#rhodey uses it against him whenever he can

[spidergrotto]

tony finding out peter considers rhodey the “cool” one and is immediately in agony

[firstelevens]

traveling on (and it won't be long)

sam/bucky | alternate universe (formula one au) | 2.6k words | rated g

The drivers from Team Stark get invited to the Met Gala and produce some content for their socials on the way. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

My beloved @sesamestreep texted me yesterday about the F1 AU boys attending the Met Gala, and naturally her wish is my command. Enjoy!

( also on AO3 )

Over the course of his career, Bucky has done no shortage of things that made him look stupid. There was his exclusively-cavorting-with-young-royals-on-yachts phase, the two years (pre-Alpine, of course) where his Instagram was exclusively thirst traps, that one summer when he decided to go blond…all terrible choices, in retrospect, and all things that he regrets. One thing he can say for all those phases, though, is that at least they were fun at the time.

He would give anything to be able to say that about today.

‘If one more person tells me to relax, I’m going to lie down on the floor and scream,’ he texts Steve, because Sam’s probably on lap twenty of a race right now, and Becca would probably just tell him to suck it up.

‘How are you still this bad at being on camera?’ Steve replies.

‘Peter used to just let me argue with Sam and hit record. These guys are making me read from CUE CARDS.’

Steve just sends him a laughing emoji in response, because he’s a traitor. (But then he follows up with a picture of Ellie and her baby brother playing with fingerpaint to cheer him up, because apparently siding with Steve in a fight against two boys twice their size was the right call when Bucky made it thirty years ago.)

It’s his own fault, maybe. If Bucky had spent less of his last year on the grid antagonizing the higher ups at Tuono, Rhodey and Nat would have had to spend considerably less time trying to placate them, and then they wouldn’t have had the leverage they needed to get Bucky to agree to this. 

The director calls for everyone to get set up for another take, and Bucky stands on his mark again, shaking out his shoulders and trying to reach for the charming version of him from the yacht parties and all those videos with Sam. When they call action, Bucky looks at the camera, pretends that it’s Sam, and lets the smile spread across his face as he reads from the cards: “I’m Bucky Barnes and today is the first Sunday in May. It’s time to get ready with me and Team Stark to go to the 2026 Met Gala.”

He doesn’t actually fall to the floor in relief when the director declares, after eighteen takes, that they’ve finally got it, but it’s a near thing.

After the cue cards, they film Olivia as she talks the viewers through Bucky and Sam and Joaquín’s outfits for the events, and Bucky just has to ask her questions and let her talk, which is a relief. Bucky gets about fifteen seconds after that to check the results of the race in Montreal and text Sam an emphatic, ‘CONGRATULATIONS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH’ immediately followed by an equally sincere, ‘they’re making me film my skincare routine you owe me so big after this.’

He knows that Sam won’t get around to checking his phone until much later, not until after the cooldown room and interviews and the presentation of the trophies, but still. If Bucky can’t pull him aside and kiss the hell out of him in a quiet corner the way did after all their races last year, the least he can do is be sure there’s a text waiting for whenever Sam gets to it.

Then he trudges to the bathroom vanity, where there’s a ring light and a camera set up by the mirror and a sound guy standing in the shower, reminds himself that he’s doing this because of how much he loves Sam, and launches into an explanation of the facial cleanser he uses and how important hydration is for race car drivers.

By the time the crew packs up for the night, they’ve filmed skincare, haircare (an overnight mask made by a New Orleans small business), and gotten footage of Bucky doing a Korean face mask (he looked ridiculous, but Olivia did one with him in solidarity, because she’s the best). As Bucky closes the door behind the last person to leave, he looks around the suite, now ringing in its emptiness, and falls into bed without even turning off the lights.

—

It’s not until morning that Bucky even remembers to check his phone. He’d plugged it in to charge far away from where they were filming, to avoid the temptation to check for replies from Sam every few minutes, and he’d been too tired to retrieve it at night. He swipes through his texts as he sits up in bed: selfies that he and Olivia took with the face masks on, pictures from Steve of Ellie and Jamie covered in paint after their art session, and then a stack of notifications from Sam. The earliest ones are from last night, a series of hearts and a ‘ thank you, baby’ in response to Bucky’s congratulations, then laughter at Bucky’s unwitting transformation into a skincare influencer, and a message that says, ‘guess I’ll have to think of some way to repay you for everything’ followed by that weird smirky emoji that shouldn’t make Bucky blush as hard as it does.

The rest are just updates: a good night text from when Sam went to bed, a message from around seven AM about a weird dream he’d had involving a tortoise, and then messages about heading for the airport and getting on the plane. Bucky replies to the very last one and then sets off in search of some kind of caffeine before the cameras come back in.

He doesn’t realize until much later that his ‘love you, see you soon’ text to Sam was only half true. They’re doing his makeup—eyeliner is involved, enough that he’s irrepressibly reminded of the era where his style icon was Pete Wentz—when Bucky notices that there’s only one camera in the room today instead of three. When he asks about it, the makeup artist tells him they had to split up the cameras between the three rooms, which she appreciated because she’d been worried that they would get in her way.

Bucky says something about how it must be hard to weave around all of that and do such delicate work, and she agrees, but really all that he’s thinking about is the fact that there are two other rooms. Some part of his brain had just assumed that Sam would be here getting ready alongside him, that they’d have at least gotten to see each other while being corralled into makeup and hair and wardrobe. He knows that Sam’s outfit has enough architectural detail that they can’t share a car there, but he’d hoped that they could at least swing a couple minutes with each other before he had to relinquish Sam to his adoring public. (And they are adoring, not that Bucky can blame them.) Something in Bucky’s chest sinks a little bit, but he swallows it and keeps chatting, very aware of the camera pointed directly at his face.

As it turns out, there’s a staggered schedule for Sam and Bucky and Joaquín to finish getting ready and head out, and Bucky’s up first. Olivia sweeps into his room right as they’re putting the finishing touches on his hair, one last tweak of the flowers tucked into the bun at the back of his head and a spritz of hairspray for the hair that’s down and brushing his shoulders as he turns his head.

“You look amazing,” she says, beaming at him. He grins and thanks her, then grins even wider when she takes a step forward and adjusts the lapels of his jacket, fussing with how the necklaces sit and adjusting the way his cape drapes over his shoulder.

He steps back for final approval when she’s done, turning to the side so she can get a better look at the cape. “Am I up to your standards? I won’t bring shame to your good name if people know you’re my stylist?”

“With your jacket collection? Never,” laughs Olivia. 

She gives his hand a squeeze before she shoos him out the door, and he calls over his shoulder, “Go get dressed already! How are you gonna upstage us if you’re not on time?”

“There’s one person here who’s gonna be doing the upstaging,” she says, “and it’s not me or you.”

As Bucky is ushered out towards the elevators, he sees Peter at the end of the hall, holding the door open for someone carrying an oversized garment bag. There’s a little bit of coral fabric peeking out, just like the material of Sam’s outfit, and for a second, Bucky thinks about making a break for the room. He’s an adult, he reasons. It’s not like they could stop him if he ran.

But then the elevator opens, and the camera operator gets in first, immediately turning to get a shot of Bucky at the doors, and he resigns himself to waiting a little bit longer as he steps in.

Bucky has attended exactly one other Met Gala before, when he was twenty-four and dating a British model who was maybe also some kind of duchess. He’d just been scenery back then, dressed all in black so as to avoid taking away from her outfit, which had involved so many ruffles in the skirt that she couldn’t even sit down in the car on the way over. As the door opens and he steps out of the car, Bucky finds himself wishing he was that invisible again, just for a second.

Then he remembers how hard Olivia has worked for months now, how excited the young designers had been when the team had gotten in touch about dressing the three of them. There simply isn’t a universe where Bucky allows himself to let them down, so takes a deep breath and straightens his back and steps out onto the red carpet.

Once he’s high up enough on the stairs, he undoes the tie that’s holding up the train of his cape, hopes that the damn thing works, and keeps walking. He only knows that the fabric unfolded properly when he hears the soft noise of silk flowers tumbling out in his wake, spreading out into a train as he goes. He tries not to look too pleased with himself and hopes to God that it was the right angle for photos. 

He’s just made it up to where people are being greeted and interviewed by a young woman who looks familiar. He’s seen her face on posters, and though he doesn’t know her name, she knows his. He tries not to feel too bad about it when she tells him how much she enjoyed this season of Need for Speed , and he opens his mouth to thank her when a ripple of gasps carry down the stairs, loud enough to be heard over shouting photographers and the ambient noise of so many people in one place.

“Did someone fall?” Bucky asks, looking ahead to where people are posing on the steps, but he doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary there.

“I’m pretty sure they’re looking that way,” says the interviewer, grinning as she points down at the very bottom of the stairs.

He turns to see what she’s pointing at and feels his breath catch in his chest, a second too late to join the chorus.

Bucky has only ever seen Sam’s outfit in parts: sketches on the wall of Olivia’s studio and individual pieces tried on during fittings, mockups shared on video calls and swatches of fabric pinned up next to a Botticelli painting. They were all too disjointed to form any kind of picture, and Bucky had trusted Olivia enough to know that the effect was worth waiting for.

Now, as he looks down towards Sam, he’s not sure that ‘worth waiting for’ does him any kind of justice.

His arms are bare, rings and bracelets glittering on his hands as a gold filigree cuff wraps around his bicep. The coral and gold fabric of his vest and pants must be tailored down to the millimeter for how they hug his body, and there’s a gold headpiece creating a halo around him like the one Bucky sometimes thinks he might have in real life.

And though Sam sometimes feels to Bucky larger than life—in his talent, in his kindness, in the vastness of his love—now he looks the part, too, the cape that’s settled on his shoulders arcing high up behind him in two curves like an enormous set of angel’s wings. It’s layer upon layer of soft, floaty fabric, coral giving way to pinks and purples and eventually a deep ocean blue that just sweeps the floor as Sam walks.

There are flashbulbs going off and people murmuring excitedly around him, but all Bucky can do is stare at Sam, watching as he jokes with a photographer and throws his head back in a delighted laugh. Bucky has taken his first step down before he even realizes it, then stops where he is.

He thinks again of the last time he was on this carpet, of how the greatest worry was that he would be a distraction and he was kept well clear of the pictures until it was decided that he could come back in. He couldn’t do that to Sam, not when he’s so utterly glorious a picture all on his own.

“He looks incredible,” says the interviewer, who Bucky really should apologize to. He’s about to do it, too, to say sorry and try to answer at least one of her questions before moving on, but his eyes are still on Sam, and he knows that he should tear them away except…except…

Except now it’s Sam who’s looking up at him , eyes wide. He would feel the weight of that gaze from a mile away, would know in an instant that it was Sam whose eyes were tracing the lines of his body. He would know the smile that spreads across Sam’s face, too:  slow and satisfied and with its own gravitational pull, for all that Bucky can’t turn away from it. 

The smile would be enough for Bucky, really. He’s well aware that he ought to be moving on, that people are looking impatiently at him from their various stations, but then Sam catches Bucky’s eye, raises a hand, and beckons him down.

There’s no way that people are supposed to be doing this, thinks Bucky, as he hurries down the stairs, but there’s no way that he’ll lose even a second of being at Sam’s side, not if he can help it.

He’s almost tempted to hover a few paces away, just so he’s out of shot, but Sam extends a hand to him before Bucky even makes it to the last step, interlacing their fingers as soon as Bucky’s hand lands in his.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he says, all warmth as he pulls Bucky towards him.

Bucky shrugs, not even bothering to hide his smile. “Well, you know, I didn’t have anything else planned tonight, so I thought I’d see what the fuss was about.”

Sam raises their joined hands and kisses Bucky’s knuckles, his eyes never leaving Bucky’s own. “You want to find out together?”

“Always.”

—

The next morning finds about five dozen texts from Becca and Steve on Bucky’s phone, every possible angle on Bucky’s awestruck face as he looked at Sam on the red carpet. None of them are particularly flattering, his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide in pure wonder.

Still, Bucky thinks, as Sam curls an arm around him and wordlessly grumbles about being woken up too early, this time, maybe he’s okay with looking a little bit stupid.

[captainwidowspring]

Honest thoughts: What do you think would have to happen differently in the airport battle for everyone on Team Cap to escape with Steve and Bucky instead of being captured? For me, I think the potential options are:

A) Vision doesn't needlessly destroy a control tower (that's all that would need to be changed for Wanda to get away at minimum, since her having to stop meant that Rhodey was able to use his sonic cannon on her).

B) Vision and/or Spider-Man change sides mid-battle.

C) Wanda remembers to use her mind powers and uses them to incapacitate Tony and those on his side.

D) Clint, Scott, Sam and Wanda knock out and/or kill Ross's men when they show up to take them into custody, then steal another plane.

E) Steve and Bucky refuse to leave any of their teammates behind, so swing the quinjet around to pick them all up.

F) Before Ross's forces can arrive to take Clint, Scott, Sam and Wanda into custody, Vision reasons with Tony that letting the four be held in a human-rights violating prison is a bad idea and that saving the world is more important, so Tony reluctantly agrees to stall for time.

Here are my (honest) thoughts on your ideas.

I think the best way for all of Team Cap to escape would be for Wanda to use her mind powers. It makes sense for her to not use them at the beginning of the fight because she would want to give Team Iron Man a chance to change their minds and stop fighting, but once it became clear that that wasn't going to happen, instead of deciding that most of them wouldn't escape, Wanda should have used her mind powers then. That would be a good way to make sure all of Team Cap escapes and nobody on Team Iron Man gets hurt. I wonder if she would not incapacitate Natasha, however, considering that Natasha was the least active member of Team Iron Man throughout the battle, and Wanda could clearly see that she was sparring with Clint rather than actually fighting him. She might thus be able to see that Natasha wasn't really on Team Iron Man, and bring her along too.

Since Vision appears to be unable to disobey Tony, it seems unlikely that he would be able to switch sides mid-battle. Maybe, however, Wanda could work with him during the battle to break Tony's hold over him. Wanda's role in the fight appeared to be to watch the action and rebuff Team Iron Man whenever necessary, but there was a significant amount of time between when she saved Bucky from T'Challa and when Scott turned big where neither she nor Vision appeared to be doing anything, so maybe they could have done that during that time. Then, Vision would no longer have to fight for Team Iron Man, and he would not have to engage in such shenanigans as destroying the control tower.

Peter changing sides mid-battle is definitely something that could have happened. When Peter finished telling Steve all the things Tony had told him, instead of just being like, "Guess he had a point!!!!!" Steve should have asked him, "Did he tell you that he's fighting for the government's right to oppress enhanced individuals?" That would certainly have given Peter pause, and he would probably stop fighting Team Cap at that point and demand answers from Tony, and then Tony's purposeful manipulation of Peter would come back to bite him. I don't think such a thing would have changed the outcome of the battle too much, since the most decisive thing Peter did was knock Scott over, but such a thing would certainly have been glorious to witness.

I don't think that allowing Ross's forces to catch up to them would be a good idea. Ross would doubtlessly bring a lot of men with him (as well as a lot of weaponry), and the four of them would have to be extremely careful not to kill anyone, because if they did it would doubtlessly be used as further propaganda against enhanced individuals. In addition, Team Iron Man would still be there. Wanda would probably end up doing most of the work here, and she would probably have to extensively use her mind powers, so if she was going to use her mind powers anyway, it would make more sense to do it when it was just Team Iron Man.

The problem with Steve and Bucky turning back is that this would open up the possibility for the Quinjet to be disabled or otherwise stopped somehow, which would be quite problematic. Steps would probably be taken not to destroy it because it's Avengers property, but Tony might try to do something that he could easily fix later, or Peter might try to do something with his webs. Such a strategy would only be possible if Wanda was available to guard the Quinjet from damage.

Vision reasoning with Tony would certainly be extremely interesting. Now, I'm not sure how effective it would be. Tony completely refused to listen when Steve tried to explain the situation to him the first time, after all, so there's no indication he would be willing to listen a second time, especially when he had such a clear opportunity before him to punish Team Cap for their insolence. And based on his conversation in the Raft with Clint, Tony was completely fine with the idea of them going to prison, he just didn't know that the conditions would be as bad as they were. (Though even when he saw those conditions, he made no effort to help them; he didn't so much as protest their treatment to Ross.) Not to mention, saving the world doesn't seem to be that important to him, considering that in Infinity War he literally (not figuratively) couldn't swallow his ego to save the entire universe. So whether Vision would be able to convince him to stall for time is unclear. You never know, however, for sometimes Tony's conscience sneaks up on him, as we saw at the beginning of the movie. It would thus be quite intriguing to watch Vision try.

