#like they might as well have left the story alone as nat being the original & only widow if they were still only gonna use her | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rebeccccccaaa · 3 years

Text

O̶l̶d̶ M̶a̶n̶ M̶o̶v̶e̶s̶

__________________________ Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Steve shows you a thing or two about being an old man.

Warnings: *AGE GAP*, smut 18+ minors dni, very dark/inappropriate joke (only mentioned once but beware)

Author’s Notes: I know this isn’t the most original but hEr yA gO lol (ps this a long one but boy is it a good read #prettyproud ;) lmao) __________________________

“Hey Nat, do you know anything about World War II?” you peeked your head in her room.

“Nope, ask Steve.”

“Hey Tony, do you know anything about World War II?” you walked into the lab.

“Nope, ask Steve.”

“Hey Sam, where’s Bucky?” you walked in the kitchen.

“Mission.”

“Well, do you know anything about World War II?”

“Nope, ask Steve,” you grunted and rolled your eyes.

“Hey Wanda, do you know anything about World War II?”

“Nope, have you asked Steve?”

“Ugh! Everyone keeps saying that,” you flopped down on her bed.

“And why aren't you asking him?”

You looked at her raising an eyebrow. She was the only, well you think Nat knows but Wanda is the only person you told about your little crush on the super soldier. Upon seeing your face, Wanda chuckled humorously. One time she caught you during a meeting thinking about Steve; every part of Steve. To say you were embarrassed would be an understatement.

“What about Bucky?”

“He’s on a mission. Hey, what are you watching?”

“Malcolm in the Middle.”

“Nice.”

You laughed at the show for a bit before grunting remembering that you had to finish the history report for your college professor who’s as old as sliced bread. Before you walked out Vision phased through the door.

“Ooh! Vis, tell me everything about World War II!”

“No, Vis! Don’t tell her a single thing! You have to ask Steve,” she scolded.

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Wanda,” you whined.

“I’m pretty sure he’s in his room,” she smirked.

“Please don’t make me do it,” you begged hyperbolically.

“Then fail your report,” she smirked evilly.

“Dammit, Wanda,” you left her room hearing her snicker.

You stomped to your room and collapsed on your bed. You sat at your computer for twenty minutes until a knock disturbed your dreadful staring.

“Steve!” you shouted opening the door.

“Hey, Sam told me you needed help with a history report?”

“Sam told you?”

“Yeah; and Tony, and Nat, and Wanda,” Steve phoned chimed suddenly.

“Oh, uh, Buck just texted me saying Sam told him that you need help with uh, a history report,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, World War II,” you gritted.

“Well,” he stood awkwardly at your door still.

“Come in,” you moved over to let him in.

Steve walked in and sat on the edge of your bed. You scurried over and threw yourself on the bed gathering all your papers and books and your laptop. You sat criss crossed on the bed before looking up at him ready for learning, I guess.

“Ok so what exactly do you need to know?” Steve smiled.

“Oh well, uh, maybe we start with life before soldiers got drafted?” you suggested.

Steve smiled remembering tons of stories and memories of him and Bucky being teenagers in New York. You stopped caring about your report altogether and just kicked back to listen to all about Steve. The way he lit up whenever remembered something he forgot to tell you made your heart burst.

At one point he started laughing so hard, as were you, when he slapped his hand directly on your thigh and squeezed hard from pure humor. Needless to say, you instantly stopped laughing and zeroed in on his large hand and the way it gripped your thigh.

“Awe man, that such was a good day,” he breathed out once he cooled down.

“Yeah, it’s kinda weird,” you said, coming back to reality.

“Why’s that weird?”

“I don’t know? You’re the captain, you don’t have fun. You’re an old man,” you giggled.

“Old man? Kid, you’re hurting me,” he clutched his chest dramatically.

“Hey, I already told you to stop calling me kid. I’m twenty years old,” you crossed your arms.

“Hey come on, I’m just joshing ya,” he smirked.

“Who the fuck says ‘joshing ya’?” you laughed.

“What, the kids don’t say that nowadays?” he laughed.

“No!” you were cracking up rolling on the bed.

“You’re supposed to be doing your history report,” he defended.

“You’re such an old man, oh god.”

“And you’re such a child,” he pinned you down on the bed.

“Ooh, someone busting out the old man moves. Get off grandpa,” you smirked.

“Make me, kid,” he emphasized ‘kid’.

You two glared at each amusingly, both trying you very best to not smile. Your shirt had ridden up your stomach and Steve could somewhat see the exposed skin. He didn't think you were a kid per say, he thought you were a very beautiful young woman; too young. He didn’t think it would be appropriate to pursue any sort of relationship with you; it’s not like you were very incognito when it came to checking him out. He knew that you liked him.

Explains all the teasing you do too.

The close proximity between you two make you both bothersome; Steve's muscle clenching and fighting every urge in his body to do something he might regret, or worse, something you’ll regret. Your stomach flipped and your mind wandered to what it would be like if you were in this position under different circumstances.

In an attempt to relieve yourself without Steve knowing you clenched your thighs softly before moving your knee up. Upon moving your knee, your eyes widened and Steve instantly got off you covering his modesty with your sheet. Your face slowly turned into a mischievous smirk before raising your eyebrow at Steve, who profusely blushed under your taunting gaze.

“Do kids turn you on?” you joked.

“Y/n!” Steve groaned at your highly inappropriate joke.

“I’m kidding!” Steve simply rolled his eyes at you.

“I’m just joshing ya,” you grinned, making Steve chuckle.

“How much of your report have you done?” Steve reached for your laptop; making you panic because you didn’t even have your name let alone a title typed out.

“Seriously?” he looked at you like a stern father.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you said.

“You don’t even have your name,” he cracked a smile.

“Well, your stories are just too captivating; I was distracted,” you weren’t exactly lying, seeing Steve seem so relaxed and carefree thinking back on memories made you smile.

“Distracted,” he repeated sarcastically.

“Yeah, I was,” you felt small as Steve got closer to you.

“Is this distracting now?” he mocked.

“Maybe,” you whispered.

He looked at your lips before running his nose along your cheek and your own nose. He pressed his lips too close to your lips, of which you were desperate for him to touch. Your hands grabbed at his arms that were held tightly on your waist for any sort of stability. You felt like you were going to pass out.

“You better finish that report if you know what’s good for you,” he whispered against your lips.

“Huh?” you breathed out seeing as Steve has stood up and made his way to your door.

“You heard me. Come find me when you’ve been a good girl and finished that report,” he slipped out smoothly leaving you high and dry, or rather soaking in arousal.

Your eyes were practically bulging from your head and you couldn’t believe the Steve with that gnarly stick up his ass was the same one that just easily turned you on like an easy-bake oven and called you a ‘good girl’. You immediately rushed to grab your laptop googling facts about World War II and typed faster than Usain Bolt could run.

Meanwhile Steve stood in the shower with cock in hand, his thumb rubbing over the tip leaking with precum. He ran his hand down his shaft and threw his head back at the pleasure. He moaned your name and tensed his muscles getting close to a release.

He had to hold on to the wall to keep his knees from buckling. The sight of seeing you under him, squirming and wiggling so innocently made his cock twitch. He knew that you liked him, it wasn’t necessarily a huge secret; you weren’t desperate to hide that fact. But he knew you weren’t going around telling people so he never said anything.

He went to your room genuinely trying to help with your college report and he got enthralled with his own memories. He didn’t exactly know when the air shifted but he realized it indefinitely when your body tensed under his hand that rested perfectly on your thigh.

He remembers the softness of skin and remembers the way your breathing quickened. He kept the conversation going as innocently as possible but then you started teasing him about his age, about what an old fashioned sucker he was. And all he could think about in that moment was flipping you over and fucking you into the mattress you showing his “old man moves”.

“Fuck,” he moaned to himself.

Soon enough after a couple more pumps, he painted the shower walls with his cum desperately wishing it was your stomach or even your back. He just wanted you there with him. He felt guilty thinking about you like that. He knew if he were ever to get with you he wouldn't be able to keep up. You were so spright and mischievous and beautiful and gorgeous and sexy and… wait; slow down, Steve.

He got out of the shower and cleaned himself off. He changed and just stayed in his room letting the sounds of the TV drown any thoughts he might wandered to you. A sudden knock broke the silence settled in his room and he opened the door to find his best friend.

“Hey, man,” Bucky smiled.

“Buck, your back,” Steve opened the door further letting him come in.

“Oh, did you get my text? About helping Y/n with her report? Heard it’s like forty percent of her grade,” he said.

“Yeah uh, I did,” Steve said hesitantly; Bucky narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Steve retorted.

“I don’t believe you. Come on what happened?” Buck chuckled.

“She called me an old man,” Steve pouted.

“Haha! Seriously?”

“Yeah but jokes on her cuz I-” Steve stopped himself, what if his best friend thought he was a creep.

“Oh no, did you guys fuck?” he asked suddenly.

“Buck,” Steve groaned.

“You did, didn’t you!”

“Almost!” Steve bursted out, his eyes widening in fear.

“Hey, why are you all freaked out? I thought you liked her?” Bucky questioned.

“Yeah, but what? She’s too young. I thought you were gonna think I was a creep,” Steve was confused.

“Well, how old is she?”

“She’s uh, she’s twenty, almost twenty-one,” he muttered.

“Oh, yikes. Uh, I don’t know man. I mean you’re both adults,” Bucky said.

“Fuck, man. I really fucked up,” Steve said making Bucky ‘language’ him of which Steve glared back.

“Did you kiss her?”

“No, almost,” Steve responded.

“Ok then what happened?”

Steve explained to Bucky what happened just hours ago and Bucky couldn’t help but laugh at his poor friend's antics.

“You’re such a fucking tease, Steve,” Bucky joked.

“Buck, you’re not helping,” Steve grunted.

“Well, either you keep your promise and fuck her good, or be that old man she called you with a stick up your ass and make her feel like shit. No pressure though. See for dinner, I’m going to beat the shit out of Sam,” Bucky stood up.

“What’d he do?”

“Nothing,” with that Bucky left.

Steve sat there on his bed conflicted. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. All he knows is that you’re a beautiful girl and Steve wants nothing more than to show you; he knows you'd be more than willing to let him have his way with you. But on the contrary, you are too young. There are tons of guys who would be so lucky to call you theirs; and they’re your age.

Then again, Steve can’t even imagine another man putting his hands on you. They’d never be able to pleasure you like he could. Ugh, but you called him an old man! Fuck this, Steve thought, I’m taking a nap.

You sat in your room busying yourself with facts about the war. You cried about the horrid things that happened, terrified that people that live in the world. You were even more shocked that Bucky and Steve lived through that.

You glanced at the clock noticing the many hours that had passed you. It was sundown which usually meant Wanda was going to come by any minute-

“What do you want for dinner?” There she is.

“Uh, I’m not sure. Haven't had much time to think about it,” you said lifting your laptop.

“Did Steve come?”

“I don’t know but he came pretty close,” you said snarkily. When he left about 5 minutes after you had to change your panties because you couldn’t focus on the report with arousal dripping out of you.

“What the hell does that mean?” Wanda sat on your bed. You told what happened when Steve came by, how innocent everything seemed until it wasn’t. Wanda was rolling on your bed in laughter, snorting at your frustration.

“Wandaaa,” you whined.

“Sorry, sorry. But I’m confused,” she cooled down.

“What’s there to be confused about; Steve Rogers is a fucking tease,” you grunted.

“I thought this is what you want. He clearly seems to like you back,” she said.

“I don’t know it’s just-”

“Just what?”

“It’s not exactly clear whether he likes me or just wants some young, fresh meat. He didn’t say he liked me back.”

“Did you say you liked him in the first place?”

“No.” Wanda sighed at your answer. Were you overreacting?

“Y/n, I’ve known Steve for a long time and he’s not that kinda guy.”

“People change.”

“Y/n-”

“I just wish it stayed like a little stupid crush, because then I wouldn’t have to worry about my heart getting broken like that; worrying whether it’s real or not. Pining hurts so good, it’s comfortable.”

“Well, on a lighter note, how’s the report?” Wanda changed the subject so you wouldn’t feel bad anymore.

“I’m almost done, I think I’m gonna skip out on dinner. I’m really close to finishing,” you told her.

“Want me to bring you a plate?” she asked.

“Yes, please.”

Everyone sat at the table eating silently. Sam held an ice pack to his face because Bucky accidentally threw a rock at him; seriously it was an accident. Bucky threw the rock at his groin but Sam tripped back and the rock landed on his face. There are no hard feelings though, Sam said he was gonna get him and now Bucky’s arm is disabled and limp.

Steve stared at the seat across from him, it was the seat you always took next to Wanda. You weren’t here for dinner and he was wondering if it had something to do with him. Did he make you uncomfortable enough that you never want to see him?

“She’s finishing her report,” Wanda said, her voice echoing in Steve’s head.

“Ooh what’s the gossip?” Nat said humorously seeing as Wanda’s eyes glowed red as did Steve’s.

“Nothing,” Steve mumbled.

“He was wondering where Y/n was?” Wanda said making Steve shoot daggers at her.

“You miss your little girlfriend?” Sam joked.

“Shut it,” Steve growled.

“She never misses dinner. Where the brat?” Tony asked.

“She has a history report for a college class and she told me she was almost done and that she was gonna skip dinner,” Wanda explained.

No more questions were asked and everyone ate in peace. Small talk and laughter was exchanged appropriately but Steve couldn’t help but wonder if maybe you lied to Wanda to get out of dinner. What if you hate him now? What if you were creeped out by him now? Fuck.

“Steve your plate?” Wanda asked him.

“Oh sorry, I’m finished. Thank you,” he handed her the plate of picked food.

“Y/n, asked me if I could bring her a plate when we were finished.”

Steve simply looked puzzled at her.

“Take this. And don’t break her heart,” she said handing him your plate.

“I would never,” he said.

“Don’t tell me, tell her.”

Steve walked hesitantly up to your room. He knocked careful not to disturb you. He heard you shout, giving him access to your room and he found you laying on your stomach typing away on your laptop while cartoons played lowly on the TV.

“I brought your dinner,” he said softly.

“Thank you! Ugh, I’m starving but I swear I have like two sentences.”

He smiled and placed your food on your bedside before sitting on the bed with you. He watched your face carefully memorizing the smallest things about you that he’s never really noticed before. He noticed the dryness of your lips because you bit them whenever you were immensely focused just as now.

He admired the small creases between your eyebrows and the way you scrunched your nose. Your hair was a little crazy and he noticed you had changed since he’d last been with you. He thinks he knows why that is and if it was true, he felt a sense of pride almost. Imagine if he really got to touch the way he wants. How ruined you would be.

“Steve?” you asked.

“I’m sorry?” he asked.

“Are you ok?” you smiled awkwardly.

“Oh uh, yeah. I’m ok.”

You ate quietly, eyes trained on the TV and Steve felt out of place. He went to stand up but you placed your food down and called after him.

“Where are you going?” you asked.

“I didn’t think you wanted me here anymore,” he said softly.

“But, but you said to come find you when I finish my report. You’re already here,” you said shyly.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think-”

“I was a good girl and finished,” you said innocently biting your lip.

“Y/n,” Steve sighed.

“What?” Oh no, you guessed it. He doesn’t actually like you and he's just messing with you.

“Hey look at me,” Steve grabbed your chin softly. You didn’t want to but you ultimately did.

“I want nothing more than to reward you for being a good girl but I can’t,” he said sadly.

“It's because I’m too young, isn’t it,” you whined.

“I can’t do that to you. You have your whole life ahead of you, sweetheart. An old man like me shouldn’t keep you back like this,” he said.

“You’re not keeping anywhere, I’m an Avenger just like you. I don’t have anybody else. I’m only going to college because Tony’s paying for it and I took this stupid histroy class because I wanted to know more about what life was like for you. Because I like you,” you said.

“Y/n, you can have anyone and you’re choosing me?” he chuckled.

“Yes, guys my age don’t even know where the clit is!” you shouted exasperated.

“Show them,” he said stupidly.

“Ah, yes. Because a twenty-two year old college frat boy is gonna wanna listen to you tell him how to have sex,” you said squinting your eyes, making Steve chuckle.

“I don’t want a guy my age, I want you.”

Steve cupped your face softly and you leaned into his hand with a childish pout. Steve smiled at you and your pout turned into a smile too.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, babygirl,” he sighed, pushing you down to lay on the bed.

“Not if you die from a stroke first old man,” you cracked.

Steve wrapped his large hand around your neck bringing his face dangerously close yours.

“Smart mouth, and to think I was about to reward you.”

His voice gave you chills and you audibly whimpered under him. Steve pressed his leg between your thighs and your body shudder feeling his muscular thigh firmly pressed against your core.

“Fuck,” your voice shook.

“Does that feel good?” he asked mockingly, he knows what he’s doing.

“Yes, Stevie,” you whimpered.

“Fuck, you sound sweet whimpering and shaking under me. Almost feel kinda bad.”

His hand squeezed a bit harder and your body melted into the bed. He leaned down and kissed for the first time. Your eyes opened wide before fluttering closed again wallowing in his kiss. Your hand moved from his forearm to his face cupping it gently and your lips moved against his impeccably.

His lips faltered and trailed down your throat, his hand pulling your hair gently to move your head back to give him more room. He nipped and bit at your throat hungrily before soothing his marks with his tongue. His hands sneaked up your shirt, his fingertips grazing the skin under your breasts. He could feel the chills that rose all over your skin and he chuckled darkly in your ear.

“Is this ok?” he asked softly tugging the waistband of your shorts.

“Yes, please,” you moaned.

Steve pulled them down little by little pressing kisses to every new part of exposed skin. He littered your hip bones and thighs with light bruises and bites. You were practically dripping in arousal, toes curling under themselves anticipating Steve’s next move.

He stood up at the edge of the bed keeping his eyes trained on yours, slowly unbuckling his belt. He pulled his pants down showing off his very impressive length. He gripped with his hand pumping it softly. He grabbed your ankle with his other hand and pulled you close to the edge of the bed.

“Lay on your stomach, babygirl,” Steve directed.

You eagerly flipped over, pushing your ass up to the air. Steve smiled at your ambition and gently rubbed your cheeks you put up for him. He pumped his cock a few times before lining himself up with you.

“Fuck, you gonna be my good girl?” he asked seductively.

“Yeah, fuck. Stevie, fuck me good,” you moaned.

“Open up those pretty legs for me, will ya?” Steve smirked. You spread your legs wider and arched your back more. When Steve finally pushed past your entrance, you felt so full.

“You gotta breathe baby,” Steve soothed.

“Sorry, you’re just… so big,” you whimpered.

“I know baby but you're taking my cock so well, you're being such a good fucking girl.”

“Steve!” you squeaked.

Steve snapped his hips in and out of you rapidly and you couldn’t help the high-pitched moans that escaped your mouth. Steve gripped your hips harshly, forming littles red and purple marks on your hip bones that you’ll have to admire tomorrow morning.

You gasped and moaned at the feeling of Steve’s cock driving into you and you couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Stevie, I’m gonna come! Fuck, I can’t hold it. Please daddy let me come!”

“Come on pretty baby, come for daddy. Make a mess all over my cock like a good girl,” he groaned above you.

Your body trembled and your arms fell forward as you nearly screamed Steve’s name in pure ecstasy. You breathed heavily but Steve wasn’t done with you yet. He pulled his still ever hard dick out of you momentarily to rid his shirt. He walked to the side of the bed and sat comfortably with his back against the headboard.

“Come here baby girl. I know you’re tired but I think you pull one more for me, yeah?” his voice was silky.

You whimpered and tried your best to sit up all the way, crawling desperately over to Steve. He kissed you softly before slowly pulling the hem of your shirt over your head to expose your breasts fully to him.

“Fuck, you are just too beautiful, sweetheart,” he whispered in your ear, his voice raspy making your body shudder above him.

His hands roamed your body; smoothing over your ribs, your hips to your thighs, back to hips against pulling you impossibly closer to him. His lips again just as before nipped and pecked the skin along your neck and collarbones and you could resist the small whimpers you made.

“Steve,” you moaned.

“I got ya, baby. I’m right here.”

You looked into his lust blown eyes before kissing him messily. Your age divulges your experience but Steve couldn't care less. You lifted your hips for him and he lined himself once again to your entrance.

Your arousal made it easier this time around and you were able to fully bask in the feeling and pleasure from Steve’s length. You hastily moved your hips around, back and forth, the position completely new to you. You felt erotic and confident and Steve’s kisses and praises did nothing but egg you on.

“You're doing so good, my love. God, you keep clenching me like that and I’m gonna blow,” he moaned.

“Please, Stevie. I want to make you feel good,” you encouraged.

“You already are, don’t even worry about that,” he smirked.

Your hands gripped at his shoulders hard, nails digging into his pale skin. Your clit rubbed against his pelvis and soon enough you felt another orgasm approaching quickly. As you grew tired, Steve’s hands went to your cheeks and aided you in moving back and forth.

Your arms gave out again and you fell against Steve's torso still thrusting your hips back and forth with his help. The pressure built rapidly in your lower stomach and you couldn’t hold it again.

“Steve,” you moaned.

“I know, just hold on, please. I wanna come with you; I’m almost there,” he gasped.

You held back as long as you but soon enough your body shook against Steve, desperate to release everything you have in you. In an attempt to distract yourself momentarily, you treated Steve the same by nipping and kissing the skin of his neck and shoulder. Your hands combing into his hair, tugging on his short blonde hair.

“Ok, go ahead babygirl,” he grunted, “Fuck!”

“Ugh, Steve!” you couldn’t help but sink your teeth into his shoulder. Ecstasy waved over you and you feel euphoric. Your body trembled from intensity and Steve whispered soft praises in your ear. His words soothed you and your eyes felt heavy. Steve tracing little patterns on the small of your back did not help your tired case.

“I gotta clean you up, sweetheart,” Steve whispered, you could hear the smile in his voice.

“No, stay with me, please,” you whined.

“I promise I’ll be back,” he chuckled.

“Hm,” you huffed.

You slowly rolled off of Steve and he practically ran to your bathroom emerging with a warm wet towel in hand. You laid limply on the bed, your breathing slowly returning to normal. Steve kissed your stomach and hips softly as he cleaned between your thighs gently. He went back to the bathroom and cleaned himself up as well.

“Come back,” you whined, making him chuckle.

“Yay,” you cheered softly when he did.

“Are you ok, sweetheart?”

“Mh-hm,” you nodded tiredly.

“I freaking love you,” you said, hiking your leg over to lay on top of him again. You nuzzled your nose in the crook of his neck.

“You do?”

“Yeah.” There was a slight moment of pause.

“Do you love me?” your voice crack and tears brimmed your eyes.

“I shouldn’t…” he started. His heart nearly broke when you looked up at him with teary eyes; afraid he would say he didn’t and you fell in love just to get your heart broken.

“But I do,” he finally said.

“Thanks,” you sniffled, making Steve smile.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he kissed the top of your head.

“I love you too, old man.”

The next morning, Steve slipped out of bed while you were still asleep, you looked so beautiful and peaceful. It took everything in him not to just crawl back into bed with you but Steve had a couple things to do and it was already past eight. He promised to himself that he was gonna come back before you wake up.

So he softly closed the door before immediately running around the compound filing paperwork, directing agents and trainees, meeting with Nick Fury, and lastly making breakfast for you and him. Wanda, Bucky, and Sam all sat at the counter eating bowls of cereal watching Steve frantically run around the kitchen making breakfast.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bucky spoke up.

“I’m making breakfast,” Steve momentarily stopped to say.

“Ok, but why are you freaking out like that? You’re running around like a crazy person.”

“I have to make it before-” Steve stopped himself. He didn't know whether or not he should say anything, whether you were comfortable with others knowing yet.

“What did you do?” Wanda said, smiling like an idiot.

“Nothing, I’m just really hungry and I need to make breakfast before I starve,” he said.

“Really?” Bucky said.

“Yeah.”

“Where’s Y/n?”

“She’s aslee-” Steve stopped himself again.

The three at the counter bursted into a fit of laughter at Steve’s slip up and he just simply rolled his eyes before finally plating the food and running upstairs. Not without flipping the three still laughing off.

He slowly opened the door finding you still asleep in bed. He smiled at your beautiful form illuminated by the golden rays of the sun peeking through the curtains. He placed the food on your table before sitting on the bed, his hands softly running up and down your side to slowly wake you.

Your eyes fluttered open and upon seeing Steve’s gorgeous face you smiled.

“Good morning, old man,” you grinned cheekily.

“When are you let that go?” he shook his head.

“Never,” you winked.

“I brought you food, pretty girl.”

“Thank you,” you sat up covering yourself. You ate the food he made for you and made grabby hands for him to cuddle you. He laughed before crawling back into bed with you. You made a face though before he got fully under the covers and he gave a puzzled look.

“What?”

“Why are you all dressed?”

“I had a couple things to do this morning and then I made you breakfast. I couldn’t walk around in my birthday suit,” he laughed.

“Hm, fine. I’ll give you a pass,” you said making him chuckle, “Can you at least take your shirt off again?”

He smiled cheekily before getting up and taking his shirt and pants off leaving him in his boxers. You cheered making him laugh even harder before he dived into bed cuddling you extra close. His strong arms wrapping safely around you and his legs entangling themselves with yours.

You kissed him one last time before grabbing your TV remote and turning on the TV to watch cartoons.

“You know sometimes you really are a kid,” Steve snickered.

“Yeah grandpa? What about this,” you fluffed his beard that specks of grey hairs.

“Do I need to show my old man moves again?” he smirked.

“Yeah, I think you oughta,” you winked before Steve threw the covers kissing your stomach all the way to your core. You gotta admit, the old man’s got some moves.

==================

ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ: (For all my work)

@mathletemadison

@buckybarnes101

@l-sofiamia-l

#steve rogers #steve rogers smut #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x female reader #chris evans smut #marvel smut #marvel fics #steve rogers x y/n

594 notes · View notes

angellbarnes · 3 years

Text

Forgotten Love - part six: no longer one of them

chapter summary: the truth will set you free, if it doesn't kill you first. The team interrogates you and your past.

pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

words: 2.3k

warnings: language, mentions of torture, needles

A/N: sorry it's been a while but finally got around to finishing this chapter. Pls like, comment and reblog as always! :)🤍

series masterlist

You look around the blank, boxy room. Then down at your hands, where your wrists are chained to a table. Then down at your ankles, where they are chained to the chair you’re sitting on. It’s been at least thirty minutes since you were left in here by yourself, struggling in your restraints. Your breathing becomes rugged and you can’t hold down the panic rising within, no matter how hard you try. Even closing your eyes, all you see are them. In a sudden rush of emotion you manage to yank yourself free from each chain and stand, pushing the chair from behind you and sending flying back, hitting the wall and crashing to the floor. You look up to the wall opposite, noticing your disheveled reflection in the mirror, fists balled up tight. A one-way mirror, no doubt.

“No, no, no, no, no.” You repeat to yourself. Your hands fly to your hair, raking through it and grabbing while your chest heaves and your head spins. Steadying yourself with the table for a moment to calm yourself as best you can. You tread carefully towards the door but stop in your tracks, physically frozen in place as you try and place how many footsteps are heading towards you now.

There are seven of them. Three, you notice, stay at the door whilst the others carry on, presumably to whatever room is behind that mirror.

The door opens.

“What in the-” Fury begins, seeing you standing before him and noticing the mess you’d left. “Let me see your hands.” He brings up a gun that seems to glare straight at you, as if to say there’s no getting out of this. So, you show your hands.

Tony and Nat are behind him and Natasha walks to the chair that is on its side, picks it up and sets it back down at the table, then motions stoically for you to sit back down.

“Take a seat. We’re gonna be here for a while. And before you try anything stupid, don’t.” Fury states. You sit back down and suddenly notice the dryness of your mouth and throat.

The three of them now stand before you, looming over like the shadows of your past.

“There’s a lot to unpack here, so I suggest we start with whatever the hell just happened upstairs.” Tony begins. His face is forbidding, as are the others, and his arms are crossed.

You remain silent.

“This is the part where you start talking.” Your gaze shifts to meet a single, harsh eye. God knows he only needs one to get the job done.

“I-”

“What Barnes said. Was it true? Did you help torture him as the Winter Soldier?” Natasha’s voice is demanding, needing.

“No.” You say, finally mustering up a word. “Well, yes. No and yes.”

“What do you mean no and yes?” Fury leans forward on the table.

“Not exactly.”

“Cut the crap. Did you, at any point, help HYDRA in torturing Bucky?”

Silence. Then,

“Yes.” It came out as a broken whisper.

Behind the glass, Bucky takes in a sharp breath. Deep down he knew it was true, but that didn’t stop him from wanting it not to be.

Someone begins walking towards the door from the opposite room. Steve enters and switches out with Tony. Steve looks more disappointed than anything, which makes your heart ache more.

“Why? Why were you with them?”

“Steve-”

“Just answer the question.” Steve closes his eyes in exasperation, letting his head fall forward. He can barely look at you.

“I was alone, back when I joined.” You begin. “At the time I was sheltering in an abandoned warehouse that was half blown to pieces. They found me. I was vulnerable and they knew it. So they took me in, fed me, gave me a roof over my head, a proper one. I thought they were good people, at first.” You’re looking down at your lap as you speak, not wanting to risk looking anyone in the eye.

“And how do we know this isn’t some bullshit story you’ve made up to get us to sympathise with you?” Nat chimes in, brows knit together by the thread of betrayal.

“For all we know you could still be one of them. Feeding everything back to them since you got here. Is that what you’ve been doing? Gaining our trust in order to have inside information? This whole goddamn time.” Steve is angry. More than you’ve seen him before. But it’s not the kind of anger that him and Tony might share when the other gets on their nerves, no. This anger is the one that comes from deep within you, that only shows when you’ve been stabbed deep enough in the back for it to come seeping out all crimson red.

“No, it’s not like that. I’m done with HYDRA, I promise.”

“Well that promise doesn’t mean much to us.” Fury comments.

“I know. But it’s all I have.”

Fury holds his fingers up to his ear. “Hill, bring it in.” A moment after Fury’s request she is heading round and into the room. She passes him a folded piece of paper.

“This,” he begins to unfold it. “was surprisingly easy to find. Inside a book? Really?” He leans onto the table and slides the paper forwards. You are now face to face with yourself; the file page you'd retrieved from the first mission. You rub your hands together, as if hoping for a genie to appear so you could wish for this to have never happened.

“That’s not me. Well, it is me. But it’s not who I am. The person you’ve come to know since I joined this team is the real me. I’m not that person.” You look back down at the photograph of your deadened self. “Anymore.”

