#this is also making me realize how little interaction bruce and wanda have???

[crimsonscloud]

alright maybe it's the hyperfixation talking but can we talk about how the end scene of the incredible hulk reminds me of the end scene in wandavision:

cabin in a forest/mountain area

tea being brewed

ominous power usage (wanda reading the darkhold, bruce inducing a hulk out through meditation)

dramatic glowing eyes (wanda hearing her sons, bruce's days without incident counter dropping to zero)

[randomshyperson]

Left Behind - Chapter 10 - Atlantis

Gif was made by @abimess aka wifey

Summary: The one where you lived in the apartment under the Maximoff family in Sokovia, or, your journey as a Sokovian civilian to Avenger.

Series Warnings: (+16) Violence, fighting, cursing, civil war environments, abuse of power, assault, torture, underage kissing, psychological torture, substance use, mention of assault/fighting of children, smut, kissing, teasing, insinuation of sexual and moral harassment, verbal offenses.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader || platonic bucky barnes x reader, mentor!natastha romanoff and mentor!steve rogers, bruce banner x reader (friendship), pietro maximoff x reader (friendship).

Words: 3.445K

A/N> I should warn you for the angst in this one i think. Please don't hate the ending of this or the fic. Good reading you all. Also, listen to "Atlantis" by Seafret, i chose the name based on that song.

All Works Masterlist || Read on AO3 || Series Masterlist

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Chapter 10 - Atlantis

You ignore the insinuating look Pietro gives you when he sees you leaving Wanda's room in the morning.

"Not a word." You warn threateningly as he raises his arms in surrender, holding back his laughter.

You turn and go back to your room, trying not to smile like an idiot as you prepare for the mission, and failing miserably.

You try not to think about last night, or the morning after, but the feel of Wanda's lips on your skin is all that comes to mind for the next few hours.

Even during breakfast, where after she stole a kiss on your cheek in the hallway before you guys joined the Avengers, and sat beside you at the table while Steve went over some details to everyone, all you could think about was the last night. In Wanda's taste, her hands inside…

"Stop it." She warns softly at your side. Lower enough so only you can hear, and not to get in the way of the captain's speech. You blink in confusion, and then you understand. Feeling your face heat up, you look at her with a mixture of surprise and indignation.

"You can...?"

"Yes, now eat in silence please." She interrupts in the same tone, equally embarrassed as she keeps her gaze on the plate in front of her.

"Wanda?" You try next. And she mutters under her breath, and then she realizes. She rolls her eyes, and goes back to eating. You smile. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you could hear thoughts."

"It was kind of obvious don't you think?" She retorts mentally. "My whole thing is mind control."

"Your whole thing is to be the love of my life." You tease and she chokes lightly on her coffee, making you hold back a laugh as you gently touch her back. She says she's fine softly, and Steve, who had given her a worried look, goes back to talking about planning for the defenses in Sokovia.

"When this is over, I want to try a few things." You mentally tell her and Wanda looks at you quickly before turning her attention back to Steve. You imitate the movement.

"We'll leave as soon as you finish eating." Steve says already getting up. You suddenly feel anxious.

Wanda notices the way your body has tensed, and looks at you immediately.

"Hey, everything okay?" she asks tenderly. You give her a weak smile, placing your hand on her thigh. Wanda puts her hand on top of yours.

"I'm nervous."

"Me too." She confesses. "But we'll be fine. I got you."

"And I got you."

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As soon as you join the jet with the rest of the Avengers, you could already feel the control serum starting to wear off.

Sighing a little, you don't even have to ask to have Wanda's hand in yours. Her eyes and fingers glow red for a moment as she helps you, before returning to normal. You mumble a thanks, resting your back against the jet's wall.

"Remember what we trained, Avengers." Announces Steve upon entering. "Removing the civilians is the support team's priority, while Clint searches for Natasha. The strike team must deal with Ultron's guards."

"Yes, captain." The team says in understanding, and then the jet is leaving.

It takes ten minutes for Pietro to start teasing you.

"I hear we had a girls night yesterday." Commented the boy out loud, attracting the attention of Bruce and Bucky, who were standing next to you. Wanda glared at her brother.

"Pietro..."

"What is it, sestra? I’m just saying.”He joked. You wondered if you could throw him off the jet from that high. "I heard that this type of activity is a great stress reliever."

You felt your face heat up, and you sank into your seat. In the next second, the rest of the team understood. Clint whistled loudly, and Tony laughed. Bruce blushed and pretended to pay attention to his boots while Bucky giggled at Steve's embarrassed expression.

"Forgive me, I'm not following the reason for the humor in this conversation." Vision commented then.

"Don’t you dare." Wanda warned when he saw Pietro raise his hand to tell Vis what was being said, and the boy laughed before ducking.

Vision watched the interaction with confusion, but it was Tony who threw his arm around him.

"They had sex, champion." Tony announced, making you grunt in embarrassment. "I can't wait for Nat to know, she owes me fifteen bucks”.

“What?” Wanda asks, confused.

"Ah, it's just that before you arrived, the golden eyes there were always talking about you." Tony counts with irony. "How much she loved and missed a certain little witch and her inconvenient brother. So we made a bet that you two would work it out. I said it would happen before you went back to Sokovia, but Natasha thought Y/N was slower and would just work it out after we’re done with Ultron."

"Thanks for the faith, Tony." You mumble awkwardly, adjusting your posture. "Now if you don't mind, can you stop talking about my life?"

The team laughs but the comments about you and Wanda stops. Until you reach Sokovia, you spend your time playing with Wanda fingers as you both lay against each other's shoulders while listening to whenever small talk the Avengers build up.

Things get tense once you reach the country.

Steve signals that you arrive and starts moving around to get read for the jet to land.

You only let go of Wanda’s hand to put your suit on and once you’re done, she’s right in front of you, smiling tenderly as she puts a jacket on.

“Are you good?” She asks.

“Yes. You?”

“Yeah.” She aswerns as she moves forward to kiss you firmly on the mouth. It relaxes your body completely, and you keep your hands on top of hers that are on your face until you break the kiss.

You wish you could care about the teasing looks the team cast to you too, but all you see is Wanda.

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You sat down quickly on the ground, your body against a wall, while trying to get your breathing back to normal.

Wanda was using her powers to get civilians out of their homes, and well, it took some of her magical attention away from you.

It didn't take long for you to be able to detect all the biological life around you again, meters and meters away, quickly feeling overwhelmed.

"How are we?" Steve asked over the communicator, probably already advancing with the rest of the team towards the former Hydra base. You looked up at the sky to get a quick glimpse of Tony flying in his suit before he vanished away.

"All right around here, Captain." Clint responded first followed by the rest of the team.

Your hesitation made Steve specifically call you, but before you could say anything, Wanda was kneeling beside you, one hand on your shoulder and the other on her communicator.

"We are good." She responded before turning her attention to you completely. You felt her magic envelop you quickly, your body relaxing. "How do you feel, dear?"

"Better now." You respond with a smile. "Thanks."

As she helped you to your feet, you noticed her worried expression, and placed a hand on her cheek.

"I'm fine Wanda, I promise."

"Just don't push too far, okay?" She asks. "You can go back to the jet whenever you want."

"I'll be okay, Wanda." You mumble. "Let's get this over with so we can go back to bed." You teases with a mischievous smile, stealing a kiss before walking away, giving her a wink before heading towards the rest of the civilians.

Ultron had better plans than this.

“We need to get everyone out of here immediately.” Tony told through the communicator. “A vibranium bomb. We don’t have time.”

“Working on it, iron boss.” You mock as you helped another family move out of their home. Just like, Pietro had already headed to police stations and hospitals to remove people from there. There was a large crowd of inhabitants heading out of town, but there were still many more.

Peace ended quickly.

Ultron activated the robot army, and they literally began to sprout from the ground.

"Bucky, we're going to need support here pal." Steve warned through the communicator while you were drawing your pistol to prevent one of the robots from advancing on you.

"On my way, cap." The soldier warned. "Just don't tell my therapist."

You and the team laughed lightly as you fought. The whole thing getting bigger and bigger every minute.

Wanda covered for you while you guided people out, but it was becoming untenable.

So, as soon as she tore apart the small group of Ultron’s army that was surrounding you two, you called her.

"You can't keep babysitting me , this is getting too bad." You warned, your voice almost muffled by the length of the fight. The robots flying above you, and Thor and Vision facing them in the sky.

"I won't leave you." She insisted seriously and you swallowed hard.

"Wanda..."

“End of discussion.”

“You are cute and all, it's just that we have a situation here. Mind getting back into the fight?" Natasha's voice interrupted the moment over the radio, sounding amused and teasing. You sighed with relief when you realized she was okay, and you exchanged one last look with Wanda before going back to fighting. “By the way, Tony said I lost the bet.”

“Please don’t bring this back.” You ask Natasha, that just laughs before hanging off, not without teasing you about being proud of you for making a move.

The ground shook beneath your feet, making it difficult for you to keep your balance.

"Guys, what's going on?" You asked through the communicator.

Sokovia is going for a ride.

Friday tells the whole team. You gasp in surprise, looking around.

The ground is breaking apart, and the city is rising into the air. You don't need your powers to know that not all buildings are empty. The debris will end up hurting someone.

And even with all that, the advances of Ultron's army get even worse.

You barely have time to duck before Wanda rips apart a robot that attacked you.

Clint catches up with you two the next second.

"We need to regroup, Tony needs us back there." He warns you. You frown.

"Not a chance, there are civilians all over the place." You say, moving quickly to fire at the machines that have appeared behind you.

"Well, we need the offensive back at the church." He counters. "That's where the bomb is."

"You two go then." You say when you finish shooting. Wanda, who has just destroyed three machines at once, turns to you in indignation.

"No."

But you don't look at her, you look at the blue flash figure approaching.

“Hey Peete, do you mind?” You shouted to him as he stopped next to you two. He nods at you before picking Wanda up, who has no time to complain. He teases Clint "Keep up, old man." before disappearing at high speed, making you laugh.

Clint looks at you.

“Are you sure?”

"It's my job to protect them.”

“The Maximoff or the civilians?” He mocks, making you roll your eyes.

“Go, Barton.”

It doesn't take long for your biological detection to come back.

You think you're going to pass out. But you take a deep breath, and stumble among cars and wrecking machines.

Calm down. You remember Wanda's soft voice in the glass room. The feel of her fingers on your skin. Calm down, I'm here. You can do this.

"I can do this." You mutter to yourself, trying to keep your balance.

You find a horde around the corner, almost close enough to a group of civilians coming out of the municipal hospital.

Ignoring the feeling of being overwhelmed at being able to feel the fear and despair of those people, you advance with the pistol in your hand.

The machines were destroyed, but not by you.

"You took your time, Barnes." You tease with a wry smile, rushing to help the civilians, feeling their superficial wounds before helping them. Bucky smiles and shrugs, a rifle in his hand as he gives you cover to help the population.

"Two minutes out here and I'm already missing my retirement." He comments as he fires, making you laugh, a bit breathless due your powers. Bucky notices right the way. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just considering retiring too after here." You retort by standing up again, helping the little girl who had bruises on her forehead to join the rest of the family. She smiles in thanks, but you're already walking away again, your head pounding from how many people you can feel at once.

You stumble around the rubble to the front of the municipal hospital. Ignoring the memories you have of the whole neighborhood, you try to focus on some group.

"Y/N, I think there are kids coming out of that corner!" Bucky unnecessarily warns you because you've already felt them.

You recognize Church clothes that the adults leading the group wear. They are coming from the Orphanage where you grew up.

You run to catch up to them, and it's the first time you've really noticed Ultron's cruelty. It's a horde that arises, and they notice you right away. The machine in front follows your gaze to the small group, and it has a chance to shoot only you, but it turns its mechanical hand, and aims directly at the kids.

You widen your eyes, feeling your heart race.

"NO!"

Something explodes in your chest. Everything turns golden before returning to normal color. You can’t see the golden wave that reaches the group because there’s a pain in the back of your head that makes you close your eyes tightly.

The robot fired, but if it weren't for the gunshot marks on the robes, no one would know as none of the civilians had any injury. The kids were wide-eyed, and you fell to your knees.

Bucky shot the machines before looking at you in amazement.

"How did you do that? They were practically a street away." He asked in shock, watching the nuns guide the kids to cover quickly, just as in shock as he was. Your lack of response alarmed him and he turned to face you quickly, touching your shoulder. "Y/N, you're bleeding..."

"I know." You grunt weakly, taking a deep breath as you lean on Bucky to get up. "Let 's keep going."

You wiped the blood running from your nose with your hand, but ignored the wet sensation in your ears. Bucky hesitated.

"No, you're not okay." He insisted. "Let's go back..."

"Let go of me, Bucky." You exclaimed angrily, pulling his hands away. "I heal, don't I? I'll be fine. Let's keep going."

"Y/N..."

But you are already walking. You can feel all the injured, and you need to keep going.

You help at least two more groups to shelter, until you're resting your hands on your knees and trying to stay on your foot.

You see your blood dripping to the ground, and you hear Bucky's footsteps approaching, so you wipe your face quickly while disguising the way your head is spinning.

"This isn't working Y/N." He says as he looks around at the wreckage. "These things seem to grow out of the ground, and there's no end to them. The city is too high right now and these people have nowhere to go."

You were going to agree with him, but something in the sky caught your eye.

"I think that's their ride." You say while pointing straight ahead.

It's a gigantic ship, flowing alongside the city. You and Bucky exchange a look, before he uses the communicator to confirm that this was a good thing.

With Shield providing shelter for civilians, you started running to help evacuate people from the floating capital of Sokovia.

Your head was spinning, and your feet were about to give up, but you forced yourself to continue.

Your body is shaking when you turn to help a boy who cut his leg.

"Ty angel, devochka? (are you an angel, lady?)" He asks, scared when you heal him and you give a weak laugh.

"Net, ya Avenger. (no, I’m an Avenger.)"

The wound isn't that big, but it's enough to rob the air of your lungs. Bucky guides the boy with the rest of the group back to the ship, and you can barely stand, your stomach turning.

You force yourself to get up. Just a bit longer.

Lifting your hand to your ear, you call out to Wanda while leaning on the car beside you so you don't fall to the ground.

"Wands?" You say wait for her to respond. She sounds worried when she says your name, but you just sigh. "Babe, when this is over, I'm taking you out on a date. Like the cliches we've never done before, okay?"

"Why are you talking like this?" She asked, scared. You can hear the background noises, the way she was probably keeping the bomb safe but facing Ultron's army. "Where are you?"

"I think we should try Disneyland too. Americans seem to love that." You continue as you begin to walk again. One hand on the tech inside your ear and the other in the wound in your belly, formed while you faced the last horde of robots, not healing anymore. "You would like a candlelight date with wine and music, wouldn’t you?"

"Please tell me where you are, I'll come to you." She begs through the radio and you smile before hanging up.

You saw Clint run further to the town.

You take a deep breath, rushing to catch up. You also see the jet Ultron stole rounding the city towards them, the rifles outside ready to aim.

That's why Clint ran there, to save one of the civilians left behind, you notice as you see the little boy on your friend's arm.

You try to do what you did before. Project your healing magic to them to keep them protected, but as you lift your hands to do that, all you feel is a sharp twinge in the middle of your chest and you almost fall to the ground.

Fine, I'll heal them myself. You think impatiently as you ignore your own limit and run.

You are almost there. But so is Ultron. If you stay up front, you think you can protect Clint and the civilian, you'd heal later, no problem.

“I’m gonna win.”

You widen your eyes in surprise when Pietro whispers in your ear, disappearing in his speed the next moment.

No. Don't do this.

You feel the shots before you hear them. You feel it through Pietro's body, who stepped forward to protect Clint.

You throw yourself forward, desperate.

You reach Pietro the second his heart stops beating.

"Piete?" You call to him as he falls into your lap. You can feel the air disappearing from his lungs, life fading away "Hey buddy, don't do that. Pietro! Please..."

You bury your face in his chest, trying to hear something. Anything. You press your hands against his chest next, then his face.

"Don't die on me, Pietro." You beg with a sob. You force your magic in despair. No matter how much it hurts, Pietro cannot die. He just can't.

You can only remember the skinny little boy running with you in your childhood. Laughing with you on the roof. Teaching you to fight.

Your tears mix up with your blood.

"Captain, we have a problem." Clint announces at your side.

No.

I'm not giving up.

You grunt in pain as you press your hands hard on Pietro's chest, your veins popping with a golden light. You're not dying on me.

Something starts to pulse in your head. Loud enough to completely disorient you. Your eyes are heavy, and you choke on your own blood coming out of your mouth.

You smile because you can feel the air returning to your friend's lungs at the same rate as it leaves yours.

When Pietro breathes again, your eyes close.

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[twoidiotwriters1]

The 3 Rules (Bucky Barnes x F! reader)

A/N: I also need my dose of Bucky Barnes. I simp for him too,*sigh* What a time to be alive -Val

Words: 1, 390

Twoidiots Masterlist

Sam Wilson has had Bucky Barnes as a partner for a short time, just a few months, but since they met thanks to Steve, neither has been able to hide their mutual dislike.

Sam is the charming one of the group, while Bucky is the grumpiest.

However, Steve and Tony keep putting them together on every mission they could think of, with the poor excuse that they’re a great team for those types of duties, but the truth is that they put them together to make peace.

For this reason, Sam has managed to know a little about the soldier and has deduced three important things.

1. Bucky doesn't share anything. No food, clothes, nothing.

2. Don't touch Bucky, not even as a greeting. Don’t do it. The only one who can get close enough is Steve.

3. Bucky doesn't smile. If you try to make him laugh, he’ll kick you.

Sam now knows that he shouldn’t do any of these actions and he’s told the others in the group to avoid any problems.

However, before the arrival of the new girl, Y/N, the others forgot to tell her this.

Since Tony Stark discovered her great ability for technology, she was immediately invited to live in the compound. Everyone managed to make a connection, but Sam still sees something strange about her.

"Stupid Sam, once I see him, I'll get my revenge," says the girl through her teeth as she tries to reach for her favorite mug, which is on the top shelf. She stretches her body, raising herself on tiptoe with difficulty.

"Damn fool..."

"Need help?" Says a deep voice.

She jumps and spins, meeting Bucky. Y/N is surprised to see him and especially to hear him. He’d never spoken to her since she joined.

"Uh- I, yeah!" She points to her mug. "Could you pass me the blue one?" He nods and walks over. Y/N moves to give him more space.

"What were you saying a few minutes ago?" Bucky asks, handing her the mug.

She makes a face.

“I was insulting Sam. He's the one who always puts my stuff in high places, where he knows I can’t reach,” She rolls her eyes.

Bucky frowns.

"Yeah, he's always making jokes," He growls, "But I didn't think you were a victim. You haven't been here long."

"I don't think that stops Sam from teasing."

He nods in agreement.

"Thanks," She says when Bucky is about to leave. "For the cup."

"S’nothing."

The interaction is interrupted when Sam walks into the kitchen. His amused grin is replaced by a frown upon seeing Y/N with her mug.

"Oh, man," He complains and looks over to Bucky. "Did you give it to her? You just ruined my favorite part of the morning, Barnes."

“Don't be a child and stop bothering her,” Bucky sentences and then leaves.

Sam looks at him in surprise, then looks at the girl.

"What did you do to make him defend you?" He questions.

"I did nothing. He's fed up with your jokes too, Wilson,” She replies, preparing her much-desired coffee.

"I don't know what you're talking about, darling. Everyone loves my jokes."

That was their first interaction, nothing out of the ordinary. Could’ve been worst.

After the others gathered in the kitchen for breakfast, Y/N slipped away with two mugs in hand. No one but Sam noticed this and he couldn't help but follow her without making any noise.

The girl walked into the rooms and left one of them outside Bucky's, she knocked on the door and continued on her way.

Bucky opened the door, finding the gift, he took it and looked down the hall, seeing the girl entering her room. He returned his gaze to the cup, shook his head with a small, almost imperceptible smile, and then returned to his room.

All of this happened under Sam's surprised gaze.

***

The second time Sam witnessed something strange was on movie night, where everyone was gathered in the screening room.

As soon as he enters, he notices that Y/N and Bucky are sitting together, on the same couch in front of the screen, near the chair where Sam decides to sit.

The movie starts and only a few lights go out, but Sam can still make out their bodies.

"What are you eating?" She whispers to Bucky.

“Candy, but they’re kinda salty. They're the ones I ate when I was a kid, uh— well, the most recent version of them,” He explains.

"Can I try one?"

Sam snorts at her question, expecting rejection from the super-soldier.

"Sure," says Bucky.

Sam can't believe what he just heard. He quickly leans over to the other side of his chair and pulls the collar of Steve's shirt closer.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You’ll not believe what just happened."

Sam points out the couple and when Steve sees that Bucky continues to share his favorite treats, he can't believe it at first either. He doesn't even share them with him.

***

The third time was the turning point in Wilson's mental health.

He, Wanda, Bruce, Steve, and Bucky are at the high table that faces the kitchen. Each one talking about different topics, the two super soldiers and Sam are planning a strategy for the next mission, but a few seconds later they’re interrupted by the arrival of Y/N.

"Hey, Buck," She says touching Barnes's right arm. He turns to see her and smiles at her. "I need you to come to the lab, Tony has some upgrades for you."

"Okay," He answers immediately.

"Wow, wow. Stop right there,” Sam says before Bucky can get up from his chair. Now everyone looks at him confused. "Come on, I can't be the only one panicking seeing this," He points out to the couple.

"What?" The girl asks.

"Maybe no one told you because you're new," starts Wilson. "But the grumpy machine next to you has his limits and we all have to follow his damn rules to avoid a broken arm."

"Sam, I don't think—" Steve says, but Sam ignores him.

"First, Barnes doesn't share anything and the other day he voluntarily decided to share his precious sweets with you without even making a face," He says, counting with his fingers. "Second, just Steve and some photos at the museum are proof that Barnes is capable of smiling, but apparently, that ability is natural when you arrive, and third," He points to the hand of the girl who continues to touch Bucky's skin. "No one can touch him and you’re doing that right now! "

The others analyze what Sam just said and they realize that this is all true. But the confusion of the majority increases when Bucky smiles mockingly and the girl laughs.

"And does that bother you, Sam?" She asks.

"How are you still alive!?"

She smirks wickedly.

"Then this will drive you crazy," She mentions, grabbing Bucky by the back of his head and bringing her lips together against his in a deep and prolonged kiss, which is pleasantly reciprocated by the super-soldier.

"What's going on!?" Wilson exclaims.

When the two-part ways, they can't help but laugh at Sam's reaction.

"Don't overreact, Sam," says Wanda, grinning at the couple.

"How come no one is freaking out?"

"They make a nice couple," says Bruce with a shrug.

"And you?" says Sam looking at Steve.

"It's what I was trying to tell you, but you didn’t let me speak," answers the blond.

"Traitor," Sam says and then returns to Bucky and Y/N. "I don't understand how this happened," He looks at the man. "I once tried to heal one of your wounds on your good arm and you ended up breaking my nose," He complains.

"The difference is that she’s better than you," Bucky answers hugging the girl's waist.

"Better than me?"

"Yeah, funnier, kinder, cuter, hotter and she smells better," He jokes, getting a little slap from her. "Once you start acting a bit more like her, I’ll reconsider my attitude towards you."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Sam asks.

Y/N laughs again.

"Face it, Wilson. I beat you,” She says. She kisses Bucky's cheek. "Come on, soldier," She takes his hand and they both leave the place.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Steve asks.

"I need an aspirin."

Taglist:

@silenthappyplace​

@yourbonesareinmybody​

@hufflepuffzutara​

@lauramacch​

[egcdeath]

campers’ quarrel

pairing: steve rogers x reader (ft. mentions of other avengers)

summary: who would’ve guessed that a camping trip with your team and a man who you couldn’t stand would go south so quickly? (that’s a rheotical question.)

warnings: mentions of a broken bone, kind of enemies to lovers, swearing

word count: 2.4k

author’s note: i’ve honestly never gone camping before. hopefully that’s not to obvious. enjoy! 

You and Steve never really clicked. From the start of your work as an Avenger, he’d clearly been wary of you, and being new, you didn’t want to make his disdain any worse than it already was.

This didn’t go unnoticed by your teammates. The more adjusted you became to the team, the more the teasing from them grew. And unfortunately for you, it mainly revolved around your tense relationship with Steve.

Tony constantly paired the two of you up on missions, specifically ones where you’d have to pretend to be in a relationship. Sam and Nat would tease you relentlessly at parties, sitting the team down, looking at both you and Steve, then declaring that playing spin the bottle was a necessity.

With no thanks to your teammates behavior, Steve’s wariness towards you quickly turned into animosity. At least once a week, you’d both butt heads over something as small as leaving cupboards open, or as severe as not carrying your weight during a mission.

When this tension came to a head, Tony suggested that the team go on a ‘bonding’ trip to the woods. You were not completely thrilled at this, but you were a team player, and you knew for a fact that if you refused, you’d be accused of not wanting to be around Steve for an extended period of time.

That’s how you ended up in the back of a Subaru, looking at the window aimlessly while attempting to drown out the intense conversation between Natasha and Bucky over the efficiency of some gun you’d never heard of with the music in your headphones.

“Hey,” you felt a little tap on your shoulder, and you lifted one of the earbuds out of your ear. Steve gave you a right smile, “Can you turn it down some? I can hear your music from over here.”

You sighed softly. It was always something with the super soldier. “Sorry, Steve. Not all of us have super hearing.” You turned your music down regardless, but sent a bitchy text about Steve to Wanda after doing so.

“It doesn’t take a super serum to hear all of that,” Steve muttered quietly to himself. Fortunately, for the peace of everyone in the car, you didn’t hear the comment. However, you did notice Sam looking back and forth between you and Steve, and it did make you ask yourself what exactly you’d missed.

You really were not looking forward to this trip.

——

Soon after your car arrived, the camper containing the rest of your teammates made it to the campsite as well.

“All right guys,” Tony announced while rounding everyone up in a circle, “We need to experience the full camping experience. That means no powers to create whole campsites, looking at you Wanda. It also means now crushing small game with metal arms to feed the rest of us.”

“Wonder who that’s directed at,” Bucky muttered.

“Now, everyone has a part to play in setting up shop. Take it away, Pep.”

You couldn’t help but to giggle at the fact that Tony and Pepper were treating this like some sort of Keynote presentation.

“Thanks, Tony,” Pepper looked down at the clipboard she was holding. “Okay, Bucky and Sam, you’re on tent duty. Nat, Wanda, find us something to eat. Y/N, Steve, grab some firewood for us. Banner, Rhodey, once the firewood is here, you’re responsible for starting the actual fire. Good luck everyone!” Pepper said cheerily, before waving a dismissive hand to send you all off.

To say you were pissed about being paired with Steve was an understatement. But you refused to make a scene. You silently began walking behind Steve, who seemed to not want to interact with you either.

That’s how the majority of your trek for wood went. Silent and tense. You really just wanted to find any piece of wood, but it was just your luck that the ground was extremely damp, and all the wood that you came across was similarly damp and unusable.

It was strange, because time seemed to be going by very slowly, yet extremely fast at the same time. You swore that in a matter of moments, the sun was already making her way down, indicating that night was near.

“Jesus Christ, Steve,” you broke what felt like the century long silence between the two of you. “Can we just give up already? I mean, we’re clearly not gonna find any good wood, and we keep getting further from camp, and we’re about to be in complete darkness.” “It’s fine, Y/N. I brought a flashlight and I’m sure that we’ll find something somewhere. Stop being such a downer.” You swore you could hear Steve roll his eyes as he went about crouching in the dirt in his search for fallen tree branches.

“I’m not being a downer, I’m being realistic. We need to go soon. We can just explain to the team that all the wood was bad,” you stood up straight, pacing around the area Steve was searching in.

“You really wanna let everyone down?”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“You’re not being dramatic enough. Look, I just found some dry wood. Come’ere and help me find some more.” He beckoned you over with his hand.

On your way over, you failed to notice a rather large log, and tripped rather forcefully over it, twisting your ankle dramatically in the process.

A sharp, searing pain traveled up your entire leg, and you yelped out in pain before falling onto Steve’s back, which hurt almost equally.

“OW! What the fuck!” You yelped before rolling onto the damp forrest floor.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Steve quickly turned around, and leaned over your sprawled body.

