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beefromanoff · 10 months

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Going Under Ch. 10

summary: afterparty at Tony's penthouse, too much champagne, and karaoke

characters: Bucky Barnes x OC

soundtrack: side to side - ariana grande; one last time - Ariana grande, electric love - borns

warnings: fluff, pop star fantasy x love story, set in an AU where the Avengers reunite after Civil War, pre-infinity war, slight angst, hurt/comfort, lonely reader/OC.

author’s note: i agonized over this, i hope you like! it was time for a little progression in the relationship ;)

chapter list/links - xo

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The black SUV pulled up to Stark Tower, the iconic skyscraper extending into the clouds above them. Bucky slid out the side door first, making his way around to Gianna’s side, always closest to the entrance. Opening the door, Bucky glanced around out of habit, even though this tower had more security than any other building in New York.

Sliding across the leather seat and dropping onto the ground, Gianna smiled up at Bucky. She’d changed into a faded blue sweatshirt with Yankees printed across the front, one of the only good things to come out of her last PR relationship. Her white cotton sweats cuffed at the ankles, just above the white sneakers she was most often seen in. She’d insisted that Bucky change clothes too, even after his insistence that everyone (except Tony) would be wearing sweats.

“Trust me,” he’d said. “They have to wear double-layered, bulletproof suits for every training session and mission. If there’s ever a chance to wear something baggy and soft, every single one of ‘em is gonna take it. Especially knowing how these ‘game nights’ usually end up.”

“Which is how?” She’d raised an eyebrow at him.

He glanced at her, a light smirk playing across his lips.

“Violently.”

As usual, Gianna’s combination of wide-eyed begging and sheer persistence had won. Bucky wore a gray hoodie and dark sweatpants, which she found made him look unreasonably adorable. She swallowed and forced her eyes up, averting them from the way the sweatshirt hugged his broad shoulders.

The building's grand entrance greeted them, sleek and modern, as they made their way inside. The air was alive with a constant hum, a subtle indication of the technology in every facet of the building.

Entering the elevator, the doors slid shut. Gianna leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath.

“I’m about to go hang out with the Avengers.” She breathed, eyes fixed on the floor. Bucky wasn’t sure if she was speaking to him, or simply trying to process the information.

“The novelty wears off after one or two game nights.”

Gianna gave Bucky a side-eye, as if he were dashing her fantasies about the evening to come.

He held his hands up in mock apology. “I’m just saying, once you have a barstool thrown at your head because you beat the Hulk in flip cup, you start to think twice about attending these things.”

Gianna laughed, but before she could respond, the door slid open with a whoosh.

As they stepped into the softly lit penthouse, Bucky’s senses filled with familiarity. The soft thump of music playing, the chorus of voices bickering, the click of glasses across Tony’s incredibly expensive bartop.

“Oh hey, Sonny and Cher, glad you could make it.” Tony called from behind the bar, shaking up a martini for himself and Natasha, sitting cross legged on the bar.

All the faces in the room turned to watch the duo stride over to the bar.

“Gi *hic* anna!” Wanda slurred, throwing an arm around the singer. “You caaaaaaame!” She sang, throwing her head back in the air. Gianna laughed, looking up at Bucky, who had a smug look on his face.

“Of course, I’m not gonna miss a chance to kick some Avenger ass in beer pong.” Gianna winked at Bucky, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her as he plopped down on the couch across from Sam and Steve.

“Woah there Britney, I don’t know what you heard about us, but we don’t drink that honky bullshit up here. It’s champagne pong or bust. Considering this is some of Italy’s finest, you’re not gonna wanna bust.” Tony quipped, pulling two ornate bottles of champagne from behind the bar.

Natasha took a sip of her martini then grabbed both bottles by the neck.

“Want to help me do the honors?” She said coyly, holding a bottle out to Gianna as she walked past.

Gianna took the bottle and turned to follow the redhead, wondering how she was somehow hotter in person than the action figures made her out to be. They walked through massive glass doors onto an expanse balcony, overlooking the New York skyline.

“Wait, wait, wait, don’t start without me!” Peter called, tumbling out onto the balcony, barely keeping the liquid in his red solo cup. He fumbled with his phone, struggling to pull up the camera. “Ned is never gonna believe me when I tell him I got drunk with Gianna Cruz.”

Pew!

A small beam of light flashed and sent Peter’s phone, or at least what remained of it, soaring off the balcony.

“Definitely not, especially since you have no way to prove it.” Tony called, stepping outside. He still wore his expensive suit, but the collar and tie were loosened. His right arm had red armor around it, slightly smoking from the beam.

“Aw, come on!” Peter whined.

“Sorry kid, I’ve got enough people questioning my ethics around minors, I don’t need to confirm the rumors by proving I let them get drunk in my home.”

The rest of the crew gathered on the patio, the cool night air making Gianna glad she’d chosen sweats. Bucky and Steve rounded out the group, leaning against the door frame to watch.

“Ready?” Natasha’s eyes twinkled.

“After you.” Gianna replied, positioning her hand on the cork.

They both twisted and applied pressure with their thumbs to the cork, and a pop was heard from each as the golden liquid spewed into the air. Both women squealed, spraying a champagne arc across the sky.

“Woooooo!” Wanda cheered, as the rest of the crew clapped and hollered, largely already intoxicated.

“Alright freaks and geeks, pair up.” Tony called, waltzing back into the penthouse. “No fuck buddy partnerships allowed.” He glanced over his shoulder, eyeing Bucky and Gianna. “I’m talking to you too, Rogers. Don’t even look at Natasha.”

Gianna’s eyes widened, first at the unexpected comment from Tony and second at the insinuation that Captain America and Black Widow were an item. Bucky just grinned, unphased by the chaos.

“Alright, then, we’ll team up and kick both your super soldier asses.” Natasha slipped her arm through Gianna’s and tugged her to one side of the long wooden table.

“You’re on.” Steve winked. Bucky sighed and slowly took his side across the table.

“Mmkay, round one, the geriatrics of the group versus the eye candy. Seems a little creepy if you ask me.” Tony snarked, downing the rest of his martini.

Twenty minutes later, Gianna’s head was spinning from a combination of sweet, bubbly champagne and nonstop laughing. They’d won, Natasha carrying their team with shocking precision. Steve and Bucky had put up a good fight, once they figured out how to dial back their strength and not send the orange ping pong balls flying.

“Say hello,” Natasha called to the room at large. “To your newest champagne pong champions.” She put her arm around Gianna’s shoulders and raised a half full champagne bottle into the air.

Cups and glasses around the room went up and Natasha took a swig straight from the bottle, then passed it to Gianna. She took a big gulp and scrunched her nose as the bubbles made her eyes water.

“Careful there, champ.” Bucky patted her on the back, chuckling at her reaction.

“Howss’ your ass feel?” Gianna slurred, grinning back at him.

“Feels fine. Wanna see for yourself?” Bucky joked, emboldened by the fact that she (and everyone else in the room besides himself and Steve) was clearly drunk.

She paused for a second, narrowing her eyes at him. Then, to Bucky’s surprise, she reached back and grabbed a handful of his ass through his sweatpants.

“Mm’yeah. Feels fine to me.” She winked as she waltzed over and plopped down in a space way too small between Wanda and Peter.

“If you need to get a room, Barnes, I’ve got about twenty. On this floor.” Tony’s voice called out.

Bucky rolled his eyes, still reeling from her touch.

“JARVIS, turn on the karaoke machine.”

A long screen slid down from the ceiling and neon lights illuminated the room. Tony opened a drawer and pulled out two microphones, tossing one to Gianna. “We didn’t have time to get them bedazzled, but I hope these’ll still work.”

Peter snatched the microphone out of the air and handed it to her, knowing her reaction time probably wasn’t at it’s best.

“Ugh, you must not’ve read my rider,” Gianna called. “I can’t perform under these conditions.” She put her hand over her forehead and pretended to faint, falling over onto Wanda, who giggled profusely.

“And here I was thinking you weren’t a diva,” Sam shrugged, standing. “I’ll kick us off.”

Sam performed a loud, emphatically off-key version of Call Me Maybe, to which everyone danced along to. Well, almost everyone. Steve and Bucky had camped out at the barstools behind the couch, watching their intoxicated friends jump around.

“You think we’re missing out on anything?” Steve asked his friend, sipping on a glass of whiskey he knew wouldn’t affect him.

“Something tells me we’ll be glad to have missed out in the morning.” Bucky raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should cut Gianna off and get her back to the hotel before it got too late. Seeing her laugh and dance, hand in hand with Wanda and twirling beside Nat, he decided to let her have a little more fun. He’d been with her for almost three months and hadn’t seen her socialize with anyone besides their tour crew the entire time. She deserves one night.

As if reading his thoughts, Steve spoke up. “Tony’s got a new IV pack, basically cures a hangover instantly. Hasn’t hit the market yet, but Nat swears by it.”

Bucky nodded, relieved he wouldn’t have to watch her try to pull off a three hour show at deafening volumes while battling a hangover.

“Bucky, Bucky!” He snapped out of his thoughts and looked over to the screen.

Gianna was standing on top of the coffee table, a champagne bottle in one hand and the microphone in her other.

“You watching?” She crooned into the microphone.

He grinned. “Always.”

“Good.” She turned, spinning in her socks on the glass tabletop.

“Ladees and gent’man.” She pointed at the crowd surrounding the coffee table. Natasha, Wanda, Peter, and Sam were standing in front of her, forming the world’s smallest mosh pit. Tony sat back in the recliner next to them.

“I’d like to dedicate thissong…” Her glassy gaze flicked up to Bucky. “To Mr. Sergeant James Buch’n Barnes. Also known as Bucky. Also known as the hottest assassin I ever woke up next to.”

The girls cheered and Sam clapped as the music began to play.

Gianna’s voice filled the air for the second time that night, beautiful, but singing a song Bucky didn’t recognize. Something he’d heard before but couldn’t place. Something about walking side to side?

As Gianna sang, she hopped off the table and waltzed towards the bar where the two super soldiers sat. She donned the bedroom eyes she typically reserved for the stage. Although they looked significantly glassier than usual this time, Bucky still felt his chest tighten.

She didn’t break eye contact with him as she sidled between Bucky’s legs, singing directly in front of him. Her arm reached out over his shoulder and set the champagne bottle down on the bar. He could tell it was empty by the light clink it made when she set it down. Gianna’s hand trailed down over Bucky’s shoulder, down his chest, and across the top of his thigh to his knee.

She spun around and bent at the hip, keeping her knees locked. Bucky had seen her do this move onstage hundreds of times, but seeing her do it mere inches from his body, feeling her bend over directly in front of where he was sitting…

He sucked in a sharp breath. The cheers and hollering of the rest of the crew sounded like it was coming from another room, his heart was pounding so loudly. Just as he was beginning to wonder if he should have worn looser pants, she began to prance back towards the coffee table.

She sat on the edge and leaned back onto her elbows, not missing a word as she slid down onto her back. Tony, seated closest to her, raised his eyebrow at Bucky as Gianna arched her back and slowly sat up.

As she finished the song, the team applauded drunkenly.

