#steve and joseph are her parents

[cannedchelsea]

steve plays his guitar and sings to knives until she falls asleep (CANON)

[amarriageoftrueminds]

inspired by this post, here are some headcanons and meta about Steve & Bucky and queerness pre-war.

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Sarah Rogers:

This idea of Sarah's awareness/acceptance of queerness, doesn't necessarily have to be a function of her living in NYC.

If we go with the idea that Steve's parents were Irish immigrants, and Steve was born in 1918... Well that gives Sarah time to have been living in Ireland during the Easter Uprising.

Steve Rogers's mother is obviously going to be involved with that, probably a member of the Irish womens' paramilitary group Cumann na mBan. (Would've also brought her into contact with Suffragists, Socialists, and Trade Unionists to pass that onto Steve, if she wasn't into all that already.)

And y'know who else were involved? A fucktonne of lesbians, that's who (including more than one female doctor and even one butch sniper!)

(My personal headcanon is that she was a nurse on the front lines in 1916, and actually left Ireland because she was in danger of getting arrested if she stayed. She met post-WWI-injury naturalised-American Joseph, either in 1916 while he was visiting Ireland (his home country) and they fought together, or in NYC, after he had been invalided home in 1917, then they married and had Steve in 1918.)

So if Sarah was a part of the Easter Uprising, she could've come into contact with/been accepting of lesbians, at least, long before she set foot in NYC.

You could so easily have her attitude as being like 'ah so there are men like that too, are there??'

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Gay-Community Steve:

It is hard for me to reconcile 'bloody-mindedly honest, terrible liar' Steve with being gay and knowing he's gay, and not being open about it, in a self-destructive-for-the-period way.

So either he was so deeply in the closet that he himself didn't know yet, and so hadn't been a part of a gay community with gay friends because he literally didn't know to look for one.

(Like, he and Bucky are a couple and sleeping together for years, but Steve is so naive or in denial he thinks it's just a thing all bachelors do in the absence of a girl they're going to marry.)

OR...

CATFA's view is the propagandised version of events, and Steve actually did know he was gay, and was out to his friends, and the real reason Captain America kept getting rejected for active service is not because of his disabilities but because... he kept admitting to being gay?

And it was only after he got serum (and got in the news), that his public records were expunged to cover up the fact that their darling supersoldier (good and pure and Therefore straight! or perhaps asexual!) ...had broken the law; both by being gay and by falsifying his enlistment forms multiple times.

(Kind of like how how celebrities get a suspect 4F or dodge the draft, and their PR team makes up a more-palatable lie to feed to the public. Like how Frank Sinatra got rejected for active service on psychiatric grounds, but pretended it was because of an inner-ear problem.)

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So, if Steve did have rainbow connections, where are they?

Possible reasons (beyond hate crimes, imprisonment or institutionalisation), why it looks like Steve only has the one friend:

Steve could also have had friends in the disabled community and lost them to illness?

Lost friends to the Depression/poverty, or had to move away from NYC for economic reasons?

Lost friends to internment (it wasn't just Japanese-Americans!), deportation, or lavender marriages (felt their new concentration on children and straight-passing made them strangers?)

had friends who were not enlisted, but we didn't see them because when we first meet Steve it's the middle of the day and they were all busy working?

had queer friends but: they were all enlisted by the time CATFA rolls around, and/or already died in the Spanish Civil War?

had queer friends but: they were all in the Navy and kept getting in fights with Steve about the Army being superior.

had queer friends but: they were introduced to Steve by Bucky, and 9/10 were actually friendzoned guys harbouring secret hopes and weren't exactly ecstatic to find out that Bucky was taken -- or, even worse, didn't see Steve as competition at all! -- and therefore never formed a good relationship with Steve. ('Jeez Steve why can't you n' these guys ever seem to get along? He was always so nice to me!' 'I know Buck, it's a mystery.' 😏)

had queer friends but: every time he went to a gay bar the men he could've befriended avoided him to hit on Bucky, or avoided him because he was hitting on Bucky, or avoided him because Bucky was hitting on him (and giving them the stink eye), or both of them were avoided because they were too... distracted to pay attention to anyone else.

(And/or the lesbians that talked to Steve all sidled up thinking he was a beautiful butch woman, then panicked once he opened his mouth, or were only there to ask if that friend of his was 'the double-date guy.')

imagine cops running Steve down outside a gay bar to arrest him for being a woman wearing pants… (Bucky would not let him hear the end of it.) And then being like 'oh! uhh sorry sir…' (two second pause before they suddenly clock that Steve and Bucky are a gay couple) 'Wait a second-' (Steve and Bucky already running.)

Maybe Steve would even become reluctant to go to the clubs, out of a fear of losing Bucky to someone else? Or Bucky reluctant to go for the same reason, and because Steve just attracts bad luck? (See: mob-related stuff below.) Both of them just sick of having run-ins with the cops?

had queer friends but: his views were so ahead of his time that even they found him too much.

(IE. barred from the gay bath house for protesting ableist body standards, the lack of POC, fighting the police too hard during a raid, and/or criticising the mob owners... Maybe Steve eventually couldn't go to any gay club, because he was in shit with the mob? Maybe the police actually thought he was straight, because they'd seen his photo up behind the bar as a persona non grata in gay clubs?! Future idiots will say this is 'proof' he stands for 'Traditional American Values.')

Banned from politics club for criticising Stalin's regime; barred from the jazz club for fighting a white dude there; banned from the radical womens group for bringing a trans friend; banned from the trade union for attacking the mob / wanting to fix union and police corruption. (Has he been excommunicated yet? It's probably only a matter of time.)

Picture hapless social-secretary Bucky helping Steve limp home from yet another Club that Bucky got him into, and having to listen to Steve rant about why 'they're all a bunch of hypocrites, Buck!' Perhaps homebody introvert Steve, secretly wanting to stay in, while extrovert Bucky keeps trying to help him get out more, and every time Bucky thinks he's found Steve the perfect place this time, Steve's all like 'we'll see.'

had queer friends but: he was so open about it that he was alienated by potential friends who wanted to remain on the DL and considered him dangerous. (Perhaps especially so, if they were / or about to be enlisted and didn't want to risk a blue discharge, and couldn't sanction the way Stevee blatantly proclaimed his orientation at recruitment stations? 🤔 Whereas Bucky was so invested, and had cultivated such a lady killer rep, that he can not-worry about being seen with Steve.)

Or: he was on the DL and was alienated by potential friends who weren't, and looked down on him for passing?

Or: he was estranged from gay friends who did the same thing he did (ie. declared their orientation during recruitment) but because they actually wanted to dodge the draft, etc.

Also consider: gay Steve and gay Bucky, both aware of their sexuality but not out to each other yet... independently going to any of the numerous gay hot spots in Brooklyn, seeing each other there, and fleeing in horror before they can make any friends, thinking 'omg why was he there? did he follow me?? does he know?!' And not figuring it out... because they are just genuinely that dumb.

Likewise, both of them in the pre-out phase, thinking 'well I can't risk having gay friends because they'd have to be a part of my life and then Bucky/Steve will find out!!' ...because they are just genuinely that dumb.

There are actually loads of options!

You could definitely do a have-your-cake-and-eat-it version of events where Steve has been part of a wider queer community, made friends, and yet still wound up having only one who stood by him. (There has to be reason why 'even when I had nothing, I had Bucky' would be true).

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Other Possibilities:

Steve and Bucky double-dating beards / playing mirkin to lesbian couples? = Hell yes.

(Sidenote: I also headcanon Bucky as having a gay sister, so maybe she could've been Steve's plus one, or they'd take out all Bucky's sisters to act as chaperones?)

Shit, why not turn it into a business? Bucky the Escort who gives his lesbian client a cover date, a great night of dancing, and a second cover-escort guaranteed to not steal her girl!

(Service comes complete with beautiful handwritten love letters (dictated by Bucky, penned by artist!Steve), a personalised sweetheart-style photo of Bucky, and a messy Public Break Up Scene on her stoop.😉)

RE: them moving in together: everyone talks about how queer Brooklyn was, but what if the boys went above and beyond for their own safety -- February House style -- and lived in a building exclusively populated by queer people? Maybe by queer members of the forces, or people who occupied humble positions in creative industries?

If Steve has lesbian friends from BK, and lesbian friends in the chorus line... why not both at the same time? Why not have some of those lesbian friends be Brooklyn girls who signed up to be chorus girls because- y'know -chorus girls, and were then like 'Steve?! Wtf are you doing here?!'

(Why not kill three birds with one stone: one of those chorus girls is Bucky's sister? Cue Spidermenpointing_meme and mutual assured blackmail -- she promises not to tell Bucky what Steve did if Steve promises not to tell Bucky that one of his sisters has run away from home to become a showgirl.)

Bucky as the social butterfly of the two, more likely to be out and about, especially in risky places (ie. he worked on the docks; he could actually get and keep jobs in those places), and/or the safer one, and given their later pattern of Bucky's friends becoming Steve's (ie. the Howlies)... I think Bucky would be more likely to be the one making eye-opening introductions to Steve rather than the other way around. Which could have interesting knock on effects... (see above).

Maybe he got Steve a lucrative job illustrating queer 8-pagers (maybe there's an underground queer magazine out of BK, a la The Circle, and he illustrates for that, using Bucky as a model? Cue hilarious 'what were you doing at the Devil's Sabbath?' moments when random men come up to Bucky in the street like 'where do I know your face from??' 😱)

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Re: Extended Family

I also headcanon that Bucky had a gay Uncle Jim (maybe a tailor?) who was institutionalized for being gay, and received harrowing medical treatments like electroshock therapy that eventually resulted in his death.

So by the time Bucky -- named after his dead uncle -- started showing signs of being bi, Bucky's parents had already had their eyes opened. Or maybe, like Sarah, they had already emigrated from a specific open-minded situation, so queer Brooklyn wasn't such a revelation.

Alternatively: In Stucky fic, people often seem to think as far as 'Brooklyn was queer!' but no farther.

But why not? Why does their queer education have to have started in queer Brooklyn?

Why not have Bucky's or Steve's (or both!) parents be engaged in Lavender Marriages, and open about it? One gay parent, or both?

(This might be another reason why Steve appears to not have friends outside Bucky; he might have got all the queer community he needed from his own family unit. Imagine it! Not just connected to Brooklyn queers but Edwardian queers, darling! The Herstory!!)

What if Steve's mother wasn't single but simply... 'never married?' 👀 Or maybe she was straight, but in love with her late lavender husband?

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And during/after the war:

Re: the Howlies.

(Have brought this ficbunny up elsewhere)

The Howlies knew and were fine about it, because... maybe there was an official investigation during the war to establish whether or not any of the Howlies were gay and/or in a relationship with Steve.

So, being a bunch of professional mischief-makers, and acting completely independently, the Howlies all pulled an 'I am Spartacus!' and claimed to be gay and in a relationship with Steve, under interrogation.

Steve also admitted to being gay, because he is terrible at lying and had to stand by them when he was told all his men admitted they were gay.

(Except for Bucky. He kept his head during interrogation -- sadly, not his first rodeo.)

So Bucky went down in hastily-redacted Army Record as somehow the only straight Howling Commando??

(The interrogators couldn't tell if they were being made fun of or not, and in any case the scandal was considered absolutely monstrous and a terrible blow for morale, so it was immediately covered up and no further steps were taken.)

Ironically enough, Steve & Bucky weren't even the only queer Howlies!

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The Future:

Seeing gay marriage legalised, the Stonewall riots, openly queer films and celebrities and tv shows, queer pride parades etc. etc. would be heart-breaking for Steve... because of course by this point he has become Captain America, deluded women he barely knows have spent decades claiming to have been his true love, and the people that did know him have been loyally covering up for him claiming he's straight. He'd feel like a hypocrite for not being what they said; or like he's letting them down by unmasking all their hard work.

