#sorry just scholarship thing came out for the new batch in college

[i-am-kind-of-lost]

Indian Scholarships be like - Ah yes, you come from a wealthy family, lived in a tier 1 city, went to the best schools in the country, thereby developing a personality which we deem fit by our standards.

YOU deserve to have you college fees be reimbursed.

[kuroo-shitsurou]

Stay (Tsukishima Kei x Fem!Reader)

note: saw this fic on my old wattpad and decided to post it here. my apologies if any of the details don't match the canonical events that happened in the main story. i think i wrote this a couple of years ago before i read the manga. just wanted to show some love for my favorite salty boi. also, a little ooc because my younger self just wanted a normal high school romance with this mfer okay

word count: 1.2k

Karasuno High.

A well known school located in the Miyagi prefecture. Most famous for the so called little giant, the Karasuno High School's boys' volleyball team has been at it's best ever since a new batch of students joined the team. They were led by Sawamura Daichi, a flexible receiver and a strong captain that everyone could look up to.

Before they went to nationals, one name began to stick out to the public. He started to gain more and more popularity after the shocking events he featured in during the final round of the inter high.

It was none other than Tsukishima Kei.

The tall, blonde, bespectacled boy amazed the Japanese audience with his ability to remain calm even in the dire situations their team has been through during the match against Shiratorizawa Academy. His exceptional reflexes and surprising willpower helped stop the spikes of the top ace of their prefecture, Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Tsukishima paid no mind to the rapidly growing fanbase he had. When people would ask him for autographs or pictures, he'd simply click his tongue and leave them, shoving his headphones over his ears to block out any complaints that came from the fan.

Although they fell a bit short during the nationals, you were still proud of how Tsukishima and the rest of the team worked their asses off to get where they are now. The days of hard, tiring training in the hot and stuffy gym paid off, even if they didn't make their initial goal.

Other than that, many scouts had already offered Tsukishima scholarships to colleges even when he was still a first year. Many people saw his potential, but he turned them down easily. After all, it was still his first year. Why the rush?

You rubbed your eyes and tilted your head to the side. School was still a few hours away, so you had to wake yourself up before you would get reprimanded for sleeping in class.

"Oi, chibi," A lanky blonde approached you and handed you a small can of coffee. "Drink this."

Tsukishima, now well-over 6 feet, towered over you. The third and second years have retired, and surprisingly, Tsukishima was vice captain. He said he didn't care about volleyball, but his actions said otherwise. Now being a third year, he was a lot less sardonic with everyone around him, but he was still incredibly salty (You and Hinata agreed).

"I'm 5'6. I'm not short, Kei, you're just incredibly tall." You took the can of coffee from his hand and nodded towards him as a sign of thanks before taking a big gulp of the beverage.

"Really, really?" He teased, "If you're not short then how come I still need to bend down to be at face level with you?"

"Kei, you're 6'5. That is incredibly tall." You reasoned.

"Aw, _____ is making excuses." He bent down to reach you, "I wonder if-"

To shut him up, you grabbed his collar and smashed your lips against his. His eyes widened, and his face immediately turned red. Once you pulled away, you smirked at his incredibly out of character expression. To add to his embarrassment, you took his black rimmed glasses and put them on. You knew he found you absolutely adorable when you wore glasses, specifically- his glasses.

"How cute." You chuckled gingerly.

"Sh-Shut up." He took a seat beside you, not bothering to take his glasses back, though he couldn't see very clearly.

A comfortable silence wrapped the both of you as a light gush of wind blew past the bench. Your hair was pushed back, and he could smell the faint scent of strawberries coming from you. Ah, he loved your scent. Truth be told, he loved every single part of you, physical and abstract.

"Why are you here so early anyway?" You asked, finishing the coffee.

"I knew you'd be here, obviously." He replied bluntly, scooting closer to you and leaning down to rest his head on your lap. Thankfully, the area was cleared of students other than you two, so this display of affection wouldn't be humiliating for the blonde.

"What about Yamaguchi?" You ran your relatively small fingers through his well-kept hair, feeling the softness of his tresses caress your fingertips.

"He'd come here soon, but I wanted to spend some time with you. Give me my glasses so I can see you better." He grabbed his glasses and put them on his face. He could finally see you properly, though he has memorized every feature there was on your face, so he didn't really need his glasses for that.

Another silent moment passed by. The peacefulness relaxed you, and you felt drowsier.

"About the scholarship," Tsukishima started, and you felt your blood run cold. "I was thinking about accepting it."

"The one to what school? You received so many scholarships I can't remember which one." You giggled, but deep inside, you were crumbling.