“I swear to God I just broke my ankle. And then your back decided to cripple me some more. Did you even feel it?”

“Of course I felt it. Hey, get up. Let’s see if you can walk. It’s probably not even broken,” He stepped back then stood up, extending a hand down to you to help you up. You hesitantly took his hand, somewhat nervous of what holding this man’s hand could awake in you, then attempted to stand up.

The moment you felt the weight shift to your left foot, you collapsed back onto the floor with a groan. The pain made tears well in your eyes, and you quickly became embarrassed with the emotions you were displaying in front of Steve.

“I can’t Steve. Can you call 911 or like, Tony or something?” You turned your face away from Steve’s eyeline so that he wouldn’t see you cry, but you knew the waver in your voice was betraying you.

He slipped his phone out of his pocket, then shook his head, “No reception. I’m sorry, Y/N.” The apology felt genuine, and it was kind of throwing you off. The air of annoyance that had seemed to always be between the two of you felt like it had faded away, for just a moment of seriousness.

“Can you, uh,” you awkwardly rubbed your warm cheeks at the thought of what you were about to ask. “Can you carry me back to camp?”

“I guess we don’t really have any other option.”

“Let’s just… not mention it. If anyone ever asks, this never happened. And you need to forget about it ever happening too,” as Steve began to scoop you up, you  added one more thing. “I’m not even joking, Steven. I swear to God I’ll make Bruce make an amnesia serum so you forget this ever happened.”

You could feel the laugh vibrate from Steve’s chest as he carried you bridal style. You just hoped he couldn’t feel the butterflies fly throughout your stomach.

----

A few hours into being carried, the situation began to lose its novelty, and you were beginning to become more annoyed as you realized that Steve was very lost.

“Steve, do you have any idea of where you’re going?” You questioned.

“Of course I do. Just have a little patience, okay?” He glanced down at you with furrowed brows.

“Mhm.” You said sarcastically. “I swear I’ve seen this exact tree like, three times already.”

“I’m sure you have.” He responded drily.

“What’s up with you and that attitude, Steve? You’ve always had a problem with me, and I never did anything to you.”

Steve scoffed, “what attitude?”

“That attitude!” You gestured wildly with your hands.

“Well, you’re no better. It’s not like you ever tried to be my friend or anything like that.”

“That’s not true at all. I remember during one of our first team bonding nights, I kept trying to talk to you, and you kept shrugging me off.” You pushed a finger into his chest.

“That’s because you kept asking me stupid shit, like if I’d heard of Beyoncé before or if I knew what garlic powder was. Put that finger away.”

You obliged and shrugged, “maybe I don’t remember that night as well as you do. But asking you questions like that can’t be the only reason why you dislike me so much.”

“I don’t dislike you,” Steve began while walking up a new path.

“So why do you act like that to me? How was I supposed to know that?” You looked up at Steve, and in the dark, you were still impressed by his sharp facial features.

“Can we talk about something else?” Steve glanced down at you.

“Yeah, let’s talk about how this is all your fault. If you weren’t so stubborn and just gave up on finding this damn wood, I wouldn’t be here with a broken ankle and spine. And I wouldn’t be feeling your heart racing like a hummingbird’s against my back.”

Steve blushed at this, he hadn’t considered that you could feel his heart racing. If your eyes weren’t deceiving you, you could almost make out a light red tint on his face.

“Shut up, Y/N,” Okay, Steve was definitely blushing. “If my heartbeat is annoying you so much, would you rather me leave you out on the ground for the bears to find you, and for you to become worm food?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.” He stopped in his tracks, then began to lower you down, excruciatingly slowly.

“Steve! Okay, okay. I’m sorry for pointing out your heartbeat. I just wouldn’t want your geriatric ass having a heart attack on me. Now hold me.”

The both of you erupted in laughter. You honestly wondered if you and Steve stopped being such sucks to each other, if you could actually form some kind of relationship. You could see yourself being good friends with the man.

Once you both stopped laughing, a comfortable silence flooded the air. It was late, and exhaustion was clearly beginning to plague both of you. “I’m so tired,” you whined, breaking the silence.

“Me too. Should we sit down somewhere and call it a night?” Steve’s pace began to dwindle.

“I guess. It’ll probably be easier to find our way back to home base in the sun.” Steve nodded at this comment.

“I’m gonna set you on this log while I roll out the tarp. Give me a sec,” Steve followed through with his statement, then looked through his backpack to find the blue tarp for you two to lay on.

You waited patiently for Steve to roll it out, then when he did, you slid onto it, wincing in the process at your throbbing ankle.

“You okay?” Steve asked, a genuine concern in his voice as he sat down next to you on the tarp.

“‘m fine.” You mumbled, throwing your arm over your face and sighing.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you to the campsite.” Steve said softly beside you. “Really.” He closed his eyes and turned his head away from you as you turned your head to look at him.

“It’s okay Steve. I’ll probably be fine. Nothing a night in medbay can’t fix, right?” You smiled a bit, even though you knew he couldn’t see it.

Even in your uncomfortable position, sleep was quickly overtaking your body. Your brain was barely functioning at this point.

You reached a hand over onto Steve’s chest, and you once again felt his heartbeat pick up. “I’m sorry that I act like this,” you mumbled, your words slurring together. “I think you’re really great.”

Steve’s hand landed on top of yours. “You’re not so bad either,” he slurred sleepily. “You know, the reason why I act like I don’t like you is ‘cause I like you a lot. You’re pretty… cool. You’re pretty and cool.”

“Aw Stevie,” you sighed happily. Steve turned his head to you and gave you a smile that you could only faintly see in the dark. “Are you cold?” you asked abruptly, interrupting the moment you two were having.

“Yes! I thought it was just me. It’s like negative 500 degrees out here-“

“Spoon me. Let’s conserve our warmth,” you hummed out, and Steve quickly and happily obliged. With that, the both of you were out like lights.

——

“Fucking finally!” Bucky cheered, making your eyes open abruptly.

“And to think we thought we’d lose our lovebirds forever.” Rhodey laughed.

You had to blink a few times before your vision (and brain) finally cleared enough to acknowledge what was happening in front of you.

The sun was up, and your whole team had showed up in front of you and Steve, watching you two spoon affectionately in your sleep.

“Ew, what?” You scooted away from Steve, then groaned at the persistent throbbing of your ankle. At this point, Steve shot up as well.

“What is going o-“ his eyes practically bulged out of his skull when he saw his teammates. “Oh shit.”

“You two have lots of explaining to do,” Sam laughed at the situation.

“Let’s start with this: I think I broke my ankle yesterday. So who wants to help me get back to camp?”

——

You sat at the kitchen table of the camper on your way back to the compound, a mug of lukewarm coffee sitting in your hands while you contemplated the weird ass night you’d just had.

While deep in your thoughts, a seat was pulled out, and none other than Steve Rogers sat right down in it.

“So, are we gonna talk about what happened yesterday?” He asked you with a bit of a smirk.

“No. I don’t think we will.”

[strawberrysoup]

Pocketful of Posies || Chapter 5

You’d been hiding for years and years now; from your family, from society, from alphas and packs. Suppressants were dangerous but effective and necessary for an omega who refused to be owned—but no suppressants were strong enough to fool the nose of a super soldier, who together with his pack would stop at nothing to bind you to them forever.

pairings: dark!Avengers x reader

word length: 4.7k

chapters: 5/?

warnings: A/B/O dynamics, power imbalances, noncon and dubcon sexual situations, loss of autonomy, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat — this is a dark!fic, read at your own risk. more detailed content warnings are included at the end of the chapter to avoid spoilers, click through the read more, CTRL + F “content warnings”. 

Rationality within Carol’s pack was often treated like a talking stick; only one person could have and use it at a time, and stealing it required either brute force or a clever trick—which was why she and Loki fumbled it back and forth so often. Sam seemed to have snatched it for a moment, until their omega’s sharp tongue made him fumble. She was cutting and brutal, as wild as she’d looked the first time Carol saw her: covered in mud and blood, half soaked from the bath and thrashing violently while Thor and Peter tried to gently get her in the tub.

The blonde figured it was time to regain the upper hand over their omega and came to stand at the top of the stairs, eyes locking on Sam from behind. He was turning the corner from patience to frustration, their little omega’s demeaning comments making the muscle in his jaw clench. It was impressive though; any of the other alpha’s in the house (plus herself and maybe minus Peter) would’ve had her nose in the corner by now, bent over to hold her own ankles and struggling for balance so that her forehead didn’t press against the wall lest she earn herself a spanking for being sulky.

“Alright Sammy, tag out,” Carol made sure that there was an undertone of mirth in her voice, hoping to bring the other alpha out of his anger. “You should probably go check on dinner and—Bruce, test results?”

“Oh, you’re right,” the beta nodded, immediately headed for the stairs. “Her hormone analysis should be ready at the least.”

The moment her eyes landed on the little omega on the bed, Carol felt her heart melt just a bit. Despite the vitriol she’d been spitting just moments before, the precious thing looked like an angel sprawled out in their den. All she wore was one of Thor’s t-shirts, the hem brushing the tops of her thighs and perfuming her scentless skin with his musk—she couldn’t wait until the suppressants were out of their omega’s system, Carol desperately wanted to know what she smelled like.

“Sammy?” The blonde prompted when the male alpha didn’t move, leading him to sigh.

“Yeah babe,” he leaned over and pressed a kiss against the omega’s forehead, ignoring how she shrunk back into the pillows behind her. “I’m out. Take care of her, beautiful.”

Sam stopped to press a kiss against Carol’s cheek on his way down the stairs, gesturing for Tony to follow. The genius rolled his eyes and huffed but followed nonetheless, only after tossing a wink at the scowling omega huddled in what would hopefully soon be a nest. Carol waited until they were both down before returning her attention to the younger woman, stomach filling with butterflies.

Carol had wanted an omega since she presented as an alpha at twelve. 90% of the people she interacted with thought she was such a waste—a female alpha? Objectively, a useless combination. Female alphas were weak and passive, certainly not strong enough to lead a pack or produce strong alpha babies. If only she’d been a delta or a beta, she could’ve at least carried children. She’d always been fully aware that society’s perspective was incredibly flawed; she was as dominant as any male, just as potent and just as strong. Stronger even—more recently by unimaginable levels.

But omegas rarely looked negatively upon female alphas. Omegas preened and clamored for the attention female alphas provided, they saw it as more tender and careful. Carol didn’t know if she exactly agreed with that either, but at least an omega would never look at her and consider her a very pretty waste.

Or so the blonde had thought, right up until making eye contact with the sweet-faced omega her pack had managed to stumble upon. She certainly didn’t look pleased, her glare verging on incendiary.

“You sure are feisty,” she felt her lips quirking at the corners, especially when the omega seemed to puff up like an angry kitten. “What you said to Sam wasn’t very nice. You gonna hiss at me too?”

The answer was a resounding yes, the cute, clicking cub growl she made only reinforcing Carol’s gut instinct that the little omega was perfect. She liked that fire, it wasn’t disrespectful—it demanded respect and the blonde could certainly understand that sort of attitude. Considering her omega’s evident disdain for modern presentation centered care, it could even be considered mild.

“Claws away, baby,” she ordered, tone amused and the smile still curling her lips as she toed her shoes off at the edge of the bed. “Be a good girl for me now.”

Carol pressed the omega flat to the bed before she could fight, plastering herself against the half-naked woman and burying her face in the crook of her neck. Scenting deeply made the blonde’s eyes roll back in her head—the faint scent of panicking omega wafted off her skin, only noticeable at such a distance. Thank God the Hulk picked it up, the alpha’s senses so incredibly strong that even while masked by Bruce’s beta he had picked up the faint whiff of omega; if Bruce hadn’t prompted Steve to scent carefully they might not’ve found her. Carol hadn’t been the only one in the pack desperate for an omega.

Thor had been… devastated to learn of the lack of omegas on Earth. With the destruction of Asgard and the remaining population’s relocation, it had been another gut punch to the alpha prime who’s people had already endured so much. He’d spoken at length about how omega Aesir were different than humans’ and the tone of longing and sadness in the prime had radiated through their entire pack.

The deltas, Bucky, Tony and Loki had all realized years ago how sorely their dynamic suffered without an omega. A delta’s overwhelming physiological drive was to provide support and comfort to pack members, their intuition let them see their packmates in a way the other presentation’s couldn’t replicate. Their pack’s deltas were all incredibly intuitive, beyond the norm, and without an omega to properly direct them they got manipulative. It was rarely antagonistic or cruel and if there had only been one delta in the pack, it would’ve slid by without notice—but deltas perceived the deception where others didn’t and it usually led to dissent amongst the three.

And while Steve had never said a word, Carol knew that as a sickly little beta he’d dreamt of being ‘strong enough to deserve an omega’. Bucky had mentioned it briefly—as had Tony, who’d heard it from his father at least biweekly. Steve loved omegas; he loved that they balanced an incredible strength with equal fragility. The very nature of them spoke to his inner artist, ‘his inner romantic,’ Bucky had teased. Now that he was a big ass alpha prime? He could deserve an omega now, he was strong enough now.

Their omega was practically a miracle, considering how few of them there were—so few adults, especially. Some claimed the overall population of omegas was going up despite the overwhelming evidence of the opposite and besides, the number of omegas born every year didn’t matter when you had packmates approaching their mid-forties. Tony, Bruce, and Clint were getting up there, as everyone liked to tease. Finding a reasonably aged omega that was also unclaimed? They’d never even considered the possibility, it was unfathomable.

Carol had consoled herself with the knowledge that her pack loved her deeply, found no fault in her gender or presentation. She knew it would take time, but soon her omega would realize the same. There was nothing wrong with her, she didn’t need to hide or put on a façade; not in their pack, not under their protection. Whatever the omega had gone through in her life must’ve been traumatizing, the blonde could only assume some sort of abuse, and it would be tough to instill confidence in her. They’d need to build her back up from scratch.

“You know, if you’d let Wanda search your mind, we’d have a much easier time understanding what’s going on,” the blonde murmured into the omega’s neck, nose brushing back and forth over her left scent gland. “Will you tell me why you’re so scared? Are you afraid of alphas or of packs? Or deltas?”

“I’m afraid of being trapped forever by a bunch of fucking rapists and kidnappers!” She spat furiously in response, struggling futilely under Carol’s careful grasp. “Get your fucking face out of my neck!”

“Packs it is then,” Carol sighed, lifting her head but keeping the woman pinned beneath her.

“You’re so shifty ‘mega, calm down. There are some horrible people out there, we know that better than anyone, and I’m sorry that you were hurt. I’m sorry you had to go through whatever it was.”

The omega froze, muscles pulling so tightly that she started to shiver. Her lips pursed, jaw clenching and her eyes got dim, lashes fluttering as she looked into the distance over Carol’s shoulder. It was a dead-eyed stare, one the blonde had seen before. Her baby was half trapped in a memory, tightly clenched hands clawing at Carol’s shirt and trying to force her body away.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry, come back—” Carol cooed into the omega’s ear, holding her tighter as she struggled. “You’re with me baby, you’re safe. Breathe with me, come back to me.”

“Would you fucking get off!” The omega choked, sounding both parts desolate and frustrated. “Why don’t you people fucking listen? Am I speaking gibberish?”

“I’m sorry you’re so angry omega,” the blonde’s eyebrows furrowed, sadness permeating her expression as she lowered her head to rest her forehead against the omega’s. “I’m sorry, I can’t get off—you need the pheromones, the alpha contact chemicals. Even if you’re traumatized, once the suppressants you’re on start to wear off you’re going to have to submit. We need to start practicing now so you can get comfortable with it, before it’s critical for your health.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry, you’re not sorry! If you were, you would’ve let me go. You wouldn’t be holding me here! I don’t need or want your help, I don’t want to be in a pack!”

“I hear you, baby, I promise I understand what you’re saying,” Carol carefully pinned one of the flailing omega’s arms down with her knee, reaching up to stroke the woman’s face. “You don’t want to be here, you don’t want to have a pack, I’m sure you don’t want to be bonded to us. But you’re on so many suppressants baby, there are so many mind-altering chemicals in the shit you were taking—”

“If you force me to stop taking them I’ll only be under the ‘mind-altering’ chemicals produced by the other presentations and—and this stupid collar forcing my body to produce addictive chemicals at a rapid rate,” she argued, “you want to argue that I’m out of my mind like I can’t be trusted with my own safety! I’m fully conscious, I’m not stupid, I’m an adult for fuck’s sake. The only thing that’s going to fuck up my personal agency is you!”

“We’ll know for sure when Bruce gets your test results back,” Carol sighed realizing how unlikely it would be for her to get through to the omega. “Tony’s having some equipment dropped by in the morning so he and Bruce can run some more. If your hormone levels aren’t entirely trashed, we’ll revisit this conversation.”

“You have to let me take my suppressants tonight then,” the omega pushed against the blonde again, grunting with effort and irritation when she didn’t move at all. “Otherwise the test results from today won’t match the ones tomorrow, missing a dose will entirely trash my hormone levels! The tests won’t provide an accurate reading!”

Carol was shaking her head before she’d even finished the explanation. “No way, there’s a reason those are illegal, baby. They’re so dangerous—”

“I’ve been taking them for fifteen years and I’m completely fine, come on—”

She watched the omega’s face fall when she sighed, “it’s not gonna happen baby. This one isn’t up for debate.”

“This one?” The omega scoffed bitterly, lips twisting as angry tears collected in her eyes. “Nothing is ‘up for debate’. I’m here, aren’t I? Obviously against my will. I’m not even wearing my own clothes, you won’t let me move! You’re acting like this is the one bit of agency you’re planning to strip from me but you’re either too stupid to realize that or you’re too caught up in the idea of having a house bitch to care!”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Carol frowned, thumb smoothing over the crease between her brows. “We’re not looking to ruin your life, baby. The last thing we want is to make you meek or take away your ability to make your own choices, but we have to take care of you.”

“Y-you don’t though,” she hissed, breath hitching as she fought not to cry in front of the alpha. “I’ve been taking care of-of myself for years. I’ve never had a problem I’ve—I’ve never been attacked or assaulted or—”

Carol shifted until the omega was cradled in her lap, easily blocking the omega’s attempts to escape her grasp, “If that’s true baby girl, I don’t think you understand how rare it is—or how it would mean you were poisoning yourself so thoroughly that no alpha could scent you. There’s too many people out there would hurt you just for being you; the only way for you to be safe is with us, where you don’t have to keep taking the pill equivalent of drinking gasoline and bleach.”

“I should have the choice!”

“The choice to slowly kill yourself?” The blonde looked down into the omega’s face in disbelief. “No one in their right mind would allow another person to suffer like that.”

Their attention was suddenly and brutally drawn to the stairwell, both of their hindbrains reacting to the scent of overwhelmingly aroused alphas accompanied by raised voices and shouting. The omega in her lap went completely and utterly still, instincts locking down all movement as if it could prevent her from being seen. Carol sighed quietly through her nose, nudging her forehead gently against the charming little creature hiding against her chest. She couldn’t really tell what they were yelling about but she figured it had something to do with whatever Bruce found.

“Someone has to—!”

“That doesn’t mean—!”

“It should be—!”

The blonde cracked her neck, arms slipping around the waist of her omega and locking in place like iron bands. The cowering made it easier for Carol to snuggle her tightly against her chest, wiggling them carefully as several pairs of feet began stomping up the stairs, until the omega was entirely engulfed by the alpha from behind. Steve and Thor made it up first, shoulder to shoulder and passive-aggressively nudging each other in the ribs. Sam was next, along with Bucky—both of whom were being decidedly antagonistic to poor Peter who followed behind.

“Would you guys shut the hell up? What’s going on?”

Before anyone else could respond Bruce forced his way between the group of more dominant males, eyes flashing green even as he attempted to shake it off, “the amount of alpha pheromone in her blood is so low it’s amazing she isn’t in shock.”

“What?!” The omega snapped furiously, eyes darting between the people standing around the room nervously. “There’s nothing wrong with me—!”

“Carol, hold her,” Steve ordered, as if the blonde hadn’t locked the omega down the second they heard them coming. “Thor, how are we gonna do this?”

Both primes looked almost pained, their faces painted with grimaces as they exchanged glances. Their struggle was easy to identify; neither wanted to cause any strife between them, damage to their partnership would damage the pack but they wanted to be first. Their hindbrains could barely function beyond the desire to fuck their omega, their pretty, sweet little omega who desperately needed alpha semen because her body would stop functioning without it. Primes always got first take on omegas, but when there were two primes in a pack things got dicey.

“Have one of us do it,” Carol chimed, carefully maintaining an expression that relayed she wasn’t trying to step on toes. “Both of you are massive, you could do damage without proper prep and if it’s that serious we can’t wait on that.”

“I’ll do it!” Peter was quick to step forward. “You all know I’ll the gentlest and she’s already upset—”

“Shut it Spiderboy,” Sam quickly interjected, giving the younger alpha a stern look, “she needs careful handling, not some teenager fumbling with his knot.”

“I’m not a teenager anymore you asshole—!”

“Carol’s cock is the smallest,” Tony stated nonchalantly as he kicked off his shoes in the closet that faced the den, “no offense babe, just logistics.”  

“None taken,” the blonde snorted slightly in amusement before turning her attention to the two primes, “I can get her started, at least get her hormones on the right track.”

“Let go of me you psycho!” The omega howled, voice constricted by her collar. “Get away from me, let me go!”

A low, bone-deep rumble suddenly washed over everyone in the attic, the growl emanating from both Steve and Thor. A keening moan escaped the omega, her breath hitching and eyes rolling as viscous slick gushed from her pussy. The scent of it made waves through the rest of the pack, a cacophony of moans and growls echoing off the high ceiling as the responding scent of hot and bothered emanated through the den.

“Thor?” Steve questioned the other prime imploringly, knowing that they needed an immediate answer and follow through.

The taller man grit his teeth, nose flaring for several moments before he let out another low growl that made their omega cry with arousal. “You first—leave my shirt on her, please.”

“Oh God, oh God,” the whimpering omega shifted in Carol’s arms, likely about to try to make a break for it when Steve swept her up into his arms. “Please, wait—!”

“Your pussy is dripping for your primes, isn’t it precious?” The alpha male hummed quietly as he swiftly lowered them both to the bed, hands grasping the backs of her thighs and pressing her knees towards her shoulders. “So much slick for such a little thing.”

The whine that came from Peter sounded wrecked, only minutely more embarrassing than the groans and panting coming from the rest of the pack as they watched. The omega looked to be approaching frantic and Carol sighed, shifting farther away from the prime on the bed—there was no reason to test Steve’s incredible patience. Well, that had been Carol’s opinion anyway.

Evidently Loki believed otherwise, but then again the delta was habitually prone to testing Steve’s last goddamn nerve. The brunet had appeared with a shimmering green light, lying on the bed so close to the omega that the scent from his ridiculously expensive Fendi sweater was transferring to her arm and shoulder. The prime had barely flinched, certainly hadn’t reacted in a manner more noticeable than a slight dilation in his pupil. Thor made a reprimanding noise but didn’t move forward to remove the delta, much to Bucky and Tony’s immediate disdain.

“Why the fuck does he get to—!”

“You better rethink that, Ice Man!”

The combined snarls from both primes quickly brought all three deltas to heel and while Loki didn’t retreat, he did keep his hands to himself. One hand propped up his head, the other tightly fisted and rested on the bed between himself and the omega’s borrowed shirt while eyes burned into him from all sides. The omega’s wide eyes were locked on the man, some flicker of recognition fleetingly passing over her face. Loki was good at surprise entrances and even better at taking advantage of his brother’s status in the pack—not that he necessarily got away with things the others wouldn’t, but none of the others particularly wanted to find out what the prime’s breaking point was either.

“I just want to keep her calm, is that so horrible?” The tone the God used was smooth and Carol remembered the talking stick analogy again. “You can smell the poor thing’s terror, is it really necessary?”

Steve looked conflicted for maybe two seconds when a light went off behind his eyes. “Keep her calm so I don’t have to purr and you can stay.”

The delta’s hand immediately slipped up the front of her shirt, cupping the curve of her rib cage just under her breast. His nose pressed into her neck in the following moments, a small golden glow flowing over the little omega’s skin where he touched her. The odor of fear was quick to recede once the windows were open, replaced with the tangy-sweet scent of her pussy. Carol inhaled sharply and whined, drawing Steve’s attention to her wide, sad eyes.

The prime huffed, running one big hand through his hair while Loki held the omega’s thigh in place. “Hands to yourself, Carol.”

The blonde immediately tucked her nose into the other side of the omega’s neck, hands clenched into fists and tucked tightly against her stomach. She could hear the rest of the pack shuffling around, vying for space and views on the bed. Steve seemed entirely unbothered, his gaze once again locked on the pretty omega’s.

“Is your cunt working your slick hard enough precious?” He murmured directly into her ear, lips brushing the skin gently. “If those muscles aren’t strong enough we might have to put in a bit more effort to stretch you out. Squeeze around my fingers baby.”

Carol’s eyes rolled back when a breathy whine escaped the omega, the only perceivable reaction that might’ve betrayed her fear—otherwise, whatever magic Loki had used made her eyes shine with bliss. Steve had two fingers knuckle deep in her cunt, still pressing forward while his slick coated thumb swept up through her folds to pass over her clit. She shook under the grasp of his packmates, hips shifting without her consent to follow the movement of his hand.

“Come on sweetheart, please?” Steve implored quietly, looking at the loosely pinned omega with soft eyes. “Clench your pussy for me, let me take care of you. Please, I—oh, there you go, that’s a good girl.”

He hummed, working his fingers deeper into her cunt and scissoring them carefully. A smile lit the prime’s face when the cutest hiccupping moan escaped the omega, her legs pressing futilely against his hold. Muscle memory tried to guide her legs closed but Carol easily slipped a hand around her knee, keeping her spread wide while Steve continued to stretch her pussy. Another bass toned growl from Thor reverberated off the walls and she wailed, slick dripping over Steve’s fingers while her pussy contracted in waves as commanded by the prime’s guttural growl.

“I’m gonna take care of you precious,” her low whine prompted a moan from Steve as he added a third finger, carefully pressing the pads of his fingers up against her g-spot. “You’ll feel so much better once we fuck you, I promise.”

Carol watched with heavily lidded eyes as the omega’s attention was sparked by Steve’s use of the collective we. Likely it was only Loki’s magic that kept her from lashing out as viciously as they knew she was capable of. In spite of it, her little teeth showed, sharp incisors flashing in a botched hiss. The prime poised himself over her carefully with a small grin, fingers still fucking into her with vigor while he rested his weight on his elbow next to her head.

“It’s gonna be okay omega, it’s gonna be okay,” he cooed quietly against her ear, removing his hand only to pull his cock from his pants. “Take deep breaths, baby.”

“Don’t—” She didn’t sound distressed, the omega sounded aroused and desperate, “I—”

“Shhhh,” the prime’s lips skimmed over her cheeks, down her nose while his hand guided his dick up and down her slick folds until he was dripping with her arousal. “I’m gonna take care of you, precious. We’re gonna take care of you.”

The sound that escaped the omega’s lips as he slipped into her was goosebump inducing in the best way. She whined as the head popped in, breath hitching with every millimetre that came thereafter—and there were a lot of them. The omega was squirming, her heels scrambling against the blankets and both Loki and Carol found themselves having to focus much harder than expected on keeping her still while Steve bottomed out.

“You’re doing so well, darling,” Loki cooed, his nose brushing the line of her jaw. “I know it’s a lot but you’re taking it beautifully. Stay still love, just relax we’ll hold you.”

“That’s right ‘mega,” Steve groaned as he withdrew, the squelch of her cunt making his teeth clench. “We’ll do all the work precious, you just have to be a good girl and take my cock.”

It was easier said than done and everyone in the room save Thor was fully aware of that. The omega’s sweet little whines and cries were causing a massive feedback loop of arousal in the pack’s consciousness and Carol was pretty sure she could hear the sounds of several people going at it but she couldn’t pull her gaze away from where Steve’s cock was drilling into that pretty cunt. Evidently said feedback loop was also affecting Steve, who very suddenly growled possessively.

“Carol, Loki, off,” The prime snapped barely hesitating before dropping his elbows into the pillows on either side of the omega’s head, narrowly avoiding giving his pack mates concussions. “Now.”