“Well, I guess now we know Buck’s packin’ more than just the arm.” Tony said.

Bucky ran a hand through his hair, trying to remember that their charade was just that, and he’d be going back to his own hotel room tonight, alone.

The intimate party at Stark Tower was officially in full swing, just how he remembered nights like this. The air was full of cigar smoke from Tony lighting up inside, something he only ever did when he was drunk, and then would always proceed to swear at everyone else the next morning because he had to reupholster the furniture due to the smell. Peter had passed out, his torso half slid off of the couch and onto the floor. Sam had resumed karaoke and was putting on a private concert for Wanda, still jumping and dancing by the screen. Natasha had slipped behind the bar and was showing off her master mixologist skills, flipping bottles to entertain a wide-eyed Gianna.

Ever the life of the party, Bucky wasn’t surprised at how easily she blended with the group, her laughter echoing throughout the room. She was witty enough to keep up with Tony but sweet enough to earn Steve’s silent approval, and whatever nerves she’d had before the night began were impossible to detect now. As he leaned forward on the bar, Bucky watched her clap for Natasha who curtsied as they both descended into fits of giggles.

He’d missed these nights. As much as they gave him shit for being the quiet one or for being grouchy, he really loved being with the whole group. The family of misfits brought together by whatever shitty circumstances they’d each endured in their private life. Tony’s gatherings were their time together outside of missions, away from gunfire and comm systems and debriefs. It was the most normalcy Bucky had felt in nearly one hundred years, and it was easily the one thing he missed most while being away on tour.

Before he’d taken this assignment, he’d have spent the party playing a few games, and then retreating to a corner chair to observe the rest of the night. Once everyone else started getting too drunk, he’d recuse himself and watch their fun unfold before eventually retreating to his room. It wasn’t that he minded them getting drunk, it was that watching them reminded him how he couldn’t, and that was enough to kill the buzz he only ever hoped to get.

But now, he had no desire to get drunk. Watching the strawberry blonde curls fall all over the counter as Gianna fell onto it in a fit of laughter, seeing her green eyes crinkle from smiling so long, watching the way she still had perfect rhythm even as she was too drunk to speak clearly, he didn’t want to be anywhere but here.

Ever the vigilant protector, he kept a watchful eye on her, letting her have fun but occasionally reaching out to steady her when she spun too fast and lost her balance.

“Okay, okay,” Bucky sighed, reaching out his metal arm and steadying Gianna for the third time in a matter of minutes. “Maybe it’s time for a seat, huh?” He kept his hand on the small of her back as he raised his eyebrows at her.

Gianna giggled, still unsteady even when she stopped dancing. Her eyes flicked to his, then down to his lips and back again. “Okay.”

Before he could process what was happening, Gianna had slid onto his lap and leaned her back into his chest. His hand was held awkwardly out to the side, hovering above her waist. Momentarily frozen, he looked up and made eye contact with Steve, who gave him a thumbs’ up.

Gently, he lowered his hand so it rested on Gianna’s hip.

She turned her head so she was looking up at him from her position, leaning back into his body. “You told me to have a seat.” She blinked, those damn doe eyes paralyzing him again.

“You got me there, doll.”

For a moment, Bucky lost his bearings. He could feel nothing but the pressure of Gianna’s body on his, her laughter reverberating through his chest as she was pressed so close. She had fully leaned into him, completely relaxed and at ease. He could smell the mixture of hairspray, perfume, and champagne in her hair.

Falling into a fit of giggles over something Sam said, Gianna bent forward, nearly sliding off of his lap. Instinctively, Bucky wrapped his arm fully around her waist to pull her back up. The sudden movement caught Gianna’s attention and she turned her gaze fully to Bucky.

She was seated sideways on his lap, her right shoulder against his chest. Their eyes locked, faces only inches apart. Neither of them breathed. Gianna’s heavy-lidded, drunken eyes drifted down his face. They came to rest on Bucky’s lips, slightly parted as he held his breath, watching her every move.

Without breaking her gaze, Gianna’s right arm slid up and over Bucky’s head so it rested on the back of the chair behind him. Her hand delicately rested on the back of his neck. He hoped she couldn’t feel his skin ignite under her touch.

Bucky’s ears rang as all the noise of the penthouse faded to a dull and distant sound. All he heard was his heartbeat, pounding in his ears, complimented by the staccato beat of hers only inches from him.

The next few moments were a blur.

A soft hand tenderly tugging his head forward.

Green eyes covered by glittery eyelids fluttering shut.

Pink, pouty lips coming towards his.

An explosion of emotions in his stomach.

Gianna’s lips pressed to Bucky’s, so gently he wasn’t sure if she’d even realized what she was doing. After lingering for a moment, she suddenly tilted her head and leaned into the kiss, fully committing. Bucky drew in a deep breath, lifting his hand from her waist to her cheek, using the other to brace her back and pull her closer.

She tasted like champagne and strawberry lipgloss.

Gianna POV

“And get this, then she handed me a receipt for my bird costume!” Sam exclaimed, gesturing emphatically.

I burst out laughing, doubling over from where I was perched on Bucky’s lap. I felt amazing. The champagne had filled me with an unfamiliar warmth, making my head fuzzy in the best way. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. Everything was funny. Everything was perfect. I let myself topple forward with the force of my laughter, all regard for my body having disappeared after the last glass.

As I slid forward, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, rock solid against me.

Bucky drew me back up as if I was weightless.

The way his ripcord muscle had jolted into my rubs momentarily knocked the breath out of me, a sobering feeling that only slightly cut through my buzz. Startled, I looked at Bucky.

God, he’s pretty.

His blue eyes were turned, brows knit together in concern. He looked concerned more often than not when he looked at me. I hope that’s a good thing. His hair was tucked behind his ears, and I was close enough to see the dark shadow of stubble growing along his jawline.

I had a sudden image of the way that jawline looked in the morning, cushioned by an overstuffed hotel room pillow, and my breath caught. I tried to drag myself back into this moment, this night in the penthouse suite at Tony Stark’s tower, but I was powerless against my own mind.

Suddenly, I was lying in that bed again, feeling his arms around me as his comforting presence lulled me to sleep. I was standing in my dressing room, feeling his hands slid my zipper down my back. I was walking next to him at the boardwalk, seeing him smile for the first time when he won that stupid stuffed animal. I was opening the door to his sheepish smile holding lattes first thing in the morning.

I was sitting on his lap, breathing him in, staring straight into those blue eyes.

I held my breath, afraid the moment would burst like the bottle of champagne on the balcony. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, the sharp jaw, the pouty lips, ugh. My brain felt full of static. I lifted my hand behind his head and lightly touched the back of his neck. Everything about him was so strong, so firm, so sturdy. His hand still gripped my waist.

Don’t even think about it. His lips were slightly parted.

You’re drunk. He smelled so damn good.

Everyone’s watching. I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. I’ve wondered for three straight months now.

You’re going to have to deal with this tomorrow. I don’t want him to ever move his hand.

Fuck it.

I leaned in, pulling him towards me, and pressed my lips to his. They were warm, soft, tasted like whiskey. I paused, soaking in the moment I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t daydreamt about on all those long bus rides and flights. The real thing blew those daydreams straight into oblivion. I was hooked.

I tilted my head, deepening the kiss. He responded immediately, parting his lips further and cupping my cheek. I felt his metal hand on the small of my back, something that had become all too familiar. I pressed against him, craving proximity.

I couldn’t have pulled myself away if I had been stone cold sober.

My hand was in his hair, his tongue brushed mine, my heartbeat felt louder than Madison Square Garden. I didn’t care who was watching, I don’t know how long it went on.

All I knew was that I was completely, hopelessly infatuated with James Buchanan Barnes, and there was no way I could go back to pretending like I wasn’t.

Shit.

#bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #avengers #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fluff #bucky fanfic #winter soldier #winter soldier fluff #sebastian stan #winter solider x reader

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wesleyjrodriguez · 8 months

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☕️ Power up your mornings with our digital printable Iconic Ironman Coffee Mug! 🦾🔥 🖨️ Download, print, and enjoy your favorite beverage in superhero style with this unique Ironman design. This digital printable product is perfect for fans of Tony Stark who want to add a touch of Marvel brilliance to their day. 💪🌟 🎨 Whether you're a comic book enthusiast, a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or simply admire the iconic Ironman suit, our Iconic Ironman Coffee Mug is a must-have for your collection. Let the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist accompany you during your coffee breaks! ☕️💥 💼 Tag a friend who would love to start their day with a cup of superheroic coffee in this digital printable Iconic Ironman Coffee Mug. Let's share our love for the Marvel universe! 👥❤️ 🔗 Click the link https://melobeam.com/product/iconic-ironman-coffee-mug-instant-download-coffee-mug/ explore our Iconic Ironman Coffee Mug and add a dash of heroism to your morning routine today! 🌟🦾 #Ironman #CoffeeMug #DigitalPrintables #MarvelUniverse #SuperheroVibes #MorningBoost #Melobeam

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imagesbyele · 3 years

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Tony Stark Christmas, Steve Rogers and Thor icons, 150x150. For each character you get: 8 in snowflake shape 8 in christmas ball shape 8 square ones, all with different background. like or reblog if you take! (I would have done more/will do more but I couldn't find happy enough screencaps)

#tony stark icons #tony stark #steve rogers icons #steve rogers #thor icons #thor #avengers icons #avengers #mcu icons #iron man icons #captain america icons #christmas icons #my icons #mine #dash icons #free icons

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wadewicons · 4 years

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tony stark | iron man icons & dash headers

• made by @johncosntantine

• if you save or use, please don’t forget to like or reblog

• don’t edit them or claim as your own

• open the image before saving for better quality

• more iron man │make your request

#comicedit #marveledit #ironmanedit #tonystarkedit #iron man icons #tony stark icons #iron man dash headers #tony stark dash headers #icons #dash headers #tony stark #iron man #marvel #marvel icons #marvel dash headers #babs #tony stark: iron man

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deadpooly · 5 years

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imagine if peters spidey sense didnt only affect his body, but things that he is emotionally attached to in that moment, like a video game avatar because currently that is technically him.

peter playing geometry dash while physically vibrating from spidey sense: hnghghgh the spikes r gunna kill me

tony: wtf what spikes?

peter: *dies* skdjgskdhs i hAte yoU cuBe!!!!! stupid spidey sense is good for nothing, what a waste of life dammit

#peter parker #tony stark #incorrect marvel quotes #incorrect iron dad #geometry dash #do any of yall remember that game???#incorrect spider son #incorrect spiderman quotes #peter parker is a gen z icon #peter parker is an idiot #but we all r soooo

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just-another-blog-of-fluff · 2 years

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Vulnerability

Word count: 10,100

Pairing: Loki x f!reader (pre-dating/romantic)

Warnings: violence, injury, strained past relationship with father/past verbal abuse, mourning of past loss of a parent, later gets kind of steamy (but SFW)

This was a really interesting and fun piece to write! 💚💚 I sort of love the relationship between Loki and the reader in this one 😍

Based on a few prompts: one prompt where reader has tattoos that she keeps hidden for sentimental reasons (with an added mini prompt suggestion), and another Prompt where reader doesn’t like her laugh because it’s too cute for someone who is a tough Avenger, and Loki seeks to prove it doesn’t matter.