"Sendai University, actually. I also want to keep playing professionally even after I graduate."

For a split second, your hand stopped playing with his hair, but you covered it up with a playful laugh.

"Gosh, Kei. You've really gotten far." Your voice cracked, and you could feel your heart breaking in two. You didn't tell him about your plans yet, so it'd be hard to tell him, since graduation was coming soon.

Tsukishima noticed this.

"What's wrong?" He sat up, looking you straight in the eye.

"What? Nothing, Kei."

"_____, we've been together for three years, I can tell that you're hiding something from me."

Tears finally welled up in your eyes, and you didn't bother to wipe them away, since you knew you couldn't get out of this situation that easily. He wouldn't let you.

"Why are you crying?" He wrapped his long arms around you and pulled you on his lap. You could feel his warmth, hear his heartbeat, and smell the vague scent of strawberry shortcake.

"Kei, I'm-," You tried to calm yourself down, "I'm studying college in America."

Tsukishima swore his world collapsed under the despicable wrath of reality. The hammer of truth smashed his dreams of graduating college together with you into millions of tiny splinters. His heart shattered as he stared at your shaking form.

"_____, why didn't you tell me?" Instead of being mad like you expected him to be, he embraced you tighter, and his own salty tears made their way down his cheeks.

"I didn't want you to worry or-" He cut you off with a simple,

"Idiot!"

You piped down.

"Why would you honestly think that I would be worried about you leaving? I'm scared, of course, but I'd never be worried. I know that we can still be together even when we aren't physically near each other. I love you too damn much to let you go. Fuck you, _____ for making me say all this cheesy crappy stuff, okay?" He couldn't believe that he, Tsukishima Kei, was saying all of this.

"Kei," You whispered, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry! I love you too, stupid megane."

"Who are you calling-?!"

"Shut up." You silenced him with another kiss, and he melted into it easily.

"Y'know, there's a thing called long distance relationship, right?"

"Yeah, but I can't really stand the idea of not seeing your tsundere ass all day."

"Fuck off."

"I love you too, Kei."

[nsheetee]

Requested: 

Yangyang x Reader + Strangers to Friends to Lovers + Fluff

Summary: In which a very unhappy Yangyang is forced to pick up his little sister from daycare everyday, and you’re her daycare teacher

yangyang loves his little sister to bits and pieces

from the moment she was born and given to yangyang to hold in his tiny 11 year old arms

her little tufts of black hair sticking up and big doll eyes looking up at her older brother

he knew: he would probably do anything for this little angel

but now, 8 years later...

8 years of crying, nagging, hair-pulling, tattle tailing, and name calling

he thought he would finally be done

he thought his parents would lay off on all the responsibilities they’ve pushed onto him for the past 8 years due to the little angel that they named “joy”

he thought that once he started college, his parents would see how busy he is and finally relax off of him

but alas, yangyang was rewarded with a car of his own for his 19th birthday only under one condition: 

pick up joy from daycare at 4pm every weekday

so, a mildly irritated yangyang with a new set of wheels and just one more responsibility on his plate set out to his first day of college in his brand new chapter of life

you had a lot less to worry about, at least compared to yangyang

all you had to do was maintain a high GPA to keep your scholarship and a lot of your money problems were solved

but you still needed extra cash for yourself

which is why you got a job at a daycare

you would be in charge of a small group of 8 year old for around an hour every afternoon 

what you did with them for the hour was almost always up to you

so on the first day, your little group of five 8 year olds came into your daycare classroom- the first thing you did was go outside

the kids LOVE you

they boasted about being able to play on the playground when no one else got to- claiming they had “the awesome-est teacher EVER”

and when they got rid of all of their pent up energy from sitting on hard plastic seats at school for several hours, you managed to get them to introduce themselves to you and to one another

soon, the first day of daycare came to a close

parents arrived and greeted you, taking their kids and all their belongings with them as you wave good bye

only one girl from your group was left: joy

she sat under a shady tree, slouching as she picked at the grass next to her legs

“hey, joy. what’s up?” you ask and sit down next to her

“sorry my brother is late.” she looks guilty as she continues to pick at the grass

“it’s okay, joy. I’ll wait with you for however long it takes.” she nods, but you could tell she’s still apologetic.

“do you wanna make a flower crown?” you ask, trying to get the situation off her mind

“I don’t know how” 

“well, I'll teach you”

joy’s furrowed eyebrows slowly melts away as you hunt for flowers and a small smile blooms on her cheeks when she finally finishes her crown, gifting it to you

it was 4:47 when yangyang pulls up to the daycare, new wheels crunching on the gravel road and he pants as he gets out of the car

“yangie!” joy shrieks, running to her brother and encircling her tiny arms around his waist

“joy! I'm so sorry I'm late.” 