“Care to explain?” Nat asks.

“After a while with HYDRA, I realised that some others from the rooms near me were being taken somewhere else. I didn’t know where, though; they wouldn’t tell us. Eventually I was the only one left, and none of the others had come back yet.” Your throat is dryer than ever. “They took me to a room. A dark one. And they sat me in a chair. Strapped me down. I could hear some screams from neighbouring rooms but they dismissed it, said people were hurt and they were treating them. They were lying, of course, but at the time I was naive enough to believe them. They stuck a needle in my arm and released an acidically blue liquid into my bloodstream. At first it was excruciating. It felt as though someone was searing my veins as it moved from my arm and into my chest, then up my neck and down my torso. Then it was everywhere. My mind was so clouded with pain, until it just… stopped. I felt numb. And after that, HYDRA turned me into their own personal weapon. Because I was their success. I was the one who survived. They had used a different serum on all twelve of us, trying to find one that worked. And it finally did. At first I felt special to have been the one that survived. Proud, even. But soon it turned into something more sinister, and I realised how lucky the others were…”

The silence in the room is deafening. To a point where you have to start shuffling in your seat just to rid it. It’s hard to gage anyone’s emotions at this point. Natasha leaves, silently, without glancing back. Though she doesn’t head towards the others behind the mirror, she walks away in the opposite direction. Your heart hangs heavy in your chest with the thought of having hurt her this much.

“So, you’re telling me, the serum we found on that mission last week hasn’t just been created? They’d already figured it out and used it on you?” Steve’s question is spoken as more of a statement, everyone already knowing the answer.

“Yes.” You whisper.

“And that’s where these powers came from? The serum?”

“Yes.”

“Another supersoldier. ‘Cause we don’t have enough of those.” Fury scoffs. “And why do they always have to come from HYDRA?”

“The serum made you stronger and faster. But it doesn’t explain your extra power. Where did that come from?” Steve interrogates.

“The serum as well.” Your voice is weak and strained by guilt as you speak. “When they were recreating it they also… experimented with it. Once they knew they perfected the original serum they started tampering with additional elements and quantities. It wasn’t until me when one of them worked. The serum they’d created managed to grip on to certain sensory nerves and cells and increased the sensitivity, or… something about exteroreceptors, maybe? I can’t exactly remember the science of it all-”

“So, just like that, we’re supposed to trust you?” Steve cuts you off, his vigilant tone as unnerving as his stare.

“Send Barnes in.” Fury motions to agent Hill, who exits the room, only to return with him: the one person you thought could get you out of this situation.

Bucky keeps his head down, making sure to avoid any eye contact. You desperately want to yell the truth at everyone - the whole truth - but you know that wouldn’t be wise. Especially since they’re already sceptical of everything that’s coming from your deceiving lips. They would never believe that. He would never believe it.

Not until he remembers it all.

“Bucky, do you know if this is the truth?” Hill cautiously asks him.

“No.”

“No, you don’t know, or no, it isn’t the truth?” Fury inquires.

“No, I don’t know.” He states, finally looking up and meeting your gaze. You can see the hurt in his eyes. It’s evident that these newly found memories haven’t treated him well. Especially since he’d started to take a liking to you, which he never let be known. He didn’t know what to make of it when he began to feel a strange, but strong, pull towards you. As if there was some invisible string that was pulling, connecting, the two of you together.

It frayed and snapped as soon as he remembered.

But knowing that he’d felt it in the first place makes his head hurt all the more.

“So, number 12, what is your real name?” Fury looks straight into your eyes, almost burning through your skull with his intensity.

“And don’t even think about lying to us again.” Steve snarls. You hesitate for a moment, drawing heavy breaths.

“My real name- my real name is Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Let’s put it to the test, shall we?” Fury proposes.

A few moments later, you’re being hooked up to a lie detector by Bruce. He then sits diagonal to you with the polygraph machine in front of him.

“We’re set.” He states.

“Perfect. Let’s get started, shall we?” Tony is now back in the room. A full house.

They don’t hesitate with the questions, getting straight into it, yes or no.

“Before you joined this team, were you a HYDRA agent?” Hill begins with. There is no way for you to escape this, no stopping the rollercoaster from plunging down as you reach the top.

“Yes.”

“An assassin?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still work for them?” Steve’s turn.

“No.”

“Do you still associate yourself with them in any way?”

“No.”

“Are you in contact with them?” Tony asks.

“No.”

“Do you plan on going back to them? Becoming one of them again?” Steve begins again.

“No.” You answer through gritted teeth now.

“Bruce?” Fury chimes in, and all heads turn to him, as he reads the coloured lines on the paper.

“She’s telling the truth so far.” He confirms.

The questions, the interrogating, it continues for several more minutes. Questions like: Are you loyal to this team? Are you really here to make good of your past? Is that life with HYDRA over for good?

Yes, yes, and yes.

“Did you assist in the torture of a Seargent James Barnes whilst you were a part of HYDRA?” Fury reads from a sheet, making sure to leave no stone unturned. A stone that it feels as if he just threw at your stomach. You force your eyes upwards and to Bucky’s, brimming with sadness.

“Yes.” Your answer feels so sour against your tongue. You pry your eyes away and they fall to the floor once more.

“All true.” Bruce confirms once more.

“But-”

“Last question.” Fury walks forward. “How did you manage to get through our system, without us finding any trace of who you really are?” He speaks slowly, deeply, sounding like he has gravel in his throat.

“The old me was classed as dead. I had nothing to my name, not even a life. And HYDRA didn’t make it their first priority to give me one. So, technically I was no one. It wasn’t that hard to create a completely new person. A clean slate, if you will.”

Everyone’s faces are stern, yet utterly mindfucked. No one knows what to think. Fury stands tall and motions his head to the door whilst looking at the others. Everyone exits the room in a disappointed silence.

Bucky is the last to leave. He stands, with his arms crossed and brows furrowed, directly in front of where you sit. The prolonged eye-contact is laced with an unknown, but oddly familiar, tension.

“Bucky, I-” As soon as you begin to speak he follows after the others and shuts and locks the door behind him.

Once again, you’re left with just yourself in the vacant room, besides the company of the chair, table and your infinite, anxiety-ridden thoughts of what the hell is going to happen to you now.

•••

Taglist:

@buckysjuicyplums @901seconds @walkwithfluffyangels @infernal-fire @ohashley101 @mrs-fanfiction-2001 @buckys2thicc @freigeistundanderes

186 notes · View notes

messedupfan · 3 years

Text

Infinity & Beyond (Wanda Maximoff x Reader) Chapter 4

Summary: This chapter focuses on the journey of the reader during the five years without Wanda.

A/N: Thank you for the likes and reblogs! Hope that you are all enjoying the story.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wake up a few months later in the Avengers compound once again. This time with your memories intact and feeling unbelievably disappointed. “She found him,” you find yourself saying to whoever was in the room as you involuntarily sit up on the bed. The nurse brushes it off as some weird superhero thing and not something to address. But then you repeat yourself again and again until she alerts Bruce who grabs the attention of the other remaining Avengers.

"What do you think she means?" Natasha questions as you make the statement again.

"Maybe she's talking about Wanda and Vision?" Steve chimes in with a concerned look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why would she be talking about Wanda and Vision? Vision was an advanced robot with a stone in his head, he had no soul for Wanda to find. If any of that exists," Bruce points out.

"I don't know then," Steve shrugs. Then you repeat the phrase again. "Maybe it's Wanda and her brother? I don't know, maybe we're too focused on the cloudy eyes thing. We could be thinking about this too hard."

Then Rhodey comes into the room to inform the members that the radar has picked up a signal of an unidentified flying object. He thinks that Carol might be back. "Just say UFO," Natasha rolls her eyes as she follows the guys out of the building. On their way out she spots a worried Pepper Pots and quirks her lips into a reassuring smile. "I think she found him," she says to the woman and leads her to the landing zone of the compound. It's only then that Natasha realizes what you meant. Sure enough, a woman is carrying a ship into the landing zone with Tony Stark and someone named Nebula. Pepper wraps her arms around Tony in tears and relief. He is quickly brought to the medical wing where you remain. Somehow having watched the whole thing from your bed.

When you come out of it the nurse informs you that your eyes had gone cloudy for a moment and you had predicted the return of your father. "He isn't my father," you grouched. Huh, must be another ability, you think to yourself.

Later, after passing a few diagnostic exams with flying colors, you are discharged from your hospital room and are eating across from a very serious Thor as people argue and yell at each other. It was weird to eat actual food. Thor was almost amused watching you figure out how to hold your sandwich.

Tony is then rolled into the room with a furious energy. You can tell that he is really hurting from this loss, that he is frustrated and you can even feel betrayal radiating off of him somehow. Of course, it's not until he's shouting at the Captain that you realize you are feeling his emotions. You were feeling everyone's defeated emotions and it was beginning to suffocate you. As you try to distract yourself with the food, your mind wanders to how overwhelmed Wanda must've felt being able to read people's minds. That leads to the memory of Wanda slipping from you and it's almost too much to handle. You toss the plate in front of you, disrupting the ongoing argument. You’re squeezing your skull as the tears come and you scream for it all to stop. Natasha and Steve fall to your side as they do their best to calm you down. Once the memory leaves you and you've settled, everyone in the room gets serious about finding Thanos.

Nebula is useful as she provides the only lead to finding Thanos and you join them on the spaceship, brushing off everyone's concerns. The talking racoon asks how many of you haven’t been to space before, you raise your hand among the others which seems to be enough to make him laugh. You don't understand why until the ship rushes off to space.

Arriving just outside the planet, a floating woman you hadn't been introduced to yet appears at the front window and is surprised to report that the planet is just Thanos. Along with everyone else, you are heart broken to find out that he had destroyed the stones. You feel for Thor when he says he went for the head and shed another tear for the woman that Thanos had taken from you. It feels like you just lost her all over again.

The first year is the longest. The days feel never ending and drag on. Most nights were spent jolting out of bed in a cold sweat as you're being haunted by memories. It often felt like you were back in the hands of Hydra being electrocuted and injected, spoken to in a language you didn't know, probably German. Everything that was done to you in the time you were captured, everything that your mind had originally suppressed, was attacking you each night. Going through it alone made you miss Wanda even more. So once you could remind yourself that you were safe, you had also been reminded that you were alone. Lots of tears were shed in the night.

After Tony built up enough strength to leave the compound he did but he never stayed gone long. He would return often to attempt to build a relationship with you. It wasn’t easy trying to let him in, the lack of sleep being no help, so you didn’t. Your resistance never stopped him from making the effort to get to know you. Now that he knew you existed, he wanted to be part of your life. Tony knew that you needed family and he was all you had left, even if you didn't want to accept it. He promised to never abandon you ever again.

That didn’t mean he stopped living his life. Within a few months of his recovery, Tony invited you to his surprisingly low-key wedding which you begrudgingly attended with Natasha and Steve. They had been helping you out a lot with coping and figuring out whether or not you wanted Tony in your life. Steve often joked about fighting him again to get him to back off, but you never took the offer. You did your best to enjoy yourself at the wedding but it only reminded you of what you couldn’t have.

You smiled your way through the night as you thought about Wanda.

Her smile, the dress she would’ve worn, her laugh, that look in her eyes that is so full of love and only reserved for you. Your mind went even further back to a time when Pietro was alive and how they would’ve danced together and how happy he would have been for the two of you. You even imagine the wide grin he would have walking Wanda down the aisle and the single tear he would shed. Once he found that ring of yours he was constantly harassing you about when and how you were going to ask his twin. Even giving unwanted advice and ideas. It was all so consuming. That night you fell asleep crying in Natasha’s arms.

Months later, while Tony was visiting you he included you in on a secret. Pepper was pregnant. You didn’t exactly give the most joyous reaction but you were happy for him and Pepper. “When she’s born, promise me you won’t come back here,” you find yourself saying.

“Well I don’t know if she’s a girl yet but… why don’t you want me to come around here?” Tony asks as he returns the ultrasound image to his pocket.

“I want the three of you to be happy. I don’t want you to worry about me. Besides, I’m thinking of asking Nat to start assigning me to missions. I probably won’t be around as much and I really just need to get my mind off of the things I lost and the things I can’t have.” You keep your eyes on the promise ring Wanda had given you on your first anniversary. “But I want you and Pepper to be happy. Enjoy your life Tony. You don’t need to make things right with me to do that.” Tony disagrees but hugs you as he says his goodbyes and you find Natasha for your first assignment.

You are there for the birth of Morgan Stark. You forge her a special necklace from your powers and smile at the little bundle of joy. “Congrats you guys, she is so precious,” you say as you hold the baby.

“Thank you, Y/N,” Pepper says with hooded eyes and a tired smile. You hand the baby back to Tony and leave before thoughts of Wanda could invade and cloud your head. She always wanted a family. She used to fantasize about the kinds of parents the two of you would be. The types of kids you guys would raise. Baby names… Being away allowed you to forget her. But moments like these threatened to tear you down.

More years pass and Natasha is forced to ground you from missions because you have become too mentally unstable and a major liability. Steve drags you to his group therapy sessions but you hardly pay attention or contribute. You just miss Wanda and you allow yourself to feel that pain because running from it has only made it grow. For the most part you spent your time sitting in meetings with Steve or Nat. You preferred being in Natasha’s meetings since they were about mission updates and strategy and not about people crying over first dates. Shortly after that particular meeting Steve began to hint that maybe you should give it a try, you shut him down and turned it around on him. He quickly dropped the subject.

Among that daily schedule you would end your nights curled up on your bed in the room Wanda stayed in while she was waiting for you to come back to her. You would hold some clothes that still smelled like her to your nose as you listened to sad songs. For a while you’re stuck listening to Little Talks wondering if her spirit was lying by your side trying to reach out to you. Some of the things you felt were too painful to keep around and you had them stored at a special place far enough from here. One of them being the old computer. Well, they had been stored away for you but sometimes you convinced yourself that you made the call on your own. Not that Natasha arranged a team to steal most of your belongings.

Tony was generous enough to copy every video and photo file from the computer and put them into your phone. They helped you go to sleep at night.

Then one day, a man you swore had to have been on the vanished list that Nat viewed often, appears at the gate. “Is this old?” Steve asks.

“This is live,” Natasha says. They let him in and the three of you stand around as he explains how he can help. You, Nat, and Steve are skeptical but not so much that you guys don’t have hope it won’t work. Immediately you guys are on the road to find Tony Stark.

Over the years you tried to visit between missions, when you could. Not for Tony but for Morgan. You couldn’t help but fall for the little girl, she was your sister and you wanted to be the best big sister you could be for her. You also wanted to make sure she knew how many people cared for her and that she would always be safe and protected. Natasha was also captivated by her and would sometimes join you on the visits. You girls would play once she was able to run around and you even showed her some of your powers. During this time you finally allowed Tony in and even established a healthy relationship with him and Pepper because whether or not you wanted to accept it, they were your family.

When you arrive at the cabin, Morgan jumps out of Tony’s arms and runs into yours. “Y/N/N!” She shouts happily. You greet her with just as much energy and take her into the house to let them do the talking.

Pepper prepares some drinks and has you take them out to everyone. You re-enter the kitchen to help her with lunch. “Why aren’t you out there with the rest of them?” Pepper asks conversationally.

“Because my powers are connected to my emotions and if your husband says no… I might accidentally blow him into bits and pieces,” you sigh.

Despite herself, Pepper laughs a little. “You know,” she starts. “If you called him dad, he won’t have any other choice than to say yes.”

You shake your head, not this again. “Not going to happen.” Tony hasn’t directly asked you to say it but Pepper has and she keeps bringing up how much it would mean to him to hear you say it. “Besides with what we’re trying to do there’s a chance that he might lose all of this. I’m not even sure if I want him to say yes.” Your gaze lands on Morgan playing with her toys. Pepper follows your gaze and smiles softly.

“Hey Morgan, sweetie?” Pepper calls attention to her daughter who curiously looks up at her mother. “You should go out there and rescue daddy,” Pepper says. The little girl's face lights up as she stands to run to the front door. “Knowing Tony, he will find a way to protect everything he loves and save the world. Even if it kills him,” there is something in the way she says those words that causes the two of you to share a look. A hopeful let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that.

She then gives you a hug and tells you to stop by more often, she wishes you luck, and you leave the warmth of the home to the frowns of your rejected friends. You don’t look at Tony when you bid him goodbye.

Next you find yourself in Bruce’s diner and watch as Scott Lang fails to be recognized as Ant-Man by some kids. Bruce is willing to give the time travel a try and on the day the test run is done, you begin to lose hope again. You eat your taco near a window as you observe Scott set up in the landing zone. You laugh when Nebula and Rocket arrive blowing away his food. You almost can’t believe that is the guy who had access to the closest thing they had to a time machine. Steve walks in smiling at your laugh, you don’t do that often, with Tony barking orders behind him. People get to work on the machine and that pesky flicker of hope is restored.

As you work on things Tony is by your side teaching you about every part you are using and putting together. You just let him rattle on and on as you let yourself fantasize about holding Wanda in your arms again. Before you know it they are doing the first test run with Clint Barton. He disappears and instantly reappears with a baseball glove and a stunned expression. “It works,” he says and that feeling of hope causes your heart to pound in your chest. You are going to see her again. Now to find out when to travel to.

“See you in a minute,” Nat says with contained excitement. She is just as excited to complete this mission as you are. After a lot of thinking and planning they separated into three teams of people. Tony, Steve, Bruce, and Scott leave to 2012 to retrieve the tesseract, scepter, and the time stone. Nat, Clint, Nebula, and Rhodey vanish to 2014 to grab the power stone and the soul stone. The last team is just Thor and Rocket to grab the reality stone that is apparently inside of Thor’s former girlfriend. Tony, Steve, and Nat wouldn’t let you go on the mission because they still think you’re a liability. You argue that Thor isn’t exactly the picture of mental stability but they point out that Thor is the only one on their team that knows Asgard and where that stone is.

So you sit and pout in a chair for the quick minute that everyone is gone. Part of what has you so pissed off is that you didn’t get to experience time traveling. All because of a few bad missions. You watch them disappear and stare at the platform but time seems to drag on and you look down at your phone with a sigh. In that second everyone has returned with their stones and your heart drops. You notice one person missing and frown. “Where’s Nat?” You ask. Clint wears a broken expression and takes a breath before explaining how he received the stone. “Oh,” is all you can come up with.

Clint felt that it should’ve been him and you didn’t disagree but you understood why Natasha sacrificed herself. She confided in you a few times about how she felt like a monster because of what she was forced to do when she was being raised in the Red Room. She even talked about the mandatory hysterectomy and hated that she could never carry kids of her own. You did your best to try and cheer her up by telling her that adoption was always an option. “No agency is going to allow a former assassin to adopt a kid. Trust me… I tried.” She then boasted about Clint and his family, she loved them as if they were her own family. “I’ll deny it if you tell anyone but I cried like a baby the first time his daughter called me aunty Nat,” she got teary eyed and you passed her another shot of vodka.

Natasha missed them so much and you knew she would sacrifice herself to get them back. She wouldn’t have been able to live with herself if his family came back and she had to inform them that he died to save her. She probably would have felt like a bigger monster than she already thought she was. You stood up and left the room to collect yourself and get as far away from everyone’s grief as possible. Natasha had easily become your best friend these past few years. In the past year that you’ve been stuck at the compound there were days when it felt like all you had was each other. You can’t believe she’s gone but you have to hope that there is still a way to bring her back.

Banner finds you later and makes you some food and Rocket sits with you and the rest of the guys sit by the dock to talk. You force the comfort food down despite feeling too sad to eat and notice Nebula walking back into the time machine area. They call you into another room where they’re going to put the stones together but you ignore them and follow Nebula. They let you go, assuming that you’re still upset about losing Natasha. The first time you went on an actual mission with Nebula, you were put off with how serious she was so you came up with random nicknames to call her. She was annoyed initially but eventually she mentioned how funny she thought it was. Her tone had remained emotionless as she told you that and you had to refrain from laughing because it felt rude to do so as she was opening up. Nebula was still a very serious person to be around but she loosened up a bit around you, even called you her friend.

“Hey Neb-Neb!” You called out after her but she ignored you. “Bu-Bu! Hello?” You followed her to the control panel, “Nella, what’s going on with yo–” she cuts you off by wrapping her hand around your throat and speaking to you through gritted teeth. There was definitely something off about Nebula but you couldn’t quite figure it out. So you fought back because you weren’t fighting your friend, you were fighting a stranger. The two of you go hand in hand until she slips out of your hold and goes back to the control panel. You move to stop her but are too late. Next thing you know, you are waking up in rubble.

With a groan you sit up and dust yourself off then quickly panic, you don’t even know if they had time to do the reverse snap. You crawl your way out of the rubble and find Steve, Tony, and Thor speaking in hushed tones. “Did you guys do the snap? What happened?” You ask frantically, you need to know that you’ll be seeing Wanda again. Losing her a third time was simply not an option. Then you see a very alive Thanos just sitting there. That’s when it connects in your head. It was a different Nebula and she was getting a past version of Thanos into this present. “Please tell me you guys did the snap,” you look at Tony and he nods. But the look on everyone's faces told you that they didn’t know if it worked.

You join them as they attack Thanos but he is powerful and not easy to bring down. You’re tossed into another pile of rubble and shake your head, annoyed with yourself because you felt useless. Your powers were failing you and you couldn’t fathom as to why. Out of nowhere you see portals open up one by one, the people that had vanished and the people that hadn’t stepped through each portal. Then an enormous Ant-Man emerges from the ground and drops off a few more people that must’ve been trapped from the destruction of the compound. You gather with the rest of them and really focus to activate your powers as Steve grabs Mjolnir and shouts, “Avengers… Assemble!” Despite the unsuccessful attempt, you still charge along with the rest of them to fight against Thanos’ army.

Without seeing her, you could just sense that Wanda is among the rest and as much as you want a reunion, saving the world takes precedence at the moment. You could practically hear her telling you to go be a hero anyway. As you fight against Thanos’ army, using the hand to hand combat skills Natasha and Steve taught you, a part of you is still distracted and searches for Wanda. Regardless of where you want your focus at the moment. You make your way around the battlefield hoping to knock into her or something so that you don't get yourself killed trying to find her. Then you hear her.

“You took everything from me,” her tone is heavy and her eyes are glowing. You come to the conclusion that she must not know whether or not you are alive. So you don’t let her know and wait to find out what she does.

“I don’t even know who you are,” Thanos responds, angered by the woman's threatening glare.

“You will,” she says before she starts attacking him with her powers. Discreetly killing off a large gathering of Outriders hurtling towards you, you watch Wanda as she comes very close to killing Thanos herself. He calls for the ships to rain fire on everyone and that’s when you finally make yourself present to her. You jump from your spot and land right beside her and create a force field to protect the both of you. Other members are being protected by the sorcerers and it isn’t until Captain Marvel comes flying through that the bullets stop coming down and people are trying to get the gauntlet out of there. You turn towards Wanda and feel her mixed emotions, you wink at her with a smile as you let the barrier go.

“It’s time to be a hero right now, love. We can say hello later,” you tell her before you go back into the fight, the adrenaline rushing through you as your powers have finally activated. Each member does their best to keep the gauntlet out of Thanos’ reach but sadly no one succeeds and he holds the extreme amount of power once again. Carol fights him with as much power as she has to keep him from snapping his fingers but eventually gets tossed aside. You step up next using everything that you have inside of you, using abilities you had no idea you even possessed. But in the end you are tossed onto a metal rod that had been protruding out from the destroyed building. It had stabbed you through your side making it difficult to breathe. As you fight for air you look around to watch Thanos and his army disappear. Tony collapses beside you. “No,” you cough out weakly. You reach out for him and luckily he was close enough for you to touch his shoulder. “Tony,” you gasp as the tears sting your eyes. His eyes follow the sound but you can tell that he’s not actually looking at you.

“Mr. Stark, we won. Mr. Stark,” Peter says as he tries to grab Tony’s attention. Rhodey lands beside his best friend with understanding and sadness in his eyes. Yours tighten shut for a moment as your tears start to fall. You want to wake up from this horrible nightmare but this is reality, a piece of you knew that you couldn’t avoid. Then Pepper arrives and pulls the boy in the spider suit away from her husband. You look up and see that he has finally returned somewhat enough to recognize his wife.

She tells him that he can rest now, then she looks over to you so that you know that now is the time to say something so you don’t regret it later. With a weak grip on his shoulder you nudge him to return his attention to you. It looks like he’s trying to smile at you but is obviously far too weak to do as such. You offer him the best one that you could muster in your current state. “I love you, dad. It’s okay, we’ll be okay,” your hand lands in his and he gives it the lightest squeeze before it falls limp.

Wanda makes her way over to you and panics at the amount of blood you’ve lost but at the moment you don’t feel anything. Not even the pain of losing your father. You just feel… numb. It dawns on you that your body must be failing but that doesn’t scare you. She takes your hand as your loud thoughts of just letting go enter her mind. “No,” she starts through frustrated teeth. “You can’t leave, Y/N. Please, keep fighting. This can’t be our ending. I need you, please don’t leave me,” she sounds so broken but equally determined to keep you alive. As you hold her gaze she lets out a broken sob and tenderly whispers, “I love you to infinity.” She continues to beg, depositing small kisses to the back of your hand. As her words sink in, you find the strength that you need to fight off the thoughts of letting go. Then, with your heightened vision, you look around and find every remaining Avenger kneeling out of respect for your father and you have the urge to join them. You struggle to get up from your position, Pepper and Wanda try to stop you from moving but all rational thought has left you.

“I’m not dying right here,” you grumble as you reach behind you and cut the rod. You shift your position and Pepper sprays your wound to close it around the remaining bits of the rod that was still in you so that the bleeding would stop until you could get it properly treated. Then you kneel for your father to show your respect for him in his death that you failed to show while he was alive. You think about how grateful you were for the last five years and how much you appreciated that he never gave up on you. You silently thank him just as the adrenaline leaves your body and it succumbs to the full extent of your injuries causing you to collapse and pass out.

Chapter 5

#wanda maximoff imagine #wanda marvel #wanda x fem!reader #wanda x you #the scarlet witch #wanda mcu #wanda x y/n #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #fanfic fanfiction #fanfic #mcu #marvel

140 notes · View notes

fairykimseok · 3 years

Text

Drowsy nights and the white wolf

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Original Character (Kaitlyn)

Summary: Being an avenger is one thing, being an Avenger with Bucky Barnes is another. A little story of how Kaitlyn met Bucky

Gender: would say fluff with a little action, oneshot

Warnings: a mention of blood

This is written with the intention of being Bucky x reader but I just had to name the character. Time wise it is set along the events of TFATWS

Disclaimer: Marvel owns Avengers, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and all its characters

Before I tell you my story maybe I need to introduce myself. My name is Kaitlyn, I am short of special as my mom liked to say and…I might be an Avenger.

All started in the battle of New York, I was in one of the buildings Loki had taken over, with my mom and a few other people. I don’t really remember what happened, I only know Loki had touched me with his Scepter. I woke up the following day at the hospital, the building we were in had collapsed killing everyone but me. I was 16 back then and that was when I first met Natasha. She was the one who had pulled me out of that building and she kept visiting me in the hospital, she sort of became my family when everyone was gone. Short after when my powers started showing up, powers that were the legacy of Loki and the infinity stone, our sessions started. She would train me in hand in hand combat and I would try to master my powers.

She wanted me to go to the avengers’ compound and I had visited a few times, I had a room next to Wanda whom I had met on a few occasions. But that was when the Civil War between the Avengers started, and Nat went hiding. We would still meet sometimes with Cap and occasionally Sam.

And then the snap happened, and I blipped and when I came back, she was gone. My only family was gone. I called Sam as soon as I found out. He told me I could still join the team just as Nat wanted, that they had a new building as the old one was destroyed.

And that is where I am right now, in the new Avengers compound with whom is left here. Mostly me, Rodney, and Banner. Sam comes and goes, Dr. Strange, Clint, and Scot has stopped by sometimes and they frequently video call with others that are far away.

It is sort of lonely here, but I try to focus on my training. It is not easy being the only one with my kind of powers. Dr. Strange has helped me some with that and Banner had run some tests on me to see how they could progress. I get my “military” training with Rodney and when Clint is here, I get the “spy” training.

Oh right, my powers. Well you could say I have a thing with ice. Provided that there is water around I can create ice in whatever form I want and use it accordingly. I am still very sloppy and most of the time it is only a thin layer, but I am getting better.

It was a typical day, I woke up, got breakfast in the shared kitchen, visited Banner in his lab and went to the gym for my training. One of the first things Nat had told me was that I need to be agile, to be able to move fast even in the most difficult situations, so my morning routine had a variety of ballet, yoga or pilates.

“Looking good”, I heard someone at the door. As I turned, I realized it was no other than Sam.

“Hey Sam, what’s up? It’s been a while”, I said, going to my bug to drink some water.

“Thought I would stop by to see how you all here are and also to drop a friend who I think would help you a lot with your training”, he said.

As on cue Rodney entered the room with one more man, he looked around the room before his eyes landed on me. I knew who he was of course, who doesn’t.

“Bucky this is Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn this is Bucky. Don’t worry he is not dangerous just very old”, Sam joked which led to him getting a punch in the arm.

“Nice to me you”, Bucky said with a slight nod of his head.

“Nice to meet you too”, I managed to say in a stake of a mild shock. No, I wasn’t scared of him, I never had been. Cap had told me enough of his stories with bucky back in their days to know that this man is not dangerous even if he had been brainwashed most of his life.

“Bucky can help you with close up combat. If you are going to learn, better learn from the best.”, Sam offered. “We gonna let you at it and come back later with Rods. You gonna be ok old man?”, he asked before leaving, closing the door behind them.

Bucky only eye rolled as he properly entered the room. He unzipped his jacket leaving it at the bench, his vibranium arm echoing in the empty room. “Alright, let’s see what you got. Try to hit me” he said positioning himself in the middle of the room.

“Hit you?”, I asked confused, approaching him.

“Kick me, punch me, hit me. Whatever”, he shrugged.

Whatever, I thought. How? How do you hit the winter soldier? I took a few more steps, going closer all while I was thinking which could be the best approach, how could I attack him. At first, I just tried to punch as naïve as it looked. Of course, he just stopped my hand midair with his. I tried more complex moves, some of those Nat used to do, wrapping my legs around his neck and trying to elbow him on the head, I found myself pinned to the nearest wall his metal arm in my neck. His grip tight. He got flustered for a moment and for a moment there I really saw the assassin he used to be. He loosened his grip and let me down, mumbling an apology.

