#picked cards since they brought that back.... but ever since nat brought up 'how much do you rmbr' im so intrigued!!!

[rhcenyra]

YELLOWJACKETS ⇢ 2x08 | IT CHOOSES

Do you feel like there is something inside of you, a feeling that you know is making you do that?

[imaginedreamwrite]

Theo and James 100% team up with Curtis to make a present for their nanny/mom.

Christmas Countdown day 10 — help your kids buy (or make) a Christmas present for their parent

“If you’re trying to get rid of me, just say so-“

“I’m trying to get rid of you.” He cut you off with a smirk and forcefully slipped a card into your hand, his name scrawled across the front with the expiry date that was set for a few years away. “Don’t come back until you’ve spent at least a couple thousand.”

You blanched, your eyebrows frowning as a look of confusion crossed your face. Not only had he not let you back into the house after telling you that Steve, Scott and Nat’s girlfriends were taking you out, but he had given you the directive that you were to spend his money on yourself, and if you hadn’t spent the amount he wanted he would spend it on you himself.

“Have fun baby.” Curtis kissed you while you were still confused and shocked, his amusement at your stunned expression unbound. “Don’t let her come back until she’s spent a few thousand!”

He had talked over and closed the door, locking you out before he turned on his heel and looked back toward his boys running down the hall. Curtis had picked up the pace to follow them toward the table and the mass amount of crafting stuff they had. They had a distinct picture in mind of what they wanted to make you, and a clear directive that they were going to make you Christmas gifts instead of buying them.

“You can buy momma anything you want, we’re gonna make it.” James had got the idea of building handmade snow globes with their picture in from one of the craft stores they had begged you to take them to. “I wanna use this one.”

Curtis couldn’t deny them the chance to make you something versus buying you something, not when he knew you would love it more than a bought gift. You may not have known it, but you were closer to the centre of their world than you realized. You were the glue that held them together since you’d overtaken the main role as their caretaker.

You were Curtis’ future wife, he knew without a doubt that he would marry you and make you the first and only Mrs. Curtis Everett.

You were his boys mama, whether you had known or not how much they had truly become enraptured by you.

You were the first real mother figure they ever had, and the dynamics had shifted from you being their nanny to being someone they had bonded to in the manner of sons.

“I like it,” Curtis had taken a spot across the table from Theo and James, looking over the random things they had brought and made him buy, “Theo’s gonna do one too?”

“I’m gonna make a picture frame. Momma loves pictures.” Theo had boasted, neither boy shy about calling you their mom. “Momma said she wants one of those instant cameras, so she can take lots of pictures of us to hang in our room.”

“What are you gonna get her daddy?” James questioned Curtis, dumping the box of air dry clay over onto the table, his blue eyes perfectly matched to Curtis.

“A ring,” Curtis picked up one of the pre-made salt dough ornaments before he reached for a colourful marker, “and a box to put it in.”

[notsarareallynot]

Tony Stark x Reader daughter x Loki

pairing: Tony Stark x Reader daughter x Loki

Summary: You and Loki have been dating for a couple month behind everyone’s back. Now that the whole team is gone for the first time since you’ve been dating you and Loki have the whole tower to yourself. You take this opportunity to take your relationship to the next level.

TW: arguing, crying, swearing, unprotected sex, losing v-card, blood,pure smut...(if you don't like smut skip this one)

Word count: 4.1k I. Am. Sorry.

I'm sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes...

"Tony come on we have to go!" Steve shouts from out of the jet.

"Yeah just give me a minute! So no boys coming over, no going out while I'm not here and the most important one, don't talk to Loki!"

"Yeah dad..." you say rolling your eyes.

"Y/n! I'm being serious! He is dangerous and I don't want you to go to his room or even talk to him. Do you Understand that?"

"Yes..." you say.

"Honey, I just don't want you to get hurt that's why we have all those rules..." Tony said taking you in his arms, hugging you.

"I know dad... I'm going to stay in my room and watch some movies or something okay?" You try to calm him.

"Good Girl" your dad says kissing your forehead, walking to the jet.

Thor walk past you and stops for a moment.

"Lady y/n, your dad is right. Loki is a trickster, you can't trust him."

"Okay Thor. Now go save the world!"

The jet takes off and you walk back in.

You walk into the kitchen looking for something to eat. It was now around 1 am, your dad came into your room waking you up, telling you they had to leave, a few hours ago. And now you where awake and hungry.

That was your life. You lived with your dad and the avengers in the tower. You grew up with all of them around, so they all where like family to you.

You where probably closest to Nat, she was like the older sister you never had.

You enjoyed talking to her about school, boys, fashion and everything else.

Your dad was pretty strict with you, even though everyone thinks that Tony Stark doesn't care about anything, he cares about everything his daughter does.

You were never allowed to go with him on missions or parties, you where not allowed to go anywhere alone, so Happy had to pick you up from everywhere, but the most annoying part was, when it came to boys.

You are a 19 year old girl who has never had a boyfriend, never kissed a boy and surely never slept with one.

Your dad was very sensitive on that topic, so he didn't liked it very much when Thor brought his brother Loki into the tower. Because Loki meant trouble.

You remember exactly how you and Loki met for the first time.

Thor came back a few days ago with his brother, you heard that he had to stay here on earth as a punishment.

Loki was not really coming out of his room, so you never got to see him.

Your dad was pretty happy about that, because he didn't want you to talk to Loki in the first place and tried to keep you as far away from him as possible.

One day after school you asks your dad if you could go out tonight, but he said only if someone would go with you.

You asked everyone on the team, but everyone was busy.

You and your dad got into a huge argument, you where so mad at him for treating you like you where still a child.

After a while of screaming at each other your dad told you, to go to your room.

You ran up to your room crying, bumping into Loki on your way. You fell to the ground and he helped you up immediately.

He looked at you, seeing your red puffy eyes and asked you if you wanted to talk about it.

You nodded and Loki guided you to his room, you talked for a while and he just sat there and listened for hours to you, talking about how unfair your dad was.

After a while you had calmed down.

"Thank you for listening to me."

"It was my pleasure" he said.

His voice was deep and calming and it was the first time you heard him talk.

Just now you realized that you where in Loki's room, no one except for Thor was ever in here before.

You looked up at him, now that your eyes weren't that teary anymore you finally could take a good look at the Asgardian prince.

He was tall, had beautiful black hair and was the most handsome men you had ever seen.

"Are you okay?" He asks, his beautiful green eyes looking directly at you.

"Yes...Yes I think I should go now, before my dad finds me here." You say getting up.

You walk to the door, Loki followed you.

"I'll walk you to your room" he says charming.

"Oh no it's ok-" you try to tell him but he interrupted you.

"My dear, I insists"

That was how you and Loki first met. After that day he started to come out of his room more and would even eat dinner with you guys, but his eyes would always search for yours. Without your dad knowing you would sneak into his room at night and talk for hours, mostly about books and life.

But you never did more than talking, even though you wouldn't mind if you did.

You didn't wanted to admit it, but you had a slight crush on Loki. You haven't told anyone about it not even Nat, they wouldn't understand and your dad would never leave you out of his sight anymore, so you kept it a secret.

Over the next month you and Loki grew closer to each other, you once even fell asleep in his bed, when you where watching a movie.

You where scared that he didn't felt the same way about you that you felt about him. But one day out of the blue, he kissed you. At first you where a bit shocked, but then you kissed him back. Loki was your first kiss.

You guys started secretly dating about 3 months ago.

"What are you doing up this late at night, my love?" You hear a familiar voice behind you, pulling you back to reality. Loki comes up from behind, kissing you.

"My dad and the others left a few minutes ago and now I can't sleep, because I'm hungry.

So I'm searching for something to eat. Do you want anything?" you ask him.

"No thank you my dear. How long will they be gone for?" He asks you taking a seat.

"They will stay away for the whole weekend, it seemed to be urgent, nobody stayed here."

It never happened before that you and Loki stayed alone at the tower, your dad would always ensure that someone stayed here, but this time was different and everyone had to go.

"I beg your pardon? Nobody except for us is here?" Loki asks in disbelief.

"Yeah" you answer him.

You sit down next to him with a bowl of cereal, eating them peacefully while you feel Loki staring at you.

"What?"

"Oh... nothing." Loki says and continues to stare.

You blush slightly and push your cereal aside.

"Okay spill it. Now." You chuckle.

"Well..." loki started. He then stands up kissing you and lifting you up, sitting you on the kitchen counter.

"We're alone...With nobody else here... It would be the perfect opportunity for us..." he says in between the kisses.

"Loki, the perfect opportunity for what?" You ask, pulling away from his kiss, looking at him.

"For us to be intimate for the first time, my love." Loki says smiling.

It happened now for the last few times, when you and Loki made out and it got more heated, that he tried to take things to the next level.

You would always tell him that you don't feel comfortable when someone could walk in any minute, even though the real reason was that you didn't told him that you were still a virgin.

Loki also didn't know that he was your first kiss, but you didn't wanna ruin things between the two of you, so you kept it to yourself.

He never pressured you to do anything that you weren't completely comfortable doing, even tough you where almost 4 month together you guys did not cross the line of hot make out sessions.

"Oh yeah... that- that sounds great..." you choke out. Of course you wanted to have sex with Loki, but you where not prepared that it would be tonight.

Loki took your hand and you guys walked to his room.

When you got to his door, you panicked.

"Let's go to up to my room. I need to... to get myself ready" You tried to find an excuse.

Loki nodded and you guys made your way up.

In the elevator you started to kiss and when the elevator door opened you walked up to your room not breaking the kiss once.

In your room you locked the door behind you, even though nobody else was in the tower, you never know.

You and Loki made your way to your bed and he carefully lays you down. He started kissing your neck leaving marks behind, his hands travel under your shirt touching your breasts.

He helps you out of your shirt and trows it aside, as he started kissing your bare chest and you feel his hands travel down to your joggers.

He gets rid of his shirt and you feel a hand travel up your thigh.

You feel yourself getting wet down there, but when you feel his hand touching your sex trough the fabric of your panties you can't contain yourself anymore. You had to tell him the truth.

"I- I can't..."

You push him of you, grabbing the blanket to cover yourself and sit up against the headboard.

Loki looks concerned at you.

"My love? What's wrong? Did I do something?"

"No. You...You didn't do anything wrong..." you say looking down at your hands.

He comes closer and takes your chin in his hands so you have to look up at him.

"Y/n if you don't want to do this, we don't have to? I'm sorry if pushed you to anything you weren't completely comfortable with yet."

The problem was you wanted to do this, with him, but you didn't know if you where ready yet. And also you thought it was his right to know that you were still a virgin.

"No Loki. I'm the one who should be sorry... I wasn't honest with you..."

"My love please, talk to me. What's bothering you?"

"I'm still a virgin Loki..."

The room went quiet for a moment.

You didn't even dare to look at him.

You feel a tear rolling down your cheek.

"And I also want you to know that... that you where my first kiss...And- and if you don't want to be with me anymore now... that-that's fine and I understand that..." you where now fully crying, not being able to hold back the tears.

"Y/n, Darling, look at me. I love you."

Your eyes snap up searching for his. You couldn't believe he actually just said that, you haven't told each other those three words ever before.

"Do you hear me? I. Love. You. And if you want to wait, with having sex that's okay for me. Even if you want to wait till marriage. It's okay. Because I love you."

You let go of the blanket which was covering you, you didn't care. You fall into his arms, hiding your face in his neck.

You caught Loki of guard, who was now putting his arms around you, hugging you back, holding you tight to his chest.

"I love you too Loki. More than you can imagine"

You both stayed like that till you calmed down.

Loki stood up from your bed, picking up your shirt from the floor handing it to you.

"W- what are you doing?" You ask him quietly.

"Y/n. I told you. I will wait till you ready."

"I- I am ready Loki... I want to have sex with you..."

"Y/n..."

"Loki I promise, I want that. I trust you. I just needed to tell you that I'm a virgin before, so you would be careful..."

"Petal, of course I'm going to be careful. I would never hurt you on purpose." Loki said as he wiped a strand of hair from your face.

"Are you sure?" Loki asks again.

"Yes. Just- just go slow please."

"Of course. I'm going to be as gentle as I possibly can."

You lay yourself back down, on your bed.

Loki slowly pulls down your pants putting them on the floor next to your shirt.

Before he takes your panties of, he looks at you and searches for your consent.

You nod and that's all he needed, he slowly pulls your panties down, you were now completely naked in front of him.

"You are beautiful my dear" Loki said and started leaving a trail of kisses from your neck, to your belly, till he finally got to your heat.

He placed a kiss directly on your heat, causing you to let out a moan.

A grin made its way on Loki's lips.

He took a step back and got rid of the rest of his clothes. When he took himself out his boxers you stopped breathing for a second. He was huge and stone hard. How could he possibly fit all of that into you. Loki felt you stiffen underneath him and tried to calm you down.

"Hey, it's going to be okay... look at me."

"Loki..."

"My love, we can stop anytime and I will try my best to prepare you as much as I can. Okay?"

You nod.

"Y/n I need to hear that beautiful voice of yours?"

"Okay Loki."

Loki starts kissing you passionately again and you start to relax. When Loki feels you relax underneath him he uses the chance to slide a finger trough your wet folds.

You moan into the kiss while Loki's talented finger caresses your clit.

You feel a knot building up in your stomach and arch your back.

Loki's lips travel back down to your entrance and he started kissing your heat and licking your clit over and over again, when he all of the sudden pushes a finger inside of you.

Loki looks up at you, searching for any sign of discomfort.

You shut your eyes in pleasure your hands finding his hair to slightly pull on it.

After a few steady pumps Loki adds a second finger and feels you tighten around him.

"Are you okay my love?"

"Yeah... please... don't stop" you moan.

Loki feels you tighten around his fingers and adds a third finger.

It stung a bit but you feel that you are close to your first orgasm, so the pleasure takes over the pain.

"Loki...Loki... I- I think I'm going to-"

"I know..."

Loki starts licking your clit, while pumping his long fingers faster in and out of you, he adds a forth one and that's all he needs to take you over the edge.

You arch your back and curl your toes as you came all over Loki's fingers screaming out his name.

Your vision gets blurry and you start seeing stars.

"Ohh... Loki...god...that-that was..."

"Oh darling, there's so much more to come..." Loki says while stroking himself a few times, you could see that he was more then aroused.

He positioned himself at your entrance and held you close. You put your arms around his neck waiting for the pain to come.

"Darling. Relax" Loki says.

You didn't even noticed that you held your breath.

You chuckle nervous and tightened your grip on his shoulders.

"Okay, I'm going to be as gentle as possible and you let me know when to stop okay?

"O-okay..." you take a deep breath "Start."

Loki slowly starts pushing in and you feel like you are being ripped apart.

"Ahhh...ouchh... Loki-Loki wait..." you shut your eyes in pain, when you feel Loki placing sweet kisses on your skin, to distract you from the pain.

"Can I keep going love?" Loki breathed out hard.

You look at him and just realized how hard this must be for him, to not just slam into you.

"Y-yes..."

Loki starts pushing in further and you grip his shoulders harder, pulling him closer to you, needing something to hold on to.

"Okay- okay wait..." you say looking down, only to see that that just his tip was in yet.

"Do you want to stop?" Loki asks concerned.

"I..."

you where considering to stop, the pain was almost unbearable, but you wanted to feel Loki and reminded yourself how good the orgasm before felt.

"No...just do it okay...?"

Loki nodded and kissed you while pushing in one more time.

You could feel him stretching you out painfully, but didn't tell him to stop. As he kept going, you feel tears building up in your eyes and rolling down your cheeks.

Loki wipes the tears with his thumb away and you open your eyes to look at him. His eyes are full of concern and you could see that he wasn't enjoying any of this right now.

Loki hates seeing you in pain, but being the one who causes you to be in that much pain broke his heart.

With one final push he enters you completely, making you wince out in pain.

Your breathing was heavy and Loki wasn't moving at all, letting you adjust to him.

The tears were now falling uncontrollable from your eyes, as the pain between your legs was now unbearable and you couldn't imagine how this would turn into pleasure.

You let out little whimpers and look at Loki

You started kissing him trying to focus on something else, then this burning pain between your legs.

The pain didn't diminished, so you told Loki to move, to maybe that will help you to adjusted him more.

"Can... can you move?" You ask Loki.

Loki nodded and pulled out a bit, just to push back into you. It hurt like hell, but not as much as it did when he first entered you.

You look up at Loki who's eyes where pierced to you, his breathing was heavy, probably because your walls are squeezing the hell out of him.

He now almost pulls out all the way and pushes back in, but this time it doesn't hurt that bad anymore.

Loki can feel you relax a little bit, and starts pushing in and out of you, in a slow steady pace.

A moan escaped from your lips and Loki looks down at your face, and sees that your eyes aren't shut tight in pain anymore, instead he sees your eyes, now filled with pleasure, looking directly at him while little moans escape from your mouth.

"Loki..."

Loki immediately stops all his movements.

"Yes, my love"

"Can you go faster...?"

Loki smiled at you, happy that you finally start to enjoy this and not just being in pain anymore.

"Sure" he said smirking as he picked up his pace.

You where finally enjoying the intimate moments with Loki and reach out for his face, pulling him close, kissing him.

"I love you"

"I love you, my Queen" Loki says, as he's trying to catch his breath.

You throw your leg around Loki's hips pulling him closer, suddenly he brushes against a spot that lets you moan loudly.

"Oh... yes...Loki... faster"

Loki doesn't need to hear anything else, he picked up his pace and rams now mercilessly in and out of you making you scream his name like a prayer. His hand goes down to your clit rubbing it hard, taking you over the edge as you feel your second orgasm hit you harder then the first.

Loki doesn't stop and you feel him twitch inside you.

"My love, I'm close..."

"Me too..., my king..."

That's it, the nickname was enough for Loki to take him over the edge. You feel his hot seed shooting deep inside you, covering your walls from the inside, as he screams out your name, burying his head in your neck. That's what led you to your third orgasm. With a few sloppy trust he rode out both of your orgasms.

Loki falls on top of you, not putting his full body weight on you.

You guys stay like that for a minute before you both roll to the side. Loki pulls out of you and you feel his hot seed, mixed with your juices dripping on your sheets.

"I love you." he said looking at you.

"I love you too, handsome."

Loki stands up and walks towards your bathroom door.

Oh that ass is looking good... You think to yourself as he makes his way to the bathroom.

"Oh I like your ass too..." He says chuckling.

"Hey Loki! What did we say about reading my mind?" You say throwing a pillow at him, suddenly feeling a stinging pain in your abdomen, causing you to wince out in pain.

Loki immediately rushes to your side "Are you okay, my love?"

"Yes I am alright. I think I'm might be just a little sore..." You say blushing.

"But I didn't hurt you right?" Loki asks.

"No" you say pulling him down and kissing him.

"Come on... We have to clean you up..." Loki says looking down at you.

When you look down at yourself your eyes fill with panic. There is blood all over the sheets.

"Loki..."

"Hey it's okay... I'm going to clean this. You take a bath while I'm changing that okay?"

"Mhm" you say trying to sit up when you feel the uncomfortable pain in your abdomen again.

"I got you" Loki picks you up and carries you to your bathtub.

He turns the water on and placed a kiss on your forehead.

"I'll be back after I cleaned our mess..." he said.

You close your eyes and try to relax, even though the water burns a bit in some areas.

After a few minutes you feel Loki entering the bathtub, sitting behind you. You lay your head on his chest.

"Thank you"

Loki chuckled "for what?"

"For being so gentle to me, I saw how hard it was for you."

Loki just gave you a smile.

"The next time I'll make it up to you" you say with a slight smirk on your lips.

"Look at you, you can't even walk properly, but talk about the next time huh?" He chuckled

"Well I liked it..." you say turning your head to kiss him.

You lean your head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.

Loki washed you and helped you out of the tub, drying your body.

When Loki reaches between your legs to dry you, he touched your sex slightly.

"Ahhh... Loki... I'm to sensitive..." you say blushing.

"Sorry..." he said smirking.

You walk slowly to your bed, limping slightly.

Loki walks up to you,handing you one of his shirts and helps you putting it on.

You lay down in your clean bed, and Loki climbs in beside you, pulling you close to him.

When Loki looked down at you, you where deep asleep.

"Goodnight my Goddess..."

_________________________________

You wake up to a sweet smell, sitting up in your bed. You try to stand up, feeling a weird feeling between your legs.

"Ahh shit..." you curse underneath your breath.

"Loki?" You stand up walking the stairs in your room up, to your kitchen.

You see Loki standing in front of the oven making breakfast.

"Good Morning Love, how are you feeling?" Loki asks you, putting two plates on the table.

"Good..." you say walking over to the table sitting down.

"What's wrong?" Loki asks you, seeing that you are upset.

"They come back tomorrow... and that means I have to worry again if someone sees you coming out of my room, I can't kiss you when I want to-"

Loki stands up kneeling in front of you.

"We will talk to your dad."

"Loki you know how he is-"

"Darling, I promise, we will talk to him. I didn't like the whole hide and seek anyways. I want everyone to know that you belong to me.

"I love you Loki"

"I love you too, now eat your breakfast. We still have the whole day to our self." Loki smirks.

**********

I am already writing a second part to this one. I couldn't fit all of it in one part. Please let me know which characters you like to see next.

(I personally love Loki and Bucky obviously...)

[z-on-sakaar]

dreams.

loki x reader (gender neutral)

another day in the avengers compound.

your days usually consisted of bothering tony or playing cards against humanity with clint and nat, or some other random activity with the people you shared a (rather comfortable) living space with.

but with loki around, it made things a lot more fun for you. thor brought him back from asgard with him in hopes of getting him to socialize more, and with tonys approval (which took a whole lot of convincing) he resided in the room directly in front of yours, which may have been a problem to others since they weren’t particularly fond of loki.

i mean, it was pretty justifiable on the basis of the whole new york thing that most of them kinda wanted nothing to do with him, but you chose to put it past him and move forward anyways, which ended up in the best friendship youve ever fucking had.

which was beginning to become a problem.

the two of you were truly great friends, nothing wrong with that part. you were just infatuated with him, and him with you, but you were both too whipped to notice.

which apparently everyone did except you two.

truthfully, loki couldve just looked into your mind and seen for himself, but you made him swear to not read your mind unless absolutely necessary. although hes pretty much a professional liar, because its you its a promise he keeps.

the two of you could usually be found together in the library that tony absolutely never uses (it was a “statement room” as he puts it in rich people terms, so you and loki are the only ones who put it to use.) the chance of the two of you getting disturbed was very low, so you usually just got in the most comfortable position possible and read or talked for hours and hours. hell, sometimes you guys would just go to nap together, plain and simple.

after another long day of book reading and mindless commentary, you both headed off to bed, but loki felt something was off about you. he couldnt put his finger on it, so he attempted to leave it alone. youd tell him if something was wrong, right?

loki changed into a more comfortable set of clothes and sat down preparing to get some rest of his own. that is, until he heard noises coming from your room. they should be asleep right now, he thought. he exited his room and put an ear up to your door, and the noises continued. he knocked once, then twice, then walked in with the intention of comfort, but you were still asleep.

wait.

how the hell is he supposed to comfort someone mid nightmare?

if he woke you up, would you tell him what aas wrong? what was he supposed to say?

this prompted him to break his promise (which he deemed justifiable) and he took a look into your mind. he saw nothing other then the two of you, with his back turned to you and you on your knees, crying. a sight he never whats to have to see, let alone be the cause of. he rewinded a bit back and connected the dots.

you were crying because he rejected you.

wait a fucking minute- you would have to have feelings for him to dream of something like that.

he stepped out of your mind to collect himself. although he was over the moon in happiness, you were still in tears in your sleep which was something he felt obligated to deal with. he shook you gently for a few seconds until you fully came to, and you shot up and immediately pushed him away.

“loki, i think you should leave.”

“i saw.”

at first, the mortification of your crush knowing you’re hopelessly in love with him hit you, then the realization that he read your mind.

