#MCU AU

[a-spes]

| PRETTY FACES, DARK SOULS - Chapter one (4,382 words).

| Summary - you rob the wrong person and she makes sure that you pay your debts, willingly or not.

| Tags & warnings - Minors DNI, Dark CEO!Natasha Romanoff x fem!Reader, just fluff for the moment, slight angst (if you squint), mentions of sex.

| MOODBOARD — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

| part one. part two.

Your eyes meet their reflection in the mirror, looking for the slightest detail that isn’t right but, if you were seeking for imperfections, you are unable to find any.

Everything was perfect, and even you were struggling to recognize your face, you would have probably fallen into your own trap and that thought satisfies you. It took you several hours locked up in that dingy room to achieve this result, but you have no regrets as you are eventually able to look at your disguise.

No one would have guessed that you were the one hiding behind that mask that changed every feature of your face.

No one knows you enough to be able to notice the smallest details in your attitude that were giving hints about your true identity. You were sure that no one would notice the way you are moving your head when being disturbed by something or your hand constantly running in the skin of your hands. There are a lot of small habits you tried to suppress, but it was in vain, every of your persona inevitably ended up having a part of you in them.

Despite the dust covering the mirror, you can admire every feature of who you are going to be tonight: Lydia Golvorezova. She looks like an angel and it’s not only because her hair is so blonde that it looks white or because of her porcelain skin and innocent eyes that makes her look like a doll, but mainly because she is stunning. There is something unreal in her beauty that gives the impression that she couldn’t possibly be human. 

This name was never yours, but it fits perfectly the person you could see in the mirror right now. It was perfect to embody the innocence and naivety you were reading in her eyes, it was perfect to give the feeling of power and fragility at the same time. 

The way you have done your makeup only adds to the effect. In appearance, it is something really simple, but the truth is that it took you hours to get that result as you wanted to look as perfect and young as possible. 

It is not that you are old, only being an adult for a few years now, but you figured out that the younger you look, the easier things are. Most of the people you are going to meet tonight have a preference for girls that haven't been broken by life yet, for the ones that haven't harsh features accompanied by a cold gaze: they like what is easy to manipulate.

They are desperate to feel powerful and it’s becoming pitiful, even ridiculous. 

When you entered the toilets of the gas station, hours ago, nobody paid attention to you because you were blending in perfectly with your surroundings. It is that you are not as interesting as Lydia Golvorezova, nor as rich. No one ever notices the young girl with stained clothes, they even avoid her gaze at all cost, scared she would ask for money — if only they knew that she is the same person than the one they can’t take their eyes off now.

If you’ve arrived discreetly, you can’t say the same thing when you leave the room. You could feel the gaze of the few customers that were here on your back, but the worst is probably the cashier’s one. You have to clear your throat as a reminder that you are waiting so that her gaze would stop wandering for a little too long where it shouldn’t be, even for a brief moment. 

While she is scanning your articles with obvious embarrassment, you can’t help but smile. You love the way she avoids your gaze, the way her cheeks are flushed and how her voice is only a whisper when she tells you how much you owe. The poor thing probably fears that you would snap at her for such an offense, but honestly you were just enjoying the situation.

You love it when they fall that easily in the trap you set for them. 

Tonight, to match your makeup, you decided to wear a black dress that you bought just for the event. Your back is bare and it reveals enough of your chest to catch the attention without being vulgar: it’s right at the frontier between what’s elegant and what’s indecent, and that’s why it’s the perfect choice.

You wish you could keep it, but even the money you’re stealing isn’t enough for you to afford such things: you need it to buy things that are essential to your life, and no matter how pretty you're in that dress, you could survive without it.  

Again, the story between the luxurious dress you choose and you is going to be nothing more than a one night thing. It will be returned tomorrow, as soon as the store opens — you didn’t even take the price tag off. But you’re hopeful that, one day, you will be able to purchase that kind of clothes for real, that you will be one of those people that shop without looking at the prices before they pay.

It always takes you so much time to prepare yourself because everything needs to be perfect. When your life is at stake, paying attention to every detail is the key, you can’t take the risk to be recognized, no one should be able to see behind the mask you decide to wear. 

So, when you get the confirmation that you’ve made the right choices, it is always a deep relief. You tried to gather as much information as you can on tonight's event and the people that are supposed to come, but in the end there is always a lot left to chance. You can spend as much time as you want preparing yourself for what’s coming, it’s impossible to predict everything.

You are not from the same world as them, you’re just pretending to be, and it doesn’t matter how many times you did it with success, you'll always be an outsider. There are so many rules that you don’t know that something as insignificant as a word or a look could be enough to give your identity away.

Hopefully, for the moment everything seems to go fine, the dress you choose was perfect for this evening, at the frontier between elegant and indecent, and no one seems to notice the intruder.  

A driver left you in front of the expensive hotel that hosts the event, and you barely had time to unbuckle your belt that a butler was already opening the door for you, helping you to get out of the car. You have to fight the urge to refuse the hand he is holding out to you, and take it with a smile on your face instead. You constantly need to remind yourself about where your place is tonight: at the top of the pyramid, among the ones that do nothing by themselves.

For someone like you, someone that has been on their own for most of their life, it’s weird to be assisted to this extent, and you hate it as much as the first time. This man complies to every of your demands because he fears you, and not because he wants to, let alone because he's paid for it — his salary probably not being enough for the evening he’s going to have. 

If only he knew your reality is closer to his than it’s from theirs, you thought as he walked you toward the entrance, but you can't share it with him. You have to play along, to pretend that you’re Lydia Golvorezova perfectly if you don’t want to ruin your plans, even if it includes being rude with a man for whom you have compassion.

Tonight, the butler didn’t get anything from you except a ridiculous penny that you gave him as if he should be grateful for it, as if this action was a symbol of infinite kindness — which he is going to do, thanking you a lot of time for that. The whole time, not a word has been exchanged, you would rather keep your voice for the ones that are worth the effort.

Just like the man that caught your eyes the moment you entered the luxurious hall, Clint Barton. You read an article about him a few days ago, he works as a bodyguard for heads of major companies, despite what one might think, his position makes him an influential and wealthy man, everything you are looking for tonight, so you didn’t hesitate much before making your way toward him. 

“Excuse me?” you asked, clearing your throat to get his attention, and you felt the glance of every man he was previously talking with on you, the sudden attention made you feel uncomfortable. “May I?” you added, accompanying your words by a small gesture of the hand toward the glasses of champagne he was standing in front of, feigning being so interested by those. 

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he said, immediately stepping aside so you could access the table. “I am sorry for that, miss .. ?” he added and you can’t help but grin at his attempt to learn your name - it was almost too easy.

You barely exchanged a few words, nothing out of the ordinary, but he was already crushing himself to fulfill your desires, already eager for more, and the way he is gazing at you leaves no doubts on the thoughts in his mind, something too indecent for a place like that one.

“Golvorezova, and you?” you replied, the false name slipping easily out of your mouth as you slip nimbly between him and the men he was previously talking to.

It is hard to not smile, to pretend that you didn't notice the way they are glancing at you, with anger and frustration, because you’ve just ruined their only chance to talk to him, too bad that you don’t care. Tonight, Barton is yours.

You don’t care more about the glasses of champagne than you do about these guys, it was just a way to get what you want. You’ve been fond of alcohol, you’ve seen how it changes people’s minds, taking control of their thoughts and bodies, and you would rather continue to use it to your advantage than becoming a victim of it. Even a sip of alcohol could be dangerous, and you would be stupid to drink while working, so you’re just pretending to enjoy the champagne.

“Barton,” he replied briefly, holding his hand out to you for you to shake - which you did with a faint smile on your lips.

“So, do you already know what you're going to bid on?” you asked, trying to pursue the conversation.

You both glance around for a few seconds, not a word is exchanged, just a shrug that underlines his boredom. Despite this party being marked as a charity event, most of the guests are here for other reasons: make an appearance, meet future associates, talk about business, show the world how rich and powerful they are, … there are many reasons for their presence, but none of them is disinterested. His answer is proof that he doesn't care about what’s for sale, maybe he doesn’t even know for whom the benefits are. He will drop an outrageous amount of money, just to pretend he did something good to help those people when he is the cause of their pain, people like you getting their lives destroyed by people like him. 

Tonight isn’t about charity, it's about power and influence. That’s why you’re always tense when attending those events, the stakes are bigger than they are for a private party, and so are the risks. Tonight, the whole world has its eyes on what’s happening in that hotel. If you make a mistake, everyone will know, because no one escapes the spotlight tonight, and you're no exception to the rule. 

“But, I think I’ve just found the most precious prize,” he said as his gaze came back to you, his smirk letting no doubt about the true meaning behind his words. Maybe if he was a bit more observant he would've noticed how your grip tightens on your glass.

You can’t help but smile, a sign he is going to misinterpret for sure, because behind it, it’s your disgust that’s hidden. He is probably something like twice your age, at least, and doesn’t seem to be interested in anything other than your body.

But the money is worth every sacrifice. 

You are about to give him the reply he probably waits to hear, but you are cut before you can even say one word. It is a feminine voice whose tone makes your blood run cold, and even though her words aren’t addressed to you, you feel like you’re the one that did something wrong.

“Does Laura know about your plans?” she asked, and from the way he glanced at her, you guess that she doesn’t.

You felt the woman’s hand on your shoulder before you could see her face. It is only when he left that she took his place, allowing you to meet her gaze. She is stunning, and contrary on you, she wasn’t just playing to be pretty, she truly was. 

“Men…,” she sighed as she looked at him walking away, but the truth is that he doesn’t really leave, you can still feel his gaze on you, even from the other side of the room. “I hope he didn't bother you? He can be a bit… inconsiderate sometimes, especially with the pretty girls,” she added, and you realize she is looking you up and down, her glance wandering a bit longer at the same places than the man’s one earlier. 

She is not better than him, you thought, maybe a few years younger than he is, but that’s all, they’re from the same world, you have to remind yourself when you realize you too were observing her for a bit too long.

On the outside, you’re still smiling, letting nothing appear on what’s disturbing your mind, but somehow having the feeling that she knows, and you only shake your head, letting her know that everything is fine.

“I don't think I’ve ever seen you …,” she added once she understood you wouldn't say anything, not letting you a chance to find an excuse to slip through her fingers.

Despite appearances, and how friendly the conversation seems to be, the atmosphere is tense between the two of you, it’s like a game has started ; which one is gonna find the other’s secret first? And she never loses a game. 

If she interrupted your conversation with Barton, it wasn’t to help you, but him. She doesn't care about his wife, Clint can cheat on her if he wants, it's none of her business as long as his problem doesn’t impact his work, and you look exactly like that kind of problem.

If there is something she cares about, it’s the raptors that get a little too close to her associates, especially the ones that would easily give off information about her business, and Clint may be good at his job, but he doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. 

She doesn't trust you, and one glance was enough for her to get to that statement. If it wasn’t for Clint, she wouldn’t even have talked to you, but she knows how naive he can be sometimes - and maybe this conversation will help her to point out the thing that bothers her about you, something she hasn’t figured out yet.

“It’s probably because it’s my first in the United States,” you replied, your voice dripping with false sympathy.

You don’t like the woman either, but at least you are hiding your thoughts, something she doesn’t even try to do. You are smiling at her, the expression on your face being so innocent that she questions her instincts, you don’t even seem to catch the threats behind her actions or the true meaning of her words — how someone that oblivious ended up attending such an event? Something she wouldn’t have thought if she was able to see the rage hidden behind your smile, the frustration, the hatred that is slowly growing, because every second spent with her reduces your chances of success.

She sent Barton away, but most importantly, she doesn’t seem to believe everything you say as he would have, and the way she hummed after your last answer gave you a feeling of danger, something is telling you to give up the mission, but you don’t. 

“I don’t think I know you either,” you replied, the words slipping from your mouth almost on their own. The conversation probably could have ended up here, if only you hadn't been so curious, if you didn’t genuinely want to learn more about the woman.

“Romanoff,” she eventually said, she seems about to add something else but hesitate for a few seconds before talking, deciding to keep the rough comment she was about to make for herself, “but you can call me Natasha, if you want,” she added, her tone softening to the surprise of you both. 

The last words fell from her lips on their own, and they felt like the right thing to say. Maybe it is the way you’re looking at her, with those innocent eyes and smile, that led her to let her guard down so easily. She is trying to find an explanation, but the only satisfying one that comes to her mind is that you are an angel, sent to charm her with that pretty face. 

An angel, that’s the word, the only one that’s strong enough to describe what she is seeing right now. From the way the dress follows your curves to the soft features of your face, everything is perfect in her eyes, and even if she tried to, she can’t find a single defect, any more than she is able to keep her suspicions.

She even feels guilty for the way she talked to you previously, her words had been so harsh when you seem to genuinely just want to talk with Barton, not even knowing her name, something unbelievable for someone from her world, someone used to always be a target for everyone, never a friend to anyone. 

But you are not from the same world as her, or Barton, she can tell just by looking into your eyes, and that’s the whole problem, because she has no idea how to evolve around someone of your kind, someone that doesn’t even know her name. Her reality is rough, a place where pity and kindness doesn’t exist, where everything is just about who’s the most powerful, it is a world without limits, without morals, and you are the complete opposite. 

You are looking like you are made of glass, and when she looks into your eyes, the only thing she sees is the innocence one can only find in the gaze of children. She can tell that you haven’t been broken by life yet, which is a miracle on this planet, and a part of her wants to protect you. She knows it is a selfish wish, because she wants to lock you in a golden cage, somewhere you would be safe and get everything you need, except your freedom. She would hate to see an angel being corrupted, not when they are so rare.  

“You can call me Lydia then,” you replied, surprised but satisfied by the turn the events took, maybe you still have a chance to complete the mission. You have no idea what changed her mind, and you don’t question it, but you notice that you somehow now have the woman wrapped around your little finger, and you barely did a thing.

“Lydia,” she repeated after you, as if she needed to say it to believe it, to be sure that you existed, and that you are not some sort of dream, “let me show you around then,” she added, coming back to reality, “the city has a lot of secrets, and I am sure you would appreciate at least some of them.”

Even if it sounds like a question, it is not. She is almost begging you to follow her, as if you would be the one doing a favor to her, when in reality it is the opposite. When you nod, a genuine smile appears on her face, she seems relieved, as if she feared that you could say no. You barely have time to say a word that her hand was already on your lower back, applying a light pressure to guide you outside.

Despite what you said earlier, you know exactly who Natasha Romanoff is, it would have been impossible to ignore her identity when her face is everywhere on the news and streets. However, apart from her name, you don’t know a lot about the woman. She is quite mysterious, always refusing interviews, never answering personal questions, and nothing can be found online, she is a ghost. 

All you know are the rumors that depict her as someone that gets everything she wants, and it’s no coincidence that she is now at the head of one of the richest companies on earth. She built her fortune from scratch, and some people say that if she was able to earn that much money so quickly, it’s because part of her business is illegal. However, there is no proof of that, and it’s probably just an idea her opponents are fueling in the hope that it will tarnish her reputation, and impact her business at the same time.

Perhaps you would have acted more prudently if you had those rumors in mind when talking to the woman, but those were forgotten the moment her hand found its way on your back, the way her thumb is brushing circles on your skin being so soft that you let your guard down. For once, maybe you’re going to enjoy the evening, and maybe you will come home feeling something that isn’t self-disgust.

Maybe she is a mean CEO, that would explain the rumors, but maybe life left her no choice, maybe she is a bit like you, a woman that tries her best to survive in this world. When you observe her face under the moonlight, it’s all you can think about.

✧ • ✧ • ✧ • ✧ • ✧

It is later that day, in the secret of her hotel room, that everything happened. Just as usual, you convinced your victim to make the night last a bit longer, and she brought you to that luxurious room where she is staying. It has been only the two of you, and you actually enjoyed the feeling of her hands on your skin. The praises she whispered in your ears when you were begging her, desperate for the release she denied you, is all you can think about as you are leaving the building the next morning.

The thought of the dirty things she did and told to you are enough to make you blush again, and you are surprised to realize that you’re already missing her presence. You chase those thoughts away, far from your mind, by telling yourself that it was just a play, something that needed to be done, and she will probably be quick to forget about your existence.

She probably used you as much as you did anyway, you noticed the way she looked at you as if you were a porcelain doll, something to possess, something to break. It was a one night thing for the both of you, and it’s probably better that way.

However, this morning, when you woke up, you were reluctant. You wanted to stay in bed, in the warmth of the bed forever, you almost left without stealing anything, feeling guilty to do that to the woman — it was easier when you were hating your victim. You would’ve probably left without taking anything if you didn’t need the money so badly, and you’re sure she won’t miss a few dollars.

By the time she notices you are gone, you are already far away. She was getting out of the bathroom, asking you what you would like for breakfast, and the silence that met her question made her realize that the room was empty, you left. 

She was standing in the middle of the room, wrapped in a towel, and her eyes were scanning the room with desperation. The only proof that last night was real are the memories of you beneath her, and a piece of paper on the bedside table. She immediately reached for it, but the paper didn’t say much, and the few words you wrote left a feeling of disappointment in her chest: “Sorry, I have to go, but thanks, the night was cool.” 

She doesn’t know what she was hoping for, but for sure she was hoping for more than that, maybe your number, or a promise to come back. It made her feel so silly, and she crumpled the paper before throwing it away, erasing the only evidence of your visit in her room.

Natasha would have liked to share one last moment with you, she thought about getting breakfast at that fancy restaurant across the street. She is thinking about how you would have enjoyed watching the sun rise over the city, as she is sitting here alone. She wished she had a chance to say goodbye to you, because maybe then she would’ve been able to get your number, or anything that would have allowed you to stay in touch, or maybe you didn’t want to. Perhaps you learned about the rumors, and that’s why you left so quickly this morning.

She has been here for maybe one hour when a waitress brings her the note. She was lost in her thoughts the whole time, and barely ate the expensive breakfast she ordered, but she couldn’t care less, money is not a problem when you are one of the richests people on that planet. But to her surprise, when she looks into her wallet, she finds it empty — you only left a few coins.

| MOODBOARD — ✧ — MASTERLIST — ✧ — TO SAY SOMETHING

| part one. part two.

| Tag list : no one atm, but if you're interested, let me know!

#a spes writing #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #natasha romanoff fanfiction #dark natasha romanoff #reader insert #female reader #mcu au #mcu women #mcu fanfiction #pretty faces dark souls

[lokidips]

having writers block = draw the baby instead

#age regression #loki age regression #padded agere #mcu agere #agere art #marvel agere #loki mcu #mcu art #mcu au #agere blog #sfw agere #ageredips #agere diaper

[literaryavenger]

Back To You - Steve Rogers

Summary: You've always been there for Steve, and now you're watching him go back to the girl he always wanted.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: Angst. Maybe language. Fluff. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 2.5K

A/N: This was supposed to be a Reader x Steve story, but I was too tempted to make reader end up with Bucky. So I decided to make two separate endings, the original with Steve and an alternate one where she ends with Bucky, if only for @ordelixx who gave me the idea. I'd also like to thank @mrsbuckybarnes1917 for the idea and for helping me write about other characters.

Masterlist

You know what’s about to happen. You know he’s gonna leave, you know he’s not gonna come back, you know you’ll never see him again.

You know he’s gonna try to have the life he always wanted with the girl he always wanted. The girl he loves.

And that girl is not you.

You watch him as he says goodbye to Bucky, you know he knows as well as you do that his best friend isn’t coming back.

Then Steve turns to you and you try your best to smile.

“I wish I had met you earlier.” he whispers as he kisses you on the forehead and you know in that instant this is really goodbye.

You smile and nod, not being able to get a word out, willing yourself not to cry.

He walks onto the platform and soon he’s gone.

You’ve been by Steve’s side ever since he came back from the ice. You were the agent assigned to watch over him, you were there when he woke up and had to run after him when he freaked out.

You were there during the battle of New York, during the fall of Shield in DC, during the whole Ultron incident and in Lagos.

You were on his side for the Accords, and you were by his side in London as he said goodbye to the love of his life. 

You were there with him and Sam in Romania to try and help Bucky, you were arrested with them and then helped fight the Winter Soldier, yet again.

You were on his side to fight against Tony and the rest of the Avengers, you got arrested again and were broken out of the Raft by him.

You spent two years on the run with him, and fought next to him in Wakanda.

You watched his dumb ass try to fight Thanos barehanded and you were quickly knocked down when you tried to help him.

You snapped like half the universe and apparently lost 5 years of your life. You came back, thanks to him, and fought against Thanos one last time.

And now you're watching him leave.

You were there to help him get accustomed to the 21st century, you were there for him on sleepless nights.

You were there for him as he cried for his lost friends, his lost love and his lost life. He always came to you when he needed to talk, to be held, help sleeping and even advise.

And you were always there for him, falling in love little by little against your better judgement.

You’re brought back to the present as you hear Sam freaking out on Bruce because Steve missed his mark and didn’t come back.

You look at Bucky and you both know what this means. He gives you a sympathetic smile and you try to give a smile back but fail.

You look away from him and take a deep breath. You turn around and start walking away.

You’re done here, and about to break down. Something you never allowed yourself to do in front of anybody, with the exception of Steve.

And now he’s gone.

You get in your car and quickly drive away, not looking back. You drive straight to Steve’s apartment.

You’ve been staying there since you came back while the compound gets fixed since your old apartment has been someone else’s home for the past 5 years.

Five years. That’s how long you’ve been gone. That’s how much of life you’ve missed. 

And now you’re left to pick up the pieces of your life by yourself, along with your broken heart.

If you were completely honest with yourself you always knew it wouldn’t have worked with Steve. You’ve never thought you were remotely good enough for him, and that was before even comparing yourself to Peggy. 

There was no doubt in your mind that she was Steve’s soulmate, and you’ve talked about her enough times to know he thought the same.

- Original Ending   -

You’re taken out of your thoughts by a knock on your door. You frown and cautiously walk to it, picking up your gun from its hiding place under the coffee table.

It’s probably nothing but better safe than sorry, right?

You take a peek from the peephole and frown even more when you see that whoever’s on the other side of the door covered it.

You ready your gun and take a deep breath, your hand on the doorknob. You open and lose no time pointing right in front of you, but you almost drop your gun along with your jaw when you see who’s standing there.

You almost feel like you’re dreaming so you pinch yourself, which makes him laugh and when that sound hits your ears you know you’re not hallucinating either.

Steve Rogers, the same face you’ve always known, standing right in front of you.

For a moment neither of you say anything, then he decides that maybe you’re too in shock to talk so he breaks the silence. 

“I’ve never knocked on my own door before. That was a wild ride.” He laughs again and at the sound you can’t help but let the tears you’ve been trying so hard to keep in fall.

The moment he sees the first tear Steve’s face falls and then he’s wrapping his arms around you, your face buried in his chest.

You slowly bring your own arms to wrap around his waist, almost worried that if you make any sudden moves he’s gonna disappear.

Once your arms are around him too, you realize it’s all real and he’s actually there and you let yourself go, crying your eyes out and clinging to him.

Suddenly, he picks you up and you hang onto him for dear life as he carries you back inside the apartment, closing the front door and then goes to sit on the couch with a still crying you on his lap.

He does nothing more than run his hand through your hair, rubbing your back with the other and letting you get it all out.

After a few minutes you start to calm down and finally get your voice back. “I thought you were gone forever.”

Of all the reactions he could’ve had, he surprises you with the only one you don't expect by chuckling. “You never were very patient, were you, sweetheart?”

You look up at him and frown, sniffling and softly say “What do you mean? You were gone… Bruce said you missed your mark.”

He nods and wipes away the rest of your tears while he talks. “I did. I put the wrong time by mistake. You know me and technology.”

“But… You and Peggy…” your frown is still in place, just not being able to believe that he came back.

Did you read the signs wrong? Was he always planning on coming back? Almost like he can read your mind, he starts giving you some answers, his eyes never leaving yours.

“Once I was done returning the stones, I knew I had a chance to go back to the 40s and I was gonna take it. I thought I wanted to take it. But I couldn’t.”

“Why not?” You ask in a whisper.

“Because of you, doll.” He says without missing a beat with a sweet smile. “All I could think about was you. Your smile, your laugh, your strength. The way you tried so hard to be happy for me even though you thought I was leaving forever. The mere thought of not seeing you, not talking to you, not having you by my side, it killed me.”

You’re almost crying again, but you make yourself talk, needing clarification, your voice still quiet. “What are you saying, Steve?”

“I’m saying, there is no me and Peggy. It’s me and you. It’s been me and you from day one.” He takes your face in his hands and leans in more, your faces only inches apart. “And I’m an idiot for taking this long to figure it out. I’m sorry, sweetheart. Can you forgive me?”

You swallow down the tears threatening to fall again and waste no time before nodding, maybe a little too eagerly but you don’t really care, and he doesn’t seem to mind either judging by his smile.

“I forgive you, Steve.” The words are barely out of your mouth before Steve is leaning in the rest of the way and kissing you.

You kiss back without thinking twice about it and after a few seconds you pull back, big goofy smiles on both your faces.

You spent the rest of the afternoon like this, cuddling and talking and just enjoying each other’s company.

You didn’t do much, it wasn’t much different from the endless number of days you spent together, but you couldn’t help but feel like this was the best day of your life.

And even if you didn’t know it, Steve was thinking the exact same thing.

After all, what is better than spending the day cuddling with the girl he always needed? The girl he loves.

And that girl is you.

- Alternative Ending    - 

You’re taken out of your thoughts by a knock on your door. You frown and cautiously walk to it, picking up your gun from its hiding place under the coffee table.

It’s probably nothing but better safe than sorry, right?

You take a peek from the peephole and immediately roll your eyes, lowering your gun while opening the door.

“I guess you weren’t expecting company.” Bucky says, more amused than anything when he sees the gun in your hand.

You make no attempt to try and hide your annoyance as you roll your eyes again. “What are you doing here, Barnes?”

It’s not that you don’t like Bucky, you just don’t know him all that well if not only thanks to the stories Steve shared of him in the 40s.

“I thought I’d make sure you were okay. You ran out of there pretty fast.”

“Yeah, well, he’s gone. It’s a done deal, don’t see why I had to stick around.” You say crossing your arms defensively. 

Bucky doesn’t seem to mind your response as he simply leans on the doorway and keeps talking. “He was disappointed not to see you.”

You frown, beyond confused by a single and simple sentence. Bucky smiles and elaborates. “He lived a life. And he’s old now, but still alive.”

“Oh.” is all you can say. Steve old? You can’t even imagine it.

“He gave the shield to Sam.” Bucky continues, just making conversation.

“Really? I would’ve thought he’d give it to you if he had to choose.” Bucky frowns a little and tilts his head, seeming genuinely confused.

“Why would he give it to me?”

You shrug. “I don’t know, you were his best friend, you’re a supersoldier. I guess I just assumed.”

“None of that matters, Sam is a good man. He deserves it.” He argues, then quickly adds. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

You grin and nod, then say. “For what it’s worth you’re a good man too, Bucky. Steve thought the world of you, trust me. He never stopped thinking highly of you.”

That was nothing more than a simple reassurance for you, but for Bucky it was so much more than that.

He knew you were talking about his time as the Winter Soldier. You were telling him that, even knowing about all that, Steve never let that influence his opinion of his former best friend. He still knew who Bucky was, deep down.

Bucky never heard words like that coming from anyone that’s not Steve, and you said it so casually, like you really believe it and to you it’s no big deal to just say it.

But for him, it was everything.

You didn’t know it then, but that was the moment Bucky started falling for you.

“Why are you checking up on me, Bucky? Really?” You say after a moment, breaking the silence that fell between you.

“Steve made me promise to take care of you before he left.” He said simply.

Bucky didn’t know it then, but that was the moment your heart broke completely.

