#the ship is one-sided on pietro's part

[heliads]

I’d like to request a Pietro imagine. Pietro survived and became an Avenger. The female reader doesn’t have powers and isn’t an Avenger. She’s really smart and works with Tony and Bruce in the lab. She was hired after the whole Ultron fiasco. People underestimated her intelligence in high school and college because she’s a girly girl and loves the colour pink, but the Avengers aren’t like that. Pietro likes her and wants to date her.

'waiting around' - pietro maximoff

masterlist

When they tell Pietro he has to go to the labs, his first thought is to run.

He knows it’s silly. These are not the same doctors who made the Maximoff twins strong and fast and utterly alone in this world, these are the scientists with the Avengers. They’re the good guys. Apparently. But Pietro has learned fairly quickly that people calling themselves good aren’t always good in the end.

Pietro has a lot of learning to do since he and Wanda escaped Ultron a few months back. He’s doing his best to be patient and take things ‘one step at a time,’ as the Americans keep telling him. Mainly, he would like their steps to be faster. Pietro has things to do, and they don’t usually involve waiting in line for someone else to decide if he’s worthy of their loyalty or not. The Avengers are trying, he knows that. It’s just hard sometimes.

Especially when Pietro is still trying to shake off the feeling that he should have died back in Sokovia. He came away with his share of narrow escapes, but there was one moment towards the end, when the ships were firing at him, when Clint needed his help, that Pietro thought would be his last. Luckily, he was faster than a few bullets, but there’s still this nagging voice in the back of Pietro’s subconscious that whispers to him late at night:  what if you hadn’t been fast enough?

So he’s been uneasy as of late. What about it? Stress is common in inhumans and Avengers, one glance around this coffee-dependent complex could tell him that. Still, it’s a good thing to get checked out. That’s part of the reason Pietro is being directed to the labs, along with a need for a good annual physical.

It sounds good, too, were it not for the fact that Pietro has had plenty of experience with laboratories in the past few years and none of it was good. The Hydra labs made him strong, in a sense, but they were torturous. He can still remember the pile of corpses ushered out every day, the experiments that failed. He remembers curling up in a corner of his cell, begging his body not to give out, not to make him another body in a bag. He lived, but he remembers.

This is not Hydra. Pietro knows that. He left them behind. Still, there will always be some part of him that shrinks away from every syringe, that distrusts every doctor who comes poking and prodding at the bizarre novelty that is an inhuman. That will never go away, no matter who’s side he’s on.

Still, the lab remains. He has to go in, the others will know if he doesn’t. At first, Pietro hesitates just outside the door, afraid to knock, afraid to listen. There was always a chill in the air throughout the Hydra complex, he remembers the gooseflesh forever on his skin. Signs that nothing good happened within the walls. Or maybe it was just because of the stone buildings in cold climates. Everything has an explanation.

He can’t back out now. Pietro grits his teeth and swings the door open in one broad movement. For a moment, he stands there, waiting to walk back into his old cell, his old life, and then he looks around and realizes with a grin that he’s going to be fine. This isn’t a Hydra ploy to get him back under their thumb. For one thing, Hydra never used this much pink. Just barren walls and gloomy, monstrous skull logos. In retrospect, that should have been a bad sign. Pietro has a problem with ignoring details, though, and it tends to get him in trouble.

These details, however, are quite difficult to be ignored. Everywhere Pietro looks, he sees pinpricks of pink– the handle of a pipette, labels on equipment, notebooks full of scrawled data points, hair ties in a carefully organized container. No, Hydra never had this much fun, and Pietro is starting to think that this is going to be very fun indeed.

Smirking to himself, Pietro weaves further through the lab. He sees a few assistants scurrying around in the back, but they pay him no mind so he does the same. Pietro almost reaches the end of the room when a sudden voice calls out to him:  “Don’t take another step.”

Instantly, Pietro freezes. The owner of the voice walks towards him, a young woman about his age in a lab coat. She must be the owner of the lab, too, because he spots a pink tie in her hair matching the others near the door. The name stitched onto the left breast pocket of her lab coat reads Dr. Y/N L/N, so Pietro knows she’s the one he was supposed to find.

She points to Pietro’s feet, where he notices are just touching a line of caution tape on the ground. “If you went any further, you’d be at risk of getting your eyes blinded by the lasers,” she informs him cheerfully.

Pietro’s face drops. Only now does he notice the hazard signs. “Huh. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

Y/N arches a brow. “Do you always wander around lab space without watching where you’re going? Seems like an awfully dangerous habit for me.”

Pietro grins. “Well, I usually rely on my reflexes to get me out of trouble. I’m pretty quick.”

To prove it, he uses his speed to instantly move right behind the woman. She spins around, donning an indignant look that Pietro decides is very cute. “Don’t do that,” she scolds him.

Pietro folds his arms across his chest, grin broadening. “Why not?”

“I’ll tell Steve you’d like to do some weight training with him in the gym, and you think you can outlift him,” she threatens.

Pietro feigns surrender. “Anything but that, please.”

At last, Y/N’s lips twitch up into a smile. “That’s what I thought you’d say. Now, let’s focus. Tony sent you in to get a checkup, right?”

Pietro nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Wrong,” she tells him. “Tony actually sent you in here to get on my nerves. He does that a lot. I’m busy and he likes distracting me. We’re going to get through this as quickly as possible, alright?”

Pietro has to fight not to laugh. “And here I thought everyone in the labs gets along.”

Y/N rolls her eyes. “Most of the time, yes. Except when he sticks me with babysitting duty.”

“This isn’t babysitting,” Pietro protests, “I’m getting to know you. I already feel like we’re the best of friends.”

Something that might be a smile flits across Y/N’s face, but she takes great pains to hide it to him. Pietro, who has always cared a little too much about getting people to laugh at his jokes, follows her like a dog as she walks through her lab. “You can laugh, you know. It won’t kill you.”

The smile is gone as quickly as it appeared, and Pietro instantly wishes he hadn’t said a word. “I’m working right now,” she tells him abruptly. “That means I’m focused. Don’t get in my way.”

Surprised and somewhat hurt by her shift in mood, Pietro goes quiet, but he can’t resist asking a second later, “I’m not trying to interfere with your work, I promise. Does that often happen?”

Y/N goes still. Pietro is half expecting her to just ignore him when she finally speaks at last, very quiet and very unlike the fiery personality he’d seen before. “Every time someone new comes in here. And with half the people I’ve already met, anyway. You’d be surprised what a few pink accessories can do to someone’s reputation, and their credibility in a lab.”

Pietro grimaces. “I’m sorry about that, honest. That’s not what I was going for, by the way. I joke with everyone.”

At last, Y/N meets his eyes. There’s a faint tint of humor swimming in her gaze. “I think I got that.”

She’s smiling, though, so he takes that as a good sign. Once that initial barrier was crossed, Y/N opens up a little more, and then Pietro finds himself stopping by her lab almost every day when he’s not off on a mission. He sees her thrilled with success after an experiment worked, and desolate when they don’t. He sees her consumed with stress. He sees her brow knit with careful concern as she patches him up after a mission. Through all of it, Pietro is increasingly risky with his heart, and then one day, he knows he loves her.

It’s a foolish thing to do. Y/N has confided in him many times that she’s afraid people only will see her as a girl first and a researcher second, someone who can be taken out for drinks but never a valid source of knowledge. If he makes his move now, she’ll never forgive him for being just like the others.

So he doesn’t say a thing, and descends further and further into hopelessness. Wanda says he’s ridiculously obvious, but Y/N still doesn’t seem to have noticed a thing, so maybe the only person more oblivious than Pietro is Y/N, and that’s saying something. Pietro doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, but as the days slip by and Pietro only falls more in love with her, he wonders if he hasn’t already ruined it by always wanting more than he can have.

He’s starting to wonder if he is simply going to carry this secret with him forever, until Y/N catches him at it one evening. The night is growing late, and Pietro has retreated to one of his favorite hiding places in the Avengers complex, Y/N’s lab, to watch her conduct her experiments and indulge in some idle chatter. They’ve grown quiet, and Pietro is leaning against a benchtop, doing nothing but watch her. Some of the motion-sensor lights in the corners of the lab have gone off from inactivity, giving the lights above them an extra glow. The light plays upon Y/N’s face and makes her eyes shine.

Pietro is just thinking that he’s never seen someone more beautiful in his entire life when Y/N looks up and catches him in the act. Instantly, Pietro pretends as if he’d simply been watching her pipette some samples into the well plates in front of her, but her brow is already furrowing and she’s asking him what’s wrong.

Pietro shrugs elaborately. “Nothing, nothing. Just thinking.”

“Really?” She asks, grinning slightly. “I didn’t think that was a normal thing to you.”

Pietro rolls his eyes. “Very funny.”

“I thought so,” Y/N hums. “What were you thinking about? You seemed very preoccupied.”

“Nothing,” Pietro repeats, but Y/N doesn’t seem convinced.

“Come on, I didn’t think we were the type to keep secrets from each other. What are you trying to hide?” Y/N asks.

Pietro scratches the back of his head, suddenly awkward. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Even better,” she says, laughing slightly. “What is it?”

Pietro should stay silent, but he can feel the secret rising up his lungs and forcing itself out before he gets the chance. “I’m in love with you,” he blurts out.

Y/N’s eyes widen. Whatever she was expecting him to say, it obviously wasn’t that. “Oh,” she says quietly.

“Yeah,” Pietro says, wanting to stab himself in the eye with a nearby multitool. “Oh.”

He eyes the door, and has just decided that a strategic retreat is the best move when Y/N interjects, “I love you too, you know.”

Pietro turns around so hastily that he almost upsets a nearby rack of micropipettes. “What? You do?”

She’s glancing at her work, but he can tell that she’s embarrassed. “Yeah. Thought you knew.”

“Obviously I didn’t, or I would have done something about it,” Pietro blurts out.

Y/N glances up again, smiling again. “Like what?”

“Like take you out on a date,” Pietro returns. “How about it? This Friday. Seven. I’ll pick you up.”

Y/N laughs. “That sounds good to me.”

It sounds good to Pietro, too. When he leaves Y/N’s lab at the end of the day, he’s practically giddy. All this time, he was afraid of telling her, and now he’s wishing he spilled his guts much earlier. Regardless, he has what he wants. They’ll have their date, and Pietro is going to feel like he’s on top of the world.

requested by @thornyrose463, i hope you enjoy!

marvel tag list: @mayfieldss, @blondsauduun, @mycosmicparadise, @ellobruv, @callsign-scully, @with-inked-solace, @sher-lokid7, @eclliipsed, @23victoria, @watchreadfangirlrepeat, @gods-fools-heroes, @w1shes43, @deafsuperhero, @fadedver, @alex-1967s-blog, @crazyhearttragedy, @faerieroyal

all tags list: @wordsarelife

[dinogoofymutated]

Enemies to lovers! Quicksilver/GN!Reader

So no one requested this but I can't get it out of my head so it's going here!! I absolutely love quicksilver in the comics and the animated shows but most of his content is from the movies. I'm not complaining! But I wanted to branch that out a bit lol. I guess you can imagine almost any Pietro, but I was picturing his personality from Wolverine and the X-men. Haven't seen it in a while so forgive me if this is OOC.

This is set pre-dead professor. I might have also gotten a little carried away with this one, lol, and there will be a part 2! Fights and stuff are kept super vague for my mental health sorry if it's shitty.

-ps- someone let me know if Pietro's super speed counts for swimming too??

TWS: Tlasophobia (possibly?) Almost drowning. Dehydration, wounds.

You weren't sure if you considered Quicksilver an enemy, a rival, or an arch-nemesis, but the one thing you did know was that Pietro Maximoff was the most annoying motherfucker on the planet. Seriously! As part of the X-men, he seemed to always be in your way in every major fight.

What didn't help was that you were a speedster in your own right- well, not on land that is. The same gene that blessed others with powers beyond comprehension turned you into... a fish? Sure, you were fine on land, able to blend in with regular humans, but the moment you hit the water you were completely different. Gills, fins, the works. And you were fast. Really fucking fast.

Now when you first met Pietro while on a mission, he was being a snarky bastard. Can't catch me this, too slow that, ha! The guy may be able to run on water, but he's clumsy when he's in it. You're sure you have his face memorized from the time you caught up with him beneath the waves, tugging on his ankle and pulling him into the sea. His eyes practically bulged out of his head when realized what had happened. Of course, you're sure his face was even funnier when he watched you speed off into the depths, having neutralized him for the moment.

Every fight after that turned into a contest. Who can beat who where, Who stranded the other first, easily taking them out of the battle quickly and efficiently. Things like that. The professor had to remind you sometimes that the goal is to protect others, protect humanity, not quarrel with Quicksilver. You knew that, of course. You're thankful for the professor and what he's trying to do- but every time you saw Pietro's stupid arrogant smile you just got so- aggravated!

That being said, just because he aggravated you, didn't mean you wanted him dead. In fact, fate would keep pulling the two of you together in the least expected ways.

First, it was you, saving him from a sinking ship. He had slipped and managed to knock himself out during the fight, you having found him while trying to ensure everyone was off the boat. You were conflicted at first, knowing he was your enemy but not wanting to leave him to drown. In the end, you had grabbed him. The problem was that he wasn't breathing when you made it to the shore.

Some aggressive CPR and a few broken ribs later, he was coughing up water from his lungs. You, surprisingly, were at his side, holding him steady. Pietro was confused at first, letting you help him sit up as he coughed his lungs out, but his expression completely changes when he looks up and realises who's been holding him up. He makes an incredulous face at first, then rising to his feet in a split second, although not without swaying. He eyed you suspiciously as you stood to face him.

"You shouldn't be moving so fast straight away. I'm sure I broke a few ribs trying to get you back." You said. He sets a hand on his side wincing as he Most likely prods at a few bruises.

"Why did you...?" He can't seem to finish the scentace, and you simply shrug. You couldn't leave him there. As annoying as he was, you wouldn't wish a death by drowning on anyone. You're pretty sure you'd have saved him in any other circumstances as well, but you choose not to think about that right now. His face of confusion morphs into slight seriousness, and when he looks back to the ocean to see the Brotherhood is long gone he stands for a moment. You can almost see the gears whirring in his head, and reach out to take his arm.

"Look, I get that you recover fast and all, but you should really take it easy-" Before you finish your scentace, you've been shoved back into the sand dune. Pietro is standing further away from you than before, arms crossed as the sand settles from his quick movement. You stare at him in shock.

"Your loss." He says, sticking his tongue out before speeding off and across the water, kicking up sand in your face as he does so. UGH! Even when you go out of your way to be nice, He's a dick!

Despite him being a straight up asshole the last time you saw him, it's safe to say something between you has changed. You couldn't quite place it, but you could see it in the way you would fight. What would have been brutal punches shifted to major inconveniences, like handcuffing you to a railing and things like that. Incapacitating you without dragging you further into the fight. In fact, he hadn't even snatched you up to run and drop you off hours away from the fight for a while. Beforehand, he loved to strand you somewhere land-locked, forcing you to wait until the X-men came to pick you up. Sometimes it would take days for them to get to you, so you were almost always on guard, staying close to or in the water so he couldn't catch you.

You had gotten used to the new Quicksilver, and what used to be a rock-solid defence and begun to crumble. That was your mistake. The next time you saw Pietro, there most definitely a shift in the air. This fight was going to be brutal, but you and the team had prepared for it. You thought you had anyway. But with your friends getting injured, the fight dragging on, taking a turn for the worse, you were genuinely beginning to fear for everyone's lives.

It wasn't long after that relvation that your head was spinning, and you were being plopped down on a gritty, sandy surface.

"Sorry babe, you'll thank me later!" You clench your jaw at the sound of his voice, catching the sight of sandy dunes as you tried to turn around to rip into the man.

"Pietro!-" Your venomous words were cut off as a blur of silver rushes off, kicking up a gust of wind and leaving you stranded. Worse than stranded, you would say. Pietro had left you in a desert. A bright, dry, hot ass desert. And it was not going well for you.

Not only did you have no clue where you were going, but you were beginning to realize that you were in a really bad position. It was like every drop of moisture was being sucked out of your body. Your mouth felt dry and cottony, exhaustion setting in a little too easily. You were dizzy, dehydrated, and hopelessly lost. The sun had no mercy for you. Eventually, you have to lie down, doing your best to stay awake and not fall asleep, worrying about the worst, but eventually your drooping eyes win over your will to remain awake.

The sun is starting to set when you wake up, throat dry as a bone, both sickly and exhausted. You can hear the sound of something approaching, and do your best to sit up on your knees, doubling over for a moment before forcing your body to move. A pair of legs step right in front of you as you do.

"Wow, You look terrible." Quicksilver says, and if you didn't know any better, you would almost say he looks concerned. You don't have the energy to roll your eyes or speak to him at the moment, stars flickering in your eyes as you start to sway. You start to teeter, before you're snatched off the desert sand, Pietro having caught you and scooped you up into his arms.

"Worse than terrible, actually." He mumbles this time. His concern is clear now, face close enough to your own for you to properly see him. You scoff, or at least attempt to.

"You... left an aquatic mutant... in the middle of the desert. What were you expecting?" You say, having to pace yourself. You're fully leaning your head against his shoulder now, not having the energy to keep your head up anymore. You can feel him suck in a breath and tense up as you begin to go limp against him. His hold tightens up on you before he takes off running.

You've always been accustomed to extreme speeds, at least mostly, but the combination of how ill you feel and his sudden stop makes you want to puke. You can't bear to open your eyes at the moment, choosing instead to bury your face in Quicksilver's shoulder. You're sure he's taken you to some random place to leave you to die, but he sets you down on something soft and cushioned.

"...Where-?"

"You're in the mansion." He says quickly, cutting you off. You stare at him in disbelief as he stands back up, and you realise he's taken you to the medbay. You and Pietro make eyecontact for a moment, both wondering what to say. Eventually, you watch as pietro moves across the room to purposely set off the alarm, which you know for a fact he knew how to avoid. He turns back to you, winking as he readies himself to speed off again.

"See you soon, slowpoke." He says. You make a face at him and he laughs. In a blink, he's gone, just as the doors bust open, Beast running in frantically, with the professor rolling close behind him.

You cant quite figure out this man. Normally, he'd just leave you to fend for yourself. He's never come back to get you before. Why would he do it then? At first you were sure he put you out in the desert as a deliberate attempt to leave you for dead, but now? He seemed genuinely concerned for you, and you're not sure how to feel about that.

In the end, only Pietro knew why he came back. Or did he? Maybe he was just as confused and conflicted as you were.

[ginnsbaker]

In Losing Grip On Sinking Ships (23/23)

Chapter summary: One year later, Wanda returns to the place where you promise to meet each other again

Chapter word count: 5.5k+ | Warnings: None | Ship: Wanda x Reader

Author's note: And here we are! Will post the Epilogue tomorrow night :)

AO3 | Masterlist 

Next part: Epilogue

-

Twenty-Three

One year later

It’s the most important flight of her life.

Wanda Maximoff is finally going home after a year in Barcelona. 

And it's only a matter of days before the date circled on her calendar arrives, the day she's set to see you again.

Before she boarded the plane, Pietro gave her a call, extending his well wishes and backing for her reunion. Shannon is expecting their second child, a baby girl. Pietro would have loved to be there for Wanda, to welcome her back after such an extended absence. However, Shannon's pregnancy has been more delicate this time around, requiring his undivided attention and care.