And of course his real beloved isn't here any more, when he's finding all this out he's totally alone, no one to share it with, (doesn't know if any of his other friends are still alive, yet). And he doesn't want to have to relive that pain over Bucky by being interrogated on his love life...

Plus, after a century of being mythologised, he associates coming out with even wider public furore and a violation of the privacy that Steve Rogers never gets to have.

So all he has is the private escape of the 20th century's queer cinema, literature, tv shows, and porn (which all feel like an embarrassment of riches) ...but without being out to anyone - he feels he has to keep it a secret.

Until Bucky comes back, and isn't in a prudent enough mental state to realise all this. So for him, finding all this out about queer rights etc. is an untrammelled joy, and that's what finally gets Steve out of his negative headspace and into the light.

(And then, yeah, out and married. Try to stop Bucky getting his citizenship back when he's literally married to Captain America, assholes! Nowadays, the only women that hit on Steve are lunatics who think they can turn him, and Steve's only other problem is all the gay men who either want in on that threesome or think they can steal him away from Bucky!)

[resident-idiot-simp]

Haya everyone Resi here

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Most current hyper fixation:

🧼Mw💀 & ❤️Dp&W💛

My fics :

DP&W

(how I picture the characters, constants in stuff I write, feral mutants explanation)

Deadclaw’s Adoption Agency- Wade and Logan end up adopting an army of misfits and create a home for those without one.

Meeting the Uncle- What happens when Laura runs into Sabretooth in the void?

What Comes Around Goes Around- The X-Men don't know how to feel about this new logan and have some horrible realizations about their own

Bloodline Spite- Laura doesn't like the X-men because of how they treated Logan

The Spider and The Mini Wolverine- Peter befriends Laura and the Avengers are in for a shock

Past Ghosts- Steve meets a man he thought long dead

What is the Deal With Thoes Two?- Students POV on Deadpool and Wolverine

Aftermath and Consequences- The Consequences of the Odyssey Monologue

When We Were Younger- What if Logan and Wade were both students at Xavier's at the same time

An Old Friend With New Stories- Steve and Bucky run across Logan

Running Across The Mini Wolverine- Three quick one-shots of people running across Laura Kinney and what I think would happen.

First Christmas With The New People- Dermot meets Laura first (Christmas fic)

Logan and Mew- Logan and Mew meet, become best friends, and chaos reigns.

The Kid He Always Wanted- Wade is really good with Laura and the X-Men can't believe it

What If Origins Went Differently- What if I killed Victor In Origins

Kitty Got Claws- Wade plays with Logan's claws with a twist

Unexpected Companionship- Logan and Rogue being father and daughter

Passing of the Torch- What if Laura saw her Logan again

Who is This Woman- Vanessa's coworkers POV on her

The Little Birdie- Deadclaws Wing Kink

Hunger and Lust- Vampire sex because there is a severe lack of it

Saints & Marvel Jesus?- Booondock Saints and Deadclaws crossover

The Capitals Sweethearts- Deadclaws Hunger Games AU

An Unexpected Meeting- Logan and Rogue run across her parents

Something Is Just Not Right- Vampire Wade and X-men

Bound and Forgotten- Wink kink but Logan this time

COD

(Not a fic but the Captain MacTavish essay also characterization)

The Family Reunion- What if Soap's cousin saw him again after years of no contact?

An Outsiders Thoughts- What do others see when observing Soap and Ghost

The Uncle- What if Joseph didn't die and Ghost gets to be an uncle

Comfort- Soap gets overstimulated and Ghost helps comfort him

The Loaned Sergeant- Since Soap is so used to Ghost as his LT how would he work with another Lieutenant?

The Old Team- What happens when Soap meets his old team?

Soap and MacTavish- What if Soap meets Captain MacTavish?

Time Kept Ticking- Soap's Family thinks he's dead, but he comes knocking on their door how will they react?

Your a CAPTAIN?!- What if the original 141 were canon in the same universe as their reboot counterparts and Soap with Ghost were using the task force as a cover for their own team?

Don't Dish Out What You Can't Take- Soap and Ghost have a badass kid

Hunger- Ghost is a wendigo because it fits so well!!

The BAU Meet SoapGhost- The BAU deal with John 'Soap' MacTavish and Simon 'Ghost' Riley

The Prince & his Knight- Soap is a prince Ghost is a knight what will happen when Soap I told to court someone?

I haven't Talked to You Since last Year- Simon keeps making jokes and Soap is NOT having it

The Mistake- What if after Roba Tommy kicks Simon out?

Favored by the Crows- Ghost gains an army of crows

Task Force Try Playing Games With Civilians- The 141 play laser tag and paintball with some civilians

What People Around and On Base See- MORE POVS ON YOUR FAVORITE IDIOTS

Alone Time Interrupted by Your Team- Captain MacTavish is rudely interrupted by his team during his not so alone alone time

Cowboy Dan- Cowboy Dan is so Ghost-coded I needed to write a fic so decided to make it sad and about Soap becoming Ghost after Ghost died.

A Little Help- Ghost helps preen Soap's wings

A Little Pick-Me-Up With Company- Soap offers fresh blood to Ghost so they can escape a sticky situation while Price is an unwitting watcher

Jailbirds- Soap and Ghost get arrested on a mission gone wrong

A Preventable Fate- 09 Angst regarding Price not being a good person

What is With Those Two?- Model Ghost and Football player Soap are following each other on social media and the fans just realized

Feeding Your God- 09 Ghost as a lore accurate wendigo (Azilver wrote a story based off of this go read it! Also it has fanart that also works for my fic)

Accidental Mate Acquisition- Seal Mer Soap sees Ghost as his mate what will they do?

The Captain Blowing Off Steam- The Captain has his way with Riley who is just happy to be there

Mama Bear- Mama bear Beth

What do you need?- The Captain has visitors while having his way with Riley

Matching Smiles- Soap has a Glasgow smile

How Did This Snowball so Bad?! - Soap and Ghost experience their first heat/rut together

Relief- Soap with swollen balls needing relief and Ghost offering to help.

Wisper From the Woods - Wendigo Roach activities including but not limited to eating Graves

Mending of Broken Souls - Past meet their future selves (part of this event I hosted)

Love Bites- Vampire Riley getting less traumatized with some TLC from his Captain

Team Bonding- Team bonding over how the 141 imagine Captain MacTavish is like in bed and how badly everyone wants him.

MacTavish and Riley Take on the Apocalypse- Wendi!Verse meets TWD and interacts with the termites (also another small snippet for nine lives)

Feed Your Local Vampire they get Hangry- Vampire MacTavish and willing blood bag Riley

We Both Reached For The Gun- Tommy kills their father like he deserves

FNAF

Empire of dirt- Ever wanted to know what others in Hurricane thought of the Aftons well wonder no longer!

The Ghost & The Bear- Freddy's POV on a ghost Michael

Final Encore- What would happen if Michael met the crew in Security Breach

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

My Queen Chapter 1

Steve Rogers is the newly inherited Duke of Brooklyn, struggling to fix the mistakes of his parents while enduring an overbearing, matchmaking mother.  He has no intention of anything romantic in his future, but will a forced love connection with the Queen change his mind?

Warnings: smut, slight domestic violence, minor character death

Next chapter

Steve sighed heavily as his mother, Sarah, blabbered on about court gossip.  He poured over his father’s books, trying to budget and fix all the mistakes and figure out what damage had been done.  His father, Joseph, had died a few weeks prior from alcohol poisoning while gambling away whatever money he had left, leaving Steve as the man of the house and the newly appointed Duke of Brooklyn.  The debts were enormous, and after selling much of the valuables from their home as well as the summer home that his parents had bought years ago, he’d been able to finally break even.  His mother had been beside herself as he’d sold her favorite things right out from underneath her, more worried about how it would make her look to her noble friends.

“Oh!  And great news!” Sarah took the pen from his fingers and twirled away from him to get his attention.

“Ma, please,” Steve grunted, reaching for the pen back.  “I don’t have time for this.”

“I’ve been speaking to the Queen’s privy counselor, Mr. Sam Wilson, you remember him,” she continued like she didn’t hear him.

“Yes, I know Sam,” Steve rolled his eyes.  “We’ve been friends for many years.”

“He’s been looking for suitors for the Queen!” Sarah quipped excitedly.  “She’s getting older and needs to marry and have an heir.  And I reminded him of you and your lack of a wife–”

“Ma please tell me you didn’t,” Steve glared at her as he stood.

Sarah withered a little at his tone, her eyes widening as she finally stopped moving.  “I…but it’s the Queen, dearest.  She’d make you a great wife.  And you a great husband!” Steve rubbed his face with his hands and started pacing around the room, Sarah following him.  “She could help us get back into a better place, your connection to her could be incredibly advantageous–”

“What makes you think I want to marry?” Steve turned on her, his eyes blazing.  “After watching you with Father all these years and how much you hated each other and brought out the worst in each other, pitting me against each of you, having affairs,” Sarah gasped.  “Yes, I know all about them.  You expect me to still want to chain myself to someone cut from the same cloth as you and all the other ridiculous nobility?  That's not love.  That’s not anything that I want to be a part of.” 

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears at her son’s accusations.  “How dare you,” she whimpered.  “I’m your mother.”

“Unfortunately,” Steve hissed at her.  “I want no part of your matchmaking games.”

Sarah straightened herself up.  “Well that’s too bad, because you have an audience with her next Friday.”  

Steve’s eyes widened, his brow furrowed, causing a deep crease between his eyes.  “You…what?”

“A lunch date,” Sarah sniffed as she wiped her eyes hastily.  “I’m trying to secure your future, and mine.  You can hate me all you want, but I didn’t endure your father for 37 years just to throw it all away.   You will meet her for lunch, be the gentleman I know you can be, flirt with her, and win her affections.”

Steve hung his head, sighing again.  He clenched his fists and walked closer to Sarah, making her back up into the wall behind her.  His eyes bored into her as he gritted his teeth.  “I will go to this lunch.  But after that, don’t you ever speak for me again.”

Sarah’s lips tightened to a thin line, defiance in her eyes, but she solemnly nodded.

***

“A lunch with Steve Rogers?” Y/N asked incredulously as she reviewed the itinerary for the week.  “You can’t be serious.”

“Is there a problem, your Majesty?” Sam asked, looking bewildered.

“Well, he’s not exactly friendly,” Y/N said, looking at his name on the paper again.  “I haven’t seen him at any events for…God, 15 years?”

“True,” Sam agreed.  “He’s not one for the spotlight.  And with his father’s gambling problems and recent death, he’s had a lot to deal with.”

“Of course,” Y/N agreed politely.  She had sent his family a condolences card upon hearing of Joseph Rogers’ death, although he was not necessarily someone that would be missed in the community.  She could understand how anyone would be embarrassed of their parents who acted in such a way so publicly and mishandled their family money.  Her own parents caused a number of controversies during their reign.  She had received multiple letters from Joseph and Sarah over the past few years asking her to increase their yearly nobility stipend money.  “I know he’s your friend, Sam.  I’m just surprised he would call on me.”

“Well…” Sam grimaced.  

Y/N eyes narrowed at him.  “Oh I see.  Sarah is meddling again.”

Sam pursed his lips, looking to the ground and nodding.  “Yes, she’s quite…enthusiastic.”

“Opportunistic,” Y/N corrected him.  She sighed.  “Well, this should be interesting.”

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 21

Hello! We're back with more Royal Pain. For the person(s) that thought the kiss meant the nearing of the end of the story: NOPE! We still have a bit to get through plot wise. Plus I don't usually go through past them getting together, and wanted to explore that a little before the end.