You managed to keep yourself from breaking right then and there, but Bucky could see that something was wrong.

He didn’t push it though, making conversation a little more before saying goodbye with the promise that he’d be back the next day.

And that’s what he did.

In fact, he came back everyday, no matter what, to check on you.

It started out as quick visits where he wouldn’t even enter the door, then you started inviting him in for coffee because you felt bad he came to Steve’s apartment everyday, always refusing to let you meet him somewhere else. 

After a while you started inviting him for meals, to watch a movie or just to hang out.

You almost didn’t know how, but at one point you started to really look forward to Bucky’s visits everyday, getting excited every time he knocked on the door.

It was the best part of your day, really.

You knew Bucky felt the same, it was like you both knew what was slowly happening between you and you had a silent understanding not to discuss it.

You also never discussed your feelings for Steve, but you felt like Bucky somehow knew nonetheless. 

But the more time you spent with Bucky the more those feelings seemed to fade.

You still loved Steve, still missed him, you could feel yourself letting go of him with every time you spent time with Bucky, every time he made you laugh, every time your hands would accidentally touch.

You could feel yourself falling in love with Bucky and, this time, it felt right. This time you didn’t even try to stop it. 

And it seemed like Bucky felt the same way.

Time after time he became more bold with his flirting, with physical touch, until eventually he was shamelessly hitting on you and cuddling you every time he could.

And, when you made no attempt whatsoever to stop him, it was the only signal he needed to keep going.

One day, after about a year of his daily visits, he couldn’t hold back anymore and kissed you, overjoyed when you kissed him back. He asked you out right after and you didn’t hesitate to say yes.

It was the best first date of your life, but to be fair you’d been hanging out and basically dating for almost a year, so it felt simple. Effortless and uncomplicated. 

It was everything both of you needed. Your feelings for Steve were almost gone now, which is why you couldn’t even begin to explain what happened yesterday.

You were out with Bucky, hand in hand as you walked around the park, just enjoying the sunshine, when you could swear you saw Steve, not old Steve but your Steve, just standing there, looking at you and Bucky.

It was for a second, you merely glanced in his direction and by the time you turned back he was gone. 

Bucky didn’t notice anything, if not only the way you tensed and stopped in your tracks.

You thought about telling him what you thought you saw, but even you knew how crazy you would’ve sounded. So you said nothing and shrugged it off.

Because it was nothing.

Right? 

#avengers x reader #steve rogers #sam wilson #marvel fanfiction #bruce banner #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #mcu au #marvel mcu #mcu #mcu x reader #mcu fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe #avengers #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #captain america #steve rogers fanfiction

[m4tthewmurd0ck]

COMING SOON!!!

Mob!Bucky Barnes x Fem!Ballerina Reader

(I do my best to be as non-descriptive as possible, but I do use she / her and mention that reader is a ballerina)

Inspired by the question: Have you ever tried to eat at a restaurant, which happened to be a mafia / mob front, but you didn’t know that, and everyone inside just stared as you walked in because nobody actually eats there?

I FINALLY decided what I want my first piece back to be and I’m so excited shdiznejfns it’s very funny if I do say so myself. Once I got the idea I rushed and typed it on my phone and I already KNOW there are so many spelling errors because I have auto correct turned off and right now it looks like shit hahdndisfn. BUUUUT I just need to give it a quick read through / fix errors on my laptop and we’ll be good to go! Full preview below the cut :)

It had been Bucky’s idea to name the restaurant Tony’s. After their dear friend who had given his life in a war that should’ve never been fought.

It had been Peter’s idea to ‘open a restaurant’. He pointed out that it would be the perfect realistic cover, though Steve argued that they didn’t really need one. Everyone in Brooklyn and the neighboring cities knew who they were, why did they need to put up any sort of front?

In the end, Bucky sided with Peter. They needed a place to talk shop and handle business, and it had to be somewhere that the outside wouldn’t attract any trouble (aka law enforcement). A warehouse was too obvious and was practically begging to be raided. He agreed with Steve, though, in that everyone knew who they were and what their business really was. He pointed out that it was actually a good thing. It would be pretty obvious that the restaurant wasn’t a restaurant, and they wouldn’t attract actual customers. But they’d make it legit, so that they couldn’t be shut down. Like Peter said, they needed a realistic cover.

Within a month, Tony’s was up and running. Running, as in the lights were on during what would be deemed normal business hours. The door was kept locked, but that didn’t matter because as Bucky predicted, no one tried to actually eat there.

Until one day when rehearsal ran nearly 2 hours late. You were tired, exhausted mentally and physically, and you just wanted some comfort food before heading back to your apartment to enjoy the next 2 days off. Still somewhat new to the city, you decided to get off of the subway one stop earlier, and find a restaurant on your way home.

Luckily for you, a neon sign reading TONY’S caught your eye. Unbeknownst to you, there was a meeting going on inside, and someone had forgotten to lock the front entrance.

As you pushed the door open, you had no idea the events that were about to unfold.

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE TAGGED WHEN I POST FOR BUCKY, LET ME KNOW!!

#bucky barnes x you #marvel #mcu #sebastian stan #marvel au #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fluff #mcu au #steve rogers #peter parker #chris evans #tom holland #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky #mob!bucky barnes #mob!steve rogers #mob!peter parker #wip

[wheredafandomat]

Club Paradise 🫦

2 | My best girl

Avenger! Natasha x female reader

18+ | contains smut and mentions of injury

“You’re too pretty to be getting hurt” you spoke, voice light as you tended to the graze on Natasha’s cheek. She sat at the edge of the bed as you stood, leaning over her.

“You should see the other guy” she smiled, not even flinching as you cleaned the wound.

“I don’t like seeing you hurt Nat” you answered mirthlessly.

“No, you like seeing me between those thighs” she giggled, tapping your leg as you bit down your smile. “Do you think about me before you go to bed?” She questioned, her hand moving up your knee and over your thigh “touch yourself wishing it was me?” She continued, her hand reaching achingly close to your centre “picture my face between those pretty thighs? Hmm?” She asked teasingly, her hand finally cupping your pussy as you looked down at her grinning.

“Did you get hurt just to come here because you’re horny?” You giggled, trying to remain stoic as she slowly moved her hand to and fro.

“I’m always horny when I see you baby” she answered, tilting her chin upwards to look at you.

“There are other ways for you to get in contact. Ever heard of a phone?”

“Where’s the fun in a phone, unless you’re going to send me dirty pictures” she smirked.

“Nat, what do you want?” You asked, placing a plaster against her cheek before putting the rest of the things down.

“Dirty pictures” she simpered “and I wanna taste you” she added coyly, her hands wrapping around you as she pulled you onto her lap.

“Who am I to disagree?” You relented, smiling against her lips as she kissed you.

Her lips were soft, always so soft. Her tongue moved across your bottom lip, almost begging for entrance before you obliged, deepening the kiss. Your tongue moved against hers, your hips beginning to roll against her almost pleading for friction. Her hands moved across your body, pulling you flush against her before the pads of her fingers smoothed over your back. You arched into her at the touch, her lips wrapping around your tongue as she sucked it gently, causing a wetness to pool between your legs. You almost gasped into the kiss as you felt her hand snake between the two of you as she cupped your pussy again. You ground your hips against her hand, the kiss growing more ardent as you sought her touch.

“You are mine” she spoke just above a whisper, breaking the kiss as she looked up into your eyes.

Before you could react, you felt your back come into contact with the mattress beneath you as Natasha flipped you onto the bed. You lifted your head, looking down at her as she pushed your legs apart. Your head fell back against the bed as you felt those same soft lips caressing your inner thighs. Her name fell quietly from your lips as her kisses met the material of your panties as she kissed over your clit. Lifting your hips, you wordlessly beseeched her for more as the mixture of her saliva and your arousal dampened your panties. You almost flinched, your body sensitive as she hooked her thumbs underneath the waistband of your panties before tugging them off of you leaving you exposed to her. She looked down between your legs, almost in a daze before licking a light circle around your throbbing clit. A moan escaped you, your hands almost instantly finding purchase in her familiar red hair as she began sucking your wet pussy. The slurping noises were sinful, filling the room as she coaxed your arousal out before drinking in your essence only to spit it back out and spread it across your pussy again, repeating the action. You held her tight against yourself, biting your lip as you tried to stave off your orgasm.

“Fuckk Natasha, that feels too good” you moaned, your breaths heavy.

“A girl just knows, pretty” she smiled, pushing two of her fingers inside of you and curling them upwards before her mouth was latched to your swollen clit again.

“Ughhh” you whimpered, eyes tightly shut as your walls gripped her fingers. You were close.

“Don’t cum yet” she ordered “you’ll ruin all the fun” she smirked, her fingers still hitting your g-spot.

“Natttt” you near cried, needing to cum.

“I wanna try something baby” she smiled up at you, using her free hand to reach for her holster.

“Where were you hiding that?” You asked curiously as you glanced up at her, a small pink vibrator in her hand.

“There’s all sorts of things I’m hiding, pretty” she grinned “I don’t just keep guns and knives in my holsters” she added, smile falling as she got back on task, placing the vibrator on your clit.

“Fuck!” You moaned, hips bucking up at the sensation.

“I knew you’d like it baby” she smirked, biting her lip.

“Nattt—fuckk— I can’ttt” you warned, your orgasm building fast.

“Yeahh you can” she encouraged “just hold on for me baby, okay” she implored, moving the vibrator in slow circles. You were shaking.

“Stoppp” you begged, your pussy dripping, drenching the sheets.

“But I want you to squirt hunny, all over my face” she nodded, her fingers inside of you curling up again as she replaced the vibrator with her warm mouth, encasing your pussy.

“Fuck, fuck, fuckkk!” You cried, your body jolting as your orgasm hit you, your arousal gushing out and coating Natasha’s face as she happily licked it up.

“That’s my girl” she praised as you laid back against the bed, almost incoherent in a post orgasmic, blissful haze.

You were aware of the feeling of Natasha kissing your body as she slowly made her way up. You caught her lips in a kiss as she positioned herself above you, stroking your hair.

“You’re my best girl, you know that right” she spoke, causing you to smile “there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you” she continued “I’d kill for you.”

“Nat” you stopped her.

“I would” she affirmed before kissing you slowly “I would” she repeated, deepening the kiss “would he?”

Your heart dropped as you thought about him. You knew who she meant but the thought was replaced by the feeling of Natasha above you. In that moment, she was everything.

Omg guys my tumblr has been abandoned because I’ve been cosplaying as an academic weapon at uni 😭 hope you’re all well ❤️❤️

Tags 🖤

@lokisgoodgirl @thenotoriouserg @chantsdemarins @donaweasley @xorpsbane @mcufan72 @loz-3 @sailorholly @lovingchoices14 @lokiedokiee @noideakitten @mochie85 @mischief2sarawr @lokiprompts @lulubelle814 @fictive-sl0th @peaches1958 @gigglingtiggerv2 @tmilover1993 @lyds247 @dustychinchilla74 @lokis-dark-queen @november-rayne @12-pm-510 @newtomofgods @eyesbluelikethetitanic @lokiestorch @beautyb1ade @angelilacsworld @lokidokieokie @silver-tongue-taken-to-bed @asgards-princess-of-mischief @anundyingfidelity @buttercupcookies-blog

#club paradise #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha x you #natasha x y/n #mcu au #natasha x female reader #natasha fanfic #oc fiction #natasha smut #smut

[anki-of-beleriand]

A Heart Made of Glass ch. 11

Summary: Ten years ago you left Wanda and the Avengers to heal your broken heart. You never stopped being a hero, just as you never stopped being in love with her. But life had to go on.

Now, after all that time, she is back and with her is a young woman needing help and an enemy that may not be as afraid as Wanda to lay a claim on you.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x Powered!F!Reader - Scarlet Witch x PoweredF!Reader - Past Wanda Maximoff x Vision

Warnings: Angst, drama, mentions of cheating, fluff, violence, smut, Switch!Reader, internalize homophobia, hurt, comfort, Wanda being a complete mess, anger management issues, jealousy, Requited/Unrequited love, idiots in love, swearing, mentions of alcohol. More tags as the story progess.

Author's Note: This story is a continuation of Dirty Little Secret I was really surprised at the response I got for the story, I did all the tags you guys ask for but if I forgot someone please do not hesitate to tell me. Thank you for the support.

I am back!! This chaptr took longer than I anticipated, I didn't know exactly how to continue even though I have an aidea of what I want. So here it is the new chapter, hope you guys like it!

Wanda is finally getting there, and Reader has to face so harsh truths about herself and those around herself.

Please, do remember English is no my mother tongue so forgive my grammar, spelling and funny mistakes.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Wanda and Scarlet

Everyone left as soon as you disappeared with the twins upstairs. 

The time seemed to pass without your consent, and by the time the twins had fallen asleep and you were back on the first floor the world around you felt different. You stepped into the living room, your shadows flickering to make sure you were alone while you wandered around the place to take a closer look at the pictures decorating the place. You had always like pictures, and in general, you were good at photography; you realized every single one of the pictures you were seeing had a single purpose: to tell the story of yours and Wanda’s life.

It started with a simple friendship, the both of you were young and as the images move through the years you could see fear behind the attraction, the realisation of love and the tentativeness of a relationship until, at the end, all you could see was a happy ending. You tilted your head, your eyes checking the images over and over again until they fell on a missing section. A missing part of the timeline.

“We broke up one day,” you held yourself tight, your ears twitching with your eyes narrowing lightly, the woman behind you approached slowly, her voice sending a shiver down your back.

Wanda wrapped her arms around herself, her voice carried the weight of unwanted memories. 

“I was scared, it was the first time she said she loved me.” You turned slightly looking at the woman out of the corner of your eye.

“Did you cheat on her?” You couldn't help but ask, your voice dripping with old resentment. 

Wanda finally stood beside you, and she was so much different than your own Wanda. Taller, calm, with a confidence that poured out of her with an electric jolt of power you were not familiar with. The woman dropped her eyes, then you found yourself looking into her green ones.

“I broke her heart, and then I started dating Vision.” Wanda pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing lightly. “I pretend to be normal to honour my parents by being what they expected me to be.”

You clenched your jaw, the tension evident in your posture. 

“We almost got married until…I almost lost her.” Wanda whispered, her face breaking into a mask of pain. “She had disappeared on me, I couldn't reach her out and then, one day she…she came back and saved me and Vis…”

Wanda let out a bitter laughter, tears rolling down her eyes. 

“I almost lost her because I was afraid and I just…I couldn’t let her go afterwards. I fought hard to earn her forgiveness, and her love again.”

You swallowed down your own tears, turning away from this Wanda before letting your eyes wandered around a story you had always wished for. You could feel the weight of her stare on you, the poking of her presence waiting for the right moment to either talk to you, or push for answers to questions you were not ready to hear.

In the end you stopped on the one picture you had feared, the one you had seen before but with a different individual smiling back at you.

“They look like you…and me.” You finally said turning to Wanda, this time around the smile that broke her façade was one of pure bliss.

The other woman stepped forward, her eyes drifting to the picture and then to you. She had seen enough inside your head to know this might hurt in ways she could only imagine, and a part of Wanda was completely baffled by the mistakes done without a single thought of the consequences. She had to wonder, though, how much of those mistakes grew into resentment and how many of them were fear of allowing love in.

“They were our little miracle.” Wanda whispered, her voice softened all of a sudden before she closed the distance between you and her, and this time around you couldn’t look away or stepped away from her overwhelming persona.

“They were possible because of you and me, Y/N.” Her words made you shiver, the touch of her skin against yours was electrifying. “We weren’t even trying, and when I found out it had been me the one getting pregnant I was scared of you finding out.”

“Why?” You finally asked furrowing your brows, Wanda cocked a brow with her eyes gleaming challenging at you.

“Because of your thoughts, because of your doubts.” Wanda sighed cupping your face with her hand, “when I approached you my main fear was of you thinking I cheated.”

Your body tensed hardening your stare trying to ignore the tenderness and the understanding in those green eyes you had dreamed about so many times. It still hurt. It hurt like the very first time you fell in love with her, and the first time you saw the video of her and Vision. You closed your eyes, but never stopped feeling the woman in front of you, so much like your Wanda, yet so different than her.

Wanda opened her lips, her heart yearning to get you closer to feel as if you were real. As if you were her Y/N, but she couldn’t stop feeling the coldness, the anger, the sadness pouring out of you from your every pore.

When Wanda spoke again, she did so with the same tone of voice she used that very first time. The one that had always told Y/N that she was loved that she was cherished, that she was everything Wanda needed.

“When I told her about the pregnancy, Tommy and Billy made sure to help me out. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why…” Wanda let out a breathless chuckle, “but when I told her, it just clicked. It was as if she could feel them, and she could sense the familiarity in them. They were as much hers as they were mine.”

“I felt them.” The words left your mouth before you could prevent it. You lifted your face to the ceiling, furrowing your brows while your powers ignited with the familiarity the twins brought to you. “It was strange, yet familiar…And I…”

You stopped right before you could say more than you meant to, you lifted your eyes only then taking notice of how close this Wanda was to you. You could feel her warm breath on your face, her eyes gleaming with a deep green that showed all the love she felt for you.

Correction, for the version of yourself in this universe.

Not you.

Never you.

Your whole demeanour changed in the blink of an eye. Your body tensed, and you stepped back until there was only coldness and distance between you and Wanda. And in that moment, your heart broke all over again for the things you had just discovered in a world that was not your own.

“I can’t…” You whispered; Wanda lifted her hand but she hesitated stepping back as well.

It was in that moment you thought about the videos you received; those chapters of a story Wanda had lived in world she had created. The twins that had come to life as the children of Vision, the sudden mess that became out of such a magic, and then the piercing pain inside your chest when you realized Wanda was even further away than where she had been the first time the both of you broke up.

Your mind quivered breaking into a flow of memories you had tried to contain behind the shadows, and your chest shrank into a deep void filled with coldness and emptiness that left you breathless with desperation clinging to your senses.

Wanda stepped back; she creased her brows watching as your powers flickered around her. You clenched your jaw tilting your head until your footsteps take you out of the house. The world around you trembled surrounding you in complete darkness until all that was left was the single, crimson light of Wanda gleaming in the distance.

“Why are you so hurt, Y/N?” She asked, and her voice was like a dagger piercing your soul and twisting the memories of what could had been.

Instead of answering, instead of voicing your frustrations you broke down with tears rolling down your cheeks and the woman you loved holding you tightly. You hugged her tightly knowing, in this world, she was yours as much as you were hers and, even if it was for a brief moment, you could pretend this was your life.

And that was all that matter at the moment.

________________________________________________

You had been watching the routine from afar.

Billy and Tommy were extraordinary, their powers had been developing along with their physical attributes under the watchful eye of your counterpart and Wanda. Your heart twisted every time they looked at you or addressed you in such a familiar and loving way. The way kids sought out their parents, and it broke your heart the same way it was breaking Wanda’s.

“You were quite good to them, though I am pretty sure Billy noticed you were not his mother.” The voice was familiar to you, you had heard him a thousand times teasing and overall being a complete nuisance until he was finally killed by Thanos.

Loki Odinson was looking completely different to the Loki you had met back home.

His hair was around his shoulders, and he was wearing a dark suit with a tie matching the green of his magic. He gave you a quick once over, his eyes cold and calculating, while his hand twitched around calling upon a spell. You turned completely getting your body ready for a fight, the god smirked and soon you let out a gasp filled with an exclamation of pain as your back hit the ground.

“Not as fast as you used to, I see.”

“You just wait until I get use to this stranger’s body, then you will wish I was this slow.”

“Indeed.” He replied with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice, he stood by your side stretching out a hand to help you up.

You eyed the hand before taking it, the strength he used was enough to tell you he was not someone to mess with. Yet, there was something different about this Loki; he was calmer, more collected and with a hidden force that made you curious just to know the story behind the Asgardians in this universe.

“So, you played for the good guys in this universe?”

Loki scowled at the question walking past you until he reached the porch steps sitting down.

“I have never been part of the bad guys, but I have never seen eye to eye with Thor or some of those idiots he calls friends,” Loki leaned back settling his eyes on you, “I find it insulting to label people in such a black and white vision of life, when you and I know, that people and everyone in general is just…”

“Complicated.” You finished narrowing your eyes at Loki, the young male smirked tilting his head to one side.

“Exactly. Now, let’s get down to business, how much do you know of what happened before you got here?”

__________________________________

Another day sneaked through the clouds, the sun shone right above the heads of the agents surrounding the area around the dome. 

Yelena was playing with the knife you had given to her for her birthday, her eyebrows creased together while the TV got ready to play the same chapter of your boring life over and over again. Yelena wished whoever was controlling the show would at least get new ideas, or at least let all of you spice things up because this was getting ridiculous.

There was a loud beep coming from the screen, and the image in the TV flickered between colours and black and white. Yelena almost fell off her chair when you appeared on the screen, this time around the story was different, and for the first time Yelena wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing.

“Natasha! You better come here right now!” 

*****

The morning light sneaked through the bedroom curtains. The warm of a single ray of sunshine shook you from your slumber, without really opening your eyes you tried to cover up your face knowing that full consciousness poked through your brain.

Continuing with your marvellous sleep would not be possible anymore.

You furrowed your brows, turning to the side while stretching your arm to try and hug the woman you shared your bed with. 

Wanda.

A jolt of electricity went from your brain to your body, your heart beating at an anormal speed while you sat down in the bed. You glanced around the room but everything was the same as the day before, and the before that one. You frowned lifting a hand to your face, your thoughts came crashing down without any specific order.

Your wife. Her name was…

You turned to your bedside table, your mind flashed the memory of a single frame with the woman holding onto you smiling brightly. Your frown deepened, the name dancing inside your mind but unable to make sense.

It's going to be okay, my love, don't take the pill. Don't take it and you and I will be together again.

The voice inside your head whispered, the sweet tone was familiar, your heart jumped with anticipation. You turned on your side ready to leave the bed when the door of the room opened and another woman came right in.

She had dark hair, her lips full and red, while those eyes gleamed with a strange light.

“Good morning, baby, did you sleep well?” She came onto you leaning in to seal her words with a kiss.

It felt wrong, but you answered to the kiss lazily with the pretension of being just awake for a couple of minutes. The woman narrowed her eyes though the smile never left her face, she leaned back before making her way to the curtains and opening them with a yank of her hands.

“Today is a beautiful day, and last night was just amazing my love, I really enjoy it when you let me use you hard.” Her words pretended to be flirty, with a teasing undertone she tried to converge with the sultry stare she sent your way.

You shifted uncomfortably, this time around you wandered through your body to validate the veracity of her words. You didn't feel sore, but of course it could also be the effect of the drug or whatever it was you were in. You stood up making your way towards the woman.

Agatha.

Your face broke into another smile, your arms wrapping around her before leaning in to suck on her pulse point. Agatha lifted her hands closing them around your biceps, a sudden gasp left her lips and she tilted her head to give you more access.

“I love it when you let me be in charge, love.” You whispered in her ear, your lips teasing the shell of her ear, your eyes narrowing when the fixated on the flickering reality behind the woman.

“Mmm, I can tell you want more, but today we have the event in the school and we cannot miss it, I'm still competing for first place in the desserts contest.” Agatha stepped back her eyes dark and dangerous, a hint of lust gleaming inside them.

This was the very first time you approached her out of your free will, and the woman was excited. If you were already looking Agatha out and making these advances it meant her magic was growing bending the reality and helping her get what she wanted. Soon Scarlet and Wanda would no longer be an issue and you would be next.

“Very well, but you won't escape, Missy, I will have you later on.” You winked at her turning to make your way to the bathroom, Agatha called out to you stepping closer while lifting a single pill in her hand.

“I will wait patiently for you, now be a good girl and take your medication and take a bath.” 

Your smile never faltered taking the pill you put it right away in your mouth swallowing in front of the woman before entering the bathroom to get ready for the day. Agatha stood there for a moment, her eyes squinting trying to catch anything unusual but soon the shower started running and you started humming distractedly. The dark-haired woman smirked and left, the world around her flickering from purple to red.

*****

The day was bright and warm.

It was a complete contrast of the weather America had suffered in Norway. She glanced at the sky, then at the buildings around her, noticing for the very first time the forms of other people walking around the lanes in front of their homes. She frowned stepping back inside the house where Wanda had been recovering after her session with Agatha, she knelt beside the other woman lifting a hand to measure the temperature.

“Today I don't have a fever.” Wanda opened her eyes offering a half smile to the teen.

“That's good.” America sighed checking Wanda before sitting down on the floor. “You look weak.”

“I'm okay.” Wanda sat down slowly, she grabbed the pillows on the sofa tightly clenching her eyes close. “Scarlet is the one doing most of the work.”

America scoffed looking away from Wanda, that was another part of this crazy plan she didn't like. Whatever had happened before America came into the game, Wanda had detached herself from her powers and the part of her that had always been ready to fight for you. She had seen the suffering behind those green eyes, the pain in Wanda’s voice and the defeat in her posture, she had come to terms that you would never be Wanda’s and that she would always be in love with someone that didn't want her back. 

The world had been unfair to you and Wanda, and the both of you had given into miscommunications and pride to even attempt a shaky friendship. America pursed her lips glancing at the coffee table where Wanda had placed the necklace she wore at all times. 

“You are Scarlet.” America finally replied, locking her eyes with those of Wanda, “you and her are one and the same, you told me yourself that you could feel everything she did and that…”

“I know.” Wanda stood up on shaky legs, she pressed her lips together leaning in to grab the necklace. “Let's get ready, Agatha is finally confident enough that the world around her is of her own creation and we need to make the most of this chance to wake Y/N and get her help to break the spell.”

“Wanda?” America asked tentatively, she could tell the other woman tensed waiting for the question.

America hesitated before stepping closer, “are you sure this is going to work?”

“It has to.” Wanda sighed glancing to the floor, “Agatha won't rest until she had completed the ritual and drained me of my powers, then she would move onto Y/N…”

“And finally, me.” America wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes tearing up hating people around her kept being hurt because of her powers. Because of who she was.

Wanda put her hands on her shoulders, she offered a tender smile and her eyes gleamed with determination.

“Nothing bad is going to happen, we will make this work and then we will deal with Agatha.”

“Would you fuse with Scarlet?” America gauged Wanda's expression, she could see the fear behind those green eyes. “I mean, she is you after all and perhaps in that way you and Y/N…”

“Even if we were to do this, America, she is…she would never…” Wanda let out a heavy sigh, her hand putting her hair back holding onto everything she wanted to say, everything she had been experiencing ever since she got a chance to see you again.

“It's never going to happen, she doesn't love me anymore and I broke any chances to be with her a long time ago.” 

America opened her mouth to say something but Wanda silenced her with a gesture of her hands.

“No, she is not…when I accepted this I knew what I was getting into.” Wanda couldn't help the bitterness in her voice, “I knew it would hurt and we would never be nothing more than allies, I just…”

There were no more words, Wanda strsightned up turning her back to the teen.

“I’m going to get ready, I suggest you do the same.”

Wanda didn’t say anything, without tuning around she made her way back to her room and got the bath ready. She held back her tears, tired of the pain this reunion with you had brought to her heart. She knew she had to pay for her sins, what she didn’t know was how high of a price she would have to cover for everything to at least be forgiven. She had been paying her mistakes from day one, without a single moment of peace or redemption.

The water fell on her washing away the painful pressure resting on her chest, her fist clenched tightly as she went along with the plan, with the memories, with everything Agatha made her lived all over again in order to get deeper into her powers. Wanda was not completely sure she understood, and Scarlet had been unable to be cooperative unless you were involved; everything turned out to be a complete mess, and the young witch had to wonder if perhaps outside this reality there was someone trying to help them out solve the mess they were in.