“lokes, you promised…”

“i thought it was worth me taking a peek just in case you needed the comfort, but it seemes it just made it much more convenient for us.” he said with a smile.

“what do you mean? and no silver-tongue bullshit, im getting nervous here.” you said, biting you lip in mild fear.

he grabbed both of your hands softly. “oh darling, you have nothing to worry about. i feel the same, which im suprised you didnt pick up on your own.” he said giddily.

a sigh of relief left you, and you pulled him in for a tight hug.

“i was hoping so, but youre not the easiest to read lokes.”

“better late then never.”

the two of you sat in comfortable silence in eachothers arms until he spoke up.

“does this mean im allowed to read your mind now?”

“absolutely not!”

[persephonesfill]

How did Steve feel the first time he got to hold Tony in his arms without it being a “carrying him away from/during a battle” type situation? Maybe it’s even still platonically, but imagine those giant arms around that compact form and Steve’s heart just going “oh”

anon the implications of this ask are *chef's kiss*

just the pining. the security. the size difference.

just—

The first time Steve holds Tony in his arms, he barely even registers it, too focused on getting a vulnerable Tony out of the way of gunfire.

Tony's begging for Steve to leave him behind, to find the others and get the hell out of there. As if that were possible. Steve's lost a lot in his short life; friends, family, a lover, He'll be damned if he loses another. Instead of saying as much, Steve just laughs, a bit hysterical, and says "In your dreams, Stark. Can't get rid of me that easily."

The second time is purely a coincidence.

Tony had missed lunch and their daily team dinner. Steve knew he shouldn't have been too worried. Tony kept food in his workshop for nights like this when the call of invention is too strong to ignore. It's not enough, though, not to Steve. Tony's a grown man; he can take care of himself. That doesn't stop Steve from wanting to do it for him, to pick up where Tony slacks like a...friend should. He supposes that they're friends now. He has his own personal entry code to Tony's workshop, which he uses whenever he wants, it seems. Tony never turns him away, anyway.

Steve punches in said code with his knuckles, his other hand too busy balancing a plate of spaghetti. He makes himself known, knocking on the door frame, and walks in, his footsteps purposefully loud. Tony hates when people sneak up on him.

He doesn't know what to expect as Tony's workshop comes into view. Every time Steve enters, it's like he's seeing it for the first time, power tools and inventions in their infancy strewn about like a child just got done playing with his toys. There's nothing cold about Tony's workshop. If anything, it's filled with life. He stops to say hi to DUM-E and U, who roll up to him, waving their arms in what he assumes is excitement. DUM-E grabs him by the sleeve, rolling in the direction of Tony's main work table.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he chuckles. When he sees Tony slumped over, his blood runs cold, and Steve nearly drops the plate he had brought down for Tony. His first instinct is poison, but how? Who could have slipped in and out of Tony's workshop unnoticed? Bullet then? Was he stabbed? Why wasn't Tony moving—

Tony let out a snore, turning his head in his sleep to get more comfortable. Steve mentally breathes a sigh of relief. He's only a little embarrassed. The only ones who saw his freak out were the bots and JARVIS, and they'd never tell anyone. They like Steve too much. Maybe it was a little silly of him to panic, but being friends with Tony Stark meant heart attacks on the daily. The man's lack of self-preservation was truly astounding. Not that Steve had room to talk.

He debates waking Tony up but decides against it. Tony barely gets enough sleep as is, and Steve's not about to stop him. He sets the plate of spaghetti down on Tony's table, where he'll be able to see it when he wakes up. There, he's done his duty as captain of their little team, and the others are probably wondering what's taking him so long. But as he turns to leave, he finds that he can't. Not while Tony's using a wrench as a pillow, sitting on a stool with absolutely no back support. He makes his mind when Tony snores again.

It's nothing for Steve to pick Tony up, who only shifts in Steve's grasp before settling. Steve lays him down face up on the navy blue sofa he called home whenever he came down to visit Tony. Tony stops snoring now that he's sleeping like a normal human being, and the knot of tension in Steve's chest loosens just a little. The next morning, Tony stumbles down to join the other Avengers for breakfast. He looks like he got a full night's rest, his hair flying every which way, the bags under his eyes a little less defined. Steve makes fun of his snoring, and Tony vehemently denies it.

"Lies," Tony sputters, a flush pinking his cheeks. "Nothing but lies fall from your mouth, Rogers."

Steve is only a little in love with him. In a friendly way. He's screwed.

The third time he holds Tony has to be a conspiracy.

It's movie night because they have those now, and their little group is bigger than normal. Pepper, Rhodey, and Sam have all made an appearance. Pepper and Rhodey were at the tower for Stark Industries business and stayed around longer than necessary to check in on Tony, much to his visible delight. Sam had come to visit Steve (and check out the tower. Steve was sure any day now, Sam would accept their offer and officially join the team) and had a few more days before it was time for him to go back to D.C.

Natasha and Clint had bullied Tony into letting them host movie night in Tony's penthouse, and they had held them there ever since. The downside to that was there was only so much seating available. At first, there had only been a sofa, more for aesthetics than comfort, but with the advent of their movie nights, Tony had swapped the sofa out for something a little softer and an armchair and loveseat to match. Enough to fit six people, not nine.

Sam and Rhodey claim seats next to each other on the sofa, Pepper and Nat sitting on the opposite end. Steve's sitting in his usual armchair that may or may not have his name stitched on it because Tony thinks he's a comedian. Thor and Bruce take up their usual spot at the loveseat, Thor's arm slung around Bruce's shoulders. Clint sits at the foot of the sofa, Natasha's hand carding through his hair absentmindedly as she says something to Pepper that has her laughing.

Tony's the last to arrive like always, holding his own bowl of popcorn because he's the only one who prefers caramel corn over kettle corn like a heathen. His eyes go wide as he surveys the room, sees that there are no seats open.

Natasha opens her mouth first, and Steve just about dies when she says, "I'm sure Steve can make some room. Right, Steve?" Her smile is saccharine, and yet Steve still feels like she's threatening his life.

He doesn't want to protest and demand that Tony sit on the floor like Clint because one, that would hurt Tony's feelings, and that's the last thing he wants to do. And two...he kind of wants Tony to sit with him. Even if the thought on Tony's thighs touching his makes him want to scream. In a good way, though.

Steve just nods, not trusting his voice, and Tony makes his way over and sits down stiffly next to Steve. It's a tight fit. Tony's thigh presses right against his own. Steve can feel the heat of Tony's skin through his pants. JARVIS dims the lights and starts one of the movies on Natasha's list of Necessary Pop Culture she had created for Thor and Steve. Tonight, it's Legally Blonde, with Elle Woods in all of her pink glory, gracing their screen.

Had it not been for the serum, he's sure he wouldn't have been able to pay attention to the movie (which he's enjoying so far, Elle's likable and relatable; Steve knows all too well what it's like to be judged based off his appearance) and the feeling of Tony's body pressed against his own. He's hyper-aware of Tony's presence. His heart rate accelerates every time Steve shifts to get more comfortable, his thigh rubbing against Tony's. He can smell the remnants of Tony's cologne, something bright and uplifting just like its wearer.

About halfway through the movie, he grows tired of Tony's unending stiffness. He just wants Tony to be comfortable. He says so, leaning close to Tony to whisper in his ear. "I'm not gonna bite."

Tony shivers, and Steve wants to hit himself. So much for not making Tony comfortable. But then, Tony does the unthinkable. He takes a deep breath and slowly sinks into Steve's side. Steve freezes like a deer staring up the barrel of a shotgun.

"Oh, God," Tony whispers. "I'm sorry I can move—"

"No!" Steve whisper-yells, his hands wrapping around Tony and—

Tony's sitting sideways on Steve's lap, his legs draped over the armrest. Steve's arms are wrapped around Tony's waist like a seatbelt. Tony's not screaming, which is a good sign in Steve's eyes. Even without enhanced senses, he's sure Tony can hear how loud his heart is beating in his chest.

"Is this fine?" Steve asks when Tony shows no signs of moving.

"Yeah. You're good," Tony says and finally relaxes in Steve's grasp.

And it feels good. Too good. It's cheesy, but it's almost like Tony was made to fit into Steve's arms, his head slotting into place underneath Steve's chin. Tony's hair is soft, softer than he thought, against Steve's neck.

It doesn't hit Steve until later that Natasha probably organized the whole thing from the start.

He'll thank her later. Right now, he's got his hands full, and he's in no rush to let go.

[alwaysmarveling]

Sticks and Stones

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!Reader

Warnings: death (it gets pretty depressing)

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: I do recommend reading Chapter 1 before this one, which you can find here.

Fair warning, I normally don’t read angst, let alone write it, so this could all be a failed attempt at a depressing storyline. But hey, I tried :) And thank you so much @vancityfire13 for helping me out with this chapter!

“Mama, I don’t want to go to school. I think I’m sick,” Igor trudged into the kitchen, his steps heavy and his brows knit together.

“You don’t feel warm, Igoryok. Why don’t you sit down and have some breakfast and then we’ll see how things go, yeah?” Igor nodded reluctantly as Natasha carded her fingers through his hair, trying to tame the bee’s nest that had formed on his head while he was asleep. When you entered the kitchen, you quickly adopted a look to match the frown on Igor’s face.

“What’s wrong, Iggy?”

“I don’t feel good.” You copied Natasha, feeling his forehead but finding it perfectly normal.

“What doesn’t feel good, Igoryok?” Your frowns only deepened when he shrugged.

“If you don’t tell us, we can’t help you.”

“I just don’t feel good, okay?” Both of you flinched slightly at his anger. Although he could get rambunctious and excited at times, Igor was generally sweet, always offering to share his toys with other kids and giving you and Nat random hugs “just because I love you.” Plus, he was four, and you weren’t expecting the attitude for another couple of years at least. After sharing a concerned glance with your wife, you knelt down and held Igor’s hand in yours, noticing his bottom lip wobbling and his eyes beginning to shine.

“Igor, sweetheart, what’s the matter? Why don’t you want to go to school?”

“It’s okay, Igoryok, you can tell us anything,” Nat reassured him when he started to cry, gently rubbing his back in an effort to soothe him.

“I don’t want to see Jackson.” You squeezed his hand, urging him to continue. You knew Jackson and his family; Jackson had even come over to play a couple of weeks ago. While you tried to keep the conversation going, you saw Natasha tense up the second Igor finished the sentence.

“Why don’t you want to see Jackson, honey? Did something happen?”

“Jackson said I’m stupid because my letters don’t look right, and he said I was a baby for having light-up sneakers. And he pulled me down when we were playing tag.”

“And your teachers didn’t say anything?” Natasha gritted out. It was obvious she was trying to stay calm for Igor’s sake, but any second now and Mount Vesuvius was about to explode, bringing all of Pompeii with it. Igor shook his head, his whole body trembling as he cried.

“They didn’t see it. He waited until recess and we were in the back of the playground behind the slides.”

“Igor, sweetie, why didn’t you tell them?” You tried wiping the tears off of his face as they fell, but they were quickly replaced by new ones.

“He said if I did he’d tell the whole class I was a weirdo because I wet the bed.” You butted in before Nat could start yelling, placing a hand on top of hers to try to remind her of the situation.

“I see. Igor, do you think any of the things he said were true?”

“No.” The muttered answer was hard to hear, but it was there.

“That’s right, they’re not. So don’t let that boy get in your head for one second, okay? For every bad thing that he says to you, I want you to remind yourself of at least one good thing about yourself, okay?”

“Okay, Mom.”

“Why don’t you start right now? Tell me three things you like about yourself.”

“Um, I draw good dinos.”

“That’s right,” you smiled. “Mama and I love when you give us dino pictures.”

“Maybe I can draw you one today in school.”

“We’d love that, Igoryok. Two more, buddy.” The redhead had relaxed slightly, her fingers beginning to comb through his hair once again.

“I’m good at soccer. And I have cool cleats.” You nodded at him, rubbing small circles over the back of his hand to encourage him to continue. By this point, his crying stopped, and he only paused every so often to let out a hiccup.

“I can read some of the big kid books in the library. Mr. Goldman says that it’s very impressive for a four-year-old.” Natasha chuckled as Igor puffed out his chest, Jackson’s insults long forgotten.

“It is very impressive. So-”

“Wait, Mama, I have one more!”

“And what would that be?” the redhead smiled.

“I have the two best mamas in the entire world. And they love me so much, and I love them so much too.” It took everything in you not to cry at that moment, and one look at Natasha’s face told you she was struggling as well.

“That’s right, Ig. Mama and I love you more than anything or anyone in the entire world, more than you could ever imagine. You never forget that, promise?”

“I promise, Mom, but don’t cry! It’s happy!”

“I’m very happy,” you whispered, giving him the tightest hug you could without crushing him.

“Igoryok, I need you to listen to me.” The four-year-old nodded as he turned to give your wife his full attention. “When Jackson says mean things to you, you tell him to stop, okay? Don’t be mean, but tell him firmly.”

“Firmly,” he repeated.

“And if he doesn’t stop, you tell your teacher. Okay?”

“Okay, Mama.”

“Miss Olivia is going to pick you up from school today, but Mom and I are going to talk to your teachers about Jackson as soon as we can, we promise.”

“Okay, Mama. Does that mean you and Mom are going to fight the bad guys again?”

“Yes, but just for a little bit. We’ll be back in time for dinner. Which means you have to be good for Miss Olivia or you can’t have any dessert,” Nat winked.

“Now, group hug and then it’s time to go to school,” you ordered, wrapping your arms around the two of them.

-

Igor remained mostly quiet on the car ride to school, which wasn’t unusual for him, but you and Nat found yourselves checking on him regardless.

“Mom, in school, Miss Taylor told us ‘sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.’ Is that what she means, with Jackson?”

“Well, yes. Basically, it means that when people say mean things about us, like the things that Jackson said to you, we shouldn’t let it hurt us.”

“How do you do that?”

“You do what we did at breakfast. You know in your heart that what he says isn’t true, so you ignore it. And then you remind yourself of all the good things about yourself.”

“Okay, Mom.”

“We love you, buddy,” Natasha reminded him as she brought the car to a stop. “If anything else happens, you tell us and we’ll help you, okay?”

“Yes, Mama. I love you too.”

“Alright. Then you have the best, most amazing day at school, okay, lovebug?”

“I will, Mom. Bye bye!” With a kiss on each of your cheeks, Igor put on the Avengers backpack that was half his size and jumped out of the car to meet his teacher and friends at the front of the school. With Igor out of the car, Natasha’s anger returned ten-fold.

“‘Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me,’ huh? That’s the best they can teach?”

“Nat-”

“You know it’s outdated, and it’s totally not true at all! Of course words can hurt, you know that, Y/N!”

“I know,” you murmured, thinking back to all the pain and chaos a bunch of reporters had caused over some rumors about the Avengers.

“And who does that kid think he is talking about Igor like that?”

“Natty, he’s four.”

“Being four doesn’t give you an excuse to be a bully!”

“You’re right, it doesn’t,” you sighed, “but being four means he has time to change. You know that at this age they usually get it from seeing other people do it.” Two minutes of driving in silence passed before Natasha spoke up again.

“You’re right,” she sighed, her shoulders slowly dropping. “It just makes me so angry that he’d do that to him. And Igor didn’t do anything about it. What if something else happens in the future and he doesn’t protect himself? Igor doesn’t even wet the bed anymore. He knows that and he still let that kid scare him. Or what if Igor doesn’t want to tell us when bad things happen?” The longer she spoke, the softer her voice became as anger dissolved into sadness and concern.

“Well,” you placed your hand over hers that rested on your thigh, “the good thing is Igor is also four. It’s good that something like this happened now rather than later because we have time to talk to him and teach him that we’ll always be there for him. Today was one step towards that. It’ll be okay, Nat. We’ll make sure it is. Especially if we’re going to have another little one on the way.” Your wife smiled at that.

“Igor’s going to be an amazing brother.”

“He really is,” you laughed as you picked up her hand and linked her fingers in yours.

“I will admit, though,” your eyes returned to your wife’s face in time to notice her quirk an eyebrow, “I thought we’d have some more time before we had to deal with the ‘sick to get out of school’ trick.”

“You and me both,” you giggled. “That kid is too smart for his own good.”

“How much do you want to bet he learned it from Tony?”

“Well, he definitely didn’t learn it from Steve.” All the remaining tension in the car dissolved as you two chuckled at the thought. 

When the car became quiet once more, you brought her hand up to your lips. “I. Love. You,” you murmured, each word punctuated with a kiss to her knuckles.

“I love you more. And everything’s going to be okay,” she repeated, more so reassuring herself than you.

“It is. Now, let’s go over that mission plan one last time. We have some butts to kick.”

---

“Okay, Steve’ll meet you guys at the rendezvous point. Get in, and get out. And don’t let yourselves get caught. It’s just an info grab, but it’s an important one.”

“Got it, Hill. See you later.” After ending the call with Maria, you turned to Natasha. “You ready, hon?”

“Yeah, I just can’t help but shake this feeling. I know the mission’s short, but…” You tilted your head slightly to meet her eyes, which was a bit difficult since she’d lowered her gaze to the floor.

“No, I get it. I think it’s just the events of this morning, yeah? And it definitely doesn’t help that we can’t have outside communication.” After a recent mission gone wrong, Fury had temporarily prohibited all outside communication on missions unless absolutely necessary, meaning you and Nat would only be able to communicate with each other until Steve picked you guys up. “Let’s just finish this mission and get back to Igor. Things’ll be better after that.”

“You’re right,” the redhead agreed, giving you an uneasy smile. You rolled your neck once before giving your wife a quick peck on the cheek.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

---

“Where have you guys been? I’ve been waiting for two hours!” His check and money was lying on the table, his meal eaten long ago.

“Sorry, Rogers, a minor complication meant we had to be a bit more careful. But we got all the info, and there’s no trouble.” Natasha slid a small flash drive across the booth. He simply nodded, pocketing the device and standing up.

“Let’s go.”

“Everything okay, Steve?”

“Um, yeah. Fury asked that you guys stop by the tower first though.” You frowned, prompting Nat to slip her hand into yours.

“Is it important? We wanted to get back and see Igor. We told him we’d be back for dinner, and we’re already late.” Before Steve could respond, a waitress walked up to the table.

“Oh, hey! I see your friends are here. Do you guys want to place an order?”

“Um, actually, I’m so sorry. Something came up and we have to go. Thank you so much, though.”

“Of course, have a nice night, guys.” You flashed the waiter a smile and handed her two twenty dollar bills as an apology before following Steve out of the restaurant.

“Steve, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he responded, his voice void of emotion.

“C’mon, you know neither of us is buying that. Is everyone okay?”

“Just hurry up,” he muttered. He was walking so quickly that you and Nat were practically jogging to keep up. You shared a worried glance with Natasha, but neither of you spoke up again.

-

After a thirty-minute drive, you’d reached the tower, and Steve sent the two of you up to Fury’s office without another word.

“Do you think we did something wrong, Natty?”

“I don’t see what we could’ve done wrong. We’ll find out soon enough, though,” she sighed. She sent you a small smile in an effort to calm you, as she could tell you were becoming quite anxious, but she was rather nervous herself.

Fury was waiting for you guys when the elevator doors opened, which only served to make the two of you even more on edge than you were before.

“Romanoff, L/N, follow me please.” He led you to his office, his demeanor stoic and unreadable as per usual, but something was off. As you placed a hand on Nat’s lower back, you found her spine to be stiff. She must’ve sensed it too. “Sit.” The three of you sat in silence for about thirty seconds, during which you realized what was wrong. The twinkle he always had in his eyes, whether from playfulness, determination, or something in between, was missing. That realization was enough to make you crack.

“Fury. Why’d you call us in here? I hate to rush you but we’ve got a kid to go home to.” You and your wife noticed when he flinched at your last sentence.

“Right.” Both of you stared at him expectantly but quickly became agitated when he didn’t seem to make any move to continue.

“Fury. What is it.” You placed a hand on Nat’s arm before she could jump out of the chair, but if he didn’t speak in about two seconds you’d be right there with her.

“We received a call about three hours ago about a car crash. A massive pileup caused by a drunk driver during the school rush hour. Two people were seriously injured.” 

“I- I don’t understand. You want us to help with a car crash?” you asked, your voice shaky but light. “Fury, with all due respect, this is ridiculous. This isn’t our area of-” 

“Why are you telling us about this?” Natasha cut into your rambling.

“Romanoff… this was three hours ago. Just outside of the elementary school.”

Three hours ago. What was three hours ago? Three hours ago would’ve been when Olivia was bringing Igor back home from school. But that couldn’t be what Fury was talking about. It was a different kid, a different family, maybe even a different school; Fury hadn’t been specific. No, you and Nat would go back home and they’d both be there. They had to be there. 

“By the time the ambulance got there, paramedics suspected that they were both gone. They called time of death at the hospital. I’m so sorry.” You couldn’t tell when exactly your heart stopped beating, when all the blood left your face. He couldn’t be talking about what you thought he was. He wasn’t even looking you in the eye, dammit.

“Gone? What do you mean by gone? Who’s ‘they’?” You spoke in a whisper, not able to speak any louder. With each second that passed, you could feel Nat’s forearm getting tighter as she clenched her fists harder and harder.

“Fury,” Natasha finally spoke, her voice gravelly, “If you’re telling me what I think you’re telling me, you’re going to have to be very clear with me. So what. Are. You. Saying.”

“Igor is dead. Your son is dead. I’m so-”

“Stop saying you’re sorry!” This time it was Nat’s turn to hold you back, grabbing onto your waist when you slammed your hands on Fury’s desk. “You have no reason to be sorry, he’s not- No, you’re wrong. That doesn’t make any sense. How in the hell would there be a drunk driver at 3 in the afternoon? No, you’re wrong! Nat, he’s wrong, right?” You looked at your wife, eyes shining, but her expression was unreadable. Her arms were crossed against her chest as she stood in the center of the room, and you couldn’t help but remember the last time she looked that alone—at the SHIELD party all those years ago.

---

She was standing in the corner with her back to everyone in the room. You didn’t believe it was her at first—sure, redheads weren’t that common, but how could it be her? You hadn’t seen her in months, although it wasn’t from lack of trying. Besides, this woman looked so unbelievably… small. And sad. And alone. This was a party, for heavens’ sake, and she looked like she was stuck in solitary confinement. None of those sounded anything like the woman you’d met.

But with a shake of your head, you turned back to the bar, taking a sip from your drink with the intent of clearing her from your mind. You got over her months ago, Y/N. It was literally just one date. Stop thinking about her. Besides, what are the chances she works for SHIELD anyway?

Yet, ten minutes later, the woman remained in her place and looked just as pitiful as she did when you first saw her. Your mind couldn’t stop your legs from swinging off of the chair and walking over to her.

“Um, excuse me?” Your heart stopped when you saw her face. It was her. She was glammed up for the party, but it was Nat, and she looked just as beautiful as the first time you’d seen her. 

“Y/N?” Your heart caught in your throat for a second as if you hadn’t thought that it could be her, not allowing you to respond until after you’d taken another sip from your drink.

“Nat.” You didn’t know what else to say. You hadn’t really planned it out, to be honest. Your body just kind of… brought you here. The two of you just stared at each other, neither of you too sure of what to say. Suddenly, all the anger you’d had towards her over the past few months pushed its way to the surface. “Did you lose my number or something? Get a new phone?”

“Y/N, I- what are you doing here?”

“Really? We had an amazing first date, you told me you can’t wait for the next one, and then you didn’t talk to me for months? And then, when I do find you, that’s all you have to say? I mean, obviously I was the fool for believing yo-”

“Are you stalking me?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Are you serious right now? No, I’m not stalking you! I work for SHIELD now, which you would know if you didn’t freaking ghost me!”

“You- you work for SHIELD?”

“Yes, I’ve been working for SHIELD for six months.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry, I… I have to go.” You watched her, your eyes blazing and nostrils flaring, as she walked out of the room. She never came back that night.

---

“I have to go,” Nat interrupted the silence.

“Natasha, wait. You really shouldn’t be going anywhere like this.” Fury stood from his chair but remained behind his desk.

