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#Clint really needs a solid dog sitting plan
visbiscuit · 2 years
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THURSDAY'S CHILD ( one )
MCUCollege!AU
disclaimer. English is not my main language. If you notice any kind of mistakes, please tell me and don't be mean :). I am giving a shot at this to try and improve my written English. Thank you for paying attention and have a biscuit for your kindness!
pairing. Bucky Barnes x OFC (Leilani)
chapter summary. the group tries to name the baby, but there are some questions that just can't be left unanswered. Steve gets his feelings hurt and Bucky is panicking at the thought of being a dad.
word count. 1669
chapter warnings. talk of sex. some bad words. the main character is not interested at all in having a baby. bucky has some questionable ideas about what to do with the child.
if you want to be tagged in this story, just ask.
you're welcome to reblog, like and comment!
if you're new, this was the previous chapter. zero
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"Does the card have his name on it?"
Wanda's long red hair caressed the little boy's face as she held him tightly in her arms. They had spent at least fifteen minutes in religious silence after what Clint had said and were now slowly trying to recover. The little baby had been cuddled by almost everyone and never woke up. He seemed to be really good, but anyone who had any experience with children knew that these moments of quiet would soon be over. Leilani hadn't dared touch the newborn. She was frightened by it and didn't know how to act. This was completely out of the blue, everything she never expected.
Her evening should have started with a home-cooked dinner by the group's cook and ended up playing Monopoly and fighting over who was going to pay. A baby was definitely not in their plans. They were all too young to think about having children, only Steve, perhaps, had a solid plan, the rest lived day to day. Even Leilani had a definite idea: she would have children when she graduated from college. That is, never. Luckily, after high school, she had decided not to continue studying and had immediately started working as a dog walker and then slowly opened her own kindergarten for her four-legged friends. This was enough for her. She didn't need brats around to bother her pets.
She promised herself that when it was time to become an aunt to her friends' children, she would be ready. But this was too much and too soon. No one knew how to change a diaper, only maybe Nat who had a little sister at home waiting for her. Although they were responsible people, no one could take it upon themselves to let such a small child live with them. The homes were not baby-friendly and the people who lived in them were even less so. Leilani's mind was racing. What would they do when he woke up. They had no proper milk for him or a crib to put him in. They were in a shitty situation and she didn't know how they were going to get out of it.
Tony was sitting on the floor, his back to the wall, staring at the newcomer. "No, Wanda, for the millionth time, no. He's a John Doe," then as if he had the idea of the century, his eyes sparkled. "It would be a good idea to name the pimp John. A good story to tell when he grows up."
"We won't call him John, Tony. John like John Walker? No way," Sam said as he cut the bread. He was the only one who tried to act as normal as possible, but the others were too focused on thinking about the baby. "What about Samuel."
"Pathetic! Maybe you're the father and then the brat becomes Samuel Jr? Horrible" Tony's tongue snapped across his palate. "Anthony, on the other hand, has such a melodic sound."
"Anthony is one of the most common names ever, let's give this baby some originality" Natasha was on her third beer, but she still didn't hint at slowing her pace. "Nathaniel might fit," she winked. The tone in the room was slowly turning.
Bruce chuckled and adjusted his glasses on his nose. "Your ego is extraordinary."
"What's wrong with wanting to take a tribute to ourselves? After all, this is our dynasty."
"Ah, I didn't know it was your son, too, Tony."
"Small and useless details. This brat is everyone's son now until daddy pops out and takes him under his wing" the Stark stood up and clapped his hands, forgetting about the sleeping baby who made an annoyed little noise before falling asleep again. "Whoops. Whatever, I say we all say a name and call it the one I like best. The one I like best is Anthony. Name problem solved."
Almost everyone laughed softly at what Tony had said. Even Steve who had a worried face the whole time up until that point smiled slightly. He ran his hands over his face and sighed into them, not believing what was happening at that moment. It all seemed so surreal.
Leilani, on the other hand, wasn't laughing at all. And with her, neither was Bucky. They had been the only ones not to pick up the special guest of the evening and both had a blank and mostly lost look on their faces. The girl had immediately refused the approach to the brat with a disgusted face at the mere thought. She couldn't get the idea out of her mind that everything that was happening was a rip-off. She had never heard of this Ororo woman and it seemed that his two closest friends were very close to her. She thought they told her everything, she did. What else were they keeping from her?
"Can we talk about the elephant in the room?" she said, her voice a little rough, she hadn't spoken in too long. She saw how the look on the others' faces become confused, perhaps sure they were already talking about it. "Are we really not going to comment on how Steve, Jamie, and Sam fucked the same person?"
Tony pointed his finger at Bucky who was the closest to him. "She's got a point, we haven't fully analyzed this situation."
"Maybe they don't want to say anything" Bruce tried.
Leilani quickly shushed him. "They have to say something, this child has become everyone's problem."
"A problem?" scolded Wanda.
"Yes, Winnie, problem. We're not ready, we don't have anything to take care of this child with" her tone of voice was slowly rising. "And I think they owe us an explanation for not using a fucking condom when they should have, given the years of babysitting we have ahead of us."
Sam set the bread knife down on the cutting board and rolled his eyes. "No one asked you anything here Lani!"
"Do you really think I won't bend over backwards to help you, help the three of you raise this baby?" she looked at him with anger in her eyes, who did they think she was? Sure, she had never been good with children, but she would try her best. "I just asked how we got into this situation all of a sudden, why didn't you guys know about this?"
"We're not in any situation, Lila," Bucky murmured. "We're still going to take the baby to an orphanage," he said with downcast eyes. He dared not meet anyone's gaze.
Indignant sighs invaded the room, the loudest being those of Sam and Steve. "How dare you?" began the latter. "He could be your son and you would just send him away like that for no reason?"
"I didn't ask to be a father, Steve."
"No, but all the sex ed professors asked you to wear a fucking condom if you weren't ready to take responsibility," he pointed at him. "I've always used one, the chances of it being mine are basically zero. It's rare for them to break, so it's up to you and Sam."
"I've used a condom too Steve, I'm not an idiot" now Bucky was speaking more clearly. "Sam?"
He raised his hands, an innocent face. "Don't look at me, I don't have unprotected sex."
Leilani huffed. They were back to square one now. The child was mixed, sure, but she didn't know this Ororo and her complexion could have been dark as well. Since none of the people involved were caring, she assumed it was as she had thought. "Why are we only finding out about this now?"
"Ororo left... six months ago. Rumor had it that she moved away because she didn't want to continue studying anymore. At this point I guess she couldn't," Steve said, his gaze still angry at the statement Bucky had made earlier. "I was falling in love with her, I was with her for three months. Then after a while, she was gone. I thought she felt the same."
Sam closed his eyes and shook his head, a veil of regret on his face. "I'm sorry man, I had no idea. I was with her for a month or so, we just had some fun" he admitted. His gaze settled on the baby still in Wanda's arms. "I didn't know she was with someone, and if I had known that someone was you, I never would have allowed myself to even look at Ororo."
"I know, Sam, you don't have to tell me anything." They both nodded.
James stood up from the chair he was sitting in and began to walk nervously around the room. His breathing was much faster than normal and his hands were perpetually in his hair ruffling it even more. "One time, just one time I slept with her. At a party, we were super drunk, but I remember wearing a condom. I'm sure I did," he turned to everyone. "Once," he yelled. "Nine months ago. And now I'm in this mess, what the fuck are we going to do huh? I'm not ready to be a dad!"
"It could be someone else's kid, Bucky."
"What if it isn't?" he asked, his eyes wide with nervousness. "I have to graduate, get a job, and move to New York. I can't think about a baby, I'm not cut out to be a father." He sighed heavily, trying to calm himself. "Let's take him to an orphanage or let's trace Ororo and give him back to her, none of us will have responsibilities."
They all disagreed with him, even Leilani who understood him perfectly. By now they were in it up to their knees. Wanda had already fallen madly in love with that little face and Natasha had smiled too many times in one evening not to be happy about it. That baby would stay there with them. They would see who the biological father was later, for now, it was everyone's cross and delight.
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avengerscompound · 4 years
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The Tower: Family - 8
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The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic
Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //
Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)
Word Count: 1534
Warnings:  Pregnancy
Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family.  When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.
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Chapter 8: Return to the Tower
Our honeymoon was over too soon, though I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t missing my babies like crazy.  We picked them and the puppies up from Sam’s sister and took them straight to the tower.
It was strange going back to the tower but not in a bad way.  I had a lot of happy memories attached to the building.  This was where I fell in love with my family.  Going up in the elevator, all of us crammed together - we were going home.
The elevator opened up right into the penthouse.  It was a huge open space, the ceiling seemed to start at what would be normally two stories above us and funneled up as it got to the window on the opposite side, so it was several stories of glass overlooking the city and acted as the focal point of the room.  Closest to the window was an open circular sitting area that had a modern chandelier hanging over it.  It was slightly raised and there were plenty of seats for all of us and more to sit around, and despite how large it looked, it also looked cozy and inviting.  In the center of the space, a glass spiral staircase led to the upper floors, and running down the middle of it was a glassed-in fountain, the water running right down the glass.  My immediate thought seeing it was that it would be a great place to put the glass Thor and I had inadvertently made.
Directly to the left and right of the elevator were rooms split into two levels each with stairs running up in a curve along the lower level.  The bottom level of each was a solid wall with large dark wood doors, while the top levels had glass walls.  Along with sculptures and other decorative pieces, there were various paintings, photographs on the solid walls.  None matched and yet they all worked together.  It included things like a Monet, photographs of the city skyline from the early 40s, artwork featuring the Avengers that you could find in poster form at Walmart, and photos we’d taken of each other or the kids, printed onto canvas.
“Alright, so,” Tony said as we spilled into the entryway.  The puppies immediately just took off, running around and sniffing everything.  “On the left, there’s a cinema room on the bottom and games and playroom on the top.  On the right is the kitchen and above it a home gym.”
He led us toward the sitting area.  “The bedrooms are all upstairs,” he said as we passed the stairs.  “I cut the number for us down to just three.  One big family one and two spares for when we might need space.  There are more kids’ rooms and a nursery.”  We reached the sitting area which brought the rest of the space into view.  On the right was a dining area with a large glass table and a bar at the far end.  To the left was some more entertaining space. Couches, a big-screen TV, and a grand piano.  “There are bathrooms at either end and obviously more upstairs.  What do you think?”
“It’s perfect, Tony,” Steve said.
Clint collapsed down on one of the couches and put his feet on the coffee table.  “I think to celebrate our triumphant return to the city, we should order a bunch of pizza.”
“What a surprise that you’d suggest that, Clint?”  Natasha said, sitting down next to him.
“What?  Pizza is good,” Clint argued.
“You heard the man, FRIDAY,” Tony said.  “You know what we like.”
“Yes, sir,” the AI replied.
“Where’s dis?”  Riley asked as she walked over to the window and pressed her face against it.
“This is our new home,” Tony answered.  “What do you think?”
“Dis isn’t home,” Pietro said.  “No…”
“Oh, honey,” Bruce cooed, going down on one knee and drawing Pietro close with one large green hand.  “We still have the other house and this one means you get to go to a nice school.”
“But I wike da outside.  Dis too high up,” Pietro sobbed, his lip quivering.  “And my books.”
“Come here, bumblebee,” Bruce said, scooping him up.
Pietro started crying and hid his face in Bruce’s arm.  “I wanna go home.”
Bruce carried Pietro over to the window.  “Your books and toys and clothes are all in your bedroom.  We can take you to the park and look - look at all the things you can see up here.”
Pietro poked his head up from where he was hiding it in Bruce’s arm.  “So much,” he said in a hushed voice.
“Pretty cool, huh, buddy?”  Clint said.  “And there’s a garden just downstairs with a slide and even a pool.  We can go there every day with the puppies.”
“This is where your new brothers and sisters will be born and where you’ll start making lots of friends who are your age,” Bruce soothed.
“Kids?”  Riley asked.
“Daddy Tony worked really hard on your bedrooms too,” Bruce said.
“It’s true,” Tony agreed.  “Your bed is up in the roof and has a special walkway to it, so it looks like your bed is in a tree.  And Riley’s looks like a pirate ship.  And if you don’t want to sleep in different rooms, that’s okay, because the wall can move the wall and you’ll be in the same room.”
“An’ my books are hewre?”  Pietro asked.
“Yeah, all your books are here,” Bruce assured him.  “Will you give it a go?  For us?” 
“Otay,” Pietro said, softly.
“Why don’t we all have a nice movie night?”  Steve suggested.  “We can make some popcorn and eat our pizza while we watch Frozen.”
“Yeah!”  Riley said, bouncing over to him.  Steve scooped her up and spun her upside down, making her squeal loudly and a breeze pick up in the room.
“Then let's go make some popcorn!”  He carried her out to the kitchen, and Bruce followed after him carrying Pietro.”
“So, how’s this gonna work?”  I asked, taking a seat on the couch.  “I mean, staff wise and going into work.”
“Well for starters, you’re not doing Avengers stuff while you’re pregnant, so you don’t have to worry about going into work,” Tony said, folding his arms over his chest.
“If I knew you were going to be such a pest, I wouldn’t have said yes,” I snarked.
Clint snorted.  “Like you didn’t know he was going to be like that.”
“We all do agree though.  You guys need to take it easy while you’re pregnant.  No missions and backing off on the training,” Sam said.  “Even Nat.”
Natasha shrugged.  “It’s true.”
“Traitor,” I pouted.
“The labs are still here, including your one,” Tony said.  “You can still do that, and I’m going to focus more on R&D over Avenging too.”
“Fine,” I huffed.
Clint started laughing and he put his arm around me and pulled me close.  “You’re worse than the twins.”
“The landing bay for the Quin is directly under the garden,” Tony said.
“And there are offices here as well as the training arena.  So we’ll keep up with what we can here, and when we’re needed we’ll use the Quin,” Sam said.  “Probably one or two of us will go over to the compound every day, but by Quin, it’s only a half-hour.  Hopefully, it starts running without us being there all the time and we’ll just be desk-jockeys unless it’s something big.  And then with all the new enhanced popping up, hopefully, we can basically bow out of the hero-ing game and focus on the training and parenting game.”
“That’ll be good,” Bucky hummed, stretching back on the couch and putting his hands over his head.  “Maybe I can go back to school.”
“That would be wonderful, Bucky,” Wanda said.  “This could be a chance for all of us to get the things we missed out on.”
I smiled and hummed, curling into Clint’s side.  “We’ll almost be normal.”
“There ain’t nothing normal about us,” Clint said, pulling me close.
“We may not be normal, but we are happy,” Thor said.  “That is better.”
“Yeah, it is, you big softie,” Sam teased.  Thor laughed, pulling Sam close and kissing his cheek.
“The pizza has arrived, do you want security to bring it up?”  FRIDAY announced.
“Yes, please, FRIDAY,” Sam said,
Steve came out holding both the twins and he was followed by Bruce who had a huge bowl of popcorn in one hand and a box of soda’s under his arm.  “Come on you lot,” Steve announced.  “Time to have some family time with our kiddos, who we missed so much.”
The kids giggled and kicked their legs and we all got up and followed after them.  The pizza arrived as we were heading into the cinema room.  Clint and Sam collected it and Bucky called the dogs along.  They immediately followed him into the darkened room thanks to his new powers and jumped up onto the recliners with the kids.  As I settled into the large reclining seat and Wanda tucked herself into my side, pulling a blanket over both of us, I relaxed.  It was good to finally be home.
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lovelyirony · 4 years
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ironhusbands prompt: rhodey and tony are at a carnival, rhodey is determined to win tony one of the giant stuffed animals they have as prizes
Here’s the thing about Rhodey: he’s not usually competitive. Usually. He knows he’s good, and he knows that he doesn’t exactly have to win everything to be considered a great guy or a “challenge” to the opposing team. His chess strategies can account for that exactly. (He loses every single round but a different time. Chess Club respects him.) 
But this is different. Totally different. 
He’s dating Tony Stark. Which is quite a big deal, even if he’s been acting like it isn’t for the last week in public. 
Not in public? Whole other story. He called his little sister and asked if yellow was an obnoxious color. 
He could practically feel Jeanette’s eyes judging from across the phone line. 
“You’re serious? You’re asking about yellow?” 
“Well you know, sometimes it’s too bright and shit, so--” 
“If this is about your stupid fucking yellow polo shirt, I thought I told you to burn that. Tony will hate you forever if you wear it.” 
“Oh. Okay. Thanks Jeanie. Love you.” 
“I mildly tolerate you.” 
“You’re lying.” 
“I know.” 
(In reality, Tony would not have hated Rhodey in yellow. He just would come to sigh every single time Rhodey put on a polo shirt. Jeannette, in her own opinion, saved their relationship from the get-go.) 
A carnival is a big deal for Tony. Tony is what Rhodey likes to affectionately call, “a freak.” 
He’d never had a hot dog until he came to the college dining center. He is very excited to try “normal” things. 
And Rhodey noticed that his eyes lit up when they watched an old movie and in the background there was a couple and the boyfriend won the biggest teddy bear there for his sweetheart. 
Rhodey wants to do that for him. 
The only problem? 
Rhodey isn’t exactly sure if he can win a game. Sure he’s practiced his aim and yeah, he’s been pretty solid at ring tosses at his school carnivals, but this is the big-time. It also costs money, and Rhodey has about twenty dollars in his wallet and he is absolutely not taking more than that for a stuffed animal. 
But Tony? Tony’s excited. It’s all he’s talking about for the last week, which is very cute. 
“Rhodey’s taking me to the carnival,” he says, grinning. “Isn’t that cool?” 
“For the eighth time, yes it is very cool,” Bruce deadpans. “Now please don’t talk to me about it I’m having flashbacks to my sophomore year of high school and the production of Grease. I think I deserve some kind of refund for that trauma.” 
“You guys performed that? How was it?” 
“I literally just told you.” 
“I bet it was fun,” Tony says, humming the rest of “Beauty School Dropout” as he finishes up the calculations to the assignment. “Can I tell you something, Bruce?” 
“Yes. Please tell me it’s about Mothman.” 
“No. It’s about Rhodey.” 
“Is he hiding a dark secret? Is he actually a government plant so that you don’t get too crazy and out of control?” 
“What? No. They wouldn’t send someone as amazing as him. I just really want a carnival prize.” 
“Oh. Okay.” 
Bruce knows this is a problem. Carnival games are rigged. Luckily, he knows someone who is currently working there because he either a.) is paying off a debt he owes someone, or b.) potentially undercover for a secret agency. 
-
He just calls him Clint. He’s not as badass as Bruce just made him sound. 
“Hey, I need a favor from you. I need you to work whichever stand Tony and Rhodey come up to.” 
“And why should I do this for you?” 
“I will buy you that really shitty pizza you like.” 
“Oh, you mean the most decadent pizza you’ll ever have?” 
“I mean it’d be decadent if you were in the Great Depression, but sure. Yeah.” 
“Okay. I still would’ve done it even if it wasn’t a favor.” 
“You absolute--” 
“By Bruce say hi to Thor for me!” 
Rhodey doesn’t know about Clint. But the plan is in motion. 
They end up at a stall that involves a sharpshooting game. Clint’s not sure how to rig it against the other rigging, but he figures he’ll wing it. Tony is very excited about potentially winning a five foot tall stuffed animal of a dog. It looks quite cute. 
Rhodey is very nervous, but Tony smiles at him. 
“Hey, it’s okay. Just a game.” 
“Right,” Rhodey says, trying not to think about how he had a nightmare that Tony ditched him for the stupid frat guy who sits ahead of them in chemistry. “Just a game.” 
Tony comes back with a giant stuffed dog that barely fits in their tiny dorm, but he peppers Rhodey with kisses. 