If there was someone out there that was not blaming Wanda for yet another invented reality.

Wanda closed her eyes, her body flinched with the sudden jolt of electricity that went through her limbs all the way to the very core of her soul. She clenched her jaw close, the world flickered for a moment until she felt the pulse of energy gathering around her hands. Scarlet was ready, and they were running out of time. With a single sigh, Wanda turned off the water and went to get ready.

They only had one chance, she needed to be fast if they wanted to safe Y/N and themselves before it was too late.

And, after seeing her weakened state, Wanda knew time was not on their side.

___________________________

Time was relative.

And, apparently, space bent to the laws of time.

Loki had been very clear in his explanation of the multiverse, and his role in getting you in the right timeline and the right body. You heard everything he told you, with your mind taking the bits you thought important while trying to understand those you found hard to believe in. The theory was solid, but it certainly was meant for someone with a deeper knowledge on these matters like Hank, Tony or even Bruce. You went along with the game, believing what the god was saying to you while formulating a plan that could help you out without disturbing the timeline or the multiverse.

But for Loki to make it work, he would need time, and that meant you would need to live in a world you already found was destroying you little by little.

Without a doubt, this universe was going to be the dead of you.

When you were young and left the Avengers, you used to torture yourself with the ‘What ifs’. What if you forgive Wanda, what if you had been enough, what if you and her were still together. What if.

You remembered those long nights in which you imagine a normal life with her, the thought of getting married and forming a family. These thoughts grew inside your mind until you hit the rock bottom and you had to start a real healing process, you had accepted what happened and you stepped out of the shadows to move forward. You were a hero, with or without the Avengers, you were still pretty much a person that could help others so that was what you did.

You never forgot Wanda, and those little what if scenarios would come at nights or on those specific moments in which you were alone with your thoughts. Your heart used to ache with the shadows of the past while facing the light of the future; and now, trapped in this world, you were face to face with the biggest what if there was dancing inside your mind.

What if you give yourself a chance to love her again?

What if you forgive her?

The door of the basement opened and closed with a heavy thud, you shook your head turning to see Wanda Maximoff coming down the stairs with a plate filled with sandwiches and a three glasses of orange juice. Your eyes went from the tray to the woman then back to the book you had been staring at, Loki snorted knowingly sitting down while flickering his hand around.

The lights grew in intensity, and Wanda shot a quick glare to Loki before shaking her head in defeat. She settled her tray on the table taking a seat right beside you, her eyes softening lightly as they read on your face the torturing thoughts dancing inside your head that multiply when you realised Wanda had prepared your favourite sandwich. The young woman offered an affectionate smile before turning to Loki.

“It is quite evident they had been dream-walking, whoever has been doing it, at least, has become quite adept at it and has been creating a complete mayhem while doing so.” Wanda grabbed a sandwich furrowing her brow while opening the book and showing some graphics filled with runes and letters you did not understand.

Loki tilted his head eating in silence while glancing at the graphics, he turned to you then back to Wanda who continued speaking while filling up in the gaps that you did not know. Those that you had not been a part of while on in this universe.

“When we first encountered America, she told us about the multiple encounters she had with strange creatures chasing her around the multiple universes.” Wanda pursed her lips furrowing her brows, “something happened though, there was a moment of peace and then when they came back, she fell into our world.”

“Is this the part in which everything else happened?” Loki asked tilting his head thoughtfully, “but there was a moment of peace as well, was it not? Stark mentioned a time of peace in which she was getting use to this place…”

“And to us, yes.” Wanda shifted lightly, her eyes flickered to where you were already finishing your sandwich, your tongue tucking out cleaning your lips before you went back to your food. She couldn’t help but smile at the gesture, it seemed that some things didn’t change in between universes.

“Dream-walking is a powerful technique, not just anyone can do it and whoever decides to enter in such a realm of dark magic usually gets affected,” Loki leaned back closing his eyes for a moment, “whoever is behind this know what they are doing, and they had probably been planning this for a very long time.”

“I’ve been having dreams I shouldn’t have, dreams with Scarlet sneaking inside a different reality.” You chewed on your lower lip drinking from the glass before continuing, “some of them are pretty real, everything that she does it’s usually pretty real, yet I know it is not Wanda. It feels different, she is different even if they look the same.”

There was a moment of silence in which you tried to ignore the stares from Loki and Wanda on you. You distracted yourself with the food and the beverage while playing with the ring on your hand, you shifted on the chair ready to speak until Loki beat you to it.

“You said you saw a rune before the explosion, right?” Loki inquired, he produced a piece of paper and a pen that lend you waiting for you to draw what you saw.

“Yep.”

Wanda observed as you drew the rune, she leaned forward softening when her nose caught up with the aroma of your shampoo and special scent that was innately yours. She couldn't help the hand that rested on your arm, nor the tenderness behind her caress. You shifted on the spot, your back going rigid the moment you felt the familiarity behind the touch.

“There is something I don't understand yet, why do you call her Scarlet and referring to her as a third individual?” Loki finally asked furrowing his brows, you scrunched up your nose turning to Wanda then to Loki.

“Because they are not the same?” You knew something was not right the moment those words left your mouth.

Wanda and Loki glanced at one another, breaking their eye contact almost right away. 

“What?” You could see the hesitation but it was Wanda the one who answered.

“I am Scarlet, Y/N. That was my alias when I was part of the Avengers.” She clarified, you noticed just how closed she was to you, the twitched of her lips just as her hand cleaned up the crumbs of bread on your clothes and face. 

“Okay, well…look, I don't know what happened there, but my Wan…” You scoffed at the slip, stepping back and giving your back to Wanda you spoke again, “Wanda and Scarlet are certainly not the same. If anything…Scarlet is more…”

“Daring? Powerful? Mischievous? Straightforward?” Loki cocked his head, he smirked when you turned to him, narrowing your eyes. “That's Wanda alright, I will add an annoyance, and a pain in the ass.”

“Thank you.” Wanda glared at Loki who bowed his head, the relationship was almost as confusing as seeing Steve squirmed when talking to Loki.

“I wouldn't describe it like that…” you trailed off remembering the dreams, the touches and her words. 

You clenched your hands, this world was certainly driving you mad. 

“Is it possible this Scarlet is from a different Universe?” You asked looking at the circle on the floor, “perhaps a more deranged and obsessive version of Wanda from a different Universe?”

Loki stiffened at the question, he shifted from one foot to the other before stepping forward with a flickered of his hand a book appeared out of thin air. He grabbed the article, turning to Wanda before stepping forward into the circle.

“A cup of tea would be nice,” Loki sat down on the circle opening the book in front of him, the world soon darkened only to ignite a green flame. 

You stood your ground, stepping inside the circle making the magic around it flickered dangerously. Your eyes went black, leaning forward with your arms firmly placed at your sides.

“Answer the question.” You demanded to which Loki merely shrugged.

“Wherever there is a Wanda, there is always a Scarlet Witch, Y/N. They are one and the same.” Loki then twirled his fingers sitting Indian style while closing his eyes, the electric current of his magic pushed you away. “The fact that you are telling us there are two versions of Wanda only tells me what I should look for.”

“How can you know this? How can you be so sure that they are not two versions of different universes?”

“Because something like this has already happened before.” Loki waved his hand away frowning, “now, hush, I need to do this right or else I may take far longer than necessary and you need to go back to your timeline before something catastrophic happens.”

You observed the god with his hands position to the sides, flickering as the book finally revealed golden pages and he smirked. You were about to speak again but your body went completely rigid when a hand placed itself on your shoulder, you turned around only to see Wanda looking directly at you. Her touch was tender, and almost tentative, but it was enough for you to stop whatever you were about to do or ask. For a brief moment she waited, until you finally relaxed and stepped back.

“Come, this may take a while and I think we still have a conversation pending.”

You hesitated with your shadows flickering around you, whatever power or will to fight you had in you was soon eased out when Wanda sought out your eyes. You swallowed down your weakness before this woman, and without a single word you turned around and left the basement. The door close behind you with a flash of gold and green filling the basement before the closed door stopped any other intrusion from the magic.

You rested your back against the door, the young woman standing beside you bounced for a moment before she went into action and made her way to the kitchen. At first, you only follow her with your eyes, the confidence she was usually wearing faltered from time to time, and you could see the tension building up inside her while she grabbed the tea pot and got everything ready. Her back was turned towards you, but you were completely sure she was pretty aware of your presence and what you were doing.

After a while, and once it was pretty obvious Wanda had nothing else to do but wait for the water to boil you pushed from the door walking towards the kitchen and sitting down on a chair near the counter.

“When I first learnt about my powers, I started hearing this voice inside my head.” Wanda started talking out of nowhere, you sat down waiting for the story to continue.

“It was not a stranger's voice, it was mine though it held an influence and power that soon became part of me.” Wanda turned around, this time around she made sure it was impossible for you to look away. “While I was being experimented on, the voice kept on infusing me with confidence and power, I understood that the magic in me was talking but then…”

Wanda trailed off and her face broke into a painful mask of the past. The memories came rushing in, she lifted a hand to grab her arm hugging herself protectively. You swallowed down holding onto the counter, your heart twisted wanting to go over there and comfort Wanda. You clenched your jaw, looking away and hating the emotions running rampant inside of you.

“I was then given to my parents, my adoptive parents.” Wanda put a hand on her forehead, her voice breaking lightly. “She never told you?”

“She decided to cheat on me instead of trusting in me.” You replied through clenched teeth.

“It's so easy to judge others, isn't it?” Wanda shook her head leaning forward. “Have you ever asked her about the experiments? About the abuse? About the training?”

“Perhaps it was different from her that it was for you.”

Wanda leaned back, lifting her chin, “perhaps, but something tells me our worlds differ in the way we react to the past.”

“Does it make a difference?” You leaned forward, for the very first time spitting out anger while hitting the counter. “She broke my heart in the worst way and then…then came back with a set of troubles that only brought confusion and memories I didn't want!”

Wanda shook her head pointing a finger at you.

“If this is what you think then, you never knew her and you never understood her.” Wanda opened her mouth to say something else but she stopped, her eyes taking in the form of her wife and her heart yearning to have her back. To feel the sweet caress of her eyes on her. 

“She should have been more open, then. I was patient! I was always there for her! Even after Pietro died…”

“What?” Wanda paled at this, she opened her eyes trembling while she approached you, a piercing pain breaking through her chest.

You blinked confusedly shrugging, the anger still lingering in your features. 

“The day she became part of the team, that day Sokovia was destroyed. Pietro died saving Clint.” You hesitated to take notice of the pain crossing Wanda's eyes, “I'm sorry.”

Tears piled up in her eyes, her hand went to her chest. It was quite evident this news affected her greatly, even if her own brother was alive and her country was still pretty much a functional place with a stable government and amazing landscapes. You looked away, unable to face the tears or the sorrow coming from Wanda.

“And then, she lost you.” She whispered, leaning back, Wanda opened her mouth before closing it again. 

You shrugged, passing your hand through your hair, everything was messed up. Your emotions, the situation, the fact your heart ached to comfort Wanda, that you still wondered if perhaps being with her was possible. 

“I just…I want this to end. I don't know if this was…”

“You really don't understand,” this time around Wanda approached you with a tentative stare in her eyes. You stepped back the muscles of your face tense, with your chin lifted slightly.

“I think I understand enough after I saw her fucking Vision while she was still dating me.” You spat out, your eyes black while your powers flickered behind you.

Wanda had seen it.

The treason, the broken heart, the pride and the anger, but she had also seen the love, the nostalgia, the confusion as to what to do, how to proceed. She had seen enough to approach you, to place a hand on your shoulder. This Wanda had seen it all, and she had lived it before; the only difference was that she never hide herself from who she was and what she was experimenting with you. She had to face it because if she hadn't done so, she would have lost you and she was not ready to let you go.

It was getting harder to breathe, your thoughts came rushing inside your mind creating a spiralling of emotions that pierce through your very soul. Those green eyes were looking at you with understanding, there was a hint of sadness there but also hopefulness, and you just dropped your shoulders with your eyes glancing to the window.

“I can't look at you without remembering my pain,” you mumbled grabbing your chest, “I can't be here, and I can't be part of this fight if it means I have to be close to you. To her.”

“You still love her?” The question made you shiver, the darkness in your eyes increased and this time around the shadows wrapped around your body.

“It doesn't matter.”

“It does to me.” Wanda squeezed your shoulder tenderly, there was a hint of a smile but otherwise the woman was trying to be as open as she could be with you. “I can't believe she did what she did, it was something that crossed my mind but I never…”

“Yes, well, things are different in every universe, right?” You tried to move away but the hand tightened her hold and Wanda kept you closer. 

“When I broke things up, and I started dating Vision something happened.” Wanda started, her voice carried the weight of memories while her magic flickered around you and her. “It was confusing at first, denying you, denying me, trying to convince myself that I was living in sin and that I have to change to be the perfect daughter, to be the person I was raised to be.”

You listened carefully, it was the very first time you heard Wanda after what happened. And while this experience was completely different to the one you lived with your Wanda you could perceive the similarities. The relationship with Vision, you running away, the conflict in the world, the need for the Avengers to save the day, everything came crashing down and the fight was almost lost because Wanda had lost herself and her mind. She was becoming a different person, her powers getting out of control. Until she was faced with her powers and the presence inside her mind.

“It was strange, at first, but it was as if I had created a different version of myself, a powerful one that had no limits on the magic she could use, my magic,” Wanda then let out a bitter smile, “I almost killed my Y/N when she tried to reach out to me, that was what made me snapped.”

“I don't understand…” you crunched up your nose, creasing your brows while replaying the story inside your head, “what do you mean another person? Powerful? I mean, my Wanda created a whole new reality for her and…Vision.”

“Are you sure it was for him?” Wanda stepped back letting go of you, “there is something about this whole mess that has been bothering me ever since America stepped into our reality.”

“You mean, besides my consciousness being trapped in the body of your wife?” The sarcasm in your tone made Wanda roll her eyes, though this time around she did smile.

“The magic feels familiar, yet tainted. As if there was something else in there.” Wanda leaned back against the counter, “you mentioned a Scarlet and a Wanda, I was never two different people in here, I became the Scarlet Witch and owed my powers the same day I decided to fight for you and your forgiveness.”

You tensed turning away from the intense stare Wanda was shooting your way.

“I don't pretend to defend my counterpart, her sins are her own, and her demons had been chasing her far enough to leave her alone in your world,” her words crashed the barrier in your heart, and not for the first time you longed to see your Wanda and comfort her. You had seen the loneliness, the misery, and the weight of her mistakes wearing her down.

“But, have you considered perhaps Scarlet is her way to escape who she really is? That perhaps, everything comes down to this Agatha and the world Wanda created for herself?”

You couldn't answer the question that left a burning mark in your mind, the house started trembling and soon the air filled with magic. You and Wanda turned to the door where the sheer strength of the magic being used was making it tremble on its hinges. 

“What's happening?” You narrowed your eyes, your body getting ready for whatever would come out of the door. 

Wanda approached the door tentatively, her hand stretched out but before she could reach the doorknob there was a small explosion. Out of instinct, you grabbed her through the shadows putting her out of harm's way while the hall got completely destroyed. Your arms wrapped protectively around Wanda, your eyes wide open as they glanced at the woman that was kneeling beside you.

“Are you okay?” 

Wanda swallowed down, nodding, she looked away from you, turning her attention to the hall. There was no more magic, and everything was silent. The place looked trashed but otherwise the house was silent, with only remnants of humming power prickling at your skin. You couldn't help but set your eyes on Wanda, the woman holding onto you submitting to your protective embrace. 

“Loki.” There was real concern behind Wanda's voice, with some reluctance she stood up getting ready to go down the stairs when Loki finally appeared behind the threshold. 

“Loki! Are you alright?”

Wanda was on him in no time , her hand gleaming red scanned the body of the male frowning before slapping his arm. Loki scoffed, rubbing the spot she had hit, glaring at the woman.

“What was that for?”

“I told you not to trash the house!”

“Yes, well it wasn't my fault.” He stepped past Wanda, directing his eyes to you. “Tell me everything you know about Wanda and Scarlet, and what exactly do you know about this Agatha.”

You cocked your head, your nose crunching up with just a hint of hesitation in your eyes. The world might have changed in this part of the universe but Loki was still Loki; what could he do to help? What was more, why was Wanda looking at him as if he held the answers to this mess?

“We don't have time for this, but I'm not the Loki you know…” here Loki trailed off, his feet taking him to the teapot, every single moment measured and carefully designed for him to serve himself a cup of tea.

Wanda came behind you, you sensed her hesitation before she too stepped past you and joined Loki in the same activity. You couldn't believe the strangeness of this world, the obvious power these two individuals held, and the secrets behind their powers. You glanced at the mug in front of him, then at an admiring Loki.

“By mere chance, I ended up in a place where all the timelines are stories I can tamper without any effort.” He shrugged, taking a sip from his tea, “while witches and wizards everywhere need to dream walk or steal the powers to reach other realities, I can do so by stepping into the sacred timeline.”

“What is…?” You started and for the first time you saw real annoyance behind Loki's face.

“I could explain to you my part of the story, but I believe our main focus must be for you to go back to your world, and our Y/N to come back.” Loki shrugged, looking at Wanda sideways, “that's why I need you to tell me everything.”

There were many questions in your mind, but with a nod you opened your mouth telling them about your first encounter with Wanda, whatever you found out about Agatha and then the subsequent explosion that led you to this world.

___________________

Wanda was ready to hit someone.

She really was ready to give up and do something drastic. The red magic concentrated on her hand, her eyes gleaming dangerously until a soothing hand wrapped around her forearm, America was torn between being amused and slightly concerned. For what seemed weeks they had been trying to get their plan into motion but every time they got to it you were ensnared deeper into the hex Agatha had placed on you.

The days were changing slowly, instead of the temporal loop they had experimented on those first days, now it was possible to go from one day to another, different days, different scenarios. Agatha was growing stronger while Wanda and Scarlet weakened little by little.

“You told me we had to be patient.” America stated trying to block Wanda's eyes from the scene playing in front of her.

Wanda huffed looking away from you and Agatha.

“She is doing this on purpose, she keeps using Y/N by having her under a spell, and we…”

“We are working on a solution, and the solution is here.” America rolled her eyes, still not believing she was the adult at the moment.

America knew most of Wanda's reaction was jealousy, the other part was guiltiness. Whatever was happening in the basement whenever Agatha dragged Wanda down, America knew the young woman had to face things she was not ready to face. Wanda usually came from those sessions tired, drained and miserable, while it became difficult for her to handle her magic.

America pursed her lips glancing at you and Agatha, Agatha placing your hand on her abdomen while you looked at her adorably. The principal of the school and the woman America and Wanda had met the first time they arrived in Norway were smiling congratulating the happy couple.

“How did she get the…” Wanda couldn't even said it, she turned around and everyone seemed to be having a good time in the school grounds.

“Well, you told me that's what you did…”

“Her magic was not like mine, she really is draining all my powers and here I am…” Wanda turned around and walked away.

America followed her walking faster to keep up with the other woman.

“Wanda, it's going to be fine, this is what we have been waiting for, right? We got her distracted and then you tried to wake Y/N…” America then hesitated pursuing her lips, “you told me your counterpart would help, right? With the signal she would help…”

Wanda stopped her passing, she squinted her eyes before nodding curtly.

“She said she would help.” Wanda didn't want to share her concerns with America in regards to her counterpart.

When they had met, Wanda had been scared out of her mind. The woman standing before her held the full power of chaos magic while being a construct of an inexistent reality. She had spoken harshly to her, blaming her for your indifference and for you to seek out other arms to be happy. Wanda had seen her life in replay, the past and the mistakes, the pain and the wrong decisions, everything that had led her to be alone and forgotten, trapped in a hex out of her control.

“Wanda?” America asked tentatively, Wanda straightened up shaking her head before offering a shaky smile.

“Let's do this.”

America smiled nodding, Wanda sighed begging to whoever was listening to her that this worked, or else, she didn't know what would happen once Agatha had gotten what she came for.

“You know what to do, right?” Wanda asked a very enthusiastic America, the young woman nodded with a smirk forming on her lips.

“Yep, please, Wanda just go for her… I know things will be okay.”

Wanda watched as America left ready to join the rest of the teenagers she had known back at school, soon she pretended to be just like everyone else trapped into the loop while Wanda sneaked around ready to reach out to you. With a single tap into her magic, she signalled Scarlet and soon she felt the surge of power going through her body as an answer. 

There was a loud bang, everyone exclaimed in surprise and soon people were laughing and clapping. While Wanda saw the subtle flickered in the reality, the purple changed into a light red. It was time. Without wasting more time, Wanda sprinted towards you spotting you right away while you laughed at some of the kids putting you away ready to show you some of their works and Agatha was distracted by the mother's asking about her pregnancy. The scene was so absurdly familiar, and stereotypical Agatha never noticed Wanda coming closer, or you walking into the school building.

The place was completely quiet, there was not much light but whatever light sneaked inside the building was enough for Wanda to locate you in the far corner of the building. Her heart skipped a beat, she glanced around knowing at any moment the reality could break and Agatha could get everything under her control.

“Y/N?” She called tentatively, you turned around with a scrunched-up nose and brows knitted together.

Your eyes met hers, and Wanda felt her breath taken away. You looked just the same, the way she remembered, with the same serious facade and the eyes filled with kindness and wonderment. She wished she could reach out to you, that she could gain your forgiveness…

The distance between the both of you shortened, but before Wanda could say anything you did something that left her and Scarlet defenceless.

You kissed her.

Wanda gave in right away, her eyes opened wide only to close slowly while she submitted herself to the kiss. Your lips on her sent an electric jolt through her body until her heart was twisting inside her chest and a hoard of butterflies exploded inside her lower abdomen. She forgot her own name, and everything stopped when your arms pulled her close and your warmth engulfed her with your teasing lips eliciting sweet whimpers of need.

For a brief moment Wanda forgot all about her past, she forgot the problem they were in and even why she had been looking for you. Wanda gave in, and kissed you back with the same tenderness, with the same need, with the same love.

“My Love, I missed you so much.” You said smiling tenderly at her, Wanda whimpered when you went back to her, your lips pressing tentatively before you pressed your forehead against hers.

“By the gods, Wanda, what's going on? Where is everyone? Billy and Tommy? Are they Okay?” You broke the kiss cupping her face in your hands, your questions soon went through her foggy mind, and Wanda felt as if a bucket of cold water fell on her.

“What?”

“Is it Pietro with them?”

Wanda felt her world crumbling around her, and you just went to kiss her again when a ball of purple mist came in between the both of you exploding and sending you flying away from Wanda.

You groaned, hitting the wall, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

“Honey, I can't take my eyes off of you or you go back to Wanda's arms, tsk even after she fucked Vision you’re like a lost dog after her “

You pressed your hands on the ground lifting your face, your brows knitted together while Agatha held onto America and Wanda. You eyed the woman in front of you, she wore a dark dress floating just above the ground with America trying to grasp for air. Agatha smirked at you, her free hand twitching slightly until Wanda fell on the ground with a purple rope tightly wrapped around her neck.

“Wanda!” You stood up stretching your hands and your eyes darkening completely, you hardened your features stopping only when you heard the groan of pain from America and Wanda.

“Nu-uh, dear, I can be quite jealous and if you even care about these two you will lower your guns and…”

You were not even thinking about the threat, you had found an opening in the hex and in the powers used by the woman in front of you. Your fingers wiggled, and the shadows went into attack mode but you weren’t the only one joining the fight without giving it a second thought. Scarlet and Wanda had been planning it all along, they knew they needed one another to bring Agatha down, the same way the did that first time but they were not counting on you.

Or, the golden and greenish spark of magic that broke into their space, the explosion that followed blinded everyone, and soon they were there no more.

_____________________

The charts and the monitors were going into overdrive, Tony was trying to fix some of the readings with Monica and Friday helping him out while Carol was standing outside the dome getting ready for action.

Yelena and Natasha stayed behind, they had been watching the fill show for more than a couple of hours watching the time passed differently entering into days and nights as if time didn’t really matter.

Yelena was chewing on her lower lip, hitting the table as soon as she saw you running towards Wanda crashing your lips against hers.

“I told you! Didn’t I?” Yelena turned to Natasha pointing an accusing finger at her.

Natasha rolled her eyes trying to go back into the scene, getting other angles only to see Agatha freezing the scene around her and grabbing America harshly by the neck. She saw the way she roughed America up, putting her to her before making her way to the school. Her eyes went from one screen to the other, this time around she noticed Scarlet breaking the chains around her arms, legs and neck, almost crawling outside the house faltering before gathering some energy.

“Yes, Yelena, you told me, you are amazing at this but…” Natasha pointed to the screens, Tony and Monica coming over shaking their heads.

“Whatever the hell is going on is…” Tony trailed off turning around to see a huge explosion affecting the dome.

The earth trembled, and soon everyone right outside was running around screaming orders in different languages.

“Guys, you need to see this!!” Carol was standing right outside the trailer, her face was completely paled, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Natasha was about to exit but stopped when Yelena grabbed her hand, she turned to her sister to see the concern in her eyes.

“That’s not her.” Yelena was completely serious, with just a hint of fear in her tone.

“I know.”

“Who was that?”

“I don’t know, Yelena, but…”

“Hey, you two, you better come out because we just got a huge problem right now.”

Yelena scoffed turning to Tony, “what could possible be more important than the fact that was not Y/N?!”

Tony tilted his head shrugging, “perhaps the fact they just disappeared.”

“What?!”

Natasha and Yelena soon joined the rest of the team outside the trailer, the cold winter breeze of the north hit them straight in the face. The town was left almost untouched, with people on the ground being attended by the medical team; the dome had disappeared but besides some buildings being scratched and the people around being confused and left on the spots, there was nothing else indicating something strange had happened.

Natasha stepped forward watching the streets, and the sky, her heart almost leaving her chest when she turned around to see everyone looking at her. Yelena came forward as well, she crossed the street glancing around until she realized she was right in front of the street Agatha had used to name the street you were living in.

“What…what happened? Where are they?” Yelena finally asked turning to Natasha who merely shrugged just as baffled as her sister.

Instead of watching the same destruction Wanda had provoked a few months ago, what they found was a city that had been frozen in time. With all the inhabitants trying to remember what had happened, why they seemed to be a little disoriented; meanwhile, Yelena and the others had to wonder where you and the others had gone to.

“Where are they? Where is Y/N?!” Carol asked turning to Natasha and Tony. “You told me this would be fine! That you guy would find an answer before anything happened! Well, guess what, something happened!”

But there were no answers, and while everyone was fighting over what they should have done, or discussing what they should do, Yelena grunted exasperated running back into the trailer ready to get her eyes square while watching the screens. Something must be hiding in the broadcast, something she probably missed, something that would bring you safe and sound back into their reality.

At least, that’s what Yelena hoped for.

______________________________________________________________

Next Chapter: Loki miscalculates and creates a vacoon in the multiverse, Wanda has to face her counterpart and two different versions of Reader, America is ready to save the day and it was Agatha all along.

#fanfic #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wandaxreader #female reader #imagine wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x female reader #Wandavison AU #Wanda x Female!Reader #MCU AU #Wanda Maximoff x Female Reader

[springdandelixn]

Ruby Eyes and Hands of Ice

Loki x F!Reader

Summary: In a moment of passion, Loki accidentally reveals the identity he’s been trying to hide. 

Warnings: mild smut, scared/anxious Loki, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff. I still consider this as 18+ so please exercise caution. 

A/N: This is for one of my babies who got stuck in a car ride @mochie85​ haha But of course, it’s for everyone to enjoy as well. It’s been a while since I wrote something like this so yeah.

