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#what tony stark has to say about s3
familyagrestefanblog · 4 months
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Clarification I definitely should have done ever since season 4 and the Ladynoir conflict started escalating, but hey, let's just get it out:
There are reasons why I'm harping down so badly on Miraculous' Girlboss feminism and defend Adrien as much as I do.
To get the feminist (in-universe) explaination out of the way first:
I would be lying if I said that I like the direction the show has taken Marinette's character and the story in general. But regarding her specifically I simply have to say that most of my problems with her are how she is written as Ladybug, Guardian, and especially leader & partner. Not in her civilian self. Hence why you won't find that alot on my blog, only when it contributes to the overarching double standards problem from s4 I take issue with.
I simply cant deny it, Ladybug is a kind of leader I just came to not be able to respect alot anymore in how she operates most things bc she doesn't really ever look passed how things look & stand for herself, and what SHE needs & wants. Marinette is a very low empathy person in the sense that she struggles putting herself in other people's positions, or remembers considering that at all.
But that's not the reason why I can't respect her as leader. I have ADD, that would be really hypocritical of me.
What leaves me unable to respect her as leader though (& honestly kinda even wanting Alya to take her position) is the fact that the show doesn't see much wrong with Maribug doing that.
They don't properly depict this as flawed leadership she actually NEEDS to grow out of by making up for her shortcomings by, for example, making other people her official co-leaders. Instead the show since s4 (& kinda s3) will proceed to put it's feminist foot down if Maribug isn't actually in the end 100% correct and "totally girlboss justified" in any given case - with CN & authorities specifically - no matter the context. Ergo she's barely ever truly improving her weakpoints in partnership skills for example & continues doing the same mistakes over n over.
like she genuinely would benefit from having Chat Noir as her co-leader too, not just Rena Rouge. But no. The neurodivergend low-empathy girl can't have a high-empathy boy co-leader bc apparently thats misogynistic now, huh ?
Again, I have ADD and I'm also a woman. In fact, I actually have alot in common with Maribug (hence why it hurt so much once s4 took her away from me), so forgive me when I still say: I am NOT going to lower my standards of my believe that neither of those aspects get to be an excuse on everyone else's expense regarding LEADERSHIP (which I do also am in the position of in my life).
And I repeat: LEADERSHIP. Not Marinette herself as a person necessarily & esp not her civilian life.
People always say that her critics wouldn't be so hard on her if she were a man, but I strongly disagree. In my experience, if Marinette were a boy people would actually draw a line nowadays and call out that Mariano is too stuck in his own head to be a good leader (& partner). And maybe even demand that he shouldn't be in that position anymore either at all or until he's in a better head space.
Bc with male characters people are actually drawing lines now in important factors when it comes to power & the accountability coming with it, bc in the end being in change means it ain't about you
Hence why e. g. Steve Rogers (Captain America) was then a fucking fugitive from the law when shit got real in the MCU. They had to do that bc of his leadership morality not being able to exist well within a corrupted & complex law system under fire and attack. My man's an amazing battle leader, but the MCU did VERY well leaving taking care of all kinds of social & political matters to Tony Stark. This kind of nuance ain't Steve's strength. Marinette & Steve are actually a EXTREMELY similar type of leader and it's interesting that I don't exactly vibe with him too much either in that regard, but like him as person the way I did Marinette. So for me it's definitely an issue with their type of leadership.
But the mainstream female leader characters are often still "too female" to get held to the same regular standards bc telling a female leader character in a complicated and not entirely beneficial situation & position 'yeah, it's sucks but you're not the center of the universe'' is now more often than not still "too mean/ sexist"
again, Steve was made an outlaw for a reason and you can bet if he had been a Stephanie people would have made all her struggles about sexism & called the 'outlaw leader' route after Civil War misogyny, merely bc "society doesnt respect women". This is whats happening with Maribug & it clashes with her leadership style.
Hence why there AREN'T ALOT of mainstream female leader characters. And if we get some, most of them are narratively defined by how powerful & in control they are for THEIR OWN BENEFIT and it being depicted as 100% right & just in general (like with Marinette) which goes against what a normal leader should be, so alot of people don't like them (ignoring the actual sexist people for a sec)
The first Wonder Woman movie for example was so well-received for a reason. They did it RIGHT (& may I please also recommend Wakanda Forever? Fuck, that movie was GOOD)
--
But yes, it's notably how Maribug treats Chat, who is supposed to be her partner and friend, that I take alot of issues with.
And yes, I would say the same if LB were male and CN female. Ladynoir is so rooted in toxic femininity that this "partnership" (or just the entire LS) the way it is could NOT exist today in gender bend. S4 and the s5 finale in particular are unthinkable in gender bend and they sold it as "justified female empowerment" & "unparalleled loving treatment" from Ladybug's side Chat Noir needed to learn to be GRATEFUL for.
All while, and I will never stop stressing this: the show has never stopped writing Marinette to treat Chat Noir as if he basically just spawns into existence once he puts on the mask. He's HALF a human being. Even once she falls in love with him in s5.
This is the fundamental and deep seeded problem of where my issues come from here. It never stands in question if Adrien views Marinette and Ladybug as full human beings, but the other way around that very much is the case. In whatever way it's depicted. Yes this is a line I draw, especially because of the whole Sentihuman thing.
I personally am alot more like Adrien regarding Friendship and partnership (or what his character initially started out). They are heavy & meaningful topics for me. So seeing Marinette being utilized to girlboss all that into the ground with Chat Noir, esp in s4, while she apparently barely ever even noticed anything wrong with how she treats him in the first place as she literally replaced him with Alya/ Rena in everything but name
cause buring him under a wall of secrets & lies meant she can still 100% benefit from his eternal devotion by letting him believe she's too alone to be a partner anymore AT ALL. (Kuro Neko onwards and then NEVER stopped letting him think she's just as alone as he is. NEVER. She's still doing it in s5 while leaving him 100% isolated which was then his demise in the s5 finale.)
and gives Alya the deluxe partnership entirely on his expense, while barely ever sparing him even the most basic thought in anything; & by "Risk" then literally having them switch status. Rena is her actual partner she fully treats that way and he's merely her favorite temp hero with no rights, which Rena was previously.
And the only reason why Chat was treated with something resembling to fairness or dignity again in season 5 (& finally wasn't a rag doll for her every little mood anymore...) was because Maribug plainly had no other choice and had her team & position of power taken away by force while Alya renounced for her own safety. And yet she's still treating him as half a human being even by the end of S5. AFTER her character development. He's Chat Noir and that's where his existence ends in her leadership & friendship. CN and Alya in s5 are literally 2 halves of ONE PARTNER.
All that was painful to watch to say the least. Bc it's imo honestly a disgrace to friendship and partnership. I can't put into words how ashamed I would be of myself if I treated someone the way Marinette treats Chat Noir (again, HALF A HUMAN BEING).
Much less a friend I claim to love dearly and don't want to loose (another thing the MCU did better regarding Steve's fall-out with Tony over Bucky... I should really make that comparison post why Steve works for me & Marinette doesnt)
Just the mere fact that Marinette in "Elation" even told Chat "It doesn't matter who's underneath your mask" is honestly outrageous.
Because thats simply what it is for me. If s4 & 5 Marinette were portrayed from a similar morality angle to Emonette in the Paris special I would have much less issues with her. Cause thats ironically an angle female characters barely get & is mostly used to redeem the broken bad boys with a hidden heart of gold™.
Double irony: s1-s3 actually DID put civilian Marinette often into that angle, hence why I really liked her, but then s4 suddenly said "well, her methods & actions really dont matter. She's wrong, but actually not really; ergo she should get rewarded in the end. Always. But with a few exceptions. Here n there she loses to claim otherwise. But actually the world just needs to learn how right & amazing she is."
She makes countless mistakes but often either doesn't really learn from them anymore or they just don't "count" bc that's 'what makes her quirky & loveable', so having any issues with her now means you hate women. And she's a very flawed leader but actually never did anything wrong. Ever. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
I will be VERY blunt now: The moment you put a female character into the leader role the FEMALE aspect is supposed to be of secondary importance. And a leader, by the nature of the position, ALWAYS has to be questioned morally wise in my opinion bc of the fatal blindspots that will automatically occur in every leadership.
And it happened here too: Chat Noir's treatment. But they demanded that her being the (female) leader means she's OWED to treat him badly & gets to keep him as blindspot on HIS expense bc she doesn't like thinking about him existing as civilian person.
A leader is ALWAYS somebody who is NOT going to sit well with everybody regarding their approach. That's a normal instinct, and in fact it would be highly dangerous if that wouldnt happen at all. So if I, or other people, don't respect her as one that simply means she has an opposition the way every leader has & is being held to normal standards a leader should be held to, regardless of gender.
Sorry if you think thats sexist, but in my opinion that's a YOU problem. I personally respect female leaders too much to not acknowledge them as anything else but the potential threats they are. The same way I do with male leaders.
You're leader first, woman second. If you can't handle that get out of the leadership position (yes, oc that also applies the other way around). Feminism was about making sure that women cant be excluded from e. g. position of power just bc we're female. The goal wasn't to have yet another group of people stomp their foots, now claiming that they are OWED power once they wanna have it to feel powerful. But that's what Marinette was used to teach an entire generation of children, especially girls.
The last thing you will EVER get me to do is accept that I should be holding women - specifically for equality, female empowerment and leadership - to LOWER (moral) standards as I would the men in her position.
Buddy, I am NOT gonna fucking do that. Just the thought is pissing me tf off, and has ever since s4, cause it directly plays into the misogynistic thinking of:
"Women can't be given power, status or even too much focus as human beings because they're too irrational and immature to be able to then lay proper priorities & take rightful accountability for their shit like a man in power could; and not just scream and cry while playing the oppressed victim card the moment things don't work out & they aren't being given the special female treatment to let them mostly off the hook consequences wise.
Leading to everyone around them, especially the MEN, having to step up, do the work & basically babysit the women like children - while still having to give her the credit as person in charge - turning the women more or less into toddlers wearing a queen's crown"
Which, by all means, Adrichat in every dynamic of the love square by season 5, Gabriel at the end of "Recreation" and even Luka & Félix (& "thankfully" Alya too since s4) had to do for Maribug in alot of ways.
Pick up all of her slack in several major areas & catering to her while simultaneously having to still give most of the credit to HER or else they would be "mean to the female lead" (it's also telling that Alya is treated the best here, & goodness dont get me started on Su-Han...).
And with that out of the way, a few more meta reasons:
1) I'm NOT watching a damn documentary. Marinette is NOT a 14 year old, she doesnt exist & isnt based on a real person or story. She's a fictional main character and narrative tool, so forgive me for approaching this differently than a real life case.
and 2) in everything I watch I automatically look out for the narrative's blind spots and victims of the writings' favorites. I take it this seriously because this is career related for me.
Hence why I have barely ever liked a main character and ironically Marinette/ Ladybug was once one of the few exceptions (alongside Korra from Legend of Korra and Blitz from Helluva Boss)
Look, when I for example watch Helluva Boss or a Yugioh show I will automatically pay extra attention to how the female characters are being treated bc they are obviously treated worse by the writing and much more neglected and scapegoated than the male characters.
Meanwhile when I watch Miraculous and She-Ra, I do the opposite and pay attention to how the male characters are treated bc now they have the gender-biase against them.