PLEASE check out the warnings first - there's some sort of heavy content in this fic compared to most of my usual work. As always, completely SFW though!

"Steve - watch your six!"

"Got it!"

Clang.

The offending SPECTER soldier met the unforgiving edge of the iconic vibranium shield, his blaster sent catapulting from his hands as the force of the blow propelled him to the ground. Steve's blue eyes met yours for only a moment, the captain offering you a nod of thanks before you both dove back into the chaos.

A soldier rushed at you from your right. A swift planting of your non-dominant foot into the ground allowed you to aim a roundhouse kick at him before he could get his hands on you. The blow to the gut sent him reeling despite the armor covering his torso, a shout of surprised frustration barking out from beneath his black mask.

They always underestimated you. It was both a blessing and a curse.

Behind you, four more SPECTER soldiers fell victim to the broadside of Mjolnir, a lethal swinging blur in the hand of the God of Thunder. By his side, Loki effortlessly took down another three, the sharp edges of his blades finding the nearly imperceptible points of vulnerability within the soldiers' armor.

"Hey Rambo - there's an opening up ahead. We gotta get in there," Tony's voice ordered in your ear. Your eyes flitted up to the door to the research facility, catching the end result of Nat tackling a soldier to the ground as she wrestled his blaster from his hand. There was indeed a clear path, free from the hordes of soldiers still locked in combat with the other Avengers.

"Roger that." You took off sprinting toward the door, boots slamming rhythmically against the ground as you raced to catch up with the blur of red and gold metal that whizzed past your head. A blue flash of light blasted straight across your path, halting you in your tracks as a soldier opened fire at you from your left. Sunlight glinted against twirling metal just before one of Loki's daggers found its home in the soldier's abdomen, just below the breastplate of his armor. Whipping around, you saw Loki dashing in the same direction you were headed, shooting you a wink as he passed.

"You're welcome!" he called back to you. You raced after him with your renewed goal of storming the facility, scoffing as you caught up to him.

"I could've taken him!" you shot back with a grin.

"Oh, I'm certain of that."

That handsome smirk of his crossed his face, the one that always gave off the sense that he was withholding some snide or flirty comment, and you swiftly returned your attention to the door ahead of you. You couldn't be getting distracted by that in the heat of battle.

The door had already been blown open by a blast - courtesy of Tony Stark - and you and Loki ducked inside, with Bucky hot on your heels to assist. The foyer was teeming with more SPECTER soldiers dressed in black armor and black masks, already engaged in battle with Tony as he zoomed around dodging their fire and blasting right back with his outstretched palms.

Clouds of smoke billowed up around the room from the relentless blaster fire as you three late arrivals jumped into battle. Bucky's vibranium arm took hits without a scratch, and he used it as a personal shield as he charged at a cluster of three soldiers. You dove to the floor as blaster fire sailed over your head, somersaulting elegantly to a crouched position and sweeping the legs out from under the nearest soldier. Pushing yourself up onto your feet, you hooked an arm around the neighboring soldier's neck and wrenched him to the ground.

A second's lull in the attacks aimed toward you (the least threatening of the four of you present in the building by their standards) gave you the chance to glance around in search of the central communications hub. Straight ahead, a long hallway led straight to a set of double doors, behind which you could only hope was the room you were searching for.

"Checking the hallway, twelve o'clock," you muttered into your comms device as you took off in a sprint toward your destination.

"Roger that, Rambo," Tony's voice responded promptly, the echoes of the blasts bursting around the room resounding in the background. "Meet me there in sixty seconds."

You ducked low as you ran, making yourself as small as possible to evade fire. A soldier stepped out in front of you, blaster aimed straight at your face. You dodged right at the last second, the heat of the blast grazing your ear as you grabbed hold of his wrist and slammed your other forearm down against his, disarming him. You heard a shout and a thud behind you, pivoting just in time to see Loki driving his boot into another enemy's chest. You used the apparent distraction to yank on the wrist of the soldier who'd nearly blasted your head off, throwing him face-first to the floor. Loki ran by your side, completing the last leg of the sprint to the end of the hallway just as Tony unceremoniously blew the doors open.

Inside was, thankfully, a vast control panel of computers and radars that clearly indicated this was the communications hub you'd been searching for. You approached the central computer as Tony landed beside you, removing his Iron Man armor and setting it to sentry mode.

"Loki - be a dear and watch the door, will you?" you asked with mock sweetness. He rolled his eyes, grinning all the same at your cheek.

"Take your time, agent."

You got to work immediately, fingers flying furiously across the holographic keyboard as you worked your hacking magic on the enemy's electronics. A good fight was always a thrill, but this was the sort of work you really lived for. It was so satisfying, breaking past the flimsy firewalls and supposedly secure passcodes to enter into a sea of data, all available at your fingertips. Except you weren't seeking to take data this time. You were seeking to erase it.

Tony hovered over your shoulder, pointing irritatingly at the screen in front of you as though you didn't already know what you were looking for. "There - that's the SHIELD files."

"Seriously? For a group that prides themselves on being 'unseen and unheard,' seems like a rookie mistake saving your stolen files in your main hard drive..." you muttered tauntingly, making quick work of deleting the file from existence.

"Alright, good to go?" Tony urged.

"Stark - you know as well as I that we need to do a sweep to ensure there's no traces of data anywhere else in the system," you chastised, making a few additional clicks to scan the intranet.

"Remind me why I didn't decide to call you 'cyberpunk?'" Tony quipped. You glanced at him with a slight turn of your head, a half-smirk crossing your face.

"Because you know I'm a force to be reckoned with."

"Fair point. That, and you're crazy."

"Also a fair point."

"STOP!"

A hollering voice sounded, not from the door, but from the corner of the room. Your eyes flitted upward just in time to see a soldier aim his blaster straight at you. Above him, an open vent told you exactly how he’d slipped past your defenses. Unable to dodge quickly enough, you at least managed to turn your body sideways and minimize the impact as the fiery bullet skimmed across your lower ribs on its trajectory past you. Had you not twisted when you did, it most definitely would have burned a hole through your chest. Instead, it singed a hole in your shirt, sending a blinding, searing pain deep into your skin as it burned from the heat of the blast.

With a hiss of pain, your hands shot to the wound as you doubled over. Loki was on the soldier almost instantly, sending him crashing to the ground. Tony took over at the keyboard to complete the last of the sweep as Loki rushed to your side.

"You're injured."

"Yeah, no shit," you grunted through gritted teeth. Turning to Tony, you barked, "Finish scanning the system yet?"

"Just... about... done!" he responded triumphantly.

"Find anything?"

His face dropped into a scowl. "None of your business."

You snickered. "What would you do without me?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Tony activated the Iron Man suit, the metal pieces slamming in formation onto his body like a magnet. "Let's get you outta here, Rambo."

You waved him off dismissively, swallowing the gasp of pain that leapt up in your throat as you stood up straighter. "I'm fine. Let's go."

The jolting motion of each step sent a fresh wave of sharp pain through your wound, but you'd learned not to let it reflect on your face.

To show pain is to show weakness.

Your father always told you that growing up. No matter how many hits you took, he'd never let you so much as wince without reprimanding you. It was just one of the many harsh aspects of his training that you'd carried with you over the years. You supposed he had gotten you where you were, so he couldn't be blamed for his militaristic training methods.

The battle raged on in the foyer with what remained of the SPECTER soldiers guarding the interior. Loki notably stepped out ahead of you the moment you crossed through the doorway into the foyer, but you shoved your way past him to engage with a nearby soldier. You weren't going to let him shield you like that - not while you were still standing.

If you can stand, you can fight.

Your father's words once again echoed in your head. And fight, you would. Shoving the pain out of the forefront of your mind, you swung your fist in a right hook at the soldier's head, making him stumble from the impact. A hand closed around your forearm, and you nearly slapped it away before you realized it was Bucky's.

"Don't be stupid. You're injured," he scolded, gesturing to the hole seared into your shirt where your skin had been burned. You scowled, ripping your arm from his grasp.

"So I've been told. I'll be fine."

To appease your teammates, you at least began heading for the door, fighting only when necessary if a soldier hindered your progress. Tony had already jetted out, likely working to flag down the helicarrier so you could make your escape. The adrenaline of battle ebbed away at the pain, allowing you to focus on getting the hell out of there now that your mission had been completed. It seemed these SPECTER soldiers were in infinite supply - you may have been fierce, but you weren't foolish enough to think the band of heroes would be able to take down every last one of them.

Loki and Bucky were hot on your heels as you burst through the entryway to the building. Steve, Nat, and Thor were looking battle worn, Steve with a laceration to his forehead and Nat with a small burn on her shoulder where a blast likely grazed her skin. They both eyed your wound with concern, making you roll your eyes at the two of them.

"I'm fine!" you shouted as you slammed your heel into an oncoming soldier. "Let's go - the data's erased."

The deafening hum of the helicarrier approached your position as the aircraft appeared in the sky in front of you. The team bolted in unison toward it, ducking under blaster fire as the SPECTER soldiers followed in hot pursuit. The helicarrier hovered low enough to the ground to let out the boarding ramp, allowing the seven of you to hop on before rising into the sky once more. The sound of blaster fire faded into the distance as the aircraft carried you out of firing range.

Bruce appeared at the top of the boarding ramp, looking somewhat anxious with his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose and his graying brown curls mussed from dragging his own fingers through them repeatedly. Tony was the first to greet him, confirming that the mission had been successful.

"Now, take this one. She's injured," he ordered, pointing at you.

"Hey!" You scowled indignantly. "I'm just fine!"

"Your skin is torched," Steve argued, taking Tony's side. "Go. Get patched up."

"Ugh. Fine." You dragged your feet as you began to follow Bruce to the lab onboard the aircraft. Glancing back, you shouted, "Steve, you and Nat better come with. I'm not the only one who's injured."

Rolling their eyes, the pair of them followed along, knowing you would refuse help if they did.

Entering the lab, you were met with three of the team's medics who were prepared to treat your wounds. They took one look at you, deciding immediately that you would require the most intensive treatment of the three wounded and leading you to the skin regeneration table on board the ship. You reluctantly sat down on the edge of the table, glaring up skeptically at the medic who had taken on your treatment.

"I'll need you to remove your shirt," she instructed, busying herself at the control panel to the machine. Your heart jumped up into your throat at the suggestion.

"I'd rather not."

She glanced up from the computer, peering sternly at you over her spectacles. "How exactly do you propose we treat your burn, then?"

"Uh... you don't." You folded your arms defiantly across your chest. "It's just a surface wound. I'm fine."

The medic paced impatiently over to your side, kneeling down and inspecting the burn on your ribs. She clicked her tongue, shaking her head at your stubbornness. "This will quickly get infected if we do not treat it. Not to mention, it must be very painful."

"I can handle pain," you muttered bitterly under your breath. She gave you a hard look, and you threw your hands up in defeat. "Fine. Go finish programming your little machine, there."

