on his left with his arm around Peter.

“I don’t know kid,” he says softly, sniffling a bit.

“I knew she wasn’t okay. I should’ve done more,” Wanda’s eyes are trained on the floor and her face is emotionless as she sits on Peter’s right, gripping his hand tightly.

“You couldn’t have known-” Steve tries to reassure her but she cuts him off, standing up quickly and drawing all attention to her.

“I did know! I could feel how sad she was! What good are these stupid powers if I can’t do a fucking thing to help my best friend? I failed her,” Wanda now has tears streaming down her face and you can feel yourself tearing up.

“I didn’t want your help,” your voice is soft and scratchy, but everyone hears you and all eyes in the room quickly turn to you. “I didn’t want you to know that I was struggling. I didn’t want anyone to know. It’s not your job to take care of me.”

“Yes it is,” your mom says quickly. You try to argue but she raises a hand, causing you to stop. “I know you want to be independent but we’re your family. Of course it’s our job to take care of you. Everyone needs some help sometimes and you have every right to ask for it.”

“I’m not worth it. You don’t need me here,” you say with a shrug, wiping the tears of frustration from your eyes. You ball your hands into fists and stare down at them, refusing to look at your family.

“Yes we do. We all need you here and don’t think for a single fucking second that we don’t,” your moms voice cracks and you finally look up at her, seeing the tears streaming down her face.

“We all need you. Who else is gonna come remind me that sleep is a thing when I’ve been down in the lab for 28 hours straight?” Tony asks with a small smile.

“Yeah! And without you I would’ve flunked Calculus last semester, May would’ve killed me,” Peter says and immediately winces at his choice of words.

“She really would have,” you say, smiling a bit at his attempt to cheer you up.

“We all need you, y/n. You’re my best friend, the person I love most in this world. You’re all I have left, I don't know what I would do without you. You’re the only reason I made it through Pietro’s death. I never thought I’d be okay but you made sure I was. I’m sorry I couldn’t do the same for you,” Wanda sits on your left side, gently taking your hand.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper as the tears start rolling down your face. You look towards your mom again, hoping if she understands why you did it, she’ll forgive you. “I thought it’d be better for you all if I was gone. I’m just so sad all the time. Nothing I used to like is fun anymore and I just want everything to stop. It’s too much. I kept pushing through, but every reason to keep living just kept going away. You all have someone more important to you than me, so why should I stay? You’d all be okay.”

Your mom lets out a shaky breath as she brushes the hair out of your eyes, resting her hand against your cheek, “love, I would never be okay without you. When I brought you home all those years ago, you changed my life. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, and I’m so sorry I didn’t show you that. I will always be here for you, everyone in this room is always here for you. Please, please tell us next time you need help.”

You’re both sobbing at this point and you throw yourself into her arms, apologizing over and over and begging her to forgive you.

“I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t think anyone would care. I’m sorry,” your words draw tears from everyone in the room.

“I know you didn’t want to hurt us, love. It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna get you some help, okay?” your mom reassures you and you nod, burrowing deeper into her arms. Your whole family watches the interaction silently, wiping tears from their eyes and vowing to never let you feel this alone again.

tag list: @rvgrsbrns @rororo06 @prizmix-and-friends @m19friend @worlds-in-words @5aftermidnight @riotmaximoff

[smuckersblr]

Cluess Part 2

after a good ass break I’m back boys 

When they got home, Peter had gotten ready for an early night in, he was still mulling over what happened that night at dinner. 

What had Dr. Banner meant by, “maybe we shouldn’t get into details while Peter is still here”? 

What was so confidential that made them reconsider talking about matters while in the presence of Peter? 

His father never cared to keep secrets between the two of them, he always let Peter know of his new projects he was working on, and even liked to hear Peter’s input in the matter. 

But that night, they stopped talking about business and instead talked about the theatre in Manhattan and how they’re set to have a play this month. 

While Peter was contemplating deeply about things his pretty head shouldn’t worry about, Tony knocked on his bathroom’s archway. 

“Hey Pete.” the teen turned around, still rubbing his moisturizer on his hands and neck. “Yes dad?” Tony was looking at Peter like he always did when thinking deeply, it was the same look Peter got, well at least that's what Dr. Banner says. 

“I have to go to the office real quick to pick up some papers I missed this morning,” he tapped absently on his hip with his palm, he was nervous. 

“So, hold the fort down while I’m gone, alright?” Peter frowned his brows, a crease forming between the freshly plucked eyebrows, one that would make Peter cringe. 

“Why can’t you just have Happy bring them here?” Tony let out a huff that resembled what would’ve been a laugh. 

“You know Happy’s my driver, and your chauffeur so i’d make sure to not think of him as a call boy, or else no sporadic mall trips ever again.” 

He frowned back at Peter, this of course was a joke and only in good humor. Peter stopped frowning and barked out a laugh. 

“I suppose you're right, daddy.” Tony smiled back and left the room, heading out of the house. 

Peter hadn’t ignored the fact that his dad was holding something back, he seemed even weirder than normal too by the looks of his reaction to having to leave Peter home alone. 

The teen decided to push all of these trivial thoughts aside, because he didn’t like thinking too hard before bed, it made it harder to sleep and a headache to form at his temporal lobes.

-----------

Only a minute had passed since the last time he checked his damn digital clock. The softly bright white numbers seemed to mock Peter with the fact that he couldn’t sleep now. 

All he thought about was the damn dinner, why did they choose not to speak about business in front of him? Was it that top secret? What could possibly be that important, or worse, dangerous? 

Peter sighed with indignation and shoved his sheets off his pliant body. The sweet warmth that was encased seemed to dissipate the longer he laid there, staring at the ceiling like the over thinkative kid he was. 

While Peter was thinking too hard and laying in his own self loathing, there was a creak from downstairs. The sound reverberated through the empty mansion. Peter sat up like he wasn’t just laying there like a ragdoll. 

He waited for a beat but didn’t hear anything else. He stood up and started to softly pad his way towards his open bedroom door. 

“Jarvis, what was that?” Peter’s heartbeat started to accelerate at the possibilities that it could be something dangerous, maybe a robber? How did they get past Jarvis’ lockdown system?

“It seems to have come from your father’s workshop. Would you like me to notify him to come home?”

Peter nodded, for a second forgetting Jarvis was just a disembodied voice, one of his fathers creations that served almost like a house alarm system. 

“Yes please, tell him to hurry home.” Peter licked his chapped lips, regretting not having a mini fridge in his room now so he could safely get a water bottle from his own terrain. 

He thought they seemed like a college frat boy thing, he always hated how it seemed douchey to have one in your own room. 

Peter took a step outside his own bubble of safety and stopped. He listened and heard nothing, so he took another, then another.

 He was soon at the bottom of the staircase, the flare of it open’s to the dark abyss of the first floor. 

“Jarvis, lights to 10%.” The lights on the first floor bloomed to life, the dim, yet needed, light let a wave of relief wash over the teenagers stiff shoulders. There was another noise from the hall that headed towards his fathers elevator that went down to his workshop. 

This time it was louder and sounded like something heavier dropped. Peter flinched back at the sound, it was abrupt and loud in the quiet home. 

Peter grabbed the antique candle holder that sat on the table near the front door before he decided to head towards the sound. He held it like it was a bat and took a deep breath before asking Jarvis to take him to his dad's workshop. Of course the robot had advised against it, but the teen was persuasive.

The lift opened, the whir of the doors was loud in the dark of the lab, Peter felt exposed with the lights in the elevator being a beacon to himself and blinding him from the dark void around him. 

“Jarvis, lights to 100%.” 

And once Jarvis had obeyed and the lights woke the room to expose every corner, Peter had gasped and dropped the candle holder. 

Its loud clunk to the elevator's floor hadn’t fazed the teen, he was too shocked at the sight of a hunched shirtless man leaning against a workbench. 

White knuckles of his right hand clenching tight to the table, as if it was the only thing keeping the man up from falling on the cold ground. Peter took in the sight of his trembling shoulders, the muscles in his back twitched and his legs seemed to be bowed inwards, like he was a doe walking for the first time. 

Peter ignored the thought of comparing this large man that was built like a UFC fighter, to an innocent creature of mother nature. 

“What are you doing in my dad’s lab!” Peter snapped himself out of his stupor and clenched his fists at his sides, trying to seem more sure of himself and intimidating. 

The man stopped his trembling and his muscles seemed to tense more. His hunched back straightening out slowly, he was getting his bearings, and he was getting them fast. 

The man seemed to be tall, taller than Peter’s own father even. The stranger was facing away from Peter, so the wall of muscle and some cargo pants were the only thing Peter saw of the man. 

The man turned his head sideways, side-eyeing the boy from this distance, his curtain of brown hair hid the cold calculating glint in them. 

The man seemed threatened, like a caged animal he slowly turned around, exposing his full body and features. Peter took a step back at what he saw. 

His back hit the closed doors of the lift, the cold bite of the metal seemed to shock Peter even more into knowing this wasn’t a nightmare. The man seemed to notice Peter’s frightened look and the way his eyes seemed to stray to one side of the man. 

The stranger followed the kid's gaze and looked to his left arm. The vibranium metal that met flesh like it was his limb. The man looked back at the kid, flexing his metal hand into a fist then relaxing it again, the whirring of panels shifting was even more jarring to Peter. 

The kid swallowed and calmed himself down with rational, much needed thoughts. Like the fact that this guy was standing in his dad’s lab, shirtless, and with a metal arm that made the guy look cybernetic, robotic even. 

So this must mean the man was the project his father and his friends avoided to speak about. It made sense when Peter finally noticed the empty glass tube that sat in the corner of the lab. 

Puffs of exhaust coming from a broken pipe that connected to the pod, the door to the pod was dented from the inside and swung open to almost have been thrown off its hinges. 

The man noticed Peter visibly relaxed rapidly by the second he was looking behind the stranger. 

“Oh, you must be working with my father on his project, or you must be the project. Either way I’m sorry about coming down here, I thought there was an intruder.” 

The man was still and his brows furrowed at the smile beaming from the kids face. The scared look was nowhere to be seen and instead of cowering against the doors of his escape, he stepped closer towards the man. 

“Did you just wake up? Do you have a change of clothes or do you want some food?” The man was quiet the whole time Peter was stepping closer, ‘till he was face to face with the man and tilting his head like the innocent kid he was. 

“Why were you in there anyway?” Peter looked once more behind the man and to the pod that seemed claustrophobic, it looked like there wasn’t enough room for a man to lay down, in fact it looked like it was meant from someone to just stand in. 

The longer he looked at the thing, he noticed the straps at the sides of the cushioned mat in the back panel of the pod. Restraints. 

Peter shuddered and looked back at the man, the more he looked the more he noticed the look of untrust in his eyes.

The guarded look made Peter’s jaw clench, the scruff on his cut jawline affecting Peter in a way he didn’t want to be affected in right now. 

His stoney gaze sent a chill down Peter’s spine and he stopped trying to ask questions, the man was clearly not talkative. 

“I’m Peter Stark.”

The soft tone coming out of nowhere, the rush of questions seized and his whirling mind was put to a stop once the man seemed to look over Peter. 

“Bucky.” 

Peter widened his eyes at the man's rough voice. It sounded harsh in the still air around them, waking the cogs in the kids head and causing a warm blush to tint the kids cheekbones. 

“Do you want water, Bucky?” Bucky nodded hesitantly and watched Peter walk away and to the mini fridge his dad kept down here (and yes Peter did trash on his dad for having one in their house, but he had no say since it was his father’s workshop, therefore, his domain). 

Peter quickly grabbed the chilled bottle and after a second thought got his own and made his way back to Bucky. He tried to help the man sit down on one of the mobile stools, but was ignored and made to sit across from Bucky. 

Peter watched Bucky drink heavily from the bottle, the crunch of the plastic loud along with the gulping coming from the man that seemed to be very dehydrated.

“What were you doing in there?” Bucky stopped drinking his bottle, placed it down and looked at Peter like he was back to being an enemy. 

The teen rolled his eyes and huffed, capping his water bottle and tapping his fingers against the cold surface of the metal table. 

“I’m just curious Bucky, I don't have an ulterior motive or whatever.” Bucky stayed quiet for a bit, taking in Peter and his words before going back to finishing his water. 

Right when Peter thought he really was just going to be ignored and waiting in silence till his dad got home, Bucky spoke up. 

“I don’t remember.” 

Peter snapped his head up, looking at Bucky like he was trying to sedate a bunny.

“I’m sure my dad was just helping you.” 

But those words didn’t sound right to him, they unsettled him and seemed to do the same to Bucky. His shoulders hunching once more and his head bowing for his hair to create a curtain once again to hide his face. 

Peter, without thinking, reached out to brush the strands away, gasping once his wrist was caught tightly by Bucky. 

His quick reflexes inhuman almost, it should’ve unsettled the kid, but it didn’t deter him at all from staying still and letting Bucky know he wasn’t gonna hurt him. 

His hold loosened minutely, until his hold was loose on Peter’s delicate wrist, once more reaching forward and brushing a strand from hiding the man’s fired eyes. 

It felt like they were in their own little world, like everything else around them was paused and Peter forgot that he made Jarvis notify his dad to come home. 

The swoosh of the elevator’s doors broke both of them out of their trance-like state. Peter lowered his hand from the air when Bucky had fully let go. Both their attentions to one panicked Tony Stark. 

Some sort of gauntlet that was bright red encased his dad’s opened palm. A bright circle of blue whirring to life once aimed at the target in front of him. 

“Pete, get away from him!”

Peter was put off by his dad’s yelling, the way his muscles were tense and his stance was ready for battle, and some kind of weird alien tech on his dad’s hand. 

“Daddy stop! Bucky won’t hurt me, put that thing down!” 

Peter made sure to lean more to his left to try and cover Bucky’s frame with himself, even if the man was too broad. “Pete, seriously kid move, that guy isn’t really in the right state of mind to be making those types of decisions right now.” 

Peter furrowed his brows, his dad was speaking again now as if Peter knew what he was talking about. “Dad seriously I didn’t know he was already down here in your lab, I thought he was an intruder.” 

While Peter was trying to stop his dad from firing off, whatever that weapon was, he didn’t notice Bucky moving out from behind Peter and subtly covering Pete with his own body. 

Peter stopped talking at the shock of Bucky protecting Peter from his own dad, albeit Bucky probably didn’t know what was actually happening and he maybe just thought that his only source of kindness was being threatened by a strange man in a suit and a gauntlet on his hand. 

Tony slowly put his arm down, the gauntlet looked like it was encasing itself back under the cuff of his dad's sleeve. Peter looked over Bucky’s wide frame and gave his dad a confused look, he’ll make sure to inquire about that weird thing later once everyone isn't trying to kill each other. 

Tony raised both hands in the air slowly, a token of trust, a surrender. 

“Alright big guy, imma need you to take ten steps away from my kid, then we can have an adult chat, with no more surprises, deal?” Tony was trying to talk calmly, his negotiating skills coming in clutch with the way Bucky slowly relaxed, but he still stood firmly in front of Peter. 

Peter ignored the weird fuzzy feeling in his stomach at the protectiveness from the stranger, ignored it because they just met and Peter was the first nice person he was probably introduced to in a long time. 

“It’s alright Bucky, that’s my dad he won't hurt me.” Peter put a placating hand on the man's back, the cool touch from Peter’s soft palm brought a flush to the warm skin. 

Bucky turned his head a bit to get a look of Peter while still having Tony in his line of sight. Peter smiled up at him and nodded confidently. When Bucky finally stepped away from hiding Peter from his dad’s sights, Tony rushed in and hugged his son tightly. 

“God I thought you were dying when Jarvis sent that message.” Peter let out a snort that he would later pretend he never made, his father was so over dramatic sometimes. 

“Sorry dad, I thought there was a robber or something, didn’t want anyone stealing your precious tools.” Tony shook his head and ruffled the kids hair fondly, relieved and satiated with the knowledge his son was safe, he looked back at the thing that was causing this panic in the first place. 

Or man, definitely man, he looked like he was created to be the embodiment of what a man should look like, strong, tall, broad, handsome. 

