#bruce is Very Concerned About This when he inevitably finds out

[kaidatheghostdragon]

That trope where danny and jason meet during jason's six months dead? That, but with good fenton parents.

Jason is either the same age or a year or two younger than danny (between danny'and ellie's age). The fentons know danny is a ghost and have already adopted ellie. Team phantom includes the entire fenton family and valerie (and obv sam and tucker), maybe even valerie's dad.

Vlad is either reformed (post agit with teen dan?), blackmailed into submission, ran out of town, or "dealt with." The giw have been run out of town, and may or may not still exist somewhere licking their wounds. Peaceful ghosts are openly welcomed in the town, which is phantom's haunt, the fentons plus red huntress deal with the troublemakers, and the phantom siblings handle the biggest threats. May or may not be an everyone knows au.

Anyways, danny runs into the ghost of robin and is all, holy shit, a teen vigilante died, and immediately drags robin home to get all the overbearing comfort and love the fenton family can provide.

Somehow, that transformed into the fentons adopting the ghost of robin as one of their own. Jason even starts going to caspar high. Everyone knows that jason is a ghost of a kid who died too young and may be considered an honorary phantom, only team phantom knows that he's robin, and may have learned a concerning amount about batman from jason, depending on how open he is.

The joker disappears a month after jason joins the fentons and the fenton parents have solid alibis to prove they werent involved (having access to phantom's ghost allies is a large boon).

After six months of living (excuse the term) with the fentons, its as if jason has always been part of the family. So his sudden disappearance is a shock. Its treated as a ghostnapping, and the fentons are quick to use the boomerang to track him down.

They find a near-catatonic, but very much living, jason either wandering gotham, or just as he's being carted off by talia. If the latter, wrecking the league of assassins probably becomes an entire team phantom affair.

Jason is brought back home, and between the fentons and frostbite, they find a way to treat jason, learning that his living body is developing into a halfa in a similar slow manner that vlad did, but with jason's ghost core already fully developed.

That's four different halfas created in four different ways (five for five if teen dan exists), plus the increasingly liminal population of amity park, and the human members of team phantom so strongly liminal that they all have protocores and will probably become halfas when they die.

At this point, the story can go multiple directions.

If the fentons wrecked the league of assassins, either they discovered damian or talia dropped him off with bruce a few years early, when tim is just starting out as robin. If the fentons have damian, serious discussions about informing bruce of his biokid ensue, and the fact that theyve also adopted his undead son will inevitably come up and whether jason wants to deal with that mess of emotions.

If damian is dropped off with bruce, bruce is gonna hear stories of an orange man that can bust through walls, his teal assassin wife, their fiery daughter, and pair/trio of loyal white haired pit demons (assuming jason's ghost is white haired, and whether or not he's well enough to join), that wrecked ra's shit and sealed away the pits. He *will* investigate. Also, damian and tim will probably have to be kept separated, probably by having tim patrol with dick while bruce wrangles the feral child. This is smack dab in the middle of the worst period of the batfams social dynamics, but otoh, damian being younger will ultimately be better for him as he'll probably be deprogrammed a lot easier.

If the fentons never cross paths with the loa, another avenue is still open with the giw. If they've been run out of amity, but the anti ecto acts still exist, the justice league still have a chance to encounter them. Perhaps after amity ran the giw out, a formal complaint was filed to the justice league (they finally broke through the giw's blackout), but it was labelled a non-emergency (because the complaint described how the town couldnt get the message out until *after* they dealt with the problem) and was never investigated for being labelled a low priority. Baby robin tim found the file while exploring the bat computer and asked bruce about it, kicking off an investigation.

On the flipside, the giw try to convince the justice league that hostile entities have taken control of a small midwestern city, maybe the league is convinced right up until batman comes face to face with jason and is willing to hear him out.

If none of the above, jason could start talking about how he wants to return home to help crime alley, and the fentons support him all the way. You could even have jason still become red hood the crime lord, minus the family drama and joker ultimatum, and the training he would have gotten from the league is covered by ghost hunting, halfa powers, and the fenton parents' ecclectic skillset. Cue gotham being slowly invaded by team phantom as each child in turn goes to gotham U for college to be near and support jason.

Or jason is perfectly happy to stay in amity forever, but jazz goes to gotham U for its psychology program. She tries to keep her head low, but batman at this point runs a background check on every psychology major in gotham U (maybe bruce wayne funded a reform of the program - the reason why its now lauded as one of the best in the nation - to try to prevent more rogues being created.) Jazz pings a few warning criteria because her parents match a handful of mad scientist traits, so batman is now doing a full investigation on her family and finds a picture of jason.

Ignoring all of that, maybe jason keeps tabs on batman and is extremely upset that he's taken on another robin after the last one died. He's emotionally stable enough, and the fentons emotionally competent enough, to get him to talk and work through his emotions, but everyone agrees a wellness check for the new robin is in order. They go to gotham and confront batman, realize he's an emotional mess and that tim forced his way into the role and decide that the bats are all fentons now, no batman, you cannot escape. Assimilation is inevitable. We *will* get you to work through your grief and make you a better vigilante because of it. And tim has been abandoned by his parents and is living alone? That wont do. We're going to assume for your benefit that you were too grief-stricken to notice bruce, but you will not be making any more oversights like that under our watch.

There are probably a dozen other directions this could go, but mostly i just wanted to provide some prompts/ideas with ghost/halfa jason as a fenton. I need more fluffy fenton dynamics and jason fluff.

#dpxdc #dp x dc

[vinelark]

khoa & tim fake uncle postfic

because i’m thinking about tim’s fake uncle again and because i’m also thinking about ghostbat: au (loosely inspired by this) set during tim’s early robin era where tim does a version of the Fake Uncle thing, which coincides with minhkhoa khan sneaking into town to spy on bruce.

the thing is, khoa has been off the grid for a while and just learned about jason--both that bruce got another kid, and that said kid had a fatal run-in with the joker. bruce had told khoa to stay out of gotham years ago, but khoa isn’t about to let that stop him once he catches up on the news and pieces together bruce’s grief spiral that only recent calmed down with the appearance of a new robin. a new robin who is, conveniently, posting a veiled job offer for an? uncle?? on the internet, and doing it entirely on his own.

so khoa fashions himself a fake struggling-but-not-too-struggling actor identity and lands himself the position of tim drake's uncle. it’s a perfect way to peek at bruce’s life while flying under the radar, because this tim kid is very eager to keep his fake uncle as separate from bruce as possible. khoa expects to be in and out of this job in a month, maybe two, as soon as he’s sure bruce is stable and not going to crumble because bruce cares so much and khoa knows it’ll be his undoing one day and—anyway. it’s a temporary gig. the kid’ll have to come up with a cover story when khoa inevitably disappears, but that’s not khoa’s problem. and tim probably shouldn’t be making up fake relatives anyway, so khoa will be teaching him a valuable lesson. (the lesson: always make sure you have collateral on someone before trusting them. you’re welcome for the parenting help, bruce!)

except. it’s not so easy to leave.

after just two weeks khoa starts realizing that:

tim is bonkers

like, off the wall bonkers

and brilliant

bad combo, khoa knows from experience

tim desperately cares about bruce and dick and alfred

but does not see himself as part of the family (hence the fake uncle thing)

khoa also realizes that tim keeps secretly patching himself up at home (because he’s downplaying any injuries after patrols) and eventually khoa is like. “okay. i don’t care what happened*, but you do have to stitch that up properly. my fake self can’t be in trouble for child endangerment.” and he patches up a surprised and wary tim. this becomes a routine.

*(khoa knows what happened, he was stalking batman on patrol that night. like most nights.)

ANYWAY. basically what i’m saying is: identity shenanigans where bruce’s ex is lurking around gotham pretending to be tim’s uncle and tim doesn’t know about the ex thing and bruce doesn’t know about the uncle being fake thing and everyone is keeping secrets from each other. and khoa goes from “this is a convenient way to spy on bruce” to “if anything happens to this unhinged baby robin i will kill everyone in this room and then myself” and ends up co-parenting tim without bruce realizing.

also in between having concerning realizations about tim’s self-preservation skills and spying on bruce, khoa finds time to have fun with it. like imagine a parent-teacher conference at tim’s school. the school calls bruce to schedule because his contact info is still on file from when tim was staying with him. but obviously khoa catches wind of this and decides to also turn up, in full uncle disguise, and spends the whole time fucking with bruce and having a blast.

like bruce was kind of checked out last year when the conferences happened and now he’s starting to claw out of his grief enough to be present and engaged. especially now that tim is staying with his “uncle” bruce is like wait. wait. and is trying to make more of an effort, so he shows up to the conference. and then at the conference khoa is just lounging in his chair like, “tim fell asleep in class? good for him, i’ve been telling him to get more sleep” and bruce is trying to be Even Better Dad to compensate while his eye is just constantly twitching.

[parent-teacher conference shenanigans with contributions from @cairoscene, @90kon, & @mammutblog:]

teacher: i won't sugar coat it, tim is very nearly failing literature

khoa: ah. a ridiculous subject anyway.

teacher: i notice tim is very... isolated. he doesn't seem to engage much with his peers, even when they try to initiate conversations with him

khoa: well children are idiots, i don't blame him

teacher: tim got in a fight—

khoa: did he win?

khoa: oh tim’s getting an A in science? we should celebrate. i’ll take him to get ice cream for dinner. we usually do that anyway but this time he can have extra sprinkles

bruce: that’s not— [deep breath] in my experience tim has trouble remembering to eat a balanced diet when left to his own devices, which is important to his growth at this age.

khoa: yeah of course. that’s why sometimes we get frozen yogurt instead

bruce: tim is lactose intolerant

khoa: [pulls out a packet of lactaid] i know

anyway!! after a bunch of shenanigans and awkward actually-taking-care-of-tim moments, something big happens where bruce and tim are in deep trouble and khoa breaks cover to burst in and rescue both batman & robin and all secrets come out. tim is shocked that he didn’t figure out who khoa was (in tim’s defense, he’s had a Lot going on) and bruce is soooo mad he didn’t see through the disguise, but also bruce is. grateful. that khoa has been there for tim, especially when khoa finally gets to do a full “get your head out of your ass” rant about the various ways tim has been pretending to be way more okay than he is.

khoa: if you’re going to CARE about people so much the least you can do is! pay attention to them!! this kid is your problem, act like it!

bruce: sounds like he might be Our problem now

khoa: only because i don’t trust you to get the job done 😤

(ALSO because khoa is literally there to lurk and observe he notices the league slipping into gotham and they end up rescuing a resurrected jason early.)

anyway i just think the concept of khoa being tim’s deus ex machina adult is so fun. like tim is on some international mission with young justice and it seems like all hope is lost and then freaking ghost-maker swans in and takes out all the enemies and gives tim a whole rant about How Is Bruce Letting You Run Around Like This, Does He Know What You’re Getting Up To In Your Spare Time, Where Even Is He. the vibe is ghost-maker dropping a (carefully patched up) robin on wayne manor doorstep with a sticky note on tim’s forehead reading TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOUR THINGS.

(bonus au of this au from aubrey where bruce DOES see through khoa’s disguise:

Tim: Bruce, this is my uncle--

Bruce: ANTON?!

Khoa: 😘

Tim: oh my god DID YOU FUCK MY FAKE UNCLE, BRUCE?)

also please look at this khoa and tim art again for the vibes

#sorry this is so messy but i just keep rotating it in my head and having so much fun #minhkhoa khan #tim drake #ghostbat #ghost-maker #originally posted on twitter but i expanded it a bit! #postfic #this au lives in my mind rent free. the tim pangs. the khoa being sooo normal and spying on bruce shenanigans. the slow healing. etc etc #literally just. khoa: unlike bruce i don’t have weaknesses like CARING about these kids #tim: thank you for being my fake uncle. your job description is to literally not care about me #khoa: well—

[kiragecko]

What is the dumbest thing the (NTT) Titans would admit to be talked into?

Okay, it is a new week and I am awake! This is hard because I haven't got up to many shenanigans in my life, while these guys are all adrenalin junkies.

(Like usual, I will ignore your suggested Titan lineup and do as I please ;)

Dick - Multiple times a year he is convinced to compete in a weapons-free match against Donna. He almost always loses. This isn't the dumb thing - the fights are VERY fun. No, Dick agreed to have one of these matches ON LIVE TV, for charity. The amount of sexist thugs who suddenly decided they could take him, after! The obnoxious videos from Tim of him wiping the floor with Cassie, weaponless! The obnoxious video from Tim of Bruce taking down Diana, weaponless! (Which Dick can't prove is faked!) Tim's only doing it for fun, but the stupid two-bit criminals are serious, and if Dick has to defend Donna's skill one more time he's going to have a hissy fit.

Donna - Cassie talked her into helping plan a surprise party for Tim. It was awful! She spent most of her time trying to keep Dick distracted, only to find out near the end that Tim hates surprises, so it was a 'surprise' party. Every aspect had been carefully vetted with Tim. Dick knew what was going on, and Cassie only wanted Donna to keep him distracted because she was still being petty about Damian being on the Titans. Now Dick thinks Donna's taken sides in the Damian Problem!

Wally - Currently, Wally is trying to convince everyone that it was agreeing to a playdate between the twins and Damian. A bored speedster can be talked into almost anything, though. He will, if forced, admit to trying to vibrate through the entire Earth to get to the other side. Yes, it was unbelievably stupid. Please stop talking about it.

Roy - Getting Lian the model Batcave she so desperately wanted. Especially since he recognized that Dick would never let him get away with an inaccurate one, and asked for a floorplan. They don't need this many action figures. Lian does not need an action figure of every superhero who has ever existed. It isn't an insult for his 5 year old to not have your action figure. Uncle Hal NEEDS to stop bringing her more Green Lanterns. They do not need every Green Lantern. There are hundreds of Green Lanterns. Isn't there an identity risk in giving me a figure of your civilian doctor, Dick? Please. Please, stop.

Garth - facilitating an argument between Vic and Gar the first time he met them. Why are they like that?

Raven, after you made it really clear that 'dumb' did not mean 'horrific', no matter how innocently stupid the original bad idea was - going to a anime convention while her empathy was on the fritz. She made it 4 hours, and for 15 minutes, it was the calmest anime convention that has ever existed. (She got some really cool xxxHolic and Revolutionary Girl Utena merch, though.)

Kory - joined a trivia contest. This was actually dumbness all around, as everyone forgot that trivia contests set on Earth, EVEN IF THEY'RE SPACE THEMED, are pretty Earth-centric. Humans rarely know the indigenous name for stars systems.

Vic - replaced both arms with chainsaws. He has no excuse. He had to get Joey to attach the second chainsaw and he STILL didn't recognize the inevitable problem concerning 'not having chainsaw arms at some point'.

Gar - The PSAs he recorded for COVID. He stands behind the subject matter, but the scripts and editing ...

Joey - Agreeing to paint Dick nude. If he'd done something small, and easy to conceal, everything would have been fine. Kory and Dick could have stored it somewhere private. It was a good painting. But he hadn't done something small. And it had still been in the Tower when the Titans had to make a safety broadcast. Enough had been visible to make Nightwing's public life miserable for MONTHS, and Joey feels awful.

#teen titans #new teen titans #gecko's lists

[roobylavender]

i missed that class what dont you like about starlins rendition of their relationship?

(and also like, DID you think he did something in particular well or was it all…meh

the crux of my issues in this regard stems from batman #416. in the post-crisis era you began to see this way more lopsided depiction of bruce and dick's relationship wherein the former was portrayed to be almost.. bitter that dick had moved on to establish his own life. and it stood in great, great contrast to the bruce of the pre-crisis era, who was certainly devastated at the realization that dick was growing up, but also very intent for him to find his own happiness and way in life. they would have their disagreements on occasion (e.g., bruce initially disapproving of dick dropping out of college, bruce immediately taking leadership of a situation where the titans were involved when dick was better equipped to handle it, etc.) but the outcome of those situations was never outright bad yknow. bruce was very much capable of recognizing where he might have overstepped and subsequently stepped back to let dick have his own space. and i think initially max allan collins expanded on that dynamic in the post-crisis era in interesting ways by juxtaposing bruce's desire to see dick flourish against his own constant fear for dick's life. so instead of mike w. barr's comedic and lighthearted backup stories in early 80s tec where bruce disguised himself to keep an eye on dick's shenanigans and assure himself everything was going alright, you got this more serious confrontation within bruce with regards to his position as a parent. i don't think a lot of people read it that deeply but i've always viewed batman #408 as one of the most sensible depictions of that dilemma. the general complaints tend to be that this issue robbed dick of his pre-crisis decision to retire robin on his own, and i'll concede that as a worthwhile concern. but i don't think it's esp damning what with the implication that bruce no longer wants to be the person indirectly making the decision for dick to continue to be in this line of work. their moment at dick's bedside is less about bruce robbing him of the decision and more about him saying, if i let you still be robin, that's a direct reflection on me, bc i'm the one who got you to do all of this originally. i'm the one who put you directly in harm's way. if you're going to do this from now on, you need to do it on your own terms. you need to decide for yourself that this is who you want to be, without your relationship with me even being a factor.

it's a moment contributive to that delicious dynamic between them wherein every decision bruce takes to service dick's agency is inevitably read the wrong way by the latter to imply that he's not valued or not worthy of being seen as bruce's equal (and before the hounds pounce on me this obv does not include the increasingly abusive depiction of their relationship as the 90s progressed). that is an unavoidable dilemma when you're simultaneously someone's ward/adopted son and also their partner-in-crime! dick wants to be bruce's son and to be entitled to all of the love and care and protection that that entails but he also wants to be bruce's brother, his equal, his confidante, the one person he trusts more than anyone else in the world, etc. it's a tough place to be! it is paradoxical! and i'm so, so open to seeing that explored and think the way collins attempted to approach it in #408 was marvelous. but the way starlin (and other writers as well) totally swerved right in #416 to create this sudden resentment in bruce that dick had grown out of needing him was.. so utterly bizarre. like completely out of left field in a way i don't understand why people don't question it anymore bc in light of everything in the immediate fifteen years prior to the crisis it makes so little sense. their relationship with each other was so valued, bruce was so anxious to see dick establish himself while nonetheless maintaining a protectiveness over him, but it was all very much in good will even if he could overstep on occasion. it had all of the potential to allow for a very nuanced, empathetic exploration into the dilemmas of parenthood and esp when you are someone like bruce who has to forever live and contend with the crime of taking kids with him out onto the streets. bc he has to feel guilty! there is no escaping it. this is history, done and dusted forever, can't go back in time, so on and so forth. whatever harm comes any robin's way he has to live with as in some part being traceable back to his own actions. and i frankly believe that would be far more likely to evoke grief and anxiousness and concern than it would be bitterness that his son is charting out his own life

#as to do i think starlin did anything well. hmm #i like that he was able to acknowledge that jason's parents were loving people despite their circumstances #it didn't matter that willis was a criminal. what mattered was that he loved his family and would've done anything for them #which was a rare concession from starlin bc his writing could be pretty classist elsewhere #but at the same time idk sometimes i read it back and it's like. i don't think he was actually as classist as winick was ultimately #like it's been a While since i reread the starlin issues #but you could tell he believed jason's demise was less about his social class and more about being unable to fully recover from #or process his trauma as a result of the life he'd lived and the things he'd experience. hence the garzonas saga #and even in a death in the family the question is never about whether jason is acting out bc he's criminally inclined #bruce explicitly says he doesn't think he's given jason enough time to mentally and emotionally recover and that's why #he suspends him. so even starlin knew it was about the trauma first and foremost #and i mean that somewhat goes in line with his reasons for wanting to kill robin to begin with #he thought robin was symbolically representative of child abuse #in that it wasn't the conduit through which a young boy should necessarily grow #and ideally? the way to explore that in a medium that Requires the existence of child vigilantes #would have been to make the distinction that while there is always going to be some danger to every robin at the end of the day #what made the danger to jason distinct was that robin didn't work to resolve His trauma specifically #what robin did for dick is never something it could have done for jason let alone tim. there were too many other factors at play #so if this dilemma had been approached that way rather than starlin pursuing a blanket robin is child abuse ideology #that was subsequently picked up by other writers. then i think we might have gotten somewhere quite interesting #but anyway yeah so he's not my most hated by any means. there are parts i love there are parts i hate #ultimately at the end of the day winick will always be a gazillion times worse #outbox

[harveywritings92]

A Tiny problem Bruce Wayne pt. 2

Summary: Y/n is a good friend and secretary to the one and only Bruce Wayne, their relationship for the most part is strictly platonic! Until one night when they decided to relieve some of that pesky sexual tension between and well... Y/n has a tiny problem that she can't tell Bruce about as it appears he's gone back to Selina. 