In the remaining moments before take-off, and after having secured Sparky on her lap, Wanda finds herself gazing at a picture of you on her phone. It’s an image that Valkyrie captured during the Cup-off, a picture of you and her side by side, your awkward yet endearing smile juxtaposed with her exuberant, wide grin.

As the plane ascends, distancing itself from the ground, her mind becomes filled with thoughts of you. She pushes the tray table up and leans her head against the window, watching the shrinking world below.

Have you changed? Have you grown out your hair or cut it shorter? Did your laugh still come out in those adorable bursts, or had life worn it down to a chuckle?

But beyond these surface changes, she wonders about your feelings. A year can transform emotions as much as it can alter appearances. But her heart aches for you, hoping that this part, this important part of you, remains constant.

The questions dance around in her mind as the miles fly by beneath her. 

Soon, she thinks, soon she'll see you again. Soon, she'll have her answers.

The moment her feet touch the ground at JFK airport, Wanda heads straight to the cafe. 

Although she's still got three days until she sees you, she has missed everyone else. When the opportunity arose to further her studies in culinary arts overseas, she felt compelled to take it. It was a prestigious scholarship in hospitality, coupled with advanced pastry and chocolate crafting, offered to her by one of the judges from last year's Cup-off competition.

Before leaving, Wanda had finalized a business partnership with Agatha, entrusting her with the cafe's operations during her absence. It was a decision made out of trust and necessity, knowing the cafe would be in capable hands.

At first, Wanda was ambivalent, reluctant to leave the comfort of all she knew. But when you told her about your decision, about needing a year to yourself, she took it as a sign. She took the opportunity to explore, grow, and learn more, just like you were doing. But now she's back, eager to catch up with everyone and curious about how the cafe has thrived under Agatha's care.

What immediately strikes Wanda about her cafe is the additional space it now occupies. When the shop next door had shut down eight months earlier, Agatha had promptly rung her up to grab the opportunity to expand their business. The cafe had been drawing an increasing number of customers since their victory in the Cup-off, and Wanda had immediately agreed to the expansion, recognizing that they were quickly outgrowing the existing space.

“Don’t pour anywhere but the coffee bed, Daisy, okay?” 

Peter's voice is the first thing that reaches her ears as she steps inside. He's guiding a young woman, likely a new employee, through the ins and outs of the pour-over brewing method, just like how Wanda taught him before. Their heads turn as the door chimes and an almost instant smile lights up Peter's face.

Wanda's own lips twitch upwards into a grin, returning the warm greetings silently before gently unhooking Sparky's leash. He doesn’t waste any time sniffing every inch of the room in a frenzy of enthusiasm.

“Wanda!” Peter exclaims, leaving the confines of the open kitchen to wrap her in a warm embrace. Just as he lets her go, Agatha appears from the backroom.

“Maximoff!” Agatha shrieks, drawing the attention of several heads in the room. She strides over quickly and practically shoves Peter out of the way so she can enfold Wanda in an even more suffocating hug.

“Welcome back!” Agatha exclaims, stepping back to look at her; her business partner is positively glowing. “How was Spain?”

Wanda smiles, “It was an incredible experience. I learned so much and met so many great people. And Barcelona... It’s a beautiful city.”

“And the food?” Peter interjects, looking curious.

“Out of this world,” Wanda replies with a laugh. Then she turns to Agatha and says, “So, tell me about your new hot date?”

As they chat and catch up, Wanda finds herself glancing at the clock every now and then, her heart beating a little faster with each passing minute. Three days. Just three more days until she sees you again.

Wanda wonders if these three days would feel longer than the year she spent without you.

***

Three days later, the large clock on the wall reads half-past eight. The cafe is usually buzzing with activity around this time, but today it’s quieter, as if everyone else is holding their breath too. 

Thirty minutes till closing, and you’re still a no-show.

Wanda is seated at the bar stool near the entrance, her elbows resting on the counter as she gazes blankly out of the window. Every now and then, her eyes flit towards the door, hoping to see your familiar figure. But each time, she’s met with disappointment.

She can't help but wonder if you've forgotten about the arrangement, or perhaps decided not to show up intentionally. Maybe you've decided to move on, to continue living your life without her. But the thought that terrifies her most is the possibility that something might have happened to you.

She shakes her head, trying to rid herself of these pessimistic thoughts. “They're late, not absent,” she mutters under her breath, clinging to the hope that you'll show up before the clock strikes nine.

Just as the last of her hope seems to be dwindling, the sudden presence of a new arrival snaps her back to the present.

She pivots slowly, heart thundering, and her eyes lock onto a face she had least expected to encounter today.

It's Natasha striding into the cafe with an inscrutable expression.

Seeing her, Wanda feels a strange mix of relief and anxiety. She hasn't seen Natasha since she confronted Wanda about her feelings for you, hasn’t heard from her since she helped locate you in Montauk. If Natasha is here, does that mean you're not coming? Or is she here to deliver a message from you?

Natasha catches sight of Wanda a second later and offers a small smile, a knowing look in her eyes. Wanda's breath catches, her vision momentarily blurring, while her pulse quickens, thundering in her ears.

“Good, you’re still here,” Natasha mutters, claiming the bar stool next to her. A snide remark about how she actually owns the place flits across Wanda's mind, but she brushes it aside, curious to see what Natasha is doing here.

“Nat–”

“I’m not going to beat around the bush because I’m terribly late and she’ll kill me if she finds out,” Natasha explains in a rush. “But Y/N won’t be able to make it.”

Her grip tightens around the edge of the table, knuckles white, as the room seems to tilt slightly. She had prepared herself for the worst, but hearing that you weren't coming still felt like a blow. She had spent the past year missing you, hoping for your return, and the fact that you weren't showing up as promised was a hard pill to swallow.

“Is it... is it because she doesn't want to?” Wanda asks quietly. Her whole disposition seems to wilt, as though an unseen force is pressing down on her.

Natasha lets out a heavy sigh, avoiding Wanda's questioning gaze. “It's...complicated.”

Wanda feels her heart dropping at the evasive response. A part of her doesn't want to hear what comes next, but she knows she has to.

“Y/N's mom has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's,” Natasha begins carefully. “And it's been tough on her, especially since she's also trying to mend their strained relationship.”

Wanda feels her heart twist at the news. She knew of your tumultuous relationship with your mother, and the added burden of dealing with such an illness must be incredibly hard on you. It only increases her longing to be at your side, to provide you the comfort you need at this critical time.

“Moreover,” Natasha continues, “She feels like she's not yet ready to see you... that she needs more time.” 

The words sting, and Wanda can't help but feel a rush of disappointment. 

“Thank you for letting me know, Natasha,” she says, attempting a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. “I had...well, you know, built up a lot in my head about this reunion.”

“I get that,” Natasha admits with a sigh. “And honestly? I wish she'd had the guts to tell you herself.”

Wanda looks away, blinking rapidly. “Yeah. So do I.”

Natasha's gaze lingers on Wanda's downturned face. There was a time when she despised the very sight of the woman before her, every fiber of her being resisting any empathy. But now, watching Wanda crumble, it twists something inside of her.

“Do you... do you have any idea why Y/N still doesn't feel ready to see me?” Wanda asks all of a sudden. There is a slight tremor in her voice, but she fights hard to keep her emotions in check, swallowing the lump in her throat. She needs to know, needs to understand, so she can find a way to support you, even if it's from a distance.

Natasha merely shakes her head. “I'm sorry, Wanda, but I don't have the answer,” she says, her voice carrying an undertone of regret.

Wanda gives a nod, a sad smile curving her lips. “Alright, thank you, Natasha,” she says quietly, a soft resignation in her voice. She wraps her arms around herself, as if trying to find comfort in her own embrace. Despite the gloom, she tries to put on a brave front. “Tell Y/N that... tell Y/N that I'm here, whenever she’s ready.”

“There's something else, Wanda,” Natasha says evenly, but there's a solemn look on her face that sends a shiver down Wanda's spine. “Y/N wanted me to tell you that it's okay to move on. She feels guilty that she couldn’t fulfill her promise and she doesn’t want you waiting forever.”

Wanda takes a deep breath, her eyes glistening as she fights back the tears, especially in front of your best friend.

“She... doesn't want me to wait?” Wanda's voice breaks a little as she forces the words out. 

The idea is utterly unfathomable to her. The very thought of not waiting, of possibly moving forward without you, feels foreign, almost laughable. All this time, she felt tethered to you, even with the miles and silence between. 

“No, Wanda, that’s not it,” Natasha gently corrects, her demeanor softening. “She thinks it’s not fair to you. To keep you waiting for something that might not even happen.”

Wanda blinks, a frown marring her face. “But I want to wait for her.”

Natasha sighs, rubbing her temples. “She worries that she might be holding you back from finding someone who can, well, be there for you. Someone who can offer you more certainty.”

“Does she need more time?” Wanda asks, and though she can hear the tinge of desperation in her own voice, she couldn’t bring herself to care. “I can wait, you know. I can give her all the time she needs.”

“That's the thing, Wanda,” Natasha says, meeting her eyes with a grimness that makes Wanda's heart sink. “She no longer knows when she'll be ready, if she'll ever be. She didn't want to give you an indefinite timeline.”

The gears in Wanda's mind are visibly turning as she digests the information, her face contorting with various emotions before settling on a desperate resolve. “Can I contact her? Just to see if she's okay?”

Natasha is quick to shake her head, an empathetic look on her face. “Wanda, I don't think that's a good idea.”

“But–”

“Listen,” Natasha interrupts, holding her gaze. “I understand where you're coming from. I do–”

Fury surges through Wanda. She pounds her hand on the table, her voice trembling as she snaps back, “Oh, so you know all about it, do you? Given your own track record with relationships, Natasha, can you honestly tell me you get where I'm coming from?”

“Yes,” Natasha says firmly, a statue of patience, undeterred by Wanda’s outburst. And she's able to remain steady, because she truly does get it. 

“Look, Wanda,” Natasha begins, leaning back in her chair with a sigh. “I made Bruce wait for me for years,” Her gaze falls, as if lost in the painful memories. “But all that waiting, all that uncertainty, it only bred more resentment, more pain. I hurt him more by making him wait than if I had just let him go. Perhaps I even took away many opportunities for him to be happy.”

She finally lifts her gaze to meet Wanda's. “Sometimes, we have to let go of the people we love, not because we want to, but because it's the right thing to do. It's not easy, and it hurts like hell. But sometimes, it's the kindest thing we can do.”

Wanda lapses into silence, feeling a sting of regret for having belittled Natasha's own experiences. She realizes, perhaps too late, that heartache is not a competition and that she has no right to assume that her own pain holds precedence over the other woman.

“In the end, I think Y/N is trying to spare you both from going through the same thing,” Natasha finishes, her voice thick with emotion as she allows a glimpse into her own painful past.

An extended period of silence blankets the pair as they both wrestle with their respective thoughts, looking out the window. As Wanda observes the thick snow blanketing the Manhattan pavements, she can't help but draw comparisons to the winters she experienced in Spain. The biting cold is a far cry from the Spanish winters where temperatures never dipped below zero. She likens herself to a plant frozen in an enduring winter, suddenly thawed out, expecting the warmth of spring, only to be thrown again in an even longer winter–an uncertain one.

The silence stretches on until it is broken by an awkward cough from Natasha. “So...uh,” she starts, glancing at her watch. “Is it too late to order a cup of coffee? I know you guys close in like, ten minutes?”

Wanda can't help the small chuckle that escapes her lips. Nodding, she pushes off from the table, making her way towards the counter. “It's never too late for a cup of coffee.”

Natasha follows her to the open kitchen, leaning casually against the countertop as Wanda gets to work. Wanda moves around the space with practiced ease, retrieving two mugs and starting the espresso machine.

“When did you two patch things up?” Wanda tosses out casually, glancing at Natasha while the coffee brews.

“About six months ago,” Natasha shares. Wanda acknowledges with a nod, meticulously pouring the espresso and then frothing milk, completely absorbed in her task.

“Because she took your advice?” Wanda asks over her shoulder, the undercurrent of raw emotion detectable in her otherwise composed demeanor.

Appearing a bit disconcerted, Natasha shakes her head slowly. “Truth be told, I didn't even know she took my advice... went her own separate way,” Natasha reveals, her eyes darting away. “I found out when her mother called me by accident. The anger had subsided by then. I wasn't furious anymore. I just... I missed her.”

As Wanda brings Natasha her coffee, they fall into a comfortable silence, standing side by side at the counter. 

“Even if she hadn't taken my advice, I think we would have found our way back to each other, eventually,” Natasha says, her voice soft, almost wistful. "She's my best friend, after all.”

Natasha stirs her coffee, her gaze lingering on the whirls of foam swirling in her cup. She doesn’t look at Wanda as she speaks again. “I’m sorry, Wanda,” she says, her tone solemn. “For having a hand in this. I never meant for things to turn out this way.”

Wanda gives her a long, hard look before letting out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly. “I know, Nat. It’s not your fault,” she says, her voice subdued. “I’m the one who set things in motion.”

Natasha, with a stern look, responds, “You can’t keep blaming yourself, Wanda.”

“I'm not blaming myself,” Wanda quickly counters, her voice carrying a faint echo of a smile. “But it's the truth. I've accepted that what happens in our future is like ripples spreading out from our decisions and actions.”

Natasha gazes at Wanda thoughtfully until Wanda starts to fidget under the intense scrutiny.

“What?” Wanda finally asks, her tone almost defensive.

“Nothing,” Natasha replies, her lips curling into a small, amused smile. “You just called me 'Nat'.”

Taken aback, Wanda gives a small, sheepish laugh. “Is that... bad?” she asks, her cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment.

“No, not at all,” Natasha's smile is warm and friendly. And for the first time, Wanda feels the start of a real, meaningful friendship between them.

Wanda’s quiet for a moment, mulling over something. Then, she breaks the silence with a soft sigh, “I'll wait for her. No matter how long it takes.”

Natasha raises her eyebrows, a clear question on her face. “Are you sure, Wanda?” She asks, her voice equally soft. “You're setting yourself up for a long, uncertain wait.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wanda murmurs, eyes instinctively darting to where the band used to be on her finger, now just a faint mark left behind. “But I want to. And... I'd appreciate it if you don't tell her. I don’t want to weigh her down with the burden of knowing that someone is here waiting for her.”

“You have my word,” she promises. Natasha takes a sip from her coffee, then poses her next question, “Hey, do you mind if I swing by here sometimes?”

Wanda gives her a mock exasperated look, rolling her eyes, “Of course, Nat. As long as you're not planning to rob me blind or something.”

Natasha chuckles at this, taking another sip and then humming in satisfaction. “Good,” she smiles appreciatively, “Because this might just be the best coffee I've ever tasted.”

***

A year and two weeks later

As you amble down the familiar streets leading to Second Chances Cafe, each footfall feels heavier than the last. You're more than a year late, and you have no idea if there's anything or anyone still waiting for you after all this time.

“Sure, Yelena, I can look into it for you,” you speak into your phone, rounding the corner onto the alley where the cafe is located. A twinge of nostalgia hits you as the signboard comes into view.

“Really?” Yelena sounds surprised and relieved all at once. “I mean, that's fantastic! You have no idea how much this could help. And don't worry about your identity being revealed. I'll make sure it stays hidden. This exposé is about uncovering the truth about Stark Industries’ tax evasion case, not dragging you into unwanted attention.”

You appreciate her consideration, knowing how much of a sticky situation it could become if your name gets thrown around with the exposé, especially considering you used to work for them.

As your conversation wraps up, you remember to send your best wishes to her partner, “Give my regards to Kate, will you?”

Yelena's laughter echoes from the other end, “She's right here. Kate, Y/N says 'hi'.”

There's a muted shout from the background, presumably Kate's greeting, and you can't help but chuckle. “Tell her I’ll beat her half-marathon record next time. I'll see you both soon.”

With that, you end the call. As you slide your phone back into your pocket, your fingers trace and then retrieve another item there–the contours of an old photo you have carried with you all this time. It’s the photo Valkyrie took of you and Wanda at the Cup-off, and you kept it with you wherever you went for more than two years. It’s tattered around the edges, but you both looked so happy, so in love, and so hopeful. 

It was a different time–a different you. 

Taking one final glance at the picture, you tuck it back safely into your pocket and push open the door to the cafe, the bell overhead jingling in recognition. The familiar sounds, the smells, the sight of the cozy interiors bring back a flood of memories. Your heart flutters with both anxiety and anticipation as you step inside, not knowing what awaits you, a year and two weeks too late.

Two unfamiliar faces are tending to the cafe at the moment. As you slowly approach the counter, you catch sight of a name tag on one of the employees–‘Daisy’, it reads. She greets you warmly, welcoming you before promptly asking for your order.

Rather than choosing a drink, your mind is focused elsewhere. You hesitate for a moment before speaking. “Actually, I was wondering…” you start, pausing to gather your thoughts. “Is the owner here today–”

Before you can even utter Wanda's name, Daisy interrupts, offering an apologetic smile. “I'm sorry, but the owner's not here right now. She's on an extended honeymoon in Asia,” she explains.

As soon as the words leave Daisy's mouth, it's as if everything around you ceases to exist. The casual banter, that constant buzz of the espresso machine, even the sound of mugs and spoons clattering, it all just blends into some distant background noise. 

“Honeymoon?” The word tumbles out of your mouth, your voice sounding foreign to your own ears, the impact of the statement making your heart lurch uncomfortably in your chest. “She's... married?”

Daisy nods sympathetically, her eyes showing a hint of surprise at your visible shock. “Yes, they left three months ago. I think they're in Bali now... or was it Thailand?”

Her words ricochet inside your mind, leaving you grappling with the sudden change in reality. Looking back, you guess it isn't the worst thing that could have happened. Honestly, you had no idea what you were walking into when you decided to come here. After all, you had asked Natasha to tell Wanda not to wait.

And that’s it, Wanda found love again, real enough for her to want to say 'yes' to a new beginning with someone else, and you’re–

You’re happy for her. At the end of the long dwindling tunnel, you just wanted to see Wanda once again. If not, you want to make sure she’s happy and living her life to the fullest. 

And knowing that makes you feel okay, maybe even hopeful, about moving forward. 

The smile that makes its way to your lips isn’t forced. It’s not as big as you hope it would be but it’s genuine. As you take in your surroundings, seeing the expanded area of the cafe, you can’t help but be proud of her. 

It's so overwhelming that you don't even notice the tears tracing a warm path down your cheeks until you hear Daisy's voice.

“Ma'am, are you alright?” she asks, concern etched in her young face.

Surprised, you hastily swipe at your eyes with chilled fingers.

“May I leave something for her?” you ask Daisy, pulling out the polaroid from earlier. You take a moment, looking at it one last time, before flipping it over and pulling out a pen.

With careful, slow strokes, you inscribe the words, ‘I'm happy for you, wherever you are.’ 

As you pass the photograph over to Daisy, the reality of the situation seeps in, casting a definitive end to the chapter that was. The young woman before you studies the photograph, her brows knitting together in confusion, a detail you fail to notice as you begin to take your leave.

Wanda is your greatest love–enough to last you this lifetime. You’ll find a way to spend the rest of your life without her, knowing what you two had will sustain you until your last breath. 

Daisy watches as you walk away, wondering who you were and why it felt like she had said the wrong thing.

Just moments after you step out of the cafe, its door swings open again to let in a breathless Wanda, her arms laden with grocery bags. 

She narrowly missed your visit by a heartbeat.

“God, this city is unbearably cold,” she grumbles, setting down the bags onto the counter with a huff. Daisy wastes no time handing her the keepsake you had left behind only moments ago.