A drabble this may be, I do want to hear your feedback and your reblogs will help this story flourish further. And as always, I hope you enjoy! 💚

You hum against Loki’s lips, kissing him back softly yet full of intent, as his hand cups the underside of your tit, his thumb rolling against your taut nipples. He holds both your wrists in a vice, pinning you down on the bed and your arms fight against his grip when your skin tingles from the wake of his touch as he slides his hand down to your pelvis and even lower to the apex of your thighs. 

A sudden chill then takes you by surprise, making you bite on Loki’s lower lip slightly too hard which causes him to pull back and look down at you with concern. 

“Are you alright, love?” He asks but you’re speechless as you lay there in wonder, taking in his image. 

A hue of soft blue takes the place of his pale skin, his face littered with raised markings on his forehead, cheeks and around his lips. But what takes your breath away are his eyes; gone are the emeralds you adore, replaced by rubies that shine beautifully down on you. 

“My love,” His voice pulls you out of your trance and you blink to see his eyes laced with worry. “What’s wrong? 

“Loki—” You pull a hand free from his hold and slowly reach up to caress his cheek, your eyes trailing the markings on his face while your thumb traces them, feeling the raised lines underneath. “Your skin—” You breathe, “I-it’s blue.”

You see his eyes grow wide in shock, pulling himself up from the bed. He’s frantic and you sense the fear surrounding him, making you sit up all the same, watching him move away to sit on the edge of the bed while he looks down at his hands. He bows his head and closes his eyes, hands clenched into fists against his thighs and slowly, the blue fades and his skin reverts back to its milky shade.

“I-I’m sorry you had to see that,” He whispers into the air and you move to kneel on the bed, looking at him with sorrow. “I promise I’ll be more in control of—” His words die on his lips as you take him by surprise, straddling his lap and cupping his face and pressing your lips against his. 

You feel the worry in him, the trepidation that has sliced through his usual composure and it makes your heart ache that it’s because he’s shown the side of him that he constantly hides, one that he never once ventured to reveal to anyone, even to you.

He’s told you of his origin, that he’s not born of Asgard and that he hailed in the land of what they call Frost Giants. That he is one of the monsters Asgardian parents tell their children at night—‘somewhat similar to what you Midgardians call the Boogeyman’—he once told you in comparison. 

Not once has he shown you what a frost giant looked like, what his people looked like—until now, and if you dare tell the truth, you see no monster.

You slowly pull your lips away, your hand sliding down to the side of his neck, gently caressing it while you rub your thumb against the edge of his jaw, trying your best to soothe his anxiety. 

“Don’t—don’t hide from me, Loki.” You whisper, leaning down to press your forehead against his and you hum when you feel his hands frame your waist, his fingers digging into your flesh. “It’s beautiful.” You look down at him, your eyes meeting his emeralds and you move your hand to press your thumb against his lower lip. “You’re beautiful.”

His breath hitches at your words and you don’t give him a chance to speak, taking his lips once more and wrapping your arms around him to hold him tight. You sense his smile against the kiss and you return it just the same before a moan escapes you when you feel the chill of his hands once again kiss your heated skin.

#loki #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki x you #loki fluff #loki angst #loki fanfic #loki odinson #mcu #mcu au #coconut bun stories

[boxofbonesfic]

Title: Brave [5 of ?]

Pairing: Orc!Steve x Reader

Summary: The journey to Tarrath is not one to be undertaken lightly—there are more things to fear in the untamed places of the world than stags, a lesson you are soon to learn. 

Warnings: 18+ Only, Genre typical violence, Warlord Nomad AU, Dark Fantasy/n AU, Enemies to lovers, Eventual smut, References to past abuse

A/N: 👀

You have been riding since before sunup, and your hips and back ache from long hours spent in the saddle. The pack sets a leisurely pace through the grass sea, meandering through the plain in a loose line. The vast mountains you knew are at your back now, shrinking into misty, faint points. They tell you how far you have come with their distance, and you wonder how many steps you have taken since last you were the person you had been before. 

Since you left the woman you were supposed to be by the riverside—and how many more you will have to take to become someone else entirely. Though it has been only a fortnight sine you watched the village burn, it feels like a lifetime ago. Someone else’s memory, someone else’s eyes. 

The pack keeps a steady pace until the sun is high in the sky and the mountains are meaningless pinpricks. The land changes too, the flat plains turning into rolling hills that remind you of the cresting waves you have seen painted in books and on tapestries. The only difference is, these don’t come crashing down to drown you, the grass whispering quietly in the breeze. 

You ride somewhere in the middle of the line, the pack stretching both before and behind you, riding towards the sun as it begins to sink low in the sky. You can see Steve near the front, his sword strapped between his broad, bare shoulders. Like he can feel your gaze, he turns back, one thick fang hanging over his lip as he grins. You drop your head, your cheeks burning. 

Let them see.

When you look up again, he’s gone. 

—

Night on the grass sea is beautiful. A thousand thousand stars glow like fireflies caught in tar, stretching out further than you can see into the darkness. The pack does not stop, continuing at the same pace as all light fades, and the moon rises cold and clear. At first, the sheer drop in temperature is enough to keep you awake—without the thick furs and blankets neatly rolled and strapped to your horse, your ripped dress offers less protection against the biting wind. But after a few hours, despite the chill, your eyelids begin to droop heavily, your shoulders dropping as you slump in the saddle. 

It is the feel of Steve’s warm hand on your back that wakes you, instantly jolting you into panicked awareness as you turn sharply to glare at him. 

“Easy, Sweetmeat,” he replies. “I mean only to keep you from breaking your neck.” He raises an eyebrow. “Unless that is your wish this night.” 

You scowl. “No, I—thank you.” The words come haltingly.

“The journey is a long one.” Steve shrugs. “You will learn to sleep in the saddle.” 

“Or fall out of it,” you mutter, and he laughs, a loud boisterous sound that carries out into the night. 

“You never cease to amuse, Sweetmeat,” he says after a moment, the words still colored with the sound of his mirth. “I wonder what the elders shall make of you.” There is fear at his words, but your curiosity burns just as brightly. 

“What is it like?” You ask. “Your city?”

“In your tongue, Tarrath means ‘city at the end of the world’.”  You feel your eyes widen in spite of your attempt to keep your features schooled into neutrality. “It was built into the cliffside by my people long ago, before we knew the arbitrary lines your kings drew on their maps.” You gape at him, floundering for words. The maps you know end somewhere out into the grass sea. At their edges, perhaps an orc settlement or two, but mostly… nothing.  The impossibly vast mountains and the forests that border them are all you know.

But perhaps the truths you know are not truths at all. 

“Have you seen the sea, little one?” You shake your head. 

“What does it look like?”

Steve smiles. “Blue. The water is salt to the taste, but so blue. Like… two skies.” He motions with his hands, and you hold the reins tightly as you close your eyes and try to see it. More water than you could possibly imagine, as deep and endless as the sky.

“And the city?” You ask, stifling a yawn. 

“There are great towers of red brick with fires at their hearts. And there are not so few men as you might think.” 

“Humans?”

“And more.” He nods. “Elves, Dwarves. Children of the world before.”

You begin to slump again as he speaks, but this time Steve doesn’t wake you. He reaches across your lap to grasp the reins in one large hand. He loops them around the horn of his saddle. When you do finally begin to lean over, it is against his warm shoulder. 

“You coddle her.”  Bucky’s irritated voice doesn’t wake you—the firm hold exhaustion has on you is too heavy to drag your mind back to wakefulness, and you will not remember these words when you do wake again. Steve chuckles. 

“I like her.”

—

“Storm’s too thick.” You, and the rest of the pack are crowded around Bucky as he speaks, the horses shifting anxiously in the stillness. You can see it, the band of dark, angry dust stretching across the horizon. You’ve never seen anything like it, like the Gods’ fury given terrible form. When Bucky had set out to scout, it was a pinprick–and now the cloud stretches almost as far as you can see. “We’ll be waiting days for it to pass.”

Steve grimaces, his tusks hanging over his lip as he showcases his displeasure. 

“Aye,” he agrees, turning his eyes toward the horizon, eyeing the storm. “We’ll go around.” 

“The pass?” There’s a murmur of something like discomfort that passes through the pack. Something like fear. “Gods damn it.” Bucky looks back toward the storm and curses again. “We don’t have the rations to wait it out.” He doesn’t ask—it isn’t a question. And Steve’s grim expression is all the answer you need. 

“We’ll put it to a vote. The pass—or the storm.” He turns to the pack. “Those who want to brave the storm, step forward.” Lightning crashes in the distance, and you swallow thickly. By the sound of it, the pass is equally formidable. You recall the stag, it’s hungry jaws and fierce eyes, and wonder what else waits for you on this road—the one you’ve chosen. 

After a moment, Steve nods stonily, his expression battle-fierce. 

“The pass it is.” 

The pack wastes no time reorienting itself, turning west to skirt around the tempest of stinging sand and thunder. Carol rides up beside you, her expression grim. 

“Do not think we have chosen the easy road, little human.” 

You don’t. “What is the pass?”

“It was a road, once. One that has returned to the sea and the things that live inside it.” Her voice is low, warning. “Men are wise to fear the zikaegina,” she gestures at the endless shifting grass. “It hides many things.” 

“Why did you abandon the road?” Carol grimaces, her expression heavy with memories, knowledge you don’t share. Her eyes are dark when they meet yours again.

“Because other things used it too.” 

to be continued

next

#cevans fic #cevans fandom #chris evans fic #chris evans fandom #steve rogers #steve rogers fic #steve rogers drabble #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #steve rogers au #MCU AU #orc x human #orc x reader #dark fantasy #fantasy au #steve rogers smut #mcu au #mcu fanfiction #boxofbones drabbles #bones drabbles #boxofbones fic #Brave fic

[youreatotalposer]

Soft Launch| Kate Bishop

Pairing: Kate Bishop x Fem!Reader SMAU

Summary: To the world Kate Bishop is single, and best friends with a local NYC Photographer until the day that Y/N and Kate finally go public after months of making fans suspicious.

Warnings: None

A/N: This is my first SMAU and I wanted to see how it would go so let me know what you think or if you want more of these lolll. Join my Tag list also Request are now back open :p

Join my taglist | My Master List

Kate Bishop Tag List:

@yelenabelovasbxtch @yelenaslyubov @svftpetker @alotofpockets @catasha

(sorry if you weren't tagged my entire tag list got erased so im not sure why.)

#kayak fics #yelena belova #kate bishop #mcu fics #bishova #kamala khan #america chavez #clint barton #kate bishop x female reader #kate bishop x reader #mcu phase 4 #mcu au #kate bishop smau #peter parker

[terry-perry]

Can I request of Jack is clinging on Y/n like koala. Like when Bucky try to pry him off of her but he said “No! I’m staying with mommy and protect her!”

Jack's clingy behavior was out of character for him. The majority of the time, he was such a sweet boy who could entertain himself. Bucky knew what was going on with him, though.

He knew this was coming from the last mission that led you to be gone for over a month. Bucky himself grew anxious when your communication got more and more limited with each day you were gone. He worried about how long it would be before you returned home, especially when Jack soon realized you weren't there yet. As the days went by, he would wail for you. It was a heartbreaking experience for Bucky, but he did what he could to bear it for Jack's sake.

Eventually, you returned home to your boys. As a result, Jack has refused to leave your side. He never left you alone and even lost interest in the things he used to love like his favorite toys and play fighting with Bucky. Every night since you got home, he refused to stay in his room and slept in between you and Bucky.

"Mama!" Jack squealed as he reached out to grab a hold of your leg.

You couldn't help but feel a maternal tug on your heart. Then when Bucky decided to try to pry him off you and Jack replied with a "No!", you practically teared up.

You and Bucky always knew you had to do whatever it took to protect your son. Perhaps he felt he needed to do what he could to protect you and make sure you were there, safe with him.

#dad!bucky #child oc #jack barnes #mom!reader #bucky x reader #bucky imagine #bucky barnes x reader #marvelcinematicuniverse #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #mcu au #mcu #drabble #imagine #request #fluff #angst

[shadeysprings]

𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔

—𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐅!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 — 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 '𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰'? 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 to you 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 — 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥, 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬. There may be more so please 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

𝐀/𝐍 — 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 @the-slumberparty's 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 @mochie85'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐞.

𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 | 𝐈𝐭𝐞𝐦: 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲'𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲! ❤️

The summer festival is in full swing with laughter from both the young and the old bouncing in the air, mixing along with the screams of excitement coming from the patrons aboard the rollercoaster—the newest addition to the summer affair. Even several of the local small businesses join in on the rabble, a refreshing sight to see other than the food stalls and game posts that are a staple in the event.

It’s your third time this year in participating. Selling your baked goods amongst the other veterans and to your surprise, the line is much longer than the last, a craving instilled into your customers for your signature ube and coconut cupcakes. Such a treat has been in your family for years; passed on from your great-grandmother and down the line to you. And it fills your heart with joy to see the faces of your clients when they take that first bite.

You’re even lucky to have your stall set at the end of the row. Not as crowded as the ones found at the center and with enough space to accommodate the queue that’s slowly growing.

You grab another container from your cooler and set them neatly into rows in the display case atop your table. It’s not yet noon and you’re already down to your last two batches, ready to set the next ones. But Wanda is running late and you look at your watch to check the time, grunting in frustration yet keeping up the positive facade.

The little girl standing next in line calls your attention and you give her the brightest smile when you notice her face paint and the blue princess dress she dons. She orders a box of six cupcakes along with a bag of ube crinkles. The cuteness she displays when she counts her change on your table tugs at your heartstrings that you couldn’t help but give her a freebie; one of your heart-shaped cookies.

“Should you really be giving out free samples?” 

“Should you really be running late?” You quip after waving goodbye to the little girl, turning around and crossing your arms over your chest when you face Wanda who stands with the cooler in her hands.

She gives you an awkward yet apologetic smile and you huff out a breath before pointing at the spot where she should place the plastic container.

“What took you so long?” You ask, showing her your obvious annoyance. “You were just supposed to pick up the cupcakes.”

“Why don’t you try loading that heavy thing in the car by yourself? It wasn’t easy.” She gives you a pout before focusing her attention on the next customer.

“I have. Countless times.”

“Well, it’s my first time.” She says while waving goodbye to the woman. “At least be gentle with me.”

You give her a pat on the back before tugging playfully at the end of her hair. “I am being gentle.” You say with a laugh. 

Another customer comes by, ordering two boxes this time, and you busy in packing up their purchase while Wanda takes their payment. For the remainder of the morning, that’s all you both do—entertaining your clientele, packing up orders, and seeing them off with a bright smile on your face. But it soon fades as noon arrives, beads of sweat forming on the nape of your neck and dripping down your shirt as the temperature rises along with the sun. 

Wanda asks to leave for lunch, asking you if you wanted anything from the neighboring stalls. You think twice about the decision, your appetite being non-existent as exhaustion completely takes over your body. But the aroma is not one you can ignore, the savory and fried wafting heavenly in the stolid heat. 

Eventually, you cave; asking Wanda to grab you anything to eat but specifically request for a blue lemonade slushie from Rico’s stand. 

Once the last of your goods are sold, you put out your ‘Be Right Back’ sign and drop down onto the folding chair with a heavy sigh. You grab your water bottle from inside one of the coolers and take a large sip, tempted to drench yourself in the cool liquid instead to stave away the heat. The work is tiring, you have to admit, but it definitely pays off. 

“Oh, what time are you opening again?” A woman asks as she steps in front of your stand, eyes perusing the menu written on the small chalkboard. You immediately sit up and look down at your watch to give her the time. 

“You can come back at around 1 PM. We’re just taking a quick lunch break.” You tell her to which she acknowledges with a nod and grabbing one of your shop flyers before walking off. 

You slouch once again, pressing the cool bottle against your face while you rest. But your respite is once more interrupted when you notice in your periphery another figure standing by your stall. 

“We’re just taking a quick break,” you begin to explain. “But we’ll be back at around—” but your words die on your lips when you see who your visitor is. “What are you doing here?!” You snarl and quickly stand from your seat, hissing when you accidentally hit your knee against the table.

It’s him! Your stalker! 

You take a cautious step back, your fight or flight response coming to life.

“Be careful, cupcake.” A grin forms on his lips as he tucks a hand into his pocket. You see your face reflecting from the aviators perched on his eyes, covering them for anyone to see. But you know full well that he’s watching you intently like he shamelessly always does. “You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself.”

“How many times have I told you to leave me alone, you creep?!” Your voice raises an octave, feeling your heart race from anger and fear.

“I just stopped by to say hi. Is that so bad?” He says while tilting his head to the side, chuckling in amusement. “Besides, I wanted to see how you’re stall is doing.” He runs a finger against the surface of the empty display case then stops at the center, tapping on it with a fingernail, the sound taunting you. 

“Can’t you see we’re sold out?” You openly express your displeasure of his presence, too riled up to even care if anyone is watching your exchange.

“That’s too bad—I would have bought a box for myself.” He hums then a chill runs up your spine when he sends you a smirk. “But then again, there’s only one kind of cupcake I’ve been wanting to taste and I believe that one is available.”

Your vision goes red at the vulgar comment he made and you don’t think twice about getting close and lifting your hand to finally give him a piece of your mind. But he catches on to you quickly and grabs your wrist, taking the other one when you raise it all the same. He pulls you closer, your face only inches from his,  and you groan in as you struggle to pull away from his grasp. 

“Do you really want to cause a scene here, cupcake?” He slithers. “Where so many can see how violent you are?”

“Let me go, you fucker!”

“Such a dirty mouth.” He tuts and moves to pull you further over the table, trapping your arms to your sides when he wraps an arm tightly around you. You move your face away when he reaches up and caresses your face, your eyes widening as he keeps you in place, his thumb rubbing circles on the apple of your cheek. “We’ll have to fix that soon or you can show me just how filthy that mouth of yours can really be.”

The edge of the table digs into your hips when he pulls you closer, inhaling sharply when he presses his nose against your temple and takes a sniff of your hair. The hand on your face moves once more, his thumb pressing against your lips. Quickly, you part your lips wide and try to catch it between your teeth. But he’s fast, pushing you away effortlessly and you stagger back, losing your balance and toppling over the metal chair that hits the back of your thighs.

“Tsk tsk. You’re so clumsy, cupcake.” he laughs.

“I’ve got our food!!” Wanda’s excited voice suddenly comes and you turn to face her, immediately running to her side as panic settles in your nerves once again.

“Wanda! Quick! Call the cops!” You say in a rush, clutching onto her tight. “Hurry!”

“Hey! Be careful!” She scolds and pries her arm away from you. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You almost had me drop an amazing burrito!” 

“He’s—” You point to where the man once stood and take a step back in shock when you see him gone.

You look around frantically, scanning through the sea of people, and try to spot the light blue button-up shirt you noticed him wearing, even being cautious of any man that had their hair tied up in a bun.

But you don’t see him. Like he somehow vanished into thin air. Yet even with his sudden absence, you can still feel his palpable presence. You may not see him but you definitely know he’s watching you, like a predator would its prey, waiting for the right opportunity to attack.

“Who’s what?” Wanda asks as she sets the containers of food and drinks atop the lid of the cooler. “Why do you want me to call the cops?”

You look into her eyes, your own wide with fear. “He’s here, Wanda! He— He’s—” Your chest begins to constrict, feeling the air around you grow thin that you grab onto the neck of your shirt and yank on it hard in order for you to breathe.

He got closer this time. Touched you even. He’s never done that before in the years of him following you around, only stayed in his lane, and left as soon as you told him off. But now, it’s different—he looked more bold and more confident, your apprehension growing bigger and stronger that he would finally do something that would end up with you getting hurt. 

“Whoa, babe.” Wanda coos as she places both of her hands on your shoulders. “Breathe with me, okay? Slowly.” She instructs and you obey, following her lead as she slowly breathes in and out, keeping your eyes locked in her green ones.

Your anxiety eventually dies down and your chest feels somewhat looser from the exercise. Yet the memory remains at the forefront of your mind, his touch lingering on your skin. She guides you to sit, Wanda kneeling in front of you and you flinch when she places a cold plastic cup between your hands, making you look down at the yellow slush that’s already starting to melt.

“Now. Tell me what happened.” She prompts. “What got you all worked up?”

You swallow thickly, unsure if you should say anything to her at all. As terrifying as the situation is, you’ve kept it all to yourself, especially after the local police department turned you away, telling you that they can only do something if threats of physical harm have been made. But you couldn’t produce anything, not even a photo nor a name for them to search—ultimately deeming your situation a nuisance.

But the sincerity you see in Wanda’s eyes as you rethinking your decision of bottling it all up again. You may have only known her for a short period but you feel the bond you have forged with her to be strong. If there’s anyone you can trust, it would be her.

With shaky hands, you set down the now melted slushie on top of the cooler and hold onto her hands tight, Wanda doing just the same with her attention solely on you. Her grip is strong, firm, and you feel the tension coiled around you slowly seep away. 

Taking a deep breath, you begin. “I have a stalker.”

The information seems to take her off guard, shock evident on her face. But she immediately schools her features and you take the gentle squeeze she gives your hands as a sign to continue. 

“He’s been following me for years now but he hasn’t done anything drastic.” A lump forms at the base of your throat as you’re transported back to the event earlier—how he grabbed and touched you, coming closer than you ever expected. “Until now.”

“What do you mean?” She asks. “Have you told the cops?”

“I did, but they refused to look into it further. I provide them any of what they were asking.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t have a picture of this man?” 

You shake your head.

“How come? If what you say is true and he’s been stalking you for a while now, shouldn’t you have already grabbed some evidence at this point?”

Her question comes off as accusing, making you think that maybe telling her wasn’t such a good idea. Still, you push on and refuse to be blamed for the stranger's inexcusable actions.

“You don’t understand, Wanda. When I see him, or when I know he’s watching me, I panic—I don’t think about taking my phone and snapping pictures.” You explain, hoping she would understand your reason. “All I could think of at that moment is to run away and hide.” Tears begin welling in your eyes and you release her hands, gripping down on your own to try and stop your emotions from boiling over.

“Okay—okay,” Her voice is soft as if she’s talking to a wounded animal while her hand caresses your arm. “Uhh, if you don’t mind telling me, what else has he done? Just watching and following?”

“Just?” You ask in disbelief.

“No, no—” She sighs and shuts her eyes tight as if trying to grasp the right words to say. “What I meant was, has he ever tried following you to your place? Like to your door or something? Any break-ins that happened?”

You shake your head. 

Wanda hums in thought and you startle when a wide smile forms on her lips, her hands taking yours once again. 

“I think I can help you.” She says with much enthusiasm.

“Huh? How?”

You watch as the blond man—Steve, if you remember his name correctly—installs the security camera by your bedroom window and a couple more in the living room, your kitchen, and by your bedroom door. When Wanda first proposed the idea, you found it a little too intense but after another incident the same night you came home from the festival, you immediately called her up and agreed to her proposal.

He showed up once again, this time, standing in wait at your parking spot. He was still wearing the same outfit as the one you saw him in earlier that day—a light blue button-up and white tank top hidden underneath. His brown hair was worn in a bun and the facial hair was partially trimmed, another characteristic you took note of as well as the gold chain hanging around his neck.

He looks very much well off, like a respectable business owner of some sort and it joggles your mind, thinking, that if he is what you suspect him to be, as to why he’s posing such a creepy disposition. But then again, one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and for all you know, this could simply be a facade, a character he’s made of himself to throw you off.

He never said or did anything to further add to the tension that was once more building in your veins. He only stood there for a whole minute and while you sat frozen in your driver’s seat. You could never forget the smirk he had on his face then, as if he was taunting you, challenging you to get out of your car. But he soon waved his hand, amusement heavy on his face before walking away. 

You waited a little bit more before getting out of your car, even leaving the empty coolers in your trunk as you ran in haste towards the elevator, afraid that he would show up once more. But it’s only when you got into your apartment and latched all the locks in place that you realized you forgot to take his picture to give to the authorities. Another missed opportunity, another loss on your part, and victory on his. 

That’s when you called Wanda and told her of what happened, agreeing in an instant to her proposal for security. 

The sound of the electric drill fills the silence of your apartment. As the last screw is set in its place, with Steve admiring his handiwork and then tucking away his tools, you slowly feel the sense of relief drape over you. 

You turn to face Wanda, wanting to thank her for the effort she’s putting into keeping you safe. But the look on her face has you reeling back, noticing how her eyes are focused intently on the main camera that faces your bedroom.

“Wanda?” She blinks and looks at you when you call her name. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah—why?”

“Nothing.” You shrug and walk towards her, giving her arm a gentle poke. “You looked pretty serious for a while. Is something on your mind?”

“Indeed. Is something wrong, Wanda?” Steve echoes your sentiment and you’re slightly taken aback by the questioning, somewhat castigating, look on his face.

She seems to remember herself and the seriousness that once took over her fades almost in an instant, a wide smile pushing the corners of her lips upward. “Oh, it’s nothing.” She laughs and laces her arms around one of yours. “Just hoping that this would help ease your situation, babe.”

“It definitely will,” Steve interjects, his voice strong and certain. “These are high-quality equipment that will be able to track and capture every moment inside the apartment and outside your window. And it was created by my very good friend, Vision. So, I am certain there would be no flaws.” The grin on Steve’s face is wide when he says the name, and you look at Wanda when she gasps, her hold on you tightening. 

“Vision?” You repeat in question. “You know him?” You ask your friend.

“Uhh, yeah—just some guy Steve introduced before.” Her voice quivers and she releases you, taking a step forward towards the tall blond. “How is he? Is he doing okay?”

“He also said to not forget about installing the app on her phone so she can check in on the cameras from time to time,” Steve adds, ignoring Wanda’s query altogether, and walks towards your front door. “If there is nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you—uhh, Steve, for all your help.” You trail after him and see him out the door. “Is there any way I can repay you?”

“Just install the app.” He demands as he looks at you with a raised eyebrow, before looking in Wanda’s direction who straightens at his attention. “We’re counting on you, Wanda.” He adds before walking out of your apartment. 

You make a face as you shut the door, heading over to the couch where Wanda sits and taking the space beside her. 

“What’s up with that dude?” You groan, shaking your head to ease off the weird encounter. “Is he always that bossy? Where did you even meet him? And who’s we? Who’s counting on you?”

“Oh, Steve’s just really a no-bullshit kind of guy.” She explains then rummages through her bag when a ping sounds from within. “He’s always been like that—where’s your phone?” 

The sudden switch in the conversation has you frowning, looking down at Wanda’s hand when she holds it out to you. You notice how her cheerful demeanor was almost nonexistent as soon as Steve walked into the apartment. She was quiet and pensive and you wouldn’t have noticed the strain in her if she didn’t squeeze your arm when he mentioned that stranger’s name.

“Babe, phone?” She asks again, quite eager this time and you relent, taking the device from your back pocket and handing it to her. 

She quickly takes it and then hands it back, shaking the phone as she silently asks you to unlock it. Once you enter the code, she grabs it back and stalks away from you, holding her own device in her hands and typing on yours vigorously. As soon as she finishes, she lets out a relieved sigh, the smile back on her face, and stalks back to where you sit. 

“There. Now be sure to keep your phone on at all times or the cameras won’t work.” She instructs, taking the seat beside yours and leaning back against it. “From what Steve told me, the power of the security system relies solely on the app. So, if you want to catch your stalker, you gotta keep that baby on and with you at all times.”

It’s the first time you’ve heard of such technology. Aren’t security cameras powered by electricity? Why would they stop working if your phone died? You should have asked for more details from Steve before he left but that brusque front he was showing already made you feel like you were intruding—even if he was the one who entered your home. 

So you ask Wanda. 

“Why would my phone power the cameras?”

She simply shrugs and grabs the remote of the television, turning it on and flicking to select your streaming service. “I don’t know. It's just what they told me—what do you want to watch?”