“Wait, who’s Bucky?” Tony pulled back from Peter with a confused look, Peter just smiled and turned his head towards the man that looked out of place in the sterile lab. 

“Him!” 

Tony frowned and let go of Peter to fully take in this new information. 

“You named him?” Peter punched his dad in the shoulder and whined. 

“No daddy, he told me!” Tony just nodded and put a placating hand on his shoulder. “Huh, well I’ll be damned.” It was spoken softly and almost astonishedly. 

“His name is actually James Buchanan Barnes, he was that project I was advised not to tell you about.” Tony winced at the word ‘project’, seeming a little insensitive to the fact that James was a human being and not a ‘thing’ to be experimented on. 

“So, who is he?” Peter turned around to look at Bucky curiously, tilting his head and squinting his eyes contemplatively at Bucky’s mimicking features of Peter’s. 

Tony brushed away the uneasiness creeping in from Peter being the one thing Bucky didn’t let his eyes stray away from too long. The billionaire stepped to the side and brought up a hologram from a strip of some cords that connected to a little box that looked like a wifi router. 

An image of a file with Bucky’s face on the side and a column of text in black bolded letters, a sigil in the corner signifying that it’s owned by the government. 

“Our new house guest here was a soldier-turned-assassin from 1941 to current time. Looks like we got ourselves a real life Doc.” 

Peter ignored his dad’s lame joke and instead focused on the fact that Bucky was from the 40s. What would that make him, a hundred years old? Peter looked from the holo screen to the prone figure of the ‘super soldier’, the article seeming to sum up Bucky to be a man killing machine, trained from brainwashing and rigorous punishment. 

A feeling of dread seeped into the boys bones with the thought of Bucky, what seemed to be a lost, cute, dopey guy, turning into a man-made machine, he was a test subject for years ever since he was captured by a guy who worshipped a thing called HYDRA. 

“Who would ever do that?” Peter’s voice cracked with the way his soft voice broke with a hitch of his breath. 

“He must be traumatized.” Tony hummed, still focused on the article and swiping through the pages of what seemed to be a folder.

“I would’ve thought so too, but he might not remember those things, probably blocked it all out, or his brain got fried enough to break off any strand of memory to get past that whole mess of feelings.” 

Peter scowled at his dad for insinuating Bucky to be brain dead by now, a complete insult to the evidence standing there proudly. 

“If you really must know my dear son, who is stubborn like his own father, me and Bruce got wind of this ‘Hydra’ having an empty bunker in the depths of Serbia. We got the authority to go in and get their research of what was called the ‘soldier serum’, some old patriotic move made by my own daddy-dearest. Long story short kid, I'm supposed to keep him near me at all times ‘cuz the guy was still knocked out in there and reserved, we all thought he was just a machine, but turns out he’s more real than we thought.” 

Tony looked over at the large mass that seemed to swallow up space in just one spot. “He’s nice, can he stay here? Like in a guest room preferably because this is totally on my red flag radar of keeping a human in a pod capsule locked in our basement.” 

Tony huffed and turned the hologram off with a flick of his wrist. “You make my very expensive extension to the house seem like a little ‘man-cave project’.” Tony’s muttering was white noise in the back of Peter’s head. He was now looking over to Bucky. 

The man was still staring at Peter, just standing and staring at the kid ever since Tony guided him across the room. Peter’s cheeks flushed a blossom pink, heat rushing over the teen’s face as if Jarvis turned the room’s heater on. 

“He can stay in the room next to mine.” Peter’s voice jarred Tony out of his rambling on the matter of his precious workshop. 

“Uh, I don't think so, he can have one on the first floor. The room farthest from you.” Peter turned and gave his cute scowl to his dad, as if it was a threat but it only caused a fond smile to spread across Tony’s face. 

“Uh hey big guy, stop staring, it's making me uncomfortable.” Bucky looked up at Tony then away, not looking back at Peter, the kid frowned. 

“Alright let's move this party upstairs, I need a drink.”

------

The next morning Peter sat at the marbled island, a strawberry smoothie on his right, and a super soldier from the past on his left. Bucky was hunched over, eating like it was his first meal in, well, forever. 

Peter watched with rapt attention, he was the one who made it after all, the paid chef that his dad loves didn't get to put down a pan before Bucky growled out a ‘no’. 

Peter then took it upon himself and made french toast with bacon, scrambled eggs loaded with cheese, and a glass of OJ. “Stop staring at him Pete, it’s probably why he stares at you, he thinks you're challenging him.” 

Tony walked into the room with an air to him that said ‘too early to deal with super soldiers and/or my own kin’. 

“Don’t talk about him while he’s in the same room!” Peter’s abrupt voice got Bucky to stop eating for a second and look over him, then went back to eating. Peter smiled at the man’s stuffed cheeks and looked over to his dad who was scrolling through his Stark phone. 

“Hey manchurian candidate, imma need you to stay in the lab ‘till Pete gets back home from school. Or at least stay in the house because I can’t have government officials knowing I took a souvenir from Russia.” 

Bucky just looked at Tony like he was stupid, Tony of course didn’t like the blank stare coming from him so he turned around and focused on pouring his coffee into his travel mug. 

“Why can’t Bucky come to school with me?” 

At Peter’s question, the winter soldier seemed to lighten up a bit, his posture straightening and his body turning more towards the teen. 

“No no no no, a thousand times no Pete. This guy is a trained assassin who was and probably still is government property, not some new roommate you can hang out with.” Tony gave a fake smile at Peter’s over exaggerated frown. 

“But daddy, look at him!” 

Tony watched how Peter gestured to the stiff man of a killing machine who wasn’t in the slightest as adorable as Peter was trying to make him seem. 

The guy's hair framed his chiseled face which only made him look more threatening. He was also staring down Tony like he dared him to say no again. Tony gulped and grabbed for his phone again to look busy. 

“I said no Pete, the guy hasn’t been in civilization in years, also I don’t think he’d want to be surrounded by emotionally oppressed teens all day.”

[hold-our-destiny]

Come on, it’ll be fun. just let me-

Chapter two! Here it is on ao3!

Comments are always appreciated!!

----------

Peter wasn’t having a good day. 

He’d missed his train and had to walk the whole way to the Tower… in the rain. His anxiety was through the roof after yet another nightmare the night before, and no matter what he did to try to stop it, it didn't work.

 When they were in the lab, Mr. Stark kept sending him worried glances, trying to hide them before Peter noticed. 

Peter hated it.

He constantly hid himself behind strained smiles and constant reassurances. It was breaking him down.

It’s been over a year, you should be over this by now.

Peter shook his head, trying to concentrate on the equations in front of him. He felt the billionaire’s eyes on him again and let a small smile grace his lips as he wrote down various solutions, letting it fall when the billionaire looked away.

“Whatcha working on, Pete?” 

Peter startled. “Stronger webbing, it’s been snapping a lot more lately,” he answered, praying Mr. Stark would let the subject go, he really didn’t feel like speaking that day; but it was a Friday, and Friday was always a lab day.

He winced as he heard his mentor’s stool scrape on the floor as he stood up.

“Looks really complicated,” Mr. Stark said, looking over the teenager’s shoulder at the equations.

Peter shrugged, not thinking anything of the compliment.

“Good job, Einstein-” Peter didn’t hear the rest as memories flooded his brain.

Come on, Einstein. It'll be fun

Peter could distantly hear the billionaire’s confused voice, asking him if he was okay. He stared numbly at the paper in front of him, vision blurring. His breathing sped up slightly, as his hands started to shake under the table. 

“Kid? You okay?” Peter flinched slightly before nodding. Desperate to convince his mentor that nothing was wrong. He could tell Mr Stark didn’t believe him.

There were footsteps coming towards him. A hand reaching out.

Peter backed away from the table, knocking his chair over in the process.

Just stay still, don't you wanna be my friend? 

He ran his hands through his hair as he sank to the floor, back against the wall. He tugged slightly on the strands, breath speeding up even more.

He couldn’t breathe.

Stop, please–!

“-eter! You gotta listen to me, bud. Can you look at me, can you do that for me, kiddo?” Peter’s eyes snapped open, recognising his mentor’s voice.

He brought his head up slowly, his breath still coming out in quick puffs. Mr. Stark looked… sad and concerned. His hands were reaching out, a few feet away, the same place they’d be after a nightmare. He smiled when he saw Peter look up.

“Okay, that’s good, kiddo. Can I touch you?” Peter didn’t hesitate before nodding, not making any move forward.

Within a few seconds, Mr. Stark had shuffled forward and let his hand rest lightly on the teenager’s knee. Peter sighed as he realised they still weren't ‘there yet’.

“Can you match your breathing to mine? Can you try that for me?” Peter nodded slightly, before letting his hands relax, not really registering the stinging from where he pulled out the odd hairs. He put one of his hands on Mr. Stark’s and tried to follow the exaggerated breathing his mentor displayed. Peter’s breath hitched every so often, as the voice rang out in his mind-

Come on, it’ll be fun. Just let me-

But he recovered quickly with his mentor there to encourage him. Slowly, his breathing evened out, and he managed to look into the billionaires eyes. 

They were bloodshot. He expected his own to match. 

They sat in the silence for a few minutes, comfortable on the floor, making sure they were both okay. 

“You okay, kid?” the billionaire’s eyes only showed concern. Peter shook his head silently.

“Okay, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Peter nodded, (as if he would go to Tony Stark for help). “Okay… how about some hot chocolate and Star Wars?” Peter perked up slightly at that.

Mr. Stark stood up before helping Peter up too, his joints popping slightly as they both chuckled.

----------

“One normal hot chocolate for me, and one diabetic hot chocolate for you,” Mr. Stark set the mugs down on the coffee table and sat down next to Peter. 

“Why do you call it that?” Peter asked, flipping through the different movies they could watch together.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he averted his eyes, laughing slightly as Peter pushed him, “You layer that thing up with so much sugar, it’s a fitting name!” They both laughed as the movie started, before relaxing into each other.

Over the very few months, since the ‘Civil War’ as the media had dubbed it, Peter and Tony rarely missed lab days, and they often ended with a movie night. They’d slowly become close enough to feel comfortable with each other on those nights.

Slowly, Peter relaxed enough to let himself lean slightly on his mentor. He quickly finished his hot chocolate and Mr. Stark put both of their mugs back on the coffee table, before leaning back and pulling the teenager further into his embrace. He knew better than anyone that panic attacks took a lot out of you.

Peter unconsciously rested his head against the arc reactor, focusing on the small hum the machine produced as it worked. He felt a hand comb through his hair.

“You okay?” Mr. Stark whispered, cautiously.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Peter reassured his mentor.

“Okay, I’m not going to force you to tell me what happened, but if you choose to, I’m here, okay?” Peter froze.

He could tell him. He could put it all out in the open and leave no secrets between them.

“I-” But what would Mr. Stark think? Would he be okay with it? Would he hate Peter for it?

You had your powers, you could've stopped him. 

“It’s okay, thanks, Tony.”

Tony froze, before smiling, and settling down for the night.

------

Tag list:

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@dreamingformuses

@romeoandjulietyouwish

@keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars

@just-the-daydreamer

@verdonafrost

@imalivebecauseirondad

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@bestofirondadfics

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[whyarewecalledtheshipname]

kh3, khux, recoded spoilers:

ramblings about unreality, the BoP, and the journal:

ngl i'm hella late to the party and i'm still not super familiar with what ideas and theories have been made regarding khux shit, unreality shit, etc. these are thoughts i had after rewatching recoded.

i know the maleficent/book scene isn't novel, but i wanna ramble about it anyway.

a question i had when listening to some khux talk: is it agreed that MoM made unreality? bc we know he hid there, right. idk how or since when, i'm guessing it's where he originally disappeared to.

But what's our understanding of that scene in the khux finale, where MoM's telling Darkness about the fictional world, the world he couldn't even conceive? Where neither light or darkness rules?

i've only watched that scene a few times, and i'm not clear on whether MoM's talking about the fictional world as if it already exists, or something he's envisioning.

pff i can't even organize my thoughts lmao. So, my guess at this point is that MoM was envisioning/imagining this world where neither light or darkness rules (and where voices and eyes can't reach but idk what dictates THAT particular rule). By simply imagining/thinking of it, i don't think it resulted in that world becoming real. Cause i thought he said something about that idea having to be "realized", but rewatching that specific scene, he doesn’t. If anyone knows for sure if he ever mentioned something like this i’d appreciate confirmation. [EDIT: MoM does specify putting your imagining into realization in the fan translation, which is more direct/literal and often times more accurate than the official localization…🤷🏽‍♀️]

But—IF it's not enough to /just/ think of it, and you do have to literally put it into realization—. My interpretation of what that means is, you know, putting the idea into action. /Making/ it real. Manifesting it. And that can happen any number of ways. Namely, in this case, putting it on paper. In the Book.

THE BOOK, UGH. The recoded scene. I know it kinda basically confirms that the book can create worlds but again i wanna scream about it a little.

But first. So far, i have that idea. Now as for the actual sequence of events, mmm. My brain goes all over the place for that one. Bc before rewatching those scenes, the question took form of "what came first? the chicken or the egg?" bc an idea i had heard was that Verum Rex, the game, could be a documentation of what's going on in unreality. And i've been flip flopping on that.

for me it would depend on whether unreality as we see it was spawned (that's the word i use) as soon as MoM originally thought of it, and wrote it down. Bc then Verum Rex could be made in the image of that world. On the other hand, if Verum Rex is like, 'additional' realization of the /idea/, then that would mean the game came before (most/some of) the world. But i think the first option is more likely.

So MoM conceived the world --> MoM wrote about it in the Book --> the world became real --> SOMEONE made the world into a game

and that gets into my thoughts about who tf has access to unreality, at least to the extent that they can see into it and observe it, and how. and obv, square enix (in kh) made the game. and square enix is literally "the powers that be" so. kinda an obvious option. but anyway.

i covered my main points ig. so time to scream about how tf this even could happen and why. not that i have any actual answers bc how tf could a book make worlds.

recoded. GOD, RECODED. If i didn't already ramble about HOW the Book could make worlds then i'm about to.

idek where to start lmao. Maleficent. she brings up the book, after she and pete have been rescued/released from the datascape.

(And what IS the datascape exactly? WHAT does it encompass? is the datascape in recoded strictly the data made from the journal? like, could there be multiple datascapes based on different source materials, or based in different devices/computers? ????)

“Yes, considering legend has it the book can conjure, making an entire world filled with beings and powers that have yet to exist.”

So that's just there. We've seen this. So this is assuming we can take the legend as (probable) fact. I'm assuming the Book really /can/ make worlds.

this next part about fairy tales i'm including to like cover my bases and see if anyone has thoughts about it bc i have not thought too much about the concept of fairy tales in kh and what it could mean:

“Really? A book that can just make up a world? I don't know. That sounds like nothin' more than fluffy, pink, kids' fairy tale stuff. It just sounds too good to be true"

“Ah, but who’s to say a fairytale’s not true?”

So that's that about fairy tales. (omg cinderella, dreams coming true, true love's kiss, sleeping beauty, WHHHHH--)

“And I ask you, how does that differ from this world they call the ‘date escape’?”

THIS BITCH. (the quote not maleficent lol) I know that early theories and probably current one's still, suggested unreality/quadratum/other-shibuya were data worlds, or something akin to them. and i mean, yeah, i wondered too, bc of the glitchy stuff with sora’s heart station in the secret episode.

but also, like. this whole world manifested "outside" of kh's reality. like, is it even possible that it COULD be /just/ data? As in, could data just exist on it's own like that? (or is there more? if the part of unreality we see /is/ data, is it only the data aspect of a bigger whole? i've seen a theory talk about this, is why i even bring it up)

If what we see of unreality so far is data, like, does that data exist within something? does it /need/ to?

and if unreality is data, like. i feel like it'd have to be different than that data worlds we see in kh. pure guesswork, but i feel like it's /more/ than just data worlds. /Bigger/.