“Best date ever, honey. Thank you. I know you’ve been to a million, but it’s...it’s really nice that you did this for me. And you got Clint to rig it!” 
“...who’s Clint?” 
“We’ll ask Bruce later,” Tony says, pulling Rhodey close. “Don’t worry about it. For now, I would like to thank my strong boyfriend for winning me the best thing ever. I’ve named him Marmalade Blackberry the Fourth.” 
“Wait...Clint rigged it? How? Why?” Rhodey looks very confused, and Tony honestly doesn’t want to talk about it now. He had to carry the dog home on the bus back to campus and had to be cute all day. Quite exhausting.
“Go to bed, darling. We’ll talk about it in the morning,” he says, kissing Rhodey on the cheek. “Let’s get ready for bed. Remember to use your new facial cleanser!” 
Rhodey kisses him on the cheek back, grinning. 
“Love you.” 
“Love you too,” Tony says with finality, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. (Rhodey loves that.) 
Tony tries to bring Marmalade the Dog into their beds. Rhodey has to politely but firmly say no. 
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trudy-shams · 3 years
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What we become - part 6
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6 months later ------------ You checked out your reflection in the mirror for the 12th time, every 10 minutes in the span of 2 hours. Steve was late today. No!  You were NOT nervous, you just wanted to look presentable. You were a reflection of the place you worked for and you loved Asgard so it was not totally absurd you wanted to make sure you were looking good.
"The blonde boy isn't here yet, please stop wasting time in front of the mirror and take those drinks to table #6" Clint grumbled.
Him sitting in your section 5 times a week and leaving cute notes (and some hefty tips) did not go unnoticed by anyone. And no one was subtle about it. From Loki to Thor to Clint to Gamora, everyone teased you endlessly.
"Seriously, I don't know what is holding you, or him, back. Just go out on a date already" Gamora said while tipping her head towards the door.
And in walked Steve, in all his smedium t-shirt and khaki pants glory.
His eyes immediately found yours and his face split into a big grin as he made his way to a table.
Sometimes you wonder how you didn't see until now how handsome he was, but you know for a fact that your perception of beauty changes as you get to know them better. Sometimes their personality makes them more appealing while other times it's the exact opposite.
You couldn't stop the smile that spread on your lips.
You neared Steve's table "You are late today"
Steve dopey smiled back "I got stuck at an event my father organized but I slipped away as soon as I could and then there was the usual traffic"
"I have told you so many times, we have another branch of Asgard near where you live, you don't have to make the hour long drive just for some beers" You smirked.
The first time you got to know how far he lives, you were slightly confused as to why he would drive all the way. He just shrugged and smiled, saying he liked the ambience of this place better. You didn't really believe him but didn't push him either.
Now? Now you kinda knew why he drove so far. It would be stupid to pretend otherwise but you couldn't pass an opportunity to tease him.
"And I have told you, I really like the ambience " Steve was not the shy fella who couldn't meet your eyes anymore. It took a while but he slowly lost his inhibitions around you.
And you? Well, your perspective of him changed the very day he saved your life. You were so grateful to him.
But as you got to know him better, you felt a lot more for him than just thankfulness.
"So your usual then?" You took out your notepad.
"No, not today. I am already late, maybe I will take a to-go bag for some snacks. Enough for two people" Steve had this look on his face.
You were disappointed and you hoped it wasn't obvious on your face.
"Oh sure, I will bring it up right now" You internally cringed at the high pitch of your voice.
"Oh no, no rush, take your time. I know your shift doesn't end for another 30 minutes" Steve was full on smiling now.
It took a moment for you to realize what he meant and you bit your lip to keep from smiling.
"Well that's very presumptuous of you Mr. Rogers. I might have better things to do then go out on a d.., accompany you to whatever secret cult meeting you drive an hour for" Steve laughed out loud before pressing his hands to his chest.
"The Perseids Meteor shower is supposed to peak today and the sky is clear enough for a good view. It might be something fun to watch "Steve lost steam by the time he finished his sentence seeing your stern expression " it's Friday night so I thought you wouldn't have classes tomorrow and work. The best time to view is after midnight and If you are not comfortable, I understand"
You did your best to keep your laughter in at Steve's rambling but maintained your serious demeanor "We will have a few hours to kill then, do you want to watch a movie"
"I totally... what?" Steve was giving you his signature puppy dog eyes.
You finally dropped the act and grinned "I have been begging Nakia for days but she claims that no astronomical event can keep her from her beauty sleep. I am so glad you asked. It would be so much fun. We can take some drinks too. We can stop by my place and grab a picnic mat. Do we need chairs? Blan..."
"Ok doll breath" the nickname just slipped out but Steve decided to act calm"I have everything ready. We can just pack some food and we are good to go"
You did a tiny jump. "I can't wait" --------------- 12 Months later
"See, both Mr. Darcy and Lizzi are seeing things through their own corrupt lenses" you supplied hazily
The warm weather and shining sun had almost put you to sleep.
Then there was Steve's warmth that radiated from where you were leaning against him. His cologne, his soothing voice as he hummed a tune now and then and the comfort of knowing he  was there with you.
Steve and you were sitting in your favorite park. You, with your books and Steve with his sketch pad, as had become the norm for Sundays. Steve always asked you what you were reading and you always asked him what he was drawing.
Steve would show you his sketch if you would give him a summary of the book you were reading and answer his questions. You borrowed a few books from Mr. Stark's library every time you went home.
There was something about reading a physical book that you loved.
You had grabbed your all time favorite this morning while stepping out to Steve's bike.
"Usually people assume that one character had pride while the other had prejudiced views but I feel that they both had pride and their own prejudices. For instance, Lizzy knows what Mr. Darcy is saying about her family is true and on occasions, she has pointed out the same to her mother and sisters, even her father, but she is wounded when Mr. Darcy states the same. Her mind sees Mr. Darcy is a spoiled rich man with no compassion or heart" you went on, now glancing at Steve "but we should always remember, never judge a book by it's cover... or initial few pages" you stuck your tongue out at your own silliness.
Steve had this wistful smile on his face "Yeah, sometimes the first few pages cannot tell you the full story"
"That's why I read all books that I begin till the end" you all but whispered to Steve seeing how close he had come to you.
"I am so happy that you do" Steve whispered back. Just one inch, that's all you needed.
And then Steve's phone went off.
You both jerked away.
Steve took the call while you hid behind your book for the rest of the day. ---------------- 18 Months Later
"You will call me as soon as you reach" you repeated for the 5th time.
"I will, first things" Steve promised.
Steve had been enrolled in a 1 year MBA from a university in another country, as per his father's wishes. Apparently, it was a rite of passage all children in his father's circle had to go through. You were told by Nat that James, or Bucky as she called him, had been there too.
Like that was supposed to make you feel better.
Not that you could ask Steve to stay. You weren't officially dating.
You didn't know what was holding Steve or you back. Well, you knew what was holding you back. You didn't know what you would do if Steve rejected you.
You were sure he had feelings for you but you still felt that there was a wall between you two and you had solid reasons.
You had never, not once, met any of Steve's friends. Not even as a friend.
He always came to you, the area where you lived. Never the other way around.
He hadn't added you in any social media accounts he had.
There was a small part of you, which was growing everyday, that believed he was embarrassed to be seen with you. Not that Steve ever made you feel like that when you were together.
But then there was this glaring fact that he never asked you out on a proper date. It was always a plan to 'hang out'.
And that he hadn't even kissed you yet.
And now he was leaving for 12 months.
"I will miss you" Steve looked at you with such a rueful smile that you had to look away.
"Well, I will be right here. Literally, I will wait for you right here, at the airport gate, with a bunch of welcome home balloons and a six pack of your favorite. Who knows, maybe I can convince Ms.Hella to start an airport outlet and I will meet you inside, waiting with your regular order as soon as you land" you tried to lighten the mood.
"I will touch down at the airport every weekend then" Steve smiled which did not reach his eyes.
"Don't make promises you can't keep Mr. Rogers" You turned to him and smiled, having reached the security check.
Steve was hugging you the next second. Arms squeezing you tight while he murmured in your ear " I will miss you sweetheart, So much."
You took a deep breath to hold your tears in "I will miss you too".
You stood like that for a moment. You pretended not to notice the way Steve smelled your hair and planted a lingering kiss on your hair.
You both reluctantly parted.
"I will see you soon stranger" you whispered and started stepping back.
You had to let him go before you did something stupid. But ultimately, Steve beat you to it.
He grabbed your arm as you were about to turn away, jerked you forward, and planted his lips on yours.
There was nothing soft about the kiss. It was bruising. It was months of pent up frustration, attraction and tension all coming to the fore.
One of his hands was tangled in your hair while the other was like a steel band around your waist. You didn't know when your hands ended up crushing the t -shirt material around his chest. It was all tongue and teeth and desperation.
When you both came up for air, Steve looked absolutely wrecked.
He held you close and pressed 6 more quick kisses on your lips.
I *kiss* will *kiss* miss *kiss* you *kiss* so *kiss* much *kiss*
With that, he loosened his grip on your waist and hair and stepped back. Hair out of place and cheeks flushed crimson.
He let out a deep exhale and turned around, speed walking through security, not looking back once.
While you stood there, rooted to the spot for a few minutes, trying to catch your breath and quell the butterflies in your stomach, wondering what the hell just happened.
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redfoxwritesstuff · 4 years
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Of Dust and Ashes. Chapter 31
So, good and bad news. The good, you’re getting your update right on time. More good news? The next update should also be right on time! In exchange for two bits of bad news, my laptop died. RIP and my daughter has been Covid’ed out of daycare and is stuck home until her test result comes in which means I too am stuck at home. I may be around more... or less.
Chapter warnings: None? Some blood and talk of the aftermath of the snap.  Series warnings: Dude, at this point- if it can be a warning, it’s probably either already in the story or planned. Please read responsibly.  Series rating: M for mature themes, graphic violence, sexual content and death. 
Wanna catch up? Masterlist is here. Wanna drop me a tip? Buy me a Ko-Fi.
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Chapter 31: Stew
Dee paced the waiting room. Each lap across the wood floor took less time. When she realized she was near a jog, she forced herself to slow down. It wouldn't do to work herself up.
She should have been talking to Rachel. Now was a perfect time to explain the situation with Sasha in more detail. How else could Rachel ever feel comfortable enough to trust the new woman. If Rachel didn’t trust Sasha, how could they be sure that she would stay with her?
If Rachel left the Clinic and struck out on her own, it was very likely that her baby would die. If she got lucky, she herself would survive until the spring. Dee didn’t want to put much time, effort or resources into keeping the ungrateful woman alive but she also didn’t want her to die. There had already been more than enough death.
The fact that they’d already done too much already to keep her alive gnawed at her. They had left the safety of the farmhouse to keep her alive. They killed people to keep her alive. Trust got hurt because they decided to save her. She owed it to them to survive until the spring. If saving her resulted in Trust's death, she owed it to them to survive.
Swallowing her anxiety, Dee forced herself to sit next to Rachel. “Make yourself at home.”
“What?”
“This is where we’re going to be leaving you.” Dee didn’t want to be talking. She wanted to be trying to sneak up on the exam room again. She wanted to check on Trust. But she knew she would only be a distraction. Clint wanted her to work on setting Rachel at ease.
“I thought… I thought we would be going to a house… This isn’t somewhere people can live.”
Dee took a deep breath, willing herself to be calm. Silence ticked on around them. She reminded herself that she had a different experience with the Decimation than Rachel. She had known many horrors during the last five months but she had traveled. She had seen the extent of it through a great portion of the country. She had seen what it did to cities, towns, people and most importantly, to families.
Rachel only knew what this small part of the country. She was a local to Kansas. She’d lived in the small town she had grown up in. Those who remained had banded together to protect themselves and their supplies. When King Jacob’s men had shown up and offered to absorb them at the cost of a minor tax, it was hard not to hear them out. It had seemed like a great way to gain more safety and support. The majority agreed to join with King Jacob, believing with all their hearts that they were doing what was best for the town.
They hadn’t expected that the minor tax would include most of their supplies. It had taken the King’s men looting the town for them to stand up and say enough. The result was only bloodshed and the kidnapping of most of the women and young boys.
Dee had listened to a bit of her story while they had walked through the city, on their way to the truck. If that was what had happened here, she could only imagine what happened to those living within the expanding territory of King Mason. There were so many other self named 'kings'. How were they running their territories?
Clint had mentioned that the reforming government was working with the self titled Kings on the East Coast. What were they like? How many people had they hurt? The idea made her sick.
“You can live anywhere, now. Zoning rules don’t apply.” It was a bad joke and Rachel didn’t laugh. “There’s a stove, generator, well water, rooms and beds.”
“Exam rooms and beds.” Rachel pointed out.
“True. But the walls are thick and solid. It’s out of the way and you’ll be living with a nurse.”
“But-”
“We won’t make you stay. But this is where we will bring supplies and this is where we will leave you. The rest is up to you. But if you come and go from here, come back to get supplies and leave again- you could lead others here. It’s up to you.”
Rachel was silent for a moment. Finally, she opened her mouth to say something as Clint rounded the corner. Dee shot to her feet and rushed across the room, heart beating wildly in her chest. Her stomach rolled. Blood was smeared on his hands. Though she tried, she couldn’t make her voice work.
“He’s okay.” Clint’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a tight hug. It was everything she needed. “He’s okay.”
“Really?” Tears slipped down her face. She told herself it was dumb to cry over a dog but couldn’t stop.
“Sasha was able to remove the bullet. Stitched him right up. He got lucky, it missed everything vital. He may always have a limp though, it nicked his shoulder blade but she doesn’t have a way to cast it.”
“He’s going to be okay?” She asked again, as if he hadn’t already said he would be.
“Yeah. Some pain meds for a few days. He’s going to be sore for a while.”
“He’ll be fine, assuming infection doesn’t set in.” Sasha added, rounding the corner. “I’d like to keep him in an exam room overnight to make sure he rests. We’ll offer food and water in a while when he’s fully awake.”
“Why can’t he stay with us?”
“I don’t want him ripping the sutures. If he’s alone in a small room, he won’t be doing much moving around. Just for tonight, maybe some of tomorrow.”
“Hopefully he leaves them alone.” Clint grumbled. “I don’t exactly have a cone of shame in the truck.”
“If you could get one, that’d be best.” Sasha offered.
“We’ll see.” Clint grumbled. His back was sore. His legs were sore. His head ached from lack of sleep and stress. “It’s not something that many would think to take and hoard at least. Shouldn’t be too hard to come by.”
“If you can, antibiotics and animal medications? Any literature they have as well- I’m a nurse, a people nurse. Not a vet. I’m playing a dangerous game of guesswork using what I’ve got on him.”
“Not likely on antibiotics. Most people know that they will need antibiotics if they get hurt. Most don’t know the names- they probably just shoved everything they could in a bag and called it a day. But a cone and maybe some books should be easy enough.” Clint didn’t want to go anywhere. He wanted to sleep. Still, Sasha was a valuable resource that was already paying for her keep. The least he could do was enable her to be a bigger resource. “I’ll go after we eat, swing by the farmhouse and load up supplies as well.”
“You will come back.” Sasha pressed. Though it wasn’t presented as an option or a question, it was. The way she twisted her hands and her eyebrows bunched together gave it away. She would have been a pretty young woman, before everything had happened. Clint would bet that as she came into her new life now, she would once again be a pretty young woman.
“I will. You’ll have Trust so I have to. Can’t leave the mutt behind, now can I? Dee’d be heartbroken.”
Sasha nodded and turned. “You’re all probably hungry. I’ll see what I can make.”
“Let me.” Dee insisted.
“I’ll build up the fire.” Clint offered, dragging himself to the wood stove.
“But-”
“I’d rather you give Lizzy a checkup and her shots. Rachel could use a once over as well. We can make food while you do what we can’t.”
Dee made her way over to Rachel who was still huddled in the chair. “Sasha here is going to give you and Lizzy a once over, okay? If Lizzy is strong enough, she’s going to give her her shots.”
“Why?”
“The shots? Because we want to protect her from as much as we can.”
“Herd immunity is questionable at best right now.” Clint added. It had been something that had been weighing on his mind. More than a few of Lauren’s mom friends had opted out of giving their snot goblins shots. They would give imaginary reasons full of made up science that only made sense on the most surface level. “Half the population is gone and antivax was gaining traction. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there is a resurgence of most of the shit we gave shots for in the next decade. There may not be enough kids in some areas that had their shots, kids born now probably won’t get their shots for a while, if at all- large holes in a very thin herd.”
“I’ll give shots to any kid who needs them.” Sasha pointed out. “Other doctors, nurses still alive will too. We don’t want to see things like whooping cough and measles outbreaks becoming routine again.”
“You will. But others may only give it in exchange for food or supplies. Others still may hoard the vaccines, only giving them to members of their family or group. It’s a new world and you’ve got to stop thinking in terms of this being temporary.”
“But the Avengers, You’ll fix this.” Sasha pressed.
“No. We. Won’t.” Clint punctuated each word with the toss of a handful of twigs and kindling into the wood stove. “We- They tried. They failed. The grape that did this is dead. The stones are destroyed. It’s over and this is what’s left.”
“But-” This time it was Rachel that spoke up only to receive Clint’s glower.
“But what? The world will come back to something that looks normal? Fat chance.” Clint directed his attention wholly to his task when he noticed both Sasha and Rachel shrinking back from his glare. “The Avengers are working with the government to re-establish order and rule on the east coast, moving west. They’re filling the government and military ranks.”
“That’s good then?” Rachel offered. Sasha had abandoned the room to prepare for the exams.
“Is it?” Clint scoffed as he took a long stick lighter from Dee’s offered hand. Before long, Sasha would have to light her fires with matches and then, learn to strike a fire with flint. It was one of the many ways people were not prepared to live a life like this. “They are absorbing the self titled rulers, naming them governors and mayors. Do you think King Jacob would have made a good mayor? That’s what he would have become, if they came and he still held the city. Sure, they’d require him to raise the standard of treatment of the people, give them freedom but still.”
“They can’t be. They’re heroes. That’s not-”
“It is. Tony’s got crippling PTSD and has all but given up. Thor’s busy doing whatever to settle his people. Bruce has locked himself in a lab. Nat and Steve are working damn hard to bring the government back damn near on their own but they are only two people. They can’t be everywhere and they can’t fill every spot. The Avengers you hold so dear are down to one super soldier and one very tired assassin.”
“What about you?” Rachel asked. “You’re still alive.”
“Am I?” Clint snapped, regretting it instantly as Dee draped a calming arm across his shoulders.
“You are.” She whispered in his ear and he clung to that.
“I can’t support putting people like that in charge of other people's lives.” Clint said.
Both he and Dee knew there was more to it, though they rarely spoke of it. Clint was bitter. He was angry. He blamed them. They failed to save everyone. He blamed himself, too. He wasn't there to have the chance to help, to fail with them. Now, he wouldn’t- no, he couldn’t help them put people like the self named King Jacob in power.
He understood why they had to do it. He wouldn’t help but he wouldn’t stand in their way. Let the terrible king’s reign for now, someone would likely go through and kill them later. Someone like-
“Come on.” Sasha called out, ushering Rachel and the baby out of the waiting room with a clipboard in her hand and what looked like two charts. It was so normal that Dee couldn’t help but smile at the sight. If playing doctor made Sasha feel better, all the better.
The fire crackled as Clint stacked a few large logs on top of the pile of flaming kindling and thick sticks. He waited for the first to begin catching before adding the next.
“There are others like  King Jacob.” Dee said.
Though it was not a question, Clint answered. “Yeah. I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Can you really promise that?” Dee asked. “Our own government, your friends are allowing them to keep power and giving them authority.”