“Hey Wanda, this was left for you,” Daisy says, extending your memento towards her.

Wanda, still catching her breath from her rush over, eyes the object in Daisy's hand with curiosity. From where she stands she can already tell what it is and who it’s from. The world seems to pause, almost taking a breath, as she hesitantly extends a trembling hand to take it.

Her voice breaks a bit as she asks, “Who... who dropped this off? When was this?”

Daisy, reading the urgency in Wanda's eyes, scrambles to recall. “A woman came in not long ago…” she starts, but Wanda's already dashing for the exit before she can finish.

Holding the photograph close to her chest, Wanda barely gives Daisy a chance to finish her sentence before she's out of the cafe, the door swinging shut behind her with a soft chime. Daisy, left in a daze by the abrupt departure, hardly has time to process what just happened.

Then, just as quickly, Wanda bursts back in, her face flushed from the adrenaline. “Which way did she go?” she asks urgently. Daisy, taken aback, simply points north. 

With a nod of thanks, Wanda takes off in that direction. Based on Daisy's indication, she surmises you’re probably headed towards the subway station. Her heart pounds in her chest as she makes her way through the familiar streets, the city's buzz fading to a dull roar in her ears. All she can focus on is the hope that she's not too late, that she might still catch you.

Racing towards the station with swift, almost reckless strides, the life she shared with you hit Wanda like a tidal wave. As each scene of their past plays out in her mind, she sends a silent prayer to anyone listening above, begging for a chance to find you.

Wanda's footsteps echo in the nearly deserted subway station. It's a lull between the usual crowds, making the vast space feel even more desolate. The sparsely populated platform should have made it easier to spot you, but instead, it made the hollow in her chest grow.

As she steps onto the almost empty platform, the glaring absence of familiar faces or shapes drowns her in dread. Every corner she checks, every shadow she hopes will move to reveal you, and with each passing second, the sinking feeling in her gut grows. 

Drawing a deep, shaky breath, she fights off the building tears, hoping against all odds for a glimpse, a hint, any sign that she hasn't missed her chance.

And then she sees you.

You're at the far end of the platform, bundled up in a thick black coat, hands rubbing together in a bid to fight off the cold. You blow into them, your breath fogging up in the chill.

For a beat, Wanda just watches. She doesn't rush, doesn't shout. She simply approaches with measured steps, drinking in the sight of you, allowing this moment to stretch out. 

As she gets closer, she takes in the subtle changes. The way your hair falls around your face, the look of concentration as you keep yourself warm, the way your shoulders hunch slightly against the cold. 

It's you, but also a different you, one shaped by time and distance.

She stops just beyond your immediate circle, her heart pounding furiously within her chest. Yet, before her lips part to speak your name, something–shift, an intuition–makes you pivot sharply towards her.

Your eyes blink slowly in surprise and then they quickly flick to her left ring finger.

It's bare. 

Your mouth drops open, then shuts again, clearly struggling to comprehend the sight of Wanda standing only a few feet away. 

“The woman from the coffee shop... she said you were married?” 

“That's Agatha,” Wanda responds, tears welling in her eyes.

“But she mentioned the owner–”

“I sold the cafe to her a year ago. I'm in the process of setting up a restaurant. I... I've been assisting at the cafe while she's on her honeymoon,” Wanda explains with a faint laugh.

“I thought–” Your voice breaks off, and the overwhelming urge to pull her into an embrace nearly overpowers you. Yet, there's a question, one that burns with urgency, that you need to clarify. 

Any more confusion could devastate what's left of your heart.

“Are you with someone else?”

Wanda releases a noise, somewhere between a chuckle and a choked cry, and then she's rushing into your arms, pressing her lips to yours in a kiss that's tear-streaked, snotty, a little gross, yet absolutely perfect. 

Because kissing Wanda Maximoff could never be anything other than perfect. ​​You hesitantly deepen the kiss, and suddenly, it's like a dam breaking. The cold metal and concrete around you are replaced by the warmth of her body pressed against yours. A faint scent of her shampoo wafts over, one that you recognize from days long past.

Your fingers, almost of their own accord, find their way to her face, tracing the contours you once knew so well, feeling the dampness of her tears. The intensity of the kiss shifts with each moment–at times tender, at times desperate, like a language only the two of you understand.

Breaking the kiss, she pulls back just enough to look you in the eyes, her own filled with a level of intensity that nearly takes your breath away.

“I'm not with anyone,” she says, her words tumbling out between gasping breaths. “There hasn't been anyone else for the last two years. It's only ever been you–”

“Me too,” you whisper against her lips before diving back into another kiss. This kiss is different, less desperate, but it’s as if this single kiss is mending the broken threads of the past, sealing the promise that you two will never let go again.

But eventually, you have to let go and let her breathe. Pulling back just a hair, you rest your forehead against Wanda's. “God, I've missed you,” you murmur, eyes still closed, half-afraid that this might just vanish if you dare to look.

Wanda gives a watery chuckle, “You have no idea.”

“I'm sorry I'm a year late,” you utter, tears suddenly spilling over before you can rein them in. The thought that Wanda might have really been the one that got married, that you could have truly lost her, crashes over you.

Wanda gently strokes your cheek with her thumb, her eyes soft and understanding. “Even if you're always late,” she murmurs, her lips tantalizingly close to yours, “I'll always wait for you.”

Holding Wanda close, you feel an overwhelming desire to ask her to marry you again. But this time, you won't rush it. After all, there’s two years of new things to learn about each other. And you want to cherish everything–the way her eyes light up when she laughs, the warmth of her hand in yours, and the quiet moments shared over morning coffee. 

You want to learn from your past, not rush into the future. You're ready to enjoy each day, to let your relationship grow and strengthen naturally. You're willing to be patient, because you know that the journey is just as important as the destination.

Wanda raises an eyebrow, a teasing glint in her eye as she waves the photograph slightly. “You really just dropped off this photo and planned to leave? Wishing me happiness like that?”

You nod, sniffling, “It meant everything to me. I thought... I thought if I couldn't be with you, at least I could hope you found happiness.”

Wanda's expression softens, her fingers tracing the lines of your palm before squeezing your hand reassuringly. “So, you were just gonna let me go, thinking I had moved on?” She laughs softly, though there's a tremble in her voice.

You swallow, the tightness in your throat making it hard to speak. “A lot can happen in two years, Wanda,” you say, meeting her gaze squarely. “More than anything, I wanted you to be happy... whether that was with me or someone else.”

She tilts her head, her eyes searching yours for a moment. “Two years,” she muses, as if contemplating the weight of every day, every hour that had passed between you two. Wanda takes your hand, squeezing it gently. "Let's not lose any more time," she whispers, intertwining her fingers with yours. 

You eventually miss the train that you’re supposed to take. 

But it doesn’t matter.

You’re already home.

Taglist: @canvascoloredin | @justgotlizzied , @casquinhaa | @marvelwomen-simp | @sunsol-22 | @wandanatlov3r | @kyaraderuwez | @justyourwritter69 | @stanolsevans | @aliherreraaa | @diaryoflife| @justagurlwholikes | @lizziesplant | @cowxpoke | @sokovianbaby| @swiftie1-0-1 | @scarlettbitchx | @tercerspirit-22 | @hyper-fixated-delusions

[averysmolbear]

A Second Chance

CW: This is pretty self ship coded. It's vaguely fluffy so not really a need for a ton of tags, I'd think. It's a female reader fic. I'd say the reader and Pietro would be around in their twenties. It's definitely part of a possible series of one shots so it's the beginnings of a friends to lovers type situation. The only thing that could be maybe triggering is the kind of vague mentions of Pietro feeling "trapped" and the reader is there to kind of psychoanalyze him to a certain degree. I'm not sure how else to word that honestly.

Fandom: Marvel/MCU

Pairing: F!Reader x Pietro Maximoff

Word count: ~2.3k

Just a quick note that this would be well after Age of Ultron and I don't care if it's unrealistic, Pietro survived what happened in that movie because I said so (and yeah, that means this is the MCU version of Pietro, not the one in the X-Men movies) so prepare to suspend your disbelief or something. Or don't. I can't tell you what to do. This also means that the reader works for whatever entity really kind of popped up after AoU that the Avengers would sort of be working for before Captain America: Civil War.

Pietro Maximoff felt like an animal trapped in a cage. He didn’t know why they were keeping him locked away. He had healed and was ready to get back out into the world. He felt like they had to know this, especially with all of their incessant poking and prodding. Whenever he asked someone anything, his questions were brushed aside and they would reassure him that he would be out of there before long. And then the cycle would repeat and Pietro would be left alone in the sterile room that reminded him of his time with HYDRA more than he let on.

It wasn’t the fact that he was getting antsy that pushed Pietro to ask when they were going to let him out. His sister needed him, didn’t she? At this point he was starting to doubt that Wanda was aware he was alive, although maybe that was the reason they were keeping him inside. Maybe they weren’t sure how to break it to her that Pietro had survived. It didn’t matter what the reason was though because he knew that eventually they were going to have to let him out and he wasn’t going to waste any time getting as far from this place as he could when that time came.

He paced the length of the room, moving at a natural speed for once. When he first woke up and was moved to his current room, he would run from one end of the room to the other. It didn’t take long before Pietro realized it wouldn’t do him any good. He wasn’t getting out and it only wasted his energy to zip around the room. At the moment he didn’t want to waste any energy on running around the small space but he felt that pent up energy building up and he hated that he didn’t have a proper outlet for it.

When someone knocked on his door, Pietro ignored it. It was common for someone to knock before dropping off food. If it was a doctor, they would enter without his permission anyway. He waited for the slot in the door to open and a tray to slide on to the ledge on his side of the door. It seemed too early for lunch but it wasn’t as if the speedster had any concept of time. He didn’t know how many days had passed, losing count quickly. He didn’t have the patience to keep track after a week had passed but he assumed he had been there for at least a month, maybe longer.

There was a second, more insistent knock on the door and this time Pietro moved cautiously but curiously toward it. No one knocked more than once and he thought that the sound held some level of urgency to it. His head tilted slightly as he listened at the door, not sure he would be able to tell who was on the other side if he tried. Someone knocked again and with a sigh, Pietro finally asked who it was. It was clear they wanted his attention and now they had it, not that he cared too much about who it might be.

“Pietro?”

He noted that the voice wasn’t familiar but it was soft and feminine and youthful. It wasn’t someone he had met before, as far as he could tell. They sounded hesitant which caught his attention more than the knocking. Not many people around this place were hesitant around him. Most seemed to know that there was security everywhere and he wasn’t a threat. He stepped closer to the door when he noticed the little slot had opened. He could see someone peeking inside but he didn’t recognize them. Pietro didn’t say anything but he did place a hand on the door, closing his eyes for a moment.

“I’m going to assume you can hear me, Pietro,” you continued. You cleared your throat. “My name is (y/n). Can I … can I come in?”

Pietro’s brows furrowed but he quietly backed away from the door. His new visitor had him too curious to not let her inside. He moved over to the bed and sat down but didn’t speak. He could be at the door and out of the room before anyone realized what was happening but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Still he was being stubborn, not wanting to give anyone anything that they could use against him. If they were going to try to use him for who knew what, Pietro was going to make them work for it.

You walked in, opening the door wide enough to be able to slip in. The heavy door slammed shut behind you, making her jump as you heard the door lock, but you didn’t look back at the door. Your eyes were intently fixed on Pietro as soon as you saw him. Someone on the other side of the door gruffly told you that you had 15 minutes before they would come in and you muttered a curse under her breath. 

Pietro noted that when you had whispered, it hadn’t been in English and for a moment he wondered what language it was. It sounded roughly like Sokovian but not enough that he was certain he recognized the language. He wasn’t curious enough to ask however. You bit your lip as you stayed near the door, looking him over slowly.

Pietro folded his arms across his chest but still didn’t speak. Instead he fixed you with an intense glare, his brows pulled tightly and a scowl on his face. You were pretty, which he noticed immediately, but he wasn’t going to let them lull him into a false sense of security. He might have been a flirt but he wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t sure who had taken him in, SHIELD or HYDRA, and Pietro wasn’t sure he trusted either of them. That meant he wasn’t sure if he trusted you since he had no idea what your intentions were.

You swallowed thickly as your gaze turned down toward the floor. You weren't trembling but you looked close to it as you slipped your hands into the front pockets of your jeans. You stayed close to the door, timidly glancing at Pietro before looking away when your eyes met. Clearing your throat, you found your voice. “My name’s (y/n),” you repeated, not sure if he had heard you. Your gaze flitted around the room now to avoid making eye contact. “I’m here to talk.”

Pietro rolled his eyes, his arms still folded across his chest as he let out a sigh. He wasn’t sure he trusted that you were as timid as you seemed. It could have been an act. The fact that you seemed afraid of him annoyed the speedster as well. It wasn’t like he was going to hurt you. “I’m not feeling very talkative,” he bitterly said. “After all it’s hard to want to talk to people who keep me locked away in a cage.”

“Oh …” You looked up and stopped short at the look on Pietro’s face. Your lips curled up in a brief smile, trying to show you were there to help. Your hands fell to your sides and you shook your head. Your face softened as you took a couple of steps away from the door although you still kept some distance between yourself and the speedster. “I … I don’t think that’s what they’re trying to do here, Pietro.”

He watched as you moved toward him, his arms falling to his sides. He was still cautious so he stayed where he was, not wanting to let his guard down too soon. He especially didn’t want to let his guard down to a pretty face only to have it backfire. It was better to keep a bit of cautious optimism for the moment. Pietro wasn’t sure what you were doing there after all. He hoped that if he said as little as possible, you would tell him what he wanted to know. It seemed to be working so far although he wasn’t sure if you were as concerned about him as you appeared to be. He supposed it would be easy enough for someone to fake concern.

You swallowed hard again and took another couple of steps until you were standing at the foot of the bed where Pietro sat. “I can’t help you if you won’t let me,” you softly said, your gaze still locked with his for the moment. You bit her lip and nodded to the bed, finally glancing away from Pietro. “May I sit?”

Pietro silently nodded and watched as you carefully sat down. You seemed like you were both terrified and worried. He wondered which would take precedence, although it seemed like it was going to be your concern for his well-being. He felt his features melt into something less intimidating but he didn’t speak, still not sure he could trust you.

Even if part of him wanted nothing more than to trust you. Pietro knew, in the back of his mind, that he could use a friend.

You sighed, reaching up to tuck some of your hair behind your ear. “I’m sure all of this has been very difficult for you. I don’t doubt that it feels a lot like we’re keeping you here against your will,” you said, nodding your head slightly as you spoke. “I know that you have no reason to trust me but I promise that I won’t lie to you, Pietro. If it was up to me, we’d be having this talk somewhere much more comfortable than this.”

You waited for Pietro to speak and when he didn’t, you let out a nervous laugh. Your eyes roamed his face before you looked at your hands as they rested in your lap. You were too nervous to hold eye contact with him for long. “I don’t have much time but I wanted to introduce myself. I’m going to be coming by every day and I won’t stop trying until you open up to me,” you explained. 

You looked up and frowned at the distrust you saw in Pietro’s eyes. “I know how that sounds but I’m not going to try to break you. I’m barely a licensed therapist but that’s why I’m here. I need to evaluate you before they’ll agree that it’s safe to …” You shrugged, gesturing toward the door.

“Before they let me out of my cell.”

You looked up, your eyes widening as you shook your head. “No, Pietro. This isn’t a cell. You’re here for your safety,” you said, your frown deepening. “After what happened, well, no one was sure how you were going to react to being … alive.”

Pietro narrowed his eyes again and sighed, shaking his head. He wasn’t going to let you tell him to trust you and then freely give you that trust. He knew your name but he didn’t know anything else about you. Clearly you knew about him or you wouldn’t have been there. He didn’t like being at a disadvantage like this. If you wanted his trust, you were going to have to earn it.

You bit her lip as Pietro sized you up, your cheeks heating up as you took a deep breath. You glanced toward the door briefly, knowing your time had to be dwindling faster than you would have liked. It wouldn’t be long before someone told you that your time was up and you knew you had barely gotten Pietro to speak to you. When you looked back at him again, you smiled shyly. “We have all of the time in the world. As much time as you need. So tell me how I can win your trust, Pietro.”

Pietro shook his head, shifting his weight as he moved away from you. He didn’t like the feeling of being psychoanalyzed, even if you claimed that you were ‘barely’ a therapist, and he didn’t like that you had piqued his interest. He leaned against the wall at the head of the bed, trying to look disinterested. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me,” you said with a quick shrug. Your voice was gentle and a bit timid. You tried to smile as you watched Pietro process what you were saying, hoping he would believe you. “It matters to my boss and his boss. It matters to a lot of people. If you can’t trust me, I don’t know when they’ll let you out of here. I just want to help get you out of this room and out somewhere that doesn’t feel so stifling.”

Pietro laughed humorlessly, rolling his eyes as he looked away. He wanted to trust you. He wanted to get out of this room because he was tired of staring at these same four walls. The problem was that Pietro didn’t know where to begin so he figured he could keep feigning disinterest until you told him something that made him feel safe with you. You seemed unassuming but it didn’t mean you were. Pietro was well aware of that.

“I’ll come back later and see if you feel more talkative then,” you said with a nod. You slowly stood, pausing as you watched Pietro. Your smile grew a bit as he looked at you but it was still timid. “I think we’re going to get along if you’ll trust me. I think we can help each other actually. You just have to trust me.”

Pietro watched as you walked to the door. He debated for a split second whether or not he should push you aside when the door opened to let you out but he stayed where he was. He was still staring at the door after it closed behind you. He didn’t know if he could trust you but there was something that was telling him to try. Maybe it wouldn’t lead to anything but if he could get out of this place, he knew he couldn’t keep being so stubborn about this for long. Eventually you would stop trying and Pietro wasn’t sure what would happen to him after that. 

He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out either.

[thebiggerbear]

You Didn't See That Coming?

Summary: Wanda had never known pain like this. After everything she and Pietro had endured, why did this have to happen?

A/N: This is something I had written back in 2016 on my old AO3 account. I normally don't ship or write for any fictional incest pairings (outside of the Game of Thrones verse) and I don't really ship this one (I'm more of a Wanda x Vision girl) but after seeing Age of Ultron for the first time, I got hit in the feels and just had to write out what I was feeling. This is what came of it. I had My Immortal by Evanescence in mind while writing.

Even though this was well written before, I haven't seen WandaVision or the Dr. Strange sequel so I have no idea what happened to Wanda's or Vision's storylines after the Avengers movies.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @rieleatiel

Warnings: grief; a moment of incest (nothing sexual)

Wanda had never known pain like this. The kind of pain that washes over you like a tidal wave and consumes you from the inside out, pulling you deeper and deeper until there is nothing but blackness all around you. How could he do this to her?

She choked back a small sob at the thought and shut her eyes in shame. Pietro had done the right thing, the only thing, the same thing she would have done herself had she been in his place. The very thing he had been doing since they were children and that mortar shell had destroyed everything they held dear. He had saved a child's life as well as their comrade's. The same comrade she couldn't bear to look upon lest she see the smile that graced his face every time he spoke with his wife on the phone. The happiness that adorned his handsome features each time he said 'I love you' in farewell was more than she could stomach, forcing her to turn away in grief and resentment.

Pietro deserved that same happiness that he was unfairly cheated out of; that they both were.