"how does [world created by the BoP] differ from [datascape of the journal]?" thats the thing, too. essentially, what's the difference between the Book, and the journal.

sHEESH i just rambled in my notes. it's a bunch of guesswork, and idk if i should even put it here. gimme a sec.

okay well might as well address this while i’m here. my guess is that there IS no difference. there is no difference between the BoP and fucking jiminy’s journal, ability wise. We know the BoP doesn’t actually predict the future, it was simply written in the past after the future had taken place.

inherently, there’s no difference.

the difference between their CONTENTS however. one accounts the future (that has already happened, this is kinda important imo). the other records the past.

two things they both share. 1) the events in both books already happened 2) we saw them happen. in reality.

just like the past is fixed and unchangeable, so is the future (bc it’s already happened). We know this.

so what ISNT fixed and unchangeable? if literally all of time IS?

fiction.

okay, well, duh.

this is where my ideas become pure assumptions.

my guess is that like i said, neither of these books holds any special power over the other. and if my next guess is right, then neither of these books holds any special power over literally any other book (in kh).

this has no bearing on my main points above. (did MoM not discover unreality, did he THINK of it? i think he did. did MoM write his idea in the BoP? i think he did. did writing it down result in the idea manifesting as a world? i think it did.)

the idea is that ANY book [any MEDIUM, for that matter (books, shows, movies, games)] can create worlds. THIS world (or these, that we’ve seen in the secret ending and secret episode) is just the only one we’ve been shown.

i could not tell you how. and i could not tell you why. the only guess i currently have is that fictional ideas (given a medium) create worlds bc that’s Just How Things Work in kh. like, it’s literally just the laws of physics of kh.

For SOME fucking reason, fictional worlds given a medium spawn real worlds, outside of kh. hence, unreality. (bc they’re outside of kh reality, and bc they’re Not Real. fictional)

What about the BoP and the journal then? The shit in there doesn’t manifest as a separate world because it has already manifested in reality. That’s why i was saying it was important that the future already happened. bc if you wrote about a hypothetical future, not simply recorded the future as witnessed through your time traveling eyeball, then that would therefore be fiction. even if it’s based on the real world, this hypothetical future would not consist of real world events. An AU, basically. like real world=canon, hypothetical future=noncanon (fanfiction oop) (nonfiction vs fiction)

so if you wrote your fake future shit, it would hypothetically spawn as a world in unreality. IF the idea of the creation of worlds through fictional ideas given a medium pans out lmao.

On the other hand, the power to create worlds really could be special to the BoP or MoM himself. but the reason i don’t assume that in the first place is due to his wording in his khux scene.

“If you imagine hard enough, you can make anything a reality.” (maybe it’s just phrasing. maybe only he has the power and he’s just not specifying it but 🤷🏽‍♀️)

this brings me to Pete in kh2 LMAO LEGIT i just remembered that one theory video about how the fuck pete manifested a whole ass time capsule world by WISHING for it. if all it takes is JUST IMAGINING (in the case of fictional ideas) and WISHING (in the case of real world events), that would throw this whole post out the window lmao.

if imagining ISNT enough, and you DO have to go through the step of /realizing/ your idea, by giving it a MEDIUM, then.

and the reason i stick so much to the concept of giving things MEDIUMS is bc of khux. and this is all based on the english versions of the game.

at this point i’m not even connecting random dots, i’m scribbling all over a blank page but. it reminded me of time travel. to time travel, you leave your body behind, resulting in just a heart. to restore the body, the physical form, you need two things at your destination. Someone with memories of you, and a medium.

a mental/non-physical element, and a physical one.

memories could equate to imagining. a medium to restore the physical form could equate to a medium through which to express a fictional idea. and these two things combined results in a physical manifestation. Except one process restores real people in reality, and the other process creates people/places in unreality. (bc worlds don’t time travel or do they oh god)

the likely thing is that these two things aren’t related at all, esp since i’m working with the assumption that the second process even exists.

there’s also this random google definition of the word medium as it relates to computers: “a particular form of storage for digitized information, such as magnetic tape or discs” 🤷🏽‍♀️

another random idea/question regarding the process by which we’ve seen mediums result in worlds. the journal was converted into data with mickeys fucking macbook computer/machine. and that resulted in the worlds and people written about in the journal being recreated as data, hence data worlds and data characters. (and real people can enter data too without necessarily being data themselves but that’s a random note)

would the writings in the BoP require a similar process? or any other book/medium for the matter? obviously it wouldn’t be the exact same process or it’d just result in a data world, and a fictional data world would just be a video game at that point. is writing it at all the process? i mean i already assumed it is but just thinking.

i thought maybe Verum Rex could have been the process for this world specifically. The video game could be the writing converted into data but i don’t think the time aligns. Like, Verum Rex is like the best selling game right now. and MoM conceived and potentially wrote the idea down back in the age of fairy tales. I don’t know what time shenanigans could explain that time gap.

imo the wildest part of this whole thing is just the assumption that writing down a fictional idea results in the creation of a whole ass world in a whole different plane of existence lmao. like i said, i could not guess as to why this would be the case, only that it could just be part of the physics in kh world. Action, reaction. Conception, manifestation.

if anything, this whole concept of ideas becoming worlds would just be a fourth wall thing. get an idea, put it on paper, make worlds. ofc everyone has recognized the meta-ness of all this lmao i’m here trying to rationalize it in-game.

i had more quotes i didn’t add lol, in regards to the similarities between the BoP and the journal. it’s kinda additional stuff about why i do or don’t assume the things i do. (the first maleficent quote is the biggest tho for me)

“Don’t you think it might just be worth our while to search for a connection? Perhaps there’s a link of some sort between that so-called journal of theirs and the Book of Prophecies.”

(“so-called” why this phrasing? is it that maleficent suspects the journal is more than it seems? is it just the eng dialogue or just maleficent’s speech pattern?)

at this point i’m mostly gonna copy/paste my ramblings, so it’s gonna be messier:

So clearly they’re telling us to LOOK for the connections between the journal and the book. is it for proof that the book of prophecies CAN make worlds?

and also, does it make worlds OUTSIDE of kh BECAUSE you can’t change fate? it depends on the power of the book, and what gives it that power. (if it’s a power exclusive to the BoP after all)

lmao admittedly, this can be encapsulated by stuff Spuuky said during one of his streams about how Jiminy’s journal is OP bc you could create literally anything by writing it down bc converting it into data would make it real, and able to directly affect and interact with the real world. And at that point i was like bruh it’s not the journal it’s the machine but??? LMAO ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT AFTER ALL, i hate this game

and, another random question, does stuff from unreality manifest in kh? and if it does, does it do it on its own or would someone in kh need to access unreality and carry the ideas back over to kh? i already asked this earlier, and my end assumption for now was that verum rex did NOT just leak into kh by accident, someone brought the idea over. and the reason i don’t think it was MoM is because i’m guessing MoM doesn’t work at square enix in kh (nomura is MoM theories incoming lol). And MoM is hiding in unreality (tho he seems to have been coming back to kh every so often when he sees fit, such as his intervention with xehanort).

imma leave this for now, my thumbs are RIP

[karmathecat]

Firewhiskey is Not the Best Mixer | Part 5

The next installment of my next gen/marauder time travel fic! 

FF | AO3

After the quickest lunch of their lives, the group made their way up to the seventh floor. Lily was doing all she could to not break out into a full run up the moving staircases, which were thankfully in position for where they needed to go as if the castle knew the importance of their journey. 

“If the room is on the seventh floor, we’ll have to be careful it’s out of bounds because of construction after the fifth years blew a hole in the wall fighting and burst a pipe. Apparently magical sewer systems can’t be fixed with a repairing charm. If we get caught up there we’ll be in deep shit, so be quick about getting into the room.” Lily thought it was amusing that her grandmother wasn’t necessarily against breaking the rules, but against getting caught. A trait that she definitely saw in herself.

“I just can’t believe that we never knew about this, we’ve explored this castle, how many times? And we never came across a room that could give us anything we wanted?” Sirius seemed almost insulted that the castle had never revealed such a secret to the Marauders. Lily couldn’t help but think that it was a good thing that these boys didn’t have access to a room that could supply them with countless inconveniences for the rest of the school. She knew that her brother would have used his knowledge of this room on countless occasions to make her life miserable whilst they were both at school if it had been available to him.

“Maybe you just never needed something enough.” Al shrugged his shoulders as they stopped at the stretch of wall that Lily knew the room was. She had heard the stories about the DA so many times, demanding her dad tell her about all the times that he had taught the rebellious group. 

I need a room with a time turner that allows me to travel years forward in time. 

I need a room with a time turner that allows me to travel years forward in time. 

I need a room with a time turner that allows me to travel years forward in time. 

Whilst Lily was pacing, James took out the Marauder’s Map. He knew that not adding this room’s discovery to the map would bother his completionist side, he knew it was here now so it needed to be added. He found the seventh floor on the map, saw the group standing around and was about to mark the section that Lily was pacing in front of to add the room later, when he froze. He felt the heat start in his toes and rise limb to limb until he knew for a fact that his face and ears were so red heat could be felt without touching his skin. 

“James?” 

He ignored the other, staring intently at the map, watching the name pace back and forth as he knew the girl, Lily’s granddaughter, was doing to access the room. Then the name stopped, and James looked up to see the younger girl looking at him in confusion, behind her a door had appeared in the space where a blank wall once was moments before. He could also feel the eyes of his three best mates, the girl he loved, and his grandsons on him, probably questioning his weird reaction. 

“Lily Potter.” 

Lily’s eyes widened as she drew in a sharp breath. The map. How could she forget the map? 

“It says here your name is Lily Luna Potter.” It wasn't a question, they both knew that the map never lied and that was her name, she couldn’t deny it. 

Before James could question her, or Lily could open her mouth, a noise was heard at the end of the corridor. 

“Filch! Quick everyone in.” Remus rushed forward, opened the door that Lily’s pacing had conjured. The momentary surprise evaporated and as one the group charged into the room just as Filch rounded the corner. The door slammed shut behind them and the caretaker was none-the-wiser. 

Once the shock of running into the room wore off, all of the Marauders turned to look at Lily. 

“You’re a Potter then?” It was surprisingly Peter who addressed Lily, as he was someone who had skirted around the three time travellers as if he didn’t quite know what to make of them. 

Lily blew out a breath, and knowing what she needed, two sofas that looked identical to those in the Gryffindor common room appeared in front of them. Lily took her grandmother and the Marauders to the sofas to sit. Lily noticed her two brothers did not join them, but knew that this conversation was more pressing than looking for them. 

“It said it on the map Pete, you know the map doesn’t lie it’s linked to your magical signature.” 

“Let me see then.” James went into his robe pocket to pull out the map, but felt nothing. He started patting his other pockets and looking around him, but to no avail. 

“I must have dropped it! If Filch saw it outside in the corridor he’ll definitely have confiscated it!” James swore and looked at his friends apologetically, distraught at having lost such a precious item through carelessness. 

“If it makes you feel better,” Lily spoke up, “you losing the map to Filch is how my dad ended up with the map in the first place. So, if you think about it, you losing it now was actually the best thing that you could have done.” The four boys seemed to consider this, exchanged a heavy look between them and nodded in silent communication. Lily was certain that this was what people meant when they said that the three Potter children could communicate without words and it was very disconcerting to watch. However, when growing up the children of the most famous man in their society with every eye on them at all times, they had to be able to say the things they were truly feeling without it getting printed in that evening’s paper. Each of the Potter children had learnt the hard way who they could trust and what they could say when. The constant secret keeping and trouble making that these boys got into was another example of high stakes communication, so she understood better than most the importance of the exchange that had occurred in front of her eyes. Without having spoken out loud, it was clear that James was chastised but Lily’s words were considered and he was forgiven, the entire exchange had taken no longer than 30 seconds. 

Lily watched as her grandmother eyed the boys, she could tell that the Head GIrl understood that a communication was occurring, but not what was being said. It must be exhausting to be around such a tight knit group but not being privy to the information and exchanges that passed between them. Lily Evans was staring at James without any embarrassment, she knew the conversation that was about to occur and she was determined to get her opinion across if it was the death of her. 

James nodded and then directed the conversation back to Lily, “So you are a Potter? Lily Potter.” 

Lily looked towards the Head Girl before nodding. “Yes, James and Al are my older brothers.” 

“So what does that mean?” Sirius looked Lily up and down and for the first time since yesterday eyed her with slight distrust. 

“Well, it means that my parents' surnames are Potter.” 

“Don’t be cute, we’ve come this far now you might as well tell us.” Sirius shook his head and a ghost of a smile appeared as Lily blew out another breath and knew she’d been caught. What was the harm anyway, one half of her grandparents already knew it wasn’t like she was changing the course of history, she was just being honest. 

“Okay, well, James and I are named after my dad’s parents: James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans.” 

Lily let her words settle over the group. The redhead sat beside her was running her hands up and down her thighs in anxiety staring intently at James whose eyes were fixed solely on his granddaughter. 

“We all owe you five galleons.” Remus’ words were unexpected, but seemed to break the tension that Lily’s words had left. Sirius let out a loud laugh and clapped James hard on the shoulder who seemed to still be in a state of shock. Lily hid her giggle behind her hand and glanced over at Lily who was still intensely staring at James who was still let to look at her. If Lily was honest with herself it looked like James was in a state of shock. 

Lily cocked her head to the side at the other Marauders, and as four they stood to allow the two Heads to talk about Lily’s revelation. 

“Let’s go and find my brothers yeah?” The boys nodded and Lily looked around at the room for the first time. It was one long room with shelves on each side. On both shelves there were various devices which Lily presumed were variations of the time turner based on her request to the room. Beneath each device there was a plaque describing the device's name and a brief summary of how to use it. Lily walked over with the three Marauders to her brothers who were both standing at a section of shelf and were in deep discussion. 

“Hey Lil, finally revealed our familial bond?” James laughed as Lily hit him on the arm. 

“Noticed that you two were conveniently absent for that conversation!” 

“We thought that you had it handled, and why put myself in an awkward conversation when I don’t have to!” Al laughed as Lily’s glare was directed towards him next. 

Remus laughed at the siblings’ antics, and now that he knew he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t realised their relationship purely based on their interactions, the playful banter and closeness that he had only seen in the Marauders who were described as brothers and not friends. But, Remus mused, it was easy to realise these things when you knew the information vital to understanding. 

“Anyway, what have you found?” Al explained that whilst they were chatting they’d started looking at each of the time devices and were able to quickly dismiss the first few devices based on the fact they were theoretical prototypes and had never been used before. James explained that they weren’t to be trusted as something that worked in theory very rarely worked in practice without a bit of trial and error and they shouldn’t risk more errors with time travel. Lily couldn’t help but agree with their assessments, it was a rare treat to see both of her brothers in work mode as James never brought work home and Al was in another house.

“We’ve narrowed it down to this one here. The name on the plaque, she’s an Unspeakable that I studied for my exam. She created a lot of time manipulation devices and her success rate was very high. So if I was going to place my bets on any device that has been presented by the room it would be this one.” Al picked up the device that he was referring to. It looked like a standard time turner that she had seen in her textbooks but with my dials. It was a beautiful rose gold colour which she knew differed from the traditional gold. 

James explained that there were three dials on the turner, days, months and years. Lily had to admit that it seemed simple in comparison to all of the intimidating devices that surrounded the simple one that her brothers had selected. 

“There’s one more thing,” all of their attention was directed towards Al again, “we can’t take the devices out of the room. We’ll have to use the device here.” This made sense to Lily, the room created all of the devices so they only existed in the room so logically could only be used in the room. 

“Okay then, shall we report back what’s going on and talk about how to go forward?”

X-X-X

Lily watched her granddaughter walk away with the Marauders and looked towards James. He was staring down into his lap, and didn’t look up when Lily slid into the seat next to him. 

“James?” 

He still didn’t look up and Lily felt a clenching in her chest, she thought that the knowledge that she and James were meant to be together was set in stone but now looking at him not acknowledging her she wasn’t so certain anymore. 

“I’m sorry.” 

James had spoken to softly that Lily wasn’t certain that she’d heard him. Why was he apologising to her?