----------------------------------

Y/n was around 4 months pregnant now, and her belly was getting notably rounder luckily winter was just a round the corner, so no questioned why Y/n was suddenly favoring her more baggier clothes which consisted of sweaters and sweater dresses, that and her desk obscured most of her figure, so everyone could just see her top half, Y/n though she was in the clear, until Bruce's son Damian came to visit his father, who was currently in a meeting.

Believe it or not, Y/n and Damian get along quite well! Mainly because you're not an ass kissing employee whose just playing nice so his father will notice them or another floozy trying mine for information on how to bed his father, Truth be told he wouldn't mind if you and his father got together, you’ve been more of a mother to him than his actual mother.

The sixteen year old had just stepped out of the elevator when he glanced up from his phone briefly, then did a quick double take when he saw you standing on a wheeled office chair searching the small supply closet a few feet from your desk, but that's not what his eyes were fixated on, Oh no. 

They were locked on to your very noticeable pregnant belly!!! "Y/-" Sure enough the chair slipped out from under you, You let out a small squeak waiting for the inevitable pain to come, but were confused why you weren't falling?

You opened your eyes to find a concerned Damian looking down at you and realized the teen had caught you... Your shaking hands instinctively went to you stomach and let out a sigh of relief. "Damian... Thank you." The teen's ears turned red. "Tt, whatever." He huffed before putting you down. "Wait, I need to-" The raven haired boy cut you off. "I'll get It!" he barked while ordering you to sit back down, he was still on edge from the close call and didn’t want to take any chances. "What were you looking for?" Damian asked standing on his toes to see the top shelf.

"Sticky-notes." you answered meekly the teen grunted pulling out a booklet of gold and gray notes and handing them to them to you. Damian frowned he was so confused, how could you be pregnant? He hasn't seen any signs of a man in your life... Except. 

Damian knows you live with your cousin and his boyfriend, maybe you were surrogating for them? the teen was so lost in thought he didn't hear his father come out of the conference room, until he was calling his name.

 "Damian?" The teen blinked and looked over at his father, and immediately Damian's mind went to *why you didn't have anyone assisting you in your condition?* He opened his mouth to berate his father, when he noticed the scared look you were sending him, while lightly shaking your head... Why would you be scared about his father knowing? And like that the pieces came together, Damian looked back at his father with a neutral expression.

"Sorry father, I was thinking to hard."

"So I see, anything important?"

"Yes. Father I'd like to student intern for Wayne Enterprise as L/n's assistant." 

"..."

Bruce gawked at his son stunned while You choked on a big gulp of water and pulled off your best Sheila Broflovski impression. "W-What, what- *wheeze* what?!" you sputtered between coughs, Bruce looked between you and Damian unsure of what to do, You just waved him off and watched Bruce lead Damian to his office so they can discuss this in private. You took this as your chance to go to the restroom to clean up and do your business, when you got back Damian was wiping your desk down, while giving you the 'we're so talking about this!' look and like that you knew you were screwed...

Damian had taken you to lunch as Bruce had another meeting to get to, the teen pretty much knew that you were carrying his half-sibling and demanded you start from the beginning.

You summed it up as best you could while Damian sip his tea, the hooking up with Bruce, and finding out about the baby a month ago. "And I just...So on Tuesday you father has a meeting with Aren Barns, But it'll have to be moved for..." you quickly switched the subject to his internship when the same waitress was conveniently walking by their table for the third time.

Damian played along nodding like he was listening, Yeah, unfortunately this café was notorious for tabloid vultures, which is why you told Damian it was best to pick a spot far from the bar and close to an exit in case someone ambushed them. "Why haven't you told my father about this?" The teen inquired Y/n cocked a brow looked out the window, Damian followed her gaze saw a large LED screen with a picture of Bruce and Selina Kyle making-out at some concert. "Oh...I See." Was all he could say lunch was a little awkward from there.

For the next two months Bruce was baffled by his sons sudden attentiveness towards you and the intern job, if you were tasked with carry heavy supplies Damian would be there, if you needed a drink or snack Damian would get it for you, Even though you told he didn't have to, But he was vey insistent about taking care of you. "Someone has to be..." he'd mutter under his breath Bruce felt that jab was directed at him, which confused him, He didn't know why Damian was suddenly being hostile but shrugged it off to puberty.

A month later Bruce got his answer, the billionaire was invited to a charity ball, He and of course he brought Selina along, they were mingling with the other attendees, when Bruce caught a tuff of y/hc in the crowd, he was sure he saw Y/n standing in a nearby crowd; back facing him, She wearing this lovely fave/color gown Bruce had gotten for her birthday and assumed she was attending with her cousin, and decided to go see her as neither of you  haven't really talked outside of work for the last couple months, and though Bruce won't admit it he misses Y/n. 

You were attending as a favor to a friend since his wife was called out of town and didn't want to go alone, You however weren't expecting Bruce to be at this charity, you hadn't noticed him up behind you. 

You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned greet whoever it was with a costumer service smile, until you locked eyes with the familiar dark blue eyes of Bruce Wayne, that were soon downcast toward your very oblivious pregnant tummy, all at once your mouth went dry as fear gripped your heart, but before you could say anything your friend Dirk and Selina showed up making situation more awkward for the both of you. 

-----------------------

Tag list:

@the-last-twin-of-krypton 

@elizamalfoyy

@azaleapotterblack

#batman fanfiction #bruce wayne x reader #bruce x selina #bruce wayne #dc animated movies #Female reader #pregnant!reader #short I know #Damian Wayne #selina kyle

[jackieinthebox]

jealous | p. parker x gn stark! reader

summary: a very informal hc about jealous dad tony after reader spends more time with peter 

words: 1.1k (oops)

warnings: none :)

masterlist

despite tony’s playboy past he was a phenomenal dad, you were his whole world

you had a very tight knit relationship

protective, but not overbearing 

he most definitely homeschooled you 

you took after him, a total prodigy and skipped several grades a year

but he was always kind of concerned about your interaction with kids your age

you really didn’t mind, you were very close to your dad and all of the avengers and that was good enough for you 

until you met peter

tony had you show him around the tower 

you two hit it off so well, becoming close friends immediately

peter was a good kid and tony was ecstatic that you got along so well

maybe too well

your friendship evolved into mutual feelings 

after a while of dancing around your feelings and teetering on friends to lovers peter sucks it up and kisses you, thus your relationship prevails

you don’t tell anyone at first, proceeding as normal around everyone else but in private you’re so lovie it’s sickening 

you felt bad about not telling your dad, because you guys tell each other everything, but peter’s your first boyfriend and you don’t know how he’ll react so you wanted to have a well established relationship beforehand 

as your relationship progresses (say about 3-4 months in) you decide it’s time to tell your dad 

he took it surprisingly well 

he kind of already knew peter liked you because he would get super blushy whenever someone brought your name up or you popped into the lab to say hi or give a new perspective on what they were working on

he was super chill and cool about it at first, he likes and trusts peter and he could tell he made you happy, which is all he wanted for you

since he took it so well and liked peter so much you were under the impression that he didn’t mind you two spending so much time together

and he really didn’t at first, he thought it was just a phase 

but then you were constantly cancelling plans, blowing him off for peter, and asking if it was ok to invite peter to practically every family dinner and movie night and tony got fed up

but he didn’t want to be an annoying, overbearing dad so he sulked in silence while you were off with peter 

as he sees less of you his jealousy towards peter grows, he feels like peter’s stealing you from him 

this leads to tony being very moody around peter, or even when you just offhandedly mention him in conversation 

you were oblivious to the sudden attitude change towards peter because you thought your dad really liked him

but it was driving him crazy, making it so evident to everyone else 

but if anyone asked he immediately shut it down

you weren’t stupid, you could tell something was bothering him but he never verbalized how he felt so you just figured he was stressed or something 

and things go on like this for a little while

but then

after one mission

everyone’s getting off the quinjet and your dad’s bracing himself for your bear hug ™️

only for you to run into peters arms

so when you go around for your round of hugs

he’s just standing there like 🧍‍♂️heart breaking because he feels like peter replaced him in your life :(

and i can see all the avengers being pissed too because you guys had a hugging system and peter just messed the whole thing up >:(

they could see how it was eating at tony but knew he still wouldn’t say anything

so they all collectively decided it was time for an intervention

they spent the rest of the night planning and practicing what to say

i can see bruce, and steve taking it so seriously, writing impact statements and everything

the next morning they cornered you when you were about to get breakfast so you couldn’t escape the inevitably uncomfy convo to come

they drag you into the living room where the rest of the avengers are

and they’re all sitting with their arms and legs crossed looking super stern and solemn

and your just like 👁👄👁 uh guys ?

so bruce starts everyone off

“we know peter’s your first boyfriend and we’re glad you two are happy but you have to spend more time with your dad, i know he won’t downright say it but he misses you and feels like peter replaced him in your life”

and then it clicks for you 

“so that’s why he’s been so moody lately”

and everyone’s like yeah duh

so you go looking for your dad to find him hunched over a little device in the lab looking super mopey 

and your heart just breaks because why didn’t you notice it sooner :(

so you approach him and sit criss cross on the ground next to his chair like you did when you were little 

you look up at him and ask what his plans are for the day

he says “nothing” so you proceed to ask if he wants to do something with you

“but peter’s busy today” he says bitterly at the mention of peter

“i know i just wanted to spend time with you”

he perks up at that so you continue “i know we haven’t spent as much time together lately and i’ve been missing our dad and daughter time”

he plays it cool but internally he’s like YESSSSS

“yeah that’s cool i guess” 

so you guys go out and have a really great day and tony’s acting like himself again and everyone notices

before you head off to bed you give your dad an extra big hug and tell him “i know its just been us for a while and peter in our lives is a big adjustment and we’ve been spending a lot of time together, but he could never replace you, i love you and spending time with you and i never meant to neglect our relationship, i was just excited, i don’t want you to feel like you have to compete for my attention”

and tony’s like :’ )

but he says “its ok i get it and for the record i wasn’t jealous or anything”

and you’re just like yeah ok dad and give him a kiss on the cheek 

he smiles and says “g’night love you kiddo” 

“love you dad” :)

and from then on you’re sure to be mindful to balance your relationship while leaving time for everyone else 

and peter learns to accept that he gets hugged last after a mission because “you got here last it’s only fair!” (because yes the avengers did have a sit down with him to lay down the law about the post mission hugging schedule) 

#peter parker x y/n #tony stark daughter #peter parker x gender neutral reader #peter parker x reader #peter parker x stark!daughter #dad!tony stark #spiderman x stark!reader #peter parker fluff #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x stark!reader #stark!reader #stark!daughter #dad!tony #peter parker x you #peter parker headcanon #spiderman imagine #spiderman x reader #spiderman fluff #spiderman x you #spiderman fanfiction #spiderman fic #tony stark #spiderman headcanon #spiderman x y/n #peter parker #spiderman

[winterskywrites]

any possibility of something with dick and damian? they're my favorite batman and robin duo

Richard has been acting strangely recently. Damian always watches him closely and notes when his actions stray from his usual behavior. His actions now aren't too different from how he normally acts, but Damian has been trained by the best, and his close watch has revealed inconsistencies. Something is bothering Richard, and Damian needs to know if it's something that will affect his performance as Batman.

The first step towards figuring this out is, of course, further observation. Damian watches Richard at all times; on patrol, in the penthouse, when he comes to pick Damian up from school. Richard is a talented actor, and he has the same knack for pretending everything is alright that every member of the family does, but Damian has gotten to know him well enough that he can read the falsehoods in his smile.

Unfortunately, his observation gives him no hints as to what the falsehoods are meant to hide. This means he has to escalate to the next step: investigation. Or, as Richard calls it, snooping. Luckily for Damian, Richard is often out at work, which means Damian has plenty of time to sneak around his room. He's strategic about it, starting with the most likely contenders for something upsetting - mail, his computer, reports from other family members and the Justice League - and then working his way through the rest of the room.

Unfortunately once again, by the time he's looked through every sock in Richard's drawer, he has still found nothing to indicate what might be wrong. He'll have to escalate, he decides, and he goes to find Pennyworth.

"Something is wrong with Grayson."

"Good morning, Master Damian," Pennyworth says dryly. "I hope you slept well."

"Did you not hear me?" Damian demands irritably. "Something is wrong with Grayson. He's been acting strangely. Something is bothering him, and I fear he's becoming distracted."

"And you are concerned for your brother's wellbeing?" Alfred asks mildly.

"I am concerned for the state of Gotham if its Batman is distracted," Damian snaps. "Now, will you help me determine the problem or not?"

Alfred sighs. "I am aware of what the problem is, Master Damian. It is nearly Master Dick's birthday."

Damian scowls. "And that is causing this level of distraction? He ought to be more mature than that."

"When Master Dick first came to live in the Manor with myself and your father, birthdays were a difficult time for him," Alfred continues, ignoring Damian's interjection. "They were some of the moments when he missed his parents the most dearly. As time passed, he and Master Bruce developed their own traditions for birthdays, which was helped along by the growing family, but they have never been an easy time for Master Dick. And now that Master Bruce is gone, I fear it will be a time that brings him nothing but grief."

Grief is something that Damian can understand. He can even understand it being linked to a birthday; he is sure that he will miss his mother when his own birthday comes to pass. The problem is, he's not sure what to do to fix it.

"How can I lessen Grayson's distraction?" he asks. "If he is not performing optimally, he may hurt himself."

"I think it would be best to merely let the day pass," Pennyworth says. "Master Dick will go back to normal eventually. I believe he needs this time to grieve."

That is, Damian thinks, an utterly foolish idea. If Richard is compromised, he needs to do something about it, not just watch it happen in silence. "What sort of traditions did Grayson create with my father?"

"Are you planning something, Master Damian?" Pennyworth asks.

"I am planning to help Grayson," Damian retorts. "I can recreate the traditions he had with my father."

"That is a very kind thought, Master Damian," Pennyworth says as Damian scoffs, "but I'm not certain how much comfort it would bring him. Even if you do your best to recreate the traditions, they will still be inevitably changed by Master Bruce's absence."

"Then I can create new traditions," Damian says stubbornly. "You said that he created new traditions with my father, which lessened his grief over the traditions he had with his parents. If I create new traditions with him now, it will lessen his grief over the traditions he had with my father."

"Grief is not so simple, Master Damian, and even if it were, this is not a process you could complete in a single year," Pennyworth says gently. "It took years for birthdays to become a time of celebration instead of mourning. I fear that drawing attention to the situation will only make things worse."

"But he needs something!" Damian protests. "I refuse to simply-"

"What're you yelling about?" Richard asks as he stumbles into the kitchen. He doesn't look like he got much sleep, and he makes a beeline to the coffee pot.

Pennyworth shoots Damian a warning look. "Nothing, Master Dick-"

"Pennyworth told me it is nearly your birthday," Damian blurts out. He sees Pennyworth's mouth tighten, but the man keeps his silence. "I was asking him what sorts of celebrations you normally held."

"Oh," Richard says, his voice a little blank. "We don't need to do anything for my birthday."

"We celebrated birthdays with the League," Damian says. "My mother and I celebrated together."

Richard's face softens a bit, but Damian can see the pain in his eyes. "I'm glad you have those memories, Damian."

"I can plan a celebration for you," Damian says in a rush. It's not because he cares about whether or not Richard has a birthday celebration, it's not. It's just that apparently a birthday celebration may help him perform at his usual standards, and that performance is what Damian really cares about.

"You don't need to do that," Richard says. "I'm really fine."

"You are not," Damian snaps, "and I will plan a celebration."

"Okay," Richard says, sounding somewhat exhausted. "If you really want to, go ahead. But first, you have school to get to."

Damian sniffs haughtily and leaves the kitchen. He has to attend school, but he doesn't have to pay attention. He already knows everything his teachers try to teach him anyway. He can focus on something much more important.

He's going to give Richard the best birthday celebration he's ever had, and Richard will go back to normal and his performance as Batman will return to its usual levels. All Damian has to do is plan the perfect birthday celebration.

He's done harder things, surely. This shouldn't be too hard at all.

This fic has a sequel here.

#dick grayson #nightwing #robin #damian wayne #alfred pennyworth #dick & damian #batman #batfamily #batfam #dc #my writing #prompt #anonymous

[nothoughtsonlynat]

Human (Natasha Romanoff)

Human: Chapter 1

A/N: Troyes, France is 6 hours ahead of NYC so 7pm there is 1pm in NYC. For the sake of this fic we’re going to pretend that the Battle of New York lasted quite a few hours.

*This is my first ever fic and I wrote it at 3am so bear with me

WARNINGS: swearing; mentions of weapons; violence; panic attack; anxiety; my crappy writing; and I think that’s it (lmk if there’s anything I should add)

Barcelona, Spain; January, 2012:

The repetitive ticking of the clock registered in my brain before my eyes even opened. I didn’t need that clock to know what time it was, of course. It was 4:30 am— the same time I've woken up everyday for the past twenty-five years of my life. I no longer need to wake up this early, yet it’s a habit so deeply engrained in my framework that it’s seemingly unbreakable. I roll out of bed and make my way into the dingy kitchen with light footsteps. With some quick math I figured that I got barely two hours of sleep last night, but that’s more than usual. I started the coffee machine and asked with a sigh, “Would you like some coffee or are you just going to lurk in the corner?”

The leather-clad stranger with an eyepatch stepped up to the kitchen island opposite of me and responded, “I wouldn’t mind a cup. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you knew I was here.”

“Well, you know what they say about old habits. You got a name?”

“You can call me Fury. We have a lot to talk about, Eight.” I slid him a mug of cheap coffee and gestured for him to take a seat. 

“Then we’d better get started so you can get the hell out of my apartment.” He simply chuckled in response and I could already feel my patience wavering.

Two Hours Later:

“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division? Really, dude?”

“Yeah, it’s a mouthful. Trust me I know.”

“I’m sorry that you came all this way for nothing, Fury, but there’s no way in hell I'm working for some government spy circus.”

“It’s technically an extra-governmental spy agency-“

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not joining,” I said, cutting him off.

“So, you’re just gonna hop from one shitty apartment to the next until you die? That doesn’t seem like a great life.”

“Better than the one I lived before.”

“You aren’t the person to live in hiding. You’re the person who thrives in the action and lives to kick ass, and we both know it.” When I didn’t respond he continued, “I’ll leave you my card. When you change your mind, which you will, you’ll know where to find me. You don’t have to be the bad guy anymore, Eight.” With that he slid off the stool and left my apartment, leaving me with nothing but my rapidly spiraling thoughts and a black business card.

Troyes, France; May, 2012:

It had been four months since Director Fury came to my apartment in Barcelona. We’d kept in contact and he hasn’t given up on me joining S.H.I.E.L.D.. I'm living in my third apartment since then. Wow…those landlords must really hate me. I was watching the seven o’clock news when I saw something that made me choke on my Cheerios. “An alien invasion?! What the fu-” My Cheerio-muffled exclamation was interrupted by the ring of my burner phone. “Hello?”

“Eight, you watched the news recently?”

“Uh yeah, I'm watching it now. You fighting aliens now, Nicky?”

“Okay first of all, I told you to stop calling me that. Second, yes… aliens. I’m forming a team of…extraordinary people to help protect against these threats and they could really use a hand to finish off this fight.”

“I may be weird as hell but I ain't ‘extraordinary’, Fury. I don’t wanna join your band of misfits.”

“Alright, how about a compromise? You fly your fancy jet here right now and help them out and if you still don’t wanna join once the battle is over, you can go right back to France and I’ll stop bothering you about joining.” After a few seconds of silence I agreed. 

“Fine, but I’m not gonna change my mind. Wait, how do you know about my jet?”

He gave a hearty laugh and said “I know everything, Eight. You should know that by now.”

