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fleshbarbie · 2 years

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the truth - robin buckley x reader

contains: secret relationship, angst, TW: abuse from a parent (reader’s), protective!steve(?), happy ending. - word count: 3.6k.

robin loved you, she really did. over the past six months the two of you had been together she had fallen for you hard, she had never felt like this before and it both amazed and terrified her. she finally understood what steve was talking about when he spoke to her about his feelings for nancy, that ones that hadn’t quite died down yet despite it being years since they had broken up.

she found herself sat around, daydreaming about your future together. where you’d be in ten years, hopefully living together, possibly even engaged or married if times had changed and people woke up to the fact that two people of the same sex being in love was not a bad thing. she imagined you two growing old together, getting a few pets, maybe even adopting a child together. yes it had only been six months since the two of you had officially gotten together, but she was head over heels for you.

there was only one problem, one she wished she could overlook or solve but unfortunately, she couldn’t.

you had requested that in the beginning of your relationship that you two remain a secret, you didn’t want anyone knowing about the two of you being an item which robin respected at first. she was in shock that she actually had a chance with you in the first place, usually the girls she previously crushed on were either straight, in a relationship or just didn’t like her back so this was practically a miracle, she wasn’t about to turn you away just because of one condition.

you had spent the last six months growing closer and closer. going on dates (most of which were in the privacy of each others rooms), sharing stolen kisses, getting to know everything about each other and the more time you spent the more hooked the teen was. but still, the nagging feeling returned in robin’s chest when she thought about how you still weren’t ready to go public with her.

she understood to a certain extent, of course she did. it wasn’t exactly easy for people like the both of you to be out and proud in the society you lived in, she’d seen it once or twice, women and men who had came out with their sexuality only to be berated and looked down on by other members of the community. of course they weren’t all like that, take steve for example, he had been nothing but to supportive towards robin when she had came out to him that night in the starcourt bathroom, after he had gotten over the initial shock of course. and she was certain that as long as you were both together, you could handle whatever was thrown your way.

but still, you weren’t budging and it was beginning to upset robin.

“i just don’t get it (y/n) ... why can’t we just tell everyone? i mean, they’ll get over it eventually right? there’ll be a new drama next week that’ll distract them from us.” she ranted, her hands moving as she spoke.

you sighed, sitting down next to her at the edge of your bed where she had planted herself when she first entered your room.

“it’s not that easy robin, you know that.” you told her, fiddling with the bracelet she had gifted you last month.

“which i get, really, i do! but-“ she huffed and turned her body so now her knees were touching your thigh. “wont it be worth it? when i can hold your hand in public, kiss you whenever i want? give you a hug without having to worry about being caught?”

her blue eyes stared back at you with a sadness you hated to see on her, it was even more difficult to endure when you were the reason for that negative feeling, even if the reason couldn’t be helped.

“come on robin, you know i’d love nothing more than that. really ... but i can’t.” you closed your eyes and ran your hands through your hair, tugging at the ends slightly.

the room was silent for a moment, and you were half expecting to hear a few sniffles sound from beside you which honestly, was something you would’ve preferred as awful as it sounded. but instead, she stood from the bed with her back turned to you.

“i’m sorry (y/n), but if the only time i can be your girlfriend is behind closed doors then ... i don’t think we can be together at all.” she still had her back turned, though from what you could see her head was pointed towards the floor.

your heart broke as the statement registered in your mind, it was almost instant the way your eyes filled with tears as you shook your head and rose from you bed just as robin had. “what? please robin, i don’t want this to end. i just need you to be patient with me.”

she turned her head, her eyes now glossy with her own tears and her brows furrowed. she shared a look with you, as you both held back tears that were threatening to fall any second.

“i’ve been patient, okay? it’s been six months!” she huffed a laugh, as if she was in disbelief. “how much longer do you want me to wait? a year? two? five?”

you shook your head and grabbed ahold of her hand, squeezing it fearing that this was the last time you’d get the chance to have her this close. “you don’t understand robin, if people know about us then-“ you paused, biting back what you really wanted to say and robin frowned at the abrupt pause. “then, they’re all going to look at me different. okay? it’s going to ruin my reputation. i-i can’t risk that.”

she pulled her hand from yours with a scoff, a tear running down her freckled cheek as she stared at you with a look of disbelief. you hated it, you hated the way she looked at you as if she was disappointed of you, but you couldn’t tell her the truth.

“well i’m sorry but if your reputation is that important to you, then there’s definitely no chance we’d make it very far together. you wouldn’t want me dragging you down.”

she grabbed her bag from the floor and spared you one last look, before shaking her head and exiting your room. you heard her footsteps getting further away from you, the stairs creaking lightly as she walked down them and then the familiar sound of the front door being slammed closed.

you winced, hoping it wasn’t too loud. you didn’t need him waking up now, you couldn’t handle receiving any type of punishment now, not after the girl you loved had just torn apart your heart. but then, the creaking sounded again and your whole body tensed up as you awaited your father to reach your room, praying he was too out of it to do something that’d have you aching all over when the sun rose.

—

you wrapped your arms around you figure a little tighter as the wind from the outside world blew a little harsher, the bitterness of the cold swept across your cheeks sending a shiver down your spine. you continued your journey down the streets of hawkin’s, sending a kind smile to any passerby’s as you grew closer and closer to the familiar store you usually couldn’t wait to get to after a stressful day at school, but today you were nervous to reach your destination.

you were going to family video, knowing robin was on shift tonight and this was probably the best chance to catch her. it had been three days since that night, and the heartbreak you felt when robin left still laid heavy on your chest. you missed her, a lot. she had been giving you the cold shoulder since, whenever you passed eachother in the hall at school and each time it broke your heart a little more. you missed the smiles, the secretive winks, the secret meet ups in empty classrooms. you missed robin. you needed her back.

so with a deep breath, you decided it was now or never, you had to come clean.

your father hadn’t always been the piece of shit he is now, not until your mother had passed away. being hit by a drunk driver on the way home from work was one of the cruelest ways to go, and unfortunately it had happened to your mom on the night you were all supposed to go out and celebrate her promotion. your dad was heartbroken, it had only taken him two weeks to crack under the grief and turn to liquor to cope. he drank everyday, you can’t remember the last time you had seen him sober and it hurt. because you were eight when your mother had died, and you were eighteen now.

ten years of dealing with a father who had not only neglected you, but physically and verbally abused you too. if you ever did something he didn’t agree with, whether it was something along the lines of getting a detention or as small as changing the channel when you thought he was out cold for the night, he was eager to give out what he thought was a well deserved punishment. a backhand to the face, a hand around your throat, a kick to the gut. it was usually only a small altercation, though there had been a few occasions where you had to stay home from school to heal from the injuries your own father had given you.

you couldn’t wait to graduate high school and leave him behind, you were done forgiving him everytime he woke you up sobbing and pleading that you don’t leave him. he didn’t deserve your forgiveness anymore, you were sick of him taking out his issues on you.

you eventually made it to the familiar store, the nerves inside you doubling when you caught sight of it across the street. you approached the counter inside the store, gaining the attention of none other than steve harrington, the only person who knew about your relationship with robin. and he didn’t look too happy to see you, no doubt robin had told him what happened, told him what you had said. you couldn’t really blame him.

“what do you want?” he didn’t bother with a greeting, and you were half tempted to back out and go home. but this needed to be done.

“is robin here?” you asked, resting your hands on the counter separating the two of you.

he rolled his eyes, “not for you she isn’t. you really hurt her, you know? she loved you.” he scoffed, before muttering a small. “probably still does.” under his breath.

you nodded, swallowing the lump that had quickly built up in your throat. “i know, and i love her too which is why i need to talk to her. please steve.”

he stared at you, his brown eyes narrowed as he observed your demeanour. he could tell the sadness that emitted from you wasn’t fake, you looked like you hadn’t slept in days and he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for you. he had been so happy for robin when she had ran to him one morning, her hands banging against his chest as she cheered about a girl she had met who liked girls too and actually seemed to be interested in her. and when he met you, it was obvious you were both smitten for eachother he even couldn’t help but be a little jealous when he thought about his own failure of a love life.

so to have robin come to him nearing nine o’clock on a tuesday night, in tears as she told him about the two of you ending things, he was shocked. especially when she told him what you had said, your reason as to why you didn’t want to go public with your relationship. he thought you were better than that.

he sighed, his hands coming to rest on his hips whilst he stood looking deep in thought before he looked to you again. “she’s in the back. but honestly, don’t expect her to be happy to see you.”

the comment hurt, but you couldn’t really blame her. you nodded your head, sending steve an appreciative smile and a quick ‘thank you’ before you disappeared around the corner and into the back room where you had been in many times before.

there was robin, holding a vhs tape in her hand with that looked like crate full of them in front of her. you weren’t too sure what she was doing with them, labelling them? rewinding them? either way she looked incredibly fed up which you absolutely couldn’t blame her for, you had spent plenty of hours here with your girlfriend whilst she worked so you knew how boring and slow most days were for not only her, but steve too.

you admired her for a second, frowning as you realised she looked drained, drained and unhappy. a pang of guilt hit you at that moment when you realised that the reasoning behind that was probably you, she looked miserable because of you. you coughed, finally making yourself known which caused the mousy blonde to jump slightly at the intrusion, her eyes landing on you with a frown. she stared at you, and you watched a number of emotions pass through her. shock, confusion, anger, sadness.

“what’re you doing here?” she asked, quickly resuming to the task at hand as if she wasn’t phased by your presence, but you knew better.

you chewed on your bottom lip, taking a step past the doorway so you were now fully inside the cramped room with her.

“i’ve come to explain myself.”

“oh, there’s no need for that.” she laughed, though it lacked humour. “you made yourself perfectly clear the other night.”

you sighed, taking a seat in the empty chair on the opposite side of the table she had been sat at. her eyes flickered your way, watching you get comfy but she didn’t bother maintaining eye contact once you settled.

“no, robin. i’ve come to be honest with you, tell you the truth because i don’t want you to think that what i said the other night, is who i am.”

her hands stilled at that, and she finally spared you another glance. she placed the vhs tape down on the table and gestured to you with one hand, raising a brow as she did and you figured that was all you were going to get out of her until you spoke your truth.

“i want nothing more than to be public with you, rob. i wish i could tell everyone about us, tell everyone we’re together and happy and that i love you. i wish i could do all the things you talked about. kiss you, hug you, hold your hand in public ... but i can’t.” you shook your head, noticing the frown that deepened on robin’s pale features. “my dad, he’s-he isn’t exactly accepting of us, you know people like us? which ordinarily i could handle, you know? if we went public we’d have to deal with people like that all the time it’s just..”

you nervously began to fiddle with your bracelet, the same one you were wearing the night you and robin had broken up, the one robin had bought you. you still hadn’t taken it off despite everything.

“if he finds out, it’s gonna be bad.” you widened your eyes as you spoke the last word, hoping it would emphasise just how bad it would be. “not even like, being kicked out of the house bad. he’s gonna literally lose his shit and-“ you paused before you could say what you wanted to say next, yet another lump forming in your throat. they seemed to be never ending lately.

robin instantly sensed your discomfort, and was quick to scoot her chair over to yours and place a comforting hand on your shoulder, the gesture warmed your heart knowing despite everything she still cared for you and couldn’t leave you to suffer alone.

“he’s definitely going to get violent.” tears brimmed not only your eyes but robin’s too at the confession, “ever since my mom died all those years ago, he’s been a completely different person rob.” you paused to swipe away some tears that fell. “he just drinks, all the time, like it’s never ending. if he’s not drinking then he’s sleeping, if he’s not sleeping then he’s yelling at me for something and that usually always ends with a slap here and there. and if he found out about us, even if we didn’t tell him, he’d find out somehow, i don’t think it’d end well.”

you blinked a few times, wiping at the tears that fell once you did and turned to look at robin to say one last thing. “i love you robin, i really do but if you want to be together, i need you to wait. please. wait for us to finish high school, for us to get away from here and then we can tell anyone and everyone we’re together. that’s the only way it’s gonna be able to work.”

robin remained silent for a little while, though the comforting rubs on your shoulder didn’t halt as she processed the information you had just given her. of all the things she had expected to come from from this conversation, this wasn’t one of them. she had known that your dad wasn’t exactly the best, that he was very neglectful and didn’t seem to care much for the well-being of his own daughter. everytime she came to your house you had so shush her, explaining that your dad was sleeping and if he woke up he’d be in a bad mood and probably kick her out, but she assumed that it was just your typical parent stuff. maybe he’d come in and yell, tell robin she had to go home but that’d be the end of it. she never dreamed that it would lead into anything further than that, for you to have been suffering this long behind the scenes, left her speechless.

“(y/n), god i- i’m so sorry.” she gave you a look of pity, one that she couldn’t help. “how did i never notice? i mean, i’ve been with you almost everyday for half a year and i didn’t pick up on anything? god, i just .. i can’t believe it.”

you forced a small smile onto your wet lips, shrugging gently. “it’s not your fault really robin. i kept it from you on purpose, i hid it because i never wanted you to know which i guess was kinda silly of me, i’d have to tell you eventually, right?”

she hummed, nodding gently and her lips curved up just as yours had. “well i’m glad you told me, thank you.” she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around you, her chin resting on your shoulder as she rubbed your back in circles. “i love you. i’m sorry for pressuring you into going public, if i had known-“

“i know robin, i know.” you cut her off, knowing that if she had known the girl would’ve never started the conversation the other night.

“we’ll wait, until high school is over and we can get as far away from that piece of shit as we can. i can wait, for you.”

you pulled back from the hug but still held onto the slender teen, a brighter smile now reflecting from your face despite the wet streak of tears that still were visible on your cheeks. “thank you. i love you so much robin.”

she hummed in acknowledgement, using a hand to tuck some stray hairs behind your ear. “i love you more, way more actually.”

you rolled your eyes playfully at the comment, not believing it for a second but you let her have her moment. you were definitely going to marry this woman one day.

#robin buckley x reader #robin buckley imagine #robin buckley fic #robin buckley angst #robin buckley fluff #stranger things imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader #robin buckley

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srgntjamesbuckybarnes · 1 year

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Truth or Dare (5)

Summary: What started off as an innocent game of truth or dare between two noble born sisters, Y/N and Margaret “Peggy” Carter, quickly turns south when Y/N meets Steve Rogers and James “Bucky” Barnes. 10 years later Peggy is getting married reuniting the bunch, tensions rise as the sisters engage in truth or dare one more time before Peggy is married.

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: Not Beta'd

Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Chapter 5

“Ouch!”

Y/N peeked up from the book in her lap. Peggy had been standing on a pedestal as women bustled around her. Her puffy sleeves had been comical next to her head. They were off-white and twice the size of her head, making the countess drown in the fabric.

“Apologies, Lady Carter,” one of the women rushed, pin in hand.

The sleeves need more volume,” Amanda Carter surveyed from beside Peggy. Wordlessly, the women shoved more pins in the sleeves to hold them up. Y/N locked eyes with Peggy’s pleading dark brown eyes through the mirror. She was relieved it was Peggy getting married. Y/N didn’t know if she could tolerate her mother’s opinions.

Gently shutting the book in her lap, Y/N turned in her chair to face her mother, “Perhaps the sleeves will take away from Peggy herself.”

Their mother frowned, never taking her eyes off the dress. “Nonsense, Y/N. Margaret is marrying a prince. The dress should be grand. Everyone’s eyes will be on her.” Peggy shrugged in the mirror, a silent thanks for trying. Amanda finally turned to Y/N, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “Speaking of princes, King George is meeting with King T’Chaka later today to discuss a peace treaty. I hear he is bringing his son Prince T’Challa along with him. You should join your sister and Steve at the theater and invite him to accompany you.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped, her hands nervously running across the book in her lap. “Mother, I doubt the prince of Wakanda is interested in me.”

Amanda arched her eyebrow with a hand on her hip. On her other hand, a single digit wagged in Y/N’s direction. “Then you make him interested in you.”

Y/N bit her bottom lip until it bled. Her mother had taken matters into her own hands going straight to King T’Chaka to invite T’Challa to the theater. Y/N wasn’t sure if she hoped he would accept or decline. The other night in Bucky’s room was still fresh in her mind. She hadn’t seen him since. They couldn’t court without an introduction. He didn’t seem to mind while he was flirting with her, but was that all it was, just flirting?

T’Challa was different. He was practical and preapproved by her parents. Y/N guessed that had something to do with the peace treaty. She felt dirty like she was lying to T’Challa. He was considerate and sure of himself, a true prince. She could find herself falling in love with the man if they had met under different circumstances. One day, Steve and T’Challa will be kings. What better way to ensure the peace treaty is honored in the future than to unite the families? They were mere pawns in a larger chess game.

“Lady Carter,” the darker-skinned prince extended his snowy gloved hand toward a cushioned wooden bench. Y/N sent him a polite smile, accepting the seat closest to the rail. The gallery was a small balcony in the theater with three rows of wooden benches. Y/N and Peggy had been seated in the front for everyone in the pit to marvel at their gowns. There was just enough room for the two of them to squeeze on the bench with the exaggerated skirts on their gowns.

Steve and T’Challa had taken a seat on the slightly elevated larger bench behind the women, a respectable position for men to be seen with unmarried women in public. Their view of the stage was poor but they weren’t there to see, they were there to be seen.

The bustling actors readying below could be seen from their vantage point and Y/N could have sworn she saw Bucky below. Something shiny reflected momentarily blinding her. She fluttered her eyes clearing the image of Bucky from her head. It had to have been someone carrying a prop. A hand on her arm drew her attention beside her.

“The prince seems nice,” Peggy said loud enough for just the two of them to hear.

Y/N’s lips pressed into a tight smile, “He is.” It wasn’t a lie. T’Challa had been a gentleman. Part of her felt that he had been too gentlemanly, too friendly to see her as a serious option for a wife. Y/N brushed it off. She was sure he had come to the same conclusion as her. This was strictly business. Even Steve and Peggy seemed to encourage the bond.

“I was informed that the king’s son is joining us. Have I been misinformed?” T’Challa questioned, raising a thick brow.

Y/N’s ears pricked at the mention of Bucky. No one told her he was coming. Why would they? She isn’t supposed to know him. But she does.

“He’ll be here. I believe he is backstage visiting an old friend.” Steve winked.

T’Challa chuckled, brushing his hand over his charcoal frock coat, “To old friends.”

Y/N flushed at the implication ignoring the rest of the men's chatter. He never denied the rumor of him being a rake instead, he promised he would ruin her. They weren’t courting but she couldn’t stop the words from leaving her lips, “Truth or dare?”

A devious smirk crossed Peggy’s lips as she stared at the audience in the pit below. Without being able to see the front of the stage, the play wouldn’t be as interesting. The next two hours promised boredom for Peggy. She’d rather be in the pit with everyone else enjoying the show rather than staring at the back of the actors’ heads. She craved excitement.

“Dare.”

Y/N had predicted that answer so without missing a beat, she replied, “I dare you to sneak backstage and steal the most interesting item.” It was perfect. Her sister’s determination would have her checking every inch backstage. Bucky’s visit would be ruined.

“Distract them,” Peggy mumbled before excusing herself to the bathroom.

Y/N waited until she could see the countess below before turning to the men. “Your Royal Highness,” Y/N began watching both men turn to face her, confusion written across their faces. “Sorry, I don’t know how to address each of you while you are in the same room.”

Steve narrowed his eyes suspiciously. T’Challa offered a playful smile on his full lips, “I suppose addressing you and your sister as Lady Carter can be confusing as well.” He pressed the palm of his hand over his heart. “Please call me T’Challa and I will call you Y/N?”

Y/N nodded, “T’Challa it is.”

Steve ran a hand along his chin, she already called him Steve. There was no need to differentiate but he brushed it off chalking it up to being her way to get on a first-name basis with the prince.

The trio made small talk as they awaited Peggy’s return. The conversation flowed easily, distracting the men from how much time had passed. Y/N glanced down at her dress. A dead giveaway to her status. Her mind wandered to the pit below along with the actors. Guilt began to eat away at her. Peggy could be recognized down there. Anything could happen. What would they think of the future queen stealing? How could she have let her envy put her sister at risk?

Suddenly the door to the balcony opened, a Cheshire cat grin on Peggy’s lips. A sigh escaped Y/N at the sight. She made it back in one piece and if her grin was anything to go by, she had completed her dare with ease. Peggy floated to her seat, her hands empty. Y/N raised an eyebrow, but Peggy just wiggled hers back. It wasn’t until Peggy was sure neither man was paying them any attention that she plucked a piece of lien from between her bosoms.

Y/N ran her fingers over the milky cloth now draped across her lap. “What’s so interesting about a cloth?” She twirled the cloth between her fingers.

Peggy’s eyes twinkled, “It’s not just any cloth. It’s the cravat of a nobleman.”