There it is again. We. They. Who are these people that Wanda refuses to tell you of?

“Who’s they?” You ask.

“Bucky and—” She pauses and sits up, as if aware of what she said. “I mean, the guys selling it. This is still a prototype, you see, and I offered them your place as a testing ground.”

“Eh? Testing?” You frown and look up at the cameras. “But what if it doesn’t work?”

“Trust me, it will. We’re friends, right?” She says confidently, flicking through the options once more on the television. “Would I ever lie to you?”

Weeks have passed since your last encounter with your stalker—which, as weird as it sounds, you find very unusual. After being so used to his intruding presence, you’d expect him to show up in the places you expect him to be; outside your apartment building or even across the street from your bakeshop, waiting for you to close up. 

But so far, he’s been missing and you can’t help but feel a slight sense of relief. Still, you continue to keep your guard up. Still looking over your shoulder and cautiously scanning your surroundings when you drive or walk back home. He could simply be toying with you, making it seem like he’s vanished then surprise you one day in the most horrific way. 

Even so, you’re thankful for the peace and cling to the hope that he’s finally given up. You even check the camera feed religiously, just to be certain of his absence. And what you see, or rather, what you don’t see has you smiling and encourages you to go on with your daily activities with ease. 

The bell of the bakeshop chimes and you smile from behind the counter when you see Wanda strutting in, a popsicle in her hand. You’re about to greet her when she tosses one towards you, grabbing it with clumsy hands and frowning at her unexpected yet tasty surprise. 

“Couldn’t you have just given it to me properly?” You chide. “Like a normal human being?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” She laughs and leans her hip against the counter from the other side, looking around lazily. “Dead time?”

“Pretty much.” You unwrap the popsicle from the foil and give it a tentative lick, a smile gracing your lips at the taste. Mango. “Lunchtime just finished. Besides, I think the heat is making people stay in their homes.”

“Why don’t you close up early today then? My friend is throwing a party at their place and you should come! We can drink to celebrate!”

“Party? Celebrate?” You ask while giving her a confused look. “What will we be celebrating?”

“Your freedom, of course! Your stalker hasn’t shown up in a while, right? Isn’t that worth celebrating?”

“I guess—but what if he shows up while we’re outside?” Worry slowly starts trickling in. It’s different when you’re doing mundane things, you’re more vigilant, more aware. But with the presence of alcohol? You’re sure to be in a more vulnerable state. “I don’t think it’s a good ide—”

“Relax. It’s perfectly safe.” The smile on her face is wide, her lips tainted pink from the popsicle she licks. 

“I don’t know.” You frown, feeling uneasy with the invitation. “Can’t we just celebrate at my place? Just the two of us? I’m not really comfortable going somewhere until I’m sure that man is gone.”

She sighs, disappointment evident on her face though you see her think as if considering your counteroffer. So you try to latch onto that hope and add another enticing detail that you know she wouldn’t be able to resist. 

“If you say yes, I’ll give you a box of my cupcakes every time you ask for some.” You say with much conviction. “Free of charge.”

Her eyes sparkle then and you believe she’s caught your bait. When she rolls her eyes and gives you a nod, you give her a wide smile, licking on the popsicle that’s already started to melt in your hand. 

“Alright, fine.” She agrees. “But I’m choosing the drinks for tonight and you can’t say no to that.”

You laugh. “Deal.”

You laugh as Wanda dances along to the music playing in the background, walking over to the kitchen to pour both of you a glass of the vintage she brought. The pop of the cork surprises you even as you expect it and a smile forms on your lips when the bouquet of the wine kisses your nose. Fancy stuff.

Wanda was right about relaxing for it has been a while since you’ve had the time to really let loose. With the stress of running your business along with the fear that your stalker brought, your life has been in such a knot that truly, you’ve forgotten how to live. 

You hand Wanda her glass and she grins widely when she accepts it. You lift your own glass to your lips and take a tentative sip, your eyes widening in surprise when Wanda tips the glass upward, almost choking as you drink the entire glass. 

You gasp for air when she pulls away, giggling when you glare at her and she looks back at you, feigning innocence. 

“What was that for?” You whine. “I almost choked!”

“But you didn’t.” She grins and sets her glass down by the pizza boxes. “I’m just helping you let loose.”

“Why aren’t you drinking yours?” 

“I’ll have mine after I have food. And besides, you need it more than I do.” She laughs and takes a seat on the couch, sitting down beside her with a pout when she pats the space next to her.

You lean forward to grab a slice from the box then stop when your head begins to spin, feeling it grow heavy that you clutch on it, confused as to what is happening. You groan at the discomfort that slowly envelopes you and you feel a sense of panic when your vision blurs, making you blink hard twice to try and push it away; but it’s no use.

You groan when you hear Wanda say your name, looking over to face her but not seeing her. You try to speak, to call out for help, but no words come from your throat. Helplessness and confusion plague you as you feel your body slump over the chaise.

What did Wanda do? 

“Sorry..” You face the direction from where you heard the voice but your eyesight has already failed, only seeing a jumbled blend of colors. 

A hand on your arm has you flinching and you moan when you feel another caress your cheek. You squint to attempt once more to see what Wanda is doing but what comes into your view has you freezing in terror. For it’s not Wanda holding you in their arms but the man you’ve been fearing for years. 

He’s finally got you and you have no way of escaping.

A rocking sensation stirs you awake and a moan trickles from your lips. Your head still feels heavy and your body aches as you slowly resurface from the void that has taken over you. Confusion runs wild, and rightly so, for you don’t recognize where you are; the concrete walls are completely alien, darkness shrouding the rest of the unknown space except for the muted lamp that shines at your side. 

The rocking continues, back and forth you move against a soft surface. You’re still disoriented but that soon all fades when his face comes into view, the last face you saw before going unconscious, with a wide grin on his face and his blue eyes blown wide with lust and desire.

It was no dream! It truly is him! 

A garbled moan escapes you once more when he jerks his hips, having you realize the state that you’re in—naked and bound on a bed that isn’t yours, in a place you don’t know—and what this man is doing. He doesn’t stop, his movements only going faster and harder, your pussy walls pulsing around his cock that continues to slide in and out, again and again, taking more and more of what you refuse to give.

“S…stop—” you try to protest, you try to scream, but your throat is dry and tight, and no words form despite your efforts. 

You try to kick your legs to fend him off and pull yourself away but you can’t feel them. You’re limp and at his mercy, tears spilling from your eyes as he pushes on with his sinful deed and you begging continuously for him to stop, to release you. But they only fall on deaf ears.

“It’s okay, cupcake.” He groans low, leaning down to have his face closer to yours as he rests his elbows on either side of your head. “You don’t have to be afraid.” He says before thrusting deep inside of you, making you groan as your pelvis aches from his strength. “It’s just me.”

You pull your face away when he bows his head, his lips pressing against your temple when he locks himself in place. He cradles you with his body and you bite your tongue to stop the string of moans from leaving your lips but only fail miserably when he quickens his pace. Once, twice, thrice, and more, he takes you further. The tingling sensation stirring in the pit of your stomach has you hating yourself.

“P—please, let me go.” You beg, crying when he moves a hand to grab on your tit. Squeezing, kneading, rolling his thumb against the nipple that stiffens at his attention and you gasp upon feeling the unwanted pleasure cocoon you in spite of your reluctance. 

“I can’t do that, cupcake.” He says in a strained voice, the sound of skin slapping against each other filling your ears and you grab tight unto your restraints when he pounds roughly into you. Your walls clench, aching at his continued intrusion. And you grit your teeth when you reach that high, ecstasy completely taking over you that you suddenly come hard around him. 

He follows soon after, spilling deep into your core with his moans of pleasure bouncing through the walls. You think he’s done, that he’ll finally let you go as he already took what he wanted. But he doesn’t pull away, instead nestling himself completely between your thighs and you mewl when he gives another thrust, his hips moving as he fucks his come into you. 

“Now that I have you,” he’s breathless as he speaks, hands moving to caress your face before pinching your chin and forcing you to face him; your monster. He places a soft kiss against your lips, eyes wandering over your face, like a man obsessing over his prize. “Why would I let you go?”

That was days ago, probably weeks when he finally captured you. 

The man, Bucky or James—you don’t care, as you found out his name is, keeping you prisoner, caged like an animal in the room underneath his home. Naked and afraid, with the darkness and the cold surrounding you and only being blessed with the light when he would visit once in the morning and another at night. 

The torment was too much to bare at times but you kept fighting, clinging to the sliver of hope that you would one day escape his clutches and run away from everything and begin a new life. But as the days went by, your resolve started to dwindle. You realized that there was no use trying to fight him for each time you would, he would only fight back stronger, harder, and leave you battered, bruised, and used only for him to do it all over again.

Until one day, he came with a trade-off.

“Peace.” He said and you watched him intently, weakly, as he sat on the stool in front of you, setting down a paper bag he brought with him.

You listened to him. “Freedom,” he whispered and your eyes grew wide as the seven-letter word bore deep into your soul. Freedom from the hell he’s kept you in. Freedom from the agony that slowly peeled away your sanity. A life—one you knew before, to be able to do the things you once loved.

But in exchange, your hand. To spend eternity with the man that stalked you and forced you to live in fear. To vow to love him and serve him, to be the wife he always wanted you to be. 

Is it truly freedom he offered? Or simply another cell to keep you in? You already knew the answer to that and you knew very well that your life was in the palm of his hand. He made sure of that, planned everything to the tee for he’s done everything to keep you alive, with only him as the judge of when you’d meet your demise. 

You wince when your hands throb as you mix the cupcake batter in the bowl. The marks on your wrists are still visible, though slightly healed. You focus on the task at hand to drown away the demons of the past, burying them deep down where no one, not even you, could see it and keep yourself afloat in the present.

It’s not the life you wanted, but one you expected. Bucky did uphold his end of the bargain—a roof over your head and food in your belly, a mansion for you to go as you pleased, and the gold band sitting snugly on your finger; a constant reminder of his power and what you’ve now become. 

You hear the front door open, chatter filling the silence of the big house. You know it’s Bucky—he’s home after several days of being away for work. Though it’s not his voice that has you on edge, but Wanda’s. 

And her presence is confirmed when you look up and see her standing by the doorway to the kitchen. A tall, blond man stands beside her, one you haven’t seen before, almost leaning against her as she looks at you with shock painted on her face. 

She did this. She betrayed you. A monster in sheep’s clothing that didn’t think twice about throwing you to the wolves. She was your safety net. Your confidant through trying times. But you were stupid and nothing more than a bargaining chip—a deal brokered by the two; you in exchange for her lover’s life.

“Why don’t you and Vision wait in my study? Steve’s already in there.” You hear Bucky tell her and you resume finishing the cupcakes you were preparing for your husband’s return. “I will just greet my wife.”

The sound of footsteps clack against the marble floors and you sense Bucky coming closer while pouring the batter into their molds and turning to the over to stow them inside. You begin clearing up your mess, putting away the equipment you’ve used when you suddenly gasp upon feeling two strong arms wrap around your waist.

You force a smile and put on the facade of a happy wife, placing your hand over Bucky’s and giving his knuckles a gentle caress, feeling the hard surface of his ring against your fingertips.

“I missed you, Mrs. Barnes,” He breathes, moving to press his face on the crook of your neck, your skin rippling in disgust when he plants a kiss on it. “I hope you missed me too.”

“Of course, I did, Mr. Barnes.” You respond automatically. “I even baked you your favorite for your return.”

“My wife is so sweet.” He chuckles, your breath hitching when his hands begin roaming across your middle. “You’re always so good to me, cupcake. You were made to be mine.” He sways you both from side to side, dancing despite the absence of music but the feel of his erection digging against the curve of your behind as you move forward, to which he stops by pulling you back against him. 

“It was supposed to be a surprise.” You begin initiating conversation, hoping for it to be a distraction. “But you arrived a little too early. I hope I didn’t disappoint you.”

“Disappoint me? Never.” He coos. “I’m the one who should be apologizing for ruining your surprise.” He presses another kiss on your neck. “But I have something better in mind that could be my welcome home treat.” Your heart beats hard against your chest when his hand snakes down your yellow sundress, only for him to pull on the skirt and bunch them over your waist. 

He growls when you stop his hand, moving once more to turn and face him instead. But he traps you against the edge of the counter, with his hand cupping your clothed cunt and his fingers exploring, rubbing against your clit.

You try to suppress the moans that force their way out of your lips but fail, his persistence crowding over you and you grip the marble surface when he pulls your panties to the side and press his thumb against your swollen bud. 

“Don’t you have a meeting with Steve and the others?” You ask, hoping he would stop and give you a reprieve. Even when he was gone for days, you’re not yet ready to have him back. 

“They can wait.” He snarls and you gasp, your back arching against his chest when he slips a finger past your folds, his touch sending ripples of dread through your skin. “But I can’t.”

I no longer keep a tag list but if you want to be kept updated on my fics, follow my side blog @springlibrary and turn on notifications.

#bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes x reader #dark bucky barnes #navy and roo's sleepover #dark!bucky barnes #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x female reader #mcu au #tangled loyalties #shadeysprings fics

[literaryavenger]

I just saw a skating show and one of the guys looked like bucky and now I NEED a yn × figure skating partner bucky one shot. With them working on a throw and he's all mad she can't land it then gets hurt and all the angst and comforting. Omg please I'll cry I love you! ❤️

Ok, I have to admit this was my first ask and I got so excited that this got a little away from me. I'd like to say I'm sorry for not putting much technical stuff about figure skating in it but I know really nothing, I did my best researching stuff but it's still not much. I hope you're happy how it turned out, if not let me know! I really just took it and ran with it, I really hope you like it. 🥹❤️

also, sorry it took me a little but my keyboard broke and I had to wait for the new one because writing on the phone I would've made too many mistakes.

On Thin Ice - Bucky Barnes x y/n Stark

Summary: you're paired with Bucky Barnes for an important competition but your negative feelings towards each other make everything much more difficult. Figure Skating AU.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female!Stark reader

Warnings: Bucky being an ass. Reader gets hurt. Angst. Language cause why not. Minimal use of Y/N. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 6.6K

A/N: I didn't proof read it honestly, I was just excited to publish it. I'm going to double check it sometime tomorrow and edit it later! ❤️

Masterlist

Being a Stark isn't always easy.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like you’re superheroes or anything, but being the daughter of Tony Stark meant that you always had to be not only on your best behavior but you had to be the best in general, no matter what you were doing.

It’s always been a lot of pressure growing up, but it's something you're used to at this point.

All your life there just wasn’t room for failure.

When you were little you hated it, sometimes even hated your dad for it, but you had to give it to him that it made you detail oriented and more driven and focused than most, so with time you came to be grateful for it.

His continuous badgering you into taking various lessons as a kid is also what led you to discover your passion: figure skating.

Skating was something that just somehow came naturally to you, and the more time you spent at the ice rink the more you fell in love with it.

You loved just spending hours going and going, to the point where the world blurred around you and you almost felt like you were flying.

After seeing how happy it made you, your father eased up a bit on you, but he still expected perfection, which you always worked hard to provide.

All you’ve always wanted was to make him proud of you. Which he was and never failed to mention, but you were still terrified of disappointing him.

All the pressure your last name came with was nothing compared to the pressure you put on yourself, you were always your hardest critic.

That is, at least, until you met Bucky Barnes.

You don't know why, maybe he just hates you and likes to humiliate you, but it seems like he always has something to say about your performances.

It all started the very first day you met, you were 18 at the ice rink your father decided to buy for you on your birthday the week before.

You were shocked to say the least when he told you, but he had always been better at showing his love rather than saying it, and don’t ever let it be said that Tony Stark didn’t love his daughter to death.

It was the same place where you skated for the first time when you were merely 5 years old, which you then changed for one closer to your home, but this one held so much more sentiment for you that the extra travel time was worth it, and it was also much bigger, the place where a lot of the important competitions happened. 

The Saturday after your birthday you finally had some free time having just finished exams week and finally being done with high school once and for all, so you planned to meet up with Natasha at the newly named ‘Stark’s snowland’.

Natasha was also a figure skater and you two have known each other since you were 8 years old, participating in almost a lot your competitions together, which usually ended with the two of you in first and second place.

Then Natasha started doing more and more couples competitions with various partners, but you were still always there to cheer for each other.

When she texted she was running late, you decided to just wait for her on the ice so you went inside, put on your skates and just got lost in your head, glad that the early hour meant nobody was around yet.

Then, after having done a few easy moves and having just finished an Axel, you heard some clapping coming from the entrance of the rink.

You stopped abruptly and looked for the source of the noise when you spotted a brunette cheering on you like he was at the Olympics standing beside a blonde that looked kind of embarrassed by his friends' antics.

"Didn’t realize I had an audience." you said, while moving towards them.

"Well, you should with the way you move out there." the brunette said, shamelessly checking you out shortly before receiving a smack behind his head, courtesy of blondie.

"Sorry about him. My name’s Steve," the blonde said while you tried hard not to laugh at the look his friend was giving him. "and this jerk here is Bucky." He pointed at his friend, who seemed to suddenly remember you were there because he turned to you with a charming smile while you introduced yourself.

"Is this your first time skating here?" Bucky asked "I’m sure I would remember a pretty face like yours." he then added, making you blush.

"I usually only come here for competitions, but-" before you could finish talking you heard the door behind them open and Natasha screaming "Stark!" making the boys turn around to look at her.

"Romanoff!" you greeted her, laughing.

Bucky turned back to you, face suddenly all serious, which confused you a lot since he was all flirty smiles until two seconds before. He mumbled something about having to go and almost ran away as fast as he could.

You looked at Steve who seemed as confused as you felt, gave you an apologetic smile and went after his friend. 

You didn’t have much more time to ponder on the sudden turn of events because Natasha was in her skates on record time and raring to go.

All you know is, for the rest of the day you felt Bucky’s eyes on you but every time you turned to him he had a stoic look on his face, and every word out of his mouth towards you was criticism on whatever you were doing.

And here we are now, 6 years later and nothing has changed.

Now 24 and having graduated college, you can be found at Stark’s almost everyday while you figure out the next phase of your life.

It’s honestly not bad, your dad wanted you to intern for him at Stark Industries during college so, after you graduated, you could start working for him full time, but that’s not what you wanted.

If you’re honest with yourself you do want to take over your father’s empire one day, just not yet.

You wanted to keep doing skating competitions, therefore all the free time that you had during college was spent skating. And so, as a compromise, your dad had you teach a few kid classes during the week when one of the teachers unexpectedly quit one day, and you happily agreed.

You did this for all the duration of college, after graduating you kept doing it and, to your father’s delight, took on even more classes to keep yourself a bit more occupied.

It was at the end of one of these classes that you were suddenly approached by Barnes today, which was very rare.

Usually both of you did your best to avoid each other, even when you started being there everyday, you wouldn’t give each other even a second glance, as far as you were concerned.

You’ve liked him when you first met him, but after months of him being nothing but an ass to you, you decided to stop trying and largely ignore him unless you were in a larger group that consisted of you, him, Steve, Natasha, Sam, another friend of theirs that you quickly became friends with, and Scott, a friend you made your first week of college.

Needless to say, you were baffled to see Bucky walk up to you and not immediately insult your behavior during the lesson that just ended, like he usually does when he gifts you with his presence. Instead he said "Hey Stark, can we talk?"

"Uhm… sure. What’s up, Barnes?" you say while starting to put down the cones you'll need for your next class.

"You know the couples competition that we’re having here in a few months?" he asks, following behind you. You think he looks nervous, which you find weird as Bucky Barnes is as confident as they come.

"Yeah, what about it?" You stop what you’re doing and turn around towards him, too curious to not give him all your attention.

"Well, I wanted to sign up, but it seems like I’m missing a partner.,," he says while rubbing his neck, almost embarrassed by what he’s asking.

"Don’t you usually team up with Nat?" you ask him.

"I do, but she’s gonna be out of town that day, and all the other girls are either paired up or not interested…" he explains, still not going to the point.

"Where are you going with this, Barnes?" You ask, crossing your arms in irritation at the time he was wasting while you still have things to do before your next class.

"Are you really going to make me ask?" he almost whines and, when you merely raise your eyebrow, a clearly amused face at his almost desperation, he finally gets to the point of his interruption. "Fine. Will you be my partner?"

Although you suspected where he was going, it's still a little shocking to hear him ask. Before you answer him though, you feel the need to tell him "You know I’ve never done pairs before, right? Not even outside of competitions."

"I know, but I also know you’re a fast learner." at your confused look, he elaborates "You’ve been training here for what, six years now? I’ve seen you learn pretty advanced moves in a crazy short amount of time for last minute competitions or even just for fun. And, whether I like it or not, you’re one of the best figure skaters I’ve ever met." he finishes.

That last sentence has you scoffing at him and starting to get annoyed at him "You don’t need to lie to me just to get me to agree just because you’re desperate for a partner."

"Why would you think I’m lying?" he says while having the audacity to look confused at your anger.

"You do nothing but criticize me all the time! The real question is, why would I ever think otherwise?"

"Just because I criticize you, doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re good!" he says it like was the most obvious thing in the world. "Please Y/N, I really need a partner, and, right now, you’re my only choice. Please." he adds at the end, just for good measure.

To be fair, Bucky had never been this polite or patient with you, and has never even called you by your first name, so it was clear that this was important to him, which is probably what led you to say yes.

He seemed happy for all of two seconds before going back to being the usual jerk, which made you instantly start to regret your decision, but you figured old habits die hard, you just had to be a little patient and he would get easier to work with the more he got used to this. 

Boy, were you wrong. 

For the next three months you met with Bucky three times a week, working out your routine and training sometimes even for hours.

It wasn’t anything you hadn’t done before, but what really annoyed you to no end was finding out that Bucky’s favorite brand of training seemed to be complaining.

All he did was criticize every move you made, right or wrong, even the couples ones you were still learning.

You also found out that being so close to him for such long periods of time made you clumsier than ever, which did not at all help the situation.

All it took was for you to be near him enough to be surrounded by his cologne and suddenly you were falling more than usual, missing your cues and straight up forgetting the next steps of the routine, which only gave Bucky more fuel to add to the fire.

It also didn’t help that whenever Bucky asked you why you were so distracted you lost all your natural Stark sarcasm and could barely get out a sound, not knowing how to tell him even if you wanted to, which you definitely didn’t, that he was the problem.

But you somehow made it through it and, with a week to go before the competition, you had it down to a T.

Or almost.

"Damn it." you say, frustrated with yourself, after you almost fall again on the landing of the throw jump.

The problem with throw jumps is that Bucky has to pick you up and quite literally throw you in the air and, while he does that quite easily, being so close to him right before he throws you disorients you just enough to miss twists and fumble the landing.

A thing that you’d never tell Bucky, which at the moment is giving the most annoyed look you’ve ever seen on his stupidly pretty face.

"Seriously, Stark?!" He almost yells while skating closer to you. "Why the hell is this taking you so long to get right? You’ve done harder things than this both by yourself and with me, so what the hell is wrong with you?"

Like always, you don’t quite know how to respond to him, not even wanting to acknowledge the cause of your concentration problem.

"Let’s just try this again." You say, quieter than you normally would, and get in position.

Your back is turned to him but you can hear him sigh before you feel him move and position himself next to you. You nod at Scott who’s controlling the music, and he starts again.

Everything is going great, until, again you fumble the landing, but this time you fall on your knees. You can hear Scott shouting your name, so you hold a thumbs up to let him know you’re okay.

You can see Bucky getting closer to you with your peripheral vision, but don’t look up or even try to make a move to get up.

You can feel the tears starting to form in your eyes, not because it hurts, but because you’re so frustrated with yourself for not being able to do this.

You’re trying your hardest not to cry out of anger when you see Bucky’s hand in front of your face, a silent offer of help. The last thing you want to do right now is look at his stupid face, so you slap his hand away and get up on your own, ignoring Bucky almost altogether and putting yourself in position to start again from the top.

Bucky comes behind you, but this time you can feel him looking at you while he says, "We don’t have to go again. We can stop here for today." his voice much quieter than it's ever been before, which only fuels your anger more.

"The competition’s next week Barnes, unless you want us to make fools of ourselves, we need to do this until I get it right." You snapped, letting him see you angry for the first time since you started training.

He was a little shocked but didn’t say anything else while he got in position, signaling to Scott to start the music.

All you can think about at this point is the disappointment on your dad’s face if you don’t win the competition, or worse fall like you just did.

You’re not even focused on Bucky anymore, in fact you’re so distracted that you don’t even make it to the throw jump before you fall, except this time you can feel that something’s wrong as soon as you hit the ice.

You can feel pain shoot from your ankle through your whole body and get immediately dizzy, you could barely make out the lights on the ceiling, your eyes going in and out of focus.

You can hear yelling and, once you concentrated, you can make out Bucky's voice saying words like ‘stupid’ and ‘incompetent’, which made you wish you had just passed out so you wouldn’t have to hear him insult you.

Your mind seemed to clear a little and you realized your tears finally started falling at some point, but you didn’t have much time to ponder on that before you were being helped to your feet, Scott telling you he was taking you to the hospital and everything was going to be okay.

You realized Bucky was no longer next to you before you even realized you didn’t have skates on anymore and were barefoot, but you just assumed he was too mad at you to care about your ankle.

-

You’re sitting in a hospital bed with a stomp on your left foot when your dad walks in, worry all over his face.

"Hey junior, are you okay?" you roll your eyes at his nickname, surely you don’t expect Tony Stark to be any less sarcastic seeing you well enough, but you’ve begged him to drop the stupid nickname which he refuses to because ‘but you’re just like me, it's a compliment!’

"I’m okay dad, just have to wear this for a few days." you say, pointing to your foot on a pillow.

"Good. Wanna tell me what happened?" he asks, taking a seat beside your bed.

"Just landed wrong while practicing the routine with Barnes. Too distracted, kept fucking up landings." you tell him, not daring to look in his eyes.

"Pushing yourself too hard?"

He surprises you with this question, but you promptly answer it. "If I was, I would’ve been able to land all my moves correctly. If anything I’m not pushing myself hard enough."

You can’t look at his face just to see the disappointment at your failure, but when you feel his hand on yours you force yourself to look into his eyes, and, to your surprise, there's no hint of disappointment.

"You know, sweetheart, I do mean it when I say you’re just like me. And there is nothing more heartbreaking to me than looking at you and seeing the same self-destructive tendencies I have reflected on you." he wipes a tear you hadn’t realized was falling from your cheek and keeps going. "I hate that I passed that on to you. I should’ve been more careful with you. I thought that letting you know I was proud was enough, unlike my dad, but maybe I should’ve been more specific."

"What do you mean?" you ask, sniffling a bit.

"I’m not proud of you because you always come first in competitions, or because you get the highest grades. I’m proud of you because I know you always try your best and put all of yourself into everything you do. That’s what being a Stark is all about. Plus you’re my daughter so let’s be honest, I’d love you to death even if you were a high school dropout who deals fake drugs to college kids."

You laughed while drying your tears, grateful for your father’s inability to stay serious for too long.

You hug him and say "Thanks, dad. I needed that more than I thought."

You let go of him and tell him about the real reason you couldn’t concentrate: the long-haired asshole with eyes so blue you felt like you were flying in the sky while looking at them, and like you were drowning the second he opened his mouth to say shit about you.

Of course you didn’t put it on those exact terms, but your dad was pretty good at reading between the lines.

By the end he had a smirk that made you want to legally change your name and run away because you just know he’s never going to let you live this down.

"Well, sounds like he’s really something." that’s all he says, weirdly. You eye him suspiciously but he doesn’t add to his sentence.

In fact, he doesn’t say anything more about it until he’s helped you get comfortable on your bed back home.