[descendants-imagine-darker]

Does the war ever end?

(Part 5)

2016

There was chaos amongst the avengers. After six years Daisy had lived with and loved the people who had come into her life during that time. She learned from them, laughed with them and in moments that had resulted in her parents being furious with her - fought with them.

But now it was different.

Ever since Sokovia there was tension, her father’s mix of guilt and paranoia about what had happened and might come next was something that she didn’t enjoy witnessing as she worked with him in his lab A deep sinking of worry weighed in her when she decided to call it quits close to midnight and go to bed while he still worked.

She’d knew that he’d been working until the next morning when he dragged himself into the kitchen with bags under his eyes. Something was eating at him but every time she asked he’d reply the same “I’m fine kiddo”.

This morning started the same but it wasn’t. At two o’clock in the afternoon the entire team came back to the tower silent. Now they sat in the living room arguing about a new accord that had been passed through the United Nations and soon to be ratified.

She sat slumped in the stairwell against the wall after her father had told her to go up to her room.

The main argument had mostly been between her dad and Steve Rogers, a man who she considered her uncle. He’d taught her to draw and took her on walks to the park whenever he was living in the tower in New York. The argument that ensued broke her heart and terrified her at the same time.

The voices of Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Rhodey and Vision had been prominent during the discussion. All people that she adored as family.

“If we sign this we sign away our right to choose” Steve voiced, she could no doubt sense her fathers eyes rolling at the statement.

“ Yeah… oh that’s Charles Spencer by the way, he spent his spring break trying to make a difference building sustainable housing in Sokovia, not that it matters now because we were too busy kicking ass”

“The safest hands are still our own and not only that, this bill would put a target on anyone who is differents back - that includes Daisy if you haven’t forgot” Steve scolded.

“Maybe Tony is right, if we have one hand on the wheel we can still steer” Natasha cut in “But we have made some very public mistakes and we need to win the councils trust back”

Tony stilled at her “you’re agreeing with me?”

“Oh I want to take it back”

“No it’s too late” he half joking replied but his point still remaining the same.

“We need to be put in check, the rest of the world is nervous at a mostly U.S group sticking their nose in the rest of the world’s buisness ” he announced to the room.

Then he returned to his initial debate with Steve

“And Don’t talk to me about my kid Rogers, imagine what they’ll do to her without this as protection, I don’t want her in prison, frankly I don’t want her in this line of work at all!.. Anything I can do to keep her out of trouble is worth it, even if it means preventing her from using her power”

“She’s sixteen Tony! You can’t control her like you do with everything else!”

“I’M NOT TRYING TOO, Daisy is my kid and the issue of super powered beings puts her in danger especially since she was in Sokovia. The governments of the world don’t see us as hero’s cap, they see us as a threat with no jurisdiction and no way of protecting their sovereignty - in their eyes WE are the enemy!”

He paused, his exhaustedness showing through to the team.

“Daisy is powerful and we don’t know the extent of that, but if I can shield it now, stop her from being persecuted by the world then I will damn well try.

Whatever it takes.” He breathed finally.

Daisy’s hands clenched at his remark, not paying attention to the rest of the argument that was only escalating, she knew that her dad meant well but the anger at being labelled as the enemy was palpitating throughout her. The electric green energy of her power roiled across her clenched knuckles becoming more violent as her feelings grew more intense. Tears came to her eyes in frustration, she tried to stop it but it just grew more violent instead.

More tears flowed down her face as the energy in her hands only grew worse, she shook out her hands in an attempt to make it go away, instead a great blast shot out and melted the steel railing across from her as the door to her left clambered open. She choked on a gasp and tried to scramble away from whoever was coming out tripping and tumbling down the steps as she did.

She stared wide eyed from the bottom of the landing at Steve who had come through the door, luckily it was loud enough to cover the sound of her blast. They locked eyes for what seemed like forever, both of them breathing heavy, both understanding that the other was in pain.

Steve looked at the little girl that he’d known almost since he’d came out of the ice into this new life. She looked so scared curled up in herself and the realisation that she’d heard all the shouting from him and her dad made the turmoil in him rage deeper.

He shook his line of sight away from her, looking down noticing the melted rail as she slowly moved to sit up. He sighed in defeat and shook his head, he leaned next to it on his tail bone whilst pinching his nose, for a brief moment Daisy could see the great tiredness of the 93 year old. The text he’d received in all the commotion bringing a newfound sense of loneliness and pain weighed on him.

Daisy watched his shoulders shake before she called to him.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you ok?”

He tried to regain himself “yeah, everything’s fine”

Her red rimmed eyes looked at him with a saddnes that had become residential in her expressions as of late.

“No your not… I see that look in my dads eyes, somethings wrong”

Her lip quivered “you just don’t want to tell me… you can be honest… I can handle it”

He looked at her fully again and his eyes softened “Peggy passed away”

“Oh, I’m sorry” she spoke meekly

“No” he cut her off “I’m sorry” he sank down beside her so that they were at eye level, he crossed his legs and took her hand.

“This shouldn’t happen…you’re a good kid, you shouldn’t be caught up in this” His words fluctuated between meaning but she appreciated that even when he was in pain he tried to make her feel better.

“I’m a danger”

“No” he said definitely again “your dad…” he let out another heavy sigh “your dad means well but”

“But people like us can’t be controlled, that makes us dangerous” she cut him off.

“It makes others scared, we try and do good but mistakes happen”

Daisy looked down thoughtfully “Are they gonna take me away?”

Steve shook his head “Your dad would never let that happen - I wouldn’t - none of us would ever let that happen” he squeezed her hand. There was so much he wanted to say but his thoughts mixed with his grief and confusion left him at a loss for words.

So he settled on this

“No matter what happens I want you to know that you are so loved and you will never be alone.”

They both nodded half heartedly, each silently acknowledging that in this new dawn

Nothing was known.

————————————

When you are in a situation when nothing is known it’s good to take stock of what you do know.

As of right now Steve is on the run along with Wanda, Sam and Steve’s newly refound friend Bucky as far as she knew.

She knew that her dad was growing more anxious the more Secretary Ross hounded him about Steves whereabouts and coincidentally Natasha’s too.

Daisy had never liked Ross, he’d always regarded her curtly and with what she saw as a sneer. More recent events hadn’t had made any difference. In fact she flinched a little harder at his barking in the next room.

“You listen here Stark, you bring Rogers and Barnes in or you’re done! got it?”

“I can’t find them any faster! Every time we close in he just doubles down, people will get hurt”

“Well quite frankly I don’t give a damn about people, I want them detained. And you need to remember you’re not the only one on the line here”

A dark pause hung in the air as Tony processed what he said “what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

His head snapped to the door where he heard a shout and shuffling come from the hall way. As he entered two guards had restrained his daughter and were dragging her as she struggled trying to yell as one of them covered her mouth.

Surging forward he was stopped by Ross’ hand on his chest forcing him back. Tony looked to him bewildered and horrified at what was happening. He couldn’t ignore his daughter screaming as he moved past trying to get to her as she was dragged further down the hall.

What Ross said next stopped him in his tracks.

“You’re daughter will be detained until Rogers and his accomplices are behind bars.”

“No way in hell!” Tony yelled back marching further down the hall. Two more guards eclipsed the ones taking Daisy away from him grabbing his shoulders and dragging him back to the Secretary. He struggled more as her piercing screams became fainter the further she was dragged.

Ross stepped between him and the path leading to her “The world is becoming a more dangerous place and after Sokovia it’s only a matter of time before she becomes a problem too. You want her released, bring them in.”

“You have 24 hours before her cell locks for good.”

“Where will you hold her?”

“only place strong enough for people like her”

“She’s just a kid”

“Then I suggest as her father you don’t fail her.”

————————-

This took a while and it’s super long but it’s an important transition for who Daisy is shaping up to be.

Like comment and share hope you like it

[just-fandomthings]

touch telepath au? im v curious abt that!!!

Ahhh thank you, Abby!! 💜 admittedly, I wrote a little idea for this au back in August…and then completely forgot it existed 😅 but this idea has so much potential for an angsty fic…

uhh so I initially only had a few paragraphs of notes jotted down for this au idea, but as I was transferring them here, an actual story began to take shape in my mind?? I may or may not have an actual outline for this now (thank you so much, Abby, the credit for inspiring me absolutely goes to you 💜) 

So, here’s a little something I wrote:

Tony is a touch telepath--

This leaves him touch-starved, for how can he touch anyone when doing so will mean knowing what they’re thinking/feeling? His touch telepathy is his greatest secret, has been ever since Howard and Maria realized when he was three. He grows up keeping to himself, making a show but never letting people close--

And then there’s Rhodey. Rhodey is safe. 

Tony has felt safe before - in his mother’s arms, when he was with Jarvis and Ana. Whenever Aunt Peggy came for a visit. To a somewhat lesser extent, with Obie, whenever he came over when Tony was growing up. But Rhodey...

Rhodey is safe. He is the first person Tony chooses to tell; for a long time, he is the only person Tony tells. 

Then there’s Sunset, who used him for technological advancements for her own gain. And Tiberius, who used their friendship against him, getting the media to see him as a playboy alcoholic and nothing else. 

It’s not the first time Tony heard someone’s thoughts while they were hurting him (every kidnapping let him know exactly what his captors had planned for him, which, while did help him escape, did also let him know exactly what his captors had planned for him) but it’s the first of many betrayals. 

He learns the pain of remembering is worse when the ghost of their touch to his skin brings back the force of their cruel intent.

Sex is... well. It’s easier to just have one-night stands, where people care more about how good he is in bed, than about him himself. It hurts less, in the long run. 

Or so he tells himself. 

At least it prevents him from getting betrayed again. 

And then comes Pepper. 

Pepper, he slowly comes to realize, is safe. So is Happy. 

Afghanistan is...

The phantom touch of Yinsen’s hand will haunt him every time he allows himself to shake someone’s hand for the rest of his life. Even in Afghanistan, even at their first conscious encounter, after everything Yinsen knew he was responsible for, Yinsen had cared for him when they’d shook hands. 

Rhodey is the only one he allows to treat him on the plane ride home. 

Everything else about Afghanistan is better unsaid.

Obie touches him only twice when he takes the reactor from his chest. Once, on the back of his head, as he gently guides his head to the backrest of the sofa. It’s a painfully tender gesture; the final bow. 

The second is an iron-clad grip to his chin that forces him to meet his eyes. 

That’s when he realizes Obie never cared about him at all. 

[bristark616]

multiversal soulmates - part five

pairing: tasm!peter parker x stark!avenger!reader

word count: about 2k

summary: (y/n) is determined to bring her peter back, and she's getting closer than ever.

warnings: none i think!!!

a/n: HI BESTIES!!! i'm so beyond sorry that this took so long to get out but thank you thank you thank you for all of your love and patience in the meantime. i think there's only going to be one more part after this so im excited to wrap this up with yall!!!! enjoy and ily all <33

“Peter!”

Tony was at his daughter’s side in seconds – her abrupt awakening pulling him from his work. He asked her if she was okay, but she didn’t hear him. She was too busy examining a silver, spiderweb ring on her finger that Tony was positive wasn’t there before she fell asleep. 

“Holy shit,” she whispered, her eyes wide as she stared down at her hand. She pulled the ring off her finger and examined it with a hold so gentle that it was obvious to Tony that she was afraid she would break it. “It worked.”

“Where did that come from?” He asked, looking down at it curiously. 

“Peter gave it to me in my dream – well I guess it wasn’t really a dream.”

“You were here the whole time, though,” Tony said. “You didn’t leave that couch.”

“Did you change anything while I was asleep?”

“I just tinkered with your formula a bit – “

She was on her feet in seconds, making her way over to her desk and throwing herself into her chair with an eagerness so intense that she rolled off course slightly. He watched from over her shoulder as she essentially tore apart the plans, looking for any change that proved to be significant. She must’ve found something because she was back on her feet at once. He followed her out of her laboratory and through the dimly lit, deserted halls of the compound – the sound of her bare feet slapping against the marble floors echoing out around them. She led them right to – 

“The quantum tunnel?” Tony questioned, looking around with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. (Y/N) was tapping away at the control panel in concentrated silence, so Tony simply watched from over her shoulder. 

“Got it,” she mumbled, stepping back to admire her work. 

“Talk to me, kid; I don’t like not being in the loop.”

“I just recalibrated the tunnel,” she said. She took the spiderweb ring off of her finger and placed it gently onto the control panel. “I think we can use it for multiversal travel instead of time travel.”

“But how would we find the right universe? It’s not like we have someone or something to guide us – the ring. You are a genius.”

“Let’s see if it actually works, first. I’m gonna get this ready, why don’t you go suit up and grab backup in case we get any unwanted visitors.”

Barely ten minutes later, Tony returned with Rhodey. Both men were suited up, minus their helmets. 

“Hey, kid,” Rhodey said with a smile. “Nice to see you up and about.”

“Hi,” was all she said in response, unable to mirror his expression. She didn’t want herself to get optimistic for even a second in case the plan didn’t work. “Thanks for helping.”

“Anything for you.”

“Before we start,” Tony said, grabbing (Y/N’s) arm carefully to stop her from activating the tunnel, “I just have a quick question, and please don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

Tony had that fatherly look in his eyes as he studied her. “Are you absolutely sure that he’s worth all of this?”

“Yes.” Her answer was strong and had left her lips before Tony had even finished his sentence. “Yes, he is.”

“Okay. Whenever you’re ready.”

She nodded, turning back to the control panel. “FRIDAY, are we ready?”

“All set, boss.”

“Let her rip.”

The quantum tunnel powered up with a loud whooshing noise. The center glowed a bright orange and the three Avengers had to look away. After about a minute, the noise started to die down. Neither Tony nor Rhodey was fast enough to stop (Y/N) from running to the center of the tunnel. She stepped off of the platform holding a worn, black backpack in her hands.

“It pulled something,” she said, her voice trembling ever so slightly. “But not Peter.”

“Check the bag,” Rhodey suggested, but she was already on it. 

She plopped down onto the floor next to the control panel and rummaged through the contents of the backpack. She found some clothes, a glasses case, and a camera. It was a film camera, not a digital one, which she thought odd, seeing as no one really used those anymore. She turned it over in her hands and her heart nearly stopped as she read the inscription on the back. 

“Property of Peter Parker,” she read, a smile forming at her lips. “Do it again.”

Tony didn’t need to be asked twice. He took his daughter’s former place at the control panel and fired up the tunnel once more. Rhodey’s fists were clenched at his sides, ready to fight whoever or whatever came out from the other side if they proved to be a threat. (Y/N) tried to keep her eyes on the tunnel, searching for any sign of Peter, but again, it was too bright to look at. The light and the whooshing died down, and she was just about to declare the second trial a bust when it happened.

            Peter came flying out of the tunnel in a blur of red and blue fabric, right to where she was standing. It all happened so fast that he didn’t have time to break his fall, but he did manage to grab her and flip them over, so that she fell onto him, which he assumed would hurt her significantly less than the reverse. The two let out groans as they fell against the hard, white, marble floor. 

“Oh, that sucked,” Peter winced. He reached up to pull his mask off of his head. “You all right, sweetheart?”

“Yeah,” she smiled, breathless as she stared down at Peter. “Are you?”

“I am now.”

(Y/N) laughed happily as Peter leaned up and crashed his lips to hers. They didn’t pull apart for even a second – not even as he shot a web up to the ceiling with one hand and pulled them up to a standing position. Peter leaned down and grabbed her by the underside of her thighs, lifting her up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. 

“Easy there, bug boy,” she smiled, pulling apart to look at him. 

Peter laughed. “What did you just call me?”

“Bug boy – “

He cut her off with another kiss, all noses and teeth as they smiled against one another’s mouths. “I missed you,” he whispered into her mouth. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.”

They pulled apart again, allowing their foreheads to press together. They took in the feeling of being in one another’s arms. Peter practically melted as she ran her hands along his upper arms, settling around his biceps with a firm but gentle grip. 