New York, New York; 96 Minutes Later: 

I flew my jet into the city, making sure to take out a few flying Chitauri in the process. We don’t need to talk about how I got my hands on a German jet that can fly 2100mph. I saw a few interesting characters standing in a circle fighting off an endless sea of aliens. I maneuvered the jet and— wait…is that guy wearing blue tights? Is this what Fury meant by extraordinary? Whatever. I landed in the street about 20 yards away and killed the engines. I hopped out and started jogging towards the group. A couple of them turned around, probably wondering who the hell the chick in the black uniform is and— whoa that’s a beautiful woman. After realizing my steps had literally faltered in a mini gay panic, I slowed to a walk and said “Y’all need a hand?”

“Depends on whose hand it is,” replied the redheaded source of my panic.

“I’m a friend of Fury’s. He practically begged me to come save your asses.”

“Fury doesn’t beg,” she said in a doubtful tone.

“Not typically, but I'm just that awesome. If you don’t believe me then call him up but I’m gonna go kill some aliens.” With that I took off down another street where there was a group of the repulsive bastards. After unloading all of my magazines into Chitauri bodies, I switched to my swords and daggers. After another hour or so of fighting, there were no more aliens in sight. I started jogging toward the rich dude’s tower when I saw said rich dude falling through the rapidly-closing portal. I stopped next to Mr. Blue Tights and the buff blonde guy with the hammer when the big green dude grabbed Mr. Rich Dude from the sky and landed next to us. The green guy yelled, waking Mr. Rich Dude up with a start. “What the hell? What happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me. Except for her, she’s pretty hot,” he said nodding toward me. Just then the redhead jogged over to us and eyed my blood-soaked form from head to toe. 

“See something you like, Red?”

“No. I’m pretty sure I'd be classified as a sadist if I liked the sight of that much blood,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Yeah that’s fair.” She shook her head at me with a small smirk. There was barely a second of silence when Mr. Rich Dude spoke up. 

“Anybody want shawarma?”

Three Hours Later:

I had gone to the Triskelion after the band of misfits apprehended Loki. Agent Hill showed me where to park my jet and directed me to a room so I could shower and stay the night if I wanted to. I had put on black jeans, a white tee, and a black jean jacket, all of which had been in a to-go bag in my jet. I was toweling off my hair when someone knocked on the door. I opened the door to see none other than the one-eyed-wonder standing there. “What can I do for you, Nicky?”

“The Avengers are being debriefed in Conference Room 6B in ten minutes. You should come.”

“The Avengers? Is that what you’re calling them? That’s cute. But I'm not an Avenger and I don’t want to be an Avenger, so no thanks.”

“You should come anyway.”

“I don’t actually have a choice, do I?”

“You know me so well, Eight,” he said with an amused grin.

I walked into the conference room and the Avengers were already there. Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor, and Natasha Romanoff—whose names I learned from Hill— were scattered around a large table, along with Fury. Romanoff eyed me from where she was standing and arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me. I squinted my eyes and wiggled my eyebrows in response, and I could see her stifle a laugh. “What’s your name?” She accompanied the question with a blank expression, which made me feel oh-so-special. 

“That’s a very personal question, Miss Romanoff. Let’s slow the pace, please.”

“You know my name but I can’t know yours? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“The world isn’t fair, Miss Romanoff, and I love a good mystery.”

“If you two are done flirting, we have business to attend to,” interjected Fury.

“Right, my apologies, Nicky.”

“Don’t call me that, Eight.”

After an excruciating 43 minutes and 27 seconds, Fury finally let us leave. I was so close to freedom when that unbelievably sexy voice called to me. “Eight!” Romanoff hastily walked towards me in an effort to catch up.

“Yeah?”

“Is your name actually Eight?”

“If you want it to be.”

“Why are you so damn stubborn?”

“It amuses me, Red.” There was a brief silence during which both of us were trying to figure out if the conversation was over. 

I was about to leave when she continued, “So that’s it? You’re just gonna leave?”

“Well, no. I’m going to stay the night, steal some really expensive jet fuel, and then leave in the morning before Fury can get up my ass about joining his little team.”

She rolled her eyes and responded, “Why won’t you join the Avengers? And why won’t you tell me your real name?”

“It’s just not my style. I’d rather fly solo.”

“You ignored my second question.”

“Then maybe you should take the hint and stop asking.” With that I turned around and started walking away, but a hand on my arm stopped me dead in my tracks. Alarms started going off in my head, and I'm pretty sure Romanoff was saying something to me but I was too caught up in the memories of beatings, punishments, and psychological conditioning to register it. After a few of the longest seconds of my life, the white of my vision cleared up and the voice telling me ‘physical contact is strictly forbidden’ faded into the background. My heart was still hammering in my chest and I was trying to keep my breathing steady despite the inevitable panic attack trying to drag me under, I regained my neutral expression and said. “Sorry, did you say something?”

“Are you okay?” She had a concerned expression and if I wasn’t so blinded with anxiety, I would’ve appreciated how cute the furrow of her eyebrows was.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just gonna turn in. It’s been a long day.” I turned around and walked back to my temporary room at a brutal pace. As soon as the door closed behind me, hot tears raced down my cheeks and I lost the ability to breathe. It was gonna be a long night.

3:21 am:

I finally managed to calm myself down and stop the panic attack after almost four hours. Well, I passed out because I couldn’t breathe but it did calm me down. Trying to sleep would be pointless, so I decided to leave before anyone woke up. I didn’t really have much to pack so I grabbed my duffel bag and left the room. I made it to the corridor attached to the landing pads and ran into the one person I really didn’t want to see. “What are you doing out and about, Red?”

“I’ve got places to be and things to do. Were you just going to sneak out in the middle of the night like a teenager with a rebellious streak?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing, actually. Do you need a ride? Where are you going?”

“Madrid. Fury said I could hitch a ride on another plane that’s headed for Germany.”

“Well I’m going to France if you wanna ride with me. My jet will get you there a lot faster.” She studied me for what felt like way too long, probably debating if I would try to kill her or not. You know how spies are with their trust issues.

“What the hell, why not?”

And that is how I ended up in a jet with “Candy Shop” playing over the speakers and Natasha Romanoff in the copilot seat yelling at me to, and I quote, ‘slow the fuck down.’ “Why would I slow down, you psycho?! That’s the whole damn point of this thing!”

“Where did you even get a German jet this fast?”

“Germany.”

“No shit Sherlock. How did you get it?”

“I went to Germany, stopped in at the local speedy-jet dealership, and walked out with this beauty.”

“Sarcasm is a defense mechanism, you know? You’re only being like this to keep me from seeing the real you. You built walls. You want everyone to think you’re fine when in reality, you’re falling apart.”

“Okay…um…there was no need for that, Dr. Romanoff. I can find my own therapist, thank you very much. And don’t go pretending you’re all healthy in the head, Miss Assassin.” It was quiet for all of five seconds before we both burst into laughter.

Madrid, Spain:

I landed the jet at the local S.H.I.E.L.D. base and killed the engines. Romanoff and I removed our headsets and I stood to help her get her bags. “Welp, I’ll see you around I guess.” I really wasn’t good at this type of thing. Or any social interactions, really. Twenty-four years in a cell will do that to you.

“Will I? See you around, I mean?”

“Um, I don’t really know, honestly. I’m not part of S.H.I.E.L.D. so we won’t just run into each other or anything but…”

“Why won’t you join S.H.I.E.L.D.? I mean what else are you doing?”

“Ohhh, I see. You just love me so much that you don’t want me to leave. You’re gonna miss me so much-” I was cut off when she threw her backpack at my head. “Hey! You’re lucky I caught that! Freaking crazy woman.”

When our laughter died down she said, “Well I should probably go. Thank you for the ride.”

“Of course. Hitchhikers are always welcome aboard my beloved jet.” A small smile appeared on her face and she stepped forward to give me a hug but she must’ve seen my body go rigid because she stepped back. She might’ve said something but the voice in my head was too loud for me to understand her. I don’t know how long it was before I unfroze but when I did, she was gone. I walked to the front of the jet and started the journey to France.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff #black widow #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff angst #natasha romanoff fluff

[bigskydreaming]

And because when have I ever let a good rant go at just one or two measly posts, pfft, plz, I am a RANT-ARTISTE! I milk this shit! Wring every last drop out of that rant, let no steam go to waste!

So. About the name thing still.

I think the ‘just imagine how people probably treated Dick for insisting on being called that in his early days in Gotham’ thing is why I’ve never been able to get on board with the take where Dick is amused by people making jokes about his name and finds them funny.

Because to me, that inevitably glosses over or outright ignores that there’s NO WAY that was his attitude to that in the first few years he spent adjusting to life in Gotham.

Like, you can’t tell me that he was happy to laugh along with the jokes when people were all about how single bachelor Brucie Wayne took in this circus orphan as a charity stunt, and everybody had all kinds of opinions on the FIRST Wayne kid and how obviously unsuited to high society he was, in the early days where no matter HOW charming Dick can be, there’s no chance in hell he was INTERESTED in charming these assholes talking about him like he was some kind of pet Bruce had just splurged on instead of an actual grieving child who MISSED the circus and family they all not-so-privately probably acted like he’d gotten an upgrade from, when he ‘won the lotto with Bruce taking him in.’

You can’t tell me that eight year old Dick Grayson, being expected to learn all kinds of new ‘social graces’ and ‘high-society etiquette’ at an accelerated curve to have any chance of fitting in at all with people who were unlikely to ever forget their first impression of him, didn’t have to deal with teachers and tutors and maybe even Bruce at times, ‘helpfully’ trying to ‘get him to see’ that things would be so much EASIER for him if he’d just go by a different nickname than Dick.

You can’t tell me that he didn’t have to stubbornly hold his ground when people acted like he maybe just didn’t get how his name came across to some people, and delicately tried to ‘educate’ him on that, thus adding insult to injury by assuming he was too dumb to get what people were saying instead of maybe he just didn’t fucking care because these people had insisted on taking everything ELSE he knew and loved in life away from him in the name of ‘his own good’ and they damn well weren’t going to get away with taking his very NAME away from him too, no matter HOW much they wanted to convince him ‘that would be for the best’ as well.

That he’d actually ‘be better off’ if he just let people start calling him anything OTHER than what his parents called him with nothing but love and affection. NEVER as something he ‘could really live up to’ no matter how often people later in life would use that crack against him.

Like his parents had done something WRONG by calling him that. That they’d somehow set him up for failure with the nickname that was associated in his mind just with their love before Gotham and its people tried to associate it with literally anything else instead.

Nah. You can’t tell me that early years Dick Grayson didn’t have to FIGHT to hold onto his name, despite endless opposition and attempts to wear him down with jokes and snide comments until he conformed to THEIR expectations and chose a more suitable name.

Until he CHANGED. To be what THEY wanted and expected him to be.

When he’d ALREADY been forced to change so much, without a single regard for what HE actually wanted. 

His name was one of the last scraps he had to hold onto of himself, the him before Gotham, and you can’t tell me he didn’t have to cling to it with all his strength to keep it from being torn away from him by people more concerned with appearances than substance, and who didn’t give a shit about who he WAS, just how he APPEARED to them.

You can’t tell me that Dick Grayson holding onto his name, remaining committed to being the HIM that his parents called out to the last day of their lives, his name, the name ‘Dick’ probably the last word either of them ever said as some of their last thoughts in life inevitably would have turned to their son and what would happen to him now....that remaining tethered to the last thing he ever heard them call him, back when he knew without a doubt that he was loved unconditionally for just being him...

You can’t tell me that’s anything other than a fucking TRIUMPH.

Because he WON that fight.

Against all odds.

But sure. He’s fine with nobody ever seeing it that way. With his adherence, his COMMITMENT to his name being seen as just about the jokes.

[xsarcasticwriterx]

Wonderwall

summary:Being trapped in space with tony wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to someone except when your running out of food, and water, and happen to be dating the guy who killed his parents...ok maybe it is the worst thing to happen.

Inspired by Into the blue

pairing: tony stark x reader x bucky

warning:starvation,depression,angst, hopeless feeling,cheating,implied smut

note: Don't expect the other chapters to be as long pfft Just this being the first one i wanted to get the entire plot out.

Wonderwall masterlist

Being trapped in space with tony wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to someone except when your running out of food, and water, and happen to be dating the guy who killed his parents...ok maybe it is the worst thing to happen.

This had all started almost a month ago when they were on a mission that meant going off of earth. To find the leader of the aliens that invaded new york. Who gave loki his army. It went as well as you'd expect leading to dead end after dead end. eventually you and tony decided it was time to return back to earth it was smooth sailing until something happened and the ship completely shut down and simply became a vessel floating. Tony tried to figure out what was wrong but seeing no damage and his suit running out of power left him having to go back to the ship and figure out what to do.

Suspecting that they couldn't be out there for more than 2 weeks they rationed the food and water between the two of them for that time. Slowly as time went on they realized they'd be there longer than expected. Slowly supplies ran out and tony was running out of solutions. y/n’s powers started to fall from her control as she got weaker. This made it hard for tony and y/n to be around one another.

Her powers are to control and manipulate thoughts and feelings. she could also make people see her thoughts. similar to wanda's except she couldn't create thought simply spread things she already knew.. Shes has them sense she was 5 and the older she got the more out of control they got. at 17 fury came to her and took her in. y/n and natasha got very close due to being there at such a young age. When wanda came they became close from similar powers. They showed her how to control her powers and use them for good. This felt similar to how she felt then. out of control whatever thoughts or want she had happened at a simple touch. She felt weak and powerless while also being powerful. Tony was currently in his mini lab trying to figure out how he could fix the suit.

y/n sat in the control room on the floor feeling empty. They were currently having to skip eating some days. This was hurting y/n more than tony and as such she could barely move anymore. sitting on the floor she was trying to get up but failing from tiredness. Tony came out his lab to see her eyes closed and head back. The soft breathing was the only way he knew she was still alive. They both looked like a wreck but y/n looked on the edge of death. “hey” tony said softly sitting next to her. “you shouldn't be here” she replied wearly still keeping her eyes closed and head back. “You won't hurt me. I trust you” tony replys sleepily. “mmm thank you but I can't control it anymore” she says softly. “Then I won't touch you” he says.

y/n finally cracks open her eyes. “How are you feeling?” tony ask. How was she? she wasn't sure herself. She felt sick and tired and her vision kept spinning. She couldn't even peel herself from the floor. she simply shrugged. “here” he says handing her an almost empty bottle of water. 

she shook her head “that's yours” she says pushing it back towards him. “I'm not the one about to shake hands with the grim reaper.” tony says pushing back the bottle. she sighs and grabs the bottle. as soon as the liquid touches her dry lips and chugs the rest of the water. 

“Better?” tony ask with concern. she nods “much” she replies with a satisfied sigh. “Tony... do you think we’ll ever get back home?” she ask finally turning her head and looking at tony. He gulps and looks over at her. Her eyes look broken a look once filled with happiness and hope and what felt like the sun is now a glance of tiredness not just as in needing sleep but tired of all of this mess. The look of someone broken and hopeless.

“no” is all he can say. She would know if he lied so why even try. she sighed looking down. “me either.”she says turning to look out the large window. It's all dark outside only light being the stars. For a few days it was such a beautiful view but now it's just a reminder they are floating farther and farther from home.

they sat there just staring out into the emptiness. Tony looked over at her. Her eyes were closed again and her breathing had deepened showing she had fallen asleep. He stood up grabbing a package of food leaving it for her. it was his portion and hers. She needed it more than he did. which is exactly what he wrote on the note he stuck on the package. Even on the verge of death he thought she looked beautiful. The thought threw him off. he shook it off assuming it was the tiredness and being together for so long. she looked very uncomfortable. 

Sitting back down he took off his jacket and laid her down on his lap. He placed his jacket on top of her to keep her warm. He stroked her hair starting to fall asleep himself. his brain starts to get fuzzy with what feels like a dream but not his own. He tried to pull away but felt stuck. The dream was or y/n and tony still on the ship. They were in the lab. They seemed happier. y/n walked over to tony and they kissed. not like it was the first time but like it was just any normal thing. after that tony finally pulled away. It took him a while before figuring out that was y/n’s dream. She had accidently spread her thought into his mind. He felt bad he wasn't intended to see that and she didn't intend for him to. 

Tony was left confused. Why would that be her dream? Why wouldn't she dream of being back at home happy with bucky. feeling her move he shoved his thoughts aside. her eyes opened looking up at him she softly smiled “hey” she said. “hey” he replied he wasn't sure on what exactly to say. She sat up and realized tony's jacket was on her. “This is a nice jacket” she said voice still covered in sleep. 

Y/n handed tony back his jacket. she tilts her head and reaches for the package of food. She reads the note and smirks. “Tony today isn't our day for food” she said. “you need to eat today. now. eat.”  tony said with a stern face. she sighed and opened up the container of food and got to eating it. She started to eat fast before tony grabbed her hand. “slowly or your body will shut down.”  he said. she nodded and ate slower. 

once she was done her eyes started to get droopy again. “hey um y/n?” tony said. She turned to him with a face to show she was listening. “your thoughts accidently got pushed into my head while you were asleep...” he said trailing off. she started to feel her heart speed up. She remembered her dream so she knew what he saw. “uh...” was all that came out when she tried to speak.

Tony shook his head “no no i get it we've been together for over a month ok I just uhm ok” tony said in a panic. Never before had tony been at a loss of words. “tony...” she said softly. “We aren't getting home and you and I have gotten closer than ever and I just I don't know...” she said looking down at the floor. She sighed “I just want the world to stop. The pain to stop for the inevitable of this to not seem so fucked!” she screamed feeling all the pain and anger in her rise. All the hurt she felt over all this time. “I need it to stop!” she yelled over and over. Tony grabbed her face. y/n stopped speaking. “Do you want me to stop it?” he asked looking over her face. She wasn't sure. This situation seemed so stuck and to turn it off would be amazing. She wasn't going to back in bucky's arms....ever. To just be touched and held by someone before their inevitable doom would be amazing. So that was it. “yes” she said softly.

With that tonys lips were on hers. It was soft and smooth. His touches and strokes. His lips and mouth were so soft. Everything he did was as if he would break her. This wasn't rough and wild sex this wasn't tony being a playboy. This wasnt love though it wasn't someone making love. This was the pain of two people who saw no way out. Two friends saying goodbye. 

After they laid together. y/n on top of tony as he held her close to him. his hand rubbed up and down her back as she slowly fell asleep. “Thank you” she said softly before falling into a slumber. He smiled at her. He felt his heart do cartwheels at the sight of her asleep, comfortable, and close to him. He knew this feeling and it frustrated him. He shook his head. He took this as simply being the fact that they had been up there for so long and had just slept together. Falling into a slumber he felt the weight of the world fall off her chest.

The next few days were better but y/n felt her body shut down more and more each day. It was halfway through month 2 of being stuck together. Then the ship shook and the door opened. y/n was sat at the control panel trying to stay alive with all her strength. 

The door opened to the ship and 5 people walked in. The last people that tony and y/n ever expected. Steve, natasha, clint, bruce, and the one that caused the most shock. james buchanan barnes.

#bucky barnes x reader #tony stark x reader #mcu x reader #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #sebastian stan #robert downey jr #mcu fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfiction #tony stark fanfiction

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Out Of Time ~ 103

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 3,320ish

Summary: The team goes to Sokovia to fight Ultron.

“I can’t enter your head anymore,” Wanda stated, standing in front of Y/N.

Y/N had placed herself so that she wasn’t seated near anyone on the quinjet. Her head snapped up at Wanda’s sudden appearance.

“It’s like… something wanted me in there just that once and now I’m not allowed anymore,” Wanda continued. “How is that possible?”

“You show what I’m capable of,” Y/N responded, quietly. “I can’t freeze a whole room of super heroes. Get them to do my bidding…”

“Yes, but how? Does it have anything to do with what Thor was saying?”

“Leave her alone,” Tony ordered, coming up in his Iron Man suit, helmet down.

“I’m just trying to—“

“I don’t care what you’re trying to do. Y/N needs a break and time to prepare for what we’re walking into.” Wanda nodded, walking away, and Tony knelt down in front of Y/N. She looked away as he took her hands. “You going to be okay?” He asked quietly. 

“Maybe if everyone would let me be for a second, I would be,” she responded, quietly as well. 

“Can you look at me, honey? Please?”

She closed her eyes. “I don’t want to look at any of you until after this is over… even then, I don’t know if I really want to…”

“Steve’s just upset cause he feels everyone’s been keeping secrets.”