“I won’t let them touch you.” Clint insisted.
“Back in California, there was a man calling himself King-”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No, I never had a encounter with him. I’d hear him and his people on the radio, making announcements of their power or whatever. There were stations that resisted, TV and radio. One was taken over while on the air. People died. He isn’t a good man.”
“Bad people are going to rule the world, at least for a while.”
“They did before too, I think. It was just less obvious.”
Clint laughed, though the sound was bitter. “True enough. But there were others who kept them in check.”
“Like we did today?” Dee whispered. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She knew she was dancing around something but she couldn’t pinpoint what. It was something dark that didn’t want to be given voice. Perhaps it was evil. Perhaps it was madness.
“Yeah.” Clint whispered. “Just like today.”
“I’ll see what I can find for dinner.” Dee said.
With that, they turned away from the unnamed madness, leaving it hanging and powerless. If they didn’t look at it too long, maybe they could ignore the siren call. What would happen if they listened? What would happen if they gave it voice? What would happen if they took more power than they had now? What power could they have?
~~~~~<3
“Well, Lizzy seems to have gained a good bit of weight. She’s doing much better than that first day. Got her shots in. I’d like to keep her on the normal schedule for them, if possible.”
Sasha’s voice cut through the room as they entered. The heavy smell of stew greeted them. It smelled heavenly and drew a rumble from her stomach. How Clint and Dee could manage to make something that smelled that divine with the food she had, she couldn’t imagine. Somehow, they did though and she couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Everyone’s okay, then?” Dee called out, straightening her back. She’d been slumped over the stew, mixing the pot to keep it from burning. Clint was next to her, making something akin to flat bread on the stove top.
“For the most part.” Sasha wouldn’t call Rachel healthy but she would admit she could be in worse condition.
“There should be plenty to eat, at least.” Clint said, flipping the bread like disks when the first side was browned. “Grab bowls so we can eat up.”
The meal passed with soft words and long spells of silence. Sasha and Rachel both ate two bowls and many, many disks of bread. Clint wasn’t surprised. Sasha had looked to have been stretching her food. He couldn’t blame her. She had no real reason to trust that he would come back with supplies like he had promised.
While they had been waiting for Sasha and Rachel, Clint had taken his time to poke around her supplies. She had some canned meat and a almost empty freezer. He had every intention of filling her freezer with meat and ice. He’d see to it that they could last a month between supplying trips, if they ever were unable to make the trip.
Setting his empty bowl to the side, Clint stood up. “I’ll go grab supplies as promised before it gets too late.”
“You’re going to come back, right?” Sasha asked as if he had somewhere else to go with all the supplies.
“Yeah.” He directed his attention to Dee. “That stew will taste even better tonight. When the fire burns down, throw it back on the stove to simmer.”
She nodded her agreement, pulling herself to her feet as Clint gathered his keys, boots and coat. As he stood from tying his boots, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. His arms crossed over her’s, his hands clasping around her’s.
“Be safe.” She pleaded.
“Always.”
“Come back to me.”
“Always.” He promised again. “I will always come back to you.”
“I love you.” She whispered, as if it was a sacred secret.
Turning, he placed his hand on the side of her face. Fingers slipped into the strands of her hair as he brought his lips to her’s. The kiss was soft, sweet and chaste yet it was somehow everything she needed from him. “I love you, too.”
After letting him go, she watched him slip into his coat. He checked his gun before pushing the furniture from in front of the door. As it closed behind him, she squeezed her eyes together. After taking two slow, deep breaths, she began pushing everything back in place.
She wondered if it would ever be easier to watch him leave.
~~~~~<3
Tag list: @usedtobegoodfriend96​ @alcoholic-muffin​​ @theoneanna​ @alexakeyloveloki​, @toozmanykids​, @winterisakiller​, @j-u-s-t-4​. @bambamwolf87​​, @missaphrodite23​, @nonsensicalobsessions​, @tinchentitri​, @xoxabs88xox​ @queenoftheunderdark​, @carissime72​ @myoxisbroken​ @coyotesongwriting​ @wegingerangelica​ @tnystrk-exe​ @faemapfae​, @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​​ 
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A Halloween Special (WinterSpider AU)
Summary: It's Halloween at the Avengers Tower, and the team plans a very special group costume. Peter is thrilled and can't wait for the event. Bucky, however, is decidedly not participating in the costume. Peter comes up with a plan to get his boyfriend to dress up in a costume and go to Tony's Halloween party.
Pairing: Peter Parker x Bucky Barnes
Word Count: 5.0k
Warnings: None really...lots of fluff... an excessive amount of smirking and blushing...
A/N: Here’s my self-indulgent Peter x Bucky Halloween fanfiction in July lol. It’s been up on my AO3 (@lynnnieee) for about a week now but I thought I might post it here as well! Thanks for reading!!!
Also, here’s a gif that has nothing to do with the story just brighten your day😊😊
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Peter is more excited about this year's Halloween than he has been about any other in years. Usually, Ned came over, Aunt May ordered pizza, and they'd binge Halloween horror movie classics all night until they finally crashed on the couch in the early hours of the morning. Even last year, when Peter turned 18 and moved into the Avenger's tower, everyone decided not to do anything special. Most of them were just arriving home from a mission cleaning up some of the remnants of Thanos' visit to Earth and were too exhausted to carry out any sort of plans. But this year, things have been calm for more than a month now, the longest period of time in a while, and Steve had managed to convince Tony to throw a party in the tower on one of the multipurpose floors.
And for Peter, this Halloween only kept getting better and better. All of the Avengers planning on attending the party made a deal to dress up in costumes of each other. When Natasha had jokingly teased Sam with the idea, Peter was instantly excited. Though some were more reluctant than others, Peter and Clint managed to get everyone on board. Well, almost everyone, that is.
Bucky had sat back on the couch, drinking coffee from one of Tony's oversized mugs, watching his boyfriend and Clint try to rally the team together into a group costume. He had a smug look plastered on his face the entire time until Peter turned to him and Bucky realized he was expected to "join in on the fun" as well.
"No."
Peter frowned, "But Buck,-"
"No."
"It'll be fun-"
"No."
"Maybe you'll get somebody with a really cool suit, like Thor-"
Sam chuckled, "Or maybe you'll get an outfit like Nat's."
Peter bit his lip, imagining Bucky in a skin-tight, all-leather pantsuit, "Even better," His eyes gleamed bashfully.
Bucky smirked when Tony cringed from his spot behind Peter and muttered, "Eww."
Peter walked over to Bucky and plopped down in his lap, wrapping his arms around the man's neck. Bucky set his mug down on the side table so he could rest his metal hand on the small of Peter's back as Peter gave him the puppy dog eyes he knows Bucky has a hard time resisting. "Please, for me?"
Bucky smiled and brought his other hand to cup Peter's cheek, a small blush forming on the boy's cheeks. Bucky leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Peter's lips, but then pulled away and still said: "Not a chance."
Peter pouted, "You're so mean to me," Causing a small laugh from the group.
Bucky chuckled and wrapped his arms around Peter's waist. "Come find me after the party, and I promise I'll buy all the Halloween candy I can find so that we still have our own after-party of watching horror movies all night."
Peter's cheeks turned even redder, knowing that Bucky's idea of an after-party will definitely include more than just candy and movies. He dramatically sighs but can't help the grin on his face, "Okay, fine."
"Good." Peter turns back around to face the group, who was in the midst of discussing the best way to go about deciding who gets to be who, when Bucky placed a soft kiss to the back of his neck. Peter doesn't think he could ever get sick of this, even when Bucky is being stubborn.
But Peter thinks that Bucky must've forgotten one thing, he can be equally as stubborn as the solider when he wants to be. So by the next morning, Peter had come up with a plan he believes to be pretty foolproof. The rest of the gang decided to draw names from a hat to determine who'll they'll come dressed as, but Peter requested his name be taken out of the drawing because, as he told Tony and Steve, he has a fantastic idea that he guarantees will get Bucky to cave on Halloween. He tells them not to mention anything to Bucky and refuses to disclose the details of his plan, saying it will just have to be a surprise.
Steve had smirked at him, telling Peter that he's hasn't seen Bucky in a Halloween costume since they were six years old, so if Peter needs anything at all, just let him know and he'll be happy to be of any assistance. Peter didn't realize Captain America could be so mischievous, but he liked it.
So today, on Halloween, Peter is fully ready to enact his plan, hopefully causing Bucky to laugh and come to the Avengers' party in a costume. The secret costume he picked out for Bucky is tucked away in the corner of the closet in Peter's room where he knows Bucky won't find it. He managed to put both of their outfits together for a pretty cheap price as they already had most of what he needed. Although Peter knows Mr. Stark has told him dozens of times to just ask if he needs money for anything, especially now that he's living in the tower, he always declines. It doesn't feel right to mooch money off of his mentor when he's already living in the luxurious Manhattan tower free of charge.
Peter's just about to pull his own costume for the night out of the closet when Bucky pokes his head in, knocking twice on the door. Peter looks up at him with a bright smile as Bucky walks in. "You getting ready for the party?" The man asks, shutting the door behind him.
"Mhm," Peter hums, pulling the bag out of the closet but leaving handles tied shut, "But you can't see my costume yet."
"And why's that, doll?" Bucky teases, sitting down on Peter's bed.
Peter sits down beside him, tossing his legs over Bucky's lap, "Because it's a surprise, so you have to wait just like everyone else." He responds playfully, knowing Bucky's already aware of that because he's asked Peter only about a thousand times over the past few weeks.
Bucky chuckles, shaking his head, "I still couldn't believe it when Stevie told me you decided not to take part in the name drawing when the whole thing was your crazy idea."
Peter smiles, "Hey, it was Clint's idea too!" Bucky laughs again, tucking his hand under the collar of Peter's shirt on the back of his boy's neck, running his fingers through the ends of his curly, brown hair. Peter leans his head back against the cool metal on his neck, his eyes falling shut for a moment as he makes a small purring sound that always brings a soft smile to Bucky's face. "And anyway, I know you're going to like my new costume a lot better." Peter opens his eyes, a troublesome glint reflecting in them, "But I made sure to stay in line with the theme!"
Bucky raises an eyebrow lightheartedly, "And you're really not gonna tell me?"
"Nope," Peter shuffles off of his bed and gently pulls Bucky up at the same time, "And you gotta go so I can change cause the party starts in less than half an hour."
"Alright, alright, I'm going," Bucky raises his hands in mock surrender with a smirk playing on his lips.
"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Peter asks yet again.
Bucky smiles, then leans over and pecks Peter on the forehead, "I'll see you out there, doll." Peter flushes at the soft touch and resists the urge to pull Bucky back and keep him here a little bit longer. Peter shoots the man one last grin before shutting the door behind him.
Although he is absolutely not going to partake in the costume swap, Bucky is a little excited to see everyone dressed up as each other. He wanders into the living room, planning on watching TV while waiting for everyone to meet up in their costumes, but mostly so he can laugh at whoever has to dress up in Nat's combat suit.
Not even five minutes after sitting down, he sees Sam coming walking into the common room from the small hall leading to the few bedrooms on this floor. "Even in a random draw, I'm still a damn bird," Sam says, throwing a bow over his shoulder on top of the arrow quiver.
Bucky snorts, eyeing Sam in Clint's Hawkeye uniform. He's dressed in all black, except for the underneath his vest, where a dark blue shirt with one short sleeve and one long sleeve sits with its collar popped. A quiver of arrows is hooked across the middle of his chest with a leather strap lacing over the bulletproof vest. But the bow and arrows aren't the only weapons Sam wears, though, as a gun is holstered on his left thigh and a knife is attached to his right boot. Sam completed the outfit with a black cuff on his right wrist, black combat boots, and a wristbow fastened to his left wrist.
Before Bucky can even say anything, another voice carries in from the hallway, "Woah, you look awesome!" Clint rushes into the room, "Right down to the details," He points to the knife on Sam's boot, "Great job, man! Now we'll just have to see if you can use that thing as well as I can." He nods to the wristbow.
Sam snickers, "I can't wait to see Steve's face when he gets a look at you." Bucky honestly could not agree more. Clint arrived in a full spandex Captain America suit, the colors notably much brighter and costume-like than Steve's battle suit. Clint obviously put muscle padding under the sleeves on his biceps and one of Steve's cowls adorns his head, as well as a tall pair of black combat boots, but the standout of the outfit is undoubtedly the blazing shield on his arm.
"Is that actually Steve's shield?" Bucky asks, looking at the reflective metal shield resting on Clint's right arm.
"You bet it is," Clint smirks, "I'm not one to half-ass it on Halloween!"
Bucky laughs harder as Sam raises an eyebrow, "Does he know you have that?"
Clint's smirk turns sheepish, "I may have asked Tony to get it for me as a favor." Sam rolls his eyes but chuckles nonetheless.
"Somebody say my name?" Tony opens the door from the main hallway, marching into the room in what Bucky automatically knows will take the cake for the most extra costume of the bunch.
Clint's eyes go wide, "Oh. My. God." Tony recreated The Falcon suit down to a T, even some slight smudges of dark dust and dirt litter knees and boots to resemble wear. Tony put on a maroon and gray military-grade suit identical to Sam's, a weapons' belts with a holster on one side and an array of knives on the other, slick metal boots with knee pads clicked onto the shoe rims, and automated gloves with red accents and tech lining the cuffs to control the wings. His eyes are covered by sleek goggles with red lenses and a gray strap.
Sam approaches Tony slowly, his eyes continuously flicking over the suit as if looking for any sign of flaw, "Do the wings work?" He eyes the red and gray harness resting over Tony's shoulders.
"Please, what do you think?" Tony smirks, pressing a button on one of the wrist cuffs. In a split second, maroon and silver wings shoot out from the pack on Tony's back, which begins emitting three soft, red lights. "I know your wingspan can go up to 50 feet at full stretch, but I figured a twelve-foot wingspan was good enough for a party."
"This is incredible, man," Sam slowly shakes his head, "How long did it take you?"
Tony shrugs, "Not long, Peter helped when I had to be in meetings."
"As much as I hate to say it, I'm impressed," Bucky says to Tony, although he usually hates to stroke the man's ego.
Tony's self-satisfied expression only grows, "Thanks, I know," He stares at Bucky's plain black henley and jeans, "Still not coming to the party?"
"Well, I can't now, how am I supposed to beat that?" Bucky says as if he had any plans to go in the first place, gesturing to Tony's extremely high tech costume.
Tony rolls his eyes but smiles, "Oh, I ran into someone pacing in the hall that I think definitely has this and everyone else beat." He turns his head to the door, "C'mon Capsicle, I think it's your turn to come in now!"
Bucky raises an eyebrow when Steve calls out from behind the hall doors, "No, thanks, I'm good out here!"
"Don't be shy, Steve, you look fantastic!" Tony yells back, his amused grin never slipping.
Steve groans loudly enough to be heard in the common room, but he pushes the door open anyway. "You know, I knew there was a chance of this, but I guess I thought my one out of six odds were good enough," He mutters, and, well... Bucky can't help the chortle that immediately leaves his mouth.
Clint doubles over, laughing so hard Bucky thinks he might cry, "This is the best thing I've ever seen in my whole entire life!" Steve growls slightly, but his face showers with embarrassment.
Sam pats Steve on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you look great, man!" He says, though clearly holding back cackles of his own.
Steve's face goes even redder, if that's possible, as he stands in front of half of his team in a one-piece, tightfitting, black leather pantsuit. The outfit is fitted with two belts, one around his waist for various weapons, and the other around his middle with a small red hourglass buckle pulling the suit even snugger than it already was. The top is unzipped down past his pecs, only inches above the hourglass. Black, fingerless gloves and tall combat boots (Bucky never noticed until now how many of them wear those) put the finishing touches on his costume.
Bucky tries to control his laughter, "How did you- Where did you-... Stevie?"
"Tony helped me out a little bit," Steve replies, still avoiding eye contact with everything but the floor.
"Did you end up figuring out who everyone drew?" Sam knowingly asks Tony.
Tony shrugs, "What can I say, there was a high demand and I'm the only supplier you all know, apparently. And not quite everyone, Nat and Thor both kept theirs very close to their chests, though I know they each have to one of the only two remaining on my list of unknowns." Tony suddenly rolls his eyes, "And don't even get me started on Peter. Since he's come up with his costume idea he won't spare a single detail except that it's still 'on our theme'. It's incredibly irritating." Bucky only smirks to himself, all the more intrigued at what or who his boy is going to show up dressed as.
"Yeah, I'm sure-" Steve starts to say, but stops when he gets a good look at Clint, "Wait, is that my shield?"
Clint puts the shield behind his back sheepishly, "Uh... no."
Steve gives Tony a stern look that is met with a one-shoulder raise from the inventor, "I owed him a small favor, now we're even."
Steve sighs and shakes his head, trying to keep back his grin, "I expect it to be returned without a scratch, Barton."
"Aye, aye, captain," Clint salutes him. Heels clicking echo out of the main hallway into the room and Clint's smirk widens, "And here she comes, ladies and gentleman."
"Well, hello boys," Natasha dryly smiles as she enters the room dressed completely in metallic red and gold.
"Natasha!" Tony blanches, "What have you done to my glorious armor! While you look undeniably stunning, that does not do my infamous technology any justice!"
Steve and Bucky roll their eyes dismissively at Tony's over-eccentric outburst, while Natasha's lip twitches in a way suggesting that this was the exact reaction she was aiming for. Her rendition of the Iron Man suit was powerfully feminine and she somehow manages to exude the same intimidation she always does while wearing a one-piece, bright, metallic, vinyl outfit. Her costume includes red knee-high, high-heel boots with golden tights pulled on underneath and matching red, metallic shorts layered on top of those. The shiny red top matching the boots has a high-neck collar and long sleeves, but with a slit over her chest emphasizing the shoulder pads to provide some of the bulk of Tony's armor. She pulled on gold, fingerless gloves and let her ginger hair fall down over her shoulders, a gold headband tied around her forehead.
"Your suit was a little bulky for me," Natasha smiles innocently, "I had to improvise."
"You look fantastic, Nat," Clint cheers from the kitchen as he grabs a bag of chips from the basket on the counter.
Natasha cracks and her smile turns genuine toward her best friend before she looks over the rest of the team and her lips titter, "Well, Steve, I think you pull off my suit even better than I do." Steve's cheeks enflame once more, inciting another laugh out of Bucky.
The door flings open again beside the group. Thor marches into the room completely covered in green body paint. "It looks as though everyone has outdone themselves tonight!"
"That's got to be some kind of fate that the most overly bulked out person here gets to be the Hulk, right?" Sam points out. Thor's costume is relatively simple and straight to the point. Aside from a pair of purple shorts with ripped bottoms, he painted his entire body in shamrock green paint.
"I hope you used actual body paint and not some kind of crap from an art store, Point Break." Tony grimaces.
Thor beams at Natasha, "Ah, yes, I had some help picking out the right kind of thing from tonight's Woman of Iron."
"Yeah, well, didn't want you turning green for a week."
"Yeah cause that wouldn't have been epic." Clint scoffs and mutters sarcastically, earning himself a glare from Natasha. She puts her hands on her hips and he slouches down in his seat, finishing off the bag of chips in his hand to keep his mouth closed.
"Am I the last to get here?" Everyone turns to see Bruce dressed in a replica of Thor's Asgardian armor with a long red cape flowing down his back and a foam Mjolnir in his left hand.
"Bruce!" Thor quickly stalks over to the scientist.
"Nope, we're still waiting on the kid too," Tony cuts in.
"This is sensational! We have switched roles!" Thor pats Bruce's shoulder a few times while asking, "How did you get my clothing so realistic looking?"