And when I for example watch Avatar the last Airbender or Legend of Korra [and She-Ra, that show is great], then I actually get to be mostly fucking happy for once in my life jfc
I'm not going to elaborate too much more on this because I already named by my main point in the beginning: Chat Noir's - not even Adrien's, I mean CHAT NOIR - sometimes honestly awful treatment being the biggest moral and narrative blind spot of the entire show, and honestly where most of Maribug's problems then are also rooted in. Hence why I started focusing so much on Chat Noir since season 4. I look at the overall narrative and circumstances and look for the blind spots that needs to be solved to get to the core of the problem of this whole mess, to get effective results.
And that was and even by the end remained the fact that Adrichat is treated so badly, scapegoated in every possible way in the name of "feminism" and kicked out of the story where HE is at the core of most everything going on, just so the show can force Maribug into everything, make things about her that have no business being about her
Just so she can then be made to constandly turn around and scream, cry and stress about problems - and go about them in the least effective way - that wouldnt be there in the first place if she wasnt the main character of a story that isnt hers.
Mate, I dont know what to tell you here, but the fact that we are following Marinette Dupain-Cheng ,who has nothing to do with anything besides being the cool action girl, is and will always remain of the of core problems of this show. I WISHED that wasnt the case. But for the love of everything, Kagami would have made so much more sense as the female lead, but no.
Anyway, I will leave it at that now cause I already elaborate much further than I initially wanted to, I just wanted to finally have all this stated.
This Blog is not a full representation of how I lay priorities in (feminist) media in general, my view adjusts to the piece of media I'm watching.
And unfortunately, ever since season 4 Miraculous turned into a full blown extreme case and has only gotten better somewhat recently. So I will continue doing what I always do: focus on the fucking VICTIM whose bad treatment pulls down the whole show's quality, and here that's plain obviously Adrien Agreste/ Chat Noir.
And with all due respect: Die mad about it.
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the-writer1988 · 7 months
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I bring questions for the ask game... just a few:
4, 7, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26, 39, 42, 43, 76 (for BTK)
Just a few....
Thank you so much for the ask!
4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?
I find inspiration from watching new things, or reading theories or posts and it makes my brain go into overdrive. For example, my latest fic idea was partially inspired by the 'Splitting Heirs' fanfic by @phantoms-lair and @providentially-demonic
7. How do you choose which POV to write from?
It really depends on the scene. I do tend to veer towards Eugene's POV in my Tangled fanfiction because most of my fics revolve around him. But it does also depend on the scene and whether that POV fits. I tend to think about what I want from the scene before I start writing.
10. Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up
Blinking, Eugene was slow to respond. “Uh… no problem, Your Majesty. Turnabout is fair play, I guess.”
I'm not going to say which WIP this is XD
12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?
Feedback is important to me. Though I do write for myself, I have always liked to receive feedback as it helps to keep my motivated, especially for very long projects. In my younger years, I did find it difficult to continue writing fics where I did not get much feedback or support but I am a lot more chill about it nowadays. It will always make me smile when a new comment is left.
16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?
Too many lol!
Erm, ok, so one, is called: The Lost Prince. This fic follows the premise of Gothel kidnapping Eugene and raising him in the Tower instead. It is a twist of Tangled.
20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?
A common theme that does appear in my fic is whump. Hurt of my favourite characters. And the comfort that follows. Poor Eugene gets too much attention from me.
Or from other fandoms: Tony Stark, Sirius Black, Aragorn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi over the years I've been writing fanfiction.
26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?
Hmm, I think my wildest ride one would have to be what I am currently writing: Between the Kisses. Though we have a rough guide to what we want to cover, it has evolved and developed and is coming out very different to what we had originally intended when @tangledbea and I first embarked on this mega project. I am enjoying every minute of it!
39. Share a snippet from a WIP
From The Lost Prince AU
The King had nearly lost his wife in childbirth and had - somehow - used the power within the Dark Kingdom to save her. It was rumoured that the newborn Prince had been born with striking cyan hair and eyes which had faded naturally to brown. 
If the baby Prince had somehow absorbed this power perhaps this was how Gothel could bring it to the Sundrop to amplify its power? 
42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?
Return to Me by ArcticPersephone. And, YES, I recommend it! It is a rewrite of S3 with one big change and I am honestly astounded by this fic. The character development and the plot always leaves me guessing and I would recommend this fic. It has everything for everyone, no matter who your favourite character is!
Return to Me - Chapter 1 - ArcticPersephone - Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon) [Archive of Our Own]
43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?
Erm. I would probably say yes in that I do take joy in whumping my characters but I enjoy the comfort that comes after as well.
76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of BTK?
That is a rather difficult question to answer. At present there is potentially future scenes that were conceived of at the start of the project that won't make it in as plans have changed. But I can't think of anything specific that hasn't made it into the current chapters posted so far. :)
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scottxlogan · 1 year
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Tony Stark Bingo Master List 
This year has been a big one for me as I decided to give Bingos a try and the Tony Stark Bingo at @tonystarkbingo proved to be a lot of fun moving forward for me. Below the cut is a list of all my fills for my bingo card. This was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend this bingo to anyone looking to have a little fun doing a bingo!
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1.  Title of Fill: Late for Dinner Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40112511 Square Filled: S1 Restrained Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood and Violence, Implied/Referenced Terrorism, Restraints, Las Vegas, Adult Content, Sarcastic Tony Stark, Rescue Missions Summary: On the week of his Vegas wedding, Tony Stark is taken hostage by a group of mercenaries wanting to interrogate him for information, but rather than cooperate Tony takes to annoying them until he can get what he needs from the bad guys. Will he be able to accomplish his mission reasonably unharmed or will the bad guys find a way to keep him from his week of wedding plans? Word Count: 6748
2. Title of Fill: Reconciliation Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40270578 Square Filled: S3- “Say That Again” Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: M Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Adult Content, Mild Language, Post-Break Up, Misunderstandings, Idiots in Love, Reunions, Love Confessions, Restraints, Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bomb Summary: Six months ago Tony Stark asked Bucky Barnes to take their relationship to the next level and move in with him. The next morning Bucky disappeared leaving Tony wondering where he'd gone wrong. Now reunited and facing a threat to their future, the two are forced to face the truth that it took six months to return to in Bucky's absence. Will they find a way to reunite or end up in a situation beyond their control after the bad guys managed to gain the upper hand? Word Count: 7127
3. Title of Fill: On the Job Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40069875 Square Filled: T2 IronHawk Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Clint Barton Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Secret Crush, First Kiss, Flirting, Alcohol, Undercover as a Couple, Alternate Universe-Canon Divergence, Fluff, Making out Summary: While working a mission together with the team, Clint finds it hard to ignore his crush on Tony Stark. Will feelings follow? Word Count: 3948
4. Title of Fill: Innocent Until Proven Guilty Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40339539 Square Filled: T3 Innocent Until Proven Guilty Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Fluff, Mischief, Cuddling & Snuggling, Making Out, Established Relationship, Kissing, Romance Summary: Tony has big plans, but when he loses something important in his lab his search ends up leading him nowhere. After a frustrating search, Tony ends up cuddling in Bucky's arms and spending time with Alpine. Will Tony discover what happened to his missing item or has it disappeared forever leaving him to face new plans for his future? Word Count: 4848
5. Title of Fill: Against The Odds Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40362063 Square Filled: R1 Regrets Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Scott Summers Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Heavy Angst, Hellfire Gala (X-Men), Implied/Referenced Cheating, Angst with a Happy Ending, Forbidden Love, Past Drug Addiction, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism Summary: Some addictions are harder to get over than others, but when Tony Stark discovers the truth about mutant resurrections in Krakoa starting with the reemergence of Scott Summers, he can’t help, but give in to a curiosity by going to the Hellfire Gala even knowing that it will no doubt take him under. Reunited at the party Tony and Scott are forced to face what still remains between them. Word Count: 6713
6. Title of Fill: Up In the Air Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40435989 Square Filled: K5 Winteriron Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: M Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mile High Club, Sexual Content,  Foot Massage, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bonding, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Protective Bucky Barnes, Hurt Tony Stark, Mild Hurt/Comfort Summary: When a threat is made against Tony's life, he is forced to leave New York and retreat to a private island with Bucky at his side serving as his bodyguard. Although the two have come a long way with one another during the time Bucky has been protecting Tony, it seems that the flight to their destination brings them closer in ways that neither had anticipated moving forward. A quiet conversation leads to awakenings between them as Tony finds himself tempted to explore new heights with Bucky. Could this be the real thing happening between them? Word Count: 12343
7. Title of Fill: Craving You Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40763940 Square Filled: S2: Bruce Banner Ship/Main Pairing: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Friends to Lovers, Secret Crush, Lust, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Awkward Flirting, Adult Content, Swearing Summary: When Tony and Bruce head out to Malibu for an impromptu vacation, Tony finds himself suddenly distracted when he unexpectedly sees Bruce in a sexy, new light. Obsessed with the vision of Bruce in his head, Tony struggles to keep a clear mind around his friend when everything inside of him wants to reach out and touch his old friend in an entirely different kind of way. Word Count: 6293
8. Title of Fill: Always Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41349978 Square Filled: T1 AU: Artist/Muse Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark & Morgan Stark, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts Rating: General Audiences Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: fluff, domestic fluff, alternate universe: canon divergence Summary: Tony and Morgan spend the day together doing arts and crafts and having a little family fun until Pepper returns. Together they embrace their time together as a happy family. Pure fluff and joy for Tony :) Word Count: 3832
9. Title of Fill: I Love You Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41246319 Square Filled: T5 “I Love You” Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: love confessions, angst with a happy ending, insecurity, scars, idiots in love, Declarations of Love, Sexual Content, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Fluff and Smut Summary: In the aftermath of a disagreement, Tony rethinks his decision to tell Bucky to walk away when Tony realizes that what they've found in one another means more than hiding his heart from the hurt that opening it to love could potentially bring to his life. Word Count: 2874
10. Title of Fill: The Road We’re On Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40787352 Square Filled: K1 Journey Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: light angst, canon divergence-Avengers: Endgame movie, Fluff and angst, established relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues, Injury recovery, Sexual Content. Summary: A year after the battle against Thanos, Tony is struggling with the aftermath of his heroic actions as his body serves as a reminder of the changes in his life. On a day when he's lost inside of himself thinking about what's left of him, Steve finds a way to remind Tony just how incredible he is. The two share some quiet time with each other and reflect on the journey they've taken together to reach happily ever after. Word Count: 4101
11. Title: The Invitation Collaborator: scottxlogan Card Number: 6038 Square Filled: A3: Free Square Ship/Main Pairing(s): Tony Stark/Bruce Banner Rating: Teen Mature Major Tags & Triggers: Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcoholic Tony Stark, Awkwardness, Awkward Crush   Word Count: 3878 Summary: Fresh out of rehab and trying to get his life back together again, Tony spends his time with Bruce on Tony's private island working to finish a project they started together. When Bruce works up the courage to ask Tony a favor, Tony is met by mixed emotions until Tony sees that perhaps the things he's been secretly thinking about Bruce might not be so one sided. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41699577