“You know, I’ve thought about you every second of every day since I got sent back,” he said, his eyes pouring down into hers, “and yet, somehow, you are even more beautiful than I remembered.”

“Peter –“

He cut her off with a kiss. “I love the sound of my name on your lips,” he mumbled into her mouth. “Say it again.”

“Peter,” she giggled, pulling apart once more. Her hands rubbed into his shoulder blades while she looked at him, and her green eyes were practically sparkling with love. “You can let me go now, you know.”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “No – I am never letting you go.”

“You have to let me go sometimes.”

“Nope. Don’t think so.”

“Like when I got to the bathroom –“ he shook his head, “and shower –“ another head shake, “and drive.”

“Nope.”

“What do you mean nope?” She giggled, a small squeak escaping her when he threw her up gently, securing her tighter against his chest. 

“I mean, you’re gonna have to find another way to do those things because I am not letting you go.”

“Okay. You don’t have to let me go, but can you put me down?” She asked sweetly. “Please?”

He studied her carefully, still baring a smile. “For now.”

Peter’s grip on her laxed but didn’t let up completely. He supported her effortlessly as she untangled her ankles from his waist before dropping down from his arms. Once her feet were firmly planted to the ground, he pulled her tight against his chest for a hug. 

“Not to interrupt,” Tony’s voice said, to which the two jumped slightly, “but you guys might wanna step away from the big, dangerous, quantum tunnel.”

Silently agreeing with him, (Y/N) grabbed Peter’s hand and led him off the platform and over to the control panel, where both Rhodey and Tony were standing. Tony had rid himself of his suit the moment (Y/N) had wrapped herself up in Peter’s arms, no longer feeling a need to wear it given the success of the experiment.

“Peter, this is my dad,” She introduced, falling into Peter’s side as he slipped an arm around her. “Dad, this is Peter.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Peter,” Tony smiled.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Stark. I, uh – I’m a big fan of your daughter.”

Tony laughed. “I’ve noticed.”

Ignoring the blush at her cheeks, (Y/N) turned to introduce Peter and Rhodey. It wasn’t until after the niceties were exchanged did Peter get a good look at the room he had just appeared in. His eyes were wide as he walked around to inspect the items around them. (Y/N) had no choice but to follow his every move, as he had refused to let go of her hand.

“This place is a dream,” he breathed, an excited smile at his lips. “Like, science heaven.” He turned to his girlfriend. “What is this place?”

“The Avengers Compound.”

“That’s the team you and Peter were telling me about, right?” He asked, to which she nodded. “So you all live here?”

“Most of us – not Peter,” she quickly added, seeing him perk up. “He’s in Queens with May.”

“Right, right. Okay, and where are we?”

“Upstate. About thirty-five minutes outside Manhattan.”

“That would explain why it’s so quiet.”

She smiled. “You all right, Pete? Didn’t get banged up on the commute over, did you?”

“All good, ladybug,” he said happily, mirroring her expression. He gave a light tug on her hand to pull her into his arms. 

Tony and Rhodey looked at one another and simultaneously mouthed “ladybug,” clearly amused at the nickname. The former was going to say something snarky to the two, but when he glanced back over at them, he stopped himself. Peter had his eyes squeezed shut as he held (Y/N) tight against his chest, as if he was afraid she’d vanish if he let go. She clearly must’ve been feeling the same because she was returning Peter’s embrace with a similar strength. It wasn’t until that moment did Tony finally understand his daughter’s longing to bring Peter back. Seeing them together cemented everything she had told him: they were indubitably soulmates.

(Y/N) lifted her head up from Peter’s chest to look up at him. Peter wiped a tear from her cheek with a spandex-clad thumb. He peppered kisses down her face – from her forehead to her nose to the apples of her cheeks to her mouth. A quiet giggle fell from her lips as Peter’s hair tickled her jaw when he ducked his head down to press a kiss to her neck. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbled against her skin. Lowering his voice so that only she could hear, he said, “I don’t ever wanna stop kissing you.”

She lifted his head up from her neck to look at him. His eyes were clouded with a mixture of love and lust. She smiled, and with her voice lowering to the same volume as his, she replied, “so don’t stop.”

“I won’t if you won’t.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“No, that’s a promise.”

Eager to be alone, she grabbed Peter’s hand to lead him out of the room. She stopped, however, upon feeling Peter’s grip on her tighten protectively. When she turned back around to look at him, she instantly knew there was a problem. His jaw was clenched, and his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes scanned the room nervously. 

“What’s wrong, Peter?” She asked, stepping towards him to place a reassuring hand on his chest. “Is it your tingle? Is your tingle tingling?”

He nodded, his chest rising and falling rapidly under her hand. “Something’s coming.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ taglist!

@taina-eny @ssophiebirkas @nickangel13 @sagestuffing @imadamselindistressicanhandelit @hellothereobi @aubreylovesthegames @todaywasafairytale07 @milkiane @frenchgirlinlondon @liveloudwriteloud @kdatthecastle @xoxoloverb @lollipopsandstuff @lezzaheart662 @moo-b1tch @willie-ivy

[another-stark-sub]

“Are you in love with him?” - Tony Stark Imagine

Notes: I wrote and editted this in two hours instead of going over my notes. Was gonna be spicy fluffy but it just turned into fluffy, and one of the lines/paragraphs (smth like that i dont remember how long that segment was) is based on/inspired by a fanfic on ao3 I bookmarked. I think it’s debt-free, but I could be wrong.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I’m so sorry im not on here more oftennnnn

- - -

“Of course I am. He’s Tony Stark.” You sighed, a weight finally lifted off your chest. “Who isn’t in love with him?”

Bruce blinked a few times, the confusion evident on his face. “Then, why don’t you tell him?”

You scoffed. These geniuses think they know everything, but they couldn’t see what was glaringly obvious to you. “He’s Tony Stark.”

The perplexed expression didn’t disappear from your friend’s expression. So, you explained further, “It’s already a privilege, beyond that really, to be talking to you, to any Avenger. To work with any of you is an honor, and to be friends with you” -you laughed- “it shouldn’t even be possible for someone like me.”

“Don’t say that. You’re amazing, too.” 

You tried to find any tick, any clue that he was lying. But Bruce seemed to really believe this. “I know I’m amazing.” You shrugged. “I’m great. I love and I care deeply, and I have a stable job. I have a place for myself, and I take care of myself.” You clicked your tongue. “However, you all, all  you Avengers… Forget out of my league, more like off planet.

“And Tony? He said it himself. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Add superhero, figurehead, public figure, ex-CEO, and savior of the universe. Bruce, I have confidence in myself, but Tony is something else entirely. No one is worthy of him or his affections unless they’re a god or another Avenger.”

It was hard to keep up with the statistical analysis you were trying to run. The literal one on your hologram and the one keeping your view of Tony in check. So, defeated, you sighed and leaned back in your chair. 

Bruce closed his own work and stood across the lab bench. “Weirdly enough, I’m sure none of us Avengers think that way.” After a few taps of his pen against his palm, he added, “Aren’t there fans making posts about you, too? Tony showed me the, uh, Instagram videos.”

You laughed. “Fan edits don’t make an Avenger. Saving the world does.”

He shrugged. “You help us save the world.”

“From inside Avengers Tower on a computer.” You took a deep breath. “Look, Bruce, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But, I’m not telling him.” You shrugged and brought your statistical analysis back up.

You knew your own worth. You were worthy of an amazing partner and person. Tony Stark, though, was easy beyond that. You had accepted it soon after you realized your own feelings, and while they haven’t dwindled, you knew it was for the best. 

~ - ~

Tony had never resorted to this before. It was never a question of his ability to code. In the past, it was because he didn’t need a program or an AI to do it for him. He could always tell if someone was into him. He knew when Pepper was into him. The moment Rhodey gazed at him back in their MIT days. Every single reporter and heiress and model he slept with, he knew when their thoughts turned sexual or romantic. 

You, though. With you, he couldn’t fucking tell, and he knew it was because of his own feelings. Tony felt intensely for people before. Pepper, Rhodey, that one reporter all those years ago. However, with you, it wasn’t just that fluttery feeling in his gut or the immediate smile he can’t seem to stop when he sees you. It was the comfort he felt when he heard your voice or the softness he could feel in his heart when he saw a picture of you. 

It was like his entire life was full of panic, never resting, never stopping. But when you entered his life with a gentle smile and a quick wit, it felt like he could finally breathe. 

It was addicting. 

“Sir, I have the calculations.”

“Hit me.”

“Speech diagnostics of you and of Ms. (Y/l/n) are similar. Whenever you speak of her, 79.4% is positive and 18.8% is neutral. Ms. (Y/l/n) has  78.9% positive and 17.2% neutral dialogue regarding you. When she speaks of you, her heartrate increases by 4.6%, and similarly, yours increases by 4.1%. When speaking to each other, heartrate initially increases by 7%.”

Tony nodded. “How does this compare to other Avengers? I gush about Banner like a teenager.”

“Well, sir, while you and Ms. (Y/l/n) have high positive dialogue about other Avengers, all of them have at least a 10% decrease compared to each other. And heartrate varies depending on the topic of conversation.”

Tony snapped his fingers. “Am I excluding all non-super friends? Include any agents, co-workers. Pep isn’t an Avenger after all.”

Friday took two seconds and responded. “You and Ms. (Y/l/n) have a significant difference in speech diagnostics when talking about or to each other compared to any other Avenger, co-worker, and friend.”

When Tony remained quiet, Friday added, “Do you want me to repeat the results?”

“You don’t need to, Friday.”

“But you’re not doing anything with the new information. Would you like me to save these findings?”

“Friday,” Tony warned. 

There was silence as the love-wrecked scientist pressed his fist between his brows. Data and cold hard facts said yes, but was it right?

“Sir?”

“Yes, Fri?”

“Would you like me to play examples for you?”

He blinked. “Examples?”

“Yes. Of you and her talking about each other positively.”

It was an invasion of privacy. Tony shouldn’t. 

“Play examples.”

Before his rational mind could tell Friday no. 

“Are you in love with him?”

Tony’s eyes widened. This was too private. It might not even be about him.”Friday-”

“Of course I am.”

“-stop playback.”

“He’s Tony Sta-”

“Playback stopped.”

Tony scrambled. “What? No, wait, go back. Play it.” Screw rational. You knew he was a narcissist. You wouldn’t expect him to hear that and stop. 

“He’s Tony Stark. Who isn’t in love with him?”

“Then, why don’t you tell him?”

“... He’s Tony Stark.”

Tony started to fiddle with something on his desk. “What does that mean?”

Friday answered, “Dr. Banner asked her if she loved you, and she said yes. This means that she’s in love with you.”

Why did he program Friday like this? “I know that. I mean, those two lines. Why does me being Tony Stark stop her from saying something?” Was it the attention? Did you want some sort of normal life away from cameras and international gossip? Maybe it was the Avenging. Having a partner who was always out risking death wasn’t ideal. 

Sure, you could be in love with him. But you couldn’t be with him. 

“Maybe you should ask her.”

There were celebrities who were able to live normal lives. Some paid to have prosthetics for going outside of moved to a remote country to get out of the spotlight. He thrived off attention, but he could give that up. Avenging, he couldn’t give that up, but maybe he could cut back. Take a mission a month instead of one a week. Or maybe take more digital missions. He wasn’t just Iron Man after all. He was a genius, could hack into the Pentagon if he really wanted to. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I could talk to her.”

~ - ~

The moment you put your bag down on your lab table, Tony said, “You’re gonna be mad.”

You narrowed your brows. “What did you do?” You pressed your palm to your chest. “Oh my god, Peter overwrote my data, didn’t he? Ugh, I know he said he’s great at managing holograms, but really, Tone, you should’ve given him a tutorial before giving him access.” You brought up your holograms to check your data and analysis. 

“That’s not it.” Tony stood next to you as you looked through your files. “I did something that invaded your privacy.”

You tilted your head. Closing the holograms, you took a deep breath and slowly asked, “How?”

Tony flashed an embarrassed grin before sighing. “You’re gonna be shocked, too, so prepare yourself.”

You did not know where this was going at all. What horrible thing could Tony have done? Steeling yourself, you took a deep breath and nodded at him to continue. 

Tony cleared his throat. “Usually, I can tell when someone has feelings for me. People are obvious about it, but you? You aren’t. So, I had Friday do some analysis on our speech patterns. Me, being in love with you, was one of my controls. You and your dialogue regarding me was the main variable. 

“Long story short, I accessed some audio of you and Bruce talking, and you said that you loved me but could never tell me.” He glanced at you. “So that’s why I need to apologize.” 

Your expression didn’t change. No, that wasn’t it. You, at first, looked confused. Now, there was just nothing. No expression. No wrinkled brow in anger of flushed cheeks in embarrassment. Nothing. 

Tony blinked. “You can shout at me now. If you were confused about when to shout at me.”

You licked your lips before taking a deep breath. “Ok, that was a lot.” You pursed your lips then opened it. But, you couldn’t really think of anything to say. You didn’t even know how to feel. “So you know that I” -you pointed at yourself and then at him- “and that I didn’t wanna tell you.” You shook your head. “Wait, do you know why I didn’t want to tell you?”

A broken scoff left Tony’s lips. “Yeah. I’m a mess.”

It was your turn to scoff. “Wait, you’re a mess? That’s why you think I don’t want to tell you?”

“Among other reasons?”

Other reasons? 

You crossed your arms. “Ok, what other reasons?”

Tony looked offended. Still, he listed, “I’m surrounded by cameras, and everyone wants some privacy. Can’t get it if you’re with me. Then, there’s the Iron Man of it all. I went into a wormhole with a nuke. That was also all over the news. Then, there’s the whole daddy issues thing. I’m working on it, but it takes a while-”

He rambled on and on, listing reason after reason, and with each one, you felt tears well up in your eyes. It was a weird mix of heartbreaking, confusing, and enraging. The emotions built up slowly with each word that left his mouth, overwhelming you to the point that you couldn’t even say how it happened. 

But, as Tony paced and talked so horribly about himself, you somehow ended up in front of him with your hands on his cheeks. 

You only realized it when Tony stopped talking and when his breath touched your lips. “What?” he asked. 

You didn’t answer. You kissed him instead. 

It was a hard press of  your lips against his. It was short, and it wasn’t much. 

But by the way Tony gripped the back of your neck and pulled you back for another kiss, you’d think it was his first kiss. You knew it wasn’t. Not just because you knew he had kissed all sorts of people before you, but because he somehow knew how to make you gasp and melt into him. 

While one hand kept you steady, the other trailed down your back and pulled you closer to him. His lips moved fluidly against yours, pushing and pulling, and everytime he moved back, you chased his lips to continue the kiss, because the softness, the passion, the fact it was finally happening, was all too good. You didn’t want it to stop.

Your hands started to move. For someone so rich, his t-shirt was rough when you twisted it between your fingers and pulled it to you. Slowly, you trailed your fingers along the side of his neck. You rubbed your thumb along his pulse point, a reminder that this was indeed real. You were kissing Tony Stark, and- He was pulling away again.

Desperate, you leaned forward, reached around to hold onto his shoulder, and kissed the side of his neck. 

He let out a breathy laugh, and before you could suck on his skin, his stubble scratched your cheek. 

You looked up at him and giggled when his nose bumped into yours. When your giggles turned into a smile, he kissed you again, a soft and short kiss, before leaning his forehead against yours. 

His thumbs rubbed circles into your waist as you lightly scratched the back of his neck. He didn’t say anything. In fact, he seemed busy gazing at you.

“Speechless, Stark?” you teased. 

He laughed. For a few seconds, he just gazed at you, seeming to prove your point. Tony’s hand began to wander, from stroking your cheek to pushing back your hair. “More confused.”

Remembering why you interrupted him, you brought your hands to his cheeks again and held him there so he couldn’t look away from you. “You are amazing, Tony. That’s the reason I didn’t want to tell you.” You shrugged. “You’re too good for me.”

His fidgeting stopped. “Well, that’s not true.”

“Tony, you’re an Avenger.”

“Technically, you are also an Avenger.”

“You’re a genius.”

“Who can’t cook scrambled eggs.”

“You literally saved the universe.”

“After producing weapons of mass destruction for decades.”

You glared at him. 

He glared back. Then, he fought back. “I don’t plan on retiring.”