“I'm not the one who needs to hear that.” joy speaks matter of factly, and you don’t think you’ve ever heard an 8 year old sound more mature

as joy walks to the car, her older brother turns to you

you slowly take off the flower crown, eyebrows raised while waiting for the boy in front of you to say something

he’s so boyish it makes your heart melt

with curly hair that falls over his eyes and a smile that you know hides a lot of jokes and pranks for the future

you can’t help but feel a bit giddy at the sight of him

“I'm so sorry about this. I swear it won’t happen again.” he looks down apologetically and it reminds you of an older, boy version of joy

maybe it’s because you think he’s cute or maybe because his little sister is really fun

but you wave a dismissive hand

“it’s alright. joy is a pleasure to be around. I didn’t mind.”

he raises his head to see the sincerity in your eyes and relaxes 

“I’m yangyang, joy’s brother.” he finally introduces himself

“I'm y/n, joy’s daycare teacher” you reach forward to shake his hand

“aren’t you too young to be a teacher?” he asks

“I can give CPR and kids don’t hate me, that was enough for them to hire me” you shrug, “I go to the college” you wave your hand in the general direction of your school

“oh,” he looks surprised, “me too. maybe I'll see you around? o-or we can study.” yangyang curses himself at his stutter and feels heat crawl up his cheeks 

why is he blushing over an invitation to study?

maybe because he’s never been this straight forward with anyone else before

“yeah, sure” you don’t look affected and it makes yangyang more nervous

“yangie!” joy shouts from his car, looking annoyed and yangyang sighs

“right, we have to go home. I’ll see you... later.”

and you do see him later

he arrives to pick up joy (on time) every weekday

he would gather up joy’s backpack and jacket while intently looking at you as you explain what joy did at daycare that day

and after your spiel, yangyang would ask you how your day went and how your classes are going

yangyang enjoyed your small daily conversations so much that he started coming 5 minutes early to pick up joy to have some extra time to speak to you

and then he started coming 10 minutes earlier 

and then 15

and then 20

and then you just decided to invite yangyang to join your class

“w-what?” he laughed nervously when you asked

he thought you were just kidding

why would you want him to join your class of 8 year olds?

“well you’re here for almost half of the time anyway. just join us tomorrow!”

yangyang wasn’t going to- he would tell you that he had other plans:

he needed to study, he had to get his car washed, he had to walk his dog

literally ANY excuse he could think of

but he knew he couldn’t lie to that sweet smile you always gave him when you see him

so that’s how yangyang ended up sitting criss-cross apple sauce in the circle of your group of kids at daycare the next day

he had that light dusting of pink on his cheeks as he tried to fit between joy and another boy in the group on the carpeted floor

but when you introduced him and all the little kids said “hi, yangyang” in unison

he felt more comfortable

having yangyang with the group of kids was fun... really fun

one day he showed the kids his mad soccer skills

another day he played the piano to lull them into nap-time

you think he might steal your position of being “the awesom-est teacher EVER”

and of course, joy had to tell her parents one night over dinner about what was happening at daycare

“yangyang is part of my daycare group now” joy said during a lull in conversation 

yangyang kicked her chair under the table and sent her a pointed glare

“yangyang, we asked you to pick up joy from daycare. not join her at daycare” his mother sighs and puts her fork down

“oh no, mom. it’s a lot of fun with yangyang and y/n” joy defends

“y/n...” yangyang’s father ponders, “you know, we should invite them over for dinner.” 

“YEAH!”

“absolutely not”

joy and yangyang glare at each other from across the dinner table at each other’s opposing answers

“kids...” their mother warns and looks back at her husband, “I think that’s a good idea. we hear so much about them, why not invite them over?”

and that’s how you end up ringing the Liu’s doorbell promptly at 6pm the next Friday night

you made a batch of cookies to share (you refuse to show up empty handed, especially since it’s yangyang’s parents that you’re meeting) and you wear your nice clothes that you usually keep stored away in the back of your closet

yangyang opens the door and he immediately becomes 1000x more nervous

that smile hits him again, the kind smile that he doesn’t see you give to anyone else but him

it makes his heartbeat speed up and his cheeks tinge with pink no matter how hard he grips the door frame

“y/n, hi”

“hi,” you both stand in your spots, not moving or speaking... just looking at each other, “can I come in or...?”