“How old are you again?”, I asked out of breath.

“Physical or mental age? Actual or birth wise? Kinda difficult question to ask”, he said with a faint of smile but maybe it was my imagination because it lasted for too short.

“Current?”, I offered.

“Something around the early 30s. Or 106, who counts?” he shrugged. “Again”

We went on and on, each time finding me in a helpless situation. I was pretty sure Ι was covered with bruises in every place possible.

I don’t even know how many times we had done the same thing when I got the idea that hey, I got powers. I let him tackle me into a headlock and when he was about to loosen his hold, I touched the metal arm, ice spreading all over it. I took the mere seconds it took him to realize what was going on as a chance to elbow him in the ribs and punch his jaw. He took a step back and smiled not even fazed by my hits.

“Good, but next time count on your strength and not your powers yet”, he said.

“Do you even feel anything?”, I asked defeated, nothing seemed to hurt him.

“It takes a lot more to make me feel anything”, he grinned. “And ice is not one of them”

“I left you here to learn from him and you go and freeze my man?”, Sam exclaimed entering in the room.

“I am fine”, Bucky said waving his metal arm twice before the ice broke and fell on the floor.

“Once a popsicle always a popsicle,” Sam joked earning a death stare from the older man. “How did it go?”, he asked looking at me

“No broken bones, so I guess good”, I shrugged.

“We have a long way ahead of us”, Bucky said getting dressed. “I am out”, he nodded before disappearing.

“So how was it really?”, Sam asked again, examining me.

“I think I barely touched him. My whole body is sore, and my pride is wounded.”

Sam laughed. “That’s why I brought him here to you. The people we are going up against out there are not easy, they will try to kill you without a second thought. You can always use your powers, but you told Nat you wanted to be like her. If you still up for the close combat, he will be here from now on. You may train with him whenever you want. If not, you are still free to stay here and train on your powers.”

I looked at him with realization. Maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough. I was feeling so lost without her. “No, I want to try”, I promised with determination.

“Good. Now go, get ready we will all get dinner together before I leave”, Sam left too, and I was left alone in the room.

I sighed heavily, trying to get up I felt the pain running through my body. I was going to be so sore tomorrow.

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

Days were passing by and I hadn’t seen him anywhere which on one hand was good because I don’t think I had improved since our first encounter and on the other it made me wonder where the heck he might be? It is not like the compound is huge for me to lose him. I reasoned that he could be on a mission with Sam and that is why I hadn’t seen him, after all Rodney wasn’t here either.

Apart from the hours of training I did through the day, I had started running some laps in the late hours. It is when the humidity in the air is the highest here, so it makes me feel more at ease with my powers. I was running again today, just a few laps around the compound, when I stopped at a clean spot.

I breathed in the humid air allowing my body to absorb as much water as it could from the atmosphere. I tried to catch my breath as I heard a bike running down the entrance of the compound towards the building. For a moment, I was perplexed as who it could be before I realized it was him, returning from somewhere. He headed to the garage. I didn’t even know he had a bike, but I decided to return at my task no point on focusing on him.

I closed my eyes again, opened my arms in an L shape and tried to focus, focus on my surroundings, on the water in the air. I took a deep breath as I tried to expand the cold emanating from me. I tried to crystalize as many water particles as I could around me, turning the humid air into a frozen one.

And I tried to expand it as much as I could. That’s when I felt it, the other presence close to me, in between all the cold a warmer figure. I turned at once defensively, ice-like awls flying towards the direction of the intruder only to stop a few centimeters away.

“I am sorry”, I said as I made them disappear. “I didn’t know it was you”, my body relaxing a bit.

He stared at me unfazed, as if he wasn’t even scared, I had almost pierced him throughout his body. He stared at me dead in the eyes and I couldn’t really understand what his look meant. It was like he was studying me. “It’s late, you should better go in,” he said before turning and heading back to the building.

“How long have you been standing here?”, I yelled at his retreating figure.

“Enough,” he yelled back without even turning.

I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared behind the doors. I took another deep breath as I headed back myself. There was something about this man, so mysterious, so distant yet I felt being drawn to him.

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

Wednesdays are usually gun days, I would do the training with Clint, trying different guns and basically learning how about anything could be a weapon if you use it correctly. Hell, one day Clint decided I had to try the bow, but it went terribly. In my defense my eyesight sucks so how was I supposed to do well?

Clint hadn’t been here for a while, so I went to the training room alone, picked a gun, set the target, wore the protective gear, and started shooting. Surprisingly I wasn’t that bad at shooting, I give myself credit, even though I still lack on technique and consistency.

I was halfway through when I felt eyes on me again. I turned to face the room and sure enough I saw him leaning on the door frame. “Not bad,” he commented as I removed the protective headphones.

“Thanks”, I said feeling self-aware, I don’t know why I was getting so nervous around him.

“Need to relax your shoulders a bit” he continued as he walked to pick a gun and went to a nearby booth. “You are going to dislocate it otherwise”.

I nodded as I watched him go, he didn’t miss one, switching between hands and meters away from the target. I was impressed but don’t tell him.

“So, guns are your thing”, I said as he stopped.

“I wouldn’t say I have a thing, just too many years of experience, but if I had a thing, I guess it would be knives”, he said thoughtfully.

“Show me”, I challenged without even thinking.

He gave me a funny look as he picked one, moved back to the booth and while still looking at me threw the knife head on to the target. He didn’t even blink.

He shrugged and I think I saw a hint of smugness there. “Practice makes perfect”, he said as he turned to leave the room. “Keep on practicing”.

“Good to see you too”, I mumbled to the empty room. Cause it was good to see him, wasn’t it? I did want to see him. I had found myself almost searching for him in the days that he was nowhere to be found. I had seen photos of him in the news and back in those years he did seem dangerous but now, with the haircut and his general stance he seemed more like the Bucky Cap was describing in his stories albeit still very distant. Would I entertain myself with the thought that he was hot? I mean, the beard, the toned muscles, the mystery, the eyes, oh those eyes. Nah, I shouldn’t think of that.

“Focus”, I murmured to myself as I started shooting again.

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

I was back in the gym where we first met, doing my flexibility exercises as he entered the room. He walked straight to me, his eyes never leaving mine. I got up from the floor I was sitting. I was so drawn to him; I couldn’t take my eyes of him. We were too close now, bodies almost touching. He looked down on me and I felt my body shiver. He brought his hand to my cheek and caress it, and I melted to the touch. I raised mine to touch his hand as I followed the muscles all the away till his shoulder and then his face. He used his metal arm to guide me closer to him by my waist. And then he started leaning, our breaths coming as one, lips almost touching…

I woke up with a start, my heart racing a like an f1 car in Q3. I was sweating. “It was just a dream”, I said as I tried to catch my breath. “A very vivid one”.

I looked at the clock on the night stand it was still 3 in the morning, but my glass was empty. I got up, sighing, intending to go get some water from the kitchen. As I left my room, I heard some soft, almost incoherent, music coming from the end of the corridor. I walked towards it, recognized the tune as something from the 30s or 40s maybe, I turned at the end of the corridor and there was faint light coming from a crick of the door of the room in the right.

I wondered who could be up this late at night and I picked in the room. It was luminated by a small lamp on the desk. A pickup next to it and a few records stacked in the bookshelf behind. He then moved into my line of vision. Drink at hand, shirtless, only his bottom pajamas on. I gulped at the sight of his bare torso, not a good combination with the dream I just had. I noticed the scars on his body and those where the metal was fusing with his torso.

He was sipping his drink, occasionally humming to the tune. This must have been the most human I had ever seen him and then it hit me that this is a very private moment for someone like him, with the kind of life he had, and I was intruding. I turned to go to the kitchen as I originally intended, unbeknownst to me at the time that he had noticed my presence.

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

“Your favoritism is showing”, Sam commented as he followed Bucky’s look.

It was one of those days that we had visitors in the compound. I was just outside the building on the front yard, with Hope and in the middle of the very tiring martial arts session.

Bucky was leaning of the living room windows that had just the perfect view of the front where me and Hope were.

“I don’t get what you mean,” Bucky said to Sam, his eyes still on us.

Sam laughed. “Come on don’t play dumb. It is not so subtle when you mention her while on missions neither how you look at her when she doesn’t.”

“How do I look at her?”, Bucky asked finally turning to look at Sam.

“Well, intently the least. There is some longing, some what if in there”, Sam explained.

“You know it’s true,” Rodney added coming into the room.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Bucky exclaimed finally leaving his spot from the window and sitting on the couch. Anyone could see he was started to get annoyed.

“You know if Steve was here, he would tell you to go for it”, Sam pointed.

Bucky glared at him before hissing “I hate you both”.

Sam laughed loudly.

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

I had just finished my session with Hope when Sam approached us.

“How you doing ladies?” he chirped.

“Good”, Hope beamed, “It went pretty good”.

“That’s always great to hear”, Sam approved and they both smiled at me making me blush.

“I am gonna head back in”, Hope said, “Is Scot here yet?”

“Yeah he just came with Cassie. You all gonna stay here for lunch?” he wondered.

“Sure thing”, she nodded before heading in.

“So how is it going with you? How it’s going with my boy Bucky?” Sam asked shifting his attention back to me.

“Uuhm, good, I guess. We haven’t talked much but he has offered a few advices here and there which helped me for sure. I was pretty sure he hated me at the beginning”, I laughed.

“I am telling you he hates everyone, but I think it might be far from true in your case”, Sam winked. “But anyway, keep up the good work and who knows you might come with us in a mission soon.”

I looked at him perplexed but didn’t comment on it.

Later during lunch, I tried to pay more attention to Bucky and it did seem that he wasn’t so comfortable in a room full of people but I did notice that there were times he was looking at me for no reason.

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

True to his words, Sam did invite me to a mission about a month after he said so. They were happy with my progress which gave me the confidence I needed to try more. There were still a lot I needed to learn, and they thought that if I was part of a simple mission it would also give me the experience of handling difficult situations.

I had a fitting with Banner who provided me with a suit, he had coordinated with Shuri for this. It was a black one with blue details, small lines in the shoulders, abdomen, and wrists. My palms and fingers were free so that I would be able to use my powers easily and of course it had parts of vibranium protecting the vital organs of my torso. The part I liked the most was the neck as there was extra fabric which I could use to cover my face up till my nose. I braided my hair in a French style, took the gun and in ear com that Sam had left for me and I was ready to go.

“Nervous?”, I heard Bucky asking me as he joined me at the front yard. We were waiting for Sam to come with the Quinjet and get us. He was also dressed in his suit, with an one-sleeved jacket, leaving his metal arm exposed.

“More than I would like to admit”, I replied.

“It will be fine, we got you”, he assured me.

Up in the Quinjet, I spend most of my time in awe with how it was. I had never been into one and I was marveled.

“So, the mission is to get to the convoy and get the asset out. The asset is a scientist. We plan on ambushing them based on the route they are supposed to follow. I will stop them, and we attack. Bucky and I will take care of the guards and all you need to do is take the guy and go away of the rest of us”, Sam started explaining the plan, showing a map on the screen. “If everything goes according to plan, we will be there way earlier to map the area. Clear?”

“Hmm, how are we going to go there? I wouldn’t assume there is a place to land there”, I pondered.

“Parachutes”, Sam simply offered, studying the map. “We plan on landing around here. And as soon as we get the asset, we have this place here as an exit point. Just a few km away.”

“For us, he would be flying”, Bucky accused him.

“Not wanting to be that person, but I have never used a parachute”, my stress levels were increasing by the second. Not only I was in charge of another person making it out alive, but I had to jump of a plane, not to mention my fear of heights. Maybe this was a bad idea.

“Don’t worry we will jump together”, Bucky offered which unknowingly to me earned a playful wiggle of eyebrows and a look of approval from Sam. Bucky on the other hand only glared at him.

When it was almost time for us to jump, we started getting ready. Sam left first, flying to the place to make sure we didn’t have any company. It was the first time I had seen him with Cap’s shield, and it was not as weird as I expected it to be.

“You ready?” I heard him ask.

“As ready as I can be”, I smiled nervously.

“Look it is your first time and it is reasonable to be nervous. But it won’t help you down there. You are ready just believe in yourself. We will be there, and we won’t let anything to happen to you. Ok?” he comforted me giving me a pat on the back. And there was something there in his eyes, a bit of worry, of determination, I couldn’t really tell but I believed him.

“Ok”, I said with confidence. “So how do we jump?”

“Well, since you have no experience, we will do this together. Here tie this in your belt and around your waist and clip it to my belt”, he proceeded with wearing the parachute and fixing the ties and held as together. This was the closest we had been since the first day that we trained together. I had made the mistake of looking up at him as he checked the equipment. We don’t have that much of height difference which has as a result my eyes to be at the same level with his lips. Which was a great distraction for my nervousness. “You can put your hand here to be steadier”, he said as he guided my hand to get in between the ties of the parachute at the front of his chest. “And the other should probably go behind my back”, he suggested.

“Ok”, I said as I did what he proposed. I did feel steady like this, but it was super close. I could smell his cologne from this distance.

He took a step behind and an agent opened the airplane door for us. “Want to count to 3?”, he asked, wrapping his hand around my waist holding me closed.

I did make the mistake to look at him in the eyes which created a new kind of tension, but I nodded. “One..Two….AAAAAAhh”, I screamed as the jerk jumped of the plane without a notice. I hid my face in the crook of his neck as we were falling, letting him take care of the rest. The one instruction they had given me was to stay as still as I could so that he could guide as without problems.

And somehow miraculously I felt my feet touching the ground and him starting to untie as from the parachute. “See we made it”, he remarked with a rare smile.

I let a loud breath. “I can’t believe we did. Now what?”

“Sam you copy? We are moving to the meet up point”, he talked to his in-ear com as he gestured me to follow.

“Copy”, I heard Sam replying.

We walked carefully to the place we were supposed to ambush them. Sam informed us that he could see the convoy coming. The asset being in the 3rd of the 4 cars.

We had positioned ourselves as we saw the cars turning towards our direction. As they were passing by us, Sam shoot the first one causing a collision and the rest came to a stop. “Go go go”, I heard him over the radio.

Sam was already flying towards our direction eliminating as many guards as he could. A lot more people than I expected came out of the vehicles. I saw Bucky running easily taking out the first 3-4 guards that came out of the last car as stealthy as possible. Sam threw him the shield and with a jump Bucky swiftly caught it and landed on top of the Jeep that was supposed to have the asset, starting to shoot.

I run behind him going to the other side of the car where I could see an man trying to hide. With the guards of the car gone I was able to take him “Follow me”, I shouted taking him by the shoulder and leading him to the forest in the direction of the exit point.

But as I turned to go that way, I saw another vehicle coming to us, probably a backup. They were driving fast directly at us. “We got company!”, I yelled in the com getting the others attention. I tried to shoot at the driver, but the windshield was bullet proof.

Sam flew past by and shoot at the tyres. Even though the van crashed to the side a bunch of guards came out and started shooting at us. “Kaitlyn, go!” Bucky yelled moving past me.

I took the asset and started running in the forest unfortunately though a few guards saw us and started following. The first bullet flew right past me and I stopped abruptly. “Get behind me”, I demanded as I tried to shield him. I created an ice shield as thick as I could to shield us both. The guards kept shooting as I tried to take steps backwards. I drew my gun and tried to shoot back getting one of them on the leg. My shield had started thinning as bullets kept coming to our direction. One passed through and I felt like it hit me, but I didn’t have the time to think of this.

I looked up on the trees to see how heavy they were with snow and I got an idea. I lifted my hand and closed my fist as the snow fell heavy on the guard. I lowered my shield to see if the danger had passed and thankfully there was no one else. Sam flew next to me and Bucky came behind running. “We are clear”, Sam confirmed. I looked back at the man hiding behind me, he wasn’t hurt which was the point so that meant I had done a good job.

We took him to the exit point where the Quinjet was waiting. I sat down at a sit to catch my breath. I had never used my powers for so long and I felt drained now the adrenaline levels were falling.

“You are bleeding”, Bucky exclaimed as he run towards me, kneeling in front of me and taking my arm in his. There was a hole in my suit, and there was a scratch on my upper arm I hadn’t even notice. There was some blood there, but it had mostly dried. “How did this happen?” he asked.

“Hmm, I am not sure I didn’t really feel it, but I think there was a bullet that passed the shield I had made”, I flinched into the touch.

“We need to clean this”, he answered with worry as he went to take the medical kit. He kneeled again and cleaned my wound, patching it.

“Thank you”, I whispered as he sat next to me. I took in his state, eyes closed, sweat dripping from his temple. There was something raw in him like this yet so beautiful.

“Good work Kaitlyn”, Sam patted me in the back. “We are proud of you”.

“Thanks Sam”, I smiled.

We left the asset to a safe place where some agency they didn’t care to tell me, would take him and put him into some kind of protection. We flew back to the compound.

“Are you staying?” I asked Sam.

“No, I got something to do. See you guys in a few days”, he waved before flying away.

I turned to look at Bucky “Come, let’s get in”, he responded.

I followed him in, each going to our respective rooms. I took a bath washing away the blood and tiredness. It was long into the am hours and I couldn’t get myself to sleep after all this. I headed back to the living room, gazing out at the night sky. A few stars visible.

“Here, I made you this”, Bucky said, and I jumped in shock.

“I didn’t hear you coming”, I faltered taking the mug he offered. It had some hot tea.

Bucky grinned. “It’s linden and chamomile. Will help soothing your nerves”.

“Thank you”, I smiled bringing the mug to my lips.

We stayed silently for a few moments, sipping our drinks, and looking out as night shifted.

“I am sorry I didn’t protect you”, he started.

I turned to look at him “Bucky, I- there is no need to be sorry. I…I didn’t expect you to. You had to fight so many people and protect yourself. I was just clumsy, and you were there the whole time. Hell, we jumped of a plane and walked out alive,” I laughed to show him that I was just fine.

“Still I told you that I wouldn’t let you get hurt and you did”, he countered meeting my eyes. There was dare I say hurt in there.

I took a step closer, taking his hand to mine, which took him by surprise, his eye fixating there for a moment. “Don’t worry, I am really fine. I am glad we are all ok”, I said squeezing his hand lightly.

He cleared his throat as he removed his hand. “It’s time for some sleep. Good night”, he said.

“Goodnight Bucky,” I responded as he turned to leave, and turned my attention back outside.

“Kaitlyn?”

“Yeah?”

“You can call me Buck”, he encouraged and with a small smile he left.

I was left standing there with my mouth open, not knowing what to do. Ι bit my lips not knowing how to handle the new emotion of excitement I was feeling for no apparent reason. I went to my room and slept a peaceful sleep.

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

There had been a month since our mission, I was still training daily, each day feeling more confident with my skills and powers.

Sam and Bucky were in another mission for almost a month now, we didn’t really have news of them. Last time we had checked they were in Prague. Ι was worried, I didn’t want to admit it to anyone else but I was listening to the news everyday wondering if they would be mentioned.

“Hey Bruce”, I greeted as I entered the lab. “How is it going?”

“Hey kiddo”, he greeted back, leaving whatever weird thing he was working on.

I walked around the lab indifferently, “Any news from the guys in the field?”

“I spoke with Sam yesterday, they somehow ended in Madripoor. I personally haven’t been there, but I hear it is an interesting place. They met Sharon in the way”.

“Who is Sharon?”, I perked up.

“Oh, you probably haven’t met her. I only met her once briefly a few years ago. She was a friend of Steve’s and an old agent of Shield”, he explained.

“I see”, I said thoughtful, for some reason the idea of a woman travelling with them in troublesome situations didn’t make me feel very at ease. I mean if she was a friend of Steve’s, was she also a friend of Bucky’s?

I tried to shake away any unwelcome thoughts that came to my mind.

“Thank you, Bruce. Want to try the new blasters?”, I asked trying to channel my energy to something else.

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

It was a Saturday evening; it was raining, and it was relatively cold. I was in my room, listening to some music and absentmindedly looking out the window. My tea still warm in the mug.

I heard a knock on the door that shook me out of my trance. “Yes”.

“Hey”, I barely saw a head behind the semi closed door. “May I come in?”

“Please, come”, I smiled to the familiar face. “When did you return?”

He got in closing the door behind him. “Half an hour ago probably. I just wanted to check up on you”, Bucky said scratching the back of his neck.

“I am good”, I offered going closer, my eyes try to take all his features. “Is this a bruise? Were you hurt?” I tried to reach with my hand right below his eye where I could see some shades of purple and yellow, but he stopped me midair.

“Yeah but it is nothing. Don’t worry. I ‘ve been worse”, he gently lowered my hand not completely leaving it though as our fingertips were still touching.

“That doesn’t really make me feel better about it. Neither should you. You shouldn’t get hurt”, I shook my head in disagreement.

He snorted. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry”, he smiled and for moment I think – I THINK – my legs turned to jelly. A bit my bottom lip and his eyes darted there directly.

I opened my mouth to say something, but words weren’t really there.

“It’s late”, he said. “I ‘ll see you tomorrow”. He opened the door and left with a last smile.

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

A few days had passed, we had shared some training sessions. I had run into him in the kitchen a few times in the morning where I would go to make breakfast and he would usually drink coffee with Rodney before they both left for a meeting they did with the rest of the team that was spread around the world.

Sam stopped by occasionally and they could train together or go on a mission together. I was worried why they hadn’t asked me to go with them again. I had been to a few simple ones with Rodney but never again with Bucky and Sam.

That day, it was late at night and I had just come back from my evening run. I took a shower and after drying up I endeavored to the kitchen to find something to munch on. He was sitting at the living room, the only light coming from the full moon outside. Soft music was playing and he appeared to be playing with a knife. He was throwing it in the air and catching it again and again.

At first, I thought whether I should approach him or not, maybe he needed some alone time. I went to the kitchen and got some almonds and water. I thought that maybe he would hear the noise and either come or leave if he wanted to be alone. When I was done eating, I gave a look to the living room to see if he was still there.

Naturally my eyes went straight to the couch that I had left him but found nothing. Only then I noticed that he had moved to the windows and he was looking at me. I jumped “You scared me”, I muttered.

“What are you doing up at 3 in the morning?” he asked.

“Right back at you? I was just about to go to sleep”, I retorted getting away from the shadows of the kitchen and closer to the windows. The moon light was accentuating his features. He had a week-old beard and was wearing a simple black t-shirt and pj pants.

“Tried the sleep, didn’t work. Came here to relax”, he explained while still looking at me intently.

“Do you want me to make you something? A tea? Some milk?” I offered.

He moved from the windows and met me halfway. “No, I am fine”, he murmured. He brushed a few stray hairs with his hand and put them behind my ear. His eyes never leaving mine. “Didn’t really tell me why you were still up”.

“I – I came back from running and wanted to eat something before I go to sleep”, I could feel his breath merging with mine, and I was feeling so lost.

He brought his metal arm to my waist and with his other arm he caressed my cheek. Ι couldn’t but lean into the touch, momentarily closing my eyes.

He started leaning towards me when a noise came from down the corridor. Someone had opened their door and was making their way to us. He immediately broke contact, gave me one last look, and left. “Sup Banner?” heard him saying somewhere away from my line of vision. I was just left there, frozen, not knowing what to do and utterly confused.

“What are you doing in the dark kid?”, Bruce asked, and I almost jumped.

“Ah you know, night cravings. Going to sleep. Goodnight Bruce”, I faked a yawn and practically run to my room.

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

The next day I intentionally went for breakfast later than usually. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see him yet neither did I know what to do if we met.

Of course, with the good luck I always have, I almost fell on him as I turned to enter the kitchen. He caught me as to not fall murmured an apology and left which as I saw from the kitchen, he rode his bike and left the compound whatsoever.

I spend the whole day in the training room unleashing all my nerves using my powers. At some point Bruce had to come to tell me to stop because the temperature in the compound had decreased by 10 degrees and apart from the room I was using, crystals had form in two rooms radius.

I apologized and we spend the rest of the afternoon trying to unfreeze the rooms and increase the temperature. Thankfully the compound has top notch systems.

I ate a quick dinner right after and locked myself in my room.

I was laying in my bed, cocooning with my blankets, watching a movie when I heard a knock on my door. I looked at the clock, it was almost midnight. “Who is it?”, I questioned.

“Bucky”, he cleaned his throat, the nervousness in his voice evident.

For a moment I pondered if I should really go and open or not but my curiosity and well the eagerness got the best of me. I got up and unlocked the door, opening it enough to see him. “Can I come in?”, he wondered, anxiously giving looks to the rest of the rooms in case anyone showed up. I just moved aside for him to get in without saying anything, wasn’t sure what to say either.

I moved to go and sit back on my bed and he followed but hesitated to sit, he only did when I gestured him to. He cleaned his throat again. “This isn’t easy for me”, he started and I then felt bad, because I was giving him the silent treatment but I was failing to understand that for a person like him, that had been through so many horrible things it surely wasn’t something easy. I relaxed a bit and gave him a reassuring look as to proceed.

He fidgeted a little more before he tried again. “Firstly, I need to apologize for how I left yesterday, I just panicked. You know it is funny because Steve had told me that I had my way with the ladies back in our time but all this”, he gestured between us, “is fairly new to the current me. And I pretty much have no idea what to say or do”.

“Well, thank you for apologizing”, I smiled and took his hand in mine to show him that everything was ok, and he could feel more comfortable. He clenched back which I took as a good step. “You can always start by telling me what you feel, if you want”.

“You would think that it is easy”, he snorted, yet he intertwined our fingers. “I just feel better when I see you and when I am with you. And I feel excited every time we meet. And I feel eager for the next time”.

“Well if it helps, I feel the same”, I mumbled.

His shoulders seemed to relax a bit to the sound of my words.

I lifted my arm and tried to turn his face gently to look at me or else he would make holes to the floor from how intently he was looking at it. I smiled and he grinned.

“So…”, I started.

“So, we could maybe try and spend some time together one of these days…”, he trailed off.

“Well, it is not like I have something to do now… we could always start with watching a movie?”, I questioned.

“Yeah I would like that”, he smiled.

We picked a movie and sat on the bed, at first apart but as the movie was progressing, in between laughs and comments, we came closer and ended up cuddling. I am not sure when but at some point, I fell asleep in his arms.

“Sshh, go back to sleep”, he whispered as he was trying to get up and leave the bed, my hand instinctively holding him in place.

“Don’t go”, I mumbled, eyes still close.

“I can’t stay here, and you are asleep”, he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I opened my eyes, as awake I could be “Stay”

He looked me again, eyes full of adoration. I could see he was thinking of it. I sat up, and gently pulled him close to me so that he could sit back again in the bed. “Stay”, I repeated.

“Ok”, he said “I will”.

He moved to remove his sweater and close the lights and came back to the bed. I moved enough to make him space and he got under the blanket, the mattress moving under the extra weight. I looked down at him and a feeling of completion, of happiness filled me. I couldn’t believe that those blue eyes were staring back at me.

For a moment I wasn’t sure if I should do it, if I was overstepping but my eagerness took a hold of me. I leaned in, placing my hand above his heart, feeling it moving fast. He looked at me inviting, his hand moving to my cheek, guiding me closer. I stopped just centimeters away, our lips almost touching, to give him one last look, as if I was asking for the final permission. He closed the gaped and I felt the softest lips against mine.

After a moment we parted and he caressed my cheek. “Sleep now.”

I laughed at him but obeyed, getting back in position, my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around me. And just like this we fell asleep.

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

After this night, Bucky was a totally different person. He was constantly smiling to me, hugging me with every chance he got, kissing me when he thought no one was looking. And in the compound, he was totally different, he would help me clean around, sing while he was doing chores.

Sure, there were also some bad days when he would wake up in his sleep screaming from the nightmares and I had to hold him in my arms and remind him that everything was in the past. That no one was here to hurt him and even if they tried, they would have to go through me first. After a while he would usually calm down, we would lay down again, he would put his head on my chest, and I would caress his hair. He, then, would fall asleep and I would let him sleep as late as he could even if he would be grumpy about it afterwards.

But everything felt so dreamy. And I would trade everything in the world for a smile of his.

#bucky barnes #Sebastian #sebastian stan #bucky barnes x original female character #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #bucky fic #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader

56 notes · View notes

xbladekitkat85 · 3 years

Text

Why Clint is on Tony’s Sh*t List

Word count: A bit over 3k.

Chapter summary: Peter and Harley are brothers and the children of Tony Stark. Which is highly classified knowledge that nobody outside of the Avengers knows. Until Clint Barton accidentally spills the secret with a technology related mishap.

Warnings: A bit of language here and there. Tony threatening Clint’s life because he did an oopsie.

Peter's POV

In the school that is Midtown School of Science and Technology, everyone is basically a genius of some sort. You have biology geeks, math geeks, chemistry geeks, robotics geeks. You name a branch of STEM subjects, there are guaranteed to be at least 5 masters in every subject.

That being said, being a master in a subject doesn't mean that you would be instantly popular. Sure you might get hounded for homework help, but it doesn't mean you actually make friends as easily. It's more like people want to leech off of your knowledge and don't bother to get to know you.

There's a social pyramid in all schools and let's just say I'm towards the bottom of mine. I build Lego sets, I love Star Wars, I'm a whiz at chemistry and math. But people ignore the fact that I'm 'somewhat' intelligent and focus on the Lego and Star Wars part of my image. Which sucks big time. At least I'm graduating this year.

But at least I have my brother Harley to confide in. We argue over stupid stiff but we both enjoy poking fun at each other.

3rd person POV

Peter was sitting at his usual table with his small group of friends. Ned, MJ, and Betty made up this small group of people.

"So, what are you guys doing this weekend?" Ned asked the group.

"Uhhhh, I was planning on going to see that new movie coming out." Betty answered. "You know, the one with Emilia Clarke and what's his name."

"Oh yeah, I know which one you're talking about." Ned replied.

"You losers can go see a movie, I'm going to a protest outside of Oscorp." MJ replied, sipping her thermos of coffee.

"What did Oscorp do?" Peter asked curiously.

"They're trying to cover up an employee getting severely injured, the safety protocols are shitty, and HR is as usual, the worst part of it all in addition to the censorship of the incident online."

Peter nodded his head, eyes widened.

"Gotcha. I definitely understand why you're going."

MJ set her thermos down and opened her latest book, Speak.

Ned turned to look at Peter.

"Stark internship all weekend?" He inquired.

Peter shrugged and took a sip of water.

"I'm gonna hang out with Harley. Probably do some stuff in the lab. Usual stuff."