Both the alpha and the delta were yanked off the bed by their ankles—well, Carol was yanked off the bed. Loki was yanked off the bed and then promptly thrown into the wall by said ankles. The reinforced exterior wall meant there was only a small dent where the god had landed, but the ensuing ruckus had a strong potential of causing even more damage. Thor immediately turned to deal with the problem, along with several other packmates.

Several things occurred in the next few seconds and the pack would probably fight about what really happened for the next twenty years, but somehow Bucky was thrown through the window and Tony’s right ring finger was broken.

And Wanda—poor Wanda, Thor pushed her out of the way before Bucky could accidentally take her through the window with him. The beta was sent flying, sailing across the bed until she hit the unyielding form of Steve. He startled in shock, immediately drawing back to assess her condition—only for a heel to slam directly into his nose. The prime’s head snapped back from the force, big body falling backwards while his hands scrambled for purchase on his face.

The omega probably would’ve even gotten down the stairs if Natasha hadn’t been ascending the stairs at that moment, having heard the commotion from where she and Clint had been putting away groceries. The redhead smelled her before seeing her, a somewhat sinister grin pulling Nat’s lips when the omega ran directly into her while attempting escape #2.

“Now where are you going, kitten? With that mess dripping down your thighs,” the beta cooed, head tilting as she scented the air. “Why can I smell Steve on you, but not his cum?”

There was a horrible, long pause while the omega seemed to consider her options before landing on Go For Broke. She attempted to dodge past Natasha but the beta’s strong arm immediately lashed around her waist, her superior strength making it easy to force her up the stairs even as she refused to hold her own weight.

Steve met them just two steps from the top, dick out and covered in blood. The prime’s expression wasn’t so much angry as it was disappointed and Natasha hummed in false sympathy.

“Someone’s been naughty, huh kitten?”

content warnings: nonconsensual sex, voyeurism 

[wannabe-fic-writer]

All Over Again - Chapter 2

Summary: What was lost can be found. 

Warning: 18+ Smut, Language, Violence. This chapter gets a little science nerdy!

Ch. 1

* * * * * *

“How did you do it?” 

Looking up from the red glowing gun, your eyebrows pinch together as you look at the man stepping into your lab. His eyes, like always, flick around to take in your equipment. All your weapons lining the walls. 

You lay the sword down,“ what did I do exactly?”

Tony leans on the counter across from you,“ Luthor Corp just bought six shares of Stark Industries and sent multiple emails detailing possible partnered projects.” His eyebrows rise,“ I’ve been trying to go into business with Luthor Corp for years now.” 

“Congrats?” You narrow your eyes at him,“ still not seeing where I come in at.” 

Your hands glow red as you run them along the side of the rifle, effectively removing it’s glow and energy charge. 

“Side note, if you could come do your glowy magic thing on my new reactor, that’d be great.” You save your comments on that for later.“ Anyway, Pepper told me that you made quite the impression on Miss Luthor. I have a hunch her new found interest in my company is because of you.” 

“Probably not. We never talked about Stark Industries. We talked about a lot but never the company.” 

Frowning, he tilts his head to the side,“ it was an investment dinner, the purpose was to-” he sighs,“ nevermind that. You’re going to National City tomorrow correct?”

“I really don’t want to play company rep Tony. We’re just working on a project of hers.” 

Which you found out the day after the investment dinner. 

You’d contacted Lena about going out there. She confirmed your guess that she wanted to get your take and help on the power core. For the past two days you’ve been getting a few things done, mainly stuff that needs your immediate attention, so you wouldn’t be leaving anything undone. 

After some pleading from Tony you tell him you’ll consider giving Stark Industries a little good press with Lena but you make no promises. Then finishing up your work and leaving the lab. 

Sighing, you roll your shoulders, feeling how tired you are. Doing almost a week's worth of work in two days isn’t the most healthy thing. 

“Hey, you okay?” 

E/c finds deep green and you nod,“ fine.” The smile you try to give turns out to be a grimace. 

Natasha watches you,“ you sure, you look pretty tired. I know you’ve been-”

“Romanoff, I’m fine.” 

The redhead sighs. She quickly pulls a blank expression and moves to stand directly in front of you,“ how long are you going to act like this with me?” 

“Like what?”

“Indifferent Y/n. Every time we talk you give me some off handed generic response like we haven’t known each other for nine years. Three of which we dated.” 

You narrow your eyes at her,“ all three you spent keeping secrets. And then left me for said secrets immediately after. I’m not indifferent towards you Natasha I’m fucking hurt.” You don’t mean to snap but you can’t help it. 

Since your break up Natasha has moved on and has tried to interact with you like everything was fine. Like she hadn’t broken your heart. Better yet, as if she was scared you’d hurt her. 

Getting to the end of the hallway, you turn to her,“ you know what’s funny? Had you just told me, beforehand, that there was something between you and Doctor Banner, I would’ve understood. Because the worst part was being blindsided.” 

“Y/n I’m sorry.” If you were close enough you could see the regret in her eyes, might’ve been able to hear her heartbreak. 

You nod,“ I know. You told me.”

Avoiding the ex-assassin has become a bit of an everyday thing now. So much so that you almost don’t have to put any effort into doing it before you have to leave. You spend a little time training with Sam and Bucky, walking them both through their new supercharged weapons. You coordinate with Steve on the mission you’re being assigned after you get back. 

You also take a moment to research Miss Luthor and Luthor Corp. Alongside finding the controversial opinions on the company and the woman running it. You ended up, not surprised, but impressed with her work.

And of course you spend some time with Wanda. Said woman not leaving your side at all, even as you go to bed. She occupies the empty side of your bed through the night and truthfully you’re grateful for the company. 

When you wake up, you make quick work of showering, getting dressed, and starting to pack. Wanda doesn’t move a muscle, much more content with reveling in the warmth you’d left behind, while trying to get you to not go. 

“I won’t even be gone long, back by tomorrow for sure.” You push a set of shirts in your bag. 

Wanda groans loudly and cuddles further into your fluffy blanket,“ but I just got back and you promised to take me to see Harrison.”

You chuckle lowly,“ it’s Hamilton, Wan. And I’m still gonna take you, just a little later. Think of it as an anticipation builder.”

“Don’t you think I have enough anticipation.”

Shaking your head, you zip up your overnight bag, and sit down beside the young woman,“ come on Wan, it’s not like I’m leaving you alone.” 

“Basically you are. Steve and Bucky never leave each other’s sides and Sam follows them around always, and Natasha has Bruce!” She exclaims, only to jolt up when she realizes what she’s said.“ I’m sorry.”

You do your best to laugh it off,“ it’s fine really. Natasha does have Bruce.” You quickly change the subject before that familiar ache returns,“ why don’t you take Clint up on his offer to stay with them for a while?”

Wanda looks down, playing with her fingers,“ I’m not ready to do that just yet.” Those eyes then lock with yours,“ besides I can’t leave you.”

“Hey,” you pull her into your side,“ you know I’m always here for you right?” She nods. Deciding not to leave on a somber note, you joke,“ except for tomorrow, so endure Miss Maximoff, and text me.” Standing up, you press a very chaste kiss to her forehead, and then leave out with a wink. 

“Headed out Y/Ln?” 

You nod to Steve, holding up your bag in emphasis,“ yeah, I’ll only be gone a day you know.” He nods.“ Oh and Rogers, do me a favor and keep an eye on Wanda yeah?”

While she’s doing significantly better after everything, you know she still has her moments. When they hit they hit hard and feeling/being alone doesn’t help. It’s one of the many reasons Clint invited her to go stay with his family for a while. But Wanda has reservations about that for reasons she hadn’t yet told you.

After getting Steve’s agreement to do so, you leave. 

To you, the worst part of traveling is all the little stupid stuff in between. You loved driving, hated traffic. Flying was calming and you loved looking at the clouds sail by, you hated TSA, baggage claim, and boarding. 

Luckily National City is merely five hours away and the second you land you feel the difference in NYC and NC. While both are skyscraper filled, fast paced, cities. There’s something about National City that seems freer. People are nicer, the sun shines brighter, the air smells cleaner. 

Perhaps it’s just being on the West Coast.

Being the woman she is, Lena has a car service for you, the driver waiting with your name on a white board. You confirm your identity and follow the woman out to the car. On the drive to Luthor Corp, you take in the sights of National City.

Lots of skyscrapers but still a surprising amount of greenery. Eventually you approach your destination, the tall glass building branding the large Luthor Corp logo. 

“Thank you.” You nod to the driver, slipping a tip her way, and getting out of the car. 

Stepping inside the building, your eyes take in the sunlit interior as you approach the front desk. The young receptionist asks what he can help you with and you respond that you’re here for Lena Luthor and he asks for your name. 

In the end you’re told to wait as she’s in a meeting, so you pass the time by texting Wanda, replying to the dozen texts Tony had sent. You tell him you’ll do it if he can get you decent Hamilton tickets and he agrees instantly. 

“Y/n,” her voice, while still new to your ears, is easily recognizable,“ I’m so sorry for making you wait.” 

You’re waving her off in an instant,“ it’s fine, I’m no greater than anyone else, I can wait.”

She chuckles, nodding in understanding, and silently pleased with your humility. A number of people would’ve demanded they go in immediately. 

From there she directs you toward the elevator. As you walk the people walking around look to Lena in seeming amazement. 

“It seems your employees are also fans, rightfully so.” You tease honestly. 

“They’re a part of a small group believe me. I have more opposition than you could imagine.” 

Raising an eyebrow, you shrug,“ a powerful woman is intimidating, especially one as brilliant and compassionate as you Miss Luthor.” 

A light blush fans her cheeks and her eyes watch you on the elevator,“ if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re trying to flatter me.”

“I’m being honest with you Lena, it just so happens that your truth is pleasing to hear.” The elevator dings, letting you both off to a floor of labs, some walled off by glass and others concrete. You look around, some machines and equipment familiar to you and others you don’t recognize. 

Lena guides you down the halls to a room at the very end. It’s dark inside at first and then a purple light rises. Repeatedly it shines and then dims and you walk closer in amazement. 

Octagonal, metal, plates surround the rock like material in the center, each plate connected by thick wires. The purple light emits from the rock. Lena flicks the lights on and it powers up the monitors and the core. 

Still watching in fascination, you walk around the core, remaining a few decent feet away. A very low hum sounds from it and you can practically feel the power of it. 

“Wow.” Lena smiles at your amazement.“ I imagine you had to build a stabilizer before you could move it.” You look up at her.

“I did. It was in a ship when I found it so I reutilized the ship's engine.” 

Eyes wide, you smile softly,“ instead of the engine pulling energy from the core-”

She nods,“ it pushed the energy back into it.” 

“How did you stop it from overloading?” 

“Reworked the wiring to continuously transport the energy so there was never an overwhelming amount in the core at one point in time.” 

You look back at the core, noticing that is also how she’s currently keeping it from overloading.“ Remember when I said you’re brilliant?” She nods.“ That was an understatement.”

With another laugh and a bashful blush, she brings you over to her monitoring equipment. 

The next few hours pass with the two of you working on it. Lena loved the idea of turning the one power core into multiple ones which would require harvesting pieces of it. But it’s not like they make Alien Rock saws or anything on earth. 

You’d have to invent a tool strong enough to cut through it without it disrupting or agitating the energy. 

It’s well past the late hours of the night when hunger sets in for both of you. Lena insists you join her for dinner. After locking up her office, the two of you go to a restaurant that she sings praises for. 

The maitre’d is quick to seat you both, your waiter bringing water, and asking if you’d like anything else to drink. Lena orders wine and you get an old fashioned like usual. 

“So outside of being well versed in science,” Lena starts,“ what other talents do you have?” 

“I can make a great cup of coffee.” You joke, the woman laughing.“ No um, I’m a weapons specialist. It goes hand in hand with science and my powers. Mental materialization allows me to create just about any weapon with my mind, of course it doesn’t last forever. For the most part I enhance the weapons the team already has though I’ve invented a weapon or two.”

Brown eyebrows raise,“ invented?” Intrigue enters her eyes and you’ve already become accustomed to it.

You nod,“ at the time my team and I were facing a threat we never had before. It required a special type of weapon and of course it didn’t exist.”

“Alien?”

Before you can reply, the waiter returns. They set down your drinks and take your orders, both of you smiling politely before they walk away. 

Looking back at Lena, you sip your drink, and respond,“ yes. It took a lot of trial and error, messing around with their own weapons to finally get it. I ended up using the alien technology to build the weapons.”

“And you say I’m the brilliant one.” A smirk plays at her lips over the rim of her wine glass.

It’s then that you replay your own words in your head being hit with a startling realization!

“Lena!” You exclaim. Green eyes widen slightly, eyebrows raising simultaneously.“ A laser saw. We’ve been trying to come up with a material strong enough to cut through it instead of using its own energy to do so.”

She understands quickly, a disbelieving chuckle leaves her lips,“ oh my god, you’re right. Of course we’d have to neutralize the core before cutting it. That amount of energy against itself could cause a cascade of energy failures or something much worse.”

“You figured out how to stabilize it with it’s own engine and now you’ve got me,” she smiles amusedly,“ I’m sure two scientists of our caliber could work something out.”

Lena agrees. Then insisting you two talk about anything other than the work. 

As much as she loves her work, she’s been intrigued by you since your first meeting. With this being a much more casual setting than the investment dinner and her lab, she wants to get to know you. 

She’s learned how intelligent you are, even if that’s just the tip of your iceberg, but she’s dying to know more. And she does.

Over dinner you both get to know each other better. Lena’s disdain for her last name but need to clear it is something she, almost subconsciously, divulges. You’re not exactly surprised to hear that she went to MIT, in fact you would’ve been shocked if she went anywhere else. 

While she avoids going in depth about her family, she does make mention of being close to her brother when they were younger and loving her father endlessly. Her sincere compassion is a trait she seemed to have always had despite the briefly mentioned opposition she faced over being so.  

Her taking over the company after her brother was for a number of reasons the main one being that she wanted to prove herself. Luthor doesn’t mean evil, not always anyway. You’re led to believe that while many don’t agree, there’s proof through Lena’s work that she isn’t a bad person. 

In turn you tell her about your time as an Avenger. All of it started back when your father worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. Being the dedicated man that he was, he often brought his work home, and being the daddy’s girl that you were, you lingered around and watched as he worked.

You’d picked up on a lot of things from him involving the weapons. By the time you were 16 you knew most guns inside and out from standard pistols to compact grenade launchers. 

After high school you went to Stanford and majored in Mechanical Engineering, getting the opportunity to intern at the one and only Stark industries. Upon graduation you had taken an actual job at the company. Some time later you were approached by Fury to assist Stark in building the Particle Accelerator to save himself and take down Ivan.

Tony took a liking to you during your time working together and afterwards was more than happy to work closer with you, especially since you still worked for Stark Industries. Those connections lead you to being picked up by Fury every once and a while with S.H.I.E.L.D business. Until S.H.I.E.L.D fell, your last mission with them being Sokovia.

Eventually, despite the very late hour, Lena’s phone starts to buzz almost incessantly. With a small,“ excuse me,” she picks it up, reading the messages she received. 

“Are you up to a few more drinks?” She asks with a soft smile and you find yourself unable to say no under the gaze of her green eyes. 

She settles the check, relenting and letting you leave the tip, before you’re both in her car and driving to a different location. This place is a lot less upscale than the last. Funnily enough you find it a lot more comfortable than the restaurant. 

You follow beside Lena, who approaches a table surrounded by a decent sized group of people. They all smile brightly at the CEO, a blonde hugging her excitedly. Then all eyes fall to you. Before Lena can even introduce you, a voice speaks. 

“Oooohhhh my god!” A man about your height nearly vibrates with excitement in his seat. Brown eyes widen and he bites his lip.“ You’re Artemis, the Avenger!”

It’s impossible to not chuckle at his enthusiasm.“ I am, but without the getup you can call me Y/n,” you reach a hand out to shake his.

“Y/n, yeah of course.” He shrugs with an understanding nod. 

Going around the group of people, you shake hands and learn names. After Winn, sits Kara Danvers(Lena’s best friend as she introduces), Kara’s sister Alex(definitely an agent of some sort), J’onn(also an agent), and James Olsen. 

While they all seem fairly nice, you can see Alex’s and J’onn’s studying expressions. They watch you cautiously and you don’t blame them. Winn and Kara are the more open ones, excited to meet you and engaging in a seeming nonstop conversation. And James, well you aren’t sure about him yet but he seems okay. 

Alex takes a swig from her beer, elbows leaning on the table top,“ what brings you to National City?” 

“Lena actually.” All eyes widen, eyebrows rising as well.“ In a strictly platonic and professional way.”

The CEO beside you chuckles softly, hand resting on your bicep,“ Y/n’s assisting me with a project of mine upon my request.” 

“What kind of project?” The auburn haired woman asks.

Something in her tone tells you that she’s skeptical, almost untrusting of the woman at your side. Whatever history is there is a little rocky, you can’t place why but it is. And even though you don’t know anyone here all that well, you’d hate for everyone’s seeming enjoyable night to take a sour turn.

“For now it’s merely a test for a new energy source. If it’s not clean energy or it’s unstable it won’t go further than this.” 

The woman seems satisfied with your answer, at least a little, and nods. Lena sending you a smile in thanks. 

“So, what kind of drink recommendations can a tourist like me get?” 

With your simple, easygoing question, conversations start back up. Each person gives you a drink recommendation and you take it, trying each one. Some you don’t like but most of them are great, and strong.

By the end of the night there isn’t a single person who isn’t laughing. The effects of the alcohol you’ve consumed hit you and while you aren’t wasted, it definitely makes things lighter for you. 

“Alright, I think it’s time I get this one back to her hotel so she can get home tomorrow.” Lena lightly pats your shoulder.

“Awe booo!” Kara and Winn say at the same time, the latter much more intoxicated than the former.

You pout, looking at Lena,“ don’t you want to hear about the anti-gravity gun Winn is working on?” 

“It’s handheld.” He adds in a whisper.

The brunette chuckles,“ I’m sure Winn would be more than happy to tell you about it some other time.” 

Sighing you nod,“ fine. She’s right, I have a flight later.” You rise up, the support of the table a great assistance,“ it was a great pleasure to meet all of you, had a lot of fun.” 

Kara’s big blue eyes find yours,“ you’re going to visit again right?”

“Not sure when but I will definitely be coming back.” 

With a goodbye to everyone, you and Winn slapping hands and nearly missing, and you and Kara high fiving perfectly, you leave. 

For the third time tonight you’re in Lena’s car. She leans back into her seat after telling her driver where to take you. It’s a fairly quiet ride back to the hotel, you drinking from the water Lena gets from the center console, and her occasionally looking over at you. 

She took great delight in watching you interact with her friends, especially with the amount of alcohol you’d consumed. Drunk wasn’t the proper state to describe you as but the intake definitely had you a lot more talkative and energetic than Lena has seen, though that’s only been twice. 

Telling her driver to keep the car running, she accompanies you up to your room. She’d hate if anything happened to you before a friendship could even begin. 

You swipe the card over the door sensor and push it open, turning to lean against the frame and address Lena.“ Thanks for today.”

“The whole day?” She chuckles.

“Yes ma’am. I loved every bit of it. Your friends are awesome and I’m really excited to see how the power core works out.” 

A little smile pulls at her lips,“ well I may have started this by myself but you’re definitely a part of it now. So let me know the next time you’re able to come back.”

“Really?” Your eyebrows pinch together. Compared to how much was done when you’d arrived everything you did felt like adding two measly cents. 

Honestly speaking, you’d genuinely loved every second of working on the power core with her. As much as you love saving the world as an Avenger, there was a newfound excitement and intrigue in you while you worked on this. It could save lives in a way you can’t as an Avenger. 

“Only if you want to.” The CEO says, slight hesitation hidden behind her teasing smirk. 

“I’d love to.”

* * * * * *

Taglist: @username23345 @depressed-bi-bitch @fayhar @trikruismybitch @aznblossom

[madnessinwrighting]

When They Know (You're the One)

(Summary: There's a moment, one distinct moment, when you know you're going to spend the rest of your life with someone. This is the Avengers (plus Loki and Bucky) having those moments.

Reader Insert, inspired by an imagine I have long since lost the link too. Open to writing a part two for the other characters.

Notes:  Hey all! This is something I've pretty much sat on for a year, but the convincing of two best friends has pushed me to post it. Basically, it's just a quick bite of little moments with each Avenger, with a reader insert. Yes, it was slightly self indulgent. Hope y'all enjoy.

Read on AO3

Steve

It was how you welcomed him home.

He comes back to your shared floor in the tower after a day of meetings. He was tired, and wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and wait for you to come back from your training with Wanda. He paused when he heard music softly playing. Glenn Miller’s "Moonlight Serenade" drifted around the corner, pulling Steve into the living room. His guard dropped when he saw you curled up on the couch in one of his sweatshirts, book in hand. Regina, your cat, and Doger, his dog, were laying at your feet.

Steve was always captivated by your beauty, but in this moment, with your attention completely held by the book in your hand, thinking no one is watching you, is when he found you the most stunning. Before he could clear his throat to let you know he was here, you glance up at him. A breathtaking smile broke out across your face as you got up to welcome Steve home. It was in that moment, he knew that he would never let you go.

Tony

It was in your careless beauty after an event.The two of you were in his room, lounging on his bed, after the monthly Avengers Gala that Stark Industries held. Every month, the Avengers and Stark Industries held a fundraising Gala to help different organizations in need. It had been your idea; being the Avengers PR person, you had proposed the idea after seeing the growing interest the public had in seeing the “real life superheroes” more, but still being unsure of the Avengers after New York and Sokovia. The galas let the general public mingle with the elite, all while the Avengers mingled with both. (You had started to notice how much the heroes spent less and less time with the elite and more with the general public (especially Steve and Bucky)).

You were wearing one of Tony’s button ups and a pair of pajama shorts. A champagne bottle rested against your leg as you grabbed for another slice of pizza. Tony laughed at you; you were always hungry after the galas. He reached for a slice too. He glanced up at you as you took a bite, just staring for a moment. Your hair was in an imperfect bun, wet strands falling around your face from where you missed a few pieces after your shower. There was a smudge of black under each eye from leftover makeup. As you wiped some sauce from the side of your mouth, Tony could see where your fingernail polish had started to chip. You noticed his staring. “What, playboy? Do I have something on my face?” He laughed at the nickname. Any other time, he would have sassed back. But the whiskey that had been coursing through his veins finally reached his head. Or maybe it was your beauty. Maybe it was a combination of the two that made him say, “No. I just realized I’m going to marry you someday.” You rolled your eyes at him, laughing. You thought he was joking. But Tony knew the truth, and that’s all that mattered; for now.

Clint

It was how you interacted with his kids, and how you could read him.

He had just come back from a mission. He and Nat had gotten banged around, nothing serious, but he knew his ribs were going to be hurting for a few days. He heard laughter the moment he stepped off the elevator to your shared floor. His smile grew when he saw you and his kids in the process of building a blanket fort, you standing carefully on a leaning chair to get the blanket on a high hook. Lila hid her face behind her hands as you made a show of “almost” falling, before doing a flip and landing perfectly. Little Nathaniel clapped his hands as the three cheered. The four of you took a step back to admire your work. The three kids all come in close to you, Nate hugging your leg. Your hand came down to play with his hair. You all talk quietly about what to add. Clint’s heart clinches at the sight. While his and Laura’s split was mutual, and they still cared for one another, it had been hard, for both them and the kids. To see you interact well with the three people that made up a big portion of his world, and them to do the same with you… Clint really couldn’t ask for more.

He caught the repetitive tapping of your fingers on your leg. “Take your time. Love you.”

Natasha

You learned Russian for her.

Any time she came into the room when it was just you and Bucky, the two of you would stop talking and a red hue would cover your cheeks. It didn’t take a spy to know you were hiding something. At first, Nat had a fleeting thought that you might be cheating on her, but she knew you, and knew Buck, and knew that that wasn’t the case. So she let the secret go for the time being; well, that’s a lie. She actually decided to turn it into a game and see if she could find out what it was that you were keeping from her. But sneaking up on the Winter Soldier proved to be difficult, considering most of her skills she had learned were from him.

She thought she had figured out a way to catch you. She was thinking through her plan while making her coffee that morning when your arms snaked around her waist. She smiled as you rested your head on her shoulder, placing a kiss on the bare skin. “Доброе утро Любовь. Спать хорошо?” you asked.

“конечно, ты был следующим -” Natasha froze as she processed what just happened. She spun in your arms to face you. “That’s what you and Barnes have been doing?”

“Yes. Were you going to say because I was next to you?”

“Yes. Why are you learning Russian?”

You rolled your eyes. “Because of you, silly. Your Russian, are you not? And while most of your Russian adventures are in your past and not really you anymore, they and Russia are still a part of you. I love every part of you and want to know every part of you, so I asked Bucky it he would be willing to--”

Natasha cut off the rest of your explanation by placing a kiss on your lips. If there were tears on her checks, neither of you mentioned it.

(Translation:  Доброе утро Любовь. Спать хорошо? - Good morning, love. Sleep well?конечно, ты был следующим. - Of course, you were next -- Done with Google. I'm sorry if they are incorrect. Please let me know if they are so I can fix it.)

Thor

You didn’t treat his brother like a villain.

None of the team was thrilled when Thor announced that Loki would be coming to live with him on Earth. But considering the alternative was for Loki to be executed, Thor convinced them to allow Loki to stay in the tower. But of course there were rules. Loki and Thor accepted these; Loki just wanted to leave the place that never felt like a home to him, and felt even less so now, no matter what his mother did to try and help. Thor was excited to see you once again, to be able to be with you once again, but he worried about how you would react to Loki. You had been badly injured when the Chatiri attacked. Thor loved both you and his brother; he wanted, no, needed you two to get along.

When the time came for Loki to move in, all the Avengers were waiting in the teleportation room. The alarm alerted you to the brothers incoming arrival. You all shielded your eyes as the Bifrost opened. The blinding light cleared, leaving the polar opposite sons of Odin in its place. Everyone stayed still for a moment. You rolled your eyes at all of them before throwing yourself at Thor. He caught you with a laugh, spinning you around.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Maybe I should have chosen execution.”

You sensed the movement of the team tensing and gripping their weapons. Placing a kiss on Thor’s cheek, you walked over to Loki. You knew he recognized you from when he fought against you during the Chatiri invasion; you also knew it wasn’t his fault. Hardly any of the New York Attack was Loki’s fault, directly. Knowing that, you placed your hands over both of the bracelets on his wrist, said a small incantation, and melted them away. You felt and saw Loki’s magic return to him. His eyes were swirling with questions. All you said to him was, “No one, not a single being, deserve to be cut off from something that makes them whole.”

Thor had tears in his eyes. He had been trying to convince others that his brother wasn’t the enemy, and here was the woman that he loved, showing that she believed that too.

Bruce

You loved him despite his inner demon.

Bruce Banner had felt ever since his… accident, that he was very much two different people. You once joked he was a modern day Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Tony thought it was hysterical, Bruce not so much). Despite his green friend always being just under Bruce’s skin, you never once feared him. The Hulk and Bruce were one person, and that was something you accepted very early on; Bruce knew he loved you then.

But the moment he knew he would spend forever with you was when you didn’t shy away from his true inner demon. Not the green one, but the one that was very human. The self doubt that he was nothing and only ever became something because of a gamma radiation explosion. The anxiety that he would one day lose control and destroy everything that he held dear. The depression that came from every so-called mistake he thought he had made in his scientific career. The depression that manifests in self isolation so no other mistake could be made, or at least no one was there to be hurt when they were made. He was certain that these monsters would be the ones to push you away from him; they would be the ones that would make you run away screaming.

You never once left his side, though. You calmed the anxiety attacks; you silenced the dark thoughts in his mind. You were his voice in every moment that he needed you. You were his protector, and he would do everything in his power to keep you.

Loki

You saw through the illusion.

Loki moved into the tower not long after everything that happened with the Battle of Sokovia, which was when you joined the team. He was brought to Earth to atone for his sins; Odin thought it poetic to banish his son to the place where he caused destruction.