It wasn't that you were trying to be difficult. Your mother had been a medic, so you had quite a bit of respect for their job. It was how she met your father, in fact. She’d been a SHIELD medic until her untimely death when you were only ten years old. Your father never forgave himself for not being there when the enemy stormed aboard the helicarrier that fateful day. He seemed to sort of snap after that, throwing all his efforts into his work, into training you to follow in his footsteps.

You reminded him of her, he always used to say. You wondered if that was the reason he treated you the way he did - pained by the constant memory of what he’d lost.

The real reason you were protesting so much was what was hidden underneath your shirt. Over the years, you’d accumulated a fair number of tattoos, each one easily hidden beneath your clothes and gear. It wasn’t that you were embarrassed by them - you were quite proud of them, actually - but many of them had a deep underlying meaning that you really weren’t interested in trying to explain to your teammates. It was difficult to talk about some of them. So you chose to keep them hidden, keep them close to you as a personal sentiment rather than wearing them openly as a badge of honor.

The walls of the lab were made completely of glass, which meant anyone outside of the room could easily peek inside and see you. If you made too big of a deal of it, inevitably passerby would recognize you were arguing and become more interested. So, instead, you tried to play it cool, grasping the hem of your shirt and pulling it up and over your head. You had to carefully lift it around the burn to avoid irritating it with the fabric scraping across it. Goosebumps erupted on your skin in response to the cool air of the lab as you laid down on the table in nothing but your sport bra covering your upper body. You tried not to look down at the ink staining your skin to avoid drawing attention to the markings.

The medic started up the machine, and you watched impatiently as it sprang into motion, a strip of blue light kissing the wound as your skin knit itself back together. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it wasn't the most comfortable sensation either. The biggest annoyance, though, was how long it was taking to finish. Your eyes kept flitting over to the glass wall beside you, waiting for the inevitable moment someone passed by and saw you lying there on the table with nothing to cover the colorful markings etched into your skin.

Sure enough, Loki appeared on the other side of the glass twenty minutes later.

You couldn't blame him - he probably wanted to be certain you were alright, and it was taking an awfully long time to get this wound treated. In a way, you were somewhat flattered he'd come looking for you. But when his eyes locked on your bare left side, only partially blocked by your arm, skimming over the dragon tattoo that graced your ribs, you could see the curiosity flash on his face.

For a moment, he appeared to be considering entering the lab to talk to you, to inevitably ask the questions you'd been dreading. Fortunately, the medic caught his eye, shooing him with a wave of her hand as she drew the curtain hanging beside the regeneration table to block his view.

You wished you'd noticed it was there sooner.

It took another ten minutes to heal the wound completely, a raw-looking patch of new skin left in its place. The medic inspected her work with an air of pride before finally releasing you. The moment she did, you tugged your shirt back on over your head. With a hasty ‘thank you,’ you scurried out of the lab to your quarters to replace your singed shirt with a new one.

“Are you alright?”

You shouldn’t have been as surprised to hear Loki’s voice in your doorway as you were. Glancing up as you straightened the hem of your clean shirt at your hips, you were met with a concerned-looking Asgardian, though he was clearly trying to hide it. That was one thing you appreciated most about Loki - he never spoke to you or looked at you as a fragile mortal. He learned early on how fierce you could truly be.

“All healed,” you replied with a smile. “That regeneration tech is really something.”

Loki scoffed. “We’ve no need for that sort of thing in Asgard.”

“Well some of us aren’t literal gods, Loki.”

“Ah, but you fight as though you’re immortal like one.”

There it was - that teasing little smirk of his, his blue-green eyes flashing with the internal knowledge that there was something else going through his head that he wasn’t saying out loud. You tried not to let the heat creep up in your face.

“You were awfully nosy earlier, peeking in on me getting fixed up,” you chastised teasingly. “You know, we have privacy rules in Midgardian medicine.”

“I couldn’t help myself. You’ve never shown that much skin before. Forgive me for being… intrigued.”

Ok, the heat was definitely settling in your cheeks now.

“What was that marking you have on your side?”

Ah. There it was, the inevitable question.

“It’s a tattoo,” you responded casually, breaking eye contact to look down at your hands.

“A tattoo?”

“Yes. Ink etched into skin. A sort of art form here on Midgard.”

You chanced a glance up at him, finding a genuinely curious expression on his face. It made you shift uneasily in your seat atop your bed.

“Might I see it?”

You winced, turning your head. “I’d rather not.”

“I apologize. I didn’t intend for it to sound inappropriate.”

Looking back toward him, you offered a weak smile. “No, it’s not that.” With a chuckle, you added, “When have you known me to be self-conscious?”

Loki grinned. “Never. Though, as I said - you’ve never shown that much skin before.”

You let out a slow breath. “It’s just… well, I don’t like to talk about them. My tattoos.”

“Do you not like them?”

“No, I do. It’s… they’re sort of personal to me.”

He nodded slowly, that smirk returning to his face. “Perhaps someday you’ll feel comfortable showing me?”

“Are you asking for me to get personal with you?”

He shot you a wink as he stepped backward out of the doorway. “I certainly wouldn’t mind.”

Your jaw went slack as he vanished around the corner.

Loki had this way of bantering with you that toed the line between friendly and flirty for quite some time now. You never really thought much of it - just sort of chalked it up to Loki being Loki, the silver-tongued God of Mischief. Though, admittedly, you'd never seen him behave in the same way around any of the others. Still, you never took it too seriously. You couldn't lie and say you would be opposed to becoming something more with him. It just had always seemed so far out of the realm of possibility for a mortal.

But that comment... that was the first time he'd said something that alluded to the possibility that he just might feel the same way.

He began to ask you about your tattoos every so often after that. Probing you to see if you'd cave and let him see, let him in on such a personal attribute of yourself. He never pushed you too hard, of course. The idea of possibly letting him in on those parts of you was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. More and more, you found yourself wanting to share them with Loki. To let yourself be vulnerable for once in your life.

That was something your father had never taught you to do. To be vulnerable. Vulnerability was weakness to him, and so you learned to shove down everything you ever felt and pack it away in the back of your mind to avoid letting it reflect on your face, in your movements. You'd seen your teammates be openly unguarded with one another, sharing in their heartaches as they did their victories, and you longed for the ability to do the same. It had been so engrained in you to hide everything since your childhood that you weren't really sure where to start.

Loki wasn't exactly the most open-book sort of person either. Perhaps that was a good thing. You could figure it out together.

It was probably around the sixth or seventh time he’d brought it up that you finally caved.

You’d been in the fitness room back in the tower, now that the team was safely stationed back on solid ground. It was one of those rare instances that the room was otherwise empty, and you were not about to pass up that opportunity.

After only ten minutes of hitting the heavy bag, your knuckles were beginning to sting and sweat was beading on your brow from the intensity of your workout. Around the others, you typically tried to tone it back a bit, but when you were by yourself, your old training regimes came back to you.

Finally feeling satisfied with the divots you’d punched into the leather, you wiped your forehead with the back of your hand and reached down for your water bottle. Just as your fingertips touched the condensation building along the chilled plastic, the bottle suddenly slid a few feet to the left, seemingly of its own accord. But you knew better by now.

“Loki, I’m thirsty,” you griped, glancing over your shoulder at the smug-looking trickster who was now standing behind you. “Can’t you at least save your little tricks for after I get to take a sip?”

"Then it wouldn't irk you nearly as much. Where is the fun in that?"

"Is that the sole reason you came in here? To get on my nerves?" A grin pulled at your lips as you took the swig of water you'd been craving.

"Perhaps I wanted to exercise."

You waved your hand in a sweeping motion around the room. "Have at it, then."

He followed along behind you as you made your way across the gym to the pull-up bar. "But getting on your nerves is much more interesting."

"Of course it is." You plunked your water bottle down beside the mats on the hardwood, rubbing your hands together before stepping under the bar and grabbing hold with both hands. "What else are you planning to annoy me with today?"

"Oh, well that's no fun. I can't irritate you on command."

You pulled yourself effortlessly up, lifting your chin over the bar before lowering yourself down once again. "Then maybe you should go exercise."

He shrugged. "I've lost my interest. A god doesn't need to exercise anyhow."

You sniffed out a laugh, pulling yourself up over the bar again. Obviously he'd come in here with the sole purpose of talking to you. He often hovered as you did your own workouts, chatting with you and making teasing comments about your mortal need to exercise to build your strength. In return, you teased that you would become stronger than he was if he didn't start exercising himself.

You didn't mind having his company. He was the only one you'd allow to hang around you like this while you did your workouts.

"You still haven't shown me these tattoos of yours," Loki stated suddenly as you relaxed your arms to dangle from the bar. You released it in your surprise, feet slamming down onto the padded gym mat beneath you with a thump.

"What made you think of that?"

He pointed to your right hip, where a small phrase was tattooed just above your hipbone on your side, hidden underneath your shirt. "Your shirt rode up a bit just now."

"Did you read it?" you asked hesitantly. Loki shook his head.

"I couldn't see the whole thing." He flashed you his trademark smirk, the one that made you weak in the knees. "I must say, you've got me rather curious."

You grinned. "It's killing you, not knowing what they are, isn't it?"

He clicked his tongue. "You're infuriating, teasing me like that."

"And you're nosy."

"I never said I wasn't."

You sighed, pressing your tongue to the inside of your cheek as you tried to fight back a smile. "Alright. I'll show you. But I need to shower first."

"Fair enough."

You directed him to stop by your room in a half hour, heading up to wash off the sweat from your workout. Once you'd cleaned up, you tied your hair back rather than bothering to dry it all the way, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless top. You only owned a couple of those, preferring to wear shirts with sleeves to better conceal your tattoos. It always struck you how exposed you felt even just baring your shoulders. You threw a zip-up hoodie on over it, despite the fact it wasn't cold, just for the added sense of coverage of your skin.

A knock at your door sounded right at the time you'd told Loki to swing by. You opened the door and allowed him inside your room, shutting the door behind you.

This wasn't the first time he'd been in your room. He'd come by a few times in the past, usually to seek council from you when he was arguing with his brother. Although, once, he'd stopped by to check on you when you'd fallen ill with the flu. That had been a rather unexpected visit, but a pleasant one nonetheless, when he'd delivered you a bowl of hot soup after hearing Wanda say it was something Midgardians did when someone was sick.

Despite all that, it still felt foreign having him in your room today. Perhaps because you weren't sure how best to approach the reasoning behind his visit. He stood in the middle of your room, gazing at you questioningly as though trying to determine whether he should sit down or not. You motioned to the edge of your bed, inviting him to sit down beside you as you perched yourself atop your bedspread.

"Understand that you are privileged to be able to see these," you declared sternly. "I don't go around showing my tattoos to everyone."

"Are you certain you're alright with it?"

The uncertainty in his tone startled you. He had an intense look in his eyes as he gazed at you, as though trying to read your mind. Hesitantly, you nodded.

"Yes. I... trust you. It's just hard to share some of the stories behind them."

With a nervous hand, you unzipped the hoodie and shrugged it off, setting it down on the end of the bed. His eyes were immediately drawn to the words inked just below your collarbone on the right side, covered partially by your tank top sleeve. You pushed it aside and allowed him to read the phrase etched on your skin.