A tiny smile began to take shape as memories slowly began to surface. A young Pietro holding her to him under the bed in their parents' home, both paralyzed with fear as they waited for Stark to finish them off. How he had whispered to her that it would all be okay and kissed the side of her head reassuringly while he faintly trembled beside her. How the nightmares seized her for years afterward and he ran to her side, taking her in his arms to slowly rock her and soothingly whisper comforting words to her. How he took her hand before each stage of Strucker's experiments, squeezing it in a silent promise that he would watch over her and not let anything happen to her. How he always enjoyed reminding her how much older he was than her (a mere twelve minutes) each time she would snap at him if his newfound abilities made him too cocky. How he always made sure she was safe and unharmed, above everyone else including himself.

The smile faded before it could fully form. Safe...if only she could have kept him so.

What she wouldn't give to have him standing here before her now, to yell at him, to slap him, to take his face in her hands as the tears rolled down her cheeks and see the images in his mind she had once seen, finally making them a reality...

Wanda had only recently discovered she was able to read minds, another ability that had manifested after Strucker's latest experiment of using the scepter on her. No one knew, not yet and never would if she had something to say about it, no one except Pietro. To say he had been astonished was an understatement. He was glad for her, it was an advantageous power to have, but Wanda noticed he soon became cautious in her presence, never truly meeting her eyes and always remaining vigilant in his thoughts. A part of her was curious and wanted to know just what it was that her brother was hiding from her. Being twins, they never kept secrets from each other. In the end, though, she respected his privacy and didn't push further than the surface thoughts of their home, their parents, his desire to save his country, his determination to protect her at all costs. Until that one night...

Another horrific nightmare had rocked Wanda to her core and she had woken in terror, screaming and panicked. As always, Pietro was at her side in seconds, holding her and kissing her dark hair, whispering that she was safe. She had begged him to stay, not wanting him to leave, his presence comforting and reassuring. He had agreed and locked his arms protectively around her as she settled onto his chest. Pietro was sleeping once more almost immediately but Wanda could not give into sleep so easily, not after that dream. She heard her brother's heartbeat under her ear and without even making the decision to, she probed his mind, hoping the calming images she saw there would soothe her nerves and lull her into a peaceful rest. She had no idea what she had been expecting, perhaps another dinner between their parents and younger versions of themselves that didn't end in death and destruction, but she had not expected that.

Pietro was teasing her, as always, and she was giving him a sharp look. He charmed his way back into her good graces, even making her laugh quietly. Pietro stepped closer to her and took her face into his hands, something he had always done. But this time, he slowly leaned in, forcing her eyes to widen before lips brushed against hers. Before she could think to react, Pietro had moved back, smirking playfully at her shocked expression. "You didn't see that coming?" Wanda jerked out of the dream with a small gasp of surprise. She gently lifted up to see if she had disturbed Pietro's slumber but thankfully, she had not. She carefully disentangled herself from her brother's embrace and sat up next to him on the small bed. Had she just seen what she thought she had just seen? Then again, it was a dream, not willful thoughts. He was unconscious and had no control over what popped into his mind. Dreams cannot be held against the one having them...can they?

After a few deep breaths and a couple of unsure glances over, Wanda decided that this was the case. Pietro was indeed asleep and could not be blamed for anything his mind created while he dreamed. Just to validate her decision, she probed his thoughts once more, to prove to herself that his dream must have shifted in the time it took her to mull all of this over.

She wished she hadn't. A hand, more specifically her hand, was gripping the side of his neck tightly as the dream version of herself kissed Pietro passionately. He had her up against a door, the door to her room in their holding cell to be precise, both still dressed (thank God) and he groaned against her mouth which was savagely ravishing his. Wanda gasped again in surprise as she closed the connection between them. This time, Pietro heard her as she did and was startled awake. In alarm, he was up in a flash and cupping her cheeks, bringing her gaze up to meet his. "Another bad dream?"

The touch that had once been natural between them was now too familiar, too reminiscent of what had just transpired between them in his dream, that she gently pulled away, causing his eyebrows to furrow in confusion. Instead, she took his hand in hers and squeezed slightly. "I am fine. While you are here, no bad dreams can come." She lifted their hands and kissed the top of his, smiling warmly at him with tears gathering in her eyes.

He didn't appear convinced. Of course, he wouldn't be, he knew her like no other. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, shaking a few tears loose and she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him to her. "I am sure," she whispered, more tears spotting her cheeks when she felt him return the embrace whole-heartedly. She had closed her eyes and stifled a sob, unsure what to think and how to feel about her unintentional discovery. You didn't see that coming? No, she hadn't and that night as he held her, she wondered how she couldn't have.

Wanda's eyes were now closed, the last bit of the memory playing upon the backs of her eyelids. His smiling face as he pulled back to place a kiss to the side of her head made the grief and regret swallow her whole once more. She and Pietro had a profound bond, being twins and surviving everything together they had been forced to endure...but never had she envisioned it would affect either of them so deeply on so intimate a level. Then again, Pietro had always been home to her and she knew without shadow of a doubt that she had been home for him, too. You didn't see that coming? Now, she knew she had in some small way, had expected it even, though when it did happen it had still managed to take her by surprise.

"I know, honey. I know. I'll take care of it when I get there. I love you."

Wanda's grief flared at the words and her eyes snapped open, the now customary burning filling her pupils as she turned to see Clint smiling down at his phone, oblivious to the danger his fellow Avenger now posed to him. Her hands weaved through the air and snarled into position as red tendrils snaked through her fingers and coiled themselves around her wrists, ready to strike. The pain turned to rage and the telling red that filled her eyes burned brighter.

That happiness on his face should not be, his existence should not be...

As she was about to push out her hands and send Clint spiraling into the wall behind him, a strong hand dropped onto her shoulder, gripping tightly. Before Wanda could spin around to see who had come up behind her, the stoic expression of Vision entered her line of sight. His blue eyes stared deeply into hers. "Do not allow this to consume you. It will only lead you down a path of darkness and destruction," he warned her.

She jerked away from his hand and glared up at him. "You think I have not been down that path already? That I am not now on it? Stuck there forever?" She hissed.

His gaze never wavered but his tone had softened slightly at her words. "This grief you feel will eventually recede." She scoffed in disgust and turned to leave. "Do not stoke the fires of pain with rage. It will not end well. Your brother would not have wanted that for you." She stopped short. How dare Vision mention...him?

Her body faintly shaking with anger, Wanda slowly turned back towards him, her eyes burning once more, barely registering that Clint was now watching them warily from behind the android. "Do not speak of him again. You did not know him. You do not know what he wanted for me. You have no idea!" Clint's eyes widened slightly but Vision seemed to have expected it, considering his placement between Wanda and her initial target. Before either Clint or Vision could move, Wanda threw her hands out, allowing the red spirals to flash out and attack, exploding against the latter's chest and sending him flying into the very wall the former had been intended for. Clint had let out a stunned yell and hurried to Vision's side but Wanda was quickly striding away. You didn't see that coming?

Wanda sniffled and pulled out the faded photograph she kept hidden away in the pocket of her jacket, the very one Pietro had given her before their first battle alongside the Avengers, before he-- She let out a small sob and unfolded it, staring down at the scene mournfully.

Pietro had always had a picture of their family that he kept with him to study and reminisce about the good times before a mortar shell had shattered their lives. So, it was no surprise to her when he showed up with a camera one day.

"How many times must I tell you that if you keep stealing, you're going to get shot?" How prophetic her words had been back then...

He had roguishly smiled at her. "She was just sitting there, all alone, practically begging for me to take her."

Wanda scoffed and fought the grin that threatened to upturn her lips at their corners, seeing his open joy at having procured the item. "So, you risk death for a cheap device?"

His smirk widened. "Not just any device, a camera!" He held it up for her to see.

She stared at it and then him. "Your speed has warped your mind," she dismissed the item and turned back to practice moving objects with her powers.

He chuckled and jogged around to her side. "No, no. Look, we can take pictures." He glanced down at the camera and his brows furrowed as he studied the buttons. "I wonder, how does someone take...a selfie?"

Snorting in amusement thinly veiled as disgust, Wanda chose to abandon her training for the moment. There would be no amount of deep focus that could rival Pietro's excitement over his new toy and his determination to share it with her. "Now I know you have been complacent too long."

Pietro frowned, still trying to figure out how best to take a self-portrait. He would hold out the camera, snap a picture and then flip the little machine over, glaring in frustration at the black screen. "I don't understand..."

Wanda bit back a laugh and snatched the camera away from him, despite his protest. After a quick examination of the buttons which only had small symbols etched in black beside each of them, Wanda took a guess, pressed one and the camera came to life. She pointed the lens at Pietro and snatched a photo, blinding him with the flash. She flipped it over and sure enough, Pietro's surprised face showed on the display screen. "Here." She shoved it back at him.

He took the camera back gleefully and before she could move back, Pietro caught her and pulled her into him. She attempted to squirm away but his grip tightened. "I want to take our picture," he coaxed, smiling wide. Wanda's eyes blinked at the bright flash. "There," he crowed triumphantly, showing her their end result.

Wanda scowled at it, seeing her uncomfortable expression right next to his grinning one. She thrust the camera back at him and slipped her arm around his shoulders, making his eyebrows arch quizzically. "We can do better."

She had never seen his smile so wide as he pulled her closer and held up the camera.

Wanda mashed her lips together to stifle any further sobs that attempted to escape, tasting the saltiness of her tears as she stared down at the picture, red swirls pouring out of her hands, twisting and wrapping around it gently, clinging almost lovingly. In their second photo, Wanda had kissed Pietro's cheek and he looked so happy...

If only she could have him here again, one more moment they could have had together, then maybe she could have told him how she felt. She could have confessed to seeing the forbidden images in his dream and that maybe after the initial shock and horror wore off, just maybe, she had wanted them to be a reality, too.

You didn't see that coming?

Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for this ship.

dividers by @firefly-graphics

banner by @cafekitsune

Main Masterlist

Main Tag List Submission Form

[braveclementine]

Flight To Wakanda

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

"Drop to twenty-six hundred, heading 0-3-0." Steve ordered Sam as he flew the ship.

"I hope you're right about this." Sam said in a warning voice. "Or we're gonna land a lot faster than you want to."

Steve headed back to the passenger part of the Quinjet. Vision, Wanda, and Pietro were sitting in one corner. Bruce and Nat were sort've sitting together. Y/N was sitting there, chin in her hand, seemingly thinking.

Elizabeth was in the back corner, curled up in a ball. All of her kids, along with Y/N's kids- were left at the Avengers Compound under the watchful eyes of Rhodeys' new soulmate, who wasn't an Avenger at all.

Steve hesitated, and then went and sat down next to Elizabeth.

"Hey." He said softly.

She looked over at him and he saw she hadn't been crying. But she looked rather dead in the eyes. She met his though and smiled a little, "You look so different." She whispered.

"Is it a good thing?" He asked.

"I don't really like change." Elizabeth whispered. "It makes me uncomfortable and my OCD hates it, especially in rooms. If posters get moved and whatnot but. . . I don't know. It's kind've like you changed as the world made you change. Before when you were free you had the gold hair like the sunny side. And now you've got darker hair, like the darkness as you run."

He smiled a little. She breathed in deeply and then asked, "How is Bucky? Is he doing okay?"

"He's been doing good the few times I've been able to check up on him. He went into cryo and didn't get out to long ago, just a couple of months. His trigger words are gone, which is good. He doesn't have another arm though. . . but he's been living on the farm. A peaceful life."

"Good." Elizabeth said softly, resting her chin on her knees. "He deserved it."

Steve reached out, gently sliding his fingers along the back of her hand. He squeezed her hand gently. "I'm so sorry for your loss Elizabeth. I'm so so sorry."

She nodded, sucking in breath, straightening her back a little. Her eyes locked onto Steve's. "I'm going to kill him. He's mine."

Steve felt a bit of fear go through him on that. The idea of her going up against this massive Titan. . . he didn't like it one bit. He would make sure to stay by her side throughout the fight. And if she did go after Thanos. . . he would help her.

As the Quinjet lowered in front of the palace, she went ahead and stood up and Steve finally got to see what she was wearing. It was all green, gold, and black colours, wrapping around her body, showing off the right parts of her skin. Tight in the right places, curvy in the right places. Her hair braided back and put up in an intricate bun.

Swords, knives, bow, arrows, shurikens, even a sniper rifle that she picked up from underneath her chair. She was set with all of it.

"Elizabeth," He said softly, standing as well to lead the rest of them out. "I will not stop you. . . but you remember you have five kids waiting for you at home. Please?"

Elizabeth trembled a little and then nodded a bit jerkily. "I know."

He led the group out, shaking hands with T'Challa as he reached him, "Seems like I'm always thanking you for something."

Bruce started to bow and T'Challa waved his hands, "We don't do that here." Steve saw Rhodey smirk out of the corner of his eye.

"So how big of an assault should we expect?" T'Challa asked, leading the way.

"Uh, sir," Bruce interjected, "Sir, I think you should expect quite a big assault."

"How we looking?" Y/N asked on the other side of Natasha.

"You have my Kings guard, the border tribe, The Dora Milaje, and-"

"A semi stable hundred year old man." Bucky said, coming over to where Steve and the rest of the crew were. Steve pulled Bucky into a kiss right there, but made it quick when he remembered both Bruce and Elizabeth were there. He gave Bucky an apologetic, but meaningful look and Bucky nodded just slightly.

"How you been Buck?"

"Uh, not bad, for being out in the world." He grinned.

He looked more like himself than usual. He'd grown his own beard too, as well as growing out his hair. He was wearing blue leather and his new black and gold arm blended in well, looking more like just a sleeve of the jacket than anything else.

They took Vision up with Wanda and Pietro to get him into the lab.

Y/N went off with Natasha, Rhodey, and Sam. Elizabeth just stood where she was, looking out at Wakanda.

"She lost her soulmate." Steve whispered in undertone to Bucky when they were far enough away. "Loki. . . Thanos killed him. Left her with five kids. She. . . she wants him. To kill him. I'm afraid she's not going to make it out alive."

Bucky was quiet for a long time and then said, "She's maternal. She's got kids. She'll do the right thing Stevie."

He approached her slowly and said, "Hey doll."

Elizabeth titled her head and looked up at Bucky. She smiled then, a close to genuine smile. "Hey Bucky. How are you feeling? Is the arm okay? It doesn't hurt to badly, right? I mean, they just put it on today. If it's hurting I can use some magic-"

Bucky pulled her into a tight hug and Elizabeth went from talking rapidly, to bursting into tears. "That's it doll. Let it all out. Get all of it out of your system. Then you can keep your head on the priorities of this fight."

When Y/N had told him, Tony, and Sam that Elizabeth had been able to connect with Bucky on a level that no one else seemed to be able to, was able to understand everything Bucky needed to hear and know. . . well it seemed to go the other way too.

"How about you tell me about your kids?" Bucky asked softly, rocking her in his arms. "How many do you have? What do they look like? What are their names? How old are they? What gender are they?"

Elizabeth sniffed and said, "My oldest are Astrid and Halfdan. They're both eight years old and they both look like Loki. Long black hair and crystal blue eyes. Tove, Hogun, and Sage are all two years old. Tove and Sage are girls. Hogun is a little boy. Hogun also looks like Loki and so does Sage but she has green eyes instead. Tove has Loki's hair too, but she has my eyes."

"They sound very cute." Bucky said softly. "When this fight is over, you're going to have to introduce me to them, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded, "Okay."

"I see you got all of these weapons." Bucky chuckled, "I didn't know you could use a sniper rifle."

Elizabeth nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'm okay with it. I prefer my sword though but. . . someone has to stay with Vision during the surgery. And the window is high up. I was thinking I'd be a good person to guard Vision, and also get kills off."

"That's a fantastic idea." Bucky said enthusiastically and Steve felt immediately relieved. Wanda would be with Vision as well and she would be one of the best guards for Elizabeth too.

Bucky stood up, bringing Elizabeth to her feet as well. Bucky looked over at Steve, "How about I show you guys where I've been staying. You like goats?"

A small smile came over Elizabeth's face, "You have goats?"

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

You readied yourself in the Wakandan Palace. You would be on the front lines with the other Avengers and you were both nervous, but also strangely calm.

You hadn't heard from Tony and the ship that he was on hadn't been seen on Earth since it had left. You had asked Pepper or Happy to keep you updated, but neither of them had seen or heard anything.

Wanda and Pietro would be staying with Vision in Shuri's lab, along with several other Wakandan warriors. The rest of you would be heading down towards the outskirts of the city to fight.

You didn't exactly feel confident. There was clearly something very different about this fight. You hadn't been able to see them fight in real life, but they clearly were good fighters based on what you had been able to see on the holographic recording.

And those were just the followers or 'children' as they liked to call themselves. You weren't entirely sure you wanted to go up against the 'father'.

Thanos. You'd heard the name before over the course of time. Elizabeth had mentioned him offhandedly when talking about Loki being taken over and brainwashed. That Loki hadn't been the one to really attack New York.

Thanos had seemed like some sort of mythical person. Like hearing about the Winter Soldier before you really knew who he was. A ghost, someone you would never actually meet, never actually be affected by.

Until you were.

Bruce had been very quiet, now that everything that he could possibly have done was done. You knew he was grieving for Thor and the last of his family. It seemed all of the Asgardians were gone. Or at least half, apparently there was another ship.

Elizabeth and her children were his last bit of family. And you were worried that Elizabeth was going to get herself killed in this fight. That Bruce might even try and get himself killed in this fight. But the Hulk wasn't appearing, so would he even try and fight?

You checked your phone again, but there was nothing.

Well, they probably didn't have radio or WIFI signals wherever Tony was.

You sighed, going to tuck your phone into your back pocket and then laughed at yourself. You put the phone on the table with the rest of your stuff that you wouldn't be using in the battle.

You loaded your AR-12 and made sure that you had plenty of extra ammo on you. Then you made sure you had plenty of knives as well.

"Do you think you're ready?" Nat asked quietly as she entered the room. Her and Bruce were being extremely awkward with each other. You knew that she had been the last person to see him, to interact with him, before he took off in the Quinjet. How he got to space, no one would ever know. And whatever had happened between the two of them, they would both take to their graves.

"No. But none of us are." You responded, looking over at her, "Clint isn't going to fight?"

"I haven't seen him in two years." Nat chuckled humorlessly. "Didn't really want our first interaction together after that much time to be that we need him to fight in another war that the Government isn't letting us fight in. Accords or not."

You nodded in understanding.

"No word from Tony?"

"No." You shook your head. "He's probably in space with Stephen. They'll be okay. They're probably the two smartest people I know."

"Also the most egotistical." Sam added from the background where he was making sure his wings and everything else he needed was in order. "And narcissistic. They'll probably butt heads a lot."

You chuckled. "Yes, that's probably true."

Steve came into the room at that moment. He had a small smile on his face, which he dropped as he entered the room. Like he hadn't just been snogging Bucky probably. You just smirked at the ground, trying to hide it.

"We're heading out now." Steve said in a commanding voice. "Make sure you're prepared. . . physically and mentally. This isn't going to be an easy fight."

"We know." Nat nodded.

She looked at you as the Avengers started to file out of the room. Even Bruce went and you had to return back to the problem at hand. You had to just take down as many enemies as possible. Trying to protect Bruce or Elizabeth would not bode well for anyone. You'd probably just end up getting yourself killed.

"Alright then." You said, hoisting your AR-12 onto your shoulder, sliding your handgun into your holster. "Let's go then."