Besides Bucky (shared trauma in brainwashing and all), you were the first one to accept Loki as he was. A connection flowed easily between you, bonding over books and similar battle styles; you both favored knives and daggers. One night, you two were in the living room of the comunal floor. Loki and you had only been dating for a few months, but your friendship led to a strong bond already. You were reading; Loki had been too, though he was now asleep, head resting in your lap. Your hand stilled in his hair as he started to fidget. Twitching and moaning, you recognized the signs of his nightmares immediately. Your gentle coasting to awake still startled him. A moment on the couch, the next on the floor staring into red eyes surrounded by a blue tinged face. As quickly as it was there, Loki was his blue-eyed, pale skinned self, helping you from the ground.

“Apologies, my love. I do not know what came over me.” He ran his hands through his hair.

You rolled your eyes. “Bullshit. Are you okay?” You reached out for him.

He smiled softly before turning away from you. “Yes, yes, I’m fine, love.”

“Loki, you are not--”

“I said I’m fine, Y/N,” he interrupted. He started to walk away.

“Wha- No, wait.” He didn’t stop. “Loki of Asgard, you stop right now and look at me, damnit!” He stopped, but didn’t turn. “Loki. Please. You can pretend with the team, with your brother even. But don’t lie to me. You’re not fine, not have you been for a long time. Look at me.” While you spoke, you walked closed to him. You reached out to place a hand on the back of his shoulder.

He caught your wrist, half turning to look at you. “You see through the illusions.”

It wasn’t a question. You still answered. “Yes, I do.” You used your captured hand to turn his face to you. “You may be the God of Mischief, but your lies have never worked on me.” You whipped a tear from his cheek.

He’d never admit it to you, but his heart clenched and he was at a momentary loss for words. All he could think to say, as he pulled you into his arms, was, “I know not how I got so fortunate to have you in my life, but I thank whoever it was that allowed it.” You just hugged him tighter.

Bucky

It was how you celebrated his 37th birthday.

Bucky had a doopy smile on his face as he read one of the texts from you; he and Steve were disembarking from one of Stark’s planes. Bucky brought his head up at the sound of laughter. “What, punk?” Bucky shoved Steve’s shoulder.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Nothing. Tell y/n hi from me, jerk.”

Bucky shot back that he would as he headed straight to the garage.

When he did get home, a wonderful aruma tickled his nose while Janet Blair’s “You’d be so Nice to Come Home To” floated to his ears. Dropping his bag by the door, he rounded the island. All of his weariness from the mission vanished once he saw you. Your hair was pinned up and you wore a y/f/c swing dress. He caught the reflection of your makeup; simple, with eyeliner your top lids, just a kiss of it on the lower, massacre gracing your lashes, and a red perfetingly complementing your skin coating your lips. When you faced Bucky, he had to grip the island slightly for support. You looked just like the dames he knew growing up. But unlike all of them, you were his, and you took his breath away.

“Buck! I didn’t hear you come in,” you exclaimed.

He reached out to you; you willingly stepped into his arms. Bucky placed a kiss on your lips, humming as he pulled away. “You look stunning, doll. What’s the occasion?” He started swaying you to the music.

You laughed. “You are, you dork. Or did you forget you turned a whole century while you are on this mission?”

“Ouch, doll. You really know how to make a man feel loved. I’m only 37,” he tried reasoning as he dipped you.

“Is that so? Then why does your birth certificate say you were born in 1917?” Bucky raised an eyebrow at you. “Fine, happy 37th birthday, even though you were born 100 years ago. Do you want some cake? I made this one special.” You began biting the side of your lip.

“Sure, babe. I’d love some.” Bucky gave you once last peck before letting you go.

You went to the cake, cutting two slices. Bucky saw you fidget slightly as you set them pieces down on the island. Not sure as to why you’d be so nervous (you’d made him chocolate cake before, it was his favorite), he picked up his fork and took a big bite. The explosion of flavor in his mouth caused him to pause for a moment before he kept chewing. Unsure if his senses were playing tricks on him, he took another small bite. Nope, that tasted exactly like-- “Is this my mother’s recipe?” Disbelief clouded his voice. You nodded your head. “And her icing?” You nodded again.

“It wasn’t easy to replicate, or even find the recipe, but this birthday is a big deal so I thought--” you were cut off by Bucky pulling you to him and crashing his lips to yours. You could taste the chocolate on his lips.

[yetanotherhiddlestoner]

                            The Asgardian and his Atlantean.

  (First time writing a marvel related story and and LokiXreader one at that. So forgive the way it is. I got bored one night watching Atlantis on Disney that I came up with this mixture of a story. Hope you enjoy I own nothing of marvels or disney’s. This story is also on my Wattpad -https://www.wattpad.com/user/HatterMoon )

Life at Stark Tower was good for you. All the Avengers loved you and they treated you like family. You loved helping out Tony the most with his suits and helping him advance the technology. This morning started like any other day, you woke before the sun had started to shine in the sky, you check your pendent. A couple more days before you need to be returning home.

You prepared breakfast for everyone, despite being told numerous times that you didn't need to do it.

You made sure to brew enough coffee for everyone as they all seem to need it first thing in the morning. You preferred tea to start your day, and so they have gifted you your own tea pot and tea set at Christmas.

The first to wander in was Nat, still in his PJ's with messy hair and rubbing her eyes, you chuckle silently. "Morning Nat. Sleep well?" She mumbled a reply, followed by the words "Need Coffee" One by one all the Avengers entered the common room, some more awake then others. "Tony where is Steve and Bucky?" Wanda asks as you take in notice that you are two short. "They left on a mission last night so for the time being it will just be us." Tony answers "Good Morning Y/N." Bruce said as he come to stand beside you. "Morning Bruce. I might need the lab later today to test out some test for healing drinks is that fine with you? "Hey I only borrow the Lab myself you best ask Tony since you know, he owns it" "I know but you are the one in there most of the time. It feels like I am invading  your space" "You can use the Lab Y/N. Do I need to remind you that you live here, you do not have to ask to use something." Tony said as he had overheard the conversation. You smile at him. Tony had become like a father figure to you over the years. "Thanks Tony."

It's not long before they all go off and do their own things, Clint goes to the shooting range, Natasha and Wanda go to the training, Bruce to the lab and Tony goes to the armory, leaving you to do your own thing. It unusually quiet this day. You so used to Bucky keeping you company while you wander through various jobs that need doing.

As the day went on you made your way down to the lab for a few hours, The Avengers went on a small mission, leaving you alone. As much as you hated them going on missions you enjoyed the quiet. You took note of the potions and ingredients and the ones that needed restocking.

"Miss Y/N. They will be returning shortly. I was informed by Mr Stark" "Thank you Jarvis, will they be requiring my assistance?"

"I am unsure Miss Y/N best to be prepared in case" You nod and gather a couple of jars in your hand and take them to the Med-bay.

"Hey kid we're home" Tony called out through the building. You make your way to them to see Nat and Clint heading to the med-bay, limping.

"There is a new stock of healing potions in there for you guys to try if you want." You smile and they nod at you as you continue your way to Tony. "How did it go Tony?" "Wasn't our best, wasn't as small as we had predicted." "That bad?" "You could say ,might be a problem in the future but not right now, also kid we have a new person for you to meet. They will be staying here for a while." He said as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Oh?" Now you were curious. "Yeah its Thor's brother, Loki. He will be arriving later today. If you want to join us in collecting him you are more than welcomed." "I might just do that. It has been awhile since I left the tower and I will be returning home in a couple days to grab supplies, So you will have to survive without me for about a week" Tony chuckles "You mean we have to cook our own breakfast? Oh no how will we survive." You roll your eyes at the sarcasm but smile. He pats your back as he walks out of the common room.

You head to your room and rest for a while, you slowly starting to feel the drain on your body. Closing your eyes you dream of your home, your friends and family.

A knock on your door alerts you to wake up. "Hey Lady Y/N, Stark told me to come and grab you." Only one person calls you by that nickname and its Thor so its no surprise when you open the door and see him there. "Please Thor call me Y/N. No need for formalities." "No. Lady Y/N we will be leaving soon, walk with me to the landing dock?" You nod and allow Thor to lead you to the Quin-jet. "So your brother is joining the Avengers?"

"Sadly no, he will be helping out on missions but will not be a Avenger. He is barely happy about helping us. He might even be able to help you in the Lab and with the suits." "I doubt Tony will allow anyone to touch his suits, do you remember the trouble I had when I fixed his suit the first time, I was all but grounded" "I am sure you could convince Tony to allow Loki to help?" "Ah the God of Mischief and Tony Stark agreeing on something. Is this not the same Loki that attacked New York?" You joke to the god of thunder. "The same one, I would like to think that Tony will one day sort of agree with him, he has done his time on Asgard and Father thinks this will help him amend the past." You stay quiet, you had not been here when the New York attack happened, that was the week Tony had sent you home to grab supplies, but he had filled you in on some of the details.

"Lady Y/N if you may" Thor says gesturing to the seat "We will betaking off soon." You smile and get strapped in to your seat. You stay quiet for the flight, everyone around is chatting between themselves, and joking. You pick up on bits and pieces here and thereof what they discussing.

"We might as well have a party for Reindeer games arrival." Tony says loud enough for everyone to hear. "Another party Tony? Must we, you know Loki won't like it" Nat says glaring at the male beside her. "Another reason to have it. He needs to get over it and show us that he is changing. So a party is the perfect way to do it." You sometimes wondered what went though Tony's head some days. He had to host a party for everything. He even held one for you when you finally agreed to help them. FLASHBACK It took a lot of convincing and asking for you to accept Mr. Starks offer to work for him. Some how your little secret was out in the open and now you had the richest man in the area, all but begging you to join his crew. "We could use a smart woman like you on the team. You would have your own room, hell I will even give you your own floor for your technology and gear." "Mr. Stark as much as I would love to join, I am afraid I will never fit in." "Why because your Atlantean? You do know Thor is a god, Bruce is the Hulk. You would fit in fine. I do not care what you are or where you come from."

You look at him and then look away to your garage filled with old Atlantean war machines. You could use a bigger place for them to be stored while you fix them up and get them back in the air. "Could I bring all this? I have worked to hard to give up" You wave your hands round the room. "Not to the tower, but I have a compound that we can store them at and you can go there and work on them whenever you need." "Alright Mr. Stark. I will accept." "Great and call me Tony. I will start arranging the transportation of your vehicles and your personal belongings. Please excuse me" You watch him walk out, a bit stunned at how quickly he got to setting everything up.

ENDOF FLASHBACK.

You feel Thor tapping your shoulder, you glance at him "Yes?" "We will be landing soon. Are you ok? You seem to be a bit distracted?" "Oh its all good Thor, I was just thinking." "As long as you are well Lady Y/N" A few moments alter you have landed and everyone has started leaving the Quin-jet. You look around you, nothing but grasslands for miles. Next thing you see a giant beam of light land on the ground ahead of you and in a flash it is gone, leaving nothing but a raven hair man in green armor.

Loki.

"Brother it is nice to see you again." Thor approaches the man alone. "Thor. I see you bought the whole team for this arrival. Couldn't trust me enough to come alone?" "It is not like that Loki. Do not start this" You watch the interaction between the brothers as does everyone else. No-one moves to greet him. "Come now Brother, there is someone I wish for you to meet." Thor looks in your direction. They make their way over to you. "Brother is is Lady Y/N." You bow a bit to Loki, knowing of his royal title, you have no choice but to. "Your Highness, nice to meet you" "Lady Y/N you do not need to bow to him." "Best you listen to my brother Mortal" Loki said with a smugness. You raise your head and you feel his eyes trail to your neck. You see the realization kick in once he sees your pendent. "You're Atlantean?"

[adaodinson]

Starsco

I don’t know where this came from, it’s quite weird, but I liked it, I hope you do too.

Oh and a small side note, the 5 songs that I mention, I really do recommend you to hear them if you haven’t.

English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

Feedback is appreciated :)

Summary: You start working for Bucky. An important event comes but someone messes up and you have to do something about it.

Warnings: Swearing.

Relationship: Company director!Bucky x female!reader

You´re heart dropped at the sound of your phone announcing that you had received an email. You had been like this the whole day waiting for that damned answer on the job you had applied for. You were insanely nervous. Even though you were only starting in the industry, the Starsco company was a pretty good place to begin at.

You had always been good with words, you were great at convincing people of selling things, of buying things, of doing things, etc. You were a natural (which was quite ironic sine you sere socially shy and awkward) and you knew it. You had wanted to make a living out of getting and selling strange things. Sure, it sounded weird, but, isn´t weird always interesting?

It had all started a month ago, when you told your aunt you needed her help. You had found a vacancy in a company called Starsco that basically, took care of finding the weirdest things other companies might need that couldn´t easily be found or bought in big amounts. The job was everything you wanted. The company was run by James Barnes, a successful businessman that was known for being a quite unique boss, and an amazing and talented person. You had worked with your aunt for the past few years, but when you told her about the job she immediately used her contacts to get you an interview, and before you knew it, that had passed and all you could do now was wait.

And this was it, this was the moment you would know if you were gonna start working for such a company and such a person in the business you had wanted for so many years. You opened your phone without looking at the content of the email, you then slowly lowered your fingers as you read line by line until you got there.

-YES- you yelled and jumped around like a maniac through your apartment. You got it, you were starting in three days, on Monday. WOOOHOOOOO hell yeah.

After telling your aunt about the news the weekend flew by, and in the blink of an eye you were walking through the crowded streets of New York headed to the building you had only seen once for your interview. You weren´t one to lie to yourself, you were fucking terrified. You had met Nat and Clint at your interview, they were important workers at the company, and seemed quite serious at first, focusing on the “at first”. You got along with them just fine. Even though you had all been insanely professional during the interview, when it finished, they let out a bit of themselves as regular people, and you got to like them since then. You hadn´t met your boss, though, and that was your main concern.

You pushed through the huge main doors and led your feet through the crowded and busy main entrance. You spotted Nat as soon as you got to the first floor, and she headed straight to you right away. She was wearing a beautiful black suit with a white blouse underneath, and you were wearing a dark blue one with a gray blouse under it. She smiled widely at you, and you returned her the smile.

-Hey, how are you? Are you nervous?- She asked happily, with a hint of playfulness in her tone.

-Hey, I´m good thanks, and yes of course I´m nervous. How are you?- You replied honestly.

-I´m good, and happy to see you here- You smiled at that even more.

She gave you a tour of the places in the building you didn´t know, and then led you to your desk that was placed in a huge room with beige walls. It was pretty big and seemed quite comfortable. It had a computer and office supplies.

On the other side of the room there was a big window with two desks in front of it. On them there were two people already standing up to say hi to you.

-Hey, I´m Wanda and this is Thor- Wanda was gorgeous, just like Nat. She had bright orange hair and was wearing a dark red blouse with a lighter red pencil skirt. Thor was a huge (insanely handsome) guy, with blonde hair and a big smile. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie.

-Hi, I´m Y/N, I guess I´ll be working with you now- You said happily and shook both of their hands. They seemed nice, like, really nice. Nat had told you about them, or specifically, she told you about everyone in the company that she got along with and that she knew you would too.

Nat left after saying goodbye, and Wanda and Thor explained more of what you would be doing; you would basically take care of making meetings and gatherings possible by having every person that was needed present, and you needed to get whatever your boss asked you to get, as weird or difficult as it sounded. That was, of course, hard as hell, because it meant dealing with weird ass people, but as always, that was your area of expertise. This was what you signed up for, and you were really good with words, that was your “ability”, and that´s why you had been hired. You were excited, it sounded really interesting.

Wanda told you Mr. Barnes was at a meeting, but he had made himself a little space to meet you, and that would happen in exactly an hour. You started settling in your desk, glancing up at the clock that hung in front of the door to your left (door that led to Mr. Barnes´ office).

Before you knew, the door to the left had been open, letting a crowd of men and women out, and finally showing your boss. Jesus fucking Christ. You knew about his reputation of being one of a kind, but damn, he was the most freaking beautiful man you had EVER seen, even more than Thor. Fortunately, you knew how to keep your composure around attractive people, you had since your interview with Nat.

-Ms.Y/N, hello, I´m James Barnes- he said with a smile that adorned those perfect deep blue eyes of his. And dear God, didn´t your name sound beautiful coming from his mouth. You took the hand he had just offered you.

-Hello Mr.Barnes, thank you for giving me this opportunity- You said while shaking his strong hand that happened to be huge compared to yours.

-Oh no, I´m thanking you, you have an amazing resume, it´s pretty clear you know your way through words- Damn it, this man is so charming, this is ridiculous.

-Well, if I have a skill I´ll use it- You answered, realizing either of you had let go of the handshake. You let go of his hand slowly, trying to not make him uncomfortable, and it worked. He just retreated his hand.

-Mmhh I like you already, doll- you couldn’t help the smile and small giggle that came out of you at his words. And well, the nickname, God the nickname. At first you thought that´s how he referred to all women, but you would soon learn he called everyone by their last names, except for Wanda and Nat (he referred to them by their first names), and you, you were “doll”- I´m sure Wanda and Thor already told you were to start-.

-They did indeed- You answered.

-Okay, then I´ll head back to my office, I´ll use the communicator if I need you, okay?-

-Okay- You smiled widely and watched him walk back to his office and close the door behind him. You headed to your desk, to start with your work, not noticing the confused looks Thor and Wanda were exchanging after the curious interaction they had just witnessed. But they weren´t gonna mention it until they were sure it had been what they thought.

Your job was just as hard and challenging as you had expected, but you loved it. You got to talk to the strangest people ever and go to the weirdest places with a bunch of security people just to protect you. You sure as hell wouldn´t have done any of that at another job.

Three months had passed, and you already loved everyone that worked with you. You were becoming close with almost everybody: Nat, Clint, Wanda, Thor, Pietro, Bruce, Tony, Sam, etc. Nat, Wanda and Sam were your closest friends so far. You also got along amazingly with your boss. You two already even had inside jokes, always spoke to each other with a playful tone and were quite touchy. The thing was either of you seemed to notice. You two were always brushing shoulders when walking together, he played with your hands when you were casually talking (you were already used to the feeling of his metal arm, and you seemed to be the only one he trusted to touch it and be touched by it), and both of you laughed like crazy when you were together, even if you were supposed to be professional (except, of course, when you were in front of people from outside the company, but that seemed to be the only time you didn´t look like a couple of idiots).

He called you doll and occasionally by your first name, and of course you called him Mr. Barnes: But one time you had seen him at a company event he casually asked you to call him Bucky, but it just felt wrong, so you kept the professional name.

You were working on getting 384 kilos of carbon (no, you had no idea why and you weren´t sure you wanted to know) when your boss appeared and called Wanda, Thor and you into his office. You shared looks since it was weird for him to ask all three of you in at the same time.

-What can we do for you boss?- You asked with the playful tone you and Bucky (yes, in your mind you did call him Bucky) often used when you talked. He smiled widely, but a hint of tiredness adorned his face.

-Well, I need the three of you working on an event that we are having next week. I need you to make sure everyone that is needed there will attend. This is a really important meeting, and it´s not any type of event, this could be a game-changer for the company, it has to be perfect. Someone really important is attending so I need you there to make sure everything that he wants he gets. It´s Ronald Lazo and I trust you to get what he asks for. He is known for only attending meetings that have a singer singing five specific songs, I´ll give you Thor the details and I need you to get that. He only drinks some weird kind of rum that I need you Wanda to get, and Y/N, I need you at the event to check that everything is working and that he´s getting what he needs. You guys can postpone what you´re currently working on except for the Cryt check and get these things done. Thor and Wanda, thank you, you guys are excused, Y/N I need you to stay-.

All three of you nodded and your workmates left the office. Once they closed the door, Bucky stood up from his desk and walked toward you.

-Listen, I only trust you in case something has to be done at the last minute because you have proven to be capable of doing so at emergencies, so I need you to finish the last thing I requested and then make sure this place- he said handing you a paper- will be available on Tuesday next week. That´s all I need you to do these few days because you´ll be at the event on Tuesday since 5pm to check and supervise that everything works-.

You didn´t even notice when he got closer to you, but you could smell his scent (a strange but nice mixture of metal, wood and cologne) as he spoke.

-And another essential thing I need to ask. On that day I need you to stay away from anyone that is not from the company. Stay really close to me, I´ll let you know what the guy wants, what I need you to get, but please stay away from him. I´m asking you this as hopefully your friend, not as your boss. This mas is known for easily losing his shit. I know you can take excellent care of yourself, but this guy is a whole different story. Please stay safe-.

-We are friends- you answered, truthfully- and I will stay close to you, I´ll stay safe. And of course I´ll do my work as you ask, everything that is needed- You said with a reassuring tone, as he did seem worried. Your heart flipped at the thought of him considering you his friend and caring this much for you.

-Perfect- He said as he walked back to his desk, as his worried tone disappeared, almost as if he had reset. You just nodded and waited for him to nod back. When he did, you took that as your sign to go out, back to your desk and get to work.

Tuesday came by in a flash. You woke up with a knot in your stomach, but you were kind of excited. It was 4pm, so you had to rush to get ready.

Bucky had told you to dress fancy but simple, so you went for a black dress that had a lose skirt that reached your knees and a beautiful top with sleeves that showed your shoulders but covered part of your upper arms. You choose a pair of black ankle boots that were easy to walk with, but that fitted the dress perfectly. You took one final look on the mirror and since you liked how you looked, you went to your bathroom to put your make up on. After you were happy with it you took your keys and purse and headed towards the place.

After parking your car you headed to the garden (the event would be at one), and you thanked your past self again for your choice of shoes. You walked toward the table where the people you knew were. You said hi to Sam, Clint, Bruce and Nat (the ones that were attending) and went to look for your boss to let him know you had arrived.

You just couldn´t get used to how handsome he was, it was impossible. He was wearing an all-black suit with a turtleneck and you felt your knees literally shake as you walked. He turned to you in response to the person that he was talking to looking stunned by you. I mean, I know I look good but that was weird. That was your thought until your boss looked at you. His eyes widened and he stood completely still. The only part of him that was moving were his eyes, as they seemed to be exploring you. You were fucking dying. He was checking you out and you were about to faint, so you decided to smooth the tension with a joke before you passed out at how he was looking at you.

-See something you like, boss?- You asked quietly enough for him to be the only one to listen. He bit his lip. Oh you´re not fucking helping. And he giggled.

-Wow, you do look amazing, doll- he stated. You felt yourself blushing like hell, but come on, he had to be more embarrassed than you at this point.

-Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself- That seemed to take him by surprise, but he then smiled and thanked you as well. He introduced you to the people around and informed you Mr. Lazo hadn´t arrived, but that he was counting on the singer that had been requested to have arrived already since it was the first part of the event, so he asked you to call Thor for him to tell you who and where she was.

As you started walking away, still laughing to yourself at what had just happened, you heard your phone ringing. It was Thor. How convenient.

-Hey Thor, how ar-

-Y/N, shit, I need your help- He said with a terrified tone. You had never heard him swear so you knew he had either screwed up, or he had been fucking kidnapped.

-My God, what happened?-

-The singer that I hired just cancelled, she found out more about Mr. Lazo and said she´s not coming-

-WHAT?- Okay, that came out way louder than what you wanted.

-Where are we gonna get a singer that knows the specific songs at the last minute?!- You asked, lowering your tone.

-I don´t know, please help me- He was truly desperate, so you agreed to help him.

He told you the songs were: Cry to me by Seal, Missing you by John Waite, I hope I don´t fall in love with you by Tom Waits, December 1963 by Franki Valli and The Four Seasons and Do you really want to hurt me by Culture Club. Okay maybe the guy was weird for always requesting to hear the same five songs at any event he went to, but he surely had a good taste in music, you knew all of them by heart. Although it was ridiculous that he wanted a female singer to sing all male songs.

After agreeing with Thor, you hung up, but the second you turned around, you saw your worst nightmare: Mr. Lazo had arrived, and he was heading to a freaking pale James Barnes that was mouthing you the question “where the hell is she”.

You were dead, Thor was dead, everyone was dead.

Lazo sat down at his place, and shortly everyone imitated him. He was seating next to Bucky that looked like he was about to faint. You had NEVER seen him like that, like ever, before tonight you couldn´t even imagine him getting so nervous.

You knew the songs would lighten up the mode, and that show working out would probably give Bucky the confidence he needed to be himself again, so you sighed, feeling a huge knot on your throat and texted Thor that it had been taken care of.

You never would have done this unless this exact thing was happening: everyone was seated, looking at the empty stage with nervous musicians and your dying boss. It had been at least two years since your last singing class, and even though you knew you were good, you hadn´t sang in front of an audience since you were 18. Lazo was clearly getting impatient, so you rushed to the stage, nodded at a confused Bucky, smiled at the musicians and died internally.

They understood and started playing the first song, and the second the words started getting out of your mouth, you remembered how much you adored singing. No one in the office knew you could sing, so they were all stunned at how beautiful your voice was. But there were two particular people who´s reaction you loved: Nat, that had the proudest face you had ever seen in anybody (she knew about what had happened with Thor), and Bucky´s. His face was lit up in a way that made his eyes and smile shine like diamonds. He seemed lost in you, and you were doing this for him, you sure as hell would make sure he knew that later.

Weeeell, nothing can be sadder than a glass of wine alone.

Loneliness, loneliness is such a waste of time.

Oh yeah, you don´t, you don´t ever have to walk alone, you see.

Come on and take my hand, and baby won´t you walk with me, oh yeah.

Just like that, the first song ended and the crowd applauded at your improvised performance. After seeing Lazo´s happiness with you, Bucky even stood up.

Shortly after, the next song began and you continued singing the five songs until the last one.

You´ve been talking but believe me.

If it´s true you do not know.

This boy loves without a reason.

I´m prepared to let you go.

If it´s love you want from me.

Then take it away.

Everything is not what you see.

And it´s over agaaaaaaain

Eventually the last song ended, and now the whole crowd (including Lazo) stood up, clapping. Your smile was huge, you really couldn’t (nor wanted) to control it. You looked for your boss in the crowd, and when you spotted him, you realized he was pointing at a door. You took that as a sign of him wanting to talk to you, and your overthinking ass managed to worry you and make you believe he could be mad at you.

You went to the place he pointed at, it was a maintenance closet filled with garden tools, but it was pretty big. Shortly after, Bucky found his way inside and before he could say anything, the second he closed the door, you started.

-Listen, Mr. Barnes, I´m so so sorry for having to do that, there was a problem, you see, the singer Thor hired cancelled like 30 minutes ago and everyone was waiting and Lazo was getting impatient and-

You couldn´t finish before you felt two strong arms hugging you and lifting you from the floor. Your reaction was to put your hands on his shoulder as he turned you around in his arms and laughed. You were gonna need a doctor´s appointment after your boss´ action, or you were literally gonna die.

-DON´T, don´t you dare apologizing! That was AMAZING, I didn´t know you could sing, that was impressive, he was so happy, Jesus. Thank you, Y/N- He said as he placed you back down. He looked at you with those deep blue eyes that had you dying for him. You felt like he was stealing your heart and soul only with his eyes, and you couldn´t help but placing your hand on his cheek.

-You don´t need to thank me, it´s my job. I mean, I did it for the company, and for my boss, and for Thor, and for the event. I couldn´t just let everything fall apart before it started, I couldn´t do that especially to you, Bucky-.

-Especially to me, Bucky?- He asked with a smirk. Fuck, fuck, no, what did I just do.

You just stared into his eyes, expecting him not to take much from what you said, but your mind imploded and stopped working the second you felt his lips covering yours. What in the actual fuck is happening? You didn´t let your mind wander in that question for too long, after all, you were KISSING him. Your hands went to nis neck and his grip tightened in your waist. You both split your lips, letting the other´s tongue explore. He was just perfect, you were covered in his scent, in him. You tasted all you could for as long as you could. But then you both remembered you kind of do need to breath.

You two parted slowly and let your foreheads rest together with wide and dumb smiles. At the same time, you both walked a few steps away and he then opened the door for you. He followed closely behind and soon enough, you were lost together in the crowd with your minds still clouded by the other´s presence. The event started great, it could only get better, and what would happen next, well, you were pretty sure it was gonna be awesome.

[crispychrissy]

Wildfire (6/?)

Summary: Wanda and Y/N discover something unsettling in her memories, and it reveals more about what Y/N went through. Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 3015 Warnings: Language, angst, violence, more sciencey stuff, a surprise A/N: I am so happy I was able to break through my writers block and write this for you guys. Wildfire is a personal favorite story of mine, and I love how the story is being weaved together and built. Please let me know if you are enjoying this, feedback gives me the fuel to keep going. :) Below gif is made by me, and this was beta’d by the ever so lovely @saxxxology.