“I’m going home.”

“Natasha, please, just hold on a seco-” Unlike that night, you followed Nat out of the room. The two of you were out the door before Fury could stop you.

-

When you got home, the house was dark and Olivia’s car wasn’t there. That didn’t deter either of you, though.

“Igor! Igor! Mom’s home!”

“Igoryok, it’s Mama!” When neither of you heard a response, the two of you frantically began running through the house. You searched room after room, checking each one and the hallway closet at least three times. When your legs turned to lead and you couldn’t breathe any longer, you dropped to your knees, completely unaware of what part of the house you were in.

That’s how Natasha found you—in Igor’s room, sobbing, your knees digging deep into the hardwood floors and your head resting on his pillow right next to his stuffed pig and the green baby blanket he refused to sleep without.

“Y/N,” she murmured, her voice broken and tears trailing down her flushed cheeks. Your wife stumbled her way over to you and collapsed by your side. Wrapping an arm around your shoulder, she pulled you as close as she could, and you let her.

-

The two of you cried for what felt like a million lifetimes, not stopping until you physically ran out of tears, your eyes so dry that it hurt to open them. Your head leaned against Nat’s shoulder. Both of you stared at the wall ahead of you with an empty gaze, the only sound heard in the room being your shallow breaths.

“You were right,” you whispered, your throat dry.

“About what?” Nat’s voice was as quiet and hollow as yours.

“Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Miss Taylor had told your son that words could never hurt him, but she was wrong. Hearing the words that Igor was dead; that your son was gone; that you would never get to see him earn his high school diploma, or get a job that he was passionate about, or grow up to be a happy adult, or even hug him one last time; that you would never get to see him become an amazing warrior like you’d predicted just five years ago—those words caused you the most pain you’d ever felt in your entire life.

-----

Tagging: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx

[wicked-mind]

Soulmates: Part Four

Summary: Soulmates are connected on a deeper level emotionally and physically. They can feel what the other needs and wants. As hints, the universe grants tattoos on your skin to help you find your soulmate when you’re about to meet them. When Bucky’s soulmate tattoo appears out of the blue, he knows that she is about to come into his life, but the way she does is not what he was expecting.

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: Drinking, a bit of violence, traumatic family story of Y/N involving murder and awfulness, a bit of sexual tension.

All Writings Masterlist

*gifs not mine

Previously

Bucky kept his palms on the counter on either side of her legs, a crooked grin appearing on his features once they were alone. Being this close to her felt right, making his heart jump slightly. Everything about her in his eyes was perfect, even the infuriating bits where she pushed away their bond. It just made it more of a cat and mouse game for Bucky and he was determined to win. He didn’t need to respond to her words, he quickly placed his hands on her hips and swooped her up from the counter, leading her legs to wrap around his waist, “I think there’s more whiskey in my room.” He breathed into her neck while carrying her down the hall towards his room. The way her skin felt on his caused fire to corse through his body and he knew he was making Y/N feel the same way. He could feel everything she was feeling, all the desire and dare he say love?

Bucky steadied Y/N as she ripped off her jeans once they made it back to his room. He helped her slip on one of his t-shirts before pulling her into his bed. He didn’t want their first time to be when she was piss-drunk, even if she was teasingly kissing his shoulder non-stop once he removed his shirt. Bucky pulled her back against his chest, nuzzling his face into her soft hair. He could feel her breathing slow, slipping back into sleep. This was something Bucky never thought he would have, and even if the way she was around him wasn’t what he expected of a soulmate, he loved all the parts that made her Y/N. Even the ones that resisted him.

Chapter Four - Gemini

When rays of sunshine broke through Bucky’s window, Y/N blinked awake when the rays touched her face. He didn’t shut his curtains and she despised the brightness of the rising sun even if it made her warm. She pulled herself out of Bucky’s grip, standing and leaving his room quietly. She rubs the side of her head as she crosses the hall and returns to her own room, locking the door behind her. Y/N let out a deep breath of relief at the darkness of her room, the curtains blocking any light that would enter. It made her comfortable being in the dark, something that had developed from being a night owl in the line of business she was in. Being in the light felt too exposed, too comfortable and that wasn’t something that Y/N ever gave into to. She liked to stay hidden, on her toes at all times. Y/N collapsed onto her bed, welcoming the sleep that took over her body once again. She was tired and still a little drunk from all the whiskey she had drank and needed to sleep it off for a while.

Bucky had felt her leave him, but let her go even though his instincts told him to follow her, stay close to her. He knew she was the type that needed space. He could feel everything about her soul. She was wild, a free spirit that despised being trapped in one place. Bucky pulled himself out of bed once he heard her door close on the other side of the hallway, a smile set on his lips as he saw the imprint of her head on the pillow. Bucky went about his usual routine, going to train, showering, eating some lunch. He didn’t disturb Y/N, knowing she was still sleeping off all the whiskey she had consumed. Eventually Natasha came out of her room and floated into the living room to find Bucky sprawled out on the couch reading a book. He watched her rub her head as if she had a small hangover and chuckled, “Long night?”

Natasha’s eyes flicked to Bucky as he spoke, “I forgot how much she could drink.” She muttered out, taking drink from the water bottle in her hands, “I was just about to go check the decryption of the card if you want to come.” She said before disappearing up some stairs. Bucky was immediately following, curious of who had brought his soulmate into his life but also who was looking for information on him. Natasha scrolled through the tablet once she made it through the briefing room, scrolling through the information from the gold card Y/N had given them, bringing it up on the big screen. The letters kept switching until a name appeared on the screen, “Oh my god.” Natasha said suddenly as she stared at the screen.

“What?” Bucky asks, not recognizing the name on the screen. He looked at Natasha who was staring at the name, shaking her head and pursing her lips together, “Nat, who is it?”

Natasha slowly tore her eyes away from the screen to look at Bucky, “We can’t let Y/N know who it is.” She said in a steady tone, “She will snap and go on a crazy murder mission. We can’t let her know.”

“Not let me know what?” Y/N said, suddenly waltzing into the briefing room, a small smile across her lips. She had found them from knowing where Bucky was through their soulmate bond. She looked freshly showered and in clean black pants with a white tank top, “Oh, I’m sorry, is this like a secret super squad meeting?” Her eyes flicker between the two before resting on the name on the screen. Her features suddenly went emotionless at the name and she froze like she was stone.

Bucky observed Y/N. Even though her face remained like stone, what she was feeling was a different story and he could feel every ounce of the sudden pain, grief, and rage that was evolving inside of her due to the name on the screen, “Y/N.” He said gently as he walked towards her, wanting to comfort her and provide her safety, “Who is it?”

Y/N looked at Bucky slowly, tearing her eyes away from the screen. She still looked like stone, even though she knew he could feel everything she was at this moment, “I gotta go.” She told him before turning on her heels and quickly leaving the room.

Bucky turned to Natasha after Y/N left the room promptly, “Natasha, who is Gemini?” He asks again in a serious tone, walking towards her. He needed the information, needing to know what caused Y/N to feel the way she did.

Natasha swallowed hard, meeting Bucky’s gaze, “It’s the name Y/N’s twin brother uses for himself. She’s never told me his real name.” She told him, “I can’t tell you anymore, Barnes. I promised her I wouldn’t. But he is very dangerous psychopath. Just give her some time.”

Y/N immediately left the facility, walking out the door as she processed the information in her mind. Her own twin brother had hired her… And she had been looking for him ever since she left the Red Room Academy, trying to hunt him down for what he put her through. She went to the only safe place she knew, Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Children. She practically slammed the door shut behind her, causing Weasel to hurry and grab a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and place it in her usual spot. Y/N took a seat and stared at the whiskey, her face twisting into one of anger.

“Where’s your super friends?” Weasel asks from across the bar to Y/N in a softer tone. Nobody in the bar needed to know Y/N was hanging our the good guys- that could cause some problems.

Y/N’s eyes snapped to Weasel in a glare, making him hold up his hands defensively. Her nose twitched slightly in anger, but didn’t answer his question, “Give me my key. Now!” She hissed out at him, taking the key that Weasel promptly handed to her. Y/N grabbed the bottle of whiskey and stomped up the stairs behind the bar, returning to the safe place of her room that no longer had any of her belongings. She slammed the door shut behind her, quickly locking it as well. She slipped down against the door, staring ahead into nothingness as she thought what her next moves would be to deal with her brother.

Even though Y/N had left the facility, Bucky could still feel everything she was feeling. He could feel the anger grow which made him want to be close to her to comfort her. When Y/N didn’t come back for hours, he decided he needed to track her down and he knew right where she would be. Whatever she was doing was about to be reckless and he needed to protect her. It was dark by the time he made it to Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Children, and the sight he saw when he walked in wasn’t what he was expecting.

Y/N had came out of her room as darkness fell, bringing the bottle of whiskey with her. She felt herself in Bucky’s eye line, but didn’t look up to meet his gaze. She was a little busy picking fights in the bar. She was on the back of some guy twice the size of her who pried her off and slammed her onto the middle of the pool table. Y/N grabbed one of the pool cues and swung it to hit the man in the face, causing him to stumble back. She jumped off the pool table and took another swing at the man, hard enough to cause the cue to break in half and the man to fall over. Within seconds, Y/N was on top of him landing punch after punch to his face. Weasel came out from behind the bar and pried Y/N off the man before checking for a pulse, “Still alive… Not for lack of trying. No winner.” He said giving Y/N a look.

Y/N shrugged simply, “What? I wanted to win the dead pool.” She hissed out at Weasel before looking up to glance at Bucky who was leaning against the bar watching the whole ordeal with the bottle of her whiskey in his hand. She walks over and snatched the alcohol from his grasp, “What’re you doing here?” She asks him.

Bucky watched her, a small smile curving onto his lips as she spoke to him. He couldn’t help it, even when she was obviously angry it made him smile mischievously, “Figured I’d come check on you. What’s the dead pool?” He asks curiously, looking over to a chalk board that had names and odds next to it, frowning a little when he saw how many people bet against Y/N. He noted the small splatters of blood on her white tank top from the fight, causing his eyebrows to raise a little.

Y/N took a small sip from the bottle of whiskey, “It’s like a game. People make bets on who’s going to die next whether it be from a job or from just pissing somebody off.” She told him, “I’m always the one that gets bet on because I have a habit of pissing people off, but I’m still around.”

Bucky couldn’t help that his insides twisted a little at her words. Y/N played dangerous games, deadly games. She led a dangerous life and he wasn’t overly fond about it due to the fact he felt the need to protect her, “That is an awful game.” He said, taking the bottle from her and taking a swig of it.

Y/N shrugs, leaning her back against the bar, “Yeah but it’s fun. Keeps us occupied and on our toes.” She said with a small smile before looking at him, “So you’re checking-up on me? Did our soulmate bond make you do that?”

“No, doll.” Bucky replied, watching her closely, “Well, sort of. I could feel the anger and grief when you saw the name on the screen. Natasha wouldn’t tell me much other than it’s your twin brother and he’s apparently a psychopath. I’m getting the feeling he’s the one that left you that nasty scar on your hip and I wanted to see how I can help you.” He said honestly. He did want to help her, be there for there in any capacity she needed.

Y/N narrowed her eyes at Bucky, feeling small bits of anger flooding through her veins as he spoke about her brother, “Yeah, I could feel you getting closer and I could also feel your curiosity.” She told him, “We are going to need more whiskey if we want to get into that story though.”

Bucky smiled at her a little, “I have a lot more bottles back at the facility, and you don’t have to pay for it.” He told her with a small lick of his lips, sneaking a hand around her waist. It was like he was the flirtatious guy he was in the 40’s, attempted to steal her heart.

“Please take her with you. She doesn’t pay for anything anyway but that’s the third fight she’s started in the last hour.” Weasel suddenly interrupted the two, “And I’m running out of pool cues.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at Weasel, “I only started two. The first one was because Charlie sent me a blow job shot, so technically it’s also sort of your fault for serving it to me, Weasel. I thought you were smarter than that.” She told him, “And I’m taking this bottle with me.” She said, snatching the whiskey bottle from Bucky’s hand before looking at him, “Let’s go, lover boy.”

Bucky escorted Y/N back to the facility, promptly leading her into his room for some privacy with his hand on her waist. As they passed Natasha before going into the room, she gave Y/N a look to which Y/N gave a simple shrug. He watched as Y/N threw herself on the bed facing the ceiling, causing her shirt to rise a little enough for him to see a bit of large pink scar on her hip, “So, doll, want to talk about it?” He said, leaning against the bare desk in his room.

Y/N lifted her head to look at him, “No. But I have a feeling I probably should given he’s trying to steal information on you and how you became the Winter Soldier.” She saw him unevenly shift at the name, “Yeah, I know all about it. I read really fast and got as much information as I could when I was downloading your file.”

Bucky looked down to the floor, “Not my greatest moments. Still haunts me, keeps me up at night.” He admitted to her.

Y/N got up and passed him the whiskey bottle, “Drink.” She told him, watching him untwist the cap and taking a swig, “I know it haunts you. When my tattoo first showed up, I couldn’t sleep for days. Having nightmares that weren’t mine, feelings of guilt and dread. Something I have never felt before.” She told him honestly. After her soulmate tattoo showed up, she would have the same nightmares he had. She saw who he was as the Winter Soldier, a pawn in the middle of a war he didn’t want to be in the middle of.

“You’ve never felt guilty for the people you’ve hurt or killed?” Bucky asks curiously, wondering how that could be. He felt guilt every moment due to the hit-list Hydra made him go through and yet Y/N had never had a nightmare about the things she’s done to people when their names came across one of her gold cards.

Y/N took the whiskey bottle from him, stepping closer as she watched his face, “Nope. I was trained not to feel. Plus usually the people I’m hired to take out or threaten are really awful people. People who sex-traffic young girls, serial rapists, stalkers, political figures that are wrapped around evil’s finger. None of them are innocent and would do more harm than good without me.” She told him then took a small sip of the whiskey, “Plus most of the time it isn’t a kill job, just threaten and seriously injury so they get the message or steal information to make them fall.”

Bucky nodded slowly. She wasn’t just a straight up hitman for hire, she was taking jobs to take down the evil people. That was at least something that calmed his worries about the type of work she did, “Well, at least you take care of the bad people.” He muttered, snatching the bottle from her, “How’d you end up at the Red Room with Natasha?”

Y/N tilted her head at the question, looking around the room, “I lost everything to my twin brother when I was thirteen. Figured out a way to be trained to take care of him. That’s how I ended up there.” She said, leaving out the important details.

Bucky narrowed his eyes at her short version of the story. He wanted to know her, know everything about her. Y/N brought out a protective side of him he didn’t know he had and also lit a wild side within his soul. He gently put the bottle down on the desk before placing each hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He lifts her shirt a little to look at the scar, “And this?” He asks softly, running his thumb against the scar.

Y/N couldn’t help the small smile on her lips at his touch, pulling her closer. She follows his gaze down to the large scar, “That is from my brother. Large hunting knife.” She informed, looking back up at his face and seeing the small amount of anger flash across his blue eyes. She sighed slightly, picking up the bottle and taking a large swig before placing it back down on the desk and meeting his curious gaze, “I used to like every other little girl. I went to school, had a big family that was full of love, even had little streamers on my bike and posters on my walls of boy bands.” She chuckles slightly at the memory, “But my twin brother, he was nothing like me. He would just stare and you could see the evil workings of his mind. There were a few accidents, as my parents liked to call them. He broke the wrist of my little sister, Brooke, when she was six and said they were playing too rough and it was an accident. He killed my cat with rat poison and blamed it on the neighbor. I could tell from the look in his eyes after each accident, he craved more violence. He never uttered an apology and looked at any of us with empathy. One night, he just snapped I guess. I could hear Brooke screaming, crying and then silence. I ran to get my parents for help but found my mom with her throat slit and my father, I don’t even know how he died. There was too much blood. I hid under their bed, listening to my little brother and older sister scream until they were silenced.” She paused, staring off as if she was stuck in the memory, “I saw the door slowly open from under the bed and held my breath, trying to be as quiet as possible. But it was like he knew I was there. He dragged me out from under the bed and I was able to get away for a moment until I fell down the stairs from running to fast. He caught up to me and stabbed me with our father’s hunting knife. I held my breath and stared at him until he thought I was dead. Then he left with a smile on his face.” She looked back to Bucky’s horrified face, “I was found by the neighbor the next morning, barely alive. I was taken to the hospital and talked to the sheriffs about what had happened and they never found him, nor believed a thirteen year old was capable of something so evil. After a few months in foster care, I ran away, not being able to take the abuse there. I was taken off the streets, kidnapped by a foreign couple that took me to the Red Room Academy and the rest you already know.”

Bucky stayed silent for a moment when she finished. Y/N had been betrayed by not only a member of her family, but her twin brother. His grip on her hips tightened in anger for her but also because he felt the need to protect her now more than ever. He leaned his head down on her shoulder, “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He whispered against her skin.

Y/N bit her lip at his touch, feeling his anger and need to protect her from their bond. She lifts her hands to wrap around his shoulders and behind his neck instinctively, taking a deep breath. Nobody except Natasha knew the story but she knew she could trust Bucky with the truth, “Sometimes it still feels like I’m still laying there on the floor, watching the sun rise through the window and trying to stay awake and alive.” She whispers softly. This was a side of her she thought she lost the night her twin tried to kill her, the part that wanted to trust and be loved. Her soulmate bond to Bucky pulled the truth out of her, wanting to be honest with him. Let him see all the broken and torn up pieces inside her, “Sometimes it feels like the scar still burns, like it’s an open wound I can’t get rid of telling me I should’ve died. I hate it.”

Bucky frowned at her words against her neck, picking her up by her hips and moving to lay her on the bed. He crawled on top of Y/N, looking into her eyes with his stormy blue ones, “Darling, that scar proves you are a survivor.” He whispered down to her, lifting her shirt with one hand to expose the scar. He looked down it as he traced his flesh fingers along it, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin at his touch, “It’s a part of you, and it may be a dark part of you, but it’s still something that made you who you are. And as much as I hate that you went through that, I’m also grateful it made you a strong, bad-ass woman.” He smirks at her slightly, crawling down and brushing his lips over her scar, kissing the raised skin softly. He grinned when he heard a small whimper pass her lips, “My strong, bad-ass woman. And I will spend the rest of my life kissing this scar so when you look at it, you only think of me.”

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Taglist: @vibraniumqueen @thatoneperson5000 @dude-whatawave @buckypops

[marvelsimp]

The New Kid: Arrived

The New KId Masterlist

Ch. 4

Genre: Fluff, Angst Pairing: Peter x Lesbian!reader (Platonic duh), Avengers & Reader Warnings: swearing, nerdiness, mentions of homophobia and being kicked out, panic attack, Description: Y/n's birthday continues. Reader’s Powers: Healing, telepathy, and empath. Word Count: 2,217

“Cupcake, please.” says a small voice, Morgan.

This causes the room to erupt in everyone’s laughter including your own.  The group then sings “Happy Birthday” to you and as you blow out the candles you wish that one day your parents will love you enough and that if that doesn’t that you will be okay.

“Morgan,” you say calmly, “You get to pick the first cupcake since you asked so nicely.”

She smiles and jumps up and down. She takes a second but finally picks one. You decide to take the one from the top and very happily take a bite.

“Hey, before everyone splits off,” Peter says, “Let’s get Y/n to open her presents!”

Presents? Seriously? Today was honestly enough. You open your mouth to protest but Peter stuffs your cupcake in your face and leads you to a chair that’s surrounded by gifts. He forces you to sit down just as you get the last bit of icing off of your nose.  “You guys seriously didn’t have to get me gifts, today was enough.”

“Shut up,” Peter retorts.

You put your hands saying, ‘ok fine.’

“Open mine first!” yells Carol.

You blush, you honestly forgot you were still holding it.  You open the bag and inside is a Captain Marvel plushie, you let out a chuckle and get it out of the bag to show everyone. There are a few laughs and aww’s around the room. You look up at Carol who’s grinning and give her a nod of approval which she seems to enjoy.

You next grab a small box it reads ‘The Starks’ and you open it, it’s a bracelet. Tony tells you about its functions and how to use it.  Most importantly, you can get her to send messages although you can’t hear Friday through it.  

The next gift is from Nat and Clint, it’s a few sets of training clothes. She informs you that in a week you’ll start basic combat training, you aren’t too excited but it's better than dying.  That training will also help teach you about the present from the Starks.

Next is a gift from Scott, Hope, and Cassie it’s a beautiful Captain Marvel necklace. You look up at Peter, “So you told EVERONE.”  There are a few nods around the room, and you can feel carol trying not to laugh.  You blush a little harder.

Next is a gift from Sam, Steve, and Bucky as you open it you let out an evil laugh, there’s around Spider-Man pillow. You quickly pull it out of the bag and smack Peter in the face causing him to fall on the floor.  There is an eruption of laughter. “Okay, I like her!” Sam yells.  You look back in the bag and there is a set of matching Spiderman PJ’s.  You get them out and toss a pair to Peter, who is still on the floor.  There were a few ‘awws’ to that one.

“Well,” I’ve got to put this one to bed,” Pepper said standing up.

Morgan pouted.

Pepper picked her up, dismissing Morgan’s protests. “I might come back down once she’s asleep. Happy Birthday, Y/n!”

“Happy Birthday,” waved Morgan who was still very annoyed that she had to sleep.

“Sweet Dreams,” you tell Morgan waving back.  As they get on the elevator you pick up a tiny bag that’s from Ned, when you open it you discover a Deathstar keychain. You tear up a little bit and explain to everyone how you met Peter.  (In case you don’t remember, Y/n first messaged Peter after he posted a picture of the LEGO DethStar.)

Next, you open it from MJ, it has three books in it.  MJ is quick to explain that she wanted to share her favorite but couldn’t pick just one.  You thank her you know how important books are to her.  

Next is a rectangular box from Thor ‘and Loki’ seems to be added later.  In it is a simple yet beautiful dagger, it leaves you a little confused, but Nat offers to teach you how to use it and you accept.  

You still three gifts and one card left. You decide to go on ahead and open up the card, it’s from Rhodey. You open it and it’s just a simple Birthday card signed Rhodey and $20 falls out when you open it.  “Like I said I didn’t know until this morning and I had to come from the west coast.”  His defense makes you smile, and you assure him that you’re pleased.  

Next is a large gift bag from Wanda inside is a large amount of “spa day” items, bath bombs, face masks, candles, etc.  You tell all the teens, including her, that there has to be a spa day.  The girls accept pretty quickly while Ned and Peter are a little more hesitant but accept anyways.  The next gift is from Bruce, it’s a decently large box.  

You start to unwrap it and discover it to be a microscope, you let out an excited gasp.  “I saw yours this morning, it looked ancient so I thought you might enjoy a newer model,” Bruce explains, “We do have some more powerful ones in the lab, but I thought that you might enjoy your own.”  You’re like a kid on Christmas, excited to try out all of your new gifts.

“One more,” Peter smiles handing you a bag.  It’s from him, obviously, you take out the tissue paper and there are two toy lightsabers one has “Peter” engraved on it and the other one has “Y/n.”

“Haha, you nerd!” you giggle out.  You grab yours and toss Peter his. You stand up and turn on your saber. You pause for a second, looking for his approval.   He nods in return.

“I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire.”

“Your new Empire?” Peter replies in the worst British accent you’ve ever heard.

You can’t contain your giggles, neither can Peter or Ned.

“Don’t make me kill you,” you say trying to contain your smile.

Tony has his hand on his head, you can hear him mutter, “Dear god, not another one,” under his breath.

“Anakin, my allegiance is to the republic, to Democracy!”

You start to carefully walk around Peter, “If you are not with me, then you are my enemy.”

“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.  I will do what I must.”

“You will try.” That’s when the very epic battle began, as you fought you both making noises like “Vruummummm” or “Schvrmmmm.”  

You could see Bucky’s concerned/confused face that Steve seemed to be amused at.  You also saw Steve lean down and whisper something in Bucky’s ear which seemed to calm him.  Finishing the battle, you jumped up in the air as Peter pretended to chop off your limbs.  