[scottsummersevents]

For the Sexy Days of Summers Event happening right now we've invited Scott Summers (Cyclops) fans to take part in spreading more love for him out there on the internet by creating fanfiction, fanart, fan works, etc. to celebrate our favorite X-Men leader and the possibility of what if. For the duration of this challenge so far we've received some really incredible submissions with super rare pairings that are new to us. For the month of September we'd like to share some of those and also share some various fandom creations along the way in terms of content. Some might be an old favorite pairing while others might be something in terms of shipping you've never considered before.

Today's spotlight pairing is another a fun rare one that's got a lot of potential!

Below under the cut you can take a look at this pairing and see what fun it could prove to be!

Also if you have a favorite Scott pairing and a fanfic that you've written or that you love, then feel free to drop us a note and let us know so we can showcase it in the future!

Stay tuned for more duo spotlights coming soon!

Can't stop, won't stop, I actually don't know how to stop, help by Magneatooooooo (Rated T) Nothing good ever comes from Peter or Scott being alone and bored together. It always ends in someone getting hurt or expensive repairs.

just give it some time by Silvercyclops (Rated T) Wanda holds up a glowing red hand from her spot on the couch and suddenly Pietro is stopped in his tracks. “First of all,” she says. “You’re going to burn a hole in my carpet so I need you to come over here and sit.”

when there’s nowhere else to run by Silvercyclops (Rated T) He doesn’t know why he’s surprised. He’s been coming here everyday and he’s never seen anyone else, but he doesn’t know why this particular visitor surprises him so much. (Pietro talks to time displaced Scott)

Annoyances by shroomyystar (Rated M) Peter grins, tilts his head, and he shivers a little at Scott’s hand coming to rest on his hip. Perhaps to push him off, but well, contact is contact, is it not? “Or what?”

here we are just runaways by Silvercyclops (Rated T) “Maximoff,” he says. “How’s the hero business going?” They always start out like this, so formal, like they’re still on opposite sides of the battlefield.

role reversal au but its honestly not that important

but you know i could stay here all night by Silvercyclops (Rated T) Scott maybe possibly might be crushing on Pietro a little so when prom rolls around, he figures it's time to make his move

Visitation by tobathy Pietro starts to visit Summers regularly after figuring out he could just come and go from the mansion as he pleases, long as he isn't caught by someone that'd tattle on his whereabouts.

Hail to the Thief by orphan_account (Rated T) Scott meets Peter. It devolves from there.

A Little Less Conversation by orphan_account (Rated T) Passage of time. Featuring Alexander Summers' amazing advice hour. Terms and conditions apply.

We shall meet again by Deadinsideluv (Rated T) Peter never thought it would happen so soon. In the midst of battle no less.

Sunlight/Snow by orphan_account (Rated T) They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die.

the good in my people and the trouble in me by Silvercyclops (Rated T) as they look out over Utopia, Scott Summers and Pietro Maximoff try to re-find what really matters during the war between the Avengers and the X-Men

Asshole by Silvercyclops_Shit

“Hey, asshole.”

“Do you need something, kid?”

Good Morning, Westchester by Silvercyclops_Shit (Rated T) Scott was annoyed, very annoyed. All he wanted to do right now was stay in bed and maybe give his husband a “Good Morning” blow job.

Afjdkfghgkjdjfdfjdhfjdkjfis by Silvercyclops_Shit (Rated T) Peter’s hand drifted up to his chest and he began to trace the words printed there. So maybe Peter was a little worried about his soulmate. Maybe he was more than a little worried but it’s fine, he’s fine.

Pretty Hairstyles by Silvercyclops_Shit (Rated T) That conversation was the reason Scott was going to see Peter today. And if he had put a bit more effort into his appearance than usual, no one had to know. After all, it wasn’t every day you see the man you dated a decade ago (and have been avoiding for said decade), who has somehow become your coparent, to ask if he'll do your son's hair.

Blank Space by LuthienLuinwe (Rated M)

There was nothing romantic about it. Never had been. Never would be. Xavier’s favorite soldier and Father’s favorite scapegoat.

It would be the last time, Pietro told himself. Just like he had the time before. 

And every time before that.

You know you’re in love by Skygrayson1082 (Rated T)

“I can’t say I don’t love you when I’m lying to myself, I can’t deny my feelings for you”

I can’t think of anything else sorry I’m really bad at these

How Fate Works by Silvercyclops (Rated T) the first words your soulmate says to you are written on your arm. scott and pietro's first words don't go so well.

An Anonymous Note by Silvercyclops Scott Summers has no idea how he's going to talk to Pietro Maximoff, much less tell him how he feels. When Jean suggests anonymous notes, Scott thinks he might just have found his chance.

And many more on AO3 here.

[nicsnort]

Gravita Anima (intro)

Fandom: X-men Genre: Romance Ships: Nightcrawler/Fem!OC/Quicksilver Main Characters: Nightcrawler, Elle Hughes [OC], and Quicksilver Side Characters: Beast, Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Emma Frost, Lucy Ansell [OC] Summary: Elle Hughes works tirelessly for mutant rights organizing protests against the Mutant Registration Act. During one such protest, the Brotherhood of Mutants attacks the anti-mutant crowd. Suddenly she finds herself swept up in the business between the X-men and the Brotherhood. More specifically she finds herself at the crossroads between a choice. The dashing Pietro with the Brotherhood or the sweet Kurt with the X-men? Note 1: This is adapted from a PBP roleplay between my friend, LilyHellsing, and I. Elle Hughes is my character while she played Nightcrawler and Quicksilver. The other OC, Lucy, is her OC while I played Beast and Magneto. We switched off between the other characters. I have rewritten this roleplay to be mostly following Elle's story. This is an X-universe of our own drawing on elements from the movies, comics, and TV shows. Note 2: You can find the entirety of this fanfic posted under the same name and username over on Ao3 along with my other works! Part 1

Fanfic Masterlist

[unseededtoast]

Rectify | Bucky Barnes

Part 31/37 | Part Thirty, Part Thirty Two

Summary: I've lived every day for the past five years looking over my shoulder. I knew they'd come for me, it was inevitable. I was foolish to think I could outrun my past. It's followed me everywhere I go, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Never would I have anticipated that the shadows would lead me to the light.

Bucky Barnes x OC

Series Warnings: Discussion of human trafficking, alcohol consumption, graphic depictions of violence, sexual content, discussion of suicidal thoughts.

a/n: Hi everyone, thank you for checking this out, I appreciate any and all support! This series is also posted on Ao3 and Wattpad if you prefer those formats/platforms! This is a completed series, and it's going to take some time for me to transfer it to Tumblr, so please bear with me!

It hits me like a brick wall as I realize this could be my last night spent with him.

I wake up to bright fluorescent lights in my eyes. I squint and move my head side to side, I don't know where I am. Restraints hold me to a table when I try to sit up. The last thing I remember is being on the ship fleeing from Sokovia. I hear a door open and someone walks in. The table starts moving and puts me in an upright position. Fury is standing in front of me, arms crossed. I know I didn't leave him on good terms. He scowls at me,

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Averina." He breaks the silence. I swallow, my throat hurting from being dry.

"I can explain everything." I say, voice raspy.

"There will be time to explain, they're putting you on trial." He says.

"Who is?" I ask. I knew when I made the decision to help Wanda and Pietro escape that this was a possibility.

"Shield is. You'll be detained until the council comes together. You could be facing the rest of your life in the Raft."

"The Raft?" I ask, never hearing of it before.

"Max security prison out by Riker's." He says.  He takes a few steps closer to me.

"All I have to say is that you better have a damn good explanation." I look into his eye before he turns and walks away.

I close my eyes as he walks out. When I explain what happened who knows if they'll buy it, they might still choose to lock me up. I know in my heart I did the right thing, at least I'll be going to prison with no regrets.

Someone else walks in and I open my eyes. Steve stands in front of me, scowl on his face.

"I don't even know what to say to you. I mean what happened?" He asks, obviously not happy with me.

"Bruce called and said Tony had done something with the gem and that there were rogue robots coming after us. I had to protect them all." I give him the abbreviated version of the whole story.

"And what was that with Bucky on the ship from Sokovia? I saw him kiss you." Is this really what he's concerned about right now?

"Steve, with all due respect I think there are bigger issues to focus on than my relationship with Bucky." This should be the least of our concerns right now and I'm baffled that it's even being brought up.

"I'll be on that council, just so you know." He says and turns to walk out.

"I figured out how to undo the programming, by the way. It's almost complete." He stops for a moment before walking out of the room completely. I hope he comes to his senses and votes logically during the hearing.

Almost immediately after Steve leaves, Bucky comes in. Finally someone I'm happy to see. I smile at him, and he smiles back but I can tell his mind is preoccupied.

"What happened?" I ask, trusting him to tell me everything.

"Well, we made it to the ship. Your arm got totally dislocated when I pulled you up and so they sent you here. They had to screw your arm back into the socket." He says and I nod.

"Well hey at least you're not the only one with a metal arm now." I try to lighten the mood a bit. He smiles and shakes his head,

"Only you could crack a joke when everything is going to hell." He says tenderly.

"Things going to hell is nothing new to me." I say and he sighs,

"Adalyn, I'm going to be honest with you. It's not looking good. They're putting you on trial and Tony is campaigning to put you away for life. There was talk about putting me on trial too but Steve struck a deal with Tony if they benched that." He looks into my eyes and things really start to set in.

"I mean I did commit crimes, Buck. I can't just expect to get off scot-free. If they do put me away, Wanda will undo everything. She has what she needs. I had the book and flash drive in my suit, you'll need to find that and destroy them." I say, giving him instructions in case I never see the light of day again.

"If anyone should be on trial it's Tony. He's the one who caused Sokovia's destruction." Bucky says with anger in his voice.

"Tony has money and connections, he'll never face any time." I say. Though it sucks, it's true.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm here to get you. You're instructed to stay in the room until the trial." He says and undoes my restraints. He helps me onto the ground and out the door. I feel the pain in my shoulder. My arm is in a sling, which helps alleviate some of the pressure.

We walk quickly to the room to avoid the glances and glares from the others in the building. I can tell most of the people here are likely rooting for me to be put away. Hopefully if I can get my side of the story out they'll understand.

Once we get to the room I sit on the bed and Bucky locks the door. He runs a hand through his hair and sits next to me. I don't know what there is to say. I lean against him, and he puts an arm around me, being cautious to avoid my injured shoulder. If I am put away for life I'll probably never see Bucky again. I soak in the feeling of having him near.

"I don't want to go to prison." I say, the full effect of what might happen hitting me hard. I know I'll be in there with a clear conscience but I don't want to be away from Bucky. I don't think I could live without having him, I can't be without him again. He means too much. After all we've been through it can't end like this.

"We could run away. Disappear, like we never existed." He says. It sounds like a good idea, but I know it could never last long term. I look up into his eyes,

"You know that isn't sustainable." I say. He brushes my cheekbones with his thumb.

"We can make it work. Adalyn I can't live without you." He says and I see his nose turn red, he's holding back tears. With my good arm I pull him in for a hug.

"When is the trial?" I ask.

"First thing tomorrow." He says next to my ear. I know we're working with a limited timeframe. There's one last thing to do before I might get sent away.

"Go get Wanda and see if you can find the book and flash drive. We'll undo it here and be done with it finally. If I am sent away, at least I know you'll be okay and the Soldier is dead." I say and he backs away from the hug.

"Are you sure?" He asks, I nod.

"As long as you're ready." I say and he stands from the bed. He gives me a wordless nod and leaves the room. I stand from the bed and start nervously pacing. This isn't quite how I imagined this would go, but at least it's getting done after all this time.

After a few minutes the door opens again and both Bucky and Wanda walk in. Wanda smiles at me and the air in the room feels heavy and somber. I take a deep breath. I walk up to Bucky and look into his eyes, seeing the fear in them.

"Whenever you're ready we'll do this. It'll be okay, I'll be with you the entire time." I grab his hand and he squeezes it. He leans down and gives me a kiss, I feel the emotion and passion in it. I kiss him back with equal enthusiasm.

He breaks away from the kiss and brushes some hair behind my ear. He bites his bottom lip as he looks over my face. He gives me another quick kiss and then nods his head.

"Let's do this." Wanda hands me the book and flash drive. I place them on the bedside table and go to Bucky.

He sits on the bed and I kneel in front of him. I take both of his hands and hold them tightly. I can see that he's scared, I would be too if I were in his position but I know this will work. Wanda walks behind him quietly and takes a few breaths while she closes her eyes.

"Are we ready?" She asks, accent thick. Tears well in my eyes, along with Bucky's. He grips my hands, and I feel a tear trickle down my cheek.

"I'm ready." He says and keeps his eyes trained on me. I see Wanda behind him start to conjure her magic.

I don't give Bucky any indication of what's happening, I don't want to worry him. I smile and try to put him at ease the best I can. His baby blue eyes close as Wanda's magic touches his temples. His grip on my hands tighten, his metal hand almost crushing mine but I ignore the pain. His needs are more important right now.

I anxiously watch as Wanda works her magic on Bucky. Silently I say a prayer, hoping this goes smoothly. I know once this is done I'll have to say the words to make sure the Soldier is truly dead. I watch as Bucky's face contorts and relaxes, his eyebrows twitching every few seconds. I bite my lip, the waiting is unbearable.

Suddenly, his face is still. Wanda's magic starts retracting itself from his mind. I watch with wide eyes. This is the moment we've been waiting for. Wanda opens her eyes and has an unreadable expression on her face. The silence in the room is deafening. Bucky's grip on my hands goes lax and I watch eagerly, waiting for him to open his eyes.

His blue eyes shoot open and stare straight forward before landing on my face. I can't tell what's happening.

"Bucky?" I ask, more tears threatening to stream down my cheeks. What if something went wrong? He blinks a few times and stays silent, still looking at me.

I worry that it didn't work and he's having an adverse reaction. The simulation showed it would work, and it never failed me for the many years I used it. Tears spill onto my cheeks as my mind starts spiraling.

In the blink of an eye he stands and grabs me by the waist. For a split second I worry that he's the Soldier and that I might be getting killed. However, he spins us around and I see the look on his face, bliss. He sets me on the ground with the widest smile I've ever seen, the brightest twinkle in his ocean blue eyes.

"Adalyn." He says breathlessly. I smile as he leans down to kiss me, the taste of my tears intertwining with our lips. I break away and know there's one last step before we can truly celebrate. I lightly push him back onto the bed and he looks at me with confusion. I wipe my eyes and sigh,

"There's one last thing. I have to say the words to make sure it really works." I say and his face falls flat.

"Let's just get it over with." He says and I nod. I nervously crack the knuckles on my hand and stand in front of him.

"If for some reason it didn't work, I know how to control you. You won't hurt anyone, I promise." I say. He nods and sets his jaw tightly, staring straight. Wanda takes a few steps back. In my native tongue, I start the sequence I'm all too familiar with.

"Longing." I say, his face remains stoic.

"Rusted." My accent becomes more prominent. It's been a while since I've spoken in Russian, especially these cursed words.

"Furnace." His face remains still.

"Daybreak." I say, increasing the speed that I deliver the words. I'm feeling hopeful. Usually at this point he starts reacting to the programming.

"Seventeen." Still nothing.

"Benign." I see his jaw twitch. I pause, waiting to see if anything is going to happen. He doesn't seem to be struggling with anything at all.

"Nine." He licks his lips, still staring straight ahead.

"Homecoming." He turns his focus from the wall to me. I see life in his eyes.

"One." I say, feeling a smile threaten to show itself on my face. I don't want to get too hopeful just yet. There's one more word.

"Freight car." I say. I hold my breath and watch, our eyes locked on one another.

Breaking the tense atmosphere, Bucky stands and once again pulls me in for a hug. His body shakes and I feel wetness soak through my shirt. It worked. It really worked. We pull away from the hug and we're both crying. Tears stream down our faces as we kiss one another.

"You're free. You're finally free." I say, a sob coming over my body. My hands shake with excitement as I hold his face endearingly. I see Wanda back out of the room quietly. Bucky holds my face in his hands, his eyes red and streaming tears.

"I love you so much, Adalyn. You're my saving grace." He says and kisses me. My tummy flips as I hear his words. I kiss him back.

"I love you too, Buck." I say and he rejoins our lips. He's careful of my shoulder, and is gentle as he lays me down on the bed. He hovers over me, lips still attached.

His lips travel from mine, to my jaw, down to my neck and sends shivers down my body. He licks the sensitive skin on my neck and travels to my collarbones. His hands are firm on my waist, my body ignites with heat. I lean my head back against the bed and savor the feeling.

I feel his lips lightly suck on the thin skin covering my collar bones and a soft moan leaves my lips. His fingers travel from my waist and lift the hem of my shirt, exposing my skin to the cool air. His lips leave my skin as he hovers over me,

"Are you sure you want to?" He asks, lips plump and red. I nod my head, knowing I've never been more sure of anything.

"Yes, please." I say, wanting to feel his lips on me again. Without another word he trails kisses from my jaw, down to my neck, past my collar bones until he reaches my chest.

He places soft, tender kisses on me as his metal hand slides under my shirt and teases one of my nipples. A shiver comes over my body as my back arches into his touch. The coolness of the metal sends a feeling of pure bliss through me. My breathing picks up as he continues to tease me, his lips leaving wet marks over my chest and torso.

He slides my shirt up and over my head seamlessly. I watch as he admires my body, his usual bright blue eyes a shade darker, his pupils dilated. I lick my lips and wish he would return the favor for me. With my good hand I tug at the bottom of his shirt and he smirks,

"You want this off?" He asks and I nod my head. He stands straight and pulls it off, his perfectly toned torso on full display. I see the scars around his arm, nothing I haven't seen before. I've seen Bucky shirtless a number of times, but never in this context.

He tosses the shirt onto the floor and hovers over me again, our bare torsos touching each other. I arch into the contact and use my good hand to pull him down to me. I kiss him sloppily, feeling my body pulse with need and lust for him.

I wrap my legs around his waist and move so that I'm on top of him. His hands hold my waist and I lean down to kiss his jaw. His stubble tickles my face as I litter his jawline with soft, wet kisses. I feel his fingertips dig into my skin with each kiss. I grind my hips into his and moan as I feel him underneath me.

I kiss down his neck and flick my tongue on the spot he reacts to the most. He pushes my body down onto his, and I close my eyes in pleasure. I wiggle myself down to rest on his thighs and place a line of kisses down his torso. He tangles a hand in my hair and I look up at him as I lick from the top of his pants to the middle of his abs. He throws his head back onto the bed and his chest rises and falls quickly as he pants in pleasure.

I grind my hips on his thigh as I put my fingers in the waistband of his pants. He bucks his hips up and lets me pull his pants down. He's fully exposed and I waste no time. I lean down and put my mouth on the tip, my hand on the base. I start moving my hand up and down with my mouth, tasting his saltiness on my tongue. I hear a soft moan come from him and I smirk, happy that I'm pleasing him.

His hand tangled in my hair tugs lightly as he moves my head up and down. I take as much of him in my mouth as I can, and flick my tongue on the sensitive spot right underneath the tip. I feel his legs tense up and he moans again, tugging on my hair.

"Come here." He says through his heavy breathing and I move so that my face is above his. He moves his hands to my waist and flips us over so he's above me. He places sloppy kisses on my body, working his way down. He puts two fingers in my waistband on either side and slides my pants down. I feel the cool air hit the heat of my body.

His hands grip my hips and he kisses down from my belly button. I close my eyes and lean my head back as I feel his tongue on me. I push my hips into him, needing him closer. His tongue flicks up and down over my most sensitive part and I can't help but to let out a moan.