12. Title of Fill: The First Time Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41737779 Square Filled: R4 Dad!Tony Ship/Main Pairing: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Polyamory, Romance, Falling In Love, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Homophobia Summary: Falling in love for the first time took Steve, Bucky and Tony down different paths to finding their heart. Falling in love for the second time opened the door to forever love in ways that no one expected to experience once fate brought them all together again. Word Count: 5610
13. Title of Fill: Movie Night Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42326265 Square Filled: K2: Kidfic Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Family Bonding, Kissing, Hair Braiding     Summary: Bucky and Tony begin date night with plans for a night filled with horror movies and time together, but Alpine and Morgan have other plans that bring them all together as a family.   Word Count: 4320
14. Title of Fill: Breaking Point Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42254982 Square Filled: R2: Trapped or Isolated Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Misunderstandings, Enemies to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Sharing a Bed, Winter, Stranded, Miscommunication, Naked Cuddling, Swearing, Adult Content Summary: When a last minute mission ends badly, Tony and Bucky wind up trapped in a cabin in the middle of a storm with only each other to depend on. Seeking out warmth in one another, the two share a tense exchange that turns passionate as Tony discovers that maybe he doesn't hate Bucky as much as he leads on. Word Count: 5562
15. Title of Fill: Resolution Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41511879 Square Filled: R5: Enemies to Lovers Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Light Angst, Angst and Feels, Implied Sexual Content, Cuddling & Snuggling, Love Confessions, Miscommunication, Implied/Referenced Sex, Drunken Shenanigans Summary: Bucky's journey leads him to Tony's doorstep where he's forced to face his feelings for Tony once and for all. Word Count: 4361
16. Title of Fill: Three Things (Multi-Chapter) Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43743691/chapters/110539161 Square Filled: A2: Remote Control, S5: Next Generation Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky Barnes & Peter Parker Friendship, Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Peter Parker Rating: Teen and Up Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Post-Spider-Man: No Way Home (Movie), Winter Season, Second Chances, Developing Friendships, Adult Content, Swearing, Holidays, Bucky Barnes & Peter Parker Friendship, Post-Endgame, Sexual Tension, Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence Summary: Peter returns to the apartment after a night of patrolling the city ready to sneak in undetected, but when Bucky surprises Peter in more ways than one, Peter is shell-shocked. A face from the past proves to open the door to promise in the future for Peter moving forward, but what does it mean to the rest of the world? Word Count: 11673
17. Title of Fill: Finding My Way To You (Multi-Chapter) Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44969335 Square Filled: A1: Physical Therapy, S4: Dum-E Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Heavy Angst, Sexting, Enemies to Lovers, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, References to Depression, Isolation, Touch-Starved, Online Relationship, Sexual Content, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt Tony Stark, Dark Tony Stark, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Self-Esteem Issues, Misunderstandings, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Adult Content, Mild Language Summary: After life has thrown him an unexpected curve Tony is in a bit of a slump in his personal life. After his break-up with Pepper, Tony thought he was fine. That is until Pepper moved on with someone new and an injury has Tony facing the idea of spending his life alone. Caught up in what he sees as himself having a mid-life crisis Tony joins a dating app where he finds someone special in the most unexpected of ways. The problem is that with Tony life is never as easy as he hopes for it to be and with his new love brings new complications to his world in the most unexpected of ways. Word Count: 48K+
18. Title of Fill: Reflection Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44217553 Square Filled: T4: Image prompt of Tony from the comics saying "What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Cuddling, Morning Kisses, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcoholic Tony Stark, Kissing, Comfort Summary: In the aftermath of battle, Tony finds himself reflecting on his place in the universe and how small he feels in the grand scheme of things. Lost in his thoughts and facing down his demons, Tony finds that he's no longer alone when Steve arrives and shows his support for his teammate. Word Count: 5399
19. Title of Fill: The Anniversary Surprise Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43372971 Square Filled: A4: Love or Lust Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Threesome - M/M/M, Anniversary, Reunions, Feelings Realization, Established Relationship, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Guilty Pleasures, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Not Cheating, Happy Ending, Smut, Fluff and Smut, Sexual Content, Mild Kink, Miscommunication, Adult Language, Swearing, Rough Kissing, Adult Content, Needy Bucky Barnes, Aftercare Summary: Steve had worked really hard to plan the perfect anniversary for Bucky, but when Tony shows up instead and things take an unexpectedly awkward turn Steve finds himself gravitating towards his former lover unable to forget the passion they shared. Will temptation prove to be the end of the happiness and contentment that Steve's found in his life or will Tony and Bucky convince Steve that they still have a few unexpected surprises in store for him? Word Count: 11384
20. Title of Fill: Not Tonight Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43287747 Square Filled: A5: Action/Adventure Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Date Night, Established Relationship, Robbery, Bar, involuntary mission, Adult Content, Flirting, Innuendo, Suggestive Themes Summary: Tony's plans for a quiet reunion night with Bucky in Indiana are thwarted first by a change of venue leaving Tony to face an unexpected string of events while waiting for Bucky to return. Will Tony find himself caught up in a bad situation or will he manage to find a way to play it cool and bring their night back on track with one another? Word Count: 6344
21. Title of Fill: Home Again Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38259688/chapters/107173638 Square Filled: R3: Image of Tony in Iron Man 3 at the New Year's Eve Party Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Mature Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, References to Depression, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Adult Content, Explicit Language, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension Summary: When Emma opens the door to Bucky's subconscious in the hopes of finding more information on what's happening with Tony, Bucky discovers secrets locked within that change everything moving forward. Bucky and Bruce have a heart to heart as Tony left one last surprise for Bucky before his mission. Word Count: 13974
22. Title of Fill: The Holiday Celebration Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43895119 Square Filled: K3: Pair the Spare Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Gen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: awkward flirting, holiday fluff, idiots in love, mutual pining, holidays Summary: Bucky is surprised to receive an invitation to Tony's yearly weeklong holiday celebration up north with the rest of the Avengers. Upon arrival, Bucky soon learns that the trip is full of fun festivities and activities where the team shows off their skills and enjoys the season. Still feeling like an outsider Bucky tries his best to fit in, but worries that he's making a bad impression on their host until Bucky suddenly discovers that maybe his perception of Tony has been slightly off in what Tony thinks about him :) Word Count: 5758
23. Title of Fill: Together Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45218320 Square Filled: K4: Iron Husbands Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/James Rhodes Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Past Relationship(s),Teacher-Student Relationship, Tony has a past relationship with a professor, Holidays, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Coming Out, Idiots in Love, Roommates, Secret Crush Summary: Tony and Rhodey have been roommates and best friends for a while, but after returning from family holiday with Rhodey's family where they pretended to be dating things have changed between them. Tony has ended his impossible relationship with his boyfriend and is facing the idea of spending a holiday alone as to not upset the balance in Rhodey's life. Will his decision prove to be a wise one or will Rhodey have a surprise in store for Tony? Word Count: 8671
24. Title of Fill: First Meeting Collaborator: ScottxLogan Card Number: 6038 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44710843 Square Filled: Adopted: de-aged!Tony Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: Teen Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: First Meetings, First Kiss, Pre-Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Winter, Past Relationship(s), Past Abuse, On the Run, Age Difference, De-Aged Tony Stark, Older Man/Younger Man, Comfort/Angst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Stalking Summary: Bucky Barnes is living a life of solitude on the run and hiding from Hydra in the hopes that he can find his way back to himself and his freedom again. On his path to freedom, Bucky encounters a younger Tony Stark hiding out from danger and hoping Bucky will play along in helping him escape the threat he's facing. When the two share an unexpected first meeting sparks fly and it opens the door to something more for each of them moving forward. Word Count: 5387
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farfromstrange · 1 year
Text
Foreigner's God: Chapter 7
Main Masterlist
Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC
Chapter Summary: There is something incredibly off about Tony’s behavior, and Eliza decides she can’t do it anymore. She’s done. The fight leads to several revelations. One, she might be going slightly insane and two, Clinton Church is actually quite the nice place to go to if you’re having a panic attack. Other than that, Matt is still himself. While that might lead to some tension between them, she’s never been happier to have a place to go to that isn’t lonely, and he cares. This friendship might just be all she needs, after all.
Warnings: this is so long, mentions of drug abuse, alcohol consumption, there’s some foreshadowing, Tony Stark is being slandered, a phone call with Peter, hallucinations, panic attack, religious imagery, confession, praying, S3 spoilers, Eliza’s ever-lasting guilt, arguing, yelling, daddy issues (not the sexy kind), crying, not feeling good enough, some bad humor & cliché age gap joke
Other characters: Natasha, Steve, Thor, Bruce, Tony, Clint, Peter Parker, Father Lantom & Sister Maggie, also some random homeless man just trying to help a girl out
Word Count: ~ 10k
A/n: I tried working out some of my own religious trauma with this one and also… well, this shit is plot-heavy so you might need a clear head to read this. If anyone asks, no I’m not okay. And no, Tony just acts like an asshole. He ISNT the villain. Still haven’t done him dirty enough, but we’ll soon be done with the slander. The next chapter will be posted tonight as well!
Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated!
Read Chapter 7: right where you left me Here on AO3!
18+ MINORS DNI
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The first time Eliza Bennett met Tony Stark was the day Loki destroyed New York. She’d only been working for SHIELD for a short amount of time back then, trying to get accustomed to her new life, her new identity. It’s safe to say she has always been exceptionally good at it. At being an Agent, being a hero, and every other thing way beyond her maturity level. She was never taught any better. Being an Agent in the field resembled her life at Hydra almost down a tee. Except she wasn’t killing people and she had her own free will, which was nice, but also not so much. She followed orders but she had a choice to stay or to start a new somewhere, get a taste of that human lifestyle everyone kept telling her about. It was new and scary, and she hated the fact that it didn’t feel like her.
May 3rd, 2012.
She was undercover at a gala when she heard the static rushing in her earpiece. “Mission’s over,” Natasha said. 
“What?” Eliza looked down at the glass of Martini in her hand, then back at the dance floor on which the Senator she was watching kept twirling his date around. “I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” she said. “I practiced my tango, like you told me to. It’d be a shame if I couldn’t show it off!”
The woman laughed. “I’d love to see it, but this is urgent. Pack up! We’re going back on the Helicarrier. I’ve got someone else covering our Russian spy senator and his bimbo.”
“Don’t call her a bimbo, Nat.“
“But it’s true. Admit it.”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Eliza left the party, the black limousine waiting for her at the entrance. The nice valet opened her the door, but he was dangerously pale around the nose. She cocked her head. Someone had been threatening him.
Natasha sat in the dark of the backseat, holding a file. She should’ve expected the redhead to make her appearance so soon. Urgent meant nothing less than time sensitive and when it came to matters with such a label, she was always first on every scene.
“Wait, weren’t you just in some Russian guy’s lair?” she asked her.
“Yeah, Coulson bailed me out. Threatened the guy. I almost had him. Ended up kicking his ass like the little bitch he was.”
“Did you get the intel?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Of course, you did. So, what’s up? What’s up with the urgency?”
“I know you’ve never done this before,” Natasha said. She handed the file over, her hand enveloped in black leather gloves. “But the fate of the world depends on it, and we could really use your help right now.”
She opened the brown folder, the first page a picture of a glowing blue box. “The tesseract,” Eliza choked out. An object with the most magnetic pull.
Fury never once allowed her to be less than ten feet of it. She had to stay in the circle. Why, she didn’t know, but he had his reasons. 