Also, where have my commenters gone? I used to get 10 or so comments a post and the last part of "Well Met By Moonlight" only had one. My usual commenters just didn't. If I have suggested in anyway that I don't like comments or don't appreciate them, know that I really, really do! And I miss it when people who used comment don't anymore. I'm not going to name names because this isn't a callout post, just a concern, I guess.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

Today we have a replay reaction to the kiss by the Royal Pain crew, Wayne being wise (and mention of a ring that has always been a thing in the story, I just forgot to put it in before this oops!) and Chrissy getting some advice.

***

To say that Steve was practically squealing from joy when he got to his car would be an understatement. He put his bluetooth earpiece in his right ear and immediately called Robin.

“Are you okay?” she asked as soon as she picked up.

“Eddie kissed me!” he giggled excitedly.

“No fucking way!” she gasped.

“Not yet anyway,” he said slyly, pulling into traffic.

“Steven Joseph Harrington!” Robin squeaked. “You don’t get to make dirty puns like that unless I’m in hitting distance.”

Steve laughed. “Joseph isn’t my middle name.”

He could hear her snap her fingers. “I’ll guess it eventually.”

“It’s been nearly a decade and you still haven’t guessed it,” he reminded her. “I can make it harder though...”

“Don’t you dare!” she hissed. There was silence for a moment. “You can’t make it harder, can you?”

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I can actually, but you told me not to.”

He could feel her narrow her eyes from across town as she weighed her options.

“Go ahead,” she said haughtily. “I don’t think you can.”

Steve grinned. “I have two middle names and you’ve never guessed either one.”

“You do not!” Robin hissed. “There is no way!”

“My parents were super traditional,” he told her. “My middle names come from each of my grandfathers.”

“Oh my god,” she said, “that makes so much sense.”

Steve licked his lips and waited. Five, four, three, two–

“Don’t you change the subject, Steven!” Robin came back. “Eddie kissed you.”

“He did indeed,” Steve said, “and I will tell you all about it when I get back to the shop. I’m like three minutes away.”

“I want to know everything!”

“I promise.”

*

Steve got to the shop and everyone was standing around the front counter, chins propped up on their hands, blinking at him expectantly.

He shook his head. “Menaces, the lot of you.”

Erica batted her eyelashes. “Yeah, but you like menaces.”

Steve tilted his head to the side and then nodded. “Yeah, yeah. But first I have to tell about my lunch with Wayne.”

Erica and Chrissy groaned, pushing off the counter and rolling their eyes. Robin and Argyle stayed in position though.

“Trust me,” Steve said holding his hands up, “it’s relevant to the story.”

“This better be good, Harrington,” Chrissy snarked.

“Oh it will be,” he said with a smile, “I promise.”

He started telling them everything. Wayne’s approval, the confrontation with Quinn, Eddie coming to the rescue, the kiss.

“Lunch was definitely relevant, dude,” Argyle said. “Getting parental approval is super important in a relationship. Especially if they’re close.”

Steve nodded. “So does the story live up the hype?” he asked the girls.

Robin rolled her eyes. “I suppose.”

Chrissy giggled. “It was so cute, Stevie. I’m happy for you!”

Steve waited for Erica, who sat there tapping her lips for a moment. She cocked her head. “Ehhh...it was all right.”

Everyone protested, talking over each other.

She burst out laughing. “God, you guys so easy. Of course it was awesome. Super sweet, too.”

Steve opened his mouth to say something when the bell over the door sounded, announcing the arrival of his next client.

He turned to greet them as everyone but Robin scattered. As much as he would love to gossip about his newly minted love life, he had clients that wanted tattoos.

*

Eddie kept licking his lips the whole way to his apartment.

“What made you change your mind?” Wayne asked. “About dating Steve? Him saying ‘I love you’?”

Eddie bit his lip and shook his head. “I had made the decision before that. It was just with Seth stalking me, I didn’t want to get Steve hurt if Seth thought we were together.”

Wayne nodded. “If Seth would threaten Steve over being your friend and tattoo artist, I shudder to think what he would have done if your relationship was more serious.”

“In fact I was going to tell him before Seth threatened him,” Eddie said with a sigh. “We had plans to have dinner at his place and I was going to tell him then.”

“But then Seth showed up?” Wayne asked.

Eddie nodded. “And then that night, I was going to at least let him know that after the whole thing with Seth got resolved, I was going to kiss the hell out him, but that didn’t work out either.”

Wayne tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“That was the night he ran into an ex,” Eddie explained. “The ex. The one that broke his heart. Found out a whole bunch of other shit that night, too. I spent most of the night trying to console him.”

“So the stars finally aligned today, then?” Wayne asked.

“About god damned time, too,” Eddie agreed fiercely.

Wayne hummed. “He’s good for ya, Ed. I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy in a long time. Even when Seth was breathing down your neck, you were more solid. You had your friends, but with Steve standing beside you, you looked like you could handle whatever the world threw at you as long as you had him.”

Eddie blushed, annoyed that driving kept him from ducking his head or shoving hair in his mouth to cover the flush on his cheeks. “He makes me feel brave, because he’s been through shit too and he’s still standing. Still moving forward each day. I love that about him.”

“Good.”

They drove the rest of the trip in silence. When they got back to the apartment they chatted as Eddie helped Wayne pack for his journey back to Hawkins.

“I want to see you both come Labor Day,” Wayne growled. “No excuses, you hear?”

Eddie nodded. “Yes, sir.” He gave him a jaunty salute.

It looked absolutely ridiculous coming from a long haired metalhead and Wayne’s snort cinched it.

Eddie grinned but gave him a gentle shove. “Steve wasn’t lying when he said that was the plan, by the way. We had been talking about taking him down to meet you since the first week of us becoming friends.”

Wayne nodded sagely. “I understand that he’s not close with his parents.”

“It was big ole mess,” Eddie said softly. “His parents are very recently divorced, like it was finalized last month, recent.”

Wayne hummed. “I remember you saying something about that,” he said. “At least you had an uncle who cared when your parents decided to be shit, it doesn’t seem like Steve had that option.”

“He was close to his grandpa though,” Eddie murmured. “On his mom’s side. He was really broken up when the man died.”

Wayne zipped up his suitcase. “How old was Steve?”

Eddie shrugged. “Young. Eight or nine. His grandfather got cancer before his mom met his dad. His grandpa had struggled with the disease before it finally took him. Steve said that it had ravaged so much of his body that his death certificate was like a laundry list of possible causes of death. Heart failure, kidney failure, cancer...you name it, it was probably on the damn thing.”

“That ring he wears all the time,” Wayne asked, “that his grandfather’s?”

Eddie nodded. “His dad tried to take it for years, saying it inappropriate to leave to a little boy.”

“Only he wasn’t going to stay a little boy forever,” Wayne said. “I guessing that since he still has it, his mom interfered?”

“Maureen Harrington wasn’t going to be winning any best mom awards at any point in Steve’s life,” Eddie scoffed, “but she did do some shit and hiding that ring was one of them.”

“I’m glad he had someone looking out for him,” Wayne said. “I’m sorry it wasn’t all the time. But he at least had something some of the time.”

“He’s not jealous of me or Robin,” Eddie said, “Or anyone of his friends that have a good home life. He’s happy with his found family. He loves them as though they are blood.”

Wayne smiled. “I’m happy for you, Ed. You’ve got something real special with Steve.”

Eddie blushed. “I love him.”

“I think the whole world knows it’s mutual at this point,” Wayne said with a small shake of his head.

Eddie just grinned.

*

Steve grinned as Chrissy wandered out of her room for the third time today. The first time was that she forgot her purse in her car. The second time it was because she had a question for Robin (completely made up and not something that was essential at all to her job). The third time it was because she wanted to ask Robin if she wanted anything from the deli on the corner for lunch.

Could you tell that Vickie was being trained by Robin today?

Vickie put her hand on Robin’s arm to get her to slow down in her nervous and very rapid fire explanation of the phone system and Steve thought Chrissy was going to explode.

Chrissy was wearing a pink blouse with spaghetti straps and white lacy cardigan over the tightest jeans Steve had ever seen and he’s been to a lot of Corroded Coffin shows. Her hair was up in an artfully messy ponytail and her makeup was tasteful and very pink.

Steve was just grateful she hadn’t paired the outfit with anything high heeled and instead chose white ballet flats. He was always worried someone was going to sprain their ankles in high heels walking on their hardwood floors.

He winced as Chrissy’s poor attempt at flirting fell flat.

“Oh,” Robin said, “Steve already ordered him and me Chinese, sorry.”

“I’d love something though,” Vickie said brightly. “Do they have a turkey club?”

Chrissy sputtered for a moment before she nodded meekly. “Yeah.”

“Great!” Vickie continued. “Just let me know how much and I’ll wire you the funds.”

Chrissy nodded again and with a squeak, dashed back into her room. Steve watched as Vickie’s smile turned knowing.

He shook his head and went to go talk to his apprentice.

“Someone’s got a crush,” he said, leaning against the door frame, with his arms folded.

Chrissy threw her arms in the air. “At least you noticed. I don’t think she has.”

Steve chuckled and made his way over to her, swinging the door shut behind him.

“I love her,” he said sitting down on her client lounger, “but she absolutely loses her head when a pretty girl is around. Gay, straight, bi. Doesn’t matter she becomes an absolute mess.”

“I’ve noticed,” Chrissy said bitterly. She thought about Vickie and Mandy and how Robin was just goo around them.

He hummed, knowing exactly what she was thinking. “Here’s the thing though, you are one hundred percent ahead of the game compared to the other two girls.”

Chrissy scoffed. “What makes you think that?”

Steve grinned. “Mandy has a boyfriend, soon to be fiance and Vickie could be bisexual. But she could also be straight. Robin knows you’re a lesbian. You have the advantage of her knowing where she stands with you.”

Chrissy blinked. “Oh.”

“You want to get the girl?” Steve asked. She nodded. “Then you’ve got to step up your game. Time to woo her and not just flirt with her.”

Chrissy chewed on her lip. “But how do I do that?”

Steve shook his head. “Well for starters, paying attention. Robin and I always get Chinese on Fridays.”

She blinked for a moment, pulled out her phone and then the light bulb went off above her head. “Oops.”

“Yeah...”

She took a deep breath. “Do you think I have a chance?”

“She thinks the cheerleading thing is scary hot, so...”

Chrissy grinned. “It’s short skirt, isn’t it?”

Steve shrugged. “And the cute little socks.”

Chrissy laughed. “Can’t forget those.”

He turned to walk away, but she stopped him. “Thanks for this, Steve. I know you didn’t have to.”

Steve just smiled softly and then walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Thoughts on how to get the girl of her dreams.

***

Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​ @renaissan-vvitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @aizawa-emma @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @yikes-a-bee @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @archermightbegay @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95 @novelnovella

[hainethehero]

Sarah Rogers calling Steve her "sunshine boy" has me SOFT😭😫😩🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🌸🌸🌸

Like, of course he is her sunshine boy! Look at him! So sweet and bright and full of goodness and hope. I have this headcanon that "sunshine boy" is kind of like when parents refer to the kid that they had after a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy etc, as their "rainbow baby" that Steve was dubbed a "sunshine baby" because he'd survived birth despite being so chronically ill.

And it didn't matter to Sarah that Steve was sick and Joseph often berated him or beat on him for being a "useless little runt", she had her beautiful sunshine baby, who eventually grew into her beautiful sunshine boy.