“And you didn’t do anything to stop him.” Y/N looked at him, eyes full of tears. “You didn’t try to understand or stand up for me…. Why?” Tony immediately felt guilty as Y/N’s voice cracked. “I thought— I don’t know why I even thought that a future would be possible…” She shook her head, looking up at the ceiling of the quinjet. “I’ve seen what is to come….”

“Y/N, you can’t be serious—“

“Stark,” Steve called. “We’re here.”

“One second, Cap, we’re kind of—“ But Y/N disappeared though a portal. “Damn it.”

Y/N had needed a second to herself, so she disappeared into the Sokovia woods. Where they had fought HYDRA before retrieving the scepter. She let out a loud, frustrating scream. 

“I don’t want this!” Y/N screamed, falling to her knees. “Take this.” She clenched her eyes shut. “I don’t want to know what I know, have what I have… please, somebody, help me…”

“I have,” the Ancient One’s voice came out of no where. Y/N’s eyes snapped open, she looked around to see that she was standing in the Mirror Dimension. “I will continue to help you.”

“Can you take this away? Give this burden to someone else? It’s tearing me apart—tearing my relationships apart! I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. That’s why you’ve been saved. Y/N, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“That was the cheesiest, most unhelpful thing you’ve ever said.”

The Ancient One chuckled. “Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less true… Y/N.” The woman stepped forward. “You can do this. But for todays battle, you need to put the future aside, focus on the task at hand. Or there will be no future, for anyone.”

~~~

The team had begun an evacuation of the city. Tony and Vision were headed for Ultron, who was waiting in the church. And Bruce went to rescue Natasha.

“Has anyone seen, Y/N?” Steve called through the comms.

“Not since she disappeared,” Tony replied. “FRIDAY, try accessing Y/N’s comms.”

“On it, boss,” the new AI responded. “It seems that she is in the woods, just outside the city.”

“The woods?” Steve and Tony repeated.

“You’ve pushed her too far,” Thor said, with a shake of his head. “You two shouldn’t have—“

“I’m fine, guys,” Y/N interrupted, making her way out of the woods. “Thanks for the concern but can we focus on the task at hand?”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Y/N?” Steve asked.

“Are you asking cause you really care, or out of familial obligation?”

“Y/N—“

“Not now guys,” Clint scolded. “Stop Ultron now, family problems later.”

“Agreed,” Y/N said. “I’m just exiting the woods. Where do you want me?”

“Help with the evacuation,” Steve ordered. “If you could, um… if you could persuade them to leave—“

“You mean use my mind powers to get them to go?”

Steve sighed. “Yes. It would be helpful.”

“Don’t drain yourself too much,” Tony added. 

“Channel the Stone,” the Vision offered. 

Y/N hurried further into the city. Closing her eyes, she focused on the Mind Stone and the people in the buildings surrounding her.

“Leave,” she commanded them, in their thoughts. “Leave and don’t look back.”

She had moved to her third block with the attacks started. Her eyes were closed, so she didn’t notice an Ultron bot coming at her. The bot kicked her back, throwing her tumbling forward. 

“Uh, guys,” Y/N called over the comms, “anyone else getting attacked by mini Ultrons?”

“Keep the fight away from the people!” Steve ordered.

The Ultron bot began blasting at Y/N. Using the portals, she sent the blasts back at it. Successfully hitting it. But then two more showed up. As she fought them, the ground began shaking. Y/N could hear Tony asked FRIDAY what’s going on.

“Sokovia’s going for a ride,” the AI responded.

“Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability,” Ultron said, through his bots. “You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.”

The ground continued to shake as Sokovia was being lifted into the air. Y/N took out the bots near her, trying to help the citizens at the same time.

“The Vibranium core has got a magnetic field, that's what's keeping the rock together,” FRIDAY explained, to the whole team.

“If it drops?” Tony asked.

“Right now the impact would kill thousands. Once it gets high enough: Global extinction.”

A child began screaming as an Ultron bot came up to it. Quickly, she portaled herself over the shielding the child as the bot started firing. Opening another portal, she rushed through with the child in her arms. Y/N wasn’t quick enough though. With a scream, Y/N fell forward, still trying to shield the child from the fall. The bot had fired at them, successfully hitting Y/N’s leg as her and the child went through the portal. The child scrambled away as Y/N looked at her leg. It was bleeding and burned, but she still had a job to do.

“Cap, you got incoming,” Tony warned.

“Incoming already came in,” Steve grunted. 

“Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed… walk it off.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you saw my leg right now, Captain,” Y/N tried to joke, wincing as she stood up.

“What?!” Tony panicked. “Y/N, are you alright?”

“I’ve been worse, I’ve been better. It’s bleeding and burned. But a child is saved, so—“

“Don’t move. I’ll be there soon.”

“No, Tony, I—“

“Stark, we need her help,” Steve interrupted. “Y/N, do you think you can survive?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, breathing heavily. “I think I’ll manage.”

Using all the strength she could gather, Y/N fought off all of the bots near her. Breathing more heavily than she had been before, which she didn’t think was possible, she leaned against a building.

“Alright, we’re all clear here,” Clint told everyone.

“We are not clear!” Steve rushed to respond. “We are very not clear!”

“Alright, coming to you.”

“On my way too,” Y/N replied.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N created a portal to the bridge, or what used to be a bridge. She stumbled into a car, trying to keep herself up. Natasha and Steve were just finishing up the bots near them.

“The next wave's gonna hit any minute,” Steve stated. “What have you got, Stark?”

“Well, nothing great,” Tony answered. “Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear.”

“I asked for a solution, not an escape plan.”

“Impact radius is getting bigger every second… We're going to have to make a choice.”

“Cap, these pool are going nowhere,” Natasha said. “If Stark finds a way to blow this rock—“

“Not ’til everyone’s safe,” Steve demanded.

“Everyone up here versus everyone down there?” Y/N asked, making her presence known. She limped toward them. “There’s no math there.”

“I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it.”

“I didn’t say we should leave.”

“There's worse ways to go,” Nat added with a shrug. “Where else am I gonna get a view like this?”

“Glad you like the view, Romanoff,” Fury teased over the comms. “It’s about to get better.” A helicarrier rose from above.

“Thank you, Coulson,” Y/N whispered with relief.

“Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do.”

“Fury, you son of a bitch,” Steve smiled.

“Oooh! You kiss your sister with that mouth?”

“This is SHIELD?” Pietro asked as the lifeboats flew towards the city.

“This is what SHIELD's supposed to be,” Steve answered.

“This is not so bad.”

“Let’s load ‘em up.”

The group split up, hurrying civilians to the lifeboats. The second wave of bots hit as they were doing so. 

“Thor, I got a plan!” Tony shouted.

“We’re out of time,” Thor stated. “They’re coming for the core.”

“Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier.”

“On it,” Rhodey replied.

“Avengers, time to work for a living.”

Y/N portaled her self to the church, immediately grabbing onto the wall to support herself. Her energy was basically drained. She didn’t know how much more she could take.

“Y/N?” The Vision rushed to her. “Take my hand.”

“I’m good, I’m good,” she swatted his outreached hand away. “I just need a second.”

“The Stone will give you some strength.”

“I’ll be—“

“Do it,” Thor demanded. “You need all the strength you can get.”

Slowly, Y/N placed her hand into the Vision’s. Also instantly, she felt better.

“Thanks,” she said, removing her hand. 

The Vision nodded, moving away as Iron Man landed. He made is way to Y/N.

“You okay?” Tony asked.

“I’m fine,” Y/N nodded.

“FRIDAY, give me a reading on her stats.”

“Tony.”

“Agent Rogers is currently running on good energy levels,” FRIDAY began. “The injury to her left leg is still bleeding. If not treated soon, an infection may form from it.”

“You should get on the helicarrier,” Tony said.

“Not a chance.”

Tony sighed, knowing it wasn’t worth the fight. “Romanoff? You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini.”

“Relax, Shell-head,” Nat responded in everyone’s ear. “Not all of us can fly.” She drove up in a tractor, jumping out to join the rest of the team. “What’s the drill?”

“This is the drill,” Tony pointed to the Vibranium core. “This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose.” 

Ultron showed up, slowly hovering down to them.

“Is that the best you can do?” Thor shouted.

Lifting his metal hand, Ultron summoned his army to join him.

“You had to ask,” Steve sighed.

Ultron held his arms out. “This is the best I can do,” he stated. “This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?”

“Well, like the old man said,” Tony paused, him and Steve looking at each other. “Together.”

The Hulk roared and the next fight began. Everyone was surrounding the core, fighting off every bot that dared to try and reach it. Thor, the Vision, and Tony had the main Ultron bot cornered outside.

“You know,” Ultron began, “with the benefit of hindsight—“ 

He didn’t get to finish because the Hulk knocked him far away. Ultron’s army began to retreat.

“They’ll try to leave the city,” Thor said.

“We can’t let ‘em, not even one,” Tony stated. “Rhodey!”

“I’m on it,” Rhodey responsed.

“We gotta move out,” Steve ordered. “Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you.”

“What about the core?” Clint asked.

“I’ll protect it,” Wanda offered. “It’s my job.”

Steve ran out one way while Natasha and Clint ran another. Y/N followed her brother.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked.

“Right now, protecting your ass,” she responded. 

“You need to get to the lifeboats.”

“And you should have learned by now that I don’t follow your orders well. I’m staying, Steve. We’re in this together.”

The swept the streets, looking for the last of the civilians and guiding them to the lifeboats. They met up with Thor as they headed towards the lifeboats.

“Thor, I’m gonna need you back in the church,” Tony said.

“Is this the last of them?” Thor asked the twins.

“Yeah,” Steve replied. “Everyone else is on the carrier.”

“You know, if this works, we maybe don’t walk way,” Tony stated.

“Maybe not,” Thor replied.

“What? No. Wait,” Y/N rushed. “No, Tony. You’re getting out of this we all are getting out of this.”

“Honey, you know our job isn’t that simple,” Tony said. 

“I’m coming to you then. Where are you? You’ll do what you need to do and I’ll portal us onto the helicarrier.”

Suddenly, a quinjet began flying over, shooting down at everyone. Thor, Steve, and Y/N were thrown onto the ground. Y/N looked up to see Pietro standing in front of Clint and a little boy. He had red marks all over him. He quickly collapsed onto the ground. Thor flew off to the church while the twins rushed over to Pietro and Clint. Clint set the little boy down and checked Pietro’s pulse. The look he gave the twins gave them all they needed to know.

“No,” Y/N gasped, tears filling her eyes. She shook her head. “No.”

Clint grabbed the little boy and Steve grabbed Pietro. They hurried to the nearest lifeboat. Y/N stood off the lifeboat, looking around for anyone else as Clint gave the little boy to his mother and Steve set Pietro’s body down. Steve joined his twin.

“Tony,” Y/N called. “Tony, I’m not leaving you.”

“Y/N, I love you—“

The ground suddenly began dropping. Steve grabbed Y/N, who was kicking and screaming, and jumped onto the lifeboat.

“No!” She screamed, looking down at the city that was falling from the sky.

“Thor, on my mark,” Tony instructed. “Now!”

The city blew to pieces. 

“Tony! Tony!” Y/N cried into the comms. “Tony—“

“I’m here, honey,” he replied. “I’m here…” A sob cracked through her mouth. “It’s okay. Stay with Steve. I’m on my way.”

Steve guided Y/N into the helicarrier. He quickly noted how bad her limp was.

“Let’s get you to the med-bay,” he said.

All she did in response was nod, which made her brother sigh. Steve led her to the med-bay and got her settled into a bed as a nurse began to check her out. He sat down in a chair beside her. Leaning forward with his hands clasped in front of him, Steve watched Y/N. She kept her eyes closed, trying to get some rest without completely falling asleep just yet.

“Say what you need to say, Stevie,” Y/N said. “Your thoughts are giving me a headache.”

“That’s the thing… when were you going to tell any of us about the sudden mind powers?” Steve asked.

Y/N sighed. “When the time was right.”

“And the Infinity Stones.”

“When the time was right.”

Steve scoffed. “So never.”

“I didn’t keep my portals a secret. I wouldn’t have the mind powers either.”

“But the Infinity Stones? You would keep your knowledge of those a secret.”

“For everyone else’s safety yes.”

“How much do you know about them?”

“I—“

“There you are,” Tony came rushing up to the twins. “How are you? Have they seen you yet? How’s your leg?”

“I’m fine, Tony.” She smiled softly at his worries. “Just come here.” Her hands were on his neck, forcing him down into a kiss. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“Can’t make any promises.”

“Agent Rogers,” Fury called, coming into the room. “May I have a word?”

“She’s a little busy at the moment,” Tony replied. “Whatever you need to do can wait.”

“No, it can’t.” Fury stared at Y/N.

“It’s okay,” Y/N said, squeezing Tony’s hand. “Why don’t you and Steve make sure everyone else is okay and find me some food?”

“I think I’d rather stay,” Tony responded.

“Please, Tony. I’ll be right here, waiting for you to return.” 

Tony met Y/N’s gaze. He looked long and hard before giving in with a sigh and a nod. He leaned forward and gave her another kiss.

“We’ll be right back,” he promised. “Come on, Cap.”

The two men left, leaving Y/N alone with Fury.

“You needed something?” Y/N wondered, raising a brow at Fury.

“You’re needed, requested immediately,” Fury stated.

“By?”

“You know I can’t say.”

Y/N nodded, knowingly. “Immediately?”

“They need help explaining the helicarrier and Sokovia.”

“Where?”

“Gonzalez has a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. Hill’s preparing a quinjet for a fly over so you can portal yourself onto the deck.”

“You know the team won’t be happy about this.”

“I don’t care. You have an hour.”

~~~

“What?!” Tony exclaimed. “You just got finished saving the world, you have injured leg and they’re expecting you to leave?! Na-uh, no way. You’re not leaving my sight for a month.”

“I have to go help clear some things up,” Y/N sighed. “This wasn’t my call.”

“You’re not going.”

“I have to.”

“No you don’t!”

“I need to make sure Skye’s okay. We haven’t been able to check in because of all this Ultron stuff. I need to make sure Gonzalez isn’t going to try anything.” She grabbed Tony’s hand. “Plus… I need a break from Steve’s glares and questions. I won’t be long.”

“The minute you get home, we’re leaving. Taking a break, you got it?”

“I got it. I love you.”