I feel two of his metal fingers slide inside me, causing me to gasp. One of my hands tangles in his long hair, keeping his face in place. His fingers pump inside of me, and I feel myself become more and more aroused. He continues this for a few more moments before he takes a break and comes back to me, his face above mine. I kiss him, tasting myself on his lips.

I reach down and grab him in my hands, pumping my hand back and forth. His eyes flutter, his lips wet from me. I guide him to where he needs to be and rub his tip on my clit before he slides inside of me.

We both moan, the feeling is indescribable. I feel myself grip him as he starts moving his hips back and forth. I bring my lips to his neck and flick my tongue back and forth, causing him to moan once more. I feel for his metal hand and guide it to my neck.

I show him how I want to be choked, and he applies pressure to the sides of my throat. He uses his other hand to hold the headboard. I feel the pleasure all over and moan out loudly. His hips grind into mine, hitting my sweet spot just right. I wrap my legs around his waist and look into his eyes, my mouth open and panting.

I see his eyebrows scrunch together as if he's focusing. I take my hand and move it to my chest, teasing myself. I moan again as I look into his eyes, his pupils grow wider. His lips fall open as he pushes himself into me over and over again.

As his hips keep hitting just the right spot over and over I feel my legs tense.

"Just like that, right there." I moan out, feeling that I'm close. He continues his fluid movements, pushing into me and hitting all of the right areas. I throw my head back onto the bed as my legs tighten around him and I clench around him over and over.

I feel his movements become less and less rhythmic until he pushes himself deep into me. He moves his metal hand from my neck as both of his hands grip my hips. I feel him twitch inside of me and I can't be bothered to care. It all feels too good to think straight.

We both breathe hard as he finishes inside of me, and I moan again as he slides out of me. He rests his head in the curve of my neck and I remove my legs from around his waist. I move over on the bed so he can lay next to me, and he does.

We lay silently next to one another. He kisses my forehead and pulls me close, so that my head is resting on his arm. I look into his eyes, happier than I've ever been before. I cup his face in my hand and run my thumb over the stubble on his jaw.

"I love you, so much." I say quietly. He leans in and kisses me, the two of us soaking in the moment.

It hits me like a brick wall as I realize this could be my last night spent with him.

[kitkatt0430]

6 and 7 for the salty asks?

6.) Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

I can't really say I've been brought around from hating, though I've certainly been brought around to enjoying ships that I was neutral on or wasn't inclined towards.

Eobard/Barry is a ship that I was definitely not inclined to like at first, but it's grown on me in part due to fandom. And while I like it best as this one sided obsession on Eobard's part that would freak Barry out if he knew the full extent, there's something interesting about playing with their dynamics and asking what would need to change for that one-sided obsession to turn into a reciprocated (and healthier) relationship. They're both fascinating and nuanced characters, so delving into their interpersonal dynamics and tweaking it without losing the core of who they are (hopefully) is a lot of fun to do.

I think maybe sometimes I ship things solely for the challenge of making it believable and likable when it seems like the ship should not work.

7.) Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

There's a significant part of the MCU I just can't stand anymore. The fandom used to be this happy place full of found family fics and I really miss the vibe it used to have there. In particular, I used to really enjoy the Steve/Bucky and Steve/Tony ships but Civil War kinda crashed both for me especially since it and the Ultron movie that preceded it shifted the tone of the MCU itself pretty hard.

The found family vibes were mostly lost from the franchise at that point and it was reflected heavily in fandom. Steve's treatment of both Tony and Bucky in the two movies was... bad. (Steve's possessiveness and obsession with Bucky kinda unnerved me, to be honest.) And the depiction of Wanda as being both a hero and an unrepentant Hydra volunteer was just... not something I could ever be comfortable with, so I struggle to enjoy fics that depict her or Pietro in a positive light because I can't forgive their movie canon Hydra origins or how insulting that change was considering their comics backstories.

I've been attempting to get back into some of the newer parts of the MCU, but I'm definitely reluctant to get invested again after feeling majorly burned by what happened with the Avengers in the movies.

[foulfirerebel]

Pondering the current fates of RWBY Heroes

Inspired by a RWBY discord I'm part of, we're here to speculate on the fates of various RWBY characters! Spoilers for RWBY up until Volume 9 and related material like the novels, under the readmore.

Teams/Kids/Young Adults:

Team RWBY: Alive, obviously. The show wouldn't be the show without them! On their way to Vacuo.

Team JNPR/JNOR: Pyrrha's dead (RIP), everyone else is alive with Jaune en route to Vacuo alongside Team RWBY.

Team CVFY: Still active per After the Fall and Before the Dawn (Recommended reading. Seriously.)

Team SSSN: Still active in Vacuo per Before the Dawn.

Team CDRL: Nobody cares about them. But if we must. Their last known status was during the Fall of Beacon, Cardin was saved by Ironwood from being killed but beyond that nothing. Frankly, don't care to think about them either.

Team FNKI: According to the writers, they lived through the Fall of Atlas. Currently in Vacuo.

Illia Amitola: Cameoed in Volume 8, probably in Vacuo by now alongside the Belladonnas.

Emerald Sustrai: Defected to the Good side in Volume 8, finally. In Vacuo with the others.

Oscar Pine: Still with the others in Vacuo.

Penny Polendina: Physically deceased, again. Fate unknown and uncertain. Possibility of return not discounted, given she's been revived before. Whether reduced to a soul inside of Winter, or permanently dead, until the official word is given, nothing is impossible for everyone's favorite redhead.

Ciel Soliel: An unknown to the point where the Curious Cat even lampshades it during Volume 9. As Penny's team was disbanded, and her fate is uncertain, we can guess she might've survived the Fall of Atlas and is in Vacuo. Up in the air currently.

!

Adults:

Ozpin: Spirit form in Oscar Pine's head, currently merging with him.

Ironwood (counting him here, he started as one): Dead via Atlas' fall in Volume 8.

Winter Schnee: Active, new Winter Maiden. Yes, the jokes still work.

Schnee Family (Whitley, Willow, Klien): Still alive, in Vacuo.

Glynda Goodwitch: Last time we saw her was After the Fall, and as a shocked cameo circa Volume 8 when Ruby's message reached the world. She was there in illusion form in the JLA/RWBY movie. She may still be in Vale, or may be on the way to Vacuo.

Qrow Branwen: Made it to Vacuo, if the V9 epilogue animatic shown off at RTX 2023 is to be believed. Otherwise, last seen on screen during the Fall of Atlas in Volume 8.

Raven Branwen: Revealed via the Volume 9 epilogue animatic to have helped Team RWBY onward to Vacuo. Unsure as to when THAT happened.

Taiyang Xiao Long: Uncertain if in Vacuo, still in Vale, or on his way. Chances are, probably in or around Vacuo if Raven's there.

Robyn Hill + The Happy Huntresses: Absolutely in Vacuo, if the Volume 9 epilogue animatic is to be believed. Expecting them to help with the refugees too.

Pietro Polendina: Still alive as of Volume 8. Since Amity Arena was shown with the ships in Volume 9, it's assumed he's alive.

Maria Calavera: Presumed still alive as well, same with Pietro.

Ghira and Kali Belladonna: Alive, saw Ruby's message. Current status places them in Mistral helping the Faunus circa Volume 6, though as of V8 they got Ruby's message. Unknown as of now if they went to Atlas first, or Vacuo. Expecting to see them in some capacity.

Theodore: Still headmaster of Shade academy. Active as of Before the Dawn. Will arguably be the most helpful headmaster the heroes have had.

Rumpole: Still vice head of Shade. Active as of Before the Dawn.

Old Man Shopkeep: WILL. NEVER. DIE. But seriously. In Vale as of Volume 8 cameo. Will probably help with food or cameo sometime!

Zwei: Will also never die. With Tai as of Volume 8.

Summer Rose: Condition unknown. Subject still needs to be broached if really dead, or Grimmified.

[bananabrain0]

In Celebration of Love: X-Men Edition

For this Valentine's day, I made a list of my favorite couples from the X-universe, and here is why you should pay attention too 😏

Ororo Munroe x James Logan Howlett

Related Fanfics: Lone Wolf Cabin (Explicit), Trip to the Waterfalls (Explicit)

RoLo is my first-ever ship. Their dynamic is exciting. She is the unattainable goddess (or so she tells herself), while he is a man with a long past with nothing else left but his own animal side. Through time, Logan was a wingman to Ororo's X-Men leadership.

He was also there for Ororo right after she parted with T'Challa to serve her people, the mutants. It is only so interesting to see that Logan stood by her side, a supportive friend and a lover, while she was in a post-Wakandan era of finding her own purpose yet again.

Nature is a constant companion. Take a winter cabin, woods, and fresh air. Is it not liberating to see these two together?

Scott Summers x Emma Frost

Related Fanfics: Essense of Emma (Explicit), Uncanny X-Men: Sex & Cigarettes (Explicit)

Scemma infected me from the first pages of the New X-Men.

Emma is a complex character, a femme fatale. With a difficult past to reconcile with, she is one of the prime examples of a villain turning into a main character. Scott, on the other hand, seemingly clings to her corrupted nature at first. Next, he makes an active choice to be with Emma and to build his own life regardless of who is woman by his side. As the result, the two formed the most interesting power couple/fight couple.

They never lost their spark on the page. I also absolutely LOVE the "two leaders being together" dynamic. Usually, in a relationship, one of the parties assumes a submissive role. Here, Scemma gives me the air to breathe - a hope that two powerful personalities can in fact thrive together.

Destiny x Mystique

Related Fanfic: Viva Las Vegas (Explicit)

Ok. Hear me out.

The fact that two lesbian terrorists survived all censorship and, to this date, are one of the longest and most consistent power couples in the X-Men universe still baffles me. I like their ambition and shared sense of humor.

Are they good parents? Debatable. Are they fighting for the right cause? Depends. Are they ready to burn the world down for each other? Absolutely fucking yes.

Wanda Maximoff x Pietro Maximoff

Related Fanfic: Murder at Polaris Express (Explicit)

'Nuff said. Crucify me for this. 😏

There is nothing to be ashamed of. Incest is a taboo in our civilization for a reason - two genetically similar humans have low chances of creating a child with maximized odds for survival and top health. No-go. It makes total sense. But! I am waiting for a retcon explaining how they were both not-blood siblings and simply met each other under the circumstances of Magneto's found family.

I shipped them since around 2005. I shipped these two so hard, I persuaded my ex-boyfriend to dress up as these two troublemakers for Halloween. Yes. Ex-boyfriend. Yes, he agreed willingly. Yes, we went to a party like this. MCU's Age of Ultron made us horny, and I refuse to apologize for what my mind desires.

[fasterthanmydemons]

[ Speedster of the Galaxy ]

Mantis felt her eyes widen when Pietro said Sokovia no longer existed. She felt sad Pietro had lost his home with his parents, then Sokovia, and then the right to be free on Earth. He had lost home after home after home, only finding it in his sister. And now, they were taking him away from her. Even though Pietro chose to join them, Mantis still struggled to ignore the guilt she felt. However, she still smiled after Pietro said she had made a friend for life, referring to Mr. Dibbles. “Do you really think he likes me? I do like him, so I hope so.”

Her expression softened again; she could tell Pietro was truly happy for the Guardians, happy that they found comfort in each other, but she could also tell he didn’t feel he was a part of the team. He felt so lonely and lost and he missed his sister so much. Her heart broke for him. “This is temporary,” she tried to remind him. “In the future, maybe people of Earth will realize you and your sister are good people. We won’t keep you here against your will. You will run home to her one day. But until then we are a team, so if you want, we could be friends… or future friends,” Mantis said smiling warmly, knowing the Guardians couldn’t make up for the absence of his twin, but wanting to help regardless. She nodded slightly when Pietro said he hoped she would be comfortable teaching him Latin. “It is still the first tongue I ever learned, regardless of how Ego raised me. He was… astronomically wrong about a lot of the things he taught me, but he was not wrong for teaching me his language. I find it very beautiful. It does not bother me to speak it or teach it. But thank you, your English is also good. We all have universal translators, however, so we will get you one. It will make things easier.”

When Pietro got all excited about the flowers and said Mantis growing them was ‘cool’, her smile seemed to widen, reach her eyes, even her antennae straightened. Despite not being the biggest fan of compliments, Mantis was happy when people liked her botanokinesis because she didn’t feel they were complimenting her, but rather her plants. She laughed again as Pietro seemed to hope Mr. Dibbles would be okay as long as she could grow plants, at least until Pietro could find supplies for him. “Of course he will be okay! Even if I did not have plants with me, we would have landed on some planet to let you find something he could eat. We won’t let anything happen to him.”

It was comforting to know Pietro trusted her with Mr. Dibbles. But at the end of the day, that was his turtle, and she wanted to let Pietro enjoy his company. Mantis closed her eyes as a yawn bubbled up from inside her, already trusting Pietro enough to let him know she was tired and therefore, vulnerable. “If you do not need help to clean him up, I think I am going to bed now. I am kind of sleepy; today has been a bit stressful for everyone, mostly for you.” She tilted her head to the side, her expression equal parts uncertainty and hope. “I know this is not easy. It will be a little easier if you keep yourself distracted, and Mr. Dibbles needs you to look after him.” Mantis stifled another yawn, pointing at her flowers. “The bouquet of dandelions I gave you should be enough to let him eat until tomorrow, but if that is not the case, just run around the ship until you find more plants. Your planet is beautiful, but we could not fuel the Benatar there, so it is safe to assume we will land somewhere tomorrow. We will get you a translator and you will be able to look for supplies for Mr. Dibbles.”

Mantis opened her door wider to let Pietro get out. “Pietro, um… One more thing.” Mantis looked down in a rather shy, apologetic manner. “The Guardians trust me to tell them whether you are a threat or not. I do not want to let them down. They have nothing personal against you, and their lack of trust is partially my fault for lying to them about Ego’s intentions when I first met them. I thought they would never accept me. And then… they did. They will accept you, too. You are good. Lonely and frightened because you are starting a new life, but good regardless.” Mantis offered a sleepy smile and gently placed her hand on Pietro’s shoulder. Being tired made her honest… or more honest than usual, at least. “Tu amicus mei. That means, you are my friend,” she added, letting Pietro decide whether that was just a brief Latin lesson or an actual statement. “Rocket stole things from Earth and for some reason gave me a book about a girl who starts chasing an animal, um… a white… rabbit? Yes, that is what they are called. It is very interesting! I will read a little more and then get some sleep. You gave me permission earlier to make your nightmares go away and help you sleep, so do not worry, you will not lie awake in bed. I will see you tomorrow!” Mantis smiled warmly again as she waved goodbye to both Pietro and Mr. Dibbles.

(Hi Thor’s mun, I do not own these characters so I’m all for people taking a concept and running with it! All I did with this verse was put Pietro in space, it could definitely lead to separate verses where he meets Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, Banner, Heimdall, Carol… This specific thread is closed and Quill is with Gamora, and the Guardians don’t meet Thor until IW - though Pietro already knows him - but the concept of Pietro being in the galaxy itself is not closed because it would put limitations to Pietro being in space, where the possibilities are endless, and who am I to do that? The MCU is not mine and the multiverse is canon! If you want Thor to be dating Quill and meet Pietro in space, that’s cool! People have made memes about this verse, we’re all having a good time! With the exception of Pietro being alive and in the team, I will stick to (most of the) canon in this verse but that doesn’t mean you or anyone else has to do the same. Thank you for asking first tho! <3 And omfg the Mr. Incredible meme. Yup, sticking to the canon events means there is some serious angst coming, unless Pietro also dies in the Snap. But if he survives… *insert the 'honey you’ve got a big storm comin’ meme*)

__________

{ Right, this thread is closed, but it’s possible for Pietro to have any number of adventures in space. Haha now I’m thinking of Teeturtles designs for “Space (thing)s, because space (thing)s.” We don’t need a reason, it’s just “Space Pietro, because Space Pietro.” XD But jujst as Mantis-mun said, we’re all here to have a good time, so as long as that’s happening and everybody’s respectful to each other (the muns, I mean... the muses are on their own haha), then we’re all good. =) }

It made Pietro happier to see Mantis smiling again, even if it wasn’t because of him. Maybe Mr. Dibbles could help smooth over his own wrongs for now. “I think so. His head is out and he is looking at you. Doesn’t seem afraid at all. With Rocket, his head was all the way inside his shell and his legs were pulled close, so that has to mean he likes you better, right?” Pietro said with a shrug. He... was no turtle whisperer. But he understood the basics of when an animal was comfortable with someone verses when they were afraid or annoyed. Mr. Dibbles seemed very relaxed around Mantis, although it may have been her offerings of delicious flowers that helped to bribe him.

Pietro shrugged rather dismissively, and perhaps a little defensively, when Mantis said he’d go home to Wanda someday and the people of Earth would be more accepting of them. His eyes were down on Mr. Dibbles for a while before he spoke. “Am not sure she wants me to go home to her anymore. She is finding her own way now with other people. Maybe I need to do the same.” It made him feeling like crying to say that, but Wanda had Vision and was making friends and moving on with her life, inasmuch as she could with what the U.S. government and others had done to her. But he hadn’t found a significant other, and his road to making friends always seemed to be a bumpy one. People seemed to like him on the surface, like they did in Sokovia, but too much of him was... how did Stark put it? ‘Intense. And not in a good way.’ Pietro thought Stark of all people had been one to talk about that. “I will be okay, whatever happens,” he said, not wanting Mantis to worry about him. He’d taken up enough space in her brain for one day, he thought.

“I will take good care of Mr. Dibbles, don’t worry about that,” he said, finally looking at Mantis now and smiling. That was something he could focus on, she was so right about that. Animals didn’t care what kind of intense or annoying or oversharing person you were. All they cared about was being treated well, having enough food, and feeling safe. Pietro could manage that for the turtle, no problem. He wanted to. In fact, he was rather excited about having a friend who needed him and who wouldn’t mind how weird he was. 

The idea of landing somewhere - in space! - was an energizing one to Pietro. “Really? You think we will?” he asked with a boyish and innocent excitement. “Will I be allowed to get off the ship? I promise I won’t make a scene or anything, I’ll be good.” Looking for supplies for Mr. Dibbles, for not just food but for a living space for him, would be really helpful. Actually, at this point, it was pretty much essential. He didn’t want the turtle’s health to suffer because he didn’t have the right environment or diet. “Having a translator would be good, I think, if they’re not too expensive. I don’t have any money. And they probably have different money in space, right?” He... didn’t really know what he was talking about at all, he was just guessing. “I don’t need one for Groot, though. Rocket told me he’s really hard to understand but for some reason he sounds fine to me.” He shrugged and then smirked. “He called me an ‘old guy,’ when I first got on the ship. I guess because my hair is silver,” he said, fluffing his unruly waves and curls with one hand while Mr. Dibbles munched on a dandelion wrapped in his other arm.

It hurt a little to hear that the Guardians were trying to assess whether or not Pietro was a threat to him, but he understood why. Of course they’d want to be safe, and he was an outsider, a new addition, not one of them. It made sense that they’d be distrusting and overcautious. Wouldn’t he be the same of anyone else? He also supposed that a “threat” to them didn’t just mean him walking up and punching one of them in the face. It could also mean a liability, someone who caused a ruckus on a foreign planet and drew unwanted attention, someone irresponsible enough to put the lives of the others in inadvertent danger, or someone who got themselves into trouble and then endangered the Guardians who had to come rescue him. All of that... could mean he was a threat to them. He’d have to avoid them all and be on his best behavior. “Well... I can say that I don’t want to be a threat to anyone, but... I will let you make your decision and tell them however you feel is true, okay?” he said, trusting Mantis to make a good assessment, even if it got him booted back to Earth.