With pain comes strength.

"That one is in memory of my father," you explained before he could ask. "He's the reason I became a SHIELD agent."

"I'm sorry you've lost him."

You cringed at the thought that ran through your mind in response. I'm not.

"He was... difficult," you explained. You could tell Loki knew you were sugar-coating it by the skeptical raise of his brow. "He stopped being a father when my mother died. After that, he became nothing more than my instructor, my fighting coach. He... pushed me to become a SHIELD agent like he was."

"Is that what you wanted?"

"Yes... and no." You turned around to allow Loki to see the tattoo between your shoulder blades, the thin black parallel lines and circles designed to depict a circuit board. "I've always been into computers. If I'd had my choice, I'd have worked in the technology department in SHIELD. Developing new gear, programming new A.I.s, hacking into bad guys' systems from afar..."

"Why didn't you?"

"My father wanted me to be a field agent like he was. He always said the techy agents were the ones who were 'too weak to throw a punch.'"

You felt his finger suddenly tracing along the lines of the tattoo, down along your spine, and you shivered. Loki apologized and retracted his hand.

"It's alright, you can touch it. Just warn me next time, will you?" you griped, turning your head to grin at him and let him know you didn’t mind. He smirked right back, lifting his hand to the markings between your shoulders once again. The pads of his fingers were soft against the smooth skin of your back. It had been years since someone had touched your bare skin. It felt foreign to you, but it felt... nice. His touch was almost reverent as he traced along one of the sharp bending lines that bordered your shoulder blade.

"Show me another one," he requested. You felt an odd sense of loss when his fingers left your back. Turning back towards him, you shifted to point out one of the few colorful tattoos you had inked into the outside of your upper right arm, normally hidden even beneath the short-sleeved T-shirts you wore. It was a small hummingbird, with feathers of blue, green, and pink and wings flared out as though in flight.

"My mother always loved hummingbirds," you murmured, feeling a painful lump forming in your throat.

"What happened to her?" Loki asked quietly.

"Ambush. She was a medic on board the helicarrier that my dad was stationed on. They never saw it coming." You released a shuddering breath. "I was only ten, but I remember it like it was yesterday, the day my father came home and told me she was dead."

Loki placed a gentle hand on your forearm in comfort. You glanced up at him, blinking back the tears blurring your vision as you fought to keep them from spilling over. To show pain is to show weakness. You had to remind yourself again that the reason you chose the phrase along your collarbone was to rewrite those words your father used to tell you in a more positive light. With pain comes strength. You just weren't used to showing it to other people.

"My mother was killed in an ambush as well." Loki’s voice sounded heavy, laden with sadness and possibly even a touch of guilt.

"I'm sorry," you breathed, placing your hand over his where it still rested on your arm. He allowed it for a moment, then cleared his throat and lifted his hand, and you followed suit. With a watery laugh, you told him, "I do have some with happy memories, I swear."

"Go on then. Show me."

You scooted backward a bit on the bed, bending your knee and rolling up your pant leg to show him the small black anchor tattooed on your ankle. "My friend and I got matching ones when we were younger. We used to go sailing every summer. This one's small, but it hurt like hell getting it done."

"Is it often painful?"

"More like... scratchy. But this one hurt."

You let your leg drape back over the bed, shaking it a bit to unfurl your pant leg to cover your ankle once again. Loki's eyes flitted down to your hip where he'd seen your shirt ride up earlier.

"You've yet to show me that one," he urged, gesticulating toward the spot. You let out a breathy laugh through your nose, lifting the hem of your shirt to expose your right side. The words were small, and Loki leaned down a bit to read them.

"You are enough." His eyes lifted to once again meet yours, his face startlingly closer to your own now that he'd shifted closer to see the black ink scrawled across your side. A tilt of his head told you he wanted to know the story behind it. This was quite possibly the hardest story to tell, and you braced yourself for it.

"That one, I got to remind myself that no matter what harsh words my father had for me... I am not worthless."

Loki hummed thoughtfully. "I'm beginning to dislike this man more and more."

You laughed despite yourself. "I doubt you'd have gotten along with him if he were still alive. He was no-nonsense - he didn't like to joke around, always straight down to business. Maybe that's why you and I get along so well."

"Oh?"

"I was a mischievous kid, you know. Dad always hated that. For a while, it only made me try harder to get on his nerves, just to defy him." You grinned at the trickster. "I bet you were a little monster when you were a kid."

Loki let out a rumbling chuckle from deep in his chest, one that made your heart flutter in your chest. "I certainly wasn't an angel - let's leave it at that."

You let go of your shirt to let it drape back over your hip, hiding the black ink from view once again. Loki looked at you expectantly, waiting for you to show him the last one.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" You tried to look confused, biting back a teasing smirk. He saw right through it, folding his arms sternly across his chest with a grin.

"Oh, come now. You can't expect me not to ask about the one on your other side - not after I saw a part of it while you were in the lab the other day."

"You saw the whole thing!"

"Your arm was blocking it. Don't try to get out of this one, darling."

You huffed through your nose, shaking your head in defeat. In truth, this was your favorite out of all of them. It was also the largest and most intricate tattoo you had. You'd debated it for months before having it done, knowing you wanted to be certain you'd love it if you were to get something this extensive inked permanently into your skin. The fact that Loki was so curious about it made you a bit giddy to show it to him, but you simply had to tease him a bit first.

"Oh, alright. I suppose I can show you again."

You turned around to sit with your left side facing Loki, seated cross-legged on the bed. Gradually, you rolled your shirt up to the middle of your ribs, revealing the dragon tattoo you had winding up the span of your side. Various shades of blue and black ink added depth and dimension to the dragon's scales as it twisted from just above your hip to the middle of your ribs.

Loki's eyes roamed curiously over the image inked into your skin. "What's the story behind this one?"

You turned your head just slightly, enough to flash him a sly smirk. "I just like dragons."

A breathy laugh escaped his nose. "I can appreciate that." He lifted his hand hesitantly, catching your eye. "May I?"

You nodded, eyes shifting to watch his hand as he gently touched his fingertips to the bare skin overlaying your ribs, tracing along the snout and head of the dragon. It took every ounce of effort you had not to flinch at his touch. Holy hell, it tickled. It had been some time since anyone had attempted to tickle you, and you'd forgotten how terribly sensitive you were. What you hadn't forgotten was the squeaky, girlish laughter that burst out of you whenever someone managed to find a particularly weak spot. It was far from the tough façade with which you'd learned to carry yourself. So, whenever a friend happened to try to tickle you, you either withheld your reactions long enough for them to grow bored, or you scolded them into thinking you didn't want them to touch you.

But Loki's tender touch was not unwelcome. Quite the opposite, really. If only you weren't so damned ticklish, you could melt right into it. You could not let him know what he was doing to you. You knew the God of Mischief well enough to know that the moment he found out how ticklish you were, he'd go searching for the spots and pressure that might actually make you laugh those embarrassingly cutesy giggles of yours.

His fingertips glided along the dragon's spine, winding back and forth down the length of your ribs. You balled your hand into a fist and curled your toes as you willed yourself not to react. Goosebumps rose along your skin in the wake of his fingertips as they flitted down the softer skin of your side, tracing down along the dragon's tail. You let out a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding the moment his finger paused at the very tip of the tail, just above your hipbone, only to suck it right back into your lungs as he reversed direction and began tracing back up the way he'd come.

"Am I tickling you?"

He had an impish lilt to his tone that made your stomach flip as your eyes darted up to meet his. You opened your mouth to deny it, and he purposely lightened his touch with the intention to make it tickle as he continued ghosting his fingertips along the image on your skin. Your hand shot to your mouth to stifle a giggle on instinct.

"Damn," you muttered, voice muffled in your palm. That godforsaken handsome smirk spread across his face, and you knew you were in trouble. You brought your arm down to cover your side, releasing your shirt in hopes it would slip down to cover your bare skin and offer a bit of protection, but it was bunched around your midsection where you'd rolled it up.

"I wasn't finished admiring your tattoo, you feisty little dragon," he scolded teasingly, his hand closing around your wrist and prying your arm from your side.

"L-Loki! You brat!" You wrenched your wrist from his grasp, only for him to catch it in his other hand as you swatted at him playfully. "N-noho! Don't you dare!"

His free hand found your side, fingers flitting ticklishly over the bare skin wrapping around toward your belly. You clapped your hand back over your mouth as another little giggle threatened to burst out, shaking your head with wide eyes at your flirtatious assailant. Loki withdrew his hand, releasing your wrist with a concerned, hesitant look on his face.

"I apologize - do you not like to be tickled?"

You lowered your hand from your mouth, tugging your shirt down on instinct but softening your expression. "No, it's not that. I just... it's embarrassing."

"You're embarrassed by being tickled?"

"By my laugh."

Loki cocked his head inquisitively. "You laugh all the time." Boastfully, he added, "I am quite funny, after all."

"You keep telling yourself that," you teased, shoving his shoulder playfully. "I don't mind my usual laugh, but... god this is embarrassing... I sort of laugh... differently when someone tickles me."

Loki's eyebrows shot up his forehead, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Now I'm very intrigued."

"Well that's a shame, because I'm not gonna- HEY!" You swatted at his hand as it darted out and pinched your ribs, barely withholding a giggle. "No, none of that! I don't want you to hear it! It's embarrassing!"

"Explain to me how your laugh can possibly be that embarrassing that you won't allow me to tickle you."

"First off, no one allows anyone to tickle them-"

"So you'd prefer I take you down by force and tickle you instead?"

Your face caught fire, and you were somewhat mortified to realize that part of the reason was because you didn't mind that idea in the slightest.

"N-not the point. AS I was saying... my ticklish laugh is... ugh, it's-squeaky-and-cutesy-and-terrible." You were surprised Loki could even understand what you said, the words came tumbling out of your mouth so fast. Based on the sly, flirty grin that crossed his face, you knew he understood every word.

"That sounds charming."

You swatted his hand away once again as he reached for your side. "That's exactly the problem! I'm not meant to be adorable! I'm a SHIELD agent - I can take guys down with my bare hands, I know how to handle nine different types of weapons-"

"And you're adorably ticklish. I don't see the problem here."

"Loki!" You hid your burning face in your hands, only to bring your arms right back down as his fingers skittered across your belly. With a non-threatening growl, you smacked his hand away once again. Truthfully, you were loving this playfulness. This sort of interaction was something you seriously lacked as a kid, your childhood stolen away from you in favor of long hours of relentless training and cruel words. Still, you weren't sure how keen you were on allowing Loki to hear your childish-sounding giggles.

"You don't need to be the tough, hardened SHIELD agent every waking hour of the day," he insisted. "In fact, I rather enjoy this softer side of you."

"Really?"

He nodded, a smirk spreading across his lips. "What's life without a bit of laughter?" he asked, experimentally squeezing your hip and earning another slap on the wrist. "Now then. I'd very much like to hear this 'squeaky and cutesy and terrible' laugh of yours. And as you so astutely stated, no one simply allows someone to tickle them..."