“I’m sorry you were blindsided like that, I didn’t mean to put you in that position, I was just taken aback by seeing her name. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I’m so sorry Lily. If you need space and stuff I understand, I obviously love talking and being with you but finding out about Lily, well that must have been a shock for you right now, and I know you don’t feel that way about me, so yeah, I’d understand if you need some space.” 

James hadn’t looked at Lily the whole time he spoke, but delivered his speech to his lap where his hands twisting around themselves.

“James, I knew about Lily,” James’ head shot up to look at her for the first time, “she told me last night.” 

James frowned at her and stared intently, “you knew?” 

“I knew.” 

“And you’ve still been around me all morning and acting normal?” 

Lily sighed, she knew that this was the time to put all her cards on the table, but now the time was here she felt the anxiety settle deep in her stomach. 

“James, I wanted to know if our lives were intertwined through our grandchildren because our children happened to get together, or whether it was you and me. I wanted to know from my granddaughter whether I was wasting my time falling in love with you and if I’d missed my chance with you. Because I am, falling in love with you I mean.” 

“What?” James had never been so shocked in his life, he had no idea. He thought that the time that they had spent together this year had been amazing, they had been getting closer but he hadn’t let himself hope for something more, he went to bed every night telling himself that friendship was enough. 

“I’ve been falling in love with you since last year, I thought you might have gotten over me and I’d missed my chance, but hearing that from Lily well I let myself believe that maybe I still had a chance, but if that isn’t the case and you don’t want to be anything more than friends then-” Lily was abruptly cut off my James’ mouth on hers. The kiss was urgent but soft and exactly what Lily imagines kissing James would be like. 

James pulled back and looked Lily in the eye for the first time, “I never want you to say something as ridiculous as me not wanting you, ever again. Do you know how long I’ve wanted this, how long I've hoped this could happen.” 

This kiss was slow and steady, and melted Lily from the inside out and she felt at home. 

“Go out with me Evans?” 

“Always.” 

Lily looked over her shoulder when they heard the others approaching. Lily was smiling at the new couple with joy. 

“Come on you two, we have a lot to discuss. Let’s go back to the common room.”

[crewhonk]

The Great Build Up

Summary: Bucky just wants to tell YN that he loves her but this week has another thing in mind for them both

Warnings: fluff, sick puppies, fluff, naughty NSFW (face-fucking, interrupted sex), and then fluff and then firefighter angst (detailed description of injuries) and then more fluff

Songs: 400 Lux- Lorde / All I Want- Kodaline / people- the 1975 / ashes- Celine dion / Listen Before I Go- Billie Eillish / Saturn- Sleeping at Last / Breathe (2AM) - Anna Nalick

_____________________________

MONDAY

She had brought him lunch— his favourite meal from his favourite diner up the street just because she wanted to say him. She showed up to the department with her hair loose and long and white summer dress floating around her knees. She had finally started dressing for the weather once she noticed how much he loved seeing her do so. His hands never wandered far from her, playing with the hem of her dress during dates or sticking his hand in her back pocket as they walked down the sweltering streets fo New York.

But, she was here in front of him, greasy paper bag in her fist and smile stretched across her face.

“Hey, beautiful.” He mumbled, hands cradling her face as he kissed her gently. “Let’s eat in the truck— you know how nosy some people can get around here.” He smirked as Sam cried out an offended protest from the workbench.

She nodded sheepishly and grabbed his hand, letting him pull her to the truck and helping her climb in. She sat in the passenger seat, and they chatted and giggled and laughed together as they ate. She reached forward and wiped some sauce from the corner of his mouth almost absently with her thumb and sucked it into her mouth as she paused her story.

His heart rate picked up as she continued to talk as if she hadn’t just wholly seduced him. He dropped the bag onto the floor of the truck and reached towards her, cutting her off with a solid kiss and making her squeak.

She returned the kiss in earnest, never one to say no to her hot piece of firefighter ass, and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer and sighing blissfully as his tongue darted out to taste her lips.

“C’mere, Doll. Too far away.” He grumbled, and she let him guide her to sit straddling his lap. Her hands found his hair and thread themselves in his locks as their lips met once more, hungry and gentle and everything you could read about in a good romantic story.

He pulled away from her and before she could complain much, his lips met her jaw. She leaned her head back and let his mouth leave hot, wet marks over her skin.

“Thank you for the visit, doll face. This is just what I needed.” He whispered against her skin and she wriggled in his lap in an attempt to just get closer.

“It’s my pleasure, Buck.” She said, just as quiet and he looked up at her, hands hot and heavy and rough on her thighs as his fingers traced gentle circles on her skin. She was looking down at him, hair messy and skin glowing and thick feelings of something resembling warm honey filled his lungs and throat.

“I lov—“ Before he could /finally/ tell her what he had been putting off for so long, she had leaned back in surprise and put enough pressure on the horn, and pulling a loud laugh from her chest at the loud sound.

Sam had run to the door, climbed up on the step and poked his head in, amusement and faux disgust on his face.

“Are y’all really serious right now? In my firetruck?” He shrieked and YN pulled her skirt over her thighs, blushing madly.

“Get out of here, Wilson. And it’s not your truck— at best, it's the cities truck.” Bucky defended, resting his hand on YN’s hips and pulling her closer just to spite his best friend. There was a bubble of annoyance in Bucky’s throat and he wanted nothing but to actually hit the smile on Sam's face right off. He was so damn close.

“At least wipe down the seat when you’re finished, okay. Ya nasty, and ya need Jesus.” He mumbled, winking at YN who was doing her best to hide behind her curtain of hair.

“Get outta here, Wilson. Don’t you have something else to do?” Bucky growled half-heartedly and Sam rolled his eyes.

“Actually no, but apparently you’re busy so I’ll just show myself out.” He teased and jumped off of the truck. YN, bright red, looked down at Bucky who had realized what he was just about to say before they had been interrupted. His skin heat up, and his gaze dropped to the sparking necklace on her chest— a gift he had given her for their three-month anniversary date.

“I should go.” She hummed, brushing his hair back from his face, and he pouted up at her. She chuckled and kissed his pouched lip and then his nose and his forehead. “I’ll probably be needed back at the clinic— we have a group of puppies that were found on the side of a highway and oh, Bucky! They’re so sick and small but they’re all so perfect.” She cooed, her eyes bright and shining.

“Well, as much as I would like to, I can’t stop you from being a hero.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes, kissing him again and climbing off his lap as gracefully as she could.

“Says the real hero here.” She praised and he shifted happily in his seat at her praise. “Will you be over tonight?” She asked hopefully and he gave her a soft smile.

“I have to be here tonight, but if you’ll have me, I’ll be over tomorrow night?” He asked, taking her hand in his own and bringing it to his lips, not breaking eye contact as he kissed each of her knuckles.

“I’ll have you every night if you keep that up, Barnes.” She chided, pulling her hand away and leaning in to kiss him sweetly.

“Go be a hero, YLN.” He mumbled against her lips and she smiled against him. Kissing him twice more before pulling away.

“Right back at ya, handsome.”

___________________________

TUESDAY

The next day, Bucky walked into the clinic which YN worked at and put to the front desk, where a young man sat, reading something from a thick textbook and looking back at the screen with his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Hey, Pete.” Bucky smiled and Peter Parker's head shot up from the screen, a wide smile appearing on his face almost immediately.

“Hey, Mr. Barnes! You here for YN?” He asked, picking up the phone and dialing your office number. Bucky nodded and smiled a close-lipped smile. He tucked his hair behind his ear and waited for Peter to put the phone back down.

“I think she’s probably in with the puppies. Wanna go see ‘em?” He asked and stood. Bucky nodded and grinned, heart leaping at the idea of seeing a herd of puppies all over his best girl.

“Also,” Bucky started, as he followed Peter into the back. “You don’t need to call me Mr. Barnes. Bucky’s fine.” He held out his hands for the sanitizer Peter offered him. Peter smiled sheepishly.

“Alright, then. Just in here… Bucky?” Peter opened the door and poked his head in and Bucky smiled at him fondly. He had always been nervous around Bucky, and Bucky thought he had been afraid of him until YN told him one night that it was because he borderline-idolized Bucky. He had been greatly fond of the kid ever since.

“Hey, YN? You’ve got a visitor.” Peter said quietly, and Bucky noticed the lights in the room were dimmed to a warm orange. There was a soft voice from the other side, an Peter stepped back, pushing the door open and motioning for Bucky to walk in.

YN was sitting on the ground in her printed scrubs with a pile of very small, very skinny bloodhound puppies in her lap and on her legs. She looked tired, worn, but the fondness fo her face as he looked down at the litter make Bucky’s knees go weak. How had she managed to have him wrapped so damn tightly around her finger without him snapping in two, he would never know.

She looked up at him and he watched as a range of emotions crossed her face. First, excitement at seeing him, then, realization and guilt flooding her face before her expression finally settled on great sadness.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t waiting for you, Bucky.” She whispered, petting the top of one of the puppies heads gently. “I just— I can’t leave these guys.”

Bucky’s heart broke as he heard her voice crack. He nodded, and walked over to her, sliding down the wall next to her and pulling two puppies over to sit on his lap. They were light, and frail and seemed as if they couldn’t be bothered to hold their heads up themselves, their ears drooping sadly by the sides of their heads.

“I don’t know if they’ll last the night— we’ve run all of the tests we could on them and we can’t—“ She sniffed, pulling the three puppies on her thighs closer to her. They huddled into her stomach and shivered. “We can’t find anything wrong with them. I don’t know what to do.” She whimpered and hid her face in his shoulder. She let herself cry for a minute before sniffing and sitting upright.

“Well, I’ll order some food, and we can camp out here for the night.” He suggested, and she looked at him with shining eyes.

“You’d do that for me? Don’t you work in the morning?” YN looked up at him and he kissed her forehead gently, lingering for a few seconds longer and resting his forehead against her own.

“I think you should know by now that I’d do anything for you, Sugar.” He mumbled and she jut her chin forward to kiss him gently.

“Buck, I love—“ Just as she was about to say the words he’d want to hear since he laid eyes on her, one of the pups in her arms squeaked quietly, and her head whipped down to her. YN watched as the pup snorted and weakly lifted her head, looking up at YN and Bucky and squeaking once more before licking YN’s scrubs and settling back down.

YN began to shake, holding all of her puppies closer and burying her face in their mangy fur and letting out another dry sob.

“Good girl, baby.” She cooed, and the puppy’s tail wagged weakly at the praise she was given. She looked up to Bucky and he offered her the softest smile.

“Maybe they’re going to be just fine. They just needed to be shown some love, huh?” He mumbled, and she gave him a watery smile.

“Yeah, maybe.” She whispered, huffing a laugh through her nose when the same puppy who kissed YN wormed her way under her scrub top. YN lifted her shirt and let the puppy crawl under, leaning on Bucky and letting her eyes flutter shut.

“I’ll order food in half an hour. Close your eyes, Doll. We have the whole night.” He mumbled, leaning his head on hers and scratching the puppies who seemed to be keen on wiggling their way closer to him. Bucky, fully content in his situation of soft lighting and warm puppies and sleepy girlfriends stayed awake, lingering on the words that she had almost said and feeling his heart fill so full of adoration for her that it should have exploded.

__________________________

WEDNESDAY

Bucky had stayed until four with YN at the clinic, waking up to three of the five puppies wiggling their way across the floor to the bowls of water and food she had laid out in hopes of them finding their way to health. YN, tired and worn and full of relief at the three pups having the strength to find their way in the world had cried on his shoulder. He had stroked her hair and shushed her gently as they curled themselves around the remaining puppies in their arms.

The boy in Bucky’s arms had turned over in his sleep and was now laying belly up and snoring softly while the girl in YN’s shirt had decided to remain there for the night. YN had scratched her bum softly and giggled when the puppy wagged her tail lazily.

Tony Stark, the head veterinarian had shown up at four in the morning to the sight of his favourite assistant crying on her boyfriend and had immediately ordered Bucky to take her home. He did so, struggling slightly when YN seemed to be less than eager to leave her girl, but did so when Tony promised that Cassandra Lang would be coming in at six to supervise them.

“Okay. Cassie will make sure they’re okay.” She murmured, rubbing her eyes and leaning into Bucky as he lead her to his work truck. He helped her into the passenger seat and buckled her up before kissing her nose and shutting the door. By the time that he had walked around to the other side of the truck, YN had fallen asleep.

The drive to her apartment was quiet and lit by the rising pink of the sun. He helped her out of the car and pulled her to the elevator and down the hall, unlocking the door with his spare key and pushing her immediately to the shower.

He pulled her scrub op fro her torso, kissing her shoulders and collar bones as he rolled her sports bra off of her. His kisses trailed down her torso, and over her stomach and hips as he pulled her pants and underwear off of her and throwing them into the clothes hamper.

He undressed as well, helping her over the edge of the tub once the water was hot enough for her and scrubbing her down as she leaned into him, planting lazy kisses over his collar bones as his fingers massaged the soap into her hair.

Finally, he squirt some of her face wash on his fingertips and watched fondly as she giggled as his fingers trailed over her face. She turned and rinsed her face and he kissed her three times quickly before pinching her butt cheekily.

“Go get dressed for bed. Tony’s given you the day off. You’re using today to sleep.” He demanded and she gave him a lazy salute before stumbling out of the shower and wrapping a towel around her body. He made sure she had left before he started washing with her soaps, relishing in the idea he’d be able to smell like her for the rest of the day. He couldn’t care less about the ribbing he was sure he was going to get from Steve and Sam because he smelled like roses and his girl.

He turned off the water once he finished, stepping out and walking over to his drawer in her dresser, pulling out some jeans and a t-shirt and pulling his hair into a low bun. He looked up at YN who was buried under her blankets, watching him through half-lidded eyes.

“I won’t be here tonight, but as long as the world doesn’t set fire, you got me all day tomorrow, okay?” He mumbled, pushing her hair back from her face and kissing her softly. She hummed and nodded and buried herself in deeper to her covers.

He watched as her eyes closed, and he kissed the crown of her head one last time before pulling back.

“I love y— and you’re asleep, aren’t you?” He asked, and he repressed a laugh as a snore sounded from her. He only shook his head and pulled another blanket over her.

“Good thing you’re cute, YLN. Good thing.”

___________________________

THURSDAY EVENING

“YN? Babe?” Bucky walked into her house the next evening and inhaled deeply as her entire house smelled of spices and vanilla and warmth. He wandered to the kitchen, saw that the timer was on, and popping open the oven to see their favourite roast baking. He moaned as he closed it and stood up fully, noticing the timer was still an hour and a half from going off and smirking to himself.

“Princess?” He called out, his voice huskier and deeper than it was seconds ago. There was a sound fo shuffling from the bedroom and then,

“In the bedroom!” YN called out and he felt his cock twitch excitedly in his pants. He hurried as casually as he could to the room at the end of the hall and groaned loudly at the sight he was met with.

YN was waiting for him on her knees at the edge of the bed dressed his a matching lingerie set of his favourite colour. Her hair and makeup was done neatly and simply, but it looked as if she had mussed her hair in a way that cried ‘sex’.

“Whas’ this for, baby?” His voice was weak and sounded as if he was this close to dropping to his knees and crawling over to her. Maybe he was.

“You’ve been so good to me these past few days, and I wanted to show you how much I appreciate it.” She shifted on her heels and held her hand out for him to walk over to her. He did so, stumbling slightly as he came to stand up against her, a hand on her face and the other on the back of her neck. Her fingers wrapped in his belt loops and pulled him closer so that his jean-clad erection settled snugly between her tits.

“Yeah? What d’you got in mind, huh?” He groaned, flexing his hips and watching as her bra shifted against his movements. She leaned forward and his clothes stomach and he bit his lip as she looked up at him.

“How about I suck your cock until you’re ready to come and then you fuck me into the mattress.” She suggested and his hands that had woven into her hair tightened, pulling a moan from her throat.

“You are so good to me, baby girl, fuck me.” He murmured and she nuzzled her nose against the spot just above the waistband of his underwear that was peeking over his jeans and belt.

“That’s the plan,” YN smirked and began to undo his belt, pulling his jeans over his ass and pulling his hard cock out of his underwear. She didn’t even feel the need to pull his pants all the way off before capturing his head between his lips, tongue swirling around the head and soaking up his salty, musky pre-cum.