[Look at that adorable smile🥺 imagine baby steeb cheesin at his mama after he threw up some milk]

[dad-left-for-the-milk]

Percy Jackson the lightning thief fan cast and a reason why I chose these people to portray these characters.please feel free to ask me about my opinions on my casting. This is only for book 1 so I will cast the other characters later/soon

(This is a shit post)

Percy Jackson-Tommyinnit

Grover Underwood-Sabrina Carpenter

Annabeth Chase-tbc

Sally Jackson-Phil Watson/Philza Minecraft

Luke Castellan-Ariana Grande

Chiron-Jack Black

Mr D.-Chris Pratt

Riptide-Seth Mcfarlane

Poseidon-Danny Gonzales

Zeus-Drew Gooden

Hades-Kurtis Conner

Ares-Gus Halper

Kronos-River Cuomo

Athena-Billie Eilish

Ares-Michael Buble

Hermes-Trisha Paytas

Aphrodite-Lin Manuel Miranda

Hephaestus-Gracie Abram’s

Mrs.Dodds-Timothee Chalamet

Thalia-girl in red

Gabe Ugliano-Mr.Beast

The fates-Renee Elise Goldsberry,Phillips Soo and Jasmine Cephas Jones

The furies-vlad&niki and stokes twins

Cerberus-Adele&Bruno mars&Nicki Minaj

Auntie Em/Medusa-Simon Cowell

Echidna-Katie Perry

Chimera-Ryan from Ryan’s toy reviews

Procrusters-Kai Cenat

Charon-Joseph Quinn

Clarrisse- Harry Styles&Charliexqc&Debbie Ryan

Annabeth father-Billy Joel

Percy Jackson.

Okay I had a lot of trouble finding the perfect actor for Percy.despite the trouble he faces he is a very brave and witty person and I really hope I could reflect it in my casting so for Percy I believe that YouTuber comedian and musician Tom Simons commonly known as Tommyinnit would make the perfect Percy.

Grover Underwood.

Grover is one of my favourite characters in the book despite his anxious nature he has been a great support to Percy and the people around him.he is one of my favourite characters which is why I cast Sabrina Carpenter as him I hope you all will understand how perfect I believe this choice will be.

Annabeth Chase.

Annabeth is a daughter of Athena she is a very intelligent ambitious and courageous person.iam struggling to find a person to cast as her iam open to suggestions but for now it’s a tie between Taylor Swift, Lea Michelle,Emma Watson Jack Dylan Grazer and Tom Holland.

Sally Jackson

Sally is personally one of my favourite characters of all time I really hope I did her justice with my casting of Philza Minecraft.like her he is a good parent to his children and since he is known as Tommyinnit internet father they will play a believable mother-son duo. Joe Keery was also a good choice since his character Steve Harrington is a motherly figure to his children/the party.

Luke Castellan

In my opinion Luke is a tragic character he is the twist antagonist of the story.he is a camp counsellor and a sword fighting trainer at the camp. If it were up to me I believe that Ariana Grande would create a very interesting and emotionally compelling portrayal of Luke.

Chiron.

Chiron is a very cool guy he’s very chill very demure which is why I would cast Jack Black as him. It may not make sense at first but it will grown on you trust me.

Mr. D

Chris Pratt is a very versatile actor he is in almost every single animated movie.i can’t explain enough about how perfect he would be as Mr D. And many other characters in the pjo cinematic universe.

Riptide.

Riptide is the trusty weapon of our protagonist Percy Jackson. I know this will be unconventional to many other fans but I believe this character deserves a speaking roll and a chance to shine so I will cast Seth Mccfarlane as our loyal friend.

[fandsart]

Cw: Discussion of death, dissociation

Ever since Vecna, Steve will sometimes wake up convinced he’s dead. That those vines broke his neck. This can last anywhere from 2 to 45 minutes. Lately he’s having to set his alarm an hour earlier than he used to wake up just to account for this.

Robin was horrified when he told her. He explains that it’s not exactly scary. While the idea of dying is scary, the perspective of actually being there is mostly void and numb. She’s still concerned about the fact it’s happening, but less actually sympathetic to any ‘struggle’ it causes Steve. The only real struggle it causes Steve is in the realm of time management.

After some research, Robin concludes that it’s probably dissociation. After all the shit Steve’s been through, it isn’t unwarranted. With Max still in a coma, it’s not surprising he might feel a sort of disconnect from reality, his mind having to work to fully accept his reality as it is while waking. Plus the trauma of the situation, of which being choked out by the vines doesn't even begin to cover.

Usually he can’t move in this state. Well, he can move, but he doesn’t. He’ll turn his head and observe his surroundings, he’ll reposition when uncomfortable. It’s not that he doesn’t have control of his limbs, but the dead aren’t meant to go anywhere, and so to move would feel so unnatural. He’s not supposed to move, and it’s really hard to question succumbing to the mindset when you think you’re dead. Everything is void and numb, and when you’re dead, all there is left to do is stay where you are.

Sometimes he thinks about telling Dustin about his new issue, but Dustin has been kind of paranoid since Eddie died. Robin says it’s probably part of his mourning process. It’s like the bargaining step, but in advance. With the danger they know to be around them, now fully exposed to the reality that death can hit, even with all the preparations they could possibly put into place, there’s still a chance.

With all the supernatural stuff that’s happened, Steve doesn’t want Dustin to get the idea that Steve’s issue is anything prophetic. Robin says Dustin is smarter than that, but she also agrees that since it’s not really affecting anything tangibly, then him knowing doesn’t make much difference. Even after they killed Vecna.

He’s usually pretty conscious when in this state. Sure he thinks he’s dead, but he’s processing the world around him mostly fine. Thinks about how the others must be handling it. That’s really the worst part of this whole thing. Except this time he feels pretty out of it, and…

He needs to find his grave. He’s never felt a draw to move while dead before, but he desperately needs to find his resting place. He’s not supposed to be in the open air like this. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

He wanders, and loses himself, literally. Wanders some more. Finds his grave.

Steven Joseph Harrington.

So his parents came around to bury him then. Otherwise Robin would have known to omit the middle name, and she wouldn’t have let up about it if she were involved.

“Steve?”

He turns around. It’s Eddie. So he is dead after all.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Ever since Vecna, Eddie will sometimes wake up convinced he’s dead. Gnawed to death by those bats. Sometimes it lasts longer than others. Today was particularly quick, which means he has time to visit Chrissy in her coma before heading to the cemetery.

He figures with all of everything that’s happened, it’s some kind of related outlet. He wonders if he’ll eventually get through this bat stuff and move on to waking up convinced he was fully convicted of murder, and not declared innocent.

Steve’s parents finally got back into town, meaning their orders to put his body on ice were overturned so they could have the funeral. That was yesterday, and the group agreed to hold their own little ceremony the next day. Which is today.

They agreed to meet at the gate to the cemetery, and Eddie didn’t think he was that early, but none of the others are here yet. Maybe it’s earlier than he thought. He still hasn’t bought a new watch since his old one got soaked. But it’s also possible that everyone else is having a hard time dragging themselves here. Eddie never had the chance to get that close to Steve, but he’s seen how affected the others are by his passing.

But it’s also possible that he lost track of time, in fact he thinks that he might have. He’s always doing that. Usually he’s late for things, but it isn’t unheard of for him to be obscenely early. Sometimes when he has plans to do things it just makes all of the time before it become designated as ‘waiting time.’ He didn’t check the clock before he left the hospital either. Come to think of it, the sun is still pretty low.

He tries waiting it out, but he’s very impatient. Eventually he decides to try to find the grave. Only Robin already knows where it is. It’d probably be good for more people to know, even though the reason they’re meeting at the entrance is so Robin can just show them, but still. And then he can just circle back to the front once he’s found it. No big deal.

Sure cemeteries tend to be pretty big, but Hawkins is a small town, and there’s a bit of a class division between burial sites. It doesn’t take long to find the area he’s sure the Harringtons would place themselves in.

There’s a familiar head of hair in the distance, but… that can’t be right. And yet the closer he gets, it’s not just the hair; the body type too.“Steve?” he asks even though he knows it can’t be him. But the man turns around and their eyes meet. And it can’t be anyone else either. That’s Steve, with a look of bewilderment and daze to compete with Eddie’s own.

Did anyone think I actually just had Steve die somehow? Just curious Also I don't actually have any further plans for this or what any of it means, but I would encourage anyone inspired to build off of this to do so. I'd be curious how others might want to play with the premise

[mrprettywhenhecries]

caught // oc kiss week '25

an oc x oc collaboration between @super-unpredictable98 / @hawkinsglasscloset and myself, part of our Stranger Timeline'verse, written for @ockissweek.

❧ w.c. 1.5k words ❧ warning(s). oc x oc pairing, children of oc x canon pairings, none really ❧ pairing. features Flor and I’s fandom children ocs: Joseph “Joey” Harrington (Steve & Win’s son) and Melody Munson (Eddie & Lydia’s daughter), though no canon characters appear in this fic ❧ a/n. this is the fifth year Flor and I have collaborated for oc kiss week! it was the event that originally cemented our friendship and I'm so grateful for it and for her 💚

"Psst, Melody!" Joey hissed from his window, tossing a pebble against the pane of glass across from him to get her attention.  He still couldn't believe his luck that their windows faced each other.

Melody was drumming when she saw the pebble hit the glass. She didn't hear it, but she saw it.  Dropping her sticks, she climbed into bed to slide her window open, and leaned against the sill.

"Hey, Joey," she called, smiling.

"Hey," Joey replied, grinning as he leaned out his own window. "Your parents home?" he asked.

"No, Dad’s getting new guitar strings and Mum’s in Camden," Melody replied, smirking, knowing what he was getting at. "Why do you ask?"

"Mind if I come over?" Joey asked, giving her a meaningful look. It wasn't often that they got to be alone together, at least not in either of their rooms, so he thought he'd take hold of the opportunity.

"Hmm let me think... I am sort of busy, but I suppose you could come over," Melody teased. She was also pretty excited to be home alone with her boyfriend, it was a golden opportunity. "Come on, the front door is open."

Joey's grin grew and he nearly hit the back of his head on the window as he jumped back into his room. "I'll be there in a sec!" he called, rushing down the stairs. 

"Joey, where're you going?" his mom called after him, looking up from her book on the couch. 

"Next door!" he exclaimed, barely pausing before he was out the door, not giving her a chance to stop him.

Melody quickly fixed her hair and put some cherry chapstick on, laying in bed casually as she waited for her boyfriend to appear, as if she wasn't expecting him.

Slipping in the back door, Joey took the stairs two at a time and pushed his dark hair out of his face before pushing Melody's door open and leaning in the doorway. "Oh hey, fancy meetin' you here," he said, flashing her a lopsided grin as he found her lounging on her bed.

"Oh my! A boy! In my room!" Melody gasped playfully, jumping up to pull him closer by the collar of his polo shirt. "It's so wrong, I shouldn't have boys in my room all alone... what will everyone think?" she whispered playfully in his ear while kissing his neck softly, her hand sliding to his abs.

"Luckily, no one knows I'm here," Joey chuckled, threading his fingers through Melody's hair, twirling a dark curl around his finger.  "Well, other than my mum, but she doesn't know we're alone," he added with a shrug.

Melody wore an impish grin as she pulled him into bed, her lips capturing his with all her passion and fervor. "I don't know why they're so scared of us being alone, we used to be alone all the time when we were little."

Joey chuckled as he kissed her back, his hands running up her back. "We didn't do this when we were little," he pointed out, pulling her atop him.

"So what? You wanna tell me our parents didn't snog each other when they were our age? They probably did much worse," Melody joked.

"True," Joey murmured, brushing his nose against Melody's as he grinned against her lips. "My parents can barely keep their hands off each other even now," he grumbled. "I'd hate to think how worse it used to be."

"Same for mine, it's like my dad knows words or actions that drive my mother all insane. Wonder if you'll ever have the same with me..."

"Oh?" Joey asked, his brows raising as he pulled back to look down at her with intrigue. "I think I know you pretty well, but now I'm curious. Is there anything in particular I do that drives you insane?" he asked.

"Hmm let's see..." Melody tried to remember while resting her head on his chest. "I like when you lie down with your arms behind your head and your biceps show; I like when you’re styling your hair and you look all concentrated; I love when you're driving."

Joey's lips twitched. "Like this?" he asked, stretching to thread his fingers behind his head.

Melody giggled and let out a little squeal. "Yeah! You look so good in this position," she murmured, pressing her lips to his bicep.