“right, right. sorry” yangyang moves awkwardly to let you slide past him through the doorway

the smell of your fabric softener is so familiar that yangyang almost calms down in this situation

he’s been stressed this entire week leading up to this dinner

not only are you about to meet his parents, you’re about to witness what his family is actually like

and yangyang is scared that even if you had a small part of you that liked him

it’ll be non-existent by the end of this dinner

but surprisingly

dinner goes better than he expected

it seemed like you fit in perfectly, a fifth chair pulled up to the table made the atmosphere more cozy and your laughter mixing in with the rest of his family’s was something yangyang didn’t know he needed

he had a moment where he had to sit back and wonder when you got to be such an important part of his life

maybe it’s because joy already likes you so much

and yangyang knows that no matter how many times joy tattle tales, nags, or cries at yangyang

he’ll always be her big brother 

and it seems just a little too perfect for you to be an element that was added into the mixture that is his crazy life

but yangyang, despite his doubts, decides he’ll take this small but perfect thing that life handed to him and run with it

so after dinner, he walks you to your car in the driveway

the sun has just set and the leftover rays cast a purple hue over the sky and over your skin, making Yangyang fall just a little deeper into his feelings

when you say good night, you really hope he stops you 

you really hope he doesn’t let you get into your car

you really hope he doesn’t let you close the door

but he does, and you think you may be receiving mixed signals from him for the past few weeks 

until he knocks on the window of your car

you roll it down, confusion apparent on your face

“yangyang, what’s wrong?”

“uh, n-nothing just... don’t move” he says

he grips the frame of the car with all his might to steady himself, physically and mentally, and leans down through the window 

he places a gentle kiss on your cheek and pulls back to see your reaction

you’re a bit surprised but you quickly bite your lip to keep yourself from smiling too hard

and you signal at him to come back to you

you return a kiss on his rosy cheek, mumbling a shy goodnight before rolling up your window and driving away

he touches the small part of his cheek where your lips just were, smiling dumbly as he walks back into the house

he’ll have to thank joy for bringing you to him later

[heartslogos]

the declassified texts of the inquisition’s elite [79]

(508): I called him my big strong man today. It's all downhill from here. Matching Christmas sweaters, here we come

-

(563): I now have scissors specifically made for cutting dicks off.

-

“Since when was that downhill for you?” Mahanon asks, examining his nails, blowing on them as he angles the file to get at an uneven edge on his right pinky. “That’s when you know you’ve made it.”

“How would you know that? I’ve never gotten to holiday sweaters with anyone.”

“I know it because it’s the downhill for me and I’ve certainly gotten to that point before.”

“Twice.”

“That’s twice more than you,” Mahanon points out, setting the file down and holding his hand out. Ellana passes him the buffer, taking the file for herself to even out her own nails. “And you know just because it’s the downhill for me doesn’t mean it will be for you. Chances are that means you’re doing something right.” He pauses to reign in his expression. “You’re a romantic.”

Ellana’s laugh comes out half a snort and partly a chortle. It’s deeply unattractive and it sounds like it hurt her nose. Mahanon bites the side of his cheek to keep from laughing at her.

“Says you! You’re the biggest romantic in the entire family!”

“That’s untrue.”

“You’ve read more romantic poetry than I have. You’re the one who’s watched all the daytime soaps. You’re the one who stays up late to read romance novels and online publications on whatever blog you can find. And should I even start on the dates you’ve been on? I have no idea why people think you’re mysterious and aloof. The only reason you grew out your hair is because you love it when people run their hands through it. Mahanon, when you went to prom you bought two corsages. One for yourself and one for your date.”

“That’s just good manners.” Mahanon levels a look at his sister. “Besides, I may read the romantic poetry but you’re the one who writes it sometimes. And is there anyone more romantic than a musician?”

“That’s unfair because I haven’t practiced playing a piano in years.”

“That doesn’t stop you from approaching any piano you see and stroking it like a lost lover.”

“You even talk like a romantic.”

“Enough about me, sister, let’s get back to why you think stuffing the Iron Bull in a holiday themed sweater is going to ruin your relationship. Because you’ve introduced him to Theron who email blasted the entire family thinking he was cheating on you and that didn’t ruin your relationship. He even explained being polygamous and pansexual to him for us. You think calling him your big strong man is going to tip this over? And put you into holiday sweater hell? Get him an ugly one with lights and a stupid looking animal on it and I can guarantee he’ll love it.”

“It’s downhill from there because that means I’m invested. And he’s invested.”

“And that’s bad because?”

“Because the man’s got commitment issues larger than his horns and if I slip up like that in the vicinity of the rest of the family the question of marriage is going to come up and I’m never going to see him again.”