You laughed nervously as he caught hold of your wrist, wrenching your free arm out of his reach before he could get his hand on the other one. He tutted at you, shifting to kneel beside you on the bed so he could gain leverage to increase his efforts to capture you in his hold. His hand reached out for yours again, and you swiftly hid it behind your back.

"You are well aware this is a fruitless endeavor, attempting to evade capture." He smirked devilishly at you. "Eventually you know I'll overpower you."

Despite the fact that you weren't exactly excited about the prospect of Loki hearing your less-than-threatening bubbly giggles, you found that you trusted him completely. You trusted that he cared about you - perhaps cared for you, if you could be so fortunate - and you trusted that he would never say something hurtful to you.

You trusted him enough that when he finally did catch your other wrist and wrestle you down onto your back, you didn't fight as hard as you knew you could as he pinned your wrists beneath his knees.

"Lohoki you AHASS!" you cried, squirming under his gaze.

"You wound me, darling." He let his hands hover threateningly over your sides, knowing already that you were ticklish there at least to a lighter tough. You stiffened in anticipation of his impending attack. "Let's hear that laugh then, hmm?"

His hands latched onto both sides, kneading into the soft, sensitive skin. You sucked in a breath and squeezed your eyes shut, trying to withhold your laughter despite how horribly ticklish the sensation was. Undeterred, he let his hands wander in search of a weak spot, one hand clawing its way into the center of your belly while the other ascended your ribcage.

"Come now, darling... laugh for me," he urged teasingly, swapping his hands to dig one into the spot just below your ribs and slotting the other up under your arm. You clamped your mouth shut tight, letting out a screech of protest from deep in your throat through your nose as you kicked your heels against the mattress. He had you writhing with the gentlest scratching of his fingertips at that spot under your ribcage, and the fingers wriggling into the pliant skin beneath your arm were certainly not helping matters.

However, neither compared to the agonizingly ticklish sensation as his hand descended from your ribs to the side of your belly, about halfway between your navel and your side. Just one scratch at that spot and you were done for.

Those silly ticklish giggles poured from your lips, only increasing in speed and volume when he realized what was causing your sudden outburst of laughter and dropped his other hand to the other side of your belly. You giggled and squeaked, writhing and kicking helplessly as a fond grin spread across his face.

"There it is." Loki scratched faster at the torturous spot, his grin widening as your eyes scrunched shut and you threw your head back with desperate laughter. "I don't know what you're talking about - this is a very normal-sounding laugh."

"SHUHUT UHUP, YOHOU!"

"That's quite rude of you - I'm trying to make you feel better. The least you can do is not shout at me." He wrapped his large hands around your sides, toggling circles into those same spots on your belly with both thumbs while scratching at your sides. A giggly screech ripped through your chest as your back arched, then finally you went limp against the bedspread as your own hysterical laughter overpowered you.

But not once did you tell him to stop. Not once did you want him to stop. Sure, the sensation was overwhelming, ticklish shocks shooting through your nerves with every squeeze of his fingers into your middle. But you trusted Loki. Enough to let yourself be vulnerable with him, just as you had been when you'd explained the stories behind each of your tattoos. His touch was mischievous, but it was kind and playful, and you hadn't laughed like this in a very, very long time. Your abdominal muscles ached and your laughter was becoming breathless, but it felt good. Refreshing.

Loki relented, having succeeded in his mission to make you laugh. Your mind was fuzzy as you sat up, smoothing your hair down as your giggles slowly faded. He flashed you his smirk, and you shot him a hardly-menacing glare.

"I don't believe there is anything 'terrible' about that laugh of yours," he assured with a wink. You swatted his shoulder jokingly.

"Yohou suck," you grumbled. Then, with a glint of mischief in your eyes, you dropped your hand down to his side and swiftly pinched at the soft spot a few times. He merely stared down at your hand, unmoving, then looked up to meet your eye with an impossibly wider smirk. Your jaw dropped indignantly. "No. No way are you not ticklish."

"Not in the same way you are."

"So you are ticklish, then."

"In exactly two places, yes."

With a fierce look of determination, you brought your other hand over to dig into his lower ribs. He sighed as though you were boring him, casually taking hold of your wrists and prying them away from his sides.

"Hey!"

"As you stated earlier - no one simply allows someone to tickle them." He grinned, holding fast to your wrists as you tugged and twisted to try to free them from his grip. He was teasing you now, you knew - not doing anything but preventing you from continuing on your mission to find the two solitary places he was ticklish.

"Oh, come on!" you groaned, shifting to sit on your knees to be able to push harder against his hold. "Now I - mmph - I need to know where!"

Loki chuckled fiendishly. "I'm sorry to tell you, darling, but you're going to have to work for it."

Growling, you threw your weight forward to try to catch him off guard and knock him backward. You nearly succeeded, but he regained his balance at the last moment, suddenly shoving your wrists in retaliation and easily slamming you down onto your back once again with your arms pinned beside you. He loomed over you with a self-assured grin, gradually dragging your arms up above your head as you began protesting and laughing all at once.

"What - did you think I was going to make it easy for you, little spitfire?" He gathered your wrists in one hand, lowering the other to your right hip and slipping it up under the hem of your shirt. "Is this tattoo of yours ticklish as well?"

"How should I know- hehey!! Lohohoki!!" You let out a few giggles as his fingers swept maddeningly gently over the bare skin above your hip where the words were inked into your skin. He clicked his tongue, grinning victoriously.

"Ah, I see it is. Tell me - do the tattoos make your skin more ticklish in those spots? Or have you always been this sensitive?"

"I-hi hahate you." You twisted to evade his fingers, and rather than trying to follow you, he turned his attention to the words under your collarbone, lightly tracing his finger along the looping text. A surprised giggly shriek burst from your lips at the sensation, a stretch of skin you'd never anticipated would be ticklish and yet it was making your nerves tingle.

"This one too? Perhaps it's the ink, then?" He shot his hand down to your belly, scratching at the weak spot he'd discovered earlier and throwing you into hysterics. "Although, that wouldn't explain why this makes you laugh so hard."

Your half-hearted protests were lost beneath the sound of own laughter, amplifying when Loki released your wrists in favor of digging into the other side of your belly. Your hands grasped feebly at his wrists, then wrapped around your midsection, all failed attempts to lessen the ticklish feeling of his fingers clawing at your skin. In a last-ditch effort, you slotted your thumbs up under his arms, digging your eight fingers into the backs of his ribs.

Loki spluttered, removing his hands from your belly to sit up and shift out of reach of your fingers. But you were swift. You practically threw yourself at him, not even considering the implications as you wrapped your arms tight around him and pinned his arms to his sides. Without waiting for him to start fighting back, you latched your fingers onto those spots on the backs of his ribs and launched a ten-fingered attack.

"Pfft yohou lihittle..."

Whatever he was planning to call you, you never found out. The rumbling, deep laughter that burst from the trickster's chest was startling. You'd never heard him laugh before. Sure, he chuckled snarkily all the time, but to hear him really laugh... It was quite possibly your new favorite sound. Still, you couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease him for it.

"Ah-ha!! I found one!" you cried triumphantly, tightening your hold as he began trying to throw you off him. You squeaked as his hands found your sides and squeezed, digging your fingers into his ribs faster to deter his counterattack. You could feel his muscles weakening in your hold from his laughter. You leaned back a bit to look him in the eye, flashing him a smirk reminiscent of the mischievous god himself. "Oh-ho-ho, you're so screwed."

His eyes locked on yours for a moment, those blue-green irises practically glowing.

What happened next, you couldn't possibly have anticipated.

Loki suddenly allowed himself to fall backward, bringing you down on top of him with a surprised yelp. The shock of it made you loosen your grip, scrambling to plant your knees on either side of his hips to regain some semblance of leverage, preparing yourself for his ticklish retaliation. His hands found your hips, and you opened your mouth to begin playfully scolding him.

Anything you would have said to him was muffled against his mouth as he captured your lips with his.

For a brief moment, you stiffened, more than a bit shocked by this sudden advance. As your mind processed what was happening, you relaxed into his arms, melting as you sighed blissfully against his lips. Loki's hand slipped under the hem of your shirt, making you gasp and tense in anticipation of more tickling, but he kept his touch firm as he slid his palm along the side where the dragon tattoo adorned your skin. Your lips curled up into a grin against his, parting from him just slightly to look at him through hazy eyes.

"Is that one your favorite too?" you mumbled. That smirk that always made you weak in the knees graced his lips as he nodded, running his palm back down along your side.

"I'd like to see it again."

"Mm... later." You silenced him once again with another kiss, savoring in the taste of his lips. His hand came to rest on your hip once again, the other rising to cradle your neck as he lifted his head slightly to deepen the kiss.

There was no way of knowing how much time passed while your lips were locked with Loki's. And in all honesty, you didn't really care. Not once in the entirety of your life had anyone made you feel this good. If this was your reward for being open and vulnerable with him... well, perhaps you'd need to do it more often.

You let him kiss you until you became breathless, finally forcing yourself to part from his lips to get some air. He let his hand at your neck slide down to your shoulders as he lifted his lips to kiss along your jawline.

"You... you just kissed me to make me stop tickling you, didn't you?" you teased. He grinned, pressing one last kiss to your neck.

"It worked, did it not?" You scoffed and rolled your eyes with a laugh. "In any case, no. I kissed you because I wanted to. That was just an added bonus."

You leaned down to press gentle kisses along his jawline to return the favor, grinning as you heard his breath hitch in his chest. "You know..." you mumbled between kisses, "... you're not getting out of telling me where your other tickle spot is just by kissing me."

Loki hummed thoughtfully, lifting his head to recapture your lips with his once again. You considered scolding him for attempting to evade the question once again, but you allowed it, pressing your lips harder against his and kissing him fervently. His hands slid firmly down your sides and along your hips, coming to rest at the back of your thighs just above your knees. He let his head fall back against the mattress to break apart from your lips once again, and you barely registered the mischievous glint in his eyes in your euphoric daze.

"Why don't I just show you instead?"

Caught off guard after being lulled into a kiss-drunken trance, you didn't have time to react as you felt his fingers hook around the undersides of your knees, shifting up just a couple inches and scratching at the apparently hypersensitive patches of skin just above your knees on your inner thighs. An embarrassingly high-pitched shriek burst from your lips at the sudden sensation, collapsing against Loki and burying your face in his shoulder to muffle your desperate giggles.

"MM-HMM LOKIHI!" you squealed, trying to roll off of him. Loki held fast, his fiery fingers fluttering and sweeping along the cotton fabric of your pants covering those wretched spots above your knees. You kicked your feet against the mattress in protest, earning a laugh from the mischievous god as he finally showed you mercy. His hands left your knees so his arms could wrap tightly around your waist, squeezing you to his chest.

"It seems we have that spot in common, don't we, darling?" he murmured in your ear teasingly. You growled playfully, lifting your head to glare at him.

"I'm beginning to think that kissing me was all a ruse to be able to torment me," you scolded jestingly. He responded by rolling swiftly, pinning you on your back and gazing down with nothing but adoration in his eyes.