He laughed and reached his hand out for you to get up.  You accept and he pulls you up.  The crowd is laughing and a few of them are clapping so you and Peter bow which causes them to clap a little louder and a few cheers.

“Imma guess that you’ve never seen Star Wars,” you say to Bucky as you go to reclaim your seat. He just shakes his head.

“Well, that’s a problem,” laughs Peter.

You nod, “That means a movie marathon sometime soon.”

Over the next two hours, the group just hangs out.  You disperse back into smaller groups.  Rhodey and Carol have to leave about 30 minutes after the battle.  They both wish you a Happy Birthday and go back to the west coast or space.  

You’re with the teen group, Wanda and you are the only two who are done with high school, Peter, Ned, and MJ still have a year and a half while Cassie has two and a half left.  Wanda is nice, she could snap any of you in half if needed but you know that she wouldn’t.  Cassie is pretty goofy like her dad; she and Wanda aren’t nearly as nerdy as the rest of the group, but they know enough to keep up.  

“Ok so why do you like the sequels better?” Peter asks, he already knows the answer but wants you to say it.

You let out a nervous laugh.  “Come on, Pete.”

He grins waiting for your answer.

“Fine,” you say lowering your head a little bit in shame. “I don’t like the others as much because of how they sound.”

“What?” Ned breathes out.

“I know! It's just… they sound so weird and fake. I hate it.”

Wanda giggles at your answer, which causes you to smile.

“Y/n, I don’t even know what to say,” giggles Ned.  “Seriously, that’s the reason?”

MJ looks down at her phone, “Oh, shit I got a curfew.”

Ned’s eyes widen, “Me, too!”

You hug them both as they wish you Happy Birthday again.

“I kinda wanna put on my PJ’s,” says Cassie, she, Scott, and Hope are staying the night.

“Yeah,” you say looking at Peter, reminding him of your matching PJs’.

As you and Peter go down the hall to go to your rooms, Peter takes you into his room. “I have one more gift for you,” he says smiling a little. He grabs a box from his desk and opens it.  It’s a lesbian pride flag, you smile and wrap your arms around him.  You’ve never had one before.

Peter shoves you out the door after you separate from the hug. He tells you to put on your PJs.  When you walk into your new room you set your new flag on your desk.  You quickly head to your bathroom and change.  When you step back into your room a surge of emotions rush through you.  You’re so happy that you’re there but all that you want to do is tell your parents.  On your bedside table is a picture of the three of you, it’s one of your favorites.  You pick it up.  It was taken on your first day of high school and you all look so happy.  Why couldn’t they just be here? Why did they have to kick you out? Why? Why did they not love you?  You see your tears drop onto the picture.  

Your angry, you’re so angry that they’re not there.  You just want to hug them and tell them about how great your day was and how fun it was.  You want to just want to be able to collapse into them because of how exhausted you are, but you can’t.  You can’t because they are not there.  They’re not there because they kicked you out.  And they kicked you out because they don’t love you enough to have a lesbian as a daughter.  And do you want to know the worst part of it? You still love them.

You throw the picture against the wall, causing the glass to shatter.  Why couldn’t they just love you are you are? You didn’t decide to be this, you just are.  You can’t breathe. You can’t get any air in it's like the world is You let out a sob.  What parents would decide not to abandon their child because of who they love?

Peter enters with some of your gifts.  He sees the picture on the floor and picks it up, putting it on your desk.  He drops the gifts he is holding and rushes to your side.  Steve and Bucky are behind him with gifts in their arms as well. They were smiling at first but now they’re concerned.  Peter sits down on the bed next to you, his eyes are asking you what’s wrong.  Steve and Bucky quickly set down the rest of the gifts and leave.

“Y/n, what’s wrong?” he looks concerned, sad.  “You gotta breathe.”

“They don’t love me,” you explain in between sobs.  

Peter’s concern turns into anger, he can’t believe that someone’s parents would kick out their wonderful daughter just because she likes girls.  “Fuck them,” he says pulling you into his chest as you sob.  “You are incredible, Y/n. You deserve the world, but they are too stupid and too blind by their stupid ass beliefs to see that.  You are one of the best, kindest, most intelligent people I know and if they don’t see that as worth it then fuck them.”

You let out a small chuckle.  He tells you to follow his breathing and you do.  After a few minutes, you’ve calmed down.  “I still love them.”

Peter pauses for a second.  “Of course, you do,” he sighs, “You’re allowed to love them, they’re your parents.  But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t hurt you or that you can’t hate them.  THEY are in the wrong, not you.  You never forget that you did absolutely wrong and you are not wrong.  You are perfectly you.” He pauses for a second, not because he doesn't know what to say and not because of what he is going to say, he's told you a million times before so it isn't new.  But because of how important it is that you hear it.  “And I love you, I’ll love you enough for both of them and more, Okay?”

“Okay.”  

“Come on,”  Peter says wiping his eyes.  “Let’s go watch a Pixar movie and eat some ice cream.”

Next Chapter

Arrived - deleted scene

[sazc94]

Pietro and Bunny

HELLO

Here is my second entry for the wonderful @msmarvelwrites 2k Challenge.

This a spin-off from my Bucky fic: The three times Bucky broke your heart. Part 1 linked Here.

It follows the same timeline and explores the relationship of Pietro and Reader (Bunny) More.

Words 6034

Themes. Angst, Suggestions of smut. But mostly lots and lots of fluff. 18+ Because of the smut suggestions.

This has two parts and I will upload part 2 tomorrow.

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲?"

Pietro thought you were pretty cool. He thought you and Bucky made a great couple. He enjoyed hanging out with you when you would all hang out as a group. Pietro wasn’t one for girlfriends. Sure he’d had a few semi-serious flings and would occasionally bring a date to the parties after a game and loved how you would instantly make anyone feel welcome. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he started to think of you as more than a friend. It was sometime during his senior year.

At first, he pushed the idea out of his head. You were Bucky’s girl Y/N! You were the cute shy girl Bucky had brought out of her shell, who was still deep down that adorable musical theatre-loving dork. However, when Bucky started getting defensive around him and Sam about who he was texting, Pietro stopped feeling so bad about liking you of course Pietro would never do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Bucky and his friendships with either of you, but he couldn’t help but feel a tang of jealousy towards Bucky.

2010

“Look at Bucky, can’t go 5 minutes without texting his little cheerleader,” Sam said walking up behind Pietro. Bucky was too engrossed in his phone to pay any attention to the pair of them. Pietro smirked.

“Sam, watch this” Pietro said, before breezing over to Bucky and pulling his phone out of his hands. Bucky instantly shot up trying to grab the phone from Pietro, however, he was too quick throwing the phone to Sam.

“Dear Doll, I love you so much and all thought I only saw you this morning, I am already missing you” Pietro sang in a teasing manner.

“Come on guy’s give it back” Bucky grunted. Sam and Pietro kept throwing the phone between them. Suddenly Sam stopped laughing.

“Hey Buck, who’s Nat and why is she asking if you’re going to be around this summer?” Sam asked his eyebrow shooting up. Bucky’s façade faltered for a second. His usual bright blue eyes deepening with an unfamiliar expression. Pietro’s interest was also piqued, he may have wanted you for himself but that didn’t mean he wanted to see you get hurt.

“Oh, she’s just a friend of Jane’s. I met her at that party after our game in Green Bay last year she’s a cheerleader like Jane and Y/N. Natasha and her boyfriend Clint will be in town the summer and she wants to introduce us apparently her boyfriend was impressed with how we played” Bucky said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal. After that incident, Bucky was on his phone around the football team less and started talking about how much he loved you and couldn’t wait to spend some quality time with you in the summer.

November 2011

By the time graduation rolled around Pietro had put any thoughts about the pair of you out of his mind, chalking it up to wanting a relationship as opposed to you. At least that’s what he kept telling himself. You came along to his graduation ceremony. Well, it was for everyone. Pietro, Sam, Wanda, Jane, and Carol. Bucky came along too. Late. But you were there with Peter Parker who was a freshman, he had talent, but he seemed to prefer being behind a camera as opposed to on the field.

The whole gang hung around the field and bleachers after the ceremony. Goofing off and enjoying the last time the group would all be together like this for a while. Peter took photos of you all. Pietro’s favourite was one where he and Sam had picked you up whilst you were in the middle of talking to Carol and Wanda. The laughter that came out of your mouth as you squealed and shouted for the two footballers to put you down made his heart flutter.

Okay so maybe he wasn’t as over you as he told himself he was. Now he could understand what that Taylor Swift was banging on about in that song of hers.

Have you ever thought just maybe?

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Bucky’s girl,” he said grinning at you. For some stupid reason, probably because Pietro didn’t know what to do with his hands, he ruffled your hair like you were 5 again. He couldn’t help but notice you wince at the old pet name. He mentally kicked himself. Why had he called you that?!

Graduation was the last time he saw you for over a year. Unlike Bucky, Pietro had actually been away at a football camp when Bucky had cheated on you. He didn’t know what had happened. Only knew you two had broken up. Wanda was fiercely protective of her friendship with you and didn’t want to betray you by admitting to those that didn’t know that Bucky had cheated on you. He wasn’t going to lie; he was saddened when you didn’t stay in touch with him after he graduated. But after he started his first year at the University of Michigan, he didn’t have much time to worry about it. He was a Line Backer having secured a football scholarship after college scouts came to see Sam and a few others play, Pietro had caught the eye of the scout from the University of Michigan, all though he was a great player, Pietro didn’t want to play professionally like many of the guys on the team. He was studying Business and Economics.

Since about the age of 15, he and Wanda had always planned on going into business together. Between parties, flirting with the pretty cheerleaders and sorority girls and his studies you became a distant memory to Pietro. That was until one November game in his second year.

The Wolverines were playing the Wisconsin Badgers. Boy did they suck. Not that Pietro minded it allowed him the opportunity to watch the cheerleaders, he knew a few of the girls on the team from various parties, he hadn’t paid much attention to the new girls on the squad. Then out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone who looked familiar to him. Could it be Y/N? Wanda had mentioned something about you getting a scholarship at Uni for your cheerleading, but he’d been in the middle of a game of Mario Kart with Sam at the time.

He tried to rack his brain’s but then the ball came towards him. He smiled to himself. Showtime Pietro. The game was an easy win. Whilst his teammates cheered Pietro made his way to the side-lines, desperate to know if the girl he’d seen earlier was you. His heart skipped a beat when he heard your familiar laugh. He couldn’t believe it. Pietro came jogging up towards you determined to chat.

“It’s just Y/N” or you can call me cutie you said winking at Pietro, he chuckled.

“How about I just call you tomorrow?” he retorted, you felt yourself blush. Pietro may come across as confident but inside he was shaking with nerves. Was he really doing this? What if you said no? You shrugged before pulling out a sharpie from your bag, you wrote down your number on his arm. He cocked his head puzzled.

“I changed it last year after Bucky wouldn’t stop blowing it up with apology texts,” you said simply wrongly presuming Pietro knew what had gone down. Before Pietro could respond you ran off to join the rest of your squad and headed for the changing room. He couldn’t help but smile to himself as your laughter rang in his ears whilst you walked off the pitch.

“Pietro! What’s good? How’d your game go tonight?” Sam asked. He sounded buzzed and Pietro could hear the faint sounds of a party in the background. Excellent he thought to himself. Sam was buzzed enough to have loose lips but not drunk enough to be of no use and if he was lucky Sam might not even remember half the conversation.

Pietro got back to his apartment, he had zero clues about what had gone on with you and Bucky. It was obvious due to your remark about him blowing up your phone with apology texts that he’d done something. He weighed up his options. Wanda or Sam? Wanda was his twin, and he knew deep down if he pulled the twin card she would tell him, but then if nothing came of this, he would be opening a can of worms with his sister over nothing.

Then there was Sam, he was still pretty close with Bucky and liked to chat a lot. But ultimately, he was like a brother to Pietro, and he trusted Sam to keep his mouth shut. Taking a deep breath and raking his hand through his Silver-blonde hair he picked up his phone and dialled Sam.

“So Sam you’ll never guess who I ran into cheering on the side-lines of the game!?” Pietro tried to sound breezy and cool like it was no big deal, despite the fact he was about to ask his friends ex out on a date.

“ I ran into Y/N. You know Bucky’s girl?” Pietro carried on forcing his voice to sound light. Sam choked on his drink down the other end of the line.

“I wouldn’t let her hear you call her that. That boy broke her damn heart, the fool” Sam said, there was an edge to his voice that Pietro almost missed.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Pietro asked genuinely curious.

“Well remember that little party your sister threw that last week of summer whilst you were away at football camp with some of your new teammates?” Sam asked. He didn’t wait for Pietro to respond before he continued.

“Well, Jane brought her friend Nat along” Sam continued. Pietro took a sharp intake of breath. No, Bucky wouldn’t have been stupid enough to kiss her at a party with your mutual friends, would he?

“Well turns out that Clint guy Bucky talked about wasn’t her boyfriend he was just a really good friend. But by the time we found that out Jane realised both Bucky and this Nat chick hadn’t been seen for at least a good 15, 20 minutes. So, she went to go find Nat. Only to walk in on them fucking. Oh yeah, it was on your bed bro”, Sam finished his story like it was no big deal. Other than the telling disdain in his voice.

Pietro stood stunned. No wonder you had winced at the use of your old nickname. Pietro’s heart broke for you at that moment. He vowed at that moment that no matter what happened between you both, he would do everything in his power to ensure you never had to feel heartbreak like that again.

Pietro will never forget that first date with you. He had come up with some lame excuse of showing you the best-hidden beauty spots of the campus. Not that there were any, he just wanted an excuse to spend some time with you. He wore jeans and a jumper with his beat-up converse.

All though it didn’t look like he had put much effort into his outfit he had spent a good hour agonising over it. In the end, he settled for a faded blue jumper hoping it would make his eyes and hair pop. He met you by the school library and the sun was shining, it was still a chilly November mid-morning.

You had turned up with your hair tied up in a messy bun a few stray pieces framing your cheeks, you had opted for a sweater dress. He remembered because it was loose and comfy but sinched inwards in all the right places. It was a silvery colour almost the same shade his hair was. Pietro swore you took his breath away.

Winter Break 2011

“And that right there is where the fraternity pledges had to stand and sing, I’m a little teapot every time someone put 10$ in the bucket. I didn’t truly understand the strange British Nursery Song or whatever it was, but I did like watching the pledges get embarrassed every time they had to sing when the cute cheerleaders walked past. So, I put 40 Bucks in the bucket when I knew the 3rd Years would be heading to practise” Pietro said pointing to the school statue.

You had nearly fallen over laughing at his story. Pietro noticed how you scrunched your nose up when you laughed. Like a rabbit. No like a Bunny. When Pietro walked you back to your dorm, he wasn’t sure if he was going to kiss you, but when you let him hold your hand, he decided at that moment he would regret it more if he didn’t take the plunge.

The moment he knew he was yours and you were his was at a party, he’d taken you on lots of hot chocolate dates, he knew you didn’t like coffee because it tasted bitter to you and that coca was nice, but you preferred the sweet comfort of a creamy hot chocolate.

It was at a party being held by the Ice Hockey team to celebrate their latest string of wins. You didn’t come to parties often preferring the comfort of a book and a cosy night in, but you always tried to attend parties after the football matches. You walked in wearing a red top and black skinny jeans.

The top wasn’t super low cut, but it hinted at your cleavage, you’d left your hair down for a change in loose curls. You’d recently gotten your hair dyed a deep chocolate brown and it brought out your eyes. Pietro nearly lost his damn mind when his Ice-blue eyes met your chocolate brown eyes after he’d drank all of you in. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with Scott Summers and co making his way over to you.

“Bunny, you look good enough to eat,” Pietro said dipping his head down to meet your lips, your lips were always so warm and welcoming a stark comparison to his cool lips.

“Bunny?” You replied scrunching your nose up. This was the first time Pietro had called you a pet name, you felt your heart somersault.

Pietro was messaging his sister on the drive home. He could tell you had something on your mind, but he knew better than to push you.

“So,” you began.

“What’s up Bunny?” Pietro asked snapping his eyes up from his phone.

“Well, I just thought now might be a good time to talk, we’re clearly going to run into a lot of our old friends, and there’s no way Wanda won’t know something is going on here, and I, I saw your lock screen,” you said. Well yeah Pietro thought, was he meant to be keeping you guys a secret? He didn’t want to, and he had just assumed you were a couple. You did couple type things, watching movies together curled up, holding hands when you guys were out together.

“So you were wondering what we are?” Pietro’s couldn’t hide the amusement in his voice. God, you were adorable. He watched your demeanour change and felt a pang of guilt, the determination in your eyes as you tried to not show that you felt embarrassed.

“Hey Bunny, look at me” Pietro grabbed your hand, wanting you to know how much he truly meant the next few words.

“We are a couple. I’m sorry you felt the need to ask, but I adore you, so we are a thing,” he said stroking circles on the back of your hand. You smiled and nodded to yourself. Pietro held on to your hand stroking circles the rest of the traffic. He couldn’t wait to tell Wanda she was wrong about him never getting serious with anyone.

“Hey Wanda, have you got a second?” Pietro and Wanda were heading out to meet up with you and the rest of the old school gang who had made it home for the Winter Break in the local coffee shop.

“Sure brother, what’s up?” she asked shrugging on her red jacket and lacing up her boots.

“So, you know that girl I told you I was seeing?” Pietro asked, you two hadn’t said if you were going to tell people or just let them figure it out, but he at least wanted to give his twin a heads up. Wanda straightened her brown hair falling behind her ears. She impatiently cocked an eyebrow waiting for her twin to continue. They were going to be late at this rate.

“Well, you know her. In Fact, you’re good friends” Pietro continued sucking in his breath.

“If you mean to tell me you’re dating Y/N, I already know brother”, Pietro froze. “I’m happy for you, but if you break her heart like that James did, I will not hesitate to kill you and hide the body” she continued.

“How did you know?” Pietro couldn’t help but ask, you guys hadn’t been a secret, but you hadn’t exactly announced it to the world either.

“I’m good at reading people Pietro” Wanda shrugged before heading out the door.

“You sly dog,” Sam said chuckling. Just then Peter turned up. Sam’s comment hadn’t escaped you, so you simply shot Pietro a quizzical look, one of your eyebrows arched. Pietro gently shook his head. He’d tell you about the phone call later.

It was great hanging out with the old gang, shame about Carol, and Jane being unable to make it back. Bucky was dating that Natasha chick and hadn’t come home from the holidays. Evidently, this wasn’t a surprise to Sam or Wanda. Pietro however was a bit taken back. That was until he heard how his sister had almost killed Bucky when she had run into him last summer. Carol had had to restrain her. Pietro couldn’t lie he was kind of bummed to miss it.

Pietro and Wanda didn’t celebrate Christmas, but they did celebrate being around people they loved and as the four of you sat around waiting for Peter Parker to make an appearance, he couldn’t help but feel his heart swell. You hadn’t even reacted to the mentions of Bucky. The way your brown eyes lit up when you teased Sam about his poor season or crinkled your nose when Wanda complimented your new hair, made Pietro come completely undone. Not being able to restrain himself anymore he leant in and kissed you, a slow soft kiss. The taste of your gingerbread cookie and peppermint hot chocolate lingering on your lips. When Pietro pulled away, he shot Sam a wink, and you promptly turned crimson. Sam just sat there gawking. Pietro watched as Sam tried to piece together his hazy memory from that phone call.

2012

Pietro absolutely adored the photo you had gotten him for Christmas, displaying it on his bedside table proudly. He had brought you a stuffed bunny for Christmas, cheesy but it made you beam at him.

“A Bunny for my Bunny” Pietro said shooting you his signature grin. Your heart constricted; it was an adorable soft fluffy powder blue bunny.

After winter break things got crazy busy. The year also seemed to rush by, between keeping on top, your rehearsals for the play. Pietro’s football practises, football matches, nationals for your cheerleading competition. It felt like you had barely any time to breathe. Pietro always looked forward to football games, not because he loved playing which he did, no it was because when you were cheering your face lit up, you always had his number painted on your cheek. Your brown hair always pulled up in a high ponytail, accentuating your big beautiful brown eyes that always looked for Pietro’s ice-blue eyes on the field. Mostly he loved the looks of jealousy he would get from the other team when players would be checking you out. Pietro would always come over for a kiss for good luck when he wasn’t on the field. You always giggled about how Mr cool; the confident cocky big-time football player was such a dork around you. Pietro was fast, sometimes your eyes couldn’t quite make out his movements, all you would see was a flash of his silver-blonde hair that peeked out under his helmet. You had started calling him Quicksilver, originally as a joke but it had stuck.

“So, move in with me for the summer,” he had said, his heart pounding in his chest. It wasn’t a big deal really but the thought of waking up to you every day for the summer made him practically giddy. Pietro continued to stroke circles on your bare legs. He was watching Grease, but he wasn’t absorbing what was being said.

Pietro loved every single second he got to spend with you, but mostly he loved the summer. College football season had finished, school was winding down and it meant he got to sit in those quiet moments with you. Pietro had no plans to go home for the Summer.

Pietro adored you more than he was willing to admit, hell he loved you which is why he was always never going to push you for anything more than you were comfortable with. He was content just kissing you, steamy make-out sessions. He just liked being close to you breathing in your scent, in the winter you always smelt like Vanilla and crushed Rose Petals. In the summer you changed your body spray, and he hadn’t quite been able to pinpoint the smell, but you smelt like Peaches, sunscreen, and sunshine. Okay, maybe not sunshine but he felt the warmth of your presence every time you were together. Pietro knew you were stressing about summer accommodation so he couldn’t help but offer up his place.

“Okay, I’ll move in for the summer,” you said. You picked up the remote and pressed pause on the DVD Pietro had been so focused on trying to play it cool he hadn’t even heard you the first time you spoke. When you started undressing, Pietro didn’t know where to look. Sure, you’d spent nights together, but Pietro always left you to get changed in his room whilst he went to brush his teeth. His eyes couldn’t help but wander over your body as you walked into your bedroom. Pietro inwardly groaned and felt himself harden. Trying to take his mind off what he had just witnessed he pulled out his phone. That’s when you appeared in the door frame, wearing nothing but his football jersey, when it lifted to show the skin of your bare stomach Pietro nearly lost his damn mind.

“Well, are you coming or not handsome?” Pietro grinned throwing his phone on the sofa and closing the gap between you in seconds, picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder. Pietro was certain that if he didn’t get his way with you right that second, he would combust.

Winter Break 2012

“You love her, don’t you?” Wanda asked Pietro. You were finishing up tech rehearsals, so Wanda and Pietro were enjoying some sibling bonding by cooking Paprikash. Wanda’s eyes narrowed at Pietro who was avoiding eye contact with his sister. He could feel his sisters warm blue eyes boring into him. Eventually, Pietro stopped washing up and turned to face his sister. Wiping his hands on a tea towel he finally lifted his eyes to meet Wanda’s.

“Yes, of course, I do but that’s not a secret, so what are you actually asking Wanda?” Pietro raked a hand through his silver-blonde hair.

“It's obvious you two love each other Pietro, dearly. But you’re in love with her, you would hang the stars for that girl, and when are you going to admit it? You visibly had a thing for her back in high school and you have healed the damage done by James Barnes. So why don’t you let your guard down and tell her how you truly feel?” Wanda asked. Pietro stood there dumbfounded. Had it genuinely been that obvious to people he had liked you back in high school when you were Bucky’s girl? As if reading Pietro’s mind Wanda answered his question.

“You may have fooled everyone else Pietro, but not me” Wanda returned to her cooking and that was the last of the conversation.

“Are you sure your mum doesn’t mind me staying with you guys for winter break?” you asked twiddling your hair nervously. Pietro chuckled lifting your small suitcase into his car.

“Come on then quicksilver, let’s get going before the traffic builds up,” you said shooting him a grin your worries disappearing.