Part 1—Marvel Masterlist

The memory overtook Y/N’s mind, sending her into almost a dreamlike state of consciousness. The room around her melted into the floor, replaced by concrete, glass, and a dusty dirt floor. The acrid smell of blood, sweat, and soot had bile rising in the back of her throat, but she continued to remind herself it wasn’t real, trying to stay grounded and not losing herself to the illusion. Y/N was a spectator now, watching from the sidelines as her memory played out.

“Again!” an accented voice boomed, and even though it was only in Y/N’s mind, she flinched. “Get up!”

“Where are we?” Wanda asked, appearing as a somewhat ghostly apparition to her right.

“This was about a year after I was enhanced, in the training and testing wing of the facility I was held at,” Y/N whispered, wincing in sympathy for her former self when she was punched in the face by the uniformed man towering over her. “That,” she pointed to the man, “is Eli Porter. He supervised most of my training.”

Wanda sniffed in distaste. “He seems like an asshole.”

Y/N smiled. “He was.”

Wanda raised a questioning brow, but Y/N only continued to stare at what was unfolding. There were six men in protective suits in the room aside from Eli, all in various stages of injury, leaving Y/N severely outmatched. Y/N’s memory self dragged herself from the floor, wiping the blood dripping from a gash on her nose with the back of her hand.

“I can’t do it,” memory Y/N growled, clenching her hands into fists.

“And I said I don’t give a fuck,” Eli sneered back. “Do what you're told or I’ll strap you down and let my men do whatever they want to make you compliant.”

“This is when I realized he made a mistake,” Y/N said, watching as her memory self’s eyes widened, realizing Eli had not worn his protective fire-proof suit into the training area like he should have.

In a blur of movement, memory Y/N darted forward and jumped so she could put her hands on either side of Eli’s head. Fire surged in her veins and out of her hands, and Eli screamed when his skin began to blister and sizzle. Flames consumed the man’s head, spreading down his neck and shoulders, igniting the expensive wool suit he was wearing. Y/N released him and stepped back, but by the time the other men in the room realized what had happened, Eli’s head was engulfed in flames, and he took several shuffled steps backward before collapsing.

“Well, then,” Wanda mumbled. “Brutal, but it appears he deserved what he got. This doesn’t seem like—”

“Keep watching,” Y/N breathed out, closing her eyes as the memory shifted.

In a montage of memories, Y/N watched with tear blurry eyes as her memory counterpart was beaten, tortured, starved, and worked within an inch of her life every single day. The punishment she endured for killing Eli lasted over two months, and every day began fresh due to her accelerated healing. The men would take bets on how many broken bones they could give before she’d pass out, or how long it would take her to lose consciousness if her throat was slit.

When they broke her body, they tried to break her mind. The knowledge she would heal allowed her to ignore the pain for the most part, and it frustrated her captors to no end. The scene flashed and changed, showing Y/N’s memory self strapped into a medical chair, wires attached to electrodes stuck all over her head. Her body looked so damaged and frail, and when a man in a lab coat flipped a switch and turned on a strange machine, electricity surged into her head. Her back arched and she opened her mouth to scream, but a mixture of dehydration and scar tissue around repeated cuts on her throat resulted in no sound. Tears flowed from her eyes as the machine powered down, and one of the men walked up, leaning forward to speak to her.

“You belong here,” he told her, “we’re trying to help you. Stop fighting us.”

With a quiet sob, memory Y/N lethargically nodded her head, finally giving in.

It was a weakness she promised herself she would never feel again.

“Y/N,” Wanda said calmly, making Y/N turn away from the horror playing out in front of her to look at the redhead. “You need to relax, okay?”

Y/N looked at her, confused, before she realized her fists were clenched tightly, and there were small flickers of orange flames dancing across her hands. A soft gasp left her lips as she relaxed her hands, snuffing out the flames. “Sorry. I just… watching from the sidelines is different. I still can’t believe I listened to them.”

“They tortured you, not even the strongest mind could withstand that.” Wanda’s attention shifted back to the memory playing out, and a deep frown eclipsed her face. “What are they doing?”

Y/N looked back, watching as one of the white coated men tinkered with a vial of some kind of opaque substance. The memory was fuzzy, like it was being seen through a camera that couldn’t focus, and both she and Wanda leaned forward to try and decipher the writing on the label.

“I was really out of it at this point, don’t remember ever seeing what it was they injected me with.” Y/N sighed, rubbing her temples. “Can’t see something in the playback I didn’t see at the time.”

“Maybe not, but I can try to clear it up a little,” Wanda glanced at Y/N, “if you’ll allow me. The eyes register a lot more than the brain can process. All you need is to find the right set of… magical glasses, if you will.”

“If you think it’ll help, please, knock yourself out.” Y/N chuckled, then winced, rubbing her temples again. “Not literally. Please don’t knock yourself out.”

Wanda’s eyes glowed a deep crimson, and she smiled as she began to send wisps of red into the air from her hands. They danced around like sentient tendrils of light, poking and prodding various spots in her memory. When one wisp got close to the area where the doctor was working with the mysterious vial, an inky black puff of smoke appeared and seemed to snap at it, making the tendril retreat.

“Oh, that’s very strange,” Wanda hummed to herself, “whatever is in that vial seems to be pushing back against my magic. Which should be impossible since we’re only in an illusionary representation of your memory.”

A sharp pain stabbed at the back of Y/N’s head, making her squeeze her eyes shut. “Wanda…”

“One second. I’m trying to coax it out.” Wanda continued to focus on the mysterious billow of black smoke that had coiled itself around the doctor holding the vial like a snake ready to strike. 

The longer Wanda interacted with the entity, the more intense Y/N’s pain became. When the witch was finally able to touch it with her magic, Y/N screamed and dropped to her knees, clutching her head. It felt like her brain was being burned from the inside, and she began to claw at her hair, digging her nails into her scalp to somehow make the pain stop.

“Y/N!” Wanda shouted, ceasing the use of her magic and rushing to Y/N’s side. Wanda couldn’t see anything actively attacking her, and she tried to stop Y/N’s frantic scratching. “Hey, can you hear me?”

Y/N slumped back, trembling, with tears streaming down her face as Wanda tried to calm her, and neither of them noticed the black smoke slithering its way toward them. The hair on the back of Wanda’s neck stood up and she pivoted on her heel, raising her hands to defend herself against an attack.

“No one escapes the abyss,” the smoky entity hissed, it’s voice gravelly and eerily echoey. 

Wanda set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. “Watch me.”

The area was engulfed with a bright red light, and Wanda held onto Y/N as she forced herself and her magic away from the memory. Normally she would gradually remove herself, allowing reality to trickle back in, but there was no choice in this situation. Leaving a memory like this was unpleasant, and she could feel a trickle of blood fall from her nose at the intense amount of mental strain it caused her. As dark splotches began to flood Wanda’s vision, she made sure all of her magic was untainted and free of whatever that entity was before she allowed herself to succumb to the darkness.

Wanda jolted back to reality when she felt something touching her face, and instinct took over as she regained consciousness. She lifted her hand and sent out a burst of magic, forcing whatever was touching her away, fearing it was something malicious from the memory. When she opened her eyes, she realized the something touching her face was actually someone, and watched as a dazed Steve was helped up from the floor by Bucky.

“Wanda?” Steve questioned, rushing back to her side as Bucky went to Y/N.

“There’s… something inside her mind. The… abyss.” Wanda’s eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in Steve’s arms.

“Shit,” Steve hissed, waving the nurses in before glancing over to his best friend. “Buck? Y/N?”

Bucky’s hands were running along Y/N’s arms, legs, and head, checking for any open wounds or broken bones with military precision. “There’s blood coming from her ears, but she looks uninjured. Well, no physical injuries, at least.” The nurses took over, also looking for injuries, and Bucky slid backward to allow them to work.

“What did Wanda say to you, Cap?” Bruce asked quietly, kneeling down next to Wanda and helping Steve shift her onto one of the collapsable stretchers he removed from his medical kit. 

Steve let out a long breath of air, slumping back onto his bottom. “She said there’s something in Y/N’s mind.” Steve glanced behind him at Bucky helping the nurses shift Y/N onto the stretcher, and lowered his voice. “The abyss?”

“Doesn’t ring any bells.” Bruce shrugged, hooking up a small portable set of vital monitoring machines to Wanda. “Wanda’s stable, just unconscious. If I had to guess, she overexerted herself.” He looked over his shoulder at Y/N and the nurses lifting her onto a similar stretcher as Wanda’s. “Marlene, make sure you take her for a brain scan right away. I may not be a medical doctor, but even I know blood dripping from someone’s ears is never a good thing.”

Marlene nodded and with help from the other nurse, they lifted Y/N up and carried her quickly from the room.

Bucky studied Y/N’s bloody ears as the nurses walked past him, and he shivered as he was assaulted with a flash of his own memory. Zola’s face studying him, injecting him with things, and electrodes being placed on his head before a mind numbing amount of pain shot through him. He remembered looking at his reflection in the mirror once they got back to the Army base camp in Italy, noticing the dried blood that had come from his ears.

“Yeah, never a good thing,” Bucky muttered, and when Steve looked over at him with deep concern on his face, Bucky managed to give him a soft reassuring smile. “Just remembering what happened in Kreischberg,” Bucky tapped his ear with his finger, “I’m good.” Steve’s frown remained, and Bucky rolled his eyes. “Really, pal, I’m fine. I’ve remembered that one before.”

“Cap, a hand?” Bruce asked, crouching at the front of the stretcher.

Steve leaned forward and took a hold of the bottom of the stretcher, lifting Wanda once Bruce counted to three. Bucky led the way as they carried her out of the room and down the hallway. Once they reached the medical wing, Tony and Natasha, who were standing outside the MRI room, joined the group.

“What the hell happened?” Tony asked, frowning at Wanda’s unconscious form as they continued down the hallway and into an empty room.

“Wanda was trying to help Y/N remember more of her captivity and figure out why she can’t get a read on her mind, so she did the mind meld thing she did with Bucky when he first got here.” Steve ran a hand through his hair. “Before she passed out, Wanda said there’s something in Y/N’s mind. Called it the abyss.”

“Hmm,” Tony tapped the side of his glasses, “FRIDAY, run a search on the abyss in relation to Hydra. Any files come up?”

“No, boss,” the AI replied, “the only results I found are excerpts from private journals of Hydra officers. They are all personal reflections about their plans to ‘send SHIELD into the abyss’.”

“That’s because she’s not searching for the correct term,” Bucky chimed in with a shaky voice, moving toward Tony. “It’s not spelled a-b-y-s-s like the word, it’s an acronym. A-B-I-S.”

“FRIDAY?” Tony prompted again.

“Found it,” FRIDAY announced. “ABIS: Autonomic Brain Infiltration Substance. Records are limited, but it appears it was created under the scientific human experimentation umbrella of the Winter Soldier Project.” 

All eyes snapped to Bucky, and Steve took a hesitant step forward, waiting for him to explain.

“It, uhhh, it didn’t work on me, which is why they went with the brainwashing.” Bucky’s metal arm whirred as his hand closed into a fist. “I don’t know what it was made of, but it was designed to strip you of your free will. The doctors kinda explained some of how it worked when they didn’t think I was listening. Not only does it block you from making your own decisions, but it also blocks anything external that tries to affect you and if someone tries to remove it, it fights back.”  

“Which is why Wanda couldn’t see inside Y/N’s mind,” Steve realized, looking over at Bruce. “Did any of her tests show this thing inside her head?”

Bruce looked up from the monitor he was studying, shifting uncomfortably at how close Natasha was leaning over his shoulder. “I’m looking back through her scans right now. Everything looks completely normal. So either it doesn’t block medical equipment, or protected itself from discovery by projecting a fake result of the scan.”

“Can it do that?” Natasha asked, looking between Bucky and the scans up on the screen.

“I don’t know.” Bucky had more of his own questions than answers for everyone else, but he knew the amount of pain he was in for weeks after they injected it into him. “It never worked on me, and I don’t know why. Maybe it can only latch onto enhanced people?”

“We’re both enhanced, Bucky,” Steve reminded him.

“Yeah, but by chemicals. I’m talking about inhumans, the ones with dormant abilities that are activated.” Bucky turned toward Bruce, and gestured to the doctor. “You said it yourself, Banner, she has mutated DNA, just like the inhumans that began to pop up everywhere a few years back. What if they used the Power Stone to trigger her mutation?”

Natasha’s eyes widened, even though they were full of sadness and sympathy. “And when she resisted, they used this ABIS thing to try and control her.”

“They did say it was going to be more effective and faster than brainwashing,” Bucky growled, “and I bet she didn’t even know it was inside her.”

“She didn’t.”

Wanda was sitting up in the hospital bed, her eyes unfocused as she slowly blinked at the small group standing in her hospital room. Everyone, aside from Bruce, rushed toward her when they saw she was awake. Wanda’s hand was shaking as she gripped the rail of the bed and lifted herself up into a sitting position.

“Easy there, witchy woman,” Tony gently urged her to lay back down, “you need to rest.”

Wanda slumped back, breathing heavily at how fast the small amount of exertion exhausted her. “Y/N?” 

“Unconscious, but aside from some bloody ears, appears unharmed. We’re giving her an MRI right now.” Steve sat down in one of the comfy plush chairs next to her bed. “What happened, Wanda?”

Wanda took a deep breath and closed her eyes, retelling her experience with Y/N in her memory. Everyone showed some form of anger or outrage when Wanda explained the amount of torture Y/N endured after she killed Eli, and when she began to explain the strange black substance in a vial, Bucky cut her off.

“That’s it, that’s what the ABIS looked like.”

“It talked to me,” Wanda whispered. “Told me ‘no one can escape the abyss’ before I forced myself from her memory and mind.”

“Ouch,” Bucky winced in sympathy, having seen the toll it took on her when she’d had to do a quick mental extraction like that before. “You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah,” Wanda smiled. “Just need some rest. But what do you mean ‘that’s what it looked like’? Have you seen it before?”

“ABIS is an acronym, A-B-I-S. It stands for Autonomic Brain Infiltration Substance. They tried to use it to control me when I was the Winter Soldier. It didn’t work, and they resorted to brainwashing.” Bucky shook his head. “Apparently they kept what was left, or still had the recipe somewhere to recreate it.”

“I’m sorry, guys, I’m not strong enough to poke around and get you more answers,” Wanda rasped, eagerly taking the bottle of water Tony offered, chugging half of it in seconds. After she recapped the bottle, she sent Tony a sympathetic look. “But I do know who is.”

“Aw, hell,” Tony sighed, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. “Here we go.”

Steve grinned and looked toward the ceiling. “Heimdall! Can you please let Thor know we are requesting his presence?” Steve sighed. “His and Loki’s.”

***

Marvel Forevers [3 SPOTS OPEN]: @princessmisery666 @tardis-auto-pilot @feelmyroarrrr @idalinette @kassablanca13 @superlockedtimelord @voltage-my2dlove @agentstarkid @amandatar-06 @mizzezm @holyfuckloueh @spn--imagines @fanfictionjunkie1112 @wish-i-had-something-better @kittenofdoomage @growningupgeek @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​ @cake-writes​ @captain-kelli​ @zoerayne2426​ @sadwaywardkid​ @sunlightdances​ @buckyland​ @kentuckybarnes​ @justagirlinafandomworld​ @cosicas-cuquis​ @cravingmarvel​ @straightforwardly​ @beccaanne814​ @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall​ @walkingchemicalfire​ @rhymesmenagerie​ @hina-chans-stuff​ @supernaturaldean67​ @idjitmonkey​ @crushedbyhyperbole​ @xxloki81xx​ @blue-like-barnes​ @rainbowkisses31​ @learning-howto-be-myselfx3​ @flyingcannoli​ @reapersan​ @previouslyforgotten​ @thefridgeismybestie​ @hawksmagnolia​ @zpandaqueen

Wildfire Tags: @eliza5616​ @bitchwhytho​ @waywardsistersandpie​ @tofeartheunknown​ @ayannaboo1111​ @nerdwholikesword​ @nerdgirljen​ @eileenalone​ @awaywithtime​ @winchester-wifey​ @fuckinherondale​

[littlesliceofmarvel]

Um, I Don’t Think So

Request/Synopsis: Reader is Tony Stark’s daughter and secretly dating Peter. One day, they accidentally let it slip that they’re together.

Warnings: Swearing

Pairings: Stark!Reader x Peter Parker

A/N: I love this, that’s all I gotta say. In this, Pepper is the reader’s mother! Also, Peter’s such a lovable dork, he deserves the world. Anywho, as always, gif isn’t mine and my inbox is always open! xx Enjoy!

You found yourself launched into a complicated situation once again. Your boyfriend, Peter, had now officially-unofficially joined the Avengers and was being mentored by your dad in jus about every possible way. You loved their closeness, really, you did. You know your dad was extremely important to Peter in so many ways, having lost his father figure a while ago. So, your dad took him under his wing, making him a new suit and helping him buckle in for life as a superhero. 

Of course, there was one thing that tainted this perfect image. Your dad didn’t exactly know about your relationship. No one did, really. It was a huge secret that would definitely end in a long talk with your father about boys and your mom would probably pester you into telling her everything. You loved your parents dearly, but you weren’t sure you were ready to introduce Peter as your boyfriend to your family and the team just yet. 

“You seem lost in thought,” Natasha grinned, her face mask cracking as she did so, “Definitely about a boy.”

“Oooh, do tell,” Wanda sat upright, dropping the magazine she was reading. 

You scoffed, turning away, thankful that the charcoal face mask you had on covered your blushing, “I’m not thinking about a boy.” You loved your girls nights with Wanda and Natasha dearly, but damn, these girls were observant.

“Oh, come on, Y/N, you know you can’t lie to us,” Wanda said with a knowing look, raising her eyebrow. One thing you hated about her observance was that she had a habit of looking inside your head to see what was up. You had told her off countless times, but you’re almost certain she still did it from time to time. One of the reasons she was impossible to lie to. You were surprised she didn’t let slip you and Peter were dating, you were almost certain she knew.

“I’m not!” You defended, “Why would I even be thinking about a guy anyways, I’m too busy watching Judge Judy.” You played it off, shrugging your shoulders and turning back to the TV as Nat chuckled.

“I’m practically the definition of liar, honey,” she remarked, “I know when I see one.”

You rolled your eyes, turning back to face her, “C’mon, don’t you think that if there was a guy you two would be the first people to know?” Nat and Wanda exchanged a glance, shrugging slightly, “Besides, you know my dad doesn’t let me go 20 feet near a guy who isn’t an Avenger anyways.”

“It’s Steve!” Wanda pointed a finger at you, and you choked back a laugh.

“Steve?! What? He’s like, a hundred years old,” you laughed at her accusation, and Nat rolled her eyes, realizing that that was absurd. 

Wanda realized it too and shrugged, leaning back down on the bed and picking up the magazine she was reading previously, scanning through the pages once again. Nat got up and walked to the bathroom, taking the towel out of her hair, so you turned your attention back to the television, watching Judge Judy roast some stupid people arguing about a car. You felt a buzz in your back pocket and pulled your phone out, fighting a blush when you read the message. 

Spider Boy - Hey, babe, your dad invited me for dinner at the compound tonight so I’ll see you then, love you. xo

You grinned to yourself, already excited to see him, and quickly sent a reply.

Can’t wait, love you. x

You rushed to the bathroom and took off your face mask, feeling incredibly satisfied when you could move your face easily once again. 

“Sorry, guys, dad texted me, gotta go see him, bye!” You rushed out the door, waving to the two girls who looked puzzled but didn’t get a chance to say anything before you were rushing down the hall to your room. The drive for Peter was about an hour and a half, and you wanted to get ready right away. 

“Hey, kiddo,” You nearly ran straight into your dad while turning the corner as he stood in front of your door, “Dinner tonight, everyone’s coming, just letting you know. We need a good... bonding experience after what’s happened recently.”

You nodded quickly, excitement running through your veins, “Of course, I understand totally!” You turned the doorknob to open it, stepping inside your gorgeous room. The large queen sized bed sat next to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water, the Manhattan skyline in the distance. You rushed to your closet, throwing off your baggy sweatshirt (that was actually Peter’s but no one had to know) and shorts, scanning through your closet to find something to wear. 

You pulled out a pair of jeans and a lace tank top, not wanting to seem too over the top or else people would get suspicious. As soon as you got dressed and started analyzing yourself in the mirror, your phone buzzed from the bed. You rushed over as saw you had a new text.

Natasha - You took off quickly, girlie, you know we weren’t done with questions!

You rolled your eyes, smiling slightly before answering the nosy redhead.

Dad needed me! Dinner with the whole squad tonight, gotta prepare. No more questions! 

You threw your phone back down on the bed, rushing to the bathroom to put on some makeup. Once you were done, you took your hair down from the bun it was in and grabbed your phone, rushing out to the living room. It had only taken you half an hour to get ready, so you still had to wait at least another half. You walked over to the couch and noticed Bucky and Sam arguing over what to watch as your mom, dad, and Bruce were cooking up a storm in the kitchen. 

“Sam, I swear to god, I am going to knock your teeth out,” Bucky let out a frustrated groan as Sam changed the channel once again.

“I am sick of watching freakin’ National Geographic documentaries, man!” Sam reached for the remote as Bucky changed it once again. You let out a small laugh, thoroughly entertained by these two. They acted like brothers, and to you, they felt like brothers. You were forever blessed to have these people surrounding you.

“Y/N, come on, would you rather watch a show about bugs or ESPN?” Sam looked over to you, causing you to raise your hands in surrender. 

“Not my argument, boys,” you shook your head, causing Sam to groan and Bucky to defend himself.

“It wasn’t a show about bugs, you dipshit!” 

You were about to reply that you’d rather watch bugs than sports, but your dad announcing Peter’s arrival made all of your attention turn to the front door, where Peter stood with flowers in his hand. He was wearing a button up shirt and dress pants, a little bowtie around his neck. He looked absolutely adorable, and if this relationship wasn’t a secret, you’d run up and plant little kisses all over his face. Your dad greeted him with a firm pat on the back and welcomed him in, but his eyes were fixed on you. You hated this secret thing, wanting nothing more than to greet him properly, but you knew it was for the best.

“Who are the flowers for, kid? Me?” Sam asked, making Peter blush slightly as he shook his head, laughing awkwardly.

“You wish,” he responded, making Sam act offended, “They’re for you, Mrs Stark, thank you for the dinner invitation,” Peter walked over to your mother, handing her a gorgeous bouquet of roses and sunflowers, which to you was the most beautiful combination of flowers you could get. Your mother awed at the gesture, pulling Peter in for a hug. You felt your heart melt, loving how your parents got along with your boyfriend. Your dad nodded in approval, helping your mom find a vase for the flowers as Peter walked up to you, taking a seat next to you on the couch.

“Hey, Y/N,” he smiled at you, taking your breath away at how gorgeous this little dork was. 

“Hey, Peter,” you replied, looking away when you realized Sam and Bucky were watching your interaction, not wanting to be suspicious or obvious.

“Parker, would you rather watch a show on bugs or sports?” Sam asked, leaning forward as if he were interrogating Peter, making you roll your eyes, looking over to Peter who seemed a little confused, “Actually, forget it, you’re a bug, of course you’re biased.” You felt yourself laughing, looking over to Peter who didn’t know what to say, nodding awkwardly. Sam let out a groan of defeat and turned the channel back to Nat Geo, making Bucky let out a ‘humph’ of triumph.

As the two continued bickering, Peter leaned over to you, whispering in your ear, “You look beautiful, babe.” You felt your cheeks heat up and you looked over to him, smiling shyly.

“You look pretty damn good yourself, Parker,” you whispered back with a little wink, making him grin.

Within the next hour, all of the Avengers had piled into the dining room and you were all seated around the long glass table, the food making your stomach grumble louder than you had expected. You didn’t eat lunch, so that explains it. You sat between your dad and Wanda, who was being embarrassingly flirty with Vision sitting next to her. Peter sat across from her and your mother across from you. 

Everyone dug in immediately, the smell and look of the layout being too tempting to hold off on. You could hear Bucky and Sam arguing over potatoes at the end of the table, resulting in Steve scolding them like children, making you giggle.

“Um, anyone want a drink? I’m getting up,” Peter announced, standing up and looking around the table, waiting for a reply. Everyone mumbled a ‘thanks, I’m good.’

“I’ll actually have glass of water, thanks, if you don’t mind,” you smiled up at Peter and he nodded.

“Sure thing, babe.” 

Oh, no. Fuck. Shit. 

Please, please, can no one have heard that?

You felt your heart completely stop as your eyes widened, looking at Peter who went completely white. It was as if time had slowed, everyone stopping what they were doing to see if they had heard correctly, and based on both your reactions, they did.

“Babe?” Your dad questioned, placing his knife down as he looked between the two of you, “Uh, I don’t think so. Please tell me he didn’t say babe.” Your mom’s mouth dropped, looking over at you with a confused expression. Oh, God. This was not how you wanted them to find out.

“O-Of course not, M-Mr Stark,” Peter laughed awkwardly, waving his hands, “Why - Why would I call her babe?”

You dropped your head, Peter’s nervous stuttering being a dead giveaway of the fact that you two were in fact a thing. You lifted your head once again when you heard your dad’s chair pull away from the table, standing up. You rushed to your feet as well, eyes wide.

“Dad, calm down,” you pleaded quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Your heart went from being dead still to racing out of your chest. Peter looked absolutely terrified. 

“Calm down? How do you expect me to-” he took a deep breath, “What’s going on between you two?”

You wanted to answer, you really did, but as soon as he asked the question, your voice left you, and you looked to Peter.

“U-Um, we’re, uh, dating, Mr. Stark,” he mumbled quietly, looking down to his feet before looking back up. From where your hand was placed on your dad’s shoulder, you could feel him tense up. You knew he was mad, his breaths coming out slightly shaky as your mom placed a hand on his from where she was sitting, looking down at her plate.

You heard Nat mumble an ‘I told you so’ to Wanda, realizing that telling them today would have probably helped how bad you felt right now.

Your dad turned to face you, and you felt awful, “Dad, I’m so sorry for keeping this from you, I-”

“How long has this been going on?”

You were surprised by how intensely he cut you off, but you swallowed your nerves, “Around six months.”

“Six - Wow, six months, nice,” he laughed sarcastically, “You’re my daughter, you’re not supposed to lie to me.”

You suddenly felt very aware that the entire team was watching and listening to you guys, but you didn’t really care, your dad’s anger being the only thing you wanted to deal with, “I know, dad, I’m so, so sorry, believe me, I am. I wanted to tell you as soon as it happened, believe me, but this is going so well and I was terrified of telling you and mom, I’ve never really done this dating thing before, you guys know that, and I really, really care about Peter and I didn’t want you guys to flip out, I was waiting for the right moment.”

You dad chuckled, “The right moment? It’s been six fucking months, you’ve had loads of right moments.” You felt your heart break, and as you opened your mouth to respond, Peter’s voice beat yours.

“If I may, Mr. Stark, she’s telling the truth, she was always talking about how awful she felt hiding this from you, she refers to the two of you as her best friends,” you heard Natasha mumble an ‘ouch’ before Peter continued, “But believe me, I love your daughter, more than I could ever tell her, and I would die trying to protect her, you need to know that this isn’t just a teenager fling, or whatever, I’m in love with her.”

You felt all the air leave your lungs as he said that last sentence, looking right into your eyes, letting you feel all of the emotions he could possibly express towards you in that moment. It was almost as if everyone else in the room had faded away, the two of you sharing this extremely intimate moment. But then you remembered that everyone was sharing this moment with you.

“Aw, shit, you can’t be mad at him after that, Tony,” Sam exclaimed from the other end of the table, cutting the sweet moment short as your dad turned to him with a death glare, his expression softening as he looked to you once again.

“I’m mad, yes, I can’t believe you totally disobeyed my orders about not dating anyone on the team,” he said softly, coming to his senses.

You gave him a mischievous smile, “I’m a Stark, we don’t listen to what people want us to do.” You were immediately engulfed in a hug, your mother rushing around the table to join in as you laughed, the rest of the team letting out an ‘awe.’