“Fuck, baby. Your mouth is fuckin’ magical.” He swore and she hummed appreciably as she pulled away and liked up the bottom of his member, tongue tracing the pulsing veins and nerves at the base of his head. Her hand snuck into his underwear and cupped his balls just the way he liked, and he leaned into her, cursing under his breath and tightening his fists. She moaned around him and he choked, hips rutting just the slightest and making her cough. When his eyes widened at the sound, he tried to pull away, but before he could, her hands were snaking around his waist and pulling him closer, deeper.

“Oh, fuck, baby. You want me to fuck your pretty little throat, huh?” He shifted his hips, and she laid down on her stomach, resting on her elbows and pulling away.

“Yes, please.” She answered her voice light and airy and eyes peering ups t him through her lashes.

“Tongue.” He demanded, and she stuck it out, smiling like a little minx when he tapped his cock on her tongue three times. He held her face as he put his dick in her mouth, pushing in until the head was constricted by her warm throat, making his thighs twitch. Fuck, how did he get do damn lucky?

He moved slowly, thrusting into her mouth and relishing in the utterly disgusting noises coming from her. She was so hot and wet, and it had been such a long day that feeling her around him was nothing short of heaven.

It wasn’t long until he could feel his balls begin to twitch and his hips jerked on every other thrust. He pulled out and grunted at the sight of her makeup smeared with tears and spit still connecting his cock to her lips.

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me cum huh? Such a good girl for me, takin’ me all in your mouth. You’re so fucking good, baby.” He grunted, hand wrapping around her chin and pulling her up to her knees so he could take his sleeve and wipe her mouth before kissing it soundly. His rock hard length twitched painfully as he tasted himself on her tongue and teeth and lips.

“Lay back, pretty thing. ‘M gonna take real good care fo you, okay?” He mumbled, and she grinned, laying on her back and stretching up to touch her palms o her headboard, exposing herself for him. He crawled on the bed and situated himself between her thighs, grinding his length against her soaking core. His hand reached between them and he slipped his fingers under her waistband, moaning at the feeling of her soaking core.

“Who gets you this wet, huh?” He asked, thrusting two fingers into her and thumbing her clit just the way she liked. Her back arched off the bed and she gasped. When she didn’t reply, he ducked his head to her throat and bit down, making her choke in pleasure.

“Answer me, YN.” He licked at the bite mark on her back and she shuddered a gasp.

“You. It’s always you, Bucky.” She whimpered as he pulled his fingers from her and pressed his soaked digits to her lips which opened and sucked his fingers into his mouth, sucking on them and swirling her tongue around him like she had his dick only seven minutes before.

“Pretty girl.” He hummed, pulling her underwear to the side once she had let his hand go. He brushed the tip of his cock against her slit and pressed his mouth against hers as he slipped in. She moaned loudly into his mouth and he thrust once before pulling away and grunting.

“Jesus, fuck, YN. You were fuckin’ made for me, weren’t you.” He grunted, his hips snapping into hers and making her jolt.

“Yes, Bucky. Yes, please more.” She begged and he grinned, lifting his hand to pin her wrists to the bed above them.

“Anything for my girl.” He growled and used his free hand to pull her leg on his shoulder and rutting into her like a feral beast. It wasn’t long until the heat of the room and the pleasure from the other was making them squeal and grunt and moan their approaching release.

“Fuck, baby. ‘M close.” He slowed his thrusts, hoping to draw out his release as long as possible. She had broken free of his grip on her and was now gripping his biceps hard enough for her nails to draw blood.

“Come for me, James. Gimme it.” She gasped, and he stopped his thrusts, looking down with shining eyes and a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah?” He asked, and she shifted her hips impatiently.

“Please, Buck.” She almost cried and he kissed her soundly.

“I fucking love y—“ His declaration was cut off from his phone buzzing from his back pocket of the jeans he had pooled around his thighs. He furrowed his brows and reached for it, swearing that he had turned it on silent and YN watched his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates at the text he saw.

“Fuck.” He cursed, pulling out of her and slapping the bed. “FUCK.”

“James, what’s going on?” She asked, half miffed he had gotten up from the bed when they were both so close tot heir orgasms. He looked back at her wrecked state and his face crumpled.

“The Manhattan Mall is on fire, and every department is being called out. Baby, I’m so sorry but I—“

“Gotta go save the world.” She finished, sitting up and trying her best to ignore the tightness in her stomach and the sensitivity of her clit as she pulled a robe from her bedpost, wrapping it around herself and standing. She handed him his shirt and as he reached for it, she pulled it closer, pursing her lips and humming when he kissed her softly.

“I owe you.” He whispered, kissing her again and pulling her into a hug. She snorted and nuzzled her nose into his neck.

“Yeah, you do. Like four orgasms.” She mumbled.

“I’ll give you all the orgasms you want when I come home, okay? Promise.” He said, pulling away from her and pulling his shirt over his head. She pouted as she followed him to the door. He toed his boots on and cupped her face in his hands.

“Come home to me, you got it, Barnes?” She glared and he saluted at her, backing through the door with his leather jacket thrown over his arm.

“Always and forever, Ma’am.”

“You got that right.” She watched as he shut the door behind her and huffed, leaning against the wall and rubbing her eyes. 

“I can’t believe I just got cucked by the department.”

___________________________

FRIDAY MORNING, 3 AM

YN woke up to the sound of someone trying to break her door down. She had planted herself on the couch to watch the Deadpool series after taking care of herself with her always trusty rabbit vibrator. She had showered and then tied her hair into a ponytail and curled under three blankets with a glass of wine and the intention of a good my-boyfriend-is-a-hero-and-that's-why-i-cant-come-or-tell-him-i-love-him pity party.

She woke from her nap in front of the TV with a start at the sound, and stood, shuffling over to the door and opening it to find a sight that made her stomach drop to her feet.

Sam Wilson was leaning against her doorframe, sans smile or sparkle in his eye. His eyes were puffy and his face was scratched and his shoulders and neck were heavily bruised.

“What— Sam are you okay? Come in, good Lord!” She exclaimed panic evident on her face and her face fell when he wouldn’t budge despite her hand trying to pull him over the threshold.

“What?” She asked, and Sam looked at his feet, seemingly collecting himself. “Sam. Where’s James?”

He looked up at her, then. And he coughed to clear the lump in his throat.

“The fire was bad, YN. By the time we got there, half of the north food court was collapsed in on itself and five other departments were there.” He started and she raised a hand to her mouth.

“Where is my boyfriend, Sam Wilson.” She shook and he rubbed his eyes, stepping forward and holding YN’s arms.

“We got a report that there was someone trapped in there, and Bucky was the first in there. Steve went in after him and there was an accident. A gas line, we think.” He said, and YN’s knees went weak.  

“Where. Is. Bucky.” She growled.

“He and Steve are in the hospital, along with Carol, Maria, Thor, and Hope. They just got out of surgery—“

“Surgery?!” YN cried, backing up and stumbling over some shoes in the foyer of her apartment. Sam surged forward and caught her, pulling her to his chest as she shook against him.

“He’s alive, YN. That’s— that’s what you have to keep in mind, okay?” He asked, and she looked up, shaking but nodding her head.

“He’s alive.”

“He’s alive.”

____________________________

FRIDAY MORNING, 4 AM

They entered the hospital together, YN tucked under Sam’s arm and looking around the waiting room numbly. The waiting room seemed full of anxious families— smoke covered men sitting with them and reassuring them as best as they could while they waited for news on their loved ones. The waiting room seemed to be filled with at least 50 people, and YN prayed to whichever God was listening that her best guy was safe and breathing on his own.

A man named Tony escorted them through the halls— she hadn’t even realized what was happening until Sam stepped in front of her. She looked up at him, gaze unfocussed and bleary.

“YN.” He whispered and YN looked at him, shaking her head a little to clear the fog.

“Mmm.” She could only grunt for fear of a scream tearing from her chest.

“Remember. Bucky’s alive, okay? He’s still your Bucky.” He reaffirmed and she nodded, looking up at the number of the room. 789. She hated the number 789.

“He’s alive.” She spoke, voice surprisingly firm. He looked at her expression for a few seconds more and moved out of her way. She reached for the doorknob with a shaking hand, opening the door and walking in.

The sight that greeted her was less graphic than she pictures. There was an oxygen mask over his face, and his hair was fanned out over the pillow. His arm was bare but was full of needles and IV’s that were filling him with fluids and nutrients and medications. Her eyes softened at the sight of him, and she swore he could very well be sleeping.

The ease of her nerves didn’t last long, however, as she moved closer. She moved slowly, horror dawning over her face as she saw more of his body. The left side of his face was red and lightly burnt, his eyebrow and eyelashes singed slightly. The Left side of his hair was shortened, the ends charred an unhealthy black, and his ear was exposed, revealing pus-filled boils from the tip of his ear down to his neck. The extent of the burns were covered by several layers of gauze, but YN’s heart shriveled in her chest when she saw that his fingertips were purple and red with exposed flesh.

“He’ll be moved to the burn ward for the next few weeks after he wakes up.” Piped up a small, lightly accented voice from behind her. She turned to see a skinny red-headed young lady, looking at her sadly.

“How bad is it?” YN asked, not wanting to hear the answer, but needing to know.

“Our surgeons did their best getting the dead flesh from his body, and cleaning the wounds—“

“Cut the crap. This is the love of my life. Tell me how bad it is.” She growled, spinning away from her boyfriend and staring down the girl. Wanda, her name tag read out.

“I’m not supposed to—“ She began, shifting her feet nervously. The intern was saved swiftly by a gorgeous red-head doctor wearing dark blue scrubs and carrying a chart in her hands. She extended her arm and shook YN’s clammy hand.

“Natasha Romanoff. Head of Trauma.” She introduced, and YN nodded.

“Since she won’t, tell me how bad my boyfriend is.” She demanded and Natasha nodded.

"Our surgeons did their best getting—“

“—the dead flesh from his body, and cleaning the wounds. I heard that shit. Tell me.” She snarled, stepping forward with tears in her eyes. Natasha nodded, dropping the chart from her chest to her stomach and staring YN right in her eyes.

“There is still a huge risk of James losing his arm. Most fo the muscle and nerves have been burned and killed, so it would be a miracle if he even gained the full function of it. I’m sorry.” She said, and YN nodded numbly. She turned back to Bucky before coughing and walking from the room. Natasha and Wanda followed her, expecting her to fully leave the hospital, but stopping when YN hunched over a garbage can and heaved her dinner and wine and soul into the trash.

Sam, waiting outside the room rushed forward, pulling her hair from her face and rubbing her back, mumbling apologies to YN.

“I’m sorry, YN. I’m so sorry it should have been me—“ He started and she rose from her garbage can, pointing one shaking finger at him.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Sam Wilson. I’d be in this same state if it were you too—“ She punched his chest and glared. Her tears were streaming down her face, and she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

“But he’s—“

“Stop talking, Sam Wilson.”

“Okay.” He said. “Okay.” And he wrapped her in his arms and held her as she sobbed into his hoodie. Great heaving sobs that shattered his god damned heart.

_________________________

FRIDAY MORNING, 11 AM

YN had stayed the whole night, holding Bucky’s right hand and whispering prayers Ito his fists, ricking back and forth. She had stayed the whole night as several of his crew drifted in and out, giving her their condolences and rubbing her back and talking to her as if she would respond. Her mind screamed at her yet it seemed so far away and quiet and hushed. Her thoughts were a constant stream of,

BuckyBuckyBuckyBuckyArmBuckyArmBuckyAliveBuckyBUCKYBUCKYAlive

She had drifted off at some point around nine, and when her eyes flitted open, she was greeted with her favourite baby blues staring right back at her.

“Buck?” She slurred, lifting her head and looking at him. He smiled weakly behind the oxygen mask and he took a deep breath of the pure oxygen before pulling the mask back and opening his mouth to speak.

Instead of letting him speak, she pushed the mask back.

“Breathe, Bucky. You need clean air, and I need to talk.” She said, trying to keep her voice soft for him. He sat back and nodded, chapped lips disappearing behind the mask again.

“I love you, Bucky Barnes. I love you so much and I need to have you in my life until the day we die. I love you and I want to have your children and marry you and meet your parents and move in with you. Maybe not in that order, but—“ He huffed out an airy laugh, and coughed, hacking up tar and smoke and phlegm which was all gathered in his lungs. She pulled the mask away from his face and wiped his mouth and the mask before placing it back on his face.

“I love you, James. I love you so much, and I thought my world was going to stop when I opened the door to find Sam standing there. I love you. I love you. I love you.” She finished, and she hadn’t even noticed how fast his heart rate had increased until she finished, and her eyes widened. She stood up, pressing the red button by his head and turning to leave and find a nurse. Instead of being able to leave, Bucky’s right hand darted out to grab her hand.

She turned to see his eyes watering, and a smile under the mask. He pulled her back shakily and pulled her down to his face. He lifted the mask from his face and them pulled her lips down to his. He tasted of smoke and morning breath and medicine but damn, if it wasn’t the best kiss she had ever had in her life.

“I love you,” He gasped, lungs heaving for air. He pulled the oxygen mask to his face again and breathed a few deep breaths before pulling the mask away.

“I love you, YN YLN, and I’m not leaving this Earth until I give you everything you’ve ever wanted. You can’t get rid of me that easy, okay?” He smirked, and his chapped lips cracked at the motion, making red blood rise to the skin. She kissed him once more, tasting the copper on her lips before digging in her purse Sam had brought for the small tub of vaseline she carried around. She dipped her finger into the tub and moved his mask, swiping the vaseline over his lips and smiling softly.

“I guess we’re stuck with each other then, huh?” She whispered as a nurse entered the room.

Bucky smiled back, gripping her hand tightly and squeezing once.

“Guess so.”

__________________________

@nomadsgrogers

[tony-is-my-daddy]

The wrong place to meet

Alright so as always I'm not satisfied with this, I still think that my writing is trash and I wasn't even going to post this but like... I need to put some work into this blog and post some original content so I guess... here you are.

TW: Pseudo incest. I think that's all.

~~

Tony should've been more interested in the fact that his sister finally got married after so many years of not even being able to find herself a long lasting relationship, but honestly, he was bored. He went there only to congratulate his sister and meet the guy who finally tied her down.

But after the ceremony, everyone wanted to go and congratulate them and Tony didn't want to disturb anyone's conversation. So he figured he would wait at his table for everyone to finish talking and then go over to them.

And while he was waiting, something caught his eyes. Well, more like someone.

It was a very beautiful boy, sitting at the corner of the room by himself. He was playing with the stem of his champagne glass, checking the time on his phone every now and again. He looked just as bored as Tony. So why not be bored together?

Tony walked over to his table and sat down on a chair next to him. The guy raised his head up and looked at Tony in the eye. He was even more beautiful from up close, chestnut hair perfectly gelled back, his puppy-like honeysuckle eyes wide from the surprise.

"Sorry, am I bothering," Tony asked.

"Oh no, of course not. I was actually very bored here," the boy said, smiling shyly as he looked away from Tony. "I just wasn't expecting you out of all people to sit down right here."

"Well, I was bored too, so I thought, why not," Tony explained with a shrug.

"Tony Stark, right?"

"That would he me, yes. And you?"

"Oh I'm- I'm Peter. And honestly, sir, I'm a huge fan of you. You've been my role model my whole life, I started studying biochemistry because of you."

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Biochem, huh? Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's really cool."

"Where do you study?"

"NYU. I wanted to go to MIT but Boston is quite far away," Peter chuckled. Tony smiled at the cute sound, already liking this charming boy. He leaned back in his chair to get comfortable as they started talking about college.

Then they talked about biochemistry, Stark Industries and Tony's current projects. He learned that the boy, despite his age (he was 21, as Tony had learned), was very smart. Tony's level smart, so the conversation was very pleasant to him as well, not boring him one bit.

And Peter wasn't just smart, he was funny and honestly just so damn pretty. So after like half an hour of talking, Tony decided to risk his luck and ask Peter the question he's had in mind since he first set eye on the boy.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime, Peter," he asked as he leaned closer to the younger boy.