“Yes, it’s recently come into possession of a, uh… I don’t know what he is. An alien? Some guy with greasy hair and a spear. He’s not of this world, that’s for sure. He stole it from the base earlier tonight.”
“This thing has unimaginable power. How could he just steal it?”
“As I said, he’s an alien. And he’s Thor’s brother. Turn the page.” She did. The next series of pictures were screenshots from the security cameras. The man with black hair stared straight at the screen. He was attractive, sure, but the crazy in his eyes killed the mood.
“Jesus.” Eliza shook her head. Somehow the glow of his scepter felt… familiar? It was just a picture, it was probably stupid, but she felt drawn to it nonetheless. “What’s the procedure?” she questioned. 
Natasha smirked. “We’re getting the band back together.”
With the band, she meant the Avengers. The Avengers Initiative failed before. Imagine her surprise when the pair set foot on the Helicarrier to find the group of unlikely allies meddled together for the first time ever. None of them looked like they belonged there.
“I could imagine better things than to be trapped on here with the Hulk,” she told Natasha. “And the guy whose brother is currently threatening to take over the world.”
“He’s still my brother!” Thor snapped from somewhere in the distance.
“He killed eighty people in two days.”
“Well, he’s adopted.”
“And I’m a former Hydra operative. What’s your point?”
“See, so even you have made mistakes, earthling.”
Eliza glared at the blond man. He was attractive. He was tall and muscular and every woman’s dream. In that moment though, all he did was infuriate her to the point, her blood boiled.
“Don’t call me earthling, you daft Asgardian Shakespeare.”
“I feel like you have been misinformed about me. I’m Thor, the God of-“
“Thunder, yeah, I know. I don’t care.” She turned to the rest of the team. “If I end up squashed,” - she pointed at Bruce - “under the edge of a Vibranium shield,” - she pointed at Captain America - “shot with an arrow through the eye,” - her eyes narrowed at Clint - “hit with a magic hammer or ATTACKED BY A FUCKING METAL SUIT, MISTER STARK!” Tony felt her finger poke deep into his chest. “I will make sure we all die up here,” she finished. “You got that?”
But Natasha taught her all about control, so she swallowed the red threatening to expose her and focused back on the task at hand.
Tony was actually the only one to eye her with curiosity instead of fear. “Do they usually start this young?” he asked. 
Eliza used to be a very superstitious person. She didn’t trust anyone outside of her fellow Agents and even then she kept her distance. She was a scared girl in a big world, not knowing who she was or how she got there, with powers raging inside of her that she couldn’t quite grasp. The Avengers were a pool of strangers that she was tossed in without ever having learned how to swim.
So, naturally, when Tony made his jokes, she put her guard up. “No,” she told him, “We usually start younger.”
“So, baby spies?” He’s never been a particularly serious person.
It was twisted that this was the thing that enthralled him about her. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut for the life of him. Eliza was so frustrated to the point where she considered putting a bullet through his iron suit. Though when he flew that missile into space, she couldn’t help but pay her respects to his heroic antics. The careless man she’d met before somehow appeared in a different light then.
“You’re a great kid,” Tony said to her after the battle. “We should do this again sometime.”
That was four years in the past. 
Eliza warmed up to Tony instantly. The respectful, caring side of him. It was the original reason why she agreed to move into Avengers Tower in the first place. She ditched SHIELD for the Avengers. He mentored her. Tony was the first person after Fury to see something in her, willing to do just about anything to bring it out in her. 
Tony Stark made her feel loved for the first time in her life. Perhaps that’s why it hurt so much to see their once so-invincible bond break apart. 
Eliza asked herself where exactly they went wrong. Was it something she did or something she could’ve prevented? As so often, there was nothing to explain Tony’s behavior other than the fact that he was just Tony. 
Tony wasn’t the man he used to be, and he certainly didn’t portray as the kind of person he wanted to be. He turned from an idol into an antagonist – Eliza wished it would’ve been a sudden change, but reflecting on the past two years she realized it was meant to happen.
Eliza knew better than to try and make him see. He had to fall head-first into the abyss to realize his mistakes. He needed a swift kick in the ass and an excellent punch to the face. She couldn’t do that. Life had to do it to him.
Like Steve once said to her, “If holding onto something hurts you more than letting go, you need to let it go. If it’s meant to be, it’ll come back to you. If it’s not, at least you got rid of the pain.”
By the time Happy pulled up to the compound, Eliza accepted the fact that it would never be the same again. She had to let go eventually. She would give him one last chance, she decided, and if he decided to turn around and shit on it, she would take Steve’s advice and save herself. For once in her life, she had to listen. Holding onto the wrong people was her best talent, but sometimes even talent has to be laid off to protect your fragile little heart. 
“We’re here,” Happy snapped her out of her thoughts.
She dreaded every step into the compound. Her heart beat up to her throat. The oxygen supply sank with every passing second.
Eliza took the familiar road to Tony’s office. He was waiting for her behind the door. She hesitated, hand on the handle. She hated confrontation. She didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t her turn to apologize, but somehow she felt like she had to. Sad, wasn’t it? He had her judging guilty without even trying, even when she didn’t need to. She was just that dependent on his approval. 
She pushed the thoughts away. She wasn’t a child anymore, she was an adult. Adults don’t make their lives dependent on one person, no matter how much they mean to them. Adults are supposed to stand their ground. She had to learn how to do that. She did it the previous night, she could do it again. Tony didn’t own her.
“You came,” Tony’s voice sounded breathy, hungover, from the corner of the room.
Eliza exhaled, a mix between a sigh and a scoff. “You left me no choice,” she said. “Sending Happy to my place was a desperate move.”
“I couldn’t reach you. At first, I thought maybe you lost your phone, but then I realized you blocked my number. If anything, you left me no choice. I wanted to talk to you without dozens of people around to ask stupid questions.”
“Why?”
“You left before I could talk to you last night.”
“Seriously? You’re just gonna act like this is all it is? Miscommunication?”
Tony scoffed. She saw the bottle of Scotch on his table, the half-filled glass. It was ten in the morning.
“Are you drunk again?” she asked.
“You don’t get to do that.”
“I don’t mind day drinking, I only mind hypocrisy.”
“I asked you here to apologize for what I said.” He took a sip.
“You were drunk, Tony.”
“And I’m sorry for that. I had one too many drinks because I didn’t want to face Secretary Ross sober. Every time I see him, I’m reminded of Rogers and what he did.”
“What Steve did?” Eliza glared. “You both screwed up! It wasn’t just him.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
“It kind of seems like you don’t.”
“Give me a break!” 
She flinched away. Her eyes fluttered close, her feet carried her a step back, and her arms instantly lifted themselves in front of her chest as if physically defending herself was going to block the words from entering her ears. It didn’t. 
Tony’s frown crumbled. He didn’t have the power of empathy on his side, but he saw the fear displayed in her eyes and he felt a sudden ping of regret. “I’m sorry,” he said, quieter this time. He opened his arms - a peace offering. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”
“You’re drunk,” she whispered. The tears stung behind her still-closed lids. “You’re drunk,” she said once again. She opened her eyes again. “I know what chronically drunk people are like, so I know that anything you say could either be complete bullshit or the honest-to-God truth. Tell me, why should I believe anything you say right now?”
He watched the tears slide almost elegantly from the corner of her left eye, down her cheek, and her neck. He waved his hands a little. “I’m not drunk. I’ve had two glasses of Scotch to fight off the hangover.”
“There’s still alcohol in your system. Too much to consider it sober.”
“You’re right, I’m not sober.”
“I know. What I don’t know is what you want from me. My pity?”
“No!” Tony scoffed. “It’s just been hard for me,” he began to explain himself. “Ever since Rogers - Steve - left, I’ve been feeling like I failed. Do you know what that’s like? I’m the man who killed the Avengers. I saw it. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Oh, come on!”
“No, hear me out. When that little witch Wanda played with my head, I saw it. I saw all of you, dead. It was my fault. I’m comparing these two right now and I don’t see much of a difference. Look, I’m on my last straw right now.”
Eliza shook her head. “You could’ve told me,” she said. 
“I tried! I tried to tell you that this is my worst nightmare come true. So many times.”
“How, by calling me a lost orphan in front of the most powerful people in New York City?”
“You don’t understand,” he said. “I was drunk and angry and I didn’t mean it.”
“You’re right, I don’t understand because you’re not making any sense.”
“I made our friends enemies of the State. I did. Rogers, Romanoff, Wanda, all of them! I killed the Avengers.”
“And you know, Sam, Scott, even Vision, just because he’s in love with a fugitive. Can’t even say their names, can you?” 
“Jesus!” He scoffed. “You’re turning my words against me.”
“Can you blame me?” Eliza asked, challenging him. 
“This isn’t about blame.”
“What, you want me to feel bad for you?” She cocked her head. “This is on you, not me. If you’re waiting for the pity party, you’re not getting any.”
“Listen, kid. I know you’re struggling and I’m sorry I’m not there for you like I used to be, but this is hard on all of us. Especially on me. This shit show is getting on my last nerve. The press, Ross, fucking Rhodey and Happy- you know, it’s not easy when the world is resting on your shoulders,” he said. 
The exasperated laugh was an answer of heavy proportions. “Boohoo, cry me a river, Tony! Honestly, you either complain or apologize, you can’t do both and expect me to roll with it.” She wished she had the same glass of Scotch he was carrying only so she could swallow the horrendously bitter taste on her tongue, but she didn’t. She was glad she didn’t. She wanted to be better than him. She wanted her words to be sober. She wanted him to understand, for whatever the desperate attempts were worth.
Tony shrugged. “It’s true. There’s a lot more I’m carrying that you don’t know about,” he said, “and I’m glad you don’t.”
“And you don’t know about the shit I have to carry,” she replied. Her lip twitched into a sour smile. “But I’m glad you don’t.”
He smirked, but it was fake. The way she spoke left no space for interpretation of just how sour she was. She was mad, offended, disappointed, all of those things and yet, she came. She always did. 
“All I need is some time to clear my head, and Scotch. Lots of Scotch.” He poured himself another glass from the small bar in the corner of his office, a small mahagoni table overlooking the New York skyline behind the compound. The perfectly trimmed grass and bushes in the front yard lead to the small forest separating the Avengers from downtown. It was beautiful. 
“You need time,” she repeated his words. “It’s funny because when you say it’s hard on all of us, I feel like it only entails you. I had to clean up your mess, again,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to. I struggle too, you know. I’m not saying you aren’t, but maybe you should take your own words into account and think about the people around you. You aren’t the only one who lost, we all did.” 
His shoulders tensed. Something changed. Was that regret she saw in the colors around his soul? She could’ve sworn she saw black somewhere, but it was hard to tell with the mess he was and the alcohol that seemed to turn the shade of anger darker, and the pride threatened to consume him. 
“I always have to take care of everything. I trained you, Eliza. I made us a team. I got you all a job you could count on. You had all the benefits in the world. Healthcare, stability, housing… you had all of that. It was safe. You guys were safe. And yet - and fucking yet - we managed to blow up. We always do. Everything always blows up, no matter what I do, and I’m tired of watching it happen without having an ounce of control in it. I think it’s time I finally focus on myself.”
“How can you say that after everything that happened? I can’t take this anymore,” she said, and she meant it. “I have to soften all the blows. It’s not even my job!”
“You need to learn how to take responsibility,” he argued.