Realization crossed Y/N’s face, her eyes bulging. When she dared Peggy to steal something to ruin Bucky’s visit, she didn’t think she would swipe something of his. “Peggy,” she hissed. “How did you get this?”

The younger Carter rolled her eyes. “He’s sleeping with a pretty redhead down there.”

Gail? Y/N’s face paled as Steve’s voice cut through her thoughts. How could Bucky be sleeping with Steve’s ex? A married woman? Y/N unexpectedly rose from the bench, the white fabric bound tightly around her knuckles. Three sets of eyes stared at her, and she wondered just how many more were monitoring her from below. “I need a minute.”

T’Challa stood up, a hand resting against his stomach. “I will walk with you.”

Y/N shook her head. “No, that would not be appropriate. I feel a bit claustrophobic is all.”

“Y/N,” Peggy tilted her head. “I could walk you out.”

“I’ll be fine. I just need a minute alone,” Y/N announced, already halfway out the door.

The older Carter’s feet carried her down the hallway into an empty stairwell. Her back pressed against the stone wall as she took deep breaths. An incandescent glow emitted from a candle in the window above her head. Like a figment of her worst imagination, Bucky emerged at the bottom of the steps.

“Y/N?”

Her head snapped in his direction, pushing herself off the stone wall. “How could you?” she seethed. He raised his eyebrows as Y/N continued to rant. “How could you do that to Steve? To her husband?”

Bucky peeked over his shoulder making sure no one was coming before beginning to walk up the step, one step at a time. “What are you talking about?”

Staring down at the man from her nose, she responded, “Gail Richards.”

Before Y/N could blink, her back slammed against the wall. A gloved metal hand pressed against her mouth. “Don’t say that name,” he growled in her ear, his nostrils flaring. He could feel her tremble beneath his hands as he pulled back slightly. Her eyes welled with tears as his eyes darted between hers. The second he peeled his metal hand from her mouth, she shoved him, hard.

Caught off guard, the brunette stumbled back a few steps.

“You’re sleeping with her,” Y/N accused, pointing her finger at him.

Bucky scoffed, knocking her hand away. “I am not.”

Sucking her teeth, Y/N explained, “Peggy caught you with a redhead.”

Bucky arched his brow, “What’s Peggy doing snooping around?”

Y/N’s eyes dropped to his sweaty exposed neck. Her hands shot behind her back as she remembered she still had his cravat. Avoiding the question, she asked, “So you weren’t just sleeping with a redhead backstage?”

Bucky countered with a shrug, “Are you not on a double date with a prince?”

Y/N froze. “You’re here, it hardly counts as a double date. The numbers are uneven.”

“Right.” Bucky rolled his eyes, stepping forward. “Stop meddling Y/N. Making false accusations could get you hurt one day.”

Y/N scoffed, crossing her arms. The linen fabric was prominent against her dark dress.

“Where’d you get this?” Bucky asked, yanking her hand toward him to inspect the fabric. “You a peepin’ Tom?”

Y/N felt a warmth creep up her neck as his fingers carefully unraveled the cloth. “No, I-” She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell him she had dared Peggy to go down there. He would think she was crazy. Unfortunately for her, he saw right through her.

Holding the cloth up between them, Bucky narrowed his eyes. “Is this what all of this,” he waved his free hand around dramatically, “is about? You’re jealous?”

Covering her face with her hands she sighed. She wanted to deny it but she was sure he would see right through her. “Steve implied you were doing more than visiting an old friend. Peggy and I have this stupid game going and I took advantage of it. I dared her to steal the most interesting object down there so she would search everywhere. I wanted her to ruin your time down there. She brought your cravat back and told me you were sleeping with a redhead. I’m sorry, I had no right to do that.”

“Natasha.”

Y/N peered up from behind her hands. “What?”

“The redhead, her name is Natasha.” A soft oh escaped her lips. A toothy grin spread across his face as he tied his cravat around his neck. “You were jealous,” he said in a sing-song voice. Her face scrunched up in embarrassment. He should be furious with her but instead, he was eating every second of this up. Y/N groaned. He would hold this over her forever. “You know, I’m actually a bit offended that Peggy thought my cravat was more interesting than me.” He paused, scanning her from head to toe. “I’m also disappointed you didn’t come down to see me in action for yourself.”

Y/N cleared her throat, wishing the foundation would swallow her whole. She didn’t need whatever dirty actions Bucky had been referring to, in her head. “What are you doing here?”

Bucky ran a hand through his long hair. “Steve asked me to join in a while back when it was a solo date. Didn’t know you and the prince were joining until this morning.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He cocked his head as if it was obvious, “I kinda got the feeling people don’t want us talking, sweetheart. I can’t exactly walk up to you and start a conversation.”

Y/N wondered if anyone would ever give them a formal introduction or if secret meetings and stolen glances in public were all they would ever be. Y/N glanced down at her hands before squinting up at Bucky, “My mother invited T’Challa. I think she’s trying to aid your father’s alliance.”

Bucky hummed, running his tongue across his bottom lip. “T’Challa? You’re on a first-name basis already?”

Her eyes narrowed in the dim light as she replied, “We’re on a first-name basis, Bucky.”

A cocky grin graced his face, “And if I remember correctly, you want me to ruin you.” Y/N’s mouth gaped like a fish, searching for an answer. Bucky reached up with his flesh hand, twisting a loose strand of her hair framing her face. A distant expression crossed his face. “I wish there was a way to have you without ruining you.” Y/N frowned at his sudden change. His fingertips grazed her cheek as he released the strand of hair. His eyes hardened. “I’m gonna need to know more about this game of yours doll.”

The click of the door echoed down the hall causing the pair to jump apart. How long had they been gone?

"You go first,” Bucky commanded just above a whisper.

Y/N shook her head, her eyes pleading with Bucky. “I can’t go back without your cravat. Peggy will be suspicious if you walk in there with it and I don't.”

Bucky huffed, his fingers making quick work of loosening the knot around his neck. “Steve and T’Challa will be suspicious if you walk in with one and I don’t.” When the knot was loose, he slipped the fabric into Y/N’s awaiting palm. The patter of footsteps trailed along the floor growing louder with each passing second like the countdown on a bomb. They were seconds away from their lives blowing up before their eyes. Tucking the linen between her breasts, Y/N stepped into the hall. She gasped, nearly running into Peggy.

“Y/N, there you are!” Peggy’s fingers wrapped around Y/N’s biceps. “I was worried sick. Are you alright?”

Winding her arm with Peggy’s, she nodded. “I’m fine. Let’s head back before the play starts.”

Bucky waited with his back against the wall until the darkness devoured their shadows. Only when he heard the thud of the door did he leap off the wall following their footsteps. He waited a moment outside the gallery, before stepping onto the balcony.

“Bucky,” Steve greeted, waving him over. “You made it just in time.”

The brunette grunted in acknowledgment, opting for the third row. The row furthest from the crowd and temptation. Bucky couldn’t spend two hours sitting directly behind Y/N ignoring her. The best option for everyone was the last row. Slightly more elevated than the rest, with a clear view of Y/N and T’Challa. If he didn’t have a good view of the play, at least he was able to watch over her; a devil she had no idea was perched on her shoulder.

Next Chapter

Taglist:

@supraveng @kandis-mom @xycnsstuff @mcu21lover19

#bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #james buchanan barnes #bucky x you #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky fanfic #bucky fic #marvel #james bucky buchanan barnes #james buchanan bucky barnes #james barnes #mcu

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ashwhowrites · 1 year

Note

fluff prompt 35 with Robin? 🥺

Finally fluff Robin! I'm tired of always breaking her heart 🙂

"We’ve been celebrating our wedding anniversary on the wrong day for the past nine years."

Robin and Y/N have been married for around 9 years. They fell in love during the whole upside down fiasco. Y/N was an old friend of Steve's when they all first discovered the upside down. Once it was all settled she moved to California, hoping to leave it behind her. But when Steve called a few years later saying it's worse than ever, she was right back in Hawkins. She figured she'd kill some creatures, gain new fears and be done with this shit. But what she didn't expect was to fall in love during the worst possible time.

The second Steve introduced her to a loud, fast talking, and sarcastic girl, she was screwed. She learned her name was Robin and a new friend of Steve's. A friend that Steve made very clear, with a horrible wink, was definitely gay. Y/N remembered punching Steve but secretly thanking him for giving her a heads up.

Fighting vecna and trying to stay alive was most important, not trying to flirt with the gorgeous dark haired and blue eye goddess she got partnered up with. Once again, thanks to Steve. But that didn't mean Y/N couldn't look at her from time to time. She even went as far to throw herself around Robin when the ground began to shake. Steve watched with a smirk as both girls blushed a deep red.

When Y/N was saying her goodbyes and heading back to California, Robin asked her on a date. Robin knew she'd hate herself if she never went for it. Plus Y/N saved her life twice in the upside down, she deserves to buy her dinner, right?

Before they knew it Robin and Y/N were calling each other daily. Sending love letters day after day. Planning trips to visit each other. Months went on and turned into years. Steve annoyingly takes credit for their relationship, and makes sure that they both know it.

Their engagement was slightly different from others. Both girls wanted to propose to each other in different ways. Y/N had Joyce helping her and Robin had Steve. All four making the most special and romantic proposal ever. But Y/N and Robin ruined it for each other. Both were getting too excited to wait, and accidentally proposed too early, at the wrong place and at the same time. Joyce and Steve wanted to be mad at all their hard work going to waste. But when both girls showed up with two diamond rings on each other's fingers with the biggest smile they've ever seen, they let it slide. They decided they didn't need a big proposal for each other. Asking at what felt like the right moment felt more like them.

At their wedding, Steve's whole speech was how he planned it all out for them. Both brides rolled their eyes but laughed along. They did owe Steve, because without him they never would have fallen in love.

"baby, which restaurant do you want to go to for our anniversary?" Y/N asked as she sat next to Robin on the couch.

"tough call. Maybe the same place we've been going to for the last 9 years." She laughed as she pretended to think.

"I can't believe it's been that long. I think Steve's payment plan of marrying you is coming up around the 10 year mark. Better soak it up now." Y/N joked.

Robin faked laughed, "haha funny." She said with a smile. Smacking her wife's shoulder.

As Y/N waited for Robin to finish getting ready, she looked through their wedding book. Smiling at the memories.

"I can't get over how fucking beautiful you looked this day." Y/N sighed as she stared at her wife's beaming smile in her white suit.

"just that night?" Robin asked, clipping her necklace as she walked to sit next to Y/N.

"you know you look beautiful all the time." Y/N kissed her cheek. Laughing as her red lipstick stained Robin's cheek.

Together they looked through the book. Stopping in confusion at their wedding invitation.

"wait Rob, the date, is that right?" She asked, showing Robin the piece of paper.

Robin looked at it closely with scrunched eyebrows.

"that can't be right. We got married on October 13th!" She said, snatching the book and looking at it closer.

"the invitation says the 15th Robin! There's no way that's wrong. It's the actual invitation we sent out." Y/N tried to explain.

"Are you saying that we’ve been celebrating our wedding anniversary on the wrong day for the past nine years?" Robin asked

"babe, I think we have."

Both erupted in a huge laugh. Eyes watering and gasping for air as they held their stomaches.

"only us baby. Only us." Y/N sighed out, stomach still in pain from laughing so hard.

"well shit, do we start celebrating on the 15th instead?" Robin asked

"nah, the 13th will be our always." Y/N said with a smile.

Both not knowing their anniversary just made them even more perfect for each other

#robin buckley x female reader #robin buckley stranger things #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley #robin buckley fluff #robin Buckley fluff x reader #robin buckley requests

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herlondonboy · 2 years

Text

Kinks

Pairings: natasha romanoff x gn!reader / avengers x platonic!reader

Summary: the og 6 hunts a serial killer that attacks people that look like one of their dearly beloved

Warnings: dark!reader, murder, mentions of sex, weird kinks. This was originally written as a Jennifer Jareau fanfic, so its set in a Criminal Minds Universe. No powers or anything.

Word Count: 1.8k

You wondered how long you would be in the conference room before you could leave. You were beginning to get antsy. Sitting around, cooped up all day, waiting to catch the unsub. The serial killer with an obsession for your wife. Natasha wasn’t allowed out of the police station and was under strict watch when they realised that she was who the unsub was fantasising about. You also hadn’t seen her in 25 hours, 26 minutes and 43… 45 seconds.

It was eating you alive to say the least.

“Maybe the unsub isn’t a crazed teenager with weird sexual fantasies.” Bruce suggested, deviating away from your original profile. “There’s one twice a week, right? Well, maybe they are messy. Maybe the unsub really didn’t mean to kill these people and they just got carried away.”

“How does that retract the idea of it being a teenager?” Steve asked, a frown on his face.

“Well, look.” Bruce pointed at the burn marks where the victim had been electrocuted. “Now Tony, can you pull up a picture of how the the Widow Bite stun batons burn people.”

“On it.” Tony nodded and within seconds there was a picture that was almost identical. It was barely noticeable, but the faint outline of a web was there. This person had been in the building.

Those batons your wife designed. She had been nicknamed the Black Widow because she lured men with her looks and voice before bringing them to their demise. She wanted something of her own and the BAU liked the idea and started making them. She was so proud. You were so proud. But now they were being used for evil. She’d never look at them the same again.

“Its a sex thing. We know that they engaged in consensual intercourse before the women’s death. I think this unsub likes when their partners are in pain. They might even have dacryphilia or be a masochist. The baton is probably how they inflict that pain. Nat could’ve turned this person down a while ago and with the news of her going through an adoption, they could’ve erupted. Hence, the trigger.”

“Good work, Bruce.” Steve patted him on the back. “Y/L/N, go ask Nat to write a list of boyfriends and girlfriends that she dated in high school that she kept in touch with, and people who she met in bars.”

You nodded and slowly stood up before making your way to see your wife. You were more than giddy. Hell, you were over to moon you got to hug and kiss the woman you loved more than anything in the world again.

“Distracted, love?” Nat asked when you walked in, practically looking at her with heart eyes.

“You’re so pretty, Natty.” You whispered, wrapping your arms around her waist, pulling her into you. “There’s no one that I love more than you.” She was the reason you woke up in the morning. Without her you’d be nothing. She kept you breathing, you loved for her and her only. You don’t know what you’d do if this unsub got their hands on her. In fact, you’d kill them yourself.

“I could say the same to you, handsome.” Natasha grinned, kissing your cheek.

“Ugh.” You groaned, pushing away from her. “You’re trying to woo me with those gorgeous eyes, aren’t you?”

“Oh, you know me so well.” Nat rolled her eyes. “What are you in for then?”

You blew a raspberry. “I need a list of all ex-boyfriends or possible suitors. Anyone that has approached you in a bar. He wouldn’t have taken it well when you told him you were married. Even descriptions are good.” You stated.

“Do you have a pen and paper?”

“Of course.” You nodded, handing her the items.

“All of these people are clean.” Tony said in shock. “How often does that happen, huh?” He chuckled. You were currently with Natasha, tending to her needs as the rest of the team, Bruce, Steve, Tony, Clint, and Thor. “I guess that just leaves y/l/n.” Tony joked, But something in Clint’s mind clicked.

“A few weeks ago, three or so days before the killings started, Natasha came to me. She said that y/n had asked to do something during their sex. Nat said they pulled out their batons with a foreign smile on their face. Nat shot them down obviously and they never spoke about it again, but I’m sure you guys noticed a change in how they act around Nat, right?”

“Holy shit.” Thor breathed out. This was news. A shock to everyone around. You couldn’t… you wouldn’t. Their sweet y/n? You were the baby of the team. The youngest. Their child. Yet you… How could they be so blind? All of the signs were there. The way your arms would tighten ever so slightly whenever someone so much as looked at Natasha. How distant you had been during the investigation. They were disgusted with the thought that their genius, Anthony Stark’s own protégé, could be so cruel.

The way the knots around the woman’s wrists were tied with such care, shows that you were still the innocent little being, that you didn’t mean to kill them. But they knew what Natasha would think. If there was one thing she hated more than men, it was a cheater. Her mother had cheated on her father and ruined their family dynamic. You had taken Natasha’s heart and ripped it out of her hand and though she didn’t know yet, you were about to punch her in the gut.

You were sat on your phone, scrolling mindlessly through tweets when you were suddenly yanked to your feet. “You have the right to remain silent.” Clint said. He was on your right with Thor on your left.

“Hey, what the hell?” You asked, writhing around in your friend‘s arms.

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a caught of law.” Clint said, ignoring you. “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”

“I know my rights, Jackass. Let me go!” You yelled. you were placed into a chair in an interrogation room rather aggressively before being handcuffed to the table. “Let me out, Assholes! Let me out!” You continued to call out as the door was shut behind Clint.

“Calm down.” Clint said softly. You were shaking in anger. Your eyes were red and there were veins popping out of your neck. It was a scary sight. “We know you killed those people, y/n. Natasha turned you down so you got angry and went for the people that wouldn’t. You’re an attractive person, you take of that ring and everyone wants you, it’s crazy. But Natasha loves you. How could you do that to her?”

“I didn’t do shit.” You sat back in your chair, allowing your breathing to even out. Your fists still clenched and unclenched as did your jaw. Your anger and the look in your eyes was uncanny. Nothing they had ever seen before. “You think i’m what Natasha hates most? You think i’m her mother?” You scoffed before chuckling. “Well, kudos to you, Clinton! You cracked the case. I’ve been having sex with and accidentally murdering people with red hair, that all are 5’4 and that have the same body type as my wife before she doesn’t give me more than i deserve!” You raised your voice, slamming your hand down onto the table.

“I said calm down.” Clint repeated.

“No, i will not calm down! I did not murder those women, now i demand you let me go and allow me to see my wife.” You said. You saw Clint look down in thought and you assumed he heard something through the communications device planted in his ear.

He got up and left the room, shortly swapped with Natasha who had been filled in on everything. “Why did you do it, y/n?” Was the first thing she asked and you gulped. You couldn’t lie to her. You promised you wouldn’t. “Fucking look at me when im talking to you! Why did you do it?” She repeated lowly as you looked up at her. “Are you not going to talk?” She scoffed. Now that you got to look at her you could see the unshed tears in her eyes. It broke your heart.

“You’re too pretty to cry.” You murmured. But that seemed to be the wrong thing to say, but it was true. She was gorgeous, and now mascara was running down her face. You wanted to ravish her, to show her that she was the only one you could ever love. Her silent crying just spurred you on. It took a while, but she noticed you were getting horny when she heard you groan and saw you roll your head back in pleasure, rubbing your thighs together.

She jumped up in shock, slamming her hands on the table, making you jump and look up at her through hooded eyes. “You are crazy.” She spat.

“I did it because i love you! I love you unconditionally and yet the second i ask to do something for me you blow up. I didn’t bring it up again. I pushed it down and ignored it. But then Jennifer came along. You looked so similar and she was willing to please me. I could imagine she was you! That you were pleasing me.” You told her.

“How does any of that mean that you love me?” Natasha shook her head.

You ignored her, carrying on. “I took it too far with the electrocutions and killed her. But i apologised. You saw the note. I mourned. I experience the same emotions anyone else does. I am not crazy, Natasha. Im in love.”

It was so hard to believe. You, you of all people. You weren’t a murderer and yet you were categorised as a serial killer. You were a monster. Natasha couldn’t grasp the fact that she was going to raise kids with you. She would’ve taken one out of the adoption centre and placed it right in hell. And just like that, she was crying again. You wanted to beg her not to cry, but she stormed out almost immediately. Well, that could’ve been worse, right? She could’ve murdered you right then and there. Clint could’ve too. He and Natasha were basically siblings. You’d hate to be the one on the receiving side of their wrath. Oh, wait.

You didn’t have enough time go think before you were struck in the face. With the power of a thousand Gods. Your whole body convulsed and the chair slipped from under you as toppled over. The skin of your wrists broke around the metal cuffs and you gasped, collapsing to the ground with your hands up. You looked at the man that you once considered a brother and that once considered you a sibling through teary eyes. “Not so fun when its you crying, huh?” He asked. “Pathetic.”