“Wouldn’t want you to.”

“I have severe PTSD, anxiety, maybe ADHD, all mixed with trauma galore.”

“And I will learn to help you.”

“I couldn’t give you a normal life.”

“I’d rather have you anyway.”

He opened his mouth, but you instead told him, “I’d rather have you than anything. As long as, well, for as long as  you’ll have me.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

“Positive.”

Tony shook his head with a smile. “Cause, I’d rather have you for, well, how does til you get tired of me sound?”

You laughed. “Won’t happen. But, sure.” You kissed him again.You would’ve kept going, but there was something to settle first.  “By the way, Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Is Friday recording right now?”

“Friday records everything. It’s in the contract.”

Friday added, “I record everything that happens in the tower.”

“Ok.” You could work with that. “I’ll forgive you for the invasion of privacy.”

Tony beamed, and you couldn’t help your own smile when he did. Still, you continued, “On one condition.” Your own smile turned devious. “I want evidence that Star Spangled Banner took my ice cream.”

Tony burst out laughing. He kissed you again, a deep kiss, and when he was done, he mumbled, “God, I love you,” against your lips.

[noforkingclue]

Omg I hope you accept this! Tony Stark just shortly after The Avengers form. Tony and male!reader know each other from school but consider themselves rivals or enemies? Whenever they interact they are just at it with teasing and general bad insults? It's so bad that no one can take it seriously. Maybe even after they fight together they still remain at odds.

I love your work and I totally understand if you don't accept this lol! Thank you!

This turned out a bit angstier then I expect. Oh well, hoe you like it!

Title: A Bitter Reunion

Marvel tag list: @geocookie21, @greeneyedblondie44, @purebloodwitch

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @imjustassaneasyou, @spngingerbread21, @layazul, @lov3vivian

“Wow,” you gritted your teeth at the familiar voice, “They actually hired you. I didn’t know SHIELD was that desperate.”

You inhaled deeply before turning around. Tony was leaning against the doorway to the lab, is arms folded as he glared at you. You gave him a forced bright smile.

“Stark,” you said, “I’d say it’s a pleasure but we both know that’s bullshit.”

Tony approached slowly until it was only your desk in between the two of you. He put his hands on your desk as he leant forward. You wanted to wipe that smug look off of his face. Ever since you had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him at MIT, the two of you had been competing against each other ever since.

“I didn’t think you’d come to work for SHIELD.”

You were dragged out of your thoughts by Tony’s words. You frowned at him and folded your arms.

“Not all of us are billionaires,” you said, “Some of us have to work for a living.”

“Now why don’t you-“

Rhodey sighed as he looked between you and Tony. Bruce looked between the two of you, slowly realising that he would have to share a workspace with you.

“Is it usually like this?” he asked

“No,” said Rhodey, “Usually it’s much worse.”

*

“You’re doing that incorrectly.”

You inhaled deeply as Tony stood on the other side of the see through white board. He smirked at you and you gripped the marker tightly.

“No I’m not,” you said, “I’ve done the calculation and I’ve checked my working out. My Maths is perfect.”

“Then why did you forget to carry the two.”

“The two? What two?”

You squinted at your calculations as you tried to find what Tony was talking about.

“Umm, y/n?”

“Not now Bruce,” you muttered, “I’m trying to prove a point.”

“But there is no two.”

“Huh?”

“So far you’re right.” Bruce said with a shy smile

You turned to look back at Tony who started laughing at your expression.

“You bastard! Stop making me doubt myself.”

You tried to move to the other side of the board but Tony kept it between you. Bruce sighed and moved to the side as you kept trying to get at Tony. You were vaguely aware of the door opening but you ignored it until someone said,

“Can you two please stop flirting. Fury wants to see the both of you.”

“Flirting?” you turned around and saw Clint looking amused, “Why the fuck would I want to flirt with him?”

“You wound me y/n.”

“Good.”

“Weren’t you ever taught that violence is never the answer?” Toy asked

“We both work for SHIELD,” you said dryly, “I swear violence is usually the first answer.”

You and Tony walked passed Bruce and Clint, still bickering. Clint turned to Bruce who had taken to cleaning his glasses.

“What’s going on with them?” he asked

“No idea,” Bruce said with a shrug, “Rhodey said it happened in their last year of MIT. Apart from that, nothing.”

*

“I hate to admit it,” Tony said bitterly, “But he’s right.”

Silence settled over the lab and you almost dropped your pen in shock. You glanced up at Tony who was looking at you with pursed lips.

“This is a suicide mission,” he continued, “Count me out.”

You could hear the generals on the other end of the phone cursing at Tony as he hung up the phone. An awkward silence settled over the two of you and you leant back in your chair, kicked your legs up on the desk, and folded your arms. Tony was looking anywhere but at you.

“Hey JARVIS.” You said at least

“Yes Mr L/n?”

“Please tell me you recorded that.”

“Recorded what exactly?”

“Stark admitting I was right.”

You swung your legs off the desk and walked over to Tony. You poked him on the arm and said,

“I can fall asleep easily knowing that fact.”

“Falling asleep to the sound of my voice,” Tony said, “I never knew that about you.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me. I’ve changed a lot since uni.”

“We both have.”

Tony’s eyes locked with yours and you found yourself becoming uncomfortable. You quickly looked away and started walking back to your desk.

“Looks like it’s going to be another late night,” Tony said, “Takeaway? The usual or do you want to try something new.”

It had become almost like a tradition between you and Tony. During late nights you’d grab a takeaway and just spend the night in the lab. While you did get work done, a lot of the time you spent catching up from the years you’d been apart. You had almost come to enjoy those nights.

“Not tonight Stark,” you said shrugging on your jacket, “Got plans.”

“Plans.”

“Yeah.”

“More important than this.” Tony waved his hand at the half-finished projects that were littered around the lab

“I had it planned for weeks.”

“Oh.”

“Just dinner.”

“Sounds like a date.” He said jokingly

“That’s because it is.”

You grabbed your phone and looked over at Stark. He was clenching in mobile so hard that for a moment you thought it was going to break.

“Stark?”

Tony jumped at the sound of your voice and you briefly frowned. He put his mobile down, a little harder than necessary, and you winced at the noise.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” You said as you headed out

“Right,” Tony said to the empty lab, “See you tomorrow.”

*

“Stark,” you yelled as you stormed into the lab, “Where the fuck are you?”

“Mr l/n-“

“Not now JARVIS,” you said, “This is important. I swear, Stark is going to regret this.”

You slammed open the door to the lab and looked around. It was seemingly empty but you knew better. You narrowed your eyes and you walked around.

“One thing,” you said, “One good thing happened to me since I started working here. A cute guy asked me out on a date. Do you know how fucking rare that is? I was looking forward to this evening and then I got a fucking call from you. An emergency you said. Couldn’t you have called Bruce or Rhodey or Pepper? Fuck, you could’ve called Steve for all I care. Why did it have to be me?”

“Because I missed you.”

“Huh?”

Tony was sitting on the floor behind his desk. You perched on it and looked down at him. He glanced up and jumped when he saw how close you were. You raised an eyebrow as he practically leapt to his feet, looking embarrassed.

“How was your date?” he asked

“Cut short. Why the fuck did you call me.”

Tony ran a hand through his hair. Realisation hit you as you saw him stumble slightly.

“Are you drunk?”

“No. Yes. Maybe, slightly.”

“Fucking hell Tony,” you sighed and shook your head, “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do and I miss you. Felt strange tonight without you by my side. Got used to you being here.”

“Tony-“

“I like that.”

“What?”

“The way you say my name.”

Your breath hitched when you felt his hands touch your shoulders.

“I fucking hate you,” he muttered, “And yet-“

“I need to go.”

You jumped away from Tony. When you looked over your shoulders you saw Tony’s hands hanging awkwardly in the air. You winced when you saw his face and quickly looked away.

“Sober up,” you said quietly, “Then talk to me.”

Before Tony could say another word you bolted. You didn’t want to see Tony’s face. If you stayed it would end up exactly like last time. The two of you weren’t teenagers any more. Once you were safely in the lift you wiped your eyes.

“JARVIS?”

“Yes?”

“Can you do me a favour?”

When JARVIS didn’t immediately respond you continued,

“You’ve recorded what just happened. Can you make sure that nobody ever sees that? Ton- Stark included.”

[marvelescape]

a slow dance

summary: You were a glass away from being drunk. He may be a tiny bit tipsy. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t ask you to dance with him.

the second part of a kiss on your hand

pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

words: 1,549

warning/s: alcohol and drunk Avengers

song used: Thank You For Loving Me - Bon Jovi

GIF is not mine. Credits to its owner!  ✨

After your first encounter with Bucky, kissing a hand has been an inside joke within the Avengers.

And while you initially thought that it will create awkwardness not only for Bucky but also for you, it wasn't the case.

He regularly greeted you the same way, both of you being more comfortable with the gesture as he continuously do it.  

Thus, as the weeks go by, it became an exclusive thing for the two of you that no one, not even the official couples in the tower, does it anymore.  

Most of the time it was his way of saying ‘hello’ but there are instances wherein he just casually does it to calm his nerves whenever he gets too into his head and you're fortunately around. 

You thought that maybe it keeps Bucky grounded. Maybe the way you addressed him as ‘sergeant’ the first time you met gave him a reminder of who he once was and kissing your hand reminds him of that moment.

Whatever it is and however it affects Bucky, you were more than willing to offer your hand whenever he needs it as you can visibly see him have a temporary sense of serenity when he does it with his soft smile and bright blue eyes.

One of the early days, Steve thanked you and swore how he, as Bucky’s best friend, owes you. 

According to Steve, the super soldier has been smiling a lot more around him lately and is slowly starting to open up to other people again. "Emphasis on slowly but hey, still, it's progress," you remember the Captain saying. 

You argued that Bucky simply kissing your hand couldn't be the reason to that and you didn’t really do anything significant but Steve begged to differ.

Another week later, Tony, being the billionaire and party-person that he was, announced that he will host a party for your official recruitment in the team, which meant that you were required to dress up.

You were about to protest against the rather tight dress Natasha and Wanda picked out for you when they promised you that the booze that Tony offers during his parties will make it worth it.  

"If that's not enough for you, the drunk Avengers by 11 PM should be something worth wearing a pair of heels for." Wanda smirked.  

You've been to hundreds of parties since college but there's nothing like a Stark party.

Apparently there was a specific floor in the tower only meant for parties and boy, was it all glitz and glamour.

Hundred dollars worth of wine. 

Fancy decorations. 

Wealthy and famous faces.

A band that looks more like an orchestra than an actual band.

Top it all off with the well-respected agents and world-famous heroes? 

It is that party. The place just screamed expensive.  

The first half of it, everyone was still dancing gracefully. Conversations were classy. Music was still soft, almost solemn as a violinist performed a solo. 

When people started to lessen and the room was left with more familiar agents and established team turned family, the heroes started to let loose.

Thor unveiled his Asgardian Mead that made the super soldiers (and Sam, who was insisting that he can beat the two enhanced men in a drinking game) yell out with excitement.  

Rhodey was telling stories to the unamused Science Bros.

Clint was having a what looks like a deep conversation with Vision.

Peter, who is obviously still not allowed anywhere near the drinks, was having an animated talk with Scott who looks like he brought nothing in this party but his dance moves.  

You also let go and waved your body in the rhythm of some kind of dance song with Pepper, Wanda and Nat as you gossiped and exchanged stories that enabled you to get to know the team more.  

A little close to midnight, you finally took a seat with the girls and noticed that half of the men were down. The Avengers are now left alone in the hall.

Sam was all over one of the couches.  

Rhodey was sleeping on the floor a few steps away from said couch.  

Bruce, you assumed, was back in his room like the rational and responsible man he is. It still amuses you how opposite he is with his green counterpart.

Tony was somehow rambling at Friday.

Thor was laughing with Steve. You were willing to bet that they are probably tipsy by now.  

Peter and Scott are singing karaoke at the platform where the violinist once stood.  

Clint was nowhere to be found.  

A little while later, Vision excused Wanda, saying that they have a “valuable matter to converse about.”

A few more glasses of margarita and Nat tapped out to look for Clint.  

The dance floor emptied as Peter and Scott finally took off the stage and Friday played a slow dance song to wrap up the night.  

It's hard for me to say the things I want to say sometimes There's no one here but you and me And that broken old street light

You closed your eyes and smiled as you rest your system from alcohol, taking the song in.  

Lock the doors We'll leave the world outside All I've got to give to you Are these five words tonight

A man clearing his throat prompted you to open your eyes. A rather flushed Bucky stood before you, smiling sweetly. "Are you okay?" He asked, still standing.  

You nodded and tapped the empty seat beside you.  

He shook his head and pouted, which caused you to snicker.

He's definitely tipsy.  

Maybe drunk.  

Adorable nonetheless.  

He then laid his palm out. "Do you think you can dance with me?" He looked at you with those steel blue eyes.

You knew you're probably a sip away from totally losing it. Your head feels too light for your liking. Your insides are churning. Your world is turning.

You're definitely going to have a hangover when you wake up.

Basically, you are not in your best shape but there is no way you are rejecting the charming lad who was still waiting for your answer.  

You stood up and grabbed his hand. He put a hand on your waist as you almost tumbled. You giggled at your own clumsiness but followed him as Bucky led you at the center of the room.  

Bucky carefully put his arms on your waist, studying your reaction.  

As he felt you lean to his touch, his hold tightens. You then put your arms around his neck

I never knew I had a dream Until that dream was you When I look into your eyes The sky's a different blue Cross my heart I wear no disguise If I tried, you'd make believe That you believed my lies

"I don't know if you will remember this tomorrow but I just want to say this. Thank you," he whispered, looking straight to your soul.  

Your faces were maybe a little too close for two people who knew each other for only a couple of weeks but you felt comfortable under his touch. You continued to stay silent as you both swayed to the song.  

You pick me up when I fall down You ring the bell before they count me out If I was drowning you would part the sea And risk your own life to rescue me

Your silence urged him to continue. "I don't know what it is about you- how, but the moment I met you, you brought me comfort, ease. Maybe because you were one of the few people who didn't look at me like- like... well like how everyone else does. Like I-" He sighed. "I- I'm sorry this is hard for me."

You smiled and hugged him, suddenly wanting more of his warmth. "I understand, Bucky," you whispered. "You don't have to say it out loud. I understand. I hear you."  

You didn’t have the exact words to he wants to say and what it is between the two of you but you know that you did not have to hear it.  

You felt it.  

You felt him smile as you both continued to sway.  

He pulled away and before your brows could meet, his beaming face met your eyes. He smiled widely- the widest you've seen it so far. He led you and twirled you.  

Lock the doors We'll leave the world outside All I've got to give to you Are these five words tonight

You giggled at how ungracefully you did but Bucky's warmth as he held you in his arms again made it seem like that didn’t matter.  

Bucky then raised your left hand to his lips using his metal arm, the same way he did when you two first met. He kissed it tenderly, closing his eyes as he did.  

You smiled at him sweetly and wished to all the gods that time would stand still. You prayed that this moment, no matter how drunk you are, would be something that will forever be etched in your mind.  

Because that was the first moment that you felt your heart beat differently for the brown-haired, blue-eyed man before you.

When I couldn't fly Oh, you gave me wings You parted my lips When I couldn't breathe Thank you for loving me

[bowiebond]

All superheroes are neurodivergent, and I refuse to believe otherwises. In fact, I will list some of the Marvel heroes I headcanon as ND

Scott Lang: ADHD. He jumps from fixation to fixation, his reoccurring hyperfixation being magic, he speaks out of turn and usually off topic to whatever is currently going on, has poor time management and is impulsive. He also had a strong moral code and will do what he feels is best, ie stealing from the rich. Luis and him get along so well because they’re brains are wired similarly, I’m just saying 👀

Tony Stark: ADHD/AUSTISM. This one is just as obvious as Scott. His special interest is science, he has poor social skills outside of what he’s adopted from others (masking in the form of sunglasses and a celebrity attitude), he doesn’t get social cues, is abrupt and interrupts others when hyperfocused and is know to be very impulsive. He has emotional outbursts when overwhelmed/overstimulated (though he deals with understimulation a lot too IMO), not good with empathising but is shown he can sympathise with others and even show them compassion if he’s close to them. Again, strong sense of justice that fits his own definition (deciding that he should be held responsible for his mistakes in making weapons, Ultron and Sokovia, etc).