“Responsibility?” That was the last straw. “I’ve been taking responsibility since the day I got here! I’ve been cleaning up the messes you’ve made again and again. Now, I didn’t mind. We were a family, but lately, it feels like I’m just doing it because I’m supposed to. Maybe I shouldn’t have. Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted being used like that.”
“Being used?” Tony asked, voice dangerous as he rose from his chair. “I did everything for you. You got a home, money, and a job. You met people others can only dream about. What else do you want?”
“Maybe some appreciation, for a change. I mean, are you treating Peter the same way?”
“Peter- is this what this is about? Are you jealous of that kid?”
“No!” maybe a little. “My point is that I was around Peter’s age when we first met. After everything you learned over the years and what I’ve been through, don’t you think it’s my right to tell you your place?“
“Pepper took you under her wing, Happy worries about you all the time, I mentored you. I got you back on your feet. I made sure you didn’t go to jail. Hell, I even funded your drug addiction when I didn’t even know you were taking those stupid pills, and yet, I’ve never asked you to pay me back!” 
“Oh, please,” Eliza spat back. “What would you ever do without having my mental illness as a justification for your actions? Honestly, you’re acting like that’s all I am. Fuck you, Tony! I thought you cared about me.”
“I do!” he said. “All I ever did was because I care about you. I saw your talent when no one else did. Not even Fury shaped you the way I did. So don’t tell me you’re not being appreciated! I care more than anyone else on this planet. I saved your life, goddamnit!”
“Jesus Christ, Tony, why can’t you just listen?” Fresh tears pooled in her eyes. The water crept dangerously close to the brim, threatening to bubble over. Eliza wasn’t even surprised.
She’d cried more in the past couple of days than ever before. She was a wreck. Time had done its damage. Life had taken its toll. She was bound to break eventually, she just never thought it would happen like this. She never thought it would come to this. The world stopped spinning the day the Avengers left her behind.
“I’m so sick and tired of fixing everything,” she said. “I’m not your therapist. Hell, I’m the one who needs one. I’m not just some messed up orphan that’s become your burden. You were everything to me…” The ocean was too wide and she never learned how to swim. “I looked up to you. I idolized you and wanted to be like you. You taught me so much and yet nothing prepared me for the person you’d be.”
Eliza wiped her cheeks furiously with the back of her hand. “This isn’t you! Ever since you and Steve fell out and the Avengers broke up, you’ve been spiraling out of control. You changed! You turned into this wreckage of a man, a shell of who you used to be, and that shell is filled with so much sour hostility. The Tony Stark I know wouldn’t risk everything by putting down the guests at his party. He wouldn’t hurt his friends and family in front of everyone. The Tony I know would listen to what I have to say. He’d take my worries into account. The Tony I know would do anything to protect me, but you’re not there. You haven’t been there in a very long time, but I lived with it because I still had hope. I had faith in you, Tony.” 
He aggressively downed another glass of Scotch, knuckles turned white from the hold he had on it. 
“You taught me to always believe in the good in people, and help when someone needs it. I made it my personality trait. What happened, Tony? What happened to make you this way?”
“You don’t get to do that,” he said. “You don’t get to ask me what happened when you were the one who completely lost herself all those years ago!”
“I picked myself up again! I admit that I’m broken, but that doesn’t give me the right to take it out on people. That’s what you do. You blame everyone but yourself for everything that’s wrong with you-“
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“See? That’s what I’m talking about. You won’t listen!”
“Oh, I am listening. I am listening very well. Let’s talk about what I’m listening to, yeah? Except for the fact that you’re trying to make me feel bad for one stupid slip-up-“
Eliza interrupted him with a frustrated groan, “It wasn’t just one stupid slip-up, Tony. It’s a fucking series and I’m done watching!”
“Don’t interrupt me,” he said. “You call me a hypocrite, but while you accuse me of neglecting you, it’s you who won’t listen. You think you’re so smart, prancing around at night, behind my back, with a criminal? And then you have the nerve to pretend like you’re a good girl and lie to my face! That’s what hypocrisy is, Eliza! You’re a hypocrite!”
The words tasted like poison on her tongue.
Tony was nowhere near done. The fire just kept on burning. “You’re jealous of Peter? Well, he learned his lesson after I called him out. You didn’t. You did the exact opposite of what I told you. Fucking hell!”
“What are you even talking about?” she asked.
“Daredevil.”
“What?” The name rang in her ears. Her mind instantly went to Matt. It made her wonder just how much he knew.
“Don’t play dumb now,” he bellowed. “I know you’re working with him. You’re following down circumstantial leads that almost got you killed.”
“How would you even know?” 
“I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere, remember?”
“It’s not what it looks like,” she tried to justify herself, but it was essentially all useless. Her secret was out. What terrified her most was the fact that she didn’t care.
“It’s not? Who do you think is keeping the press off your ass right now? It’s only a matter of time before your little secret comes out and then it’s Ross knocking on my door all over again.”
“You didn’t listen to me.” She remained dangerously calm. “So I took matters into my own hands.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” He threw his hands up. “You’re not a vigilante! You were with Pfeiffer when he got shot. What did he tell you? Did he play into your suspicions?”
Eliza cocked an eyebrow. “How do you know I was there?” she asked. The truth itched the back of her brain.
Tony sighed, nostrils flared. “I put a tracker into your SIM card when I got it for you.”
“You did what?”
“In my defense, you tend to get into trouble quite a lot.”
It wasn’t that easily justified. He was monitoring her like a criminal because he didn’t trust her. If her heart hadn’t been broken already, it surely would’ve broken right then and there.
“This only proves my point,” he said. “You could’ve gotten shot over a suspicion! And now Pfeiffer is dead and his blood is on your hands.”
“Don’t you dare,” she ground her teeth. “It was Hydra, you and I both know that. You just don’t want to acknowledge the fact that we failed.”
“You’re paranoid, Eliza. I stand by that. People died because of your inability to stay out of shit that doesn’t concern you-“
“It doesn’t concern me? Tony, they stole my childhood, they experimented on me and tortured me! There’s nothing more of my concern than that stupid organization! This is so much bigger than we thought. You’d know that if you’d just listened.”
“I listened, I didn’t like what I heard so I’m cutting you off,” the statement was final, she saw it in his eyes. But Eliza was done for good. He could do whatever he wanted. She was done.
“You know,” she said, “We used to be such a good team. We swore to eliminate threats. What happened to that?”
“Agendas change,” he stated.
“No, not this time. You just want to control me. I don’t know why, maybe you’re scared or maybe you just don’t have any faith in me. Either way, I’m not gonna stop. We both know that.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Am I? Or am I just not following your orders?”
“Not following my orders is a mistake. Trust me. You’re doing the wrong thing, Eliza. You’re chasing the wrong ghosts. If you do this, I can no longer protect you.”
She shrugged. “I’ll take that chance.”
“You don’t understand. If you do this, I’m gonna stop. If you do this, you’re no longer an Avenger.”
“I haven’t been an Avenger since Berlin.”
The emptiness in Eliza’s eyes put a distance of miles between them. Tony was waiting for her to pull back from the edge of the cliff, to run back into his arms. He was waiting for her to make a different decision, one that didn’t entail losing her, but one look into her eyes told him that he was no longer welcome. He wasn’t just losing her, he already had.
“I didn’t ask you to keep the press off my ass,” she said to him. “If Ross wants to arrest me, let him. I’d rather go to jail than sit back and do nothing to save this city. If you decide to do the latter, that’s your choice. It’s not mine. I want to see them burn the way they burned me. If you try and stand in my way, I might just burn you too.”
“Are you threatening me?” Tony asked.
“No,” she smiled, “it’s a promise.” The door handle felt hot instead of cold under her hands this time.
She looked down. The veins underneath her skin were glowing bright red instead of faint blue. In the reflection of the window, she caught a glimpse of her eyes. She was standing knee-deep in her misery and the pain did little to help her stay in control. 
He’s lying to you. She tilted her head.  Her reflection moved towards her. The window turned into a one-way mirror. Smoke started to pool at her feet. The stranger was trapped behind the glass. She pressed her hand against it, eyes switching between Tony at his desk and Eliza, clawing at the door handle. A strange magnetism kept her tied to the metal. 
She tipped her chin. Leave. Her mouth wasn’t moving, so how could she possibly hear her voice, so close yet so far away? 
Don’t look back. 
“If you walk out that door,” Tony said, one last attempt to close the distance between them, “We’re done.”
Eliza pulled. “That’s fine by me.”
“Maybe you should just think this through-“
“I did. I made this decision on my own. Nothing you say or do can change that. I may not be an Avenger anymore, but at least I’m not the one that killed them. You killed the Avengers, Tony. You ruined us. Do with that as you will, but if I were you, I’d rethink the decisions I made.”
She wasn’t sure what came over her.
“Eliza-“
“No, I’m done. Paint me the villain, I don’t care. At least then I know I’ve done it right. Here,” Eliza reached into the pocket of her jeans. The film of pictures weighed heavy in her hands. She hesitated, though the decision was a conscious one. “Good luck cleaning up the mess you made.” She let the snippets fall to the floor. Her face was broken in half, eyes scattered around, all familiar faces that once had been there but were long gone. “I’m not gonna do it for you,” she said. “You can lie in this yourself.”
All the strength Eliza displayed at the compound magically evaporated the second she set foot outside. She didn’t even tell Happy why she was running or where, for that matter. She wasn’t even sure where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get out; she needed to put not only emotional but also a physical distance between her and Tony and everything else that reminded her of the life before, and just get out of the life she once lived for good. It was over anyway. 
Happy gave her space, he always did. He thought it was because of what Tony said, but the truth was much worse than that. She couldn’t stand being around him. He would do anything for her and that thought was so suffocating, especially after the conversation, that all she wanted was to abandon him completely. It wasn’t for her good, it was for his. She would always push him away, she would always hurt him in some way, and he would always come back, no matter how hard she kicked him.  
Eliza only realized she was running when she came to a halt in front of the memorial established downtown. Their names were engraved golden on the metal plate. The Battle of New York. A silent reminder of the day the sky opened up and aliens invaded the planet. Proof that humans weren’t alone in the universe, after all. 
She’d torn apart the last piece of them she had left to prove a point. It was pathetic. Those were just names on a plate, meaning the world to people. The faces lay scattered on Tony’s office floor. People read the sign and remembered the destruction. No one cared about the faces behind the names, unlike they used to.
They used to be a family. The names on the sign slowly grew into strangers. Eliza felt like everyone else, bystanders watching from the outside. Just names, no faces. Those heroes saved the world once, but that was all they were. The memories of happier times slipped further away. It seemed like she’d watched the time fly by from her little bubble like she hadn’t been part of life back then, only a watcher amid the public eye. 
She’d told Natasha once, “I’m afraid that if I accept this to be true, if I accept this one good thing for myself, that I’m gonna lose it eventually. Because there has never been anything good in my life before and I’m scared. Good things don’t come to people like me, not without a price.“
How right she’d been. Yet she was foolish enough to accept Natasha’s reassurance. “Stark may not be the most promising person, but I think he’s onto something with this group,” she’d said. “You deserve this more than anyone. You deserve to be part of a family. No one’s gonna take that away from you. I can’t speak for the rest, but I, for one, will always be there for you.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
I guess always was a lie, too.