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #natasha x y/n #Natasha x you #Natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x you #reader insert #criminal minds #avengers x reader #the avengers #avengers x y/n #the og 6 #elijah random #uhm #so i did a thing #marvel #fanfiction

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anxious-ace · 2 years

Text

Angus Sparrow headcanons/ideas:

41 years old

Demisexual demi-boy (he/they)

Henrik's older brother (by like 3-4 years)

Which makes the two of them German-Australian

Born hollow (or soul-less, according to the rules of my QFTIM AU)

Lived with his Australian mother on Rook Island while Henrik lived with their German father on Ego Island

Grew up training, fighting, and hunting

(Even went to a survival camp as a kid)

Met Ellieanna on one of his hunts

Had to fight in the war against Ego Island after making his last survival hunter video

Has some kind of thing against Seán because of the whole "10 videos than nothing for 9 years" thing (or that's what he thinks)

Vulnerable to Anti's attacks thanks to not being around him long enough to build up some kind of immunity (like the other septics have been able to do) and the whole being born hollow thing

Henrik and Marvin worked on some kind of serum to prevent attacks from Anti (and infections from a certain zombie boi)

(He bites people as a sign of friendship)

(All of the septics got the second one, only Angus needed the first one)

Ok but a piece of Anti being used to (I'm just guessing here) keep Angus alive and prevent attacks from Anti himself

Is the reason the Rook Island refugees were able to get out (burned the force field down after getting his face burned on it)

Needs special (sun)glasses to protect his left eye because of said burn

Took up a hitman kind of job after the war (it pays him $50 a target killed)

Saw what his survival hunter job was doing to the environment and he is now trying to reverse it

(His fans and team also started yelling at him about it so he kinda had to do something about it)

Their last name was originally Burke and it went through many changes, starting when he married Ellieanna Hall (who made him change his last name), then he divorced her after years of abuse and changed his last name to Sparrow to distance himself from her, got engaged to Melissa two years later and has been a Sparrow ever since despite their engagement

(I know the whole Angus Irwin thing is a reference to Steve Irwin and he was a great guy, but same thing I said about me naming Mrs. Afton Summer instead of Clara, I want to be original)

Amelia was 4 when her parents finally divorced and 6 when he got engaged to Melissa and when Gavin was born (the last two took place during the very beginning of the Rook war)

I have mentioned Angus' team like maybe twice now but I haven't shown or explained them, but I did say that Melissa is the lead researcher (she researches the different animals and environments they deal with on their adventures)

(I'll get to it I promise)

Locals also love to help out (as well as give him contracts dealing with animals, old habits die hard I guess)

Mr. Monboutu (the guy he sold crocodile skins to in one of his videos, I don't know how the fuck I'm supposed to spell his name) was the one who, after seeing how skilled he is, recommend him to the hitman service he now works for

He absolutely carries a knife or machete on him at all times (its self-defense relax)

I did say that he was the one to discover Sam, this was on Rook Island naturally

Sam has since become his emotional support eyeball

Wilford has interviewed them before (after the Rook war) and lets just say, it didn't go well

No one died but there were a lot of personal questions being asked

(Mostly about the war and his involvement)

He also asked him about the fact that you never see his face during his series (in-universe show)

Its because he doesn't want Ellieanna or his parents to find him, he also just doesn't like being able to see his face (this includes in videos, photos, and mirrors, like Michael Afton and his facial dysmorphia)

They are both extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others, can't be seen or appears minor (scars and maybe some acne in their teenage years) mixed with a belief that others take special notice of their appearances negatively or mock them

(To be honest I kinda feel the same way)

He might be an alcoholic but he won't admit it

(Hey, it makes it easier for him and Chase to get along so theres that)

He knows ASL and BSL so he can talk to Jameson easily

He sees Robbie as his nephew (Henrik sees zomboy as his son)

He is the uncle who gives you a knife for your 4th birthday (he did this with his own kids though)

(Must've gotten it from his own uncle, the habit not the knife he gave Amelia)

The knife he carries with is the one his uncle gave him though

Mans has some fucked up nightmares (thanks tramua, and Anti)

Is closer to the non-canon septics than he is to his parents (can you blame him?)

He is close to the canon septics don't get me wrong, it's just, why the fuck isn't he canon when he was made years before them and had his own fucking series?

Has this mark/branding on his shoulder from the survival camp

His birthmark looks like a bow and arrow (its like they were destined to hunt)

I think he'd be paranoid after hearing about whatever the fuck I.R.I.S is doing

(I'm imaging that I.R.I.S functions similarly to the SCP foundation but I have no fucking idea)

His parents and Ellieanna made him feel like he did something wrong or that he deserved to be abandoned

Mans is fucked up ok

Thank god for Henrik, Melissa, and the psychologist

The whole "being born hollow" thing is me taking the "egos have souls" page out of the septic/soul scape book

(The playlist I made for him makes him sound like this revolution leader and gender role destroyer, so basically a fucked up bad bitch)

How he and Mr. Monboutu met I have no idea, let's just say something went wrong on a hunt, they made a deal and now he's Angus' best buyer (yes he sells the skins to other Rook Island residents and yes the whole thing is surprisingly legal, just don't expect the same to be true on Ego Island)

He plays a lot of instruments (guitar, drums, violin, piano, and more)

Allergies to peanuts and seafood

Has a suit that basically keeps him alive while he's hunting (Like SCP 5000 does for Pietro Wilson), he also uses it for hitman shit

Either he made it himself or Henrik made it for him

Uses art, hunting, cooking, baking, and more as coping mechanisms

Abandonment issues and separation anxiety through the roof

Since Melissa is getting training for her job at some kind of research facility (not I.R.I.S, that's Ellieanna) during the day, they're only going to get worse

I don't think he had a motive for signing the hitman contract that Mr. Monboutu wrote for him other than "I need money and there are people that I know others would rather do without."

Still hunts at night and sleeps during the day

Bennet (Mark's character in Resident Enis) and he are childhood friends who met in the survival camp Angus went to

(He and Illinois are brothers which is how Angus met the latter)

Has a journal full of every creature he encountered as well as different types of soul stones (stones that house scape dwellers' souls)

(Scape dwellers are the egos, canon and otherwise, and non-egos who live in the mind-scape, naturally)

#my ocs #angus the survival hunter #jacksepticeye egos #ego islands au

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roger-that-cap · 3 years

Text

peace

natasha romanoff x fem!reader

summary: natasha wanted to marry you more than she wanted everything, but how was she supposed to propose to you and ask you to be hers forever when she couldn’t give you even the simplest of things?

warnings: so this is minimal angst, don’t be fooled, this is fluff, ya know the drill. this may or may not be cheesy, but i tried

word count: 6.4k, short and sweet

so, i listened to peace by taylor swift while i wrote this one. take that information how you wish lollll. also, not edited!

Natasha met you years ago. You were the bright eyed girl at the front counter of an ice cream shop near the tower, soft serve shop. Natasha, ever the reader of mankind, immediately knew that you were kind, patient and simply sweet. Sweeter than the vanilla cone she had treated herself to, the one that you had made yourself because your coworkers were on an extra long break that wasn’t exactly authorized.

You knew who she was, but you didn’t ask her for anything. No autograph, no murmuring of a catchphrase, nothing about whether or not Captain America would be into you. Natasha admired that. She loved that she saw the flash of excitement and recognition in your eyes, but that it never went further than you asking her if she wanted sprinkles.

That one encounter led to many more. Soon, you two were on a date, after you had been brave enough to ask if she wanted to go on a picnic in the park after she kept coming into the store. And that one date was enough for you both to know that you wanted to see each other again, and again, and again.

You and Natasha spent two months dating each other before making it official, and it was the best decision either of you had ever made.

You made her feel like she was needed and loved, and she made you feel like you were cherished and safe. The feeling that you got when you looked at her was just so… natural. You weren’t worried about angering her, or about messing up in front of her. She made you feel calm, and one look at her washed all the jitters out of your nerves easily.

And in return, there was no one on the entire planet that made Natasha as happy as you did. You were the one, and it was almost over night when she realized that you were it.

One night, she was in bed next to you after a long day of training recruits and having a briefing for an upcoming mission. She had only been in your apartment for about twenty minutes, just lying in your gentle and welcoming arms, and she was fighting the urge to nod off where she felt safest. She was tired, but she knew one thing above everything else, and it was that she wasn’t going to waste an entire night with you because she wanted to sleep.

“You don’t have to stay awake, sprinkles.” You said to her in the dark room, your hand smoothing her hair. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you all day.” Maybe that’s when Natasha should have noticed. When the urge to talk to you was stronger than the drive that she had while training recruits, or when she nearly forgot that she couldn’t go home early because of how much she was just ready to.

“I won’t be upset, you work hard,” you said softly. “You deserve some peace and quiet. Sleep, I’ve got you.”

Natasha did a few things for the first time in a long time that night.

One: she felt at peace enough to fall asleep immediately.

Two: she went to sleep with the sound of someone humming in her ear.

Three: she realized that she was completely in love with her girlfriend.

There were plenty of times that hinted to her that she was falling in love. She looked for you or an essence of you everywhere, from seeing something the color of your eyes to looking over at your favorite brand of yogurt in the grocery store and contemplating buying it. Whenever you smiled, she couldn’t help but grin twice as big. If you laughed, she was happy. When you were upset, she wanted nothing more than to make it better, than to eliminate whatever it had been that made you feel that way. She would do anything for you. And she really believed that you would do anything for her right back.

Your relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was damn near it. It was the thing Natasha was most proud of, just like you were the person that Natasha was proudest of to call hers. And she wanted that. She wanted you to be hers for the rest of your life, and she wanted nothing more than to be officially yours.

And that was why she stood in a high end jewelry store that specialized in special rings, closed for two hours from the public just for her. And Tony and Steve, who desperately wanted to tag along.

Tony was more of the planner and the doer. He was the one pointing out the rings that seemed pretty, the ones that looked like they would fit your style. He was the businessman, ready to negotiate price even though he could easily afford the entire store ten times over. Steve, however, was the mother hen. Hovering mostly silently, an excited buzz flowing out and touching everyone else in the vicinity. He was excited for Natasha, it was obvious, and he also wanted to make her feel as comfortable and ready as possible.

“That one’s pretty, isn’t it?” Tony muttered, pointing towards an intricate ring with a diamond in the middle of the studded band. “Y/N likes stuff like that.”

“No she doesn’t,” Steve cut in, and he pointed to a ring that was quite literally the opposite of the one Tony was referring to. It was a simple ring, one with a silver band and a decently sized diamond in the middle. It was clearly an engagement ring, but it wasn’t flashy. “That one is probably closer to what she’d like.”

Everyone in the tower knew you well. Natasha made sure that you knew her friends well when you two started to get really involved. You introduced her to your siblings and parents, and she let you meet her own family, the Avengers. Natasha remembered the day that you met everyone vividly. Everyone had loved you immediately, and she was so proud of the way that you handled yourself while being so nervous. Hell, she was always proud of you.

You made fast and sturdy friendships with everyone and fit in well, and that was all Natasha could ever ask for. Eventually, she started to bring you over at least once a week just to hang out with everyone, to get you familiar with every member of her found family.

Perhaps that was another sign that she should have taken and read. She had never introduced a significant other to the family that she cherished so much, not once before you.

“Steve’s right,” Natasha murmured, and she heard Tony’s playful scoff. “But I have no idea when I’m going to actually do it.”

“You don’t have a trip planned?” Tony asked incredulously. “Well, I can schedule anything you want, whenever you want. Just ask me.”

Natasha knew exactly what Tony was referring to. He had gone above and beyond for every romantic gesture that was ever for Pepper, and Natasha knew that your relationship wasn’t like that. You didn’t need grand gestures or long trips to beaches. The both of you were happier than ever just being with each other. She knew that you would cry in the middle of a Wendy’s if she popped the question there and held her hand patiently waiting for the ring. The location mattered the least.

“We probably won’t do a trip, that’ll make it obvious.” There was one thing that Natasha was very picky about that had to do with the whole affair, and that was surprise. She wanted you to be the most pleasantly surprised you had ever been in your life, and she wanted to watch those beautiful eyes of yours light up and start to water in the most joyous of ways. She wanted the cheesy hand-over-heart move, the hand grabbing, the excited chatter of a small gathering of random people looking. And most of all, she wanted to hear your elated yes and she wanted to slip the ring onto your ring finger, and she never wanted to see it off from that moment on.

But that was just her.

Natasha, Steve, and Tony spent another hour in the jewelry store. The owner was buzzing around, clearly excited for the amount of business that their presence was sure to rope in. He took a picture of them and promised not to release it until Natasha proposed, even though he was quite literally bursting at the seams to brag about it. In the end, Natasha ended up getting a pretty ring with a silver band and a nice sized diamond, simple and just your type.

They were on their way out when Tony spotted paparazzi. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Okay, I’ll go first to lead them away.”

“Why?”

“If Y/N sees you on a tabloid at a ring shop with me and Steve… the surprise is up.” Tony made a clicking noise with his tongue and left without anything else to say, strolling out and indeed leading all of the people with cameras away from the shop, all of them entranced by the billionaire.

To be safe, Natasha and Steve waited for a few more minutes before walking out and getting jumbled in with the crowd. Her grip on the bag was tight, and she was holding the box in her hand through it. So, are you excited?”

“Not as excited as you,” she teased, but even she could hear the nerves in her voice. “I just don’t wanna ruin anything.”

“Please,” Steve scoffed. “Y/N is so in love with you that I forget that you two aren’t already married, honestly.”

Steve saying it aloud made Natasha’s heart race, even though she already knew that. That was one of the million wonderful qualities about you. She never had to ask you for validation, because you told her with everything you did. You tapped her hand three times at parties. You whispered it into her ear before you both went to sleep. You kissed her cheek or her jaw when she started to get antsy, and rubbed her back while you did it. Every touch, every kiss, every breath that the both of you took told the other that you loved them. There was no question about that.

“So, what are you worried about? She’ll say yes. Everyone knows that.”

If only Steve knew that it was so much more than you saying a three letter word instead of a two letter one.

They walked back in silence to the tower, comfortable silence between two friends who were both deep in their own heads even as they swiped their clearance cards and went into the elevator.

§§

Natasha always felt bad when she lied to you, no matter how small or white the lie was. One day, it was small and for the both of you, but it still didn’t smooth the guilt.

She had told you that she had a late night meeting, top secret, and that she would call you when you could come up in her room. “So, that’s the plan.”

“You’re gonna pop the question of your lives in the park?” Tony asked, a brow quirked upwards. “Well, to each their own.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “That’s a really sweet idea, Nat. Tony, here, is just annoying.”

“Thank you, Wanda.” Natasha said, and then turned to the billionaire. “So, what would you do, then?”

“I would go on a crui-”

“Yeah, I’m thinking Nat wants a more casual approach,” Sam said, giving Tony a once over. “So the park would be great.”

“I know,” she said absentmindedly, thoughts already on the next hour, where she would be on the couch in her quarters with you, watching one of your favorite shows together.

“We’re still allowed to come, right?” Wanda asked, gently bringing Natasha out of her thoughts.

“Of course.” That was another thing she really wanted. Her family had to see everything happen first hand, that was non negotiable. “Just lurk in the shadows, she’ll know what's happening if she sees all of you.”

That night, she left the tower to go to your apartment rather than just have you come over and swipe your card that Tony had made you. She figured that the less people around that knew about the proposal, the less likely it was that someone was going to spoil it.

She wasn’t an idiot. Weddings were special to you. Hell, when you were younger, you used to want to be a wedding planner. Natasha knew that a goal in your life was to be loved by someone so much that they wanted to spend their life with you, and luckily, the both of you found that in each other.

“Baby,” Natasha called when she stepped through the threshold of your apartment, her ears already pricked up as she heard the television coming from the room that you had moved half of her belongings into. She smiled as she walked closer, purposely making her footfalls a little louder so that she didn’t startle you.

You were smiling at her when she opened the door to the bedroom, and Natasha felt her heart stutter for a second as she caught her bearings. “Hi, sprinkles. How was work?”

She would never get tired of the sound of your voice. “It was alright.” Natasha walked over to you, and you leaned into her hand, the same one that always reached for your face and cradled your cheek, her own little greeting. “You weren’t there, so.”

“Sadly I was doing soft serve,” you said, rolling your eyes at the customers you had encountered. “And one woman was particularly… not nice.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby.” Natasha said softly, pulling you closer. “At least now all you have to worry about is sitting down in time to catch your show.”

“That is my only worry,” You agreed playfully. “Come sit, I’m tired. And I know you are, too.”

§§

Natasha thought that she was going to do it as you walked through the park, on a trail that the rest of the Avengers were following you on flawlessly. She was surprised that they could keep that quiet for that long, especially Steve, with his non-stealthy physique and training. But they were doing it. In a way, it made Natasha worried out of her mind that you couldn’t feel that five people were trailing you. But she forced that part of her mind, the one that was always so overwhelmed with the need to keep you close and safe, to the back of her mind, and instead felt for the little box in her pocket.

“Oh, do you hear that bird singing?” You asked softly, trying not to disturb the peace. She watched your eyes scan the tips of the trees, watching as a smile grew on your face and planting one of her own. “I wish I could see it.”

“You go bird watching all the time,” Natasha mused at you, and you snorted a bit.

“But we never really sit down and do it together,” you said after a moment, and just like that, Natasha’s excitement was dried out. Her fingers left the box in her jacket pocket, and her hand swung at her side with the other held by your hand.

“What?”

“We just don’t do it much, ‘s all.” Like you sensed that you had said something that changed the mood of your little stroll, you turned to look at her. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

But there was. There was everything wrong with that statement. Mostly because it was one hundred percent true. The two of you didn’t have any time to bird watch or stargaze like you wanted to. And it wasn’t on your end, no, it was on her’s.

She came home late more often than not. She left early in the morning, sometimes before the sun even rose. She was sent on missions that were weeks long, sometimes even months. Sometimes, she didn’t even get to warn you or say goodbye before she had to get on a quinjet, just up and leaving and sending a text, apologizing for things she couldn’t control.

“Nat?” She hadn’t even realized that she stopped walking. But she had. Her arm was stretched out towards you because you hadn’t dropped her hand yet, and you closed the gap between the two of you with a look of concern on your face. “You okay?”

“Um, yeah.” She cleared her throat and rubbed her face with her hand, blinking a few times as the familiar guilty feeling burned in her chest like acid. “Wanna keep walking?”

For the rest of the walk, Natasha was stuck in her head. She was good at multitasking, so she indulged you and your words to the best of her ability while she thought about how terrible she felt for you. She couldn’t even take you birdwatching. And she thought that you would want to marry her?

“Are you ready to head back, darling?” Natasha asked once the sun started to finally make its retreat, and after she felt that the others had left and were far ahead of them. They knew her just as well as you did, and they knew that it wasn’t the day that she was going to ask.

“As long as it’s with you,” you murmured, and then you turned around to press your lips to hers in an innocent, binding kiss, and then pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Natasha said back just as sincerely, wrapping her arms around you and hugging you right in the trail, closing her eyes tight and waiting for the feet and doubt to subside.

It didn’t.

§§

It took two more failed attempts for Steve to finally come knocking on her door one night. The night of the third failed proposal attempt, everyone was anxious to see a ring on your finger, and everyone just wanted it to be done so that they could plan the wedding.

Natasha was not on the same page.

At first, the team was confused. Natasha’s love for you never wavered. It was as certain as the sun rising and falling, as the tide coming in and going out. It was constant, and it never faltered. So her backing out of making it official, of finally tying to knot with you, confused everyone. And then, they thought about what exactly made the change in conversation.

Wanda was the one to crack the code. She subtly picked at Natasha’s mind during the last of the failed proposals, and when she came back out into the present, she didn’t seem surprised at all.

The first thing that Wanda said when they all got back to the car was, “she doesn’t think that she’s enough.”

Doubt.

Natasha Romanoff never doubted herself. She was the best assassin in the world, capable of literally anything that she put her mind to. She had no reason to doubt herself. Until she started to work for someone else, not just for herself.

“What is she doubting?” Tony muttered, the exhaustion at watching one of the boldest people he knew dancing around a woman who clearly loved her to death. “Y/N is going to say yes. She would say it if Nat asked her on the toilet.”

“No, it’s not that,” Wanda said softly, shaking her head. “She thinks that she’s… neglecting her. That her presence isn’t often enough. She feels guilty about her job.”

Silence.

That was something many of them who had relationships dealt with. The balance between domestic life and life as an Avenger was hard to achieve. Not only did the Avenger have to know when to separate things. The Avenger also had to find someone who knew what they did, what their job entailed, and that they would both have to make sacrifices. You knew how to do those things. So what was the problem?

“Y/N takes the distance and the danger really well,” Steve stated. “So, what’s the problem?”

Wanda shrugged. “There was… there was more. But I didn’t have enough time to really see.”

While the others tried to figure out what was going on the the former assassin’s brain, Natasha was back in her room, sitting and twiddling her thumbs as she thought. Her eyes kept going back to the box, resting on it very now and then before she looked away in apprehension.

There were three knocks on her door, way too harsh and precise to be you. Besides, you hardly ever knocked, just as she never knocked on your door. “Um,” Natasha started, and then her brows furrowed as she put the ring in a drawer just in case. “Come in.”

Steve Rogers was standing at her door, arms crossed, a slightly disappointed look set on his face. “What’s up?”

Natasha raised a perfect brow. “You came to my room, Cap.” She crossed her arms as well, even though they both knew that neither was on the defensive. “Are you okay?”