"Oh, um," Bruce nods his head towards Tony, "I had some help."
Sam shakes his head as Tony gives a shit-eating grin, "Like I said, supply and demand, folks, the making of a billionaire."
Bruce raises an eyebrow, "Did I miss something?"
"Of Tony's egotistical rambling?" Bucky snarks, "Consider yourself lucky."
Bruce ignores him, instead opting to ask Tony, "Did you end up getting anything out of Peter about his costume fro the night?"
Tony playfully pouts, "No, kid's keeping his lips sealed tight on this one."
Bruce chuckles and Steve smiles, "I guess you're due to find out any minute now then."
Speaking of Peter, Bucky glances back at the hallway leading to his bedroom door, looking for any sign of the boy. "Hey kid, you almost ready?" Tony calls out, "Heavy metal over here is getting anxious for your arrival." Bucky rolls his eyes to himself at the nickname, but tries to school his face, not wanting to show the slight truth to the inventor's statement.
Peter hollers back, "Yeah, just a second, Mr. Stark!" The door slams and then a thud is heard from Peter's direction along with a shout of, "I'm okay!" Bucky can't force down the smile that creeps onto his face as he catches a glimpse of Peter running down the hall towards the team. When Peter comes into his full view, Bucky freezes, taking in exactly what it is he's looking at.
Peter stands in front of him in an all too familiar outfit. The navy bulletproof vest, the dark long-sleeve shirt hiding underneath it, the brown pants with various sized pockets on the sides, the belt of empty knife holders around the boy's waist, the empty gun holster strapped to his thigh, the black lace-up boots, leather gloves, and not to mention the black mask currently unclasped and hanging off his boy's left ear. The shirt gives Peter sweater paws and the pants are so baggy around his legs that Bucky knows he must have pulled them from Bucky's closet. Heat rolls under Bucky's skin all through his body as he stares at Peter in front of him dressed like a smaller, cuter, and less-violent Winter Soldier.
Peter bites his lip, a soft flush rising onto his cheeks. Most of the team is smiling at him, while Tony's draw is dropped open a bit and Bucky just stares at him. "I couldn't quite solve how to do the metal arm justice but I figured this would be good enough," Peter gestures to the small red star patch sewn on into the left shirt sleeve.
Tony loses his stunned expression and lets out a loud guffaw, "I don't know why I'm surprised, seriously. I had a lot of ideas of what you might come dressed as, including the horrific possibility of a sexy Spider-Man, but admittedly this was not one of them." Peter's a little happy to have been able to shock Tony, honestly.
"Well, I think you did an excellent job, Peter," Steve says from across the room, looking knowingly between Bucky and the spiderling.
"Thank you," Peter cracks a small smile when he looks at Steve's costume and tries to hold his giggles in, "Wow, that's... quite the outfit, Captain."
Steve's face reddens into a blush matching Peter's. "It's already eight o'clock, I guess we should head on down to the party," Steve says to the group.
"Probably a good idea," Natasha shoots Peter a sly smile. She nudges Tony towards and pushes him towards the door when he tries to stay to see what's going to happen considering Bucky is still frozen in his spot.
"Just because you're me for the night doesn't mean you get to be the boss now," Tony mutters as the team exits the common room, Clint sending Bucky a suggestive look on his way out, but the soldier barely even registers it.
As the door slams closed, Peter looks back at Bucky with a shy smile. He anxiously begins to the wind his fingers through the dog tags around his neck - the only thing Peter was wearing that was not a part of his costume. Bucky had gifted him the tags for their one year anniversary, and he hasn't taken them off since. The sound of the metal clinking together snaps Bucky out of his Peter-daze and he instantly makes his way toward his boy.
Once he's mere inches away from Peter, he allows his eyes drag up and down the boy's body again, struggling to hold back his urge to drag Peter back to his bedroom as he ogles him. Bucky definitely has a thing for Peter in his clothes, and he knows Peter knows it too if Bucky's constant stream of missing shirts and jackets is any indication, but he never thought he would be this enticed at the sight of Peter in his combat uniform.
"So, what do ya think?" Peter says quietly, peering up at Bucky through his eyelashes with a kittenish smile.
Bucky shakes his head, unable to push back pleased smirk any longer, "I think I know exactly what you're doing." His hands fall to Peter's upper arms, moving slowly up and down.
"And what am I doing?" Peter steps even closer, their shoes bumping together, as he leans up on his toes to nudge his face closer to Bucky's, pressing a soft kiss on the man's jawbone.
"Peter," Bucky's voice drops warningly, only sparking more excitement in Peter. "I'm not going to the party." Bucky's hands trail down Peter's forearms to the tips of his fingers and rest on his hips.
Peter cuts him off with another kiss, this one beneath Bucky's chin, "Who said anything about the party? I'm just showing you my costume before I leave," A kiss below his ear, "I spent a while putting it together," Another low on Bucky's neck, "and I wanted you to be able to get a glimpse of it before I show it off to everyone else at the party." A kiss gently on his collarbone.
The sensical part of Bucky knows Peter is toying with him, but apparently his body didn't get the memo as he clenches his teeth, struggling to resist giving in, "I think everyone's really gonna like it," Peter stares at him with his big, innocent doe eyes, whispering, "don't you like me like this?"
A growl escapes Bucky's throat and he presses his thumbs into Peter's hipbone, but as he tries to move the final inch to press his lips to Peter's, the boy moves his head away. "Sorry," Peter grins coyly, "I should be getting to that party now. Don't want to be late."
He tries to step away, but Bucky's grip tightens on his hips, just above the empty weapons holster. "You really are a little menace, aren't you?" Bucky puts a hand under Peter's jaw, his fingers trailing over the boy's cheek.
"You really gonna make me go to the party alone?" Peter whimpers gently as Bucky moves his leg in between Peter's thighs.
Bucky huffs a sigh, and places a kiss on the top of Peter's head, "I can't believe I'm saying this..."
"But...?" Peter beams at him.
"We're going to leave early," Bucky tries to sound serious, but the ecstatic look taking over Peter's expression overpowers him.
"Deal!" Peter jumps up to press his lips to Bucky's before he whispers a soft, "Thank you."
Bucky just nods in defeat, "Alright, let's go."
Peter frowns, grabbing onto Bucky's hand before he can walk away, "You can't go to the party without a costume, Bucky."
"Afraid I don't have a costume, doll." Peter grins mischievously and Bucky stops, "You got me a costume, didn't you?"
Peter laughs and nods, pulling the man towards his room. "It's actually what triggered my costume idea too! I promise it's simple!"
Bucky chuckles as he watches Peter pull a plastic bag out of his closet, "I considered getting a suit fit for you, but no matter how perfect I know you would look, I also knew you never, ever wear it in front of other people, so I tried to do something basic instead."
Bucky raises an eyebrow but his silent question is immediately answered when Peter pulls out a hanger holding a long sleeve blue Henley shirt underneath a sleeveless, red zip-up hoodie with a black spider decal in the middle. "You can just wear blue jeans with it and your army boots, the red ones, to match." Peter hurries to say, "Oh, and one more thing," He leans over to pulls the last object out of the bag and hands it Bucky. "I don't use that one much anymore. It's the one from the first Spider-Man suit Mr. Stark made for me."
Bucky glances from the mask in his hand to Peter's hopeful face in front of him. For some reason, this party obviously means a lot to Peter, so he sighs, resigning himself to endless teasing from Steve and Sam for the next hundred years, "Only because I love you so damn much."
Peter bites his lip, "Really? You'll wear it?"
Bucky smiles teasingly, "What? Me giving in wasn't a part of your master plan? What tricks were you planning on using next?" Bucky wraps his arm around Peter's waist, laying their foreheads on each other, "Cause I'll bet I'd be open to more persuasion."
Peter flushes beet red but still grins softly at Bucky, "Of course it was part of my plan, but I wasn't- I just wasn't actually sure that you would do it in the end. I know Halloween isn't your thing and although I really, really wanted you to go I'd never make you do something you definitely did not want to do in the end, because you had to do that for too long and I love you too, and-" Bucky cuts off Peter's flustered rambles with a small kiss to the boy's lips.
Peter is still the color of tomato when Bucky pulls away, "There isn't anything in this world that I wouldn't do for you, doll." He smirks at Peter's outfit once more, "Especially when you're all dressed up for me."
"Bucky," Peter whines, dropping his head into his soldier's chest. Bucky laughs and Peter feels the rumbling on his temple.
"C'mon, let's get me all ready for the party." Bucky pulls back, "Sooner we go the sooner we can come back here, eat a shit ton of candy, and maybe," Bucky nods toward the mask, "we can put some of this webbing to good use." Peter bites back a moan and slowly hands Bucky the costume, trying not to fumble under the lustful gaze from Bucky that he's grown so in love with.
>>><<<
"Steve!" Sam says, pointing to the elevator that just let off.
Steves glances over only to find Bucky entering the room, all dressed up in a makeshift Spider-Man costume, with Peter at his side pulling him over towards Tony and Pepper. Steve chuckles and turns to Natasha, "Bucky in a costume at a Halloween party, I can't believe the kid actually managed to do it."
"I'm not surprised," Her lip quirks up, "He always goes soft when it comes to Peter."
Steve clinks his glass against Sam's and Natasha's in agreement as he watches Bucky stare at Peter's rambling with fond, loving eyes.
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banashee · 4 years
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Part 21 of my @badthingshappenbingo​
Square: Depression
Please mind the tags and warnings in the bottom notes
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 A night like this
 On some days, Phil just stops completely.
 He’ll power through whatever he needs to, keeping himself occupied with work and little else for as long as he can but when he hits a certain point, it’s like someone took his breath away. On those days, Phil deflates entirely, unable to do anything else.
 If it is a really bad day, he might not even find the energy to get out of bed to shower or feed himself, even now that he is on a combo of medication. Those days are not as often now, but they still happen quite frequently. Especially after long or hard work days. Weeks.
 When those days happen, he calls in sick to work then and feels incredibly guilty about it.
 Agent Coulson is amongst SHIELD’s higher ranking agents, and thus an important factor in the planning of recent and upcoming missions. He takes pride at being good at his job, and it satisfies him most days, although there is also the ever present looming of “What if” in the back of his head.
 What if he messes up when his brain betrays him?
 What if someone gets hurt or dies because he’s making a mistake?
 What if a important mission is delayed or endangered when Phil is home in bed for days on end because he simply can’t force himself to get up?
 What if some day, he’ll look into the muzzle of a gun and doesn’t care if the bullet hits him?
 It’s not like he never thought about finishing the job himself.
 Phil has probably spent more years with a loaded gun, a bottle of painkillers and a bottle of vodka in the drawer of his bedside table than most people would guess.
 “This comes with the job, most people in this profession end up with PTSD and depression at some point.” some might say, and while they’re statistically right, Phil can’t remember a life without the darkness in his head.
 He is able to deal with it on his own for quite some time - but it isn’t until years later when he hits rock bottom that he realizes how bad things really are. Phil manages to reach out for help, but the gun, pills and alcohol in his drawer remain there for a long time.
 He hasn’t touched either the gun or the alcohol in almost 2 years - he considers it progress.
 *+~
 Today is one of the bad days.
 To be fair, it’s been one hell of a month, and Phil has expected the crash sooner rather than later, but he does make it home after a gruelling debrief. Here, he can finally let go of Agent Coulson and simply be Phil.
 Agent Coulson is always impeccable and calm, capable. Phil is struggling and exhausted.
 It’s only when he just locked the apartment door behind him that he realizes that he needs a refill for his prescriptions. It’s too late to go out now, and he highly doubts he’ll be able to go in the upcoming days, when he’ll have to try and get back on track as best as he can. That usually takes up all of his energy.
 Damn it.
 Phil curses under his breath. He can feel his eyes welling up with tears and fights to hold them back - he does not need this. None of it, not right now when all he wants to do is sleep.
 Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Rinse and repeat.
 He can do this.
 Except, it is late at night or very early in the morning, Phil has been on his feet for too long and his mind screams at him for a break.
 Forcing himself to keep breathing is all he can do for now, and it takes Phil half an eternity to take off his shoes and jacket. While he does so, he notices the pair of purple canvas shoes haphazardly piled into a corner and despite everything, Phil smiles.
 He won’t have to be alone after all.
 Despite being friends for many years, the romantic relationship with Clint is still fairly new. It has probably taken them much longer than it should have to get their shit together and finally get a move on after many months - some might say years - of mutual pining. But they figured it out, despite personal hang-ups and insecurities .
 What they have now is solid, real and very much the best thing that happened to either of them in a very long time.
 Occasionally, when their schedules allow for it, Phil gets the treat of coming home to find his partner already there. It always brightens his mood, at least a little bit.
 And really, when he enters the half dark bedroom, there is a lump under the blankets which Phil knows contains Clint. In the low light of the dimmed reading lamp, he can make out a bit of dirty blond hair sticking out from under the blankets. If it wasn’t the sight, the soft snore alone would tell-tale enough. And so is the dog bed in the corner, even when it is empty.
 Surprising absolutely no one, Lucky is sprawled on the end of the king size human bed, fast asleep like Clint and clearly satisfied with himself.
 Phil can’t find it in him to care. On the contrary, he is very much looking forward to spending the foreseeable future cuddling with Clint and the dog.
 Luckily, neither of them needs to be anywhere until Wednesday. Hopefully, he’ll feel a little more human by then, Phil thinks. He doesn’t want to call out of work, but he knows Nick wouldn’t say anything about it. He knows, after all.
 Phil pulls some clean clothes from his closet and enters the bathroom to take a shower.
 For one, he feels disgusting at the moment. But on the other side, he’s not sure when he’ll have the energy to do anything about it next. Clint would help him, he knows now. But still.
 The hot water feels comfortable on his sore and heavy muscles, but Phil can feel his eyes almost falling shut. He startles himself out of the trance, forcing himself to wash up. His movements are sluggish with exhaustion and hands that are starting to shake.
 By the time he steps out of the shower, Phil is dead on his feet. But when he pulls the shirt over his head, something catches his eye on the bathroom counter - it is obnoxiously pink and faintly heart shaped. Not something he usually tends to keep in his bathroom.  Phil squints at it from a distance, and then he steps closer.
 It is a giant post-it-note, cut out like a lopsided heart and a familiar scrawl on it.
 ‘Picked it up for you. ♥”
 Under the post-it note, there is a brand new bottle of Phil’s antidepressants, sitting right next to the most recent bottle of Clint’s own prescriptions.
 The gesture might be small, but it means the world to Phil. He looks at it and asks himself what he ever did to deserve someone caring like this by his side.
 He takes his second dose of the day. It’s late for it, way too late by the clock, but he figures it’s better than not taking it at all.
 Phil is careful when he crawls into bed, not wanting to wake Clint, but he stirs immediately when the bed dips down under the weight of another person and his usually sharp eyes blink open. They’re soft and sleepy now, lighting up with happiness when he realizes that Phil is here.
 “Hey, you’re home.” his voice is slightly croaky with sleep. “You okay?” he asks then, and Phil just hums without really answering.
 He lightly taps Clint on the temple, their way of asking “Are you okay?” when Clint doesn’t wear his hearing aids and it is too dark to sign. Or for when they’re simply too tired. Phil is certainly tired, and this is easier.
 “Could be worse.” Clint shrugs a little. It’s that kinda night - they are both familiar with it.
 Phil keeps one hand running over the light stubble on his cheek while they kiss. Then he allows himself to be pulled close, gracelessly flopping down on top of Clint who doesn't seem to plan on letting go of him anytime soon.
 They stay wrapped around each other, and Phil takes a few shuddering breaths.
 “Bad day?” Clint asks quietly, and Phil just nods against him. He doesn’t give a verbal answer because the hearing aids are on the bedside table. The very same one with the gun and the vodka in the drawer.
 ‘      No. Stop thinking about that    .’
 Talking also seems like a bad idea now - they might do so tomorrow, always needing to make sure the other is okay after they have spent time apart.
 Instead of an answer, Clint just hugs him closer, pressing a kiss into his dark hair as they drift off to sleep together.
 The thing is, both of them know what difficulties can come with a messed up brain chemistry and too many painful life experiences.
 Life has been unkind to both of them, on different and similar occasions. They deal with it as best as they know how - sometimes, that means they can’t cope on their own at all, and this is when love and trust come in handy.
 Having a shower or forcing down a meal is a lot easier with someone close by. Someone who understands, helps or simply is there.
 Phil is asleep within minutes, but clinging on for dear life. He barely notices Lucky shuffling over and laying down right on top of their feet, warm and alive, and Phil finds that he can finally let go for a while now.
                                 Notes:  
Warnings:
- Mental health issues - Depression - Suicidal thoughts - Coping with depression and suicidal thoughts - Discussion of medication - Alcohol, but not alcoholism
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Text
Taking Time Epilogue
Master List | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Request:
Could you do a Thor request where the reader is Tony’s sister and Thor and her always had feelings for each other but timing was never right and right after Infinity Wars, everyone goes to regroup and rest, she and Thor find comfort in each other since she doesn’t know where Tony is and he’s lost everyone he love (but her)?
Pairing: Thor X Reader (There’s some platonic Steve feels too.)
Summary: For years you and Thor have had a tumultuous relationship, to say the least. After the snap, you meet up with what’s left of The Avengers at the compound to not only figure out where the hell your brother, Tony, is but also to lick your wounds. Thor is among them and the two of you finally take the time for one another because if you’ve learned nothing from this nightmare it’s that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
Warnings: Loss. 
A/N: My. God. Why. Can I write something and not be heart-wrenchingly invested in the reader character? No, apparently I cannot. I’ve enjoyed going on this journey thanks to my lovely anon requester and I appreciate you all going on it with me. Just going to go ahead and apologize for any tears shed because this def put me in my feels. 
Tags are open!
@disagreetoagree  @fandoms-pizza-wifi-ym13  @dorkprincess  @badpvn @unalive-mee @breezy1415  
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Every single person, even Rocket who had no dog in this fight, was ready to have something to do when you presented them with your plans that night. Things were getting chaotic everywhere. People needed whatever was left of The Avengers to step up.
Clint Barton had turned up the next day, having lost his whole family. You all welcomed him with open arms. While you all thought he’d opt to lay low he instead wanted to work.
Bruce was helping you pick through Tony’s research. Happy to finally be back in a lab.
Steve, Thor, and Rocket were ground ops tasked with going into the selected hubs to more accurately assess the situation. Steve even shaved his beard and donned his trademark red, white, and blue to gain people’s trust.
Natasha and Barton were on covert ops, in times of chaos there will always be people who will take advantage of that. They would sniff out the biggest threats and lay out a plan of action.
Rhodey was coordinating with the government. In the wake of The Event (as all the news outlets were calling it) the Accords were scrapped. The US and really any government was, for better or worse, ready to take any help they could get.
You would intervene in any team as necessary working under the Iron Man mantle. Your suit may be different in color and sleeker in design but there was no mistaking that look. Just like Cap’s patriotic get up it would garner trust.
Ten days after the event, when the teams had been dispatched for their first round of fieldwork F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in while you were in your office sorting through the nanotech research.
“Y/N, I have a pre-recorded message from Mr. Stark.”
Your breath catches.
“Would you like me to play it?”
Would you… “No. I… Fuck… I’ll view it in the lab.”
You run and burst through the doors of Tony’s private lab. In the days since you have been here you’d felt sick every time you thought of coming in this space. Now… Your heart is thundering in your ears your skin covered in cold sweat.
“Breathe,” you whisper. Trying to calm yourself. You place your palms against his main desk, whole body trembling. “Fuck,” you groan as you collapse into his chair.