Steve Rogers: AUTISM. Strong sense of justice, emotional outbursts, stretchy fabric/layers to avoid oversensitivity 👀, special interests were art and maybe even war/fighting, hard time making friends growing up, relates to others with his own stories when comforting people because that’s the only way he knows how, when he’s not interested in a task he will just leave without justifying it (ie the science exbo) which makes him appear arrogant (and Bucky seems used to Steve just randomly wandering off, probably cause Steve’s done it all throughout their friendship).

Bucky Barnes: ADHD. Poor time management, oversharing, bad with tones (his own and others), always seems confused because he’s almost never paying attention to a situation but instead is instead three topics ahead in his own mind, his hyperfixation in the 40’s in fantasy novels and science (specially mechanics) and he regains those fixations post-HYDRA but catching up on modern day fantasy media & boat mechanics. Makes notes of everything so he doesn’t forget anything, makes impulsive decisions all the time (freeing Zemo, asking Wakanda for new wings, moving in with Sam, etc) and has a (un)healthy dose of rejection sensitivity dysphoria.

Sam Wilson: AUTISM. Sam is the ultimate masker but this man has ASD and no one can tell me otherwise. He hates changes to his routine without his consent (ie unable to get rid of the boat, jogs every morning, etc), his special interest is technical engineering (his wings & Redwing), he often jokes at inappropriate times & refuses to apologise unless he feels he was in the wrong. Strong sense of justice, emotionally shuts down when stressed, has many casual friends but very few close friends because he finds it hard to connect with people (he connects with Nat, Steve & Bucky cause they’re all ND, duh).

Natasha Romanoff: AUTISM. Growing up in the red room forced her to be an expert at masking, but whenever she doesn’t seem to be acting ‘appropriately’, she’s shown to be uncaring of social cues, burns out easily, and thrives off routine. Her special interest was probably ballet for a long time before it was ruined for her. She wears tight clothes because she doesn’t like baggy outfits that will brush against her when she’s not expecting it and keeps her hair red because it’s her one constant that makes her feel comfortable and gives her something to focus on when she’s overwhelmed.

Peter Parker: ADHD/AUTISM. Do I really need to explain this one? I feel it’s overly on the nose. Hyperactive, special interest is spiderman, hyperfixation is science and pop culture, socially awkward and talks a little too fast for everyone else to catch up with. He’s the ADHD/ASD combo that slots right in under the wing of Tony.

James Rhodes: AUTISM. Come on. Come on. I just,,, he’s best friends with Tony Stark. He’s wanted to be in the Air Force since he was a kid, he went to MIT and has a Masters in the science of Aerospace Engineering. He’s the voice of reason and always thinks of the obvious conclusions without thought to the moral implications (ie killing baby Thanos) or the emotional process of others (ie Steve crashing into the ocean instead of jumping out of the plane). He’s stubborn and rarely yields to others opinions, even if it puts him under social scrutiny. He spends months looking for Tony when most would assume he was dead (and Rhodey has been shown to be very rational and level headed in everything else) because, honestly, I think Tony is his favourite person.

Bruce Banner: AUTISM. Bad with socialising, off in his own world half the time, ahead of conversations, heavy dose of RSD, jumps to conclusions because he interrupts others, emotional outbursts, special interest in physics (though he does have six other PHDs), etc. I’m also pretty sure he had DID as a kid (Hulk was his alter).

Thor: ADHD. Impulsive, doesn’t like change, poor time management, bouts of depression & anxiety, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, interrupts others, seems dumber than he is due to having no filter from brain to mouth, comfort item is his hammer, personally I think he hyperfixates on Jane Foster because she’s the first human he’s really met which is why the eventual break up isn’t as painful as say Tony’s break with Pepper.

Peter Quill: ADHD. Look I could explain this one, but it’s just his whole vibe. The obsession with old school music and film, the impulsive behaviour, the way he interacts with others, he just gives the vibe.

DC BONUS

BATMAN: AUTISM. Special interest is bats, self isolates, doesn’t get along with others because he’s socially awkward, his mask is Bruce Wayne, lives by a strict moral code, blah blah blah HES OBVIOUSLY AUTISTIC (and so are all the robins send tweet)

Reblog with your own superhero ND headcanons!!

[yourmcu]

Birthday

Pairings: The Avengers x  reader

Summary:

It’s your birthday and the team gets creative on how to surprise you, putting their acting skills to the test.

Word count: 2,350

A/n: just a little something because,, well,, it’s my birthday *runs away* also it’s cheesy, hopefully it makes sense lmao

Warnings: uhhh brief mention of explosion? mostly fluff

The Avengers wanted to get creative for your birthday this year. For the few years they've known you they picked up on things about you. One, you paid no mind to your birthday at all and just considered it a normal day like the rest of the 365, Tony took note that you hated parties, at least the really big ones, something that involved only the team would be good.

Okay, you sound like a party pooper, but that isn't the case; it's not a crime to just... not want to have a grand celebration, right? And people singing the 'happy birthday' song to you too while you just sit there in silence. It's awkward, you once told Natasha. It’s also awkward and hard for you to receive presents even though that’s what birthdays are all about, you’re still getting used to it since you knew someone like Tony Stark.

Well, the team think you're an amazing friend and they all treat you like family. They're so glad they met someone like you.

You're immediately called to the conference room on that day. Only to find the team arguing and pointing fingers at one another.

You kinda just slot in, sitting on the chair you usually sit on whenever there's a meeting or mission briefing. Glancing around, you try and find out what they're fighting about.

Security. Suits. Brief mention of Ultron. Rhodey busying himself with phones, probably making a lot of calls. Natasha and Clint talking among themselves, only raising their voice whenever they're included in the conversation which mainly consisted of Tony and Steve arguing.

"Suit up, get the jet ready." Steve dismisses but before he could walk out himself you raise your hand.

"Hey, sorry, I just woke up," you say sheepishly but coolly at the same time. "What happened, is everyone supposed to go? Can I read the file?" Because if this is an Avengers-level threat that required everyone, you'd want to know all about it.

His sharp and expression softens slightly when he looks at you. "No file, I'm afraid. Some of the compound's security protocols have been compromised, someone hacked in." He proceeds to tell you how they particularly had interest in Bruce and Tony's lab so the other rooms were untouched.

Apparently, they took blueprints and materials, maybe a handful of Tony's suits.

But if you think about it, those two carelessly letting the security to their lab loose? Highly unlikely...

You push the thought to the back of your mind and nod when Steve tells you to get ready. Stark tech can be dangerous in the wrong hands, after all. Let alone the Iron Man suits.

Fortunately, those things have trackers. Leaving you to wonder again why those idiots don't even try and take them off so they won't tracked?

Sat on the floor of the jet while everyone was strangely quiet but once again you didn't pay any mind, you sharpen a few of your knives. Natasha sat on a stool near you, idly picking her nails. An hour into the flight you furrow your brows and look around.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Yes," Tony states quickly and a matter-of-factly. They all share glances before he continued. "It's the tension. Sorry. My fault."

"It's not your fault, Tony," Bruce starts.

"I'm sorry, to whom were those stolen suits again?" Steve speaks up as well and you could tell it's gonna be a full blown argument again.

"Now hold on just a second-" Tony faces the super soldier to counter.

You merely blink, not expecting a simple question to turn out like this. Clint just glances from the pilot's seat and Natasha almost cracks a smile by the look of your face. If only you knew it was all fake, all planned. But what does she know? You're a spy too, maybe you've figured out what they're up to and decided to play along.

Sad to say you're still oblivious. Maybe the fact that you only slept three hours last night is one case. You wanted nothing more than your bed right now.

Heck, not one of them wished you a happy birthday but you didn't notice at all.

Tuning out their bickering you sit down next to Natasha who's the only one not in the argument.

"I haven't seen Wanda all day," you say and she turns her head to face you. "Or Sam, or Bucky."

"Probably not back from their mission." Natasha answers promptly.

You frown at that. "Steve made this sound like an Avengers-level threat, and it is, shouldn't they be here?"

You don't wait for a response, opening up a globe-shaped hologram that shows where the jet, represented by a blinking dot. Your eyes slightly widen when you see the target location which is one of the places you've been dying to visit your whole life.

Maybe it's just a coincidence. You definitely didn't expect to visit it for the first time on a mission though.

Natasha clears her throat. "Hey, have you read the book I gave you?" She subtly closes the globe up when she catches your attention.

You shake your head bashfully. "You know I'm a slow reader. Give me two months then I'll come back to you." You laugh. Natasha smiles and tells you to take your time. "Have you read the book I gave you?"

"I loved it."

"I knew you would!" You say excitedly and the next few moments you discuss about the specific book. She's just glad you didn't ask any further questions about the location.

--

All of you split up once you reach the base but Rhodey and Bruce stay in the jet as backup. The place reminded you so much of the old Avengers tower, only with darker themes. You're paired with Clint who you follow to the side of the building, with surprisingly no cautiousness. He just... ran in, entrance deserted of guards.

You all had a digital, tech checklist to see what was stolen including all the suit names. So far you've searched two drawers now and still no sign of any agent or guard. But it's weird since the others are clearly doing their part on their floors. Thuds, footsteps and sometimes banging sounds could be heard all around.

“Finally," you mutter when you hear footsteps behind you, spinning around so suddenly to surprise your enemy and take him down with ease. You raise an eyebrow when they don't put up a fight at all.

Clint was in front of a computer when you peek in to one of the rooms but he waves you off. "I'll meet you on the next floor. This'll take a second."

"One suit on the roof!" you hear Steve grunt through your earpiece.

"Remember to remove the arc reactor, that'll shut them down for sure." Bruce reminds through everyone's comms.

You hear Tony let out a noise. "Might have a problem with that, Banner, they're all reprogrammed."

Expecting the man with seven Ph. D's to worry, it only took him a minute to respond back. "It's your tech. I don't believe they could do that completely especially having them for only twelve hours."

"In that case," Tony sighs. "There should be a kill switch under one of their reactors."

"Which one?" Natasha grunts.

The deafening silence from Tony's line explains it.

You fight your way though the thugs which again, don't put up a fight. Sometimes you throw one punch and they're out cold, leading you to believe the intense training Bucky insisted you do worked. The only tough ones were the Iron Man suits themselves.

Ripping out the arc reactors wasn't easy. You had to use all you force. On the second one you encounter it got the upper hand and blasts you through a wall, the impact sending sharp pain to your head and back.

You hear metal thumping of a suit so you get back up and attempt to get your hands on the Iron Man in front of you.

"Hey, hey. Same team. Look," Tony grips on your wrists and lifts his mask up. "You alright?"

“Yeah," you pant, relaxing a bit. "Yeah. One of them got m-"

"We just discovered a bomb, northwest," Clint says. By ‘we’ he means him and Natasha. The redhead speaks right after. “Two and a half minutes. How many suits left, Friday?”

"Only one more suit is fully functional."

You get out of Tony's hold and sprint up the stairs. "I got it."

He smiles to himself. The plan is all coming  to place.

As soon as you enter the room you dodge a blast from the much bulkier Mark XVI. Of course they'd want to make the stealth suit more powerful. You launch yourself towards it, stomping on an arm while trying to dodge blasts from the the other one.

"Y/N! Fifty seconds!" Steve shouts in your earpiece.

You could've just jumped out, leaving the compromised suits here to be blown up but being under pressure made you panic and set your only goal to find the switch.

The suit could still set off a blast from the arc reactor so you couldn't really get your hands on it without losing a freaking arm.

"Get out of there!”

But you didn’t have enough time. So you just curl into a ball against the wall, accepting your fate.

A pop did go off. Loud, but you didn't feel yourself torn into pieces right after. You also heard a bunch of aye’s and oh’s. Redwing whirs by to your head to drop off a birthday hat.

"Happy Birthday!”

Your eyes fly open. Turns out the only thing inside Mark XVI was confetti. Natasha walks over to you to inspect and make sure you're alright.

"What the hell?" Your eyes widen at her, then at everyone. Sam and Bucky were now standing with them, smiling at you amused.

"I think she's in shock.”

“You think?”

Steve glares at Tony with a hint of amusement. "I told you it would be too much."

"Trust me she prefers something like this instead of a big party. Don't you, Y/N?"

"What do you mean?" You take off the hat and clutch it between your hands, appreciating Natasha rubbing your back as you try to collect yourself. "How is none of this real?"

"We basically faked a mission for you." Rhodey says.

You look around all the rubble. "This building, the people, suits-"

"Bought the place," Tony states. "Hired stuntmen, did a few tweaks on the suits...”

"God, why would you do that?" You bury your face in your hands, not knowing if you should be laughing or crying. "I punched those guys!"

"They'll be fine, they signed up for it."

You gently get up and brush off some confetti off your knees.

"But back at the compound... you guys were yelling at each other and during the whole thing you all sounded serious," you point out. "Was that all part of the act?"

Especially when that 'bomb' was about to go off. Steve's panicked voice made you scared for your life, only to know that it was all fake.

They all show signs of agreement, laughing.

"We'd make such great actors." Natasha smirks.

"Alright, the cake isn't going to blow itself." Clint walks up to you with said cake and you meet him halfway.

Everyone gathers around and before they could inhale to sing the stupid song, you cut them off. "You all know I hate to be sung at. Can we just get this over with?"

They all burst out laughing, you giggle in the process, blowing out your candle. You all group hug right after. The laughter makes you miss the sound of faint thunder outside.

"Look who's late." Bruce points out.

"Yes, I got here as soon as I can, my apologies." Thor smiles sheepishly.

Your ears perk up at the all too familiar voice of the god of thunder. Moving everyone of the way, you leap to hug him. "Thor!"

"Happy birthday, dearest Y/N." He grins and pats you on the head. "I'm afraid my - I mean - our gift, is with Loki at the moment."

"Enough with the formality, I’m just glad you’re here.”

Peter rings up Tony to tell him everything's set up at the huge building they rented for your low-key party. Just the Avengers. Peter, Vision and Wanda were in charge of setting things up over there, from decorations and food. Sam and Bucky also helped a bit before they arrived at the fake base.

So you all get into the jet again, this time you look at the windows in awe to see what the city's like. You also asked a bunch of questions on how they pulled something stupid but unique fake mission like that.

Once you've reached your destination, the place was simple yet big enough to fit everyone. Tony really took notes for this year. You didn't like anything too fancy or elegant, and you didn't like huge-ass parties with hundreds of people you've never met before.

Here you're with your family eating, drinking booze and playing games, generally having a good time.

You give the other five Avengers big hugs. Vision's never usually a hugger but for you he made an exception just for today. Everyone was surprised when he lifted you off your feet and spun you around.

"Hugging has a lot of good benefits," Vision says when he lets you go. "Astounding, I know. It is recommended eight times a day, hopefully you've already gotten that much."

You giggle at his remark and Wanda rolls her eyes playfully. “Thank you, Vision.”

“Splendid, that means I don’t have to give you one.”

You turn around to see the god of mischief himself carefully hand you a wrapped box. Loki chuckles when you smile at him. “Happiest Birthday.”

“Loki.... you know you and Thor didn’t have to-”

“Thor? That one’s from me. I assure you.”

“Y/N!” You hear Tony call from the other side of the room. “It’s time for presents, little miss. Good lord this looks like Christmas morning.”

-

unfortunatley i am that extra to post a birthday fic woo hoo

[nothoughtsonlynat]

Resurrect Me (N.R.)

Warnings: swearing; death; Hell/the Underworld; cliff jumping lol

Word Count≈ 3.1k (yikes lol my bad)

Hecate一 the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon, ghosts, and necromancy. Known to be an intricate mosaic of good and evil, destruction and beauty. Capable of granting wishes, summoning the dead, resurrections, teleportation, warping realities on unfathomable scales, mind control, energy manipulation, and any sorcery or magic known to the Gods. Second only to Zeus himself.

I am the human embodiment of Hecate. I am not Hecate; she merely resides in the depths of my soul and provides me guidance. We do not communicate through words; she speaks through dreams and gut feelings, and sometimes even through signs in the outside world. I have not mastered the powers she’s granted me, nor have I reached my full potential. In addition to the Goddess’ powers, I hold the basic Olympian powers, such as superhuman speed and stamina. I have no recollection of how I merged with Hecate or the life I lived before this point, and she has provided me with no answers, but I do not question her motives. 