“Why haven’t you done it yet?”

Her heart dropped to her toes, but she knew how to control her facial expressions. She was sure that she would never lose that skill, no matter how old she got and how much she would start to forget things. “Done what?”

Steve shut the door. “You haven’t proposed to her yet. Why not?”

“The time wasn’t right.”

“That’s a lie.”

She wasn’t used to Rogers calling her out so fast. Typically, she was an A list liar, and the only person she failed at lying to was you. She rarely ever did that, and when she did, it was for the better. Like, when she would tell you that she would be back within a few hours knowing that it would be about two nights still. Or when she would tell you that she wasn’t hurt, knowing good and well she had been bleeding out five minutes not even two minutes before she made the call.

The second lie that came to mind came flying out of her mouth. “I’m scared she’ll say no.”

Steve rolled his eyes, to Natasha’s surprise and sligh humor. “She’d find a way to say yes to you even in the afterlife, Natasha. You can’t play the lying game. Not with me, not with us, and especially not with her.”

“Why are you so worked up right now?”

“Because you deserve happiness, and it’s right there in front of you. You’re throwing it away, for what?”

“I never said that I wasn’t going to propose,” the redhead defended, but Steve just put his hands on his hips.

“I can see it in your eyes. You’re not going to unless someone pushes you, and because Y/N can’t in this situation, then I will.” His “Captain” voice was on. “It’s much more than you being worried about something that won’t ever happen, so what’s wrong, Natasha?”

Natasha stood there for a second, her eyes narrowed on him as her face stayed still, and her mind raced a thousand miles an hour. She pursed her lips after a few seconds and breathed in, trying to decide whether or not to spill everything to one of the people that she trusted the most in life, one of the few that she trusted with her very life itself. Her mouth started moving before she could even approve its speech.

“Because of who I am and what I do, I can never give her what she deserves. I can never give her the suburban life, the calm life, the one where all she has to worry about is whether or not she’ll have to go to the store to get more cheese. I can never give her that.”

“I have money, she’ll never have to worry about going hungry or not being able to do things, yes, but at what cost? At the cost of me leaving her by herself one day for forever because of one wrong step? At the cost of me not being there to hold her at night or wake up with her in the morning? I can’t even do simple things with her like stargazing because I don’t have time for it. I don’t have time for her, do you realize how horrible that is? How terrible I feel?”

Whatever Steve was expecting, it surely wasn’t that. Natasha was never one to have an outburst, even with the people she was the most comfortable with. But there she was, spilling all of the feelings she had been harboring within seconds, her eyes resting on Steve’s as they both refused to look away for more than a few seconds at a time.

“I can never give her a calm life without worry, or without pain. She’ll have to be scared about whether or not I got shot in Siberia, or if I’m rotting somewhere at the bottom of a cliff, or if I’m a prisoner halfway across the world. All I bring to the table is worry, and all I want to give her is what she gives me every second I’m with her. Peace. I want that so badly, and she deserves it more than anything. And I can’t give it to her.”

Steve was silent for a moment, and a singular moment turned into two. “Have you ever asked her what she wants?”

The question stopped Natasha’s erratic thoughts in their tracks. “What?”

“Natasha, she’s been with you for years now, and I’ve never heard her complain about your job. I’ve never even seen her cry about you being gone more than anyone else would. She knows what you do, and she knew that when she agreed to be your girlfriend. She wouldn’t have stayed with you if she couldn’t handle it.”

“How do I know she’s handling it?”

“Ask her.” Steve said softly, like he was nudging her with his words alone. “You’ll only know if you ask her.”

As she drove to your apartment that night, her mind was buzzing with nerves. “Ask her,” she mocked, making her voice deeper. “Not that easy.”

The door was open when she got there, enough to make Natasha shout your name with anxiety in her voice, and that sound was enough to make you come poking your head out from the kitchen.

“You alright, sprinkles?”

Natasha could breathe again. And when she inhaled, she smelled chicken in the air. She grinned. “Perfect now,” she said, shutting the door, locking it, and walking over to you.

§§

It hit her in bed with you that she should bring it up. You two always had conversations before bed, it didn’t matter what about. Sometimes, the conversations were as serious as a heart attack, and other times, they were about whether or not Candyland was a good game. That night, it was leaning on the more serious side.

“Y/N,” Natasha called softly, and you hummed in response. “Do you… are you happy? With me?”

The soft humming that was coming from your throat cut off abruptly at the question, a question Natasha had never asked you before. To say that you were confused was an understatement. You two had almost always been on the same page, and if one of you were to be unhappy, the other would know. “Of course I am, Natasha. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Do you think that my job complicates things between us?”

Natasha sat up after you did, looking at her like she was in the process of growing a second head. “What?” Before she couldn’t say much else, you were talking again. “Who put that idea into your head? No, your job doesn’t put a strain on us, unless you feel something on your side?”

“No, no,” Natasha rushed out. “I just… I don't want you to feel like I’m neglecting you. I don’t want you to feel like you’re not getting what you need from me, as a w-girlfriend.”

“Natasha,” your voice was soft in the night, a satisfied and sweet whisper that never failed to calm her nerves. “You give me everything I could ever ask for. You always have, and I think you always will. Is this about stargazing?”

“What?”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you got weird when we were walking in the park,” you said softly, your fingers tracing little hearts on her back. “I told you that we didn’t go stargaze or bird watching together, and you got upset. Is that what this is about?”

She couldn’t lie to you. “Somewhat.”

“Oh, Nat,” you said, and you pulled her closer to you, resting your head on her chest and listening to her heartbeat, steady and constant. “I don’t care about that. All I care about is you.”

“Do you even see enough of me?”

“Your job does not affect me whatsoever,” you answered. “I knew who you were and what you did when I asked you to go to that picnic with me, remember? I knew exactly what you did, and I knew around how much I could or could not be seeing you. I knew everything. So, why would I back out now after all these years? And why would I leave you?”

You had no idea how soothing your words were to Natasha in that moment. To you, it was just reassurance, affirmative words. To her, it was everything. It was the solution to all of her worries regarding the ring that was in her dresser back at the Tower.

“The point is, I could wait up for you to get home until four in the morning and make dinner for you after a long mission every day for the rest of my life, if you wanted me to.” The tracing of hearts never stopped on Natasha’s skin, but her breathing surely did for a second. “Because, what’s losing a few days compared to sharing a lifetime?”

Natasha smiled as the fear washed out of her system like it had never been there. More or less, you had just confessed to her that you wanted to be with her for a lifetime, and that for that lifetime, you didn’t mind any of the things that she was worried about. She was going to do it.

§§

After a short chat with the team, Natasha was finally ready. Like they could all tell that it was the day, they gave her a serious pep talk and Tony even muttered his premature congratulations, even though Wanda insisted that saying it before was a form of bad luck.

The plan was set. She was going to get you from work, pretend like you were going to go to dinner, and then take you stargazing. And then, she was going to pop the question. And hopefully, most likely, you were going to say “yes”.

When her car rolled up to the windows of your store while you were cleaning, you laughed. “Hi, Nat! What’s up?”

“Just here to pick you up,” she said with a smile, and your grinned at her.

“Alright, give me fifteen.”

By the time you had gotten home, gotten dressed and were both seated in the car, Natasha’s hands were sweaty, and the weight of the little box was somehow heavier than anything Natasha had ever carried before. Her leg was bouncing up and down in the driver’s seat, and she hoped that you paid no mind to it.

“It’s pretty tonight,” you mused, and she nodded.

“Yep, very clear.” And it was pure luck. She thanked all the gods that were ever worshipped that it was a clear night. “You can see everything.”

“Yeah, you can.”

“Do you… do you wanna go look at the stars?” She asked, and you turned your head to the side to look at her, a spark in your eyes that had just caught flame.

“You didn’t reserve anything, right?”

Natasha had forgotten about the fake dinner already, her eager mind already onto the next stage. “Oh? No. I didn’t.”

“Then, we should ditch the food and do that. I’ll make you dinner after.”

When Natasha parked on the side of the road, it was empty. It was emptier than it usually was at night, and the closest street lights were off. It made it much easier to see the stars. You were the first one to sit down on the dry grass, and you patted the spot beside you, urging Natasha to sit down with you. The second she did, you laid down and sighed, eyes on the sky.

After a few moments of holding hands with eyes to the stars, roaming the dark blue sky in silence, you quietly began to speak. “It’s so pretty,” you murmured. “I haven’t done this in forever, and I hardly remember what it was like, but I can’t imagine that any other time could have been better than a time with you.”

Natasha turned her head into your neck, resting it there like she always did. “I love you,” she whispered, and you shivered at the intensity laced between the three words, the sincerity warming your heart. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” you responded, just as genuinely. You tapped her hand three times with your pointer finger, saying it twice. “More than I love the stars.”

You two stayed there for hours, just watching the sky and ignoring the dull hunger pains that kept leaving and coming back. You spent a little time pointing out constellations, and Natasha told you how to navigate using the stars. Eventually, it was time to leave, and Natasha reached her hand out to you once she stood up.

Natasha slowly walked you towards the car, but you didn’t notice how out of character it was for her to walk without a sense of urgency in the moment. She knew that you couldn’t hear their footsteps, but she could. They were soft and familiar, trying not to alert you of their presence, and they were succeeding. Natasha cleared her throat softly and swallowed her fears.

“Y/N,” she started, and you furrowed your brows at the usage of your name. “Do you remember how we first met?”

You stopped walking, your back towards the approaching people. “Of course I do,” you responded, a smile on your face as you reminisced. “You ordered a cone with no sprinkles, what a weirdo.”

“Is it weird for me to say that I knew?”

“Knew what?”

“I knew that you were going to be a part of my life somehow. Whether it was going to be a friendship, a relationship, or even just an acquaintanceship, I didn’t know. But I knew you’d be around.”

“That’s so sweet, Tasha.” Your bottom lip poked out and you went in to hug her, closing your eyes as you held her tight and then pulled away. “I think I knew after our third date.”

Natasha cracked a smile, even though she felt like she was going to throw up. “Coney Island?”

“Coney Island,” you confirmed, eyes glimmering under the starlight. Natasha was about to get lost in them, well on her way, before she shook her head and cleared her throat again, checking behind you discreetly to make sure that everyone was hiding before she turned you both sideways, so that your side profiles were visible to the others.

“But… you have the most beautiful soul that I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. You're everything I could ever dream of asking for, and I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything in my life. You’re my day and night, my high tide and low tide, and you’re the only person I’ll ever admit that I need. Because it’s true. You give me a peace that I never hoped to ever receive from anything, and I love you even more for that. You are just… you’re the one for me. And I…” she swallowed as her eyes tore away from yours, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her jacket. “I’m sorry I’m no good at speeches, but I...”

She reached into both pockets at the same time and pulled the box out in a swift movement, and before you even knew what she had done, she was on one knee right in front of you. A strangled noise came from your throat, a gasp and a sigh all the same, and then you put one hand over your mouth.

Natasha’s eyes were watering, and so were yours. “I would be the luckiest woman in the world, the most privileged and honored person in the entire universe, if you let me marry you.”

There was utter silence for a second besides your harsh and surprised breathing. Then, a gasp left your mouth. “Natasha!” You shrieked, a hand still over your mouth as the tears ran down your face, reflecting the joy you felt on the inside. Your emotions roared and rushed inside of you, like a furious river of elation. You blinked rapidly, but you were so happy that your eyes didn’t even get that familiar burning feeling that came with the tears.

“Is that even a fucking question?” You bent down to her level and your lips met hers, passionately and full of love and relief. Neither of you noticed the clapping and cheers after being so immersed in each other.

Natasha pulled away, a shit-eating grin on her face as she started to say something to you, right when you noticed everyone else around you. “Wait, baby, let me put the-”

“Have you been here the whole time?” You shouted towards the rest of the team, who were all watching with proud and excited expressions, and Wanda nodded.

“Most of the time,” she grinned, and you wiped the tears from your face, only to see the one and only Tony Stark recording you and Natasha, who was still on one knee in front of you, holding one of your hands.

“Can I?” Natasha asked from her kneeling position, gesturing towards the ring, and you nodded excitedly. She slipped it on your left ring finger, and you yanked her up with such excitement that she was sure that one of her bones popped, but she didn’t care. She kissed you again, a sweet and meaningful kiss, before she hugged you tightly.

“Thank you.”

You would have been confused if you weren’t on a high. You were going to get married. To Natasha. You were going to have forever with her, like you always wanted. “For what?”

She kissed the shell of your ear softly, and then your jaw and cheek, right where you always kissed her. “For everything, darling.” You leaned back into her, your face in her neck, and she made brief eye contact with her friends, who were all looking at the display of affection with soft eyes and even more tender hearts. She closed her eyes as she felt your heart beating against her chest, savoring the feeling of being so close to the woman that she loved unconditionally, her soon-to-be wife. “For everything.”

****

hey guys! hope y’all liked this one, i wrote it in two hours, and then thought about deleting it, but here she stands. if you liked it, feel free to like and reblog! comments are also widely appreciated, i love those! also, i wanna make friends up here so feel free to blow up my messages! hope you have a great day/night 💕

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff fluff #lgbt #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #natasha x you #the avengers #black widow #natasha fluff

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bonky-n-steeb · 3 years

Text

𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐵𝐸𝑆𝑇 𝐷𝐴𝑌

𝘽𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙔 𝘽𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙭 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍

𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧: doctor!reader has no clue that Bucky is a secret agent and she soon finds out.

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: Fluff, minor angst.

ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅ, sᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ

MASTERLIST

Bucky was finally back from his business trip. He had been gone for two whole weeks and you both had missed each other terribly.

Today he had decided to make it up to you, and had taken a day off from his work, and so had you. Instead of a simple date, you both had decided to spend the entire day idly roaming around the city. It was a nice reprieve from all the stress that came with being a surgeon.

While walking, you stopped in front of your favorite boutique. The dresses there were expensive but chic and you were friends with the owner and designer, Maria. Whenever you wore one, you used to turn all the heads in the room. Currently there was no special occasion coming up, and you already had enough of the dresses so you decided to window shop.

“Why don’t we go inside?” Bucky asked. “Buck, I already have so many of the dresses and I don’t need another one as there is no special event coming up anytime soon.”

“My doll doesn’t need a special occasion to look good.” He said kissing your temple. “Buck...” you tried to protest but he nevertheless dragged you in.

“Welcome! And congratulations you are our lucky customers.” You looked at her dumbstruck, Maria wasn’t a person to give any discounts. “Lucky customers?” You asked.

“Yes, today is the 7-year anniversary. And we had agreed that the first person to walk in the boutique would get 75% off on any dress of their choice.” She said with an infectious smile.

“75% off? On any dress?” You squealed. You looked up at Bucky and he gave you his signature smirk. You were a sucker for sales. As you looked around, your eyes were captivated by a dress. It was maroon, with long bell-shaped sleeves. It had a V-shaped neckline and was a flowing gown.

“You like that one doll?” Bucky asked as he saw you staring at the gown. He knew you would like that one. “Yes. I love it.” You said excitedly. “Alright then, pack it.” In your excitement you failed to notice the understanding nod shared between Bucky and Maria.

You were super excited and were talking nonstop. That was one of your traits when you got excited. You couldn’t believe you walked in at the right time, and the credit was Buck’s, he was the one who dragged you in. You couldn’t believe your luck.

The next you decided to visit the bookstore you usually frequented. The moment you entered, the book store clerk, Simone happily waved at you as if she was waiting just for you.

“I have something for you.” She said as she bent down and produced a book. It was your favorite one. “Open it. It’s a signed copy.” You couldn’t believe your eyes. Your favorite author had signed that book along with a sweet message scribbled just for you. “Oh my goddddd!!”

You couldn’t believe that this day was even real. “Bucky, I don’t know what is happening today, but it’s already the best day of my life.” You squealed and he pulled you closer to him, “It’s definitely the best day of our lives.” He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips.

After around an hour later, your beauty salon lady called up and informed you about her latest offer. And so, you decided to give her a visit while Bucky went home. Once you were done, you were looking exquisite.

You were too euphoric to notice all the coincidences. Everything was perfect until you went home. Bucky face was worried. “What happened? You look worried.”

“It’s Nat’s birthday today. We both forgot. Don’t worry, Steve has arranged a party. So now let’s get dressed and go.” Nat and Steve were Bucky’s colleagues and best friends.

You knew this universe was giving you signs. After all the shopping you did, it was worth it. You decided to wear the new elegant dress.

When Bucky saw you and his jaw dropped. He himself was wearing an expensive navy-blue suit. “I swear to god, if it weren’t so important, we would’ve never left this house.”

Once you reached the location, you were surprised to find no one was there and it was completely dark. But then a sudden focus of light was out on where you stood with Bucky.

Just then Bucky got down on his knees and produced a velvet box. “Will you make me the luckiest man alive by marrying me?” He looked flustered and scared. Without thinking twice, you squealed “YES!”

Apparently, Bucky had already bought that dress for you, there was no offer at Maria’s. Also, he had arranged for the signed copy and the salon well. He just wanted it to be the best day of your life in all sense.

———

Maybe you had been wrong. It had been a week since your engagement, but today was the best day of your life.

After learning the news, you had been euphoric. You wanted to tell Bucky as soon as possible, but he was too busy today and you knew better than to disturb him.

Before going home, you decided to celebrate a little and went to the nearby cafe. You ordered your favorite pastry and sat at one of the tables.

Suddenly there was a small pat on your shoulder. You turned around and saw the last person you expected in this cafe. “Tony?”

Tony Stark was a billionaire. Despite having all the money in the world, his heart wasn’t as healthy. And that’s when you came in. When he had first come in due to an emergency, you had treated him and ever since then he had become your patient.

“What are you even doing here?” You asked as he took the seat in front of you. “Having some coffee, I guess.” He said shrugging. And then his eyes fell on your ring.

“Woah! I see someone is engaged. Didn’t think you’d break my heart so ruthlessly.” He said pretending to be hurt. You excitedly nodded, “Just a week before.”

“Well, so who is the lucky man?” He asked. “Bucky Barnes.” You said smiling giddily. “I’m sure he must not be more handsome than me.” Tony quipped.

“You’ll be disappointed!” You took your phone out and showed him a picture of Bucky. Tony squinted his eyes and took your phone into his hands. “This is Bucky?” He asked skeptically.

“Yeah. Why?” Tony seemed confused and then pulled out his own phone. “As long as I remember, his name is Andrew and he is already married.” Your eyes widened at that.

“What? You just be mistaken. Are you sure it’s him?” Tony nodded. “Yeah, see this. I met him around a week ago, that’s why I remember. Not gonna lie his wife, Sonya was impressionable.”