Betty shook her head in disbelief.

"I still can't believe you're friends with him." She said. "He's pretty high on the social ladder here. I mean I know you guys have the internship together but it's still kind of baffling that I never see you interacting in school."

Ohhhhh, if you only knew Betty. Peter laughed to himself on the inside.

Nobody at school knew that Peter and Harley were half brothers and the children of Tony Stark. Not even Ned or MJ knew although he suspected that MJ somehow knew or was close to figuring it out. She's scarily perceptive and freakishly good at knowing things about other people that she definitely shouldn't.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

The four friends parted ways and headed to their respective classes.

*After school*

Peter arrived at the tower straight from Delmar's after picking up snacks for the weekend. He had grabbed an assortment, ranging from potato chips to pretzel M&Ms. He waved at Ms. Maldonado, the lady who commanded the reception area and dashed to the elevator, scanning his pass when prompted.

FRIDAY greeted him when the doors closed.

"How was your day Peter? Harley is already waiting for you. He told me to tell you, and I quote, "Peter, I hope you remembered my PRETZEL M&Ms not PEANUT M&M's like last time. If you forgot, I'm going to steal that new Lego set you were planning on building tomorrow. And I WILL hide it somewhere you'll never, ever, find it. Insert maniacal cackling, blah blah blah."

Peter stifled a laugh at Harley's message.

"Uh, well my day was the usual, you know. And tell Harley I got his stupid M&Ms. And I grabbed him something else too if he promises not to threaten the Legos again."

"Sure thing, Peter."

He exited the elevator to the floor which housed the labs he shared with Harley. There were multiple as the duo tended to accidentally blow things up and would need to have another place to work while repairs were being done. Needless to say, Tony was more than a little annoyed that his kids needed multiple labs because they kept blowing them up. But whatever, he loves them and will pay for it as long as he gets to blackmail them with all the ridiculous stories of what blew up and how it happened.

Harley looked up towards the door Peter walked through and lifted his welding mask off his face.

"Hand over the merchandise, blockhead." He said, his arm stretched towards the bag of goodies Peter was carrying.

"Only if you promise to leave the Legos alone, biotch." He replied.

Harley rolled his eyes and dramatically lifted his hand in the air as if he was testifying in court.

"I promise not to touch the Legos." He said in a half joking tone.

Peter handed him the pack of M&Ms as well as a container of Oreos.

"I still don't understand why you like pretzel M&Ms." Peter remarked. "There's too much pretzel and not enough chocolate."

Harley stared directly at him as he tore open the M&Ms and popped a few in his mouth.

"I don't understand why you don't like pineapple on pizza." Harley shot back as he swiveled around in his chair

Peter groaned.

"We are not having this discussion again."

"Peter you're an idiot if you don't like pineapple on your pizza."

"Harley, you're a disgrace to the entire state of New York if you do. Fruit is not supposed to go on a proper pizza."

Harley chucked a bolt at Peter's head.

"Hey!" He protested as he turned to look at Harley. And then he saw a glint in Harley's eyes.

"Pizza is a dish with everything from the food pyramid. You have grain, dairy, meat, vegetables, fats, and oh, wait, you don't like pineapple so you're missing out. You could be getting every nutrient from the food pyramid but you're an idiot so you miss your daily serving of delicious pineapple on your pizza."

"Oh my god, stop."

The boys busted out laughing for a full 3 minutes, eventually with Harley falling out of his chair. Tony walked in to find his kids cackling at who knows what, and one on the floor, almost incapacitated by his laughter. He sighed before clearing his throat to gain their attention.

The boys sobered up and finally stopped laughing but they had unshed tears left from the fun.

"What on earth were you two dying of laughter over? Should I call a therapist? Do I need to be concerned? Did you eat something that you shouldn't have?"

Harley sniggered as Peter was trying to keep a straight face.

"He was eating pretzel M&Ms!" Peter said, holding back his laughter. "The type that should be illegal!"

"Peter, you don't diss Pretzel M&Ms, they're an underappreciated member of the M&Ms family. If you think pretzel M&Ms should be illegal, you clearly haven't tried the raspberry ones." Harley replied while doing his best to keep his face straight. "If anything, you should call a therapist for Peter and help him overcome his aversion to pineapple on pizza."

Tony looked even more lost than he was before.

"Ok, I don't know what I'm supposed to make of this. FRIDAY, show me footage of what the hell happened while I wasn't here."

"Sure thing boss."

Friday pulled up security footage of Harley and Peter's conversation. Tony watched it as the two teens were snickering behind him. After he understood the situation he turned to his kids and let out a tired sigh.

"Ok, I don't understand your sense of humor, but I came to tell you that we're having Italian for dinner."

Peter pumped his fist and Harley just shrugged.

"Italian is fine by me I guess."

"All right kiddos, be in the dining room by 7ish or else I'll cut the power to these labs. We eat as a family."

*Time skip*

It was 2 am, Monday morning and everything was silent except for the faint noise of shuffling towards the ceiling.

Clint Barton was crawling around in the vents, obviously on his way to do something he probably shouldn't be.

He had lost a bet with Nat earlier and the punishment was that he had to steal something for blackmail off of FRIDAY's databases.

He quietly dropped out of a vent shaft into an important looking office. He didn't bother checking who it belonged to but he was already too far gone to ask.

"Ok Nat, what do you want me to look for?" He whispered into his earpiece.

"Check the computer on the desk. The password is written on a sticky note in your pocket."

He checked his pocket and there was indeed a post it with a password on it.

"Ok, what am I supposed to find?" He asked once he logged in.

"Look for footage from the labs." She said. "Check labs CTS2 and IAI1."

"CTS2 and IAI1, gotcha." He reaffirmed.

He browsed around until he found the cameras he needed.

"Ok, found em. What dates should I look at?"

"Look at this past Friday," She answered, "around 4:45 to 6:15 pm. Tony drank from a can of motor oil instead of his coffee cup. I would like this footage in my posession. For my entertainment, and possibly blackmail to pull on him."

"All righty, ok, uhhhh." He muttered as he searched through that window of time.

He watched snippets of the footage and fast forwarded a few times until he glimpsed footage of Harley swiveling around in his chair as Peter looked exasperated. He paused and rewound to see what the situation was.

As Clint watched the whole argument play out and the aftermath, a shit eating grin began to spread across his face. He emailed himself the whole interaction for his own entertainment (blackmail, cough cough) and went back to searching for what he originally came for. He eventually found it, sent it to Natasha, logged out of the computer, and climbed into the open vent.

"You get it?" Nat asked suspiciously.

"Oh yeah, I got it." He said, trying to hold back the mischievous laughter that was threatening to let loose. He checked his phone to see whether he got the email he sent to himself. But to his surprise and sudden panic, it was not there. His social media, however, was blowing up with comments about the two kids and who they were and theories people were spouting.

"Oh shit."

"What did you do, Clinton?" Nat asked in a threateningly monotone voice.

Clint banged his head on the vent, forgetting that he still had his comms on.

"I may or may not have accidentally exposed Peter and Harley as Tony's kids."

Nat was silent for a moment before she finally responded.

"Tony's probably going to kill you for this, so you should pack your bags right now. Make funeral arrangements as well and update your will."

"Ah shit."

*Monday morning, 6:45 am*

Peter woke up to his phone ringing. He groaned and turned on his side to ignore the call. The phone rang again and he sighed before reluctantly sitting up and grabbing his phone.

What the hell, who's calling this early?

He looked at his notifications and saw multiple missed calls and texts from Ned and MJ. Something must have happened because Ned had typed in all caps, 'PETER EVERYONE KNOWS! CALL ME NOW!' MJ's text just said, 'I knew already. Don't try to hide it from me whenever you come to school.'

Instantly, Peter was wide awake. Did the whole world know he was Spiderman? But how did this happen, who would leak that information and how did they get it?

He called Ned and before he could even say, "What's up?" Ned butted in with a sentence he was not expecting.

"Peter, when were you going to tell me your dad was Tony Stark?! This is even bigger than Spiderman! As your Guy in the Chair, I think this knowledge might have been missing in our conversations."

Peter was at a loss for words as he stood up.

"It's all over social media and people are going apeshit over this!"

"Ned, you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet." Peter replied in a nervous tone as he began pacing back and forth in his room. "How do you know the source is credible? Remember what Ms. Hernandez said about credibility when giving information in an essays or whatever?"

"But Peter, Hawkeye was the one who posted it. You know, the Avenger who shoots arrows?"

Peter stopped pacing and froze midstep.

Uncle Clint was behind this? But why?

"You sure he wasn't hacked?" Peter asked as he feebly attempted to get out of this confrontation.

"No, it's security footage from a lab. Tony said in the video that you guys were a family."

Peter then realized that he couldn't worm his way out of this situation. The whole world knew he and Harley were brothers and the sons of Tony Stark. Of course this happened, why wouldn't it?

"I'm going to call you back, I need to talk to Clint." Peter said.

"Ok, just let me know if you and Harley are going to be ok or not." Ned replied.

"Bye Ned."

"Bye."

Peter hung up and took a deep breath before leaving his room to go find Clint.

He entered the kitchen and almost everyone was there except the one person he wanted to talk to.

"Hey, uh, where's uncle Clint?" Peter asked.

Uncle Steve looked up from his breakfast.

"He left last night. Family emergency."

"Uh huh, so correct me if I'm wrong but Clint left because dad was going to kill him, right?"

Suddenly everyone was avoiding eye contact with Peter. Yup, everyone knew what happened.

Just then, Tony walked in with a very irritated expression.

"I don't think you and Harley are going to be able to go to school today. Some kid from your school, Dash or something posted you go to school with him and know you both. So there are multiple news stations outside the tower and surrounding your school. Might be best to just stay home today."

"Is Uncle Clint still alive?" Harley asked as he walked in, yawning.

"He is alive," Tony responded "Not for much longer though."

"Dad, you can't just kill him." Peter protested. "It's not like he actually did anything that warrants his death."

"I don't think he meant to do it." Harley added. "He deleted it maybe 10 minutes after he posted it but other people recorded it on their own devices and re shared it. He probably realized what he had done and tried to delete it but of course, once it's out there, it's out there."

"Don't kill Uncle Clint, he's got a wife and kids. Besides, we need him on the team." Peter said.

"We don't need Clint," Tony said, waving his hand. "I already got a replacement set up."

Peter had not heard of this new team member that was apparently going to replace Clint.

"Who is it?" Harley asked curiously.

"Kate Bishop. She's already on her way here. Clint trained her to take over the mantle of Hawkeye anyway so it shouldn't be that big a deal." Tony shrugged. "She's a bit older than you two, 18 or 19, I can't remember at the moment."

"Ok, then, as long as she's trusted by you." Peter relented.

"Don't know what she might be like, but if Clint trained her, and they share similar personalities, whatever spirits above help us." Harley said solemnly.

Peter smacked Harley's arm.

"Hey!" He complained.

"She's not even here yet and you are badmouthing her already. Have some manners, dude."

"It doesn't matter at the moment right? You said it yourself, she's not here yet and I will 'have some manners' when she does."

All of a sudden, Peter heard a nearly imperceptible shuffling coming from above. He felt a shiver go down his spine and the instinct to get into a defensive position.

"He's right, you should have some manners young man." An unfamiliar voice boomed from above.

Harley looked around wildly in confusion.

"Who's there?! Are you a spirit from above???" He asked.

All of a sudden, a figure dropped out of the vent directly above Harley and tackled him to the ground.

"And that is Kate Bishop." Tony said, answering the question in everyone's mind.

Kate released Harley from her grip and she helped him up.

"Clint was right," She said, smiling. "Crawling through the vents to prank people is fun."

She looked up to the open vent and held out her arms, to everyone's confusion.

"Lucky, come on down!" She called.

To everyone's shock, a dog with one good eye poked his head out from the vent and jumped into Kate's arms.

"Oh crap, nobody has allergies to dog dander, right?" Kate asked, looking at everyone.

"Maybe? I'm not sure." Peter replied.

"Damn, I should have checked before bringing him, huh." Kate muttered.

Tony waved his hand at the dog.

"As long as he's potty trained, we should be fine." He said, trying to reassure her worries. "We're all fine with dogs."

Peter thought back to all the dogs he's pet on patrol. They always seemed happy to play with him and now there was a dog in the tower. Huzzah, he didn't get to only pet dogs on patrol now!

"Well, all's well that ends well, right?" Peter said.

"How about everyone gets acquainted with Kate?" Tony suggested. "It's not like you two are going to school today anyway."

Peter and Harley agreed and that day became a get to know the new team member day.

Peter texted Ned to let him know he was going to school the next day and invited him to the tower after school to meet someone. Oh the look on Ned's face when he found out would be priceless.

Taglist:

@frostedgiant

Send an ask if you would like to be tagged!

#marvel #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #peter parker #tony stark #harley keener #kate bishop #ned leeds #mj #michelle jones #clint barton #natasha romanoff #irondad #irondad fanfic #fanfiction #hawkeye #ironman #spiderman

33 notes · View notes

chidoroki · 3 years

Text

The Promised Neverland S2EP4

aka: the fast-forward button is BROKEN! but my heart is oddly happy?

Friendly reminder that the full version of “Identity” was released yesterday and I love it even more now!

Oh? We got WM’s real name reveal this early too?

Bruh, they’re playing the “Introduction” theme from the first season’s soundtrack.

Ahh! The Glory Bell kid’s names are written on the “help” wall! Good!

Wait, what? What’s with this book that’s been written in though?

“Everybody’s gone. I’m all alone. I can’t stand this any longer. I’m also going to head for the human world. To anybody who’s reading this, don’t give up!” Well, that helps to confirm that geezer was here but again, it raises even more new questions. How does he know of the human side of the world? Does he know how to get there? And why does he sound so hopeful? It seems so unlike him..

Type “future” into the pen? That’s new too.

Ah, it’s the map we saw a glimpse of in the preview.. but D100? It’s not Cuvitidala since its coordinates are D528-143, so what is this new place?

They sure enjoy reminding us of Norman hm?

Chris!! You adorable child, I love you! I know it was Emma who wakes everyone up their first morning at the shelter but this is okay too!

And this is probably the closest we’ve ever been to seeing Ray’s sleeping face.

January 22nd.. so it’s passed the day they were supposed to meet geezer.. okay.

Aww, the younger kids are practicing archery!

Also, can we change into the shelter clothes already? Give my girl those nice black pants!

The duo out hunting!!! Aaah!!

The underground tunnels really are extensive huh.

Ayyy! There we go! Now we get Emma waking everyone else up!

They’re all so cute living their daily lives in the shelter though.. I can’t be mad at the anime for this.

Dominic, you little pro archer you.

Chef Ray! Yeeaahh!!

Okay but.. shirtless Ray too? He didn’t join the other boys in manga at all when in the bath, as we saw last ep, so I’m surprised.

Nat playing the piano before the kids go to sleep.. aah my heart!

Dominic is gonna go hunting with him?? Yes please!

Oh god, Thoma and Lani are going too.. I’m prepared for trouble.

Wow, I’m surprised that Don and Gilda went too, since that means they left the younger kids in the care of Anna and Nat.

No doubt the strangest fishing trip I’ve seen.

Oh nooo! Nat is the poor soul who has to test the fish to see if they’re safe for eating.

“No way, or I won’t play piano anymore!” “You can’t do that!” Awww!! Everyone loves hearing him play! I’m feeling so soft for this family right now man..

Look at our troublemakers stepping up and taking Nat’s place.. ah! And Ray!

Oh! Seems like the fish are okay to eat.. and delicious? I guess I can’t be surprised if Ray was the one who cooked them.

WHAT? February 26th?? Huh? Umm.. I have a major concern here!! GP was supposed to blow up on January 29th! I know this seems real bad and a ton of people are gonna jump in and say they cut that arc out, as if people weren’t already saying that since last week, but hello?? I guess it’ll just happen on a different date?.. hopefully.

It’s been a month and still no shelter outfits why?

GASP!! Is it she?? My queen??

ISABELLA!!!!!

Anime can have all my HELL YEAHS for giving us her with her hair down again!! I’d never thought I’d see it.. but I’m so thankful!!

“I will return all of the children unharmed, and ship them out as originally planned.” You shut your damn mouth grandma.. and speaking of “original plans,” aren’t you supposed to be dead by now?

While I’m completely thrilled we got to see Isabella again.. I don’t know how I feel about seeing her like.. this? In manga she had her strong “iron woman” front the entire time but here she looks so defeated? Like she would never show weakness but grandma taunting her like that by talking about the children’s lives to see how Isabella would react.. man, I have mixed feelings.

Rossi you’re too cute.

Goddamn.. I knew it was coming from the preview but I wasn’t ready for that explosion right now.

Wait.. it actually was their shelter? It wasn’t one of the fake, dummy ones James set up?? AH SHIT!!

Oh, and they decide to play “Tension” as well.. great.

I swear, if one of those dudes is the bastard I think it is..

“We have to get out of here. It’s not safe anymore.” Bro, I didn’t think I would be getting ch104 flashback this soon! Oh no!

Oh god, Don and Rossi are still in the monitor room too.. which almost plays out like future manga events but darn it!

Queen!! We get to see more of you??

No no no, get vida flower away from her.

“I’m too ashamed to face them. Besides, I know that they will get away.” AAaahh, the confidence she has in them!

“They are my children, after all.” HER SMILE!! Y’all I love this woman so much!!

Don really knocked that dude out with a chair.

Oh shit, RAY!! Hahaa he was so close to shooting the guy with that arrow!

Aaahh! That hug Don gets from Gilda though, awww!

Look at our boy Chris lead the way through the tunnels! (please anime don’t you dare hurt this boy right here, right now like ch105)

NO! Sir, whoever you are, put the gun down!

“We just want a normal life like everyone else.” I’m not fond of these ch105 feels right now anime! I’m panicking!

Thoman and Lani!! Our troublemakers coming through with some nice shots of their own!

And the duo end up tackling the guy too! No hesitation whatsoever! AAHH I love them!!

Run my children!

Huh?? The younger kids ended up being captured anyway? Oh hell no!

Wild demon! Yeess! Damn, that thing is huge!

Dominic, sweetie, I love you and appreciate your bravery, but please just focus on running away instead of shooting at the beast!

YOOOO! RAAAYY! As if I couldn’t love you anymore than I already do! That jump! That accuracy! That kill! I’m so proud! Why is he so perfect??

Damn right my queen’s life was spared.

Bruh.. it might not be Peter making the deal with her but still.. why are we getting this scene now?? It’s from ch165!!

“Your release won’t be the only reward.” And.. what else? The hell did you just whisper in her ear!? Tell me!

“Rest assured, I will get back those children who betrayed me.” Y’all.. if you could see the damn smile on my face right now, holy shit. I’m in awe of this woman. Yes, what she said is highly concerning if you don’t know, but if you do know.. it’s fucking fantastic.

I get they wanna make it seem like she’s still an enemy and they executed that scene real well to convey that. (i’ll fight anyone who says she’s a bad mom though)

The kids running for their life through the forest exactly how ep1 started.. nice.

So.. yeah, I’m worried about the obvious things like geezer, GP and the main story line but like.. I’m also highly intrigued right now?

Ah, these reactions are gonna be so much longer now that we’re going original. I.. kinda dig it honestly. To just watch these kids do their own thing and not be so judgemental over every little thing the anime changes from manga.. it’s kinda refreshing.

Okay, so if we’re gonna be getting all new scenes, here’s one I’m hoping for. We just saw Nat play piano before the kids all went to sleep, right? So can I hope that while everyone is out in the forest trying to sleep, can we get Ray humming the lullaby? Please??

#the promised neverland #episode reaction

31 notes · View notes

nekoannie-chan · 4 years

Text

My Princess

Pairing: Dark! Steve Rogers X Reader

Word count: 3628 words.

Summary: What will Steve be able to do to have the person he loves with him?

Warnings: Obsession, stalker, non-con., kidnapping, physical and psychologic punishment, maybe torture, violence, abuse, death of characters (not explicit), if I miss a warning, please let me know. IF YOU ARE UNDER 18, DON’T READ IT.

A/N: This is my entry to the @sherrybaby14 ‘s Sherry’s Reader-insert Smut Prompt Challenge! with the Steve Rogers’ prompt #9:

“Dark! Steve x Reader where he takes her and brings her to his mansion that he designed to be like a castle? And he calls her princess all the time and makes her dress like a princess”

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistake please let me know and I will correct it.

I don’t give any kind of permission that my fics be posted in other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don’t steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other’s people. The only exception is the ones I gifted ‘cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and is not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome. THIS ONE-SHOT IS +18

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own Marvel’s characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

My other media where I publish: Wattpad, Ao3, ffnet.

If you like it please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU’RE UNDER 18.

Steve kissed your shoulder a little, the night before he had left you exhausted making love with him.

Seeing that you were not waking up, he got dressed and left without anyone looking at him, he had to go to supervise that everything was in order and finished.

Steve was overseeing how the mansion had turned out, he had asked for exaggerated discretion for the transaction, he did not want anyone to know of that property, he had made the design to look like a castle and he wanted his princess to feel like one.

He went in and began to check the closet, the princess dresses he had sent to make especially for you were already arranged there, he was sure that you were going to see very well with them. He did not even care how much he had to pay for them, he had also taken care of the design of each one of them, not only dresses but also nightgowns, slippers, tiaras, hair accessories, whatever he thought was necessary.

He put the last perfume he had taken from your room on the dresser, he had made sure to get the makeup you liked the most.

He smiled, he observed one of your photos he had on his cell phone, realizing the time he decided to leave, and he did not want to be late for training

“Where were you babe?” you asked to see he came in.

"I went for a walk," he replied.

You approached him to kiss him when the door opened and Tony entered.

“Am I interrupting something? Are you going to do something? Ah… of course I forgot that the Capipaleta is a virgin, “Tony scoffed.

“Stark! “You warned him.

Steve smiled internally, no one suspected what they had, they still thought he was so innocent, that would be very helpful for what he planned to do.

While you were with your friends, Steve sneaked into your room.

Everyone believed that you slept in separate rooms, but it was not so until now no one had discovered them.

It was the third time that Steve entered your room without your permission, he smiled with satisfaction when noticing that you hadn't noticed yet, he took one of the perfumes that you had in the dressing table.

He searched among your drawers, careful not to disturb anything, he took the set of underwear that he liked so much to wear; He stealthily left the place, he was always very careful so that no one discovered him, he could not arouse any suspicion.

If Steve was in love with you, according to him, who could not fall before your charm?

But he was also clear about something, no one could deny what he wanted, everyone adored him, he knew that girls could not resist his physique, he could take advantage of those advantages of his position.

He had taken advantage of that to convince you that you were in a relationship.

“You still don't agree that Y/N and Steve are dating, right?” Pietro asked.

"No," Wanda said.

“Y/N loves him, I don't see the problem.”

"There is something I do not like about all this, I would not like something to happen to Y/N" Wanda commented with concern.

Pietro made an awkward gesture.

"It's all his fault, Steve likes to have all that attention, he's obsessed with her, he doesn't want to leave her for a single moment alone," Wanda continued.

Steve watched you while you slept, he couldn't help it, he seemed beautiful to him, and he took out his cell phone and took some photos, being careful not to wake up

"So beautiful looks like an angel," he thought.

He came out trying not to be noise, but he didn't realize that he threw your jewelry box on the floor.

Because of the noise, you woke up.

"Who's there?" You asked sleepily.

When there was no answer, you turned on the light of the nightstand someone or something had entered your room

You got up, covered your body with your robe, and went out, saw Steve in the hallway.

"Steve, did you see if anyone came out of my room?"

"No doll, shouldn't you be sleeping?" he replied trying to look calm.

"I already was, but someone threw away my jewelry box, by the way, what are you doing here?" Shouldn't you be on a mission?”

“I finished it earlier than expected, I was going to train, and I’m still not sleepy.”

You shrugged, there were not many explanations for what had happened to you.

"Maybe it was a Stark experiment or there are ghosts at the base," you determined.

Steve laughed upon hearing your deduction.

"Always such a creative doll."

"Well, I'll go back to sleep," you said with a bit of annoyance.

"Rest" he approached and I kissed you on the forehead

"Wanda, something strange happened last night," you commented.

“What?”

“Someone came into my bedroom while I was sleeping, I woke up when I heard the jewelry box fall.”

"Didn't you see who it was?" Wanda asked.

"No, there was nobody when I turned on the light apart some of my things are missing," you replied.

“What kind of things?”

“A perfume, some of my makeup, some accessories, and…”

“AND?”

"Clothes, even underwear," you said embarrassed.

"That's weird, don't you have a suspect?"

“No.”

"Steve!" Wanda called him.

He ignored her, she ran to catch up with him, seeing her in front of him stopped.

"Steve, what are your true intentions with Y/N?" Wanda asked.

"Y/N is my princess, so I don't think it's your concern."

"YOU'RE OBSESSED WITH Y/N!" She yelled at him.

"No Wanda, you are jealous of our relationship

"I'm not jealous, Y/N is my best friend and I care about her" Wanda said firmly.

"You're not going to separate us," Steve said.

Before she could answer, he was gone.

"I must find out before I tell her," Wanda said as she paced around the room.

"If you are so suspicious of him, you should read his mind," her twin suggested.

"I can't, it's I don't know ... I don't know what he's doing, but it's as if I can only read his superficial thoughts but not his true intentions."

"We must warn them, this can become dangerous."

Steve finished preparing, everything else was ready, the only thing missing was for you to receive the notification, so no one would suspect what was about to happen and when they realized it would be too late.

He was not going to allow anyone to interfere between him and his beloved, not even the consequences that it might have.

He sent the message, now he was going to look for you, obviously taking care that no one else saw them, especially Wanda.

You were walking through the corridors of the base when you met Steve.

"Why aren't you ready?" he asked.

“Ready for what?”

You were confused, you didn't remember having any plans.

"We have a mission," he informed you.

“What you mean? No, none notify me.”

You checked your mobile phone, there was the notification, and it had arrived just five minutes ago.

"Aren't the others going on a mission?"

"It's just the two of us," he clarified.

"I'm going to go to tell to Wanda so she doesn't worry," you said, turning around.

"Y/N, we have to go now."

He took you by the arm, you sighed.

"Okay, let's go."

You went on his motorcycle.

"You look good," he flattered you.

“Thanks.”

He stopped suddenly, they got off the motorcycle, and it looked like you had arrived at the place.

"Did they give you the information?"

“This”.

He gave you a few papers that he had taken out of his pocket. You started reading it, it seemed kind of routine so it shouldn't be difficult.

You started walking through a forest, Steve was guiding you until you reached the place

"It looks creepy," you commented.

You had a bad feeling, that place looked like a horror movie.

"There is nothing to fear, I will protect you," he assured you.

"What about Y/N?" Wanda asked.

"I don't know," Pietro replied.

"I haven't seen her," Nat said.

"Does anyone know where Steve is?" Tony asked.

“Oh no...”

"Is something wrong?" Nat asked.

You entered the place, agreed that it was better to separate to cover more terrain, and finish the mission faster.

You walked into a room, what you saw there left you frozen, one of the walls was full of photos of you, photos that you never remembered someone took you, some of them looked as if they had been taken in fragrant and your lost things were also there. Steve appeared behind you.

"Steve ... What ...?" What is this? ”You questioned as soon as you saw him.

"I didn't think you'd find it that soon," he replied.

"Steve, what does all this mean?"

Steve's face changed, a malevolent smile appeared on his face, and you swallowed out.

"Steve, honey, what does this mean?" Do I have a secret admirer or something? It's a joke?” You questioned.

Silence, for a moment it crossed your mind that this was a trap.

"Steve, let's go please, let's go back to the base," you asked, trying to stay calm.

"There is nothing to fear princess," he assured you.

"We have to go back to the base," you ordered, your voice faltering.

"You don't know how much I love you," he replied.

"I know you love me, but Steve is scaring me," you said as you turned to go to the door.

He was faster than you and closed the door with a lock so you could not escape, you tried to take out your weapon, but he took you by the arm, the struggled a little, he managed to make you throw it, with another movement he knocked you unconscious.

He took you to the castle, took off your clothes and put on the lilac princess dress that he had liked so much, he smiled with satisfaction, you looked just as you had imagined, he brushed your hair put on your tiara, and left you in the room.

Now he had to get rid of the communicators and anything that might indicate the location.

A few hours later you woke up, you blinked several times to adjust to the light, where you were lying was not your bed, it had tulle, it seemed like the beds of the princess stories you read when you were a girl; As you sat you saw the outfit you were wearing, you frowned, you have never seen those clothes before.

How did you get there?

And above all, why did you have a dress on?

You got up looking for your boots, but you only found matching shoes, you sighed, you had no choice but to put on a pair, you looked up and saw yourself in the mirror.

Was it some kind of joke?

You looked down at the dresser, there were almost all the things you were missing from your room, you covered your mouth with your hand.

Had someone taken the form of Steve and kidnapped you?

You looked for all the furniture and drawers for the communicator to ask for help, nothing was there, then your mobile phone was not there, none of your belongings that you had taken to the mission.

You saw the door, maybe there was someone on the other side waiting for you, you went to the window, it had bars inside and outside, you couldn't escape through there, you opened the door, it was rare that I didn't have a lock, you tried to open the others but if they were closed with insurance, all the windows in the hall also had bars, you tried to peek through one, it seemed that what you saw was the tower of a castle.

For a moment you thought you were in Transylvania, you walked up the stairs and down, you went to the main entrance and tried to open, it was impossible.

"You woke up princess at last," Steve said.

"Steven, what does this mean?" you asked.

He did not answer your question.

You came up annoyed and you slapped him, I was hoping that if he was someone with the appearance of your boyfriend maybe he would show his true face, but nothing changed more than his expression, now he felt a little annoyed.

Steve grabbed your wrist and dragged you to the table, you tried to get away without success.

"Let go of me, you hurt me," you complained.

"You have to eat," he ordered.

He forced you to sit down, you looked at the plate with food, you were not going to eat anything, but your stomach protested, so you had no other option, although you could not deny that the food was delicious.

"Let's dance princess," Steve said suddenly.

"I don't want to," you refused.

He pulled you hard to get up.

"I said we are going to dance."

He was guiding you, you were trying not to move, but it was practically impossible.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you and they want to separate us," he replied.

"Steve, let's go back to base, please," you asked.

"No princess, I will not allow anyone to separate us."

He tried to kiss you.

“Don’t!

You pushed him, took off your shoes, and started running all over the place trying to escape, all the doors were still closed, and he caught you.