You pulled away from them and smiled at Peter, who stood there awkwardly, but you could tell he was extremely relieved, the colour returning to his face and his shoulders much more relaxed. He looked over at your dad, nodding.

“Well, Peter, I guess if I had to pick anyone for my daughter to date, I’m glad it’s you,” your dad smiled at him as your mom rushed to the other side of the table to hug Peter, mumbling something about ‘love birds.’ 

Everything seemed to fall right into place, you could be open about your relationship with the boy you loved, and everyone on the team seemed overjoyed. Steve grinned proudly, Natasha shot you a wink and a thumbs up, sending you a text saying ‘We need to talk!’, Sam and Bucky smirked at Peter, who rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, Clint placed a hand over his heart, muttering about young love, and your dad sat next to you, smiling proudly as he realized that you were with someone good, someone that he knew would take care of you. 

You sat back down, a sigh leaving your body as the cat was finally out of the bag, “Anyways, Parker, I’ll have that water now, thanks.”

[thewitchandtheassassin]

The Youngest Stark (Wanda Maximoff x Reader)

Prompt: Would I be able to make a request where the reader is Tony’s little sister and is dating Wanda?  No worries at all if you’re unable to write this, I absolutely love your writing and hope you have a fantastic day!

Words: 2082

Warnings: Language, the tiniest hint of violence

-X-

Being the sister of the Tony Stark had never been easy. There was so much pressure to be the perfect child – the perfect Stark – and you hated it. You hated the world’s eyes on you and you hated how they compared you to your famous brother. You were as much a genius as he was; you simply used your talents differently, trying to stay out of the limelight.

He was an Avenger, one of Earth’s mighty heroes, while you were a simple lab technician in the Compound. You worked in Tony’s lab, helping him design new armor and tech that would keep the world safe. You weren’t out there in a suit like he was and that was fine with you. You’d rather be tucked away in a lab than out there making a fool of yourself. It wasn’t that you weren’t in awe of what Tony did; you just knew you were far more helpful in his lab than you would be trying to be an Avenger.

And Tony accepted that.

What he had trouble accepting was your newfound relationship with one of the team’s newest members.

He didn’t care about the fact she was a woman. No, he had known for years that you preferred the company of the fairer sex. What bothered him was who you had chosen.

Wanda Maximoff, one of the newest Avengers and easily the most dangerous, was your girlfriend – and it drove Tony crazy. He didn’t trust her – her or her powers – and he’d never admit out loud that she genuinely scared him, but he knew that arguing with you about your relationship was a terrible idea. It would get him absolutely nowhere because you were stubborn and once you set your mind to something, nothing would change it.

So instead of commenting, he watched from a distance, silently judging and calculating every little interaction. He wanted to catch her screwing up so he could step in. He loved you more than any person on this planet – you were his little sister after all – and he didn’t want you getting hurt. So he simply waited.

She would screw up. He just knew it.

-X-

The lab was quiet – something you were appreciative of. For once, Tony and Bruce weren’t in the lab so it was just you and the tech. You adored your big brother, but sometimes he was just too much. He needed to understand that he didn’t always have to be “Tony Stark, billionaire genius”. Sometimes the only person he needed to be was Tony.

Grabbing Natasha’s batons, you set them on the table before you and started tinkering with them. They were powerful, but you had a feel you could up the voltage while decreasing the weight. They were balanced, but Natasha often grumbled about how heavy they could be. Since she wasn’t going on a mission anytime soon, you figured now would be the perfect time to test out a few theories.

Before you could inspect them, however, the lab door slid open and Wanda stepped inside, a shy smile on her face. Your relationship was still fairly new and she often worried that she was bothering you whenever she came down to visit, but your beaming smile softened her fears and she relaxed, walking over to you.

“Hello, malysh,” she greeted, her accent thicker in these private moments with you than when she was around the others. She liked – and to some extent, trusted – the Avengers, but she felt like they judged her for being different so she tried downplaying her accent. With you, however, she knew she didn’t need to. You had repeatedly told her how much you loved listening to her talk, reminding her there was nothing wrong with being unique.

She leaned down to peck your lips, her hands on your shoulders so that you didn’t tip back off the stool. You’d done that before, scaring her half to death despite the reassurances that you were totally fine.

You cupped Wanda’s cheek, dragging her into a deeper kiss that made your pulse race. Her lips were petal soft and so damn tantalizing. Humming against her lips, you smiled as you parted.

“What brings you down to my lovely hideaway this fine evening?” you asked, separating your knees so you could bring Wanda to stand between them.

Wanda’s arms encircled your neck, her eyes flickering between you and the batons on the table. “I was looking for you. It is movie night and you weren’t there.”

You sighed, pressing your head against her chest. “I know.”

Fingers played with the baby hairs at the nape of your neck, soothing your raging mind. “Is there something wrong?”

Shaking your head, you leaned back a little and stared up at your worried girlfriend. “No, darling, I’m fine. I’ve just got a lot on my mind and going through some of Tony’s tech always helps me sort it out.”

“Should I go?” Wanda wondered, deflating slightly at the idea of not getting to spend time with you.

“You can stay if you want,” you replied with a smile, “I just have to warn you, I’ll probably drive you crazy with my ramblings.”

Wanda giggled, combing a hand through your hair. “I like when you ramble.”

You helped Wanda hop up onto the bench beside Natasha’s batons, pressing another kiss to her enchanting lips before resettling on your stool.

From the doorway, Tony discretely watched you chatting with Wanda. He’d come down here to find you and talk about whatever was bothering you, but instead you were with her. You were explaining in great detail how the batons worked and she seemed genuinely interested, something you’d never had before. It surprised Tony a little, if he was being honest. He hadn’t expected her to care yet here she was, sitting on your bench, listening to your explanations while also trying to help you with your rampant emotions.

Blinking, he uncrossed his arms and stepped out of the door. Maybe Wanda wasn’t so bad after all.

-X-

It wasn’t until Wanda went missing during a mission that Tony realized how much she meant to you.

It was supposed to be simple: get in, retrieve a SHIELD informant, and get out but something had gone terribly wrong and now she and Bucky were both missing. You were standing in the lab with Tony and Bruce as they suited up and prepared to leave and go find their captured friends. You were staring at the suit Tony had made you a long time ago, when he first became Iron Man. It was (F/C) and it fit you like a glove despite the fact you’d never done anything with it.

“I’m coming with you,” you announced, stalking over to the suit.

Tony balked. “What?”

“I’m coming with you,” you repeated, glaring at Tony, daring him to argue with you.

Bruce cleared his throat. “(Y/N), we don’t know what they’ve done with them. It might be too dangerous for you to…” he trailed off, his eyes widening at the fierce look that crossed your features.

“I’m. Going.”

You activated your bracelet and pointed it at the encased suit. The glass slid open and you stepped up onto the platform, pressing another button. Faster than you had anticipated, the suit was on your body and booting up, FRIDAY’s voice loud in your head.

“Good morning, (Y/N),” she greeted robotically.

It wasn’t hard for you to adjust to the suit – you helped build and maintain these things for God’s sake – and by the time Tony was dressed and ready, so were you.

The others weren’t that surprised to see you joining them. Natasha had faith you’d find your strength. She understood that you wanted to be there the moment they found Wanda and Bucky, so coming in a suit of armor made sense. You were going to help properly destroy those bastards one way or another; you were a Stark after all.

You just needed a push.

“Ready, team?” Steve asked as everyone gathered at the Quinjet.

You nodded impatiently, praying to whoever would listen that your girlfriend would be okay.

Sam clapped you on the shoulder though you barely felt it. “She’s going to be fine.”

Vision nodded. “Yes, Wanda is quite capable. I am sure she is fine.”

Rolling your eyes, you followed Steve onto the Quinjet. You knew how capable Wanda was, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting or scared. She was the strongest woman you’d ever met yet she was still your girlfriend.

The flight wasn’t terribly long but you spent the entire time pacing. You couldn’t help it. All you could think about was HYDRA having your girlfriend – and Bucky. Two people that HYDRA definitely didn’t need to have. What if they were trying to weaponize Wanda or re-weaponize Bucky? You’d worked hard to help Wanda gain control of her powers and Steve had spent so long helping Bucky reintegrate back into society…

There would be hell to pay if all that had been undone.

The moment the Quinjet touched down, you were out with Tony right behind you. Both your face plates fell into place and Tony couldn’t help but appreciate this. The two Stark siblings, fighting together at last. Fighting for one of their loves. It was kind of poetic.

“Ready?” Tony asked.

“Let’s do this.”

You and Tony flew towards the base’s entrance while Steve and the others fought the ground forces. There weren’t many so you didn’t feel too bad leaving them there. You slammed into the door and it flew out of the doorway, knocking back into the wall on the far side of the room. It smacked a few agents, knocking them unconscious.

“Good job,” Tony praised, looking around. “I would say we should split up but Cap will be up here soon looking for Bucky so we should search for Wanda.”

Nodding, you followed Tony through the base. You left most of the fighting to him, instead deciding that you’d be the one to look through the rooms. The first floor was a bust and the second floor only led you to whatever SHIELD informant they’d originally been sent to find, but the third floor was where you finally found her.

Wanda was locked up tight in a small cell by herself, her hands bound behind her back and a blindfold over her eyes. She looked so small and young, dirt smudged on her cheeks. She didn’t cry though. She was too headstrong and determined not to show fear. You wondered what all they had done to her, but you didn’t have time to think about it.

Rushing over to the cell, you jerked at it with all your might. It slid open and Wanda’s hands clenched into fists.

“I will not tell you anything,” she spat.

You smiled, so proud of your girlfriend. Your face plate came off and you kneeled before Wanda, carefully reaching up to take off her blindfold. You watched her gorgeous green eyes blink before wearily landing on you.

“(Y/N)?” Wanda whispered, stunned. She thought she was imaging things. You’d never worn this suit before – hell, you’d never been on a mission before – so why were you here now? Was it all for her?

“We’re here to get you out, Maximoff,” Tony informed her from outside, watching the two of you curiously.

You helped Wanda to her feet and spun her around so you could untie her hands. The second she was free, she tossed her arms around you and brought you into a heavy kiss, pouring everything she had into it.

“I love you,” she murmured, her lips brushing against yours.

“I love you too,” you replied, entirely smitten with the woman in your arms.

Tony made a gagging noise but the two of you ignored her. It was creepy to see his little sister kissing her girlfriend, but the moment was sweet and he was glad to have been there. He finally understood everything. She was your Pepper Potts in a way; she was the woman you’d do anything for.

“We’ve got Bucky and the informant,” Steve announced through the comm. “Have you found Wanda?”

“Yeah, Cap, we’ve got her. We’ll see you back at the jet.” Tony gestured for you to follow him. “C’mon, kids. We’ve got places to be. Exchange saliva later,” he teased.

You flipped Tony off before slipping your face plate back into place.

Tony grinned.

Maybe, just maybe, he had been wrong after all.

[dropyoursocksandgrabyourcrocss]

Unsteady (Brother!Bucky x Sister!Reader w/ Steve)

A/N: Hey guys, this is my first fanfic uhhhh ever.. Please be nice. This is super deep, but then it gets really fluffy and sweet. I’m sorry if the change between the two is super drastic. I’m learning. It’d mean a lot if I could get some constructive criticism in the comments or whatever. Thanks guys :)

!!!!!Trigger Warning!!!!! Mentions of self harm, contemplated suicide.

Summary: The reader is struggling with mental health, and her older brother reminds her that she doesn’t have to go through it alone and reminds her that he’ll always be there.

Word Count: 2,428

You were slipping. And you could tell. The tell tale signs came creeping back unexpectedly and hit you like a freight train. You either slept too much or too little, ate extreme amounts to drown out your pain or never ate because you were scared you’d gain weight, you hardly left your room, and rarely talked. You were almost too far gone. Everyone was concerned, but they had no clue what was happening. Especially your brother, Bucky. God, he just wanted to make sure you were okay. He just wanted his baby sister back.

You had finally decided to drag yourself out of bed, glancing over at the clock. It was 3:26 in the afternoon. You groaned as you got up, and slowly walked to your bathroom. Today was the day, you thought. You took a shower and felt that burning sensation on your hips and thighs you knew all too well. They weren’t fresh, but they were new enough that they still hurt. Everyone was slowly catching on. And that’s when you decided to stop. Grimacing, you lightly washed over them. You hopped out of the shower and almost tripped from fright as you heard a knock on the bathroom door.

“Y/N? Are you up?” You heard Steve say. Steve had always checked on you the most out of everyone, besides Bucky. You guys had shared a special bond since you were little. You always went to him with all of your problems.

You slipped on your clothes carefully, but not before carefully patting your cuts with peroxide and wrapping them up. “Yes Steve, I’m in the bathroom.” You walked out, dreading the interaction. Please go away, you thought. He was leaning against your door frame.

“You okay, kiddo?” No, you weren’t. But you didn’t have to deal with that much longer. You nodded and gave a clearly forced smile, but it was enough to convince him for the time being. “Well we had breakfast, but it’s a little late for that now. Come on down for lunch, it’s Tony’s turn to cook. You absolutely adored Tony’s cooking, but if you ate right now you’d throw up. You were gonna miss it.

“I’m not really hungry, I might just go walk.” Right. A walk. 

“You at least have to come talk to everyone before you go, Y/N. I’d prefer you eat, but I can’t force you to.” You internally groaned, but obliged. That was a delay in your plan. Truth was, you really wanted to see everyone. Honestly, you did. You wanted to talk to everyone and laugh and have fun, but the depression had a harmful grip on you and you just couldn’t bring yourself to it. You wanted to tell everyone everything, to the cuts and your thoughts and feelings. But you were absolutely terrified that they’d find it immature and unreasonable, and just flat out stupid.  

You and Steve walked down the long hallways and eventually into the living room. Everyone smiled when they saw you. This was the first time you had seen everyone in the same room for while.. Probably a few weeks. Maybe even months. Mostly everyone had been off on missions, taking turns staying home. It made you happy that you’d see all of them one last time.

 You had almost forgotten that your brother had gotten home from a week long mission with Sam and Nat this morning. You had felt like an awful sister. Bucky got up and walked over to you, engulfing you in a hug and picking you up. 

“Hey doll, how you been? Don’t tell me you forgot about me.” He asked with a wink, carefully placing you back down. Honestly, you had felt awful. Drained. Broken. Suicidal.

“I’m okay Buck, how was the mission-”

“It was the most epic one yet. So what happened was-..” Sam cut in, walking over to you guys. Sam started telling everyone in a very long detailed story how the mission went, probably lasting around an hour and a half. The story also consisted of Bucky and Nat explaining parts of the story how they actually went. You glanced down at your phone in the midst of the social chaos. 5:13. Enough time to slip out and be alone. I can finally go on my walk, you thought to yourself. 

“I’m going on a walk guys.” You said, mainly aiming it at your brother. They all nodded, giving you the okay.

You went around giving good long hugs. One to Bruce. One to Nat. One to Tony. One to Clint. One to Wanda. One to Vision. One to Thor, you had always loved his hugs. One to Sam, with a squeeze. And then it came down to your boys. Bucky and Steve. Your worlds. You hugged them both, a good long squeeze. As you walked away, a tear slipped down your face. Here we go.

You had walked towards the bridge closest to the tower. You had forgotten in was winter with all the thoughts you had going through your head. You were freezing, and it was already dark. It wasn’t a very busy bridge, believe it or not, so you didn’t have to worry about anyone stopping you. You slowly climbed up and sat on the edge. Will it really be worth it? Is there anything after this? An afterlife? Is anyone going to look for me? I’ve been gone a while. You glanced down at your phone. 8:51. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to leave behind the people I love. Will they even care? Y/N, you know they’ll care. They’ll be devastated. But I just want the pain to stop. Please. How do I make it stop?

You started shaking, completely lost in your thoughts. You did the only thing you thought you could do. You took out your phone and dialed a number.

“Y/N?! Where the hell have you been? You’ve been gone almost 4 hours! I swear to God-”

“Bucky?” That’s all it took. Saying your brother’s name, the slightest voice crack. You broke down, letting out all your pent up emotions. “I’m a-a-at the b-b-bridge. H-help me. I-I-I can’t d-do this.” And with that, you heard the line drop. You sat down on the sidewalk on the bridge. You put your head in your hands and tried to calm yourself down. You rocked and rocked, trying to ground yourself from this attack. Minutes seemed like hours and you felt someone put their hand on your shoulder. You slowly looked up, “Bucky.” You stood up and embraced him, letting the tears stream down. 

“I got you doll. I’m here.” He picked you up and carried you with ease back to the tower. He walked through the living room, gaining concerned looks. You hid your face in the crook of his neck from embarrassment as he brought you to your room, where Steve was already waiting. He sat you down on the bed, tears still flowing. You just couldn’t stop it. You felt like a coward.

“Tell us everything.” And that’s exactly what you did. From start to finish. You explained when it started, your daily thoughts, your plan for the bridge. You showed them the cuts and where you hid the blades. “Why didn’t you tell us?” 

“I felt helpless. I felt immature and stupid. I was scared you guy would just brush it off or make jokes. Or tell me I was being unreasonable. I have no reason to be feeling this way. I know I don’t. And that’s what makes all of this so much worse. I have a near perfect life, with an actually perfect family. But these thoughts just consume me and I can’t stop it. It physically hurts. My chest, my stomach, my head. I feel weak.”

“Y/N, you are one of the strongest people I know. And that’s saying a lot considering who we live with.” Steve said with a half-hearted laugh, managing to get a pathetic chuckle out of you too. “We’re going to beat this, and you don’t have to go through it alone. You will have constant love and support through all of this.” You realized that Bucky hadn’t said anything this whole time, so you turned to look at him. He had a distant look in his eyes. 

You turned around to look at Steve, only to find him looking at Bucky too. “Can we have a minute?”

“Of course.” And with that, he walked out. You and Bucky sat in silence for a few moments.

“Buck-”

“I should’ve known. I should've known that my baby sister wasn’t okay. That she was suicidal.” This was the first time you had seen him cry in years. It broke you inside. He wasn’t the type of person to cry unless he was absolutely devastated.

“Bucky, no one knew. It’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.” You pulled yourself into his lap and he wrapped his arms around you, so tight that you felt like he was never going to let go. “This isn’t anyone’s fault, Buck. You know that, right?” He slowly turned his gaze towards you and nodded. He was rubbing your back, attempting to comfort you. But also comforting himself, thinking about how if you didn’t call him.. You might not be sitting right there in his arms. As he was rubbing your back, his hand grazed your side. You flinched with a giggle, and hid your face in his chest. That gave him an idea to cheer you (and himself) up. “Hey Y/N, do you remember how Steve and I cheered you up when you were little?”

The gears started turning in your head. Oh no. You tried to pull out of his lap, obviously not succeeding. He held you tighter against him, and began to spider his fingers up and down your sides. “Buhuhuhuck.” Your shirt began to ride up, and the cold sensation of his metal arm just made it that much worse. 

“What’s wrong, Y/N?” You couldn’t stand to be teased, and boy did he know it. He flipped you over onto your bed and straddled your waist, pinning down your forearms with his knees. There was no chance you were getting away. “Now let’s find that smile of yours, shall we? It’s been so long.”

“Ihihihihi dohohon’t wannahaha smihihihile Bucky-YEEE! STAHAHAP!” His hands flew to your sides as you let out a loud squeal. While his torturing digits moved up and down your sides, you arched your back. He smiled as you squirmed around.

 “But Y/N, I’m just getting started! I can’t quit now!” He slowly moved up your sides to your ribs. He got down super close to your abdomen, after pulling your shirt up. “Gasp! Y/N! I think you’re missing some ribs! I better count them to make sure. Alright one, two, three-Y/N!” You thrashed around under his touch, letting out hysterical laughter. “You made me lose count! Looks like I have to start over. One, two- Y/N!” You were blushing so hard, along with scrunching your nose. One of your signature looks while laughing was your nose scrunch, and everyone adored it. Bucky never managed to forget to tell you how cute it was every time he saw it.

“Awh, look at the baby. You’re adorable! I forgot how ticklish you were, maybe I should do it more often.” He cooed, making stupid faces one would make at an actual baby. He stuck his tongue out at you.

“Fuhuhuhuhuck ohohohohoff.” You attempted to sound intimidating, but you failed miserably.

“Watch your language! Just for that I’m gonna-” He left the sentence hanging as he dug straight into your armpits. He was not a light tickler, and both you and Steve knew it.

“BUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUCKYYYYYY! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!” You tried pulling your arms down, but to no avail as you were stuck under the super soldier’s knees. Your face was turning red, but Bucky had no clue what the word mercy meant.

“Wow! That was a plea if I ever heard one. Hold on Y/N, I’m almost done.” While keeping you pinned, he bent down and pulled your shirt up. You knew what he was about to do. 

“Buck, no. No no no nohohoho.” Your laughter picked up as he got closer to your stomach. “Bucky please- ACK NOHOHOHOHOHOHOOO BUHUHUHUCKYY STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! I CAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAN’T BREHEHEHEHEHEATHE!” Your laughter went silent. He blew a few raspberries and dug into your hips at the same time. Your laughter could be heard throughout the whole tower. He finally let you go and you curled up into a ball with residual giggles, only after you slid off your bed from how weak you were. He went to pick you up and put you on the bed, but you only flinched away from him. 

“C’mon Y/N, I’m not gonna do it again.” You hesitated, but eventually let him pick you up and lay you on your bed. He covered you up with the blanket and leaned down to kiss your forehead. He sat beside your legs and stroked your hair lovingly, “We can talk about everything in the morning again. But for now I need you to rest, okay?” You nodded. He stood up and walked towards the door, turning your light off.

“Buck?” He turned around, the only light to be able to see you came from the hallway and shined delicately on your face. He hummed in response, “Can you sleep with me tonight?” He walked over to your bed, shutting the door behind him. He pulled the blanket up, got under the covers, and pulled you into his side. You cuddled into him without hesitation.

“Thank you. I needed that. I may not be completely fine right now, or even anytime soon. But I’m glad I have you. And everyone else here. To help me realize I’m not going through this alone. I love you.” He nodded and kissed your forehead again. 

“I love you too.”

He needed it too. He needed to see you laugh. He needed to make sure his baby sister was okay, and for the time being you were. And he was going to make sure that you were going to be okay, because that was his job as your older brother. He was your protector, and your best friend, and he promised himself that nothing was ever going to hurt you again. Ever.

And if the rest of the Avengers walked in looking for you and Bucky, and were met with you and your brother sleeping peacefully, they wouldn’t say anything.. Because they all loved you just as much.

[authoressskr]

Write Into My Arms [1]

Characters: f!Reader, James “Bucky” Barnes, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Peter Parker, Hope Van Dyne, Natasha Romanoff, Scott Lang, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Okoye, T’Challa, Shuri, Clint Barton, Happy Hogan, Dr. Strange, Wong, Bruce Banner, Amelina Rodrigez (OFC), with mentions of Thor, Carol Danvers, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Peter Quill, Gamora, Nebula, Mantis and Drax.

Warnings: Language, Action (in last chapter) and no Beta (just me and Grammerly up in here)  ::  Word Count: 8885  ::  Pairing: Bucky x f!Reader

This was written for @jewelofwinter’s Writing Challenge!! I also incorporated a prompt for @jaamesbbarnes + @sgtjbuccky’s D&S’ Milestone Celebration!!

Prompt: “Tin Man lost Y/N.” (@jewelofwinter’s prompt) + “Publicly, I agree. Personally, I think it’s chickenshit.” (D&S’ prompt) Bolded in text below. Prompt #1 will appear in the third part while Prompt #2 appears in the second part. The next two parts will be posted by the end of this week. All three will be linked.

Summary: You’re a small time blog writer who is invited to interview the Avengers. ALL the Avengers. 

Please do NOT repost, copy & paste, post or share my works on any other platform without my EXPRESS PERMISSION.

-+- REBLOGGING is fine and very appreciated! -+-

Looking around the compound’s living room, you can’t help but openly stare. Everything is expensive, even the doorknobs seem to know their elevated worth.

You’ve circled the room three times so far, each time slower than the last as your keen eyes searching out every minute detail. You’ve been waiting for nearly twenty minutes, which isn’t too much of a bother, and from what you’d heard from other reporters and writers isn’t that long of a wait for Tony Stark. Although your boss said that the article was supposed to cover all of the inhouse Avengers…

Happy, Tony’s chauffeur/bodyguard and right-hand man, had brought you into this room and at this point, your overthinking has begun to wonder if being made to wait here is a diversion so that he can get all the Avengers to clear out. After all, Stark Industries controls most of the press about the Avengers and they don’t do interviews...except Tony and every so often, the good Captain Rogers.

You wonder briefly if watching some YouTube would be extremely unprofessional or just a mild, millennial version of unprofessionalism.

Deciding against it, you sit on the plushest and buttery soft black leather couch, fishing around your large purse for your notebook. Carefully flipping past the first pages, you look over the list of Avengers you’ve compiled - along with basic stats, going over them for the umpteenth time since being assigned this article. And, being the person you are, you had arranged them by age, willingness to talk to you, and then on difficulty on opening up for the story.

Fishing out a pen, you make a few last-minute notes, only to feel that tell-tale prickle at the back of your neck alerts you to the three figures lingering in the large entryway that leads towards a hallway. You pop up, smoothing out your dress bottom nervously.

“Oh! Hello. I’m Y/N, writer for Undefined Muses. I’m, uh, here to interview you?”

“You don’t seem to know if you are or not,” Hawkeye, Clint Barton, says with a big smile - the last yellow traces of a bruise fading on his left cheek.

“I wasn’t sure who all had agreed to participate - and I don’t want to force anyone to do if they aren’t interested.”

“Normally, the reporters are kind of rabid about these kinds of interviews,” Natasha replies smoothly, moving into the room and perching on the arm of an oversized loveseat. She’s dressed impeccably, looking like a glamorous movie star from the thirties, with high waist black dress pants and a dark blue silk shirt with tiny red roses dotted all over.

“Well, my boss sent me because I’m,” You pause, searching for the right word. “Demure.”

“I honestly was waiting for you to say ‘unrabid’.” Clint chuckles out, tossing himself into the loveseat that Natasha is perched on directly across from where you stand.

“I’m not sure what writer would use the word ‘unrabid’. I’m also 90% sure that isn’t a word.”

“Only 90%?” Natasha queries, smiling so knowingly it makes you a little wary.

“Well, he said it, so thus it has been made a word. But you won’t find it in a dictionary. So yes, 90%.”

The large brunet, whom you knew as James Barnes, still stood by the hallway they must have come from, watching the interactions with storm blue eyes. Your shoulders tighten, straightening as you realize that they’d sent all the previous assassins in first. Quite the unsettling welcome wagon… Wait. Was this a weird sort of game? Like chicken? You very nearly chuckle, if that’s the case, because little did these people know you weren’t the bravest person - content with hiding behind your words, telling others amazing and heart wrenching stories.

“Will you all be participating?” You finally manage to get out with a smile without nerves making it forced.

“They will,” Comes the answer from behind you - Tony Stark himself, Iron Man in the flesh, says with a confidence you’d only seen on tv. “Miss Y/L/N. So glad you could make it. Plane ride enjoyable?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you so much for the use of your plane.” He waves a hand as he flashes a megawatt smile.

“No problem. No problem at all. Now, I know they’ve probably introduced themselves but that is Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and one of the 100 plus pair, Bucky Barnes.”

“Nice to meet you all,” They all nod as Tony rubs his hands together then claps.

“Now, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying, I’ll have Happy drop your luggage in there while I show you around -”

“I’m sorry - uh, staying?” You tilt your head a tad to the left, blinking at the illustrious Mr. Stark.

“Yes. Of course, you’ll be staying here in the compound. Rhodey, Steve, and Sam are headed home as we speak, should be here sometime early tonight. Wanda and Vision are on their way back, they were having brunch at a nearby vineyard. Oh, and Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Danvers should be in - oh, I don’t know - maybe 3 or 4 days. Everyone else is on site.” Logically, you know your mouth is open. You also know you should close it, but the shock…

Every. Single. Avenger.

Fuck.

“Um, I just...Sir, I didn’t mean...I only just brought...ALL OF THEM??”

“To answer your oh so eloquent questions, I did tell your boss I would be getting you as many as possible. I would have thought Mrs. Rodrigez, was it?, would have conveyed the seriousness,” He gives a little huff, smile firmly in place. “Anyhow, you’ll manage. FRIDAY will have a list of shops that will deliver here - we have a tab, just feel free to add to it.”