Agent Phil Coulson came across me in my temple in Turkey. Apparently, he had discovered strange energy readings coming from the temple. When he arrived, I used the power of energy manipulation to blow the concrete off of me, and that is the first thing I remember一 emerging from underneath Hecate’s temple.

I joined the Avengers during the Battle of New York. Agent Coulson had recommended me to Fury when he was piecing together the Avengers Initiative. In the three years between my awakening and the invasion, I practiced my sorcery mercilessly and studied Hecate deep in the Greek countryside. I’ve stuck with the Avengers throughout the years, fighting every battle alongside them. Through the ups and downs, I’ve fallen head over heels for Natasha Romanoff. One would assume that with so much power, I’d be confident and have any mortal begging at my feet. That couldn’t be any more inaccurate, however. As I’ve said, I am not Hecate; I am simply the human embodiment of the goddess. And as a human, I turn into a blushing, stuttering mess whenever the levelheaded assassin is near. Consequently, there have been many years of pining, but I’ve yet to muster up the courage to ask the woman on a date.

In our most recent war, we’ve gone up against a mad titan一 Thanos. We lost terribly. Half of all living things inhabiting the universe were snapped away. I can’t help but ponder whether things would’ve gone differently if I had better mastered my powers. I potentially hold all the capabilities of the goddess of magic; aside from Zeus, I hold more power than any being to ever exist. I’ve practiced my sorcery every day for the past five years on the off chance that we ever get a rematch一 a chance to bring everyone back. I’ve improved significantly, but Hecate has been oddly quiet for the past few years. It’s driving me crazy. I know she’s still there, but she hardly provides an ounce of guidance.

And so, that is where I find myself now一 practicing sorcery in the room specifically designed to isolate me when I use dark magic. Everyone who has access to the training section of the compound knows that they should never enter this room. It is far too dangerous for regular mortals. As I warp the room’s reality, a dark mist envelops me. When it clears, the room has changed into a 50s ballroom. I look down to see an elegant maroon ball gown covering my body, and I scan the empty area. I hear a pair of heels clicking toward me, and I spin around, already panicking. In order for someone to be here with me, they would have to be an inhabitant of the location’s true reality. My eyes land upon the woman I’ve grown to love, dressed up for the event. She is wearing an extravagant light blue ball gown, and her hair is carefully done up. 

“Natasha? What are you doing here?”

“Why I came to dance with you, of course.” She steps closer and drapes her arms around my neck, swaying to the nonexistent music. Stay calm. Don’t panic. There’s no way I’m making her do this. I’m not even doing anything! Of course I’m the one making her do this, who else would it be?! Breathe in. Breathe out. My powers don’t control me. I control them. Just breathe. I can do this. I know how to do this.

As I focus on the magic coursing through my veins, a black mist envelops us, and the room returns to its original form一 a basic training room with black padded walls. I immediately take a large step back from Natasha.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Natasha?! You know you can’t come in here! I could’ve seriously hurt you!”

“I...I’m sorry. I thought you’d just be moving shit with your mind. I didn’t realize you could do...that, whatever that was.”

“That was reality manipulation. I didn’t know you were here and I don’t have full control of it, so you got caught up in it. Are you okay? Do you remember it?”

“Yeah, I remember it clear as day. I was still me and I was still in control, it was just...different, I guess.”

“Well, I literally warped your reality, so even if you felt in control, you might not have been.”

“You stopped it, though. I remember when that seemed impossible. You’re getting better.”

“Thanks, I guess.” I awkwardly scratch the back of my neck. “What did you come in here for in the first place?”

“This is gonna sound crazy, but Scott Lang is here. We might have a way to bring everybody back.”

“Wait, what? Holy shit. It’s happening. Okay, come on then!” I eagerly walk past her, grabbing her hand as I pass her, and we leave my training room. I realize that I’m still holding her hand as we make it to the meeting room, and I immediately drop it, clearing my throat. If I wasn’t so familiar with the sensation, then I would swear that my ears and cheeks are on fire.

<//>

We all step onto the platform in matching white and red time-travel suits. “We’re really doing this?”

“Hell yeah, we’re doing this,” Clint answers.

“Alright, then. We bring everybody back,” I say with determination. “Whatever it takes,” Steve adds.

“See you in a minute,” Natasha adds with a smirk. Before I can appreciate how beautiful she looks with the glimmer of hope in her eyes, we’re flying through a flurry of colors. Nebula, Natasha, Rhodey, Clint, and I land on Morag. We all say our respective goodbyes before Nat, Clint, and I get on a jet to head to Vormir.

<//>

“A soul for a soul.”

“What? That’s insane. Look, no offense, Mr. Bloody Tampon, but why should we just trust what you’re saying? Because you know their fathers’ names?”

“I didn’t.” I looked into Natasha’s eyes as she spoke and I instantly wish that I could replace the dull sadness with the bright hope that had filled them before.

“He doesn’t know my father’s name. If he’s some mystical being, then why can’t he tell me that?” I turned to face him as I asked the question.

“I’m afraid you are a mystery. I am meant to know everything about any being who seeks the stone, but I know nothing of your identity.”

“Hm. Seems like a load of bullshit to me,” I deadpanned.

“We need to do this. We need to bring everyone back. I’ve spent the past five years trying to reverse the snap, and now I finally know how to fix it. Let me do it.” As Natasha spoke, she grabbed both of my hands in hers.

“And I’ve spent every day for the past five years training to do this. I wasn’t just practicing sorcery and talking to dead people for fun, Nat. All I wanted was to do better一 to fix this. If anyone is jumping off that cliff, it’s gonna be me.”

“No. Absolutely not. Neither of you is dying for that stone. I’ve done horrible things these past few years. I’ve killed...so many people. It should be me,” Clint says, and Natasha and I turn to face him, but one of her hands remains in mine.

“No way in hell, Clint. And not you either, Nat. Both of you guys have families. You’re not sacrificing yourselves. I won’t let you. And you can’t stop me even if you try.” Nat gives me a questioning look as I mention her family and I speak in her head ‘I know about them, Nat. And they need you. She needs her big sister.’

“What are you saying?” I can hear the anxiety lacing Nat’s words, and it causes a pit to form in my stomach.

“I think you know what I’m saying, Natty.” 

“Then you don’t leave me much of a choice.” She shoots a Widow’s Bite toward me, but I stop it using energy manipulation without even having to lift a finger.

“You can’t beat me, Nat. Please, don’t fight me on this.”

“I call bullshit.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Clint running toward the edge while we’re distracted, and I teleport in front of him, throwing him backward. I use mind control to force him to stay down. I sense Natasha running toward the edge behind me, and I teleport in front of her. I use energy manipulation to keep her in place, and I grab onto her biceps.

“I’m really sorry, Nat. I hate that I’m doing this to you, but I can’t let you throw yourself off a cliff for some stupid stone. Your life is worth so much more than that. You’re an amazing person, and your ledger was cleared of its red so long ago. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”

“This is sounding an awful lot like a goodbye.”

“You can be sarcastic all you want, but I’m not walking out of this one, Natty.”

“Don’t do this. The team needs you.”

“No, they don’t, Nat, and we both know it. They need you.”

“And what if I need you?!”

“Well if that’s the case, you’ll figure it out, just like you always do. Don’t let something like this hold you back. Goodbye, Natasha Romanoff.” I kiss her cheek before turning around. I start walking towards the edge, but it quickly turns into a sprinting pace as I hear Nat screaming for me to stop. Just before I reach the edge, I lift the mind control from Clint and I release Nat, just in case it doesn’t automatically lift when I die. I push myself off the cliff, turning mid-jump so I’m not facing the ground. As I’m falling through the air, I see Clint holding Nat in his arms as her screams fill my ears. I hit the ground and everything goes black.

<//>

“Hello, y/n. It’s good to see you again.” I sat up and一 what the hell is that smell? “Ah, yes. That would be burning flesh. Welcome to Hell, darling.”

“Uh...what? Who are you?”

“Yes, I suppose I should explain, hm? I am Hecate, Goddess of一”

“Yeah, I know what you’re the goddess of. How did I get here?”

“I thought you were smarter than this. You died, obviously.”

“And went to Hell? Damn.”

“Oh, relax. Hell isn’t what the mortals think it is. This is the Underworld. All of the dead reside here. The bad people get punished, the good people don’t. Simple as that. We don’t have a lot of time, so I need to explain. I am cursed; I cannot leave the Underworld. However, my human embodiment can, and that is where you come into play. You hold all my power, and I can see you’ve been practicing, but you’ve never lived up to your full potential.”

“Hey! Rude!”

“Don’t interrupt. I didn’t allow you to live up to your full potential, not until we met, anyway.”

“And I had to die in order for that to happen?”

“Yes. I’m giving you all of my power, but I can still stop you if I ever need to. I know you don’t want to risk hurting the people you love, especially the redhead, but you need to trust yourself. Trust your powers. Have a little faith. You are a goddess, remember. Don’t let people forget it. That purple thumb is nothing compared to you, even with his colorful rocks. Your family needs you now. You must help them.”

“That’s it? Why do they need help? How will I know what to do?”

“I will always be there to help you, Y/N. You can handle this. This is nothing. You are part of me, just as I am part of you. You are my daughter, after all. I should know your capabilities better than anyone.”

“Wait, daughter?!”

“Oh, did I forget to mention that part? Oh well, it doesn’t matter right now, anyway. You need to go.”

“Go where?”

“Home, darling.” 

The earth above us cracks open and I can hear faint sounds of fighting on the surface. I look at Hecate as she nods. Before I even realize I’m doing it, black mist surrounds my body and lifts me through the crack. I step out of the mist onto the ground and a staff appears in my right hand. I tap it once on the ground and my white suit is replaced by an all-black leather outfit that’s definitely made for a goddess. I smirk and make eye contact with the titan across the battlefield. His sickly creatures race toward me as they notice the new threat on the field. I summon an army of ghouls from the cracks in the earth. As the aliens and the undead clash, I teleport in front of Thanos.

“And who might you be, dear?” He acts confident, but I can sense his fear.

“I am Y/N, daughter of Hecate.” He tilts his head in a questioning manner. “Oh, did someone not study mythology? Hm, then let’s be blunt, shall we? I’m a goddess, ass-chin.” I throw my staff at his throat, but he catches it. He moves to swing his large sword at me, but I capture his arm in black mist. When he tries to move the other arm, I restrain that one, as well. “Well, that surely can’t be all you’ve got, hm? Pity, I thought it’d be more exciting than that.” If I were to look in a mirror at that moment, I would’ve noticed my ghostly pale skin, black eyes, and the raw power spreading through my veins like a black road-map.

“It’s not over yet, my dear child.” Before I can question the meaning of his words, an alien tosses him the gauntlet. It slides on his exposed hand, but I hold it open with dark magic. I look around and notice that the army of the undead is nowhere to be seen. My teammates are pinned down, even with the help of those who were snapped. There is a feeling in my gut and a voice in my head that tells me what I must do. I pull the gauntlet off his hand with black mist and slide my hand inside. I feel the power surging into my body. “What are you doing? That power will kill you!” Thanos sounds truly desperate.

“That’s cute. Truly, it is, but you can’t kill someone who’s already dead.” I close my hand and snap my fingers. His army fades to dust and he slumps to the ground before floating away with them. I drop the gauntlet to the ground and look around. Natasha runs toward me and throws her arms around my neck in a firm hug.

“Wha一what happened to you? How are you here? I thought you died!”

I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder before saying, “I did die. I am dead.”

She pulls away and looks at me from head to toe. “Well that explains why you’re so damn pale, but now I have so many more questions.”

“I am Hecate’s daughter, so I am technically a goddess, like her. I’m not sure if I was technically resurrected or not, but I can probably一”

She cut me off with a gentle yet passionate kiss. She pulls away and searches my eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” she admits.

“Me too,” I breathe out.

“Yeah, I picked up on that. You’re not very discrete.” I laughed and a smirk spread across her face. “As sexy as this whole ‘powerful goddess’ thing is, am I going to get the old you back? You know, the one who blushes whenever I look at her? The one who’s, like, alive?”

I smile at her and glance down at her lips as a thick black mist appears behind me. I step backward into it as her face morphs into a look of confusion. She disappears from sight as a wall of black fills my vision, and a surge of power spreads throughout my body. I fall to my knees and the black cloud disappears. Natasha rushes over and kneels in front of me. “Are you okay? What the hell was that?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I’m alive again.” I lift my head and meet her eyes.

“Your skin isn’t crazy pale anymore, and your eyes are their normal color again.”

“Sweet.”

“Cool.”

We both crack up and I lean my forehead against hers as our laughter fades.

Tony interrupts our moment of peace. “This is all good and dandy, but does someone wanna explain what the hell just happened?”

I raise my head and look at my teammates一 my family. “I kicked the purple thumb’s ass. That’s what happened.” I can feel a warm presence in my heart, and I know that my mother is with me.

“Yes, yes, I noticed. I also noticed a bunch of demons. Care to explain that one?”

“They weren’t demons...they were just...the souls...of dead people. I can summon the dead. You knew that.”

“Uh, I definitely didn’t know that.” I laugh and shake my head at the eccentric man. 

I stand up, pulling Natasha with me, and bring her into another embrace. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Natty,” I whisper in her ear before pressing a delicate kiss to her temple.

A/N: I literally had this completely finished and edited over a month ago and I hadn’t posted it yet soooooo... idk here it is

[wandaromanova]

“And I... Am...” [2]

A Natasha Romanoff x Gn!Avenger!Reader story

warnings: fighting, little bit of violence, angst, death (let me know if i should add any!)

A/N: Ahhh, here’s the final part of this very brief series. i hope you all enjoy and if anyone would like me to write something else my asks are open. thank you for reading! <3

tagging: @username23345

summary: 5 years ago, the avengers lost. half the world may have been taken away, but Y/N’s entire world faded to nothing in their arms. they would do anything to bring everyone back, most especially the love of their life. whatever it takes.

Part 1

Word Count: 3.7K words

(gif is not mine)

5 years. 5 years without seeing her bright, pearly white smile. 5 years without her sarcastic comments and snarky remarks. 5 years without her messy red hair sprawled across her pillow as she sleeps peacefully beside you. 5 years without her warm hugs as her lavender scented perfume invades your senses. 5 years without long nights of cuddling in each other’s arms as you watched the cheesy romcoms of your choice. 5 years without waking up to her playfully kissing your face. 5 years without her standing by your side during missions. 5 years without your little dinner dates that you both decided to go on whenever you both had the time. 5 years without her teasing kisses against your neck that made you laugh as hard as ever before. 5 long, long years without Natasha Romanoff.

Everyday without her was agonizingly slow. Every part of your shared apartment a constant reminder of your failure. Your failure to protect the world, the failure of protecting your world. Natasha always ensured your safety and protection when you needed her most, and the time she needed you; you astronomically failed her. Your heart ached every night as you fell asleep, even more so in the mornings. The mornings were the worst as you would reach over to her side of the bed, expecting to feel her peaceful form breathing steadily next to you, but you are only met with the cold white sheets of your once shared bed. The cold sheets a heartbreaking contrast to her warm body.

You didn’t get a single night of uninterrupted rest, as the memory of Natasha fading to nothing in your arms would replay over and over like a song stuck in your head. You cried the first time you returned home on that fateful day. The walls of your apartment holding the memories of happier times, when she was still alive. Her coffee cup that she never washed and left on the counter every morning still sitting where she left it that very day. You didn’t have the heart to move it. You didn’t dare to move any of her things, leaving them where she had placed them. You wore all of her hoodies though, as they still held her scent. However, you went through all of her hoodies quickly, her scent fading away just like she had. You considered not staying in the apartment, the memory of her making it hard to breathe within the confines of your shared space. But, you didn’t have the heart to leave it either. Leaving your home felt like leaving her, although your true home was her.