Peter's eyes widened, lips curling upwards into a slight smile. "Do you actually... with me? Like you really want to go on a date? With me?"

"Of course. You're a great company and you look very pretty. I'd like to buy you a coffee someday. Or dinner. Or an apartment close to your university, whatever you need." Peter threw back his head, laughing wholeheartedly, which made Tony smile even wider.

When Peter's laughter died off, he looked into Tony's eyes and leaned in without another thought to press their lips together. It was soft and sweet, and it didn't last long either because Tony pulled away quickly. Not because he didn't like it, because hell, he did and he wanted to do it again. But not here, not in front of people who probably recognize him and won't look at him nicely after seeing him make out with some young dude at his sister's wedding. So he stood up, set his champagne glass down next to Peter's on the table and pulled the boy along with him towards the bathroom. He only kissed Peter again when the door of a toilet stall locked behind them.

"What's the relocation," Peter asked between kisses.

"Well I can't really do this in front of others..." Tony kissed down the boy's jawline, down his neck until he reached his shirt collar. He loosened Peter's tie to unbutton the white shirt, kissing every inch of exposed skin that he could reach. Meanwhile, Peter was pushing down Tony's suit jacket until it hit the bathroom tiles with a quiet thud.

They found each other's lips again, starting to make out as Peter's hands slid up under Tony's shirt to feel his hot skin. Tony's hands squeezed the younger man's narrow hips, pulling him close to himself until there was no space in between them. Every touch felt so new, so unknown and thrilling, yet somehow still familiar. Tony felt like he's kissed Peter a million times before and already grew fond of the way their lips moved against each other and how their tongues danced together. But it still made him shiver from the new sensations that he had never felt this intensely before. The boy's hands roaming his chest and back felt like they belonged there, and at the same time like he was discovering something very new and very good.

They were so lost in each other they barely even noticed how someone came into the bathroom. Peter pushed him away when the man cleared his throat, snapping both of them out of the trance they were in.

They stared into each other's eyes as the guy outside did his buisness, trying not to pant too loudly and reveal themselves. And while they were stuck like that, Tony finally realized what he was doing and how much he shouldn't be doing that. This kid, he barely even knew him, they met like forty minutes ago and he doesn't even know his last name, yet they were in the bathroom, about to fucking have sex while his sister's wedding party was going on outside! Oh man, he was horrible.

When the guy outside finished his business and left, Tony gently pushed Peter away and reached down to get his suit jacket from the floor. Goddamn it, that was his newest purchase!

"What are you doing, Tony," Peter asked as Tony shrugged his jacket back on.

"Pete, we can't do this here... I know this was my idea, but I just realized that I can't... we can't have sex with you for the first time in a bathroom stall at my sister's wedding. Let's- let's go on a date and we can continue from here after that."

Peter looked a bit disappointed, but he understood it, so he started dressing back up as well. They made themselves presentable again - well mostly, Peter's hair couldn't be fixed well enough - before going outside again. Tony even gave Peter a quick kiss while they were still hid away from people's eyes.

Then, when they got back to the party, Tony's sister came over to greet him finally. She was glowing, a smile plastered on her beautiful face as she jumped into her big brother's arms.

"Tones! I didn't even know you came! Why didn't you come over to me," she asked.

"You were talking to the other guests, I didn't want to bother."

"Oh shut up, you're my big brother, you never bother! But-oh! I see you've met Peter." She walked over to Peter who was standing on Tony's side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "He's Richard's son."

"...Richard?"

"My husband, you dummy!"

Tony almost had a heart attack. So he didn't just almost fuck a guy at his sister's wedding, but he almost fucked his sister's newly wedded husband's son at their wedding!

Tony looked at Peter, whose lips were pressed together into a tight line, trying to mask a sneaky smile, but Tony saw right through him.

"Well I did not know that, but yes, we've talked before. Peter is a very smart kid," he answered coolly.

"He is, isn't he? I knew right away when Richard introduced us that you two would get along very well. Oh god, we're cutting the cake, excuse me!"

His sister hurried away and Tony and Peter turned towards the couple as they cut their wedding cake and fed each other. They clapped along with everyone else, but they couldn't care less about what was going on there.

"You knew all along, didn't you," Tony asked.

"Of course I did. As soon as my dad told me her last name was Stark I knew she would be a great mediator between us. But we didn't need her in the end."

"You're crazy! Your step-mother is my sister! I will not hook up with you after this!"

"Oh come on, it's not like we're related or anything. We can still go out on that date."

"Like hell we can! This will never happen again, understand? The next time I want to see you is on a Thanksgiving dinner my sister invites me to or on a Christmas card she sends to me. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

"Could you repeat that, I didn't listen to what you were saying, the way you said it was just too sexy to handle." Tony chuckled, but quickly regained his stern look and walked away from Peter.

They didn't talk a lot after that. Tony's sister asked for a picture with both of them in it, but that was the last interaction they had before Tony left.

A week after the wedding Tony was so frustrated. He missed Peter, but at the same time he knew they couldn't be together. Still, he couldn't get his mind off the vision that was Peter and that bothered him so much.

Especially when everything was already getting on his nerves, like all the people he was surrounded by during the meeting. He couldn't even believe it hasn't been an hour yet and the clock in the room - just like time in general - had stopped, so he couldn't even check what time it was.

When he thought no one was looking, he reached into his jacket's pocket to pull his phone out and check the time, but he ended up grabbing a piece of paper instead.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Call me!

-Peter

That sneaky little bastard probably slipped it into his pocked when they took the damn photo...

He now really pulled the phone out to check the time and saw that it was already ten minutes past the time this whole thing was supposed to end.

"Alright gentlemen, we're a little over the timeline. You know I really enjoy your company, but I have other things to attend to," Tony said as he stood up, buttoning up his suit jacket again.

"But Mr. Stark, we haven't decided about-"

"You." Tony pointed at a random man, interrupting... whoever was talking to him before. "You seem like a good guy. Whatever you want, I'm with you. Alright, we don't need me anymore so if you would excuse me..."

He walked out of the room, leaving behind the confused men. He knew Pepper will be extremely mad about this when she comes back from her vacation, but Tony couldn't care less at that moment.

He took the elevator down to the ground floor, where Happy picked him up. In the car, he pulled up the divider immediately and dialed in Peter's number. The boy picked it up after three rings.

"Hello," he heard the voice that he's been missing for a week on the other side of the line

"You're horrible, you know that," Tony said instead of greeting.

"Oh, so you found my number. Well, I'm very happy to hear from you again, how have you been, Uncle Tony?"

Tony growled. Full on fucking growled from a few words. "You don't even know what you do to me," he said quietly.

"Well then... how about you show me? I could do a lot more if you would only let me... I bet you would enjoy it."

"Fuck it, let's get dinner this weekend."

"I'm free on Saturday evening."

"I'll send a car for you around seven. And you can't tell about this to anyone, understood?"

"Yes sir. Hey could you repeat that?"

"Shut up," Tony chuckled, remembering how they ended their conversation like this at the wedding as well.

They ended up talking about a few more things until Tony got back to the tower, where they hung up the phone. And the thrilling and new yet good and familiar feeling was back, which made Tony feel happiness now, instead of guilt.

It's not like they're related or anything. They'll be fine.

[oumiyuki]

Cassandra Week

Summary: Rapunzel declares it Cassandra Week. Her little, not so little, round-about way to getting Cass to know that she loves her and wants her.

Pairing: Cassandra x Rapunzel (Cassunzel) 

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Friends to Lovers

Words: 3275

Read me at AO3 too~

Author Notes

I’m hooked on them. Yes, I am.

I love Cassandra. Yes, I do.

And this is because of you, Parker >w< @pikawaifu

May you enjoy~ XD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rapunzel wakes naturally on her own. Eyes open wide and alert as she was excited to wake since she went to sleep last night.

It’s the day!

Pascal wheels down from above and they exchanged a knowing look.

“It’s Cassandra Week, Pascal! You know what that means right~?” The Princess was up and hyped, more so than any other day; and that says a lot.

Ohhhh!! I am so excited!!

Pascal nods with almost equal enthusiasm as he liked it when his best friend was smiling and ready to whip up something crazy together. Pascal follows Rapunzel as she headed in the direction of her canvases.

“First we gotta paint--”

The big and tall doors she was getting used to open in a swift motion and the girl she loves seeing first thing in the morning strides in. Except...

“First, we get you changed and hair brushed, Raps.” Cassandra had her serious face on.

Right. Cass is always on lady-in-waiting mode unless I do something.

Rapunzel lets her lady-in-waiting pull her behind the screen divider, putting her in a new, clean dress and got her many, many, many metres long of hair into a lovely braid. Still long but long good. Especially with the flowers added in.

Cass always knows what I like~

Rapunzel has a humming in her heart as her cheery mood only spikes with Cass in the room. “Good morning, Cass~”

Cassandra pats the dress straight. “Morning. And it’s time for-”

“I requested little duties today!” Rapunzel beams; eager to hear the good news of affirmation.

For painting!

“Yes, but you still got these...” Cass hands Rapunzel a piece of paper which opened to be a long list, again.

Rapunzel sighs. Cass observing her reaction over her shoulder before smiling slightly, walking back to Raps. “But...”

Cass points at various parts of the list. Rapunzel’s eyes widen just as her smile does and she throws her arms around the unsuspecting girl.

“Raps!”

Rapunzel laughs heartily, ignoring Cassandra’s groans of protests at being glomped. “Thank you for scheduling my painting hours!”

Cassandra does her I’ve-got-your-back smile which the blonde loves. “It wasn’t hard to convince everyone else that you’re doing something sophisticated with those ink.”

“Lots of thoughts and feelings and love in them!” Rapunzel chips in, hand spreading wide as she twirled happily around the room.

For you~ And those I paint for~

“Breakfast first.” Cass opened the door for the princess to exit.

Rapunzel skips out, exposing her bare feet.

The princess turns, knowing she’s caught but she does a big shrug. And Cass with her fine browns raised shook her head with a smile. Letting Pascal exit the room before she closes the door.

.

.

.

Rapunzel steps outside where her parents are at the table already eating.

“Hi mom, dad.” Rapunzel gives them each a huge smile as she gets in her seat, picking up her fork and knife to get some food in her stomach.

The King smiles as she ate, happy to see his daughter safe and jolly. He shares a look with his wife.

“Rapunzel.” The Queen calls for her daughter’s attention.

“Yewearh?” Rapunzel forgetting her manners responds with her mouth full of food. Seeing her mom give a look, she turns sheepish. “Sorry.”

“You seem to be in a very good mood today... Is there any reason?” The Queen throws her question to her daughter before taking another bite of her scrambled eggs.

“Oh! I am in a good mood, mom!” The Princess’s smile only grows bigger as she stabs the meat on the plate, surprising her mom just a little and her dad a lot.

“Care to tell what got you in such a jolly mood?” The Queen returns an amused smile.

Rapunzel swallows and announces, “It’s Cassandra Week!”

The King and Queen traded looks - this time both were puzzled.

Rapunzel hops to her feet. “Thank you for the meal. You’ll all find out what’s going on soon enough! Bye dad, bye mom!”

And Rapunzel was off.

 Rapunzel was never one to be able to hide her excitement for anything. And so, it did not take long for the castle to be bustling with whispers and loud chatters about Cassandra Week.

Cassandra was dumbfounded when Pete the guard says he looks forward to the occasion. She hid her puzzlement behind a quick nod and “I got to go.”

Knowing Rapunzel’s full schedule, she knew the Princess’s sitting class should be over and she would be back in her room – that was where the onyx-haired girl rushed to.

“Raps!” Cassandra starts the moment she opens the door.

“Hi, Cass~” Rapunzel hums thoughtfully after a bubbly greeting, eyes back on her canvas, brush in hand.

“Not Hi Cass~ What do you mean Cassandra Week?” Cassandra was confused, amused...but mostly confused as she stood, arms crossed in front of Rapunzel for answers.

“It’s a week to appreciate you. Is what it means.” Rapunzel faces her best friend with an eager smile and sparkle in her eyes.

“And...who said so?” Cassandra was not buying this, and would rather not have this embarrassing sounding week occur.

“I did!” Rapunzel had that big twinkle in her eye again and that usual ‘that’s how it is’ way of speaking. Cass uncrossed her arms.

“But you’ll be the only one who knows this? And the only one doing something? Isn’t that weird?” Cass tries to bring up questions to lessen the uncalled for enthusiasm Raps has for her coined week.

It did not work, however, as it only fuelled Rapunzel’s big pool of zest. “Yes!! Isn’t that amazing? I invented something! Again~ And this time it’s going to blow people off their feet in good ways!!”

Cassandra looked to Pascal for help but the little chameleon had a mini beret on for the occasion. The swordswoman throws her hands in the air.

“Okay. You do you, Raps. I’ll be...busy with duties.” Cass makes her way to the door; her lady-in-waiting duties are wayyyy too much to stand here and fight a losing battle in dissuading the stubborn Princess.

Rapunzel sings and okay as she got back to her canvas.

“You know where to find me if you need me.” Cassandra adds before shutting the door after seeing Rapunzel’s game face (a different one) focused on the blank canvas. Cass could not help but feel...very much loved by her princess and best friend.

“So...Pascal Sir~”

Pascal straightened his back and had a smart look on, ever-ready.

Rapunzel giggles. “What do you think I should paint?”

Pascal squeaks his opinion, a hand spread to the right.

“You’re right. I do have ideas. What do you think about...Cass in her lady-in-waiting dress, and that soft smile she has which she doesn’t show all the time! It’s a side only I know~”

Pascal makes a noise. And Rapunzel bobs his head. “And you.” Pascal nods in delight.

“That’s a good idea then! But that’s day one...I need another six.”

Pascal makes another sound, pointing to the canvas and Rapunzel and canvas again.

“You’re right, Pascal. I’ll know what to paint because I know Cass the best!” Rapunzel takes her best friend up to nuzzle before picking up her brush again, dabbing it in paint and beginning.

Rapunzel painted, painted and painted. And as the hours flew she was finally done! Seven masterpieces for each day of Cassandra Week. The Princess did a little dance around her room. Even rolling on her bed for a moment before skipping back to Day One’s piece.

“Are you ready, Pascal?”

The chameleon saluted and hops onto the canvas as Rapunzel picked it up and headed outside. Calling a meeting with her subjects and anyone available at such an impromptu call.

 “Citizens of Corona. Ladies, gentlemen, soldiers, boys, girls, horses and…chameleon.” Rapunzel added as she winks at Pascal; the little green buddy puffing his chest out proudly. “Today, I gather everyone here for the lovely occasion of Cassandra Week!”

Mixed chatter, cheers and murmurs spread in the crowd gathered. “I’m sure all of you have heard about this Week I have announced and Maximus and the guards to spread around town.”

Rapunzel puts her hands together, nervous and excited to share. “To give a summary…It’s a whole, full week for me…and anyone of you to appreciate my lady-in-waiting, best friend…and loyal subject to Corona – Cassandra!”

Rapunzel clapped excitedly, Pascal too before many claps resounded along.

“So, so!! My first painting for day one is…”

Rapunzel steps up to the canvas hidden by silk cloth. “Lady-in-waiting Cassandra.”

The crowd was a collective “oohhhh” at the well-drawn painting of the usually stern-looking girl who was now shown with a gentle smile that captivated not only the Princess but even those looking at it.

A citizen shouted, “Is that really Cassandra?”

Rapunzel beamed. “I’m glad you asked. This indeed is Cassandra!”

And just as Rapunzel began explaining her painting, Cassandra herself returned from her training to see a crowd gathered and…a painting of her being the centre of attention.

“Raps??” Cass spoke under her breath, unsettled and worried for whatever the Princess was saying.

“Cassandra tend to look angry, serious and absolutely unfriendly. However! She is in actuality really sweet and gentle and nice. Just as I captured here – where she patiently do up my hair and get dressed for the public. I just love how she…”

Rapunzel drones on until Pascal reminds her of the time. Lots of claps actually sounded before they went back to town.