When she spoke in Latin to him, his smile returned. “It sounds good when you say it. Hopefully I can learn to sound just as good, yeah?” As she mentioned a book with a girl and a white rabbit, Pietro’s eyes widened and he snapped his fingers, coming alive. Mr. Dibbles flinched but then craned his neck to see what all the noise was about. “Oh! Alice in Wonderland! I like that story, and so does Wanda. You should definitely keep reading it. I hope you enjoy.” His smile turned rather reverent for a moment. “Thank you for a night free of nightmares, Mantis. You are very kind to do that for me, especially after I upset you and everything. You are a sweet person.” He lifted one of the turtle’s front feet and waved it up and down. “Mr. Dibbles says goodbye. See you in the morning.”

With that, he was off to his own room to basically make an unholy mess with Mr. Dibbles. By the time he was done cleaning the turtle off, the floor, the sink, a towel, and himself were all covered in mud, but the turtle was clean and happy. “There you go,” Pietro said, putting Mr. Dibbles down so he could stretch his legs. He kept an eye on the turtle while he did his best to clean up the mess, and then sat down cross-legged on the floor nearby. “See? Look at that. You’ve got all these nice colors in your shell.” Mr. Dibbles looked up at Pietro, understanding that the human was... kindof addressing him? But? Not having any clue at all what it meant. Did it mean to walk around more? Is that what he was being told? Yeah, that had to be it. So Mr. Dibbles took off across the floor at lightning... turtle speed. “Hey, is pretty fast for a turtle. Good job,” Pietro said with a big grin.

[ginnsbaker]

In Losing Grip On Sinking Ships (5/?)

Chapter summary: The "calm" before the storm. Wanda’s tentative friendship with you is off to a good start

Chapter word count: 5.4k+

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader, Yelena Belova x Fem!Reader (heavy on this chapter)

Notes: don't need to squint for fluff in this one, also kind of a filler before we get to the much dreaded part 6

AO3 | Masterlist 

Next Chapter: Six

Taglist: @blackluthxr | @esposadejoyhuerta | @secretbackrooms | @justgotlizzied , @casquinhaa | @marvelwomen-simp | @sunsol-22 | @wandanatlov3r | @kyaraderuwez

-

Five

Wanda’s tentative friendship with you is off to a good start. There’s a silly smile on her face as she puts the harness on Sparky; and the energetic pupper struggles only slightly when Wanda coos at him.

“We’re going to see Y/N,” Wanda says, and Sparky wags his tail hard at the mention of your name. “Who’s an excited little boy?” 

She proceeds to hook the leash on the harness and then temporarily secure the hand loop around the doorknob. 

“Stay there while mommy puts on makeup.” Wanda commands and feeds him a treat from her hand. 

Wanda studies herself in front of the mirror. It’s a problem putting on the liquid foundation because she can’t stop smiling, the product caking along her laugh lines as a result.The last time she was drunk on happiness was when she got that job at the art gallery and you surprised her by taking her to a romantic dinner cruise around the island. While there, you both mapped out the plan for her to eventually be the senior art curator–a position that eventually went to Agatha Harkness. Wanda had been bold to give herself only two years to work her way to the top, and it wasn’t purely of her own accord. It was being with you that she felt she could dream anything. It was you that removed all her fears and doubts. 

If anything happens, let them happen, she thought to herself. As long as she had you, the rest was just confetti. 

It didn’t mean that Wanda’s ambition and everything else outside of you were just background noise; it only meant she knew it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she failed.

Wanda ends up just applying a bit of lip gloss on her lips, recalling how often you used to tell that you prefer her more natural look. 

Her phone buzzes with a notification. Wanda unlocks it to find a text from Pietro, who she asked to man the cafe until afternoon.

You owe me a free batch of those macadamia cookies for this. - P

I’ll bake all the cookies you want for a discount. - W

Thank you for doing this. - W

Agatha agreed to help in the morning. - P

You text with Agatha??? - W

:p - P

Please don’t flirt in front of my customers. - W

No promises. Enjoy your date with Y/N. - P

Wanda grins from ear-to-ear. 

It’s not a date. - W 

You wish it was. - P

Wanda chooses not to answer that and slips her phone back in her purse. Then she turns to Sparky who’s been fiercely watching her all this time. 

“Ready to go, bud?”

–

“You look nice.” 

It’s offhandedly delivered after you take the reins on Sparky, yet the speed at which she blushes from the compliment is almost embarrassing. Like always, she makes it a point to look good for you. 

You and Wanda chose to meet at the Conservatory Garden in Central park, taking advantage of the spring weather. Its main path is littered with trees and benches, and an overall perfect spot for people watching. Sparky was the first to spot you, and he started barking the second he picked up your scent and ran towards your direction, dragging Wanda along with his leash. Tears almost fell from her eyes when she watched your touching reunion. You fell to your knees to gather Sparky in your arms, while he made sure to lick every part of your face. 

“I missed you too, bud.” Wanda heard you whisper over the back of Sparky’s furry head. Sparky made a whining noise, and you knew he understood.

“I was surprised you’re available on a Wednesday,” you say. You and Wanda are strolling side by side, Sparky in tow, moving in circles around you and occasionally around Wanda too. 

“Pietro covered for me.”

“I didn’t know he could bake or make good coffee for that matter.” you say with a light chuckle.

“I baked everything in advance this morning, so all he has to do is take care of the register. Also, he’s caffeine dependent and very particular about his coffee, so he already knows how to make the ones on the menu.”

Though, what Wanda really wants you to know is that she woke up at 3AM just to be able to walk Sparky together.

You raise your eyebrows, half-impressed and half-skeptic. “I’m curious if he’d make them as good as yours. I mean, you make pretty darn good coffee.” 

Wanda bites her tongue to maintain her neutral expression. Another compliment. She wonders how many more she can squeeze out of you. The reality is she’s a nervous ball of energy. Worse than College Wanda was nervous when she first realized her feelings for you.

“Thanks, Y/N. It means a lot, coming from you.”

“Aren’t you worried I’m just being biased?” you quip with a devious smirk. Wanda feels a strong urge to wipe it away with her lips. “After all, you did train my tongue to like your cooking.”

“I did not!” Wanda passionately protests, blushing when her mind wanders to what else she trained your tongue to do in the past. 

You surprise her by letting loose a laugh; a real one, blissful and unrestrained; playfully challenging her with a, “Then explain why I love overcooked chicken.”

Wanda’s still thinking of a smart comeback, when your ringtone goes off in your pocket. 

“Excuse me, I should take this.” you say, handing back the leash to Wanda.

“Hey, stranger,” you happily receive the call, and Wanda curiously watches you from the corner of her eyes.

“This Friday? Yeah. Aside from dinner…? No, I don’t think I have anything else planned.” 

Plans this Friday? Wanda muses, trying to figure out if said plans are platonic or not. The thing is, she can’t tell with the tone of your voice alone. 

“I’m a Knicks fan, yes,” you confirm something Wanda already knows. “You cheer for Brooklyn? You’ve got to be shitting me.”

You only talk that way to your best friend. Were you talking to Natasha?

“A long time fan, huh? So you’re saying you’ve been rooting for New Jersey all this time,” you laugh. “Nope, you can’t take that back cause I’m recording this call.”

The cheeky way you’re addressing this person is not sitting well with Wanda. Sparky comes up to Wanda and jumps at her, poking her knee with his paw. 

“Not now, Sparks.” Wanda hisses at him the way someone would scold a child.

“Count me in. How much does the ticket cost? What? I can’t let you do that… Fine, popcorn’s on me then. Uh, huh. We’ll see about that. Simmons is not who he used to be. Alright, we’ll continue this in the game. Yes, you have me for the whole night, I promise,” you say, your mouth splitting into an amused grin. 

Wanda’s head cranes towards you, no longer bothering to pretend she’s not eavesdropping. You catch Wanda’s green orbs and lower your voice as you end the conversation with, “Anyway, I have to go. I’ll see you. Bye.”

“That was Yelena,” you say after tucking away your phone. “Natasha’s sister. I think Nat’s mentioned her to you.”

“Natasha doesn’t talk to me.” Wanda says, keeping her tone light.

You gawk at her. “That’s insane. Of course, she does. I mean not now, because of, you know, what happened.”

“No, she doesn’t. Whenever the three of us are together, we talk to you.”

You hum in confusion, your mind drifting through countless dinners the three of you shared in the past. You suppose Wanda’s claim had basis; Natasha’s seems more reserved in Wanda’s presence.

“Well, I–maybe you heard about her from me?”

“I just know that Natasha has a sister. I never knew her name, though.”

“Ah,” you say, face warming up and sweat gathering around your upper lip. The heat of the sun is at its peak, making you feel incredibly hot. “I thought I'd mentioned her before.”

“So, Yelena,” Wanda starts, wanting to know more about this person despite the pang of jealousy that has crept into her chest. “What’s her story?” 

What’s on Friday? Why does she have you for the whole night?

You stop and sit on one of the benches. Wanda follows and plops next to you, leaving just a few inches of space between your bodies. Sparky immediately stands on his hindlegs, trying to jump into your lap. With care, you scoop him up into your arms and cradle him like a baby. 

“She’s Natasha’s sister.” You dumbly repeat, not really knowing where you should start telling your ex-wife about the woman who just asked you out on a date. 

“You said that already.” Wanda says; though she manages a smile that’s convincing enough, her tone is clipped and rather distasteful. 

“What do you want to know?”.

Wanda looks pensive for a moment, before she says, “How come I’m only hearing about her now?”

“She flew to England right before freshman year and then we lost contact right away.” you say.

“And when did she get back?” 

Your eyes flit away from her for a moment. “Two years ago.”

“You’re saying you’ve been friends again for the last two years?”

You refuse to let it bother you that she’s obviously jealous even though she has no right to be. 

Sighing, you say, “Why does this feel like an interrogation?”

“I’m just curious.” Wanda shrugs, scratching Sparky in the area near his tail. He seemingly looks like he’s fallen asleep on you, but his tail still wags at Wanda’s attention. 

“Were you?” Wanda prods. “Were you in touch with her in the last two years?”

For a while you don’t say anything. The thing is, you could lie. You don’t owe Wanda anything anymore. But with Wanda’s line of questioning, it's like she’s almost trying to assert herself and redefine history; perhaps even make it seem like you weren’t so innocent in all of this after all. 

Except you were innocent. You never flirted with the idea of other people. Not even that time you ran into the other great love of your life. So with confidence, you tell Wanda the truth. 

“We ran into each other five or six months ago. But we recently just reconnected again.” you say. 

Wanda does the math in her head. 

Oh.

“You didn’t mention that when we–that was before we–”

“I didn’t think it was worth mentioning,” you say coolly, your patience wearing thin. “It happened that day you asked me to retrieve a painting from Agatha.”

It’s Wanda’s turn to be speechless. Though you never talked about what really went on that Tuesday afternoon when you clobbered Vision with a vase, Wanda had an inkling that you had something to do with the missing paintings in his room: the one he was working on for his final project and the one she gave him. 

It’s still a sour topic; seeing the way your jaw hardens at the mention of the paintings. Wanda backpedals, reeling in the possessiveness she still feels towards you. 

“I see…” she trails off. 

Badly, she wants to know more about this Yelena, but she’s afraid that she might push you too hard for answers; answers that you don’t have to provide in the first place. Wanda feels somewhat ashamed of having taken advantage of your kindness (yet, again) to get what she wants. 

But where does she draw the line? 

Wanda wanted you still. She needed to know if there were other people in your life competing for the same thing. She couldn’t just stand meekly in the corner and watch you fall in love with someone new. 

“Sparky looks chunkier. Is he chunkier?” you say all of a sudden, rubbing his belly.

Wanda is more than grateful for the change in topic.

“He is. He gained five pounds last time I checked.” she says, smiling fondly at the scene before her.

“So he’s basically happy without me?” you ask, more relieved than downhearted by the fact.

Wanda shakes her head. “I don’t think so. Maybe he’s just eating his feelings, you know? Like I sometimes would.”

You cast a funny look at Wanda. “That sounds implausible.”

Wanda’s laugh fills the air with its melodic resonance. “Why don’t you find out? Take him from me for the weekend. See if he’ll miss me enough to gain a few more.”

It must be so blatant how she’s trying you get you to see her again so soon after today. Though it doesn’t seem like you noticed. 

“This weekend?” You pause to think about your schedule despite having all the time in the world to do absolutely nothing. Aside from cleaning up the apartment and doing laundry as part of your Saturday routine, you’ve been wanting to visit your mother in Montauk. 

It definitely wouldn’t be a problem if you take Sparky with you.

“Sure, why not?” you say. 

“Great,” Wanda beams at you. “I’ll drop him off at your apartment before I open the shop?” she inquires softly, hoping she could get your address.

“Sounds good. Did I already give you my address?”

Wanda does a little victory dance in her head. “You haven’t.” 

You text her the details right away. 

“Listen, do you want to have lunch before I go?” you ask, getting up and putting Spark back on his feet. “And thank you for this time with Sparky.”

“No problem.” 

You’re still ridiculously polite. Still kind. 

Still her Y/N.

-

“You’re late.” Pietro grumbles as soon as Wanda arrives at the cafe. 

He has an overly-complicated coffee order waiting, and two customers waiting for their food orders. Agatha has already left two hours ago.

Wanda shrugs her shoulders, placing the eco bags she’s carrying in both hands on the counter. “I went to the grocery store to buy some supplies.” 

Pietro mutely hands Wanda her apron and she quickly starts working the espresso machine. 

“How did your date go?”

Wanda doesn’t bother to correct him this time. 

“It was okay.” 

Pietro doesn’t look convinced at the very least. “That’s it?”

“We walked Sparky and had lunch.” comes Wanda’s nonchalant reply.

“Ah, lunch,” Pietro flashes a leering smile at his clearly smitten sister. “Were you the one to ask her?”

Wanda grins with a dazed look. “Nope.”

“Congrats, sis. You’re on your way to getting back with your ex-wife. Which, if I may add, was your plan all along even when you agreed to a divorce in the first place.”

On any other day, Pietro’s sarcastic humor would normally push her buttons in a snap, but right now Wanda couldn’t care less if she tries. The memory of her time with you and the scent of your perfume is still fresh. There’s nothing that could ruin her perfect day. 

The door chime sings to signify the arrival of a customer. Wanda quickly draws a simple latte art on a coffee order, and then proceeds to serve it to the customer by the window. Her eyes briefly brushes the customer who just came in, and is taken aback when she finds the woman staring at her expectantly.

Wanda carefully places the mug on the table for her other customer, before very quickly fixing her hair to greet the new arrival.

“Hi, welcome to Second Chances. Dine-in or take-out?”

“I’m here to get Pietro.” The woman says with a bored expression. 

Wanda grits her teeth. Her brother really knows how to choose them. “And you are?” 

“Shannon,” she drawls. “His fiancé.” 

“His what? I mean, that’s–” Wanda is stunned beyond belief, and looks over at Pietro who’s pointedly trying to avoid her gaze. “–amazing news. Congratulations.”

“He proposed months ago.” Shannon deadpans, like she’s used to Pietro’s people not knowing he has a fiancé or a girlfriend for that matter.

“He didn’t tell me.” Wanda says.

Shannon doesn’t acknowledge that information. Instead, she says, “Nice little cafe you have here.”

“Thanks.”

“Though the Spanish Latte needs more sugar. I had it earlier this morning.”

Wanda has to ball her fist to refrain from using them on this woman.

“Actually, we have a suggestion box.” Wanda says, gesturing to the aforementioned box by the counter, designed to look like a mini treasure chest. “If you could write it down, we’ll get to it as soon as we can.”

Shannon forces a smile that’s undeniably fake, possibly for lack of trying. 

Pietro approaches them slowly, his rounded eyes reminding Wanda of a wounded puppy. 

“Hey, babe,” Pietro mumbles and pecks Shannon on the lips. “I’m ready to go. Let me just change, okay?”

“Five minutes.” Shannon prompts in a stern voice. 

At this point, Wanda would rather see Pietro flirting with Agatha than have to watch him be pushed around by this woman with his tail between his legs. A barrage of questions run through her mind, starting with why her brother is marrying this bitch.

“You’re wondering why he’s marrying someone like me.” Shannon says wryly. 

“You read minds?” Wanda tries to joke. 

Shannon isn’t having it. “It’s a mystery. I, myself, am wondering why I’m still hell-bent on marrying him.”

Wanda tilts her head at her with a quizzical look. 

“Oh, you don’t know.” Shannon’s laugh is devoid of humor of any kind. 

“Know what?”

“I caught your brother in bed with different women… more times than I can count with one hand.” Shannon explains so casually like she could have just been talking about the weather.

“And I still won’t quit him.” she adds as an afterthought.

“If you’re telling me this because you think I can talk some sense into him–”

“I don’t expect you to do that.”

“Then why are you telling me this?” Wanda asks, no longer holding back her ire.

“Pietro told me what happened with you and your ex.”

“He had no business telling you that.” Wanda says through bared teeth.

Shannon looks unnerved by the evident irritation of her future sister-in-law, and says, “He’s your brother and we do run out of things to talk about.”

“Is there a point to this conversation?”

Shannon drops her gaze to the floor in thought, before they flit up back to Wanda’s eyes which have narrowed into slits. 

“Pietro cares about you. The reason he refuses to go back to LA is because he’s worried about you. I just want to give you something to think about that might help all of us.”

Wanda says nothing and merely waits with her hands on her hips. She already doesn’t trust whatever piece of advice she’s going to hear from this stranger. 

“Love is forgiveness. If your ex couldn’t forgive you for straying once, then you’re better off with someone else who will accept you for your mistakes. Because believe me, you’ll never run out of them.”

Wanda’s anger slowly ebbs away until all that’s left is bafflement at the insinuation that you’re not good enough for her. 

That you’re not worth it. That she’s stupid to chase a love that should overcome anything including infidelity. 

“And you’re that person for my brother?” Wanda says, smiling in contempt. 

Shannon lifts her chin. No, she wouldn’t go as far as verbally claim it, but the Alpha behavior more than proves that she thinks so highly of her capability to love. Wanda feels an overwhelming urge to throw this woman out. Instead, she turns her back on Shannon to stalk towards the staff room where Pietro is changing. 

“I don’t like her.” Wanda states as soon as the door swings open, expecting a half-naked Pietro. 

He’s cross-legged on the floor, watching YouTube videos on his phone.

“Which is why you’ve never met her. And before you say anything, I did try very hard to keep it that way. It’s not my fault that you came back so late.”

“What do you see in her, Piet? You haven’t eloped, right? You can still get out of this.”

Pietro shrugs his broad shoulders; shoulders that would have taken him to superstardom, if not for the series of injuries that plagued his short career. 

“Look at me,” Pietro says in a languid manner. “I’m a fuck up, Wands. I’ll always be a fuck up. It’s in my nature. And she loves me anyway. Maybe I just want someone who will always have my back no matter what.”

“That’s not love. That’s codependency, you idiot.”

“No offense, sis. But it’s not like you have the moral high ground to lecture me about relationships.”

Wanda’s lips press together into a hard line at the proverbial mirror in front of her. They were both fuck ups. The only difference is one of them has already embraced it with open arms. 

After a beat, Wanda asks, “Are you, at least, happy?”