“Sir -”

“Tony,” He corrects.

“Tony. I will manage my own clothes, thank you. My boss did stress the importance of this interview block. I was told, however, that this was by choice for the Avengers or Stark Industries staff. Not that you’d make them come from outer space to be riddled with questions. And, Tony, I honestly don’t know why our little site was chosen to write these interviews to begin with, sir. How do you even know who I am…” You were so focused on Tony that you hadn’t realized that Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Pepper Potts (Stark?), Bruce Banner, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne and a man of Asian descent you couldn’t place had entered the room. Tony moves closer, peering over the couch and down into your purse, finger pulling at one of the edges to see into it.

“Well, that’s simple. I asked for you.” Eyebrows shoot upward in shock before your forehead furrows. “See, Pep read a piece you did on library and book importance - specifically in young and all school-age children. It was lying around, so I read it. And you know what? I liked the emotion. The thoughtfulness behind it. Every word was picked with such care - constructed to paint a picture. And that’s what I want you to do for us.” He gestures for you to sit, which you give a gentle shake of your head at and takes up the seat you’d been in before. He leans forward, one elbow balanced on his knee as he looks up at you. “We get good press, bad press too, but I want people to see the big picture. We’re a team. We’re a family. We sacrifice a lot to be able to do what we do. Paint that picture for me.” The spell Tony seemed to have cast on you raised and you look around to see the whole room staring at you, waiting.

You swallow hard and nod a couple of times. “I’ll do my best, Tony.” He rises and gives a nod of his own, flashing you a smile tinged with sadness that he quickly hides.

“Good. Good. Let’s get you into a guest room and then the tour. But first, some more introductions.”

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

The voice in your room, in all the building you suppose, FRIDAY as she introduced herself, announced that dinner would be casual dress and served in an hour. Tony had been a gracious host, informing you he’d canceled your room at the winery - that, coincidentally, Wanda and Vision had been having brunch at earlier - before sashaying around the compound with Pepper, Scott, and Hope all in tow like a little tour group. Tony dutifully recited when it was built, remodeled, rebuilt. The layout and their functions. He adds little tidbits about visiting when he was little, making everything a little more real for you. You walk beside him, with him sometimes latching onto your elbow as you talk softly into your recorder, reminding yourself to get pictures of certain areas later with your camera.

It had been nice, Scott was witty and said aloud most of the smart ass comments you’d been thinking. Pepper kept Tony focused and Hope spent as much time as you did asking questions. The tour of the basic facilities ended back where it had begun in the living room, rain beginning to splatter against the massive wall of windows to your left.

You’d managed to find your way back to the room, 5th on the right, to find your overnight bag sitting on the end of the bed next to a plush white robe and a note from Tony stating he’d still asked for the stores to bring over things for you to pick out tomorrow and not to bother fighting him on it. Kicking off your shoes, you’d wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling window in your room to watch the raindrops slide down the glass, tucking your legs under you as you sat on the very soft, thick carpet with your notebook and pen.

Amelina, your boss and best friend, had bought you a gray, faux-leather sunflower embossed one to butter you up. Your little addiction and she knew it. You’d accepted the notebook and the assignment with little hesitation. Only to look at the notebook lying on your desk later and think ‘What the hell have I just done?!’

The first page is an outline of what Amelina had said she wanted from the articles (she ideally wanted to break them into separate pieces with each Avenger getting their own spotlight), your notes on the Avengers from digging online and the preliminary dates the article, or articles, would be posted on the site. Taking a deep breath you flip past the Avengers you’d already made lists for, adding the Guardians, Captain Danvers, Doctor Stranger, Wong (whom you’d met earlier), adding Scott and Hope as well, since they are West Coast-based and you had a 50/50 chance of actually interviewing them initially.

Your recorder would hold the interviews, your verbal notes and memos to take pictures of certain locations...but your gray notebook, that was for your notes and thoughts on their habits, likes and dislikes based on observation, how they interact with you, and how they interact with each other.

The alarm on your phone drags you away from writing a few more observations on the page designated for Pepper Potts, letting you know that you need to get up and changed for dinner. You plug your recorder in to download the tour from earlier while you change and freshen up your hair and makeup.

Your hopping on one foot, trying to shove your foot into the stupid pump when your alarm goes off again. Tossing yourself onto the end of the bed, you unplug your recorder and wiggle your foot into the pump better before heading out the door. You shove the recorder into the pocket of your skirt, making your way down the hall when the intro to “7 Rings” begins playing from the phone in your hand. With a quick swipe you answer, stopping almost halfway down the hall.

“Yes?”

“Is that any way to answer the phone?”

“It is when I’m on my way to dinner and your long-winded call could make me late.”

“Harsh, dude, harsh.” Amelina barely takes a breath before continuing. “So, whatcha got so far?”

“First of all, that isn’t how I work. How long have you known me, Lina? By the way, I’m mad at you.”

“What for?”

“You didn’t tell me I’d be staying here or that I’d be here for two weeks. I looked like an idiot in front of Tony Freaking Stark and Pepper Freaking Potts!” You hiss into the phone, tapping your foot in irritation as she chuckles on the other end of the line.

“Sorry! I honestly didn’t know how long you’d be staying -”

“Well, it’s nice that you let me know that!”

“Mr. Stark just asked how long he could have you on loan. I said a max of three weeks.”

“Oh my god, Amelina,” you groan, letting your head drop forward as you repeat in your head to breathe.

“You are such a -”

“You’re being a real bitch. I would have packed. I would have been prepared. But nooooo! Now I’m standing in a hallway wishing that your brother’s new puppy would pee in your expensive shoes!”

“Now that’s just mean!”

“I’m hanging up now. May Jedi maul all the shoes you hold dear.” You jab your thumb against the screen before taking a deep breath and continuing your trek to the living room.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

Apparently ‘casual’ at the Avengers compound is a broad term. Clint is sporting a sweatshirt with the SHIELD logo emblazoned on the front with black jogging pants and loafers. Steve has a dark blue shirt that is miraculously being held together by mere buttons, which you’re afraid if he strains, will lose their valiant efforts to keep his shirt together. His is paired with khakis and the same loafers as Clint, which amuses you for some unknown reason. Sam Wilson has a red t-shirt with a black blazer over it, dark gray jeans and some well-worn boots. As you finish taking in appearances, standing like a wallflower half-hidden by the hallway arch still, you can’t help but wonder if you should pinch yourself to see if this was reality.

Sam spots you first, or is the first to acknowledge it, and makes his way over with a friendly smile painted on his face.

“I’m Sam Wilson, nice to meet you.” His hand extends and nearly swallows your own before giving it a firm shake. You liked that. He wasn’t treating you as delicate. You detested when men did that when shaking hands with women…

“Y/N Y/L/N, nice to meet you as well.”

“Heard Tony gave you the tour.” He’s got a smirk now, eyes bright and teasing.

“Oh yeah. He offered to let me try out a suit - but only when Pepper and Steve weren’t around.”

“Killjoys,” Sam gives a serious shake of his head, chuckling as FRIDAY announces dinner is ready to be served. “Let’s get you to dinner. We’re having it in the mess hall once everyone gets here - tonight we can still have it in the actual dining room.” He offers his arm, guiding you out of the living area. “You met Bucky, right?” You give a nod, very aware the aforementioned is right behind the two of you. “His article will be the shortest. Dude’s damn near a mute unless he’s lecturing Steve, so I wish you good luck on interviewing him.”

“And here I thought that your odd friendship was all made up…” You answer slyly, hearing a snort of laughter behind you - unsure if it belongs to Steve or Bucky.

“Hey Cap, you meet the reporter?” Sam flashes you a smile as he turns the two of you around, bringing you to a hard stop so you don’t ram into the super-soldier.

“Steve Rogers, miss.” He offers his hand and gives yours a firm shake, his blue eyes holding a wariness you weren’t expecting. Captain America, wary of you? Doesn’t inspire a lot of hope in you about this whole experience…

“Y/N Y/L/N, sir.”

“Sit! Sit!” Tony orders jovially from down the table before pointing to the man at his right. “Rhodey. War Machine. Liar extraordinaire. I may need to sit in to make sure he gets all the facts straight.”

“Don’t listen to Mr. Stank over here, ma’am.”

“Unfortunately, that’s why I’m here Mr. Rhodes.” Steve pulls out your chair for you, waiting until your seated to take his seat to your left. “Thank you.”

“I think we should all get to know each other,” Tony starts, only for Rhodey to roll his eyes and Bruce to scoff from the other end of the long table.

“May I record?” You ask, watching everyone sort of tense and shuffle.

“Of course!” Tony answers as you withdraw the recorder, clicking it on and sitting it beside your plate.

“I think it’s only fair since I’ll be bothering all of you for the next two or so weeks, that you can ask me whatever you’d like as well.”

“That’s fair,” Dr. Strange concedes from his spot to your right.

“Very fair, I think,” Scott agrees, giving you a big comforting smile.

“Okay, well let’s start with where you were born.” A handful of waiters come in, setting bowls and plates onto the tabletop before disappearing.

“Family style,” Pepper clarifies before looking expectantly to you.

“I was born in California. But moved to Seattle when I was little, maybe about 3. Right before I started kindergarten we moved back to California. Been there ever since.”

“And your business?” Pepper asks, dishing some green beans onto her plate.

“It’s more Amelina’s than mine. We’re partners in the site, but I do the money part, well I prep it for the accountant - and most of the writing - and she does the schmoozing, bossing around, the sports articles and the keeping up of the site. So she’s doing the lion’s share.”

“I would think you break even,” Hope pipes up. “Well, what with you having to travel and compile the information and then write it out. Plus anything to do with money is usually more stressful. Do you both hire and fire?”

“Unfortunately, yes. We tried to hire a sports writer after we’d had the site for a year, but it didn’t work out...”

“Wait. Wait. Was it that guy that kept inserting himself into the story?” Sam laughs out, peeking around Bucky who is beside Steve. You bite back a groan.

“Yes.”

“Bucky, Rhodey - it’s that article I sent you saying that Babe Ruth was only half the baseball player he could have been and that the writer could’ve been the next Bambino.” Rhodey is at least trying not to laugh, but you can see Bucky’s shoulders shaking as you lean backward in your chair.

“That was a huge mistake. All of his work we reviewed before hiring was impeccable. I checked to make sure it wasn’t plagiarized and we called all of his references. Apparently, he’d had some experience in coding and websites, so after he handed in his first final draft, he went in an hour after Amelina posted it, and changed it. We got so many emails - we were getting all these calls... Brian up and disappeared after he did that. To this date, still haven’t had as much traffic on the site as that day.”

“Brian sounds like a douche,” Wanda mutters with a smile, taking a sip from her wine glass. You look down at your plate, finding it overflowing with more food than you’d put on there. You raise an eyebrow at Steve, who just shrugs and puts a forkful of potato salad in his mouth with a smile.

“Yeah. I blacklisted him.”

“Blacklisted how?” Clint manages around a mouthful of bread.

“Oh, um, well I emailed almost every single media outlet in California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. Then I asked them to forward it to their parent stations or owners. So basically, after a year of emailing people, most blogs, newspapers, tv stations, circulars, and YouTube hosts in California to Kentucky know not to deal with anyone going by his name. I helped a reporter from Pennsylvania with her story, and she began emailing people on the East Coast about it. All emails included his picture too, just in case he went by another name.”

“Effective. A bit ruthless.” Vision is seated between Wanda and Rhodey, nodding in approval.

“No! Not ruthless!” You defend, voice rising a little before the heat rises in your neck and cheeks. “Sorry. I just didn’t want anyone to get dinged as we did. We had to say a lot of apologies and lost a lot of work because of his pointless self-involved rant. And I mean, who goes after Babe Ruth?”

“Balls but no brains,” Scott adds, the two of you nodding. He points his fork at your plate. “Eat.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“That’s what you’re here for.” Tony chuckles out.

“What do you guys do in times like these? When there aren’t aliens or Loki or HYDRA? Like a big spa day for all of you guys? Karaoke?”

“To be honest,” Natasha begins. “There aren’t a lot of days like this when we are all free at the same time. But honestly, it’s more watching and waiting than action and aliens.”

“Kind of miss SHIELD to kind of take care of the day to day bad guy cartel and mafia stuff?” You manage around a mouthful of pasta. Sweet Jesus, it was decadent and cheesy.

“Sometimes I miss the help,” Clint admits.

“What Clint means is that he misses telling people what to do.” Sam teases, tossing a bread roll at him across the table, which Clint catches without even looking away from you.

“Hey! I didn’t tell people what to do. They just did it.”

“Did you buy a bar just to tear it down, Tony?” Tony smiles around a forkful of steak.

“Yes. Yes, I did. Ross just rubs me the wrong way.”

“To be fair, I think he rubs everyone the wrong way.”

“You’ve met him?” Steve sounds surprised, eyebrows raised in what you hope is astonishment.

“Unfortunately. I was in college and had to write a piece on something or someone whom you don’t agree with. Now I am all for soldiers but upper management sucks in the military, no offense Mr. Rhodes. But, everywhere, really... I just think the old guys in Congress and equally old guys in the upper ranks are calling the shots on things they shouldn’t be interfering in, as far as college me was concerned. Ross irritated me for the simple reason that he was the smartest person in the room and no matter what I said, what facts I had, what questions I asked, I would always be wrong. Never disliked being called ‘sweetheart’ so much in my life. Hard to have a conversation with the other side when they talk to you like that. Plus, I got a D on that paper, so he sucks in my book.”

“I told him to call me if he needed help. Then I left him on hold. In my own defense, I did warn him earlier I did like to watch the light blink.” Rhodey snorts into his glass at Tony’s admission.

“Like a tiny Christmas light of joy.” Steve comments, leaning back in his chair with a smile.

You shove a forkful of green beans into your mouth, giving a little sigh at how damn good it tasted before spearing a few more and eating those as Scott launches into the tale of him, Cassie, Luis and his ex-wife’s husband all hanging Christmas lights - only for the new husband to find he’d rewired and programmed them to blink in super slow motion with the fastest Christmas songs he could find and vice versa. And every 9 hours and 45 minutes, it played La Cucaracha, perfectly in time with the lights. There are a few chuckles around the table, but you’re laughing pretty damn hard.

“That’s brilliant actually! The deviousness lies in the amount of annoying that they could take. Having to time your exit must have been a bitch.”

“He and one of his buddies took it all down, bought new lights and hung those up. Cassie told me she missed hearing the Chipmunks, so I remotely programmed a timer so it would play the Christmas Don’t Be Late song right before her bedtime.”

“Cassie sounds like a wonderful girl. And very lucky to have you for her father.” Scott looks flustered but gives you the brightest smile before looking down at his empty plate.

“Th-thank you.”

“Of course. Do you guys do Netflix around here? Movie night?”

“Your mind is everywhere…” Hope says with a grin. “That’s good.”

“And to answer your question - yes. We have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime…” Sam trails off as the waiters reappear, clearing the table only to return seconds later with plates of beautiful personal assorted desserts. If this was how they ate, you’d hate to see their exercise regime. Oh god, you hoped you weren’t expected to work out with them...

“I was just wondering how you all decide on a show. Do Steve and Bucky have lists? Like are you all working through AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies? I think I’ve only seen 20 of them. Do you all binge shows together?”

“Pep started a rotation. So if it’s your Sunday night and you’re in the compound or tower, then you pick the movie or show. If you aren’t here, it goes to the next person on the list.”

“Sometimes after a mission, it’s usually just decided to watch tv shows just cause we all sort of zone out,” Steve whispers after Tony’s answer, taking a big scoop of his parfait.

“We’ve never been invited,” Wong pipes up, frowning at Tony.

“Oh, I invited both you and Strange right after Pepper made the schedule. If Strange didn’t relay that…” Dr. Strange just rolls his eyes.

“I mentioned it.”

“You didn’t say it was a regular occurrence.” Wong huffs out before biting into a ladyfinger.

“Like an old married couple,” Clint chuckles out, his desserts all gone as he leans contentedly back in his chair. You give your head a small shake at their exchange before reaching to stop your recorder.

“Well, thank you so much for that delicious meal. And thank you for letting me record. I hope I get less awkward as this goes on.”

“This was awkward?” Wanda raises an eyebrow, making you fiddle with the recorder before tucking it into your pocket.

“Okay, well, um then it will get more awkward before it gets less awkward.” You all rise, pushing in your chairs before wandering out of the dining room and back towards the living areas.

“You’ll find out we’re all awkward. Well, except me.” You nod seriously at Tony’s words, managing to see Bucky roll his eyes at Tony’s words. Huh. Who knew… “Nightcap?”

“Oh, no. Thank you. I’m so full I don’t think I could even manage that.”

“Then we’ll say goodnight.” A chorus of goodnights echoes around the large living room.

“Goodnight everyone.”

You totter off to your room, cursing the fact that you’re so sleepy right now. After washing your face, brushing your teeth and changing into your pajamas, you shuffle down under the covers.

“Well, that wasn’t the most awkward or silent dinner I’ve ever been to…” You mutter before sleep drags you under.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

In the morning, you wake up earlier than you usually tend to, sitting on the floor in your pajamas in front of the rain-splattered window with your headphones on - going over the recordings, transcribing them and making notes in your dotted notebook, since it better served to add afterthoughts to. Not the nice orderly layout of your new notebook. And you’re so involved in listening and typing, snatching up the notebook beside you to jot down memos, that you don’t hear Steve and Tony calling your name and you sure as hell don’t hear them enter.

The scream accounts for that, Bucky and Sam barrelling through your door as you look up at Steve and Tony with wide eyes, shoving your headphones off.

“We’re sorry.” Tony barely restrains a chuckle. “I’m sorry. I had FRIDAY see if you were awake, then came to get you for breakfast, but,” He laughs now, the skin by his eyes crinkling. “You didn’t answer.”

“Maybe we should think about a different system!” You blurt as you stare up at the four men.

“Yes. Definitely,” Tony chuckles. “Next time I’ll have FRIDAY blink the lights to alert you.”

“Thank you!”

“Our pleasure.” Steve grins out, extending a hand.

“No, I’m fine here, thanks.” Steve shrugs, the smile not disappearing.

“Well, we’ll leave you to get dressed for breakfast. The shops are due to arrive after breakfast for you to pick some more clothes for your stay. Sam has also requested to be your first interview.” Sam winks at you from Cap’s left, sporting a wide smile as Bucky’s gaze goes from Sam to you.

“Thanks again.” You peer around Steve. “And thank you two for coming so quickly.”

“Anytime, Y/N.” Sam delivers smoothly, Bucky rolling his eyes before making a swift exit. The other three leave with smiles on their faces.

It takes you several minutes to realize you were in your pajamas; a worn and oversized ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ shirt paired with sleep shorts that could barely be seen peeking under the hem of your shirt.

“Jeez…” You groan, rubbing a hand over your face before closing the laptop and tossing your notebooks on the bed.

Ten minutes later you have your teeth brushed and you’re dressed in adequate attire, shuffling nervously into the kitchen area on the other side of the bar in the living room. Clint and Bucky are cooking, Wanda weaving between the two expertly. You slip in the seat next to Hope, her hair in a ponytail and dressed in workout clothes.

“How long has everyone been up?” You whisper-ask, setting your recorder and notebook beside the empty plate that Natasha sets in front of you with a small smile. You return it as Hope cuts her pancake which is riddled with syrup, fruit and whipped cream.

“We all did a workout before breakfast,” She puts a big bite of sugar-laden pancake in her mouth, “Speeds up your metabolism.”

“Where’s Scott?”

“Here.” He mutters, slipping into the seat on the other side of Hope.

“Not a morning person?”

“I enjoy my sleep.”

“Thank god. Me too. Under normal circumstances.”

“Yes,” A new voice pipes up from the other side of the room, making you lean back to see who it is. “We heard about the intrusion this morning.”

“Holy - Princess Shuri!” After nearly tripping trying to slither out of your stool, you manage to get upright and extend a hand. “So lovely to meet you.”

“Thank you. It is lovely to meet you as well. I read your articles after Tony mentioned you were selected to do the interviews, and I must say that when you do scientific articles, there is a very nice flow and imagery that one does not usually get.”

“Thank you! I’m sure whoever I’ve interviewed in the science community doesn’t care for all the questions I have after the interview, so I’m glad that it reads well to a genius.”

“You will just make her head bigger, Miss Y/L/N.”

“King T’Challa, wonderful to meet you.” You breathe a deep breath of relief as he extends his hand, giving it a firm shake with a warm smile.

“Wonderful to meet you as well. Please sit, you must keep your strength up if you are to deal with all of us.” There is mischief in his eyes, the twinkle of a man temporarily unburdened.

“That bad?”

“Wait ‘til the Guardians are here!” A male voice pipes up, followed by a tossing sound and a huffed “Sorry!”

“Peter Parker, ma’am.” Your eyebrows shoot up as you automatically stick out your hand.

“Spider-Man,” Tony supplies as he walks by with a bowl of oatmeal. Honestly, your only thought is that he’s a baby and should be protected at all cost.

“Yeah, I think I saw a post on Instagram about someone in New York making Spider-Man ice creams...So you’re the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?” Peter blushes, withdrawing his hand and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Don’t worry, kid. Pep had her sign contracts before she even came. She can’t reveal your identity.”

“Oh. Okay then.” His smile brightens at least a hundred watts. “Did you eat yet? Mr. Barnes makes the best pancakes!”

“Does he now?” Bucky’s back is to you, so you can’t see his expression, but there are already two hot pancakes setting on your plate next to several pieces of bacon. “I’m going to gain so much weight while I’m here…” You sigh, actually not the least bit bothered by it once you bite into the pancake, it’s buttery soft fluff filling your mouth, the second bite revealing a tiny melted chocolate chip to add to the deliciousness. Flipping open your notebook, you scribble down a note: Bucky Barnes = wonderful pancakes. Peter sees it and ducks his head as he takes his plate over to where Shuri is sitting, the two of them bent over a tablet when you glance over your shoulder.

Everything is terribly domestic. Normal.

And you want them to enjoy it. Cause honestly, after all that’s happened, they truly deserve a little peace and camaraderie.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

”Okay, so is this alright?” You ask, settling a little more into the plush blood-red chair in Sam’s bedroom, his desk to your right littered with your notebook, your phone, the recorder, and several pens.

“Great. I’m good to go.” You pick up the recorder, clicking it on with a nervous smile directed at Sam before you began.

“Interview One: Sam Wilson, known as Falcon. Okay, Sam, please tell me a little about yourself?”

“What would you like to know?”

“Let’s just start with the basics - like speed dating.”

“I’ve never been speed dating.”

“Well, aren’t we the lucky one?”

“Wait - you’ve been speed dating?”

“Unfortunately. It was for an article but nothing really was romantic or fun about asking the same questions of men who aren’t looking you in the eye.”

“Don’t gotta worry about that here. Our mamas all raised us right.”

“Noted. Alright, so I’ll ask the nice fluffy questions first.”

“Working our way up to the heavy hitter ones.”

“Exactly. What’s your favorite thing to do in New York, besides save it? What was your childhood dream job? Favorite Disney movie? How do you like your coffee?”

“Eat. Man, I love food. They have a little gumbo place in Harlem,” He kisses the tips of his fingers. “Best Southern food up here. As for my childhood dream job - man, I love birds. I wanted to train raptors, rehabilitate them...or I wanted to be a chef ‘cause I enjoy food. All kinds. Man, I haven’t seen a Disney movie in ye -- well, that’s not true because Spider-Nerd made us watch Toy Story 4 the other day...but probably a tie between Fantasia and The Rescuers. And coffee? That I take black with room so I can add cream and three sugars.”

“Good memory skills. Want more difficult ones now?”

“Oh yeah, I’m ready,” He rubs his hands together with a smile spreading quickly across his face.

“If Stark does a superhero calendar, which month do you want and what are you wearing for it?” His laughter is loud and boisterous, his hands braced on his knees before looking at you.

“Whew - went right for it, didn’t you? Are you asking everyone this question? Can I be there when you ask Cap and Bucky? I bet you twenty bucks that Tony says he’s thought of it before and he wants December cause of the gift he is.” You lean over and make a note of it in your notebook.

“I’ll take that bet. I counter with he doesn’t want to do one but he’d like to be July.” He extends his hand and you shake it firmly, mustering up a serious expression as you did so before settling in to wait for his answer.

“Man, okay. Uh, I think I’d like to be August. Not as hot but not cold either, with those pre-fall feelings. And I’m getting the tightest red shirt I own, along with my favorite pair of jeans. But I could be persuaded to dress sexier - nice fitted suit and tie.”

“Why’d you join the Air Force?”

“I just wanted to help people. And I wanted to see the world. My mom was okay with it since she figured the Air Force weren’t the first to deploy and that I’d be mostly out of harm’s way. But I enjoyed the regimen, the camaraderie I had with the other guys. But when my wingman, my partner Riley, died -- you, you know I just didn’t want to be apart of that anymore after that. I decided I’d get more out of life if I helped other soldiers deal with their problems.” He pauses, searching your face for something before continuing. “I met Steve one day when we were both out running. I knew who he was, but I also knew he was just like any other soldier who had come home and was looking to adjust - looking to find his place.”

“So you did what came naturally - you offered a sympathetic ear and some words for him to think on.”

“Yep. And, honestly, I enjoyed getting to know Steve Rogers. I think we have a lot in common, just morals and being a good soldier, but it’s more important to be a better man than all of that.”

“You really admire him.”

“Of course I do. He’s my best friend. I wouldn’t trade what I had to go through - what we all had to go through - to have it done any other way. I mean, it was brutal in some places, but I’d do it all again -- I sure as hell don’t want to, but I would.”

“May I ask why you chose to follow Steve instead of, say, Col. Rhodes? Both military, both having friends who sort of go rogue, both just wanting to do the right thing…”

“Rhodey and I are good friends, don’t get me wrong. But he had a lot on his plate: The military. Ross. Tony. Still dealing with the fallout of SHIELD in the upper ranks. I would follow Rhodey for a lot of things, but I won’t fight against any of the other Avengers again unless they’re mind-controlled or some shit.”

“Peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese?” You ask softly, giving him a kind smile.

“Peanut butter and jelly.” He says with his own soft smile.

“Can I pet Redwing?” He perks up at that question.

“Yeah, come on, I’ll show him to you.”

“Maybe the suit too?” You tease, gathering up your notebook and phone, shoving the latter into your pocket before the extra pens you’d brought got shoved right along in there. You carefully pick up the recorder, holding it aloft as Sam holds open his bedroom door.

Once you’ve petted Redwing, letting Sam fly it around you. Luckily you were smart enough to stop at your room first for your camera, most of the time focusing on the light in Sam’s eyes as he looks at his little buddy before Steve and Clint come into the hanger, Clint playfully throwing a few rocks as Redwing dodges them, the three of them joking as they stand in a semi-circle and watch. All the while you watch them through the lens, happily snapping pictures before you notice Bucky leaning against the hangar door a handful of feet away. He looks like he’s a model, a small smile on his face that’s half turned away from you with one hand - his metal hand - tucked into the pocket of his black, worn-looking jacket. You snap a few pictures before he turns his head towards you, the smile disappearing. You snap a picture anyway before lowering the lens and smiling as warmly at him as you can. He gives a little nod before pushing off the door and disappearing around the corner.

Clint drags you to the archery range after that, carefully digging through his arrows as he answers question after question.

“Okay, Clint, last one: If Stark does a superhero calendar, which month do you want and what are you wearing for it?” Clint snickers, his shoulders gently moving.

“Really? Well, alright then. I think I’d like to be January. And I think I want to be dressed in a velvet eggplant jacket with a black shirt and some black underwear.” You nearly snort when he wiggles his eyebrows and gives you a lazy smile, twirling an arrow.

“Boxers? Briefs? Thong?”

“I think some nice fitting briefs. Don’t want to make too many people jealous if I bust out my thong…”

“I certainly learned a whole lot about you, so thank you for that, Clint.”

“Anytime, sweet cheeks. Anytime.” He leads you back to the living room for your last interview of the morning before you all break for lunch. “Wanda! I got your girl here!” Wanda is standing by the hallway, a cup in each hand with a smile gracing her too-pretty face. She gestures with her head, her red hair swinging slightly. Clint doesn’t let you go initially, pushing his cheek closer to you.