He said giving you his phone. There was a picture of Tony and a couple. You couldn’t believe your eyes. It was indeed Bucky, and the worst part was, his ‘wife’ was none other than Nat.

~~~

You were sitting on your couch and crying when Bucky came home. “What happened?” He quickly kneeled on the floor besides you.

“I’m gonna only ask once, because I can’t emotionally afford to ask twice; what is going on between you and Natasha?” You ask, your eyes were blood red and puffy from all the crying.

“What?” Bucky took your hands in his and pressed kisses. “Don’t lie, I know everything. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“I don’t get what you are saying, doll.” You took out your phone and showed him the pictures Tony had sent you. At that Bucky scoffed, “Oh this!”

“Oh yes Andrew! What the fuck is even your name you liar!” At that Bucky’s demeanor grew serious. “Listen, it’s not what you think. Wait right here.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead and went upstairs.

“See this.” He said running downstairs and giving you a file. “And what is this? Your marriage certificate?” You asked incredulously. “Just read it once please.”

You took it and started reading. First it didn’t make sense but after some time it did. Bucky was an agent working for a secret government organization called ‘Avengers’.

“What is this Bucky?” He slowly started wiping your tears. “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long now. But I always thought that I’ll tell you tomorrow; but turns out tomorrow never came.

I know you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so this is the proof. My own file. I’ve worked as an Avenger for years. That day at Tony’s party we were undercover. And we pretended to be married. The ‘two weeks business trip’ was actually an undercover mission.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Bucky seriously! You couldn’t tell this to me before? Do you know what I’ve felt in the past two hours? I literally found out in the worst way possible, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did.” He pulled you closer to him and pecked you on your cheek. “This was some True Lies level shit.” You said laughing.

“So... now that you know this, I might as well confess something more.” You raised your eyebrows and wondered what all news today’s day was going to bring.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” You nodded, you remembered that day very clearly.

It had been an excellent day. Your surgeries had gone perfectly but you were tired. So, you decided to do what you did every time you had a good day; go and eat a pastry.

As you entered the cafe, you could see the pastry section to be completely empty. You pouted and were sad to break the tradition. You inquired but they weren’t going to make any more pastries for the day.

As you were about to turn around and leave, you came face to face with the most handsome man you had ever met, his eyes were so captivating, you feared you’d get lost in them.

“I saw you wanted a pastry, well, I guess I have one and you can have it.” His voice was smooth and you swooned. “Uh, no it’s fine.”

“Oh, I insist.” You looked up at him and gave him a pleasant smile, “Why don’t we share?” You asked shyly. You spent the entire evening chatting and decided to meet the next day for a proper date. And that is how you had met.

“It wasn’t actually my first time. I had seen you before that at the hospital but I was undercover and so I couldn’t approach you.

But then I just got too shy to ask you out so I used to follow you around. I didn’t mean to creep or stalk. I just... God! This is embarrassing. But I kind of learnt your routine and habits.

I knew when you had a good day you would go and have a pastry at the cafe. That day before you went in, I bought all of the pastries. So, when I asked you whether you wanted to have mine; I actually had at least 23 pastries with me.”

You giggled at that. “Wait you are not mad?” You shook your head. “Actually, I would’ve been, but now that I know how you are, and that I love you so much, this is actually pretty cute.”

You stopped laughing and said, “Well, now that you’ve shared your secrets. I’d like to share something too. I fear I won’t be able to love you in the future as much as I do now.”

Bucky tensed up. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked adorable. “Because when a mini version of you will be running across the house, I swear to god I won’t be getting any reprieve.” You said snuggling him.

“I... what? Are you? Wait, is it what I’m thinking it is? Are we pregnant?”

“YES! You’re gonna become a daddy, James!”

#marvel #mcu #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fluff #sebastian stan #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes one shot

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hiiraya · 3 years

Text

one last dance (rewrite)

masterlist

pairing: wanda maximoff x reader

words: ~1,580

warnings: a little angst to get me back into writing

requested: nope :p

a/n: i took a not-so-mini break bc writer's block hit me like a tank. anyways, this was a fic i made a long time ago based on a song called 'one last dance' by R5. happy reading! ♡

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

"When someone else's happiness is your happiness, that's how you know it's love. But unfortunately, Y/N/N, sometimes the only way to love someone is from afar."

It was something your father told you in passing once, and though you had listened to him then, you never thought that it would ever apply to you.

But now, watching her dance and smile and laugh and love, surrounded by friends and family, the echo of your father's words bring a dull ache to your chest.

Even though the hidden corners of the hall had been serving as your refuge for the better part of the reception, you never really could shy away from Wanda.

Especially not now.

So, you allow your heart to race slightly when she catches your eye from across the room. You allow yourself to breathe and smile back just as wide when she flashes a grin your way.

You don't even think twice before your feet are closing the distance between the two of you.

"I was starting to think you weren't going to show up."

You say nothing at first, too focused on ignoring the guilt clawing at your chest at her words. It's meant to be the happiest day of her life, you chastise yourself, and she spend most of it worrying about whether or not you'd show up.

"I know it must've feel cruel to invite you here, after everything but I want you here-"

"-Wanda." You interrupt her, resting a reassuring hand on her arm and gently squeezing twice.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world."

And it's true. As much as it hurt to be here, to watch the woman you love vow themselves to someone else for the rest of her life, you wanted to be here to show your support as her best friend.

Your ears perk slightly at the opening chords of the song, inwardly chuckling to yourself at the irony of the lyrics.

Taking a step back to put space between you and Wanda, you bow slightly while holding your hand out, palm facing up as you meet her eyes.

"May I have this dance?"

The blush that makes it way to her cheeks brings a smile to your face, lacing your hands together when she rests her hand atop of yours.

You lead her to the dance floor, your hands finding their spot on her waist while she reaches up to wrap her own around your neck, bodies stepping closer to one another.

The closeness of Wanda pressed against you as you sway her slowly, coupled with the fact that she's looking at you like you're the only two in the room has your mind wandering to a scenario where you didn't have to let go any time soon, where you didn't need to let go.

And while you were off, lost in your own thoughts, Wanda was just as lost in her own. Remembering something you had told Steve, who in turn, told Wanda.

Something you had told to what seemed like everyone but didn't have the heart to tell Wanda yourself.

"What do you mean she's leaving?" She asked Steve, cornering the taller man in the kitchen after overhearing his conversation with Natasha.

You were leaving the team.

Leaving her.

Steve sighed, knowing that the truth would come out sooner or later and with the way the smaller woman was looking at him, eyes starting to glow red as she waited for him to answer, he knew lying would only make matters worse.

"She asked to be relocated and assigned to a new team." He answered.

"What?"

"Y/N is leaving, Wanda. There's not much else I can tell you. She said she needed to go, felt like her time with us was over and doesn't have a place here anymore."

Giving her a look of sympathy, Steve left her standing alone before she could ask him more questions about your decision.

Wanda wanted to be angry with you.

Hell, she had a right to. After all, you all but disappeared the moment you caught wind of her engagement with Vision, and this would be the first time in months that she- that anyone had seen you.

Everyone knew why you left though, and even if they didn't they could infer as to why.

You had to watch the woman you love, love someone else. Wanda knew damn well that this could be the last time she saw you, let alone be this close to you and talk to you.

"So...you're really leaving?" She asked, watching your carefully. She already knew the answers, but it was one thing to know and another to hear you say it yourself.

You don't meet her eyes as you nod, instead focusing on something over her shoulder.

"I just… I feel like I don't have a place here, you know?"

She frowned slightly, but the blow of your words made Wanda stop in her tracks. "Y/N, that's not tr-"

"I didn't mean it like that, I loved my time with you guys, you're like family to me and you always will be. This place will always be home to me, and I'll come back in a heartbeat if you ever need me but right now I just can't stay. I need to clear my head and get things straight.

"This is for the best, for all of us."

You sounded like you were still trying to convince yourself that leaving was what you wanted to do. But Wanda knew that this was something you needed to do, and who was she to stop you in finding peace?

"So, this is it?"

She fights the urge to stomp her foot on the ground like a little kid, to tell you that it wasn't fair that you were leaving her when it felt like she just got you back.

She can see in your eyes how hard it is for you to even be in this room, the defeated smile you were giving her telling her everything she needed to know.

You wanted to be strong and stay. Stay here with her, with the people you love more than anything in the world.

But if the last few months had told you anything, it was that you weren't as strong as you hoped you were.

Staying here would only cause you more pain, seeing the two of them together would just bring more harm than good. If you wanted to go back to the way things were before, you had to get over her. For good.

"One last dance before I go." You whisper.

As the song comes to an end you pull her into your arms, sighing deeply as she snakes her arms around your shoulders tightly.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world, Wan. Out of everyone in the world, you deserve it the most. So take care of yourself for me, okay?" You whisper softly in your ear, biting the inside of your cheek to keep the tears at bay.

The tightness in your throat was making it hard for you to say everything you wanted to say, so you didn't say anything at all, pulling back from the hug just enough to meet her eyes.

I love you so much, you think, but you already knew that.

You drop your hands from her waist when you see Vision making his way over to the two of you, stepping back to create distance between you and his wife. You clear your throat and plaster on a smile, congratulating the newly-wed couple as he wraps his arm around her waist.

She knew that you meant for her to listen inside your head, letting her in and telling her those words that were for her and only her to hear.

"Take care of yourself too, Y/N."

You don't meet her eyes again after that, your eyes still glossy with tears that she knew would fall the moment they were out of your sight.

She sees you glance towards the exit when you think neither of them were looking, shoving your hands in your pockets before you excuse yourself, telling them that there was something you needed to do before the reception ended.

Maybe it's to say goodbye to the rest of the team, or maybe you were just going to disappear into the night.

Either way, Wanda knows that it was time for you to go.

You glance back at them as you reach the exit, watching him hold her in the same way you were not even five minutes ago.

As long as she's happy, then I am too, even if I only get to love her from afar.

Looking up into her husbands eyes, something inside Wanda felt wrong.

Like she was staring into the wrong pair of eyes, the hands on her waist too heavy, the voice speaking to her too deep.

She closes her eyes and imagines your (e/c) eyes staring into her own, familiar and soft hands resting on her waist pulling her closer, the soft timbre of your voice filling her ears.

Guilt fills her body when she opens her eyes and is disappointed with what she sees. She's made her choice, and you've made yours.

She thinks back to the two dances she's just shared; one with the person she married and one with the person she's starting to think she wished she married instead.

#wanda maximoff x reader #scarlet witch x reader #wanda x reader #avengers x reader #scarlet witch imagine #wanda maximoff imagine #marvel imagine #avengers imagine #myfics.txt

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tuiccim · 3 years

Text

Terrigenisis (Part 17)

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Bucky Barnes X Inhuman!Reader

Words: 1700

Summary: After undergoing terrigenisis unwillingly your life is turned upside down when you are deemed too dangerous to return to life as a civilian. You are put with the Avengers team to train and rebuild. As you hone your powers and skills, you must also decide if you can find home and love again. Or is your curse to be a lonely wanderer forever?

Warnings: a god of Mischief (He’s a warning, okay?)

Terrigenisis Series Masterlist Divider by @firefly-graphics

You lounged on the lawn furniture in the back of the compound watching Dizzy run in joyful circles as Redtail made loops overhead. You had brought a tennis ball out and Dizzy was adorable as she ran around with it in her mouth. Occasionally, she’d drop it in your laugh and you’d throw it out into the expanse of lawn. You laughed as she leapt into action each time the ball was thrown. Redtail would swoop down every now and then to tease the dog.

The rest of the team was out on missions or meetings. Sam, Steve, and Bucky had been sent on a mission yesterday afternoon and you were enjoying some down time. It felt like it had been some time since it had happened. You stretched lazily, basking in the feel of the sun on your skin and the feeling of contentment.

You hear footsteps approaching and turn to see Loki walking towards you. He had been in a meeting with Thor, Tony, and Maria Hill when you had checked earlier.

“Hi. How’d the meeting go?” You greet the god.

“It went well. Nothing of grave importance,” Loki takes the chair next to you, “What are you up to?”

“Relaxing in this glorious weather,” you see his eyes take in your tank top, jean shorts, and sandals. “You know, I’ve never seen you in anything except the leather. Is there casual wear on Asgard?”

“Simple tunics and robes but, as prince and warrior, I do not wear them often.” Loki raises an eyebrow at you.

“I see. What about for Tony’s party this weekend? Will you wear this?” you motion to his attire.

“I plan to wear a suit.” Loki chuckles.

“I look forward to seeing that. Isn’t the leather hot though? It’s 80 today.”

“I could strip for you if you’d like.” Loki smirks playfully.

“That’s okay,” you hold your hands up in defeat.

“Is this better?” Loki’s form shimmers for a moment before revealing him in bermuda shorts and hawaiin shirt.

You grin, “I like it! You look ready for a beach vacation.” You stare at Loki for a moment, wondering about his personal life. He knew a lot about you but rarely revealed much about himself. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, darling. Anything.”

“Do you have… someone? Here or on Asgard or… somewhere?” you stammer through the question.

“Your two lovers are not enough for you?” Loki chuckles.

“They’re plenty for me. You don’t talk about yourself much, Lok. I mean, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to but I’m curious about you. We’re friends and so I wonder, is there someone? Are you a player? Are you a monk? You know my story. You haven’t given me much of yours. Have you ever been in love?”

Loki studies you for a moment and then nods as if deciding something to himself, “I suppose I would be what you Midgardians refer to as a player.”

“Love ‘em and leave ‘em?” you giggle.

“I suppose. There’s only ever been one person who…” Loki trails off.

“Who what?”

“Who I thought I could fall for.”

“What happened?” You question.

“She belongs to another.” Loki says as he looks away.

“She belongs only to herself.” You counter.

“Of course. She’s engaged to another.”

“I’m sorry.” You tell him.

“Thank you.” Loki pauses to contemplate before asking, “Are you happy? You’ve been through a lot in your short life.”

You smile at the statement, “I’m not that young, Loki.”

“I’m over 1000 years old.” Loki deadpans.

“True,” you laugh, amazed at the lifespan of Asgardians, “Yes. I am happy. This isn’t what I imagined my life to be. Terrigenisis tore my world apart but you make the best of what you have. I have a family in the team, lovers in Steve and Bucky, friends, a purpose. This is… home.”

“And I’m your friend?” Loki asks.

“Of course you are.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you at some point? I mean, I am notorious.”

“I trust you, Loki. I think I know your heart, but understand that I live by the statement, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ I may let someone make a fool of me once but I won’t let them a second time. Once you lose my trust, it’s gone and would take a great deal to earn it back,” you explain.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I have to trust you. I’m letting you play with my brain.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Giving me a chance. Trusting me. Seeing me as something other than the villain that I was.”

“You’re more than your past. Oh!” you exclaim when a slobber covered ball is dropped in your lap. “Hi Dizz.” you laugh and throw the ball for her.

“She has you well trained.” Loki smirks.

“That she does. Speaking of training, are you up for another session?” you ask.

“Same time as always, darling. I’ll see you then.” Loki gets up.

“See ya later, friend,” you watch as Loki walks back to the building, dropping the glamour to reveal his normal outfit as he walks. He sends you a brief wave before walking into the building. Your attention is pulled away when Dizzy drops the ball in your lap again. Time to play.

You get to the training room early to do some climbing and ended up in the rafters as you were known to do. You were just about to climb down when Loki entered with Thor trailing behind him.

“Drop it, brother,” Loki grouses at him.

“Just tell me you aren’t playing at anything with her and I will,” Thor demands.

“Mortals are your weakness,” Loki rolls his eyes at his brother.

“Love is not weakness, Loki.”

“I do not feel that way about her. She is a friend. Much like Sif is to you.” Loki says pointedly.

“That’s all I wanted, brother,” Thor smiles.

You clear your throat loudly, “Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

Loki looks up at you in amusement, “How long have you been there?”

“Well before you came in,” you wink at him.

Thor looks at you sheepishly, “I’ll let you two get to your training.”

“Okay. See ya later,” you are holding in your giggle as you make your way to the climbing rope and jump to it. When you slide to the floor, you look into Loki’s mischievous eyes and you both burst into laughter. When it’s spent you say dramatically, “Loki! I can no longer control myself. I must swoon into your arms!” You pretend to faint against him and he catches you.

“You’re ridiculous.” Loki narrows his eyes at you.

“Yup! And you, my friend, are stuck with me!” You stand back up.

“You know that won’t be the last time someone will make the insinuation.” Loki says quietly.

“People have a hard time believing a man and woman can be just friends,” you shrug.

“That is true. Can I ask you something?” Loki asks.

“Of course.”

“Hypothetically, would you have been able to fall in love with me if…” Loki trails off.

“I don’t think I would let myself fall in love with any Asgardian,” you admit.

“Why?”

“How old are you, Loki?”

“A little over a thousand years.”

“Exactly. Asgardians live for around 5,000 years, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why. Humans live maybe 80 years. That’s a blink in comparison. I’ve lost a lot of people who are important to me in my life. I don’t think I could purposely put someone through that. Falling for an Asgardian, letting them fall for you, would mean making them watch you die while they live on for millenia. I don’t think I could do that to someone, ever. It’s difficult enough being friends and knowing that. Being lovers, it would be unbearable.”

Loki nods, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

You smile at him, glad he understands. “How about we get to work?”

“Let’s go, darling.”

Over the past week, you had worked up to slipping into Loki’s mind without the unbearable pain. It still caused a headache but you were able to see through his eyes and communicate in a similar fashion to how you did with animals. Today, you were attempting to take control of Loki’s movement. It wasn’t easy. Just lifting his hand took a toll. You drop the warg after a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Loki looks concerned.

“It’s difficult. The pain is worse,” you explain.

“Why don’t you warg and I’ll do some magic? Just play around a bit.”

“Okay. Sounds fun,” you warg back into Loki. He begins doing some simple tricks and you watch in delight. You try to concentrate on the motions he makes, the feel of the magic flowing through him, and his thought process as he works. A picture flashes in Loki’s mind and you catch a glimpse of a beautiful face before he forces it away.

“Does she know?” You ask in his head.

“What?” Loki hedges.

“Does she know?” you drop the warg.

“No.” Loki says.

“Then she’s not.”

“Not what?”

“She’s not lost to you. How do you know she doesn’t feel the same way?” you push.

“She… I… I don’t… She couldn’t-”

“Oh, I’m gonna stop you right there. She could. She really could, but if you never told her how you feel, what’s she supposed to do?”

“She’s engaged.” Loki insists.

“She’s not married, Loki. You should tell her. Wouldn’t it be better to know?”

“What?”

“At least then you’d know. Either she doesn’t and you have closure to move on. Or she does and you two can figure it out. ‘Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all’, right? Better to say it and know than to spend the next few millennia wondering,” you needle.

“I…” Loki falters with a far away look in his eyes.

“Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

“I will.” Loki nods.

“Good,” you see Loki’s concentration is completely gone, “Why don’t we leave it for today?”

“Oh. Yes, good. I’ll see you later.” Loki walks away lost in thought.

“Later, loverboy,” you whisper with a chuckle to yourself.

Part 18

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dereksmcgrath · 3 years

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I had said before that the number 108 can be unlucky. It wasn’t unlucky at all for My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. But 108 is kind of unlucky for this episode: not only are we focusing on the Villains, but we just aren’t giving their story the structure and emotional weight it deserves.

(I either opened with those remarks or just made a bunch of corny jokes about how “Meta Liberation Army” can be abbreviated as MLA--and I’m saving those jokes for a future review.)

“My Villain Academia,” My Hero Academia Episode 108 (Season 5, Episode 20)

An adaptation of Chapters 220, 221, 222, 223, and 224 of the manga, by Kohei Horikoshi, translated by Caleb Cook with lettering by John Hunt and available from Viz.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Spoilers up to My Hero Academia Chapter 325.

When I teach literature, I refer to the plot as a problem: it is something that the protagonist is trying to solve. This problem can take various forms, but it is often as an antagonist that the protagonist confronts. When this episode has the Doctor refer to a “villain” as someone “who turns nonsense into action,” that’s kind of the point: the villain is here to get the plot rolling. Without them, you don’t have a hero, you don’t have a story.

It has been long accepted by a lot of fans and scholars that superheroes tend to uphold the status quo. I think the first time I gained awareness of this popular argument--although likely not the first time I encountered it--was Dr. Horrible’s mangled remark that “the status is not quo.” More recently, however, I have been reading academic books on superheroes, and not only does that argument persist--that superheroes represent law, order, and upholding traditional norms even in the face of new evidence or out of sheer obliviousness to the need for systemic change--but the argument has become that, if a superhero story does not have the heroes doing something to effect systemic change, then it’s not a good story. I may be misunderstanding that argument, but if I don’t, then it’s not an argument I can stand behind.

The argument is that superhero stories tend to reduce complex issues to having avatars for each side of the issue--the good guy and the bad guy--get into a fight, where we are focused on the spectacle rather than on seeing actual people engaging in the actual work needed to address problems not on the individual level--again, one good guy physically fighting one bad guy--but on a larger scope.