No paper littered Tony’s space, he scoffed at analog whenever he could. But there were still traces of him left here. A coffee mug with a sip still in it. A book face down to mark his spot. A picture of him and Pepper. And… you cover your mouth to hold in a sob. You and Tony at your graduation from M.I.T. You were on his back, faces pressed cheek to cheek, smiles big and genuine. Rhodey had taken it. You hadn’t ever paid much attention to the photos he kept and this one genuinely surprised you.
Things were always touch and go between the two of you. Two orphans with too much fucking money and too many unresolved issues to function anything like a normal family. But… what was normal?
You’d slept in his bed for six months after your parents’ died because the terror of losing him would wake you up shrieking. He was there. 
When you were at boarding school in England you developed a raging heroin addiction. You’d overdosed behind a seedy pub. Your high society friends left you there rather than end up on the front page as being present when the Stark heiress died. Tony was by your side when you woke up, bleary eyed from lack of sleep and tears. He was there all through your detox… and the next… and the next… He never judged you, never held that against you. 
There were countless times you had failed one another, countless times you screamed both drunk and sober about your hatred of the other. Times when you wouldn’t talk for months… But still you loved each other as best you could.
The picture held tight to your chest you take a shaky breath. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., play it.”
There he is, sitting right where you are, looking morose.
He lets out a long sigh, “You know, Y/N… I’ve been making these things since after the attack on New York. I kinda thought,” he runs a hand absently through his hair making it stand up, “they’d get easier… they don’t. Especially the ones to you. I think,” he clears his throat, “I think it’s because more than anyone I hope you never have to see this. I, uh, have this program set up that if I don’t provide authorization every 10 days F.R.I.D.A.Y. will send this to you. I figure 10 days is a pretty solid indication that something is very wrong. So just in case… There’s just things…” He trails off and leans his elbows on his desk, cradling his head in his hands.
He looks back to the camera, his eyes glassy, voice shaking. “Things that,” he clears his throat again, “that you need to know… that I’ve never had the spine to really say to you before… Y/N, I could not be more proud of the woman you’ve become.” A tear slides down his cheek and he quickly brushes it aside, save for snark and anger neither of you were good with emotions. “God knows that’s no thanks to me. I have no clue how you turned into this light of a person but I do know I’m lucky you’re my little sister. I know things haven’t always been easy, I know I haven’t always made them easy. I’ve fucked up so many times… but still here you are. I guess here we are. Both trying to save the world in our own ways though I do think you’re doing a better job…” That crooked smile curls his lips. “And I know… I know for a fact mom and dad would be proud of you too…” He takes a second, breathing deep.
“You should know that anything good in me, any heroic bullshit I’ve ever done… It wasn’t to save the world or to be a hero. I just…” Tears slide out of his eyes, “I just wanted to be good enough for you, to make sure things were safe for you, first and foremost you… And I know that may be hard to believe since I… I know I’ve apologized but I will be doing so until the end for showing you that video… I,” his voice breaks, “I hate myself for that, Y/N, and for the shit before it… I’m so sorry. If you can tell Rogers… tell him I was wrong… Fuck.” He stands and paces for a minute.
“Anyway,” he breathes deep, “I just need you to know that I’m proud of you, that I love you, and that I’m sorry for all the times I failed you. If I’m gone… well I’m sorry for that too. I hope you have Thor, that big blond idiot loves you even though I’m sure neither of you have admitted it to each other. You should by the way, admit it.” He smirks, knowing. “You should also know that the Iron Man is yours now. Do what you want with it, use it, retire it, find someone you can trust with it, whatever. F.R.I.D.A.Y. has all the schematics you could need and I have no doubt you’ll just make it better.” He sighs. “I’m sure there’s a whole hell of a lot more I should say but this is all the emotion I can handle for the week. I love ya sis. You’re going to be ok, kid.” Then he’s gone.
You sit, unmoving, for what seems like a long time. Then something snaps. Every ounce of sadness, of rage, of fear, hits you. Not once since The Event have you allowed yourself the space to feel this. Holding on to the notion that Tony was somehow alive, that he was coming home. But now…
There aren’t tears just a rage filled roar as you knock everything off Tony’s desk with a swipe of your arms. The mug shatters, frames crack. The desk, now devoid of accoutrement is nothing but a target. With a flick of your wrist the armor encases your right hand and you blast a hole through the top of the desk. You take a step back and release another, and another, screaming all the while.
You don’t even hear Rhodey come in. “Y/N!!” He yells over your screams. “Hey!” Grabbing your arm.
“Get the fuck off me, Rhodes!” You look at him, wild, before stalking away and firing at the glass wall separating the lab from the test area. It shatters with a satisfying crash and suddenly Rhodey’s arms are wrapped around you, pinning your arms to your sides.
“I got one too, kid,” he says softly and your knees begin to buckle, “I know… I know.” His voice is thick with emotion. “I know it hurts.”
“Oh, god,” you croak and crumple to the floor. The armor retreats and you cover your face the tears flowing freely. “No, no, nononono,” you repeat over and over through your sobs. Rhodey stays behind you, arms wrapped tight around you until your sobs quieten.
He looks around at the destruction you wreaked, “Ya know, there are times I doubt you and Tony are related and then I’m always reminded that there is no doubt.”
Sniffling you pull away and sit on your knees across from him and take his hands. “Why do you put up with our shit, Rhodey?”
He laughs, tears in his eyes, “Because life without the Starks is too fucking boring.”
You shake your head, “You should work that out in therapy.” Both laughing you embrace. “Thank you, Rhodey, for everything.”
“It’s nothing, kid,” he wipes the tears from your face. “You’re family.”
Five weeks pass.
You’re all managing the best you can. Working on a four days on three days home system for the most part. The beginnings of Foundation outposts have been established in New York and Houston, providing medical care, food, and housing to thousands. You and Rhodey were working to figure out a way to ethically and legally seize homes and former offices that were empty to be used for rehoming people closer to the city centers. Things were… as good as they could be.
Every moment you’re able you and Thor find ways to be together. You both make it a point to carve out time every single day you’re apart to at least have ten minutes to talk, to remind one another that you love them. On days when you’re at the compound you sneak off any chance you can, stealing moments to kiss, fuck, and talk. It was as though you were both determined to make up for all the time you lost.
He tells you incredible stories about his childhood. Pranks Loki would play on him, how he’d somehow always fall for it. Battles won and lost. You’d tell him far less fantastical stories about the wild shit you and Tony would get into, the last minute trips to Singapore and Monaco, the debauchery and fuckery. He loved them even though they lacked giants and magic. Those are the best times.
It’s one of your three days with everyone back at the compound for debriefing and taking a breather. You’re all around the kitchen eating whatever is on hand for lunch chatting when F.R.I.D.A.Y. pipes up.
“An unknown spacecraft has just entered the atmosphere.”
“Fuck,” you all seem to groan in unison.
“Can you tell it’s trajectory?”
“I cannot be certain but it seems that it may be heading close by, I’ve tried to communicate but have gotten no response.”
Without another word you’re all bolting for the door grabbing any necessary gear as quickly as possible. You’re fully suited before you’re even outside, Thor close at your side.
“If they’re hostile let me take the first blow,” Thor growls. You nod.
Suddenly you see it clear the trees just to the west of the compound. Without a thought you’re off, Rhodey bringing up your left.
The craft lands with an earsplitting crash, digging a deep ravine into the earth.
“Still no response from inside the craft but I do detect two life forms,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. informs you.
The rest of the team has brought up the rear while Rhodey, Thor, and yourself remain on the front lines with Thor on the ground and the two of you hovering about 10 feet up.
You hear sounds rumble from inside. “Whoever the fuck you are I highly suggest you come out slowly and unarmed unless you want a hole through your chest.”
Clanking, voices, and a hatch finally bursts free, your weapons hum to life ready to fire any moment.
Hands raised, human hands. “I wouldn’t have given you the fucking thing if I thought you were going to shoot me with it.”
You lose your focus and crash to your knees with a thud helmet retracting and you stare at the haggard visage of your brother.
“Tony,” Rhodey says, shocked, landing with much more grace beside you.
“Stark,” you hear Steve whisper.
“Rogers, Rhodes,” he looks around and you know who his eyes are seeking out.
“She’s not here man…” Rhodey says looking down.
Tony sniffs hard, “I figured. Honestly, didn’t expect any of you to be here…”
You’ve been staring at him, brain unable to process fully what you’re seeing. He’s still a good distance away and suddenly you stand, your feet move of their own accord, suit retracting with each step.
When you’re in front of him you slap him, hard, across his face. “What the fuck Tony!” You scream. You punch him in the shoulder, “What were you thinking?!”
Vaguely you hear Rhodey say to someone, “No, let them do this.”
You push him hard with both hands, “Getting on a fucking hostile alien ship, not knowing where it’s going or what’s happening.” Your voice is starting to crack, you push him again, “with no back up, nothing!” You raise your hand ready to hit him again and he catches it, holding tight, dark eyes that match your own unwavering.
“I’m sorry, Y/N, I’m… sorry,” he whispers.
The fight leaves you in a rush and you collapse into your stupid, reckless, heroic brother’s arms. You both hit the ground in a heap, sobbing into one another. Each of you saying sorry like it’s a mantra, like it will make up for everything that either of you has done to the other. Each of you knowing you are two of the luckiest people alive.
Your whole body is violently shaking, you can’t seem to stop. “Hey, hey,” Tony whispers rocking you back and forth. “It’s ok, we’re ok, kid.” You look up and Rhodey lays a hand on your shoulder.
“I told you, he’s a stubborn son of a bitch,” he says eyes glassy. The two of you rise and the men embrace. “Don’t fucking pull that shit again, Tony.” All Tony can do is nod.
No one else has moved so you all approach the shell-shocked team. Rocket is talking to a blue woman and you can’t even be phased at this point. You reach a hand out for Thor and he takes it, smile bright and eyes filled with tears.
Steve’s eyes are glued to the ground, tension radiating from him. “Rogers,” Tony croaks out, Steve looks up through his lashes not moving, “I’m sorry, man… I…” Steve cuts him off by pulling him into a bone crushing hug. You know they’ll have to work out their differences but you know that right now they’re just thankful to have their friend back.
“Y/N,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. pops up and you hear a distant rumble. “There seems to be another ship approaching.”
“You are fucking kidding me right?!” You groan, suit slithering up your arms.
“Oh,” Tony clears his throat. “Yeah. Point Break,” he looks at Thor, “picked you up some souvenirs on the way home.” A large ship lands, with far more grace than Tony’s heap had.
Thor looks at you confused, “How the hell should I know babe?”
A hatch hisses open and a dark-skinned woman saunters down. Thor’s face is shocked. “Valk-“
“Yeah, it’s me,” a crowd gathers behind her, “Your orders were to go to Midgard so,” she gestures behind her, “here we are.” It hits you that this ragtag group is what’s left of Asgard, of Thor’s people.
He rushes up to her picking her up hooting. Your jaw hangs open, tears streaming down your face. Thor’s laughter rings through the still afternoon air.
Tony wraps an arm around your shoulder and you lean into him. “Have you told him yet?” He’s smirking.
You cleat your throat, “Yeah… yeah we did finally get that out of the way.”
“Good.” He plants a kiss on top of your hair.
There’s still so much to be done. So far to go. But right now you all take the time to revel in a little happiness, savor this victory, no matter how small.
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catalinda04 · 5 years
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Carried Away Chapter 27: The Start of Winter Break
Masterlist
“Hey Ms. C, you got any fun plans for break?” One of Lucy’s students asked during the last hour of the last day of class before break.
“Not really, just hanging out with some friends. Grading projects, binging Netflix, the usual.” Lucy replied. Even with almost half of the high school staff knowing about her relationship with a famous actor, they had respected her wishes, and kept that information from the kids.
“Does anyone have big plans for break, it’s a long one this year, enjoy it.” Several kids spoke-up about trips with their families, basketball tournaments, or work. Lucy found herself counting the minutes until the bell rang. Henry, along with Kal, would be flying in the next day before they spent the rest of the day celebrating Christmas with her family. It had only been 4 weeks since Thanksgiving, but she missed him terribly, and felt almost giddy about being able to spend 2 solid weeks with him.
Once the bell rang, and all the students had left, Lucy took a few minutes to organize her room, and gather anything she would be needing over break. She was just packing the last of her things into her teacher bag, when Ryan appeared at her door.
“You ready to go?” He asked bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“Yes I am. You’re in a hurry today.” She commented to him as they walked down the hall.
“Andi and I are going skiing over break. We leave tomorrow morning, so we’re driving to Minneapolis tonight. I want to get on the road.” He explained,
“Henry flies in tomorrow, then we’re flying to London on Monday night.”
“So just the two of you for Christmas?” Ryan asked.
“No, we’re going to Jersey, and spending Christmas with his whole family; his parents, all 4 of his brothers, their spouses and kids.” Her nerves evident in her voice.
“4 brothers?” he asked, his eyes wide. “That should be interesting.”
“At least I’ve already met his mom, and she likes me. I haven't met any of the rest of his family though.” They stopped outside the Library to wait for Mindy.
Lucy waited impatiently for Henry’s flight to unload. It seemed forever between watching the plane touch down and drive to the gate, before the doors were actually opened.
She saw his head over the others walking up the jetway. She waved to him and his mouth widened into a grin. He released his hold on Kal’s leash and let the dog run to her. She knelt down to envelope Kal into a big hug. The dog had such an expressive face, he grinned at her, happy to see her again. Once her arms released Kal, Lucy felt a pair of strong hands under her arms, lifting her to Henry’s mouth. His lips were warm and soft and welcoming.
“Welcome back, Darcy.” Lucy finally greeted
“It’s good to be back, Pumpkin.”
Lucy and Henry loaded his bags and Kal and into her car, and pointed it North. Lucy updated him on their agenda. She had managed to convince her mother to agree to early Christmas, but Lucy had to agree to spending 2 nights at her parents’ house during the weekend.
“So tonight we’ll get there in time for dinner. Tomorrow morning we’ll all go to church, before coming home to do presents from each other, then a big family dinner with everyone, plus grandma and mom’s sister Izzy and her husband and 2 kids. Then we’ll do more presents, from grandma and such. I had to promise mom we’d stay Sunday night too, so Monday morning we’ll have breakfast then leave, so I can do laundry and pack for our flight.”
“So we’re two nights at your parents’ house?” Henry asked, sounding very dejected about the idea.
“Kal will love it, lots of room for him to run around, snow to play in, and kids to play with.”
“I’m sure he will, but it’s been over a month since I’ve seen you, touched you, held you, kissed you.” He murmured, his voice going deeper with each word.
“That’s why we’re not going straight there. I made some time for just us, before we go celebrate Christmas. Our own private celebration.” She smirked at him.
“Ever the planner, aren’t you.” He smiled at her.
“You love it.”
“I do love it, I love you.” He leaned across the console to kiss her. She linked her fingers with his while she drove, needing to have some kind of connection with him.
Later, after Henry and Lucy had their private celebration, as Lucy was moving Christmas from under her tree to a box to be brought to her car, she set a box aside. Once their bags were loaded, Lucy pulled Henry to sit with her on the couch. She handed him the small box she’d set aside.
Henry looked at the box with it’s blue snowflake paper, and silver bow, then shook it. It rattled a little. The box couldn't hold much, it was only about 4 inches square, he puzzled about what she might have given him.
“It’s not much. You’re an incredibly hard person to buy for.” She pouted a bit. “Anything you want you could buy yourself, or I couldn't afford. So, I went with this. I hope you like it.”
“Darling, you didn't have to get me anything. And I’m going to love whatever you give me.” He gave her a quick peck. “Can I open it?” He asked with all the glee of a 4-year-old.
“Please do.” Lucy held her breath as she watched him tear the paper on the small box. He set the paper aside, and pulled the lid off. Inside, nestled on a bed of fluffy, cottony, filler, were 2 keys on a Minnesota shaped key ring. He picked them up, and eyed them.
“Are these the keys to your heart?” Henry asked with a slightly confused, slightly silly look on his face.
Lucy gave a short giggle. “I suppose you could say that, but they’re actually much more practical than that. They’re the keys to my house. I wanted to show you that you’re welcome here anytime.” She explained worrying her hands in her lap. Had she been totally wrong in thinking he’d like the gesture?
Lucy watched as Henry’s eyes started to shine with water, before he wrapped her in a tender, crushing embrace. “Darling, this means so much. Thank you. You said you didn’t know what to give me. You’ve given me the only thing I want. You.” He said, pulling her in for a kiss that could demonstrate his love more than he ever could with words.
Lucy and Henry arrived at her parents’ house an hour before dinner was to be served. Lucy wanted a chance to settle in and let the kids settle down from their greeting before they all sat down to eat.
There was the usual exuberant greeting from Quinn and Thomas, and hugs from everyone when they arrived. Lucy went to the living room to put all the presents she’d brought, under the tree, and stopped so abruptly that Henry ran into her.
Hanging on the wall where all of their stockings normally hung, was a stocking with Henry’s name on it. While the rest of the family had hand-made stockings that Marie had made, Henry’s was a classic fuzzy red with a white fur cuff, but his name was embroidered on the cuff. “Mom?” Lucy called while walking to the stockings.
“Yes?” She entered the room, seeing Lucy stroking the stocking. “I didn’t have enough time to make a stocking for Henry for this year, so that one will have to do.” Marie explained to her daughter.
Lucy looked at her mother with a tear glistening in her eye. “Oh mom.” Lucy whimpered, wrapping her arms around her mother, touched that she had thought to make sure that Henry felt included. “Thank you.”
“It’s really nothing, honey. There’s no need to get so emotional about it, it’s just a 99 cent stocking.”
“It’s the thought mom. Thank you.” She kissed her mother on the cheek.
“Yes thank you Marie. It’s a lovely gesture.” Henry echoed, giving Marie a quick hug as well.
Dinner was a simple affair, before the orgy of rich food that would follow the next day. Once Quinn and Thomas were asleep, Lucy, Henry, Clint, and Anna all went into the local bar, both Lucy and Clint had plans to see old high school classmates.
The two couples entered the loud, dimly lit establishment together then went their separate ways. Lucy quickly found who she was looking for, “Jenn!” Lucy called, waving her arm high. Jennifer saw her and pointed at the table she and her husband Lee had already claimed. Lucy mimed that she and Henry were going to get a drink first.
Despite the crowd in the bar, they were served quickly and made their way to Jenn and Lee’s table. Jenn jumped up from her stool and squealed when Lucy came close enough to hug. Henry laughed watching the two women devolve into 13 year olds. “Jenn, this is Henry. Henry, my sister, Jenn, and her husband Lee.” She introduced the man still sitting at the table He looked to be about 5 years older than the girls. Jenn wrapped Henry in a hug, and he exchanged a handshake with Lee.
Once they were all seated, Lucy exclaimed, “You didn’t tell me you were pregnant!” She indicated her friend’s prominent belly.
“We decided we were ready for number two. Due in April, so still a bit of time to go.” Her friend said, patting her belly.
“Congratulations! Another baby to spoil! Yay!” Lucy cheered, taking a sip of her drink. “Speaking of number 1, how is my boyfriend doing?” Lucy asked.
“He’s good, adorable as ever. So curious about everything.” Jenn’s eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “The whole troop is getting together tomorrow with the kids. You guys should come!”
“Troop?” Henry asked confused.
“Our Girl Scout troop.” Lucy and Jenn said in unison, which caused them to dissolve into giggles.
“You were a Girl Scout?” Henry asked incredulously.
“Does that surprise you? Really, name a goody two-shoes stereotype, and I probably meet it. I was a very good girl in high school.”
“I’m a good girl I am!” Lucy and Jenn exclaimed, imitating Eliza Doolittle, and erupting into laughter, before Lucy explained why they wouldn’t be able to come.