“Yes Bunny, she wouldn’t hear of you staying here alone. Besides, Wanda would rip my arms off if I even thought about coming home without you” he said pressing a kiss to your temple. Pietro had refused to let you drive saying it was his turn as you had driven last year. You still looked unsure tugging at the selves of your red jumper dress as you walked round to the front of his car. Your brown hair fell in loose waves, still slightly damp from your last-minute shower.

Pietro sensed something else was bothering you but didn’t push it. Instead, he hopped up on the bonnet of his car and pulled you between his legs. Pressing his forehead to yours, he uttered a silent promise that his mum would love you and that that the rest of the old gang would be happy for you both like they had all sworn they were. You looked up at him through your big doe eyes and pecked a gentle kiss on his nose.

“So, who did you say was coming tonight again?” you asked. You were standing in Wanda’s room whilst you both got ready for the small hang out Pietro and Wanda were hosting. Pietro had gone out to pick up Sam and Peter Parker and this girl he was bringing, Gwen. Pietro of course had been right about his mum loving you, you’d spent the last four days feeling welcome, included and at home. Wanda and Pietro’s mum had enveloped you into a big hug the moment she met you.

“Sam, Jane, Peter and his girlfriend Gwen. Carol’s coming, I think she said she was bringing her girlfriend. Now put this on” Wanda said handing you a low cut, slim-fitting black sweater dress. You rolled your eyes at Wanda; you were quite happy wearing one of Pietro’s oversized sweaters and your jeans, but you knew better than to argue with her. Just then you heard the door shut.

“It will be great to have so many of the old group back together,” Sam said shrugging off his jacket as he followed Pietro down to the converted basement.

“How are things between you and Y/N?” Sam asked.

“Sam, they’re pretty amazing,” Pietro said, a slight blush forming in his cheeks.

“Okay, that’s good to hear. Did you know Bucky’s in town for the holidays? I text him saying he should come along tonight; I hope that’s okay?” Sam asked. Pietro shrugged, he hadn’t spoken to Bucky since Bucky’s graduation and even then, that had been by phone. It wasn’t that Pietro actively avoided speaking with Bucky, it’s just that Pietro didn’t have anything to say to Bucky.

The pair of you had spoken in great detail about everything that went down between Bucky and yourself last year after winter break, and Pietro could see you still carried the scars from what he had done to when he cheated on yourself. Just then Wanda and you made your way downstairs into the basement. Pietro felt himself harden when he got a good look at what you were wearing. It was going to be a long night whilst Pietro thought the urge to take you upstairs and fuck you senseless. As if reading her brothers thoughts Wanda smirked to herself, a job well done, maybe now her brother would grow some balls and finally tell you exactly how he felt.

“Bunny, you look. Just wow” Pietro said. Sam rolled his eyes, you giggled before walking over to give Pietro a gentle kiss on the lips. You wrapped your arms around him hugging him close before you felt his hardened member. You cocked an eyebrow at him, but Pietro shook his head brushing your hair behind your ears before giving you another gentle kiss.

After about two hours, everyone had relaxed, caught up and were just chilling. Sam hadn’t heard from Bucky, so Pietro hadn’t thought anything more about it, no sense bringing it up to you if he didn’t show.

Sam had also gotten up nudging Pietro, swearing he would beat him next time. Pietro chuckled, that’s when Sam nudged him.

“You sly bastard Parker” Sam practically shouted. The three of them were playing Mario Kart whilst Taylor Swift played in the background, all though he’d never admit to anyone, including no, especially you. Taylor Swift had grown on him over the past year. Mostly because he loved the way you lit up when you sang along to her in the car.

Pietro was so engrossed in his game with the boys he barely registered you getting up off the sofa next to him. Whilst Sam had been busy yelling at Peter for using Banana peels, Pietro had overtaken Sam in the race. Once the game finished Pietro noticed you weren’t next to him. Feeling empty without you snuggled next to him he got up and stretched. He figured you were probably talking to the girls or something.

“Uh, Pietro, you might want to go save your girl from an awkward encounter with her ex” Sam looked pained. He was realising the error of his ways by inviting Bucky along. Pietro just shot him a puzzled look before following Sam’s line of sight. Pietro sucked a breath in.

“Sam, I swear to god if she ends up in tears tonight because of you, I will not hesitate to punch you in the face,” Pietro said before walking off to the fridge where you and Bucky stood.

“Yeah, schools fine thanks Bucky,” you said politely. Pietro’s heart was beating loudly in his chest, he had no concerns about how secure your relationship was, he just wanted to save you from any unnecessary heartbreak when it came to James “Bucky” Barnes.

December 2012 – August 2014

“Hey Bunny,” he said kissing the corner of your head before wrapping his arms around you.

“Hey Buck, long time no see!” Pietro said. Bucky stood frozen for a few seconds processing what he had just witnessed.

“Hey, Pietro Yeah. It's been a hot minute, so you two are a couple? You guys look cute congrats. Oh man, wow is that Peter over there? I barely recognise him I’m going to go say hey. Catch you guys later!” Bucky said practically running over to Peter. You turned around and kissed Pietro.

“Come on Quicksilver, let’s see if I can beat you at Mario Kart,” you said pulling him over to the sofa. Pietro instantly felt himself relax, glad to see that you hadn’t been impacted by Bucky’s sudden appearance. He grinned at you as he let you drag him behind you,

“What?” you said chuckling at his goofy grin.

“I’m just so fucking in love with you Y/N,” he said. Your heart skipped a few beats. Sure, you had both said I love you, but the way Pietro’s ice-blue eye’s shone at you, the way he had phrased it as being in love with you, made your heart squeeze, butterflies erupt in your stomach and all those other cliché metaphors.

“Pietro, I am going to rock you fucking world tonight, because I feel the exact same way”, you whispered in his ear. Pietro’s eyes bulged out of his head. He lent down and gave you a hungry kiss, sending electricity coursing through your body. When you finally broke free from the kiss Pietro, caught sight of Bucky glowering in the corner of the room ignoring whatever it was Peter was wittering on about.

Winter break came and went. Your second year at Uni whizzed past. Pietro even joined you and your family for your annual summer vacation in Miami, your grandparents were getting on a bit, so you decided to skip the summer production of Hairspray. Pietro joined you for two summers of family vacations in Miami. Your Grandma took a liking to him.

“Pietro, so good to see you again,” she said hugging him. “If I was 55 years younger”, she said shooting Pietro a wink. Pietro chuckled and stuck his tongue out at you.

“See I told you that she loved me the most out of all of you,” he said. You rolled your eyes. Pietro was right your grandma did have a soft spot for him. Who could blame her? Pietro was a true gentleman and his muscles stretched out any shirt he wore. His floppy silver-blonde hair and his goody grin. You were truly a lucky girl. He was going to break your grandma’s heart as much as yours when you two ended things this summer.

Saying goodbye to you was going to be one of the hardest things he ever had to do. The pair of you had spent the last week of summer in Florida with Wanda and her boyfriend James also known as Vision. Tomorrow you would both be getting on separate planes and going your separate ways. You were dancing around in the sea not a care in the world.

Pietro loved the way you were in the summer, the stresses of school melted away. You burned easily so your skin always had a very faint sun-kissed glow to it, but the way you were with your family. That was when you truly glowed. The way you blushed when your parents would talk about how proud they were of you. You were an only child, so your cousins were the closest thing to siblings you had.

And boy did your two male cousins pick on you. Teasing you about being smart, your relationship with Pietro. The way you would roll your eyes at them. Pietro’s heart squeezed with adoration when he watched you huddled in the kitchen with your grandma. Oblivious to the fact he was watching your brow would furrow in concentration as your grandma bossed you about in the kitchen whilst the pair of you cooked up some delicious treats.

“You know brother if you asked her to do long distance and wait for you, she would”, Wanda said sitting down next to Pietro. Wanda’s red hair almost looked like fire in the setting sun. Pietro sighed and shook his head.

“I know, but it’s not right or fair on her. She has plans of her own and we will be busy setting up your fashion label in NYC” he said, raking a hand through his hair.

“Besides, She's Cheer Captain, and I'm on the bleachers. She deserves to enjoy her last year, her heart is in Michigan, where her mum and dad are.” Pietro sighed. Just then you came bounding over. Your black bikini just about covering all it needed too. You plopped down on the blanket beside Pietro, your brown hair trying to escape its messy bun. You rested your head in Pietro’s lap. You giggled as he gently bopped your nose. Swallowing down the ache in your chest.

The pair of you stood wrapped in each other’s embrace at the airport, the rest of the world shut out. Pietro breathing in your familiar scent one last time. He didn’t need to hear you to know you were crying. It was taking everything in him not to cry too.

“Be good Bunny, don’t cause too much mischief with Loki and stay in touch. I love you my little Bunny” he said wiping the tears from your eyes. You couldn’t say anything, so you just held him tight and cried. When you finally broke the embrace and Pietro boarded. He wiped away the few tears that had escaped his eyes.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Tony Stark’s Daughter (The Intense Years)

Tony Stark x daughter!reader

warnings:

a/n: y/n is 16-17, also ive really never written anything about team iron man so this was weird, someone needs to tell me i dont need every single movie detail in here

prompt: takes place from cacw and smhc

The Early Years (1) The Teenage Years (2) The Aftermath (4) Continued (5)

after the events in sokovia, you set up the relief fund for displaced sokovians and dealt with physical clean up while the avengers...

well, they had to deal with the press—and the governments of the world

getting to know your new suit AI, JOSHUA

briefly looking for bruce; no luck there

you ended up doing the MIT september foundation presentation with tony

and ending the presentation after pepper’s name popped up on the screen

“it’s probably best we get out of here”

you were his entire support system while he was going through his break with pepper

meeting charles spencer’s mother, who really gave your dad a piece of her mind

“my son died, but your daughter gets to live on. if you lost her, maybe you’d show some sympathy for murdering my child”

*awkward silence from you*

*awkward silence from tony otw to the compound*

HATING the sound of the sokovia accords, yet understanding why they’re being ratified

being torn between signing them or not and having a huge argument with the other avengers

“y/n, why dont you listen to your dad for once and sign the damn thing”

“uncle rhodey, you know why i dont want to sign. if they have us, they have access to our suits. you really think the UN should be telling us how to use them?”

“your defense doesn’t even make sense. i had the war machine or iron patriot or whatever the hell you want to call it, but the military was calling the shots”

“and look where you are now”

“right, well i wouldn’t expect a kid to understand”

“are you kidding me, rhodes? you’re gonna play the ‘im older than you’ card?”

comforting wanda while she feared being taken

and as soon as you heard about what happened in lagos

“think about it, maximoff. if you didnt do what you did, do you know how many more casualties there may have been?”

“but i killed innocents”

“no, rumlow killed innocents. you contained that blast better than anyone else could have and you prevented a whole bunch of deaths, give yourself some credit”

okay, so you weren’t the best at talking someone down while they were upset

staying in berlin with your father while the whole bucky thing began to get sorted out

but he sent you out to stay with nat while he had some “private time” with steve

tony keeping you close to him during the power outage at the base

until it turned out you brought your suit and tony did not!

everyone was looking at you to take down bucky, but it just seemed like a bad idea, you didn’t want to hurt him because you didn’t want to hurt steve

stalling to try and buy steve time to subdue his friend

“y/n, come on, for christ sake!”

“got it, dad! i know what im doing!”

“i dont think you do!”

feeling your stomach drop when bucky shot into your dad’s hand, if it wasn’t for his latest invention, he may have gotten seriously hurt

you had a slight change of heart after that, you couldn’t bare to lose your dad. not after all those close calls...

getting yelled at by secretary ross and the wonderful 36 hour ultimatum you, nat, and tony received

“i have a plan”

“don’t say the spider boy”

“fine, i wont say it”

a nice trip to queens :)

when this parker kid finally got home, tony left you to socialize with his aunt

small talk is sometimes unbearable

“so, what’s it like being tony stark’s daughter?”

“honestly? im always tired”

peter becoming a tagalong on your mission, which you didn’t really think was appropriate

“dad, i dont really think we should’ve brought the kid...”

“why? you’re about the same age as him, its not much different”

“um...no, i meant this isnt his battle. i don’t care how old he is”

face off between tony and cap where you literally just swallowed all your pride and apologized because you couldn’t handle the fact that the team was being ripped apart like this

team ups with Spider-Man

“so, uh, do you hate me or something?”

“hey, kid? we’re kind of in the middle of something, i’ll get back to you on that”

“it’s a yes or no question, y/n”

“pass”

so, things didn’t exactly go as planned...

your (former) teammates were taken to the RAFT and you couldn’t pull it together in front of them

they were pretty pissed at you

“im sorry, im so sorry, i should’ve done better”

they ignored you (up until scott lang)

“all you stark’s are the same”

“stay out of this, bugboy”

taking to the remote hydra base in another famous father/daughter teamup

“just like the old days, right kiddo?”

“i guess so”

“hey, cheer up, it’s not all that bad”

waltzing right in there to meet your friend and foe

seeing the video of your grandparents dying

*being killed

absolutely stunned by seeing such a gruesome thing

even after all you’ve seen, this really got to you

you were robbed of ever meeting them, which made you angry, but you couldn’t stay angry because there were so many things out of everyones control

realizing that this was a good time to hold tony back

“JOSHUA, lock down y/n’s suit. protocol: baby gate”

apparently your dad still had some old protocols in your suit that you hadn’t found yet

“JOSHUA? reboot! override protocol: baby gate”

“i’m sorry, miss y/n, but i cannot do that”

watching your father attempt to get revenge

and get critically injured

simultaneously working on opening the suit back up for a bad plan

finally getting the emergency release and stumbling out of your suit, rushing towards the conflict and throwing yourself in the middle of it

“please, dad. enough damage has been done.”

“y/n, get out of the way”

he saw you shaking and crying and he realized what he was doing

attacking the only family you guys really had

getting shoved out of the way so that they could end this fight once and for all

JOSHUA finally rebooting and bringing the suit over to shield you while you helplessly watched the end of this fight

when bucky and steve left, your suit disarmed and you crouched down beside your father

“come on, let’s just go home”

“im sorry”

“i know, it’s okay”

trying to comfort your dad after his defeat

you picked up cap’s shield and returned to your suit, it was time to go home

after a brief time of recovery (while you helped work on uncle rhodey’s prototype prosthetics), there was a slight change of plans for you

“okay, so for your punishment after what you pulled during my...divorce with cap, you’re going to babysit the spiderling so you gain some perspective”

“hold on, what?! what do you mean ‘perspective?’”

“i mean you dont know what it’s like to be in charge of the life of a teenager, so now you get to find out! congratulations on your promotion!”

it was not fun at all because peter kept blowing up your phone and you kept having to tell him there was nothing for him to do

Y/N: I’ll let you know when there’s a spider-level threat, kapeesh?

P. Parker: Yes, ma’am, sorry.

peter going behind your back to do some “superhero work”

and you having to swoop in to fix everything last second

“come on, you stole my thunder, y/n!”

“no, peter, i saved your life. next time you have a lead, call me first”

and then he didn’t 😌✨💕

“Y/N, incoming call from ‘big fat meanie’”

“put him through, JOSHIE...hey dad, how’s dubai?”

“taking care of a kid is harder than it looks, isn’t it?”

“don’t start with me”

damage control ahahah 🤡

“peter, why cant you just call me in? you don’t stop texting me for months but for this you go radio silent? you almost died. and you put a bunch of lives in danger! do you want me to have to go to your aunt and tell her you died?”

“im sorry! i just...i dont want to be a sidekick”

“kid, you’re gonna have a long time to make a name for yourself...but not if you’re dead!”

he started crying and you were very uncomfortable so you tried to hug him? it helped.

letting him off easy (just like your dad did to you growing up)

but apparently tony came back and took the suit anyways and you were pretty pissed about it

avengers moving day :) yes, part of your punishment was helping happy with moving day and hearing him gush about how you were “growing into such a responsible adult”

“happy i dont know if you noticed but ive basically been an adult since i was 12”

“keep telling yourself that, kiddo”

seeing an explosion and immediately knowing it was peter

“i’ll see you later, happy, love you!”

investigating the crash site and whaddaya know, there’s peter and his first bad guy, you were kind of proud

“peter, you okay?”

“nope!”

“okay, cool”

more damage control lmao (a/n: yall sick of damage control yet?)

a congratulatory call from your dad

“hey! you did pretty good, all things considered. why don’t you take the kid to the avengers compound for his special surprise?”

“aye aye, see you soon.”

“love you, kiddo”

“you too, dad”

quick fast forward to peter rejecting the position as an avenger while the press was outside, yes, you were surprised

but then your dad finally proposed to pepper, it was a pretty cool engagement announcement

“y/n, will you be my maid of honor?”

“duh!”

happily ever after (a/n: until the next part is up)

[kaz11283]

Chapter 5

Characters: Clint, you, Loki

Warnings: this is a SLOW burn, slight angst, fluff at the end, Loki starting shit.

Summary: life has never really bwen this complicated. Or well the life that you think you know has never really been this complicated. Living with the avengers, learning new things, yeah its gonna be a long road but what else do you have to look forward to other than the random runins with the god of mischief.