Eliza wiped her nose. “No,” she whined. “Get out of my head!”
The sight must have looked insane. Anyone walking by could have easily mistaken her for a psychotic. 
Why? It’s not like I’m doing anything.
“Then why the fuck are you talking to me?”
I’m… not? 
“Liar.”
Well, to be fair, you kind of brought this upon yourself. The young woman looked like her. Same hair, same body type, same eyes, but there was something eerily different about her too. In every nightmare she had, the demons didn’t have a face. She was tormented by memories and self-deprecating thoughts.
If hell was real, she assumed this was how Satan and all her demons spoke because she hated it and it made her want to die.
Did you really think you could continue lying to yourself?
“Peter, hey,” she spoke as soon as the line of her phone clicked. “How are you?”
“Liz?” the boy’s confused voice sounded from the other end. 
“Hi!”
“Is everything okay?”
She silently wiped the snot from her nose. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” she said, and then she laughed. She laughed as if what she’d said was the truth. 
“Oh, you just usually don’t call me unless it’s urgent,” he said. “So I thought something happened. Is it the Avengers? Do we have a mission?”
“Yeah, about that…”
He’s not gonna understand. 
“What?” The school bell rang distinctively in the background. “I actually have class right now, so if it’s not that important and you don’t mind, maybe you could make it quick? Or perhaps call back another time? Not- not that I think what you have to say isn’t important. It always is! It’s just- I’m kind of behind with my grades and stuff and I really want to get into MIT. Spider-Man has really been kicking my ass lately.” He chuckled.
You’re gonna hurt him.
Eliza copied him. “It’s fine. I just- I have something to tell you and all I ask of you is to just listen. Can you do that?” she asked. 
There was a pause. “Okay,” Peter agreed. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m officially done with the Avengers. That’s the truth.”
And you can’t change who you truly are. 
“What-”
“Hear me out. Don’t say anything. Please.”
Don’t fool yourself again.
“O-okay.”
“Truth is, I’m done, Peter. I’m no longer an Avenger and I no longer want to be. Tony said some things… he said and did some things and I just- I quit. I know you look up to him, it’s your thing. You see him as a mentor and I want you to continue doing that, but my time here is over. It was the second Steve got onto that ship, I just didn’t want to acknowledge it. I tried to stay strong, and I tried to keep my faith, but I can’t. You’re too young, you haven’t known them as long as I have – hell, you didn’t know them at all. It’s a good thing, Peter, because that means you’re still innocent. There’s still hope,” she said.
The tears clogged up her throat and it was getting significantly harder to breathe. “I know you wanted us to be friends and I’ll continue being there for you, but it’s time I face the facts. The Avengers are done, at least the way I know them. I should’ve left earlier. It was only a matter of time before this would all escalate. There are some things you can’t be involved with, like the things I’m about to do, the things you’re gonna hear about me… The less you know the better.”
The cabby stopped where she told him to, his head turned patiently, waiting for her payment. She exhaled into the phone. 
“Eliza, you’re scaring me,” Peter’s voice was small. 
“Don’t be,” she told him. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’m just trying to make amends before it’s too late, that’s all.”
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but it sounds like you need me right now. Maybe I should-”
“Drop my number, Peter. It’s for the best.”
“What, no!”
“I’m sorry.”
The phone cracked between her fingers. Glass scratched the inside of her palm. She watched as the broken device fell to the ground. She stepped on it, once, twice, until it was nothing but flat garbage. The SIM card was broken entirely, and the tracker was disabled and gone for good. Tony didn’t have anything on her anymore. She could go wherever she wanted, do what she wanted and say what she wanted. She didn’t need him and he didn’t need her. It was over. She was free. Though if that had been the truth, she should’ve felt that way, too. She didn’t. Instead, she felt fucking trapped. She felt chained. War was only just beginning. 
Eliza stood alone in the middle of downtown New York. There were no walls around her, not a shield to protect her. People bumped into her on their way down the street. The briefcases of businessmen dressed in black suits hit the back of her knee, making her stumble left to right. They were all so focused on themselves, she was nothing but a mere rock in the way that could be pushed aside. In our most natural habitat, we’re all selfish assholes focused solely on whatever target we’ve set our minds to. 
The voices were so loud, she could hear the conversations overlapping. Her ears were ringing. Emotions swarmed the air like an army of mosquitos. The tornado was heading straight for the village, strong enough to destroy everything in its path. 
Congratulations, Eliza. You just fucked up everything good in your life. 
“We’re a team,” she remembered Steve saying. “Ain’t getting one without the other.”
“I think Steve might be onto something,” Wanda came up to her one night. “I don’t know a lot about working as a team, but you guys make it seem easy. Makes me want to try and be better, you know.”
“You might just be the last straw holding this team together,” Natasha said shortly before they arrived at the UN, a dreaded talk on the plane after the events in Lagos.
“We knew this would happen eventually.” The worst part wasn’t the words coming out of Steve’s mouth, it was the way he said them. He sat in the dark, glass of Scotch in hand, blue eyes endless like the dead sea. “In the end, I don’t think we were meant to be,” he said. “Every great hero falls eventually. I think this is it. This is our fall.”
She begged him to stop, begged him to find another way, but to no avail. You can fill in the blanks on this one.
At the airport in Berlin, she looked at her friends for the last time. She had the choice between helping Steve or staying on Tony’s good side. Back then, she truly believed in him. She promised her loyalty. As she watched her friends get carried away though, her heart screamed, “You made the wrong choice!”
Eliza crossed the corner into an alley just in time. She pressed against the brick wall, the darkness shielding her from the tourists and native New Yorkers crowding the streets. So many people, and so little space. The walls caved in on her. There was so much oxygen in the air and yet not enough to make its way into her lungs the way it was supposed to.
She tore the hoodie over her head. Sweat ran down her spine. Her chest ached and the burning was only getting worse. She tried to breathe - she tried to exhale, inhale, then exhaled again. She tried everything she could think up in her fogged-up brain, but the air tore through her lungs like a flaming fire.
She threw her head back. The stone dug into her skull. Her fingers tingled. Thousand little ants covered her skin. She scratched, she gasped, but the animals fed at her like a cannibal’s teeth. The sea brought its waves higher, water filling her chest, choking on salt. She was trying to stay afloat, but it was getting harder and harder to breathe and the current grew strong enough to pull her down. 
Tony was going to let the press eat her alive, and in tow with the press came Secretary Ross. She only read the first couple of pages of the Accords, but it clearly stated that any kind of mission had to be approved by the government first. Even just the suspicion of risk had to be shared before hunting down leads. No playing the hero without the official ‘go’. Those were the rules. She broke them, clean through. She was playing the vigilante, jumping into the line of fire, using the dark web for answers. She believed Hydra was still out there and she had proof, too. She was obligated to tell Secretary Ross since Tony refused to listen - technically. Technically, she was supposed to be the good girl and wait. Sit down, look pretty. Technically. 
Eliza was never one to accept technicalities. She rather fought for what she believed in instead of following the rules. It was foolish, she knew that. It was stupid, reckless, and lacking common sense. She was aware of all of that and yet when it came to her gut, she knew she could count on it. 
Secretary Ross would arrest her the second he found out. He’d incarcerate her. She didn’t even want to imagine what they’d do to her in prison. Being an Avenger she might as well just walk naked into a lion’s den. 
Hydra was out there. They were more than willing to kill her. While she was hiding in an alley, tucked away from the world, there were people out there getting kidnapped for human experiments. The only thing standing between Hydra and success was Eliza and maybe Daredevil, but she was the bigger threat. 
Eliza loathed herself. She hated her body, hated the mind she was in. None of what she had on her felt like it belonged there. She didn’t deserve the powers, she didn’t deserve the love and care she received. Her existence was trouble, it brought danger to everyone close to her. She was cursed. She knew she was cursed, she had to be. 
You care too much about people - you might just be digging your own grave.
“Hey, lady, you alright?” the homeless man next to the trash container leaned over. She hadn’t realized he was there.
Eliza blinked through the smoke standing up to her ears. “What?” she wasn’t even sure the words came out.
“You look a bit pale. Want some beer?”
She shook her head. “I- I need to get out of here.” Her fight or flight response was damaged, she knew that better than anyone. She needed to get out, she needed to go somewhere safe. Somewhere no one could find her. Somewhere she wouldn’t be recognized.
Sure you do. Run. It’s all you know how to do. Run from the truth, run from who you are. 
She bumped into someone. “Sorry,” she apologized. 
People turned to the disturbed woman running through the masses. She paved the way by elbowing her assailants in the ribs. She ran without destination. She knew New York like the back of her hand, but the many sounds and the people made it hard to focus on the map she had painted up in her head. 
Can’t you see everyone is lying to you? Open your eyes. This is all a lie.
“Stop it! Get out of my head!”
Not gonna happen. Sorry, sweetie. We’re stuck together now. 
“Who are you?” Something high and sharp pierced her eardrum. 
I’m you. The real you.
She couldn’t see five things, only the sun blinding her into oblivion. The white stairs set in stone seemed like enough of a haven. She jumped the steps and through the gigantic doors, not knowing exactly where she was until she smelled the distant scent of candles, rosemary, and roses. Three things she could smell. That was a good start. She closed her eyes and felt the cold of the steel doors, the cool air on her heated skin, and the marble under her boots. The world finally seemed to slow down. The walls put space between them. She breathed. It wasn’t good, but it was better than nothing. 
“Can I help you?” the voice startled her. She reached into the back of her jeans only to realize she wasn’t carrying any weapons. 
Wide eyes looked around. It was no wonder the voice echoed off the walls. She stood in one of the largest rooms she’d ever seen. The windows were painted with colorful pictures -  pictures that told stories almost every child knew. Wooden benches paved the hallway. Marble walls stood high and mighty above them, almost threatening. 
The balding man lifted his arms with a smile. “I come in peace,” he said. 
Eliza took another look around. “I-“ she exhaled. “I’m not supposed to be here.”
“Please, this door is open to anyone. Would you like to sit down for a moment, catch your breath?” 
She hugged her arms around her torso. Her legs did feel kind of wobbly. “Yeah,” she said, “sitting sounds good.” 
She followed him to the closest bench. He took place next to her, but he didn’t speak until she found her sound again.
“I’m sorry, I’ve never been to church before. This is all very new to me.”
“You seem like you’ve been looking for a safe space,” the man said. “There’s no place safer than church.”
“What do I call you? Sir? Or is it Father?” 
He chuckled softly. “I’m Father Paul Lantom, but you may address me however you like. You want to tell me your name?”
“Eliza,” she told him.
“Well, Eliza, what are you running from?”
“I don’t know, life. I gave up everything I once knew, abandoned the people I loved - it was all I had left and I threw it all away. I thought I did the right thing. But now… I think I just made a huge mistake. Oh, God,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Fuck!”
“Do you want to talk about it? I promise I won’t tell. I’m a priest, I’m under the oath of confession, no matter what you tell me.”
She wiped her cheeks. “So you’re like a therapist in a cloak?” 
Father Lantom laughed. “If that’s what you want to call it, sure,” he said. “I can tell you don’t have the best relationship with church. Would you still like to talk?”
“I don’t know. Faith and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms,” she said.
“Religious trauma, I take it?”
“How’d you know?”