"There are many more reasons than that for me to want to kiss you." To emphasize, he ducked his head to kiss you once more, stealing your breath away. You laughed against his lips, drinking in his kiss for a moment before swiftly latching your hands around the backs of his knees and targeting those same spots he'd just demonstrated on you moments ago. He barked out a surprised laugh at your ticklish touch, toppling sideways onto the bed to escape your fingers. You managed to continue a moment longer before he captured your hands in his, raising them to his lips and pressing a kiss to each of your palms.

"Mm... you're no fun," you whined, eliciting an amused laugh from the trickster.

"I beg your pardon - as I recall, I just made you laugh for the last twenty minutes," he retorted with mock indignance.

"That might be an exaggeration. But, I'll let you have it."

Loki propped himself up on his elbow, reaching over and gently grasping the hem of your shirt in his hand with a pleading look in his eyes. "Might I see it again, now? I promise I won't tickle you."

Your cheeks warmed as you nodded, allowing him to slide your shirt up to reveal the dragon tattoo once again. He smoothed his palm over it with enough weight in his touch not to tickle, just as he'd promised.

"This one suits you," he declared after gazing at it a moment longer.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"It's elegant and beautiful, and yet simultaneously fiery and fierce. Much like you."

You turned his words over in your mind, a grin tugging at your lips. "You know... I never thought of it that way. I like that."

It was true - you'd honestly gotten that tattoo because you liked it. The one tattoo that had no story behind it, and yet Loki found a way to make it the most meaningful of all of them. You strove to be fiery and fierce, but you'd never thought yourself to be elegant and beautiful until Loki suggested you were. It was perfect - the perfect blend of your past and the future you were striving for.

Loki smirked as he watched you react to his words, that smirk you were beginning to love more and more each time he showed it to you. He wrapped an arm around your waist and tugged you close, eyeing your lips hungrily as your face burned under the weight of his gaze.

"Now - kiss me again, little dragon."

How could you possibly say no?

#loki x reader #loki fluff #loki tickle #ticklish!reader #tickle fluff #tickle fic #marvel tickle #loki x you #tattooed!reader #loki laufeyson #loki layfeyson x reader #loki x female reader

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iron-mum · 3 years

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Tag Game!

Thank you for the tag @kiki-shortsnout 💕

1. why did you choose your url?

Iron Mum is the nickname the wonderful @kevyfanfics gave me shortly after we essentially adopted one another. As this account is predominantly for my writing and interests (predominantly Marvel) it seemed like a good pick! My AO3 name IronMum was taken here so I had to add the dash here.

2. any side-blogs? if you have them, name them and why you have them.

I do not, I barely have enough content for this one 😂

3. how long have you been on Tumblr?

About 6 months. I joined shortly after posting my first fic on AO3 which was at the end of January :)

4. do you have a queue tag?

I do not (not even sure I know what that means 😅)

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

It seemed like a really great way to continue interaction with those who enjoyed my stories as well as admire other people’s creative talents. Some of the art posted here is honestly to die for and I just love it so much. I really enjoy things like the FFWF, writing events and tag/ask games and have made some great friends.

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

The flag is self explanatory. And Doctor Strange is my favourite Marvel character :)

7. why did you choose your header?

It’s one of my favourite pieces from @kevyfanfics I love the colours so freaking much :') It was a bonus that it fits so perfectly with the overall theme of my page.

8. what's your post with the most notes?

It’s an image from the comics in which Peter Parker is sarcastically calling Tony Stark dad just before they get into a fight.

9. how many mutuals do you have?

I have about 70 mutuals :)

10. how many followers do you have?

I have 121 followers.

11. how many people do you follow?

I follow 352 (and counting!)

12. have you ever made a shit post?

I don’t believe so unless you count some of the crack ideas that I’ve shared 😂

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

Midday and evening are my usual check in times though if my phone notifies me of an ask or tag then I’ll hop on if I’m not doing much.

14. did you have a fight/argument with another lot once? who won?

No arguments or fights in this neighbourhood.

15. how do you feel about "you need to reblog this" posts?

I don’t see them all too often if I’m honest. I’ve seen some that say to reblog if you're a safe space (which I am) and that I am happy to receive prompts or asks (which I am).

16. do you like tag games?

I absolutely love a good tag game. They are often WIP ones too which serve as a kick up the ass for me.

17. do you like ask games?

100% I try and post as many as I can (without being annoying anyway). As long as people want to keep interacting with me then I am here for it!

18. which of your mutual do you think is Tumblr famous?

Oh gosh, I’m not sure. I am mutuals with a lot of amazing Irondad and Ironstrange writers who are well known within the community but there’d be a lot to name.

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

I do not.

20. tags?

No pressure of course! And apologies if you've already been tagged :) @retro-memo @potatoqueensays @winter-turtle @real-turtle-bean

#tag game

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trainsinanime · 3 years

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Every now and then, I see a post across my dash that goes, “Batman just keeps beating up criminals instead of fixing the systemic problems”. And inevitably, the first reblog is always, “actually in this, this and that comic, he is shown secretly helping the poor by giving them jobs sometimes. He’s like a fictional version of what Bill Gates is trying to be”.

And I’m always like, “is that better, though?”

Okay, yes, obviously it is, but only in direct comparison.

First: This whole thing is at best a minor part of the myth. A very important part for some, maybe, but it hasn’t exactly become an iconic core element of the character. Lots of authors and lots of fans have managed to completely miss this philanthropy aspect. You can either call them all stupid, or admit that there’s an issue with how the character is generally constructed.

The other part, of course, is that “Bill Gates saves the world” is itself far from ideal in real life, as the recent debate about vaccine patents shows. It’s Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” idea; the idea that rich men should be philanthropic, but also that they should retain full control over the philanthropic causes they sponsor, because they have such superior judgement. That is already questionable for self-made millionaires - does experience in software development really translate into experience in medicine research? For someone who canonically only ever inherited their wealth, and whose only higher education and work experience seems to have been Ninja school, that’s even more questionable.

This idea also absolves Bruce of any responsibility for the situation of the world as it is. If a lot of the city is so poor that they regularly turn to spandex crime, while the owner of the biggest company in town has money to build himself stealth jets, that says way more about his relationship with his community than any panel of him hiring someone for his company ever could. We’re regularly told that the Wayne’s had a lot of impact on the way the city developed - but only the good parts. The bad parts just happened, somehow, nobody knows why. How very convenient.

Let’s be real here: If Gotham is as corrupt as it is usually depicted, then a key reason for that is generally that people like the Waynes paid a lot of bribes.

The standard reply post says, “well, change takes a long time, and until all his projects are fully working, he still has to beat up criminals while dressed like a bat”. Well, Batman has been at it since 1939. Clearly he hasn’t done a good job.

Yeah, sure, comic times and all. But see, narratively speaking, Bruce Wayne can’t succeed at making the city better through woke capitalism. Bruce Wayne needs to be Batman, because that’s what the story is about. Anything else is just window dressing. Being a philanthropist isn’t and can’t be a core element of Batman. Pretending otherwise may make you feel better, but it’s disingenuous.

And in my personal opinion, it’s not really necessary. Who really cares about Batman’s socioeconomic impact? It’s a man dressed like a bat who punches crime in the face. It’s okay if we admit that it’s stupid and not well thought out. It doesn’t have to be in order to be fun.

(In fact, it’s perfectly okay to lean into it, like Lego Batman did. For a 9% more serious version, that’s kind of what Marvel is doing with MCU Tony Stark: A stupid, rich egomaniac who is convinced he knows everything better, but doesn’t actually, and constantly needs a team of other heroes or Gwyneth Paltrow to keep his massive wallet pointed in roughly the right direction. Tony Stark won’t save the world from anything but aliens and out of control Tony Stark science experiments, and that’s totally okay because the story never pretends otherwise.)

Batman is fun as he is. And also kind of problematic, but it’s Batman, it’s not like it really matters that much. Let him be problematic, or if you really insist, cancel him (for you). It’s this whole “this one comics page proves he’s okay actually!” that just feels so wrong to me.

#batman #next up: why people can miss me with their superman isn't boring actually hot takes

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taz-skylar · 3 years

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CONTENT CREATOR: 2020 IN REVIEW

tagged by the best beans @zofias and @kamalaskhans, thanks buds! :D

first creation and most recent creation of 2020:

first creation: ace & sabo in one piece: stampede wow that feels like years ago

most recent creation: just posted a sailor moon/wonder woman parallel bc QUEENS

one of your favourite creations from 2020:

jepser fahey bc wow do i miss having that type of inspiration

a creation you’re really proud of:

tony stark didn’t think it was going to turn out how i wanted but it pretty much did???

a new style you tried this year and a gifset that uses it:

manga colouring for the first time with oikawa tooru

trying my hand at colouring with my most tragic beans (pepperony)

blending for the first time with pepperony

playing around with gifs on top of gifs for morgan and tony

a creation that took you forever:

oh definitely the pepper loving tony throughout the years gifset

also the gif in pepperony’s first dance i had to do that frame-by-frame which is A LOT

your creation from 2020 that received the most notes:

tony stark parallel from iron man 2 and what if...?

but second place goes to tony stark with a naruto quote so that’s fun :D

a creation you think deserved more notes:

honestly i wish the first wangxian gifset i did with the old guard quote got more notes than it had bc that was just sad to see :(

a creation with a favourite scene/quote:

chuuya’s entrance

oikawa’s appearances after the timeskip (gotta choose both bc they’re both KINGS)

a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it:

i joined so many fandoms this year but let’s go with the wangxian + delicate one i did

a creation you made that breaks your heart:

jfaldfja i basically just make a lot of sad edits but for this game i’ll go with the wei wuxian and jiang yanli one that made me cry

a ‘simple’ creation that you really love:

this pepperony gifset bc i just really love the contrasts between their first and last scenes in the iron man mask in avengers (like the cool colouring in the beginning vs. the hot in the ending and the happiness vs. sadness) liek it’s all there in that scene and i love it and hate it

a creation that was inspired by another one (add both your creation and the one that inspired it!):

ironfam inspired by the incredibly talented @sersi (star wars version)

but also tony stark inspired by the amazing @catchingmydeatth (rey version)

a favourite creation created by someone else: (in no particular order)

oh i have so many aldjfakd going through my fav tag is the best idea but let’s see:

the arthur/gwen&barry/iris parallel gifset by @iriswestsallen bc that edit was so beautiful and wonderfully done that it literally started my entire fav tag !!