Loki Masterlist

~~~~~

It had been about a week since you had arrived at the tower and just as long as your incounter with Loki, you hadnt had much time to think about it though since you were normally nose deep in class work or training with Nat and Clint since Tony had sent you the message "If your gonna be an avenger you have to train like one, training starts at 6." You had left him on read after that, you had never been a morning person and you sure as hell wasnt about to start now.

"Alright y/n, lets try you on the bow today." Clint smiled walking into the arena where most of your training took place.

"After I finish this." You said pointing to your coffee. "I swear, you would think that after saving lives you would want to sleep in." You grumbled.

"Bad guys dont sleep, we dont get to sleep." Clint said wiping down a few of his practice arrows.

"You didnt get back till like 3 this morning. Im really starting to wonder if you sleep at all." You tossed your cup away and got up starting to do your stretches.

"Get over here so I can show you how to hold this thing." He saod holding out the bow.

"I know how to use a bow, I was in archery in high school. Top of my team." You grabbed the bow feeling the cool metal in your hand. His bow was diffrent than what you was use to, as light as air almost were yours had been heavy.

"This bow is probably a little different than what your use to. The metal is vibranium, the strings are made of some type of industrial woven string that Tony invinted in his lab. Might be a littlw hard for you to pull back." He smiled looking at the bow like a child.

"It is very beautiful." You examined it looking down the sights has you pulled the string back easily. "Absolutly magnificent peice of weaponry." You looked over at him and seen that he was staring at you wide eyed. "What?"

"No one else has ever been able to draw the string back like that." You let the string gently go back into place amd handed it back to him.

"I told you, I was in archery while I was in high school."

"Theres no way that someone no matter how skilled they are can pull that back."

"Well if your forgetting, apperantly Im not from here either."

"Yup almost forgot, Asguardian. Anyways. You know how to use one of these so lets set up a few targets and get to work. Tony wants to try you out on a few different things, eval you, and see what suits you best. Im already leaning toward you being good at the bow."

After he talked you through some of the basics that you had informed him you knew and he insisted on stating that it was 'mandatory' you were finally able to pick up one of the training bows.

"These bows suck. Stark has all the money in the world and he buys walmart brand bows? If you pull this one back to many times the string will break. Why cant I just use yours?" You roll your eyes looking back at Clint.

"My bow, my baby. If you want ine bad enough you can start off at the bottom and work your way up. You have a card why dont you buy one?" He countered, just then the foor opened drawing your attention.

"Sorry, didnt realize that the area was occupied today, I just wanted to get a few throws in woth the new daggers Stark and Banner decided to enhance for me. Wanted to make sure that they wouldnt bloe up in my face." Loki said walking over to the bay next to you and Clint. You hadnt had a moment alone with the trickster since in the hall weeks ago and now he was here acting as of nothingbhad happened. You looked down at the daggers that he had laid out.

"Wow, those are beautiful." You noticed that not only had he laid down two simple green handeled knives but he had also laid down a set of electric blue ones and a set of gold handle ones engraved with ancient symbols and roses with the stems winding down the hilt. "May I?" You asked leaning down to get a closer look.

"Of course y/n, you are the one that gave me those." He answered casually. Your breathing hitched and you turned to look at him.

"Thats not funny Loki."

"I dont know what your talking about. I was simpl-" he started before you cut him off.

"You know damn good and well what I am talking about. What did you expect? Me to pick it up and everything come barreling back to me? Here I'll do you one even better." You stormed up to the daggers and grabbed one of the gold ones up throwing it at the target on the far side of the room. You had expected it to fall short and clink to the floor but you never hears it fall. When you looked at the target you noticed you had hit the middle.

Clints jaw had dropped as he was looking around the wall to see what you had been yelling about. Loki looked at you with a smug expression. "I assume they must have had knife throwing classes at the school you attended as well."

"Shut up. Clint are we done, I have some studying for class that I really need to do." You looked at clint as he knodded still awestruck. "Thanks, I'll talk with Tony about getting a better bow for me to practice with." You took off toward your room.

Later after you had taken a hot shower and changed into some leggings and a baggy shirt you decided to go to the one place in the tower that you had decided to claim as your own little study corner. It was located on of of the high up floors that happened to be more of an observation deck, you could watch the team leave on missions, see the ocean, and watch some of the most beautiful sun sets that you had seen. You had notice while checking the place out that there was a fairly large window seat that you could spead your work out on as you looked out over the city, this small part of the tower was your little hid away, you hadnt seen any other member of the team up here so you figured when you needed the alone time you could come here. It had seemed to work for the most part until today.

You notice the shadow of the figure standing over you before looking up into the eyes of Lokis confused ones, you had noticed his lips moving before rolling your eyes and taking out your noise canceling ear pods.

"What do you want Loki?" You sighed placing them back into the chsrging dock.

"Well if you hadnt had those things in you would have heard me tell you that I was sorry for earlier." He sassed crossing his arms.

"How did you find me? No one really bothers coming up here." You pulled your legs under your chin and covering you feet with the throw that you had brought up with you this time.

"The AI system has no bounderies when it comes to privacy, it can tell you were anyone is in this god forsaken place." He responded. "May I sit?"

"And if I say no?"

"I'll sit anyways." He shrugged.

"Then what is the point in asking?" You leaned forward moving your papers and books out of the way. He reached down and grabbed a few of the papers to help you.

"Your doing a paper on Shakespeare?" He asked as he sat down reading over the page.

"Umm, yeah. Part of my agreement to come here is so that I can finish up my collage classes. Drama and Art Major." He hamded the paper back to you so that you could stick it in your binder. He gave you a look that you were use to getting from him. "Don't say it Loki." You out your hand up to stop him before he could even open his mouth.

"I wasn't going to say anything." He held his hands up.

"Hum, interesting. The god of lies actually sucks at lying. I should remember that." You smiled. This was the first time you had actually felt half way confortable around him.

"I could never lie to you." He smiled back. "You have always had a knack for seeing right through me."

"I wish you wouldnt do that." You sighed leaning your heas agints the window behind you.

"Do what exactly?" He askes mirroring your position.

"Where you mention something about my past. Its annoying and it breaks my heart."

"Well Dove, how do you think I feel? The worst part about it for me is that while you remember nothing I am stuck remembering everything. Your past, my past, our past together. It truly is the worst pain that I have ever felt. To have something that you have wanted for so long in front of you and they dont even want you back." He sighed looking out the window.

"Loki," you crossed your legs and placed your elbows on your knees. "I have never said that I didnt want you. I just dont know what is what."

"So you do want me?" He laughted.

"That is not what I meant and you know it." You leanded back again. "Tell me about us. About how you and Thor know me." He eyes lite up.

Chapter 6

Tag list:

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@serpentargo

@drbaureid

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[mythiccheroacademia]

Forgive Me

Summary: It only seemed more prevalent, now more than ever, that people like him didn’t deserve people like you.

Word Count: 4.8k+ Words

Pairing: Natsuo x Reader (21+)

Warnings: blood, death, gang organization involvement, gun use, sexual content, explicit language, and angst

A/N: First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAIN MAN NATSUO TODOROKI!! And I also want to say thank y’all so much for 2k followers! You make my heart ache. To celebrate, I wrote this self-indulgent mafia au fanfic that nobody asked for. I honestly just wanted to write Todorokis involved in organized crime. 

All the Japanese in here is from Google Translate. It most likely butchered it, so I’m sorry about that. I tried. 

Some things to mention: *Yakuza: Basically, the Japanese mafia  *Oyabun: The leader of the organization *Onna-Oyabun: The spouse of the leader. It really translates to the “wife.” I tried to keep things gender neutral, however, I couldn’t find a gender neutral term for this. Please forgive me!

Thank you for ridin with me, y’all! Enjoy this one, hotties ❤️   

Forgive Me

All Natsuo had ever wanted for you was normalcy. Call it wishful thinking—his siblings called it naivety. However, there was nothing more the young successor wished for than for you to have the life you deserved. One filled with love, laughter, and smiles. Not tears, blood, and bullets.

He wanted you to be able to come from work or class with a head full of things for the two of you to gossip about over dinner and ice cream. He wanted to be able to cancel his day and take you to that one amusement park you always talked about. He wanted the petty arguments about whose turn it was to do the dishes and whose brownie recipe was better.

Natsuo wanted that for you. Not this.

Your shared room suddenly felt cold and rigid as he stood by the doorway. The sight of your body curled into the sheets, hoping the mattress would swallow you up, made his heart ache. There was no movement except for the slow rise of your breathing as you stared at the wall next to the bed.

Natsuo’s grey eyes focused on the bandage patched to your ear and was brought back to the events prior. An event that had been the reason why he couldn’t have spent the evening in your arms.

[Earlier]

Since having been introduced into the Todoroki lifestyle, life had been hectic. You had been ripped away from your normalcy and propelled into the yakuza* game. It was seeped in cruelty, darkness, and evil that would make you spend nights shivering.

Ever since you had been engaged to Natsuo, your exposure only grew worse. Your fiancé would spend nights apologizing, but you’d only quiet him with a kiss and a small joke.

It wasn’t his fault. His older brother, Touya, was “deceased”. It was against tradition for Fuyumi to have it, and Shouto was too young. He would have to be the next Oyabun* and, despite his unwillingness, there was nothing anyone could do about it.

But that wasn’t something to dwell on. Especially today. Today, you had plans to go shopping with Fuyumi and Shouto and end the night with some well-deserved quality time with your husband-to-be. You had rarely seen anyone due to yakuza activity, so this was something you were looking forward to.

You smoothed down your outfit, adjusting your watch in the mirror. You gave yourself a nod, liking what you saw.

Natsuo came from around the corner, eyeing you with a glint you knew all too well. He apparently liked what he saw too.

“Hi,” he said, smiling into your kiss.

“Hey,” you grinned. You flattened the collar of his shirt where his tattoo peeked from his neck. “You look good.”

He was quick to respond. “You look better.”

“You flatter me,” you chuckled. “Did you pick where we’re eating for dinner later?”  

“I made reservations for the seafood restaurant you like so much. The one with the lights by the ocean.”

“Oooo with the parmesan crusted flounder and the stuffed oysters?”

He hummed a yes and laughed as you did a little dance expressing your excitement. You couldn’t wait to stuff your face. While being classy of course.

“What time?”

“6:30. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that should give ‘Yumi, ShoSho, and I enough time to shop around.” You turned to the mirror to put some last-minute touches to your hair. “We still have to find an outfit for your mother’s event Friday. You know your brother’s a lowkey diva about that stuff so it’s gonna take hours.”

A sudden slap on your ass made you yelp and just as you were about to cuss him out, Natsuo captured your lips in a kiss that made your knees buckle. He slowly explored your mouth, committing every taste to memory. Your hands massaged the nape of his neck and it had him growling in your ear.

“Why don’t you skip the shopping today and we can start on dinner now?” he suggested, loving the moan he got from you as he sucked on your neck.

As much as you adored the offer, you weren’t going to pass up the chance to get out of the house. You’d been cooped up in there for too long. Not even his dick could get you out of this.

You pushed him off of you, laughing as he bit the air between you, trying to put his lips back on you.

“Nat—Natsuo. Stop it. I promised them I’d go shopping today, so no. Besides, I’m already running late. I was supposed to meet them at 1 and it’s 1:30.”

“But you just look so good, baby.” He managed to pull you flush against his chest, mischief in his eyes. You gave him a look when his hands went to go grab a handful of your ass. “I’m sure they won’t mind if you're just an hour more late,” he said, going back to lay claim to your lips.

If last night’s sex was a testament to anything, you’d be here for much longer than an hour. If you didn’t get your ass to the car, you’d be stuck at home and his siblings would have your head.

“Boy, if you don’t get off me, I’ll tell Fuyumi you’re keeping me hostage again. She’ll sick Shouto on you,” you threatened.

At the thought of his sister and brother’s nagging, he rolled his eyes and backed off. “Ugh, you’re such a killjoy. Fine, whatever.” You hummed in triumph and turned to walk away. Natsuo gave another hard slap to your backside again and you sent him back a glare that made him smirk.

“Natsu,” you warned.

“You better get in the car quick before I really decide to keep you here.”

“Keep it in your pants, horndog,” you bit.

“Keep that ass away and we won’t have problems,” he playfully retorted.

You smacked your teeth but hid the growing smile on your lips. That man would be the death of you.

…

Despite your wishes, you ended up being an hour late. Natsuo tried to play innocent underneath his siblings’ threats but stopped the act once they pointed out the growing hickey on your neck.

He was waved off, much to his chagrin, when he told the three of you to be wary of your surroundings and reminded you of the security guards that would be following close by. He finally left for his meeting with few choice words and a kiss promising his return.

Fuyumi grabbed your arm and gave you a smile that was contagious. “Now that Natsu stopped hogging you, we can finally hang out!” she cheered. “The outlet just opened up a few new stores we’ve been eyeing for a while now!”

Shouto nodded in agreement. “I’ve been waiting all week to use my father’s credit card.”

“Didn’t you buy a fur coat yesterday—”

“That’s besides the point.”

Once Shouto took your other arm, the three of you spent your time going from store to store. At first, the objective was to find outfits for the party Friday, however you three had become easily distracted with the sight of a smoothie stand.

A couple hours had gone by, and not much was done. Although you might have wasted time (and money) shopping at miscellaneous stores, neither one of you cared.

It had been so long since you laughed so freely. With Endeavor across the ocean, things were steadily heating up. Enemies took his leave as an open shot and the Todoroki siblings were obliged to reinforce why their family reigned supreme. Due to that, it seemed no one could go a day without stressing over something.

Between that and Natsuo’s near-obsessive mission to keep you safe and away from the details of the yakuza, you were forced to stay in the house twiddling your thumbs with constant security around you.

Feeling so useless drove you crazy. No matter how many times you tried to get your fiancé to let you help, he would always give you a firm no. Fuyumi and Shouto tried their best to keep you out of it as well. Even Dabi warned you about wanting something so dangerous.  

It was frustrating, but you tried to understand. Regardless, having the chance to hang out with your friends like old times was a saving grace and you’d enjoy it to its fullest.

Eventually, you three made it to the boutiques and clothing departments. Shouto had already gotten a suit tailored so it was left with you and Fuyumi.

Your soon-to-be sister-in-law found an extravagant gown that stole your breath. The crimson dress hugged her body in all the right places, accentuating the softness of her feminine figure and the coolness of her kind eyes. It was beautifully bold statement speaking to the fire within Fuyumi many seemed to miss. But no one would overlook that spirit with a dress like that. Her measurements were taken, and the dress was quickly swiped off the rack and sent to the tailor.

Your clothing didn’t come easy. Fuyumi was indecisive and Shouto was a harsh critic.

“Hmm, that one’s too much.”

“Nope, not enough.”

“Too loose.”

“Too tight.”

“No.”

“Hell no.”

“I’m pretty sure someone from the Nanu family wore that in 2016. Next.”

It had taken nearly an entire hour before the three of you found your outfit. Something that had caught your eye was soon being shimmied over your body. When you stepped out of the dressing room, you were relieved when Fuyumi nearly cried and Shouto’s bi-colored eyes twinkled with satisfaction. The material was comfortable on your body and the pigment made your skin color brilliantly glow. It moved and swayed like it was meant for you. It just felt right.

“That’s the one,” Shouto smiled.

“You think so?” you asked, checking over the detailing.

“You’re going to steal the show, as always, Y/N,” Fuyumi gushed. “The most beautiful Onna-Oyabun* the yakuza have seen this generation.”

At the mention of the word, you casted your eyes downward. “Right. I’m going to be the new Onna-Oyabun,” you sighed.

The two Todorokis caught the heaviness of your tone and looked at one another in sadness. They were privy to the burdens of this family and the titles that came along with it. Your reaction wasn’t abnormal, but the despondent gleam in your eyes was still hard to sit with.

“Y/N—”

The sound of Shouto’s phone cut off his words. As he listened to the quiet words from the other line, his eyes began to harden. The store clerk kept you busy, but Fuyumi noticed his sudden rigidness.

Her brother’s eyes flicked towards the door and she caught the sight of more their bodyguards surrounding the boutique, hands on their weapons.

There were a few more words said before Shouto spoke.

“Anata wa mōru o torikakonde imasu. Natsuo wa 5-bu de soto de aimasu.” (Keep the mall surrounded. Natsuo will meet us outside in five minutes.)

Fuyumi met her brother’s eyes once more and understood the situation.

“So, the seamstress said she’ll tighten around the waist and add more fabric to the end. It’ll be ready by tomorrow evening,” you said to them.

Shouto excused himself while Fuyumi walked towards you, a practiced smile on her lips.

“Perfect. Now let’s get you changed and out for your date. Natsuo will be here any minute.”

…

The car ride to the restaurant was filled with your rambling about the day and Natsuo’s usual teasing. When he got into the car after speaking with his siblings, he seemed very tense. So you were happy you were able to get him to relax. Work must’ve put him on edge, and you were determined to let the rest of your night come stress free.

When you got there, he helped you out of the car and you made your way to the door. You were surprised to see who was standing by the entrance.

“Dabi?”

“Hey there, doll,” he said behind an easy smirk. He kissed the back of your hand. “Still see you’re with this punk. Tragic.”

You tried to hide your giggle as Natsuo punched his brother’s shoulder.

“Back off, brick-face. Lookin’ like a burnt raisin.”

“You wound me,” Dabi faux gasped.

“What are you doing here?” you asked.

Although Dabi kept his eyes on you, he felt his brother’s stare on his face.

“Just doing some patrol. Heard you were coming around and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say hi to my new favorite Todoroki,” he responded coolly.

You quirked your brow at that. “Did something happen?”

Dabi opened the door. “Nah, nothing you need to worry about. You just enjoy your dinner for me, yeah?”

Before you could say anything more, you felt the man behind you place his hand on your lower back and guide you into the restaurant. You didn’t miss the order he hissed to his brother before closing the door behind him.

You had to learn Japanese one of these days, damn it.

As you stood in line to be seated, you eyed your fiancé.

“I know something’s going on,” you spoke.

Natsuo didn’t even flinch. “What do you mean?”

“Why’s Dabi here?”

“You heard what he said. For patrol.”

“Patrol for what? He doesn’t just police the area for no reason.”

“It was just on some small case we’ve been working on. No biggie,” he shrugged.

You frowned at his play of innocence. You were getting kind of tired of this. “You know how much I hate being kept in the dark…”

“It’s nothing you have to concern yourself with, babe. I’ve got it handled.”

“Natsuo—”

“Y/N, please.”

You watched his shoulders sag a bit from the heavy sigh that left his mouth. If you hadn’t been watching, you would’ve missed the fatigue that flashed across his face. To see someone usually so upbeat look so tired made your chest ache.

You knew you were being pushy, but all the secrets were piling up and your curiosity was starting to become insatiable.

“I…I just want to help,” you softly admitted. “I don’t mean to be annoying.”

“You’re not being annoying,” he answered in a heartbeat. Natsuo pulled you close and kissed your temple, feeling comforted by your smell. “I know all these secrets drive you crazy, but I’m trying to protect you.”

You placed a hand on his cheek to which he placed a kiss to your palm. “And I want to lessen your burden. We’re in this together, baby. You don’t have to handle all of this alone anymore.”

“I know, sweetheart,” he whispered. He stared into your eyes for a moment before gently smiling down at your hopeful gaze. “How ‘bout this? We forget about all this yakuza stuff whiles we’re here, and as soon as we get home, I’ll fill you in on my meeting today. Sound fair?”

It wasn’t exactly what you wanted, but it was a step in the right direction. Besides, you could see how eager he was to forget about the topic. The focus of this night was about having fun, so you would drop it for now.

You pecked his lips and nodded in agreement. “Deal.”

“Bet.”

The hostess met you two just as you pulled away from one another. She led you to your table where you had a clear view of the beach behind the crystal glass. Your waitress, an older woman with a smile that felt safe, got you settled in.

“My name is Jane and I’ll be serving you today. May I get your drinks?”

Natsuo looked to you. “Wine?”

You made a thoughtful face. “Yeah. Sure. Something on the sweeter side.”

“Bring us Moet Chandon Dom Perignon. 2008.”

“Yes, sir,” she bowed before going to retrieve the drinks.

You frowned in confusion, the bran unknown to you. That was before your eyes scanned over the wine listing. You choked on your spit.

That bottle could pay rent.

Rich people were crazy.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Something in my throat,” you coughed.

After the waitress brought your drinks and you placed your orders (you both ordered enough for eight but what’s new?), you and Natsuo spent your time talking and laughing.

It was like old times. He was the jokester, throwing out horrible pick-up lines with a terrible pun to match. You’d tease him, snickering when he’d whine about how sensitive he was.

You missed this. A lot.

Your previous grievances left your mind. Like he said, for now, you’d forget about the yakuza. The carefree smile on your fiancé’s face, the one that reminded of you of just how young he really was, was beautiful. He was only 23 and dealing with so much. You wanted this expression of freedom to remain for as long as possible.

“The ‘Saw’ series wasn’t even that scary. It was just really gross,” you said.

“Fair. But the one with the teeth was kinda scary. Saw 3 I think? I couldn’t sleep for like, five days,” Natsuo shivered.

“Okay, yeah. That one was…ew,” you agreed. “But remember ‘The Human Centipede’? Now that was some creepy shit. I couldn’t eat cereal for a month.”

Natsuo visibly paled, sticking his tongue out in disgust. “Nah for real, bro. I’ll never watch that shit again. I feel like it was some big, grotesque, sexual innuendo.”

You gave him a flat look.

“What the fuck, Natsu.”

“No, listen! Remember the part where they took the hammer and—"

“Your food, Mr. Todoroki and Mr/s. L/N,” Jane interrupted. A questioning look flashed across her face but you two just stifled your laughs.

The other waiters laughed as they stood behind her with the food in their hands.

You were eyeing the hell out of those oysters.

“Here we have the lobster bisque, the shrimp tacos, the stuffed oysters—”

“I’ll take that one, please!” you excitedly clapped.

“Excellent choice.”

“And you say I’m a child,” Natsuo snorted.

You threw a glare his way. “Little boy, if you don’t—”

And just as your day had been filled with laughter, the sound of one bullet tore through that illusion.

It was as if the world had stilled for a moment. Then, there was screaming and the onslaught of gunpower. There were so many men in dignified suits running in and out of the restaurant. You hadn’t even blinked before two waiters dropped to the ground, piled beneath the food they were holding.

Two shots rang near your table, and you felt a string of fresh blood paint the sides of your face and a burning sensation on your left ear. Two hands held the table and the back of your chair, body a shield from the bullets.

You slowly looked up and saw Jane’s bright blue eyes wide with surprise. There was a moment of silence as her bottom lip wavered, wanting to say something.

However, her last breath slipped through her lips as you watched the life dull in her cerulean irises.

That bullet was meant for you. That bullet was meant to kill you and instead…instead…

When she fell onto you, dead, that’s when you screamed.

At some point, Natsuo had gotten you into his arms. His body was ice cold as he used his quirk to protect you and carry you out. He was shouting orders and curses while trying to coax you out of your numbness. However, you couldn’t hear anything.

The stench of blood was strong. You saw how the bodies of innocent men, women, and children laid piled on the floor. They bled out; their lives taken from them before they even had the chance to think about it.

You closed your eyes when you saw blue and red flames lick the ground. You had seen enough.

Somehow, you had gotten outside and away from the warzone. Natsuo carried you into the car.

“Doraibu!” he thundered. (Drive!)

The driver took off with speed that made our backs hit the seats. Once he hit the main streets, miles away from the scene, Natsuo took his hand off the gun and quelled his quirk.

His phone lit up and it wasn’t long before he blew up at whoever was on the other end. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him use a tone so mean and angry. He roared into the phone, his words foreign to your ears. However, you couldn’t concentrate on that.

The shock of what just occurred struck your body numb. The ringing in your ears hadn’t stopped since the first bullet. You could still smell the blood and the bodies. Jane’s lifeless eyes would haunt you forever.

The same bullet that tore into her heart was meant for you. Whoever shot that, was aiming to kill. Kill you. But instead, Jane had taken that place. For what reason, you didn’t know. But she did.  

You didn’t know which one was worse.

Bile rose in the back of your throat and you let out a shaky breath.

You could do nothing else but hold your head.

Natsuo had gotten off the phone and looked over at you in silence. His grey eyes stormed with pain from the way your shoulders hunched over in grief.

He reached for you. “Y/N, sweetheart—”

You flinched away as his fingertips ghosted your skin.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” you seethed.

He quickly withdrew his hands.

“Are…are you okay?” he slowly spoke.

The glare you gave him made him avert his eyes in anguish.

“Am I okay? You’re asking me if I’m okay!?”

“I just want to make sure you’re not hurt,” he thickly swallowed.

“Are you serious, Natsuo!? I just saw twenty people die in front of me and you’re asking if I’m okay!??”

Guilt drowned him, but you just couldn’t seem to care at the moment as rage took over your body.

“I asked you to tell me what was going on. I’ve been fucking begging you to keep me up to date so I can just be prepared for when things like this happen!”

“I know.”

“If I had just known someone was trying to take me out, I would’ve stayed the fuck home, but you wouldn’t tell me and now there’s people DEAD!!”

“I know. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“Fuck your sorry!” you roared. “Fuck you, Natsuo! Sorry won’t bring those people back!”

Your voice was beginning to grow hoarse but screaming felt good. It was the only thing that felt real even as it took you to hysteria.

“I know those bullets were meant for me! They wanted to—to—oh my God!” Your breathig grew erratic as it all dawned on you. “I’m supposed to be dead! They wanted to kill me! I can’t! I can’t do this!”

Natsuo felt his heart break with every sob that ripped from your mouth. He wanted so badly to hold you and take you away from all of this. However, he knew better.

For the entire car ride and throughout the time it took for the nurses to patch you up, you hadn’t allowed him to touch you. You even ignored him until he was forced to leave you to rest.

When he told you he loved you, it hurt like hell to see you wordlessly disappear behind the bedroom door. That pain was what later fueled him back to the scene of the crime and into doing things to the captured enemies he would never utter to anyone that wasn’t there.