"You know…" he starts "little boys pull little girls’ pigtails on the playground to get their attention, because they don’t know what else to do." he says.

"Yeah, boys are stupid, so what?" you deadpan and he laughs then surprisingly says "Exactly. Maybe you’re not the only one that feels something here. Maybe there’s a stupid boy that can’t take his eyes off of you, but doesn’t know how to get your attention other than criticize you." he says, clearly happy with where he ended.

"Is this your long way of saying that you think Bucky likes me the same way I like him?" You raise an eyebrow at him.

"This is my long way of saying don’t be a stubborn Stark and try actually talking to him about this. You’d be surprised how fast stupid boys grow up just to keep the girl they want. Just ask your mother." and with that he leaves with a wink, leaving you wondering how much more immature Tony Stark could’ve been to have to grow up enough to sweep Pepper Potts off her feet.

You spend the next few days as a little ball of anxiety on your bed, not being able to do much but overthink about Bucky, only getting a break when Scott came to keep you company.

The day before the competition you've enough and convince Scott to drive you to the ice rink, knowing Bucky was probably there.

When you get there you can hear music but you don’t think much of it until you get right in front of the door and realize it was the song you and Bucky chose. Frowning, you open the door and what you see makes your jaw drop.

There they are, Bucky and Natasha, doing your routine.

You don’t know when you got closer to the rink, but you cannot take your eyes off of them, that is until you hear someone beside you say "they’re good, aren’t they?"

You turn your head to see Sam and Steve, the latter looking at you in a knowing way that almost seems apologetic of Sam’s words, the effect of which Sam doesn’t seem to notice.

You always felt like Steve could see right through you when it came to Bucky, always looking at you like he knew exactly how you felt and how much his words hurt you.

Seemingly reading all the questions swimming in your mind right now, Steve offers you some answers.

"Natasha came back early from her vacation. He brought her up to speed and she agreed to help him out. They’ve been practicing non-stop everyday since the day after you got hurt." Feeling like you have enough information, you turn back to the ice. 

You watch them work in sync, almost like they're connected by wires and one can’t move without taking the other with them.

You watch as Bucky picks up Nat effortlessly and throws her like she's made of air. You watch as she moves so gracefully that it's almost surreal. You see her land every jump perfectly.

Again. And again. And again.

Every jump, every twist, every second you watch them something inside you brokes more.

You don’t know why, Natasha has been Bucky’s partner countless times before and it never mattered to you, and you’ve only skated with him for less than four months.

Maybe it was the fact that they're using the routing you and Bucky had come up with together, maybe you feel replaced.

Maybe it was the fact that you were coming here to talk to Bucky about your feelings and now you were seeing him flying around the ice rink as close with another girl as he was with you, maybe even closer.

They finish the routine and you can hear Bucky’s laughter, you can see his smile as he tells Natasha how perfect she was, how impressed he is at how fast she picked up everything, how glad he is that she showed up when she did.

Then it hits you.

Of course he’s glad she showed up. He never wanted to do this with you, you weren’t even a second choice, it took literally every other girl he knows to be unavailable for him to even think to ask you.

Why wouldn’t he be happy to have her back? He certainly never acted like this with you. He never laughed, barely even smiled...

He didn’t choose you, he got stuck with you.

Suddenly, it’s like everything he’s ever done, everything he’s ever said to you comes crashing down on you all at once.

It’s like you can actually hear your heart breaking and there’s only one thought on your mind: He likes Natasha.

It makes sense, the first day you met he seemed into you, right up until he saw her and the second he turned around he was done with you.

Maybe he started to be an ass just to make that clear, not wanting to actually say anything. After all, he always was very nice to Nat. To everyone but you really.

And it’s not like you could blame him, Natasha’s always been better than you. Growing up she was always your only competition, it’s a fortune you ended up friends really, considering how easy it could’ve been for you to hate each other.

She’s the reason you spent so much time trying to be better, and you’d like to say it was the same for her, but you doubt it very much.

She’s always been prettier, thinner, stronger, smarter, better with boys and at making friends. She was the obvious choice.

Of course she was Bucky’s choice.

You didn’t realize you were so deep in your thoughts, or that you were still staring at them, until you feel a hand on your shoulder and hear Sam’s worried voice asking if you were okay.

You look at Steve and Sam and all you want to do is get out of here. It was already a miracle you weren’t already crying.

Without saying a word you turn around and walk away as fast as you can with the damn stump on your foot. You aren’t fast enough though, because halfway to the door you hear Bucky’s voice, much too close to you to your liking, calling your name.

For a second you think you hear something seeming happiness in his voice, but quickly dismiss the idea and try to keep going, but then you feel his hand on your wrist turning you around to face him.

His face seems to instantly fall as he looks at you and all you can think about is how sick you are of being the only one that takes his smile away.

"What’s wrong?" he asks in a weirdly soft tone, but you can’t find the voice to answer him.

You two just stare at each other until you hear someone clear their throat behind Bucky, and you look over his shoulder just as Natasha starts talking.

"Hi, Stark. Heard what happened to you." she nods towards your foot "Sorry I haven’t been to visit you, we’ve been pretty busy."

You don’t look at her while you answer, turning your eyes back to Bucky, who’s still holding your wrist, while you say "I can see that. Don’t worry, Romanoff, I’m just glad Barnes finally has a partner that’s not incompetent."

All he does is stare confusedly at you, which makes you angry enough to yank your hand away from him, turn around and walk away, ignoring the calls of your name behind you.

You miss the sadness on Bucky’s face, or the way he questions Sam and Steve about everything you said and did since the second you entered.

Bucky, on the other hand, did not miss the tears starting to fall down your cheeks as you turn away.

You decide not to go to the competition the following day. It would be the first time you voluntarily miss one of Nat’s competitions, but you don’t feel like having a replay of yesterday’s show when it’s already been on replay in your mind all night.

Your absence doesn’t go unnoticed by your friends. Nat and Steve being the only ones that understand, even though they’re not very happy about it.

Another thing that doesn’t go unnoticed by the group is how much more agitated than normal Bucky seems to be.

Even during competitions, he’s usually very calm, but today the only thing that makes him stop pacing around the room is Natasha’s sharp ‘would you sit down’ that makes him sigh and sit next to her on the bleachers where they’re waiting for their turn.

He can’t seem to keep his body still as he starts to bounce his leg up and down out of nerves, and can’t seem to stop even when the redhead gets up abruptly with an exasperated ‘for the love of god’ and goes to sit further from him and near Sam, exchanging seats with Steve, who puts a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, effectively bringing out of his head and making his body still with another sigh.

"You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to." Steve tells his anxious friend.

"You know I have to Steve. Otherwise Fury won't let me do other couples competitions."

"I know, but the whole reason you started doing them was for the chance to pair up with Y/N, which never even happened until now." Steve points out while frowning.

"I’m not the one that chooses the pairs, Rogers, it’s always Fury. He’s the whole reason Romanoff and I worked so hard this week just so she could do this. Plus Y/N’s never been interested in these competitions so this whole idea was just stupid to begin with. Now after I finally convince her, she gets hurt and thinks I think she’s incompetent, for some reason." Bucky hasn't been able to stop thinking about what you said yesterday.

Why would you ever think he thinks you're incompetent? He knows he's been a dick to you for years, but never has he ever said you were incompetent.

It's really just constructive criticism given in a poor way. A very poor way... Yeah, he really just has himself to blame for the way you feel about him now, he knows it.

He doesn't even really have a justification for it, either. If he's being honest with himself, he's intimidated by you.

The first time he saw you he thought you were the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, you were so graceful on skates and looked like you were exactly where you belong, lost in your own little world.

Then when Natasha said your name, he realized who he was talking to: the daughter of one of the richest families in town.

He'd heard a lot about you and your family, your impressive achievements on and off the ice. He's ashamed to say he felt small all of a sudden, knowing just from hearing about you that he'd never be good enough for you.

Still, he couldn't help but be drawn to you, couldn't help but watch you as much as he could get away with, but the only way he could justify that without being seen as a creep was to criticize what you did. It made sense, right?

Bucky is pulled from his thoughts, again, by Steve’s voice.

"Well, you were basically yelling that at her when she got hurt last week." at his words Bucky's just as confused as he was yesterday when you stormed out.

"I didn’t…" then it hits him. "I wasn’t talking about her! I was talking about Scott because he wouldn’t hurry up!"

"Oh. Listen, buddy, we both know you like her. You fucked up, big time, and it’s gonna take a lot to get her to forgive you. You could start by stop being an ass to her and apologize." Bucky knows the blonde is right.

It will take a miracle just to get you to look in his direction, let alone allow him to apologize, but he has to at least try to make things right.

He stands up suddenly, startling Steve, and says, "you were there for all our rehearsals, right? You know the routine?"

Steve is confused, but answers with a slow "yeah, why?" but Bucky gives no further explanation, too busy picking up all his stuff.

When Steve puts together what his friend is hinting at, he quickly says "I didn’t mean right now!"

"No time like the present! Go change." he says, nudging Steve toward the changing rooms.

"Buck, if you go now Fury’s gonna kill you!"

"I don’t care!" he yells, basically running out the door and ignoring Natasha yelling his name, the only thing on his mind being running to you as fast as he could. 

Every thought in his head, though, is instantly forgotten as he comes to a sudden stop at the top of the stairs outside of the rink.

There, at the bottom, is you, looking just as shocked at seeing him there as he feels.

After a few moments of just looking at each other, you can’t take it anymore and decide to break the silence. "I didn’t know if I should come in. Didn’t know if Nat wanted my support after I was so rude, you know."

When he doesn’t say anything and just stares at you, you feel the need to keep going.

"What are you doing out here? Did I miss your turn? How did it go?" that seems to snap him out of it and he starts to move towards you, still not saying anything and making you even more nervous as you start regretting coming here.

When he comes face to face with you, finally, he speaks. "I was gonna come looking for you." your brows furrowed in confusion.

"why?"

"I have owed you an apology for a long time now. I’m sorry for being a dick to you for all these years… it really wasn’t about you. I just felt insecure and acted out about it, and eventually I felt so used to it I couldn’t help it..."

You were shocked to say the least, this was the last thing you were expecting tonight. "You felt insecure? Why?"

"Because you’re you!" he almost yelled, gesturing to your whole body and startling you a bit. "I mean you’re a Stark, you’re kind of a legend who lives up to the legend. You’re smart and talented and confident and beautiful. I never thought I’d be good enough for you... I still don’t."

You don't know what to say, but you aren't running for the hills so Bucky keeps talking. "I’d also like to make it clear that I’ve never called you incompetent. I was talking about Lang, that idiot took ages to get his keys to drive you to the hospital. I didn’t even realize you might’ve heard me until Steve pointed it out to me just now while we were waiting our turn and I just had to find you and tell you."

Once everything he said actually registered in your brain, the words came out of your mouth before you could stop them. "Wait, you left the competition to come find me? Natasha’s gonna kill you!"

He chuckles a little while saying, "I’d be more worried about Fury."

"Fury?" You're confused again. "Why would you be worried about Fury?"

"He’s gonna be pissed that I left. He’s the whole reason Romanoff and I trained so hard to make it here, I wanted to skip it after you got hurt, but he said if I did he wouldn’t let me do any more pairs."

"I thought this competition was important to you, that’s the whole reason I said yes. And you wanted to quit it?" You're more confused than ever.

"It was important because it was my chance to finally spend time with you." he says, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I’d rather not do our routine at all if I can’t do it with you." he adds, shrugging. 

"really?" you can’t help but smile at hearing him say ‘our routine’ "But you and Nat work much better than you and I do."

"perphabs, but I still think you’re the best there is. Even when it’s with me, a person you hate." He says the last part while looking at his feet, almost afraid of saying it aloud and perfectly aware that he’s the reason why.

"I don’t hate you." you say, almost too fast.

His eyes snap back up to yours. "You don’t? I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I’d hate me if I were you."

"Sure, I don’t always love the things you say about my skills, but you’ll never criticize me more than I criticize myself. Mostly, you’re just a distraction." you say shrugging, not fully realizing what you just confessed.

"I distract you?" he says with a smug smirk that kind of makes you want to punch him, bringing his hand to your cheek.

You groan but let him keep it there, loving the feeling of his warm hand against your skin. "Don’t get cocky with me, Barnes."

He laughs, but doesn’t say anything else waiting for you to elaborate with an expectant look.

"Fine." you sigh. "Yes, you distract me. You might be a jerk, but I can’t concentrate when I’m around you. All I can think about is the sound of your voice, and the way you smell and the color of your stupid pretty eyes... I can’t help but like you, no matter how much of an asshole you are to me, for reasons I’m sure have something to do with my father."

He laughs again at your last sentence and you swear you’d never heard a better sound. "So I guess I should be thankful for you daddy issues, huh." he says making you laugh with him.

"Yeah, you very much should be." you put your arms around his neck when his hand drops from your face and his arms wrap around your waist. 

"You distract me too, you know. Everytime you’re in the room you’re all I can see..." He sighs. "I’ll never apologize enough for all the things I said to you, but let me try. Let me take you on a date, for starters."

You pretend to think about it all of two seconds before you’re nodding with a smile, so he adds, "What about right now?"

"Slow down there, Romeo, why don’t we go cheer on our friends first." you giggle at his pout while you take his hand and lead the way inside.

When you take a seat next to Sam, just in time to hear the announcement of Natasha and Steve’s names, there's no wiping the smile off of Bucky’s face. His arm goes immediately around your shoulders to bring you closer as you greet Sam that had a knowing grin of his own.

You watch your friends go through the routine perfectly, to your joy and surprise. You really are proud of them, and you make sure to tell them when they are close enough to the edge of the ice while waiting for their score.

"Maybe after we can all go out to eat something." Steve suggests, still slightly out of breath.

"I’m sorry, punk. I have a date that I’m not missing for anything in the world." Bucky answers without taking his eyes away from you, his smile seared onto his face.

Steve chuckles at how whipped his friend already seems to be, moving closer to the judges with Nat when it was time for their scores.

Second place, not bad for a last minute thing.

As you cheer for your friends while they're given their medals, Bucky leans down and whispers in your ear "we would’ve come first."

You burst laughing and Bucky known in this exact moment that he would do anything to hear that sweet sound for the rest of his life.

You look up at him and raise your voice just enough for him to hear over all the screaming, with a smile big enough to match his "We totally would’ve."

#bucky barnes #avengers x reader #bucky barnes x you #sam wilson #steve rogers #tony stark #natasha romanoff #bucky barnes au #tony stark x daughter reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky x reader #avengers au #bucky barnes x reader #dad!tony stark #mcu au #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x you #bucky barnes imagine #marvel au #y/n stark #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes oneshot #marvel fanfiction #literaryavenger's request

[a-spes]

S T A I N E D H E A R T S - One shot.

Words count - 1,4k.

Tags & Warnings - Natasha Romanoff x reader, a bit of angst / comfort.

Summary - Fury sent you and Natasha on a mission even if he knows you are in a relationship.

— — — — —

You are on the roof of a building, laying on the dust, not letting your eyes out of the window of your target’s apartment. The window is on the opposite building, right in front of you, if he decides to finally come back, you would be able to shoot him quite easily. 

Except that he is not here, probably decided it was a good day to stay longer outside. You sigh, starting to be impatient. According to the informations given to you, he should have been here two hours ago, it’s been twice the time you have been waiting him to open this fucking door, barely moving.

“ I swear, if Fury gave us the wrong address, I am gonna chop his head off ” you mumble. Throught the communication device, Natasha can be heard chuckling.

You almost forgot that you are not alone in that mission. While you are waiting on a roof, laying on the concrete for hours, burning under the summer sun, she is comfortably sitting in a car parked near to the target’s building. Since you got here, none of you talked, except a few words from time to time because he was supposed to arrive soon and you both needed to concentrate. At least, he was supposed to show up. He is still not here. 

“ I am serious, ‘tasha ” you add. Most of the agents would be fired if they dared to talk to Fury the way you are, but he needs you too much for that. Also, he probably appreciates you more than he wants to admit it.

“ I know, love, I know ” she replies and, if you can’t see her, you know she is smiling, it is something you can tell by her tone.

An additional ten minutes elapsed before the wait was eventually worth it, you sighed in relief when you saw him. The man enters the building, coming into the apartment a few minutes later, all under your surveillance, you aren’t missing any of his movements.

“ Here you go ” you whisper.

You can hear Natasha saying something like she gets it and doesn’t want you to move but you can’t be sure, the man taking all your attention at the moment. In fact you are not here to kill him, you are supposed to do it just in case things go wrong - it would be a shame to kill the man that has the information you need.

In fact, the plan is supposed to be very simple, at least according to Fury. But, to be honest, if you are listening to him, the missions are always easy. However, working for him made you learn things never go the way they are supposed to : in Fury’s language, easy is just a synonym for death trap. 

Obviously this mission is no different from the others. The man you are looking for has something you need to take back before it can be used by the terrorist organization he is working for. He is just a subordinate so, in theory, it shouldn’t be that hard. You don’t know much more about the story, Fury rarely gives a lot of information : he asks you something, you do it and then you get the money. It is how things work and, even if most of the time it annoys you, here you are, exactly where he wants you to be.

“ Crap ! ” she exclaims. 

“ Nat’ ? Is everything okay ? ” you immediately ask, your voice being full of worries. Your girlfriend is not the kind of person to curse, it is more your thing, hearing her using such words is a sign that something is not going well.

“ Yeah - ” she starts but she is being cut by a loud noise, as if she is thrown against a furniture. Oddly, you don’t believe her when she assures you that everything is fine. “ Stay where you are. ”

“ What a liar … ” you mumble. The problem with going on missions with Natasha as a partner is that she is trying too hard to keep you safe. She doesn’t think twice before putting herself in danger, even when it is unecessary, just so you don’t get hurt. 

And it is exactly what she is doing right now. You are trying to keep an eye on her through the apartment’s window but you can’t see anything, they must be fighting in another room. 

“ Fuck it ” you eventually say. This time, you are the one cursing and Natasha doesn’t even make a comment about it. All you can hear from her side are some fight noises, she probably didn’t even hear you talking.

You really tried to do as she asked you but the wait is unbearable. There is a difference between not moving for hours, waiting for a target to show up, and not moving while your girlfriend might need your help. Even if she is probably doing fine on her own, your worries make seconds seem like hours and staying here is impossible.

A few minutes later, you decide to leave your position to lead to the building she is in. The closest you get from the apartment, the loudest the noises are. It is until they suddenly stop, leaving you with an odd silence : the time you get here, the fight must’ve stopped and you don’t know how you feel about that news. As the door is wide open, you can easily make your way into the dark apartment. It has a living-room with an open kitchen but those rooms are empty so you decide to keep walking, entering the corridor that leads to the other pieces. The sunlight can barely come in so you have to be careful, you know it.

“ You better be alive ” you whisper as you slowly make your way into the apartment.

Suddenly, you feel a movement on your right. Sadly, by the time you realize, it is already too late. Your mind is too busy worrying about your lover that you forgot to pay attention to your surroundings, a rookie mistake.

It all happens in a few seconds, so quickly that your gun is useless. An arm around your throat, your opponent is holding you firmly and struggling is useless as they would tighten their grip until you can barely breathe. If you want to get out of that situation, you are gonna need to outsmart them.

“ Love ? ” the voice says. She immediately lets you go. “ I told you to stay where you were, why can’t you listen for once ? ” at her tone you can guess that she is really mad at you right now.

“ Can’t let you have all the fun while I am waiting, can I ? ” you reply once your breathing is back to normal.

You don’t really mind her harsh tone, you know that it is not against you. Natasha fears that you could get hurt, sure, but she is even more scared by the idea that it could be because of her. You told her many times that it won’t happen but she doesn’t listen to you, the person she was being stuck in her mind, even years after she left the Red Room.

In any case, you can see that your joke didn’t make her laugh. Your attempt to lighten the mood is a failure, all you get in exchange is Natasha’s dead-stare, the one that makes you immediately go quiet. You know that anything that you could say from now would only make things worse. Slowly, you come closer to Natasha, your hands taking hers. At first, she is tense, her first are clenched, but she eventually lets it go, wrapping her fingers around yours. It is the only way you know to comfort her when she is in that state, prisoner of her past. 

“ There is blood ” you quietly say after a few minutes of silence, looking at her bloody hands. Her suit is in a similar state.  “ Not mine ” she replies in the same tone, and a soft smile appears on both of your faces. As you look behind her back you can, indeed, notice three men. They are laying on the floor, all unconscious and tied and you weren’t expecting less from the woman you love.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #natasha x reader #reader insert #x reader #black widow #mcu #mcu fanfiction #mcu women #mcu au #StainedHearts #light angst #comfort #angst and comfort

[space-mermaid-writing]

Just Tony in a three piece maroon suit. That's it. I worked on a similar suit last weekend and was inspired.

Maybe a more detailed version of this. Probably.

#Tony Stark #Iron Man #IronStrange #Stony #Pepperony #Tony the tailor #Stark Tailoring Inc. #Marvel AU #mcu au #my art #spacemermaid #spacemermaid draws #Tailor Tony Art #Janora

[anki-of-beleriand]

Bad Liar ch. 12

Summary: Life is about lessons, and Wanda has been learning some harsh facts that had define her life and taken her to a place in which she was given a second chance. Then, all of a sudden, she meets you, and she realizes why it's easier to lie to yourself than to accpet what's right in front of her.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff/ Female!reader - America/Kate - Mentions of past Vision/Wanda - past Natasha/Reader - Some Female!Reader/Carol Danvers

Warnings: Slow burn - slightly Enemies to friends to lovers - Mentions of abusive relationships - Toxic relationships - angst - drama - mentions of abuse - idiots in love - homophobia - more tags as the story progress.

Author's note: Something magical happens, but not all fairytales have a smooth path to happiness.

This chapter is dedicate to the dear Anon that wrote to me recently, hope you and all you guys have amazing and safe Holidays!

As always, English is no my mother tongue, so please forgive the grammar, spelling and funny mistakes!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18

Chapter 12

The silver in the stars

Friday arrived with the winds of change.

The clouds had glided away from the time being, the lower temperatures continue and the school itself was a busy hive with everyone running left and right to finish the pending’s before the Winter break.

That very morning Wanda knew she wouldn’t be able to make it back to school. Billy’s health had not improved at all, if anything the boy was drossy with light fever accompanied by a sore throat, headache, chills and dry cough. In a word, he got the flu and Wanda could not leave him behind even though that night she was hopping to spend it with you.

“That’s okay, Wands.” You smiled to her that very morning, Tommy grabbing your hand while watching the interaction with curious eyes, “Billy’s health is our priority, I’ll take care of this big guy and the party, everything is going to be fine.”

Wanda could see the disappointment in your stare, but you hid it well behind the reassuring gestures and the warmth words. She had hoped for the date that day, to perhaps finally get into the conversation the both of you owed one another and finally left out in the open the half confession neither of you had been able to settle up.

“There will be more chances, Wands, you’re not getting out of that conversation.”

With those parting words, you left Wanda to take care of Billy while taking Tommy and America back to the school almost missing the black car that was driving around the corner of your street.

“There will be more chances,” America giggled when you rolled your eyes hiding way your smile, Tommy giggled too glancing at you lightly.

“Y/N why didn’t you kiss mommy good-bye?” Tommy asked innocently, America laughed when you just blushed profusely sputtering around an answer that made the other boy crunched up his nose.

“Well, Tommy, because Y/N is a dummy and needs a push…” America teased ignoring your mocking glare.

“Mommy likes kisses.” Tommy said shrugging. “And mommy likes Y/N, just like Kate and America.”

Now it was your turn to laugh, and for America to sputter the car drive to the school filled with conversations about the oncoming party and coming holidays. The topic about you and Wanda or Kate and America forgotten for the time being.

*****

It had been a busy day.

You didn’t even have the time to look at your phone, the last arrangements were being done to the auditorium while you managed the rest of the events of the last day of the festival. As always, America and her friends were a great help for you, they were running around with any request you might have, while also getting their gowns and clothes ready for the evening.

Everything was running perfectly, America and Kate had spent most of the day together talking and laughing, for anyone it looked as just two best friends bantering the way they had done so all their lives, however you could see there was something different in the interaction. You could see your sister trying to get Kate’s attention while Kate’s protective nature came naturally when around America. You noticed the glances, the smiles, the casual brushes of skin. It was as if America had stopped running away from her emotions, and Kate had finally confronted hers.

And, everything would have been just fine if, by the end of the day Kaye announced she would drive with Riri to the Yule Ball, so she wouldn’t be joining the rest of the group in the limo they had rented. It was then America remembered the deal with Riri was still on, and that night she wouldn’t be Kate’s date and that night she would need to suffer while seeing Kate and Riri joining them in the Ball.

“You should stop making face, it looks as if you want to fart or something.” You chuckled when America punched you on the arm. You nodded towards Kate who was talking with Riri, the brunette laughed with her hand falling on Riri’s forearm.

“So, Kate and Riri Williams…”

“It’s nothing.” America grumbled busying herself with the tags with the names of the seniors and junior, and sophomore students that would attend the dance.

“You know? I always thought she was good for you.” You cocked your head gauging America’s reaction, the other woman tensed but said nothing. “You and she have always had this chemistry that’s so hard to come by with.”

“Like you and Wanda?” America asked shooting a daring glance your way.

“Like me and Wanda.” You admitted sitting down, your eyes dropped for a moment before returning your attention to America. “We almost kiss on Wednesday.”

“What? How? Why?” America sat on the other chair frowning deeply shaking her head. “Wait a moment, I thought you were helping her with Billy yesterday!”

“I was helping her, I just wanted her to relax…”

“And you thought, what the hell? Let’s kiss her?” America retorted in a high pitch tone, you rolled your eyes shaking your head.

“No, doofus! Let me finish!” America lifted her hands waiting for you to continue.

“We started watching Friends and then start discussing about the episode, and I just… I don’t know, we were so close we almost…” You sighed making a face while finishing the last group of tags. “I received a call from Hope, and then the moment was broken and today we were supposed to…talk.”

America shifted on her chair, she could see the almost kiss was affecting you and your mind must be on that particular moment since it happened. The young woman perked up hearing you about the conversation, she wondered if perhaps Wanda was ready to tell you everything and if you actually were ready to tell Wanda everything.

“Well, Billy really is not looking well, you know?” America offered a tentative smile. “Christine told us it would be better for him to stay at home, but perhaps I can help.”

You frowned tilting your head, “how can you help?”

America turned to the auditorium and then back at you, she knew that night you and Wanda were supposed to be chaperones, but she could also see you hadn’t been the same since you found out Wanda could not come. You could see her thinking really hard on a solution, you chuckled shrugging.

“Don’t worry, kiddo, I’m sure we can think of something but for now, today is your day, so I hope you at least grow some balls and kiss Kate Bishop or else…”

You laughed enjoying the blush growing in America’s face, you softened slightly watching just how much she had grown in the last year. America started babbling away about her friendship with Kate, and how Kate had every right to date whoever she wanted. She was in the middle of her rant when she trailed off opening her eyes really big, her lips curling into a huge grin.

“America?” You were not overly found of that expression on her, your sister stood up waving her hands before turning around running towards the main building.

“I have an idea! I’ll be right back!!”

You blinked couple of times, your nose crunched up at your sister’s sudden outburst. Yelena came closer to you, she was also confused by this sudden reaction shaking her head.

“What has gotten into her?”

“I’m not really sure, Yelena.” You turned to the younger woman smiling lightly. “What is it?”

“I finished the last envelops, and Loki and Peter are doing the same inside the auditorium.”

“Good then, let’s put this inside and then you guys can go.”