You tried to hold out hope though. Every single day you would go to the Avengers Compound and oversee any occurrences. You would communicate with any avengers that were not in New York or simply not on earth such as Captain Marvel, Rocket, Rhodes, and Okoye. You got consumed by your need to compensate for the failure that changed your life and absolutely wrecked your self-esteem. Although you were stuck in the past, some of the other avengers tried to move past it. Tony and Pepper brought a beautiful daughter named Morgan into the world, you were so happy for them, albeit a bit envious. Steve joined a support group, Clint was.... somewhere doing lord knows what. But you remained in the compound, constantly ignoring your own well-being, unable to stomach the failure and desperately trying to find something to hold out hope. However, your stubbornness was not for naught, as one day, while Steve visited you at the Compound, Scott Lang appeared at the front of the Compound. As he explained about Quantum Physics and the possibility of time travel, hope made its way back to you full force. You could all quite possibly make things right again. This spark of hope didn’t ignite within you only, but it also coursed through the remaining avengers when they were informed of the insane, but good idea of time travel.

——————————————————————————

Time travel. That’s our only hope of restoring what used to be. It sounds absolutely insane, but it’s the only option we have. Just the fact that there even is an option, is a miracle. Tony took a little bit of time to be on board with the idea, but he came around and now all the avengers stand together on the platform. Clint and Rhodey were set to go to Vormir. You, Tony, Banner, and Steve were to go to New York. Nebula went to Morag, Thor and Rocket went to Asgard while Scott stayed behind. What felt like hours for the team, was only a minute in real time. As you all made it back to the present, you looked around at the entire team. “Did we get them all?” You turn to your right and look at Banner. “You mean to tell me this actually worked?” You asked with a wide smile. Suddenly, a thud is heard to your left.

The entire team looks at Rhodes, he is soaked and it is then you notice Clint’s absence. “Rhodey? Where’s Clint?” You ask nervously. Rhodes just looks up at the team with sorrow evident in his eyes. The whole room knew what that meant as it fell silent, you dropped to your knees. You were as close to Clint as Nat was, given he was your girlfriend’s best friend. Your soul was absolutely crushed by the news, and the fact that someone would have to tell his family about his sacrifice to bring everyone back was heart crushing. However, Clint’s death only fueled the motivation to get this over with once and for all. No one had time to truly mourn as now that the team retrieved the stones, the stones just needed to be placed into the gauntlet.

However, this was not the hardest part, no. The hardest part was figuring out who should actually snap their fingers. Thor, Tony, and yourself offered to do the snap, but Banner immediately intervened. “It’s gotta be me. You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive.” He said solemnly. “How do we know you will?” You asked him seriously. “We don’t, but the radiation is mostly gamma. It’s like, I was made for this.” He finished off, and everyone in the room begrudgingly agreed. Unfortunately, before Banner could even put his hands on the gauntlet, the compound was attacked by a huge explosion, sending everyone flying in different directions, some knocked out by the impact and buried beneath rubble.

——————————————————————————

You wake up with a groan, you entire body is aching. You slowly open your eyes and take in your surrounds. You are buried beneath the concrete of the compound. The once magnificent architectural building, now a destroyed foundation. You look to your right and notice that water is flooding into the area where you, Rhodes, and Rocket are trapped. You noticed that Rocket and Rhodes are both trapped under a piece of cement and you use your powers to lift it off of them before dropping it back onto the ground with a grunt.

You speak into comms, “Is anyone there? We’re trapped and are unable to get out of here. I can hold off the water, but I can’t get us back to the surface.” Your powers are strong, but it will take a great deal of energy to get yourself, Rhodes, and Rocket out of here. You have no clue how deep you guys are below the surface. But you could at least hold off the water until someone is able to save you all. Scott replies and says “I’m on my way, I’ll get you guys.” And you mumble a “thanks” before asking another question, “How on earth did this happen?” you ask this as you use your powers to form some sort of blockade to keep the water from drowning you all. Scott suddenly appears, going back to his regular size and says “Nebula was compromised. You guys better hang onto something,” as he turns into a giant and breaks you all out of the concrete cage you were held in.

As you all return to the surface, Scott places the three of you on the ground. You take notice of the state of Steve, Tony, and Thor. They are badly beaten as Thanos cowers over them. Your eyes widen as you notice the ships approaching behind Thanos, along with his army of thousands. You, Rocket, Rhodey, (and Gamora??) together, ready to attack. You have no time to question Gamora’s sudden seeming resurrection as you notice Banner is the only one missing from the bunch, nowhere to be seen. You turn to everyone as you point at the gauntlet in Gamora’s arms and speak “Protect that gauntlet at all costs, don’t let him get to it. As soon as Banner is spotted, give it to him so he can do the snap and end this, once and for all. Understand?” Everyone nods in acknowledgement at your words.

A sense of deja vu hits you as you turn to face the impending battle. Once again you all are drastically outnumbered, you all must stand and fight against Thanos once more. The only differences being that you all are 5 years older, half of the universe’s population is gone, and Natasha is not by your side. The entire team is angered that this happened in the first place and the desire and will to defeat the mad titan is as strong as its ever been. You all failed to protect the world and your loved ones once, you all refused to lose this battle again. You all have something to fight for. You all attack and after what felt like hours of fighting Thanos’ army, you notice Scott running with the gauntlet, and your eyes widen as Thanos makes his way towards Scott. You quickly throw the enemies you were dealing with, with the flick of your hand and rush for the titan head-on.

Using your vibrant blue powers, you strike Thanos with a powerful beam of energy. Thanos tries to block himself but is a little too late as he’s sent flying back. “You took everything from me.” You say angrily and with a vengeful conviction as your eyes turn blue and your blue powers waver across your hands, levitating you a few feet off the ground. The titan stares at you as he stands and says “I don’t even know who you are.” You look at him and tilt your head, and reply with a dangerous calmness, “You will.” You then end up encasing Thanos, holding him up high in the air, your powers acting as blue hands. You squeeze him with all the strength you can conjure up and start to rip off his armor without laying a finger on him. “Rain fire!” The titan exclaimed to his servant. “But sire, our troops.” “Just do it!” Thanos screams. Unfortunately, you were so caught up in your rage that you failed to notice what Thanos was saying. You were soon knocked out with a powerful blast from a ship above you. Your grip on Thanos no more as you flew across the field and were knocked unconscious.

——————————————————————————

You wake up and groggily try to take in your surroundings. Your entire team beat to the ground. Banner, Scott, and Clint are unconscious, and the rest of the team are too weakened to move. Captain Marvel was also here, when she got here? You have no idea, but that doesn’t matter as she was knocked out as well. However, at least the giant ships and Thanos’ army had been taken out. You guys did impressively well considering how outnumbered you all were. You look away from your battered teammates beside you and you feel panic wash over you. Above you, the massive titan stands, placing the gauntlet on his hand. No. He CANNOT get that gauntlet, you think in a panic. However, your body is too weak to get up, you still try to stand with every ounce of strength that’s left in your body, but to no avail. All of a sudden, you feel a tingling sensation from your hands that you have never felt before.

You look at your hands and notice little sparks of electricity forming. This has never ever happened before, your powers are a dark blue and are more like laser beams than sparks. What is happening? As you stared at your hands, you failed to notice Mjölnir rising beside Thor. Mjölnir abruptly launches itself into your hand, and you suddenly feel a surge of electricity flow through your veins, giving you a spark of energy. The people who are still conscious are shell-shocked as they had all tried and failed to wield the mighty hammer. You yourself had even failed to lift Mjölnir all those years ago before the Ultron situation, but now here you were, worthy and determined to win this battle. As you attempt to stand once more, Thor joyfully exclaims “I knew it!” At Thor’s words, Thanos stomps on Thor, successfully knocking the Asgardian God out cold.

You rise to your feet, the only thing on your mind being that you need to bring Natasha back. You charge at Thanos, rising off the ground as your dark blue powers mixed with the lightning of mjölnir radiate off of you. You struck the titan with a powerful, concentrated hit with Mjölnir before using up the most power you ever have. You manage to do damage to Thanos, but with the gauntlet on he manages to use the stones to fight against your own powers. As he hits you, he fails to notice you exchange the gauntlet with the stones, with another gauntlet that he failed to notice lying on the ground. As your body is flung like a ragdoll across the floor, you look up as Thanos says “I... am inevitable.” And he snaps his fingers, but nothing happens. He, along with everyone else looks confused as he does this. All of them were puzzled, except for you.

You get on your knees and place the real gauntlet on. The energy so powerful as it courses through your veins, it’s an intense burn as if your blood was made of fire, pumping through every part of your body. You look around at the team, the people you have grown to love and call a family. You know that this will be the end of you, but you are content with that. What better way to go than saving the world and bringing the love of your life back? The team seems aware of your fate as well, the sadness evident on the faces of the broken down avengers. It hurt them, but they knew it had to be done. They couldn’t stop you, even if they tried. You already had the gauntlet on and you had made up your mind. After one last glance at your family, you focus back on Thanos, who stares at you in shock. A human wielding the stones, that was a sight for sore eyes. The snap almost killed Thanos the first time, imagine now? You have powers of your own, yes, but you’re still a human. You take a deep breath, your mind is racing as it is taken over by thoughts of Natasha. How you’ll never get to see her red hair and green eyes sparkle again, how you’ll never hear her raspy laugh that warms you up inside, and how you’ll never have the future you both had always wanted together. But you remind yourself that this is all for her, and that was the final push you needed to follow through with this plan.

You stare Thanos dead in the eye again as you shakily say “I... Am...” you envision Natasha and her big bright smile as you finally say “an Avenger.” And with the snap of your fingers, a bright light consumes your body and radiates across the field. All you hear is the ringing in your ears and all you can focus on is the burning of your charred body. The conscious team members gather around you, they are all speaking to you but you can’t fully hear what they’re saying. They sound far away even though they’re right in front of you. You watch as Thanos and his little servants disappear into dust, just like half of the population did 5 years ago. You release a heavy sigh of relief at the sight.

You look back to Steve who’s directly in front of you. He reaches into his pocket and dials a number, and when he turns the phone towards you, you notice the contact name; Natasha. Steve’s eyes widen as the redhead actually answers her phone, it worked. He however, tried to swallow his shock as he let’s her know that you’ll be put on the line. He doesn’t have the heart to inform her of your condition. You use every muscle in your body just to reach out for the phone and grasp it in your hand. “Hello? Y/N, baby?? Where are you?? What happened??” You smile widely at the sound of her deep, raspy voice as your eyes slowly start to close. The team panics as they try to convince you to keep your eyes open just a little longer, Natasha’s voice sounding more concerned and alarmed at the coaxing of the team. We did it, we really did it... she’s okay... it’s okay... is your final thought as your eyes close even further. The darkness is so tempting and you find yourself falling deeper and deeper into it, until you’re consumed by it. Never to see the light again.

——————————————————————————

2 weeks later

At your funeral, Nat was suspiciously devoid of emotion as the ceremony commenced. It was so weird for the team to see and they were genuinely worried. Natasha was always sure to not make her emotions known, it’s how she was trained as an assassin, but to show no emotion after losing the love of her life? Definite cause for concern. After the beautiful ceremony and burial, the team all returned to Tony’s cabin, he let the team know that there was something he needed to share with them. Tony stands before the team in his living room and places his iron man helmet on the mantle. He clears his throat before he begins, “Before the time heist, Y/N approached me and asked me a favor. They borrowed my iron man helmet and asked me to play this recording if things went south. So, this is me fulfilling their final wish.”

You appear as a hologram, sitting on a chair in your time heist suit. “So, if you’re watching this.. that means that I’m... yanno” and you make a throat slicing motion with a little laugh. You then realize that the people watching this will most likely not find humor in your little joke and immediately stop laughing. “I hope that in watching this, that means that we succeeded in bringing everyone back. It’s all we have been hoping and praying for, for the past 5 years. And I pray to God... or to Thor... that it worked out.” You actually laugh at your terrible attempt at a joke. Everyone in the room laughs at your corniness with tears in their eyes.

“If we did win, that must mean that you’re here Natasha.” You pause and take a deep breath. At the mention of the redhead, the room falls silent as Nat watches intensely, desperate to hear what you have to say to her. You proceed, your voice wavering as you were overcome with emotion, “I’m so sorry that I had to leave you so soon. I’m so sorry that we’ll never have the chance to get married and have little rascals of our own running around a little farmhouse of our own in the middle of nowhere like we always dreamt of. But, the day you left me, those 5 long years ago, a part of me left with you. And I would do anything to get you back, and I’m sure I’ve proven that to be true if you’re seeing this.” You take another break as your voice starts cracking, as Natasha finally let a tear escape.

You suddenly stand up, and move over to the camera, staring directly into it with an intense gaze. “But Nat, baby, you have to listen to me when i say that this is not the end of the world. It may feel like it, but I promise you it’s not. Those 5 years without you, I felt as though I was drowning in grief and despair, but then hope made its way into my life when Scott suddenly appeared on the steps of the compound. And I promise you that you will have hope again, not for my return, but for happiness in your life again, without me.” At your words, Natasha shakes her head furiously as silent tears steadily fall across her pale cheeks.

You giggle “I know you won’t believe me right now, but you will one day my love. You were wrong that day in Wakanda. You WILL survive this. You must move on eventually, as impossible as it sounds and as much as it kills me to say. Please do not give up on the world, don’t push everyone away, but let them in. I gave my life up so you could live yours, and I know you wouldn’t let my life go to waste.” You stop and look down at your watch. “I have to go now, if this time heist thing goes to plan, then everyone who vanished will return. God, I hope so.... I love you Natalia Alianovna Romanova.” You look down at your hands, and back up at the camera and say your final words.

“Remember...” you begin while moving closer to the helmet, “You could never lose me moya lyubov... I’m yours forever.” You smile tearily and the recording ends. Those last words were what finally did it for Natasha. All the emotion she was keeping bottled up broke loose and she had no control of the wheel of her emotions as she slammed head first into a breakdown. Natasha cried in sorrow as she mourned the possibilities that are no longer possible and screamed out in anguish for the unfulfilled promises of a happy, long life with you by her side.

The world had won, but Natasha had lost her world.

[tryingmybestpls]

From the Dining Table

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader, Sam Wilson x Reader

Summary: Sam decided to visit the Reader and her daughter in the months following Steve’s death.

Word Count: 2k

Rating: T

Warnings: a child, mentions of infertility, mentions of a miscarriage, talks of pregnancy, mentions of loss, death, feelings of loneliness, depression, grief

Y/N looked exhausted.

Sam watched from his seat at the kitchen island as she bounced the crying infant in her arms, trying to soothe little Sarah Rogers. The bundle of pink was screaming her, upset at everyone and everything. Y/N smiled at him apologetically, holding her child with one arm while the other went to work grabbing a bottle from the fridge.

"I don't know if you can tell, but I wasn't her favorite parent." Y/N tells Sam, only joking slightly as she pops the lid off the bottle with one hand. She cradles her daughter carefully before giving her the bottle, silencing her cries. A smile stretches across her face, happy that her child's cries had stopped.

Y/N had been dealt a bad hand by the universe.

Steve and Y/N had tried for years to have a baby. Both of them had desperately wanted a family, wanted some slice of normalcy in their lives. At first, in that first year they were married, it had been fun, playing that guessing game each month. They weren't seriously trying then, just letting whatever happen to happen. Then as one year turned into two, they got a little more serious about the whole thing. Both of them did everything they needed to do-they got tested to make sure everything was working right, did everything the doctor told them to do. Dozens of false positive pregnancy tests had plagued them in those first two years, constantly getting their hopes up old to rip that all away. Trying in the third year was halted by the Sokovia Accords and the team fighting each other. Y/N and Steve both thought it would be a bad idea to try to have a child while they were on the run, so they stopped their efforts. The fourth year had brought heartbreak when Y/N had actually gotten pregnant for the first time, but lost the baby before she was twelve weeks along. They tried a few times in the fifth year, months after Thanos had snapped his fingers and wiped out half of the galaxy. It had felt wrong though, to be trying to bring life into the universe when so much loss had just occurred. In the span of the five years that everyone was gone, Y/N had been told she was infertile. She just had to grin and bear it, helping Pepper and Tony take care of Morgan whenever they asked. Steve and her just sort of gave up, not wanting to deal with all of the heartache for the rest of their lives.

It was towards the end of their ninth year of marriage, their ninth year of trying to have a baby, someone smiled down upon them. As an early Christmas gift, Steve and Y/N received a positive pregnancy test. They were incredibly cautious, doing everything to the 'T' to make sure that they child would be okay. And in August, Y/N gave birth to a beautiful baby girl- Sarah Rose Rogers, named Sarah after Steve's mother. Things were great until October, when they had to fight against Thanos one last time to make things right and Steve decided he would much rather go back in time to be with Peggy, coming back an elderly man.