Fuyumi and Shouto couldn’t look him in his eyes for the rest of the day. It was Dabi, as heartless as he was, that told him it was enough.

He would give anything to give you what you deserved, a life without pain and death. But that’s not how it worked. Not in this life.

He knew that, yet, he had been selfish and took you for himself. Now, this was the result. Your life in unremitting danger because of who he was.

The agonized screams of dry ice burning away flesh constantly played in his head. It only seemed more prevalent, now more than ever, that people like him didn’t deserve people like you.  

[Present]

Natsuo’s heavy stare caused you to shift. As he changed into pajamas, you looked at the clock. It was 2am.

You hadn’t realized it was so late.

You felt a heavy dip in the bed and watched your fiancé carefully settle into the sheets. His face was clean of blood and dirt, so he must've showered before coming back home.

A pregnant pause filtered between you two. As you continued to stare at one another, you could see his façade slip with each passing second. The blank front he was so skilled at putting up melted as his eyes continued to pass over the bandages. His eyes sunk and the skin around them was dark with wear. He looked exhausted.

The anger that had once bristled inside of you had given way to melancholy a long time ago. You felt so empty and lonely with the dark thoughts that circled in your head. Sleep wasn’t an option if you wanted to avoid the nightmares that would plague you.

The two of you scooted closer to one another. Natsuo was the first to speak. He spoke in a voice so small, you almost missed it.

“Can I touch you?”

“Please,” you whispered.

Soon enough, you were in his arms, chin on his shoulder as he peppered the junction between your neck and collarbone with kisses. You relished in his hands exploring your body, missing how he just seemed to swallow you up.

“I love you, Y/N,” he breathed.

“I love you too, Natsuo.”

Much of the night was spent reminding yourselves of the other’s touch. Natsuo drew your lips captive, his tongue overtaking you with dizzying pleasure. You couldn’t keep track of where his mouth was. Whether it was on your lips, on your stomach, or in between your legs, you savored how good it felt.

Soon, his low growls and moans were hot against your ears. Your nails ran down Natsuo’s back as his hips swam into you, taking his time to rememorize how you felt around him. The bed creaked along with your moans. You threw your head back and gripped whatever you could hold of him during your lovemaking.

It seemed you’d reach your high over and over again. You could never get enough of each other. There was something intoxicating about how his tongue would roll over yours as he pounded into you, staking claim over your body as he gave himself to you until he couldn’t.

When your bodies couldn’t go any longer, you just lied underneath the sheets. Natsuo lied on top of you, head on your chest and listened to your heartbeat. You pushed back his sweaty bangs, staring down at him.  

You hadn’t even realized you were crying until his thumbs went to swipe past your cheeks.

“Damn it,” you hiccupped.

Natsuo let his vulnerability slip. “I know they’re just words, but I’m so sorry, Y/N,” he said. His voice cracked and it was your turn to catch the tears that fell from his eyes.

“I know. I’m sorry too.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“No, I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I was just…”

“Just what?”

A fresh wave of images from today filled the forefront of your mind. Those pictures did something to you. A switch was flicked.  

Your voice caught in your throat and your eyes pinched as more tears filled them. However, these were not tears of fright, rather tears of animosity. The anger you thought had left you had turned into something worse. Something much darker.  

Natsuo saw that look many times before in his own reflection. Vengeance. Pure, unadulterated, vengeance. And as much as he hated it, it was the gas that incited his own flame.  

“Natsuo,” you spoke like you were about to tell a secret. You slowly swallowed the ball in your throat.

“What is it, baby? Tell me what it is you want.”

The words that left your mouth felt different, but you would never regret them.

“Whoever it was, whoever was behind this, I want them gone,” you instructed, voice stone cold. “For every child lost, I want ten of their heads. For all our men they took, I want their bodies burned. For the life they took from Jane, I want their blood on the street. Today, they took their stance when they tried to kill me.”

You held his face and fell into his gaze with hard eyes. In those grey irises, you saw a man that would stand against an army for you. It gave you the courage to say your order.

“And for that, I want the entire yakuza dead.”  

The glint in his eye matched your own and you knew there was no turning back. Natsuo nodded without a second thought. There was nothing to think about. He’d give you the entire world or burn it down at the flick of your hand.

“Yes, my Onna-Oyabun. Your wish is my command.”

He sealed the deal with a kiss.

“This is war.”

[marvel-m-lee]

Fire, Note books and a- kid? •Part 1 of M-Verse•

Warning! This series will include gruesome descriptions of blood, bodies etc. These may be rare but they will be graphic. (This one doesn't have much tickling but it has a⁸ little haha)

This Series is also a tickls series, so if you dont like it, sorry oof.

Fandom: Marvel

-

"CRAP" Sam yelled as he flew right under a collapsing tie beam. "Language!" The cap yelled through the intercom, they were on a mission. There had been an explosion in an old warehouse building, no one knows how it happened but once they got there the place was covered with fire and dead bodies.

They were now in the building, fighting what they believed to be ex hydra workers that went into hiding for more experiments.

Cap fought from the ground whilst Sam was trying to get some shots from above while reading looked for any potential prisoners.

"Ain't seeing nothing from RedWibg Cap, the place is about to blow, we've gotta get out" Steve had just taken out about 17- now 18 Hydra agents, throwing them in the burning flames or beating them in combat.

"Alright, have one more look around the perimeter. Nat get the Jet prepared for exit incase the place actually does blow" He yelled, fighting off the last two Hydra agents in his area, throwing one onto another knocking them into a large fire screaming.

"K, sam make sure there arent any survivors" Nat ran back to the jet and started it up, the lights turning on as it slowly began to hover over the ground.

"Will do Widow" Sam flew up above the collapsing building to get another view of the area.

"Black Widow or Natasha" A sassy voice explained down the intercom.

"Okay Spider Lady" A grunt was heard that made both Cap and Sam laugh. Sam was looking through Redwing and his own eyes and couldn't seem to spot anything. "It all seems clear" Just as he were about to fly back down though he noticed something.

A young girl, her hair stuck together with some blood, mixed with dirt and wood. Her skin covered with brown mud and small cuts, she wore a white ripped hospital gown, too no longer white- or had seemed to be in years?...

"Holy shit-"

"Language!"

"There's a kid- west bound, see if you can get her. Covered in dirt and seemingly blood, right near where the fire seemed to have started from the burnt wood scraps and dying fires around her"

"A kid? West bound? Nat how long we got left?" Steve asked, running through the flames, dodging their burns and running as fast as he could.

"Before the place explodes? From my view about 150 seconds, just over two minutes. But you're gonna need to be fast so we can all get out." Nat watched over the intercoms and the computers showing where Steve was.

"Take a left"

"What?"

"Take a left! I'm giving you the fastest route to the west bound. Keep running until you find large doors, go through them and the last one at the end should lead to the girl"

Steve stopped asking the questions and complied. It wasnt his first time saving a kid, but the closer he got, the more he saw about the place. Cages, torture chambers, training halls.

This place wasnt a good one, especially for a kid... He thought.

He found the large doors, chained shut. Before he reached them he threw his shield, breaking the locks almost instantly. He ran through, but stopped in his tracks. The room was full of blood, the sticky walls glossed over, there were bones, some shattered, some scattered. Not hundreds, probably enough for the bodies of a good couple of people though... it was gruesome. Some of the worst things he had seen in a while, probably since... well. The blip?..

How was a kid kept here? How did we not know sooner?...

The thoughts span round the super solider head, taking up more time than he would have cared for.

"Steve? What's happened why'd you stop? We've got a minute!" Nat asked, she was getting impatient, the adrenaline was rising and so were the flames, everyone felt on edge here, as soon as they stepped down something felt very wrong.

"Shit, yeah. Alright, I'm going!" Steve ran and soon found the young girl, she didn't seem too strictly harmed for being so close to the flames. And for surviving in this, this prison.

"Got her, how long have I got left?"

"45 seconds"

Steve now had the young girl over his shoulder, he was trying to run even faster than he had before. This place. Something else had been happening here.

As the 100 year old ran though, he seemed to notice the fire die down wherever he ran to, creating a simple path for him to run in. He spotted the jet, Sam was standing in the open doorway, waiting to see if cap would make it. Silently cheering him on.

"10 seconds Cap"

"Start taking off now, we'll make it."

"FUCK NO! HURRY UP MAN" Sam yelled, this time to Captain America ratger rgan through the intercoms.

Time felt like it was going in slow motion, Steve got close enough just to jump and as soon as he did the whole place behind blew up. It all went so quickly after that, Sam grabbed his hand, holding on with all his might as Steve held the young girl. Nat, quicker than ever, sped off into the sky, miles from the ground to make sure the explosion wouldn't hit them as harshly as it should have.

Steve lay on the floor, with the young girl cradled in his arms behind the shield so she wouldn't get burnt. He was staring at her, even though she was covered in- well not so flattering things, she was beautiful. Something within began stirring. Something warm, familiar...

"Holy shit my dude. We almost died!" Sam droned, going to sit down on the chairs they had.

"We usually almost die, its part of our job" Nat explained, walking in and rolling her eyes. "Nahhh, Nat even you know that place was off" Sam looked over to the spy who sighed and walked over to Steve to help him up.

"How's the kid?"

Steve stood up and pulled away the shield to show off a little girl with y/c/h hair, covered in mud and pieces of blood, tucked up into his chest, breathing gently. "Wow" Sam sighed from the back.

"She's not in as much bad of a state as I would have imagined?" Nat said, watching over the little girl. "She wasnt too close to the big fire, must have been thrown into the mud and spotty snow from the explosion." Sam suggested.

Steve just held onto the small angel in his arms. He felt as though it were only he and she in the world, that time was no longer relevant. He memorized every piece of her face, even the pieces with dirt, cuts and bruises.

Suddenly Nat snapped him out of it, "Alright, I'm going to go get Bruce over. See if she's alright. For now just but her on a bed." Steve nodded as the Spider left to go call Dr. Banner.

"We haven't got beds though?- oh fuck you man" Steve laughed at Sam, he had just pulled out a bed from the sides of the ship. "You didnt know?" He teased. He and Nat had let sam sleep on the chairs or ground for the past few years. It seemed to be a secret agreement not to tell him amongst the avengers.

"Nah man, that's cold" Steve placed the little girl down and pulled up the walls of the bed to make sure she wouldn't fall out. Watching her little breaths as Sam's words started to fade away.

"Oi you even listening to me?" Sam asked unamused sitting up and looking at the fallen solider. "She's gonna be alright Steve" Steve sighed, deep down he knew she'd be fine. But he felt something strange. Fear. Like he had just found an old journal or someone he hadn't seen for a very long time.

He sighed and stood up, walking over to the bird man who was now sitting up watching the soldiers actions. They both heard Natasha in the background talking with Bruce.

"She's gonna be alright Steve"

"I hope so..."

It was a while till they had all landed at the compound. Rogers and Wilson played some card games- dont question it, Roger's made Tony buy him loads for each mission. He enjoyed the games. He also won most of them.

Steve picked the young girl up and brought her to Bruce as the doors opened up, they lauded her down on a hospital bed and hurried off. Bruce stayed back checking in on everyone. "The mission?"

"A success as always"

Steve seemed quiet, Sam answering fir him rather than fir himself. He watched the girl be scurried along into the building.

"Did you clean all her wounds?"

"Mhm"

Steve looked down and nodded before they all began walking. He didnt mean to seem any less- well captain america-y, but he definitely had something on his mind. Bruce began to follow quickly to ask what's up.

"Hmm? Oh.. nothing. Just worried for the child" Steve tried to brush the feeling off but couldn't his gut had other plans. They wanted to see the girl, see if she was okay.

"She's gonna be alright, she only needs a few tests done- safe ones of course, blood pressure, cut cleansing etc" Bruce smiled at the much taller man. Oh god he was short. Steve smiled back to the Dr with 7 PHD's.

"Thanks Banner, I'm gonna go see Stark"

"Okay, stay safe, I'll tell you when she's improved"

Steve nodded and walked into the building, turning an opposite way to Banner and going to go see Stark. Steve was secretly very grateful Bruce would tell him about the child once she was improving. He felt a connection.

"Stark?" The 100 year old asked, knocking on the doors to the Lab.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, Open the Doors for Roger's Pleade and Thank you" The billionaire didnt move from his seat, he had been working on some new tech as usual.

"Thanks F.R.I.D.A.Y" Steve walked in, still in his spandex from the mission covered in blood and dirt with little scuff marks all over from the fire flames.

"Its an 8 Code Pin Rogers"

"I know I know, I just can't seem to remember it"

Tony rolled his eyes and looked up leaning on his chair with one arm resting over the top.

"What's up?"

Steve furrowed his brows. "Hmm?"

"You, you seem... less Super, more Man"

Steve rolled his eyes, "I'm not Super Man Tony!" Tony just shrugged and chewed the side of his cheek.

"Dunno there Cap" The genius stood up and walked over to him, the man was much seemingly smaller without his heals on, just bare foot walking around. He got extremely close to the Cap and got on his tip toes leaning in. If he wanted he could have kissed the man he were so close, though they both knew it wouldn't happen, Tony just liked getting close to annoy people.

That's when the billionaire squealed and almost fell to the ground with a jump back, a light blush on his face. "Dick" Steve smirked at the man, he sure was one ticklish man, billionaire, genius who cares. He was still ticklish. Tony went to go sit back down.

"So what's up?" This time, happily keeping his distance.

"I saved a kid today"

Tony furrowed his brows and chuckled, slowly clapping his hands. "Well done soldier, you saved a kid"

"Tony im serious"

"Well I didn't really think you were lying-"

Steve stepped forward making the Billionaire loose his confidence. He never minded being tickled, but then again it didnt help his reputation being melted into a giggly mess. He was still really nervous. Steve smirked at the man but then continued.

"She was covered in dirt and bits of blood. But before I found her, I ran through a hall. It was Dark, but the raging fires lit it up. There were bones, scattered. Probably enough for a good few people, some big some small. And blood, all over the walls..."

Steve tensed up, remembering the place. "It reminded me of the war with Thanos."

Tony stayed quiet, no longer fearful of childish tickles. It seemed horrifying. Even for them. "Okay, send me the Locations, I'll get F.R.I.D.A.Y up and working on it alright?" Tony wasn't the best when it came to comforting, but he knew he could do something.

Steve looked up at him and smiled thankfully, but Tony coukd tell there was something else bothering. Yet he didn't want Steve to be too focused on it all.

"Hey, here" Tony grabbed something from within a draw, it had a captain America's shield on the front, he handed it to steve. Just a normal sketch book. And some pencils. "You're welcome to use these and sit down at the window or something while I work. Keep your mind off things.

"Thanks Tony" Steve smiled at the billionaire, he wasnt great at comforting, but he knew what Steve wanted. It was a strange friendship that's for sure.

"Look at the first page too! I did a little something" The billionaire smirked as Steve turned the book open, on the front was an IronMan helmet with a little speech bubble saying "I Am IronMan" and a little stick figure with a shield in a cage in the bottom corner saying "I stink!"

Tony burst out laughing at Steve's expression. Let's just say his laughing continued for longer than expected...

[hawkbucks]

Prompt: AU where everything is the same except Howard wasn’t Uber-rich and Tony built SI ground up, focusing on clean energy and science and tech and Bucky meets him for the first time at the expo. (Nat can be his PA?) (modern setting AU?)

“What the fuck!” Bucky exclaims as he drops the laminated badge on the table. He stares at it in disbelief, ignoring Steve’s snickering. Then, he picks it back up and holds it up to the light coming in through one of the windows, scrutinizing it like a hundred dollar bill. His name is typed neatly in the middle, a string of words underneath declaring him to be a VIP pass holder which, holy shit. General admission tickets are hard enough to come by—they’re surprisingly cheap and, by that virtue, sell out faster than Bucky can recite the Stark Industries motto, but VIP passes? Those are usually reserved for rich tech enthusiasts. Insiders. CEO’s of the damn companies that went to the Expo to do some schmoozing, grandstanding, and bragging. People who are people. Not someone like… him.

“Nat thought you would like it,” Steve says, patting him on the back and picking up the now discarded box the badge came in. “Said that it’s her apology for not being able to celebrate with us today.”

“Natasha got me this?” He waves the badge around, wide-eyed, the laminate making wobbly noises with each pass back and forth. “How the hell did she afford it?”

Steve’s genial smile fades away, replaced by furrowed brows and a small frown. “She’s… Tony Stark’s PA.”

“What? Since fuckin’ when?” Last time Bucky checked, Natasha was still working in that old record store down the street with Sam and definitely not working as the personal assistant of one of the most influential men in the world of technology. Maybe the most influential, if Bucky is allowed to be a fanboy.

“Since 2 weeks ago?” Steve tilts his head to the side like a confused puppy. “Remember when she brought you that mug? She said that she told you right after.”

Bucky ponders for a second. “She might’ve, but honestly, I was distracted by th’ mug,” he admits sheepishly. It was a very good mug, in his opinion. It had Tony Stark’s signature printed on it, along with their signature arc reactor logo (and, given the chance, Bucky could gush all day long about the arc reactor and the sheer brilliance behind it, but so far no one has been willing to sit down and listen to that).

Steve sighs. “Why am I not surprised?”

(As he scrolls through his Twitter feed before bedtime, he’s immediately hit by the memory of him fawning over Stark’s appearance in a video uploaded by Stark Industries a week ago. Natasha was visiting, humming as she listened to his adjective-filled rant.

Natasha heard him say that her boss has killer thighs and pretty lips.

He grabs one of his pillows and slams it down over his face, hoping that if he stays in that position long enough, he’d suffocate.)

“I don’t know what to wear,” he moans, throwing an arm over his eyes.

“It’s a convention,” Sam says, throwing him a sidelong look, “not a date.”

He lifts his arm up just enough to glare at Sam. Judging by Sam’s shit-eating grin, however, it’s not very effective. “Exposition,” he corrects. Blegh, he’s starting to sound like one of those pretentious technobabble YouTubers. “It’s an exposition, and I’d rather not go there lookin’ like I was thrown into a washer with my clothes and came out wearin’ whatever stuck.” He breathes in deeply. “And did you know that Nat is Stark’s PA?”

Sam laughs. “Dude, she told me that before she even went in for the interview. She was confident and, hey—” he shrugs his shoulders— “it worked.”

Bucky grunts. “Unfortunately. Or fortunately.” Without her, he wouldn’t have that pass, even if it is proving to be more of an inducer of anxiety than excitement. “Now are you goin’ to help me pick out an outfit or what?”

“Or what,” Sam snickers.

“No, no, the grey one would be better. It brings out your eyes,” Sam comments, leaning against the doorway and watching as Bucky takes off a dusty mauve long sleeve and replaces it with a dark grey button-up.

Bucky quirks an eyebrow. “What happened to not helpin’ me pick out an outfit?”

“I thought about it, and, man… I can’t let you go out looking like a hot mess ‘cause you didn’t get my advice. I’d feel bad.” Sam crosses his arms. “Especially when you’re gonna meet your crush.” He wiggles his eyebrows and deftly dodges the discarded mauve long sleeve that Bucky launches his way.

“S’not a crush,” Bucky hisses, “and the pass isn’t a guarantee that I’ll meet him.”

Sam snorts. “It’s not a crush, you say, as if I haven’t had to listen to you go on and on about how Stark’s revolutionizing clean tech or how he’s donated, like, 3 gajillion bucks to a water charity. And c’mon, Nat’s his PA. You’d be lucky if she didn’t come up with a plan to keep him near you for every damn second you’re at that expo.”

As much as Bucky hates to admit it, Sam does have a point. Nat is notorious for meddling in their love lives for her own amusement, and she has concrete and definite proof that Bucky finds a modicum of attractiveness in Stark. He covers up a pained groan with one hand. Is it too late to send the badge back?

He is horribly, painfully aware that his expression must resemble a fish out of water as he steps into the admissions line. Double-check, triple-check. He has his ID, the badge, and his debit card just in case. Plus his phone, a portable charger, and its actual charger if he’s able to find the time to sit down. A backpack is slung over his shoulders, decorated with pins of his favorite sci-fi shows and a couple superheroes.

The smile he gives to the woman checking his items in is shaky at best, but he finds himself comforted when she picks up on his nervousness and tells him that there’s nothing to worry about, go and enjoy yourself now.

He clips the badge onto his front pocket and tries not to trip over his own feet as he enters the exhibition hall.

Pym Technologies is too busy showing off some sort of shrinking-slash-enlargening formula and he’s too busy trying to desperately not let his mind wander into the gutter to notice Natasha stepping up behind him.

“James,” she says, hand clamping down on his shoulder.

He does not yelp, thank you very much, but he does whirl around quicker than what should be humanly possible and levels her with one of his frowns.

“Grey looks nice on you,” she comments, ignoring his sour face. “It makes your eyes pop.”

“Sam helped.” His gaze flickers down to the clipboard that she’s cradling in one arm, then to the official-looking nametag that she has hanging from a lanyard around her neck. “An’… thanks for the pass.”

“It’s the least I could do for one of my best friends.”

Bucky narrows his eyes as Natasha’s sparkle. That sentence is so not Natasha that his gut is telling him that either a) Natasha has been replaced with a remarkable lookalike who is still trying to get the hang of it or b) she’s about to pull something devious and amuse herself at his expense. Going off the amount of time that he’s known her for, he’s assuming it’s option b.

She looks down at her watch that Bucky is pretty sure is non-functional and says, “I have to go, but you should come by the Stark Industries presentation area at 2. We’re not due to present until 3:30, but your pass will let you in.” She winks, and Bucky knows that should really means you better come or I will hunt you down and not even Steve could save you from my fury.

Each step he takes towards the Stark Industries presentation area feels like another step towards his demise. He can’t help the pounding in his chest or the way his arms start to turn into jelly. He can’t help the sweat threatening to fall from his brow or his knees valiantly attempting to give out. He has a sneaking suspicion in the back of his mind of what Natasha has planned, and he thinks back to what Sam said earlier about how Natasha would not let a second pass where he and Stark were not in close proximity.

He doesn’t even notice that he’s arrived until an arm clad in a black sleeve collides with his chest. He looks up, startled, at a stocky man with a severe expression. “You’re not allowed back here, buddy,” the man says, a firm crease between his brows.

“Uh.” Bucky fumbles with his badge before holding it up. “My friend said that my pass would let me in.”

“Well, your friend was wrong.” The man crosses his arms. “You should get going before—”

“Let him through, Happy.” In swoops Natasha in all her glory, looking like a fiery-haired angel sent down from the heavens. “I told him to come.”

The man—Happy, which is an unfitting nickname if Bucky’s ever heard one (and he’s heard a lot)—stares at him long enough that he contemplates leaving the exposition and quite possibly the country, before grumbling something unintelligible and stepping to the side.

He steps through, shoulders hunched. He doesn’t relax until he’s face-to-face with Natasha. “M’here. Like you told me to be.”

“Color me impressed. I thought you’d ditch.”

He snorts. “And risk havin’ you hunt me down ‘til I die? No thanks.”

“Smart.” She turns around, nearly whipping him in the face with her hair. “Now follow me. I have someone I want you to meet.”

Oh, god no, he thinks as he trails behind Natasha like a duckling. Her heels clack against the polished floor. People scramble to get out of her way, and, judging by the smirk she gives him over her shoulder, she enjoys it. “Tony!” she calls out as they approach a figure with a turned back and no, no, don’t turn around, don’t turn around, do—

and Stark turns around and he has to fight down a weird sobbing noise because Stark manages to look even better in person. Fierce intelligence glitters in his eyes and there’s an ever present curl to his lips, like he’s thought of a joke that he wouldn’t mind sharing if you asked nicely. “Romanoff!” he calls back. “My favorite PA.” Stark locks eyes with Bucky and he holds that gaze for just a moment before tearing away and focusing on Natasha.

“Please, you say that to all your PA’s.” Natasha pats Bucky’s back a bit harder than necessary. “Do you remember that friend I told you about? The one who is a fan of yours? This is him. His name is James and he is very excited to be here.” She lets her hand wander down to his side and pinches him lightly. You talk to him, he can hear her say in his head, because I do not want you to go home and mope to Steve about how you couldn’t. (Is Natasha actually telepathic or has he hanged around her enough that he has adopted a mini-Natasha in his mind? He doesn’t know and at this point he’s too afraid to ask.)

“And I’m very excited to meet him,” Stark says with a wink. Bucky wonders if he died somewhere along the way, because there is no way that Tony Stark just winked at him. Stark sticks his right hand out for a handshake.

Bucky swallows down his anxious thoughts before clasping his left hand with Stark’s right and giving it one, two, three quick shakes. They withdraw, and Bucky tries not to think about the fact that he already misses the weight of Stark’s hand in his own.

“Firm grip,” Stark whistles, and Bucky feels heat rise up on his cheeks. “Stark-made?”

Bucky rolls his left arm—his prosthetic that he’s been wearing since he’s come home from the military. “Baintronics.” Even if he wanted a Stark Industries prosthetic, Baintronics was the one with the military contract.

“Least it’s not Hammer,” Stark jokes.

Bucky chuckles, and that turns into him biting down on his lower lip when Stark smiles, pleased that he was able to draw a reaction. He really doesn’t need to be blurting out something like your smile is so pretty, please let me buy you lunch or I’ve admired you ever since you were in the newspaper for making an advanced medical drone at the age of 18, you’re so smart, please let me buy you lunch or I appreciate the fact that you donate so much to clean energy coalitions, please let me buy you lunch or anything else that would end in him extending an invitation to Stark for lunch. He might be a bit hungry.

“But you know,” Stark starts, taking Bucky out of all of his lunch-related thoughts, “we are starting a round of clinical trials for a new prosthetic designed by yours truly. It’s supposed to introduce finer motor control—sew some thread through a needle kind of fine, if my prototypes are to be believed—and the touch receptors are a thousands times more sensitive. You should be able to feel the ridges on the side of a penny!” Stark beams, the corner of his eyes crinkling. “The installation, though, would be a lengthy process—hopefully not too painful, I’m trying hard not to make it that way, and we won’t be able to get you fitted with one right away, but if it sounds like something you’re interested in, I can, uh… you can sign up. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be picked, but…” Stark looks at him with something like hope glittering in his eyes. “If you want.”  

Bucky considers Stark’s offer for all of 5 seconds before going, “Yes. Yeah. I know you’re not promisin’ it, but if I do end up gettin’ it, it’d be a hell of a lot better than this weighty thing.” He rolls his left shoulder, wincing as the anchor point tugs at his skin.

Stark hums and nods, a flicker of concern crossing his face when Bucky winces. “Much better.” He turns to look at Natasha. “Mark him down, will you, Nat?”