I am oversimplifying this argument, as even those same scholars will point out that, initially, of course there were superhero stories that had the protagonist taking the fight against the system. Superman is one of the ones named most frequently, whether in his initial comic book premiere doing what police and media would not to face down a corrupt senator (a sign of things to come in his later fights with Luthor and in Justice League Unlimited) or fighting the Klan (in the meta sense, fighting their analogue on the radio show and, more recently, literally in the comics). It kind of makes Superman look like one influence on the Peerless Thief in My Hero Academia, but we’ll get to him far later in these episodic reviews.

Even with that exception of Superman, it’s not hard for me to agree with the argument that heroes prop up the status quo. That has been the plot point for My Hero Academia and why this war against the villains has been incoming: a system that depended on just All Might, now depending on a wife-beating abusive father like Endeavor with his crimes not popularly known, has a level of corruption that cannot stand up with just one man’s shining example of honest goodness and integrity to be the Symbol of Peace. It was why I appreciated the manga eventually showing that, yes, there was an entire network of assassins within the Hero Public Safety Commission to keep All Might’s hands clean--and, in retrospect, while Lady Nagant was our first named example, given what Hawks ends up doing to Twice, deadly force may be frowned upon by law in MHA but has to have been something Hawks was told he had legal authority to do. (Also, as I will never stop pointing out, Endeavor unintentionally and unknowingly killed another Pro Hero in Vigilantes, and we’re just supposed to pretend that was fine.)

But going back to this academic argument, about how superhero stories tend to stick to one-on-one battles and don’t let the heroes effect systematic change, I’m ambivalent. There have been a range of superhero or superhero-adjacent stories that have the protagonist making on-page, on-screen, obvious work to not just get into fisticuffs with the bad guy. I already pointed out Superman’s first appearance and his fight against the Klan. I can also identify other examples, some hamfisted like Captain Planet, others more nuanced like Korra reaching out to Kuvira in The Legend of Korra. While the scholarship I read bristles at the idea of reducing these fights to just avatars for good and evil, I shrug and say that kind of comes with the territory of a superhero story. I hate justifying tropes: it’s like saying “this fanservice is acceptable because that’s part of the genre”--which leads to its own set of problems, especially when I hear fools defending sexualized fanservice that is just not needed for the story and is abusive by gender and representation. Heck, The Brave and the Bold animated series had Equinox and Batman battle as giants representing the avatars of chaos and order--which is confusing enough, with Equinox having a vaguely yin-yang motif that debunks any clean separation between chaos and order. And yet, here I am, arguing that this kind of fanservice of a hero and a villain beating each other up is to be expected: you have a debate about ideals of what a hero should do when you see Iron Man and Captain America each representing a side in a fight, whether the poorly handled comic book Civil War or the better film version, and even then, that film also lets the individual personalities get in the way of saying anything meaningful about government oversight and individual agency, ideas better handled in that other Captain America film, The Winter Soldier, and even then that film also gets stuck in just being about Steve and Bucky’s relationship.

All of this is me saying that, when you add a superhero to the fight, you’re going to feel disappointed that almost nothing systematically changes in its setting, not only because, as I’m hinting, these are stories about individuals fighting each other and not stories about the individual against society or nature, but also because a superhero can only change so much of their world for the better before that world no longer looks like our own or a new societal problem has to emerge to create the problem that is the plot itself for wherever the story goes next. Once a hero makes the setting into a utopia, either a new problem emerges to show the fiction of that story and that a dystopia is always married to a utopia, or the utopia is revealed to be hollow (Shigaraki’s word of the day) and fake. My Hero Academia already showed the utopia of a world where people get to live with their Quirks is fake, not only by (largely necessary) regulation of those Quirks but also, as we’ll see more with Spinner, Compress, Toga, Gigantomachia, and others, looking different, or being socially aware, or having disabilities, or being the “wrong” size, excluded you from that society.

What I’m trying to say is that, once you add superheroes into a story to fix the problem, you can’t show what systematic change looks like. How do you write a story where it makes sense that no hero came to save Tenko Shimura from becoming Tomura Shigaraki? What’s a story like My Hero Academia supposed to do to show the problems with a society, if you have superheroes who can fix those problems by beating up the bad guys?

Solution: You have the bad guys beat each other up.

In this corner, the League of Villains, people who were made outcasts because they did not fit in--which reveals the flaws of a society that is not accepting people who may not be able to change their past or their bodily conditions.

And in this corner, the Meta Liberation Army--which reveals how society breeds people in business, media, and politics who abuse laws and societal norms to elevate themselves and create a social Darwinist nightmare.

Granted, these are some foolish schmucks for starting up this fight in public, but I’ll address how the MLA just doesn’t work in a later episode review.

But for now, let the fight begin. No matter who wins, at least we see how society at large allowed these Villains to emerge--and we can either see All For One’s dictatorial forces get wrecked, or see Re-Destro’s fascistic oafs get wrecked.

Unfortunately, no matter who wins, the Pro Heroes are going to lose, too.

I am overly impressed with myself for realizing all of this. And I say “overly” not only because this is arrogant of me but also because I’m pretty sure just about every other person following this series already came to this conclusion: if you want to show actual systematic change, you have to show what the villains are up to, because they are the ones showing the holes in our society that need to be fixed. Either a villain exploits those holes to cause damage to people, or the villain is themselves representative of unfairness in the system and, by breaking the law to save themselves and others, are unfairly maligned as villains.

That being said, I’m not a big fan of the “[Insert villain’s name here] was right” arguments. Yes, Magneto is justified in his goals and ethics, and the debate is the means he takes to them, so his existence is to show why the X-Men are screwing up and need to be more radical. Yes, Killmonger is right that Wakanda’s isolationism is reckless and allows for travesties to persist, but his choices are largely out of individual desire for vengeance, so he’s an example that T’Challa can follow. Taken too far, though, and you get people who preach anti-establishment notions without having an alternative or are just trying to sound edgy rather than actually pointing to the actual problem: it’s someone who celebrates the Joker without recognizing that, no, you don’t want to be that asshole, or who celebrate villain-turned-hero Vegeta just because he looks cool and without appreciating what steps he took to change and what fall he experienced before he got to the point of being a villain.

In all these cases, if done poorly, you have the same tired trend of a villain existing only so long so that the hero changes for the better. It’s as tiresome as I unfortunately sometimes feel reading post after post celebrating how complex and sympathetic the League of Villains’ members can be when, still, a lot of them are just assholes using empty excuses to defend atrocious behavior (primarily, just All for One) or, for the most part, are people put into desperate situations (Shigaraki, Toga, Spinner, Dabi, Twice) who are doing the best they can (Twice, Spinner) even if their actions are not defensible (Toga) or also out of line (Shigaraki) due to their own refusal to seek the legitimate help they need to work through their issues (Dabi).

It’s hard to read posts online calling the League members sympathetic when we have not had a chance in the anime to know their full story. And as with the slow revelation that this setting is not really as welcoming of people of all shapes and sizes as initially hinted, so too do the villains’ backstories show that they were justified in some actions they took, except for those that led to deaths. Too bad none of that really pops up in a meaningful way in this episode that would rather tease out Shigaraki’s back story, keep dangling the obvious answer to who Dabi really is, and short-sells what should be a meaningful friendship between Twice and Giran but is just dropped as fast as Shigaraki takes off Twice’s mask. Jeez, Shigaraki, that is a dick move to Twice…

But I’m already on Page 4 of this rant, so let’s get to the episode already.

Pulling back the curtain yet again, these reviews tend to follow a pattern. Since I first wrote about the MHA anime, my process would be to first re-read the chapters, then watch the episode in Japanese, then watch the episode in English, so as to retrace my steps in how I first encountered most of these stories, as well as to see any patterns in the production process moving from manga to anime to localization. But with this episode, that practice was made nearly impossible given how prevalent the hostility towards this episode, this arc, and this season have been, especially when a friend shared numerous reactions from other viewers about this episode. Seriously, for all the whining I just did the previous four pages, you could read this person or this person who are much better at explaining why the introduction of Re-Destro to the anime sucks, for more than one reason.

So, I had a different approach: I already had the flaws to this episode shared with me by other viewers, then I listened to the English dub, then I re-read the chapters, then I watched the Japanese dub with English subtitles.

And, boy, am I grateful I took that approach, because this episode is a ton of talking--too much talking. For an anime adaptation that cut so much of Spinner’s Leonardo from Ninja Turtles narration, I’m shocked that they kept the boring parts of his narration and cut the only good parts, including the very opening that had a lot more action and gave us a reason to sympathize with these Villains.

I know I’m a snob regarding animation; I have expressed before how, despite my love for animated works, I tend to appreciate them more for what they do with storytelling rather than the spectacle of the visuals. I really dislike works where the value of the work is in the animation alone: I am here to see a story unfold, and if there is no narrative, no plot, no beginning-middle-and-end, then what I’m encountering is a museum piece, not a work of cinema. (Feel free to bash me for that hot take: I’m still railing against Patty Jenkins’s ridiculous argument from this week.)

And as with most forms of karmic punishment I experience, I pay the price: if I rail long enough about works that are only all about the animation and not the story, then my punishment is an episode where all we get is a lot of story and not much in the way of animation. Yet I can’t even say we got a story here, so much as back story, exposition, needless narration--it’s Blade Runner only bad. As much as I have loved how this anime’s storyboards stick so close to the manga panels, the pan over the League listening to Shigaraki’s vague back story felt like the least interesting way to handle this scene, especially when it excises so much of Spinner coming around from questioning Shigaraki to sympathizing with him. Who would have imagined cutting so much of Spinner’s initial narration and the opening from Chapter 220 would screw up how to adapt Shigaraki’s back story from Chapter 222.

The anime cuts how this arc begins in the manga: Chapter 220 starts with Spinner facing off against an extremist group that hates him for his reptilian appearance--a moment that would have garnered more sympathy from the audience for these Villains than this episode is exhorting. We needed a scene to get behind these villains and agree with them, before we are shocked to hear Shigaraki say what we have long expected, that he just wants to destroy everything and make everyone as miserable as he has felt, to wake us up that, no, you may sympathize with these outcasts (to use Twice’s one-word self-description), but you shouldn’t agree with Shigaraki’s goals. (I know Shigaraki relents somewhat when asked by Toga, but it’s hard to backtrack from “destroy it all” to “destroy it all but not the stuff my friends like.” How on Earth is Shigaraki going to destroy Izuku when Spinner somewhat admires the guy and Toga...well, yeah, best left unsaid.)

While watching this episode, I also was reviewing other topics about anime and manga I’m going to go into more detail about later this month, and one topic of discussion is the assumption that anime and manga, by their visual style and story tropes, especially shojo and shonen, tend to be about big expressions--emotional outpours in words, movements, facial expressions, and actions to more easily communicate what is happening, regardless of context.

I hate to keep repeating “ambivalent” in my reviews (another academic word I need to expunge from my lexicon for a bit), but I’m ambivalent about that argument, that anime and manga, especially shojo and shonen, are better at communicating. If your character is unreadable, that likely has an intentional reason: we don’t get much of a read on the Doctor in this episode, not helped by his mustache and glasses, but we also don’t get a read on what Shigaraki is up to.

This episode only heightens my regard, not just about anime, manga, shojo, or shonen, but in animation and comics at large, that not everything is readable in what a character is planning.

On the one hand, I do agree that visual works tend to make ideas easier to comprehend for some people who can engage with such visual works. As someone who teaches English literature and writing in a United States setting, I use comics in my teaching to cross language and cultural barriers, especially for students for whom English is not their primary language or who are the first in their family raised in the United States. And this teaching approach also helps in reverse: I include manga and anime in my teaching to show how not all details cross language and cultural barriers in a one-to-one correspondence, hence the challenges of translation and localization, and how all of us struggle to make ourselves understood within our own primary language to someone else who is fluent in that language, let alone trying to translate into another language or to present ourselves in a different set of cultural norms.

On the other hand, anime and manga are not a fixed genre. Yes, I agree that the images tend to emphasize big eyes, big expressions, and big motions--but that’s like saying all animation is Looney Tunes, or all animation is Disney, or is Dragon Ball, and so on. Likewise, as I’ve discussed elsewhere, shonen is more than just one type of storytelling, and the same goes for shojo. This arc of My Hero Academia is placing focus, after admittedly far too long, on the Villains as the protagonists--and their behavior pokes holes in the idea that things are obvious, when the Villains are themselves such liars, so crafty, have their own hidden agendas, are keeping secrets from each other. It’s as if their behavior is a commentary on this plot and how BONES is adapting it: the Villains are keeping secrets, so this plot is going to keep its secrets for just who Re-Destro and the Meta Liberation Army are, what their personalities are like, and what Shigaraki and the Doctor have in mind for getting what he wants. We’re even kept in the dark as to Shigaraki’s full back story; we’re in the same position he is, knowing just little bits and able to make assumptions from a handful of visual cues and memories, without fully knowing who the hell Tenko is. Add to that Spinner’s struggles to narrate all of this and to get into Toga’s mind and Shigaraki’s mind, as well as Dabi’s own secrets and agenda with Hawks, and we have a story that blows up the notion that anime and manga are easier for reading a character’s mindset: no, they are not always easier, not when the creators deliberately mislead the audience or keep them in the dark for a surprise.

By keeping so much of the audience in the dark, so that we become aware of how deceitful villains can be, and we are put into Shigaraki’s place of not knowing where he came from. This should be a set of brilliant choices by BONES to adapt this arc in this manner. But the problem is, no, almost none of this gets anywhere close to brilliant. It’s not brilliant--it’s frustrating, because we already know what is going to happen. You can just pull up the manga at low cost with a Viz account and read all of this in the order it was originally presented and get the answers ahead of time. And if you’ve been reading the manga all along, you already know how this arc ends, and you know stuff from the next set of arcs so that you do know already what Shigaraki’s back story is, what Dabi was really up to, who survives, who dies. You even learn more about Compress’s back story--stuff that really should have been hinted at much earlier in the manga, and could have been hinted in this adaptation but as of this episode has not.

Maybe that is why the anime removes Re-Destro murdering his assistant: it’s such an odd moment that it is challenging for me to get a read on Re-Destro, as he alternates in the manga between being very friendly and devoted to his comrades but also violent and heartless.

It may be obvious that I didn’t like much of this episode. I think when I stopped taking this episode seriously was when I heard the voices. Like I said, I tend to start with the Japanese dub first before getting to the English dub. And I have nothing at all against English dubs: I would not be listening to them as much as I have, often first before I ever hear the Japanese, and I would not be a fan of so many English-speaking actors in dubs if I had any animosity to the craft, their work, and the benefit they provide for creating a larger audience for these stories. And nothing against Larry Brantley and Sonny Strait, but some of this casting feels off. I wasn’t able to take this episode seriously as soon as I heard the voice distortion that was used for Re-Destro’s phone call: that took me out of the story. If I had the chance for localization, I would really need Twice or someone to call out how freaking ridiculous that Mickey Mouse voice sounded. You have freaking Sonny Strait here: use the Krillin voice, use the Chibi Ragnarok voice, use the Usopp voice--use something, really go bizarre here, it’s just a voice distortion device! And as I said, nothing against Strait, but when I hear Re-Destro when I read the manga, that’s not the voice I have in mind. For right now, HIroaki Hirata in the Japanese dub is closer to that smoothness I expected for this character. But I have no doubt Strait will do excellent as Re-Destro’s empowered form: think Strait’s role in The Intruder II from Toonami. It’s just that Re-Destro in the English dub is lacking that odd refinement I was expecting.

Granted, it’s the same problem for me when I hear Brantley as Spinner: I am making unfair assumptions that don’t suit the goals of the creators when it comes to this character. It is sadly not as obvious in this episode as it is in the manga: this arc in the manga starts with Horikoshi invoking Laird and Eastman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by having Spinner, who is already a sword-wielding reptilian martial artist, narrating just like how Leonardo narrating at the beginning of the very first issue of TMNT. I wanted a voice for the English dub that is like Leonardo’s, a little higher pitch and more youthful, like what Brian Tochi brought in the live-action Turtles film or what Cam Clarke and Michael Sinterniklaas bring in the animated versions. I think, for the Japanese dub, Ryo Iwasaki’s performance as Spinner is very close to what I expected. But that also may seem too obvious: Spinner may be young, but giving him an older-sounding voice can belie his inexperience, youthfulness, and naivete, similar to how people make assumptions about him by his reptilian appearance. The anime is putting me into my place--I think of Spinner one way other than who he really is, so I’m no better than the people around him who have discriminated against him for his physical appearance.

Just as I have a set of assumptions that unfairly influence how I would cast Spinner, I also think Re-Destro should have sounded more refined and less graveley in the English dub. But my expectations belie that, just the Joker whom he resembles, Re-Destro puts on this cultured facade to hide that he is just another violent gangster thug, someone who would kill his own assistant. I know I cited examples above about how complex Re-Destro is, but it’s hard for me to see him as sympathetic just because he’s crying over something he did out of his own volition: he coldly killed his office assistant Miyashita, his tears and kind words don’t suddenly make this a warm and cuddly death, we don’t get to think of him as our woobie. It only makes it more irritating that BONES so far has cut not only that scene of Re-Destro killing Miyashita but also Re-Destro’s TV commercial: it would clue us in that the reason he has that gravelly voice is because, no matter how much he tries to present himself on TV, he is not that kind of a man.

But since I invoked the Joker comparison to Re-Destro, yeah, I’m disappointed we didn’t get Troy Baker as Re-Destro, as unlikely as I imagine that would be to happen, regardless of Baker’s previous work with Funimation. It does lend a bit more to conspiracy theories on my part, though, given casting director Colleen Clinkenbeard telling Twitter followers to stop expecting Mark Hamill in MHA, it’s never happening--we can’t even get Troy Baker doing his Mark Hamill Joker.

(I’m not being fair to Baker: I’m not saying his Joker is at all bad--it is not, he has been excellent as Joker, especially playing him and Batman in the Ninja Turtles crossover film, but it is obvious Baker is performing the kind of Joker that came out of Hamill, so I’m trying to say he’s doing the “Hamill Joker,” rather than the “Nicholson Joker,” the “Ledger Joker,” or the “Caesar Romero Joker”).

It’s also a challenge to sympathize with these characters when we aren’t getting what this arc should give them: a re-introduction. I hate approaching this episode in a post-James Gunn The Suicide Squad world, but seeing how much MHA owes to not The Suicide Squad of the comics but that motif in so many superhero comics, there is that missed opportunity to reacquaint the audience with who are the members of the League of Villains. So, where the hell is my freeze-frame re-introduction to each League member? There was that fan theory a long time ago that Giran was really Present Mic in disguise: imagine doing Present Mic’s introduction of characters by name, Quirk, and pithy comment, only it’s Giran in the announcer seat this time.

(Don’t even get me started on how annoying it is to have Izuku handling the post-credit preview: give that to Spinner.)

Again, maybe it is brilliant for BONES not to include some re-introduction scenes, whether narrated by Giran or happening naturally in conversation between these characters. These Villains barely know each other’s back story, so there’s no artifice where they would believably share their back stories to each other in conversation in this context. And as I said, Shigaraki does not know enough about his own past, and Dabi is hiding his real identity. But when we’re stuck with Spinner as our half-hearted narrator, who seems not to know why he and Toga are still here with Stain being gone, and when Toga is this dull in her answer about what keeps her going after Stain’s arrest, and when Spinner himself seems not to know what he’s still doing here, all of that does not communicate a reason for us to keep going with this story.

I know this arc is going to get better, storywise at least, just based on how it went in the manga. I can only hope that the animation can capture the chaos that the original manga illustrations showed. But I am trying to think what a new viewer is going to do if this is their introduction to this series. I’m not invoking the Episode 7 Rule, I’m not doing a hypothetical experiment to gauge which episodes are the best to bring a newbie into this series--I am asking, honestly, if a fan was already into this series, and was watching it one Saturday morning, and a friend or roommate or relative saw them watching, they would be utterly lost about why they should care about this. Even the explanation for why Twice is indebted to Giran is presented as such an afterthought that does disservice to a potentially emotional moment, to what is supposed to be a pretty deep friendship, as deep as it can be for a weapons trader like Giran and an outcast-turned-criminal like Twice, so that, when Twice helps rescue Giran, we feel that emotional payoff.