-

“I don’t know why you felt the need to tell me that,” Maxwell says quietly. “Sera, why did you feel the need to tell me that? I thought you and I were doing okay. Like you’ve mostly gotten over how I’m a product of the patriarchy and hegemony and a complete trope and I’ve mostly gotten over how I’ve had to literally scrape you out of messes on a near twice a month basis.”

“One, I’m never going to get over the fact that you were a rich Andrastian prep-jock guy who joined a fraternity and later got kicked out of college to live on your parents’ wealth. Sure, I know a lot of the context behind it now and that makes it palatable, but every time I see you moving in my peripheral vision my brain kicks me and says, that’s a fuck boy right there and it’s not wrong. Say I’m wrong, Trevelyan you train-wreck.”

Max scowls but sighs. “Well. No. You’re not. Though I appreciate that you understand the context of it though.”

“Two, I don’t think you having to scrape me out of the remnants of chemical reactions gone wrong is something you ever had to get over because your cousin is Evelyn Trevelyan and you had to scrape her out of fucking ground zero of the Conclave. You didn’t even bat an eye at that one.”

He really didn’t.

“That’s because I was in shock.” Mostly. But some part of him did throw up his hands and say yeah, of course it’s her when he found out. “I did rip into her about it afterwards though. In private, of course. Some things should only occur behind closed doors and not in the full view of every news and media outlet in the entire world.”

“And there’s you being posh again.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now? Having some modicum of — “

“If you pull out the word modicum like that on me it’s going to reset you to the factory default in my brain. Quit it. Anyway I’m not telling you this because I’mma use it on you. Do you automatically apply everything people say to you?”

“Well, I’m the only one here with a penis that I know of, and I was talking about how Malika was looking into online degrees for marketing and you came out of nowhere with penis scissors. Excuse me for thinking that it might be directed at me.”

“It isn’t.”

“Good?”

“I’m just saying it because I thought it was cool and I wanted to share a bit of cool information with you. You know, like how Blackwall likes to talk about carpentry and Rocky gets excited talking about explosives and stuff.”

“Thank you for sharing that information with me,” Maxwell says. “I’m sorry I wasn’t supportive upfront.”

Sera rolls her eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Weirdo. Anyway, so Malika’s worried she  might not count for scholarship? Why would she anyway? Her parents are loaded.”

“Yeah, but I think she’s worried that her parents are hiding more dirty money than she thinks they are and she’s worried about how that’ll shake out in the admission process.”

“Oh yeah, also Dagna figured out how to rig the lab mixer to churn out the best strawberry shakes I’ve ever tasted. Remind me to have her make a batch when we get back. Strawberry’s your favorite right?”

“Please don’t be using lab equipment that you’re using to experiment on red lyrium on to make milkshakes. I’d rather you go back to the penis scissors.”

[ptersparkers]

Stand By You

Summary: All your life, you’ve lived in the shadow of your stepsister, Serena. Now that you’ve established a life for yourself, Serena prances back into her life and tried to steal Steve, your crush, away from you. Just how much can you take?

A/N: This imagine reflects how I feel (minus the stepsister part because I don’t have a stepsister). I feel discouraged by a lot of people in my life, and my father and I aren’t really the best of friends. I consider myself someone who stands up for herself, but it gets real hard when I don’t have anyone backing me up. Low-key wish I didn’t have to stand up for myself all the time. Hopefully none of you feel this way. Happy reading!

Word count: 3,256.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader.

You stepsister, Serena, had a way of making things about herself. 

First, it was moving into your house. Your father had remarried a few years after losing your mother and slowly, his life revolved around around pleasing his new family. It didn’t help that he was a renowned businessman, meaning his time with you was already short, but Serena had a way of making sure he spent more time with her and less with you.

Then, it was during high school. She bloomed pretty quickly and her breasts grew in. The boys wanted to be her boyfriend and the girls wanted to be her best friend. Eventually, all your friends left you to become part of her posse and your father told you it was just a phase. You felt isolated. Your father and stepmother attended her cheerleading events, but didn’t attend your science fairs. They took her out to buy makeup and shop for clothes in Beverly Hills, but never took you to museums or saw you off when you flew to England for a science internship for a summer. Your father handed you a wad of cash whenever you wanted to take part in science-enrichment programs and never bothered to get to know your interests. 

Serena didn’t bother to get to know you either. You observed how Serena used her words and assets to get what she wants. Teenagers alike knew she was beautiful and rich, and it automatically made her the most popular girl in school. With her parents, she batted her eyelashes and played the helpless girl who needed help. They turned to you, asking you to pick her up when she got drunk, asking you to do things for her when you hung out with your friends, and asked you to give up your free time to do whatever Serena wanted. 