obviously this tony stark edit (it was made for me okay), but also soukoku (that coin is the best thing of life), pevensies + times of day (i’m screaming, especially over that blue for edmund!), dabi's reveal (the colouring is everything!! even with the lyrics which was TOTALLY done to spite me :/), but also the miles morales edit and all the writing and the small little snippets and of course the shitposts that are done by @hauntedthief - i love the fact that i get to see all the edits and writing pieces before they even get posted, like from start to finish, it’s the best

the iconic miles morales edit by @wonderwomans and the tony stark gifset (i’m biased but it was made for me :D) but also kesh has all of the talent in the world, no lies, bc her soukoku au tears me to pieces and puts me back together again jsut to do it all over again. legit kesh your talent is unparalleled, holy fuck

anything and everything made by @kamalaskhans but i am always going to be in love with this tony stark gifset sameera made bc everything is so perfect in it, like next level stuff right here. wow, the most talented gif maker creating such a masterpiece, i am in love

the dazai osamu edit by @dicennio but honestly it was really hard to choose just one out of everything?? your one of the best graphic makers on this site, holy shit, and i get so excited over all your edits bc the talent??? the amazingness??? i love it all

this anakin and obi-wan gifset by @niinazenik bc wow phe, how do you edit??? like seriously. the way this edit flows from red with teh bolded ‘hate’ to the blue and the sadness in the end scene is everything, wow, i’m stunned

this tony stark gifset by @marwankenzari bones not only is that quote so perfect for the best bean in this universe but also your font choices and your colouring are amazing and the way the font in the back goes from red to yellow, his colours, just ties it all up so well, seriously i’m in awe over here, bud

this untamed finale ep gifset by @gusucloud this finale ep was a rollercoaster of emotions and this gifset brings it all out again. the colouring is so soft which contrasts so beautifully with the heartbreaking scenes. wow i’m a mess again, thanks

some of your favourite content creators from the year: (in no particular order)

@hauntedthief, @wonderwomans, @kamalaskhans, @dicennio, @zofias, @mob-psycho, @yenvengerberg, @elriccs, @mazusu, @gojosattoru, @coulter, @anya-chalotra, @marwankenzari, @katsukes, @chloezhao, @sersi, @momentofmemory, @niinazenik, @reddriot, @zuura, @timothyolyphant, @taylorjoy-anya, @hollywoods, @bosemanchadwick, @ierishouko, @tanchirou, @montygreen, @bartonclinton, @jackmans, @akaashikeji, @parkersedith, @robertpattisons, @pepperonys, @andthwip, @williamsherondales, @gusucloud, @strangehighs, @celiabowens, @runwiththewind, @arthurpendragonns, @highwarlockkareena, @kiyomie, @chonis, @tonystarks, and so many more !! seriously everything these wonderful people make is certified gold!!! thank you guys so much for making my dash brighter and more beautiful than it’s ever been! this year may have been shitty but my dash was filled with the best art ever :D it’s so inspiring to see all your beautiful creations, y’all are seriously so damn talented and i’m so glad i follow you all!

and for good measure, another a couple more creations of yours that you love:

tony stark + the flash

dazai osamu

susan pevensie + ashe vernon

soukoku playlist

pepperony + mary oliver

oikawa tooru

one tree hill

susan pevensie + emily palermo

pepperony + 5+1

wangxian + mary elizabeth frye

tagging: everyone who’s been tagged in this post if you haven’t already done it yet! :D

#rohall #rohwastagged #tag game #about: me #text post #rohrambles #wow this got long #didn't mean to ramble during fav creations by others #but i gotta spread the love over those lovely edits

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superblizzardfire · 4 years

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The Surprise Gift (Bruce & Kamala)

(AO3 Link)

Kamala wasn’t expecting any presents for her seventeenth birthday. But the universe gave her a surprise one anyway…

‘Food poisoning,’ she gasped, shaking as she knelt over the toilet. ‘Figures.’

‘I suspect the pre-packaged egg mayonnaise sandwiches were to blame, Miss Khan,’ said JARVIS.

‘Yeah, I thought they tasted funny.’ She’d woken up feeling nauseous, taken one sip of water and immediately dashed to the bathroom to throw up. Now she gripped the cold metal of the bowl and unleashed a second wave, the burning in her throat bringing tears to her eyes. It was her own fault. But supply runs were inconsistent, and they had to eat when they could.

On the plus side, at least she was throwing up in a bathroom on the Chimera, the iconic helicarrier that was once home to the Avengers (and now housed only one).

‘Shall I inform Doctor Banner?’ asked JARVIS.

‘No! God no, I don’t want him to see me like this!’ Sweat-soaked hair and vomit-stained Captain America pyjamas. Not a good look, and she’d already embarrassed herself in front of one of her childhood heroes this week. She’d been singing along to Cheap Thrills in her room, not realising that she was broadcasting herself through the whole ship. She hadn’t been able to meet Bruce's eye for the rest of the day.

For the last three weeks, they’d been searching for Tony Stark. JARVIS kept bringing up false leads, so they travelled from country to country, flying out in the Quinjet for supply runs and reconnaissance missions. It sounded like something from Kamala’s most self-indulgent fanfics: a secret mission where she and Doctor Banner set out to reassemble the Avengers, five years after they were split apart. It was literally the coolest thing that had ever happened to her… except it wasn’t turning out to be as fun as she’d hoped.

When she’d vomited up what felt like everything she had, Kamala clambered up and flushed away the eggy mess before rinsing out her mouth. The Chimera wasn’t fully operational yet: no hot water, and everything was filmed with dust. She stared at herself in the mirror, panting. Yup, she looked like an absolute mess. On her birthday. This sucked.

‘Uh, hey Kamala? Are you up?’ Bruce's voice echoed through the room.

Crap. ‘Morning, Bruce!’ she said brightly, then shut her eyes tightly as the room seemed to spin around her. ‘What’s up?’

‘I’m just running a few tests on those energy weapons we found. I could use a hand, if you’ve got a minute?’ Bruce always seemed to think he was being a bother. He could make “pass the salt” sound like he was asking a huge favour. ‘Only if you’re not busy.’

‘Sure thing,’ she gasped. ‘I’ll be right – oh god – ‘ She lurched back to the toilet as another wave of nausea swept over her. With nothing left to bring up, her stomach clenched painfully.

‘Are you okay? Kamala?’

But she couldn’t reply. Her breath came in harsh sobs through gritted teeth. She was trying so hard to do her job here, to help Bruce find the Avengers and to hold her own in the fighting. But she didn’t feel like an adult. She felt like a scared kid in disguise. And now she felt like death, it was difficult to maintain that charade.

The beep of the door unlocking was the only warning she got before Bruce ran into the room. ‘What happened? Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine, it’s just food poisoning. I’ll be down in a minute, I promise.’ She squinted up at him. Bruce wore his usual purple shirt and pants (Hulk had ruined at least five of those shirts, how many did he have?) with his glasses perched on the end of his nose. His arms were folded as he stared down at her in concern.

He sighed. ‘I told you not to eat the egg sandwiches.’

‘You ate them just fine.’

‘Well, I’m immune to food poisoning. You’re not. And you’re not coming down to the lab, okay? You need to rest.’ He spoke gently, but she still felt she’d let him down somehow. ‘Take the day off.’

They couldn’t afford to take days off. They needed to find Tony. Now because of her they’d be behind. Black Widow would have been stronger than this. Anyone other than Kamala would be stronger than this. But she felt so awful that she just said in a small voice, ‘Okay.’

‘Okay,’ Bruce echoed. Then he started backing out of the door. ‘I’m just gonna go… do some things. Can I um, get you anything? Bring you anything?’

Kamala burst into tears.

‘Hey, it’s gonna be okay.’ Bruce crossed the room and knelt beside her, all awkwardness momentarily forgotten.

‘I’m sorry, it’s just – so hard sometimes,’ she sobbed. ‘I want to go home and see my family and just have a normal life, and I know I can’t because we have a job to do and – ‘

‘You’re allowed to want those things. You’re only human.’

Except she wasn’t, was she? Not quite. She was a human with superpowers, and that meant she had a responsibility to protect others. But right now she wasn’t sure she could even protect herself. The tears kept coming, and her chest shuddered with uneven breaths. She wanted to curl up on the cold bathroom floor and pass out.

She swayed, and Bruce held her shoulder to steady her. ‘You’re going to burn yourself out. No one can be on top form all the time. I’m pretty useless for days after Hulking out, and you don’t judge me for it. I think you’re allowed to have a bad day.’

Kamala leaned forward and hid her face in his shoulder. He stiffened in surprise, then hesitantly wrapped his arms around her in a hug. ‘It’s my birthday,’ she sniffled.

‘Today? Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Didn’t want it to be a big deal. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.’ She closed her eyes, knowing that her forehead would feel hot against his shoulder.

Bruce's low, gentle voice rumbled in her ear. ‘Okay. You’re going to stay here and get some rest, doctor’s orders. JARVIS can keep an eye on you. Can you stand?’

She could, but leaned heavily on him as he helped her walk back to bed. ‘Sorry I got sick on your shirt,’ she mumbled.

‘I’ve got plenty of spares, don’t worry.’ He brought her a cup of water and an empty bucket from the pile in the corner of the room. ‘Call me if you need anything, okay?’

‘Thanks, Bruce.’ She lay down and drew the blankets over herself. Bruce lingered a few moments longer, clearly searching for something else to say, then awkwardly edged out of the room. Kamala gazed out of the window until she fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was afternoon. Her head hurt and her mouth tasted awful, but the nausea seemed to have passed. She checked her phone and found birthday messages from family and friends, which raised her spirits a little. When she reached for the water beside the bed, there was a packet of plain crackers and some ibuprofen there too. Bruce must have returned to check on her.

Then Kamala spotted the parcel at the foot of the bed.

A slow smile grew on her face as she picked it up. It was thick and rectangular, and wrapped in thin graph paper from the lab. An effort had been made to liven it up with stars drawn in blue and red ballpoint pen.

She unwrapped it slowly. It was a thick, spiralbound notebook. The edges of the paper had been coloured neon blue (presumably using a salvaged highlighter), and the front cover had been replaced with a homemade one: a printed photograph from five years ago. A smiling Kamala posed with the Avengers whilst coloured streamers fell around them. It was one of the best memories of her life, and despite the events that had occurred after it, the sight still made her smile. ‘Thanks, Bruce,’ she whispered.

When she turned to the first page, there was a message written in small, neat script:

Happy Birthday Kamala! I hope this comes in useful. You’re an amazing writer, don’t forget how far you’ve come.

Bruce

Writing had always been Kamala’s passion, although since they’d embarked on their Avengers quest she hadn’t given it much thought. She certainly hadn’t entertained any fanfiction ideas; it felt weirder to write it when you knew the characters you were writing about. Maybe she could try something new, though.

She dug out a pen from her bag. Even the simple weight of a notebook in her lap brought her a comforting familiarity. That even aboard the Chimera, far from home, she could slip away into a world of her choosing. No bad guys to fight or buildings to destroy. Just the simple act of creating something for the fun of it.

Kamala clicked her pen, snuggled down under the covers, and began to write.

#Bruce Banner #Kamala Khan #Marvel's Avengers #Avengers Game #my fic #Blizzard plays Avengers #first in the fandom tag on AO3!

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in-a-cave-with · 4 years

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just saw a mutual rb a post that was tagged anti tony stark so i clicked on it fearing the worst and it was like. op was making fun of how tony stans are so defensive of him and the person on my dash tagged it as “yeah i’d throw hands” i just. wheeze. @angxlsgrxce ur an icon

#clicking on posts that say 'this post contains filtered content anti tony stark' is like a game of russian roulette

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anarchyduck · 3 years

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Axe, Sweat, and Cigarettes pt. 2

Part 1