It is honestly shocking that, for all the throwbacks, recaps, and flashbacks we get, including how Giran’s fingers match up to previous places where the League fought, that this still leaves a new viewer in the dark. And the problem lies at the feet of MHA arriving at a fifth-season slump: the series has gone on so long that things feel lazy and making far too many assumptions on what knowledge the audience is bringing. You’re not getting a bigger audience if you keep appealing to the diehard fans and the people reading the manga. After all, why would you keep doing ridiculous recaps and flashbacks if the fans already know what happened?

But speaking of the recaps and flashbacks, that should have been how this episode redeemed itself. As I said last time, if you re-worked the order of episodes to start with the Oboro Shirakumo story, that would be more shocking. But what if this episode could have been the very first episode of the season, and following the trend of previous seasons, make it a recap episode? We already had Izuku narrating a clip show, Class 1A at the pool, a photojournalist visiting the UA Dorms--it would be so much more interesting seeing “League of Villains camping in the woods while in the background Shigaraki gets squished by a giant.” Have the Villains tell campfire stories about how they got here: it would be a great excuse to re-use the animation and save on the budget. You could fit in a few gags, as Toga starts telling a really gruesome story but gets distracted by all the blood in it, while Twice’s story bounces between sugar-sweet happy and grim-and-dark chaos, while Compress and Spinner are stuck trying to keep them focused. It’d be a hell of a lot more interesting than how BONES somehow screwed up a potentially emotional volatile moment between Izuku and Amajiki that would put into question whether Izuku is going to have to kill a Villain and just how devastated Amajiki feels after Mirio lost his Quirk.

And speaking of whether Izuku is going to have to kill a Villain: obviously, this arc is setting up how much more dangerous Shigaraki is than UA gave him credit. Back in Season 2, I hated how Nezu and UA staff referred to him as a “man-child,” given the connotations that have surrounded masculinity and being a man. I wrote that before 2016; in this post-2016 atmosphere, and the increased prevalence of toxic masculinity, I am, once again, that annoying word ambivalent. I am likewise ambivalent how well this series has shown Shigaraki to be able to form the plan he does by episode’s end. We’re only told by Spinner how much faster Shigaraki is getting and how much slower Gigantomachia has become--but the animation doesn’t show that. And we’re being told how great Shigaraki’s plan is--when it sounds ridiculous.

By cutting so much of Spinner’s narration from the manga, we also don’t get a scene where Spinner confronts Shigaraki to ask him what is his plan. Up to that point, Shigaraki has said that, with Kurogiri gone over the last month and the computers at the old League hideout destroyed, they can’t reach the Doctor. Spinner is insistent: what is the plan? Shigaraki responds that he just told them--as Gigantomachia crashes through their hideout. The other characters explain for readers like me who aren’t following: Shigaraki just said Kurogiri was gone; to contact the Doctor, Kurogiri sought Gigantomachia; Gigantomachia would sniff out where Shigaraki is and bring him to the Doctor. Brilliant--that shows more attention to Shigaraki’s planning and scheming, and now, it’s not even here in the episode to make me think this guy is that smart. (This episode also had Shigaraki reveal his plan to have Gigantomachia attack the MLA, whereas it was Spinner who predicted that was going to be Shigaraki’s plan--so, again, we’re not letting Spinner stand out as smarter than we expected, either.)

I know Shigaraki is supposed to be our chessmaster, given his association with gaming, especially when he was faking his ignorance about shogi to lower Overhaul’s guard before defeating him and stealing his Quirk-cancelling bullets. But I’m having the same problem I had when following All For One throughout this anime: it just feels like these two antagonists are getting ahead out of sheer luck and because everyone else is a fool, not because either of them are that great as villains. Give me a Xanatos, give me a Luthor, give me a Norman Osborne (not Clone Saga Osborne, a different one). Show me Shigaraki is more than a pawn for All For One and the Doctor, because I don’t feel anything here, not even when we’re supposed to feel that Shigaraki has some legitimate concern for All For One that just isn’t getting communicated to me, whether by my stubbornness or because the content is not giving the animators and actors what they deserve. Eric Vale can sell the hell out of a scene, but Shigaraki’s talk about All For One is not giving that opportunity to the actor.

My remarks this time are a lot more disorganized and doesn’t really arrive at any conclusion. I have more to say about how this arc works and doesn’t work, especially when it comes to how ridiculous the MLA comes across in underestimating the League, but we’ll get to that next time.

#my hero academia #shigaraki #league of villains #meta liberation army #spinner #long post #mha spoilers

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stevetonyweekly · 2 years

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SteveTony Weekly - Dec 18

Happy Sunday!! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week. As always, leave your fic authors some love if you read and enjoy their stories!

And for my friends on Twitter--STW is there now, with the weekly list and daily spotlights!

**Indicates my recent favs

~*~

Essential Dimensions by hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes)

Steve thinks this… situation has something to do with the fight the Fantastic Four had this morning and the fact that Reed isn't entirely certain that he got all of the doppelgängers back through the portal.

When MCU Tony Stark winds up with not one, not two, but three doppelgängers hanging out with him, sex really is the only option.

Heart Burn by nightwalker

There was a dragon and now Tony's mostly naked and it's all Reed Richards' fault.

Not-So-Ugly Christmas Sweaters by iam93percentstardust

Steve gifts Tony an ugly holiday sweater.

With Nobody Else But Me by Sineala

The Avengers need information, and Victor von Doom has it. At a reception at the Latverian embassy, Tony needs to engage in some intelligence work and get close to Doom. Very, very close to Doom. He's handsome, all right? These things happen. But why does everyone think Steve would have a problem with this arrangement? They've never been together. It's not like Steve would ever want Tony.

i will never stop losing my breath (every time i see you looking back at me) by theappleppielifestyle In all fairness, Tony is on autopilot when this happens. He’s had a long, hard day, and it’s possible he hasn’t slept in several long, hard days. He’s already half-asleep on the couch and he’s relaxed and happy, which is a rarity on its’ own, and he’s comfortable enough to let his guard down and get his body to do all the work without switching his brain on.

That should’ve been enough of a warning sign, but apparently not: Tony stretches, says goodnight to his teammates and gets varied responses back, and then he kisses Steve.

He only realizes what he’s done after he’s started to lean back, opening his eyes to see Steve’s blown wide, staring at Tony with his lips gone slack and a tiny furrow between his eyebrows.

Full Body Workout by Nix (CrimsonQuills)

Hank has a lab accident. Steve and Tony bear the consequences.

5 Times Steve Thought Tony and Clint Were Dating by Bam4Me

And One Time That Phil Told Him He Was An Idiot

Bed Sheets and Blow Jobs by nightwalker

Steve isn’t great at communicating his intent. Tony is really great at jumping to the wrong conclusions.

Captain America, Undone by laireshi

Steve thinks he can seduce Tony before Tony seduces him.

He's very, very wrong.

The Enchanted Tube of Pleasure Transmission by valdomarx

Steve finds a fleshlight gifted to him in his room and tries it out, eventually becoming obsessed with the warm, tight, real feeling. There's just one problem: he doesn't know that the fleshlight is enhanced to transmit sensations directly into Tony's ass.

Awkwardness and inappropriately timed boners ensue.

They Call Me Dad by fandomfrolics

The team's taken to calling Tony by a very strange nickname and he's a little afraid to find out why.

The Truth of It Is by nightwalker

You can't lie to your soulmate, everyone knows that. Tony's always thought it was just hype until he tries to sass Steve and the words freeze in his throat.

The Opposite of a Problem by Sineala

"I promise to love, honor, and probably not obey you, and, uh, take you as my totally-unlawfully-wedded husband, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do us part, or for at least the next seventy-two hours."

(Or: Tony and Steve get fake-married for the sake of the mission.)

Kludged Together by Veldeia

When he cut his morning jog short to join Tony Stark on a reconnaissance mission off the East Coast, Steve sure wasn’t expecting to end up stuck on a life raft in the middle of the ocean, his hand knuckle-deep in Stark's chest.

All I Ever Needed is Twice Removed by Mizzy

Tony Stark believes he is just a soulless copy of himself.

What if he's right?

#stevetony weekly #stevetony fic #stevetony fic rec #fic rec #fic rec list #stony #steve rogers #tony stark #iron man #captain america

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gaitwae · 3 years

Text

Wildest Dreams [|] Loki x Reader

Sequel to Mr. Perfectly Fine

Warnings:

Summary: Loki remembers what he’s done to you. You work through the hurt, deciding not to rush whatever’s really going on.

Tags: @make-me-imagine @thorfanficwriter @bwemph @myraiswack @rorybutnotgilmore @loki-snape-our-hero @wolfish-trickster @lucywrites02 @mostly-marvel-musings @winterfrostsarmy @superheroesandstardust @castiels-majestic-wings @geekns @natandersonnla @cozy-the-overlord @megthemewlingquim @frostedgiant @whatafuckingdumbass @thebookbakery @delightfulheartdream @twhiddlestonsstuff @lokistan @the-emo-asgardian @amwolowicz @itscomplicatedx @sophlubbwriting @darkacademicfrom2021 @lilyofthesword

It was absolutely safe to say that when your eyes opened, you were scared out of your mind. Loki was sleeping on your couch, his fingers laced with yours. Vaguely, all too quickly, you realized that accepting his dashing-yet-blunt proposal wasn’t a fantasy.

Hurt bubbled up in your chest. Your eyes stung dully as you removed your hand from his. You checked his temperature: it was low. He was drunk. He was sitting on your couch with your smudged lip color on his. He did think you were engaged now, despite the fact that you were quickly realizing how bad that was.

Loki hurt you.

Loki hurt you real bad.

You couldn’t marry this man, no matter how much you might have wanted to those years ago. You never would have said yes! Loki just... he seemed so sad. He had never cried in front of you, not if you didn’t count Frigga’s funeral, and even then, that wasn’t anything like... well... that display. His tears were like salt in the wound, laughing right at you. You put some distance between the two of you. You cleaned his mouth off with your sleeve, wondering how on Earth you were going to explain this to Bucky.

Oh, no.

Bucky.

Bucky was going to have to hear Loki’s hungover insistance that you were now his fiancée. He was also going to have to hear about how you kissed Loki back. You had to be honest. You had to call your boyfriend. There was no skipping over the truth when you were dating a lawyer, no matter how much you wanted to avoid it.

It was better that he heard it from you rather than the ex boyfriend laying on your couch.

You dialed Bucky’s number. He picked up quickly. “Baby, are you okay?”

“Bucky, Loki came over,” you said quickly, “and he was drunk... he, uh, kissed me, and he proposed to me because apparently you were planning on asking me to marry you?” You swallowed, trying to think of how to redeem yourself. “I got so swept up with emotion from the past, I said yes, I didn’t mean to, but Loki was already crying and I needed him to calm down — he’s — he’s asleep, but if he starts getting protective by the time you come home, I’m so sorry—!”

“Wait,” Bucky said, cutting you off. “Baby, explain this again. Calmly, okay?” He didn’t sound too worried. Then again, this might be the quiet before the storm.

“Loki came by our house, drunk. He was crying, and I got nervous. He kissed me, proposed, and then asked me to marry him. I didn’t know what to do, so I said yes. I’m so, so sorry....”

“Well, you’re not going to marry him, are you?” he asked, sad humor slipping in. Your heart sank.

“I don’t know,” you mumbled. You didn’t mean to say it out loud, but hey? What could you do? You held the phone to your ear gingerly, keeping an eye on Loki’s sleeping form. “I-I mean, no. No.”

The anger slowly started to build. You understood it. You hoped he would be mad at you instead of Loki. “You don’t know? Or ‘no’? What is it?”

“James, it isn’t like that,” you protested. You bit your tongue and your cheek. If the world was perfect, you would have married Loki like you were set on. You would have had children with him, by now. As you spoke, you found you weren’t faced with the possibility of losing Bucky, but the possibility of throwing away your decade-old dreams. “I swear. I don’t want to marry anybody, right now. I don’t. I couldn’t.”

“Why couldn’t you? What if I did propose, Y/N?” Defensive. Protective. Angry. Hurt. Why? Had Loki been right?

You hadn’t ever talked about marrying Bucky. You couldn’t imagine that life. “Bucky, can we save this for later?” you begged through the phone. “Please, I’m worried about Loki; he’s never drunk himself stupid before.” You scratched your neck. In your wildest dreams, you had never imagined falling back into Loki’s temptation.

You had finally woken up clean, and he had to try to bring you back down.

“Y/N?” he asked after a moment. Barnes sounded hollow. Hollow, but understanding. There was a shuffle over the phone and you couldn’t tell what it was. Was he leaving? Was he moving around? Would he forgive you?

“Yeah?” you managed.

“You still love him. Don’t you?”

Your tongue was glued to the roof of your mouth. Your tears welled up. No wonder you were able to be friends with Loki. No wonder you weren’t able to just forget about him. With an ocean of regret in your voice, you admitted, “I don’t want to.”

James sighed. “Okay. Well, we can talk things through at home... I know you didn’t mean for anything to happen, I know you’ve been as faithful as you can be. You wouldn’t be calling and crying otherwise.” He sniffed. “I shouldn’t have planned a proposal without clearing it with you. We haven’t talked about marriage.”

“Bucky, if I do ever marry, I don’t want you to worry if it’s you or Loki. I don’t even know if I want to marry anyone. Loki clearly has feelings for me, I can’t just pretend that I don’t have remaining feelings when he could very well keep coming by... Gosh.” You sat down in a chair. You looked at your left hand, which had no ring on it. It was bare.

“I’ll head home,” Bucky said. “Sit tight. Bye.”

“Bye.” You hung up the phone. You held your head in your hands, silently cursing yourself for being the world’s biggest pushover. Your ex waltzed in, gave off a teary show, and then pleaded for your heart like he was on death row, and you listened. Were you an idiot? What kind of mistake were you making? Could you up and leave Bucky for some tool who could change his mind as quickly as he had four years ago?

You sat there for what seemed like hours; it was probably only one or two, considering how long Bucky’s firm was from your home. Your boyfriend eventually stepped through the door and pulled you into his arms, millions of apologies being swapped between the two of you.

You sat at the table and talked for almost three hours. Every now and then, it was bordering an argument, but you both kept your cool. Bucky knew how hard you were trying to be there for him, to be his, but when it came down to it, you were always Loki’s. You had a raw wound. You knew how much Bucky wanted to be yours, but as it turned out, he was proposing because it seemed like what was expected of him. Through the conversation, you learned that maybe it was smarter to take a break, maybe stay roommates, and try to exist as friends again.

“If Loki makes you happy,” Bucky whispered, “then I think you should try again. He’s changed; he’s made changes for you. He’s been good to you. We’ve been barely getting by these past months.”

“I know,” you replied. “But I’m not going to turn around and just run after him. That’s not smart. You’re still in my life, Buck.”

“All I see is you,” he murmured.

“I know,” you said again.

Bucky stood up. “I’m going to stay at Steve’s tonight, doll. Um... make sure Loki has water when he wakes up. Give him a good tongue-thrashing for me.” He offered a weak smile.

You sniffled. “Take whatever you need. I’ll be up playing nurse — don’t worry about anything.”

Bucky nodded. “Got it.” He scratched his nose. “I’ll drop by in the morning and see if there’s anything I can help with.”

+-+--

When Loki woke up, the headache was the first thing he complained of. “Y/N?” he groaned. You were sitting next to him, hands tucked under your arms. You were gazing down at him, watching his face as his expression changed from pained to embarrassed. “Please tell me what happened was just a fever dream...”

You shook your head. “You proposed to me.”

“You said ‘yes’,” he breathed, slapping a hand to his forehead. “Oh, my Norns. I’m so sorry; you don’t have to marry me. I was an idiot. I shouldn’t have even come by — I walked from the bar, in the rain, with only the thought of taking you back...”

“I figured,” you chuckled lightly. You didn’t meet his eyes. You played with the hem of your shirt. “Bucky and I might break up, though. You told on him. His planned proposal, I mean.”

“You aren’t breaking up because of me, are you?”

“No; not entirely. I’m still... You’re trouble, you know that? I’m going to get a reputation.”

“You need one,” Loki joked. “People will be less likely to take advantage of you, then. Odinson’s Wife — the Terrifying Maiden.”

“I’m no maiden,” you said, rolling your eyes. “I’m still upset from our breakup. That’s why Bucky and I are thinking about calling it quits. I wasn’t over you when I thought I was, so just shut up and drink some water.” You handed him a glass. “You can’t hold your liquor, you know.”

Loki took it gingerly. “Oh, I hate how well you know me,” he sighed, taking a long sip. “Do I get some aspirin?”

“No.” You crossed your arms. “You said you’ve been carrying Frigga’s ring in your pocket since she died?”

“I did?” He furrowed his brows. “That’s right, I did... I’ve been keeping it for you, I must admit.”

“You said.”

Loki sat up, taking your hand. “I have your picture in my wallet.”

“You what?” You blinked. “You didn’t say that.” You scooted a little closer.

“Well, no, I didn’t; I didn’t need you to drop my glass heart, now, did I?” Loki smirked a little. “You know it always has been you, lover.”

“I’m not your lover,” you said exasperatedly.

Loki kissed your cheek. Although you pushed him off once or twice, he managed to snake his arms around your waist and hang on you. “Not yet. I will marry you, whatever it takes.”

+-+--

Sidewalk chalk was an odd Christmas tradition with Thor’s kids. It was another three years after Loki’s drunken proposal, and you and Bucky eventually sorted it out and found you were both much, much happier. Bucky married Sarah Wilson, taking her two boys as his own stepchildren. You were still in the grey area with Loki, but you wouldn’t deny that you were about ready to scream if he didn’t at least try to pop the question.

“Y/N, darling, I brought you something!” Loki’s voice came from upstairs. Thor’s house was large, and the wife he had picked opted to be a stay-at-home mother while the toddlers were toddling. He poked his head out from the upstairs balcony and grinned at you like a madman.

“What did you bring me?” you asked, arching your brow at your boyfriend-but-not-really. He stomped down the stairs, thrusting a little blue bag in your hands.

“I’ve brought glad tidings. I’ve come to free you~” he teased, poking your sides. “My undying affection. My most-ardent love for you—”

“—Can it, tell me what it is,” you said, cutting him off. Loki pulled you flush against his chest, peppering your cheek with kisses.

“I want you to imagine us... you, standing in a nice dress, me, staring at you staring at the sunset,” he whispered, lacing your fingers. “Happy Christmas, darling.”

“What is it?” you pressed, looking in the bag. It was a little picture of a house. “What?”

“That’s our home, sweetheart,” Loki said, resting his head on top of yours. “We’ll live there after the wedding, raise our children...”

“You’re still trying to get me to marry you?” you asked.

“We’ve been engaged for three years!” he scolded playfully. “Not even in your wildest dreams, I would not be trying to make you my wife.”

“What if I am your wife?”

“I’ll try to marry you again!” he laughed, kissing you sweetly.

#loki x reader #loki x y/n #loki of asgard #loki god of mischief #loki odinson #Loki Laufeyson #loki #mcu #mcu loki #loki mcu #marvel #gaitwae writes #loki x reader angst #i'll add the angst tag just so you guys don't @ me

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doubleleoenergy · 3 years

Text

Whatever You Like

Yeah, I want your body, I need your body. Long as you got me, you won't need nobody.

Pairing: sugardaddy!Sam Wilson x latina!fem!reader

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, mentions of alcohol, daddy kink, pet names (bonita, mi amor), passionate sex, wall sex, mentions of impregnation

Summary: Newly engaged y/n and sugardaddy!Sam are celebrating their enagement party with their loved ones.

Notes: This is my submission for @balenciagabucky‘s/@dulceslibrary 3k writing challenge.

“Here comes y/n.” Tony announced, cocking his head in the direction of the glass staircase.

Sam turned at Tony’s statement, excusing himself from the group as he waltzed across the floor to meet her at the end of the stairs. His eyes followed her every move as she sashayed down the steps, her hips swaying as she walked. Her body was enveloped in a tight red sparkly dress, a plunging neckline and thin straps drawing attention to her voluptuous breasts. Her nails were freshly manicured to match her toes peeking out of her strappy black stilettos, clicking against the glass steps as she walked down towards Sam.

She flashed one of her million-watt smiles at him, his hand reaching out to grab hers and help her down the final steps.

“Stunning as ever, my bonita.” Sam gushed, moving his hand up high to give her a spin, his eyes running over her entire body as she did a 360 turn for him.

“You’re not so bad yourself, mi amor.” Y/N purred, the words rolling off her tongue before she leaned up on her tippy toes to kiss his lips.

Sam hadn’t met y/n in a conventional way, the only people who knew the truth were Sarah and the team. He knew that there were plenty of women who would die to be with him, with Captain America, but he wanted someone special. Someone he could trust with his crazy life. After swiping through multiple dating apps and going on a few horrendous dates, he saw an ad for a sugar baby dating site.

He signed up on a whim, more so curious as to what a sugar baby lifestyle entailed. There were lots of women on the site and even some men, most with profile pictures of them in scantily clad outfits with large fur coats and diamond jewelry. Searching through the profiles he came across one that stood out among the rest. Y/N’s profile included a picture you would see on Facebook; y/n in a baby blue bodycon dress, standing by the countertop of a bar holding a beer and smiling that infectious smile. Her profile read: “Not sure how any of this works, my friend told me to sign up. Just looking to put myself through nursing school. I’m not going to respond if you’re super old. I also know self-defense so don’t try anything.”

Sam liked that she was different, that she had ambition, that she was a normal twenty-one-year-old just trying to make ends meet. He knew what that was like in life, and so he asked her out for a coffee date. That coffee date turned into a second coffee date, and then a dinner date. And one year later it turned into an engagement. Y/N was everything he could’ve ever wanted and more. She was selfless, intelligent, a feisty Latina who with a bat of her long lashes could get him to bend in any argument. She was a great cook, an amazing nurse, and phenomenal in the bedroom.

He never felt taken advantage of in their relationship, she was always up front and honest about what she wanted, and when things turned into more, he never for a second thought she was using him for money. He spoiled her with clothes, jewelry, and flowers, despite her protests on only needing money for school. Sam wanted to offer her everything in the world and would continue to do so for the rest of their lives together.

Sam led y/n over to the team, grabbing them each a glass of champagne from a nearby server, his hand on the small of y/n’s back as they walked.

“There’s the happy couple!” Steve cheered, patting Sam’s shoulder as he stood beside them. He raised his glass high in the air, gesturing for the rest of the team to do the same. “Y/N, I’ve never seen Sam as happy as he has been over the past year with you. Just having you in his life has made him a better person. Plus, he looks much better with you by his side.” Steve teased. “To a lifetime of happiness for you both.” Everyone clinked their glasses together, Sam smiling proudly as he took a sip from his glass.

“Couldn't have said it better myself.” Bucky added, crossing his arms over his chest, his metal arm shining in the light of the chandelier.

“So, have you guys decided on a date yet?” Nat questioned, grabbing a mini muffuletta off a nearby tray and chewing thoughtfully on it as she made eye contact with y/n.

“We’re thinking sometime in the spring, possibly April, back in Louisiana. Sarah already offered to make all of the food for the reception.” Y/N responded, looking up lovingly at Sam.