He died a few months later, right after his daughter turned five months old.

"How are you doing?" Sam asks quietly, not wanting to disturb the hungry child. Y/N sighed softly, looking up. She had deep dark circles under her eyes, clearly showing that she hadn't been getting much sleep. Her cheeks didn't look as full, making Sam wonder if she wasn't eating.

"I'm surviving. It's definitely difficult, trying to balance everything." Y/N replies, her eyes glancing back down at her daughter, "It's-Everything is all new to me. Most of the time I think I'm doing everything wrong."

"When was the last time you slept?" He questions, shifting on the bar stool. Sam felt guilty. Steve had asked both him and Bucky to look after his wife and child, to make sure that they were doing okay without him. Sam hadn't. He had other things to deal with-such as trying to readjust to this new world and talking to his family-so checking on Y/N had slipped his mind. Yet as he looks at her, taking in every little detail, Sam knows that he should've been calling her more, should've talked to her more.

"I can't sleep." She answers honestly, leaving out the 'without him' that was sitting on the tip of her tongue. Y/N had been so used to sleeping next to Steve that she had found it almost impossible to sleep without him. She fights the urge to yawn as she continues, "Besides, it gives me time to take care of things around the house. There's always a ton of laundry to do and I have work -"

"Woah woah hold on, you're supposed to be on leave, Y/N." Sam announces, raising an eyebrow at her. Y/N continues to feed her daughter as she glances up at him, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I'm not going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs, Sammy. I-I need to keep myself busy." Y/N replies, her voice wavering. She withholds the words that want to follow. I don't want to think about him. Sam turns his head, his eyes landing on a box sitting in the table that sat in the kitchen. A layer had dust had gathered on top of it. It probably hasn't been touched since it had been placed on top of the table. Written across the side of the box in black ink was PICTURES + RIBBON BANNERS. Things from the funeral, he realizes, left in the box to collect dust.

"Are you going to therapy? Like we talked about?" Sam questions, his voice a lot softer, like he's talking to a child. Y/N's shoulders seemed to slump and her mood starts to sour. She looks down at her daughter, who is blissfully unaware of what's happening around her. When Sam asked if he could come over, she should have assumed that he was going to act like this but she didn't. Y/N had thought he was just coming over to visit, but then again that should've raised some alarm. Like everyone else after Steve was put in the ground, Sam had left to live his life. Y/N had to struggle with being a new mother and living without Steve all by herself. No one offered their help or checked in to see how she was doing. The only one who she talked to was Rhodey, but that's because they worked together.

"You thought about him didn't you? That's why you're here. Something reminded you of him and then you thought of me." Y/N replies, the emotions leaving her voice, "Because if you did care, you would've called or texted or something."

"Y/N-" He starts, but Y/N quickly cuts him off, pulling the now empty bottle away from her daughter's mouth. Sarah looks up at her mother, her little hands rubbing at her eyes. The baby shifted in her mother's arms, trying to get comfortable. Y/N carefully puts the bottle into the sink.

"No, no don't try to tell me that you came here on your own volition, Sam. You don't text me, you don't call, you don't try to talk to me for a few months and all of a sudden you want to drop in?" Y/N sighs, shaking her head, "I-I appreciate you coming here, I really do, but don't waltz in here suddenly concerned over me."

They stay silent for a moment. Sam knew she was right. He had kept himself busy and as the days passed by, Y/N and what she might be going through slipped from his mind. It wasn't until last week when he was asked by someone about how Y/N was doing. He knows that he should've been making sure she was okay. Y/N had been one of his closest friends before Thanos snapped his fingers. He had watched her and Steve's relationship blossom and bloom. Hell, he had been Steve's best man at their wedding. He should have been right there for Y/N, should have been her shoulder to cry on after Steve had been buried, should have helped her take care of Sarah, but he hadn't. He had decided to run away, leaving her behind, leaving her to reassemble the shattered pieces of her life by herself. Sam had gotten to move on with his life. Y/N couldn’t.

"I'm sorry. I know that should've called and made contact after the funeral. I know that I should've come by. I just..." Sam sighs, his eyes focused on her, "I didn't know what to say to you. I wanted to help, wanted to console you, but I-I just couldn't. I didn't know how to tell you that everything was going to be okay when I didn't know if it was going to be okay."

Y/N doesn't respond. Instead of looking at Sam, she casts her eyes on Sarah. The child yawns, stretching in her mother's arms. Sarah had her mother's eyes, but had her father's blonde hair. It shined softly in the light as the baby curled up against her mother. Sarah was all Y/N had left of Steve, her last reminder of how much she loved him. But as she looked at her sleepy daughter, she felt that familiar pang of heartache, the same one she would get every time she looked at Sarah because she was reminded that Steve had abandoned this sweet little baby, had abandoned Y/N to make a family with someone else, someone who probably didn't have to try for years to have a baby with him. Y/N wanted to direct all her anger towards Steve, but she had started to think about what things she might’ve done wrong, even though Y/N knew that there was nothing she could have changed to make Steve stay. He was the one who made that choice, he was the one who decided to leave, so he should be the one she was mad at, not herself.

"I-I've been doing everything I'm supposed to be doing. I go to therapy. I take my pills. I started working again so I have some sort of normalcy. I make sure Sarah is okay, I try to be the best mom I can be for her. I do everything I am supposed to do and still-I still feel bad. I feel so fucking bad all the time, Sammy." She suddenly announces, tears starting to pool in her eyes. Sam can feel his heart splinter in his chest as she continues, "I just-I don't understand why he left. He-He told me that he loved me every day and that he loved Sarah and I just....Why would he leave us?"

Sam didn't know how to respond to any of that. He didn't have an answer for her. He didn't know why Steve would leave his family. The whole situation confused him as well and left him with a bad taste in his mouth. The man who he had thought Steve was, that man wouldn't have just up and abandon his wife and infant daughter. No, that man would happy, over the fucking moon that he had a family. The Steve Sam knew wouldn't have left behind his wife and child to make a family with someone else, with someone who already lived a good life. Sam didn't understand what could have happened in those five years that would make Steve do that.

Instead of saying anything, he stood up and walked around the island. Sam carefully pulled her into his arms, making sure sweet little Sarah didn't get squished in between them. The infant looked up at him, probably wondering who the hell he was. Sam held the two of them in his arms as Y/N cried, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. Her child rested in her arms, completely unaware of what was going on.

[khalixascorner]

Waiting for You Pt. 1

Summary: Tony and Peter fall in love as teenagers. Howard disapproves and separates them, threatening Peter's life if Tony keeps seeing him. Tony swears to Peter that he'll be back, and to wait for him.

Read on AO3 Here

Tags: Starker, Mafia AU, Mafia Boss Howard, Mafia Boss Tony, Homophobia, Mafia typical Violence, Peter gets injured, Minor character death (Mary, Richard, Ben, & May), angst with a happy ending. Lovers Reunited Trope, no smut

Prologue

Tony first met Peter when he was 11 and the other boy was 7. His mom had dragged him to yet another charity event and for once there was a kid there. Not only that, but Peter was smart. Maybe not as smart as Tony, but he was four years younger so that was to be expected.

They hit it off and Tony began to look forward to Maria’s fundraisers, waiting to see Peter again. When his mom noticed, she spoke to Peter’s mom and suddenly they had days out at parks together and museum trips arranged by Jarvis.

When Tony went to MIT at 15, Peter saw him off and promised to write. They exchanged letters and hung out every summer, tinkering in Tony’s lab or heading to the library to research more obscure articles for their latest crazy idea. Tony introduced Peter to Rhodey and he went from one best friend to two. They got along like a house on fire despite how young Peter was, and Tony was happy.

Tony also worked on stuff for SI too during those summers but he kept that far from Peter, just like he kept his family’s other business far from Peter. Peter knew of course, it was impossible to live in New York and not know about the Starks, but Tony made sure nothing was ever discussed around the kid. Maybe it wasn’t fair to Peter, but Tony couldn’t help how protective he was of the younger boy. Peter was so endlessly cheerful and good. Even after his parents died, the boy was just kindness and sunshine personified.

Their relationship changed the summer after Tony turned 19.

They met at the one of the local museums but Tony couldn’t tell you what they saw there because he was too entranced by Peter. Peter, who had finally started to mature. Who had gone from awkward preteen to a twink while Tony had been gone. The kid had always been small, and even with the growth spurt, that hadn’t changed. He was shorter than most boys and almost delicate, but his smile was beautiful, and without even trying, Tony was just gone on him.

The best part was, Peter returned his feelings, blushing at Tony’s compliments and melting into him with every stolen kiss. Tony bought them both cell phones and they spent the whole summer hidden away in Tony’s lab whenever they could and texting each other when they couldn’t.

Like most good things in Tony’s life though, Howard had to ruin it. He had come home early, already in a foul mood, and stomped into Tony’s lab just in time to see Tony pressing Peter up against a wall, tongue in the younger boy’s mouth.

Howard lost it and started screaming while trashing Tony’s lab. Tony placed himself in front of Peter for the whole scene, protecting him as best he could. And when Howard went to lash out at them physically, Tony stopped him.

“You better get that fag out of my house, Anthony, and if I see you two together again, if I even hear that you’ve been seen together, I will kill him and his family,” Howard grit out. “I will not have you dirty the Stark name.”

“Get out of my lab,” Tony said, his voice calm and cold. “Or I’ll scrap all of my defense contract plans and you can tell the US Military why their new missile isn’t ready yet.”

“Anthony-”

“Out, now.”

Howard left, though he glared at the boys the whole way. Only when he was gone did Tony turn back to Peter.

Peter was trembling, tears flowing freely down his face.

“Oh baby boy, no,” Tony said with a sigh, pulling Peter in for a hug. “Don’t cry, caro. I’ll fix this, you know I will.”

“He threatened May and Ben, Tony,” Peter said through his sniffles. “I can’t lose them too.”

“I know, Roo, I know. I’ll take care of it, ok,” Tony said, dropping kisses on Peter’s head. “I’ll stay away until I do though. No contact or anything that could risk. Just promise you’ll wait for me. I swear I’ll take care of it and come back for you.”

“I promise,” Peter whispered, and Tony drew him in for one last kiss before asking Jarvis to take Peter home.

Chapter 1- Lost Love

Peter sometimes wondered about the wisdom of accepting the scholarship to MIT. Tony was long gone from the campus but Howard Stark’s influence had far reaches and he had been scared it would affect him even here. After Howard’s ultimatum, Jarvis had discreetly had Peter and his family moved to an apartment in Queens, and Peter transferred to Midtown Tech. It was impossible to completely get away from the Stark influence in New York, but it took him and his family out of the immediate line of fire while still leaving them in Stark territory.

It was a fine line to walk, being despised by the current head but a well known friend of the heir apparent. Most people with ties to the family just left them alone to be safe, and that worked just fine for Peter. It was lonely though. All of his friends had been through Tony and his parents' connections to the Starks. Starting over in highschool had seemed impossible. He had met Ned and M.J., but they hadn’t gotten super close, and when everyone went to college, they had simply drifted apart.

Now he was in his second year at MIT, paid for by a very nice scholarship and a college fund he hadn’t known his parents had set up. If it hadn’t been for the scholarship, he wouldn’t have come, but the college fund wouldn’t have covered everything at other schools and after Ben was killed in a mugging, well there just wasn’t much left for anything else. Even Peter just being out of the house saved May money, so he signed up for summer courses and an accelerated pathway so he could live on campus year round. The only time he went back was Christmas break, because it was too expensive otherwise.

This left him feeling disconnected from home and adrift among the throngs of other students. It didn’t help that everywhere Peter went in the science buildings reminded him of Tony. Of the stories the older boy had shared in his letters home to Peter. Those letters had been Peter’s only tie to his best friend for years, and he had treasured them, rereading them a dozen times before replying. But now those letters felt like open wounds. It was like living with a curse, the ghost of his love always present in the corner of his eyes and Tony’s laugh echoing in the corridors.

Peter dreamed so often of turning around and Tony being there, exactly as he remembered him with the gentle smile he wore only for Peter on his face. Dream Tony would take his hands and kiss them before looking at Peter and cupping his face as he apologized for taking so long and reminded him of his promise.

Peter knew it could only ever be a dream though. Not even a month after Howard had forced them apart, there were rumors about Tony’s behavior. A new girl every week, each one flashier and more beautiful than the last. Tony had always been a bit of a flirt and a playboy, but it grew to epic proportions. He doubted the mafia heir ever spared a thought to their summer fling.

Despite that, Peter still waited. All through high school, he couldn’t even bear the thought of being with anyone else. When college came, he was too busy to even consider dating. Although, if he was honest with himself, it just gave him an easy excuse. Because even six years later, his heart still belonged to Tony Stark. It felt like it always would. Peter was a man of science but the connection he had felt with Tony had made him question if soul mates could be real. They had just understood each other, even before those feelings had shifted to more than friends. And after it had felt like a part of Peter he didn’t even know was missing had been returned. So losing that, living with it for six years, was hard, leaving an ache in his chest that never quite went away.

*********************************

Peter was in class when his phone started going off like crazy. He apologized to his teacher and quickly switched it to silent when he didn’t recognize the number, then put it out of his mind. When the lecture finished an hour later, his phone was still ringing constantly, so as he stepped outside the building, he hit accept, bringing it to his ear. Before he could say anything though, a voice from his nightmares called his name.

“Little Peter Parker, I’m afraid you’ll be coming with me.” In front of him, dressed to the nines, was Howard Stark. Peter froze until he noticed the gun Howard was flashing at him discreetly.

“Mr. Stark?”

“Fuck!”

Peter jumped at the voice near his ear, having forgotten that he had answered the phone.

“That must be my son. Tell him we’ll meet him in his old lab if he’s so intent on retrieving you,” Howard said, grabbing Peter’s arm and starting to drag him even as the boy tried to repeat the directions.

“I’ll be there, Pete,” Tony said softly. “Just wait for me.”

Howard snatched the phone away before he could reply, breaking it into tiny pieces. Tears slid down Peter’s face, and as dumb as it was, in that instant he was most upset over the fact that he couldn’t afford to replace the phone, so now he wouldn’t even be able to have his weekly calls with May.

“Oh stop your sniveling you useless child,” Howard sneered when he saw Peter’s tears.

“Why are you here, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, trying to wipe away the moisture. “I haven’t gone anywhere near Tony like you said.”

Howard ignored him though, and just continued to drag Peter towards the engineering labs. It wasn’t long before they were in the lab Tony had built Dum-E in. Howard shoved Peter towards the back of the room where he then grabbed some wire and bound Peter’s hands together, first to each other, and then to one of the legs on a work desk. Then the older man took a seat on one of the nearby stools.

“Mr. Stark, please, why are you doing this?” Peter asked, his heart pounding in his chest. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Liar!” Howard shouted, and Peter shrank back. “You lured my boy off the path I set for him. He was going to be great and follow in my footsteps. Instead, he’s thrown away everything I taught him out of spite because of his ridiculous attachment to you.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Peter tried to explain. “I haven’t spoken to him since you threw me out of his lab when I was 15. Please, sir, I promise you whatever is going on, I had nothing to do with it.”

Peter didn’t realize how on edge Howard was until he pulled the gun and shot Peter in the leg without any warning. The initial pain ripped a scream from Peter but Howard quickly pointed the gun at him again.

“Shut up or I’ll really give you a reason to scream.”

Peter whimpered, burying his face against his arm as much as he could to muffle the cries he couldn’t hold back. His leg burned and ached, and the blood pooled out underneath it. He knew he should put pressure on it, or tourniquet it or something, but his hands were useless and it hurt more than anything he’d ever felt before.

*****************************************8

Peter drifted in and out after that. His leg kept hurting and the pool of blood apparently got big enough that even Howard was worried he wouldn’t make it to Tony’s arrival, prompting the older man to find some towels and more wire to create a makeshift bandage.

At some point, there was a commotion, and Peter tried to focus, but by then he was far too gone. More gunshots rang out, and he flinched, whimpering as it jarred his leg and made him dizzy. Hands touched him, and he thought he briefly felt the light brush of lips on his forehead, but then everything slipped away.

[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.