Jenn wasted no time in grilling Henry for every detail of his life, past and present. She needed to make sure that Henry was “good enough” for her friend, and made no qualms about telling him that. Jenn and Lee announced they could only stay for one drink. Number 2 was doing a number on Jenn, and staying up past 10 any night was pushing it for her.
Lucy and Henry walked them out. There were hugs all around as the four said their goodbyes. Lucy and Henry decided to call it a night then as well. Lucy texted Anna to tell her they were going home. Between him wrapping up filming, and her dealing with kids right before Christmas, they were both exhausted.
Kal met them at the door when they returned to the house. Henry went outside with him, while Lucy got ready for bed. As she was plugging her phone in, Lucy noticed a text from Jenn. “I like him. I give my tentative approval. I reserve the right to withhold full approval until the one year mark.” Lucy smiled.
Chapter 26 .         Chapter 28
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nerdypisces160 · 6 years
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Steve Rogers - Soulmate
Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader 
Warnings: fluff, very slight angst, swearing (really it’s just 1 word)
Word Count: 930
Summary: Soon after getting out of the ice, Steve Rogers notices that his soulmate tattoo is finally black. Y/N on the otherhand has always had those dreadful words on her. She has waited 23 years, and she doesn’t plan on waiting any longer. She decides to immerse herself in her work especially since Captain America just woke up. 
Everyone was running around like a chicken with their head cut off, and Y/N had no idea why. Or that was until Nick Fury called her and told her about a certain Captain joining the 21st century. “Agent L/N I need you to go meet Cap so we can pick up both of you.” “Understood sir. What is his location?” “Hill will send you his location. After getting to him contact us and we will be on route.” Before she could say her good-byes, he hung up. “Well let’s go find a Captain.”
Steve didn’t know what to do. He was in a world that even Howard Stark couldn’t imagine. All at once his punches stuttered, and he realized he had yet to look at his soulmate tattoo. A part of him knew that he would be disappointed by what he saw. Doing a double take he realized that his once white tattoo was now black and bold. He began to trace over the once white words, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Nope not happening.” He didn’t understand what was frustrating his soulmate, but he wanted to help her. 
Having a soulmate was always something Steve looked forward to. Even when he was little, Steve was never worried or self-conscious. This is because he knew that they were made for each other. With a new found determination to find his soulmate Steve continued to hit the punching bag.
Too concentrated on the bag Steve didn’t notice a new prescence in the room. Hearing a throat clear, Steve swiftly turned around seeing a beautiful woman standing there with her hands on her hips. “My apologies ma’am I didn’t hear you come in.” Time seemed to stop once Y/N heard those words. Shaking her head and sighing she said, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Nope not happening.”
Steve was ecstatic to find his soulmate so quickly out of the ice, but confused on why she was so distraught. Before he could question it Y/N pulled out her phone to inform Fury that they were ready. Everytime Steve would try to approach Y/N she would briskly turn around and just repeat Fury’s ETA. 
Once on the quinjet Steve finally cornered Y/N in order to talk about their situation. “Can we talk about why you hate me.” Y/N simply rolled her eyes, “I don’t hate you. I just don’t want a soulmate.” The look on Steve’s face was as if Y/N had run over his dog. “You don’t even know me. I have been waiting for you for almost a century.” This angered Y/N because she knew what it was like to wait for her soulmate. “Trust me I know what it’s like to wait. You got to spend your time in ice; I didn’t. I had to watch everyone around me find their soulmates, so I gave up finding you.” Before Steve could reply Y/N turned away and stormed off.
In truth Y/N was tired of waiting. She had been waiting for 23 years. Over time she learned to get along by herself. With Steve here now she didn’t know how to react.
Y/N was avoiding Steve as much as she could, but she couldn’t fight the little feelings that were emerging. Whether it was him leaving extra dessert for her because he knows she gets a midnight sweet tooth, or by him sending her flowers every Friday. It was the little things that made her want to try with Steve.
Loki was finally here, and Y/N couldn’t help but feel inferior to everyone else. She wasn’t a super solider, a kickass assassination, or even a Norse god. She is just a simple SHIELD agent who was in over her head. Steve seemed to pick up on this. Even though Y/N was avoiding him, Steve still observed her. He would watch how she would walk with all the confidence in the world, but she would still help the interns get coffee for everyone. It was those little things that made him want to get to know her.
While sitting on the quinjet Y/N couldn’t stop her leg from bouncing. Natasha nudged Steve and gave a pointed look toward Y/N’s direction. Steve got the idea and went to sit next to Y/N. “Are you okay?” Y/N had been so far in her head that she didn’t notice Steve sit next to her. “Oh of course I’m fine because you know I fight alien armies all the time.” It was the first time Steve had ever seen Y/N doubt herself. “Don’t doubt yourself. From what I have heard you have been through more dangerous situations. You have been with SHIELD since you were 18, and everyone talks highly about you. Even if you get nervous I’ll b-.” Before Steve could finish his speech Clint yelled back to everyone, “Doors about to open, be ready.”
The fight was intense. Y/N made sure to help anyone who needed it; while also taking out any Chitauri she could. Occassionally she would see the Captain’s shield fly pass her, taking out any unseen enemies. She smiled to herself knowing that she could trust Steve with her life. Finally it seemed that the battle was at a stand still. All the Avengers gathered around in a circle prepared to fight again. “Hey Captain, what do you say after all this mess we go out on a date?” “Well now I will definetly make sure we win.”
And win they did. Steve made sure to take Y/N on the perfect first date. Of course after the team went out for celebratory shawarma.
Well everyone I finally did it. I wrote and posted my first one-shot/imagine. I know that it isn’t the best, but I still enjoyed writing it. Hopefully some of you enjoyed reading it; if not I hope to please you with some later stories. Once I am up and running I will be taking requests. Have a great life and thanks for reading. 
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Story of The Ice Wolf
PART 4.2
OTHER PARTS:
PART 1     PART 2    PART 3    PART 4.1
WARNINGS: mentions of blood, major character death (reader), mentions of suicide (kind of).
By the way this chapter is +5K words.
Hey fellas! now I know that by the warnings I spoiled a little what is to come in the story, but I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Now regarding the chapter this is NOT THE LAST CHAPTER, we have a couple of twists ahead, so buckle up, grab onto something and twist your undies this is getting wild.
*Captain, Stark. We need to…* *Not now Fury* both of them angrily say. [Med Quinjet] Clint limps to Nat’s stretcher to engulf her in his arms “I’m sorry Nat”. She starts to silently cry on his shoulder.Jemma and Bruce keep tending them and setting the equipment, but their silence is their attempt to not crumble down.
[Avengers Quinjet] Pietro, Steve and Wanda are sitting on the floor, the latter is sitting holding close her knees to her chest, Pietro is holding her on a side hug her while Steve is sitting close to her. Tony is in the other side standing with his back leaning against the wall his sight glued to the open gate. No one is really registering how much time has passed, Fury held back the take off. The hesitant thud of Thor's boots echoes through the metallic walls. A saddened deep voice breaks the silence "Lady Wanda... I... I'm deeply sorry, we could only salvage this" the Asgardian features are set in on a mix of shock and sadness. "this?" Wanda lifts her bloodshot red eyes, Thor is now kneeling close to them with glassy eyes. He has the cracked wolf head mask and the twin katanas, and holstered guns. The objects have dried blood and ash. The sight of the damaged objects trigger her anguish, her lower lips tremble while she can’t hold back her despair anymore, she breaks down into heavy sobs without being able to take the objects from the blond man hands, her sobs echo through the jet. Tony can’t even look at Wanda’s trembling form, Pietro is no better, he engulfs his twin on his arms, his right hand cradling her head, his heart breaks as he begins to cry. Thor sets aside the objects to kneel and surround with his arms the tight ball that the twins have become.
Tony and Steve lock gazes, there’s no need to say it out loud, a wrong call, they ignored the warnings of the ex-Hydra agents, now their friends are gone. Regret and bitterness fill their eyes to the point of bitter tears.
--- Vision goes to Banner Quinjet, Jemma and Banner look at him, their eyes widen at the objects in the android hands, he shakes a little his head "Miss Romanoff... I'm deeply sorry".
Natasha’s head lift off Barton’s shoulder just to see Vision saddened eyes, he gives her Bucky's dog tags, mask and dagger, she just stares blankly at the objects cold numb mask setting on her features, her eyes don’t close as tears run down like rivers.
---  ---
Jemma and Banner's jet is the first one two arrive at the Avengers compound, Hunter, Natasha and May and five agents are taken to the medical ward.
The other three jets land simultaneously. They all step down from the jets, the atmosphere is somber. 
Maria and Nick stand before the crestfallen group "Go clean up, have your wounds tended, and rest I want you all in the conference room tomorrow 8 a.m. sharp" He orders.
Before the group departs he calls them out again "Say no word about what happened, Y/N and Bucky, they are away on a mission".
---
Wanda is the first to enter her shared room, Pietro in tow everything is as they left. But something feels off, this should have never happened, more than twenty nine years fighting side by side and overcoming everything life has thrown at them, from roaming the streets, to struggling to stay alive, the Sokovian war, Hydra days, just for you to die due to stupid decisions.
Pietro and Wanda have some bullet graze wounds and bruises, but they can't bother to mind, they only kick off their boots before collapsing numbly in the bed. Tonight, there’s no teasing, no scolding from you, no plans of sneaking off to outskirts to shake off the mission with some drinks, cigarettes and rock.
Is past midnight when Wanda starts to drift awake, her mind fails to register that is not Y/N who is holding her. As usual she reaches to hold your right steel hand, but her hand brushes warm skin stead of warm metal. Her hand quickly moves away and her eyes snap open, she franticly turns around to see Pietro holding her, she begins to cry.
--- Next day, Conference room ---
Everyone is the conference room, even three certain agents that should be recovering.
"May, Romanoff, Hunter, when I said ‘all’ you three were not included, you should be in the medical ward" Fury says. The three of them just shrug it off, he lets out a long sigh.
His stern commanding pose tones down a little "There's no easy way of saying this. The two people we thought indestructible were ripped off from our ranks yesterday as S.H.I.E.L.D members, as avengers but the hardest part is that both were family, longtime friends, siblings of arms and loved ones". He clears his throat before going on "Both had a dark past they made unspeakable things like all of us, but still they thought WE deserved another sunrise, after that sacrifice we can't let them down..." he stops to clear his throat "what we learnt yesterday is a threat to the peace and safety we have achieved this past five years. Hydra has suits capable enough to take down Iron man, but they also have enhanced in their ranks. Somehow, they managed to become stronger under the disguise of a crumbling organization. We all were naive and sloppy".
Steve's voice is full of regret and sadness "Not them, they tried to warn us, our egos were too high".
A scratchy mocking voice interrupts Steve "The mortals will always blame the demons they build and hide behind for them to take the blow" Loki appears behind Fury and Hill.
"Loki you are in no place to talk lightly" Agent Hill hisses.
"But that's what you all did, well except Wanda, Pietro and Natasha for known reasons. The Ice Wolf and Winter Soldier pledged to keep them sound. Comprehensible given their history". With a wide smirk he says, "I'm not here to antagonize further” he raises his hands lightly “I'm sure some of you are already drowning in the depths of guilt" his gaze shifts to Tony and Steve. At the last statement Tony, Steve, flinch slightly hunching their stance.
"I'm actually hurt Nicholas" Loki says while resting his hand over his chest. He strolls to Wanda’s side. "My friend perishes, and no one was planning on telling me, not even you brother, it had to be her loved one who told me". He says resting a hand on Wanda's shoulder.
Thor and he lock gazes, Thor shakes his head lightly and mouths "Not now".
"Is that all Loki?" Fury asks.
"For the meantime, yes" his face has no trace of mockery or mischief.
"We will keep the details of the mission and what happened behind closed doors. The official statement is that Y/N and Bucky are on an undercover mission. We can't let the truth be known, not until we have an answer solid enough to reassure people peace of mind"
Maria takes over "We will have a private ceremony..." "No" Tony interrupts Hill.
"Bucky and Y/N were not that kind of believers" If you want to do one is up to you, but I'm sure that where ever they are they will laugh at us".
"Stark is right, drink it off don't cry it out" Her best life counseling, even Barnes agreed on that one, May says. Everyone chuckles lightly.
"Let's drink it off in their memory".
A/N:
I know this was a little short, but I couldn’t load it as a whole.
I hope you all enjoy the chapter, the next one will be heavy emotionally and loaded with a glimpse of the background and what the reader and the twins went through during their Hydra days.
PART 4.1
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redsector-a · 6 years
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Clint hadn’t gotten a good look at Bucky when he’d arrived home from the mission. Hell, he’d barely remembered to take his ears out before he’d collapsed on the bed next to the lump that was his husband, burrowing up next to him and sighing as a cool metal hand stroked his hair briefly before he fell asleep.
Rolling over the following morning netted him a note rather than some good morning kisses and he realized with a start that the sun in the window was higher than expected. He’d slept in. Not too late thankfully, but still. He loved breakfast foods and therefore he hated missing breakfast. And good morning kisses. Usually he could get those whenever he woke, but he needed a Bucky for that and there was no Bucky to be found so he picked the note up and actually focused on it.
There’s a shake in the fridge and some blueberries to snack on. Don’t ruin lunch, I’ve got plans. Meet me at our beach spot at 11:30. - Love, Buck
Love, Buck. Clint smiled widely and enjoyed the way his heart still beat a little faster at the tiny shows of affection Bucky and he shared. He hoped it never got old. It hadn’t so far at least.
Speaking of, the day wasn’t getting any younger and he glanced over at the clock to see it was 10:30. Plenty of time for a shower and snack before heading down the beach. There was another note on the fridge reminding him only to drink the shake and not ruin lunch (I mean it Barton) Clint rolled his eyes but behaved, his stomach growling in protest at only getting the snack as he exited the cottage and made his way down to the beach.  
There was a collection of rocks not far from their home that the two of them considered ‘their spot.’ It was shaded enough to be comfortable even around high noon but still warm enough that they didn’t get cold even in the sometimes timid central California summer.
Clint hadn’t been there too long, leaning against one of the rocks and sunning himself like a cat when he saw a figure in the distance. He wasn’t entirely certain at first it was Bucky, the cream color sweater and light pants weren’t his usual style, but it didn’t take long to confirm that the stride was the same as his husband’s. He’d cut his hair while Clint had been away and that was fine, he looked good no matter the style of his hair - Clint was just used to it being longer, but the outfit…
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“You can have me right here, sand and all, I don’t care,” Clint managed, his eyes not straying from taking in the sight of Bucky. And oh God that got him a crooked smile and an eye roll. He loved that reaction. “Jesus, you’re a walking wet dream.” He wasn’t exaggerating - Bucky was always handsome, but this new look…damn.
“Eloquent as always,” Bucky replied with a laugh, ears pinking just a little at the frank admiration in Clint’s voice and gaze.
“You love me for it,” Clint replied softly as Bucky set down the bag he was carrying and pulled out a blanket for them to sit on.
“That I do,” Bucky replied equally soft, and Clint kneeled then clambered onto the blanket, swaying into Bucky’s body and capturing his mouth in a kiss.
He’d missed this while he was away. Missed the solid warmth of Bucky to fall asleep with, missed the quiet of their cottage and the sleepy little town they lived in. But Wanda had been shaken up since Nigeria, and Pietro had been a handful because of her being upset, and Steve and Tony had asked him for help…
“How’re the twins?”
“Better,” Clint replied, fighting against the urge to let his eyes drift shut as Bucky stroked his hands up and down his back. “Mmmm…little lower babe.”
“No sexy times on the beach, Barton.” Bucky replied and a woman laughed as she jogged near them.
“Hey Mrs Kirkland!”
“Hey boys! Good to see you back Clint!”
“Good to be back!” He called out to her retreating form. “Now who is the naughty one?”
“Still you darlin’ they know us too well.”
“Fair point,” Clint replied, letting Bucky guide them both into sitting positions. He turned and pressed his face against Bucky’s chest and neck and inhaled deeply. Yeah. It was good to be home. He allowed his eyes to drift shut this time, relaxing against Bucky as he rummaged through the bag for whatever he’d had planned for lunch. The sound of the ocean creating a lazily comforting backdrop and Clint said a little silent thanks to Tony for the weather proofing he’d added, each generation getting better and better with both that and sound quality, to Clint’s hearing aides. Even the salt spray wouldn’t bother them, though they weren’t close enough right now for that to be a worry.
“Nora says hello,” Bucky said as he opened what sounded like a takeaway container.
“You got my breakfast from Nora’s?” Clint’s eyes snapped open. And sure enough - piled high in the container were eggs and bacon and diced potatoes.  In another container were several pastries, and beside that, a thermos of coffee. His stomach growled it’s approval. “Seriously - right here, take me now.” Bucky’s laugh was a comforting rumble against him - until he leaned in to press a kiss under Clint’s ear.
“I don’t think you want to let that food go cold, darlin’. Besides which, I was planning on a little afternoon delight when we got back to the house.” Another kiss and his voice went a skosh lower. “And if you’re up to it and very good I thought maybe I’d ride you until neither of us can form words as a second round tonight.”
And Jesus fuck - he’d mostly been kidding with the teasing but now heat stirred in Clint’s stomach.
“Th-that sounds like a plan.”
“Good.” Bucky’s voice was full of promise and Clint said a silent thanks to the universe, or any deity that was listening, that he was lucky enough to have married this man. That he’d been lucky enough to have been saved by him, and saved him in return.
They ate in comfortable silence and Clint contemplated the same thing he always did after a mission - retirement. It got harder and harder to leave each time he was called out. He never hated it, he still felt a rush of satisfaction, but it just… He didn’t feel he needed to do it anymore. The drive was gone. Well…needed maybe wasn’t the right term, he wasn’t sure he’d ever needed the work at any point in his life to feel worthy or anything like that, but…maybe in a way he had. Now though, at least for the last few years anyway, he found enough contentment in life just spending time with Bucky. Poking around their house and the village. Going on vacations to new and interesting places.
“I think that was it.” He said after they’d finished the food and had been simply basking in each other’s presence.
“Hmm?” Bucky breathed into his hair.
“I think that was the last one.”
“Yeah?” Bucky sounded casual, careful, like he meant to sound a little distracted.
“Yeah.” Clint sighed, but it was in contentment, not resignation. “Maybe we could get a boat. I’m great with boats - it could be fun.”
“You’re serious,” Bucky said and Clint scooted forwards a little so he could turn and look at him. Bucky raised a hand to caress the side of his face. “You’re really serious this time.”
“I am. If you’ll have me.” It wasn’t like he was gone all that often, but he did spend a decent chunk of time away when it happened and part of him was still concerned that Bucky wanted that time to himself. That he needed Clint to be gone sometimes and wouldn’t want him home 365.
“I meant what I said last year Barton. Til death do us part, always and forever.” Bucky raised Clint’s left hand and pressed a kiss to the palm, just under his matching ring. “And I’d love nothing more than to putter around in a boat with you.”
“Yeah?” Oh there was that little bit of hope that made him sound small. Vulnerable.
“Yeah.” It was only one syllable, but it packed so much emotion.
“Okay - barring the actual end of the world you and me and our beach chairs, maybe some pets-”
“Cats and dogs both.” Bucky said, decisive.
“Okay, definitely some pets.”
“Who’s looking out for them when we get that cabin in the Adirondacks?”
“Gimme a second, I’m envisioning the tasteful scruff you’re going to sport then-” And Clint lasted about three seconds before breaking into laughter as Bucky nuzzled his current scruff against Clint’s neck. The laughter lasted even when he stopped, mostly because Bucky had joined him in his amusement and it took a while for the two of them to calm down.