The last straw, however, was in college. She had already undermined your intelligence and you were grateful that you both went to separate colleges. You had been accepted into one of the best universities in the nation, far away from your home. New York had become part of your identity and you weren’t about to let that go. 

Your built a life for yourself. You had friends, a boyfriend, and a scholarship. However, your family flew themselves to New York for an impromptu vacation and asked you and you boyfriend to join. You were hesitant, but your father wanted to meet the man in your life. Long story short, you found Serena locking lips with your boyfriend and they ended up dating for a few months after that. Your father and stepmother hadn’t said anything about it and you were tired of no one defending you. You wished with all you heart that you had Serena’s confidence and the will to stand up to her, but you couldn’t. Who would back you up? 

Soon after college, Tony Stark had hired you as his co-lab partner. You were tasked with helping develop his suit as well as other things for him and the Avengers. 

Steve had grown on you and you could feel yourself crushing hard. He first caught your attention when he defended you from a stuck-up secretary who wouldn’t let you onto the Avenger floor because you forgot your ID, despite giving you her worker’s code, something every employee had. Steve came to your rescue and told her you were with him. She mumbled an apology and let you both in. 

Since then, you had been a mess whenever Steve came around. You found yourself smiling uncontrollably whenever he was in the room. Natasha and Wanda, whom you gotten to know the most, knew about your crush. They refrained from teasing you, though, and instead encouraged you to talk to him. 

“I can’t do that,” you said as you kept your eyes focused on the project in front of you. “He probably doesn’t even feel the same. He never talks to me unless he needs something.” Natasha rolled her eyes. 

“Y/N, whenever you walk into the room, he’s just as a mess as you are.” 

“I don’t believe that, I really don’t. Can’t Wanda read minds? Read his.” 

Wanda sighed and put her hands on her shoulders. “I could, but that’s invading my friend’s privacy. Everyone can see Steve has a thing for you.” You pushed your glasses up your nose and looked up, smiling gratefully at the girls. 

“I really don’t know what I’d do without you two,” you said. They smiled at you and you were about to say more, but you were interrupted by Bruce. 

“Y/N, I think there’s a Serena and Ethel Williams here to see you?” You groaned and rolled your eyes, Wanda and Natasha, giving you a knowing look. 

“What to they want?” Natasha spat. They knew your background and despised them as much as you did. 

“Let’s find out.” 

You stood up and followed Bruce out the door. Your heels clicked against the floor and you unbuttoned your lab coat. You put your coat away and greeted the pair.

“Y/N!” she yelled as she gave you a hug. You were taken back. She had never shown you this much affection before. 

“Hello?” she pulled away and you saw the rest of the Avengers standing around the both of you, and you put two and two together. 

“It’s so good to see you! Wow, I can’t believe you work beside the Avengers!” You grimaced, but smiled anyway. 

“I do. What brings you to New York?” 

“I moved here, silly! Didn’t dad tell you? He got me a modeling contract.” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. 

“I didn’t know that. Welcome to New York.” 

“Serena, Ethel. Why don’t you both make yourselves comfortable?” Tony invited. “Any family of Y/N’s is a family to us.” 

“Great!” Serena squealed as Tony led her to a room. You huffed and Sam whistled. 

“Damn. An ass like that can get me to do anything.” You glared at him. “Was it something I said?” 

“Don’t,” you warned. 

Your father followed closely behind them and apologized for being late. 

“Sorry, I got held up with a call. It’s nice seeing you again, Y/N. I thought you wanted to become an actress? Why are you working as a secretary?” 

“When I was five, dad,” you said. You walked towards him to give him a hug, but he just smiled when he saw Serena behind you and walked passed you. You frowned and Bucky seemed to have caught on. 

“You okay?” he asked. You gulped and nodded. You looked around for Steve, but noticed he had followed Serena and Ethel to help them get situated. 

“I really don’t know what I did to deserve this,” you muttered. Bucky furrowed his eyebrows and Natasha ran to your side, pulling you in an embrace. 

“You’re such an angel and you really don’t deserve this,” she said. 

“Aren’t you happy to see your family?” Bucky asked. You looked at Bucky and he backed off, fully knowing when you got mad. 

Serena had taken over your life, once again. She tried to make friends with Natasha and Wanda, but they didn’t budge. Tony had to force the pair to go shopping with Serena, much to their dismay. 

But what really got you was Steve. You got the sudden courage to ask Steve out, but every time you were about to, Serena had a way to get Steve’s attention away from you. Every time it had just been the two of alone, she found you and made it so that she had Steve all to herself.

“I can’t believe you made this for me,” Steve joked as he picked up a batch of cookies from the plate. You laughed along with him.