"You are behaving very badly princess," he sentenced.

"Leave me!" You shouted.

He struggled and dragged you to the room where you woke up, you kept screaming, maybe if someone listened to you they could help you.

"Shout all you want, no one will listen to you, I built this castle especially for you," he explained.

"I don't care, I want to go back to base, I don't want to be here," you whimpered.

Steve looked hurt, he had done all that especially for you and you didn't appreciate it.

"You need a punishment," he sentenced.

He took out handcuffs and chained you to one of the bedposts.

"You will stay like this until tomorrow, I hope you think about your behavior princess."

You saw the clock, it was four o'clock in the afternoon, you screamed and cried until you fell asleep, you did not know where he had gone, you hoped that others would notice that they were not there and would look for you and find you, although you were not sure if they would believe you.

At seven the next morning, Steve came in, he saw you asleep, started kissing you.

"Time to wake up princess," he whispered in your ear.

"Steve, let's go back to the base please," you asked again.

"No princess, let's have breakfast," he refused.

He took you to the dining room, maybe it was best not to make him mad, but you probably wouldn't eat all day.

Then he decided it was time to take a bath, he entered the bathroom with you but not the tub, and he began to wash your body with the sponge.

"Steve, I can do it alone," you said calmly, you didn't want to alter it.

"I want to help you, princess," he replied.

It was awkward, yet you were at a noticeable disadvantage.

"Put this on," she said, giving you another dress.

“Don’t you have jeans or something? “You asked.

"I want you to dress appropriately princess."

You put on the light blue dress that you had reluctantly chosen under Steve's watchful eye.

“You like them? I had them made especially for you, “he commented.

“They are cute”.

He brushed your hair and then put on another tiara, you felt ridiculous dressing like this, and you looked away from the mirror.

"Like you, princess, you know, we are going to be very happy here," he assured you.

"Something must have happened to Steve and Y/N," Natasha said concerned.

"I'm sure Steve is guilty," said Wanda.

"Come on, I don't think Capsicle will be able to harm someone," Tony commented.

Wanda tried to call you unsuccessfully for the tenth time. After several more attempts, they managed to locate your mobile phone near a river.

Steve managed to send false leads, making others believe that here you were kidnapped by some enemy.

Again he had left you alone, but this time you were not handcuffed, you started to check the place looking for an escape.

As soon as you heard the castle door open, you ran, maybe you could escape, Steve threw you to the ground to get away so you got up and changed your strategy, you locked yourself in the room, he opened it easily since he had the keys.

You started throwing at him what you were hiring without importing if you broke or hit him, you wanted to keep him away from you and as soon as you had the opportunity you would go out the door.

He kept coming closer, he threw you against the bed and got on top of you, easily taking off your dress.

"No, no, what are you doing?" you asked, trying to pull him away from you without success.

"You need a lesson, I wanted to do things well, but you refuse to cooperate, then it will be otherwise," he said.

He started stroking your breasts roughly and sucking your body, you kept struggling and the tears started to come out of your eyes, previously Steve had never forced you into anything, but now he seemed not to care what you want.

He penetrated you without caring that you weren't ready, it hurt a lot.

“Stop!”

He covered your mouth with one of his hands as he continued, stopped until he came.

"We will get married and have many children," he said before leaving.

You did not know how much you were going to endure, but you were completely sure that you would find a way to escape.

Taking advantage that Steve was asleep, you hated that princess nightgown that forced you to sleep.

You didn't put on your sneakers, which would give you away, you carefully took the keys, and you knew Steve was smart, but anyone could make a mistake.

You held your breath, one wrong move and it could all end… it didn't sound like such a bad idea if you were sure he was going to kill you, but you knew it wouldn't, it was much worse.

You walked as fast as you could.

You opened the door and started running through the garden, you had no idea where the entrance was.

You didn't even care to feel the grass against your bare feet or the stones, you ran as fast as you could look for the exit.

You heard Steve's voice calling out to you behind you.

You entered the maze, there you could lose it and sneak away, and you hoped that the exit was the door if so, you would go to the nearest town to call Wanda.

You kept walking, sometimes you stopped when you thought you heard Steve close by.

It seemed endless, honestly, you had no idea where you were going, and suddenly Steve tackled you, knocking you to the ground.

"You did something very bad princess," he said between his teeth.

He carried you, you tried to get away, bit him, kicked him, however, he was stronger and taller than you, easily pinned you down, took you back inside the castle.

He tore your nightgown and put you in the tub, he carved you with great force.

"Steve, stop, you hurt me," you asked.

"You have been a very bad girl, princess," he repeated.

“You can have what you want, I can give you anything and still you're trying to escape”

He tied your hands to the headboard.

"You have me kidnapped!"

He slapped you so hard that tears came out of your eyes, he turned you so that you were face down.

“When princesses are bad, they should be taught a lesson.”

He took off his belt and hit your ass several times with it, at first you tried not to make any noise, but the pain was more so you ended up screaming, after a while, you weren't sure if it had been minutes or hours, but what that if you knew is that probably in a few days you could not sit down.

What were you going to do? You had no way out.

If you tried to run away again or something he did not like, he was surely going to do the same, if you did what he wanted even if it was against your wishes, you did not know where you had gone again, he refused to answer your questions, your body still hurt and you were hungry.

"My King, you returned," you said in a shaky voice.

"I see that you finally understood, princess," he congratulated you.

You looked away, you didn't know exactly how you should behave and you were terrified of doing something that would infuriate him, but you were determined to play along.

"I have something to show you," he commented.

He took your hand and led you to the living room showed you some photos.

You covered your face with your hands horrified to see the photos with the crime he had committed, Steve had murdered everyone, your friends too.

"Steve ... why?" You asked crying.

"No one is going to separate us," he assured you with a smile.

No one was going to save you, you would be trapped in that place for the rest of your life.

#Sherry’s Reader-insert Smut Prompt Challenge!#dark fanfic #dark steve rogers #dark captain america #dark fanfiction #dark steve #dark fic #dark steve x reader #dark steve x y/n #dark steve x you #dark captain america x reader #dark captain america x y/n #dark captain america x you

231 notes · View notes

joaquinwhorres · 4 years

Text

Best of Friends (Ch. 2) {Bucky x Reader}

SUMMARY ››››› When your best friend steals marries Bucky’s best friend, the two of you are left with only one solution: to become best friends yourselves.

PAIRING ››››› Bucky Barnes x Reader

WORD COUNT ››››› 6,739

WARNINGS ››››› This is chapter PG-13.

A/N ››››› I’m so happy to already have some comments on this story. I don’t know if I would have been able to get this chapter out so fast without your encouragements. Please please reblog if you enjoy it or come into my inbox and scream at me.

You regretted everything. Whatever had possessed you and subsequently made you think you'd be ready to host people in your apartment five days after you moved in needed to be taken care of. Sage was being added to the shopping list.

It had been a scramble to say the very least. So much so that you texted Bernadette to beg her to come help you get ready for the party. She had agreed to come over straight after her last class to help you with the last few boxes and to get food and drinks ready.

So, she should have been here approximately three hours ago. None of your increasingly frantic texts had been answered and ever the proponent for plausible deniability, Bernadette hadn't enabled read receipts.

You glanced at your phone. Bucky had asked if you needed help with anything, and you told him Bernadette was coming even though at that point she was over an hour and a half late. Instead, you sent him on a mission for alcohol because while going out to a pizza dinner with Bucky and playfully calling him your best friend was one thing, spending an extended amount of time alone with Bucky in your apartment would have been nightmarish. Sure, he seemed to have plenty to say, but the fact remained: you didn't know him that well and you didn't want to give Bernadette any proof for her case.

A knock came from the door and you sighed, glancing up at the clock. Finally.

You swung the door open. "You're so late."

You were met with a raised eyebrow and someone who was very decidedly not Bernadette. "I was told 7."

Natasha. Fuck.

You remembered Natasha. She was sort of impossible to forget. Natasha had been the bridesmaid who practically took over your Maid of Honor duties leading up to the wedding. It wasn't a hostile takeover or like anything out of Bridesmaids. It had been purely practical. You lived 8 hours away and didn't know the rest of the girls. She was here and could easily organize the bridal shower, dress fittings, bachelorette party, and the rest. All you had to do was get Bernadette down the aisle and give a speech.

"Sorry, I thought you were Bernadette," you apologized, stepping aside so Natasha could come in.

"Different redhead," she smiled, heading directly into your kitchen, and pulling alcohol from the brown bag in her hand. Grey Goose, French Vanilla Ciroc, and a bottle that's name was in Russian and you had never seen before. So, you were good on Vodka.

"Sorry, I'm running late getting everything set up. "

"Don't worry about it," Natasha dismissed, surveying your counter. "Are these staying here or going out to the table?"

"I got it," you exclaimed, rushing across the room as if to snatch anything out of her hands. You picked up a few bags of chips into your arms. "You don't have to do anything. Just sit? Have a drink? I'm so sorry." You apologized again, heading back to the living room to stick the chips on the table before returning for the rest. Natasha looked at you with vague amusement, and you could feel your face burning under her stare.

Quickly you ran through the list in your mind of things that still needed to be done. You needed ice. Bucky was bringing ice. You needed to put the chips in bowls probably. And the salsa. And maybe take the brownies out of the pans and put them on plates?

You couldn't believe that of all people you were stuck here early with Natasha. Perfect Natasha. Who would have probably had everything unpacked and designer furniture and better snacks than a few pans of boxed brownies and store brand tortilla chips. This was actual hell. You thought it was moving into this place, but if you had known this was coming--

"Here. Drink," Natasha said, thrusting a red solo cup at you as she blocked your path out of the kitchen. You fumbled putting the chip bowls onto your counter and took the cup from her. You looked into the cup, trying to determine which of the three liquors she had poured into it. As if you could tell the vodkas apart on sight.

"Cheers," Natasha bumped her cup against yours before downing her shot, and you did the same, the alcohol surprisingly smooth and crisp. "Better?" Natasha lifted an eyebrow at you.

You nodded, thankful for the small pause and the warmth of the shot. She took your cup from you and moved back into the kitchen, pouring more Grey Goose into it before going to your freezer and rummaging a few ice cubes out and dropping them in. You reached to pick up the chips bowls again, but before you could return to your original task, she took them from your hands, replacing them with the drink. Without another word she guided you out of your kitchen with one hand on the small of your back as the others held the bowls. The pair of you made a beeline for the couch, and you sank into it as Natasha began pouring the chips into the bowls.

"You don't need to--" you started to protest, standing up from your seat.

"Sit down. Relax," Natasha ordered, and you shut your mouth, sinking back down into the couch. "What has to be done?" You opened your mouth to apologize or tell her again that she should really just let you continue finishing up the work, but she held up a finger. "I'm early. I'm helping."

"Um," you said dumbly, looking around the apartment. "Cutting the brownies, music, trash, recycling, it's probably too late for decorations--oh! The napkins and paper plates and everything. They're still in the bag I think."

Natasha nodded, and you could see her organizing and gears turning in her head. "So, here's what's going to happen. You're going to take care of the music, drink your drink, and get ready to greet people. I've got the rest."

"Thank you," you said in a small voice.

She smiled at you. "You're learning."

You took a quick sip of your drink, before leaving it on the coffee table to head towards your bedroom for your speaker. It took a full three minutes to find it in the mess you'd shoved into your closet and another thirty seconds to find the cord. Just as you were successfully untangling it from your foam roller, your phone buzzed. Eager to get an ETA on Bernie's arrival, you tugged the cord maybe a little harder than you should have, dislodging the cord. And the foam roller. And a fairly large pile of things that came crashing onto your lap.

"Everything ok in there?"

Don't cry. Don't you dare cry. Not with Natasha in the house. Don't you fucking cry.

"Yep!" Ok psycho, tone it down1000%. "Just dropped something!"

You pulled your phone out of your back pocket, eyeing the screen.

Pushing the disappointment down, you opened the text.

Attached was a very unflattering picture of one of the groomsmen from the wedding carrying two cases of beer and a bag of ice. He was clearly in the middle of saying something, with one eyelid half closed, his mouth hanging open, and his nose slightly wrinkled. It made you snort, and a small smile tugged at your lips.

"You're sure you're ok in there?" Nat asked, and you could hear her walking closer to your room.

You shoved your phone into your back pocket and scooped up the speaker and cord, kicking the pile back into your closet as best you could. "Mhmm!" you chirped, coming out of the room and almost bumping into Nat. She had finished laying out all of the snacks you had as well as the paper goods, and had made the wise decision to turn off the fluorescent light overhead and instead switch on all of your lamps and hanging lights around the room. The effect honestly made the forty-five minutes you spent fighting with the string lights worth it. She had placed the plastic reusable bag you'd stuffed the groceries in on the ground with a little tag that said "Recycle Me!" and taped a large trash bag so it hung off the side of the counter. On the kitchen counter was a stack of flash cards and a sharpie, a couple of bent tags stood saying "homemade brownies" & "salt + vinegar."

How she moved that fast--or maybe you moved that slow--you didn't understand, but you were starting to feel a bit better about things.

"Great!" Natasha said, taking the speaker from you. "Do you have a playlist you want?"

Making the playlist had been the least of your worries. She must have caught onto the blank look on your face because she smiled and pressed the button to pair the device. While she was busy fiddling with her phone, you pulled yours out.

You might have added more question marks if Lorde's voice hadn't begun to fill your apartment. Instead, you clicked send and hoped that Bernie would look at her phone.

"Drink," Natasha pointed to the red solo cup still perched on the coffee table. You didn't bother arguing and instead walked over and picked it up to sip. You glanced over your cup at Natasha.

"If I'm drinking, you have to too."

Natasha smiled. "Fair enough." She headed to the kitchen as a knock sounded from the door. A jolt of panic rushed through you.

Natasha looked up from where she was pouring herself a drink out of the Russian vodka bottle, staring pointedly at the door.

You moved from behind the coffee table to the door, pulling it open. All of the tension left you as you stared at Bucky's concerned face. The relief must have been visible on your face because his own brow smoothed out."

"We come bearing beer!" The guy behind Bucky (the same one from Bucky's photo) announced. He nudged Bucky inside the apartment, and Bucky stepped to the side, shifting his grip on his own cases of alcohol. You shut the door behind them.

"You go there faster than I thought you would," you murmured.

"You said hurry," he answered, equally lowly.

"Hey Nat!" The other guy greeted Natasha in your kitchen. You looked over Bucky's shoulder as she directed him to put the drinks into the fridge.

"I didn't expect you to break the laws of space and time. It's been like less than ten minutes."

"We were right down the street." The concerned look was back on Bucky's face. "Where's Bernie?"

You pressed your lips together tightly, shrugging. "It's just me and Natasha." You tried to keep your voice as even and carefree as possible. Bucky looked over his shoulder as if noticing her for the first time despite the fact that his friend had greeted her.

"I know we're not supposed to mention the apartment, but it looks good," the other guy commented, coming out of the kitchen, beer in hand. Both Natasha and Bucky turned to glare at him, even as you looked up at Bucky, your cheeks growing warm.

"Smooth, Wilson," Natasha rolled her eyes, and Bucky walked into the kitchen, pausing to punch his friend in the shoulder.

"It's a compliment! I mean, the way he was stressing it, I would have expected there to be a raccoon sitting in the corner or like, all of the windows to just be holes in the walls."

"That's probably my fault," you said smally, wishing you had your cup in hand. "I--hate it."

He gave your apartment another cursory glance. "I mean, it's no midtown loft, but it's nice. Spacious. Clean...ish," he nodded, approvingly.

"You got it sight unseen too, right?" Nat asked.

"Yeah," you nodded.

Wilson looked floored. "You got this sight unseen?"

"Alright, let's move on from apartment talk," Bucky said, returning with a beer in hand. He paused. "Nice music choice."

"It's Natasha's." Bucky's eyes fell on you, and you moved over to the coffee table careful not to run, grabbing up your drink. How early would be too early to claim a needed bathroom break? Should you try calling Bernie? What if something happened. Maybe you should try Steve. You slid your phone out of your pocket, glancing at the screen. In the commotion of greeting Bucky and Wilson, you hadn't felt it buzz.

We. Our.

You took a deep breath, put the phone away, and took what was probably too long of a sip from your drink.

"What are you drinking?" Bucky asked as you finally pulled the cup away from your lips.

You glanced down into the clear concoction in front of you, giving yourself a chance to swallow. "Pretty sure it's straight vodka."

Bucky shot a look at Natasha.

"Shots were inefficient for our needs at the time," she defended, taking a sip of her own vodka, finally emerging from the kitchen with a stack of the signs.

"Did you make these brownies?" Wilson asked, navigating the words around a mouthful. You nodded, wondering if he had just prevented another fight or if he simply hadn't noticed the challenging looks on Bucky and Natasha's faces. Given the past five minutes with him, it could have gone either way.

"They're delicious."

"You remember Sam?" Bucky asked, gesturing to his friend.

"Vaguely," you said, reaching over to shake the outstretched hand and feeling very thankful that you had not directly asked 'Wilson' a question. Just the thought of having stuck your foot in your mouth made your stomach churn.

"What's up? Y/N, right?" He shook your hand a couple of times before letting it go. "Welcome to New York."

"Thanks," you smiled. You were saved from having to make any small talk by another knock at the door. This time, you weren't going to leave your drink behind, because there was absolutely no way Bernadette was on the other side of the door.

You swung it open.

Baiting the universe had not worked.

Instead, on the other side stood four people. A blonde, a brunette, a redhead and a dude. It was the beginning of a bad joke, which was pretty on brand for this party. Thankfully you at least recognized two out of the four.

"Hi, welcome," you pasted on a smile, opening the door further so they could come in. Wanda smiled at you ushering the strange man in with her as Natasha directed them to place their wine in the kitchen. Maria followed with a quick, "Hey." before addressing the crowd. "I come bearing good news."

The room paused expectantly, and you took the opportunity to close the door behind the mystery blonde.

"Tony's not coming."

"Don't tease me," Sam said, straightening up. "I swear to God, if you say psych--"

"Hand to God," Maria raised her hand.

"Hallelujah!" Sam whooped. "This round's on me." Despite the chuckles echoing across the apartment at the joke, you couldn't help but feel incredibly out of the loop.

"You invited the pizza guy?" you asked Bucky who promptly burst out laughing along with Sam and just about everyone else, minus a glaring Natasha and sympathetic Wanda. Your face burst into flames, and you hid it behind your cup. Since your cup was already there, you figured it would be a good moment to drink as much as humanly possible.

"I'm sure Clint would have loved that," the blonde next to you said.

"Tony's my boss, sort of. And our...friend," Wanda filled in. "Sort of."

"Not my friend," Sam shook his head.

"He was on the outskirts of our friend group in college," Wanda amended. "We were better friends with his roommate, James."

"Rhodey!" Sam and Bucky chorused together.

"He did ROTC with the idiots," Maria clarified.

"So why was Tony invited?" you asked lightly, sure there was more you weren't catching on to.

"Because he turns into a major drama queen if we leave him out, and he always finds out if we leave him out," Natasha shook her head. "Also, he has excellent taste in booze."

"Speaking of which," Maria headed into the kitchen with her own bottle of wine as she and Wanda went about making drinks and the rest of the party resumed. You expected the blonde to follow the parade into the kitchen, but instead she remained by you.

"Hi, I'm Bobbi," she stuck out her wine-free hand with a bright smile. "The former new girl." You jostled your cup into your other hand and shook hers.

"Nice to meet you. Y/N."

Bobbi released your hand, but didn't move away. "So, speaking of backstories, how'd you get roped in with this bunch?"

"Oh, I uh, I grew up with Bernadette. Bernie."

"Right! Sorry, I should have remembered," Bobbi shook her head at herself.

"That's ok, I don't think I remember you from the wedding either."

Bobbi smiled. "I didn't join in until after the wedding. I work with Maria," she said pointing to Maria who was now chatting over her drink with Sam. "So I guess that means I'm technically still the new girl." You couldn't help but smile at her. She was so disarmingly genuine it was both comforting and massively intimidating. How could someone who had known these people for less than four months be able to fit in so flawlessly? Get their inside jokes? Or at least be so good at pretending like she got them? "So, you're new to the city. How do you like it so far?"

Most of your interactions over the past week had been centered around setting up your life. You wouldn't exactly count getting renter's insurance and setting up a new bank account as getting to new New York City. You had a feeling the most "New York" thing you'd done was stop to get take out and been so shocked at the price that you determined you would make all of your meals at home from now on.

"It's big," you commented dumbly, and Bobbi laughed. And because it was Bobbi, it felt like she was laughing with you.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Too big sometimes. Where are you from?"

"North Carolina. I moved here from Chapel Hill."

"Oh, so you must have gone to UNC?" Bobbi guessed, and you nodded. "So you must be a genius."

You snorted. "I'm not a genius."

"You know, that's exactly what a genius would say." You laughed loudly and freely for what was probably the first time all week.

"Nope, I don't like the sound of that," Bucky rose from the couch, shaking his head as he approached the two of you. "Find your own best friend, Morse, this one's mine."

"I don't know, I like her," Bobbi said, her eyes flitting between you and Bucky. You found this hard to believe seeing as you'd only said like four awkward stumbling things to her, but she was also too earnest for you not to believe her. "I think I'm going to have to fight you for her, Barnes."

The fight was stopped by the door flinging open, narrowly missing nailing Bucky in the back. Bucky swore loudly, but soon another voice was covering over his.

"Lucy, I'm home!" Bernadette called, bounding in with a Babka under one arm and a bottle of Southern Comfort in the other hand. You could see her scan the apartment for you before finally locating you almost behind the door. She practically skipped in, throwing an arm around you and kissing your cheek. "Hi!"

"Hi," you said, looking between her and Bucky and Bobbi. Bucky had moved to greet Steve, and Bobbi looked as if she was ready to say something before turning around and heading to finally place her wine in the kitchen.

"I thought you were coming over after class," you whispered, happy that the rest of the party's attention was otherwise absorbed.

"I was, but I wanted to get changed for the party, and then Steve came home and he had a bad day," Bernie shrugged, the smile sliding off her face. "He was so wound up, I thought he'd ruin the party if he came like that."

"So you spent three hours talking about a bad day?"

Bernadette bobbled her head. "One talking, and one and a half cheering him up." The implication was too clear. You grimaced and Bernadette laughed at you. "Prude."

"I'm not a prude," You argued back. And you weren't. You enjoyed sex as much as the next person. You'd watched plenty of intimate scenes in movies with your friends and never felt awkward. You could even say the word at normal volume without blushing. You just didn't like to think about your friends having it.

Bernie hummed disbelievingly before breaking away to your kitchen to serve the babka and pour herself a drink. You had half a mind to follow her before a knock came from the door again. This time on the other hand was a blonde man (a groomsman, you recognized) whose elbow to wrist was wrapped in duct tape, and a girl with black hair who was carrying a couple boxes of Tony's pizza and looked very, very put out.

This must be Clint.

"Sorry we're late," Clint grinned, entering the apartment first with the girl (Grace? Kate? Jade?) following behind him.

"Don't you guys live right around the corner?" Bucky asked.

"Pretty much, but this idiot tried to take his cast off right before we left with a pair of scissors," the girl said with a look that was equal parts "you are the biggest dumbass" and "what did I do to deserve this." Sam choked on his drink while there seemed to be a collective sigh amongst the women in the room.

"Clint," Natasha said, holding her head in her hand.

"They can cut through a penny, I thought they could cut through a cast!" Clint burst out in protest, and despite your horror, you found yourself snorting with laughter.

"Tell them why you were trying to cut off your cast," Kate ordered, opening one of the boxes of pizza and helping herself to a slice. It was as if she was popping popcorn into her mouth.

Clint looked sheepish, and brought his other hand up to rub the back of his neck. "It was really itchy, and I couldn't reach the spot with anything."

Natasha walked up and smacked him on the back of the head.

"My hand felt better too! Look," he wiggled his fingers as if that proved anything to the group. He was met with eyerolls, shakes of the head, and more laughter. This did not deter him from going over to get two slices of pizza from the box.

"So what led to this?" Bernadette asked from where she stood in Steve's arms, gesturing to the duct tape monstrosity.

"He refused to miss the party and go to Urgent Care, and I refused to miss the party taking his dumb ass to Urgent Care, so this was the best we could come up with," the girl shook her head. Kate. Probably. "He sliced his arm with the scissors so we poured some hydrogen peroxide down there, shoved some cotton balls in, and I taped it up so he couldn't mess with it."

"My God," Bobbi commented, shaking her head.

"But look, pizza!" Clint said, pointing to the boxes.

This seemed to be enough from dissuading everybody from continuing to pile on him as plates were passed around and people settled into new conversations. Your eyes roamed over the party, watching as the old friends drank the alcohol and chatted in groups leaving you feeling very much out of place in this stupid apartment in this stupid city with this stupid idea. Even Bernadette and Steve seemed happily content cuddling in towards each other, which on the bright side, meant that you could happily go hide out in the bathroom for a bit--

"You look like you're having a blast," Bucky appeared next to you, breaking off your escape plan. You shot a look at him.

"Time of my life," you answered flatly, punctuating the sentence with a swig of your drink.

Bucky smiled. "You've met everyone before. It's pretty much just the wedding party, minus an asshole."

"That doesn't count. It was one weekend like three months ago," you protested.

He shook his head, raising his eyes to the ceiling as if silently praying that God would reach down and pull a Natasha, smacking you across the head to bring you to your senses. You wondered if his prayer would be heard over yours that some emergency would come up that made everyone in the room clear out except for Bernadette and maybe Bucky and Steve.

"Well then, your honor, let's go meet some people."

"I'm good," you shook your head.

"That's the spirit," he grinned lightly dragging you by your elbow as he pulled you into your party.

Meeting people wasn't too bad.

But it wasn't great either, especially not as more people came into your already cramped apartment.

You discovered through your forced small talk that the man who came with Wanda, Maria, and Bobbi was Bruce. He apparently worked in the same lab as Wanda, and nobody had met him before either.

You had also been an unwilling participant in a few awkward exchanges including when M'Baku arrived and pretended he couldn't speak English much to your horror and subsequent embarrassment. Or when you had assumed that Clint and Kate were dating, and Bucky had almost spit out his drink onto you.

"We're just roommates," Kate shook her head. "Mostly, I put up with him for his dog." Clint clicked onto his lock screen to show you the picture of an adorable labrador with a slice of pizza hanging out of his mouth.

"Is that--" you started.

"It's his favorite food," Clint grinned.

And while everyone was nice and asked you how North Carolina was and how you liked the city and what a biostatistician did, you couldn't help but wish that all you were doing was sitting on a couch with Bernadette drinking cheap beer and gossiping. Especially since Bucky disappeared, apparently taking a page out of "Bernadette's Book of How to Introduce Friends," leaving you to sink or swim.

You had successfully navigated a conversation with Maria and Bobbi without putting your foot in your mouth, but when the two girls' attention was drawn to a story Clint was telling, you once more found yourself alone in the worst way in your own apartment.

"Y/N!" Wanda greeted with a smile, pulling you in for a hug. "It's so good to see you again. Sorry I didn't say hi earlier. I was trying to introduce Bruce to people," she said, gesturing at the man who was talking nearby with Natasha.

"It's good to see you too," you said, hugging Wanda back and feeling a surge of gratefulness that she was here. Wanda was the bridesmaid she had been closest to throughout the whole wedding. She was the buffer between you and Natasha's imposing togetherness, Okoye's no-nonsense attitude, and Maria's businesslike manner. As the anxious, introverted mess of a friend, part of you had wondered if you were on your way out now that Bernadette had these strong independent women to rely on. But Wanda, she was calm and caring, and made you feel like maybe you still had a place in Bernadette's friend group.

"I know you'd rather not talk about the apartment, but it's actually very nice," Wanda complimented, pulling back to look around the room.

"It's terrible," you flushed.

"It could use some love," Wanda hedged. "But it's much better than our first apartment in the city."

"People keep saying that," you paused, eyeing Wanda who seemed to lose interest mid sentence to take out her phone. "But it really feels like it's just to make me feel better."

Wanda looked up briefly from her phone, shaking her head. "Trust me, when you see this picture, you will feel better."

Natasha wandered up, having apparently left her conversation with Bruce and cocked her head at Wanda. "Really Wan? You're on your phone?"

"I'm showing her the picture of our first apartment."

Natasha's face fell. "Hurry up or Bernie's going to hear you and get ideas."

"She's not gonna hear a picture."

Your brow knit together in confusion, but you didn't have time to ask any of the questions you wanted to because Wanda was shoving her phone into your face.

On the screen was a picture of her, Natasha, and Bernadette crammed together on a loveseat. Wanda was gripping Natasha's arm tightly and seemed to be trying to hide behind the other girl on the couch or at least crawl up onto her, a look of horror on her face as she stared at the arm of the sofa. Natasha's look was pure annoyance, but not at Wanda--at the ceiling above the love seat's arm. And Bernadette had her head back laughing, almost falling over the other arm.

A large grey rat lay on the arm of the chair.

"Two seconds before this was taken four rats fell through a hole in our ceiling," Wanda explained as you passed the phone back. "Most of them scattered. This one played dead. Maybe it was dead, I don't know."

"Are you telling her about Couch Rat?" Bernadette asked, bounding over, and slinging an arm around you.

Natasha shot Wanda a pointed look.

"I miss that guy."

"I don't," Natasha shook her head. "I also don't miss you hiding stuffed rats in all of our things," she added with a glance at Bernadette who burst into tittering laughter.

"It was once a month, and honestly, if you guys cleaned more often, it wouldn't have been a problem," Bernadette dismissed, turning over her shoulder. "Steve! Remember Couch Rat?” you flinched covering your ear which Bernadette had just shouted into and almost missing the shared rolling of eyes between Nat and Wanda.

Steve seemed to materialize from nowhere, pushing himself into the group between Bernadette and Natasha. It wasn't much of a squeeze though because the moment Steve appeared, Natasha walked away heading over to Clint and Sam.

"Oh yeah, Couch Rat," Steve laughed, looping an arm around Bernadette's waist. You wondered if she could extricate herself from under Bernadette's arm or if that would make things even more awkward than she already felt. In a wave of desperation, you flashed a look at Wanda who was too busy staring at something over your shoulder.

"Remember that time I hid it in your shoe?" Bernadette giggled up at Steve.

"It's the reason why I always have to check my shoes before we go anywhere, thank you," Steve teased back.