You turned to the place where your sister had run to, before grabbing the tags and making your way back to the auditorium. It didn’t take you too long to finish everything up, you sent America’s friends back to their homes while your eyes drifted to your watch. Before you could grab your phone to call America you saw her coming over, a huge smile on her face.

“Where were you?” You tuned suspicious glances at your sister, the young woman was still wearing a proud smile putting her phone out.

“I was speaking with Casie, you know? We were talking and well Scott and Hope have been dying to have a night out to dance and everything but it hasn’t been possible so… I got you your night out today!” America was really proud with herself with the plan she had come up with in a matter of seconds.

You frowned shaking your head lightly, “what do you mean?”

“Hope and Scott will cover for you and Wanda, and you can go to her.” America then wiggled her eyebrows. “What’s more, you will be able to attend the Yule ball with her.”

“Now you did lose me, what did you do?” By then, you were trying to hold back your smile but your heart fluttered happily while America merely smiled at you.

“I got you your dance.” America grinned walking backwards. “Come! We need to do this fast!”

“America, wait…” You grabbed her forearm, the frown still in place. “What did you do?”

The young woman sighed facing you, she dropped her smile her eyes gleaming with a spark of seriousness you were familiar with.

“I just think you deserve to be happy, and sometimes you are so deep into your work and being there for me that you forget about yourself.” America shrugged lifting her hand to scratch the back of her head. “This last year you have been running around trying to hold onto your life while managing the business and me. And then, this woman comes in and she gets what Carol fought hard to have.”

You winced, guiltiness showing up in your eyes.

“I know you like Wanda, Y/N.” America stepped closer giving you a long hug. “Let me help you out just this one time, Y/N, I promise you it will be good, and you better kiss the hell out of Professor Maximoff or I’m going to pinch you until your bruise.”

You snorted tightening your hold on America, “you’re crazy, kid. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, today the sisters Y/L/N will get the girl!”

You laughed pushing her playfully, America hooked her arm to yours and started explaining her plan to you, by the time you reached the car you knew it was a perfect, solid plan and you would certainly get the girl.

_____________________

“You look beautiful.” You stated watching your sister wearing a white gown, made of waves and cuts that fit her body and skin. Her hair falling to the side in light brown waves, with a light make up and sandals that made her look mature, yet innocent and young.

Your parents would be so proud of her.

“You think so? I feel foolish.” America made a face, you snorted stepping forward.

“You look beautiful, and what you did for me, Kid, I won’t forget it.”

America grinned widely, she threw her arms around you softening her features while relaxing into your embrace.

“I love you.” You smiled hugging her tightly.

“I love you to, Kid. Now go and claim your girl.” You winked turning around to grab a squared box. “This was something your mother wore on her wedding with dad, I thought you should have it.”

America paled lightly, her hand trembled hovering above the box she glanced at you while you open the lid. Inside was a single collar, made of white gold and a single pendant in the form of a star. America felt her eyes filled with tears, it was the first thing she got directly from her mother, you put the collar out putting the box aside and moving to stand behind your sister.

“You are an amazing woman, America, in just over a year you will need to make serious decisions about your life but for now, enjoy.” You put the collar on circling your sister tilting your head to looked at her. “Now, the look is complete.”

“Thank you.” America put a hand on her collar smiling at you. “Now, you will have most of the night, if she is what you really want…”

“I’ll do it.” You cocked your head pointing to the door. “Now, go they are waiting for you.”

America gave you one last hug before leaving you alone. You stood there for a moment, your body tingling with anticipation, your own gown waiting for you to get change and go to Wanda’s place.

________________________

It was a cloudless night. 

The low temperature and the strong winds were a reminder of the winter season. The party back at school had started almost an hour ago, with Hope and Scott attending the event on your behalf. You smiled at the pictures Hope had taken, at the smile on your sister's face and the amazed glint in everyone's eyes when they realised the auditorium had been decorated as a winter palace with an ice-skating rink for everyone to enjoy. 

A pang of guiltiness settled in your heart, your sister was growing right in front of you becoming an amazing woman with a gentle heart and a great mind. You glanced at your reflection, the backyard had been decorated by America and Scott while Hope made sure you got the right clothing for an evening with the woman next door. 

You weren't even sure this should be happening, or that Wanda would want it to happen. Yet here you were, at home watching your sister's dance happening through videos and pictures Hope kept sending your way. 

Are you still at home? 

You could almost hear the reproach in that text, rolling your eyes as you answered, watching as Hope readied her own response to your text. 

Stop being an idiot and go over there, whatever happens tonight, Y/N, you both deserve to be happy. 

You smiled, shaking your head while putting the phone away. Everyone had been telling you the same, putting Hope into what you felt and what, apparently, Wanda had been experiencing with you. For you. 

On the coffee table you spotted the seven blue irises you had bought for that day. Your lower abdomen filled with tingles, as if butterflies were fluttering about while sending electric waves through your body. You lifted your face finding your eyes in the mirror, then wearing a half smile you grabbed the flowers and left your home. 

______________

Wanda let herself fall on her bed, a tired sigh leaving her lips while her eyes fluttered close. She smiled at the soft sensation of her mattress under her back, the lack of sound around her was soothing for her mind. All thoughts and worries dissipated in that brief moment of peacefulness she enjoyed after putting the twins to bed. 

Her eyes fluttered open, observing the white ceiling above her head, she pursed her lips watching the shadows from the streetlamps dancing in her room. At that moment, you were probably overseeing the event with the rest of the school and enjoying the music, the food and the drinks that you two had prepared for the students.

Regret took the form of a shrinking heart, Wanda turned to her side looking for her phone wanting to know how you were doing and if, perhaps by any chance, you were missing her in the dance. The phone had been forgotten on the bedside table, she dropped her head on the mattress and was tempted to just forget about it until the screen turn on with the announcement of a new message.

I need you to do me a favour, I think something was dropped on your threshold and I just need to make sure is there, can you help me out?

Wanda made a face, with her heart dropping in disappointment. She wrote back to you, frowning at how foolish she had been into thinking perhaps you were missing her as much as apparently she was missing you. You were probably having a good time, and perhaps even Carol had decided to join you in this dance.

“I’m an idiot.” Wanda huffed grabbing her phone tightly and pressing her lips together with a single frown adorning her features.

She was just thinking about reading a book in bed or something when she came face to face with you standing on her threshold. Wanda couldn’t help the look of uttered surprise on her face, her hand almost let go of her phone but she tightened her hold on it shaking her head to try and stop her wandering eyes for looking further into your outfit.

It was nothing too fancy, but you had chosen a dress that was according to the theme you two had elected for the dance. You were wearing a navy blue gown, with a pleated v-neckline that led to a softly gathered faux-wrap skirt on a sleeveless satin gown. You didn’t know how to walk with high heels, so you had chosen a pair of strappy dress sandals that didn’t quite fit but were enough to allow you movement.

“I hope I’m not overly dress for our night out.” You cocked your head, showing off a dopey smile.

Wanda blushed deeply glancing at herself, she winced at her sweet pants, and the hoodie she had worn all day. She opened and closed her mouth, but you just chuckled shaking your head, the playful tone in which you spoke sent shivers down Wanda’s back.

“Don’t tell you forgot tonight was going to be our night, Wands.”

“I…No! No but Billy…” Wanda was trying to collect her thoughts, and she certainly was trying really hard to get words out of her mouth but she found it quite difficult to do so at the moment.

In all her wildest dreams she never imagined she would feel attracted to someone like you, not only because you were a woman which was a huge factor in her list of what the hell; but also because you were so different to Vision. You were kind, spontaneous, smart and so infuriating, Wanda found herself craving your company, craving your smile and as of late craving your touch.

Now you were standing right there, wearing a beautiful dress that complement your body and your skin and all that you were and Wanda found herself inadequate.

“Y/N you know Billy is not feeling well, and they are…” Wanda started but her words tangled in her lips when you put a hand from your back, in there she saw seven blue irises flowers neatly tight with a white bow.

“I know he is still sick, Wands.” You then put your other hand from behind and there was a small bag.

“Then, I mean you look and I just…” Wanda blushed again rolling her eyes at her inability to form proper thought and to actually voiced her worries.

You smirked to the woman, your eyes twinkling mischievously as you stepped closer to her.

“I won’t let you miss tonight, Wands. So the flowers are for you, they are blue irises and they…well, they made me think of you.” You shrugged lowering your gaze for a moment, then looking back at Wanda you presented her with the next gift. “And these are baby monitors that may tell us if the twins wake up.”

Wanda grabbed the flowers in her hand, she shivered when your fingers brushed lightly against hers and the sweet aroma of the flowers hit her nose. Then she scrunched up her nose, curiosity gleaming in her green eyes just as she opened the bag to see the baby monitor.

“But, why? I mean…” Wanda was left speechless once more, you lifted a hand to put a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“I didn’t want to miss the chance to dance with you tonight.” You stated trying to hold Wanda’s stare in yours. “America helped me prepared something for you, for us, if you want to.”

Wanda stiffened when you mentioned your sister, but you were quite distracted with the woman in front of you to notice it completely. You waited patiently, Wanda chewed on her lower lip with her heart tugging painfully in her chest.

“I don’t know what to say.” She finally whispered, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. You leaned forward, two fingers under her chin lifting her face tenderly.

“Say yes and let me show you.” You whispered back, Wanda parted her lips, her eyes going from your eyes to your lips then back again.

“Yes.”

Your ginned lit up your whole face, “good then let me put this on Billy and Tommy’s room and we will be out.”

“Out where?” Wanda finally asked following you to the second floor.

“To my backyard, of course.” You replied as if it was the most logical answer.

The moment Wanda stepped into your backyard she let out a shaky gasp.

The night was cold but cloudless, the wind messed around with her hair and the sky above your heads was ignited by a blue moon and a couple of silvery dots twinkling down to the earth. Wanda glanced around the place where a couple of lamps had been positioned in six different poles, a single yard table with chairs were positioned on the left side facing Wanda’s home. The young woman couldn’t believe the detail in the decorations, it was not overly fancy but enough for a simple dinner and some music while the warmers right behind the chairs made the little spot the perfect place to watch the sky and get warm.

You stepped forward, your strides firm and determined until you found the speaker resting on top of the BBQ, you turned it on and soon the music coming from your Spotify playlist filled the backyard with sweet melodies of jazz.

You turned around and Wanda was standing right behind you.

She was looking out of place, with her hands hidden inside the pockets of her hoodie, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears and her lips pressed together you could tell there was something bothering her. You stepped closer but soon stop when the woman took a step back.

“Wanda?” You asked tentatively, Wanda closed her eyes and the tears rolled down her cheeks slowly.

“Why?” She finally asked, her voice trembling and her breathing increasing.

When you two looked at one another, you could see the conflicted thoughts dancing inside her mind. Why were you doing all of this? Why go all the way with such things? Why bring a baby monitor so you could hear Billy and Tommy if they woke up? Why did you stay behind?

Why?

You hesitated for a moment, lowering your gaze thinking about the answer to such a simple question. Then, you just snorted, your lips curling into a happy smile.

“Because you are worthy, Wanda.” You let out a sigh lifting your face to the sky. “I’ve been so lost in the last couple of months, I have been feeling my emptiness with relationships and situations that had contributed to my confusion more than anything.”

Wanda knew the feeling, and she wondered briefly if perhaps the blond woman you had been dating had been part of the process and if perhaps what you were showing Wanda was still part of you getting out of your confusion. As if reading her thoughts, you pointed a finger at her.

“Carol didn’t deserve the way I treated her, that’s why I ended things up with her.” You took a step closer to Wanda, your shoulders dropping when the woman stood still. “And then I met you. I thought I was beyond any relationship, or actually beyond any emotions that weren’t focused on my sister, my friends, and the business. Meeting you, Wanda, has taught me that we are not the rulers of our own destiny.”

“I’m not sure…” Wanda grumbled shaking her head before letting go of her hands, she tried to put her hair behind her ears but soon was stopped by your hands holding hers. She lifted her face, finding herself unable to look away from you.

“I have never been in this position before, Y/N.” Wanda finally revealed, she swallowed down her doubts with her heart beating fast inside her chest. “I’m not sure what I am supposed to do or feel and…I’m scared.”

You smiled softly, squeezing her hands tenderly while leaning closer.

“Then, we will go step by step, if you want to.”

Wanda broke into a nervous smile; she knew her cheeks were burning and her heart was beating so fast she was afraid it would leave her chest at any moment. You waited, the music filling the air, and then Wanda leaned in brushing her lips against yours.

Her eyes fluttered close, and you couldn’t help but smile into the kiss.

It was a tentative brushing of skin, Wanda was trembling under your touch her hands positioning themselves on your arms and shoulders while yours wrapped around her waist. She exhaled melting into your touch, your lips moulding around hers not demanding but eager to learn from her, to follow her lead. Your lower abdomen exploded into a myriad of tingles that went around your body making your heart trembled in affection.

At some point, the both of you started swinging with the music.

With your eyes still closed, your forehead against hers your feet directed a simple dance that kept the both of you together. Your hand sneaked under the hoodie, letting out a breathy exhale when your hand touched the warmth skin of Wanda.

“You are freezing.” She mumbled against your lips, frowning with her eyes opening slowly to find herself looking into your eyes.

“It is okay, I like the cold.” You replied tilting your head to contemplate the woman in your arms. “You are trembling.”

Wanda nodded, she opened her mouth then close it again.

“I’m not sure…I have never kissed another woman before.” She revealed, you smiled at her nodding.

“I know.”

Wanda turned her head to the side never once trying to get away from your embrace, you softened your hold on her before asking.

“Does it bother you?”

“No, not really, I’ve been…I’ve been thinking about this for so long.” Wanda finally confessed, the tension around the both of you only growing into the conversation you had been holding onto since the prior weekend. 

“Really? Have you thought about kissing many women before?” Your tone tried to be teasing, but Wanda could notice the hint of uncertainty in your voice.

She realized that you were just as nervous as she was, that perhaps you knowing full well about your sexuality didn’t mean you didn’t experiment the same doubts, or the same fear as the others. Much like Wanda, you were betting for your heart and hers to share the same emotion for one another.

“Only You.” Wanda whispered. “You have me confused ever since that first day we met, you know? And as time passes, as I get to know you and get closer to you I have found myself drawn to your smile, to your words, to your kindness, and I found myself feeling something I have never felt before and I just…”

“I’m afraid.” You finished when Wanda just trailed off, the young woman nodded leaning in to put her face on the crook of your neck. “I’m afraid this would end up in a heartbreak.”

“Yes.” Wanda took a deep breath, and with more courage that she actually felt she broke the dance and step back from you.

“I am afraid of not being what you want, of hurting you and hurting myself in the process.” Wanda tried to smile but it came out as a grimace and all the emotions inside her threatened to break like a dam and overwhelmed her to the point she would not be able to stop it.

“Hey, Wands, you are more than enough, you and Billy, and Tommy and…” You snorted scratching the back of your neck. “I know what you mean, and I’m afraid for the exact same things. I…I just don’t want to let this opportunity go…I don’t want to miss this chance. And, if you let me, we can try.”

It was more than what she expected from you.

Wanda nodded unable to talk, unable to say something else for fear of just messing it up. You stepped closer, your hand cupping her cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” You asked, Wanda let out a breathy laughter before nodding.

“Yes, you can.”

“Good.” And then, you leaned in and you were kissing her again.

This time around, though, when you two kissed you were sure to pour all of your emotions in that single kiss. Your hands bringing over safety, while you let your tongue to tentatively teased the other woman until her surprised moan reached your ears.

“So, was it better than the first one?” You wiggled your eyebrows only to get a playful slap on your arm.

Wanda was breathing hard, her cheeks completely red while she tried to recover from the passion-filled kiss you just gave her. You chuckled leading her to the closest chair, bowing to her you placed a single kiss on her forehead before stepping back.

“Now, my dear lady, let me bring you the food and the drinks and we can enjoy our evening.”

Wanda smiled, and you were pretty sure you had never seen something so beautiful as the woman standing right in front of you at the moment.

___________________

“Your sister really outdid herself with this.” Riri Williams stepped into the auditorium glancing around the place that had been changed completely into an ice palace.

The music was resounding through the room, the beat setting up the rhythm everyone was trying to follow on the dance floor. As soon as they set foot inside the place, they were given a tag with their names and directions for their table, America couldn’t help but glance at the icy statues around the place or the ice-skating rink to the far corner of the building.

America could see you and Wanda had really taken the time to fix everything, and America just hoped that you were also enjoying your time back home. The group was speaking animatedly amongst, them, America walking right behind them with her eyes never leaving the form of Kate who was walking side by side with Riri while wearing the most beautiful dress America had seen so far.

“America!” The young woman turned to see Hope strolling towards her with Scott following close behind.

“Hope!” The both of them hugged tightly, the older woman glancing around the room with a hint of pride in her eyes.

“Y/N really outdid herself with this celebration, didn’t she?”

“Well she and Professor Maximoff.” America stated, Hope clicked her tongue never losing her smile.

“Right, I forgot about that.” America narrowed her eyes at her sister’s oldest friend but decided to not say anything for the time being. “So, are you enjoying the party? Where is your date?”

America opened her mouth to speak when Loki walked past her, talking loud enough for them to hear.

“Dancing with somebody else!”

Scott frowned returning his attention to the dance floor, America winced rolling her eyes thought for Hope it was quite evident the comment made by Loki was not too far of the mark. The woman gave a sympathetic smile standing beside America so her line of vision was on the dancefloor.

“Bishop?” Hope whispered, America winced nodding. “She looks beautiful in that purple dress.”

“She does.” America grumbled glancing down at herself then setting her eyes on Riri. “And her date looks amazing as well.”

“They are dating because of the favour we asked Riri, Chavez, stop mopping around.” This time around it was Yelena the one to interrupt the private conversation.

Hope chuckled placing a hand on America’s forearm noticing the similarities between America and Y/N. Both of them were equally stubborn when their heart was involved.

“So, what is it going to be?” Hope finally asked nodding towards the dance floor, “are you going to do something, or are you going to mop?”

“If I may,” Scott offered a tentative smile pointing with his thumb to the pairing that was laughing and dancing, “I will try my luck on the ice-skating rink as soon as the dancing is over, you will find that place has a magic aura on its own that works wonders.”

Hope rolled her eyes, though her cheeks took upon an interesting pinkish colour. America giggled hooking her arm to Hope’s one.

“That’s were Scott propose, isn’t it? Gosh, I can’t hear enough of that story from Y/N, it was the same day all of you got wasted and ended up at the other part of the country.”

Hope and Scott laughed at the memory, Scott lifted his hands waving them away before trying to explain the situation.

“If I may, that was all because Sue and Reed decided to make an experiment by mixing up the alcohol, and…”

“And we didn’t have self-control.” Hope finished trying to salvage the conversation, she then poked America on her side pointing with her eyes to Kate and Riri that were about to make their way back to the table.

“Now, young lady, your sister asked me to make sure you did something foolish and have a good time.”

“Okay, lads, how about a picture and then some snow and skating?” Scott screamed out to the table, everyone cheered and soon America was pushed around until she ended up right beside Kate.

Kate offered a sweet smile that America returned passing her arms around her and posing for the pictures. Loki and Yelena smirked at one another, while Kamala was torn between being helpful and fearful for her friends. Hope took several pictures, before stepping back and pointing to the auditorium.

“Now, guys, go have fun if anything happens let us know.”

Hope and Scott started making the first rounds around the place, America was left alone for a moment before she tried to go back to the part. At first it wasn’t that difficult, there was good music, good drinks, food and nice conversations going on around the table and the dance floor. Merica had gotten the chance to dance with Loki and Peter, and then she gave it a chance to Casey and Kamala, but in all that time Kate was being escorted by Riri at all times, only stopping by to cheer before disappearing on the dance floor.

It had been bad enough with the heavy tones, and electronic mixes but then someone decided it was time for the romance to start. America couldn’t take it when Riri leaned in and Kate wrapped her arms around her, she stood up and walked away before anyone could stop her.

The music had not changed that much, America was glaring the at ice-rink with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. She was so seep into her own thoughts she missed the shadow approaching her spot.

“You look nice.” Kate came from behind holding a pair if ice skates, the young woman had worn her hair down, and the smile she offer America lit up her whole face. She was flustered, the traces of her recent dances with Riri and the effort of having a good conversation with the other woman.

“Thanks, you look beautiful.” America replied with a hint of a smile, she patted the spot beside her shrugging tentatively. “Wanna sit?” 

Kate took her offer with a half-smile, her brown eyes twinkling when they found those of America.

“I look beautiful?” She asked teasingly, though pleased with the use of words from America. “This is the first time I heard you say that.”

“Well, you really do look beautiful.” America sighed turning around to see the others still dancing and sharing drinks. 

“Why are you not with them? Your date must be waiting for you.” There was a trace of bitterness in her voice, and America hated the vulnerability she was showing at the moment. 

The most important thing right now was for Kate to enjoy herself. America could mop alone and no one had to find out. Kate rested her cheek on her hand, she observed the other students skating on the rink the laughter and the general enjoyment that her peers were experimenting. 

“You were looking alone, so I thought I spend some time with my best friend.” Kate grinned but as soon as she said this she could see the flash of hurt crossing America's face. 

“What is it?” She asked but America merely shrugged pointing to the skates Kate was holding. 

“Never mind, want to join me inside the rink?”

Kate was so tempted to press the matter, but something inside her head told her there were better ways to approach the subject. She stood up stretching her hand to America. 

“Well, of course! That's why I brought the skates for you and me, come I was dying to try this out ever since I saw it.”

America took Kate's hand in hers standing up and following the young girl to the rink.

America never thought that taking on that offer would be such a heavy challenge. Of course, the dress she was wearing didn’t make things easier, and skating around soon became a real trial for her while Kate did it almost as naturally as she did all the sports she love. Kate laughed always getting to America on time before she fell over her face or ass, and while America couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, she was also content to have Kate taking her hand and smiling at her while enjoying herself.

“Humph, oh sorry…” America crashed against Kate who was laughing really hard, America grumbled rolling her eyes while trying to stand up. 

“This is not funny!”

“Yes, it is!” Kate put a hand on America's forearm, her eyes were twinkling merrily and she too was wearing a pink colouring on her cheeks. 

“I almost killed myself and half the people I crashed a moment ago.” America hissed though she too was starting to smile. 

“But, you didn't! So kudos for you.” Kate gave America a quick check up before placing her hands on the girls hips. “You really are bad at this, aren't you?”

“It's the dress.” America grumbled suddenly feeling hot, her breathing increasing just as she realized how close the both of them were. At feeling Kate's hands on her

“America…” Kate started lifting her face so her eyes were on America's ones. “Are you going to do it?”

America blinked tilting her head with a frown, “do what?”

Kate snorted shaking her head while letting go of America, she huffed trying to get away from America but the other girl stopped her, the confusion still evident in her features. 

“Wait, Kate…”

“America, really… I can't keep waiting for you, you know? Next year we will be going to college and I just…”

“Oh.” America opened her eyes wide, her mouth forming a perfect O just as she realized what Kate was asking of her. 

Kate was still babbling about leaving for college, getting their lives together and growing up when America leaned in closing the distance between them and kissing her tentatively. 

Kate melted right away tilting her head to the side, her hands twitching at her side while America held her delicately her lips moulding themselves to the form of her mouth sending a tingling down Kate's back to her chest and lower abdomen. 

“I’ve been dying to do that since fifth grade.” America didn't break the distance the moment she stopped the kiss, she could see those brown eyes of Kate gleaming contentedly while her hand lifted up to brush her hair. 

“Fifth grade?” Kate asked teasingly, America snorted looking away with a grin. 

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” Kate revealed this time around she hugged the other woman. “I've been dying to do that since you gave me your lunch after I fell down with mine. I just never thought…”

“Yeah, me neither.” America lifted her eyes finding her friends standing outside the rink, thumbs up and grinning widely at her. 

Riri stood by their side chuckling while lifting her fist in the air as a sign of victory. America snorted rolling her eyes before stepping back and kissing Kate once more. 

“So, this means we can stop dancing around one another and start dating?”

“My, who said romance was dead?” America rolled her eyes, but couldn't quite wipe the smile on her face. “I think, that yeah… we can start there.”

“Good then, let's join the others and enjoy the dance.” 

Kate grabbed America's hand and dragged her down the rink to the closest exit. America squeezed her hand, her heart soaring with happiness at finally getting the girl in the end. 

______________

You have come to love the sound of Wanda’s laughter. 

Wanda had been so serious when you met her, the few glimpses of a smile had become a treasure you kept in your memory. Then, as you and her started talking and sharing time together her laughter had come as a surprised. It came with a happy melody that was accompanied by her twinkling eyes. It was something you had tried to hear again and again, to see her happy and relaxed the way she was at the moment. 

“I can't believe you guys got lost.” Wanda put a hand on her mouth holding back her giggles. 

“Believe it, it was actually Shuri’s fault.” The memory of your past lover didn't hurt anymore, and her name rolled out of your lips as a memory of a happy past you spent with your friends.

Wanda leaned in, her elbow on the table fluttering her eyes shyly at you. 

“She was supposed to have the map, and we were supposed to follow her.” You snorted rolling your eyes at the memory. “After going back to the same spot for the third time we asked her where we were and her answer was in the middle of the ocean.”

You grinned at Wanda's laugh, the woman shook her head blinking a couple of times. 

“But she was the one guiding all of you.”

“Exactly!” You put a hand on top of Wanda's one, your thumb caressing her skin. “Hope and Sue went to help her but it was Reed, Wade and I the ones that ended up looking for a way out.”

“You guys had a good time, then.” Wanda let her eyes wandered to your joined hands, her heart shrank with emotion at the thought of you being happy at some point with a woman you were supposed to marry. 

Was Wanda really the person for you? She wasn't even sure if she liked women, she only knew she liked you. Only you. As if reading her thoughts, you grabbed your chair, putting it closer to her, without thinking too much, cupped her face and kissed her teasingly on her lips. 

Wanda gave in almost instantly, her body trembled under the tenderness of your lips. She had never been kissed in such a way, so tender and lovingly, as if she was the most precious being in the world. And soon, after enjoying this new emotion she was crying. Her tears rolling down her cheeks, her heart shivering with a deep emotion that almost made her lose her breath. 

“Hey, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Wanda snorted shaking her head while leaning in to wrap your lips with hers kissing you needily whimpering as her hands grabbed your arms trying to move past the discomfort the position both of you were in. You were quite shocked, her kisses became sloppy and desperate, something didn't quite add to what was happening so you tried to stop her to guide her lips against yours until she let out a sob and was crying in your arms. 

“Hey, Wands, it’s okay.” You were confused by this reaction, Wanda held onto you and you put the chair back bringing her closer until she was sitting on your lap. Your arms wrapped protectively around her, and the young woman hid her face from you embarrassed and so weak for what just happened. She didn't dare to look back at you, but you made it impossible for her when you started placing sweet kisses on her face, forehead, seeking out to bring comfort to Wanda. 

It was obvious something had bothered her, but you didn't want to push her unless it was completely necessary. 

“I feel like a fool.” She finally said wiping her tears away, she straightened up gazing at the table while putting a distance with you. 

“Why?”

Wanda let out a humourless laugh leaning back on her chair, she kept looking everywhere but at you. She had the story of her life right at the tip of her tongue, she wanted to tell you how all her life she had been told she was not worthy of time or money, that her only worth was defined by the man that would want to take her as a wife. She had grown so much in the last year, that sometimes she thought it impossible how much she hag changed, how much she had gained. 

She became brave, and so independent and strong, but right now, seeing you there with that frown full of concern and tenderness directed at her, Wanda knew she could not break the moment with her ugly story. Someday, but not that day.

“I stopped believing in this.”

“Romance?” You offered a timid smile, Wanda shook her head placing her hands on the table. 