“I love you,” Clint said eventually, settling back in against Bucky’s chest.
“Love you too,” Bucky replied as they sat back to watch the waves roll in, everything in their little corner of the world just about perfect.
Timestamp about...four years after the end of You rearrange me till I'm sane
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imjustthemechanic · 6 years
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The French Mistake
Part 1/? - A Visitor Part 2/? - The Kulturhistorisk Museum Heist Part 3/? - Cutscene Part 4/? - The Marvel Cinematic Universe Part 5/? - Breathless Part 6/? - Escape at Last Part 7/? - Fox in Socks Part 8/? - Things Go Wrong Part 9/? - Downey and Out Part 10/? - Road Trip Part 11/? - Temptation Part 12/? - An Awful Reunion Part 13/? - Unreality Intrudes Part 14/? - A Call for Help Part 15/? - Loki’s Guests Part 16/? - Stan Lee Cameo Part 17/? - Reassessment Part 18/? - Midnight Invasion Part 19/? - Elevator Fight Part 20/? - Courage Part 21/? - Unwelcome Back Part 22/? - Darkest Hour
Natasha apologizes.  Steve has an existential crisis.  Aliens attack Houston.
They were taken to a police station in Los Angeles rather than the one in Malibu – this one had cells with solid doors instead of barred walls, painted in a horrible shade of pale blue-green, the kind of colour that appeared in hospitals or prisons.  There weren’t even any bars here to rattle.  Steve didn’t say much when the cops tried to question him, because there was nothing much to be said.  He’d had reasons for doing all the stupid things he’d done over the past few days, but nobody would believe him if he talked about them, so he kept his mouth shut.
Maybe Thor and Loki could still make it back, he thought.  Maybe Bob and Hayley and Donny would be able to help them.  Maybe once Loki was back in their own universe, he could bring the rest of them back by magic… although it was distinctly possible that even if he could he wouldn’t bother.  Maybe Natasha could still break herself and Steve out of jail.
Or maybe they were exactly where they deserved to be.
There was a knock on the cell door, and a policeman – a white man in his forties, with bushy eyebrows and mustache but a shaved head – opened it a crack.  “Hey, Evans,” he said.
Steve propped himself up a little.  His cell had a bunk bed in it, and he’d been lying on the lower bunk with his good leg hanging off the end and his bad one folded awkwardly under it.  “Yeah?” he asked.
“Johansson wants to talk to you,” the cop said.
“Oh?” asked Steve, trying not to sound too hopeful. She must have a plan for getting them out of here.
“Yeah.  Come with me.”
The man let Steve lean on him to hobble to one of the little interrogation rooms.  These were even more claustrophobic and depressing than the actual cells, with linoleum floors and cinder block walls and the single eye of a video camera staring from one corner.  Steve sat down in a chair made of hard red plastic, and the cop thoughtfully pulled a second one over so he could put his injured foot up.  A moment later, Natasha came in.
She was still wearing the clothes she’d bought at the Wal-Mart – distressed jeans, red chucks, and a t-shirt with a butterfly on it in sequins.  She came and sat down across from Steve without saying a word, her face completely blank.  The cop stepped back and shut the door, leaving the two of them supervised only by the video camera.
“I’m sorry,” said Natasha.
Steve didn’t answer.  He had been prepared to hear a plan and start carrying it out. He didn’t know what to do with an apology.    
“This is… this is my fault,” she said.  “I tried to take charge of the whole situation because I didn’t want to invoke the Accords, even though I should have known we’d need more help.  Then once we got here, instead of focusing on what we needed to do to get back, I went to see Rosie.  I felt like I had to… I just had to see her, I had to know what that was like, to have a child look at you the way Clint and Laura’s kids look at them.”  She hung her head.  “It sounds so stupid now, even to me, but I had to. You understand, right?”  She risked a glance up at him, and there was something in her face that Steve had never seen before.  She was begging.
And he did understand.  Steve understood, because he’d also needed to see Peggy, one last time.  He’d needed to just pass his fingers through the illusion of that thing he could never have.  “Yeah,” he said.  “I do.”
“And now we’re in here instead of saving the world, because of me,” said Natasha.  “You were right, if I hadn’t done that, this would all have been much easier.  So I’m sorry.
“I’m sorry, too,” said Steve.  He was worry he hadn’t been able to learn from her mistake, sorry he’d gotten involved in this, sorry he hadn’t fought when he could have and had fought when he shouldn’t. “Loki said this world had everything any of us ever wanted, but it’s all lies.  Rosie’s not your daughter, and Hayley’s not Peggy.”
“And there’s no Jane Foster for Thor, and Loki’s fans only love him as part of a story,” Nat agreed.  “He is the god of lies.  It would be.”
It was worse than that, though, Steve thought, because in order to have those lies they would have to give up the truth. They could stay here and assume their alternates’ identities as actors, living a lie and lying for their living. Steve was a rotten liar because the truth was too important to him.  When he lied, he was always worrying about what the consequences of the lie might be. He’d been able to star in half a dozen Captain America movies because he was playing himself, telling a form of the truth.  He couldn’t play anybody else.
Steve did his best lying when he just avoided the truth rather than actively denying it. That was how he’d managed to lie to Stark for a couple of years, keeping the truth about his parents’ deaths from him by simply never letting the subject come up.  He’d told himself he was protecting Stark from something that would hurt him, but the truth was that he’d been afraid Stark would hate Bucky for it – and now he hated Steve and Bucky both.
Steve had taken something into his own hands when he shouldn’t have, and sure enough, he’d suffered the consequences.
“So now what?” he asked Natasha.
“I don’t know,” she said.  “They’re not going to offer us bail this time because we’re a flight risk – I listened to one of the cops talking to somebody from the DA’s office.  They’re worried that if we tried to flee the country over one charge of assault, we must be involved in something way worse.”
That figured.  “So we have to escape,” said Steve.
“I guess,” said Natasha, but she wounded oddly reluctant.  “Honestly, though, that’s just gonna make this worse.  We’ve already ruined these people’s lives and careers.  Johansson’s husband is going to want a divorce and he’ll probably take custody of Rosie.  Both of us will have trouble finding acting work after running off for a crime spree like we did.  Can we really, in good conscience, do any more damage?”
“Can we really in good conscience let the Chi’Tauri take Loki?” asked Steve.  “Tom Hiddleston has a life, too, and I’m sure he wants it back.”
“I don’t know.”  Natasha pushed her hands into her hair.  “Like I said… it’s all so much more complicated than just yes or no.”
What was she suggesting, then?  “We can’t just sit here and rot in jail!” Steve said.
“Technically, we can,” said Nat.  “It depends on how badly we want to get anything done.”
She sounded as if she actually thought that might be for the best.  Steve had never heard that kind of hopelessness from Natasha and it scared him worse than any number of alien invaders possibly could.  He reached out and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Nat,” he said, “we can’t just quit.  We have to go home – that world needs us!”
“I know,” she said.  “But I need some time.  I need… I don’t know what I need.  I wish I’d told Thor to just go to Stark and do things through official channels. Then at least it would be them instead of us.”
“There’s nobody better than us,” said Steve, although at the moment he wasn’t sure he believed it.  “There’s nobody else I’d trust to deal with this.”
She nodded.  “That’s always been your problem, Steve.”
The policemen showed them both back to their cells, and Steve spent the night alternating between restless sleep and exhausted wakefulness.  He would lie there feeling his ankle throb and trying to think about things besides the damage they’d caused in this universe.  He hoped somebody was looking after Dodger.  If Hayley and Bob didn’t deserve to be part of this fiasco, Dodger definitely didn’t.
What was wrong with him?  People had been hurt in the hotel and at the convention, and Steve was worrying about a dog.
What was Chris Evans going to think when he returned home to find he was now a criminal with a bad ankle?  That his friend Donny thought he was crazy and that Scarlett was losing her family because her husband thought she’d been having an affair with him?  If he hadn’t already disliked this part he’d been hired to play, he would when he learned what Steve had done with his life.  It was a damned good thing Steve hadn’t given in to the temptation to call Evans’ parents, because that could only possibly have made things far worse.  It still might, of course… what if they came to see him in jail?
Steve didn’t have a watch or a phone, and there was no clock in the little cell, so there was nothing to tell him when morning came.  He eventually gave up on any more sleeping, so he tried to get up and pace, but his abused ankle hurt too much.  His stomach grumbled, and he wondered if anybody were going to bring him something to eat.  Steve had never been in jail before this all happened, but surely they would let him have meals and showers.  He limped over to the door and peeked out the little window, but there was nobody in the hallway outside.
“Hello?”  Steve knocked on the inside of the door.  “Is anybody out there?”  If he asked for food, they’d have to bring him some, right?
There was no response.
He next tried the video camera in the corner, waving at it in the hopes of getting somebody’s attention.  That garnered no reaction, either.  Shouldn’t somebody be watching the feed?  Was the camera even on?
It was impossible to say how much longer he waited.  It felt like hours, but with no reference for the passage of time, it might have been only a few minutes.  Eventually, the door opened and a muscular policewoman with salt-and-pepper hair in a tidy bun looked in on him.
“You’ve got visitors” she said.
This time, Steve didn’t bother to get his hopes up. It was probably Evans’ parents, for no better reason than so Steve could finish ruining everything.  “Do they have breakfast?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said.  “Yeah, we’ve got food.  Sorry, we’ve been… distracted.  I’ve also got a crutch to help you walk.”  She opened the door the rest of the way to offer it to him.  “Follow me.”
She led Steve back into the little interrogation room, which was now crowded with people.  They weren’t Evans’ parents, though – instead it was Bob Downey and Hayley Atwell, and Donny Glover with Dodger the dog in his arms.  All three of them looked pale and worried, as did the other two cops who were in the room with them.  Donny put Dodger on the ground, and the dog trotted over to lick Steve’s hand.
Steve reached down as best he could to rub the dog’s head.  “How are you doing, buddy?” he asked.
A moment later, Natasha arrived, also with a police escort.  She also seemed surprised to see who it was, but at first nobody said anything.  Bob held out a bag from Krispy Kreme.
“Officer Gamba said they forgot to feed you,” he said.
“Thanks.”  Steve straightened up and accepted the bag, but didn’t open it.  Something way bigger was going on here than his empty stomach. The serious silence in the room felt as if they were about to hear that somebody died… and Steve immediately had two awful thoughts about who it might have been.  “Where are…” he paused, making sure he was saying the right names. “Where are Chris and Tom?”
“They’re okay,” said Hayley.
“We’re all okay,” Bob agreed, and then seemed to realize something.  “You’ve been in here all night… they probably haven’t been letting you watch TV.”
Steve saw the colour drain from Natasha’s face, and felt something similar probably happening to his own.  “What happened?” he asked, although he had a feeling he already knew.
“The Chi’Tauri are in Houston, aren’t they?” asked Natasha.
Donny held out a newspaper.  The photograph on the front looked like the view from a news channel’s weather camera – it showed a complex of buildings and parking lots that Steve vaguely recognized from one official visit and a number of previous news stories – the Johnson Space Center.  Smoke was rising from several points within and around it, and an inset showed a blurry close-up of the object hanging in the air above.  It was a Chi’Tauri leviathan.
The headline said simply, They’re Here.
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Dust to Dust (5)
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Summary: Where did Hydra come from? An idea? A twisted dream? For an organization that spans centuries, it kept relatively quiet until contemporary times.The Super Soldier serum wasn’t dreamt up over night, but was the product of numerous experiments both unethical and violent over the course of the century. It was going to be the end of all conflicts between good and evil. Scientists died trying to determine the next level of the serum, only for it to be stolen by enemies. Back and forth until one side had the advantage.
Mabel Foster was everything the ideal woman should be in 1914. She was well brought-up, wealthy, educated and the heiress to a large fortune. When her father died in a much publicized U-boat attack by the Germans, Mabel made a decision that changed the course of history by enlisting in the French Army during WWI.
After an ambush gone bad, Mabel found herself captured by an early group of Hydra.100 years later she’s discovered in a desolate Hydra base and is taken by the Avengers for safe-keeping and questioning. Little do they realize that all of their destinies and pasts are directly connected through the nest that Hydra weaved.
Pairing: Bucky x OFC (Original Female Character)
Rating/Warnings: Mature- Graphic violence, torture, PTSD, smut
(Masterlist found HERE)
“You’re a liability.  You’re a little much for me.  So they pull back, make other plans.  I understand I’m a liability.”
– Lorde (Liability)
Central Park- Manhattan, New York, NY- May 1940
“Ah forget them,” Bucky threw a rock across the walkway.  A few passersby glanced up at the distraction and shuffled along.  The boys had been stood up for a date that Bucky was positive would have turned out well for Steve.  The girl was shy, sweet and sharp minded; the perfect match for his less than lucky friend.
But apparently she had other plans in mind for the evening.
“I’m used to it by now, Buck,” Steve shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.  “I should probably get going though, I promised Ma that I’d grab some medicine for her.”
“She said she didn’t need it until later,” Bucky reminded him, rustling the blonde hair on his friend.  “You should really take a break and relax for a bit.”
“But she’s-,” he began to argue but his larger friend held up a hand.
“She always made sure I rested and relaxed when taking care of you, someone needs to do the same thing for you,” he reasoned sharply.  He hopped off of the park bench and scanned the surrounding area.  “I think I saw some hotdogs a little bit over.  My treat.”
“I can afford a hot dog,” Steve insisted with a scowl, but reluctantly followed after his friend.
“Sure you can Stevie,” Bucky smirked.  “But I got paid today and lord is it burning a hole in my pocket.”
“I’m getting two,” the blue eyed young man grinned and Bucky punched him in the shoulder playfully.
“For a little guy, you sure eat a lot,” he snorted, twirling on his heel to grin at a passing group of girls.
“I gotta keep my energy up to deal with you,” Steve shoved his friend along the pathway until the young women were out of sight.  “You’re exhausting.”
“And you’re a rude punk,” Bucky practically whined.  “You gotta learn to relax and have a little fun, Rogers.   The girls can tell.”
“Girls are the last thing on my mind,” Steve mumbled while the duo stood in line at a hot dog vendor.  “Well, maybe not the last thing, but they’re pretty close to the bottom."
“They can sense it,” Bucky pointed to his forehead and shifted to a serious frown.  “Some kind of mind reading or something.  They know.”
“They don’t know anything, I think you’ve been reading too many of those science fiction pulps,” Steve snorted before gesturing for his friend to pay for their food.  “You did insist on paying, didn’t you Buck?”
Bucky snorted and shook his head, taking a large bite out of his snack.  The sun was beginning to set on the park while the boys wandered the paths aimlessly.  Eventually they found themselves in the Sheep Meadow.
“Shame they got rid of the sheep,” Steve sighed with a frown.  “Would have been neat to see them.”
“Of course you’d get weepy about some sheep,” Bucky teased.  Steve didn’t reply, instead dropping down in the soft grass on the hill.
“It’s good to feel things sometimes, Buck,” Steve reminded him quietly.  “Even if it means getting weepy about sheep.”
Bucky leaned back into the grass next to his friend.  They stared up at the violet sunset in silence.
“You ever think about where you’ll be in ten years?” Bucky asked his friend in all seriousness.  Steve shifted slightly before speaking.
“I’ve always assumed I’d croak it,” Steve replied dryly.  “Though a wife and family would be nice.”
“You’re too damn stubborn to die and we both know it,” Bucky pointed out.  Steve laughed at the comment, shaking his head through the chuckles.
“You got me there,” he relented.  “What about you?”
“All the time,” he murmured.  “I wonder what my girl will be wearing when we fall in love.  What color her eyes will be…”
“Who’s getting weepy now?” Steve teased with a small punch toward Bucky.  The brunette allowed a laugh, but continued looking up at the first few stars of the night in silence.
“Yeah, I’m just secretly a huge sap,” Bucky laughed before hopping back to his feet and turning to his friend.  “Race you to the other side.”
And like always, Bucky would hold back while his friend wheezed through the steps.  And like always, he paid their subway fare back to Brooklyn.
Natasha had explained to Mabel that there were ways to get the brown color out of her hair aside from waiting for it to grow out.
This conversation arose after she caught the younger woman digging at the blonde roots of her hair and frowning in the bathroom mirror.
Needless to say, Mabel was ecstatic to go back to her natural blonde hair color.  The darkened hair had been thrown together in a panic and left a bitter reminder to her of what the past had held for her.  She was finally ready to accept the future and who she was, and that meant getting back to basics.
Wanda arranged for the stylist to come to the compound, apparently there was still a bit of apprehension in letting her back into society.  Mabel didn’t mind though.
She wasn’t sure herself if she wanted to go back.
The process was something else entirely.  Hairstylists today were basically chemists compared to the older women who carted around bows and hair fixtures in her day.  Natasha tried her best to explain the process each step of the way, but eventually was distracted by a topic of interest by Wanda.
Mabel listened to the two women chatting and closed her eyes while the stylist washed the bleach (which Mabel quickly learned, was not the cleaning product) out of her hair.  The movements were so soft and gentle that she didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep.
That was until she was tackled against a wall, a solid metal object hitting the floor with a clank.  
Blinking in confusion, she looked around at the women.  The stylist had finished packing her supplies and stood in horror at the entrance of room.  Natasha had her hand pressed against Mabel’s wrist and an elbow in the crease of her neck.
When she looked at what she’d dropped, she realized that she’d grabbed a decorative metal figure off of the shelf near where Natasha and Wanda had been sitting.
Wanda was trying to usher the stylist out, while Natasha was trying to gauge Mabel.  The redhead stared deep into Mabel’s eyes before loosening her grip on the woman slightly.
“You back with us?” she asked with a quick scan of Mabel’s features.  
“I believe I am,” Mabel replied slowly.   “Though I don’t remember leaving.” Natasha pulled her arms down, but kept a defensive stance.  She was ready to intervene if anything else were to happen.
After Wanda practically shoved the stylist out of the room, she joined the women and looked Mabel over with a cautious gaze, her eyes flickering red.
“We should probably get you upstairs,” Natasha frowned at Mabel.  Upstairs meant the lab.  And the lab meant that there was a problem.
Suddenly Mabel no longer felt like an out-place-guest, but a monster to be cautious of.
The walk to the lab was mainly silence interchanged with murmurs between Natasha and Wanda.  Mabel didn’t blame them, she clearly had been triggered by something and had intended harm.  If she’d been in their shoes, she probably would have made the call to shoot on sight.  
Passing a reflective surface, Mabel was able to catch a glimpse of her new hair.
It was reassuring that she looked the way Mabel Foster was supposed to look, even if she’d never felt so far away from herself in her life.
“You didn’t hear?  Apparently Foster went haywire and started attack Nat and Wanda when she was getting her hair done,” Sam and Clint were sharing a pizza, chatting between bites.
“I told them it was a bad idea,” Sam tutted under his breath, not realizing that Bucky had joined the pair in the room.  “Can’t have a psycho-murderer wandering around.”
“You’re too kind,” Bucky commented, grabbing a slice for himself.  Clint snorted on his bite and started to cough through his laughter.
“Man, you know we’re cool,” Sam rolled his eyes.  “Your brain isn’t on the fritz anymore.  But I’m sure you remember the damage you single handedly caused in an afternoon."
Bucky definitely remembered.  It was impossible not to.  When someone’s mind only knows vengeance and anger, a lot of progress can be made.  Negative or positive.  Spite was a powerful weapon.
“So what happened?” he questioned, only hearing the latter half of the conversation.
“Victorian Sally lost her shit a few hours ago,” Clint summarized reaching for the last piece.  He snagged it before Sam even glanced down, and smirked victoriously in the flying Avenger’s direction.
“Edwardian,” Bucky corrected with an arched brow in Clint’s direction.  “But we only keep you around for your good looks, so don’t feel too bad.”