Cassandra is beside Raps in record timing. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Rapunzel picked up her painting.

“That!” Cass points at the painting. “And that!” Cass sweeps her hand across the empty arena.

“My presentation for day one of Cassandra Week, Cass. Did you like it?”

Cassandra stared into those green eyes filled with passion and honesty. Cassandra sighs; nothing she can do against Raps’ goodwill. “Can you just…not talk so much about me like that? It’s embarrassing to hear.”

Raps nods. “I can do that!”

 Day two of Cassandra Week and many were gathered once more for Rapunzel to present to.

“Voila!” The Princess revealed another painting – this time it was Cassandra in her sparring clothes, holding her sword after she just slashed her target; expression proud and posture strong.

There were many cheers already; loving the bold colours and action-depicted.

“This is Cassandra. And she is strong. So strong, I have nothing to fear when I have her by my side.” Rapunzel finishes short and sweet. Seeing Cass in the crowd; thinking she’s probably mistaking the sun’s ray for blush on her best friend’s face.

 Day three, Rapunzel had Maximus on “stage” too as she unveiled her painting of Cassandra riding a horse. Fast and determined, graceful and simply amazing on the steed.

“Cass here rides super well. Maximus agrees. Don’t you, Max?” Rapunzel begins her speech which was more a conversation now.

Max neighed, a big smile and proud nods.

Cassandra in the crowd could only cover her face with one hand and groan.

Rapunzel took that happily. She likes making Cass groan.

 Day four was simply put as blush-inducing the moment Cassandra laid eyes on the painting.

“Cassandra Week Day Four, people! And I just wanted so, so, so, so, soooo much! To let everyone know that I am in good hands and rarely late for anything! Because I have Cass to pull me to places fast and safely!”

Rapunzel laughs at her own story and admission to being distracted enough to need her lady-in-waiting to rush her to places she needs to be.

Cassandra noticed some stares coming her way so she took big strides away from those smiling gazes.

“Why are they enjoying this so much?? It’s my duty to do so… Plus I wouldn’t want Raps to have a bad rep…” Cassandra mumbled to herself till she realized how much she cared for Raps and had to shake those thoughts away; caring is normal. It’s not like she’s caring because she…

 Rapunzel came out to greet the crowd with one word – “Hugs~!!”

The Princess hugs Pascal before she continued. “They are the best way to tell someone you’re there for them and that you love them.”

Raps remove the cloth to show her painting – it was Cassandra and her hugging during the Challenge of the Brave. “I love this one hug and decided to paint it because Cass allowed me to hug her then. And it just made me so relieved that I didn’t make her be upset with me…”

Someone in the crowd goes, “Of course she wouldn’t be!”

“How could anyone stay angry at you, Princess!”

Rapunzel smiles, happy to have the support of her subjects. “Thank you… Thank you. But truly. It is the power of hugs! I hope everyone here can understand how Cass’s hugs are simply amazing. And that you’d turn to hug one another too~”

Everyone cheered and begun hugging each other which Cassandra skilfully ducked and dodged. Rapunzel waved at her and Cass shook her head, easily climbing up the steps.

“Cass-”

“Not this time, Raps.” Cass tried to hide a grin as she headed into the castle leaving Rapunzel slightly pouty from not getting a hug when everyone else is hugging. But a smile soon bloomed again as she loved that teasing side too.

 “A-Ahem.” The Princess clears her throat; she was more or less getting used to this talking to huge crowd experience and she realized that clearing your throat was a good way to get ready and get everyone’s attention.

Rapunzel scans the crowd to see if she can find Cassandra in it. Not seeing that pretty head of black, the Princess decides to continue.

Stepping up to take the cloth in her hand, “Today…I have you camping, stars and Cassandra!”

The Princess unravels the painting of a mixed shade of dark blue, illuminated with the glowing stars, and on the forest green and brown…lays Cassandra beside Rapunzel, hands over her torso and gazing at the sky. Rapunzel herself gazing at the girl beside her.

“We went camping…sometime…That we do not need to disclose when. But the point is Cassandra, have these sort of quiet moments too! And I just love how the stars glow with her. Don’t you all agree?”

Cassandra who was at the side of all the crowd rolled her eyes endearingly at Rapunzel trying her best to cover up the fact that she was exposing the truth that they sneaked out the castle at night to stargaze.

But also…she could not help but smile at Rapunzel who was once again gushing about a side of her Rapunzel likes.

 As the final day rolled by, the number of people in the arena filled all the way outside of the castles as they wanted to see the painting their Princess did for Cassandra Week.

And as each day has gone, Cassandra found herself being given wide smiles, pat on the back, and even hugs! She could only feel embarrassed, appreciated yes, but very much embarrassed. She too, was in the crowd and eager for this to end.

Rapunzel hurries out after making her people wait a good ten minutes. “I am SO sorry, everyone. I had to add an additional stroke! Or strokes… But ah, here it is. Here we are!”

The blonde went on to talk about how much she’s going to miss getting to share how much she loved Cassandra, but nonetheless had lots of fun.

“So~ Who’s ready to see my final piece for Cassandra Week?” Rapunzel smiles hugely, hands hovering over the veil.

And everyone cheered so loudly, hands pumped up and eyes glued to the hidden canvas.

“Alright…I want everyone…to take a deep breath.” Everyone did, even Cass. “And know that…”

Rapunzel revealed the painting full of bright colours contrasting with the simple tones of red and pink where Cassandra and Rapunzel had their foreheads pressed to one another. Rapunzel had a big smile, laughing in the moment and Cass looking and smiling lovingly at her, hands around each other’s waist.

Rapunzel stole a glance to her art partner Pascal, the chameleon gave her big thumbs up and she nodded back.

“Forehead touching is a way for two people to convey how much they trust and care for another.” Rapunzel explained her piece. Keeping it short and sweet as Cass wanted and when she made eye contact with the girl in the crowd, she could not help but smile wider, glad.

Cassandra returned the smile, scratches her cheek before she walks off.

Rapunzel knew she would get to talk to Cass later so she finished up Cassandra Week with a big round of applause and everyone going “Cassandra is amazing! Princess paintings are amazing!!”

 With the end of Cassandra Week, Rapunzel looks out the window, gazing at the beautiful full moon when Cass enters. The guards always let her pass.

“Anything interesting out there?”

Rapunzel grins at the voice of her favourite person in the room. “Always...”

Cass stands behind Raps, looking at the moon sharing its light to Earth.

“But tonight, I’m a little taken away by their beauty.” Rapunzel says as she gazes at Cassandra by her side.

Cass nods in agreement, not noticing the stare until...she looks over. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Because you’re Cass.” Rapunzel answers.

Cassandra’s eyebrows knitted together, a gentle glare as her cheeks grew hot. “You don’t know what you’re saying...”

“Don’t I?” Rapunzel couldn’t hide the growing smile as she takes Cassandra’s hand into hers. “I love you, Cass. To the moon and back.”

Cass laughs; a quiet and lyrical kind which takes Rapunzel’s breath away. “Was this whole Cassandra Week a round-about way to ask me out?”

It was Rapunzel’s turn to shine a bright red, biting her bottom lips for two seconds at best before she nods eagerly. “It is. I don’t know how to ask someone out other than kissing them and declaring them my partner. And I somehow thought... That won’t work with someone as special as you, Cass.”

Cassandra holds Rapunzel’s hands tighter at each word Raps spoke, feeling her heart feeling fuller and beating faster.

“I wanted to do so much for you. And I did. And I still want to.” Rapunzel shrugs; shoulders saying ‘I guess I just can’t help it’, her emerald eyes saying ‘because it’s you’.

Cassandra did the last thing Rapunzel could guess - the onyx haired girl closed the distance between them, arms around Rapunzel’s waist, pulling her into a big, heartfelt hug. And before Rapunzel could comment, Cass spun them around the room - Rapunzel making gleeful sounds as Cass smiled back, till they stopped by the bed.

Rapunzel laying down, Cass propped on top. “You...You’re the only one.”

Cass stammering? A Rapunzel eyes only special. The blonde was proud and had every right to be.

“Kiss me?” Rapunzel for once did not initiate it and wanted one.

Cassandra’s eyes darted all around the room and even on Rapunzel but just couldn’t look Rapunzel in the eye or those...inviting and waiting lips.

“Too shy to do so, Cass?” Rapunzel asks genuinely but could only be heard as a taunt.

Cassandra lowers those strong arms of hers. And Rapunzel’s eyes widen as those soft, pretty lips touch hers. And Rapunzel felt fireworks explode all around before it settled into a calming stream.

Rapunzel kissed Cass back gentle and increasingly passionate as her hands go around Cass’s neck, her body rising to meet Cass pressing closer to her. She was filled with a huge buzzing feeling of warmth and fullness. With Cass as her girlfriend, Rapunzel felt complete.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Notes

This was fun to write!! :”D My first ever Cassunzel~ ^w^

As mentioned, I am very much in love with Cassunzel as the next person XD So this idea popped in my head aaaaand, my fingers did the dancing necessary for this story to bloom!! *w*

I hope you enjoyed it~ ^w^

Leave a comment if you like~ (it would be great to know your favourite parts or where I could improve!)

Have a great Cassandra Week, y’all! XP

[myfeetkeepdancing]

A Winter Wonder  | Peter Parker x Male!Reader

Word count: 4742

🎄  Enjoy the upcoming holidays! 🎄

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Everyone has their season. For some, the unbridled sun and heat waves crashing down onto our bare skin are the best days of the year. Others prefer the spring, the start of something new. The transformation from the gray, cloudy days into the brighter ones. Where warmer, brighter tints arise in mother nature's palette of colors again.

 And then there was winter. A white Christmas is often said to be a cliche. We hope it happens every year. And that one year, when it really happens. It's magical. You're gaze fixed upon that white sky. Watching as the heavens slowly coated the world in a blanket of snow Feeling the flakes touch upon your warm skin. And the cold air picking at your exposed skin. A content sigh fans out as a foggy cloud in front of you. Straightening your collars and tucking on your gloves, you carefully make your way down the white covered steps. Here and there a few imprints from previous pedestrians. You can't help but smile at that crystalline crunch as you plant your feet into the untrodden fresh snow. Further down, the pavement was almost cleared of snow. The usual crowd working their way downtown. You double-check the time on your phone before you make your way down the street.

 Christmas decorations are everywhere across the city. From the enormous tree in the center square, littered with twinkling lights and colorful decorations. The small market stands with sweets and drinks. Families spending their time ice-skating. Browsing shops and buying presents. As the Christmas songs finally find their place in the time of year. It's a peaceful and wonderful time.

 Making your way past all the shops and malls, you end up at the usual meeting point. Walking down the snowy path, you eye that familiar bench. Peter wasn't there yet. Your eyes immediately turn to the sky in between the tall buildings. Perhaps you could see him swinging in-between. But to no avail. You turn around, taking in the stunning view across the park. Other then a few people walking their dog. It was idyllic.

 Then that familiar trickle, a glowing feeling, radiating from one of your nostrils. You feel the warmth running down to your lip. Undoing your glove, you unwrap the wrinkled tissue from your pocket. The taste already on your tongue. You can already trace the first drop falling from your lip. Creating a stark contrast in the snow. Dabbing that one nostril, you stare at the sight of the red-stained snow. A sigh escapes your lips. Seating yourself on the nearby bench, you clench the tissue around your nose. In an effort to halt the bleeding. Each season also has its downside.

 The squeaking sound of boots moving through the snow wakes you. "Y-You alright?" A familiar voice calls behind you.

 "Peter!" Raising yourself to your feet. "I'm fine." You swing your arms wide open. Peter hesitates for a moment, looking at the blood on the floor. Then checking for a sign of blood coming from your nose, before pulling you into a tight hug. Encased into his embrace, you feel his arms squeeze around you. Peter was the only one that could give such satisfying hugs. So strong and passionate.

 "It's so good to see you again!" Peter happily exclaims. Holding you close in his strong arms. Lifting you up from your feet out of excitement. "I've missed you!"

 "I missed you too." You smile from ear to ear.

"Got one again?" Peter leans in and carefully studies the blood coming from your nostril.

 "Time of the year." You shrug your shoulders.

 "C' mere." Fully concentrated, he wets a piece of the tissue. And cleans the remains of dried blood around your nostril with great care. "Much better." He smiles. You can't help but smile back. That glow on his face. It's heartwarming.

 "So, what happened to you?" Tilting your head ever so slightly. Inspecting his right cheek, a light red mark up graced his otherwise flawless skin. "Looks like you got hit by a car."

 Peter chuckles as his gaze falls to the floor for a moment. Shaking his head. "I- eh…"

 "You know what." You dive forward, grabbing a handful of snow. "Put some ice on it!" Tossing it into his face.

 Peter, in response, puffs and blows, wiping his face clean. Laughingly throwing back the remains towards you as he almost tumbles over the bench.

 You hunch forward, dodging his throw. But as you come back up, Peter reaches out for you. A massive ball of snow in his left-hand closes in. "Please! No!" You plead before he grabs you by the collar. Giggling as he drags you in. There was no chance you were getting out of that punishment. You squirm and thrash about as the ball of snow sinks it's way into your neck. Peter laughs hysterically as he looks onto you jumping around, trying to get the snow out from your jacket.

 "You made your point." You puff. "But, that blush ain't masking it, Pete." You chuckle. Lightly slapping his cheek with your gloved hand. Still cold from the snow.

 "Ouch." He winces away from your touch, protesting sarcastically. "That hurts."

 "Oh, shut it. You'll regenerate that in no time." You remark with a smirk on your face. "Now…" Wiping the layer of snow clear from the bench. "Normal people would have chosen a warmer spot to meet up. Especially at this time of year."

 "Normal people." He chuckles. "Not us." Peter seats himself beside you, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Just look at it, isn't it beautiful?"

 "It's gorgeous..." Your attention gets drawn to a winter wonderland in front of you. The tall, imposing trees were now burdened with a thick layer of snow on their branches. The vibrant green grass hid away by a white frosting. Like an empty canvas, waiting for the artist's brush. The pond is frozen shut. Creating a mirror-like surface. Only a gentle breeze of snowflakes dwindling down to earth. Bringing a peaceful harmony to it all. "So, how'd you get that?" Tapping at your cheek.

 "Well, I… Eh." Peter hesitates for a moment. "You know, with the w-winter and all that." Judging by his reaction, you know this was going to be good. "The cold temperatures and such..." He grins for a second, shaking his head. "I-...I crashed into a brick wall when my webs didn't connect." He smiles at you with a confessed expression. Lips pressed together. Somewhat ashamed of his action. "Damaged a fire escape in my fall."

 You can't help but laugh at his story. You've known Peter long enough to laugh these moments off. Peter, of course, followed. "I'm sorry for laughing… But-" Wiping the tear rolling down your cheeks. "-you really need some winter-webs." Bellowing into laughter again.

 Peter looks up, his mouth falling open. "(Y/N)." He calls out. "That's it!"

 "Yeah, well. Who knows..." You chuckle as you regain yourself. Shaking the funny thoughts from your head. Trying to focus on your eureka moment. "If you think about it-" You both start rambling about the concoctions, listing different reactions and arrangements of chemical ingredients. Peter attentively nods along to your train of thought. Proposing different options and enthusiastically adding on to your ideas. Onto that scrap of paper, left in your jacket, you begin scribbling the formula. It's a symphony of ideas coming together. It flows so smoothly from the mind. As the pen flips from hand to hand. Allowing each other time to write their ideas down. Propose new things. You both gaze at the scribbles before realizing the nostalgia. You look up, giving each other an excited smile. Spotting that innocent sparkle in Peter's eyes.

 "I think we're onto something." He says. "We need to test it!"

 "For sure!" Handing him the folded piece of scribbles. "Now, what's left are the ingredients."

 "I can fix that." As he notes it down in his phone. "I still don't get it how you didn't get into MIT." He sighs defeated. "You'd fit right in. I know you would!"

 "It's what it is, Peter."

 "No, it's just not fair! You-"

 "Peter!" You call out, trying to get his attention again. "How's the heating in your suit?" You subtly try to change the subject. "Last time we were here, icicles dangled from your nose." Peter's face was now full of color, his nose and ears burning bright red. A vibrant smile stretched across his face.