“Of being treated so kindly, so…lovingly.” Her lips trembled, but this time around she held your stare. “I never thought I deserve it or that I will experience it.”

“Your husband was not good at these gestures, eh?”

Wanda scowled shaking her head, her fist tightening on the table. 

“No, our marriage was… Everything was orchestrated by my dad and his and then it just sort of happen.”

You could see the pain of these thoughts crossing through her eyes, the tension around her lips. You reached out to her, tilting your head with a single smile. 

“Let me show you how a woman like you should be treated.”

You stood up holding her hand, pulling lightly until she was standing up and following you to the middle of the yard. Wanda was still weak, her face wet and her mind filled with thoughts of being inadequate invading her mind. 

You went to your mobile selecting a specific song that soon filled the backyard with the sweetest melodies. You wiggled your eyebrows bowing in front of Wanda while stretching out your hand. 

“May I have this dance?”

Wanda snorted taking your hand in hers, a shiver went down her back when you stepped closer pressing your body to hers. 

“Let's be a little cliché, if only to show you that you deserve all the cheesy and cliché romance someone can offer you.” you hesitated before continuing. “All the things I want to offer you, if you let me.”

Your words sent a shiver down Wanda's back, her heart leaped with anticipation while her lower abdomen filled with tingles that made her leaned into your embrace. The guitars and the piano of the song waved around you soothingly, the voice of the singer leading you through the story of long trip and a found love. Wanda broke into an easy smile, her cheeks tinged red and while she tried to roll her eyes at you at the cheesy moment you could see the glint of hope in her eyes. 

The moon was high above the sky, the wind became colder and soon the twinkling stars were being covered by heavy clouds threatening with snow. Wanda lifted her face to the sky, she closed her eyes for a moment before resting her forehead against yours. 

“Do you think we can do this forever?” She whispered, her warm breath caressing your skin. 

“I think sooner or later Billy, Tommy and America will end up joining us.”

Your replied surprised Wanda who leaned back narrowing her eyes at you. Your face didn't change, your smile never lost its softness when Wanda realized you were really talking seriously. 

“What if I can only dance? What if I can't…” Wanda didn't finish the sentence but the meaning behind her question was not hard to miss. 

“Then, we dance.” 

Wanda snorted leaning in to brush her lips against yours, you stood still letting her lead this time. She was brushing her lips against yours tentatively, almost shyly while her hands explore your arms and your neck. Your heart was almost exploding inside your chest, you swallowed down while holding still wanting nothing more than to close the distance between the both of you. Wanda explored your lips and face, her fingertips tickling your skin while your breath caught on your throat just as she tried to use the tip of her tongue to taste more of you. 

You almost whimpered at the lost, when your eyes open Wanda was shocked to see your reaction and her daring nature. She was about to step back but this time around it was your turned to tease. 

“What if we end up being what we need?” You asked sneaking your arm around her waist, your hand finding its way under the hem of her hoodie directly on the warmth skin of her back. 

Wanda gasped almost buckling her knees with her eyes clenching closed at the feeling of your lips nibbling on her earlobe and the skin on her jaw. 

“What if we can be happy together? A family?” 

You smiled into her skin, her hands gripping you tightly feeling the sweet caress of your lips on the outline of her jaw seeking to make her melt in your arms. Your hand tracing circles on her back, and just when Wanda was about to say something your lips found their destination and you kissed her as if she was the most precious creature in the world. 

She was tender to your touch, sweet and almost innocent under your guidance, Wanda kissed you back tentatively exploring with curiosity and ready to learn what you were teaching her. The music had stopped at some point, your hands were caressing the skin on her back and on her sides just as your lips continued a dance that followed the thumping of your hearts. 

You don't know how long it past, was in an hour? Was it two? A minute? A second? It didn't matter, the only thing that matter to you was the huge grin adorning those tender features of Wanda as you finished the kiss and leaned back to breath. 

“So, I take It I'm a good kisser?” You finally broke the silence, Wanda opened her eyes laughing while letting go of you stepping back to put a decent distance from you. 

“I'm not sure…” She started laughing some more at the indignant huff leaving your lips. 

“You were ready to moan right there and then!”

“You whimper.” Wanda retorted trying to hide her blush, you opened your mouth and then closed it again. 

Did you? 

“Well, I am a good kisser so…” your answer only made Wanda shook her head tilting her head coyly, biting on her lower lip tentatively. 

“You are.” Wanda finally admitted, you winked at her offering your hand to hers. 

“Wanda.” Her name left your lips with a serious tone, Wanda furrowed her brows noticing the seriousness of the conversation. “I know you have never been with a woman, and that whatever happened before was not easy. I'm not pretending to be what you want or need but I don't want to wake up next year wondering what would have happen if I have taken my chances with you.”

Wanda knew what you were trying to say, she couldn't hold your stare glancing around before settling her eyes on you. 

“I don't want to wonder the same, either.” Wanda mumbles shrugging. “I don't know how to be a partner or a girlfriend or whatever I just…I'm just finding myself and I don't want to drag anyone into something that may not be what I want.”

Your face fell with your heart breaking painfully in your chest, Wanda was not even looking at your reaction she was still babbling away and her initial words were dancing inside your head. So, she didn't want to? You felt a tug on your hand, you shook away those thoughts only to see Wanda stepping closer putting her other hand on your cheek. 

“Then I meet you and I… I have never felt something like this, and it scares me so much but I just don't seem to want to let go.” Wanda pursed her lips lowering her gaze. “I just don't know if you can be patient enough until I'm ready to give you everything.”

Her confession was followed by a deep silence, you two were looking everywhere but at each other. Her words finally sink in making you dizzy with anticipation and happiness, this was what you wanted and you could be patient. It wasn't as if you were completely ready to jump in a serious relationship but, as you said to her, you didn't want to let go of the chance you might have with Wanda. 

“I understand if you don't… I mean waiting for someone…” Wanda started feeling awkward and rejected until you laughed, a hurt glint passed her face and you were promptly on her leaving a peck on her lips. 

“I'll wait for you, Wanda. We can wait together, Wands, whatever happens, whatever we need, as long as I don't lose you.” You replied honestly, Wanda nodded wrapping her arms around you. 

The hug was like a promise, and you took it with a willing heart and a smile that you wouldn't be able to wipe off of your face for a couple of days. 

It was almost 11 o’clock.

The music was still playing in the background, but the both of you found comfort in soft dances and easy conversation that was soon dying off as Wanda’s eyes threatened to close up. You chuckled picking everything up to take into your kitchen, the night was turning out to be more chilling, and soon dark clouds were approaching announcing an oncoming storm.

Wanda was following you, her arms wrapped around her with a creased on her forehead. You pecked her nose, Wanda wrapped her arms around you letting out a content sigh when you returned the embrace.

“It’s late.” She mumbled, you nodded putting your phone away.

“It seems they are really having fun, and the dance won’t be over for another two hours or so.” You looked down on her, grabbing her hand while leading her to the backyard and then down the road to the garage and the main entrance.

Your hands intertwined, lazy steps leading you down the road with happiness showing on your features. Wanda squeezed your hand tenderly, walking closer to you until the both of you reached her porch. Wanda’s porch light was the only one on in the whole street, and there was only one black car parked at the other end of the street.

You and her were alone.

You leaned in kissing Wanda slowly, a silent promise of what you had offered that day. Wanda relaxed into the kiss, seeking out with her hands to keep the contact with you.

“Tonight was amazing, Y/N.” She whispered with her lips brushing against yours.

“It was.”

She didn’t let go of you, instead of that she grabbed her hand in yours with her eyes fluttering opened and a request shining in her green eyes.

“I don’t want this night to end.” She confessed.

You nodded, swallowing down while letting out a chuckle.

“I don’t want it to end, either,” you caressed her cheek, your fingertips mapping the outline of her jaw, “today was amazing, Wands, and I can stop thinking of how happy you make me, how happy I want to make you.”

“You already do,” Wanda’s replied came as a surprised, the young woman sighed straightened up and taking a deep breath. “Would you…stay?”

“Sure.”

“No, I mean…” Wanda trailed off and this time around you did look confused. “Can you stay tonight? With me? I mean…to sleep with me.”

You opened your eyes, your hands tightening around Wanda who soon was blushing and stuttering while organizing her thoughts. Then, as if she just realized what he said, Wanda waved her hands resting them on your shoulders then taking them off and almost falling on her ass. You grabbed her before this happened, smiling tentatively at her while the other woman calmed herself before speaking again.

“I really don’t want this night to end, I understand if you don’t want to but I…I want to sleep with you. Only sleep, just…” Wanda huffed lifting her arms and stepping back in frustration.

“You want to cuddle?” You chuckled when Wanda just lifted her left shoulder nodding.

“I don’t think I’m ready for…” She trailed off again hoping she hadn’t messed up big time with her words and uncertainty.

“I know, Wands, frankly I don’t think you and I are ready for that just yet but…cuddles? I can do cuddles.” You looked down at you then back to your house. “I could go for my PJs or…”

“I can lend you some pants and a t-shirt I just…”

Wanda didn’t know why it was so difficult to express what she needed to say. The night had been so magical, it had filled her with hope and happiness, and with love. And while this scared the shit out of her, she didn’t want to let go of the emotion, she was not ready for sex but she didn’t want to stop feeling you beside her. Reassuring her that you and your words for tonight were real.

“Then, lead the way, Wands,” You took the woman in your arms kissing her tentatively, “we will take it at your own pace, okay, so don’t be afraid to tell me these kinds of things.”

“God, you are…” Wand shook her head grabbing you tightly and kissing you again. When the both of you broke the kiss, Wanda was completely flustered resting her forehead against yours. “You are amazing, you know that, right?”

“Of course I do!”

Wanda snorted grabbing your hand in hers and leading you inside her home.

You looked at your reflection, seeing the changes in you had been easier day by day. No longer you looked tired but so ready to live and to hope and to enjoy what the world brought over to your doorstep. Wanda had been one of those people you never expected to find much less to fall in love with, and yet here you were wearing her clothes, in her bathroom ready to share a bed with her.

“You can do this.” You talked to yourself before leaving the bathroom, Wanda had fixed the bed and she was already on her side of the bed chewing nervously on her lower lip.

“God your bed is amazing.” You stretched out turning on your side, Wanda offered a strained smile nodding.

“It is.”

Tension was quite evident, Wanda thought for a moment perhaps she had made a stupid decision when a hand placed itself on hers. She almost jumped out of the bed, wincing when she realized you retreated your hand almost immediately.

“Wanda, if you want I can go and…”

“No! No, please.” Wanda turned to her side so now she was facing you, you furrowed your brows waiting for her to speak.

“I just don’t want to disappoint you, and me not wanting sex but this…” Wanda stopped you before you could answer. “I know that you’re not asking and that you wait I just—I never expect you to be this amazing.”

You were confused by this, but Wanda soon snuggled closer she hesitated before turning around until you were spooning her. She grabbed your arm placing it around her abdomen intertwining her hand with yours.

“Thank you.” She finally relaxed into your arms.

“Anything for you, Wands.” You retorted kissing her head before fluttering your eyes close easing out your breathing until you feel asleep.

_________________________

The night was dark, and after midnight snow had started falling.

The man inside the car was trying pretty hard to control his emotions, his eyes falling constantly to the gun he had resting on the floor of the car.

“I told you, Vision dear, she was a whore.”

Vision clenched his jaw closed, his eyes glaring at the house where his wife had gone in with another woman after kissing like harlots in front of anyone to see. He had spent the last couple of months looking for his wife and kids, and she found her spreading her legs to another woman? She left him for another woman?

“I’m going to kill her.” Vision muttered grabbing the wheel tightly, the woman talking to him laughed.

“My dear Vision, I know you have to, but please be careful and smart. You worked in the same place as that woman, don’t you?”

Vision gritted his teeth remembering the other woman, he glanced at his phone seeing the picture of Agatha Harkness in there. The only woman he could confided in.

“Yes, I work with her.” Vision hesitated before turning on his car and leaving.

When Agatha had told him she found his boys and wife, he almost didn’t believe her. But when she offered proof not only of them but also of Wanda’s infidelity, Vision had made it his task to watch over them to ensure he would recover what was his. “I will get my boys back, destroy that fucking whore of Y/N and then…”

“Then my love, I will help you with Wanda…”

“Good, wait for me, I need to vent up my anger.” Vision spoke into the car speeding up down the streets.

A plan to destroy Wanda and get his kids back already taking form in his mind.

________________________________________________

Next Chapter: Vision has a plan, America and Reader are living the best moment in their lives. Wanda is getting ready for Christmas and give Reader a nice gift, and the twins are enjoying the new family they have.

#fanfic #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wandaxreader #female reader #imagine wanda maximoff #reader #MCU AU #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda fanfic #wanda imagine #wanda maximoff fic

[sunriserose1023]

Point of Ignition [seven]

WARNINGS: Illness, fever, taking care of sick people, medications WORD COUNT: 3112

masterlist

The door opened before you could knock on it, revealing Bucky standing there with a huge smile on his face. 

“Welcome home, Pidge.”

He took your bags, carrying them down the hall to his room as you took your shoes off at the door. Natasha was sitting in Sam’s lap on the couch, a smile on her plump lips. 

“Nice to see you again.” “Oh, shut up.”

Sam cackled at you, giving Natasha’s thigh a squeeze. Bucky walked back into the room and straight to you, hands going to your hips as he lifted you and twirled you around. 

“I’m so glad you’re home!” “Put me down!”

Natasha laughed as Bucky set you on your feet, throwing an arm around your shoulders, keeping you close. 

“I say pizza to celebrate. Who’s with me?”

You stepped into the apartment, soaked to the skin from the thunderstorm that caught you without an umbrella as you walked back from class. Bucky had offered to drop you off and pick you up, but no. You’d refused in an effort to try to get more exercise. 

Stupid. 

You shivered as the cool air in the apartment blew over your dripping form. Not only had the thunderstorm come out of nowhere, but it brought with it rapidly dropping temperatures. You sneezed, making a face as you trudged down the hall to the bathroom, not worrying about the puddles you were leaving behind. 

You turned the shower on and let it warm up, making a face as you wrestled out of your soaking wet clothes. You left them in a pile on the floor and climbed into the shower, shivering at first, then moaning softly as the warmth of the water finally started to warm you. 

“Pidge?”

You jerked your head up, turning around and covering your naked body. 

“Bucky, what the hell?!” “Oh, relax. I can’t see anything. You’ve got everything steamed up in here.” “Get out!” “Relax, pigeon. Did something spring a leak or—“ “No, that was me. I got caught in the rain. “You walked all the way from campus in this storm? Fuck, Pidge. Why didn’t you call me?”

You hung your head, creeping further under the warm water. Your voice was soft when you answered. 

“I don’t know.”

Bucky didn’t respond for a moment, and you glanced over your shoulder to see him gather your clothes in his arms. 

“I’ll get you some warm clothes and throw these in the wash. Jesus, Pidge, these things are soaked.” “Buck—“

The door closed and you sighed, sniffling once before you grabbed the shampoo on the soap ledge. 

You dressed in a pair of flannel pajama pants and one of Bucky’s hoodies that he’d left out for you on his bed. It practically swallowed you, but it was warm and smelled like him. You made your way down the hall, sniffling once and swallowing, then making a face. You went for the kitchen and got a bottle of water, then turned to see Bucky sitting on the couch with a blanket beside him. He tore his eyes from the TV and glanced your way as a soft smile came to his lips. 

“Come cuddle with me and watch a movie. Let me warm you up.”

You raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. 

“I did not mean that as sexual as it sounded.”

You made your way to the living room, shaking your head. 

“I’m not sitting on that couch.” “It’s been cleaned and sanitized.”

You stared at him and he shook his head, eyes wide. 

“What? I’m serious!”

You held your ground, narrowing your eyes and he sighed. 

“Alright, I sprayed some Febreze and flipped the cushions. It’s the best I could do.”

You sighed, but smiled as you made your way to him, sitting beside him and tucking your feet under you. Bucky reached over you, grabbing the blanket and tucking it around you. 

“Did the shower help?” “A little. I’m still kind of cold.” “Well, come here.”

He all but scooped you up, tugging you close to his side and keeping an arm around you. You started to shake your head, but instead, you leaned into him. 

“God, you’re like a furnace.” “I’ve always run hot. Want me to take my shirt off? Oh, you know body heat is the best way to warm someone.” “You’re a comedian, I swear.”

Bucky chuckled, giving your arm a gentle rub. He picked up the remote, pointing it at the television. 

“Disney movie or that new murder doc on Hulu?” “Disney. Can we watch Tangled?" “Sure you don’t want to watch Lady and the Tramp, Pidge?”

You gave a quiet laugh, laying your hand on Bucky’s flat stomach.

“Put that one on next.”

Bucky smiled. 

“You got it.”

Natasha stepped into the apartment and pulled the hood of her rain jacket back, shaking her head. 

“It’s a monsoon.”

Sam was behind her, shaking out the umbrella and leaving it outside by the door. 

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s stopping anytime soon.”

He started to go into the apartment, stopping when Natasha was in the way, completely still. 

“Nat, it’s cold out here. Go in.” “Look.”

Sam leaned around her, eyebrows raising when he saw you and Bucky on the couch. Bucky was stretched out across the cushions, head on the armrest, one arm behind his head. You were curled around him, head on his chest, huddled under a blanket, and his other arm was around you. 

Sam lifted Natasha by her hips and set her inside, giving himself enough room to close the door behind them. Sam glanced at the TV, chuckling under his breath when he noticed the Disney Plus login screen. He shrugged his jacket off, hanging it on a hook near the door, then looked at his watch. 

“Should we wake them up to eat?” “I don’t know. Does her face look flushed to you?”

Sam walked a little closer to the couch, stopping when Bucky shifted, arm tightening around you, holding you a bit closer. He leaned down, then stood back up. 

“Uh oh. Yeah, it does.” “Crap. I hope she’s not sick. When she gets sick, she gets hospital sick.” “Maybe it’s just because she’s got a hoodie on under that blanket. Plus, she’s all up on Buck. He’s like a damn furnace.”

Natasha nodded, biting her lip. 

“Yeah, maybe.” “Come on. Let’s let them rest and make it an early night.”

Bucky opened his eyes to find the apartment dark, save for the light above the stove. He closed his eyes again and sighed, opening them and smiling when he saw you sleeping on his chest. 

“Pidge, let’s go to bed.”

You made a soft noise, and Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed as he noticed how warm his chest was. He lifted a hand to brush it against your face, eyes widening when his fingers registered the scorch of your skin. 

“Shit, Pidge, you’re burning up. Hey, baby, wake up.”

You moaned, slowly blinking your eyes open. Bucky swallowed at the look in your eyes and how flushed your cheeks were. 

“Can you sit up?”

You did, with his help, groaning at the ache in your bones. 

“Bucky, I don’t feel good.” “I know, pigeon. Hang tight for a second.”

You whimpered as he climbed off the couch, closing your eyes and shivering. 

“Open your mouth, Pidge.”

You did, keeping your eyes closed as Bucky slid the thermometer under your tongue. You jolted when a beeping noise sounded, opening your eyes to see Bucky’s widen as he stared at the thermometer. 

“Oh, you’re sick, honey.”

He turned the thermometer to show you where the display read 102 degrees. You met his eyes and he held up a finger, leaving you to go into the kitchen. You closed your eyes again, waking when Bucky sat on the coffee table in front of you. 

“Take this.”

He placed two pills in your hand and you stuck them in your mouth, swallowing them with a glass of water. You winced at the ache in your throat and Bucky nodded. 

“Drink it all for me, Pidge.” “Buck—“ “I know. Drink it anyway.”

You nodded, sipping from the glass until it was empty. Bucky took it from you, standing to his feet and holding out a hand. 

“Let’s go to bed.”

You put your hand in his and stood up, leaning against him when your knees buckled. 

“Easy, Pidge. Let’s just stand here a minute.”

You rested your head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around you. 

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” “I don’t feel good.” “I know."

You moved closer to him, putting your forehead against his neck. 

“Jesus, Pidge. You’re so hot.” “Stop trying to … get in my pants.”

Bucky laughed. 

“I meant it literally, but whatever you say.”

He rubbed a hand up and down your back, taking a step forward. You moved with him and together, you slowly made your way down the hall. 

Hot. 

You were so hot, but that must have been because you were huddled under a pile of blankets. You managed to fight your way out from under the blanket pile, a feat which exhausted you so much you fell asleep. 

Cold. 

You opened your eyes to find yourself curled into a ball, entire body trembling. Your teeth were even chattering. You slowly turned your head to see blankets in reach, but your arms hurt to move them. Your legs were the same way. It felt like your entire skeleton just ached, and all you could do was moan softly. 

“Hey, everything’s okay. You cold?”

You opened your eyes to see Bucky standing over you. You nodded and he reached for the blankets, gently laying them over you. 

“Open your mouth for me, Pidge.”

You did, eyes drifting closed as he stuck a thermometer under your tongue. You jolted when it beeped, opening your eyes to see Bucky sigh. 

“Hanging steady at 102. It's time for some more Tylenol, okay?”

You just stared at him and he smiled at you. 

“I’ll be right back, Pidge.”

You winced as you snuggled your aching body down under the covers. You forced your eyes to stay open, teeth still chattering. Bucky walked back into the room and placed two pills and a glass on the bedside table. 

“I know this is going to suck, but you’ve got to sit up to take the pills.” “No, Bucky, please.” “Come on, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

You moaned as he helped you sit up, moving behind you so you could rest against him. You were breathing hard from the exertion, and Bucky held the pills to your lips. You opened your mouth and he slipped the pills in, the glass of water held to your lips a second later. You swallowed the pills, finishing the water at Bucky’s gentle coaxing. 

He set the empty glass back on the bedside table, and you took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as you settled against him. 

“Let’s get you back comfortable, okay?”

You nodded, Bucky’s hands gentle as he helped you lay back down. He covered you with the blankets, gently brushing your hair off your forehead. You opened your eyes and stared up at him. 

“Stay with me.”

He blinked as he watched your eyes drift closed a few seconds before they opened again. You slid a hand from beneath the covers and Bucky smiled. He moved to slide in the bed on his side, inching up behind you until he was spooning you, holding you on top of the covers. 

“I can’t stay long. Nat and Sam need their meds in about an hour and it’s a fight every time.” “Mm-hmm.”

Bucky gave a quiet laugh, feeling your body relax as you fell back to sleep. He sighed, bending where his forehead was against your shoulder. He could feel the heat of your fever through his t-shirt you were wearing, and he knew he’d be back in an hour or two to give you another fever reliever. 

He’d been doing everything he could for the past two days, but your fever never dipped under one hundred. Nat and Sam had started running fever yesterday and last night respectively, and Bucky was constantly praying he’d miss this illness. He was pretty sure you all had the flu, and a campus-wide email of multiple classes being canceled only fueled his theory. Bucky had called the campus clinic, which was overrun with sick students, and when someone had finally taken his call, they told him to try to keep the fevers managed and to visit the ER if they got too high or any breathing problems arose. 

You were snoring softly, thanks to the congestion in your head, and Bucky snuggled closer to you. He wasn’t doing much to protect himself from getting sick, but you were his priority at the moment. He let himself close his eyes, just listening to you breathe.

“Pidge. Hey, sweetheart.”

You moaned, gasping when a cool, damp rag was pressed to your forehead. You opened your eyes to see Bucky sitting on the edge of the bed beside you, another cool rag in his hand. 

“I’m going to put this on your neck, okay?”

You nodded, gasping again when the cool rag touched your skin. You brought your fever-glazed eyes to his and Bucky sighed. 

“Your fever’s at 104. We’ve got to get it down, okay?”

You just stared at him and he licked his lips. 

“Come on, sit up for me.” “No.” “Yeah, come on.”

You moaned and whimpered as he helped you sit up, gasping again when he pulled his hoodie off of you. 

“Bucky.” “I know, baby. I know.” “I don’t feel good.”

Bucky nodded, then sighed. 

“This is probably going to suck, but I need you to do this for me, okay?”

You just stared at him, and he slid an ice pack covered in a dish towel under your arm. You shook your head, trying to move away, but Bucky gently caressed your face. 

“I know, Pidge. I know. Just for a little while. I’ve got to get your fever down, okay?” “Buck—“ “It’s this or the ER, and I don’t want to have to take you there, okay?"

You whimpered, moaning again when he put another ice pack under your other arm. You gave a pitiful whine and Bucky dragged a hand down his face. 

“I don’t even know if this will fucking work. Damn Google, but this was the only thing I could try. Maybe a bath? But you would be miserable in lukewarm water.”

He blew out a breath, going still and turning to look at you when your hand touched his. He gave you a smile, reaching to brush your hair away from your face. 

“You’re okay. I’m right here.” “Don’t go.” “Not a chance.”

You nodded, eyes heavy. Bucky picked the rag up from your forehead, turning it to the cool side before placing it back on you. You gave a shaky breath, but closed your eyes, linking your fingers with his as you drifted back to sleep.

Bucky shut the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment. Sam’s fever was at 100, Natasha’s at 101, but they both took the medicine he gave them with minimal fuss, falling asleep almost immediately after finishing the glasses of water he’d all but forced down their throats. 

He went to the kitchen and dropped off the empty glasses, washing his hands and just standing there for a moment. He looked at the clock on the stove, then made his way back to his room, where you were sleeping, a smile coming to his lips when he found you with the covers kicked off. 

“Thought you were freezing even after I took the ice packs.”

You sighed in your sleep and he shook his head, gathering the blankets and pulling them over you, reaching to push your sweaty hair off your face. 

Wait. 

He laid a hand against your forehead, your skin warm, but nowhere near as scorching as it had been. He fumbled for the thermometer and brought it to your lips, slipping it under your tongue without you waking. It beeped and he pulled it from your lips, nearly shouting with relief when he saw the 101. 

“Thank God, Pidge. Oh, thank God.”

He put his head in his hand, using the other to cradle your face, sparks flying in his heart when you leaned into his touch. 

The first thing you noticed when you opened your eyes was that you didn’t feel quite as bad as you had the past few days. You definitely weren’t ready to run any marathons, but you thought you could manage walking down the hall to the kitchen. As soon as you attempted to move out of Bucky’s hold, he was awake. 

“What is it, Pidge? What do you need?” “No, I … I’m okay.”

Bucky sniffled, running a hand over his scruffy face.

“Let me grab your meds.” “Hey, Bucky.”

He turned his head to look at you, eyes widening as he turned his body towards yours. 

“Hey. Your eyes look clear.”

You closed your eyes when he reached out a hand, gently pressing it against your forehead. 

“Oh my God.”

He rolled to grab the thermometer off his nightstand and you automatically opened your mouth at his silent prompt. When the thermometer beeped, Bucky took it out of your mouth and looked down at it, a laugh escaping his lips. 

“Holy shit, Pidge. Your fever’s gone.”

He laughed again, reaching to take your face in his hands and bringing you closer, pressing his lips to your forehead. He laughed again, gathering you into his arms and pulling you close. 

“Thank God. Thank God, Pidge, fuck.”

You smiled as you snuggled close to him, putting your nose in his neck. Bucky sighed, hand gently moving up and down your back. 

“You scared the shit out of me, Pidge. Don’t do that again.” “I’m sorry.”

He sighed again, shaking his head. 

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. How are you feeling?” “Better. Still kind of wonky, but much better than the last few days.”

Bucky nodded. 

“You hungry?”

You wrinkled your nose. 

“Not really.” “How about some toast? We’ll have breakfast and get your strength up and maybe you can try a shower later.” “You trying to tell me something?”

Bucky laughed, giving your arm a squeeze. 

“Never, Pidge. I’m just so happy you’re better.”

You moved the slightest bit closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes as he held you just a bit tighter.

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