“That way we don’t get as much of the Louisiana heat. Nothing worse than wearing a full suit and sweating through it within twenty minutes of being outside. It’ll be small, mostly just the team and some family friends from back home.” With y/n and Sam’s parents both deceased, they didn’t have much family to attend. To them it was more than okay, the day would be filled with love regardless.

The celebration continued late into the evening, everyone leaving on their own accord besides the team, who had gathered sharing stories of the good old days and successful missions. Y/N sat on the armrest of the couch; her legs draped over Sam’s body. Her nails ran up and down his chest absentmindedly as she listened to their stories.

Her eyes focused on Sam’s body, the way his navy button up clung to his arms, his muscles taut against the fabric. His black slacks were tight enough to reveal the outline of his cock, teasing and taunting y/n all night with just the sight of it.

Y/N’s lips danced against Sam’s ear, her voice a low and seductive whisper. “Meet me upstairs in five minutes. Don’t make it obvious.” And with that y/n excused herself, letting the group know that she was headed to the restroom.

Stepping into the elevator, y/n headed up to the second floor, leaning against the wall as she waited for Sam. Five minutes passed, the ding of the elevator making her lips curl into a bewitching smile, the doors opening to reveal Sam, his eyes blown wide with lust. Y/N tilted her head in the direction of a nearby door, her heels clicking against the tile floor as she turned the knob, walking into one of the many guest bedrooms on that floor.

Sam followed close behind, shutting the door behind them and locking it. He wasted no time, pushing y/n against the bedroom wall, his hands sweeping over her body as his lips crashed against hers. His lips trailed down the supple skin of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating perfume as he kissed down her collarbone. He peppered kisses along her exposed cleavage, a whine escaping her lips.

“We’ve don’t have much time mi amor, been thinking about your cock all night, I need it.” She pleaded, her hands moving down to unbuckle his belt and free his thick cock.

A low hum vibrated deep in his chest, helping her push his trousers down, kicking them aside as his left hand snaked under her dress, a dark chuckle leaving his lips. “You’re not wearing any panties, my bonita.”

His fingers swiped against her slit, feeling them coated with her juices, pushing her dress up to bunch it around her waist. “Soaked already for me, I need to fill this tight pussy.”

And with that Sam parted her legs with his thigh, his hands moving to grip the back of her thighs before tugging her up. Y/N wrapped her legs instinctively around his waist, crashing their lips together again as she felt his cock rub against her folds.

“Please mi amor,..” She panted, trying to buck her hips down on his cock.

“Say it.” Sam commanded, teasing her folds with the tip.

“Please daddy.” The words send shivers down Sam’s spine, lining up his cock and sliding her down onto him, filling her pussy. He felt her stretching around him, letting her adjust to his size before pulling her up off his cock and slamming her back down.

“So, fucking tight, how are you so tight when I fill this cunt day and night with my cock?” He continued to bounce her up and down, her back rubbing against the wall with each thrust. Her hands were wrapped tight around Sam’s neck, her nails digging into the skin.

“Can’t wait to marry you, to fill you up with my cock for the rest of our lives. Want to fuck a baby into you.” Y/N mewled, peppering kisses along his jawline.

“You like that idea, huh? My bonita.” He can feel her walls tightening around him, a sign of her orgasm building up. “Cum for me, make a mess on daddy’s cock.”

He thrusted once, twice, three times before she came, her legs shaking around his waist and her eyes rolling back into her head as she released. Sam continued to fuck her through her high, his own orgasm following quickly after hers. He stilled inside of her, holding them against the wall for a moment before he gently pulled her off his cock, a mix of their cum dripping down her thigh.

“I love you so much Sam.” She cooed, kissing him once more. He cupped her face, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you too, bonita. Now let’s clean up and get back down to the party, we’ve got a lot to celebrate.”

#balenciagabucky #balenciagabucky3k #dulceslibrary #sam wilson #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x fem!reader #sam wilson smut #sam wilson x reader smut

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giorno-plays-piano · 4 years

Text

Rotten

Pairing: Steve Rogers x princess!Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, captivity, forced marriage, brief mention of child abuse, allusion to death of minor characters.

Words: 3950.

Summary: "The princess will marry the very first beggar who comes to the castle gates," the King said.

P.S. This was inspired by König Drosselbart fairytale.

_______________

Staring at the enormously huge black gates separating the castle from the outer world, you pulled the grey cloth over your head, covering your beautiful shiny hair. Before this morning you wore a tiara of your mother, and your dresses were made from brocade, silk and cashmere, not this rough wool that itched so badly and irritated your gentle skin. But now the only posession you were allowed to keep was that little cameo of your mother laying in the pocket of your simple grey dress.

The princess is obstinate, capricious, the King said. She thinks too high of herself. She rejects and ridicules all honourable men coming to ask for her hand in marriage. She is rotten to the core. She doesn't deserve to be the crown princess of the kingdom.

Locked away, abandoned by your teachers, refused to be engaged to any decent prince or lord, you were kept confined to your chamber for several years. Occasionally, you were allowed to visit the celebrations and balls held in the castle only to be laughed at your lack of manners and education by the children of the King and their entourage. You considered them your friends once, but those times had long passed.

You were the only child of the Queen, the true ruler of these lands, who got married the second time after an unfortunate death of her first husband, your father. She didn't give the new King an heir, but he had a handful of his own children from his past marriages. All of them, except his oldest one who stayed to rule the country of his father under the watchful eye of royal advisors, were brought to your kingdom. They are your sisters and brothers, the King said.

They were the ones who would take your place once the King found an opportunity to get rid of you, the true successor to the Queen.

All the men who came to ask for your hand were told you had no desire to meet them, and then, after the brief encounter with the King, they were sent away. You watched them, enraged by this unfair treatment, and their corteges to leave in haste, disappearing behind the black gates. You were never allowed to leave your chamber at these times, forced to look out the window at those princes and lords. If only they knew.

"Bow your head in front of your lawfully wedded husband." One of the guards demanded harshly, and you snapped out of your thoughts, looking at the huge man with wide shoulders, dressed in rags, his face hidden by the hood he wore.

The stranger was twice bigger than the guards surrounding you, and you felt rather intimidated in his presence. Despite his dirty clothes and wooden shoes, he didn't look like a beggar to you. If he was truly so poor, how come his body was so big and strong? No, the man wasn't a beggar. He was a bandit.

It would only make sense for the King to get rid of you, but you hoped he would keep his word as he promised to give you to the very first beggar who came to the castle gates. Apparently, he decided against it. The bandit who stood in front of you would either kill you or sell you to a brothel. If he was paid to end you, you hoped he would at least do it fast.

You bowed your head in front of the stranger who was now your husband and moved forward when the guards pushed you to him. The man said nothing, heading to the gates as if he didn't even care whether you followed him or not. Biting your lip, you came after him, watching your ugly wooden shoes.

However, once you stepped behind the gates, you saw there were dozens of people, their clothes dirty, tattered, and heavily patched, their faces grim - many lacked teeth and some even an eye - their expression turning wicked when they saw you coming after the stranger. Who were they? Beggars? Bandits? Villagers? You didn't know, but feared for your life as they started shouting loudly upon seeing you, and then you saw them throwing something rotten and smelling badly at you.

Why were they doing it? What have you done to them?

"WHORE!" The crowd yelled. "ARROGANT BITCH!"

A boy no older than ten threw a piece of rock at you, and it struck your arm painfully, making you yelp. He was encouraged loudly by the others, and you realized they would beat you to death. Why? What have you done to be so hated? You were a prisoner in your family castle. No one loved you. No one cared for you. No one came to console you even in the darkest of days. Why did you deserve to be punished for something you had never done? Why were you the rotten one when the sons and daughters of the King were spoiled beyond imagination?

Before the next rock hit your head, you saw the stranger shielding you with a big piece of wood he had taken from some man. Holding it like a shield, your husband grasped your shoulders with the other hand and started fighting his way through the crowd as you clinged to him, afraid to raise your head. All you heard were angry shouts and screams of pain as the man crashed their bones with the shield in his hand, the sound of cracking disgusting and frightening. People tried to clench your dress, beat you, snatch away the cloth covering your head, but the stranger was quick to push people away, and soon you two were running somewhere, your vision clouded with tears.

He held your hand in his until you reached the forest behind the meadow, far away from the castle and all those scary people who dirtied your simple woolen clothes and coloured your arms black and blue. Luckily, you were mostly unharmed just like your saviour, the man who hadn't uttered a single word still. At this point you guessed he might be deaf or lacking his tongue - you heard maids talking about the soldiers of the King cutting tongues of the ones who talked against him. But maybe the stranger just didn't want to speak to you. He probably thought you were an arrogant princess, humbled by your pride and haughtiness.

"Thank you." You whispered to him, and the man turned face to you, his beautiful blue eyes watching you intently. "Thank you for saving me."

The tears had long dried out on your face, but your eyes were still a bit red, your voice raspy. Running in the wooden shoes made your feet hurt so bad as if you were running barefoot at all.

When your newly wed husband came closer to you, you flinched involuntary and made a step back, staring at his strangely attractive dirty face, his dark blonde disheveled hair and beard.

"You're safe with me."

You blinked, unsure what to say to him in return. His low husky voice made you tremble a little, but if he told you the truth, he was going to take care of you. You hurriedly averged your eyes and bowed your head again, waiting for him to continue walking. You didn't dare to talk to him once more.

Your had been travelling by foot for what felt like hours, and you felt grateful for the dress you were given as it was lighter with just a few layers of fabric. Your wooden shoes, however, bruised your skin so much that they were slowly filling with blood. Nonetheless, you kept walking even with blisters covering your feet as your husband moved forward without a stop through the forest. Was he living here? Otherwise you didn't know how he navigated through the woods.

"You're slowing us down." You winced when you raised your head and saw him furrowing at you, standing a few feet away.

"I am sorry." You muttered, knowing you could hardly speed up with your legs hurting so much as if you walked into the fire.

The stranger squinted, coming closer, "Take off your shoes."

You complied without saying a word, showing him your bruised feet. Was he going to complain you were a shirker, unable to even walk? Maybe he had it on his mind, but he stayed silent, ripping the hem of your dress when you gasped and wiped the blood away. Then he had you seated on a falling tree and bandaged your feet so gently you gawked at him openly. You felt tears shimmering in your eyes at his kindness. He cared.

"I will carry you from here." Your husband said, wiping away the sweat from his dirty forehead. "We'll make a halt soon."

"I can walk myself." You said when he loomed over you, his strong hands gripping your under your lower back. "Please!"

"No, you can't." He grumbled, shooting you a look that forced you to keep your mouth shut. "You are my wife now, and you are going to listen to what I say."

You squeezed your eyes shut when the man lifted you in the air and hurried forward, moving carefully so you wouldn't get struck by the branches. Your body ached, your legs hurt so hard you were ready to cry, your eyelids growing heavy. Oddly, the man's presence wasn't as intimidating as before, his body heat slowly warming you and lulling you to sleep since he slowed down a bit and kept going forward cautiously. You decided to close your eyes just a little bit...

__________________

When you opened your eyes next time, you were tucked in a bed that smelled like old sheep wool - your maid, a girl from the village, had the same scent when she returned after visiting her parents. Even though this bed was three times smaller and tougher then yours, you enjoyed laying there under the dark warm blanket - or whatever it was - and listening to the cracking fire inside the stone oven. Your poor feet were terribly sore, and laying on bed brought you so much comfort.

However, when you were fully awoke, you shifted on the bed nervously and glanced over the house, finding the stranger sitting near the crudely made wooden table, a clay pot in his hands. He lifted his hood, and now you could see his matted blonde hair and dirty face covered in mud and what looked like ashes. Was it his house he brought you to? It was very small and looked like it was abandoned some time ago, but you couldn't be sure. He had no servants to take care of his house, so maybe it always looked like that.

"You're awake." He said, turning his face to you. "Don't stand up. Your legs are no good."

"I'm sorry." You mumbled, knowing he was perfectly right since it still hurt you to move.

"Next time you need to tell me when you're in pain."

"Why?" Curling your lips in a grim smile, you got under blanket again, covering yourself up to your chin. "Why does my pain bother you?"

The man narrowed his eyes down at you and set the pot aside, putting his elbows on the table tiredly.

"You are my wife. Your pain bothers me, and my pain should bother you."

"I see." You averted your eyes from his face lit up by the light coming from the oven. You didn't know much about marriage since no one considered you to be ever wed. It was like this, then? Or was it because your husband was a peasant and not an honourable man? There certainly was differences, but you had never expected a beggar to be so kind.

He wasn't a beggar, though, of that you were sure.

"What name do I bear now?" You asked him, watching his face growing confused. "Do you... do you have a name, sir?"

"You bear the name of Rogers." He sounded oddly proud, but you only sighed - now you lost even the name your father gave you.

You were the beggar's wife, not the princess living in high castle - you would work hard till your hands bled; give birth to unfortunate children forced to live in poverty, who wouldn't know how to read or write; you'd starve and beg, and then die young. This is what your maid told you how the people of her village lived - despite being farmers, the lands they worked on were poor, and most of the harvest was taken away to feed the ones living in a castle.

You didn't even have the land to work on as you saw the forest through the crack in the door. This hut was in the middle of the woods, probably.

"I made a salve for your legs. Let me put it on."

When he stood up from the bench, you shivered and took your eyes elsewhere, moving higher on what you supposed was an improvised pillow. The stranger sat on the other side of the bed and moved your blanket, showing your dirty feet with dry blood covering them. Then, as if he remembered something, he went somewhere behind the oven and pulled a jug with a slightly cracked neck, soaking a rag in it. Once he squeezed it and brought it to your legs, you winced in pain, but stayed silent.

The stanger had been kind to you beyound your understanding.

"So, were the rumors true?" He asked once he wiped your feet cleen and took a little jar with what you assumed was the salve.

"Forgive me, but there are too many rumors for me to remember."

"The one that says you are so arrogant you don't want to meet any of the men who come to ask for your hand in marriage. Watching them being sent away, you sit in your room in the high tower and ridicule them all."

You wanted to laugh bitterly at his words, but the knot in your throat didn't let you utter a sound. Was this what the King and his children had been telling to your people, feeding them lies for years? The princess whose spirit was too high to look at those she deemed lower than her. The one born with a silver spoon in her mouth who didn't care whether her people starved and died from diseases. What a perfect little picture the King had constructed in the minds of others.

"If you believe it, did you take me as your wife to teach me a leason, then? To punish me?" You whispered and clenched your teeth - every touch to your legs made them burn as if the man's fingers were covered with flames.

"No."

His ridiculously beautiful blue eyes bore into you with such intensity it made you want to grab the blanket and pull it over your head to hide from him. Oddly, you thought his face looked noble behind that layer of dirt on his skin. He didn't look like any of those who you met behind the castle gates.

"In truth, I've seen you up there in the tower once, looking out the window. But you didn't laugh at us. You cried."

You raised your head and stilled, watching the man anxiously. No, he wasn't a beggar. They had never been admitted to the castle.

"How could you see me up there? My room is too high." Your hands trembled a little, and then you let out a hiss of pain when the man rubbed some salve onto your skin.

"I have a good eyesight."

"How did you know it was me, then?"

"Because I've seen you before."

Your heart was pounding loudly in your chest at his words. Who was he? Who was the man sitting on your bed?

"Were you a part of a cortege of a man who came to ask for my hand?" You asked nervously, glancing at him rubbing more of that medicine that smelled like herbs into your feet.

The stranger nodded. "Then... where have you seen me? Was it before I was locked in the castle by the King?"

"Yes. I saw you when the old King, rest his soul, had been alive."

"I see. I must have been a child, then." You gave him a weak smile, remembering those times when you were still the lovely little girl, your mother always keeping you close to her despite the royal etiquette. It was the time when you still travelled, sometimes even outside of your own country. He probably saw you during one of your trips with your parents. "Have you been a part of the court? Maybe the one who served it?"

"Yes." His answer was noncommittal, and it only steered your interest. Did he lost everything just like you? Was he stripped of his titles? It must had happened quite some time ago since his big hands were rough, work-weary. Maybe he was the knight or someone who belonged to the army.

Knowing he was becoming agitated, you decided to stop there. You had no desire to test patience of the one who had only ever been kind to you.

"I only have one question left, sir. How should I call you?"

He smirked, tilting his head to the side.

"Steve. My name is Steve Rogers."

Steve Rogers. This name rang a bell. He could see you growing confused, wracking your brains, desperately searching for any memory that could give you the answer. Steve Rogers. Steve...

Stevie. Prince Steven Grant Rogers. The little boy who was so unhealthy pale he looked like a ghost. He was skinny and small despite being older than you. You knew his mother had been sick for many years, confined to her chambers, and, sadly, her boy took after her. You remember the whispers behind your back when you visited him for the first time as he laid in bed, watching you with his enormously big blue eyes.

"It can't be." You gawked at the man who was bigger than anyone you had ever seen, his arms musculed, his shoulders wider than the ones of the King's executioner. Little Stevie could never grow so big - you remembered his thin, strange body well. "You can't be prince Steve."

"I'm not. I am King Steven now, little girl."

Oh, you remembered you called him a little boy that made him pout at you. There was no one standing close to you at the moment when you bended over to him and talked quietly not to tire the prince. But how could he become so strong? Even his father wasn't as big as him now. Why was King Steven dressed like a beggar? Why did he take you in the middle of the woods, pretending it was his house?

"When I reached the age of 18, I've met a wandering mage who cured my illness. His charms changed my body, made me what I had to become if my mother didn't fell sick before giving birth to me. Do you like what you see?"

You felt your cheeks burning when you realized you were staring at him shamelessly and averted your eyes.

"You look stronger than any man I've seen, Your Highness."

"I know, little bird." Smirking, he finally finished rubbing the salve into your skin and set the jar aside, caressing your feet. "As I fulfilled my promise to you, I came to claim what's rightfully mine."

"What promis- AH!

His gaze grew dark as you stared at him wide-eyed, and his hand gripped one of your feet painfully, making you yelp as he pressed his finger to the blister. He didn't like you forgetting about something important, but you could swear you remembered nothing of a promise.

"I gave you my word one day I'd become better and then come to ask for your hand, my dearest. You said if it were to happen, you would choose me among the other suitors. Do you remember now?" There was something dark in his voice as he spoke, and you nodded immediately to make him ease his grip on your leg. Steve sent you a satisfied smile, caressing your foot gently with his calloused fingers. "I've came to you several years ago, but you refused to see me and sent me away. I caught a glimpse of you in the window, and then I realized something wasn't right. I've sent a few of my people to become the servants in the castle to learn the truth."

Strangely, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted. King Steven knew you weren't rotten to the core. He knew you weren't a spoiled princess who refused to leave the castle to see her miserable people, suffering under the heavy taxation laws imposed by the new King. Steve took you here not to make you learn a lesson how to be behave, but to hide you from prying eyes.

As he wiped the tears streaming down your face, you realized he sat much closer to you now - King Steven smelled like sweat and pine trees.

"When the King ordered to give you to the first beggar who would come to the castle gates, I had already sneaked into your lands, my beloved. If not his order, my people would take you away soon." He dropped a kiss to your forehead, touching the locks of your hair with his fingers.

"But the King would find out who stole me." You whispered. "He'd demand you to bring me back."

"Five thousand soldiers are waiting for my command to march to the King's castle. Why would I leave him the kingdom that belongs to you, sweetheart?" Steve smiled, and you saw something dangerous lingering behind his eyes, something that made you shiver and draw a shaky breath from you. "If I gave you such an army, what would you do with it?"

For a second you felt like your body was thrown right into the fire, burning your flesh to the bones. The tears stopped as you clenched your teeth.

"Burn the castle to ashes. Kill the King. Kill his children. Kill their entourage. Kill all of them who had abandoned and humiliated me."

You didn't know when the anger rose in your chest and took a hold of your tongue, make you spit venom and imagine your brothers and sisters scream and plead for their lives, but you enjoyed it. You enjoyed every second of it when you thought of their heads on spikes for the crows to peck and the entire kingdom to see.

No one had come to your rescue for years when you prayed to be saved, taken away from a place that became your prison. No matter how much you asked God to answer you, he had been silent, and your learnt you were left alone in the world where no one wanted you to be treated fair. Then so be it. If no one took pity on a little miserable child pleading for help, you wouldn't show mercy to the ones who had been torturing you for years.

You hadn't seen how King Steven face changed as he watched you, his expression growing more sinister and poisonous, but you felt his lips on yours when he claimed your mouth possessively and his fingers clawed at your shoulders.

"I will cut the King's head off and tie it to the mane of your horse, my beloved. Would you like it to be your wedding gift?"

"Yes. Yes!" You cried as he shushed you, pressing your head to his chest and caressing your hair like a lover would.

"Then it's as good as done."

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#dark steve rogers #dark steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #yandere #captain america

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