“I thought that’s why we kept you around, tall, brooding and handsome,” Clint threw a crumpled napkin at his teammate.
“I’d recommend stopping by the lab though.  Wanda, Steve and the science twins have been locked up there with her all afternoon and if it’s anything like your treatment-,” he grimaced.  “Maybe having someone who’d been through it before would be helpful.”
Bucky wasn’t so sure.  There were a few times he broke down in the most vulnerable ways- and having an even larger audience didn’t help.  The broken lab equipment that suffered probably could speak more truths than arguing with the archer.
“Yeah,” he shrugged.  “I’ll check it out.”
He started toward the elevator and barely heard Sam make another comment.
“They’re all gonna die.  I swear, make my words,” he insisted in a hushed tone.
Perhaps in theory, pulling her memories and seeing what her exact triggers were would have been a good idea.
But by the third hour of Wanda digging through her mind and replaying the years of abuse and torture she’d suffered, Mabel was beginning to think otherwise.
This particular memory was a gruesome one- and it didn’t even involve Hydra.
It involved Joseph Rogers final moments; and Mabel could sense Wanda’s pain as she experienced it for the first time.
The joke was on them- Mabel replayed that memory hundreds of times as a reminder of where her last shred of empathy and humanity had left her.
“Ok, Wanda take a break,” Steve’s voice pulled the women out of their connection and both girls exchanged a similar look of pain.
“I’m very, very, sorry,” Wanda murmured miserably.  She looked worn down, Mabel realized.  Perhaps Mabel’s life was more exhausting than she’d credited it for.  There was certainly a high body count that she’d been associated with.
“Buck, you can come in,” Steve looked toward the lab door, his face a mix of pity and frustration.  “How are you two feeling?” he looked between Wanda and Mabel, frowning at their lack of responses.
“I may need some rest,” Wanda admitted after a heartbeat of silence between the group.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Dr. Banner chimed in.  “There’s a lot to dig through and it seems like we’ve barely covered anything.  It’s better to keep everyone in their best shape.”
“What have you found out?” she could hear Bucky muttering to Steve in the corner.  The blonde haired man glanced over at her and then repositioned so he could better talk without her listening.
They hadn’t found out much, aside from the exact words that sent her into a frenzy with Natasha and Wanda.  So, Tony had suggested that Wanda try to pull information that may have been hidden in the depths of Mabel’s mind.
The problem was that she couldn’t even remember words being placed there, so they were dissecting as many traumatic memories as possible to find anything.
Tony had remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the process, only occasionally glancing up from his computer.  His presence was primarily data related, though he did come up with the original suggestion when similar methods to Bucky wouldn’t work.
He only really moved when Wanda practically collapsed and Steve caught her before she hit the floor.  Dr. Banner volunteered to help move her to her room and the trio disappeared through the lab door.
This left Bucky, Mabel and Tony, all sitting in a terse silence.  
“How are you?” he asked, his blue eyes flickering to the pale Mabel.  
“I am wonderful, Mr. Barnes,” she replied, her tone laced with venom.  She hadn’t meant for it to come off so biting, but her head pulsed in pain from the invasive procedure.
“I’m sensing sarcasm,” Tony announced, a stray glance from his computer.  Mabel swallowed back the sharp response she had planned, instead staring down at her hands.  It really wasn’t pleasant having your most traumatic memories relived, one by one.
In fact, she was rather exhausted, but Mabel was certain that she wouldn’t be able to sleep in her own bed tonight.  It’d be another night locked in a hospital room.
“Just remember, whatever happened, it wasn’t you,” Bucky murmured under the hum of computers and lab equipment.  “It can be a lot to take it, but I’m willing to bet we’ll figure it out.”
Tony snorted across the lab.
“We’ll?” he questioned the soldier with raised brows and an amused expression.  “Didn’t realize you’d joined the team, Tin Man.”
“It makes the most sense, right?” he shrugged the comment off and focused on Mabel.  “Besides, out of all of us, I think I can relate the most.”
There was that, Mabel added mentally.  And the fact that he was the only person who didn’t step around her like she was a bomb, ready to explode.
“Do you know them?  The trigger words?” he edged closer to her, his expression fixed in concentration.
“We found out a handful today,” Tony explained before Mabel could speak. “Wanda and Natasha were chatting in Russian before little Mabel here lost her mind.  But she let loose with random violence, and wasn’t under control like you.”
“Russian for Paris, broken and central,” Tony added.
“They were talking about the bombing this morning,” Bucky noted with a hum.  He looked up at Tony before knitting his brows in concentration with Mabel. For an instant, hazel met blue before Mabel flushed and looked away due to the intimate intensity.
Bucky leaned back into his chair and released a long held breath while in thought.  He started to lean forward and shake his head silently, earning a curious look from Mabel and Tony.
“You look like you have a terrible idea that I’d love to be involved in,” Tony commented, snapping his computer shut and walking over to the duo.  Mabel watched between the two men wearily.  Her head was already spinning.  She certainly was not in the mood for more mind games.
“It’s risky though,” Bucky admitted before sending an empathetic frown in Mabel’s direction.  “Not particularly ethical.”
Then it hit her.
“You want to trigger it,” she realized out loud.
“Maybe we can get you to reveal the rest,” Bucky shrugged.  “I had to listen to every command, we can use that in our favor.”
“Or you’ll kill everyone,” Tony added casually.
Mabel paused, weighing out her options.  She could let Wanda sift through every intimate and personal detail of her life, or they could jump in and see what happened.  Honestly, Mabel trusted Bucky with her safety than anyone else.  He knew what to expect, he knew how to shut it down.
“You two will keep everyone safe, correct?” she clarified firmly.
“It’s what we do, Mae,” Tony replied with a tight nod.  “I still don’t get why Wilson has his feathers in a ruffle about this.  Nat took you down in seconds, and I’m willing to bet that Barnes can cut that time in half.”
“I promise I won’t hurt you,” Bucky added earnestly.  “We’ll keep you safe too.  At least physically.”
That’s right, Mabel mused.  They can’t exactly protect her from her mind.  
“I didn’t think they’d gotten in that deep,” Mabel finally admitted under her breath.
“They’re parasites,” Bucky reached forward and gripped her hand with his flesh hand in reassurance.  “It isn’t you.  They took the worst pieces of us and used it to their advantage.”
“What if I killed innocent people?” she whispered to him, almost forgetting that Tony sat behind her, watching the conversation with interest.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t killed people as a soldier.  She’d pointed the barrel of her gun at plenty of men; but she remembered all of them.  Every life taken, on and off the books- it was her personal sin to amend for down the line.
The fact there was a gap, a hole in her nightmares to be filled, nearly overwhelmed her.
“You were too strong for them to kill you, so they used you as a pawn,” Bucky squeezed her hand and they met eyes again.  The hardened blue that usually shone from him had softened and a small, reassuring smile crinkled the edges of his eyes.
“I recommend making a choice soon, because they’ll be back and Spangles will not be happy about this particular plan,” Tony voiced, snapping Mabel out of the daze.  Bucky’s hand was still gripping hers in comfort, and despite the embarrassment she felt of such a personal gesture, she realized that she needed the anchor.
“Let’s try it,” she decided, her voice raised in confidence.  She wanted to ask what the worst that could happen, but both her and Bucky inherently knew the danger of the task- she was more worried that Tony didn’t realize what, exactly, he was committing to.
“Oops,” Stark pressed a button on a nearby monitor and grinned at the pair.  “It looks like the lab is completely blacked out and locked out.  What a crazy accident.  Would you like to do the honors Barnes?”
Mabel could practically see his mind racing at the decision.  Yet for some strange reason, she needed it to be him.
“It’s ok,” she forced a smile to him.  “I’ll be fine, Bucky.  I trust you.”
At the sound of his name, he nodded stoically and began to speak.  She trusted him.
“Центральный, Париж, Сломанный,” he kept his hand in hers, watching for a reaction.  Tony stood to the side, watching with both amusement and curiosity.  
It felt like both men were mad for even considering such a dangerous task.
It took a second, but Mabel’s eyes dilated and she twisted Bucky’s arm behind his back sharply.
“Qui es-tu?” she demanded, leaping from her spot and seeking out the first weapon she could get her hands on.  “Reponds-moi.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Tony intervened, a mechanical armor surrounding his arm when he grabbed her wrist before she dove at Bucky with a nearby syringe.  
“Laisse-moi partir!” she snarled, her nails digging at the metal edges.   Bucky was a bit impressed.  She was faster than he would have guessed, and her healing advantage didn’t make it too easy of a fight.  If she was a bit stronger, he could have seen Hydra using her over the century instead of him.  “Ou suis-je?!”  
Despite her bloodied fingers, she continued to dig and twist at Tony until she snapped her hand free with a sickening crack.
“She just broke her wrist,” Tony stated in horror, backing away from the woman.  “On purpose.”
She simply blinked at the injury before twisting her hand roughly back into place and going after Bucky again.
“We’re trying to help,” Bucky tried in French.  Instead she hissed a slew of curses and went for his neck with the large needle that she’d somehow secured during her interaction with Tony.
“Soldat!” he tried, his voice raising.  It was a grasp in the dark, but it seemed to work.  Mabel froze in place, her arms dropping to her sides and the needle crashing to the floor.
“Pret a respector,” she replied, eyes staring forward.  Ready to comply.
“Tell me,” he paused, his French a little rustier than he would have liked.  “Tell me- who in Hydra is your handler?"
“Docteur Krauss,” came her instant reply.  “Pret a respector, monsieur.”
“What are your trigger words?” he tried, but Mabel looked like she was going to weep while waiting for instructions.  The swirling memories- the darkness.  Bucky knew it well.
“Pret a respector,” she repeated, her voice shaking slightly.  Her hands clenched into a fist.
“I order you to tell me how to control the soldier,” his heart openly broke at the sight in front of him.  She was fighting so hard against whatever demon that haunted her mind.
“Pret a respector.”
“How does your handler activate the soldier?” Tony voiced from the back of the room.  Mabel whirled on her heel to face the armored brunette.  “This is an order from Dr. Krauss.”
“Paris, casse, central, gaz moutarde, femme, explosion,” she recited automatically.  “Pret a respector.”
“Do not comply,” Bucky stated firmly.  She twirled back around and narrowed her gaze.
“Is this the target?” she questioned Tony, frowning.  The genius looked at Bucky in surprise and shrugged.
“I don’t know, are you?” he asked, returning to English.  “Any idea how we snap her out of it?”
Bucky grimaced at the thought before speaking up.  What had Natasha called it the few encounters he’d been forced out of his brainwashing?
Cognitive recalibration.
“We’ve got to hit her in the head, hard,” he answered dryly, bracing himself for the inevitable.
“That is your target, soldier,” Tony acknowledged, amusement clearly apparent.  Bucky knew the man wasn’t his biggest fan, but he never would have expected how much joy he was getting from this, especially after Mabel began to attack.
Mabel practically flew at Bucky’s chest, her legs going for his torso.  He was able to lift her without too much trouble and toss her into a nearby wall.  She hit the structure with a loud thud, but recovered quickly.  She charged for his legs, catching him off guard and tackling him to the ground.
He was holding back, but Bucky was beginning to think he didn’t need to.  She went for a swing at his face before he held her back with his metal arm.  He shoved her to the side and tried to pin the thrashing woman down before he felt something dig into his side.
She’d found his knife, and slid it in nicely between his ribs.
“Dammit,” he cursed, yanking the metal object out and throwing it at Tony’s feet.  “At least keep weapons away from her, Stark.”
“I’m not the one who feels the need to carry an eight-inch blade with me everywhere,” Tony shot back, picking up the weapon and tucking it away from her range.
“Mabel,” Bucky tried after he leaned his elbow into her chest.  She continued screaming in French, occasionally dipping in Russian and German.  Hadn’t she assured him that she didn’t know Russian?  “Foster!  Snap out of it.”
“Over your dead body,” she hissed, before biting down on his arm and drawing blood.  He pressed down on her neck with his metal arm and her head snapped backwards into the tile.
After that, everything stilled.  Tony took a few steps forward hesitantly, and Bucky released his grip from the unmoving soldier.
It felt like an eternity before her eyes fluttered open, taking in the scene around her.  A few pieces of equipment had been sacrificed in the ordeal, and at least one of the walls sported a hole.  
“You with us kid?” Tony asked after Bucky pulled away and sat a few feet away.  The super soldier hadn’t expected such a violent response, though they were able to get some of the answers they sought.  He quietly stood up and grabbed a nearby gauze for his forearm and side.  
She fought quick and dirty, a reflection of the era she was molded in.
“Yes,” she replied, sitting up with a hand on her forehead.  She leaned back on her free hand and looked to Bucky.  “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” Tony was at her side, helping her to her feet toward the examination table.
“You’re not bleeding,” she pointed out, her attention shooting back to her fellow soldier.  “Mr. Barnes?”
“You nicked me with a knife,” he explained, lifting his shirt to reveal the wound.  Already it was beginning to heal amongst the other scars that lined his torso.  “And bit me.”
“Bit you,” she repeated with wide eyes.  He tried not to chuckle as she tried her best to avoid looking at his naked side.  She looked at his shoes.  “Did we find the answers we needed?”
“Have some decency Barnes,” Tony laughed, pulling down Bucky’s shirt and turning to Mabel.  “We know the words.  Now we just need to know the why, hopefully Wanda can help a little with that.  But, it’s going to be mostly you, and being willing to talk it through.”
While Bucky mended himself, he saw a flash of panic in Mabel’s eyes.  He didn’t blame her.  There was some ugliness that needed to be pulled out and from personal experience; it wasn’t pretty.
“Am I allowed to leave?” she asked absently, after Tony read off the words in English.  “To go to my room?"
“As far as I’m concerned, as long as no one says the magic words, you can have the same amount of freedom as before.  Just try to have someone with you whenever you’re outside your room,” Tony reasoned after typing up a few notes on his computer.  
Mabel slid off of the table wordlessly and stood, waiting for Tony to unlock the lab.  She sent a pointed look at him, and he got the message loud and clear.
“They’re probably going to kill us soon enough anyway,” Tony sighed, unlocking the doors.  “I recommend you two getting a head start, they’re about two floors away.”
Bucky knew the last thing either of them wanted was a lecture on personal safety from Steve.  He looped his arm around Mabel’s and pulled her through the door and down an emergency corridor toward the back staircase.
Mabel moved like a zombie- her mind in a daze and her movements slow.  She barely reacted to Bucky tugging her forward, her feet only listening one step at a time.  
They hid away in the staircase, a large metal door closing behind the pair before he turned on the young woman.  It’d been about a month since they’d first met and finally the mask she forced upon herself daily had slipped away.  What he was seeing was a shell of a woman, taken by terrorists and tortured until she shattered.  It was like looking into a mirror.
Bucky did what he wished someone would have done for him, and pulled her into a tight embrace.  Her small frame practically collapsed into him, and she buried her face into his chest, her body shaking while she tried to steady her breathing.
They sank to the floor, Bucky murmuring comforts in her ear while she broke down in his arms.
He wasn’t sure how long they sat like this, but he didn’t move until she stilled.  She’d fallen asleep in a fit of exhaustion.  Twice, she’d been activated that day.  He was honestly surprised she hadn’t dropped down in the lab after their fight.  He stood up, careful to lift her body in his arms so he wouldn’t wake her.  Sleep was such a seldom luxury around here, and he was sure she needed every minute of it.
He began the trek toward their rooms, but paused outside of Mabel’s room when he realized he’d need a retinal scan to open the door.  Unwilling to wake the sleeping woman, he relented and took her to his own quarters, a smaller room tucked away on the far end of the living area.
The door slid open without too much trouble and he set her on his bed, pulling back the sheets and tucking her into place.  For someone with so many burdens, she seemed so tiny compared to him.  Tiny and vulnerable.
She rolled toward him and murmured under her breath, shifting so her hair fell over her features.  It was a natural movement, he reached forward and tucked the stray hair behind her ears.
Mabel looked so content sleeping, he’d almost forgotten to set himself a bed on the sofa.
Sure, he had a king sized bed, but between his gentlemanly guilt and her potential horror of waking up next to him, he figured it would be the best bet.
Even if every bone in his body ached after the ordeal.
Paris, central, broken, woman, mustard gas, and explosion.
He thought through the words carefully, trying to think of their connections with the woman’s past.  So simple.  Like his.  Yet they meant enough to bring her world crashing down.
Central Park, Manhattan, New York, NY- May 1911
“It’s too crowded here,” Mabel confessed with a frown.  She looked up at her companion, her arm locked neatly in his.  “Not here, but in the city.  Too many people."
“The pretty rich girl wants to run away?” Samuel teased, that smirk sending an involuntary flutter through Mabel’s heart.  “Where have I heard that story?”
“Mind yourself,” she countered with a small smile.  “My mother would lose her senses; but perhaps status and wealth aren’t everything in this world.”
“My stars,” Sam chuckled and loosened his arm, pulling Mabel to a small corner behind a shrub.  “You’re talking crazy, Miss Foster.  Are you quite all right?  Perhaps it’s the fumes?”
“Sam,” she pulled her hand away, her cheeks reddening at the sudden display, but Samuel held on tight and pulled her a little closer.  “People will see…”
“Let them,” he announced and gave her a twirl.  They continued down the flowered corridor, earning a few stares and running through the falling flowers before they made it to the Sheep Meadow.  Mabel dropped onto the soft grass, rolling to her side and laughing.  Samuel plopped down next to her and took her hand in his.  He gave it a soft kiss before gesturing out to the large field.
“We could move west, raise a huge flock of sheep,” he looked at her excitedly.  “I’m sure you have a lot of experience with livestock.”
“I held a chicken once,” Mabel chimed up excitedly.  His grin spread even further.
“Perfect, but I’ll focus on the business, you’ll have to tend to the children,” he paused and she fell backward into the grass, the plush surface cradling her head softly.
“We’ll have five,” she decided firmly.  “A big family.  Isiah, Mary, Felicity, Joshua, and Sarah.”
“Three girls might be a bit much,” he noted, his voice a little timid at the prospect.
“And two boys aren’t?  At least the girls can whip them into gentlemen,” she giggled.  Sam rolled closer to her and soon the pair studied one another’s faces.
“When do we leave?” he asked in a whisper, his hand reaching forward and tracing the edges of her face.
“Tonight,” she replied jokingly.  “Though you have to get Papa’s blessing first.”
“That might take a while.  I’m not sure the help would be a good match for the great Maxwell Foster’s daughter,” Sam rolled onto his back again and stared up at the stars that slowly began to cover the sky.  “Besides, what about Pierre?” he practically spat the name of Maxwell’s recently taken on ward and allegedly Mabel’s betrothed.
Mabel knew their status differences hurt Sam, but she had meant what she said earlier.  It meant nothing to her.  They could run away and live in poverty the rest of her days and she’d still be happier than sitting in her gilded tower without him.
She crawled over to him, leaning her forearms on his chest and looking straight into his eyes.
“Samuel O’Brien, Papa already likes you,” she reminded him.  “And he’s always ignored mother when it comes to these silly things and she’s the one pushing for Pierre.  I will speak to him, you’ll see.  We will be together.”
Sam grinned brightly and quickly grabbed Mabel by the shoulders for a quick kiss.
“I believe you’re due back at the castle m’lady,” he teased, slipping away before he could incur her lectures.  
Yet Mabel wasn’t in the mood for lectures, in fact, her heart wished she could lay with him in that grassy field for eternity, even with the sheep bleating in the background.
“You’ll meet me tomorrow though?” she sent a desperate look in his direction and he returned to her side, kneeling and kissing her hand.
“For my princess?  Always.”
PART 6
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