You attempted once more to make eye contact with Wanda as Steve and Bernie continued on their teasing reminiscence. Wanda was gone though. Not physically, but you knew that look in her eyes. She was either in her own land or scrolling through different strategies that would eject her out of this conversation. So, you were left alone feeling like some kind of voyeur, looking in on a friendship you couldn't break into. And in your own apartment. This party was a mistake. This apartment was a mistake. This was all just a huge mistake. There had to be some way you could leave--

"Your honor," Bucky approached, gesturing towards the kitchen with his head. "Can you show me where the bottle opener is?"

The question seemed to jolt Wanda back to life and remind Bernadette of your presence. If only so she could withdraw her arm from around your shoulders and back up into Steve's embrace."Fine, steal her away then," Bernadette teased, sticking her tongue out at Bucky.

"You steal mine, I steal yours," Bucky tossed back, turning as you met him to head off to the kitchen.

"You need me for a bottle opener?" you murmured.

"You looked ready to throw yourself out of a window," Bucky remarked. "And Wanda had clearly checked out."

Arguing would have been pointless. Your face was way too transparent for any excuse to be believable. Instead, you watched as Bucky opened your fridge and reached in for a drink, passing over a White Claw which you promptly handed back.

"I want a real drink to get through this," you said, and Buckly laughed.

"This is a real drink."

"This is what white women on diets drink," you retorted, and Bucky laughed even harder.

"Fine, what do you want? Straight vodka again?" he asked, pushing open the fridge further so you could peruse the selection. And there it was. Gold. You hadn't even noticed anybody walk in with it. If you had, you wouldn't have been wasting your time on vodka and wine. You gasped, jostling Bucky out of the way to claim the last of your favorite beer.

"You're kidding me," Bucky looked at you flatly.

"What?" you asked indignantly, shutting the fridge.

"You gave me shit for a White Claw, and you're drinking High Life?"

"Um, excuse me Your Bestness, but this is the champagne of beers," you scoffed, popping the tab.

Bucky let out a playful scoff, cracking open his drink. "Ok, K the Plummer. Drink it quickly. I don't want you to embarrass me in front of my friends."

"High Life is something to be savored," you corrected. "The only time you should ever drink it quickly is in competition."

Bucky heaved a sigh. "Alright, if that's the way it's going to be. On three?"

"That wasn't a challenge."

"Sounded like a challenge to me."

"It wasn't. Besides, I thought you didn't want me to embarrass you in front of your friends," you sassed.

"In your dreams, Your Honor. Ready?"

You nodded. "One, two--"

"Three!" Bucky shouted as you barely got the end of the word "two" out. You let out a quick laugh before following Bucky's lead and lifting the drink to your lips. The two of you held each other's gaze as you slurped down the alcoholic beverages as fast as possible. Carbonation burned down your throat, and it was hard to breathe and drink and not laugh at the same time, but this was the most fun you'd had all night. Probably in the past month.

And you really didn't want Bucky to win.

A faint cheer went up from the living room, as the rest of the party seemed to catch on to the competition--probably alerted by Bucky's shout.

"Come on Buckaboo! Don't let me down!" Sam called, clapping his hands. Your drink almost snorted out your nose at the nickname as Bucky broke eye contact to glare at Sam. Bernadette started a chant of “kick his ass, kick his ass,” which only Steve and Clint joined in on. Bucky's brow scrunched as he took the can away from his lips.

"What the hell, St--"

"Drink!" Nat called out, and Bucky once again lifted his drink to his mouth as you felt the last bit of beer leave the can. You held the can up in the air victorious, attempting to swallow as Bucky finished his last bit and crushed the can on the counter.

"I won!" you both chorused.

"You didn't crush your can," Bucky protested, pointing to it.

"Since when did you have to crush your can? I finished it first," you argued, flipping the can over so a single drop of liquid came out.

"No," Bucky shook his head. "It ends with the crush," he wiggled his crushed can at you, spraying a few drops of beer.

"She didn't know!" Bernadette protested.

"It's a well established rule," Bucky argued back.

"House rule," Sam corrected. "Man, you always establish house rules at the beginning."

"Yesssss," you cheered, leaning backing, pointing at Bucky with both your pointer fingers. "Take that Buckaboo."

"I'm so proud," Bernadette rushed over, laying a huge kiss on your cheek. "That's my best friend!"

You smiled, and then burped loudly in Bernadette's face, sending most of the guys into hysterics.

"Y/N, I might be in love with you," Sam professed, and you laughed despite the pink tinge in your cheeks. Maybe you would fit in after all.

The following hours passed by quickly and without any further incidents of you putting your foot in your mouth or finding yourself in conversations you didn't want to be in. Part of it had to be the alcohol buzzing through your veins, but the fact that Bernadette and Sam insisted on dancing and playing games for the rest of the night, certainly made things better. You won a game of Cards Against Humanity much to everyone's surprise, and had been the second person to successfully Ride the Bus.

Hours later, you found yourself sitting on the corner of your couch, snuggled between the arm and Bucky, who for his part, had learned his lesson about leaving you on your own. "Your Bestness?" you whispered, and Bucky looked at you with raised eyebrows and a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Yes, Your Honor?"

"I think I'm drunk," you confided with a frown, your eyes darting around to see if anyone had picked up on your confession. It didn't appear that anyone had. Bobbi was busy writing messages on Clint's duct tape while M'Baku was alternating between lifting up Wanda and Maria one armed, each girl maintaining a firm grip on his tricep as they dangled from the ground. Sam seemed to be losing pitifully to Kate in their game of Quarters on the coffee table. Before you could locate the remaining guests, you were brought back to the conversation as Bucky shifted next to you.

"I think it's a significant possibility," he whispered back.

"Is it awkward to be drunk at your own party?" you winced.

He blew out a breath through his nose. If you had been slightly more sober, you might have recognized it as a laugh.

"I think you're good."

"I don't want to be awkward."

Bucky pointed a finger at Bernie who was sharing your arm chair with Steve. Which was a bit ironic given that she had seemingly stolen Steve's beer and was hold it over his head. Steve looked very uncomfortable with the way she was squirming in his lap and kept trying to hold her still much to her amusement. "You can have it for a kiss," she announced, bending down to kiss him, but when he reached up, she jerked back, taking the beer with her and sipping from it.

"Bernadette, give Steve the beer," you demanded, your words slurring together. "Everyone gets to drink. It's my party, and everyone drinks."

"Here, here!" Sam cheered, lifting his beer in a salut. You lifted yours as well, lurching over Bucky to click cups him.

The rest of the night was a blur.

There was some more dancing, you remembered telling a story of running from the cops on your 21st birthday because you forgot you were 21, and there was lots of laughter.

You were laughing even as you helped walk people to the door. Your foot caught a loose floorboard, and you stumbled, M'Baku catching hold of your arm and keeping you upright. "Careful."

"I got her," Bucky stepped in, slipping a hand around your shoulders, and walking you over to the bedroom door. M'Baku smiled and left the apartment, calling out a goodbye.

"Thanks, Your Bestness. You made this not suck," you said, allowing Bucky to redirect you to your bedroom.

A gentle smile crossed Bucky's face. "Of course, Your Honor."

"Hey man, let's roll out. The cab's here," Sam called out from behind you.

"One sec," Bucky shouted over his shoulder, opening the door for you and flicking on the light. "Are you ok? Do you need help getting to bed?"

"Nah," you shook her head, the motion causing the room the swirl around you. You shook it in the opposite direction to balance it out, which didn't exactly work as planned as you stumbled again, and Bucky steadied you. "I'll be fine."

"Water? Tylenol?"

"That's Future Y/N's problem," you dismissed, and Bucky laughed.

"Make sure you text me tomorrow, ok?"

"M'kay mom," you snorted, breaking free from Bucky's grasp to crawl onto your bed.

"Goodnight, K."

"Goodnight Bucky." Your eyes were already closed as you heard the lights flick off and the door click closed, leaving you floating off to sleep with a small smile.

Masterlist

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fic #marvel fic #marvel imagine #avengers imagine #avengers fic #bucky imagine #bucky fic #bucky barnes x you #bucky x darcy #modern!bucky #modern!au #mcu fic #bucky barnes au #best of friends

201 notes · View notes

crisisdparity · 3 years

Text

Game Master Akuma AU

(Note: Originally submitted to @justanotherpersonsuniverse, on their advice I will be using my own tumblr for anything in the future related to this AU.)

Xavier Duchamp was rather proud of himself. What he had before him was an absolute masterpiece of a campaign if he did say so himself. The product of over six months of study, research, and rebalancing efforts followed by two weeks of discussion with his five players to hash out schedules, meeting times, characters, backstories, potential character arcs, and getting them set up with a messaging app that was really good for sending discrete messages between the GM and the players.

Valentine and her boyfriend Justin were onboard in an instant. Within days, he'd greenlighted their Half-Elf Bard of the College of Glamour whose spell list was 100% Illusion spells and Half-Orc Fighter (Eldritch Knight) who was focusing entirely on Abjuration as Rena Rouge and Carapace respectively.

Olivia had spent a few days coming up with a Halfling Rogue and debating subclasses with him until settling on Scout. Along with some discussion over how her special magic item's stunning and paralysis effect would work with Sneak Attack, the campaign had its Vesperia.

Jeanette had gone back and forth with him for a week looking at various homebrew subclasses for her Gnome Artificer before they both agreed on one particular Master Tinkerer entry that would be balanced and do the character justice. And with that they had their Ladybug.

Even Matt was on board with a stealthy human Chat the Barbarian using the Path of the Beast. The class choice was something Matt had insisted on (and that Xavier would have suggested anyway just for the high hit point totals given Matt's history with characters dying) and he'd even come up with a backstory that Xavier felt was quite compelling compared to Matt's usual efforts. Morally ambiguous, likely to be tempted by promises of power, but with a great deal of story potential to work with.

Which was a relief. Getting a new player into their group to replace Matt was not something Xavier really felt comfortable with. There were too many unknowns with introducing a new person, far too many for him to risk his masterpiece on an unknown factor. He knew Matt. He could work with Matt. Despite the history.

He'd put everything he had into this. Every known Akuma ever fought by the heroes had been made into a boss-tier foe. He'd carefully documented each and every power the heroes had shown to craft special legendary magic items based on the Miraculous. Hawkmoth and Mayura themselves were going to be the final bosses of his campaign.

In response to criticism about the difficulty of his campaigns (he tried to make them fair, but still challenging enough to be memorable), he'd made several guest NPCs based on every other hero that had ever been called upon, statted out like player characters that might show up in a pinch to help. He even had a genuine Deus ex Machina that he was ready to use to get the players out of a truly impossible jam if they found themselves in one.

Not always, but a few times at least. Enough to get them to the point where they wouldn't need it anymore.

-----

It was thirty minutes in, right in the middle of exposition from the Guardian NPC, when Xavier got his first message on the app.

Matt/Chat - Chat's going to wait until everyone breaks up and follow Ladybug stealthily.

Xavier/GM - Starting party conflict on the first session? Not what I'd advise, but it's your character. Go ahead and make your Stealth roll now.

Matt/Chat - <photo> 17

Xavier/GM - Yeah, that beats everyone's passive Perception easily. You'll sneak off handily without anyone noticing.

-----

"Jeanette, Ladybug is grabbed from behind by an unknown assailant. Roll to resist the grapple."

"Geez, already? Okay, what did my assailant get for their grapple? How screwed am I?"

Xavier pretended to roll a die while consulting the message from Matt.

"19."

"Okay, difficult, but not undoable... Crap."

"What'd you get?"

"Nat 1..."

"Hah! I rip off her earrings and claim them for myself! The Wish is mine!"

"Seriously Matt?! What the hell?!"

"Because it's payback time! Payback for every character of mine killed in these hellish campaigns!"

"Oh, come on! You're not the only person whose had a character die at this table! Xavier runs some pretty challenging campaigns, but they're always fair!"

"What about the time he killed Allric the Allmighty in a single round of combat?"

"Dude, you tried to Leroy Jenkins straight into melee with a 4th-level Wizard that had a CON penalty. Even at full health you had like 10 hp."

"14!"

"Not much better, dude."

"Guys, it's fine. I can handle this. Okay, Matt. Chat the Barbarian managed to get the earrings-"

"Yeah, Ladybug screams bloody murder when he rips them out. Good luck getting out of this in one piece."

"The moment Rena hears Ladybug scream, she bolts for the sound."

"So does Carapace."

"Vesperia too."

"-and with their current locations and movement speeds, I assume you're all using the Dash action?, you've got maybe one round to decide on your Wish before they're all over you, so choose carefully. And be aware that I plan to grant whatever you wish for in the worst possible way, just as I would if any of the others pulled this."

"Rena screams 'What the HELL, Chat?! We're supposed to protect the Miraculous, not use them for our own selfish purposes! Didn't you listen to the Guardian? Such actions always bring misfortune upon those who misuse the Miraculous!'"

"Because I am Chat, avatar of Destruction and I WISH THIS WORLD NEVER EXISTED!"

There was dead silence at the table.

"Matt... What... just... WHAT?!"

"Hah! You like that?! How does it feel now that the shoe's on the other foot, huh?!"

"What the hell is your problem, Matt?!"

"My problem? MY problem?! Do you know how much time I've spent making characters for these shitty campaigns only to have them turned into paste in one session?!"

"Because you made primary spellcasters and played every last one of them like a barbarian, charging in headfirst without thinking! All of us breathed a sigh of relief when you revealed that your character finally matched your playstyle!"

"I HATE BARBARIANS! THEY'RE BORING! I SHOULD GET TO PLAY CHARACTERS THAT CAN AT LEAST CHUCK FIREBALLS!"

"THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP RUNNING THEM FACE FIRST INTO ENEMY SWORDS!"

"NONE OF YOU COULD EVER HANDLE THE FACT THE I MAKE MORE AWESOME CHARACTERS THAN ANY OF YOU, SO YOU JUST LET THIS DOUCHEBAG KILL THEM OFF SO YOU WOULDN'T GET OVERSHADOWED BY HOW AMAZING I AM! WELL NOW I KILLED SOMETHING YOU ALL WORKED HARD ON, SO SUCK IT! I'M DONE WITH ALL OF YOU FOREVER!"

"MATT! HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU JERK! MATT!"

"Crap, I think Olivia might actually kill him this time..."

"It's going to take all of us to stop her from getting arrested at least."

Xavier just watched numbly as the rest of the group ran out of his apartment. Over six months of work. Gone in less than an hour.

He'd given so much to making sure this would work. He'd apologized to Matt at least twice for every character of his that had died to get him to come back. He'd agreed to demand after demand just to keep a familiar face on board, never dreaming he'd pull something like this.

He'd nearly gotten fired from his job trying to rearrange his schedule to fit with everyone else's. They'd somehow, miraculously, gotten the whole day with no other obligations among any of them and decided to make the first session a true marathon. They'd meet in the morning after breakfast and eat both lunch and dinner at the game table before calling it a night late in the evening.

It was barely 10:00 in the morning and the whole campaign he'd slaved over for months was kaput.

He never noticed the butterfly landing on his custom Miraculous-themed Game Master screen and being absorbed into it.

"Game Master, I am Hawkmoth. Few people appreciate the kind of effort that goes into making something truly grand and memorable. I shall give you the power to bring your entire world to life and in return, I ask only for a few simple things."

This was wrong. Hawkmoth was the worst of the worst. The kind of person who would be at home among all the final bosses he'd ever made for his campaigns. Heartless, manipulative, cruel.

"Not enough? Ah, but what is a game without players? How would you like to have the Miraculous heroes themselves run your great campaign? Surely they would be far more appreciative than those ungrateful peons that left you alone with nothing but the broken remains of your efforts."

He knew all these things, but the allure of bringing the world he'd spent so much time on to life... What creator could ever turn down an offer like that?

"I, the Game Master, accept... Hawkmoth."

"Excellent. And in exchange, you shall bring me one of two things: The Miraculous, or the identities of their wielders."

"No."

Hawkmoth was silent for a moment.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said no. I am the Game Master. I make the world. I craft the challenges. I decide the rewards. But I do not do anything for anyone. If you want these things, get them yourself."

"If you refuse me, it shall be very unpleasant for you."

"No. As Game Master, I decide the limits of all powers within my realm. And I decide that you have none over me."

And with that, he unleashed his creation over all of Paris, drawing everyone and everything within into his sphere of influence.

-----

Ladybug blinked the spots (ha) out of her eyes as the flash of light died down and looked at herself. She didn't remember transforming, but she was clearly in her spots. Except her red and black superhero uniform didn't usually look like it was headed to a steampunk convention. Looking around, she tried to figure out what had happened and her eyes landed on a familiar belt and pants combo.

Problem. Whoever this was, their groin was at eye level for her.

She looked up.

And up.

To find a grinning Chat Noir, sans anything resembling a shirt and having put on at least a foot of height and apparently a hundred pounds of pure muscle, grinning down at her.

"How's the weather down there?" Chat Noir chuckled as he flexed his unfairly attractive muscleman physique.

"I WILL END YOU!" the heroine snarled, already 100% done with whatever new insanity Hawkmoth had cooked up.

Characters:

Ladybug - Gnome Artificer (Master Tinkerer - Homebrew)

Chat Noir - Human Barbarian (Path of the Beast)

-----

Vesperia had to admit, as Akuma attacks went, this was pretty dope.

She was currently a halfling. A halfling! If it wasn't for her fantasy ensemble being yellow and black, she'd have thought she stepped straight out of Lord of the Rings.

Of course, fantasy setting or not, there were still things she'd have rather left back in the real world. Like racism. And stigma against mixed couples. Not directed at her, but rather at the two walking down the street next to her.

"You know, people are staring..." she said as she craned her head to look at her companions.

"Let them," the Half-Elf Rena Rouge (who looked like a cross between a musician and a belly dancer) said from her perch atop the shoulders of the heavily armored (and surprisingly buff) Half-Orc Carapace. "They're just jealous because their boyfriends can't carry them everywhere."

Characters:

Vesperia - Halfling Rogue (Scout)

Rena Rouge - Half-Elf Bard (College of Glamour)

Carapace - Half-Orc Fighter (Eldritch Knight)

-----

Ryuko blinked as she studied the apparent snake-man-thing before her who claimed to be Viperion. She lifted a hand to study it and found what appeared to be bronze scales covering every inch of her skin.

She sniffed herself, smelling the sharp tang of ozone. What was she?

And why did she appear to be wearing wooden armor?

Characters:

Ryuko - Dragonborn (bronze) Druid (Circle of Storms - Third Party)

Viperion - Naga Sorcerer (Divination Magic - Homebrew)

-----

Polymouse giggled as her friends ran over her. Okay, she'd freaked out a little to find a swarm of mice (with hair like hers no less) crawling all over her surprisingly mouse-like body when she'd come to in the middle of some forest somewhere. But she'd gotten over it pretty quickly. It helped that her new friends were adorable.

It might help more if she could figure out where she was.

Or find another person.

Characters:

Polymouse - Kobold (rodentlike) Ranger (Swarmkeeper - Reskinned)

-----

Purple Tigress sighed as she felt the hair (fur?) on the top of her head being shifted around and twitched her new catlike ears in mild annoyance.

"Are you quite done?"

"Almost!" Pigella's cheerful voice answered. "Your fur is so comfy!"

Tigress sighed. Of course Pigella would end up being a fairy, and having her normal cheerful enthusiasm cranked up to previously unimagined levels.

"I love you dearly, but if you start shouting 'hey listen' I will stick you in a bottle."

"Aw, I love you too! Hey, what's that?"

"I think it's my character sheet?"

Characters:

Purple Tigress - Tabaxi Paladin (Oath of Glory)

Pigella - Fairy Cleric (Order Domain - Reskinned)

-----

"According to my analysis, we have been placed into what appears to be a Dungeons and Dragons campaign under 5th edition rules," Pegasus stated in a mechanical monotone. "I am apparently a Warforged Wizard using the School of Conjuration whose spells create portals to bridge dimensions and summon or banish my intended targets. You are what is known as a Simic Hybrid, with the class of Monk, following the Way of the Drunken Master."

"Aweshum," King Monkey slurred, his generally human appearance clad in monk's robes marred by his monkey-like hands and feet as well as the monkey tail swishing behind him.

"Why do you keep slurring like that? According to my sensors, your gourd is filled with only water."

"Gotta keep up appearanshes!" King Monkey grinned as he continued faking drunkenness.

Characters:

Pegasus - Warforged Wizard (School of Conjuration - Reskinned)

King Monkey - Simic Hybrid Monk (Way of the Drunken Master)

-----

Hawkmoth studied the dark red horns growing out of his head in the mirror. The change in appearance was disconcerting, but he felt a rush of power in this new form that he'd never felt before.

"Hmm... perhaps I can work with this..."

"Speak for yourself..." Mayura muttered off to the side, ruffling her peacock-like feathers in annoyance as she tried to glare at the beak on her own face.

Characters:

Hawkmoth - Tiefling Dark Lord, Warlock Patron, Contracted by Lila Rossi, Volpina, Queen Wasp, and many others.

Mayura - Kenku Assistant to the Dark Lord, Creator of Monsters

-----

"Oh, come on!" A figure in a cyan and white hooded robe complained as they waved a similarly colored umbrella around angrily. "Everyone else gets to be part of this adventure, why can't I join them?"

"Because you're too OP. You'd completely break everything and remove all challenge from the adventure."

"But sitting around is no fun at all!"

"If you like, I can put you in the position of the main quest giver. Your job would be to direct them towards their enemies and means of becoming stronger."

"That's it?! I'm on 'mysterious hooded figure' duty? Boo! Why can't I fight with them?!"

"Because you're too OP. But if you insist, I'll allow some Deus ex Machina interventions."

"YES!"

"Five."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'll allow five interventions at your discretion to aid them when they are in peril. Once you have come to their aid five times, I will allow no more meetings save to impart quest information."

"That's it?"

"Yes. Choose your interventions wisely."

"So... if I manage to save one for when they fight Hawmoth and Mayura in the final battle...?"

"Then I would allow you to join them of course."

"Score!"

Characters:

Bunnyx: Mysterious Hooded Figure, Deus-ex-Machina (5)

Game Master: Akuma Lord of the Miraculous Campaign

-----

Addendum

When the Game Master is finally purified and the damage reversed, it turns out that he took the effort to trap all of Paris in a temporal stasis bubble so that no matter how long passed inside no more than a few moments passed outside. Meaning that after what seemed like months in the bubble, it's basically less than a minute after he was akumatized when everything is put back.

All his friends, minus Matt, come back in bringing a new person named Zack that they vetted themselves to take Matt's place in case he pulled something like what he did. And while he has a similar playstyle to Matt, he's savvy enough to know what kind of characters that is suited for and he loves playing barbarians.

They all sit back down and restart the game they were all looking forward to.

#game master akuma au #miraculous ladybug #fanfic #writings

2 notes · View notes

theycallmebecca · 4 years

Note

How about 30. “Hear me out: a marriage pact.” with Steve? ❤

My original plan with these drabbles to keep them short and sweet and fluffy… this story blew that plan to smithereens. 🤷‍♀️ Oh well. It is what it is. I got the idea for this, @nomadicpixel encouraged it and here we are.

Title: Insightful Evening

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Rating: PG-13

Prompt: #30 - “Hear me out: a marriage pact.”

Warnings: some language, drink responsibly

Note: Not Endgame compliant, everyone is happy and they’re one big happy (slightly dysfunctional) family. Also, I’m just playing with some of my fav characters.

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

Because of how tumblr can be silly about links, I will reblog this post with links to the masterlist and the prompt list.

Steve surveyed the atrium of the Avengers compound, which was playing host to yet another Avenger family wedding. He took a sip of his drink, trying to count the number of weddings that had taken place after Tony and Pepper’s nuptials a year earlier. He knew of three for certain, Maria and Sam’s, Wanda and Vision’s, and, now, Clint and Natasha’s, but he knew there had been others that he just hadn’t been invited to or, rather, hadn’t attended.

Who would be next? He wondered as he eyed his friends. Thor and Jane? He looked at the table they were sitting at and nodded to himself. It would likely be Thor and Jane getting married next, but would they get married here or someplace else?

His eyebrows rose when he saw his best friend Bucky sitting at the table with them talking to Jane’s friend Darcy. There was something in his friend’s body language that told him that Bucky was interested in the brunette. Steve didn’t know Darcy well and didn’t consider himself knowledgeable in women at all, but she seemed to return Bucky’s interest.

Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned just in time to see a beautiful woman stumble and start to fall. Darting forward, he caught her. It wasn’t until he helped her right herself that he recognized her and realized that she was more than a little drunk.

—–

The room was still spinning around you as you held onto the forearm of your guardian angel. You’d thought for sure you were going to smash your face on the floor thanks to the fucking heels your friend had insisted you wear tonight, but then, you hadn’t.

When the world finally righted itself, you found yourself looking up into the concerned face of Steve Rogers. Aka Captain America. While you worked with the Avengers in a minor capacity, you weren’t on a first name basis with them all, but you and Steve had bonded over old movies a few months back.

“You ok?” he asked, genuine concern etched into his handsome face.

“I’m fine,” you assured him, only realizing then that you were still holding onto his arm. Judging by the feel of it, he really was as muscular as he looked.

A soft chuckle came from the man in question and you looked up, confused.

“Yes, I really am that muscular,” he explained.

You might have been embarrassed to realize that you’d spoken your thought aloud, if you hadn’t had so much champagne. Instead, you shrugged it off and took advantage of his sizable strength to take off your heels. Or at least that had been your plan, until you nearly fell again trying to take off one of the awful shoes.

“Let me help,” Steve offered. He wrapped an arm protectively around your waist to keep you upright and then he somehow managed to get your feet out of the heels with the other. Once your bare feet hit the ground, you couldn’t care less about how it had happened.

“You’re a personal superhero tonight,” you told him once the shoe removal business was finished. “And now I’m going to go to my apartment and pretend I won’t be horribly hungover in the morning.”

—–

Steve cringed as he watched her making her way towards the elevator. He glanced over his shoulder at his friends and decided he couldn’t let her go up there by herself. Especially after a waiter had to do a fancy spin to keep her from nearly taking out a tray of finger cakes.

He hurried after her, stepping between her and another waiter to guide her out of the way.

“Rescued again,” she said with a relaxed smile. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Steve.”

“I’ve decided to turn in for the night as well,” he told her. “Will you allow me to escort you back to your apartment?”

“Are you sure you want to leave the reception already?” she asked, nearly taking them both down as she turned to look.

“Clint and Nat have already left, now it’s just a party,” Steve pointed out as he took a firm hold of her. In all the time he’d known her or even just been aware of her, he’d never seen her this far gone before.

“It was a beautiful wedding wasn’t it,” she said almost wistfully as he led her to the elevators.

“It was,” he agreed in all honesty. The wedding itself had been outside in the gazebo in the compound’s gardens. It had just been Clint and Nat with Pepper making an appearance or two to act as the officiant, but they hadn’t wanted anyone else involved in the ceremony.

Hearing the elevator ding, he led her into the empty elevator and automatically pushed the button that would take them to the floor where the private apartments were.

—–

You allowed Steve to guide you into the elevator as you felt the sour mood that had hit you halfway through the reception coming back. Everyone was getting married or having babies and you weren’t even dating. Tonight’s wedding was the tenth you’d gone to in the last year and your group of singling women was dwindling down. You’d been sitting with Darcy and then Bucky had come over and asked her to dance.

Looking up, you saw Steve’s reflection in the elevator and saw that he was looking back at you. Had you spoken your thoughts aloud again or was your sadness just that obvious? His lips quivered in slight amusement, giving you your answer. This was why you didn’t drink.

“I’m sure tomorrow morning will remind you of the other reason you don’t drink,” he mused.

“How do you do it?” you asked him. “I haven’t seen you date anyone, either. Or are you just one of those people who prefer to be forever alone?”

“I don’t think anyone ever prefers to be forever alone,” he replied. “But it’s a little harder for me.”

“Why because you’re a 100 year old man with the body of a Greek God?” you asked.

“Something like that,” he said with a chuckle.

“We’re good friends right, Steve?” you asked even though you were sure ‘good’ was a stretch on what your relationship with him actually was. Yeah, you spent a few hours every week with him in the dark, but it was to watch old movies while you both stuffed yourselves with popcorn. And yeah, you guys had conversations, but they were never about exciting things. Nothing like the conversations your friends claimed to have with their significant others.

—–

“I think we are,” he said, still talking to her reflection in the elevator doors. It was only as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened that he realized his mistake from earlier. Instead of being on the floor that had the skywalk to the support staff apartments, he’d taken them to the floor that had the skywalk to the executive apartments.

Turning to study her, he decided that he didn’t like the idea of her being alone tonight. The relaxed look that had been on her face early was gone now, replaced with a pensive one that he didn’t like the look of. Add to that her topic of conversation, he really didn’t want to abandon her.

“Change of plans,” he said as he took her hand and led her out of the elevator. “I can’t remember which floor you live on, so you’re going to crash at my place.”

“I am?” she asked. “Are we going to watch Casablanca? That’s the next movie on our list.”

“You are and we aren’t,” he told her. “We’re going to go to my apartment, I’m going to make you drink a glass of water and then you’re going to go to bed.”

With her shoes in one hand and his other arm wrapped around her waist to help keep her upright, he led her over the skywalk and down the hall to his apartment. Some of the executive units were over the top, but he’d designed his to be a comfortable escape from the world with just one bedroom. Until tonight, it hadn’t been a problem, but he’d give her his bed and sleep on the couch.

He let go of her for a moment to unlock his door and then led her inside.

—–

“I’ve always liked your apartment,” you said after he saw you safely to the couch and made you sit down. “It’s just so… you.” There was no other way to describe it. The apartment, like Steve, was homey but in a sexy way. It was the kind of place that you wanted to come home to after a long day of work. And his soft leather couch, it was the kind of couch that you wanted to be laid back on and kissed senseless. Or at least, you wanted to.

Returning with your water, Steve cleared his throat and held it out to you. Looking up, you saw that his face was slightly flushed and knew you’d fucking done it again.

“Clearly my brain doesn’t work when I’ve been drinking,” you muttered before you took a sip of the water. You didn’t want to drink the stuff, but you knew it was a good idea. Not that he wouldn’t let you not drink it.

He chuckled.

“Fucking hell,” you whined setting your glass on his coffee table before buring your face in your hands. “You probably regret ever becoming friends with me.”

“Assuming I heard you correctly, I don’t regret it at all,” he replied. “In fact, this is a refreshing insight into your mind. You, like me, tend to keep things to yourself more than sharing them out loud.”