Tony leaned down and kissed Y/N. “I love you too.”

~~~

“Rogers,” Maria called, piloting the quinjet, “we’re over the ship. I’m opening the hatch now.�� The quinjet ramp began to lower. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, Maria!” Y/N shouted over the wind. “You too.”

Looking down at the deck, Y/N opened a portal onto it. Coulson was there at the door, waiting for her.

“Nice to see you in one piece,” Coulson smiled, eyes checking Y/N over.

“It’s good to see you too, Phil,” she smiled back at him. She followed him through the door and into the ship. “Tony’s not really happy about this.”

“Not surprised.”

“He might be calling you.”

“He already has.”

“Of course,” Y/N chuckled. “Where’s the rest of the welcome party?”

“Waiting in the conference room. You ready to explain everything?”

“I’ll explain what I have to, not everything.” 

Coulson studied Y/N as they walked. “Something happened, didn’t it?”

“Phil—“

“I know, I know. Not now. But later. We’re definitely going to talk about it later.” Y/N nodded as Coulson stopped at a door, hand going to the handle. “You ready?”

“They’re the ones that need to be ready.”

next chapter >

NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2​. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask. 

#avengers x reader #the avengers x reader #tony stark x reader #iron man x reader #tony stark #Tony Stark fanfiction #tony stark imagine #Iron Man #iron man fanfiction #The Avengers #Avengers #avengers age of ultron #age of ultron #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagine

[winterbanner]

Mercy (Bruce Banner/OFC)

Summary: Bruce is upset after a mission goes awry. Can Catherine's words help him to see himself in the way that she does? Takes place six months after the first avengers film. 

Tags: Angst, Emotional Hurt/ Comfort

Word Count: 2687

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Rated PG-13

Pairing: Bruce Banner x OFC (Catherine King, former SHIELD agent gone rogue, now a member of the Avengers.) Her name is only mentioned twice, so just ignore it of you’re looking for a self-insert) 

It wasn’t easy being an Avenger, but today felt especially taxing. The battle wasn’t necessarily harder than others, it was the civilians that made the experience all the more horrific. They were everywhere, scattered throughout the streets, sprinting in a panic to find cover, to save themselves from the cataclysmic destruction. We tried to direct them all to safety, and for the most part we were successful, but there were only seven of us and hundreds upon hundreds of them.

When it’s your job to save lives it becomes difficult to focus on the positives, to think about the ones you saved, to consider how many lives would have been lost if you were not present. It is impossible to celebrate a victory, when the dead bodies of innocent civilians, bloodied and lying under the rubble, products of a conflict in which you were involved, are imprinted in your mind. It haunts all of us, but perhaps no one more than Dr. Banner.

I saw it happen, a young couple, was attempting to run into a department store for cover. Hand in hand they attempted to dodge the flying debris, while avoiding the menacing robotic soldiers that flooded the streets. 

Hulk was there, doing his duty smashingly, taking cars, and large chunks of metal, and throwing them at our adversaries, leaving them as nothing more than a pile of wires. The decision had been made to keep Hulk off the field as much as possible, for Bruce’s sake mostly, but also in the hopes of lessening the inevitable damage. There were times, however, when his strength was needed. For those occasions we taught him to avoid civilians, and the effort was made. Oftentimes you could find him gently careening around a group of huddled innocents, stepping between them and whatever destructive chaos we found ourselves faced with. This time however, he made a mistake, and when Hulk makes a mistake, the consequences can be gruesome. 

He heaved a car, vaulting it over his head at a group of enemy soldiers, but in the midst of our enemies stood the young couple, and as the car came crashing down, they were crushed. The young woman was left barely alive, screaming for her partner, who could be found a few feet away, his head crushed under the fender. Her outcries of pain and grief echoed through the streets, and over the sounds of metal clanging and weapon blasting, piercing our ears, with guilt and shame.

It wasn’t Bruce’s fault. He had no control over what precautions the Hulk did or didn't take, but despite his genius, that concept was something he couldn’t seem to comprehend. Bruce can see what happens during the time he spends as the other guy, he can see the destruction and death, just as much as any of us can, the only difference is that he can’t choose to run away, to duck for cover, to defend rather than attack. He has no control.

It was getting late, our wounds had been tended to, and we were beginning to settle down for the night. For many of us that didn’t necessarily mean sleep, it meant going onto our prospective floors to process the day's events. I, however, wasn’t planning on heading up to my quarters just yet, I wanted to check in on Bruce. I knew for a fact he hadn’t eaten, and I could also guess the toll that the day’s events must’ve taken on his mental state.

As I stepped out of the sleek silver elevator, I could see Bruce out on his balcony, staring down at the destruction from hours before. It was cold outside, and he still hadn’t changed out of the ripped up clothes he scrounged up from the battlefield. His curls were still dirty and his hands were shaky as they clung to his opposing forearms, squeezing himself tightly. He had been crying, the evidence found in the redness of his eyes and the wetness of his cheeks. I grabbed a blanket that laid haphazardly on a nearby chair, and approached the terrace, food in hand.

“Hey,” I whispered, in an attempt not to startle him.

He jumped, before turning around to see who exactly the voice was coming from. When he saw that it was me, I saw the tension in his body release. “Hey Catherine,” he croaked. He was sitting on a patio sofa, staring out over the mangled concrete, flashing police lights and Stark Industry construction workers, that littered the streets of Manhattan.

I gently sat down next to him, before placing the steaming plate of pasta on the nearby coffee table. I took the blanket, and began to wrap it around his shoulders. He winced at my actions, afraid for me to touch him.

“It’s okay” I whispered, as I slowly placed a hand on his, in an attempt to show that I trusted him. I took the blanket and draped it over his broad shoulders before sitting back down again and turning my body towards his. It broke my heart to know that he was afraid to let me touch him, that he thought of himself to be that dangerous.

“Thank you.” he said, finally looking me in the eye.

I grabbed his hand and gave it a loving squeeze, a nonverbal you’re welcome.

He then turned his gaze back to the streets, his expression immediately hardening, holding within it a plethora of sorrowful emotion.

I looked over and saw that the plate of food had stopped steaming, growing colder from the chilly New York air.

“I brought you some pasta, Clint made it so it might taste like shit.” I joked gesturing the plate and fork towards him.

He smiled briefly at my comment. “You didn’t need to do that,'' he said. Before taking the serving of pasta. “You didn’t need to come all the way up here for that.”

Bruce always had a way of deflecting your kind gestures, of making himself feel like he didn’t deserve them. “You haven’t eaten in hours Bruce and even if you had, I still wanted to come up here and check on you anyway.”

He looked up at me, his brown eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, really thank you.” he said before twisting some pasta onto the fork and bringing it to his mouth.

“And surprisingly it doesn’t taste like shit.” He joked causing me to chuckle.

We both sat and watched the policeman directing traffic as he ate, all within a state of silence. From an outside perspective Bruce wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but when you took the time to get to know him, it wasn’t long before you realized that the man could talk your ear off. When he was passionate or excited about something, he could talk for hours, patiently explaining every particle, and every computation. Watching his face light up when I would ask a question, or when he realized that I was understanding, had become an occurrence I adored. Tonight, however, he didn’t utter a word. Probably in the fear that he may break down in front of me.

He finished up his meal quickly, he must’ve been starving, before placing his empty plate down on the table, and looking back to the street. It was honestly nice to see the city being picked up, to remind ourselves that the damage done can be fixed. There are certain types of destruction, however, that cannot me mended.

Two EMTs approached a pile of rubble. We witnessed their struggling to retrieve something, and to our horror they emerged with the body of a woman. They checked her vitals, and by the looks of dismay, it became apparent to us that she was dead. The emergency workers retrieved a body bag, and gently zipped up her carcass, thus sealing her fate. My heart ached as I thought of her family. That innocent woman could have been a wife, a parent, a child. Now remembered as a life cut short, lost to those they loved forevermore. I felt the pang of guilt press down on my chest, my mind overcome with the thought that that we could’ve somehow prevented the gruesome scene sprawled out before my eyes.

I looked over to Bruce, his eyes wide as he gazed upon the tragic scene that lay before us. He couldn’t take his eyes off of it, I swear he didn’t even blink. He felt as though he deserved to watch this scene, to wallow in the pain that he may have caused.The screams of that young woman probably still echoing in his mind. I reached over and put a hand on his back, before rubbing small circles.

“Bruce let’s go inside okay. We don’t have to watch this” I said softly, as I gently gripped his chin pulling his gaze away from the street below to look at me.

He nodded in agreement, more concerned for my well-being that his. We both stood up and walked back inside to his sitting area, my hand still resting softly on the curvature of his back, as we took our seats on his familiar sofa. I had spent many nights sitting in this same spot, whether that be drinking and laughing with him and Tony, or after a mission in a similar situation as this one, I felt at home here, with Bruce. There were even some mornings where I had accidentally fallen asleep on that very cushion, only to awaken and find myself perfectly tucked in, with the smell of maple pancakes wafting from the kitchen.

After watching what had just happened, Bruce was trying even harder to hold back his emotions. He sat there, his hands shaking as they clasped together, his head hung in shame staring at his feet, his eyes glistening with tears. I scooted closer to him, before wrapping an arm around his feeble frame, my thumb gently rubbing his shoulder. He leaned into my touch, his weight shifting so his body pressed into my side.  

“What happened today wasn’t your fault.” I whispered, rubbing my hand up and down his back, in an attempt to bring him back to reality, away from whatever thoughts plagued his mind.

He pulled away, recoiling at the sound of my words that were telling him the exact opposite of what he had been telling himself. “I-I saw it happen, If I had just taken control, if I had just…”, he looked down once more, placing his head in his hands in an act of frustration. He wasn’t angry at me, he was angry at the Hulk for not being more careful, and mostly he was angry at himself. Angry that he couldn’t save them from the giant he was forcibly given the responsibility to manage.

I will never know what it is like to be plagued with something like the Hulk. The risk of danger and violence forever living just under the skin, unable to be fully contained or controlled. I will never know exactly what Bruce suffers through, but in this situation I unfortunately had some expertise.

I sighed, causing Bruce to look up from his sorrowful stance, as I adjusted my sitting position in the effort to make myself more comfortable.

“Ten years ago, I got a call from Fury telling me I was needed in Chicago for a negotiation. Some prick wanted access to SHIELDS weapon blueprints, in exchange for what I was told was “highly classified cargo”. I was instructed to give the contact false intel, it was risky, but nothing I wasn’t used to. “

“I had guessed that this special cargo would have been some sort of weapon, or at the worst maybe a high profile hostage, but when I arrived on location it turned out to be so much worse. These masked bastards had children, I’m talking little kids, lined up execution style. They looked so scared…”

At this point my breaths had become more shaky, causing me to take a moment to gather my senses. Bruce had scooted himself closer in an attempt to comfort me.

“I was so fucking pissed at Fury for not telling me, I just- I wasn’t prepared ya know?”

Bruce nodded and rested his hand on mine as if to let me know that I had his full attention.

“I proceeded with the negotiation, and at first it seemed like it had gone off without a hitch. My partner sweeped the place, and I was told that every child was safe and accounted for. Things, however, went to shit when he insisted the calculations on the blueprints were off. He pointed his gun at me, and without hesitation I blasted him. What I didn't see was the little boy who had been standing behind him.”

My eyes were now filled with tears, and my emotions made it so it was harder to speak.

“I- I killed him. He must’ve been hiding, and they didn’t count him. He was so scared, but there was nothing I could do. I-”

Bruce’s arm had now been gently wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me against his side.

“He was perfectly innocent. So, I guess that makes me a killer.” I whispered.

“No,” Bruce softly uttered. “Catherine, no you’re not-”

I pulled away from his grasp. “I should’ve looked closer, I should’ve double checked I-I”

“Stop, that wasn't your fault.”

I paused for a moment to regain my senses, before turning to look Bruce in the eye.

“Bruce, I killed that little boy, me myself and I. I was in control of my decision making, I did that. So, if that poor boy’s death wasn’t my fault, then how is what happened out there today your’s?”

“Catherine it’s not the same.”

“Your damn right it’s not the same. If anything, I'm at more fault than you are. I, Catherine King, am a killer.”

He looked at me saddened by the words I said, “Don’t associate yourself with that, you’re not that, not you. I’m the monster.” 

I took his face in my hands, forcing him to look me directly in the eye. “Why can't you grant yourself the same mercy you’ve given me?” He looked down, at a loss for words. 

“Bruce Banner, you are no killer, you are no monster. I know what evil looks like, and you aren’t it. Everyday I go out there and find myself met with the absolute worst shit that the world can offer. So, when I get back, I go see you. I go up to the lab, or come find you here because Bruce, you remind me that there’s still good left. You make me feel safe. I couldn’t feel that way about you if you were a monster.”

At first he sat there in awe, at a loss for words. The last few years of Bruce’s life had been ones of fear, isolation, and self-deprecation. His kind nature and mild-mannered disposition, met with violence, scorn and pain. He didn’t deserve to have gone through all that he did, but he didn’t realize that. His experiences were those fit for the monster that he and the world had so convinced himself he was. So, at the sound of my words, he began to tear up, not because of sadness or fear, but out of gratitude. Ever since the accident no one one had ever told Bruce that they felt safe in his presence. That they didn’t see him as a potential threat, a ticking time bomb.

After a moment, I noticed the look on his face grow soft, as he pulled me into an embrace. His chin resting on my head, as his arms wrapped around me. His hold was gentle, but all encompassing. It was as if he was afraid he’d hurt me if he squeezed too tight, but everything within him was telling him to never let go. I tightly hugged him back, carding my fingers through his hair, as I guided his head to rest in the curvature of my neck, all in the hopes of making him feel the truth behind my words, to make him feel human.

“Thank you.” he whispered.

And in that moment, with the two of us intertwined in the others embrace, we felt safe.

#bruce banner #bruce banner x ofc #bruce banner angst #bruce banner fanfiction #bruce banner needs a hug #SOMEONE GIVE THIS MAN A HUG #marvel oc #king chronicles

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch24: Like The Old Man Said…Together. Part 2- Walk It Off

Summary: The Avengers track Ultron and it’s a race against time before the AI can put his plan into action.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: Bad language, Smut (NSFW) violence and crazy assed robots. Oh and “Something dramatic, I hope!”

A/N: This chapter now includes additional content! @angrybirdcr​ has done it again girrrrrl

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 24 Part 1

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“Ultron knows we’re coming. Odds are we’ll be running into heavy fire, and that’s what we signed up for, but the people of Sokovia they didn’t. That’s why our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that’s not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them and get the job done. We find out what Ultron’s been building. We find Romanoff. We clear the field and keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we’re monsters, and that we’re what’s wrong with the world, but this isn’t just about beating him, it’s about whether he’s right.“

Steve certainly felt like he was right when he descended down the ramp and the first thing he saw was a huge mural of himself on a wall to his right. If he hadn’t been so concerned with the word, ‘fašista’ scrawled across it, he might have given some consideration to the fact the art work was pretty good. He looked at the painting, before turning and tossing his helmet back into the jet, almost hitting Katie as she walked down the ramp. Frowning she looked at him, spotted the paining and gave a sigh. She knew that would have upset him.

But whether they liked Captain America or not, the people of Sokovia were getting his help and that of the rest of the Avengers too. Thor and Bruce went underground to Strucker’s base to find Natasha and the Vibranium, Tony and Vision went off to locate where Ultron was and confront him so that Vision could do his part. The rest of them focussed on the evacuation, if this was going to end in a fight as it always did, then it was best to get the civilians out of the way as soon as possible. Steve dispatched Clint to a rooftop to oversee events from up there and Katie headed off with Wanda to the bridge that led out of the city. She could feel the younger girl’s panic even though she did well to try and hide it

"Do you see…the beauty of it? The inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, a meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.”

They seemed to be fighting forever, and Sokovia was getting higher and higher. Just as everything seemed lost and the group looked to be faced with an impossible decision after Tony pointed out that the only thing he could think about was blowing the city before the impact radius got too big. Steve was adamant he was not leaving the city with one civilian on it, when Katie smiled sadly and turned to him.

“I didn’t say we should leave.” She swallowed, and she could feel Natasha looking at her as well from where she stood on her right. Katie turned to Steve, as he looked down at her “There’s worse ways to go.” she said responding to his silent question, her chest heaving resigning herself to the fact that they might not make it out of this alive, surprised the thought didn’t frighten her more at that point.

“She’s right,” Natasha agreed, and Katie turned to look at her. She shrugged and nodded out at the clouds “Where else are we gonna get a view like this?”

“Glad you like the view, Romanoff.”  All three of them started at the very familiar voice that came through the coms. “It’s about to get a whole lot better.”

That’s when the helicarrier came right into view and Katie smiled, her eyes filing with emotion as she felt the relief swell in her chest.

“So this is your ‘something dramatic’?” She quipped and Fury gave a hum of confirmation.

“Nice, right? Pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She’s dusty.” Nick Fury said nonchalantly. “But she’ll do.”

Katie looked round and noticed that Pietro had joined us, looking at the ship.

“Fury, you son of a bitch.” Steve spoke in almost a whisper while shaking his head.

Fury let out a whistle before responded to Steve teasingly. “Ohhh hooo, you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Their fight led them to protecting the Vibranium Core that was situated in a church which was in the dead centre of the City and of course Ultron followed them. As The Avengers surrounded their precious charge, Thor yelled out to the AI.

“Is that best you can do?”

Ultron picked his hand up, and what seemed like a million robots began to advance towards them.

Katie groaned, and looked at Steve as he turned to look at Thor, annoyance all over his face. “You haddda ask.” He deadpanned, his Brooklyn accent coming out as it often did in these situations, and Thor at least had the decency to look sheepish.

“This is the best I can do.” Ultron continued on. “This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?”

“Well, like the old man said,” Tony stated, and Steve turned to look at him over his shoulder, “together.”

Hulk then let out a loud roar as the swarm of robots attacked.

The robots began running into the church by the hundreds it seemed, but everyone was ready. Arrows, fists and Steve’s shield flew, repulsors, guns and shock sticks fired, speed and red tendrils of power ripped them apart from the inside, lighting flashed and the Hulk smashed. Eventually Ultron joined the fray and Vision flew at him. Ultron punched Vision into the wall but he retaliated by using the mind stone in his forehead to shoot at Ultron making him stagger back and out of the church.

Vision didn’t let up as Thor, Tony and Katie joined the android with lightening and repulsor beams respectively. The Starks surged their arms forward, unloading all the power they had in their suits and the 4 of them combined melted away the outer layer of Vibranium that covered Ultron, which was when they stopped. He could be taken out easily now.

“You know, with the benefit of hindsight – ” Ultron began to say but Hulk roared then punched him so hard he went flying across the city.

Hulk growled at the remaining robots who immediately turned and ran away.

“They’ll try to leave the city.” Thor called out.

“We can’t let them, not even one.” Tony spoke frantically, calling on their other eye in the sky. “Rhodey…”

“I’m on it!” He announced over the radio. “Oh no, I didn’t say you could leave…War Machine coming at you.” there was a pause as Vision flew in to help, phasing and ripping one of them apart “Ok, what?”

“We gotta move out.” Steve spoke as those of them left on the ground re-grouped. “Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats. I’ll sweep for stragglers…”

“I’ll come with you.”  Katie said. For some reason she didn’t want to leave him, or more to the point him to leave her.  Steve looked at her, and he understood, he really did. If there was a chance they were getting separated he really didn’t want to take it but he wanted her on that carrier, away.

“You go and make sure everyone gets out. I’ll be right behind you, I promise.”

He’d never broken a promise to her yet, so she took a deep breath and nodded.

“What about the core?” Clint asked while turning to look at it.

“I’ll protect it.” Everyone turned to Wanda, giving her a worried look. “It’s my job.” She clarified nodding to Clint. Clint inclined his head towards her, before he turned to leave.

“Nat.” He said as Steve started to usher everyone bar Wanda out of the church. I threw one last glance over at Wanda before Katie turned to Steve.  

“Be careful.” “I always am.” He grinned.

“Liar.” She muttered watching him go, before she took off again, looking down at the devastation on the ground below. This was far worse than New York. Far worse than Washington. It was horrendous, and Katie wasn’t sure how the people of Sokovia would ever recover.

Clint skidded the car he had been driving to a halt by the lifeboats and Katie landed besides them. There was a roar and she glanced to her left, noticing the huge form of the Hulk throwing around debris of the various robots.

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Clint looked at Natasha meaningfully.

“So get your ass on a boat.” She shot back, jumping out of the car.

Clint and Katie then set off, ushering the last civilians around them onto the last boat as they went. Katie spotted Thor stood a little to her left, his head turned over to his right as Steve appeared from inside a building.

“Thor, I’m gonna need you back at the church.” Tony said over the coms.

Thor nodded despite the fact that he couldn’t see Tony and then looked at Steve, breathing heavily. "Is that the last of them?” He asked him.

“Yeah,” He answered instead, quickly looking around at the evacuations taking place, spotting Katie and Clint boarding the boat “Everyone else is on board the carriers.”

“You know, if this works, we maybe don’t walk away.” Tony mutterd quietly, cutting Katie out of the coms temporarily so as not to worry or upset her.

“Maybe not.” Thor agreed in a whisper.

At that point Clint sprinted back past them, but before either of them had time to follow him to help a hail of gunfire suddenly erupted where they standing. Steve held his shield up just in time and Thor dived to the side to avoid the bullets that had luckily been fired in a straight line between them all.

But it was Katie who noticed first what had happened. As the dust settled she saw Clint stood, with a little boy in his arms. He’d clearly tried to shield him from the bullets but it was Pietro that was standing there with bullet holes riddling his torso, the blood seeping through them.

“No.” She muttered her pleading growing more frantic as she flew over to where they were stood “No, no, no.”

“You didn’t see that coming?” The blonde man attempted to joke weakly then wobbled before falling face first and Katie caught him as she landed, just before he hit the ground. She laid him down gently and looked him over.

“FRIDAY, life signs.”

“Negative.” The AI’s voice was tinged with sadness.