"I look even better when you're laying on top of me," he teased, keeping one arm behind his head and slipping the other around Melody's waist.

"Aww baby! You sure are smooth..." she teased, blushing a little as she leaned closer to kiss him, getting a little carried away.

"See, I know what you like," Joey murmured, moaning softly as his tongue met hers.

"Turns out you know what buttons to push."  Melody quickly pulled his shirt off before going back to making out. "You look so good this way..."

“You know, I think we should match,” Joey said, slipping his hands under the hem of Melody’s shirt and pushing it up as well, before his lips were on hers again.

"Lo, my darling! Mummy's got you a new dress, have a look..." 

Lydia walked into the room and gasped, as if that was the worst thing she’d ever seen. 

"Mum! Can't you knock?" Melody yelped, scrambling up. 

"Excuse me, young lady! You're the one in your room alone with your boyfriend doing God-knows-what and I'm in the wrong?"

"Shit–" Joey breathed, scrambling to grab his shirt. "S-sorry, Mrs. Munson," he exclaimed. "We weren't gunna do anything–" he protested.

"Hmm yeah, the no shirts on was just because of the weather, was it?" Lydia quirked an eyebrow.  She went to the window and saw her best friend–Joey’s mom–outside, taking the laundry off the line. "Hey! Winnie! You know your son was taking off my daughter's shirt as I walked in?" she exclaimed, sticking her head out the window.

"What?" Win called back, looking up from the clothes line. "The cheek on that boy!" she grumbled, planting a hand on her hip. "Joseph William, get your arse over here!" 

Joey winced at the use of his full name and reluctantly slid off Melody's bed to join Lydia at the window, pulling his shirt down. "Sorry Mum!" he called.

"You always used to joke around when we were kids and say we were gonna get married and all... and now that we're dating, you’re angry?" Melody huffed. 

"We like that you two are together, but there's an age for everything. You can't just do that sort of thing, you're too young," Lydia argued. 

"You were both our age when you met our dads, you want us to believe nothing ever happened before marriage?"

"Seems a little hypocritical," Joey pointed out with a shrug. 

Win shared an exasperated look with Lydia through the window before heading toward the door to join them, not wanting to continue yelling from the yard. "Maybe we just want you to be safe," she said, shooting her son a wry look.

"We are safe," Melody grumbled, not really keen on talking about these things with her mom and her boyfriend's mom. "Maybe you could give us a little more freedom if we promise to always stay safe?" 

Lydia exchanged a look with her friend—maybe the kids had a point.

Win let out an exasperated sigh, but couldn't exactly argue with that. Melody was right about her and her husband's, as well as her own parents' sex life before marriage. She couldn't exactly blame them, but they weren't stupid. If they said they were being safe, then she believed them. "Alright," she relented. "Just don't take advantage of that," she added sternly.

"We won't! We'll be super safe and respectful!" Melody exclaimed, hugging her and then her mom. "Thank you for trusting us." 

"Yeah yeah... we're the best, we know," Lydia chuckled wryly. "But seriously, we’re treating you like grown ups, don't act like children."

"We won't," Joey replied, rather solemnly, wanting to show his mother and his potential future mother-in-law that he was serious. Win patted Melody's back while smiling softly at her son, feeling rather proud.

"So... could we have some privacy please?" Melody asked.

"Oh!" Win exclaimed, huffing a laugh and glancing at Lydia. "Alright, I suppose."

"We're gonna have some tea," Lydia agreed. "But just... behave!" 

"Don't worry, we will!" Melody exclaimed, all but pushing them out of her bedroom.

Joey let out an awkward laugh as Melody shut the door, pressing her back to it. "So, where were we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 

"You were taking off my shirt... is that something you'd still be interested in? We don't have to do anything while our mums are here," Melody added, caressing his cheek. 

"Oh, I'm definitely taking the opportunity presented," Joey chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he lifted her shirt back up. 

Down in the kitchen, Win rummaged in the cupboard for some cups while Lydia put on the kettle. "You okay over there?" she asked.  

Lydia sighed heavily and nodded. "The kids are growing up... I'm proud, but I also hate it."

"I'm right there with you," Win muttered.

[arathejedi394]

snippet from my warlord/prince fic wedding chapter

Soon, his wedding party begins donning weapons and armor rather than fine clothes. Steve assumes this is a Northern tradition. And then it isn’t long at all when Loki pops their head into the room.

“Ready?” they ask.

Steve nods. Wanda puts a flower crown of daisies, primrose, and roses on his head and adjusts the ribbons trailing down his hair.

“Ready,” she says.

Loki leads them from the sixth floor to the third. The ceremony is taking place in the ballroom; music pours from it. Loki arranges them in formation. Steve stands at the very front with his parents flanking him. A guard stands just behind Joseph, a spear point to his back. Loki has Darcy and Jane stand behind Steve and his parents to carry his train, then Natasha with Clint and Wanda on either side of her, and Sam and Riley side-by-side at the rear. Loki pokes their head around a crack in the great doors, then turns back and waves to two guards.

“On my signal, open the doors,” Loki says.

The guards take the door handles.

The music hits a soaring crescendo and then stops. A moment passes. Steve takes a breath. Then drums begin to play. Only drums, accompanied by a guttural chant in a foreign tongue.

“Now!” Loki says, hastily backing up.

The guards swing open the doors to the ballroom. The tables have been removed completely and the crowd stands in two groups, parted by a long red carpet leading from the doors, down the steps, to the stage at the top of the ballroom. 

Bucky is waiting at that end of the ballroom, with Thor, Brunhilde, Pepper, Rhodey, and Tony standing on his left, Steve’s right. Bucky again wears his teeth-and-bone armor and his greatsword, but no helm or crown and without his leather vest. Bruce stands behind a large wooden and cut stone altar. There’s a bull tied to the altar.

The drums triple in speed and fanfare plays for a moment. Loki waves for Steve to start walking. He jolts a little and goes, his arms folded through each of his parents’ elbows. He doesn’t remember the ballroom being so long. The drums get faster the closer to the altar Steve gets. Joseph’s grip on Steve’s hand is almost painful. Sarah is silently crying. Bucky is just watching Steve approach, eyes dark.

At the steps to the stage, Sarah lets go of Steve’s elbow. Joseph holds on for a second, until he’s poked in the back by the spear. He clenches his jaw and lets go. Steve glances at him, then pauses.

“I don’t pity you,” he whispers.

He turns his back on Joseph. Darcy and Jane carry Steve’s train until he takes the first step onto the stage. Steve’s wedding party splits off to the left and arrange themselves in a line. The guard ushers Steve’s parents into the crowd, then stands very close to Joseph. Steve bites his lip, then looks up at Bucky.

Bucky’s gaze meets his, then trails down. Steve gets warm in the face. Bucky just nods, smiling. He takes Steve’s elbow and they turn to the altar.

Up closer, Steve sees the altar is made of black marble and mounted on oak. There is a vast, nine-branched tree etched into the stone. The drums get louder and faster. On the altar is a goblet of wine, a bundle of rope, and a vicious-looking knife. Smoke burns from incense sat in lanterns behind the altar. Bruce raises his hands. The drums stop.

“Let Frigg, the All-Mother, be with us tonight!” Bruce calls; his voice echoes somewhat unnaturally. “Tonight, we bind the hands of the Warlord King James Buchanan Barnes, god of victory and fertility and blood, Dread Conquerer of the North, High King of the Empire of the North –” Bucky has such a stupidly long title – “And the Omega Prince of Brooklyn, Steven, son of Sarah! Rejoice, my people!”

The drums hammer again as the crowds cheer and stamp their feet. Bruce claps his hands. All goes silent.

“A groom cannot approach the altar of marriage armed! Who here will stand for him?”

“I will,” Thor answers.

Bucky unbuckles his greatsword and hands it to Thor. Thor draws it and drops to a kneeling sentry stance, sword tip to the stones. Steve and Bucky close the distance to the altar. Bruce takes from his pocket a gold ring set with a ruby. 

“This ring,” he says, “represents the eternal bond that our King has with his Omega. Prince Steven will vow to uphold that bond and place the ring on the King’s finger.”

He gives it to Steve. Steve picks up Bucky’s left hand and bites his lip as he almost trembles.

“I make you blood of my blood,” he recites, imagining the page Natasha had written the vow on. “I make you bone of my bone. I give you my cup. I swear to you my undying servitude, loyalty, and love. I will cherish and honor you. I will support you, tooth and claw, to my last breath. I give you all that is mine to give, all my earthly possessions shall be yours from now unto Ragnarok and beyond.”

Steve slides the ring onto Bucky’s finger. Bucky flips his hand and catches Steve’s, squeezing it. Bruce takes out a smaller version of the same ring and holds it up again.

“This ring represents the eternal bond that Prince Steven has with our King. King Barnes will vow to uphold that bond.”

Bruce hands the ring to Bucky and he takes Steve’s left hand.

“I make you blood of my blood. I make you bone of my bone. I give you my sword. I swear to you my undying servitude, loyalty, and love. I will cherish and honor you, I will defend you, sword and shield, to my last breath. I give you all that is mine to give, all my earthly possessions shall be yours from now unto Ragnarok and beyond.”

Bucky puts the ring on Steve’s finger. Steve grins, looking up at him. Bucky touches his chin with his other hand and then brushes his knuckles against Steve’s cheek.  Bruce wraps the rope around their wrists in a strange pattern, then whispers to Steve to grasp and pull. He does, and Bucky does, too, and the rope snaps into a knot. Bruce then lifts the goblet. Bucky takes it, then he lifts Steve’s hands and has Steve hold the goblet, as well.

Bucky pushes gently on the goblet and Steve raises it to his lips. He drinks deeply, and then lifts his hands to give it to Bucky to drink. He drains the cup and they lower their hands. Bruce takes the goblet and then the rope.

“The King will now offer a sacrifice to the All-Mother!” Bruce says, voice echoing still.

[virgil-is-a-cutie]

Listen I love the little comic of trans man Eddie who has Steve's kid but kept her away from him never having told him that he was pregnant.

But angst for Johnathan x Eddie x Steve

Both Eddie and Steve are trans men and both hooked up with Johnathan like a week or a month apart of one another, and Steve ends up moving away bc he got into college or perhaps even a relative did an adult adoption.

Eddie in the other hand was able to get Corroded Coffin off the ground and get small tours.

Both don't learn they're pregnant till they're 2 months along.

Steve's excuse is that he slept with a few other people during that week with Johnathan, he doesn't have a clue who the dad is.

Eddie's is that he's too busy with the band to get in contact with Johnathan. It slips his mind after his baby boy is born. His name being Joseph Wayne Munson.

Steve has a little girl with brown fluffy hair who he names Ella Willow Harrington named after El and Will.

Ella and Joseph are 5 years old when they finally meet bc Eddie is taking a break from the band, and that's when Eddie bumps into Steve.

Steve has become a make up artist or event planner that pays well.

They rebuild the friendship and eventually become a couple and it's only then do they realize Ella and Joseph look semi similar with their eye and face shape and the shade of brown hair neither parent have.

They both confess on every person they slept with before they got pregnant.

Only Eddie has Johnathan, and Steve has multiple people including Johnathan.

Idk anything else yall can choose how Johnathan learns about his kids

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Robin is a 100% a Stancy shipper, but she could also be falling for Nancy. Both can be true at the same time, especially if she starts falling for Nancy because Nancy loves Robin's platonic Steve so much. Robin said they should combine. It only makes sense that they date the same woman, and Robin wouldn't want to date Nancy without Steve anyway. Not because they're codependent but because Robin's platonically in love with Steve. I'm pretty sure that Robin is laughing at that Tom Cruise poster because she knows her best friend has the same one (we haven't seen Steve’s room since season one, he's probably redecorated by now). I love Steddie, but I think Stancy is somehow going to be endgame. Whether it's with Ronance or with Jancy. I think people also forget that the only time 'Robin' ever saw anything remotely Steddie was when Joseph Quinn improvised the big boy scene, so that was Maya's reaction. She's definitely a Stancy shipper. There's no doubt.