Feeling him press the water glass against your hand, you took it from him and sat up straight. He was right, you weren’t normally the type to say whatever came to your mind. Especially when it came to the thoughts you’d had previously while sitting on this very couch watching movies. You stole a glance at him over the rim of your glass, wondering for the hundredth time if his lips were as soft as they looked.

He cleared his throat loudly and stood up, making the way back to the galley kitchen to get himself something to drink.

“Do you want to get married someday, Steve?” you asked him. You weren’t drunk enough that you wouldn’t remember this conversation in the morning, but you were going to take advantage of the liquid courage running through your veins. The fact of the matter was that you did want to get married, but if he didn’t want to, then you needed to know.

—–

What a loaded question that was. The short answer was, yes. But it was complicated. As she had already pointed out, there was a significant age gap even if he didn’t look or feel his actual age. It was likely that it would all catch up with him at some point. The serum didn’t stop him from aging.

“Nevermind,” she said softly.

“Drink your water,” he told her as he came over. “The easy answer is yes I want to get married. It’s just there is a lot to factor in.”

“Isn’t there always?” she asked after taking another sip. “Everyone comes into a relationship with their own baggage.”

“That’s true,” he conceded and then shook his head. “In some ways, I’ve thought of myself and, well, I guess, Bucky, as different from the rest of the world. Not because of the ‘superhero’ part but because of the serum. It changed a lot of stuff and it makes things different. But you’re right, we all have things that make us different or special.”

“Like my inability to think silent thoughts when I’ve been drinking,” she stated.

“It’s been an insightful evening,” he said in agreement. He definitely wouldn’t be able to look at his couch without picturing her laying there waiting for him to kiss her. He cleared his throat and let silence fall between them.

Or at least until she started thinking aloud again.

“I want to get married, too,” she said. “I always thought I’d get married young and have kids. And now, I’m not young, but I’m not old either. But there aren’t many options.”

“Any guy would be lucky to have you for a wife,” he stated.

She turned her eyes on him then, so he’d know she was talking to him, and said, “This is probably the craziest thought I’ve ever had -”

“You sure about that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Shut up and hear me out,” she said, waving him off. “A marriage pact. Between us.”

“A marriage pact,” he repeated.

“Yeah, like if neither of us are married in a couple years, we’ll get married to each other,” she explained.

“You’re right, that is the craziest thought you’ve ever had,” he told her. Not because it was crazy, but because after the revelations of the evening, he wasn’t going to let her spend the next two years trying to find some other guy to marry. Obviously, she, like himself, had been suppressing her feelings and now they were out there.

“Oh,” she said, softly.

He set his glass on the table and then took hers from her and set it down too. He sat down next to her on the couch and then took her hand. “We’re not going any further than this tonight,” he told her. “In fact, as soon as I do this, I’m going to make you go into my room and go to bed -” She opened her mouth to argue, but closed it when he pressed a finger to her lips. “- a lot has been revealed tonight and we both need to think, but I want you to know where my brain is at.”

Pulling his finger away from her lips, he leaned in and kissed her.

—–

God, his lips were as soft as they looked. And he was an amazing kisser.

Then he was pulling himself away from you and laughing when you tried to wrap your arms around his neck to keep him put.

“We’ll do this again,” he promised. “But right now, you need to get some sleep.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” you asked him.

“Right here?” he said, patting the couch. A pained expression crossed his face and before you could ask about it, he explained, “Doubt I’ll get much sleep out here knowing you want to be laid against it and kissed. Especially now that I have kissed you.”

“I’m sure the bed is big enough for two,” you stated. You weren’t ready to go that far with Steve, not tonight, but you wouldn’t mind some more kissing.

“Not tonight,” he said firmly. Then he stood up and he helped you off the couch. He led you into his bedroom and opened a drawer in his dresser, pulling out a shirt. “Here, you can sleep in this.”

“Thanks, Steve,” you said, accepting the shirt.

You watched him cross the room and he gave you one last smile before he pulled the door closed. Sighing, you undressed, only stumbling once in the process, and pulled on his shirt. It smelled just like him. So did his super comfortable bed.

Closing your eyes, you breathed him in and knew you’d have the best dreams tonight. And maybe in the future, you’d share them with Steve and the two of you would be able to act them out.

198 notes · View notes

cozy-the-overlord · 4 years

Text

Crimson Curls

Summary: A barista at the Avengers Tower coffeeshop goes missing. Her boyfriend, prominent Avengers engineer Michael Hauer, headlines a desperate campaign to find her, aided by the support of Tony Stark and the rest of the super-powered team. But as Hauer's narrative begins to unravel, it becomes clear that a certain Asgardian prince knows more than he's telling.

Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character

Chapter 1: Disappearance

Previous chapter | Next Chapter

Word Count: 3,138

A/N: This is definitely something born out of my obsession with true crime and missing persons cases... I'm not sure if anybody else is as interested in this concept as I am, but I had the time of my life writing this story, so I hope that translates to you in some way.

Also, this is my first multi-chaptered fic (I know, exciting, right?!)-- part 2 should be up within the next week.

Thanks for reading!

TW: domestic violence

Read it on Ao3

Kristine Ververs was first reported missing at 6:07 AM on Tuesday, March 17, by her boyfriend Michael Hauer. He was a bit worried, he said, because she had stormed out of their apartment the night before after a fight, and he had only just realized when he woke up that morning that she never came back. His attempts to call her led him to discover that she had left her cell phone on the kitchen counter.

The dispatcher asked him to wait at the apartment for investigators to arrive. He told her he couldn’t. He had to go to work. A bit befuddled, she asked if it was at all possible for him to wait until police arrived so they could ask him some questions.

“You don’t understand,” he said. “I work for Tony Stark.”

Michael Hauer was considered to be fairly acclaimed at the Avengers Tower. He had been one of the first engineers hired when the Tower opened, picked out by the infamous genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist himself. He spent his days in the restricted upper floors, designing and testing projects so confidential that his girlfriend didn’t even know what they were.

He had met Kristine at the Tower. She worked in the coffeeshop next to the cafeteria, where the employees of all 93 stories flocked to with bleary eyes each and every morning. Kristine was hardly the most talkative barista there (on the contrary, she appeared to make it a point to say only the bare minimum), and yet she was the girl everyone thought of when they thought of their morning brew. Her wild mane of curly red hair stood out in a crowd. Even when she wasn’t in uniform, people knew her as the coffeeshop girl.

It was unclear what she thought of this. A lot of things about Kristine were unclear—she spoke very little, and never about herself. Her coworkers often wondered why someone so shy would choose to work a job that so heavily relied on social interaction, but she managed just fine. Despite her natural demeanor, she would put on a smile and speak in that bubbly barista voice people found either endearing or irritating for the customers, and no one thought anything of it.

When she disappeared, people were shocked.

“You mean the redhead from the food court?” asked Bruce in the apartment story of the Tower when the news broke. “She’s the one?”

“Yeah,” said Tony. They were crowded around the TV, the newscaster flashing a photo of Kristine shyly smiling at the camera as the tip hotline ran across the bottom of the screen. “Poor Hauer. He was a mess. I can’t believe he even came in today.”

“I didn’t know they were dating. I don’t think he’s ever mentioned her.”

“Yeah he has,” Steve turned around in his chair to face the doctor. “He brought her to the Christmas party, remember?”

Tony frowned. “Did he?”

“Of course! I remember!” Thor lit up. “She danced with my brother!”

“Oh that’s right,” Tony chuckled. “Poor girl. She didn’t say much, did she?”

“She did strike me as a bit shy,” Steve said. “I hope it’s all a misunderstanding. Maybe she’ll be back on her own.”

But she didn’t. As the days passed with no news of Kristine Ververs, media attention snowballed around the Tower. On its own, there wasn’t much to the case, but the fact that both the missing girl and her boyfriend worked for the Avengers caught the attention of the public. It seemed so impossible. How does someone who walks among superheroes vanish without a trace?

Missing posters lined the hallway walls: HAVE YOU SEEN KRISTINE? People rushed to news stations for interviews, most of which had no connection to her beyond the fact that she sometimes made their lattes in the morning. Hauer held emotional press conferences, begging anyone with information that might lead to Kristine to come forward. Everyone looked at him differently now. The standoffish, stiff engineer that had once been considered uncomfortable to be around was now a grieving boyfriend. They sent him flowers and patted him on the back in the halls, telling him they’d be praying for his girlfriend, promising to help keep the story alive.

Although that probably wasn’t an issue. Stark himself got in front of the camera, making international news as he expressed the Avengers’ concern for the Ms. Ververs and offered to help the police in their investigation in any way they could.

The investigators would have happily accepted this help if they had found anything for Stark to help with. But the fact of the matter was that there was nothing: no clues, no sightings, not even the slightest trace that Kristine Ververs had ever left her apartment. The security cameras in the lobby showed her coming home from dinner with Hauer at 8:13 PM that Sunday night, but had no record of her exiting the building around two hours later, when Hauer saw her storm out. They considered that she may have been pulled into another room, that for some reason she left through a fire escape, but the few cameras in the hallway showed nothing and witnesses were nonexistent.

Kristine had seemingly vanished into thin air.

“Do you think there’s something supernatural at play here?” Natasha asked one day. “Like, a leftover portal from the Convergence or something?”

“Unlikely,” Bruce said. “The Convergence caused our tech to go haywire. We’d definitely be getting noticeable readings if there was a portal down the street.”

“But something like that is still possible,” Tony interjected. “What with all the crazy shit we deal with on a regular basis. Someone might have been going after Hauer—he’s one of our top engineers, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

The fact that she had left her phone was strange, as well. The screen was cracked rather badly—Hauer explained that had happened a few weeks ago when she dropped it on the bathroom tile. Her call history showed that the night she went missing she had phoned an unlisted number. The call hadn’t been long—likely, it had been cut off before the other line even had a chance to answer.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be no clue as to who was on the other line. The number was so badly scrambled that it was untraceable, even with Tony’s resources. In fact, he was relatively certain that whoever she had called had been using his tech to hide their number—leading to a heightened suspicion cast upon the higher-ups at the Avenger Tower.

When after two weeks there were still no leads, Tony held another press conference to announce that he would be posting a one-million-dollar reward for any information that led to the safe return of Kristine Ververs. Hauer joined him, thanking Mr. Stark profusely and pleading once more for help from the public. In the Tower, the others watched the broadcast from the television in silence.

“Filthy weasel.”

No one had noticed Loki entering the room until he spat the words like venom, glaring at Hauer’s distressed face on the screen.

Nat frowned. “What’s your problem?”

The Asgardian made his way to the kitchen and set about boiling water, still scowling darkly. “He has the audacity to sit there and wail as though he’s the victim of some great crime,” he said. “As if he’s some tortured soul wracked with fear.”

“Brother, the woman he loves has gone missing,” Thor said. “Can you not blame him for being in pain?”

“Oh yes, he’s in such pain,” Loki rolled his eyes as he prepared a mug and teabag. “Stark is close with him, is he not? Has he asked him what it was they were quarreling over so passionately that his lady felt compelled to run out of their home in the middle of the night?” He mixed the water in the mug. “Or has no one thought to question that?” With that, he slipped down the hallway with his tea, leaving the others and their gaping expressions behind.

Loki wasn’t the first to doubt Michael Hauer’s authenticity. His neighbor, Colleen Donalds, had come forward to the police shortly after the case went public to voice her concerns. She lived across the hall from the couple, she said, and a lot of times she’d overhear their arguments. They were always incredibly one-sided. She told the police that she very rarely made out Kristine’s voice during these exchanges, but Michael’s boomed all the way down the hall. He called his girlfriend the most demeaning things, throwing out words that Colleen was ashamed to repeat. She felt sorry for Kristine.

“She’s always so quiet,” she said. “Even when I run into her when Michael’s not around, she barely says a word. I can’t believe she stays with him.”

Colleen Donalds attempted discretion. Her story was to the police and the police alone, avoiding making any direct accusations and trying to stay out of the entire situation as much as possible. Marlon Arcardi had no such interest.

“He hits her,” the couple’s next-door neighbor told the tabloid reporters. “I hear it through the walls. I’ve called the cops on him a couple times, but they never do anything about it. He was doing it the night she went missing, too. I heard the crashing. He’s a complete piece of shit.”

The magazines that hit the stands next to the grocery store checkout lines screamed in red ink: AVENGER ENGINEER RESPONSIBLE FOR GIRLFRIEND’S DISAPPEARENCE?

When questioned about it, Hauer denied all allegations. “We’d get into fights,” he said. “What couple doesn’t? It was nothing serious, and the more we focus on it, the more distracted we become from the actual issue: Kristine is missing.”

“Are you saying Mr. Arcardi is lying in his statements to the press?”

Michael Hauer shrugged bitterly. “He wants attention. He’s getting attention. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s trying to derail the investigation so he can have fifteen minutes of fame. It’s sickening, because we right now we need to be concentrating on Kristine.”

Hauer managed to skirt by on this explanation for a bit, but the investigators soon discovered that Marlon Arcardi was telling the truth—at least, about calling the cops. In the two years that Kristine and Michael had been living together, the police had been called to their apartment nine separate times: seven public disturbance calls from a smattering of different neighbors including Acardi, and shockingly, twice from Kristine herself.

The police refused to release these calls, saying only that each time there were no charges pressed. The public was left to draw their own conclusions as they called in Michael Hauer for more questioning. Suspicion began to blossom.

“If they’re this perfect, happy couple like he wants us to believe,” asked one newscaster. “Then why is she calling 911 on him? Why is she running out in the middle of the night? The whole thing is extremely concerning.”

More people began coming forward. There seemed to be no end to the neighbors who overheard crashes and cursing coming from the Hauer apartment. The baristas Kristine worked with started doing interviews as well.

“We used to have like, you know, night outs on the weekends sometimes,” said Curt Chambers, one of her coworkers. “We’d always ask Kristine, but she always had some excuse. Like, she was sick, or she already had plans, or something. I joked with her once, like ‘you can just say you don’t want to go, we won’t be offended.’ And she said something like ‘no, it’s not that. It’s just my boyfriend doesn’t like me being out too late.’ And I remember thinking that was a really weird thing to say.”

Elaine Janson, another coworker, had more to add. “Something always felt off about that relationship,” she said. “They’d come in together, and then he’d come down a couple times during the day. It was like he was checking on her. It was weird. And they always left together. If he was working late, she’d wait for him.” Elaine shrugged. “Kristine always seemed so tense when he was around. I mean, she was shy to begin with, but when Michael came by it was different.”

It was also revealed that Michael Hauer had failed two lie detector tests: one taken on March 19th, within days of his girlfriend’s disappearance, and another on March 27th.

Tony Stark was inundated with calls: from reporters, from employees, from concerned citizens, some asking if he still supported Michael Hauer in light of new allegations, others demanding that he fire him immediately. He responded in a press conference in front of the Tower.

“As of right now, I’ve been shown no evidence indicating that Michael Hauer is in any way involved in Kristine Ververs’ disappearance. If and when that evidence comes to light, we will reevaluate the situation and take appropriate steps.”

Then somebody leaked the calls.

No one was quite sure who got ahold of those tapes, but by morning they were being blasted on every single news broadcast under the sun. It was the first time that the public was hearing anything in Kristine’s own words, and it didn’t bode well for Michael Hauer.

“Can you please just send someone?” she whispered into the microphone, breath labored as she struggled to get the words out. “He’s really mad, I think he’s going to break down the door. Please, is someone coming?” In the background, a masculine voice was yelling something intelligible, clobbering at a wall.

“Does he get mad often?” the operator asked after assuring her that the police were on their way.

Kristine Ververs gulped back a sob. “He’s always mad.”

The second call didn’t even have words. A scream, the crash as the phone tumbled to the floor, more yelling, pleading, crying, pounding, the operator tracing the call and sending in a unit…

Michael Hauer was formally asked to resign from his duties at the Avengers Tower. When he refused, he was terminated.

Still, he remained steadfast in his story. “Kristine has been missing for nearly a month now,” he stated in a recording posted to social media (press conferences were out of the question now; so many people showed up to protest that he couldn’t get a word in edgewise). “On occasion, we would get into violent fights, but I would never do anything to hurt her. I loved her more than anything. Please, don’t allow my mistakes to derail the investigation. We must not lose focus.”

A tweet of the video link with the caption “You loved her?? Enough lies. Where’s the body, Michael?” shot up to over 2 million likes in a day. #WheresTheBodyMichael and #JusticeForKristine began trending. Petitions for the arrest of Michael Hauer racked up signatures by the hundreds.

On April 21st, over a month after Kristine Ververs was first reported missing, a second, more in-depth search of the Hauer apartment was conducted. They noticed some things that had been missed the first time. The door lock had recently been replaced. The television screen was scratched. But, most critically, there was kitchen knife missing from the set atop the refrigerator. When questioned, Hauer claimed he had no idea what could have happened to it.

Detection dogs were brought in. While the cadaver dogs found no sign of the presence of a corpse, two different blood hounds alerted to the scent of human blood in the kitchen area and indicated a trail leading towards hall. A sample was taken from the carpet and sent to the lab for analysis. With the help of the advanced technology offered by the Avengers Tower, it was conclusively identified as Kristine’s blood.

As if that wasn’t enough already, a few days later, on April 25th, a trash collector turned in the missing kitchen knife to the police. He said he had noticed it in a dumpster earlier that day and recognized it from the description in the paper. There were three sets of fingerprints on the handle: Michael Hauer’s, Kristine Ververs’, and an inconclusive set assumed to be the trash collector’s, despite his insistence that he was wearing gloves when he picked it up. Kristine’s DNA was found on the blade.

The public had been screaming “GUILTY!” ever since the phone recordings were released. Now, they roared.

Michael Hauer was arrested on April 29th and charged with the murder of Kristine Ververs.

It was a shocking turn of events. Technically speaking, there was still no proof that a murder had taken place: there was no body, nor any sign that one existed. And just as there was no evidence of Kristine Ververs leaving the apartment that fateful March 16th, there was no evidence of Michael Hauer leaving the apartment that night either, especially with something as cumbersome as a human corpse.

The twitter hashtag found its home in newspaper headlines: Where’s the Body, Michael?

In the penthouse of the Avengers Tower, Tony rubbed his forehead. “This is such a fucking mess.”

They were gathered once again in the living room, watching as the newscaster recapped the last month and a half, breaking news that was already known. Kristine’s picture, with her downcast cerulean eyes and her frizzy red curls, flashed across the screen once more.

Tony sighed. “He just seemed so normal. I never would have thought—”

“You think he did it?” asked Steve.

“Well, he did something,” Tony snapped. “Clearly. He’s got a history of violence, her blood’s all over the floor—”

“No one’s debating that he did something,” interjected Bruce. “But if he killed her, what happened to the body? He never left the apartment that night, and there’s no evidence that a cadaver was ever stored there”

“He’s smart! That’s why we hired him, he’s a freaking genius! He probably thought of something—”

“Thought of what?” the doctor asked, throwing up his hands. “Teleportation? How the hell did he get the body out?”

“He didn’t.”

The group turned around to find Loki lurking in the back, studying them carefully from the shadows.

Bruce was the first to find his voice. “What?”

“He didn’t remove the body, because there was no body to remove,” he said deliberately.

“But, Loki,” Thor said uncertainly. “Weren’t you convinced Hauer was a killer from the start?”

“I never said he was a killer. I said he was a filthy weasel,” Loki said. “And he is, clearly. He's a slimy, abusive, manipulative, wretch of a man, but he's not a killer—although he likely believes himself to be."

Tony frowned. "What are you talking about, Loki?"

"He cannot be labeled a killer if his victim survived his attempt on her life. Which she did,” Loki paused a moment to let his statement sink in. “Despite Michael Hauer's best efforts, Kristine Ververs is very much alive.

#loki x ofc #loki marvel #loki fanfic #avengers fanfic #crimson curls #cozy writes

48 notes · View notes

ancientwastedlores · 4 years

Text

The Support System

SUMMARY: The Avengers have managed to collect all the infinity stones across the universe, and are currently keeping them in far corners of the world, only for research and to see if they can improve the planet and its people. Reader is a researcher with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, as well as a field agent. Loki is currently serving time for his actions in New York City in 2012.

A/N: You can find the same fic on A03, if you prefer that. Let me know if you like this and I’ll keep posting more :)

Chapter: 1/?

Warnings: N/A

Audience: general.

_______________________________________________________________________

CHAPTER 1:

‘So we’re close!?’

‘Absolutely, we just have to crack it and baby’s gonna sing’ Tony smiles. ‘I’m good for a drink right about now’.

‘Me too’ you take off your safety goggles and place them on the your immaculately organized workspace. ‘Bruce?’

‘Yeah, I’ll join you’ he waves one hand in the air as he stares at the Reality Gem.

You and Tony leave the lab and head to the bar. ‘Beer?’ you ask, handing him a bottle. He takes it, you get yourself a can, and sit down on the couch.

‘How’s it going with Nat?’ he asks.

‘Great, we expect to be ready in a month to carry out the extraction’.

‘I can’t wait’ Tony’s eyes gleam like an excited child’s. ‘We’ve been tracking these guys for a year now, the tech they’ve managed to get their hands on is insane’.

‘Okay, I get why you want it…’

‘Research purposes, of course!’

‘Of course…’ you grin, knowing that research is never ALL Stark wants shiny new toys for, ‘but I do want to remind you that you did promise me and Natasha a whole day of playing with them before you break them apart’.

‘In a contained, safe environment’

‘Yes. I’m just reminding you because you do get excited’.

Tony chuckles and takes a swig from beer. ‘Next month can’t get here soon enough. But you sure you’re ready?’

‘Oh absolutely. You’ve been tracking them for a year, and we’ve been training for a year. Ask me anything’.

‘How do you hold the Chitauri M7 Blaster?’

You stand up, set your beer down on the table and position your right leg before your left, then stretch out your right arm while tucking your left wrist under your right elbow and having your fingers wiggle from underneath. It looks ridiculous without the weapon, so Tony laughs. You laugh too and sit back down.

It’s been a year and three months since you were recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. You were originally a member of Maria Hill’s team, but three months later, after Tony Stark found some papers you wrote in secret about the sentience of all the Infinity Stones, as well as your records of correspondence with Doctor Strange, he decided your talents were better put to use in his lab with himself and Bruce Banner. Not wanting to abandon your role as a field agent, Tony offered you an apprenticeship with Natasha Romanova, which you gladly accepted.

Tony teased you for being taller than most of the agents and Avengers initially, until Thor showed up and stole your thunder, pun intended. You have broad shoulders, stand at 5’ 12”, and have jet black hair till your shoulders, which you mostly keep open, because you like how it frames your face. You love that people find you intimidating and hardly talk to you, when the truth is you’re the total opposite, a fact only known by Tony and a few Avengers.

‘Who else are you planning to send for the extraction?’ you ask.

‘You and Nat, of course. Then Clint. Thor might be able to help with the handling of the alien tech, so him. Couple of other S.H.I.E.L.D agents led by Hill’.

You smile at the thought of getting to meet Maria Hill again. She was your first mentor, and taught you nearly everything you know about fighting.

‘What about Loki?’ you ask.

‘I thought of it and decided against it. This is a sensitive operation, and surrounded by all those weapons, if he gets any ideas, you’ll all be at risk’.

‘I’m sure he won’t, he’s been doing well. But it’s your call’ you finish your beer. ‘Back to work?’

After spending another six hours at the lab with Tony and Bruce, you three finally call it a day and head back to your rooms. After getting to yours, you take a long shower, strings of theories on how you could crack the reality stone running through your head. You decide to get another drink, a cocktail perhaps, before curling up with some research papers Doctor Strange sent over.

You walk over to the bar in the residence wing of the tower, sure that it would be empty at this time on a weekday. Just before you reach the entrance, though, you hear two people fight.

‘…it was irresponsible and childish, and you could have gotten them killed!’ Thor’s voice booms. You decide to listen. ‘If I hadn’t taken it from her hand, she would have died anyway!’ Loki responded. ‘You let ME handle it then’. ‘Right, because I can never do anything right, can I, brother?’

Silence. ‘Just let me handle it next time. You do not involve yourself unless expressly asked’. Thor storms out from the other side of the bar, leaving Loki alone. Your own experiences with being grossly misunderstood makes you feel for Loki. You walk into the bar.

Loki doesn’t notice until you get close. ‘What do you want’ he asks, tired.

You go closer and envelope him in a tight hug. Shocked, Loki freezes. ‘What are you doing’ he whispers, fake annoyance in his tone.

‘Nothing’ you pull back. ‘I came to make myself a drink, do you want one?’ ‘No’ he said defiantly. You shrug and go behind the bar to get some cranberry juice. ‘Yes’ he says, in a softer tone. You smile.

You proceed to make yourselves a vodka cranberry. You would normally make it in a regular glass, but because you think Loki needs cheering up, you pour it in a Martini cocktail glass with an unnecessary amount of umbrellas to make him laugh. You manage to get a small smile as you slide his drink across the bar.

‘Thank you’ he says.

You take a sip of your own drink. ‘Wanna talk about it?’

His silence is answer enough, and you know not to push. ‘No worries’ you say. ‘How’s the drink? Want another?’

He nods. You make him another one while sipping from your glass.

‘I’ve been in the tower a while’ he says finally. ‘Yes, I know’. ‘I’m still looked at with nothing but suspicion’. You sigh. ‘I know. They’re only afraid’. ‘I’ve been painfully patient. I just don’t have anybody on my side to vouch for me’. ‘Oh’ is that it you think. He just needs a P.R. agent. You chuckle at the thought. ‘Is that funny?’ he asks. ‘No, I just thought of a thing. But I can do it’. ‘Do what?’ ‘Vouch for you. Be your uh… image manager. Whatever’.

Loki narrows his eyes at you. Even though he’s known you for about a year, this is the first time you’ve actually spoken to him. He can’t understand why you would help him.

‘Alright’ he says. He finishes the second drink as well. You ask if he wants another, and he just holds his glass out to you. ‘Something stronger this time?’

About six drinks later, Loki has a good buzz going, and you are not even close to tipsy. You roll your eyes at him, cursing your high capacity for alcohol, but deciding you’ve had enough of it, you tell Loki you’re off to bed and you’ll see him in the morning.

‘Let me walk you to your room’ he offers. You accept.

You absolutely love your room; an entire section of the room is just glass, overlooking the city of New York. It gets hot during the days, but it looks magical at night. Once you’ve reached your room, you stretch, take off all your clothes, and get under your blankets. It’s quite late, so you decide to keep the research papers Strange sent over for the morning.

A few hours later, just as you feel like you might fall asleep, you hear a knock on the door. You groan and reach for your phone to check the time. 3:35 AM.

‘Who is it?’ you call out. ‘Loki’

You know for a fact he has never felt comfortable enough to go to anyone’s room at 3:30 in the morning in the Tower.

‘One sec’ you call out, hopping out of bed to retrieve your shirt and a pair of shorts. You dive back under the covers and yell ‘Come in!’.

Loki looks like he has sobered up, and smells like he just took a shower. He shuts the door softly and makes his way to your bed.

‘What’s wrong?’ you ask.

He sits on the corner of your bed, next to your feet, so far that he looks supremely uncomfortable.

‘You can sit normally, you know. I won’t get offended’.

He obliges by placing himself further towards the centre of the bed, while still maintaining his corner. ‘Thank you’.

‘What’s wrong?’ ‘I couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to talk. I hope I didn’t wake you’. ‘You didn’t’ you say, ‘What did you want to talk about?’ ‘I-‘ he hesitates, ‘Well. I- I wasn’t in control in New York’. ‘Uhuh…’ ‘I was made to do it. I know that’s a lame excuse but it’s true. Thanos found me when I got lost and he… tortured me. But I can’t tell anybody that because they wouldn’t listen’. ‘Who’s Thanos?’ you ask.

Loki proceeds to tell you about the Mad Titan who killed his own people, his thirst for power over the entire universe, his obsession with the Goddess of Death, and his children. You listen in stunned silence. Thanos’ children inflicted unmentionable torture on Loki when he fell from the Bifrost.

As Loki recounts these events, tears start to fall, and he is visibly shaking. You scoot closer to him and hold his hands. ‘It’s alright’.

He stops to sniff, and catch his breath. ‘Do you want to go on?’ you ask.

‘Yes please’.

You don’t let go of his hands for the remainder of his story.

Once it looks like he has finished, you hand him a few tissues from your nightstand. He wipes his face clean and hands them back to you. You turn to throw them.

‘Why are you listening to me?’ he asks. ‘I don’t see why I shouldn’t’ you say simply. ‘It’s only the decent thing to do’. ‘No one else seems to think so’ he says bitterly. ‘Like I said, they’re scared’ you say. ‘Why aren’t you, then?’

You shrug. He looks at you. Your room is dark, but some light from the city spills into the room, so he gets a good look at your features. They only look at him with kindness. No fear. ‘Seriously. Why aren’t you afraid of me? What happened to you?’

You quickly look away. ‘Nothing like that. I just don’t scare easy’.

He says nothing. A few minutes pass in silence. You stifle a yawn. The watch says 4:45 AM. You’ve got a long day at the lab, and then with Natasha, and then at the lab again. You need to catch at least a little sleep.

‘Listen…’ you look back at him. ‘Do you want to sleep here, next to me?’

He widens his eyes in surprise. ‘You’d do that for me?’

‘Yeah’ you say, not really seeing the big deal. You move to the right side of the bed and pat the left as if to indicate that he may lay down there. He moves up to the pillow and lays his head on it, then settles the rest of his body down. You feel the bed dip.

#loki fluff #loki fanfic #marvel #Avengers #loki x reader #loki x you #marvel fan fiction #tom hiddleston #loki fandom

31 notes · View notes

marquiswrites · 4 years

Text

Where Bluebirds Fly

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Characters: James “Bucky” Barnes,Shuri, Original Female Character/OC

Relationship: James “Bucky” Barnes/Reader,

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1497

Warnings: Mentions of war, brief mentions of previous trauma

Author’s Notes: This is the long belated follow up to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, where I rained a little bit of emotion terror on the darling @cake-writes

I know that I had promised this to you forever ago, so I very humbly ask for you apologies. Love you, and hope that you are doing well in the midst of all this crazy.

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

You could hear the slow humming first, followed by quiet hisses. Your eyes not quite able to open, still too heavy from your sleep. Your mouth dry, lips cracked. A soft groan rumbled through your chest as you took stock of the many little aches and pains that your body was making known. A lingering cold biting at your extremities.

And beyond that, muffled voices. Too far away to hear, or as if you were underwater.

Until a small hiss became your lifeline.