Katie bowed her head slightly before my face plate slid back and she looked up at Clint. The pair of them exchanged a glance before Steve knelt down and closed Pietro’s eyes.

“I’ve got him.” He said gently, as he bent down and picked up Pietro as easily as if he was a small child. The three of them headed back to the airship, Clint with the little boy in his arms. Once on board, Steve lay Pietro down gently on the floor, where Katie sat by him, her suit making a clunk as she slid to the floor. Clint groaned as he lowered himself onto the row of seats behind her. Someone walked over to see if they needed any medical help but Clint waved him away.

“No, no I’m fine.” He groaned, lying down across a few seats, his hand resting on the metal shoulder of Katie’s suit. “Oh it’s been a long day…”

Steve stood on the rock for one final look round, he couldn’t see anyone. But then, with a lurch the city fell with huge force and he turned and gave a jump, grabbing onto the platform of the ship as the city fell.  He pulled himself up onto the deck and stood up to see, lightning flashing from the sky. As he watched, the city of Sokovia exploded from the inside out crumbling to pieces and raining down heavily into the ocean below.

He turned to see Katie was stood a few feet away, looking down.

“Tony? Thor? Wanda?”

When none of them replied she looked over Steve, biting her lip.

“They’ll be okay.” He nodded, although he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.

There was a slight lurch as the ship they were stood on docked with the hellicarrier and they turned to help Clint but he was already walking, carrying the body of Pietro with him. Katie jumped down onto the tarmac, deactivated her suit and made her way over to Maria Hill who was stood with another agent, directing them where to take the walking wounded, medics running onto the ships to deal with the more seriously injured in situ.

“You guys alright?” She asked as they walked over to her. Katie nodded and then spoke again into her coms. It was a relief to see Wanda’s red hair sat on the deck a few yards away from one of the ships, Vision having pulled her out of the city in time.

“Any news from the others?” Steve asked. Maria sighed.

“Natasha is on the bridge, Banner, I mean the Hulk, he got her out in time but…he went off in a jet after Ultron…I got nothing from Thor or Tony…”  

Katie turned to look out over the sky, the airborne dust making her cough slightly as she scanned the clouds, waiting for a sign or anything from her brother.

“He’ll be fine.” Steve dropped a hand onto her shoulder. “He always is.” “One day he won’t be.” She turned and looked up to face Steve

“Maybe, but that aint today…” A familiar voice rang in her ear and she let out a sigh of relief as her brother spoke. “Kiddo, put the beer on ice, I think we just won again.”

*****

Refugees crowded every corner of the flying base, sitting in the halls, huddling together, terrified. The dust in the air meant SHIELD couldn’t connect to their mainframe or satellites, and the internet-based translators were down. Every person on board who knew even a smattering of any Slavic language was being recruited into helping settle the homeless Sokovians.

Fury was meeting via telecon in one of the conference rooms with the Sokovian political leaders, who were not pleased at being dragged from their homes in Novi Grad in the wee hours of the morning only to then watch their nation destroyed. So with Fury busy, Steve and Katie had to tell Tony about Bruce.

That hadn’t been fun at all. Her brother had struggled back to the helicarrier, with barely enough power left to make the landing, Thor hot on his tail, soaked to the skin and staggering with a nasty head wound. Steve helped him inside where he was led to a medic bay and they had all retreated to the comms room where Nat was stood in a corner, staring at a blank screen.

“Where’s Bruce?” Tony demanded as soon as he got his helmet off. “We’ve got to figure out…” He trailed off, seeing the expression on Katie’s face. Then his eyes flashed across to Natasha. The woman hadn’t moved a muscle in ten minutes, standing in a corner and staring straight at the wall, back to the rest of the room.

“Tony.” Steve’s voice was heavy. “He’s taken off. We can’t reach him.” “And I don’t think he wants us to.” Katie added. She had barely finished her sentence before Tony bolted across the room to the computer banks, heedlessly shucking off bits of his armour as he went.

“No.” He shook his head, fingers flying across the keyboards. “No, I can find him. I can do this, I can bring him home.”

“It was cloaked.” Natasha’s voice was very even, with absolutely no inflection. She didn’t stop staring at her wall. “Your own cloaking devices. And SHIELD’s secret tracker was disabled in the fight.”

Tony’s hand slipped, hitting a bunch of things Steve was sure he hadn’t meant to. Swearing hopelessly, he stared blankly at the useless screens.

“Why?” He demanded, very quietly, the furious brokenness in his voice made my heart ache for him. “Why would he…?”

The unfinished question hung heavy in the dusty air. Steve was the one who answered.

“Because,” he said, swallowing. “When you’re in the air, and you’re carrying something that will destroy everything you love, that’s all you can do. You do go down, and you take it down with you.”

Tony’s hands curled into fists, anguish in his snarl. “This isn’t the same as your golden boy sacrifice play, Cap. No bombs on that Quinjet.”

“No, no bombs.” Steve gently squeezed Katie’s shoulder as he noticed she’d been about to chastise her brother for his venomous jibe, and he shook his head softly as he dragged his gloves back on over his bruised and bloody knuckles, flexing his hands. “Just himself,” he finished quietly.

“Veronica failed, Tone.” Katie said gently, understanding at once what Steve was getting at, Bruce’s actions suddenly making sense. “He didn’t want to come to Sokovia and I guess, well he didn’t want to risk hurting anyone again, and he saw a way out.”

Natasha turned on her heel and pushed past them, her eyes wet as she made for the door.

“Nat.” Katie turned to watch her go. She shook her head, signalling she wanted to be alone as she left. Katie looked up at Steve who hung his head sadly.

But there wasn’t time to think on it. Fury arrived at that moment, clearly pissed at something. He explained to the group that after the explosion that tore Ultron’s plans to shreds, he had been set to take the helicarrier to a refugee camp in a nearby country but the Sokovian officials had refused, insisting they be set back down in what was left of Novi Grad. Steve nodded and told Fury to do as they wanted.

“This wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for us.” Steve’s jaw was set, and his arms folded. “We owe it to them Fury, like it or not.”

Fury hadn’t liked it, at all, but he didn’t have much say in the matter - not when Steve had that look on his face.

“This isn’t going to be nice.” Steve muttered as the pod had descended back to the ground.

“I know.” Katie said. “But we face it together, right?”

Together they strode off the pod, not really knowing where to start. Novi Grad was an absolute mess. Most of the city had been torn up by the roots, and the rim that was left hadn’t escaped unscathed either. Buildings had toppled from falling debris and the initial ground-shaking wrench. Water and electricity were out, phone lines were down, and the streets were clogged with cars and people. Children choked on the thick air as parents tied whatever cloth they could find around tiny mouths, trying to protect their lungs.

It was thankless, numbing work. Most of the civilians avoided them, casting wary glances out of the corner of their eyes. A few swore or spat, some cried, but after a while it began to get difficult as a particular group started to get violent, screaming as they threw things at the four Avengers. It didn’t cause much damage to the Nova or Iron Man suits, but the rocks soon started getting bigger. Katie heard a yell and turned to her left to see Steve stumbling forward, hand clamped over the back of his head. He fell to his knees and Katie moved over to him, dropping besides him.

“Shit.” He mumbled as she heard Thor give a roar.

“Let me see.” Katie looked at him and Steve winced, shaking his head.

“I’m fine.” He got to her feet, hand still clutching at the back of his head.

Katie glanced up at Tony, who had completely lost his patience.

“Ungrateful brats,” he snapped loudly after the young hooligans who had immediately scarpered after Thor’s show of anger. “Look, why don’t you head back to the carrier, see what the next step is?”  Tony curled his gauntlet clad hand over Steve’s shoulder as his face plate retracted. Katie looked at her brother, thankful for his suggestion.

Steve shook his head, but even as she did so she saw him sway a little.

“Sweetheart, you’re bleeding.” She whispered gently, and he looked at his hand. “At least let’s clean you up.”

Steve didn’t want to go, but he gave into her as she whispered “Please.”

“Five minutes,” he relented at last, and allowed her to lead him away.

*****

As Katie shed her suit, Steve sat on a chair in one of the hellicarrier kitchens, one of the few rooms that wasn’t being used as a makeshift hospital or treatment bay. There were no spare medics so Katie grabbed some gauze, antiseptic and a couple of steri-strip bandages. He would heal pretty fast anyway.

“You know you should have had your helmet on.” She said gently, suddenly realising he hadn’t had it on for the entire time they had been in Sokovia having tossed it back on the jet when he saw the graffiti picture of himself when they first landed. He shrugged and didn’t reply, but he flinched hard when Katie lightly touched the lump at the back of his head.

“Sorry…” she said gently as he waved away her apology, head bent as she cleaned the blood off his hair.

“Doesn’t hurt as much as what they were calling me.” He mumbled, and Katie paused.

“Which was what? I didn’t hear them.”

“Fašista.” He shrugged. “Fascist.” His shoulders slumped and sudden angry tears stung at Katie’s eyes, but she blinked them back and swallowed the hot anger swelling in her throat. This was a man who had put his life on the line countless times to fight the very things that people were calling him. She leaned forward, slipping my arms around his neck, connecting them in front of his chest as she bent to lay her face against his cheek.

“At the risk of sounding like an old man, everybody’s so young these days,” Steve said at last as he turned his head to face her “Has it all been forgotten, or have I really become…?”

Katie cut him off, her eyes on his, faces inches apart. “They’ve forgotten,” she assured him firmly. “You know those people, they can’t begin to imagine how things were back then. I find it hard at times and that’s after you told me so much. We never lived through it, never knew what it was like. History books and lessons can only do so much, Love.”

Steve’s fingers laced between hers. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” he whispered heavily.

"But that’s why there are people like us, people like you. You will always remember, and because you do, you help us do our best to keep the rest of them safe.”

She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips before she straightened up and continued to tend to the wound on his head. It wasn’t as deep as it had looked and was already starting to heal. She checked to make sure there were no fragments of the brick left behind and when she was satisfied she dropped the bloodied gauze into a bin and turned to face him.

"I shouldn’t have taken Banner.” He said, and Katie took a deep breath “I knew he was low, but he said he wanted to come, he wanted to help find Nat.”

“You can’t blame yourself for his choice,” Katie reminded him. “He’s a grown man…” Steve didn’t say anything more about it, instead he stood up and took a deep breath. “Come on, let’s go see what’s happening.”

*****

It took almost two days for relief services to arrive at Sokovia. Steve felt dirty, tired and desperate for a hot shower and his own bed and he wasn’t alone. None of The Avengers had changed in 2 days. All their extra equipment had gone on the missing Quinjet with Bruce, including the change of civilian clothing everyone tried to keep on hand. But their discomfort paled into insignificance when he glanced over at Wanda as they landed at the tower. Katie guided her up to the spare room, ensured she had what she needed and then instructed her if she needed anything else, all she had to do was ask Friday, who would contact her immediately. Wanda nodded and Katie left her to be a lone for a while.

When Katie got back to her floor Steve was already in the shower, and the bed had never looked so inviting, which was why she couldn’t wait to get into it. Stripping off her filthy cat suit and her underwear she walked into the bathroom which was filled with steam and stepped into the shower behind Steve, her hands straying round to the front of his chest and she pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder, laying her head against his back. He didn’t flinch, he simply grasped her hands in his, pulling her closer and dipped his head slightly as she nuzzled into his shoulder, the grime from the last few days whirling down the plug hole as the water rained down on them. Without speaking, Katie grabbed his shampoo, and gently as she could massaged at his hair. Steve gave a soft moan, relishing at the feel of her nails on his scalp, happy to bliss out for a moment. He turned to face his future wife, tipping his head back to rinse his hair off and smiled tiredly as he dropped his head to kiss her softly.

“Turn round.” He said gently, and she did as she was told as his hands wound into her hair, repaying the favour. She leaned back into his touch, the intimate moment also serving as a perfect relaxer so much so that she didn’t object when things started to get a bit heated. This was always how things went with them both, they sought solace in one another, the physical relief of losing themselves with someone they loved was how they coped, how they stayed grounded, reminded themselves that they weren’t alone.

His hands travelled down her body, her back pressed to his chest as his fingers reached between her legs, finding her spot. She moaned, arching back into him as his other hand caressed her breast, his arousal pressing into the lower part of her back and she lazily rolled her head to catch his mouth. As the hot water cascaded down onto them he took her to the brink before he spun her round and lifted her easily, pressing her back onto the cool tiles. He thrust into her without warning and she groaned, her hands gripping his shoulders as he began to pump in and out, his head falling to her collar bone as he gave a soft nip. With each roll of his hips Katie felt her pleasure beginning to mount, soft moans falling from her lips as she dropped her head to his shoulder, the feeling in her stomach beginning to overwhelm her.

“Look at me, Doll” he said gently, and she opened her eyes, emerald gems locking onto his as he saw her mouth open, lips part in a soft cry as she came, a deeper groan bubbled over in her throat and her  head slid backwards. Steve would never get tired of seeing her like that, ever. It was the most arousing thing in the world to him. His pace began to quicken and he followed shortly, the tight bands in his stomach snapping as he pressed her harder against the wall as he rode out his release.

When they had finally finished in the shower the pair of them were almost dead on their feet. They dried off, Katie shucked on one of Steve’s T-shirts and clambered into bed with him. Neither had any idea what time of day it was but neither cared, the blackout blinds sent the room into darkness. Katie lay her head on Steve’s chest, his hand slid up the cotton of his shirt and he gently ran his fingers up and down her spine.

He managed to do it about twice before the pair of them were out for the count.

***** They both had nightmares that night. Katie woke first, gasping for air as she relived the moment on that rock where she had thought for one horrible moment they were done for, until Fury had shown up. After getting her a glass of water, Steve had held her until she’d fallen asleep, waked from a bad dream which, for some reason didn’t seem to take him anywhere near Sokovia. Instead, he was back at that moment he plunged into the ice.

And the dreams continued for them both for the next few nights. Katie’s were always the same, but Steve’s persistently catapulted back in time to various points during the war. It was unnerving for him but mostly, they were just that, bad dreams…until one night, for the first time he could remember, he suffered a full scale hallucinating night terror. 

Having actually managed to sleep soundly so far that evening, the first Katie knew something was wrong was when Steve was pinning her down against the mattress and shielding her from something.

“Steve.” She croaked gently, blinking the sleep from her eyes. He didn’t respond other than to simply flatten himself against her further, right arm curled around her head.

“Stay down,” he ordered firmly.

“What’s going on?” She asked softly, still coming round from the sleep he had roused her from.

“Air strike, men in the hall.”  He said, turning to her. "I’ll head for the door, cause a distraction. You get to the bathroom, get in the tub, cover your head.”

She listened intently, then realised what he had said. Air Strike. He must have been dreaming he was back in the war again. She let out a breath and relaxed, reaching up to take his face in her hands.

“Stevie, nobody’s there. Everything’s quiet.”

“You can’t hear them?” He looked at her frowning.

“Sweetheart, do you trust me?”

He nodded. “With my life, you know this Katie…”

“Baby, I promise you - there’s no air raid, nobody in the hall.”

For a moment, Steve just stared at her, his face wracked with confusion. Then, swallowing hard, he closed his eyes. After a moment he raised his head to look around before his face fell back on hers as her thumbs gently moved in long arcs down the sides of his face.

“Steve?”

With a shuddering breath, he pulled himself up, reaching for his shield by the bedroom door. Picking it up he listened for a moment before throwing the door open and he walked out into the hallway. Katie sat in bed listening to the sound of various other doors being opened and shut as he meticulously swept the whole of their floor, checking windows and closets until he ended up back in their room.

His back and chest were both glistening with sweat. He looked at her, his eyes wide before he went into the en-suite and she heard the tap running and the sound of water being splashed against what she assumed was his face. She gave him a few minutes before she followed him, where he was stood leaning forward, forehead pressed to the mirror, chest and shoulders heaving.

“Stevie…” she said gently, as she slipped both her arms round his waist, pressing a kiss to his bare, clammy shoulder. Her touch seemed to do the trick as he took one deep breath and turned to face her.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked his eyes looking at her as the palms of her hands spread across his lower back.

“Of course not.”

He wrapped his arms around her and she lay her head on his chest and felt his heartbeat as it gradually evened out. Neither of them spoke for a while.

“Your dreams, they’re getting worse.” Katie said gently.

“It’ll get better.” He finally managed. “You know it’s been bad before. It will fade after a while.”

Katie knew from experience that everyone dealt with traumatic experiences differently. For example, Tony suffered panic attacks and went completely off the rails post both his soiree in the Afghanistan cave and New York. She tended to take a lot of things as they came and worry about them for a while but after screaming and crying would then give herself a kick up the ass to either change things or deal with them. Steve’s worry seemed to manifest itself two fold. He would either be suffering from the inability to stay calm and therefore would exercise, pounding out frustrations on either the pavement or the punching bags. And then there was this, the nightmares. Normally Katie would wake with his jostling but if she didn’t, he would always shake her awake if he needed her, as that was the agreement they had. She would then help him back to sleep either by talking or they would engage in some other un-coventional means of therapy until both of them were spent and satiated enough to return to slumber.

Katie gently took his hand and led him out of the bathroom turning off the light. As they reached the bed he waited until she was in it, pulling the duvet up over her before snagging a pillow and turning to go.

"Where do you think you’re going?”

He shrugged. “Thought I’d camp out on the couch. I don’t want to keep you awake.”

“No way…” She said, throwing back the duvet “Come on.”

He sighed and climbed in as she opened her arms for him to settle his head on her chest, gently stroking his hair as he swallowed, his breathing steadying as her touch soothed him.

“Where were you this time?” she asked

“Azzano… I think.” He sighed “To be honest with you, I saw so many things, the dreams now…they all blur into one.”

“You wanna talk about it?” He took a deep breath. “It was just loud, and I was in a building and I couldn’t get out. It was so real. When I woke up I knew where I was. I knew who you were, but I just…I dunno…”

They lay in silence, Katie continually stroking his hair as he nuzzled into her closer. She kissed the top of his head and was pleased when about 10 minutes later she heard his breathing start to lower and his head became heavy. He had managed to drift off.

*****

The next night he woke with a start, but that was it. There was no walking or hallucinating, he merely woke from a bad dream and climbed out of bed for a glass of water. When he came back, there was no talking, but he sought solace in his girl in another way, his lips kissing her hard, his hands reaching out and roving over every bit of her body he could find and he fucked her, hard, losing himself completely. They lay afterwards, sweaty foreheads pressed together and Katie simply held him close as they both came round. Eventually he moved off, pulled her to him and they fell asleep, limbs tanged around one another, his hold tight.

The next few nights he was peaceful, and Katie was hopeful that the terrors had passed, but then, four nights after the first incident he broke his hand.

Captain America could put his fist through a two-by-four with nothing worse than slightly reddened knuckles - but Steve Rogers’ hand hadn’t been in a fist. Katie had woken to his hoarse cry of “Buck!!!”, in time to see his outstretched, fingers slamming straight through the plasterboard and into a metal stud in the wall as he flailed out of bed, reaching for a man who had fallen some seventy years earlier.

Katie scrambled over the bed like a shot as he was yelling out for Bucky again and again as he knelt among scattered pieces of plaster and wood, his left arm buried inside the wall up to the shoulder.

"Steve,” she tried, but he didn’t respond, eyes fixed in a thousand-yard stare, face crumpled with an agony that was more than physical, breath hitching and ragged. She felt the tears spring into her eyes and she was just about to ask FRIDAY to send Tony to help when she heard the door to their penthouse burst open and a few moments later Thor strode into the bedroom dressed in a pair of black sweatpants, hammer in his hand.

“I heard the Captain yell, and…” he trailed off as he took in the situation at a glance and then crouched next to Katie.

“He’s dreaming…” She said gently, “He’s dreaming about Bucky, his friend, falling…”

Thor frowned absently, brushing his fingers across the captain’s temples as though he was trying to work out a problem. Then abruptly, he rose and was gone, moving almost silently through the darkness.

Whilst he was gone, Katie managed to gently work Steve’s arm out of the wall. His broken hand lay twitching in her lap and she was horribly aware that they would need to set the bones before they healed wrong. Thankfully, Thor wasn’t gone long, and he was not alone when he returned, hand firm around Wanda’s shoulder. The girl’s eyes were wide and her hair was tangled - obviously she had been sleeping.

“Thor,” Katie began to protest as she glanced round at Steve. The last thing he would want would be to come back to reality in the middle of some kind of impromptu party.

Thor held up a hand, pausing her even as he turned his full attention to Wanda

“Do you see?” he asked gravely. “Do you understand now what The Vision told you?”

Trembling, Wanda shook her head even as she went to her knees beside Steve. He was still unresponsive, but his breathing was beginning to laboriously even out and Katie knew he was fighting for control. She started to sweep her hand up and down his back in long, firm strokes in the hope it would bring him back round.

Thor knelt too, sounding as though he were some kind of instructor. “When you allowed Stark’s fears to work against him,” he began patiently, “you found his weakness and dug deep.”

Wanda nodded slowly.

“Our Captain carries a grievous burden as well,” Thor continued, “He has been sorely wounded and works to heal, but your incautious workings have torn his memories open.”

“Thor…” Katie shook her head gently as a horror stricken look crossed Wanda’s face.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know. How can I fix it?”

For the first time, Thor hesitated. “My brother would have known,” he admitted in a low voice. “He had the skill, when it pleased him to use it.” He paused again, and then continued, hesitating slightly. “You must consider carefully, and proceed as seems good to you.”

Biting her lip, Wanda looked up at Katie, her stricken eyes locked onto hers.

“If you can, remind him where he is,“ Katie said gently. “Just bring him round?”

Hesitantly, uncertainly, Wanda pointed and curled her fingers before Steve’s face and closed her eyes. Tendrils of red light flickered from her hands to his temples, and Katie tensed involuntarily. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Steve’s eyes flew open, and his uninjured hand darted up faster than sight to lock around Wanda’s wrist, breaking the connection. She squeaked, startled, and froze.

“Steve…” Katie touched his arm causing him to flinch. It took him a second and then he seemed to realize where he was and what was going on. He let go of Wanda’s wrist, and looked around at Katie, then Thor hovering behind the young Sokovian, and finally the familiar surroundings of their bedroom. Eventually he looked back at Wanda for a long moment before nodding once.

"Thanks.”

A tear slid down her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered hoarsely. “I tried to put everything back in place, but I don’t know how.”

“Can’t fix everything,” he assured her, with a twisted smile. His old Brooklyn accent came out very strong in this unguarded moment. “And I wouldn’t wantcha t’ try. There’s things in my head you shouldn’t ever hafta see.”