“Technically it was for Natasha, but if it makes you happy, then I made this for you.” Steve held your gaze. It happened a lot, the both of you always silent and looking at one another before someone interrupted. This time, it was Serena. 

“Steve! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” You both broke apart and stared at the blonde. He cleared his throat.

“What did you need?” 

“I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind accompanying me to dinner tonight. My dad has to work and I don’t want to make the reservation go to waste.” 

“Oh, sure,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Your eyes fell and Serena smirked in your direction. 

“Great! Pick me up at seven.” She left and you followed suit, leaving Steve alone in the kitchen. 

After that, he kept hanging out with Serena and accompanied her on dates and outings, leaving you int he dust. You had believed Wanda and Natasha, who told you Steve liked you, when you caught him stumbling over his words in front of you. Natasha told him that when he got nervous in front of a girl and stumbled over his words more than usual, he had it bad. But Steve never looked at you twice after he went out with Serena that night and your luck changed for the worse. 

Still, you tried to talk to him, but it seemed that the was always preoccupied between missions, reports, or Serena. You wished and longed to be in Serena’s position, but you had to tell yourself that it would never happen. 

Tonight was the annual Avenger dinner get-together. Tony had insisted Serena come because she had spent a few weeks at the tower, and he felt bad for leaving them behind. 

“No,” you said, when he announced to you that they were accompanying tonight. 

“Y/N, I know you’ve had your differences -”

“This isn’t a difference. This is Serena straight up walking into my life and stealing it again.” Tony sighed and rubbed his temples. “Weren’t you the one who told me you believed in me despite my upbringing?” 

“It’s too late, Y/N. I can’t un-invite them.” You sighed and stormed out of the lab, wanting the night to be over. 

The dinner was just as bad as you thought. Steve and Serena sat next to each other and the entire conversation was about her. Not once did Serena bother to mention about anything other than herself. She talked about her high school life, her life in college, and how your father had managed to get her a modelling contract. 

“Oh, wow,” said Bruce. 

“It’s pretty impressive.  My dad had to pay a lot of money because I didn’t go to the casting calls, but I got a contract with IMG Models anyway,” she boasted. “I don’t think Y/N has done anything big yet and I want to be the first person who has done something important.” You raised your eyebrows. Did Serena really just say what you thought she had said? 

“A modelling job, huh?” Natasha said without interest as she sipped her wine. 

“Yeah! I remember Y/N wanted to be an actress, but that didn’t work out, did it?” She laughed and sipped her drink and everyone let out uncomfortable chuckles.

“I don’t think Y/N ever had the guts to pursue her acting career. She never auditioned for the school plays,” your stepmother joked. 

“I don’t think she even stepped out of her room,” your father joined in. 

You were tired of being belittled. Abruptly, you stood up and put your hands on the table. 

“I’m extremely tired of you three undermining me. I’m tired of you pretending you know me, when you don’t. I wanted to be an actress when I was a child, but I wanted to be scientist when I got to high school. None of you bothered to ask me what I wanted to do and none of you bothered to get to know the person I was. I am an independent woman who does not need your approval and I don’t need to impress you to make me a better person.” 

Natasha and Wanda beamed at you, both giving you two thumbs up. You let a small smile dress your lips and felt proud or finally standing up for yourself. 

“And you know what, Serena?” you said, turning to face her specifically. “I made it as a scientist, working alongside two of the brilliant minds. I’m the one who keeps the world safe and I’m the one who keeps the Avengers safe. I’m the one who keeps you safe. You’re the one who needed someone to do things for you. I got here without daddy’s help.” 

You left the restaurant, not bothered that you had left Tony to pay your bill. You had driven Tony and Steve to the restaurant in Tony’s car, and felt pretty badass as you drove alone in his classic, most prized, red Ferrari.

Back in the restaurant, Steve felt horrible. He hadn’t known that you felt like you always came second your entire life and wanted to punch himself for spending so much time with Serena. Truth be told, he had a crush on you, but thought you didn’t reciprocate your feelings and sought Serena as a surrogate. 

“Well that was rude,” Serena said to break the silence. Natasha and Wanda looked at her.

“I don’t really think she was being rude at all,” said Natasha. They both stood up and walked out, following you back to the tower. 

The rest of the team looked baffled, but felt upset that they were imposing on your life as much as your family did. They felt bad for encouraging you to take time off of work to spend time with your family. They sat in uncomfortable silence and tried to finish up the dinner as quickly as possible. 

Steve couldn’t handle it and stood up, wanting to go back to the tower to find you.