Pietro considers it for a moment, before saying, “She’s not so bad once you get to know her.”

-

The Knicks versus Nets game is starting in thirty minutes, and the thick crowd is scrambling to get their pre-game ritual done; long lines in the restroom, the merchandise stores and the snack bars, fans taking group photos in-front of giant cutouts of NBA players. You stand in the middle of it all, a giant bag of popcorn in each of your arms, when Yelena shows up alone at the assigned gate for your seats. 

Her blonde hair is up in a tight bun, with just a few stray strands falling in front of her eyes. She’s wearing considerably less makeup than she wore in the club, which you think makes her even more beautiful.

Not that your preference has anything to do with how Yelena presents herself, and you certainly wouldn’t let her know that. 

“Where are your friends?” you ask, eyes darting everywhere behind her.. 

“They canceled at the last minute. Kate got called on an assignment.” Yelena says with a huff.

“What a waste.” 

“Kate sponsored the tickets and she doesn’t mind. It’s just her change.” 

“Kate, huh?” you teasingly look at Yelena.

“Really, Y/N?” Yelena mutters, feigning offense. “You’re breaking my heart, you know? I said I like you. Don’t pawn me off to someone else.”

Your cheeks warm at her directness. 

“Shit, sorry. You’re right. I was being a jerk.”

“You were.”

You offer her one of your priced popcorn. “Will this make it better?” you ask, lower lip jutting out into what you hope is an adorable pout. 

Yelena takes your peace offering and then candidly says, “Fine. But stop being so cute or you’re going to regret it.”

You flush even further and feel a jolt deep in the pit of your stomach. 

Somehow, the game is the last thing on your mind right now.

-

The Knicks are down ten at the half, and Yelena’s trash talk isn’t letting up anytime soon. You’re on your third bottle of beer, and the intimacy of how Yelena is half-leaning on your side, her weight solid against your own body, is keeping you tethered more than anything. 

You positively look like a couple, despite the fact that neither of you has acknowledged that this has turned into a date. 

“Wanna bet on how many bricks your team will make in the second half?” Yelena goads with a self-satisfied smirk.

“They’ll find their shooting, you’ll see.” you say with a toothy grin, unfazed. Truthfully, the games’ outcome is the farthest of your concerns now that Yelena’s fingers are inching towards your lap as she shares an anecdote about her workmates. She tells the story rather animatedly, and you can’t help but be mesmerized by the girl you practically grew up with. 

Towards the end of Yelena’s story, the crowd around you goes wild. You look up to see the kiss cam land on you and Yelena. 

You both shake your head in refusal, gazing up at yourselves on the huge monitor in the middle of the arena. People start booing at the two of you, and as a consolation, you put your arm around Yelena’s shoulders and kiss her on the forehead. It’s enough to pacify the crowd and the kiss cam moves on to another couple who gamely makes out in front of everyone.

When the moment passes, you suddenly realize what you’ve just done. The line has been dangerously toed, and you sheepishly retract your arm the same time Yelena straightens her posture.

“I’m s–”

“Don’t,” Yelena stops you before you could utter an apology. “I wanted to kiss you, but I was worried about overstepping any boundaries.” 

“Nat won’t be happy about this.” you murmur, still keeping a respectable distance. 

“For once, don’t think about what other people want. Think about what you want.”

The remaining two quarters is not enough to think just that. 

-

You see Yelena off to her apartment after the game. Sharing a ride is cheaper, since your own apartment is less than thirty minutes away by foot. 

“...and that’s how Kate and I met,” Yelena concludes after a minute-long summary of how she ended up crashing with her current bestfriend. “Why do I feel like I’ve been talking too much about myself for the last hour?”

“There’s more than a decade of stuff for us to catch up on,” you say, feeling a bit regretful about the time that has passed of not being in each other’s life. “There’s a lot I don’t know about this new you.”

“What “new” me? It doesn’t feel like I’ve changed too much.”

“You have,” you say. “But you’re different in a good way. I like both Yelenas.”

Yelena ducks her head. “You’ve changed as well. But judging from how much fun we had in each other’s company, I say the important bits of us remained the same.” she says.

Your eyes sweep over her. She’s right. She’s just Yelena, Natasha’s younger sister and your first love. Beneath the changes that had accumulated over the years, your soul still recognizes her soul.  

“I had a really great time.” you say before you both turn the corner to her place. 

Through the remainder of the distance to her apartment, your pace slows down to a crawl. It’s a familiar ritual: the walk to her doorstep, fishing out for keys, playing for a while with those keys, an exchange of awkward smiles, and then–

The pinnacle of a first date, where the magic happens.

Yelena shuffles her feet, fiddling with her keychain. “This is a date, right?”

You swallow dryly. “Yelena–”

“If you mention my sister’s name again, I might have to strangle you.” 

“It’s not just Nat,” Out of habit, you thoughtlessly reach for your left ring finger to play with the wedding band that is no longer there. The action doesn’t go unnoticed by Yelena. 

“Is it Wanda?” Yelena crosses her arms in a slightly defensive stance. “Are you still in love with her?”

The question has been plaguing you long before Yelena drew it out in the open. 

Shaking your head, you lean in and kiss her. 

-

The next morning, Wanda’s at your door at exactly six. She texted you thirty minutes ago to inform you that she’s on her way but received no reply. Now she’s worried that she might wake some of your neighbors with her forceful knocks. If not, then Sparky’s yelps certainly would.

It takes a few more seconds before she hears your familiar footsteps on the other side of the door. The door swings open and Wanda’s heart skips a beat at the sight of you; in your pajamas; hair messy from sleep; fabric marks on the left side of your face, indicating that you still sleep on your side in the direction of where Wanda used to be when she slept next to you. 

“Good morning, Y/N.” Wanda can’t help how quickly her smile reaches her eyes.

“Wanda? What are you doing here?” you mumble, rubbing the remnants of sleep from your eyes. 

Wanda frowns. Did you forget?

Sparky takes it upon himself to remind you with a small whine as he lifts his paw to scratch at your leg.  

You look down to find him with his tail a blur, wagging from side to side, and it automatically puts a lazy smile on your lips. “Hey, buddy!” 

“You agreed to take him for the weekend.” Wanda says slowly, gauging your reaction. “But if the plan has changed, then–”

Your eyes widen when, at last, the realization sinks in. “No. Sorry. I just lost track of time. I didn’t know it’s Saturday already. I still want to take him.” you say, flushing in embarrassment.

“Great,” Wanda breathes out, and then motioning inside your apartment, says, “Can I, uhm, use the toilet before I–” 

“Of course!” you exclaim, opening the door wider to let her in. “Sorry, I’m still out of sorts.”

“Rough night?”

“Hmm,” You hum pleasantly. “Something like that. The bathroom’s that way.” 

Wanda doesn’t miss your little indulgement in reminiscing last night’s affairs. Definitely not ‘something like that’. She heads to the bathroom with Sparky following behind her. He curls on the floor as he waits for Wanda to finish her business.

“Do you want some coffee? Or maybe not coffee. I have…” you yell out, searching the fridge. “Beer and soda.”

“Water is fine.” Wanda says as she approaches the kitchen. 

She picks a chair that’s nearest to the counter where you’re busy making coffee and pouring Wanda a glass of water. 

Wanda surveys your new home. The lack of decor and the monochromatic paint job screams Natasha; the best friend who’s attached to your hip, but is obviously not present at the moment.

“Where’s Natasha?” you hear Wanda ask.

You think whether or not you should disclose the news about Natasha. You figure it’s not necessary anymore for Wanda to keep tabs on your friends. “She’s visiting a family member upstate.”

“Oh, I didn’t know she had family,” Wanda states, feeling a little silly. Natasha’s an important person in your life, and this is the kind of information she’s supposed to know already. 

“It’s good she’s spending time with them.” she adds.

“Yeah.” you mumble, feeling remorseful about the little lie. “Made me think of mom. I’m actually heading to Montauk later. I’m taking Sparky there if that’s okay with you?”

Wanda gives an enthusiastic nod. “Just don’t forget to pack some water on the trip.”

“And some healthy treats too, I know. I’ve got it, Sparky’s Mom.” you say with a quiet chuckle as you bring over a tray of water and two large mugs of black coffee.

Wanda rolls her eyes at the nickname, secretly elated.

“It’s like we’re co-parenting him.” she blurts out without thinking. 

By the look on your face, the idea of it hits you in a different way. 

“Is…that what we’re doing here?” you say, only half-teasing. 

“I’m not insinuating anything. It’s just somewhat comparable if you think about it.”

You’re quiet for a moment, and it drives Wanda on the edge. 

“I know I’m the one who wanted kids, but I’m glad we didn’t have them when it happened.” you say, and it surprises Wanda beyond anything–the trivial way in which you said it.

“I don’t know, Y/N, ” Wanda whispers. “Maybe if we had kids, things would’ve been different.”

Your eyes are unreadable as you ask, “Different how?”

Wanda couldn’t think of anything to say except what’s really on her mind. 

“Maybe we could’ve avoided separating altogether.”

“Because you think having kids would have made me stay married to you?” you say, in a tone of voice that makes Wanda’s knees buckle and her heart squeeze in regret of her words. 

“Because maybe it would have stopped me,” Wanda says in a rush. It’s the wrong thing to say, but it might even be more wrong if she chooses to lie about it. “Maybe it would have given me a different purpose. Would have made me into someone who isn’t selfish and didn’t lose sight of what truly mattered–”

“You’re saying that our childlessness is what motivated you to cheat on me.” you say, and Wanda watches you flex your fingers; shaking away some numbness. 

“That’s not–” Wanda grapples for words. 

There’s none. 

“I didn’t think this through.” you whisper to yourself, eerily calm and collected. 

“What do you mean?” Wanda asks frantically. 

In the absence of words, you merely look at her with a pained expression.

“Y/n?” Wanda gapes at you and her soulful green eyes widen in panic. “Wait, please, I’m sorry. If we can just–”

“I’ll drop Sparky at your apartment on Monday.” 

Wanda pauses momentarily at the door; but you’re already walking back to your room, indifferent to what she chooses to do. 

[folklorefairyy]

* my all time faves!

celebration post !

this list could be so much longer and there are some amazing moots i have that i havent included or haven’t had the chance to read for (namely bucky since that list is so big dhdhd) and so check out the moots tagged on my celebration post and go check out all their works because they are genuinely amazing)

i might do another of these one day so that i can get more fics on but just know if you’re a moot and i havent included a fic of yours i love your work and i love you and i just think ur amazing

➱ Bucky Barnes

wakanda by @buckybarnesdiaries *

Steve gives you Bucky's dog tags for a reason.

froot loops by @burninmatches // more than just destruction *

bucky helps you during a tough time and maybe your relationship is not just mentor and student.

drunk in love by @burninmatches

you got infected by the love serum and now you’ve fallen in love with one of your closests friends, peter parker. what happens to your boyfriend, bucky barnes?

as long as i’m here, no one can hurt you by @blackberrybucky *

bucky holds you through the sadness

i’d never hurt you by @cap-n-stuff *

bucky x short!civilian!fem!reader who meet in Bucharest with reader as a tourist and as Bucky’s getting his plums reader trips and catches her - a relationship ensues yet the fairytale comes crashing down when Bucky is framed for the UN bombing and Steve and Sam come to get him

innocence by @extremelyblackandwhite

bucky barnes, recently retired avenger, is hired as a bodyguard for an innocent upcoming actress.

warm by @revengingbarnes *

“The fire alarm in our building went off and you rushed out without a coat. Wanna share my blanket?”

period. by @greyslytherin

Bucky Barnes taking care of the reader while she’s on her period

bucky having a nightmare by @cap-n-stuff

imagine bucky having a nightmare and walking into the readers room with a blanket and waking her up asking to be the small spoon

➱ Peter Maximoff

the coolest twinkie by @amourtentiaa *

where the reader discovers they have a mutation and is lowkey panicking and Peter is just there like “BUT THIS IS AWESOME!” and just generally full of encouragement while trying to calm you tf down

adventures in parenting 101: nightmares by @milkytheholy

peter maximoff x reader being new parents and raising a kid in the mansion

ivy by @sunflowergirl522 *

Your mutation is controlling and growing plants. Peter spots you one day while he’s running and makes it his mission to get close to you. You then use flowers to tell him what you think of him without actually saying it.

(just check out zoe’s full peter maximoff masterlist because she’s bloody incredible at writing peter and i need to read more of them!!)

bad behaviour by @free-pool-trash *

Peter x Reader where they’re in the sitcom reality and Billy and/or Tommy get in trouble in school so they ask them to pretend to be their parents so Wanda and Vision don’t find out

convenience store by @quicksilverownsmysoul

you work at the local convenience store, everyday the same, that is until someone speeds by. Someone brings a little more excitement to your life than you bargained for

➱ Pietro Maximoff

the other half by @burninmatches

You and Pietro have been walking through the fine line past friends and before… something else. Perhaps a handful of moments, though the domestic bliss of sharing food to the boiling feelings under your skin, would change everything. 

double sided recipe card by @vanillann *

where the reader tries to cook sokovian food for him because he’s homesick

kiss of life by @dem-obscure-imagines

You are an Avenger with the power to heal. However, you didn’t expect to catch feelings for the man you brought back from the dead.

➱ Peter Parker

sweater weather by @beskar-tano *

You spend a cozy evening by the bonfire with the Avengers and your boyfriend, Peter Parker.

the ship by @itsapeterthing *

you and your best friend and teammate, peter parker, go to a costume party only to discover that everyone believes that you and peter’s alternate super-hero identities are dating.

stuck in my brain by @felicityparkers

whatever music that is stuck in your head is stuck in your soulmate’s head too.

i have them too by @tom-holland-is-spiderman

A headcanon of Peter Parker comforting the reader with stretch marks and they get ashamed of them so they hide their body from Peter making him feel sad.

by the elevator by @peterbenjiparker * (there are two parts to this and the second is linked on the op)

You break your hand after punching the elevator door. But luckily the cute boy is there to help out. You thought you would never see him again but you both keep running into each other by the same elevator.

➱ Thor Odinson

totally not a date by @superficialstark *

in which you go on a double date with tony and pepper expecting steve to show up as a mate date and instead being met with thor who you can’t help but be charmed by

but i just wanna hear your voice by @blackberrybucky

thor comes back after they defeat thanos and tries to make things right with you.

➱ Wanda Maximoff

of taunts and tickles by @beskar-tano *

Wanda spent the past few days trying to cheer you up and bring you out of your dreadful slump. After trying almost everything, she resorted to her last hopeful idea: a tickle fight.

➱ Natasha Romanoff

my girl by @beskar-tano

Natasha surprises you with a romantic date by the lake, surrounded by the beautiful scenery as fall takes its toll on the changing leaves. 

➱ i’d love for you guys to suggest some fics for steve, sam and loki because i apparently don’t know of any in this dodgy brain of mine (she’s not working as i make this dhdhd) - you can also send some in for any i’ve not got too many fics on so far!

i havent written or read for star wars in so long (dw i am still a sw account and i love my sw moots ive just been on a marvel kick and haven’t had time to read many moots fics recently so they’re all piling up lol) and so i don’t think i could come up with a comprehensive enough list given the fact that there’s so many amazing fics coming out each day!

so instead i thought i’d direct you to some accounts that have some phenomenal work that i instantly fall in love with each time!!

➱ @etherealsanakin

poe dameron, anakin skywalker

➱ @xwing-baby

din djarin, poe dameron, star wars oc

➱ @dindjarindiaries

din djarin

➱ @sunsetkenobi

obi-wan kenobi, anakin skywalker, boba fett, din djarin, padmé amidala, rey, luke skywalker

➱ @artiza-n

anakin skywalker, marvel! (namely bucky)

➱ @beskar-tano

anakin skywalker, obi-wan kenobi, boba fett, din djarin, luke skywalker, fennec shand, poe dameron

➱ @anakinswhore

anakin skywalker

➱ @anakinlove

anakin skywalker

➱ @betweentwopines

din djarin, anakin skywalker, padmé amidala etc.

these are just some accounts that i have read regularly or some moots who post for these characters (and i need to get around reading for) but there’s so many more incredible writers for sw on here, some that i’m moots with too, that can self plug here if they want!! (my brain isn’t working today so i can’t think of everyone)

[scottsummersevents]

For the Sexy Days of Summers Event happening right now we've invited Scott Summers (Cyclops) fans to take part in spreading more love for him out there on the internet by creating fanfiction, fanart, fan works, etc. to celebrate our favorite X-Men leader and the possibility of what if. For the duration of this challenge so far we've received some really incredible submissions with super rare pairings that are new to us. For the month of September we'd like to share some of those and also share some various fandom creations along the way in terms of content. Some might be an old favorite pairing while others might be something in terms of shipping you've never considered before.

Today's spotlight pairing is a throwback to the original X-Men exploring Scott and Warren's relationship and the possibilities that surround it!

Below under the cut you can take a look at some works for this pairing and see what it has in store for you!

Also if you have a favorite Scott pairing and a fanfic that you've written or that you love, then feel free to drop us a note and let us know so we can showcase it in the future!

Stay tuned for more duo spotlights coming soon!

If this is what we've got, then what we've got is gold by StormXPadme (Rated E) In which Warren invites Scott to a luxury trip on a family yacht for spring break. They find ways to kill the time.

drinking it in. by bibereangelum (Rated E) Warren looks at him through the mirror adjacent to the crappy hotel bed. Yellowed sheets spill off of one side, shoved haphazardly out of the way by his careless hand a mere half hour ago. Jean picked a good spot. Secluded enough so they wouldn’t draw attention yet crappy enough to irritate Warren and Bobby endlessly. Tomorrow morning, they’d fly back to Westchester and pretend none of this ever happened.

His eyes, purple to Scott, blue (so he’s been told.) Aren’t focused on his face. Warren’s gaze lowers, fixated on Scott’s bare chest. They’re both barechested. It’s too hot to even think about wearing a shirt, nevertheless staying in uniform. Scott wishes he thought far enough ahead to have slipped one on before Warren dumped him onto the bed for ‘nurse duty’. Jean could have stuck him with Hank, or Bobby, or left him by himself.

But he’s with Warren

Vertical Garden and Angels by GammaGaze What happens when a certain red-eyed mutant stands underneath a mistletoe?

Love, War and Refreshments by GammaGaze Scott's living on the Island of Krakoa and is always one step ahead of his opponents. But what happens when the war that will take place intertwines with the love he just found with Warren? Will his initial estimations save him or be his greatest downfall?

X-Drabbles by GammaGaze A series of one-shots between Scott and Warren.

Scott's X-Force by GammaGaze A series of drabbles between Scott and Warren's time at X-Force showing love and friendship.

Summer Sickness by Hirose (Rated G) After what feels like an unending torrent of work, missions, and complaints from the professor about how his work ethic is slipping (god forbid), Scott is reasonably overwhelmed. He’s tired, underfed, running on too few hours of sleep, and a small gust of wind would be more than able to push him over.

Happy Holidays by AngelGirl4212 (Rated M) Scott and Warren are left alone in the school for the Christmas holidays.

Pivot by diamondgore (Rated T) Eye Contact is a dangerous thing.

A Toast to Innocence, a Toast to Time by Duck_Life (Rated G) Jean has a talk with Warren Worthington III, Nate Grey's "Angel of Life."

going home for the holidays by mothicalcreatures (Rated G) Scott, Warren, and Pietro discuss their plans for winter break.

And for more head over to AO3 and check out their Scott/Warren section!!!