Wanda wrapped both her arms around herself. Her eyes still looked haunted. “He was like your brother, wasn’t he?” she quavered.

Steve bowed his head as Thor dropped a gentle arm round her shoulders.

“We have all lost brothers,” he rumbled, looking at her. “We know your pain. You do not face this alone.”

Katie could feel Steve was quivering, exhausted beyond words though he wouldn’t show it for the world, and all she wanted to do in that moment was to bind up his hand and then put him to bed. As she looked up to suggest to the others they might want to go she was surprised to see Wanda had squared her jaw with determination and she reached out once more.

“I can fix this, at least.”

Steve’s hurt hand suddenly glowed with red fire. He jumped, surprised, and then watched with fascination as the crooked fingers began re-align themselves. When the bones were straight again, the fire flickered out, and Wanda staggered to her feet to go, Thor right behind her.

“You ok for a moment?” Katie asked Steve and he nodded. She followed the two of them into the hall and gave a short groan as she saw the door that led to the stairs (which were never used) had been completely kicked off its hinges.

“Sorry.” Thor said, picking up the heavy door “I heard the screams and…well, I didn’t know what was going on.” “Just prop it up as best you can…I’ll let you out in the elevator.”

He propped it up, and dragged the sofa over towards it for good measure.

“I really am sorry…” Wanda whispered, tears in her eyes.

“I know, and so does he.” Katie said, giving her a hug. “He will be fine…” Her attention then turned to Thor as she gave the God a hug. “Thank you.” “Any time Little Stark.” He breathed into her hair, before the 2 of them stepped into the elevator.

Katie looked around, trying to think about how they could explain a broken door plus a hole in the wall to Tony, then she realised she didn’t care. She headed into the kitchen, rummaging through the first aid kit for an elastic bandage to keep his fingers straight and wrapped up safely whilst his fast healing worked its magic.

He was sat on the side of the bed when she re-entered the room, his injured hand cradled in his other.

“Here…” she said, and she gently took his hand as he surrendered to her ministrations.

“Is Wanda ok?” he asked gently.

“Yeah, but I’m more concerned about you.” she said, laying his hand down gently onto my lap. “Baby…” “I’m sorry.” He whispered softly, laying his head against hers.

“What for?” “This…for scaring you?” “Stop it.” She looked at him sternly “I love you, you idiot, I just want you to be ok.” “I will be…” he smiled softly, his lips catching hers “Given time.”

The next day, Katie dragged Steve out for a walk in Central Park, but first she spoke to Tony about the door and the wall. He was surprisingly sympathetic, and didn’t mention the issue to Steve once. By the time Steve and Katie returned home that afternoon both were fixed, the only evidence any repairs had taken place was the smell of fresh paint and plaster which lingered in the apartment for a few days. What thankfully didn’t linger further were Steve’s night terrors. Katie didn’t know what it was that Wanda did, but his bones healed straight and it seemed that his mind had healed somewhat straight too. Whilst he persisted with the odd bad dream, they were getting less and less frequent, and there was no repeat of the two hallucinations he had suffered which was a relief to her, as she knew with time and patience and rest, the dreams would stop as well.

**** Chapter 25

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers smut #chris evans #chris evans characters

[oh-for-fic-sake]

Grandma Knows Best

Masterlist

Summary: Three months and you were still on edge ready to run at a moments notice and Clark is beside himself with worry, it was time Martha nipped this in the but once and for all. Grandma always knows best.

Warning: Angst, Swearing, Past Trauma,  Panic attacks

A/N: so this one is very angsty the next chapter should be happier and a little humor but I wanted to have this final 'melt down' I hope you enjoy it xxx

Taglist: @sofiebstar​ @thefangirlsblog​ @gooseyhouse​ @charliestufff​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @loserrlauraa​  @cheeseman​

The potting shed was old and rickety, Clark and Konner were going to fix it up over the weekend well fix it up; they were going to knock out all the panels and put perspex glass over it making a humongous diy green house,  they were going to home depo to order the glass tomorrow, but for now it was perfect shelter for the older plants. Around six weeks ago Martha had dragged you in here to plant your first ever plants. It had been fun, poking tiny holes and planting the seeds you were out here everyday watching,waiting for a shoot! But after a week you had gotten bored and stopped looking until she had told you of the first few leaves of spinach had popped through...It seemed within days of that all your plants had sprouted, none had died and to say you were proud was an understatement. You loved watching them grow something about caring for the fragile plants watering and feeding them pellets and tending them was soothing in a way. Whenever you got to overwhelmed you'd come out to the shed and take care of them, it was a place you could escape all...Except grandma. Martha had all but exiled the boys when she noticed Clark pestering you inside. she could see that gardening was becoming a solace for you, something you did without a care and she was pleased. You moved slowly behind Martha as she showed you how to dead head some of the plants and curb the tomato's so that you got less leaves and more fruit. You watched fascinated as she made quick work of the tall tomato plants plucking the new budding stems that would only produce leaves that would shade the fruit so it couldn't ripen. She turned looking to you concerned today she planned to air out a few things with you it was high time you had a little heart to heart.Three months. Three long months and still you held back Martha was worried, you hadn't settled, well you had but you were still skittish ready to run at a moments notice. They hoped you'd be more relaxed but it would seem you were the opposite more guarded and secretive and not once had you referred to them as family. It saddened her, konner had let slip that you were frightened of hurting someone...Namely her. But the woman trusted you. Clark was beside himself he didn't understand what he needed to do he was a father...Your father and he hadn't a fucking clue! Martha had decided it was time to nip these silly fears in the butt herself something tells her you needed a female touch. Clark had come to her a few days ago in floods of tears he had tried to take you shopping for clothes and you'd refused so then he offered to get a meal and when you turned that down it was coffee even though he didn't even let you drink it...He just wanted some one on one time with you he had been so excited for you to come home, he wanted a daughter...But you didn't seem to want a dad? He couldn't understand it he was lost and confused he desperately wanted you to open up to him, wanted to wrap you up in his arms and fight off all your doubts but...He didn't want to rush things, Bruce had called him out for being overbaring at first and said things take time but still he was impatient. What if you thought he didn't care because he was now giving you space? He hated the idea of you fearing being abandoned and alone again. You seemed happy on the face of it but when no one was looking your face was blank a mask hiding everything below. The longer you stayed here the more he could see you pull back you were fighting it, fighting being safe secure and happy. He couldnt get through to help neither could konner he had been trying to hard and you'd shut yourself off from him, Clark didn't want that to happen with him. It crushed him knowing you were still frightened and had decided that it would be an idea to just stay at the farm. He wanted to give you stability but he wanted you to come to him to open up and talk or or at least treat him like a father even if you didn't call him dad.

Martha moved slowly around you discreetly positioning herself between you and the door. She knew you'd try to avoid this and if you had the chance you'd run off and hide and that was not happening...Not again last time you'd been gone for a whole twenty-four hours the Clark had found you sleeping at a bus stop at two in the morning scaring the daylights out of everyone. She turned to face you a small smile was on your face as you prodded the leaves on your prized cucumber plant the first cucumbers just starting to form. "You know your dad was thinking of helping you design your room... I got a few catalogues of wallpaper and stuff...Ideas for designs from the home depot" You looked up at her blinking with a soft smile then moved slowly stepping up beside her placing your hands on the wooden Table in front of you. "He shouldn't...No point we're moving to the city again so...Yeah" Martha tilted her head letting out a breath placing the ant powder over your the cucumber plant to keep away the earwigs. "Well that was the plan...But your dad thinks it might be best to keep you and konner away from it... So your all staying here its not like he has to worry about getting to work~" she gave a sly smile and nudged you softly then frowned at your sour expression. "I didn't realize" Martha eyed you cautiously and stopped tending to the veg and turned. Then dipped down to your level you met her eyes for a second. What she saw broke her heart you were hurting and unsure still so lost. "Well now you do...So tell me what do you think you'll do to your room...I'm sure it won't be pink!" You took another deep breath poking a finger in the soil drawing a line in it. And shrugged. Its not something you thought about kids in the system didn't decorate, everything is temporary. "Don't know....Shouldn't bother...Only two years" Martha turned a placed a hand on he hip unimpressed. But you couldn't help feel she already knew that'd be your answer. "Now what the hell makes you say that? You think were gonna what? Kick you out at eighteen? Honey no that’s all behind you now...I mean christ Clarks still here and he's what thirty seven? Thirty eight" You flicked your gaze to her then back down to the spinach shoots in front of you moving the spritz them with a mix of water and dish soap helping keep away bugs. You arched over to the small container that held a mix of rock salt and crushed egg shells it helped keep away the slugs and snails. "I...Its hard I forgot what its meant to be like...In the system you just get thrown out...Go to the streets....Always weed to run or something or you can go to the sewers" Martha frowned at that "So that was your plan? You were going to be a drug runner? Or go Live in the sewers?" She asked none to impressed you felt scolded and skittish under her gaze and you didn't even see it. A mothers; in this case grandmother's disapproving gaze was felt. "I...I was a drug runner on and off...Then well I made a delivery to the Joker...He was...Frightening and I called it quits after that...Didn't want to be near the big leagues...Big people let their little people die" Martha crossed her arms this was new you never really spoke about how you survived normally brushed them off. "You ever try these drugs?" The question was meant to be casual but didn't quite hit the mark, you shook your head truthfully. "Couldn't risk it...If I reacted bad I could of...Well killed people so it just didn't seem like a good idea" she eyed you carefully and nodded she believed you. "Right well don't let you dad find out... But seriously you should think about what you want to do with your room everyone needs their own personal space" you heaved a deep breath smoothing out the layer of eggshells on the dirt covering the pot. Martha said dusting her hands off leaning on hand on her hip the other palm was flat on the table next to you.

"Okay right out with it...Come on whats going on in that mind of yours?" Her voice wasn't irritated she seemed more worried, wanting to know what was going on so she could fix it rather than to berate you for it. You swallowed moving our arms shrugging at her with a heavy sigh. "Just...I- it only been a few months not that long- things are going well now...But they might not be-I'm still dangerous my power can react at anything at anytime-" you were cut off by a clump of moist dirt hitting your cheek splatting across your lips making you spit and retch. Ew. You growled looking at her with a scowl. "Hey-what the fuck?-ugh ew no stop it!" Martha scoffed and flicked another small clump of mud at your face making you splutter spitting out the small flecks of dirt in your mouth. You looked up appalled at her wiping your tongue and she just hummed chuckling nodding a playful smile. "Yes I see it has incredible reflexes, nothing gets passed it~" you glared at her as she chuckled louder then flashed your eyes playfully and pulled at the water in the watering can urging it up the spout sending a large slosh of water over her croc covered feet she jumped back giggling lightly but stepped back to the table moving the pots back turning around leaning back on the table patting it. "Up you go darling time for a little chit chat" you frowned Your laughter dieing...This was it, they'd grown bored of you...You bit your lip preparing for the inevitable still wiping your face wanting the dirt off but obeyed sitting on the table looking down. She didn't let you for long stepping in front of you tilting your face up and pushed away a few locks of hair. "You always hide behind these curls...I wish you'd pull them out of your face and let me see my beautiful little granddaughter..." Martha spotted the eye roll and pinched you chin making you look at her. "I'm not your grand-" she frowned moving the hair to stay behind your ears then smiled. "Hush....Ah and there it is..." you frowned not following her trying to avoid her all seeing gaze "There’s what?" You bit out still expecting to be told to pack up and leave. These types of talks are never good, your being shipped off. Back to the tower not that you'd stay fuck them you never needed them. You don’t need anyone! "The doubt of a scared little girl, you hide it or you try to...But its there your eyes are a window we all see it...You think your poker face is perfect but...You Y/n L/n Kent are an open book...Clark sees it to he wants to help he loves you, I love you and so does konner" You furrowed you brows and tried shaking your head wanting to look anywhere other than her. You couldn't look her in the eye with whats coming, they stutter when you do makes it harder for them to be rid of you. "I-I don’t know what- Look I don’t need an excuse just say what you need to say!" she shook her head tutting and continued butting in before you could talk yourself into a panic. "Don’t give me that crap...You still think we're just gonna dump you off somewhere eventually...Well you better think again missy...You are my granddaughter, Clarks daughter and Konners sister and that is the end of it we love you! And nothing is going to change that y/n..." "W-What? Your...your not getting rid of me? But that’s what they do...When they want to talk" you asked heart clenching but Martha gasp seeing you trying to bottle up your devastation and anger. She turned cupping both sides of your face shaking her head looking mortified you'd think such a thing. It was then she truly saw just how much damage was there. You thought you were disposable and could be thrown away at anypoint. "No! No no of course not...Oh god sweety no listen I just-This is exactly why we need to talk my love...We are never ever abandoning you...My god your ours! And you are never going anywhere! We love you but we...We don't really know what you need you never ask for anything love...But your here and that's it you belong here with us" you blinked rapidly you couldn't help but buy it, believe maybe foolishly that this time it was the real deal. You whimpered trying to save face wiping away the tears before they shed. "B-but my power-" you started to argue but was quickly shushed as she held a finger to your lips and rolled her eyes with a light hearty chuckle. "Makes you no more dangerous then Clark or Konner now enough...I don't care, and I don't want to hear it anymore...You hear me? You are not going to attack me at all we all know that by now...Your breaking your fathers heart, he knows you still feel unsafe here and your just waiting to be abandoned again and its not happening...Now this afternoon you and your dad are gonna sit down and look at some ideas for you room which you are both going to redecorate together over the weekend. A few days bonding with him will do the world of good and might make you finally accept that you are going no where" you looked down with a deep sigh and picked at the loose splinters of wood on the table pulling thin strands of the wood.

"He loves you, you silly girl we all do...I know you still have your original bag packed stuffed between the desk and wall, it's how we found you last time" you snapped your head up to her what? Your bag gave you away? She shrugged to you with a cheeky grin. "Oh what you think that phone's been magically charging itself for three months? I've been charging it and your uncle Bruce may have tracked it for us to find you quicker...Having your dad flying all over smallville in the state he was when you went missing wouldn't have been very subtle...He'd have ripped the place to shreds and terrified the locals" you blinked at her. He was actually worried?  You thought it'd been an act. you flushed heart tingling and warming when the thought of someone caring enough about you to worry when you vanished. "I hope that soon you will unpack it...Clark is...He is at a loss he wants to get to know you but doesn't want to push he is frightened he would chase you off...Just please talk...Whatever it is we can help we just want you to be happy and safe" you looked down sadly unsure how to express yourself. The Kents had been brilliant but you just...Something made it hard for you to let go of the past. Your Mum and Dad the ones you couldn't save who died whilst screaming...They had called out for you! for you to save them but you couldn't you were weak...Defenseless even with this gift you couldn't protect them...A life time of guilt a life time of being alone, telling yourself that you can't lose people if you don't have them around you. How could you explain that? how did you explain it wasn't what you'd do necessarily it was also what if you couldn't help? couldn't save them? tears welled in your eyes at the thoughts and you sighed shuddering a breath. Martha moved closer standing between your knees and hugged you pulling you to her shoulder holding you tight rubbing your back hushing you and suddenly for the first time you cried. You sobbed gut wrenching cries into her. Until then the only other person to hold you had been Clark and that had been to prove a point. You moved trying to pull back apologizing for snotting all over her but she was having none of it she held tighter petting your hair softly kissing your head. "Hey?...Its okay...I got you baby we got you...You don't have to be frightened anymore...Or alone we are here for you...We are my love I promise" you shook your head still weeping into her the flood gates opened and you let loose. Martha was happy and gutted, she knew you needed to get this out but at the same time it was difficult to hear you shatter like this. A normally stoic sarcastic unshakeable and frankly stressed out teen finally cracking masks dropping and finally opening up, showing the true terrified little girl she really was. "But its bad!...I shouldn't-youll just!? and like the rest I cant-I wont!!" You fought to maintain an even voice but failed miserably spitting out the words rushing them with broken sobs. Martha was quick to ask she needed to know whats going on, needed to reassure you to fix the issues if she could. "Whats bad pumpkin? What's wrong sweety?" Her voice was calm a gentle lull that aimed to sooth you and draw the truth from you. "...M-My parents they-they died!...I tri-ed they y-yelled for help-to me THEY CALLED OUT TO ME! and I didn't...I couldn't and on the beach...It was my fault! mine...If I'd held on they could have made it!! and-and now with you guys! I wont be able to...I can't.? Youll die! And itll be my fault! Its always my fault...And then its- I don't want to replace them-my real parents" You shook your head no. you tried pulling back again this time Martha let you and moved holding either side of your face as fat tears still streamed down your face. You cried harder coughing and hyperventilating choking on your own sobs panicked looking for a way out. She held steady holding both hands firmly on your face well aware of the earth beneath her feet moving sifting like sand but she ignored it, her grandbaby needed her and so she began talking you through the attack.

"shh shh calm yourself down...Thats it its okay...Your alright I've got you...I've got you baby... Good girl see thats it a little more...Deeper breaths in then out...Good" Martha held her breath as you coughed a few more times your breathing was fast but you were calmer your tears still flowing freely but it was a soft quiet crying as opposed to the borderline hysterical sobs moments ago. That was it the final piece to the puzzle, you didn't want to disrespect your real parents by accepting new ones- or in this case a new father. And you felt responsible for there deaths carrying that type of guilt wasn't healthy for anyone. "...Okay...Okay baby...Grandma understands now...It wasn't your fault...None of this was your fault and don't you think otherwise ever...Your parents loved you and were probably yelling for you to hide and stay still...And the beach that wasn't your fault the atlanteans did that...They tried to declare war honey...If you wanted to I'm sure your uncle Arthur would talk to you about it...He felt guilty when he found out" you gasped and shook your head panicked at her.

"No! It wasn't his fault" she smiled at that he'd be happy to know according to Clark the man was beating himself up over it. She'd have to mention something to Clark to get the message across. "Or yours love...You couldn't have known what was going to happen...No one did we didn't-Clark didn't" You sucked in a deep breath and shook your head and opened your mouth to argue that you should have been stronger. "No no...I'm not done love...Do you think your mum and dad would want you to be alone?...Isolate yourself and refuse to live with a new family? That they want you to be unhappy?..I'm not asking you to forget them but its been a long time and maybe its time to accept that another family wants to be yours to protect you and guide and love you in your parents stead" you frowned wiping your face in vain as the tears still poured. "B-But what about you?- what if I can't save you? or Konner or-or" Martha shook her head at you chuckling raking her hands through your hair over and over in a soothing motion. "You don't have to...You don't have to save us love...Your dad is superman there isn't a lot he can't over come and konner is just behind him...And if anything ever happens here I'll have all three of you...Please don't make yourself unhappy in fear of loosing us, we aren't going anywhere" you blinked at her but gave a small smile Martha relaxed and hugged you again giving you one last kiss on your forehead. "Really? I'm- I don't need to....I wont be alone?" she shook her head at you somehow getting this off your chest made you fell lighter, it was freeing. You nodded thoughts still racing, no one ever took the time to really listen but it- Martha made sense your parents wouldnt want you to be alone would they? even if it was your fault which you still belived it was...They probably were crying out for you to hide, they must have known what was happening and only managed your name befor everything collapsed...The beach, well that was...It was war or the start of one. Seeing that she had gave you a lot to think about she patted your shoulders and nodded to the house. "Go have a shower and relax, we can plant these in the garden tomorrow...Just chill for today okay?" you gulped and slipped off the table to the floor slowly and turned timidly to hug her taking her by surprize you moved up on tip toes kissing her cheek and pulled away. "Thank you Grandma...That-You made sense" and with that you ran off letting the door slam behind you on your way out sprinting to your room. 

It took a while but after a few days of deliberation you finally come to terms with everything. Nothing else had been mentioned about it over the past few days, well things had been pretty normal but you'd been thinking alot. Martha made a lot of sense it wasn't a eurica moment but it had switched you on. Maybe it was time to move on...You'd never forget your parents you'd never stop loving them but maybe...Maybe you could love your new family to. That’s what they were...What they were trying to be a family it was just you that was the problem, to cut off and dare you say 'emotional stunted'. No one had ever just let you unload onto them like that before, by the time you were due to start therapy you were already in the hospital being sedated under the mental health act. You never had anyone to talk to and by the end of that ordeal you'd found a way to deal with it, reasoned with your own guilt and had your own take on what happened. Maybe this could be a new start...Its never to late right? Maybe you should just start interacting instead of avoiding them, you and konner got on you were friends but Clark and Martha...You'd tried not to be around them much. No point getting under their feet besides you didn't need to many attachments if you were completely honest talking to konner was just so you didn't go mad, you needed atleast one person to talk to. It was late on friday morning when Martha and Konner had left to go shopping. You woke up to Martha placing some more design magazines on your desk by the door. Grandma you mentally corrected yourself had said she was going out and would be back around dinner time with take out. She must have brought them up to try and sway you, wanting you to make the first move with..Dad. You hadn't approached him yet still nervous and every time you did get a bit of spine Konner was there to you didn't want to make a fool of yourself. She winked at you and nodded, it will be fine. Once she left you sat up skimming through the book's quickly then looked about the room you were in, it was spacious and at the back of the house...You hadn't the foggiest idea what to do with it at all, you’d never done this sort of thing before. You felt silly but it was kind of a big thing for you...The finality of making your mark on the house. It was daunting. You held the catalogues in your lap for a moment looking around...You should probably paint it your favorite color right? but what was your favorite color?...It had been so long since you thought about stuff like that you were stumped. You moved slowly to the door magazines in hand, it was time to start trying. You padded down the stairs timidly and peeked through the banister, Clark was in the kitchen sitting at the table. You sat on the step for a few seconds taking deep breaths watching him from between the wooden spokes in the banister then nodded you moved and hovered by the door. He looked tired reading the paper before him drinking his coffee. He must be tired there was an incident in india last night..Landslide he was there for a few hours digging out survivors and that says alot considering who he was. You crept up behind him and stood awkwardly curling your toes.