"God, they're so adorable. I just wanna squeeze them, you know. If I'm permitted to see a silver lining in all of this end of the world doom and gloom, it would be the rekindling of some old flames, that frankly never should have been snuffed out. I didn't mean it as a hint but if I did meant it as a hint, would that be so terrible? For me to wish happiness for my friends?"

Robin: If only we could just like combine. Think about it. . .I know exactly what I want, I found the girl of my dreams, and I just can't get the courage to ask her out. Meanwhile, you go on a million dates and you have no idea what you want, so if we just combined all of our problems, it would be solved because alone, let's face it. . .

Steve: We totally suck. . .

So, if Rovickie doesn't work out (let's say because Vickie parents moved her out of Hawkins) or for whatever reason, Stoncy doesn't. . . Stobincy! Because alone, they totally suck. (Or if they're going to date the same girl. . .Vickie, which I could see too.) Hmm. . .why do all my short posts turn into long ones. . .I always feel a little awkward when I go on my rambly rants, so bear with me. 🫣

[swan-of-sunrise]

Hawkeye (Part III)

Summary: On Christmas Eve, (Y/N) and Steve receive some shocking updates from Clint and after the archers’ fight against Kingpin, the Tracksuits and a Black Widow assassin out for blood at Rockefeller Center, the exhausted duo accepts their hospitality.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Hi guys! I'm feeling a bit better now, so I've returned with a longer chapter filled with holiday fluffiness! Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Hawkeye (Part III) December 24th, 2024 Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn (Previous Chapter)

“I still can’t believe that people really used to decorate their Christmas trees – their very dead, very dried-out Christmas trees – with lit candles.” (Y/N) shook her head in amazement as they slowly walked past the crumbling gravestones and carefully avoided the piles of snow resting atop the frozen grass on the way down the slope to their parked car. “I mean, weren’t they afraid that they’d accidentally burn their houses down in exchange for a little holiday cheer?”

Steve nonchalantly shrugged and hitched Carina higher up on his waist. “Arsenic was in practically everything, cocaine was prescribed by doctors as medicine, and people guzzled down pure wood alcohol throughout the entirety of Prohibition; trust me, candles on Christmas trees were the least of our worries. Our tree caught fire once when I was ten or eleven and after Ma put it out, she scraped together enough money to buy a secondhand strand of lights and we never put candles on our tree again.” After taking note of her stunned silence, a mischievous smile broke out across Steve’s face. “If you think that sounds crazy, then you probably don’t wanna know why we had to stop putting strings of popcorn and cranberries on the tree…”

“And you’d be absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent correct, sweetheart.”

The morning of Christmas Eve saw the Rogers-(Y/L/N) family visiting the graves of Sarah and Joseph Rogers at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn’s sole Catholic cemetery; they’d brushed clumps of snow and wayward leaves off the two weathered gravestones, laid bouquets of red and white poinsettias and recounted stories of Christmases past in a continuation of Steve and Sarah’s old yuletide tradition. Typically, Steve never cried or showed much outward emotion whenever they’d visited his mother and father’s gravesite, but that morning he couldn’t seem to keep the happy grin off his face as he held his infant daughter in his arms and explained to his parents that they would soon be giving them a second grandchild. Seeing her husband so happy about having another child and being able to experience the entire pregnancy alongside her always succeeded in causing her heart to warm in her chest, but there was something special about watching him tell his parents about the life that so many people believed – including himself – he’d never be able to live. It’s also given me several ideas of what to do with him after we put Cari down for her nap, she thought with a sultry inward smile, ideas that are a little too risqué to voice in the middle of a Catholic cemetery.

(Y/N) was in the middle of strapping a squirming Carina into her car seat when her cell phone rang. “Sweetheart, could you get that for me?”

“Of course.” He jogged around the car and climbed into the passenger’s seat, grabbing her phone out of her purse and humming in interest when he noticed the name on the screen. “It’s Clint.”

Glancing up from the buckle, (Y/N) shot her husband a knowing look and slowly replied, “That can’t be good…”

Steve nodded in agreement before swiping a thumb across the screen and putting the call on speakerphone. “Hey, Clint; (Y/N)’s hands are a little busy, so I’ve got you on speakerphone. What’s up?”

“Are you guys home right now?”

“We spent the morning laying flowers at Steve’s parents’ graves, and we’re just about ready to head home,” (Y/N) explained, a knot of apprehension beginning to fill the pit of her stomach as she detected the uncharacteristic unease in the archer’s voice. “Why do you ask?”

“We got it wrong, (Y/L/N); it was Eleanor Bishop the whole time. Kate’s mom killed Armand, framed Jack for the murder and forged his connection to Sloan Limited. She’s been working for Kingpin for well over a decade, and Kate only just found out.”

(Y/N), who’d just given Carina her pacifier and a kiss on her forehead, sat back and watched her daughter for a moment before sighing to herself, imagining the overwhelming anger, confusion and hurt that the twenty-two-year-old must’ve felt in reaction to the devastating news. “Poor Kate…how’s she holding up?”

“Better than I thought she would,” Clint replied, and there was a hint of pride in his words as he continued. “Eleanor’s turned on Kingpin and he’s gonna send a message to the city by attacking her company’s Christmas Eve gala, so Kate’s focusing on prepping for tonight’s fight. Those LARPers I told you about are giving us a hand, since most of ‘em are first responders when they’re not dressed up in costumes and pretend-fighting each other with fake weapons, and we’re gonna build as many trick arrows as we’ll need to take out an army of Tracksuits.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steve’s hand twitch towards the glove box, where they both agreed to stash several weapons in the event that they were ever attacked by any new or former enemies. “Something else is wrong, isn’t it? Did Kingpin find out about-?”

“-No, no, it’s not that. Eleanor hired a Black Widow assassin to kill me; we had a scuffle last night but they retreated before they could finish their assignment. I just learned this morning that the assassin…it’s Yelena.” (Y/N) and Steve’s gazes met and their eyes widened in identical shock. “And this isn’t just an assignment for her. She’s here to avenge Nat’s death by taking out the one person she thinks is responsible.”

“…Clint, you aren’t responsible for the choices that Nat made. You know that, right?”

There was a slight pause on the other end of the call. “I know, Steve. But chances are she’s gonna show up tonight to complete her assignment, so I wanted to give you a heads-up in case she decides to go after you guys next.”

(Y/N) frowned. “You don’t really think that Yelena would-?”

“Nat told her about you, about how you were one of her best friends; if she’s targeting me, then there’s a chance she’ll target you, too. Just be ready for anything, okay? Booby trap the house Home Alone style if you have to, but don’t let your guards down.” The archer cleared his throat. “I’ve lost enough people in my life, and I don’t wanna lose any more of ‘em. You two read me?”

Although Clint couldn’t see them, a stoic-looking Steve nodded once. “Loud and clear. Good luck out there tonight, Clint.”

“And watch each other’s backs,” (Y/N) added, the barest hint of a smile beginning to play on her lips at the thought of the Tracksuits attempting to take on two skilled archers armed with the deadliest and most imaginative arrows in the world. “I’ve only heard stories from Nat about your plethora of trick arrows, so I look forward to seeing their aftermath on tonight’s newscast…but for Scott’s sake, maybe try and avoid using any Pym Particles.”

The archer chuckled. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want Hank to blow another fuse. I’ll be sure to call you guys after the firefight, okay?”

They bid one another goodbye and after Steve ended the call, he looked up at (Y/N) with a glint of determination in his azure eyes. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Biting her lip, (Y/N) backed out of the car’s backseat and closed the door before slipping into the driver’s seat and sighing. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Brienne,” They both recited at the same time.

Brienne, named for the popular character from Game of Thrones, was an A.I. home defense system that Tony bequeathed to them after his death; according to Pepper, he created it shortly after their engagement announcement as a wedding present but after the Accords and what happened in Siberia, he stowed it away in his archives. It was a thoughtful gift that provided them both with a sense of security, but the A.I. – similar to J.A.R.V.I.S. and E.D.I.T.H. – came with not only a distinct voice, but a distinct and booming yell that was triggered by any movement around the perimeter of their home. The one and only time they’d activated Brienne was when they resided in Maine, and the A.I.’s defensive techniques frightened a passing black bear so badly that it scurried up a pine tree and stayed there for hours. But while (Y/N) was still unconvinced that Yelena Belova would target her in revenge for her sister’s death, she was wary of Kingpin and his considerable forces uncovering her family’s involvement in Clint’s latest mission. I suppose that the annoying A.I. is better than nothing, (Y/N) thought to herself as she switched on the ignition and her husband’s hand moved to rest on her knee, the warmth of his touch working to comfort her as they both silently contemplated their friend’s imminent fight against Kingpin, the Tracksuits and a vengeful Black Widow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-considerable damage to Rockefeller Center, namely its ice public skating rink and the world-famous Christmas tree. But thanks to the bravery and heroism of Avenger Clint Barton, JOAD Olympian Achievement Award recipient Kate Bishop and a group of off-duty first responders, several dozen members of the organized crime syndicate called the Tracksuit Mafia were apprehended by the NYPD and no injuries were reported by any of the gala’s attendees. Additionally, Eleanor Bishop, CEO of Bishop Security and mother of Kate Bishop, was arrested for the murder of Armand Duquesne the Third, and notorious businessman and crime lord Wilson Fisk was rushed to the Rockefeller University Hospital with life-threatening injuries. After the break, we’ll talk with an eyewitness who claims to have spotted the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swinging near the scene-”

“All’s well that ends well, I suppose.” (Y/N) remarked with a content sigh, reaching for the remote on the empty couch cushion beside her and switching the channel, settling on a broadcast of A Charlie Brown Christmas before continuing. “I just wish that Kate didn’t have to go through the pain of losing her mother on Christmas Eve.”

Steve, who was sitting behind her and gently massaging circles across her baby bump, pressed a comforting kiss onto her shoulder and rested his cheek on the top of her head as she nuzzled closer to him. “Eleanor chose Kingpin over her own daughter, and now she’s gotta answer for that choice. But Kate’s strong, and if she had the strength to throw herself into danger to do the right thing, then she’ll have the strength to recover from this.”

Something in Steve’s tone of voice made (Y/N) crane her neck to meet his gaze. When she saw the conflicted emotions written across his face and the faraway look in his azure eyes as he watched the cartoon playing on television screen before them, she moved her arm back and softly brushed her fingers through his cropped blonde hair to coax him into looking at her; he blinked and after his eyes finally met hers, she smiled but continued to twirl her fingers around the longer strands of his hair. “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?”

Her husband remained silent for a long moment, only answering after (Y/N)’s free hand moved to rest atop one of the hands that was cradling her bump. “Christmas Eve, 2017. Wanda was off visiting Vision and I was alone in a run-down hotel room in Tunis, just waiting for Sam and Nat to come back from a meeting with one of her contacts. While I waited, I was watching this special dubbed in Arabic. I remember sitting there in that room just wishing with everything I had that I could’ve been here with you, and sometimes…sometimes, I try to imagine how different things would’ve been for us if I’d ignored the risks and the mission and come home for Christmas.”