“Well, religion is supposed to be comforting. You don’t appear comfortable.”
“I’m not.”
“You don’t have to see this as confession. When you say you struggle with faith, that’s your thing. I won’t talk you into something you don’t want to. God wouldn’t want that. You can just sit here and compose yourself in silence if that’s what you’d like. I’m just going to lend you some company and an open ear, if the need arises, to make sure you’re alright.” 
Eliza frowned. “What does God want, exactly?” she asked. “Why does he let bad things happen to people?”
“God isn’t a person,” the father explained. “He’s a spirit, a deity. He’s a name, not a face. He’s whatever you believe, whatever you want him to be. Some people might see God in their pets, while others simply see him as a voice of guidance. Others don’t acknowledge his presence at all and still believe faith will show them their way. It’s not about God, it’s about what’s in your heart. Despite what a lot of people think, he’s not in control of the world. Things happen, some bad, some good, and some might be even considered a miracle. But he’s not a hero. He’s our hope, our faith, and with these two things you can turn bad things into good ones. For yourself, for others. That’s the thing about religion, about God, about faith – you don’t have to believe in him for him to have your back. Just because you’re an atheist doesn’t mean you’re going to hell. God doesn’t differentiate. We’re all the same in his eyes. Metaphorical eyes, of course.”
She clung to his every word. What once used to be forced on her seemed like a whole different thing now. The faith she used to have was twisted. It wasn’t God she prayed to, it was the face of evil. Hearing father Lantom’s words changed something inside of her; it opened the doors to her heart. She pulled her knee up to her chest. The candles on the altar in the front flickered with the comfortably cold chill. 
“I abandoned my old life to do something I believe in,” she decided to tell him. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“You say you believe in it?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it your purpose?”
“I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure that out.”
“Look inside yourself,” Father Lantom said. “Do you have to do it? Could you do something else and still get the same results? Do you live for it, or do you think about it at night because you can’t get it out of your head? Does it feel right, when you think about it?” 
She answered instantly, “Yes, to all of it.”
“Then it’s your purpose. You made that decision for a reason. You wouldn’t have abandoned your old life to pursue something you only believe half of. Also, if it was so easy to abandon it all, maybe it wasn’t meant to stay that way in the first place. There’s always something waiting for you out there, sometimes it just takes some time for you to find it. It may come in the shape of a task, a purpose, or maybe even a person. And sometimes it’s all of that combined into one.“
“What if I’m not sure yet? What if I still question if I did the right thing?”
“You’re going to find the answer,” he stated. “Sometimes it just takes a while. That is something God can’t do for you. He can only guide you in the right direction.“
“Yeah, but how do I know that?”
“Let me tell you this: when the time comes, you‘ll know. There’s no guide to faith. When you’re on the right path, you’ll know because you’ll feel it deep in your heart.”
Eliza lowered her head. “I never saw it like that,” she admitted.
“Hardly anyone does.” He smiled. “Faith isn’t a task to be accomplished. You have to open your heart to it and when you do, you also have to enjoy it. It has to make you comfortable. If it doesn’t, it may not be the right time for you.”
She thought about it. No pressure, that’s what he was saying. She always thought religion, and going to church, always came with the pressure to dedicate yourself to the cause. She’d always imagined it had to be the way Matt saw God – having blind faith, always. Once in, you can’t pull back out. Just like that. 
This time, Eliza felt comforted. 
“So does God ever send you, I don’t know, signs?” she asked him then. 
“The way you’re asking I assume you’ve been asking yourself this for a while now,” Lantom replied. 
“Yeah, you could say that. A couple of days now, actually.”
“You met someone?”
“Yeah, how did you-“
“I’ve got a lot of people asking me this particular question lately. It’s like a global epidemic has broken out.” Eliza chuckled. He smiled at that. “Everyone’s seeing signs of God everywhere. It sounds crazy, and it probably is too, but I think it’s nice to hear some positive things for a chance. God knows I haven’t been getting much peace.”
“So it is possible?”
“Everything can be a sign, Eliza.”
“It’s like God sent me an Angel,” she blurted out. At this point, the confessions came straight out of the bottle. It wouldn’t stop. “When I first met him, I didn’t think much about it, but the things he makes me feel… no one has ever taken care of me the way he does. He understands me. He came when I needed him most – no, I needed someone and then he was just there and everything made sense. Or well, the things that need to make sense make sense, the rest is just… blegh.” 
“You want to have my advice?”
“Sure, why not.”
“Seems like this is something you should pursue before it slips through your fingers.”
“He’s just so good.”
“Who’s to say you don’t deserve it? Nothing good is ever truly good and nothing bad is ever truly bad. You can’t sabotage yourself just because you think the good things aren’t meant for you.”
“They usually don’t come to me,” she argued. “Or when they do, they break.”
“That’s fear talking. You can’t let that take over.”
“But-“
“Stop making excuses. Someone you speak so highly of seems like someone you should keep around. Maybe he is a sign of God, maybe not. Does it really matter?”
Eliza pursed her lips. “This all just seems so surreal.”
“I know it does.” Father Lantom slowly rose from the bench. She looked up at him. “Think about it,” he said. “And when you need any more guidance, you know where to find me.” 
“Father,” she pulled at his robe, “Thank you,” she said. 
He smiled, patting her hand. “Anytime, Eliza.”
“Would you, uh, mind if I went to the altar and tried to pray?”
“This is a church. Why would I mind?”
His playfulness awoke a feeling of warmth within her. She nodded with a smile, excusing herself and making the long road toward the front. The cross hung high as Jesus lay nailed to it. She knelt, the steps turning colder beneath her knees. 
“You know, when all else fails,” he turned back to her on his way to his chambers, “Talking to God almost always leads to revelations. He listens, even when you think he doesn’t.”
Eliza crossed her chest. She’d seen it in movies, but there was usually a lot more holy water involved. Father Lantom made her believe that there was no wrong way to speak to God. There was no right way to believe. She stared at the altar. How easy it must come to Matt, the times he went to church, the times he went to confession. It was almost like second nature to him. He carried his faith close to his heart, always.
“I don’t know how to pray,” she admitted into the high walls of the church. “But I’ll try because I need something to believe in. I tried to hold on to hope like I was taught. I thought I could do this on my own. God, I was so wrong. I have neither hope nor do I have my life under control,” she said.
Eliza stared up at the angels set into the ceiling. They soared across the sky, watching over her. God isn’t a face. Though as she looked up, she could’ve sworn she saw a silhouette in the clouds. Hidden between the angels and the endless blue, she liked to believe she wasn’t talking to a ghost. 
“I’m kneeling here right now with nothing left to lose,” she said. Her knees ached, but she suffered through it. She suffered in the hope that if she surrendered completely, the sky would provide her with answers. “I have these powers raging through me, powers I don’t even know the full extent of. They’re- they’re changing the way I’m changing, and they’re growing, they’re getting stronger, and I’m so scared of what’s gonna happen next. I’m scared of what’s about to happen to me. It’s different when almost no one believes you. It’s just that everything and everyone’s slipping away from me. I’m scared I might even lose the last good thing in my life before this is all over.” 
She sounded so desperate, so broken. Her cheeks were wet from the tears, lips salty with the taste. She was on her knees, begging, crying out; she felt like a little girl all over again. Submissive, at the edge of the cliff. 
“I’ve been surviving for so long, I forgot what living feels like. No one’s taught me how to. And I can’t live, not like this, not when the fate of the world is on my shoulders. I just need a sign, anything, to know I can win this. That all the pain was worth it. It’s tearing me apart. I don’t know how to hope anymore. I regained some faith in this, in you, and for the first time, I feel like I have a hold on religion. But these people I’m hunting, they’re set out to destroy everything in their path. I can’t keep faith knowing I might just lose everything.”
Her lip quivered, “I can’t lose him, God, I can’t,” she said. “I like to think he came around for a reason, perhaps even a sign from you. He’s led by his faith and his grief, and all he cares about is doing the right thing. He thinks you gave him a purpose. Maybe this is mine. Maybe this is what I was made for, though I haven’t quite figured out what this is. I just know he’s with me and I’d be damned to lose him. 
“I promise to worship at your feet every day from now on if it means we make it out of this alive, that these men get what’s coming for them. I’d do anything for that sliver of happiness. I need to finish this chapter once and for all. If I have to die to ensure everyone’s safety, I will. I’d do just about anything, I swear. Just make sure the people I care about don’t suffer for my mistakes. This is my battle. My sacrifice. No one else deserves to die.” 
“You have so much love left to give,” Natasha’s voice sounded in the back of her head. “Don’t throw that away. Fight for what you want. No matter the cost.”
“I’m willing to pay every price,” Eliza spoke, God as her witness. “I’m done being in pain. I want to believe in you the way Matt does. I do. I need to win. I need this. I’ve sacrificed too much. God,” she cried. “Just this once I am begging for you to listen to me. I know I’ve committed many sins, and I know I’m probably going to hell, but if there’s at least some salvation left for you to give me, I promise I’ll be forever grateful. I’m going straight now. No one deserves to suffer the consequences of my actions but myself.“
You need to learn to take responsibility.
“I’m your disciple,” she swore.
I’ve been struggling with questions of identity as of late.
“Just don’t let me down, please. God, I’m begging you!”
Who am I?
“I need answers. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find them, but I have to try. What I’m about to do, I’m gonna do for a reason. Please, forgive me.”
He listens, even when you think he doesn’t.
She crossed her chest. “Amen.”
In the corner, where the confessional booth had its place, father Lantom watched from the safety of darkness.
“Lord, have mercy on her,” he quietly prayed. “Give her all the strength you have because that girl needs it.”
Eliza rose from the marble stairs. She was fragile, barely an adult. Deep down, she’d missed so much, she just wished to be a child again. She needed to lay in the comforting arms of her parents. All the things she’d lost, she just wanted back. 
Father Lantom copied her, crossing his chest. His face had fallen, a worried crease above his brows. The shadow next to him shifted.
“I hope all that praying was worth it.” He watched her strut the hallway towards the door. “And I hope to God he listened to a word she said or else our boy’s gonna be in a lot of trouble.”
Sunlight fell on the face beside him. Soft features had all crumbled up in worry. She stared up at the father, the crucifix clutched tightly between her thin fingers.
“You think it’s her?” the woman asked.
“Hmm. I could tell the second she stepped in.“
“What should we do?”
“Nothing,” father Lantom stated. “If I learned one thing from listening to his confessions all those years, it’s that Matthew is his father’s son. He doesn’t give up, even when he should.“
“I wish he did,” she sighed. “Just once, I wish he’d stop.”
The metal doors fell shut with a loud bang. Eliza’s steps disappeared onto the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, swallowed by sun-hungry people and the summer air.
Father Lantom gave the nun a gentle smile. “Your son is resilient, Maggie. He never goes down without a fight, and he also never loses. Besides,” he looked over at the empty bench in the back, “I think Matthew finally found a match that doesn’t completely manipulate him.” 
Maggie kissed the cross in her hands. “I just hope you’re right,” she said. 
The last thing she wanted was to lose her son before she even got the chance to explain herself to him.
Matt could hear Eliza's heartbeat from miles away. He picked her up around the area of Clinton Church, but his abilities didn't quite place her in the confines of his favorite place in Hell's Kitchen, neither did he manage to pick up the father's signature voice serenading her and taking away some of the built-up anxiety. By the time he sought her out, she was on the run again, on the way to her apartment and then, sometime later, carefully making her way to the closest taxi cab.