“Alright, alright, Mr. Sweet cheeks.” You concede, kissing his cheek before watching him saunter past the others, tossing himself down onto the couch beside Scott with a chuckle.

“Good luck!” Sam hollers, making Wanda glare at him for a second before you follow her down the hall.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

Wanda is teaching you a few words in Romanian when you emerge from her room for lunch.

Lunch is already laid out as you repeat “Nu, mulţumesc” until she nods.

“And that means?”

“No, Thank you.” You answer obediently.

“Now, combine everything.”

“Ce fasi! Mici sărutări pentru tine în această după-amiază. Nu, mulțumesc. Aș prefera să fac un tort.” [Little kisses to you all this afternoon. No, thank you. I'd rather have a cake.]

Bucky and Natasha shake their heads with a smile.

“And that means?”

“What are you doing? Little kisses to you all this afternoon. No, thank you. I’d rather have a cake.” Wanda chuckles out, giving your arm a loving pat.

“It was something my mother always said to my father. He said little kisses to us all and she said she would rather have cake. Y/N said it beautifully. Very naturally.”

“I am a wonderful parrot.” You smile out before Tony pokes his head in and whistles.

“Lunch!”

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

Bruce’s interview after lunch is filled with long pauses, his answers thought out and sometimes not what you expected. He takes you through his lab and then he suggests a short jaunt around the garden to finish the interview. When he excuses himself, you stay in the French-style garden, snapping a few scenic pictures and unwinding a bit from the interviews of today.

With four down, you’re feeling pretty perky about the whole series, trying not to think about the 25 or 26 more interviews you needed to do. Wandering through, your fingertips brushing over the perfectly trimmed hedges before spotting a few wild sunflowers towards the path leading into the woods. Carefully kneeling you take a picture, frowning as it’s just not quite right. You settle on your belly, one foot rising into the air as you refocus the camera and nail the picture you wanted!

You don’t even realize that Bucky is taking your picture as you grin at your camera, entirely too pleased with your results before you regain your footing and trek back to the compound.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

You shoot for six interviews the next day, just trying to get them done before the Guardians, Thor and Captain Danvers arrive...Tony having casually mentioned recording a video group interview of sorts before you left. Which didn’t stress you out at all.

Not.

Hope’s interview was witty and broadening...how she described quantum physics (which just led to more questions) was outstanding.

Scott’s was quick-witted, dry and peppered with his pretty broad knowledge of electrical engineering, Captain America, and songs from the 80s. He was very open about his conviction and time in prison, his decision to be ankle monitored to be with his daughter, and how he feels all of this may affect her in the future. He’s an achingly good person and you add him to your “Protect At All Costs” mental list you’ve started.

Steve is stiff. He doesn’t see the humor in your calendar question (you have to show him the Australian firefighter one with the baby animals for reference) to which he begrudgingly requests the month of May and says a casual suit with flowers in lieu of a pocket square. You suggest him sitting slightly towards a camera, painting a field full of flowers...he seems to like the idea and it makes him relax a little - and you’ll have to thank Sam for that tidbit of information he’d given you. You ask Steve a lot about his life before Captain America, how he thinks it would have gone differently if Dr. Erskine had lived, and what he initially liked about the modern world. He tells you about art school and Bucky, getting beat up on a near regular basis in alleys all over Brooklyn, how he discovered Mr. Rogers’ TV show early one afternoon after moving into the compound.

Vision, on the other hand, doesn’t have a lot of life experience to draw upon but he’s a wealth of knowledge. He talks about JARVIS and ULTRON, the differences between the two of them and Tony, he talks about how DUM-E knows who he is and how loyal he is to Tony. He then shows you who DUM-E is, the bot jerkily “shaking” your hand as you marvel over how not just Tony has evolved but his creations as well. Do you coo how smart and handy the robot it? Of course. But it’s worth it to see the robot nodding as you talk about how smart his dad is. DUM-E then gives you a tiny circuit board before you leave, Vision remarking that he likes you very much to have done so. You scribble down a note to ask Tony if that’s okay that you have that.

Peter is your last interview before dinner, and holy cow, everyone in the compound is a fucking genius. Peter tells you about his web fluid, the neighborhood where he’s grown up, and it’s clear how much he admires Tony from how reverently he speaks. Their relationship, you notice, is a little more parent/child than a mentor/mentee relationship. It’s adorable with a tinge of awkward. Peter shows you pictures he’s taken swinging all over New York and you show him where he can get a Spider-Man ice cream. He asks you just as many questions as you do and you chuckle when he refers to nearly every movie before his date of birth as “a really old movie”. You show him a few Charlie Chaplin shorts to show him what exactly “really old” is. He, in turn, shows you Tik Tok videos that you both laugh over.

“Do you like serial killer stuff?” He asks as you both head to the dining room for dinner, tucking his phone back into his pocket, both sets of your sneakers squeaking ever so slightly on the expensive floors.

“I think most women do.”

“Why do you think that?” His little focused face is adorable, trying to link it up in his head.

“Women always think they can do things better. And they’re usually right, just to let you know.” He nods seriously. “We’re outraged by it but intrigued. Pretty sure women can get blood out of just about anything - I’ve gotten red nail polish out of khaki pants by sheer will alone. It’s different for everyone, I guess. But mostly I think it helps us to collectively learn how to plausibly commit the perfect murder while we drink wine from the couch and shove snacks in our faces. And possibly solve a crime in our heads.”

“Huh,” Peter’s brow is still furrowed but he’s nodding his understanding. Peter looks up to find Bucky studying you, and when you look at Peter, he’s just smiling. “Excuse me.” You nod, watching him high-five Shuri before you feel someone by your side. Dr. Strange gestures to your ever-moving seat, which tonight is between Okoye and Wanda.

“Thank you,” you murmur gratefully, not noticing the quick clench of Bucky’s hand as he moves around Strange to his own seat opposite Natasha.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

Rhodey steals you after dinner, Sam teasing him as they disappear to his office.

“Come on, man. Just talk to her.”

“Shut up, bird brain.”

“She’s pretty nice. I was concerned she was just gonna go after us, with the questioning, but she eased into it and just didn’t focus on the darker stuff. She seems to want to get to know us as people.”

“It’s weird, huh?” Clint comments as Hope nods.

“It’s nice to be treated like a person. Not someone who’s infallible or holier than thou…” T’Challa remarks from his spot in the plush crimson chair across from them.

“Very inclusive, as well,” Okoye adds as Shuri and Peter come skidding into the room, Peter holding a tablet.

“What are you two doing?” Steve asks as he arches one blonde eyebrow high at the two.

“Nothing,” Shuri says smoothly, Peter nodding a few times too many when Tony comes into the room.

“Why is there a herd of deer in my hanger?” Both teens shoot off towards the patio door, laughing the whole time. “I don’t know what they did, but Redwing is acting like a herding dog with them, so you might need to go check that out, Sam.”

“Damn kids, I swear...I’m gonna need to squash me a spider…” He mutters loudly, heading briskly for the hanger.

“So, you gonna talk to our little journalist?” Tony smirks down at Bucky, which makes him scowl at the billionaire.

“I’m supposed to do that tomorrow,” He grumbles, making Tony smirk harder.

“You know that’s not what I mean, Tin Man.” Bucky wisely says nothing as he tries to calm his ramping up heart rate. “Even the kids have noticed you looking.”

“He has some competition,” Vision adds, smiling at Wanda who tilts her head slightly but returns his smile. “DUM-E.” Tony snorts, shaking his head as he turns away to gather himself.

“The robot? So the two are evenly matched then.” Natasha chuckles out, taking a healthy sip of her gin and tonic as she meets Bucky’s eyes.

“Nat, that’s not fair. The robot shook her hand and gave her a circuit board. He’s leagues ahead of Buck.” Clint teases, taking Natasha’s drink and taking his own healthy sip before handing it back. Bucky looks at his best friend, who is trying desperately to stop his shoulders from shaking with his laughter.

“40’s you would be ashamed. A robot who can’t talk?”

“Bucky Barnes vs a Roomba!” Shuri comments from behind Tony before making a break for it down the hallway with Sam hot on her tail. T’Challa, Okoye, and Bucky all point Sam down the hallway where she disappeared to when he comes panting into the living room.

“Now me is more inclined to hit your once-asthmatic ass for being the little shit you are,” Bucky growls at Steve, getting up from the couch turning to head to his room, only to freeze when he sees you and Rhodey standing by Peter in the door frame to the patio.

“Do you know there are deer in the hanger? And are you guys running a weird robot/human fight club?”

“Is that all you heard?” Tony asks, turning around and slinging his arm over the back of the couch with a smile flirting on his lips.

“We picked up the pace getting in here when we heard Shuri shout Bucky Barnes vs a Roomba. I mean, I’ve seen a raccoon with a machine gun, so that would have just been something else to add to the Weird Shit I’ve Seen list.” You press your lips together hard to keep from laughing at Rhodey’s nonchalant attitude and suddenly, Bucky isn’t as pissy as before. Well, he is - but at his friends - not at you.

Shit.

It’s been three days. Three fucking days and he’s smitten.

“Goodnight,” He says gruffly before retreating down the hall.

He’s nearly in his room, so he doesn’t hear you ask if you’ve done something wrong.

::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx:::xxxxxxxxxx::

Tagging: @jewelofwinter @sgtjbuccky @jaamesbbarnes @thewhiterabbit42 @nobodys-baby-now @unleashthemidnight @stay-frosty-royal-unicorn @chelsea072498 @clockworkmorningglory @sakurablossom4 @marichromatic @blondecoffeecake @ourloveisforthelovely @whinywingedwinchester @feelmyroarrrr

NOTE: Found the pic online and edited it, props to Google and all rights/privileges/ownership goes to who took the photo and to Marvel who made up all these characters. 

[PART 2]

[coyotesongwriting]

Mistletoe

Avengers - Loki/Reader

Part 4 of my 12 Days Of Christmas Fics!

Story Summary:  Christmas with the Avengers leads Loki to learn about one of the more intriguing holiday traditions.

Word Count: 1429

Author’s Note: Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy it! Also, sorry but some of these 12 days fics will be shorter just because of time constraints. At some point I really want to work with Loki more in the future though!

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters so don’t sue me please. I just really like them haha

Tag List (if you want to be added or removed let me know!):  @he-is-chaotic-she-is-psychotic @queenoftheunderdark @redfoxwritesstuff​ @brokenthelovely  @collinsstanharbour @samsgoddess​ @noplacelikehome77​

It was a calm day at the compound, no missions to be had, no threat of death hanging over you. Everyone was hanging out and relaxing, just spending time together. Nat and Wanda had managed to convince Bucky, Steve, Loki, and Thor to watch some Christmas movie with them, to ‘educate them on culture.’ Bruce had asked you for help with a puzzle, he’d been stuck on it all morning, and it was driving him insane. 

You were too wrapped up in the puzzle and strategizing about it with Bruce to pay much attention to the movie or the others. Of course, that didn’t mean you weren’t glancing over your boyfriend, Loki, often. He was finally settling in with everyone, and you were glad to see how relaxed he looked for the first time in forever. Just the other day you’d been lucky enough to see him genuinely smile around the others, and you hadn’t been able to get that grin out of your head since.

That’s why you were so confused when Loki got to his feet before the movie was over, murmuring something you couldn’t hear to the others, before walking over to you. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head and you grinned up at him. Your hand found his and quickly gave it a small squeeze. 

When the two of you had first started dating, he’d insisted that no one else could know. It wasn’t until you’d confronted him months later, asking why he was with you if he was so ashamed of you that he’d told you the truth. He’d looked at you, horrified at the mere thought, and quickly explained that he just didn’t want to make your life harder; he was keeping you a secret so the others wouldn’t tease you. You’d told him they could fuck off if they had a problem with it, and had slowly begun to be more hands-on around the others. His carefree kiss was just a reminder that he really had come a long way.

Even though Loki had come a long way in the past few months, you knew he was still sensitive about a lot of things, and he still hated it when attention was drawn to him. Instead of asking him if he was okay, and where he was going, you merely cocked an eyebrow and shot him a puzzled glance.

Over the years, the two of you had grown quite good at being able to read each other without words, so it wasn’t hard for him to understand your unspoken question. His grin matched yours and he shook his head once softly. You nodded once, and he brought your hand up to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss to it before he left. 

The whole interaction had lasted mere seconds. When you turned back around you found Nat and Wanda watching you, knowing smirks on their faces. You chuckled softly, ducking your head and tried to listen in as they whispered. Only once they’d gone back to looking at the movie did you realize Loki had pressed something into your palm before he’d left. 

Uncurling your fingers, you found a puzzle piece and you let out a soft laugh, “Hey Bruce, think I found that missing piece!”

With the missing piece returned, it didn’t take long before the puzzle was complete. Bruce thanked you for your help, saying he wasn’t sure what he’d have done if you hadn’t found the missing piece, and bit back a laugh. Bruce didn’t need to know he’d been the target of Loki’s little prank.

After the puzzle was all cleaned up, you made your way down the familiar halls to the room you shared with Loki. When you and Loki had moved in together and things between you had gotten serious, Tony had decided to offer you two an olive branch. After everything that had gone down, Tony had not taken well to Loki’s presence. It had taken him a long time to forgive the god, but seeing you forgive him and falling in love with him had driven him to forgive Loki as well. If you could do it after your parents were killed in the invasion, well, then he guessed he could too. So, after you moved in Tony waited until the two of you were on a mission to have your space renovated. 

He’d combined your old room next door with Loki’s and it was now one of the bigger suites. It was essentially a full-on apartment of your own. Sure you still had the main shared living space with everyone else, but you and Loki had been given your own kitchen and living room so that you could have private time when you wanted. You were actually the only ones to have your own kitchen, and when you’d asked Tony why, he had grinned and explained you were the only one he trusted not to burn down the whole building. 

When you entered your room, you were surprised Loki wasn’t curled up in his favorite chair with whatever book he was currently reading. That was always his go-to place whenever he decided he needed a break from the team. You pulled your eyebrows together in confusion and headed towards the bedroom. A soft smile lit up your face as you opened the door to find Loki staring determinedly up at the ceiling.

You walked up to him, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him out of his thoughts. It took him only a second before he chuckled softly, holding you tight against him. You were always running warm, always just a little too hot to be comfortable so the press of his cooler skin against yours was a soft reminder that the two of you were always meant to be, two sides of the same coin.

“Everything alright?” you leaned back in his embrace to study his face slightly.

A mischievous smile lit up his face and you narrowed your eyes slightly. Instead of speaking though, he merely looked pointedly up at the ceiling above you both. Warily you glanced up, half afraid of what prank could be awaiting you. Whatever you’d been expecting, you didn’t find. You were sure that when you’d entered the room there had been nothing on the ceiling. Now, a beautiful little green bundle of plants hovered in the air over you. It took you a moment to realize what it was.

Loki smiled at you, “Mistletoe. Natasha and Wanda informed me that it’s Midgardian tradition to kiss whenever one finds themself under it.”

When you didn’t answer right away you could see the nerves growing beneath his calm surface. No matter how often you told him you loved him, that you weren’t going to leave, some part of him seemed to always be waiting for the day he messed up so bad you would. Even the simplest mistake was enough to leave him insecure on his bad days. 

A grin crept across your face, and you reached up to run your fingers through his hair, nails scraping against his scalp slightly before you leaned in, capturing his lips in yours. The kiss was soft and sweet, full of unspoken ‘I love yous’ and promises. His hands found their way to your hips, fingers resting against you slightly.

The kiss was long, only ending when Loki decided that his lungs needed air to survive. He didn’t go far though, merely pulling back from the kiss but resting his forehead against yours. This time, you were the first to speak.

“We should leave this up year-round” you laughed softly, scratching his scalp gently again just like he liked. 

His face lit up as he smiled, but he wasted no time with words. Instead, his lips quickly pressed against yours. This time though, the kiss wasn’t slow, it was all passion and heat, the two of you moving with each other in a dance you’d practiced many times before. His tongue danced across your lip, asking for entrance which you were quick to grant, only after nipping his lower lip once mischievously of course. 

Hours later, you lay in bed tangled up in Loki and stared up at the mistletoe still hanging from the ceiling. If you had any say in the matter, that mistletoe would definitely be a permanent fixture. You pressed closer against him, and he pulled you tight, arms circling you and bringing you closer.

His voice was soft as he spoke, kissing your forehead softly, “Merry Christmas, Love”

~~~~~

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[imhereforbvcky]

Team Re-Building - Part 2 (end)

Summary: (Sam Wilson x reader, FalconCap humor/fluff) After the events of EndGame, the remaining Avengers head out on a mandatory team building exercise at your cattle ranch. The week turns out as unexpected for you as the idea was for them. (Part 1)

Prompt/Request: “Is that a horse?! Do I look like a cowboy to you?” For mine and @justsomebucky’s Cap² Challenge. I separated the prompt a little for flow, but I think I kept the spirit of it.

Warnings: None. Probably swearing. I’ve got a mouth and I can’t control it.

Word Count: 2471

“Alright,” you smiled up at Sam slowing to a stop on a ridge. Your herd of hearty western cattle stood below, dark specks still as stone in the sea of pale green and soft brown winter prairie.

Sam took a deep sigh and let it out in a quick puff through pursed lips. “So this is the job, huh?”

“Not so bad, right?”

“Definitely seen worse.” He grinned as he said it, turning to you in the bright mid-day sun.

That damn smile again. It had the heat creeping up your cheeks. You turned your head, pretending to check a strap on your saddle to hide it.

You heard his laugh, more of a soft chuckle. Apparently, you weren’t very discrete after all. It seemed, though, that Sam enjoyed this little game even more than you did. The little glances, the smiles, moving a little closer every now and again. You’d bet the barn he was doing it on purpose: making you squirm like that.

“You’re calling the shots, I take it?”

He nodded, looking over the valley as the others circled the area, pushing the cattle into a tighter herd at your staff’s encouragement.

“Well, before the real work begins…”

Sam raised his eyebrows with a slow grin as you pulled a bottle of whiskey out of your saddlebag.

“Don’t judge me,” you defended. “I know I’ve earned it. Getting you comfortable in a saddle, city-Sam.”

He laughed, rich and sweet. The sound tangled in your ears with the creaking of leather as you leaned in your saddle to pass the bottle. You and your horse moved as one most of the time and she took it as a cue to side-step.

The movement pushed your hand into Sam’s and god, just that simple brush of skin was enough to light a fire somewhere deep in the center of your spine. The flames licked up your neck while the smile on your face froze at the unexpected contact and turned to something soft, nervous and brimming with anticipation.

You felt Sam’s eyes skim over your face, deep and burning like a canyon at sunset. The air clung to your skin, like even it dared not move.

The sharp pop of a whip down below finally cracked through the moment and it was gone as unexpectedly as it had come.

Sam looked alarmed, eyes darting around the perimeter of the clearing, while yours simply scanned the loose corner of the herd where one of the ranch hands was urging an eager bull back into the fold.

“It’s just a whip, Sam.” Your voice was soft and he was glad.

“I thought it was…” he shook his head, half a smile on his lips, and half a frown in his eyes. “It sounded like a handgun.”

“Not that kind of job.” You tipped the bottle toward him again, a small sympathetic smile on your lips. While gunfire was far from a rarity here, it didn’t carry the same meaning it did for Sam. It didn’t mean a fight or a mission. It was a part of life for you both, but yours, you realized, was far more sedate thanks to Sam and the others riding out over your land that day.

This time he took the bottle and scowled at the label.

“Thought I was calling the shots.”

You laughed, reaching into your pocket for a tiny flask. “Fine. You want the good stuff; you gotta earn it out there.”

“Alright, let’s do this.” The words were a damp growl after the stiff sip of locally distilled bourbon.

Together you talked through the positions and the skills of his teammates.

“I’d set your best rider behind, someone to chase down stragglers—“

“Clint,” Sam decided without hesitation. “He’s got a good eye. He’ll take the high ground.”

“Good,” you nodded your agreement.

The others fell into positions easily, and you began driving the cattle up toward fresh pasture. With a signal from Sam, Bruce opened the hatch of the pick-up truck and 3 speckled cattle dogs lept out, barking and racing. They would do the leg-work, circling the herd and keeping a tight migration up to the cooler edge of the peaks, just breaking with green spring grass.

Sam ranged up and down the side of the group, watching, calling orders, drawing the group and the job into a cohesive unit. They moved as one, cutting across the fields like the shadow of a cloud.

Soon enough the team settled into the work, into their roles and their familiarity with each other. Sam was a natural leader and there was comfort in that. It allowed the others the freedom to do what they needed to do. He made it easy and it wasn’t long before they’d begun shouting jabs at each other.

“Rhodes that calf’s gonna make a run for it!” Bruce called over the roar of the diesel engine in which he rode. He pointed over the cab of the truck. “Ah it’s too late,” he laughed, waving a dismissive hand through the air as James tried to encourage his horse into a faster pace to head off the little cow. “It’s too late, man.”

Clint, slightly bored bringing up the rear on his own, had stopped to fashion himself a slingshot and had taken to firing pebbles at the back of Bucky’s neck. Wanda couldn’t stop giggling at the irritation rising pink in his cheeks, along with a smirk and a shake of his head. Clint knew he was going to wake up with his boots full of manure or his clothes in the creek. Worth the risk, he’d decided.

“That your cousin?” Bucky called, looking over his shoulder at Sam with a wicked grin. He pointed a glimmering metal hand up into the sky at the large bird circling the top of the hill.

“Hilarious,” Sam rolled his eyes. You, however, pulled the binoculars hanging at your chest up to your eyes.

“Sorry, soldier,” you hollered with a wink toward Sam, “Falcons stick to the canyon around here. That’s a Cooper’s Hawk.”

“Clint, that’s you!” Wanda shouted happily; turning almost completely around, hand on the back of her saddle.

Just as Clint looked over, the raptor soared for only a moment longer before pitching downward. It dove for a prairie dog at a shocking pace. Unsuccessful.

“Faceplant out of a tree,” Rhodes chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a Clint move.”

The ribbing continued until you’d urged the cattle up the hills under the slender, bone-white trunks of an aspen grove. Green shimmering leaves had just begun to sprout and the river bubbled its soft laugh nearby. It was a perfect spot to set up camp for the night. The Avengers had done well, but unused to full days riding; they’d need to find their sea-legs again.

“Oh damn,” Sam complained, half groan, half sigh. He waddled toward the warmth of the fire. “Now I know why everybody in those old westerns walked like they just got their asses beat. Literally.”

You laughed, hard. “You a little saddle sore?”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Bucky interjected, handing over a sleeve of re-hydrated rice and beef. Dinner on the trail.

“I don’t have the energy to explain how the birds and the bees work right now, Bucky. Use your imagination.”

You enjoyed Sam’s company a lot. You also really enjoyed the way he interacted with each of his team members. He was a chameleon. He seemed to sense what everyone needed and adapt accordingly. Bucky needed to not be handled with kid gloves, to be treated normally. Their unending banter was as much a defining feature of their friendship, as it was a credit to Sam’s perceptiveness and ability to meet his friends where they needed it.

A natural leader even when he wasn’t trying.

The full days ride in the long summer sun had thoroughly worn out your guests and your staff alike. They had retired into the safety of their tents, tucked into warm synthetic down sleeping bags rolled out over top of the line sleeping pads.

You, however, were never one for tents. This land was your home and you felt no need to hide from it.

When you heard the soft shuffle of feet on the packed grass and dirt, you turned your head from its place on your bent forearm.

“Mind if I join you?” Sam asked quietly, hovering at the edge of the fading firelight.

“Is everything alright with your sleeping arrangements?” you asked, pushing up onto your elbows and preparing to accommodate your guest. This was a business, after all. “Can I get you somethi—“

“No! No.” He was quick to dispel your worries. “You’ve been—Everything’s great.”

You nodded and waited, stretching back out onto your deep green wool blanket. It had been in your family for generations, had spread under these stars for countless nights.

“I just uh,” he paused, scratching the back of his neck and stepping closer. “I did two tours, and then all this. The Avengers thing.  You get used to sleeping with your head on a rock and it’s hard to go back. Sometimes you start to think you shouldn’t get too comfortable, you know?”

You chewed on the inside of your lip and nodded. You didn’t know. His experience was unique, certainly a world away from your own. But a life spent out here, with just the sound of the wind in the grass and the crash of thunder off the mountains, you’d become a good listener.

“Well,” you answered slowly, patting the clay-hardened earth beside you. “There are plenty of rocks around here.”

He grinned. It was a new one for you, and it warmed you from the inside out. Just a simple tip of his lips to one side, a brightening of the glint in his eyes and you were closing your own, memorizing it and willing yourself to breathe.

He settled himself next to you, mimicking your posture and hooking a thickly chiseled arm behind his head. The heat of his skin burned warmer than the fire as his free arm pressed against yours from shoulder to fingertip. Well your fingertips, anyway.

“What are you doin’ out here?” he asked, turning up onto his side to fix you with a steady gaze.

It took you a moment to figure out how words worked again.

“I uh,” You shrugged. “I like it.”

His laugh was full and soft at the same time. You continued to marvel at the depth of mirth that spilled out of this man. He was a well of warmth and kindness, like that old familiar blanket that you always want to wrap around your shoulders and fall asleep under, safe and content.

“You pretty much do exactly what you want, don’t you?” he asked, smile pulling his full lips wide and tight. His eyes, though, were serious, slightly narrowed while he studied you in the dying firelight.

“Pretty much,” you chuckled, repeating his words back, hardly able to hold a conversation under that look.

Your entire body was drawn to it. You turned onto your side to face him full on, curling your knees to steady yourself. It was all in the eyes for you. God you could watch them all day, but here, in the firelight, it was like staring at a beach just after sunset: warm and dark and shimmering with something golden. He was like the familiar comfort of soft worn leather, and he smelled of it after a day’s ride. What you wouldn’t give to have his arms around you.

“You know you have that power now too, right?” you asked quietly. “You’re giving the orders now, Captain.” You smiled because it wasn’t really your place. Your job here was to help people see their own potential, find their role among their group. Be it a family, a business, or, in the oddest of cases, the Avengers. But lying side by side under the stars wasn’t exactly in the list of services either. This wasn’t business, this was personal.

“I know.” Sam took in a slow deep breath and let it out between pursed lips. “Doesn’t quite feel like it yet.”

“You know, this place was supposed to go to my older brother?” you asked. It was rhetorical of course, so Sam just listened, watching the bittersweet smile tug over your lips. “That’s how it goes out here. Traditions have a way of stickin’. Anyway. He went to the stock show in the city. Got one look at what could’ve been and knew that was what he wanted. He never looked back.”

Sam’s large hand smoothed over your arm before it came to rest curling through your fingers. “That must have been challenging.”

You shrugged. “Not everybody understands it. His decision,” you explained. “But it was his to make. And now this is mine. And I don’t carry his or anyone else’s decisions around on my back.”

You squeezed his hand when he nodded, letting his eyes fall.

“And that shield?” you urged. “That’s yours.”

“You’re damn right it is,” Sam grinned, curling your joined hands up to his chest. Your heart stuttered with the warmth and the intimacy of the act. It was like he’d pulled you closer body and soul. You barely knew him but you were hooked.

“So when you get home,” You ducked your head to kiss his knuckles and curl closer. “…you tell that Mission Coordinator of yours that as great this week has been, your team is never getting on horseback again!”

His laughter was a welcome sound, and a soft shudder in your own rib-cage.

Two weeks later, the team had been training together like a well-oiled machine at the compound and Maria couldn’t be more proud of herself for her obscure choice of team building exercise.

Like every other morning that summer, after a long run in the mid-summer heat, the east-coast humidity stuck to Sam like a second skin. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, fanning himself lightly with it as he jogged up the steps to his townhome.

He frowned down at the little package on the stoop, and picked it up. He hadn’t been expecting anything, but when he saw flying K brand stamped in heavy black ink over the seam, he grinned and took a seat right there in the sun.

Inside the box he found a small bottle of whiskey from a distillery nestled into the same valley as your ranch. He’d bet his wings it was the same as had been in your little pocket flask, and he laughed at the memory. The note tied to the neck of the bottle read:

“A shot for the guy calling all the shots. Give ‘em hell, Cap.”

Will reblog with tags when I get a minute today.