You told Natasha and Wanda that you wanted to spend the night alone for a while. At the same time, you were proud that you stood up to your “family,” but you felt upset that you had potentially compromised your job. You decided you’d figure it out in the morning and got ready for bed. 

As you were about to slip underneath the covers, a soft knock came from your door. 

“Come in,” you said, assuming it was either Wanda or Natasha. The door opened and you saw Steve walk in. “Steve, please don’t -”

“Y/N,” he said, cutting you off. He looked at you differently and you sighed, walking towards him and crossed your arms in front of your chest. 

“Can I help you? I’m tired, Steve.” He looked down before meeting your eyes. 

“I’m sorry that you felt that way all your life,” he said, quietly. You pinched the bridge of your nose, tired that your crush didn’t feel the same, tired that you had to explode in front of your friends, and tired that you weren’t getting any sleep. 

“Listen, Steve. You can hang out with whoever you want. I don’t care if you choose to be around Serena and I don’t care what you do with you life. I don’t want anyone’s pity and I don’t want to be the person who causes drama. I’ll leave in the morning if that makes everyone happy.” Steve frowned. 

“No, I don’t want you to leave.” He took a step forward. You didn’t move, but were aware of how much closer you two were. “Natasha told me how you felt about me. I feel the same.” You looked at him.

“You do?” 

“Yeah, I do. I guess I busied myself with Serena because I thought you didn’t like me back. I’m an idiot,” he sighed. 

“You’re the biggest idiot, Steve.” He chuckled when he saw your lips curl upwards. Steve took your hands in his and uncrossed your arms, swaying them back and forth. 

“Forget about them. Your family isn’t with them, it’s with us. With me.” He let go of your hands to move them to your neck and used his thumb to caress your jaw. “I want to be the one who loves you. I want to be the one who gets to see your face every morning.” You grinned even wider and forgot why you were angry in the first place. 

Steve let a breath out when he saw you smile. “Look at me, the captain, getting tongue-tied when I’m used to giving orders.” You laughed and closed your eyes, enjoying the feeling of his touch. “Can I kiss you?” 

“I’d never say no to you.” 

Steve laughed and leaned in, pressing his lips to yours. You savoured the moment and tilted your head, wrapping your hands around his waist. He pulled you close and tugged your bottom lip for access, which you granted. Pretty soon, the moment got heated and you pulled away for a breath of air. 

“As much as I love kissing you, Steve, I’m really tired.” Feeling bold, you led him to your bed with one hand. “Stay with me? Just until I fall asleep.” Steve nodded and you wrapped the blankets around the both of you, resting your head atop of his chest. You fell asleep quickly, leaving Steve to admire the person you are. He got the girl.

The next morning, you awoke with Steve’s arms loosely wrapped around you. He awoke as you tried to step out of his grip and you both decided to enter the kitchen together. 

You saw your father, stepmother, and Serena walk with their suitcases in their hands. 

“Where are you off to?” you asked. Serena scoffed. 

“As if you’d want to know.” 

“I don’t, but I thought I’d make nice.” Your father looked at you with regret. 

“Y/N, I-I’m sorry for neglecting you. I guess I didn’t know how to cope with your mother’s and you were doing just fine on your own.” You sighed and awkwardly patted his shoulder before he walked out the door with Ethel. Serena stayed behind for a while. 

“You know, this won’t last forever,” she said. 

“That’s kind of the point of life,” you said. “I won’t work with the Avengers forever, but I sure as hell am going to make this the best damn thing I’ve ever done in my life. 

“You and Steve won’t last forever,” she said with a smirk. You were about to speak up, but Steve beat you to it. 

“Listen, Serena. You can’t go around life thinking everything will be handed to you. I don’t care what you think, but Y/N and I will be just fine. She’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I’ve had a thing for her ever since she started working here and I’ll always feel the same.” Steve leaned down to press a loving kiss to your lips as Serena stuttered. 

“B-But, Steve we -”

“I don’t care. Leave before I make you.” Serena turned around and rode the elevator down to the first floor. 

“You mean that?” you after as she left. Steve smiled and nodded.

“Every word.” 

Tony walked up to you and gave you a nervous smile. 

“I’m no good with apologies and feelings, and you of all people know that. But I’m sorry for insisting they stay. I hope this doesn’t create a rift between us.” 

You shook your head. “No, it could never. I know apologising isn’t something you’re used to, so thank you.” 

Steve looked down at you lovingly and pressed a kiss to your temple. 

“I ship this,” Wanda said. Bucky fake-gaged. 

“I did too until I realised they’ll be making out in front of us all the time,” he said. You laughed and shrugged as Steve pressed another kiss to your lips.

Tag List: @wildefire, @amazonprincess-diana.