The noise encompassing your every sense. Jarring through the very echoes of your soul. Your consciousness oozing slowly back into your cells. Wading your way back to waking.

A sudden cacophony of awareness hits you all at once as you stumble forward, half ejected from where you had been standing. Laying? But now you’re surrounded in warmth, anchoring you as your eyes blink open, whining softly at lights too bright to be natural.

“Give her a moment, not everyone can be as quick as you to re-orientate, brother.” An accent you don’t recognize flits through the room, lilting and amused. A new sensation, a hand, pressed on your shoulder. “Stop being an idiot. Guide her to the chair” The amusement had turned to gentle prodding.

Turning your head to find the source of the voice. A pair of warm brown eyes meets yours. A smile, wide and curling just at the edges of the lips. Giving you a small nod. “There we go, just let the idiot take care of you. Small steps now.” The warmth keeping you from collapsing slowly begins to move. And then you’re being guided down to a chair. A glass of water being offered from the side. You take it to lift to your lips. “Don’t-” “Drink too fast. I know. I’m a field nurse.” You manage a wry smile, your voice weak and raspy, as though it had gone too long without use. Lifting the cup to your lips before you were suddenly freezing halfway through the motion. Eyes going wide as you lifted your head to look at the woman. “The mortars? Did anyone else survive? Who’s your unit commander?” The woman laughs softly. “My name is Shuri, and don’t worry, you’re safe. I have the files here, my idiot brother thought you might want to look over them, it would appear that he can use that head of his for something other than smashing into people.” Shuri kneels before you, offering the manilla envelope, marked with a red “Classified” sharply across the top. “Why?” “Because there is more to the story, but that is not my main concern. Right now, I am here to keep you from going into shock.” Shuri tapped at the bracelet she held. A gasp fell from your lips as a screen popped up from it. Trying to watch as the information pulsed through, brow furrowing. “That-” “Yes. Your vitals. I’m currently monitoring them, but it would seem that you are more durable than we had thought. Which makes sense with the findings that Erskine had left in your file, and Howard Stark.” Shuri nods, tapping at the screen once more. “Now, I’m going to leave you two alone, because he has more experience explaining these things. And I don’t want to see our white wolf getting sappy again.” Nodding to the presence behind you before pulling away. Exiting the room with the small hiss of a door.

“Gotta say, doll, look just as good as the day I put that ring on your finger.”

You whip about in the chair, which was a very obviously bad idea, swaying almost immediately to the side with another muffled whine as your head started to spin. “Easy now. Easy, I’ve got you…”

And then Bucky is drawing you into his arms.

Anchoring you, as he ever had. As you could only hope that he would have had the chance to do again, when the mortars had gone off.

A dream. A pleasant dream. Perhaps this was your heaven. Your land of Oz. To be held by this man who had likely died protecting what he never realized what was lost. To be loved by your sargent, the way that you had never been able to, as the world was torn apart around you. The solace that stolen moments had given, now yours for eternity.

Then you heard his chuckle, that warm, heavenly chuckle. Watched the wry turn of his lips, the way that his eyes crinkled up in the corners, lines you couldn’t remember having been there before.

“Well doll, don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” With that, the spell is broken, laughter pealing out from your lips before you could even realize what the sound was. Lifting up just enough to throw your arms around his neck, to allow him to cradle you close. “You’re such a bastard.” “Hey now, doll, I knew my pops. Don’t need to be nasty about it after you just woke up.” Bucky was laughing again, but you could tell that there was something… something dark, holding him back. That this wasn’t the man you had last seen on the battlefield.

That last glance before he had left again… Before he had been gone for too long… Before…

“What happened?” “Too much to explain here, doll, but I promise, I’m gonna tell you everything.” Bucky sighed before he was lifting you into his arms. The ease of the motion familiar and alien all at once. “Come on, I’ve got something to show you.”

You wet your lips, but nod. This one man, in all the world, you would walk into the very fires of Hades beside.

He moves you through a short series of hallways. The light less harsh than it had been… In what you are now assuming was an examination room. Then slowly opening a door, glancing down to you in what you could only assume was nervousness, a quality you didn’t associate with your sargent. And stepped through.

You laughed softly, it looked as though someone had taken a cinema room, and laid couches around the floor. As if to combine a classic living room with the theatre. The sheer extravagance of it made you scoff. Lifting a brow up to Bucky. “Didn’t know a sargent’s pay could afford a private cinema, Soldier.” “What can I say? Only the best for my girl.” Bucky chuckled, moving to set you down onto the couch, taking the seat beside you. Slipping his hand into yours before reaching for... You weren’t entirely certain what it was, only that you gasped as the screen suddenly came to life. And yet…

“There isn’t a projector here, where is the film coming from?” “Part of the things I need to explain… Don’t have projectors anymore, Doll. Everything’s set up to come to life right on the screen.” Nodding as the movie began to play.

As your movie began to play.

Eyes watering as you sat through the beginning of the film, listening to Dorothy’s voice as she started her song. The song that you had sung a dozen times.

“Seems like we’re over the rainbow, doll, and bluebirds have certainly gotta be flying… Because I never…” You turned to Bucky, shocked at the sound of a sob. Moving to wrap your arms around him, your soldier come home to you.

“I’m here, Bucky. I’m here.” “And I’m never gonna let you go.”

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

‘Buck,

I know that I said I’d be with you to the end of the line, but this is the end of the line for me. You’ll know by now that I didn’t turn back, I’ve stayed here with Peggy, and we’re happy. Expecting a kid soon. Sarah for a girl… James for a boy.

I’m sorry if it feels like I’ve abandoned you. I would be there at your side every day if I could. But the truth is that you fit into that world so much better than I ever did. You’ve always been quicker to adapt. You’ve got Sam there to help you through it. If you give him a chance. And me… I’m just a soldier who’s lived through one too many wars. Don’t know how much fight I’ve got left in me Buck, not after losing you and Sam for five years, and now Tony… Nat... So instead I’m choosing to set down the shield. Give myself a chance for some peace. I hope that you can do the same.

We both know who the right person is to pick that shield back up.

And maybe by doing what I’ve done, I can earn a little forgiveness in your eyes. Set a few things right. Least I can do for my best friend.

After all, you were always such a sap when you could hear her singing.

Steve

P.S. We’ve made sure that she’s got a fighting chance of kicking your ass on the field again… And saving it. Do right by her.’

#Where Bluebirds Fly #bucky barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes #bucky x reader #Shuri #post endgame #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #avengers fanfic #Field Nurse Reader #Super Serum #Cryo

10 notes · View notes

thenexusofsouls · 3 years

Note

Were Natasha and Steve ever a thing? The other day I re-watched Captain America the Winter Soldier and there was a lot of lip staring from Nat... maybe she simply thinks he's handsome (I mean DUHHH) but I don't know, she looked at his lips a lot.

{i am the caretaker of souls} Wow................ I never thought anybody would ever ask this, haha. I honestly never thought I would have to whip out this big, messy ball of headcanons, and I almost don’t want to, heh. Because it’s just so far in left field and I feel like hardcore Natasha fans are gonna be like what are you even doing with her? I have an admittedly weird interpretation of Nat (or at least I feel like it’s weird), and really all of my MCU muses I feel are very canon divergent from the originals. The short answer to your question is no, Natasha and Steve were never a thing... if “a thing” means anything romantic or sexual. There has never been anything, there will never be anything. And if I was smart, I would stop there. But I’m not, haha, and I’m gonna tip over the whole can of headcanon beans right now. LONG.... ahead. And crazy, heh.

My version of Natasha is MCU only, because I have not read her comics in any detail, nor have I read the surrounding comics for people who are integral in her life in the comics (e.g. Bucky). Because really any upstanding and thorough version of Natasha in my opinion should include Bucky as a major ship, if not the only major ship. So therefore my version of her is admittedly truncated and lacking in the ship department (she’s not shipped with anyone in any great detail or meaningful way in my opinion), and is MCU only. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have feelings for people, it just means she doesn’t act on them, or if she did, it didn’t go anywhere.

My Natasha feels so much more than is immediately noticeable or perceivable to most people. What I mean is, she feels a whole lot about a lot of things, events, and people, that she then recognizes needs to be left unsaid. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t still feel those things with intensity, she just understands that they need to be left alone and not acted on. An example of this was her early feelings for Clint. Yes, she loved him. Yes, she loves him still. But that love has changed forms over the years from something she might have wanted to be more romantic in nature to a friendship. Despite how she felt for him, Natasha recognized that they were better suited to remain friends. Thus, she never acted on her feelings, and certainly after Clint began seeing Laura, she never mentioned them. She never will. Because it needs to be left unsaid. By the time of Endgame, she still loves Clint, but it’s changed into platonic love, a change she actively worked to accomplish within herself over the years, because that’s what it needed to be.

Her second would-be ship in the MCU was Bruce Banner. This ship was doomed from the start because Bruce and Natasha place vastly different things as their priorities. Bruce focuses on himself. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing or that he’s selfish, that’s just how his world works. He focuses on the moral, legal, and collateral damage aspects of him turning green, on the way turning green makes him feel, on the way he feels afterwards, and on what that means for him and his life going forward. Those were all major issues he wrestled with at the time of Ultron, when Natasha tried to confess her feelings for him. Natasha, on the other hand, has always and will always place other people, the world, and the collective good ahead of her own wants, needs, desires, etc. No matter what she wants and how important it is to her, she will always prioritize what needs to be done for a mission at hand, for the fate of the world, or for the safety of her comrades or innocent lives. Even if it goes against what she wants more than anything. Because, deep down, there is nothing she wants more than to be a good person and to be part of good forces in the world.

This is not a selfish thing, like oh I want fame or accolades or to be a big cool superhero, but rather it’s a nature deep down inside her that she cannot ignore and that cannot be overwritten by all the Red Room brainwashing in the world. That drive to bring about good, positive, life-preserving change in the world will always be Natasha’s compass, even if her methods and her own alignment are tilted more towards neutral than lawful. My Natasha is of Neutral Good alignment with True Neutral tendencies, meaning that on the Lawful/Chaotic scale, she is Neutral, and on the Good/Evil scale, she is Good with Neutral tendencies. So she will oscillate between adhering to laws or rules, disregarding them entirely, or skirting them somewhere in the middle, depending upon what she’s trying to do and why. That’s the Lawful/Evil scale. Then on the Good/Evil scale, she is Good the vast majority of the time, Neutral sometimes, and never Evil. A caveat to be added here is that she is never Evil as long as she is in full control of her true nature, so anything directed by the Red Room while she was still being influenced by their attempts at brainwashing might have been under a different temporary alignment.

Okay, back to Bruce now (I promise I am getting to Steve, heh, I’m just taking this opportunity to spill everything about my Nat’s ships XD, and setting all of this up makes explaining her complex relationship with Steve a bit easier). I don’t pretend to understand him very well as a character at all and I honest don’t like him very much, but in my mind, he seems to have a Lawful Neutral with Good tendencies alignment. So that means that he is far more inclined to do things lawfully or by-the-book than Natasha is, and he is skewed more Neutral than Good. He does care about casualties when he turns green, and that’s where the Good tendencies come from, but largely he’s neutral. He cares most about avoiding that terrible feeling he gets after turning green. He wants to reduce his discomfort and embarrassment and shame. That’s what most important to him. So the reason why Bruce x Natasha would never ever have worked is that he is more inwardly focused on himself than he is on the impact he could make on the world if he let go of some of that myopic focus on his own feelings. Natasha, on the other hand, is more focused on her responsibility to the world, her impact on it, how she can change it for the better, and on removing that red in her ledger by working to make herself a better person.

Take their final encounter together before Bruce makes the decision to cut ties with her and the Avengers in Ultron, at least for the immediate future... He wants her to run away with him, in the middle of a job, one that might determine the literal fate of the entire planet. He could do that, conscience-free, because to him leaving behind the battlefield and turning green in favor of having some semblance of a normal life is what matters most. Natasha respond with, “I adore you, but I need the other guy.” In other words, I have feeling for you too but right now, we have a job to do. She can put off her own wants and needs until later in favor of what she views in more important. Bruce... can’t do that for her. He realizes that if he stays with Natasha, he stays with the Avengers, and as long as he stays with them, he will never be able to leave behind the shame, pain, and guilt of turning green. So he breaks it off. And that hurt Nat... a lot.

So Clint and Bruce are past loves of Nat’s in my MCU canon of her. Since they didn’t work out she has painstakingly morphed her feelings for them into friendship, and there they will stay. Steve........ is a similar and yet different story. My version of Natasha has feelings for Steve, but she will never tell him that. Fortunately for her, he has no clue and doesn’t seem to be able to get one, haha. She thinks he’s fairly good looking but that’s not the reason why she’s attracted to him. Natasha doesn’t need looks to love someone at all. The reason she’s attracted to him is the same reason why she knows it would never work... he’s too good for her. Now I don’t mean in the self-worth, sense. Natasha has some self-esteem issues regarding what she’s done in her past, but other than that, she’s very confident in who she is. No, I mean in the very literal alignment sense. He’s literally too Good for her, heh. Even though Natasha is Good, she has Neutral tendencies, and even just that much is enough to make her incompatible with Steve.

Steve may be Neutral with regard to the Lawful/Chaotic scale (as seen in Civil War), but he has always been Good. Paladin level Good. Natasha... is not that. She can’t ever be that. But she admires it greatly. She’s attracted to it. She would love to be that herself. And let me say, Natasha doesn’t have a type, heh. If you look at the people she’s loved, Clint and Bruce and Steve... and it never happened in the MCU but I can see her still loving Bucky too... those are all really different people, personality and alignment-wise. Natasha loves the person, not the type. With Steve, she loves that he has been able to maintain the same moral compass through everything he’s been through and seen, she loves his stubbornness and determination, and she loves the lengths he goes to in order to protect others, whether they’re his best friend or some little kid he doesn’t even know. And it’s not like Steve doesn’t have his arrogant, defiant, misguided, or pigheaded moments, haha, because he does, but Natasha loves the person he is... very much.

So why hasn’t she said anything to him? Why didn’t she give it a shot with him like she did with Bruce? A couple reasons. First, yeah he’s too Good for her. She knows that he would have a lot of problems with any number of ways she handles and views any number of things, heh. They would clash too much on methods, issues, and reasons why they do things, and that kind of constant clashing would lead to an eventual animosity Natasha would never want to develop between her and Steve. Second, Steve isn’t looking, heh. Why? Because he wants Peggy. Nat isn’t Peggy. Not even close. They couldn’t be more different in a multitude of ways, and the ways in which they’re similar aren’t enough, and frankly, Nat wouldn’t want to be a Peggy-substitute. Steve is in love with someone else, and whether he can be with the one he loves or not doesn’t even enter into things for Nat. His heart lies elsewhere, and that makes him off limits. Nat respects that, regardless of how she feels. *shrugs* And that’s that, basically. It shouldn’t be a thing, so Nat makes sure it’s not. Like I said up there, my Nat has a very solid ability to wall off how she feels about a thing, situation, or person and never let it see the light of day if she thinks it ought never to be said. Does it hurt? Yes. Does she cry about this and other things sometimes when she’s alone? Yes. And then she pulls herself together and does what she needs to do. Walling off her emotions isn’t just a coping mechanism for Nat, it’s a well-honed and necessary skill she employs.

Okay if any Natasha fans are still reading at this point and haven’t torn out their hair yet, I’ll really set fire to this dumpster of headcanons by sharing... that... a strange reaction I had after watching Endgame was to write little fanfics about things that bothered me in the MCU thus far and just... not put any restraint or constraints on them, haha. What do I mean by that? Okay well usually when I write a fanfic, I put constraints on them as far as what I’m allowed to write. For example... nothing so out of canon as to be stupidly whacky. Hulk cannot suddenly read minds, Tony can’t fly without his suit, you know, nothing downright dumb. Also nothing so out of character emotionally or personality-wise as to just be ludicrous. Because the point is to write a good quality fic that, while it may deviate from canon, should still seem like it fits within the fictional world and the characters’ core personalities. Well... there’s another reason I write fanfics... or heavily inspired original works, for that matter... and that’s to get out emotion. I call them “garbage stories.” My first published book was a “garbage story,” and quite honestly, that’s why it sucked so much haha. But I digress. Garbage stories are fics or original stories that I write because I’m hurting and I need creative cathartic release. Like... I read a book or saw a movie that hurt me, haha, and I need to squeeze out the hurt through writing. After Endgame, I wrote a number of garbage stories, some as little oneshots, some as starters on here, some with friends off Tumblr, but all were to just fix or smooth over things that bothered me.

For example, I wrote something that saved Tony, heh. Basically, Wanda was able to keep him alive with her magic long enough for emergency help to get to him and stabilize him. I’m not saying he was in great shape, but if I can save Pietro from ten gunshot wounds, some of which hit major arteries and organs, I can save Tony from getting fried by cosmic energy, haha. I also wrote a thing in which Wanda basically prevents Endgame and the snap from even happening, because she chose to focus 100% of her power on Thanos instead of dividing it between him and Vision, allowing her to get the better of him long enough for her teammates to get the gauntlet off of him. It left her exhausted and actually injured (she was bleeding from her nose and ears after the effort and was unconscious), but I think she would have lived. I wrote it as a starter that could be taken up as either a Wanda or a Vision, but I think it was so outlandish that there were no takers, heh. That’s perfectly okay. The point is that it’s “garbage” writing, meant to heal the soul but not necessarily make any sense, lol. But ANYWAY... this was the mindset I was in after Endgame, just... fix my pain!

So... I wrote a garbage story about Nat and Steve. Basically... Nat does her whole sacrifice herself for the soul stone thing... and because she was actually clinically dead for several minutes, it works, but Clint recovers her body and brings her back. (Don’t think too much about it, it’s not gonna make sense, just let it go, haha.) Nat is understandably fucked up. Broken bones, spinal injury, internal bleeding, a skull fracture, the works. But she has moments where she’s conscious. During a moment in which Steve (who didn’t go back in time because I was also fixing that with this fic as well haha) was at her beside telling her that he didn’t want her to be alone, a throwback to what she said to him in Civil War when Peggy passed away, Natasha... who thinks 100% that she’s going to die... confesses to Steve that she loves him. It just one of those moments of weakness where she needed to get it off her chest. All indications were that she was not going to survive, so she felt safe in telling him. But then... she lives. And it’s awkward. It’s out of the bag now and she can’t take it back and everything between them now is going to change, likely for the worse. Everything hits her, from the pain of her injuries to the emotion of the past five years and certainly the past several days, and she just breaks down when she sees him again. In the middle of a cringeworthingly tearful and awkward apology to him, Nat stops when Steve takes her hand and gives it a little squeeze, whispering. “It’s okay, Nat.” And that’s how it ends. There’s no clear answer on how he’s going to handle it because there doesn’t need to be. He’s just... not bothered by it at all.

At the time I wrote it, it did a lot for me emotionally. I thought it was really nice. But as time went on and outrage grew over the canon MCU handling of Steve’s and Natasha’s endings, I started to think that what I wrote was just a mess, heh. It didn’t fix or help anything, it just made it worse. So... I deleted it. I regret that I did, because I’ve kept worse things I’ve written before and even if I never had any intention of showing it to anyone, I should have just kept it for myself. *shrugs* Oh well.

And. That. Was probably. More. Than you EVER wanted to hear on this topic. XD I’m so sorry. This turned into a ranting meta about nothing. Um... but hopefully I at least answered your original question? I tried! XD

1 note · View note

tattooednursewrites · 4 years

Text

Falling is Like This - Ch 9

Masterlist

Ch 1

Ch 8

Summary: The mission to rescue Jemma doesn't go as planned.

Warnings: Language

Steve x Bucky x OFC

Soulmates AU – Not Civil War compliant. Not Agents of Shield Compliant.

AN: I feel the need to apologize for being MIA for so long. My husband leaving has thrown my life into a bit of a tailspin... and I'm learning to be alone after 17 years. It's hard to focus long enough to make words happen. On top of that, work has been stressful. But thank you all for sticking with this story. I have in no way given up on it, it's just slow going. Love you guys, and hope you all are safe and well.

Ch 9

The building definitely didn’t scream ‘scary murderous organization’ to you. There were definitely things that raised a few red flags if you were a suspicious sort, though. Firstly, it was isolated. That alone might not be worrisome. Add in the top of the line security? Well… definitely odd, but not necessarily unusual with research and development. The armed guards, however, should make even the most naïve person hesitate. You, however, had no doubt the evil that lay within, so your smile didn’t falter as you strutted to the door, ignoring the guard’s eyes on you.

The identity you had created would at least get you in the door, a rich socialite looking to invest in a company that may or may not develop some very interesting recreational pharmaceuticals. What these people wanted with Jemma you had no idea. Nor did you care, you just wanted to make sure they didn’t get it, and that Jemma was safe. You checked in at the desk and sat down to wait. You were supposed to meet some bitchy figurehead that would no doubt try and con you out of as much money as she could, but you would let her feel like she was getting whatever she wanted if it got you closer to Jemma. She just needed to get you into the more secure areas. Then you could knock her out and stash her somewhere.

You scanned the area again as you waited, fidgeting with the earrings Fitz had given you. They allowed the team to see and hear what was going on, and if you pressed three times, that was the abort code, and they’d come in to get you and Jemma out the hard way. You were hoping to avoid that, though. You sighed, your thoughts wandering to Steve and Bucky. You hoped they wouldn’t be too mad at you. When they met Jemma, they would understand. You remembered Bucky and Natasha catching your reunion and had to redirect your thoughts before the blush overtook you.

You heard your alias called, and you stood, taking the woman’s hand. She was younger than you expected. She led you quickly through the guarded door, and then two more locked doors. You were so focused on memorizing your path you didn’t realize you had entered a room until you heard a gasp. You turned, your eyes finding Jemma, then you felt the pinch of a needle, and everything went black.

***

Bucky paced as Steve and Natasha sat at the table watching the feed. You had just walked into the building and Bucky couldn’t keep still. He was thankful Nat had convinced Coulson to agree to the three of them joining the group at the extraction point. He didn’t like that the mission, one that put you in danger, was already underway, but at least he was here if anything went wrong.

Steve had been surprised, but happy, to see Coulson alive and well. Bucky figured there was a story there, but didn’t ask. Fitz, a friend of Hazel’s and the soulmate of the missing Jemma, was stationed in front of a computer, watching the same feed, his eyes not leaving the screen. Bucky paced as Steve sat next to Coulson, going over the plan and safeties in place. Bucky knew he should be paying attention, but he was having trouble focusing. This was more Steve’s thing, anyway. Bucky got bored with planning fairly quickly.

“No, no, no!” Fitz shot up and Bucky was the first at his side.

“Fuck.”

The picture had tilted, meaning you weren’t upright anymore. Jemma could be seen crying in the background as you were approached by guards. Bucky felt Steve grab his arm as the feed cut out.

“What happened? Why did the feed cut out?” Steve looked to Fitz, then Coulson.

“I… I… It, they shouldn’t…” Fitz was staring at the feed as he muttered.

“Contact May and Daisy, see if they still have eyes,” Coulson said, resting a calming hand on Fitz’s shoulder. “We’ll get them out.”

***

Fuuuuuccckkkk. Getting drugged never got any easier. The headache was insane. Getting hit over the head almost hurt less. You kept your breathing measured and cracked your eyes a bit. No one else that you could see so far. Listening as much as you could, all you heard was a slight whimpering. Shit. Opening your eyes fully you turned. Jemma was curled up on a bench against the wall. You looked around the room, confirming it was just the two of you, before turning back to her.

“Jemma, it’s okay, breath sweetheart,” you murmured, bringing her attention to you.

“Hazel! I’m so sorry! I tried to warn you, they were just…”

“No, sweetie, no,” you swallowed, nausea overwhelming you as you moved to sit up more. “You couldn’t have done anything. I’m just glad to see you. Are you alright? Do I have to kill anyone?”

“I… I’m okay, I think. A bit bruised. Mainly worried about you. It… it was a trap and…” she broke off when there was a noise from outside.

You both listened for a few moments before you scooted yourself toward her a bit. It was awkward with your wrist and ankles tied – fucking zip-ties – but you managed. “Any idea what their evil plan is?” You mumbled, keeping your voice low.

“They were trying to make me work on a formula. When I wasn’t doing what they wanted, they were hoping to get some… leverage. I think they expected Fitz,” she paused, taking a shaky breath. “Thank you, for keeping him out of this.”

“Of course. Well, you know I can take a lot of damage, so don’t give in on my account. I can handle it, if it comes to that.” You spoke quickly, trying to instill your voice with a confidence you didn’t feel. Torture was definitely high on the list of your least favorite things. “I’m hoping I can get us out of this before it’s a problem, though.”

Jemma winced. “I don’t know if I could…”

“You can and you will,” you cut her off, your voice forceful, prompting her to look at you. “It won’t be easy, but we do what we have to do, yeah?”

She swallowed, but gave you a shaky nod. “I’ll do my very best.”

“I know, sweetie. And I can’t ask for more than that. So, how much do we think they know?”

“They don’t seem to know much about you, they called you my lab rat friend, I don’t think…”

She was interrupted by the door opening.

***

“I understand your urgency, but we can’t rush this,” Coulson insisted, looking between Steve and Bucky. Steve took a breath and turned to Bucky.

“I want nothing more than to go in there right now, but what if we get her hurt, Buck? I’d never forgive myself. You know I’m never one to wait for a safe plan, but for her can we at least try to make an exception?”

Bucky stopped glaring at Coulson and turned to Steve. “If something happens to her…”

“I know. I promise I know. Nothing but ash. In the mean time I could use your help. Nat says there are a couple places that we could place a sniper, and since you’re the best…”

Bucky grumbled, but moved to look over the aerial map Steve had gestured to, nodding. At least he could do something.

***

Sometimes it really fucking sucked to be right. You tried not to react as the punch landed on your cheek, but a small grunt of pain escaped. Another punch quickly landed on the other side, and you slumped over, hoping they’d decide to hit somewhere that wasn’t your face for a bit. You listened as the bitchy chic you had met with originally told Jemma they’d give her a few minutes to make the right decision. Oh goody! A break! You tried not to chuckle as they left you alone with Jemma. Idiots.

“Hazel? You okay?”

“Eh, been better, but not as bad as they think I am,” you muttered, not sitting up as you worked at your boot. Your wrist and ankles were still tied, but they weren’t secured to anything. Jemma was right, they must think you were like her and Fitz… a lab geek. Well, only a lab geek. They had pulled the knife from your boot, but you had an almost garrote-like piece of metal looped into the leather. You quickly used it to cut through the zip-ties holding your hands, then your feet, before turning to Jemma.

You removed the ties from her wrists, they hadn’t bothered with her ankles. She brought her hands to your face. “Oh, Hazel!”

“I’m fine, looks worse than it is,” you reassured her. You knew you looked a mess. You could feel your eye swelling and the split lip. You definitely tasted the blood. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, yeah?”

Jemma nodded, and took your hand as you pulled her behind you. The door lock didn’t take you long to disable, and you moved quickly, making sure Jemma stayed with you.

“The fuck?!”

Shit!! You pushed Jemma backwards into the wall and jumped into the guard, pushing his gun up and praying he wouldn’t hit anything vital if he fired. You kneed him in the groin twice before pulling the taser off of his belt and using it on him. He dropped to the ground. You didn’t like the idea of having him at your backs, but you didn’t want to… fuck. You went through his gear quickly, taking what you thought you might need. Tranq darts? Hmm. You stabbed one into his ass before you could think too much about it, and pocketed the clip with the rest.

“Hazel,” you heard Jemma whisper.

Right. You nodded at her, handing her his backup gun. Now that you were both armed you started moving again. When you started to see windows and daylight, your hands went to your necklace. It was another gift from Fitz… and it was just a normal necklace, until it was activated. You twisted the gem, activating it. He said it was short range, so you weren’t sure they would be able to pick you up yet, but daylight was good enough for you. You couldn’t help but wonder how many hours had passed. Fitz must be freaking out.

The necklace was only one way… but hopefully they could hear you. “It’s Hazel,” you tried to keep your voice low, but loud enough to be heard. “I have Jemma, and we’re making our way out of the facility.”

***

They had a plan. It took a couple of hours longer than Bucky would’ve liked, but it was a fairly solid plan. And he definitely appreciated having powered people on his side. Daisy could literally demolish walls… easily. And she obviously loved his girl and Jemma. A lot. She was almost as impatient as he was. Steve was nervous, but Bucky figured that was more due to having both of his soulmates in harms way, than the plan itself. As they were gearing up and going over the plan again, Fitz rushed in.

“It’s Hazel! The necklace! She made contact!” And with that he turned and ran back out of the room, everyone following him.

“What do you mean it’s Hazel?” Steve asked as they approached Fitz, who was back in front of his monitor. He hit a few keys on the keyboard and your voice, barely more than a whisper, came from the speakers. “It’s Hazel. I have Jemma, and we’re making our way out of the facility.”

“Holy fuck.” Bucky looked to Steve, who was frozen, staring at the speakers.

“Told you not to underestimate her,” Natasha sighed, looking between Steve and Bucky. “She’s not a damsel.”

Daisy laughed. “No, she’s more likely to do the rescuing than the other way around – usually with little regard to her own safety.”

Bucky grunted and narrowed his eyes at Steve. “Just what I fucking need. Two of you.”

Daisy nudged him. “Don’t worry, she avoids field work when she can. Prefers the lab. This is… a special circumstance.”

“We’re sure this isn’t a trap?” Coulson asked, squinting at the speaker.

Bucky turned, about to give Coulson a piece of his mind, but May interrupted him.

“Hazel remembers the protocols… hell, she came up with some of them. You hear any of the warning words?

Coulson sighed, shaking his head. “I just don’t want any more of my people in danger in there.”

“We know, boss,” Daisy grinned. “So, what are we waiting for? Can’t let them have all the fun.”

“Fun?” Fitz stuttered, looking at Daisy with wide eyes.

“We’ll have them back here in no time, Fitz, don’t worry,” Daisy said, giving his should a pat.

Steve nodded, looking to Bucky, who nodded back. “Let’s go.”

Ch 10

#tattooednursewrites #marvel #MARVEL FANDOM #marvel fanfiction #Bucky Barnes #Steve Rogers #Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers #steve/bucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #bucky barnes x ofc #Steve Rogers x OFC #bucky barnes/ofc #steve rogers/ofc #Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/ofc #bucky barnes x steve rogers #bucky barnes x steve rogers x ofc #soulmarks #soulmate au #soulmate alternate universe

1 note · View note