"Err clar-Dad?" He froze shoulders going rigid and turned slowly blinking a few times, he was shocked but happy? A grin spread across his face making his eyes practically glow. He swallowed placing down the paper he was reading. "Y-yes? Whats up?" You could see a slight tremble as he was trying to contain himself. You moved and sat next to him and placed the magazines on the table. "I err...well Grandma said that I can decorate my room...She got me these but, I've never done it and don't...I don't know what I can do or what to do...I can you help me?" He nodded quickly clearing the table he was vibrating with excitement, happy that his mother got through to you. You smiled and spread out the books. "So what do you like? Have you thought about any colors or themes" you blinked a little and flicked through the first magazine. "I like the sea" you said in a small voice sounding weird you'd never really spoke about your likes and dislikes before it was kind of irrelevant. You suddenly perked up drawing Clarks attention as you gasped seeing a few images of murals. "I...That’s cool I like the second photo...With the big mural its cool..." Clark looked over your shoulder smiling nodding it was very light and airy the room was three walls of faux white brick the final wall was a huge mural of the suspension bridge separating Gotham and Metropolis. "It is different you could have the mural on the wall across from your bed" you thought about it and smiled sheepishly nodding. "You think they have a beach one...Not like white sand and clear water...But like rocky? With forrest and stuff that sort of seaside raw and rugged..."  Clark smiled as you muttered away listing off ideas. Finally you were showing your true colours a bright and happy young girl slowly peeking out from behind her curtain of curls. "Well they should if not we can always go and take our own pictures" you gasped looking up at him shaking your head. "No no we don't...You don't have to do that..." you mumbled quickly avoiding his gaze. "Its no hassle...I do work for the daily planet I have access to some of the best cameras around...Ixm sure we could get a panoramic shot..We can fly out and find you a perfect spot it won't be that hard to scale it up and have one printed" he shrugged closing his own magazine waiting for you to answer. You twiddled your fingers it did sound fun...You'd never been anywhere before by plane the idea of going somewhere even quieter then this was very tempting you could just imagine the waves. "You can't book a holiday just so I can decorate...I'll just find one online" he chuckled at you shaking his head trying to hold back his amusement, he didn't want you to think he was laughing at you. "Oh no sweetheart I meant I will fly us out somewhere...It'll take a few minuets but there’s a great couple of island's near Vancouver extremely beautiful and lush there should be some good places there " you faltered then flushed. Oh yeah he can fly...Over the past few months you kind of forgot he was superman he was just Clark to you...Now dad. You took a breath. It was weird saying dad again. But you didn't feel bad about it just uneasy, what if he was doing this just to make sure you don't loose your mind and turn on them...Was that it? There must be a reason.

"Hey honey whats wrong? Gone all quiet all of a sudden, if you don't want to I can always ask your uncle Arthur to take a photo for us...Hell he might even have a few of his buddies photo bomb for you" Clark added trying to lighten the mood but secretly he was worried. Your happy dispositions had gone and you looked ready to run off and hide again. He was a little disappointed at the prospect of not being able to fly you off and spend a father daughter day at the beach, but these things would take time. "No no we can go! I want to go! it's just...I err forgot you were...That you could...Your just normal around here and just feel a little silly...I've also never been flying like at all and its just a little daunting" Clark grinned placing a hand on your shoulder squeezing it lightly. He was relieved you did want to spend time with him you were shy that was all. "That’s not silly at all and I promise flying with me is the safest way, I wont drop you, I'll never drop you, you can count on it...How about we go tomorrow afternoon? I can go borrow a camera from the office in the morning" you smiled into your lap twisting your t-shirt in your fingers nodding quickly trying to keep your nerves at bay. "Really? That's err fast and what about konner and grandma? Won't they want to come?" Clark's heart melted and burst all in one hearing you worry over your brother and grandmother. He was finally at ease. This wasn't a ruse you did think of them as family you did already love them. He'd ask his Ma about what was said but he doubts she'll tell him. But even if she didn't he's forever grateful to her because what ever was said has finally worked and for the first time he can truly say he felt like you'd accepted him as your new father and that meant the world to him. "Well they might but I have it on good authority that whilst we are having our father daughter weekend. Ma and konner are going to have fun of there own and spend the weekend in the city 'living it up' I have no doubt in my mind that they will be making good use of my savings...I have a feeling konner is going to wrangle himself a new xbox..." you looked down nervously the whole weekend? Alone with him. He moved his hand to ruffle your hair. "Hey...Its okay like I said we don't have to go flying, we do have to go to home depo tho ma still wants her makeshift greenhouse." You frowned he sounded defeated you turned facing him eye steely determined not to chicken out. This had to work, this was your home and you had to try harder. "I want to though...A-and like you said...You wont drop me I'd rather go flying for the first time with you rather then konner...He'd drop me just to catch me again and I'd probably piss myself" you muttered akwardly. "Then its settled! Tomorrow we go to the beach and take photos for your bedroom! Do you have a swimsuit? And some summer clothes it might be hot there and pack some suncream I wont have you burning! If you forget it your staying in the shade~" you smiled meekly at him nodding you did have a few summer clothes, some cotton shorts and a vest top should be fine. "Good you can pack a bag in the morning" he added grinning ear to ear finally feeling as though he had a chance to step in. You had opened the door and it was his job to make it stay that way. You crouched over the books with him feeling more and more confident as you began pointing out things in the books that you liked with him finally relaxing with him. Then it hit you like a truck. This really was it! Your very own room, your own home and a proper family.

You felt yourself getting choked up windpipe closing tightly only managing a few small hums in agreement as he pointed out different things colors and diy ideas. You took a deep breath trying to swallow the lump away from your throat. It was when tears blurred your vision and you sniffled trying to hold it back that Clark made his move wrapping you up in his arms all but dragging you out of your chair onto his lap. You wriggled trying to be released more out of habit then actually wanting to get away but he held firm tucking your head into his shoulder shushing you. "Your alright...I've got you I promise" he didn't speak after those words letting them sink in, he didn't need to say more then that his message was clear. You'd been accepted the fear and anxiety was melting away in one huge mass of relief as he just held you close one arm pinning you to him the other moving grabbing the pen that lived on the kitchen table and a small note pad used for shopping lists. He bit the lid off the pen and began writing a small list of what you'd need to get for your room. You tucked your face into him whining pitifully for the first time in years feeling truly safe and secure.

#superman x you #superman x teen reader #superman x y/n #clark kent x teen reader #clark kent x y/n #dc x teen reader

[black-streak]

Perfectly Planned

Saturday's Alright snippet written for @witchsblackfox

This... Definitely wasn't what I think either of us were expecting, but I got started on it and it just took a life of its own. Apparently my mind decided Tim was too devious for a straight forward fight over this with Bruce. And also too sentimental to not get caught up in the moment instead of reveling in his victory. Oh well, hope you like it!

~---~

The second Bruce told him that he planned to propose to Selina, a mischievous glimmer to his eyes, Tim came to an abrupt realization. He needed to beat him to the punch.

Tim knew for quite some time that Marinette was it for him. There was no maybes or ifs and buts. She was it. He loved her with everything he had and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. He's known that since they began this relationship. Since she took a bullet for him and stood between him and his family.

Better yet, he knew the feeling was mutual. For once in his life he felt he could securely say that someone loved him unconditionally and would never abandon him no matter what came their way. No fake deaths. No lies for the others safety. No false promises. The two loved each other fully without waver. 

It was only a matter of time before they decided to get the law involved and make their claims on each other known to the world.

The problem was that he knew they'd never hear the end of it if his adoptive father married her figurative cat mom. As unrelated as they obviously were and even with Selina only calling Mari her kitten in a motherly claim, the issue stood. The two marrying would lead to endless teasing over him dating his figurative sister. And Bruce obviously knew this.

That… was not something he was willing to deal with. So the race against the clock was on. Tim needed to propose to Mari and marry the woman of his dreams before Bruce could work up the nerve to ask Selina. And knowing Selina, she would be offended if Bruce piggybacked off Tim's proposal or took the spotlight off her kitten's moment or special day. So as long as he proposed first, they were in the clear.

It took very little time to set up. As horrific as buying a ring for a literal fashion powerhouse sounded, it actually made this easier. Marinette had always been forthcoming with her opinions on everything fashion related. He knew exactly what she did and didn't like from bands to stones and gems to cuts and sizing. Ordering the ring took more time then he felt comfortable with, but he refused to let timing get in the way of creating the perfect ring. Marinette was anything but traditional and straightforward and her ring deserved to reflect this. 

Three silver bands twisted together intricately with moonstones and tiny diamonds peaking out between the folds. The bands themselves had softly engraved swirls stretching across them to give texture and movement. He already knew she would end up picking sunstones for his own band to contrast.

...

Waiting for the email to pick up the ring threw his anxiety through the roof, to the point his family took notice.

"Alright, I'll bite. What are you hyperfixating on so much? You didn't even bitch when I stole your drink," Jason spoke up next to him from where he leaned up against the counter. Tim glanced over towards the bedroom.

"She left an hour ago," Jason raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "something about fabric."

"I'm waiting for an email."

"And a notification won't cut it? Have to glare down your laptop instead?"

"When did you even get here?"

"You invited me for breakfast, ditz. I helped Mari make it? You even participated by cutting the fruits," Jason teased, though his eyes looked concerned.

"Oh.."

"So the email?"

"Mari's engagement ring should be finished today."

"No shit? That's great, babybird, you're making it official."

"It should be done by now."

Clapping a hand on his shoulder he offered a flippant, "It'll be done when it's done. Can't rush perfection."

Tim grumbled in response.

"You know she'll say yes."

"I know."

"Then what- wait. Didn't Bruce mention possibly proposing to Selina soon?"

Tim slanted his eyes up to his older brother, a smirk working its way up onto his mouth, "it'll be delayed for a while if I have my way."

Jason barked out a laugh, "Your little fox really rubbed off on you. You plan on hijacking his proposal, don't you?"

"You heard Selina, Mari is her kitten. Her only daughter."

"And her mother cat marrying our adoptive father wouldn't work too well for you," the grin on his brother's face grew wider.

"Precisely. So if we marry first, it'll be a matter of our in laws trying to marry each other. Making them the creepy ones."

"You devious little shit. Pixie know you're planning this?"

His face went blank staring off into the distance, prompting Jason to chuckle again.

"Is the pleasure of one upping Batman and Catwoman better than the surprise of being proposed to?"

"I'd tell her if I were you. She seems the type to be on board for this type of scheme, but thinking the proposal had nothing to do with anyone else then finding out it was to beat out your parents afterwards?" Jason rose an eyebrow at him, a deadpan look letting Tim connect his own dots.

"I'll tell Mari tonight."

"Smart bird."

"Tell me what?" Marinette asked, appearing through the front door with bags thrown over her shoulder.

"What have we said about fabric in the house?"

"That it doesn't belong here," she pouted, "I'll drop it off at the studio soon?"

He narrowed his eyes at her and she placed the bags by the door, moving up to him, "Promise?"

He huffed and dragged her into a hug, letting her go to hug Jason in turn. Tim's laptop chose this moment to light up with an email notice. Before he could fully turn around, she turned and peered over his shoulder in curiosity.

"Mon Amour?"

"Yes?"

"Is that?"

"It is."

She squealed in excitement, bouncing lightly in place until he turned so she could smother him in kisses. Suddenly pulling back, she perked up even more.

"What's it look like? Colors? Band type?"

"You'll find out," he smiled softly at her, wrapping his arms securely around her waist 

Jason coughed to grab their attention, "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" She wiggled in place, pleased with this development.

"He's got something else to tell you."

"Oh?" She tilted back to her almost fiance. Fiance! This was so exciting!

"We're crashing Bruce's proposal."

"His… he's planning on proposing to Selina?"

"Soon, yes."

She stood there quietly for a moment, looking at him carefully before nodding, "okay."

"Okay?" Jason asked.

"Okay," she shrugged, "I made a bet with Selina that Tim would propose before Bruce would. Never told her we had already discussed marriage and knew it was inevitable unlike those two."

"You two were made for each other," Jason gave an exasperated groan as Tim laughed.

Glancing back at the email once more, she pulled Tim to her again, kissing him long and deep, thrilled with how soon their engagement was.

"Oh god. Alright, hold on, I'm leaving!" Jason grabbed his jacket and rushed towards the door. "Could you hold off for two fucking seconds?" he called as he caught a glimpse of Mari taking off Tim's shirt and slamming the door behind him.

She giggled against his lips as he pulled her flush against him, "should we celebrate?"

"Mmm."

…

The whole family had been invited over for Sunday night dinner at the Manor, including Selina. Knowing the older man and his desire to include the family in any large changes or decisions, Tim knew this was the night. Bruce planned to propose tonight. While Mari and him had practically become engaged weeks before with his buying of the ring, he hadn't technically proposed or made it family knowledge yet. No one but Jason knew Tim planned to beat the man to the punch and decided to come to dinner for once just to watch the show.

He dressed slightly better than his usual hoodie and ragged jeans in preparation, pulling on a soft gray cowl necked sweater, the neckline crossing down in the front with a  shark tooth closure. Black fitted jeans and boots completed the look. Marinette would appreciate him wearing something she made for him.

Speaking of, she wore a light blue swishy cardigan over a gray top with black jeans and blue lace up booties, having partially coordinated to his own on purpose. 

As the dinner started, food being passed around and the family antics starting up around them, Tim felt a touch of anxiety slip through him only to settle as Mari wrapped her fingers around his, squeezing gently in reassurance. Taking a deep breath, he settled in, noticing a similar tension in Bruce's stance, only no relief came to the man as the courses continued. He had calculated that Bruce would attempt to propose right after dessert was being cleared. Right when family announcements usually began. Tim would propose right after dessert was placed, just close enough to Bruce's to make the man feel cut off, but early enough that dessert could feel celebratory. Which worked perfectly considering he asked Alfred to make pain au chocolats since Marinette never got to enjoy properly made ones anymore. Sure, the pastry didn't quite fit the occasion, but she would appreciate it and that was all cared about.

Alfred came out with dessert and passed it around, squeezing Tim's shoulder gently as he passed and sat beside Jason, wanting to watch his grandson's engagement. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed Marinette's hand softly and lifted from his seat, pushing it back and out of the way to kneel in front of her.

"Ma loutine-"

"Yes!"

"Let me finish," he almost giggled, smile lighting up his face, "My love, you're the most intelligent, ruthless, beautiful person I have ever met. In all the time I've known you, you have been so amazingly considerate and patient with me. Whether it be because I took too long to seek you out or stop your bad habits from taking over to when you return the favor by dragging my idiotic self back home from a work binge or help me with my work when I get caught up in my head. I think back on that night you stumbled into the kitchen and dragged me into the living room at 3 in the morning to watch stupid vines with you as the most wonderful start to anything in my life. And that's exactly what that was, only a start of our time together. I can't fathom the idea of ever parting from you, Ma lutine. So here, in front of the insane, batshit crazy family you'd have to agree to becoming part, which I'm really starting to regret reminding you of, I'm asking you please. Will you marry me?"

She leaned down, tears glittering ever so gently in the corners of her eyes to press a sweet kiss to his lips, whispering, "Yes."

He pressed up into her, pulling the ring out of the box he'd yet to open and slipping it onto her finger before pulling away and smiling widely to his family, "She said yes," he giddily informed to the sound of his family's cheers, excitement and joy bursting through his chest despite knowing she would. It still felt like a revelation to know he got to marry her. It was then she exclaimed, having finally looked down at her ring. She pushed into his lap, regaining his full attention to wrap him up in a hug, "I love it! It's so perfect, Tim, how did you even get this?" She marveled.

"Well show us," Stephanie demanded, Selina beside her, looking over curiously. 

Twisting around, she showed off the ring to the two, Cass whistling in appreciation next to them.

"Well done, Tim. Knew you were a perfectionist, but it surely shines through with your choice," Selina complimented, slipping a few bills into Marinette's hands discretely.

"That was quite a proposal, Tim. Congratulations to the both of you," Bruce offered, a strained smile on his face, not able to hold a grudge against the two with how excited and genuinely happy they looked. After all, it's not like he ever told Tim exactly when he would propose to Selina and he couldn't exactly wait around for Bruce to figure it out.

For now, he'd have to be happy for  them and pray Selina didn't bite his head off for letting two of his sons marry before popping the question himself.

#timinette #timari #ml x dc #Snippet #saturdays alright #may not of participated in Timari week #but hey I wrote something for the pair right? #maribat

[bigskydreaming]

Randomly just thinking about how much potential there is for angst and also Important Conversations, by playing on the idea of like....idk, case fics that have Dick targeted by someone he went up against or put away during the ‘lost years’ when he and Bruce were estranged....when like he was mostly with the Titans but did some solo stuff during that time too.

Like, there’s a lot of fics that have the Batfamily finding out about Tarantula and Mirage and stuff with Slade and Blockbuster....which is all good but is still stuff that exists within the confines of periods of Dick’s life they were at least somewhat aware of, even if they missed what actually happened with a lot of that.

But I’m thinking about the potential of the family having to rescue Dick or find a way to help him with something that hammers home the reality that there are entire periods of Dick’s life that are just complete blank spots for them and ANYTHING could have happened during those times with zero knowledge of it on their parts because of just how removed Dick had been from them.

Idk where I’m going with this totally but like....I think what I’m getting at is yknow how Jason’s issue with Bruce has never been really blaming him for his death but rather everything that came after, as he often points out he knew at least that Bruce was near and that Bruce would be TRYING to come for him, which he was, but that he just didn’t get to him in time and that’s on the Joker, not him? Like Bruce failed to save him but that’s not really Jason’s issue as he never actually doubted that Bruce was trying to do that.

But then I was thinking about those years between Dick being fired as Robin and before Tim became Robin and only then did Dick really start being a presence in Bruce’s life again (with this totally being more on Bruce than Dick as Dick had reached out on more than one occasion by then and either been rejected like in NTT #55 or even earlier when he and Jason met and teamed up, like, Bruce ended the issue watching them bond all creeper style and smiling and happy about it which is good yeah, but like...he still did jack shit with the opportunity to try and repair things with Dick or be like oh btw, I’m sorry for all the Fucking Up, can you come home for the weekend and maybe we can talk about it)...

But anyway, so I’m talking about these ‘gap years’ or whatever, and the fact that like.....there are so many occasions in that time period, and likely more than just happened on the page, where Dick almost died and was either saved by one of the Titans, his own skills or just blind luck. But if not for those things he would have died, and he at least would have done so with no belief whatsoever that Bruce might be coming to save him...because he knew for a fact that Bruce couldn’t possibly be coming because Bruce had no idea what he was doing or where he was at.

That despite the fact that Bruce only fired him because he was afraid of him getting hurt or killed....that never stopped Dick, and Bruce knew within a matter of weeks that he hadn’t done anything to change Dick’s mind or get him out of danger. The only thing he had accomplished was making it that much more likely that the next time Dick WAS inevitably in danger...Bruce would be the LAST person to be in any position to do anything about it or help him.

Like, just examination of the specific self-defeating nature of Bruce’s actions and inaction during that time period, and how nothing he did there actually accomplished anything other than make it so Bruce wouldn’t have to WITNESS Dick getting hurt. It never did a single thing to change the chances of him getting hurt. And he did get hurt! A lot! And the only thing Bruce’s choices did for Dick there was ensure Dick felt that Bruce wasn’t someone he could go to or turn to for help when he was in danger at that time, or when he needed comfort or somewhere safe and familiar to recover afterwards.

Like....just stuff that brings front and center for Bruce and any members of the family convinced of the illusion of Dick’s favored son status....just how many times during those years Dick almost died and was lost to the family both present and future....without any of them having a clue because nobody from Gotham was ever riding to Dick’s rescue in the nick of time and he never for a second assumed they might be. How many times Bruce’s alleged desire to keep Dick safe in reality was the very thing that almost cost him any chance of ever seeing Dick or reconciling with him again.

All because he didn’t know what was going on with him and with at that specific time the reason being just that Bruce made the conscious CHOICE not to know what was going on with him (and no, headcanons about how he was spying from a distance don’t count if it never resulted in him getting off his ass to show concern either during or after any kind of danger to Dick).

Like, just the idea of Bruce and others realizing just how damn LUCKY they are to have gotten the chance to have more time with Dick at all....because of the periods where it very much was not a given, and they’ve just been blissfully oblivious as to how close a call it often was, because they weren’t actually even LOOKING to check whether or not he was safe or how he was doing...let alone asking, or making it clear they were there or WOULD still be there, if he ever needed them....no matter what else had come between them.

(Yknow, kinda like how Dick still showed up attempting to be there for Bruce after Jason’s death, or how he kept showing up and trying to be there for Tim when Tim kept turning him away because he wasn’t showing up or being there in the specific ways he wanted Dick to be and thus it didn’t count, or how he showed up to rescue Jason after Jason had just spent the past few weeks antagonizing him as much as possible and literally framing him for murder, etc etc etc...but. I. Digress.)