 "Mister Stark was really impressed by your work." His eyes lit up, locked with yours. Full of adoration and pride. "He did do a double-check of course. Didn't want me to burn to a crisp."

 "Neither do I. But how about you?" You continue. "Do you like it?"

 "I love it." He pauses. "No more chilly winds. No more runny noses. It's great!"

 "Good." You nod. "Good…" And search in the pockets of your jacket. "Still got that Spider-Man scarf?"

 "Of course." He chuckles. "I'm never letting that go."

 "It looked so fluffy. Shame you didn't wear it."

 "I'm just glad she didn't knit a sweater."

 "Would've worked better than the scarf." You joke. "Alright, are you ready for this?"

 Peter shifts on the bench. "So..." Leaning in, as he whispers. "What'd you manage to make out of it?"

 "You're not gonna believe your eyes."

 "Show me." He wiggles closer towards you...

 "Check this out." You turn over your wrist and bring up your new gadget.

 "That small?!" Peter's eyes widen. "Awesome!"

 "Here it goes." Putting the button like thing on the inside of your wrist. You both tentatively watch in silence for what's about to happen. But nothing does. You both jump back as a puff of smoke erupts, letting it fall to the floor as metallic bits spew from the opening onto the snow. Little sparks mark the end of its life.

 "Was that supposed to happen?" Peter asks, looking up at you with big eyes. Questioning your tech.

 You squint, giving him a disapproving look. "What do you think, Peter?"

 "I'm sorry." He apologizes. "But I'm sure we can make this work. Say, how about we do one of those weekends again? I for sure can't work on it in Mister Stark's lab."

 "Does he know?"

 "No, and let's keep it that way." Peter looks over his shoulder as if he expects someone listening in on him. "What do you say." He hunches closer to you." I help you fix it, if you help me with my 'winter-webs'." Awaiting your reaction. "C'mon! It's been forever!" Pushing you against your shoulder.

 "Hell yeah!" You slap him against his shoulder. "I'm in!"

 "Awesome! How about the days of Christmas?" He quips before you get a chance to say anything. "Spend it with us!" His eyes sparkled with excitement. Innocent puppy-like eyes stare at you. "Ooh, then we can do presents for each other!" He instantly adds on.

 You can't help but share the same excitement. "Yes, please!" You clap your hands together. "Then, I don't have to babysit my awful nephews."

 Peter jumps up. "Alright!" Balling a fist as a way of showing his victory, followed by a happy skip. "I'll let May know."

 "Hey!" You try to call him back as he suddenly darts off. "Peter!" Picking up the mess from your failed gadget.

 He stops dead in his tracks. Laughing and mumbling to himself. "I'm sorry (Y/N)." He says, walking back to you. "I... got carried away. Got so many good ideas." A huge smile on his face got you wondering what got him all worked up. If it had to be that good, you sure had to come up with something that could match his.

 "Well, hot cocoa is that way.." Pointing backward over your shoulder. "Let's start with that. You owe me one." Straightening your collars, and tucking your hands in your pockets as Peter catches up with you. "After all, I'm freezing."

 "You did that to yourself, dumbass." As he darts his cold hand in between your collar and neck out of nowhere.

 "Peter!" You shout, running a few paces ahead.

 Since you were separated last year at the end of school. You each were forced down your own path. Peter got into MIT, and you somehow didn't. There were a lot of discussions about it. The expectations for your parents. The advice from school. What you wanted.

 Nevertheless, it didn't change a thing. Peter was devastated. And so were you. But life went on. It had to. But without your best friend. Without your equal. Without your lifeline.

 And time pushes people apart, forces you to grow up, and requires you to evolve and be more serious with life. Almost like sucking the fun out of things. Preparing you for real life.

 But being together. There was something relaxing and calming about it. Being with Peter, everything looked brighter. Better. Less daunting. More fun. Time to be yourself. And times like these really felt like a relief. Joking around, messing with each other. Spending time at the local arcade hall. Sharing a meal. Falling in those pointless nerdy conversations at the cinema, while standing in front of posters. To a point, you completely forget to pick a movie at all. Just rambling about anything. Singing along to a song together. There was so much in common. It's special. And you begin to realize that once you were forced apart. Your friendship was special. Where would it end...?

 "(Y/N)?" A voice wakes you from your moment of reflection. "You want some more, sweety?" You pull your gaze from the plate in front of you. A mess of mindless mushed ice-cream laid in front of you. As Aunt May brings up the dessert platter.

 "N-No, thank you, I've had more than enough." You politely waved her away. "Can you hand me that, Peter?" Pointing to the whipped cream beside him. A grin spread across his face.

 "I thought you'd never ask." He happily comments. He brings up his other hand, which was encased in a metal like glove. At the fingertips, a blue like hue beamed outward. The plate of whipped cream slowly started moving upward. You both giggle and wonder at the fantastic piece of tech you two managed to rebuild.

 "Boys." May sighed as the plate slowly hovered it's way over to you. "No more tech at the table. If you're finished, you-..."

 Peter cocked his head towards May. Losing his concentration over the plate. "-can do the presents?!" He finishes her sentence. Causing the plate to obey the laws of gravity again. Followed by a clatter of shards and whipped cream splattering across the table. None of the three around the table were spared. A moment of silence followed. As you locked eyes with Peter, biting his lower lip. May sighed deeply, giving Peter a judgemental stare. "Sorry…May." He quietly apologized.

 "Go change." She points towards his bedroom. "Both of you."

 Giving you a smiling glance, Peter jumps from his chair and makes for his room. You sit in silence for a moment. Taking the napkin, wiping away the spots of cream from your face.

 "So, what'd you ask for?" May asks as she starts piling up the plates.

 "Nothing special that I'm aware of."

 "Hmmm." She hums. "I have to say, I haven't seen him this nervous for Christmas. Like… Ever. Are you sure?" She asks, questionably frowning at you.

 "I don't know…" You intended to help her clean the table. Collecting leftovers and such. But get pushed away immediately.

 "Go." She waves you away with a smile." Go, do your presents. Something has Peter busy. It's too quiet in there." Wiping the whipped cream from her forehead with the towel.

 "Peter?" You ask, going headfirst around the doorframe into the room. Looking around, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Peter was nowhere to be found. You make your way to your backpack, just to make sure your present was still there. From the bathroom, you hear the tap running and the sound of a toothbrush. It's been a while since you last visited Peter's room. Walking around the room, you take in the various posters. Some things have changed. But you haven't taken the time to take it in. The stack of new comics. Little tech bits and bobs he collected over time.

 You fiddle a bit with his black and white Kodak camera. A stack of incredible images lay beside his desk. If only people would know who really took them. Carefully lifting the corner of the Iron Man poster, you admire the growing collage of newspaper clippings of Spider-Man. Peter is proud of what he does as Spider-Man. And he has every reason to be so. But for a long time, he couldn't share his experiences with anyone. He also wouldn't. The things that he saw and helped to prevent. Still, he isn't the type of person that would boast about it either. In the end, not even to you. But you could sense how proud he was afterwards. When you would congratulate him on his recent success. He just glowed. So you couldn't resist collecting little clippings for him to put up on his wall. A way of showing his achievements. But also that the things he does, had an impact. And if only for a very small audience, they still deeply appreciated his work. A small inset picture draws your attention. Your eye is being drawn to it. Like spotting a coin on the sidewalk. It's a clipping from last year, at about the same time.

 Then you eye his drawer. You knew exactly which one to open. You concentrate on the noises coming from the bathroom. But by the sound of it, he wasn't coming back yet. So you rummage around the drawer. With a satisfied grin, you pull out the Spider-Man scarf. You can't help but sniffle as it looked so wrong on so many levels. The colors and patterns. It's hilarious. Winding it around your neck, and seating yourself comfortably on the desk chair. You grab one of the comic books lying around. And patiently wait for Peter to return. Only a few pages in, the bathroom door swings open. Peter appeared all tidied up, clean, and smelling fresh. Full of confidence.

 "You wanna go?" Holding the door to the bathroom.

 But before he has a chance to respond, you let the comic fall forward and shoot a web from your wrist.

 "No…(Y/N)." He giggles, pacing towards you. You missed entirely. A string of web dangled from the ceiling. Peter utterly unimpressed by your actions. "Gimme those..."

 You pout your lips, giving him a disappointed look. "I was hoping to at least find this wrapped." Tugging on the scarf. What followed was the inevitable tickling punishment. His strength was no match against you. In no time, Peter's strong arms had you squirming in his grasp. Removing the scarf and web-shooters from your defeated body.

 "Alright, gimme a moment to freshen up." You blow and puff, catching your breath after the tickle fight with Peter. In the bathroom, you take a moment to change your shirt and tidy up. To your surprise, you find spots of cream literally everywhere. Even on your trousers. After a good clean up, you return to his room. A nervous flutter had your system scrambled. What if he didn't like your present? It kept circling in your mind. What if...

 "Look!" Peter shoots up from his bed. "It's here." Handing you the comic he was reading. "I found it!"

 "You can't convince me, Peter." Brushing his comic aside as you walk by.

 "C'mon, (Y/N)!" He protests, flapping the page to and through. "I'll stop talking about if you read it."

 "And admit I was wrong?" You quip as you look back over your shoulder. "Never…"

 "Ooow…" He sighs. Falling backward on his bed.

 "So, about the presents-" Taking your bag on your lap. Feeling a flutter of nerves. "May said we could open them. And eh… I...I've been-..."

 "W-Wait." Peter interrupts. Nervously pacing up and down the room. "Can I-... go first?"

 "Uhm, sure." Setting the bag beside you, you perch yourself upright on his desk chair. "Go for it." You give him a reassuring smile.

 "C-Can-..." He stutters. "Can you… like… c-close your eyes?" He asks with his hands hidden behind his back, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet.

 "Okay." Closing your eyes and await his instructions. "I can do that."

 "Please… (Y/N)." He mutters nervously. "Don't be mad. I've..."

 "Peter, how can I be-..." But a waft of warm breath tingles your skin, sending a shiver down your spine. Your heart skips a beat. And your breath stocks in your throat along with the words. And before you were able to register what was happening. Your lips connect with something soft and warm. A hint of mint and freshness fills your senses. In an involuntary response, you pull away slightly, inhaling a small breath of surprise. And find yourself being drawn into it. Not only by both hands clasping onto either side of your head. But also a sudden spark igniting within. A craving. A desire. A pair of hands take the side of your head. The thumbs slowly caress your cheeks. Pulling you deeper into a slow and tender kiss.

 A sense of relief. It's happiness that washes over you. You want Peter close to you. More than ever before. With your eyes closed, you reach out for his figure. Letting your fingers ghost along his body, from his torso down to his hips. Through the fabric of his clothing, your fingers lightly brush his rippled muscles. You feel his lips tremble against yours, as you reel him in towards you. Gasping a little as he throws his leg over one side, seating himself on your lap. A warm sensation shoots through your body like you never experienced before. A euphoric warmth of pure joy and bliss. His lips moving in perfect sync with yours. Kissing you slow and gentle. Your hands hold onto his hips, drawing him closer to you. Resting Peter on top of your pelvis. His fingers slide towards the back of your neck, intertwining with the end of your hair. Loosely playing with your it, as he holds you. Your lips dancing in sweet harmony. Your hands slide up and down his spine. You feel his lips curve into a smile. You both fall into a small chuckle.

 As a soft moan falls from your lips as your part. You open your eyes, Peter's forehead resting against yours. You look up and lock eyes with his. Peter gazed at you with big heart eyes, sparking with tenderness and love. You watch breathlessly as his eyes studied yours with silent intensity. A blush colored his cheeks. Followed by a genuinely sweet smile, you wish never would disappear. His smile was one of happiness growing. You couldn't do anything else but return the smile. His lower lip quivered as a exhales a shuddering breath. "I love you." He said softly, before closing his eyes. Trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes.

  "Peter..." You whisper, trying to get his attention. At the same time, you try to fight the tears as well. Swallow the lump forming in your throat. "Hey…" Your voice cracks. As you hold his cheeks in the palm of your hands. "Listen to me." Softly caressing his cheek with the pads of your thumb. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to blink away the tears welling in the corner of his eyes.

 "I love you, Peter." Pressing your lips on his. "With all my heart."

 A small tear rolls down his cheek. His cute smile still widespread on his face. "Hey...What are those tears for?" You ask, holding him close to you. Wiping away the rolling tear down his cheek.

 "Tears of joy." He chuckles, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "You make me so happy." He sniffed softly, his nose all runny. "I love you (Y/N)." His eyes turned watery again, so you wrap your arms around him. Pulling him into a tight hug. Peter's head buried in your neck. "I love you so m-much..." He snickers into your ear.

 "Pete… Stop." You sniffle, rubbing his back. "You're gonna make me cry as well."

 "I'm sorry." Wiping his nose clean with the back of his hand. "It's the nerves." He chuckles.

 "I gotta admit, Peter. You got balls." You compliment him with a kiss on the lips... "I couldn't understand why you would brush your teeth…"

 Simultaneously, you both shoot back up and glance up at the sound of slow clapping coming from the door. May stands there, giving you both a look of approval. "Merry Christmas." She beams. "I've seen those heart eyes for such a long time." As she comes forward. Peter and you share a quick moment of eye contact. Not sure what was happening next. But May leans in and kisses you both on the forehead. "I guess you don't have to fight over who's going to sleep on the couch tonight, after all." She rubs your shoulder. "I'm really happy for the two of you. You two deserve each other."

 In silence, you both watch May walk away. Peter's arm was wrapped around your neck, his other hand on your chest. Your one arm was wrapped around his lower back. The other hand on his hip. A lovely position. So calm and serene. Watching May leave the room. You turn to each other again. You both smile with the sense of relief, knowing that May approved of the relationship. But are then shaken up by a metal sound. "You two will definitely not be touching these kinds of things in a while." May jokes as a metal glove gets tossed through the door.

 "Have fun." She gives you a wink before pulling the door shut. You can't help but chuckle for a moment. And listen for movement coming from the other side of the door. The grin on your face stretching.

 "Is she gone?" You whisper, keeping your gaze locked to the door.

 "I don't know." Peter murmurs back.

 "But, can't you sense it with your tingle?"

 "Only your heart racing like crazy." Pressing a kiss on your temple. "Hey..." Cupping your chin with one hand, making you turn your gaze to him. Kissing you very gently on the lips. "I didn't get it… What'd she mean?"

 "Peter…" You chuckle. "It doesn't matter." You let your fingers brush past his cheek and hold the back of his head as you press your lips onto his. "Because you made this the best Christmas ever." And end by planting a soft kiss on top of his nose. "Thank you."

 "You're everything to me (Y/N). The months that I spend away from you…" He blushes. "Have been the hardest. You complete me in every way. I don't want to be without you. Ever." He pauses for a moment, looking at you with those heart eyes and a cheesy smile. "Will you be my Christmas present?"

 "Absolutely." You wholeheartedly agree. "My present wasn't boyfriend worthy anyway." You whisper.

 Peter's eyes widen as his mouth falls open slightly. "Boyfriend." He giggles, spinning the desk chair around. The world fading away around the two of you. There were only the two of you. Nothing else. Now you understand what all those love songs are about. Happiness and joy. Bliss. Finally together. Wrapped in each other's arms. With a thump, you land onto his mattress. Warm and cozy underneath his sheets. Captivated in his full embrace. Cuddling, snuggling, and spooning.

 "Can I unwrap my present?" He whispers in your ear, followed by a brush of his lips on the nape of your neck. While ghosting a finger along the hem of your shirt.

 You roll onto your back, allowing Peter to bury his face into the side of your neck. Kissing you gently. As you rake your fingers through his fluffy brown curls. Bringing your lips to his ear. Quitely whispering to him. "If it were up to me, you and I wouldn't be laying here wrapped in the first place." Peter chuckles softly, his breath fanning across your collarbone, as his hand slowly caresses your waistline. His lips meet your jawline as he rolls on top of you.

 "Never leave me (Y/N)."