Natasha smiles graciously, whipping a pen out from god knows where, and scribbles something down on her clipboard. “His name is down, Tony. I took the liberty of adding his number, too. Now if you excuse me, Ms. Potts has just arrived and if I remember correctly, you asked me to escort her here.” She bows out of the conversation, subtly jabbing Bucky with her pen as she does so.

“Don’t forget to give her the slice of cake I saved!” Stark shouts as Natasha walks away.

“I never forget, Mr. Stark,” Natasha replies at a much quieter volume.

“She really doesn’t,” Stark comments to Bucky, shaking his head with a fond look on his face (and no, Bucky is not jealous that it isn’t directed towards him). “A true miracle worker. So, James—” and that bright smile is back on his face— “care to talk a bit longer?”

Bucky still isn’t entirely sure if this is a lucid fever dream that he’s having or not, because out of everyone that Tony can talk to, like Rumiko Fujikawa, the runner of one of the most popular tech-focused YouTube channels on the face of the planet, or Reed Richards, the founder of the ambitious Future Foundation, he chooses to talk to him. Plain James Barnes.

It’s mind-boggling.

And seeing this side of Tony Stark? Where he’s relaxed, his tie loosened with no qualms on questioning whether Anakin’s midi-chlorian count would’ve shrunk due to losing a good chunk of his body or whether his blood would simply make more to make up for it while they lounge on a couch that’s too comfortable for its own good? Well…

Bucky clears his throat, cutting Stark off mid-rant. “In Empire of Dreams, Lucas says that if Anakin didn’t get, uh, cut in half on Mustafar, he would’ve been as twice as powerful as Palpatine, so, yeah, I’d say that he lost some of his midi-chlorians.”

Stark stares at him. He looks down at his lap, unsure if he should’ve said that or if he should’ve just kept his mouth shut. “God,” Stark breathes out, “I could kiss you right now.”

Those words send a jolt of electricity down Bucky’s spine; he’s stunned into silence.

“Sorry. Sorry, that probably made you uncomfortable.” Stark waves a hand, a pink tinge appearing on his cheeks. “I’m just—I’m not used to anyone listening when I talk about this stuff, so having you respond… I don’t have a filter. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Bucky says quickly. “S’flatterin’. Never had anyone want to kiss me after a conversation about Star Wars.” Sam did want to do something to him after he forced him to sit through a marathon of the entire series, but he’s pretty sure that that want was the want to strangle him with a plastic bag as opposed to kissing him.

“Maybe you just hang out with the wrong people,” Stark teases.

“I should tell Natasha you said that.”

“Perish the thought.” Stark grabs a handful of pretzels from the bowl set out in front of them by an intern more than likely wanting to get on Stark’s good side. “Anything you’re particularly looking forward to this Expo?” he asks, popping a pretzel into his mouth.

“Pretty much just SI’s presentation,” Bucky admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, Pym’s formula sounds promisin’, but… god, I must sound like a kiss-ass right now.”

“Keep going,” Stark says around a mouthful of pretzel, “it’s doing wonders for my ego.”

Bucky laughs, shoulders becoming less stiff. “Yeah. SI. I’ve been keeping up with your progress on the miniature arc reactors. S’probably the one thing that I’m real into right now.”

Stark leans forward. “The arc reactors?” he asks, intrigued.

“Yeah. They’re small, but they have so much energy in them, you know? 8 gigajoules per second, man,” Bucky whistles. “That’s pretty damn amazin’. Could probably run Times Square for a couple of weeks.”

“More like a couple of hours,” Stark chuckles. “If you ever want to see them up close, I’m sure I can arrange something.”

Bucky can’t stop his jaw from dropping. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. We actually have the big one that powers Stark Tower on display for the people that take the tours, but you said you were interested in the minis…” Stark trails off, tapping his chin with his index finger. “Well, Nat… Nat trusts you, so I think it’s fine if I trust you. I wouldn’t mind bringing you down to show you the minis. ‘Course you’d have to sign some NDAs and go through some security, but, honestly? You seem way more excited and into this than the other people I’ve showed them to. Pretty sure they just want to brag about how the Tony Stark gave them the nickel tour as opposed to being genuinely curious about the science behind the reactors.” Stark leans back into the cushions. “You’re a breath of fresh air, James.”

“Bucky.”

“Hm?”

“You can call me Bucky. It’s what my friends call me.”

Stark throws him a pretzel which he thankfully catches. “And are we friends, Bucky?” he asks with that curl to his lips again.

Bucky barely represses a shudder at the way his nickname rolls off Stark’s tongue so casually, like it was meant to be there. “If—If you want to be.”

“Then we are.” Stark rolls his shoulders and allows himself to sink further into the couch. “I’d also have to insist on you calling me Tony, by the way. Stark is too formal. Because we’re friends.”

Bucky smiles. “Okay, Tony.”

“And, since we’re friends, why don’t you come out with us to dinner? Nothing too fancy, I promise, just some burgers and a milkshake. You up for it?”

Oh, god. He’s gonna have to pay Natasha back big time. Buy her some expensive knife that she’s been eyeing or something. Clean her apartment for a week. Grill her those steaks he makes that she likes so much. To have been given the chance to take Tony off of the pedestal that he built for him and be shown that he’s very much human, then to be given another chance to talk to Tony along with being offered a glimpse at the arc reactors, then to be invited out to dinner by the man himself… damn. “Burgers and a milkshake sounds good. Fries?”

“What meal would be complete without it?” Tony looks at his watch. “I’ve gotta head off to makeup now—they’re gonna make me look all pretty—but I’m gonna be looking for you when I present, okay? Ask Happy to bring you to the front row.” He takes his phone out of his pocket, unlocks it, and hands it to Bucky. “If you’re fine with it, can you give me your number? I need a way to contact you for the arc reactor thing.”

Bucky hopes his hands aren’t shaking as he adds himself into Tony Stark’s contact list under “Bucky :)”. He hands it back to Tony, careful not to drop it.

“Thank you,” Tony singsongs and stuffs his phone back into his pocket. “I’ll hopefully see you later, Bucky.” He mock salutes him and ff Tony goes, a woman with a black apron and a brush immediately magnetizing to his side the second he gets more than a few steps away from the couch.

As he watches Tony leave, Bucky suddenly remembers that Natasha had already put his number down.

[avengerscompound]

Running to a Standstill - 2

Running to a Standstill: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Word Count:  2342

Rating:  E

Square filled: None for this chapter

Warnings: none

Synopsis: While on the run from an unknown organization trying to take your son, you meet two super-soldiers.  While they try to help you get to the bottom of who is hunting you and your son, feelings come out and admissions are made that make your personal life even more tricky.

Chapter 2

Steve had expected to meet you out somewhere casual.  He hadn’t really been thinking about this as a date-date.  More a casual meeting to try and get to the bottom of what you were hiding from.  He’d agreed to let Natasha and Clint organize the venue and convince you to meet him there because they knew you better.  He’d been given the address and name of the restaurant and he’d dressed in his usual casual wear of a blue button-down and tan slacks and when he’d shown up, he suddenly felt very underdressed.

The restaurant was lined in hardwood, and decorated with pots of fresh herbs and copper cookware, giving it a rustic farm feel, but the floor to ceiling wine racks that took up three walls and the fact most of the guests were wearing suits or cocktail dresses said that it was anything but homey.

He arrived before you and was taken to a booth table under some wine barrels, that’s boxed seats were covered in cushions.  He was just looking over the menu of items - some of which he’d never even heard of before and all had prices that made him glad for the 60 years of back pay the army had owed him -  when you arrived.  You were wearing a champagne cocktail dress with a gold lace overlay and around your shoulders you had a red wool shawl.

Steve stood and greeted you with a kiss on the cheek, waiting for you to sit before he did too.  “You look beautiful,” he said.  He realized that it probably sounded ingenuine - the kind of thing you just say to someone on a first date - but he meant it.  He’d thought you were attractive the day he met you, even in the hoodie and jeans that were stained with grass and had a patch where it looked like either you or Geo had dropped ice cream.  Tonight you looked stunning.  The dress was flattering to your figure and you looked radiant with your hair and makeup done for a night out.  Mostly he loved the way you smiled.  You seemed excited to be out on this date with him, though a little nervous.

“Thank you,” you said.  “I can’t even remember when I last went out on a date.  I was surprised when Natasha said you were interested.  So I wanted to make the effort.  Who knows when I will get to again?”

“Hopefully it won’t be that long,” Steve said genuinely.  Not exactly meaning that it would be him that took you out, but realizing that’s exactly how it sounded when you smiled and picked up your menu like you were trying to hide how excited you were.

Natasha and Clint had obviously made you think this was a real date and even though he hadn’t come here tonight thinking the same thing, he decided that he should treat it the same way.  Besides, maybe Clint and Natasha knew something he didn’t and the two of you might be a good match.  Maybe you’d be able to distract him from his crush on Bucky that was never going to go anywhere at the very least.

A waiter came over to take your drink orders and with a little discussion, the two of you decided to share a bottle of Merlot.

“So you haven’t been out with anyone for a long time?”  Steve asked as he browsed the menu.

You shook your head and looked up at him over your menu.  “Not since before Geo was born.  I bet you date a lot.”

He shook his head.  “You know,” he said.  “I think this might be my first real one.  I mean… don’t get me wrong, I’ve had relationships, but they always came out of my work and we never made it to the dating part.”

“Wow, no wonder you picked this,” you said.  “Of course you’d want to make it special.”

“Oh,” he said. “This was Clint and Nat.  I guess they’re playing match-maker.”

You laughed.  “This is so not a Clint and Nat place.”

“No,” he chuckled.  “Well, maybe Nat, but she’d be working an angle.”

You laughed and the waiter returned with the wine.  He poured a small amount for Steve to try.  He had no idea what made a wine good or not, so when it didn’t taste like vinegar Steve gave a small nod and the waiter topped off both glasses.  He took both your orders.  Steve went with a dish that had ham, mozzarella, and truffles, followed by a steak because at least he recognized what they were.  You were a little more daring ordering spugnole as a starter, followed by tagliatelle.

“So why don’t you date?”  You asked, taking a sip of the wine.

Steve let out a breath and shook his head.  “Time mostly.  Never had the time to actually date,” he explained.  “But it’s not only that.”

You put your hand on his and smiled softly.  “What else is it?”

“I’ll tell you what,” Steve said, giving your hand a small squeeze.  “I’ll tell you my story and you tell me yours.”

You seemed to mull the question over for a moment.  “I’m worried that if you know, that will attract their attention.”

“You know that doesn’t make any sense don’t you?”  Steve reasoned.

“Maybe.  But,” you said taking your hand away.  “This is the longest we’ve ever managed to stay in the same place.  I’m expecting them any moment and if you decide to try and find them, then they’ll know it’s because of him.”

“We can keep you safe.  And Geo.  It’s what we do,” he said.

You let out a breath.  “You go first.”

The waiter came out with the starters and when he left again, Steve took a bite of ham and chewed it slowly, focusing on the smokey, salty taste.

“Are you avoiding?”  You asked as you collected some mushrooms onto your fork.

“Maybe a little,” he said.  “I guess there’s a lot of factors.  I don’t know how much you know about my past but I wasn’t always this.  I was small.  Really small.  And sick.  I had a long list of medical issues.  I was bullied a lot.  No one really looked at me as a possible romantic partner.  And I suppose I did go on dates back then, but they were double dates Bucky organized and there was always this supreme look of disappointment on the face of the woman he brought them to meet me.  Like they expected me to look like him.  I was a letdown.  I think it affected me in a lot of ways.  When women look at me now - like …’

“...They used to look at Bucky?”  You suggested.

“Yeah,” he agreed.  “That.  Well, I can’t help but think about back then.  And then I wonder if they like me for me.  I need time to get to know people and that doesn’t work out in the real world.  Only with people in mine and then work gets in the way.  Plus…”

He stopped talking and considered if he had it in him to admit this last piece.  The bit about how he had feelings for his best friend.  He hadn’t admitted that to anyone.  Not Bucky.  Not Nat.  Not even Sam.  He had said he’d tell you his if you told you yours, and it was only fair to keep his side of the bargain if he wanted you to do the same.

“I have had a crush on Bucky for a very, very long time,” he said.

“Oh my god,” you said, dropping your jaw.  “Does he know?”

“No,” he said quickly.  “I didn’t want to make him feel awkward.  He was always a real ladies man.  And now… he’s healing and I doubt his sexuality has changed,” Steve explained.  “And please know -” he reached over the table and touched your hand again.  “I like women too.  The relationships I’ve had have been with women.  It’s just… you know?”

“No,” you said. “I mean, yes.  I get it.  It’s okay.  I know how you feel.”

He let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.   “So… it’s unrequited. But I think I do a lot of comparing people to him, which isn’t healthy.  A couple of people have made the cut, but in the end, things weren’t meant to be.  So maybe I’m not supposed to have that.  Which I guess is another thing.  I once had someone tell me that I was nothing if I couldn’t be a soldier.  And I think it got to me.  This here -” he gestured around him. “- is a level of normal that I don't often allow myself to have.”

You nodded and took a drink from your wine.  Not a small one either.  You swallowed the dark liquid like it was water and when the glass was drained you filled it again.  “You didn't hold back did you?”

“I said I'd tell you mine if you told me yours,” Steve said.

You nodded and leaned back against the back of the booth.  “Yes.  I suppose you did,” you agreed.  “It’s long.”

Steve shrugged.  “For once, I have time.”

“When I went to college, I did lots of stupid little things for money.  I sold blood.  I tutored high school kids.  Just any little thing to give me some money to cover my bills.  One day the biology department had these posters up for an experiment.  It paid a lot.  You got $100 if you were accepted.  And if you made it to the end they'd give you $7500.  So I signed up.  I figured that whatever they were doing was probably safe if it had gotten to the human trial stage,” you explained.  Steve couldn't exactly criticize your reasoning.  He'd signed up for some pretty extensive human experimentation himself.

“I was accepted and once a week I'd go in with a group of about thirty other people and we’d have some injections and then we’d be tested.  It was a little odd.  The injections were painful and the tests were strange.  They'd ask us to try and reprogram a computer. Then try and guess what cards they were holding up.  We’d go on a treadmill for a bit and lift some heavyweights.  Then we'd be sent home,” you explained.  “I made friends with most of the other people but I also met the man I'd end up marrying.”

You stopped talking when the waiter approached and cleared away your plates and didn't start again until he'd bought out the entrees.  Steve waited patiently.  He knew there was no point in rushing the story.  “After about six weeks things started to happen.  John, my husband was running much faster than should be possible.  And I was guessing every single card correctly.  It never lasted.  By the following day we were back to normal, but every time we had an injection it was more.  By the end of the experiment, I'd get those shots and be able to hear every single thought of every person in the building.  Even the ones people don't want you to hear.  The intrusive thoughts you don’t even want to be having.  John could run at the speed of light.”

You drained your glass again and topped it off again and Steve leaned over and took your hand.  “What happened?”

“Project got canceled and we were told we were free to go.  We got paid our money,” you answered.  “Only one day I heard… In my mind… These people… I think they were government agents, coming to take us.  The injection hadn't completely worn off yet.  I told John and he packed a backpack, scooped me up into his arms and we ran.

“It was fine for a while.  We changed our identities.  Got cash-in-hand work.  No one came for us.  Then I got pregnant and when Geo was born the equipment went haywire.  When he cried it broke every machine on the floor cried along with him.  They wanted to keep him there to be tested but we knew what would happen so we ran again.  Only those people found us.  They killed John.  I got away.  But I've been running ever since.”

“Do you know who they were?” Steve asked.

You shook your head.  “I have no idea.  They never thought of anything that linked them to an organization.  Just things that made them seem like authority figures.  Official.  You know?”

Steve nodded.  “I understand.”

“If they're official, like the CIA you can't help me,” you said with pain in your voice.  “You're a private militia.  You have no authority.”

“I see my role in this world as exactly the person who steps in when the government is mistreating its people,” Steve said.  “I promise.  We won't let anything happen to you or your son.”

You nodded and seemed to make yourself smaller.  “I wish I could believe that.”

“You can trust me,” Steve said.  When you didn't say anything Steve caressed the back of your hand with his thumb.  “Do you know what Geo’s powers are?”

“I think they call it technopathy,” you explained.  “He has an affinity with machines.  Sometimes he can even communicate with them.  It’s come in handy actually.  I don't like using him like that but he can make ATMs give us money.  Change car titles to our name in the system.  Have our names changed.  Erase record of us.  In emergencies, it has helped us get away.”

“He would love meeting Tony,” Steve said.  “Maybe the two of you should move to the tower for a while.”

You shook your head fervently, “No.  No.  Too high profile.  I feel safe where I am.  Clint and Nat keep it safe and it's just some apartment block.  No one looks twice at it.”

Steve nodded and drained the last of his wine.  There was a lot to process and a lot of work to do.  He'd need to find out who was after you first and foremost. He just wished there was a way he could convince you the safest place you could be was under his watch.

// NEXT

[jbbarnesnnoble]

Darling Sipping That Red Wine

Summary: You get lost in the memories on Steve’s birthday.

Features: References to character death; references to afterlife

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes/Reader

Notes: This has been a WIP for months because I kept getting stuck. 

Word Count: 2038

You sat on the front porch, watching as the children played in the yard. It was the 4th of July, and everyone was in town. Steve sat beside you, his hand curled around yours. The two of you were sitting on the front porch swing. 

“You have that look on your face,” he said. You looked at him.

“What look is that?” you asked. He smiled.

“The same look you had after that mission in Galway, when we went to that pub and you and Bucky went shot for shot with the tequila on a bet,” he said. You laughed at the memory.

“It’s not my fault he didn’t realize I had been dosed with a serum when the US was trying to recreate the success they had with you. I just saw easy money once he realized I wasn’t affected either and could keep up with him,” you said. Talking about Bucky didn’t hurt as much as it had. The three of you had been together for so long, living without him had been something that was difficult to grow used to. You found yourself lost in the memory.

It had been a cool day in the late summer. The breeze coming in off Galway Bay sent a chill down your back. Bucky had noticed and wrapped his jacket around you. You smiled at him. You, Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Nat had been in Galway on a mission, your first major mission since joining the Avengers. Bucky went for the tequila shots when your group descended upon the bar. You decided to have a little fun at his expense. The fact that you were living proof of the US succeeding at recreating the serum that made Steve Captain America was a secret, even from the team, aside from Steve. 

“Bet I can keep up with you Barnes,” you said. Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“Alcohol doesn’t affect me like it does you, sweetheart,” he said.

“Wanna make that a bet? If I can keep up with you without keeling over from alcohol poisoning, you gotta give me $200,” you said. He laughed.

“And if I win?” he asked. 

“You won’t, but how about you decide?” you replied. 

“A kiss,” he said with a smirk. The two of you shook on it and Steve hid his amusement behind the glass of beer he was taking a sip of. Natasha and Sam were certain Bucky was going to win and threw in their own bets. 

Fifteen shots later and you were still unaffected. The three of them were shocked. Steve finally busted out laughing.

“She’s got the serum,” he said.

“Steve! That’s classified!” you scolded. He just smiled.

“They’re family, doll. Can’t keep anything from them forever. I’m surprised Romanoff didn’t figure it out sooner,” he said. 

You were pulled out of the memory by someone coming onto the porch. 

“It’s time for cake,” the woman said. You and Steve both nodded. 

Steve helped you up and the two of you made your way, arm in arm, to where a table was set up. A cake read ‘Happy Birthday Steve’ with the number 135 in candles. Your family hadn’t gone with his birth year. You chuckled at the thought of what that number would be. No, your family had started counting Steve and Bucky’s birthdays by the ages they presented as. It had been your idea, way back when. A way to help them feel like they weren’t so different. There were jokes, of course, about how old they really were. But they appreciated the feeling of being normal, for once.

It was Steve’s birthday. July 4, 2028. Technically, he was one hundred and ten years old. When they’d pulled him from the ice in 2011, he’d physically been twenty-seven, going on twenty-eight. By your count, Steve was only turning forty-five years old, considering he had ‘turned’ twenty-eight the year he was found. You saw the look on his face when he opened a card to see that it made reference to him being one hundred and ten. A small frown quickly covered with a smile toward Tony in thanks. It was the same look you’d seen in March, when Bucky turned one hundred and eleven. Your boys would never say it. But you knew it bothered them. 

You slipped out to the store, heading straight for the aisle that held cake decorations. You grabbed two candles, one in the shape of a four, the other a five, before deciding to grab a stockpile of candles. You checked out, but not before grabbing a smaller cake, one of Bucky’s favorites. If you were going to do this, you were going to do this right. With how much he’d been on and off ice, it wasn’t easy to tell what his age would be. At least with Steve, you’d known how old he was when he’d crashed that plane into the arctic. It was easiest just to say he was forty-six, you decided. 

When it came time for cake that night, you had swapped the gaudy candles Tony had ordered out for the ones you’d bought at the grocery store. Bucky had caught you doing it and assisted with keeping Tony away from the cake before you brought it out. Steve smiled when he saw the numbers. It wasn’t a big thing. But it meant something to him. It was a slice of normal. Later that night, you presented Bucky with the smaller cake, in the quiet of your home, away from the hustle and bustle of the compound. 

“Thank you, doll. You don’t understand how much this means,” Bucky said. Steve came up behind you, wrapping his arms around you.

“I don’t know about you Buck, but I think this pair of forty somethings should show our girl that we still got it,” Steve said before picking you up. You let out a screeching laugh as he carried you toward your shared bedroom, the children staying with their Aunt Natasha and Uncle Bruce for the night. 

You were pulled out of your memory by the singing. You smiled as you watched Steve blow out the candles, though your heart ached. It had only been a year since you’d lost Bucky. Age caught up to you all. You knew it wouldn’t be long before you and Steve followed, but the two of you had promised him you’d keep living your lives, that you wouldn’t let heartbreak take you too soon. 

The three of you had a big family. Three children turned into seven grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and twenty some-odd great-great grandchildren with two more on the way, and one great-great-great grandchild, who was just a few months old, the first child of your eldest great-great granddaughter. You knew getting to meet them all, see them all, was an opportunity so few got. Your friends had long since passed, with the exception of Thor. Thor still looked young as ever. Your heart ached, knowing some day soon, he would be the last one left from the original team. 

Though the serum affected your children, it wasn’t to the extent it affected the three of you. Your eldest had just turned one-hundred. Even for your ages, you looked young, a benefit of the serum. 

“Happy birthday, pops,” your son, Jamie, said as he hugged Steve. He was the oldest of your children, Steve’s child through and through. You could remember the first time the three of you had realized he had some version of enhanced strength.

You were due with little Tasha any day now. You were ready to be done with pregnancy. The last few weeks, it appeared, would always be the hardest for you. 

You were in the kitchen with Bucky while Steve sat with your nearly two year old, playing with a new toy Wanda and Vis had given him when you heard a crash and a yelp from Steve.

“What on earth?” you asked. Bucky was doubled over laughing. Your husband sat in the remains of your coffee table while your son giggled.

“He’s uh, stronger than I thought,” Steve explained. 

“Are you telling me our two year old son managed to push you over?” you asked, a brow raised.

“I think that’s exactly what he’s saying, doll,” Bucky said as another fit of laughter came over him. You couldn’t help yourself either, wishing you had been able to see it, before you remembered that FRIDAY likely had a recording. You caught Bucky’s eye and you saw Steve’s eyes widen.

“No, no, you don’t need to see that,” Steve argued as he scrambled to his feet. It was too late. Bucky had already asked FRIDAY who gladly brought up a hologram showing the incident on replay as you and Bucky doubled over.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Glad your husband getting hurt is so funny,” Steve grumbled. You looked at him, a hand on your hip and a look of incredulity on your face. 

“It already stopped hurting,” Steve grumbled.

“That’s what I thought. But, if you want, I can kiss it better later,” you said, quiet enough that only he and Bucky picked up on it.

“You’re trouble,” Steve said before coming closer to pull you into a kiss. 

You heard someone calling for you, pulling you out of your thoughts once more. Tasha was standing beside you, holding a slice of cake out for you.

“Are you alright, mom?” she asked, quietly. 

“I’m fine, sweetheart, just lost in thought,” you said, taking the plate from her. Steve was sitting, waiting for you. You made your way over to him. His once blond hair was now fully grey, his smooth skin now full of wrinkles and signs of a life well lived. 

The party was winding down by the early evening, your family members reluctantly heading out. You and Steve weren’t as young as you used to be, and late nights were a thing of the past for you both, instead spending the evenings together, talking about anything and everything. The loss of Bucky was still heavily felt by you both. The empty space in your bed, the chair that sat empty at the kitchen table. The mug that still sat beside the coffee machine. 

“Ready, sweetheart?” Steve asked as the two of you sat on the couch, watching a re-run of some show.

“Yeah, I think I am,” you said, taking his hand as he turned off the television, before he led you to your bedroom. The two of you got ready for bed in a comfortable silence, settling in beside each other.

“I love you,” Steve murmured.

“I love you too,” you replied, before he placed a soft kiss on your lips. The two of you drifted off, forever ahead of you. 

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You swore you could hear Bucky’s voice as you fell asleep, distant and distorted at first before it became clear. You saw him in front of you, looking as young as the day you’d met, a warm smile on his face. You glanced to your left, Steve’s fingers still laced with yours, his features slowly shifting as he started to resemble his younger self.

“Buck?” Steve asked. 

“Happy birthday, Stevie. A flair for the dramatic, hm?” Bucky asked.

“Am I dreaming?” you asked.

“No, doll. This is real. Always had a feeling the two of you would go together,” Bucky replied. You and Steve looked at one another.

“Go together? Are you saying?” you asked not able to find the words. Bucky simply nodded. You looked around. It looked like you were on the grounds of the Avengers compound, where all of the original team had settled down with homes in a secluded portion. A way to keep their families safe. 

“Nat?” you said, seeing the familiar redhead. One by one, your teammates, your friends, your family came out of their homes. It had been so long since Nat had been lost. A mission gone wrong in Arizona. You had carried the guilt for years. You cried as she hugged you. 

Later, you and your boys had time for yourselves. Time to just be together. Neither you or Steve were willing to leave Bucky’s side, and in Bucky’s opinion, well, that was just fine.