(Y/N)’s smile faltered a little as she realized what he was tentatively referring to; late into December of 2017 was when she’d discovered that she was three months pregnant, and Steve wouldn’t find out about his daughter’s existence until the summer of 2018, when the Black Order invaded and they fought in the Battle of Wakanda. Steve met his daughter that day, only to tragically lose her several hours later in the Snap, and he’d suffered with the grief of her sudden loss alongside (Y/N) for five long years until Bruce’s Snap brought all the Vanished back. “Steve…”

“I know, sunshine, I try not to but I can’t help it-”

“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” (Y/N) gently reassured him and when Steve took a shaky breath, she cupped his cheek and traced the smile lines around his eye with the feather-light pad of her thumb. “You know that I don’t blame you for not being there, and you know that I’ll never judge you for wondering how different things might’ve been if you were.” Her hand repositioned his to cradle the top of her bump where the baby was currently shifting about, and she couldn’t help but smile at the tender look in her husband’s azure eyes when he felt their unborn child’s faint movements. “But can you feel that? The universe gave us a second chance, Steve; the important thing is that you’re here now, being a fantastic father to Carina and doing everything a loving, loyal husband is supposed to do for his pregnant wife, and every single day, I wake up and I thank the universe for giving us this second chance.”

The worry line between his brows smoothed out as his expression relaxed and he moved one of his hands to rest on the side of her neck, softly stroking her jawline with his thumb before asking, “Have I told you how much I love you today?”

“Twice, but I could always use another reminder.”

Steve’s lips quirked upwards in amusement at her words. “I love you, baby, with everything I am and more.”

(Y/N) smiled happily up at him. “And I love you too, sweetheart.” Her eyes fluttered closed as she pulled Steve’s face down and he bent around her to capture her lips in a languid yet passionate kiss.

“Lucky, do you really have to go and invade Indy’s personal space like that? I mean, c’mon, you literally just met the guy and you’re already sniffing his business! Boundaries, dude, c’mon.”

Pulling apart, (Y/N) leaned her forehead against Steve’s and let out a breathless chuckle. “I suppose we should be good hosts and check in with our guests. We’ll continue this later, Mr. Rogers.”

Eyes darkening with desire, Steve smirked and lowered his voice before replying, “I look forward to it, Professor (Y/L/N).”

They both stood up from the couch, with (Y/N) doing her best to mask just how much her husband’s use of her title had affected her and with Steve biting back the knowing smile that threatened to break out across his face, and held each other’s hand while they left the living room and strolled into the dining room; Kate Bishop, sporting fresh facial wounds and damp hair from her quick shower, was finishing up her bowl of Kraft Mac & Cheese at the table and giggling to herself while her Golden Retriever and their German Shepard lounged together on the floor by the food and water bowl. The young archer appeared to be in good spirits, despite her near deadly fight with Kingpin himself and aiding the police in arresting her mother for murder, but (Y/N) knew all too well that her cheerful mood would steadily dissipate once the post-battle adrenaline wore off and the reality of her situation set in.

“Did you want some more mac and cheese, Kate, or anything else to drink?”

Glancing up and over at them, Kate adamantly shook her head and flashed them a bright smile. “I’m good, but thank you so much for the offer! Seriously, you guys have already done so much for me and Lucky; you made us a midnight snack, I got a post-battle shower and a fresh change of clothes, and I even got some Grade-A first aid.” The young archer beamed as she gestured to the bandage that stretched across the bridge of her nose. “I mean, who knew that Steve Rogers was good at first aid? I certainly didn’t! You must’ve learned during the war, right?”

“My mother, actually,” Steve corrected, tucking his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and giving a surprised Kate an offhand shrug. “I picked a lot of fights with bullies when I was growing up and she was the one who patched me up after each loss.”

“And that never stopped you from confronting the bullies…” Kate looked between them both and shook her head in amazement. “I’m beginning to see why you two get along so well. I, um, I also just want you guys to know that I’m not gonna tell anyone about all this.” Her dark brown eyes met (Y/N)’s, her gaze filled with understanding and an earnest respect. “You were right when you said that there’s things you’ll lose living the life of a superhero; a couple of hours ago, I helped the cops arrest my mom for murder and now I officially have no family. I can’t even imagine the sort of things you two’ve lost along the way, but what you’ve got now? I sure as hell won’t be the one to take this away from you.”

(Y/N) gave the young archer a thankful smile. “We trust you, Kate. And since you’re now privy to some top-secret Avengers intel, I should probably share with you one of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a superhero.” Kate’s brow rose in interest and (Y/N) nodded towards the cluster of framed photographs that were hung above the dining room’s antique sideboard; there was one that showed (Y/N), Steve, Sam and Nat hanging out at a bar, another with (Y/N) and Steve posing next to Tony and Pepper at their engagement party, and one that was taken of the Avengers as they dined on Chinese food takeout and planned their time heist. The last picture was of Sam and Bucky with the Rogers-(Y/L/N) family on the day they broke the news of her second pregnancy to their best friends; Sam was holding Carina on his hip and Bucky tickled her sides to get her to smile for the camera while Steve’s arm was slung around the super-soldier’s shoulders, his other arm wrapped around (Y/N)’s waist and his hand joining hers in cradling her barely-there baby bump. “A family doesn’t always have to be the one you’re born into. Sometimes, it’s something you get to create for yourself.” Kate’s eyes started to prickle with unshed tears, and she immediately began to blink them away and mask her emotional response with a bright smile, which only made (Y/N)’s sympathy for the upset twenty-two-year-old grow. “This little gumball feels a little restless, so I’m gonna make some hot coca. I’d be more than happy to make enough for everyone…”

Steve, instantly catching on to her line of thinking, lifted their joined hands up and gave her knuckles an exaggerated kiss while subtly winking for just her to see. “Mmm, you know how much I love your famous hot coca, sunshine. You use real milk and imported Belgian chocolate, don’t you?”

“Of course, that’s how it becomes so rich and creamy. I even sprinkle a pinch of gingerbread over the whipped cream to give it that seasonal flair.”

“Gosh, I’d just hate for anyone to miss out on the experience of enjoying such a special beverage…”

Watching their staged exchange with a growing smirk, Kate burst into laughter and raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I get the hint! I’d love some of your famous hot coca, (Y/N).”

(Y/N) beamed in triumph, giving Steve a chaste kiss on the cheek before releasing his hand and striding into the kitchen; as she assembled her ingredients and put the saucepan of milk on the stove to boil, she listened in on Kate and Steve’s conversation about archery, smiling to herself as she imagined her husband comforting their own children in a similar manner. Steve often doubted himself as a father, a habit he’d once confessed partially stemmed from never having known his own father, but (Y/N) never once doubted that the man who was patiently listening to an impassioned rant about the possibilities of various trick arrows in combat situations and even injecting his own opinions for Kate’s benefit was meant to be a father.

“Oooo, (Y/L/N)’s famous hot coca!” (Y/N), who was mixing the chocolate into the simmering milk, glanced over to see Clint enter the kitchen; the archer was toweling his hair dry, mindful of the steri-strips and bruises that littered his face, and the sight of his fluffed-up hair and eager grin forced her to stifle her chuckles. “Need any help with that?”

“Not with this, but could you grab some mugs from the cabinet for me?” He did as she asked, setting four mugs down onto the counter and nodding when she murmured her thanks. Seeing that he was preoccupied with examining the ‘America’s Ass’ mug that Scott sent Steve for his birthday, she took the opportunity to inspect his many visible wounds and winced in sympathy. “I’m looking at Yelena’s handiwork, aren’t I?”

Clint huffed out a humorless chuckle and nodded. “Yep. Not my first time having my ass kicked by a Black Widow, but I don’t remember it hurting as much as it does now.” He sobered when he caught sight of her concerned frown, slinging the towel he’d been using over his shoulder and giving hers a reassuring pat. “I got through to her in the end, and that’s all that matters. And for what it’s worth, she only really seemed pissed at me, so it’s safe to say that you and Steve are in the clear.”

Switching the burner off, (Y/N) took the saucepan off the stove and carefully began pouring the liquid into each mug. “I know that she just tried to kill you a couple of hours ago, but I still can’t help but hope that I’ll get the chance to meet Yelena someday. I spoke with Alexei and Melina over FaceTime after the Battle of Earth and I helped them arrange for Nat’s plot in Ohio…”

“But you haven’t been able to pass along the holographic puck she recorded Yelena’s message on,” Clint finished and pursed his lips in contemplation. “You told Alexei and Melina about the puck, right?” (Y/N) nodded as she reached into the refrigerator for a can of whipped cream. “It’s safe to say that before tonight, Yelena wasn’t ready to accept that Nat’s gone, but now? It’s possible that she’ll be ready for some closure, so don’t be surprised when you open your door to see her standing on your porch one day.”

While she added a sizable swirl of whipped cream to each mug of hot coca and finished them off with a sprinkle of gingerbread, (Y/N) smiled to herself and snuck a brief glance at Clint. “You know, Nat told me once that she counted herself lucky to have the three best siblings in the world; I’ll never forget just how happy that made me, because that was around the time I finally decided to go no contact with my family. She was my sister, in every sense of the word.”

“I know how you feel; back before Laura and the kids, Nat was the only family I had.” The archer’s voice cracked but he managed to muster up a reassuring smile for her. “I know that I wasn’t there for her when she needed me and that that’s something I’m gonna have to live with…” He peered out into the nearby dining room and watched Kate enthusiastically mime firing trick arrows as she talked to Steve, his smile softening and his blue-grey eyes filling with parental pride. “But I think that she’d be proud of what I accomplished with Kate.”

(Y/N) leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss onto Clint’s cheek before giving him a smile of understanding. “I think she would, too. Now c’mon, Hawkeye, let’s go deliver a little Christmas cheer and learn about all the possible applications of boomerang arrows before your guys’ ride to JFK gets here.”

Loading the mugs onto a tray, (Y/N) and Clint joined Steve and Kate at the dining room table, where they enjoyed their hot coca and engaged in a lively debate about the sort of trick arrows that the archers believed could work in a battle; (Y/N)’s hand absentmindedly rubbed across her bump as she watched Clint and Kate’s playful argument, her lips curving into an amused grin that only widened when she caught Steve’s azure eyes and he scooted his chair closer to hers so that he could drape an arm over her shoulders. Not quite how I pictured our little Rogers-(Y/L/N) Family Christmas going, she silently admitted to herself as she contently rested her head against her husband’s shoulder, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You still haven’t convinced me that boomerang arrows aren’t an excellent idea, Clint.” Kate stubbornly crossed her arms and turned to (Y/N) and Steve with an expectant look on her face. “Be honest, guys, doesn’t it sound like one of the best ideas you’ve ever heard?”

Ever the diplomat, Steve masked his chuckles with a contemplative hum and shrugged. “I’m not too sure how you’d be able to apply it, but it’s not a half-bad idea.”

Kate fist-pumped the air in triumph while an indignant Clint’s jaw dropped and he whipped his head around to stare at Steve. “Seriously, Rogers? You think it’s a good idea that an arrow should be able to fly back at you after you’ve fired it?”

“To be fair, he never said it was good,” (Y/N) pointed out. “What he said was that it wasn’t a half-bad idea.”

“Thank you, sunshine.” The archer rolled his eyes when Steve leaned over to plant a soft kiss onto her cheek and shot him a mischievous smirk. “All I know is that you could’ve taken out a helluva lot more Chitauri during the Battle of New York if your thirty-two arrows could’ve boomeranged back to you, Barton.”

Kate’s hand quickly moved to clamp over her mouth to muffle her laughter and (Y/N) masked hers with an unconvincing cough as Clint gasped in exaggerated outrage and made a rude hand gesture towards a chuckling Steve. “Damn, Clint, need some aloe for that burn?” Kate snickered and reached across the table to fist-bump Steve. “Thanks for the support, man!” The young archer leapt up from the table and hurried over to the duffel bag she’d deposited in the entryway. “And here, I’ve already thought of how I’d design the arrow!”

“Wait, Kate, you’re gonna trip the-”

“UNAUTHORIZED WEAPONRY DRAWN ON THE PREMISES, MY LORD AND LADY!”

Clint’s hand flew towards his hearing aid and Kate yelped in surprise, poking her head back into the dining room with a shell-shocked expression written across her face. “What the hell was that?!”

With a sigh, (Y/N) set her empty mug down onto her coaster and smiled despite herself. “Brienne.”

“Or as I like to call her, the posthumous revenge of Tony Stark,” Steve added, his own grin dimming a little as a wistful gleam filled his azure eyes. “Wherever he is, he’s gotta be laughing his ass off right now…”

“Language!” (Y/N), Clint and Kate’s exclamation broke the tension and even Steve couldn’t stop himself from laughing along with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Only one more chapter left, guys! (And don't worry, we'll soon find out who was watching (Y/N) in the last chapter) Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ziGMhEsAw833GQ9eV44nR?si=6dfead09c76848d5 

Hawkeye (Part IV)

Stumblin’ In Book VII: “Superhero Snapshots” Masterlist 

Tagging:  @mrs-obrien​​​​​ @lahoete​​​​​ @awkward117 @cminr @natdrunk​​​​ @momc95​​​​​ @savedbystyle​​​​​ @miraculouscloud @awkwardnesshabitat​​​​​ @marinettepotterandplagg​​​​​ @mangosandmimosas @supersouthy @benakenalove​​​​​ @brooke0297​​​​​ @hufflepeople​​​​​ @becausewelie​​​​​ @outoftheregular​​​​​​ @junipermurdock​​​​​ @ladydmalfoy @mads-weasley​​​​​ @username23345@crist1216​​​​​ @capswife​​​​​ @lilmschild​​​​​ @avngrsinitiative @crowleysqueenofhell​​​​​ @y-napotat​​​ @mary1raven​​​​​ @groovyqueer​​​​​ @ljej95​​​​​ @innersublimefury​​​ @prettysbliss​​​​​​  

[hxneyfarm]

woke up thinking about this post and now i have to project on my blorbos a little bit cw: bullying, homophobia, mention of parent death

steve is in the first grade when he first becomes aware of eddie munson. it's a friday, which means he's in chapel alongside all the other students at st matthew's, but this morning is different. this morning they're doing a dress rehearsal for the second graders' first communion this weekend. there's a long line of them, right up the center aisle of the chapel in alternating boy-girl order, and everybody is watching them.

most of the second graders are doing just what they should; standing with their shoulders back, hands in front of them in prayer position, awaiting their turn to get to the front of the sanctuary and take the eucharist from father hyde.

there's one boy, though, who can't seem to stand still.

ants in his pants, as steve's mother would say. and that's no good for chapel, for mass this weekend when the boy will take the holy sacrament for the first time.

he's a little smaller than the rest of his grade, scrawny almost. his hair's a mop of unruly dark curls and he's got big brown eyes that take up most of his face. his faded trousers are an inch or so too short, showing off a strip of white sock beneath. steve's father would have never let him out of the house showing white sock beneath black trousers. the boy's belt is tightened to the very last hole.

sister ignatius hovers behind the boy, just to his right, with her severe brow pulled into a scowl and her long wooden ruler clutched in her hand.

"munson better cool it," tommy whispers at steve's side. "sister ignatius is gonna get him with that ruler of hers."

but eddie munson can't stand still, and he doesn't even get to father hyde before he catches sister ignatius' ruler across the thigh. he looks like his eyes might be welling with tears after she does it, but he stills, and he forces his body to remain as still as possible until the dress rehearsal is through

--

when steve is in the fourth grade, he's chosen to play joseph in st matthew's nativity play. eddie munson - still wild, still scrawny, still incapable of being still or quiet for more than a couple of minutes at a time - has for some godawful reason been chosen as the angel gabriel.

eddie munson doesn't take anything seriously, and the nativity play is no different. during practice and rehearsal, sister ignatius has to chase him all throughout the sanctuary while he dives beneath pews and hides under the altar and inside the hollow back of the pulpit.

steve thinks eddie munson is too old to be acting like this.

when the day finally comes, though, and they perform the nativity, munson delivers. for all the screwing around he did at practice and rehearsal, he really comes through and he shines as gabriel.

he's a touch dramatic, and his voice carries a little further than the rest of them, but there's a man and a woman in the second row of pews that smile at eddie like he is the star of both of their entire worlds as he takes a bow at the end.

the woman is young, her eyes big and dark in the same way eddie munson's are, her hair big and dark and curly. eddie's mother, for sure. the man at her side, though... that's not eddie's dad. steve's not sure how he knows it, but he does.

eddie is scooped into a hug by his mother when all is said and done, and the man at her side lays a companionable hand atop his head.

it's the happiest steve has ever seen eddie munson. the calmest, the most grounded.

--

steve is in the sixth grade when he watches eddie munson get expelled from st matthews.

he heard through the grapevine that eddie's mom died over the summer. he doesn't know the specifics but munson was out of school a lot last spring. they're not friends, barely even acquaintances, so steve doesn't offer any empty condolences when he sees eddie in the hallway between classes their first day back in the fall.

by the end of the week everything falls to shit.

steve's got no idea what or who started it, but when he comes across the scene in the hallway there are three boys surrounding eddie munson. they have eddie on his knees. one boy has a hand fisted in eddie's hair, pulling his head back at an uncomfortable angle, and the two other boys are taking turns hitting him.

the boys are using words that steve has never heard before.

fag. queer. cocksucker.

eddie munson's mouth is bleeding. there's nothing behind his eyes. he looks numb, almost dead himself. the boy holding munson down tightens his hand in his hair and pulls back again.

he says to eddie, "good thing your mom died before she found out what kinda faggot her kid is, huh?" and for the briefest moment, steve sees a flash of fire in his eyes.

and then eddie spits in the face of his attacker. he sprays blood across the other boy's face and all three of them go very very still before dropping eddie in a heap on the ground and running off to find an adult.

steve considers going to eddie, helping him up off the hallway floor, but eddie munson levels him with a hard stare and says, "fuck off."

eddie doesn't come back to st matthews after that, and over the next few years steve begins to hear rumors about him; he worships the devil, he's dealing drugs. he's gay.

--

in the spring of '86, when steve pulls on eddie's battle vest in the hazy nightmare of the upside down, there's a rosary in the pocket.

[mikewxrren]

Jekyll and Hyde

Mike grew up in the hyper-privileged Riverdale, NY, where his parents could barely afford the rent. But somehow, they managed to scrape enough to send him to one of the nearby private schools.

Mike tormented himself to excel. He fought to earn straight As and conquer every sport that came his way. Football and baseball were his deepest pleasures. But golf was the only sport his parents cared about. If he didn’t get the best at golf, it didn’t matter what he got in the other sports. 

And with Mike’s Jekyll and Hyde father, he learned early on that dreams weren’t his to choose. His father saw him as an obligation and made sure to remind him of it any time he was drunk and they argued - which would eventually become a nightly occurrence. 

Sometime during Mike’s childhood, he looked evil in the eye and wanted to fight it. But it was only when his late grandfather - on his mother’s side - gave him his first gun that he learned how to do that.

Inspired by Grandpa Joseph Warren’s work as a forensic photographer, Mike decided that he had to become an FBI agent and reach the Director’s seat. 

Bitter Truths

While other kids in his grade celebrated their sweet sixteens with lavish parties and Ferrari’s, Mike attended a family friend’s backyard barbecue for his own. The only gift his parents got him were cupcakes and the depressing piñata hanging from the tree. Of course, Mike let the actual children play with that and slipped out early to get pizza with his friends and then slept at his grandparents’ place.   

A few weeks later, a man appeared at Mike’s school gate with a gift and a tall tale about being Mike’s other grandfather. Growing up, Mike never questioned his dad why he didn’t know that side of the family. But a few more weeks of getting to know them, he learned the hard way why. That side was haughty, backstabbing and entitled. And Mike suddenly understood why a hyper-masculine guy like his dad so willingly took his wife’s surname. 

Moving On

Mike eventually graduated with straight As and honors. And while he was on the right track to become a golfing star, he still had his dream to join the FBI. 

To achieve everything he needed to even be considered, Mike did everything to get fast-tracked into Quantico. College and a stint in law enforcement flew by. He made a few friends but he didn’t see any point in holding onto anyone for too long. He barely even contacted his own family. 

He was away when his best friend, Harry, died. And his Grandpa Joseph went shortly after. It was on his visit back home to attend the funerals that he had a giant bust up with his father. Cruel words were said and cops were even called. But Mike decided not to press charges. He asked his mom to leave his dad one last time. She refused and blamed him for the downward spiral. 

Mike stayed with his widowed-grandmother to keep an eye on her, before leaving Riverdale for Quantico. And while he half-patched things together with everyone on phone calls and messages, there was still a rift that couldn’t be sealed now they knew he was training to be an Agent. 

Quantico

While at Quantico, Mike honed his raw talent with a gun into something near-superhuman. He made friends with other Agents, Steve and Terry. But there was nothing lasting. Mike didn’t want connections. He wanted results. They weren’t just his colleagues, they were his competition. And while he had a cocky, playful facade with them, he would have been willing to climb over them to get to the top. 

Mike left Quantico at the top of his class, with the promise of getting placed in Washington D.C. But someone higher in the agency had other plans for him and reassigned him to Graceland, a mansion in Southern California. 

[worldloved]

secret menu muse: sarah rogers

Born in 1899 in a small village outside of Kerry, Ireland, Sarah Murphy started working to support her family from as early as she can remember. Her mother taught her how to read and write and do basic sums, but her first foray into formal education was serving as the village midwife’s apprentice. She learned a great deal about healing, and nursed both of her parents when they came down with a bout of influenza that would eventually kill them in 1916. Devastated by their loss and with nothing left in her village, she decided to emigrate to the United States, where she met and quickly married Joseph Rogers. In 1918, while Joseph was away fighting in the Great War, she gave birth to her first and only child, Steven.

Sarah adored Steve with all her heart, and was determined to give him a chance at a better life than her impoverished upbringing, even if it meant staying with Joseph after the war changed him. He survived the initial mustard gas attack but wasn’t the same man she married when he was finally brought home. Emotional, volatile, and deeply angry, he began blaming Sarah for everything that went wrong in his life, and began physically abusing her when Steve was a toddler. Knowing that Steve would learn from either her or his father’s example, she never let Joseph’s abuse keep her down and quietly instilled in Steve that it was never right to hurt others for the sake of causing hurt, and to always stand up to bullies.

Joseph eventually died in 1925, from complications of the mustard gas poisoning during the war and a drowned liver. While Sarah felt no small amount of relief that her abuse was over, she also mourned for the man she once loved, and feared for hers and Steve’s futures without Joseph’s income. She borrowed money from neighbors to put herself through nursing school, and when she wasn’t caring for her sickly son she spent the nights after shifts at the hospital making house calls to the other residents of their tenement building for extra income, and to support her community as the economy began to suffer from the Great Depression.

In the early days of 1935, Sarah was moved to work in the hospital’s tuberculosis unit. Within six months, despite taking all precautions, she began showing signs of infection, becoming a patient on her own ward to keep Steve safely away from the illness. Unfortunately, she declined rapidly, and passed away in the spring of 1936.

A deeply religious woman, Sarah assumed she would pass into the great Hereafter to be reunited with her parents and husband. Instead she awoke in the dingy basement of an abandoned warehouse in New Jersey.

After his defeat in DC, Brock Rumlow stole the CRADLE device from SHIELD’s remnants, determined to get revenge on Steve Rogers. In the dead of night he exhumed the bones of Sarah Rogers and placed them in the CRADLE, and he waited. And waited. And waited. After weeks of no sign of change he abandoned the plan and instead focused on recapturing the Winter Soldier.

Unknown to Rumlow, the device was working, but on such a cellular scale not to be seen by the naked eye. It took years for the CRADLE to first locate salvageable DNA, and then rebuild Sarah’s body cell by cell until she awoke in the present day.

Sarah found an old newspaper in the warehouse with a headline about Steve Rogers/Captain America on the cover and, after reading the date, assumed he must be her great-grandson and set off at once to find him.