She told the driver to stop two blocks from his apartment building. On her way, she made sure to take extra turns just in case someone was following her. He figured the action was intentional, just something she had gotten used to, and she wasn’t going to stop, especially not in times like these. 
Then, her scent filled his nostrils, followed by the steady thump, thump, thump of her heart. She came in and the world lit up. Her presence brought fresh air into the four walls he called home. Though there was something about the way she acted. Her voice dropped a few octaves, her steps dragging tiredly across the wooden floor. It made him worry. He wondered what happened. Even the last spark he had seen hours before had vanished completely, lost somewhere on the dirty streets outside. 
Foggy had poked around, asking him all kinds of questions about the night before after he quickly showed his face in the office. He asked about Eliza and if he could get her number to check on her, just to see if she had gotten home alright. Even Karen worried. Any normal person would be after the events that took place at the party. The worst part was that Matt had to make them believe that everything turned out alright. 
“I walked her home,” he lied. “She’s… what can be expected. Stark really got to her but I, uh, figured it out. She’s okay.”
“Man, that sucks,” Foggy pouted at him. “I thought he was the good guy.”
Karen only laughed sarcastically at his words. “Won’t make that mistake again, will you, Foggy?”
“No. No, I guess I won’t. I’m sorry. Tell her that.”
Matt wasn’t planning on it. 
“Don’t you have a front door?” Eliza asked from the staircase that lead from the rooftop to his apartment. “I mean, when you said ‘backdoor’, I imagined a ground-floor apartment, not this.” She gestured to the controversial entrance. 
“I thought it would be better if no one saw you coming,” he said. 
She hummed. No smart remark, not a single joke, nothing. The wood creaked underneath her boots. He tilted his head to listen closer. He analyzed the way she inhaled, slightly quivering with every second drag, and her voice was significantly more hoarse. 
She placed what he suspected to be a duffel bag on the leather couch. “I made sure no one was following me,” she stated, concerning his earlier words, no doubt. 
“Yeah, I heard.” He felt stupid just standing there, but he didn’t know what else to do. 
“So you’re stalking me now?” What was meant as a joke sounded way more serious. 
“What if I were?” he asked. 
“I’d be offended, but given the circumstances, I’d forgive you.” 
Matt chuckled. He moved over to the kitchen, his steps methodical, knowing exactly where he needed to go, yet his arms stretched further from his body in case something might end up in his path. 
“You want anything?” 
Eliza looked over at him. “Sorry, what?” she said. 
“You want anything?” he repeated his question patiently. He opened the fridge, his bicep straining against the white dress shirt that hung clad to his torso. He had long discarded the suit jacket and the sleeves were rolled up. “I’ve got beer, wine, and water. That’s about it. I, uh, don’t keep many groceries here. I have some leftovers from the Thai place around the corner. Oh, and there’s an apple. It’s all that’s left from the gift basket I got from our last client.”
She chuckled. The truth was, her heart hurt. Not just her head but her soul. The new environment made her feel exposed. At least at the church, she had found solace. Under Matt’s gaze which wasn’t even a gaze, to begin with, but an even closer observation of her behavior, she felt naked. She felt vulnerable. He saw right through her, still trying to cover it up to allow her some modesty, but goddamnit, she knew that he knew something wasn’t quite right. He could probably smell the holy water on her. He could smell the sweat of anxiety, the dried tears, and the blood from gnawing on her lip too much. She wanted to run, though she decided against it since he would’ve found her sooner or later anyway. She couldn’t hide from Daredevil, not anymore. 
“Have you eaten yet?” he asked. “You sound exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” Eliza intercepted. 
He fiddled with the fridge’s door handle. “Are you sure?”
“I’m fine, really,” she said. 
“Hm.” She was lying to him. 
Against her claims, he handed her a glass of tap water. His nod motioned for her to drink. A silent demand. She lowered her head. It worked. She took a small sip, keeping her eyes on him as he brushed past her, hand ghosting against her lower arm. He didn’t have to speak for her to know. 
Once again, she looked around the apartment. The sun was slowly coming down, darkening most of the apartment and if it hadn’t been for the gigantic billboard across the building, she would’ve been wandering in the dark. 
The billboard would’ve been quite a nuisance to a seeing person. There couldn’t be many people who would volunteer to take such an apartment for longer periods unless they were, like Matt, blind. He probably found the soft buzzing at night comforting. 
Eliza felt drawn to the different pictures flashing across the screen. She walked up to the window to take a peek outside. The glass was slightly milky in its natural state, slightly discolored too, but that’s what interested her in the first place. The architecture of the place fascinated her. It suited Matt, although it was nothing like what she had expected. 
She wiped at the window, removing some of the fog caused by the sudden change of temperature inside. Matt liked his apartment cold, she realized. The windows couldn’t keep up with the presence of two people without condensation starting to prickle at the edges. 
The billboard showed a commercial for an insurance company. Ridiculous, she thought. He probably didn’t even know about the kinds of pictures that flashed across his windows every night. Insurance companies, condoms, groceries, and from time to time, tv show announcements. Not that he would even care about the show that was put on in front of his apartment. It was new to her, all of this. He had a different perception of things. What she found annoying, he enjoyed. What he hated, she considered normal. She couldn’t see herself falling asleep to condom advertisements, but the colors were nice, so maybe it wasn’t all too bad even for a sighted person after all. 
Matt chuckled behind her. “Say it,” he said. 
“Say what?” she asked. 
“You think it’s annoying.”
“What?”
“The billboard.”
“Well, this place is a shithole.” She shrugged, “but I don’t know, I think it’s a nice shithole.”
His chuckle transcended into laughter. “Yeah,” he grinned into his glass, “Sounds about right.”
“Rent’s probably through the roof, right?”
“Oh, yeah. I got a discount because of the Billboard since no one else would take it, but it’s still a lot. Especially for someone who doesn’t even make money.”
“Expensive shithole then,” she said. 
He nodded. “Expensive shithole.”
The apartment's location was unfortunate, but the room itself wasn’t all that awful. Eliza stopped at the small wooden desk that stood in front of what appeared like a supply closet. Files were scattered around, a braille printer to one side and a laptop to the other. She traced her fingers over the rough wood, feeling the dots on the papers. She wished she could read Braille, but it seemed like a hard task to learn. 
“Thank you for inviting me over,” she said.
“Sure, yeah,” he said. “How was your, uh, meeting with Stark?”
Eliza stiffened.
“You know what, forget it.” He placed his hands on his hips. “I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”
She didn’t wait. “I quit.” Her nails dug into the paper. “I tore up our family picture and then I left.”
“What?”
“I left. I just… left.”
“Well, that’s- are you alright?”
“He knows about us, Matt!” The words came in a single breath.
“What?” he asked. 
“Not about you, about Daredevil.” she had to clarify. “He knows we’ve been working together,” Eliza said. “He’s known ever since our second night together. The press caught wind of it. He said he was the only one between the news and Secretary Ross. If he found out-”
“You’d go to jail,” Matt stated. She nodded weakly.  “Fuck! How did they- what is Stark gonna do now? He has to have a plan, right? He won’t just tell everyone. That’s not like him. Tell me that’s not like him.” 
She couldn’t do that. She wasn’t sure if it was like him. In the past? Definitely not. After what she experienced in the past couple of days? Who knew? 
“He said if I walked out that door, he wouldn’t protect me anymore.”
“God…Tell me you didn’t just walk out. At least not without negotiating a deal first.”
“I walked out.”
“Damn it, Eliza!” 
“I don’t care!” her voice cracked. “I don’t care, okay? Ross can arrest me, I don’t fucking care! I realize that now. I don’t care, even if it lands me in jail. The Accords are stupid rules. Why should I have to live by them anymore?” she said. “The Avengers are toast anyway. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone who doesn’t deserve it. I’m not making entire cities float. I’m simply fighting a fight no one else wants to. If that means breaking the rules, so be it.”
He began to pace the room. “This can’t be happening…” One of his hands got tangled in the mess of brown locks on his head. 
“It’s not about him. It’s not about me. This is about doing the right thing. You taught me that!” 
Matt turned around. “Do you even realize how much danger you are in?!” It was the first time he yelled at her and he regretted it the second the sound had finished bouncing his way across the apartment, and it slapped her right across the face. 
Eliza swallowed hard. “I-” she blew air through her nose. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” he cooed softly. He took a few steps closer. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“No, don’t touch me!” She shied away. Her armor faltered. The leather of the couch welcomed her with open arms. Teardrops pearled off the fabric, leaving even darker spots where the liquid slipped from her skin. 
He wanted to punch himself. “I’m so sorry.” He slowly fell to one knee next to the armrest. “I didn’t mean it. I’m not angry at you,” he assured her, but his words meant nothing. She was scared. 
Once again, she backed away until her thigh hit her duffel bag and she had to stop in the middle of the couch so as not to throw her belongings on the ground. Her hand remained in the air, a silent warning. He didn’t move, he remained on the floor, even though his knees hurt from the wood and he could feel his stitches barely holding on for dear life. He didn’t care though. This was his fault. 
She lowered her head. “I didn’t sign up for this,” she whispered. “I didn’t sign up for any of this.”
“I know you didn’t. The reason I yelled-“ he sighed, “The reason I yelled was not that I’m angry at you. It’s not your fault. I just don’t want you to get arrested. They’d put you into special containment. They would lock you up for good,” he explained. “From what I’ve heard, enhanced individuals are considered flight risks to the government, so if you were to get arrested, they could easily use that to their advantage. I can’t let that happen.”
Eliza nodded quietly. 
“I was wrong to raise my voice. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” 
“Okay, I’m sorry. I- I just don’t want you to get arrested because of me,” he said. 
“But it wouldn’t be because of you.”
“No, it would be. You know why?”
“No ‘cause I’m not a lawyer,” she told him.
He hung his head, chuckling. “In the eyes of the law, Daredevil is a criminal. I read the Accords after we met. I wanted to know how far you’re allowed to go. You know they don’t just apply to you as a group?” 
She shrugged. Her fingers fiddled with the necklace around her neck. She had forgotten it was still there. A nervous tick he had picked up on when he first met her at the police station, out of his costume. 
“You know.” He nodded slowly. “I figured. You read them.”
“The first few pages,” she said. 
“Not all of it?”
“No, it bored me.”
He shook his head.
“What I read though, I remember. I remember every word.”
“Alright. Well, the Accords state that you’re not allowed to work on missions without the government’s consent,” he said. “You cannot take any cases that haven’t been checked out by either the Secretary or his committee, and when they say you have to pull out, you have to comply. You’re a dog on a leash. Or, the Avengers are. Since you signed them, you are legally obligated to follow the Accords. If you break them, you’re automatically breaking the law. You’ll become a felon, there will be court proceedings, and then, depending on the extent of the crime, you could go to jail.”
“You did your research, huh?”
“It’s not just a rule book,” he insisted. “The Accords are the law now.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Eliza snapped at him. 
“I know you do.”
“Then why are you trying to make me feel bad?”
“I’m not! I’m trying to tell you that the rules that apply to the Avengers as a group apply to you as well. You each have to follow the rules, even outside of working together. And you know why? Because you’re not the ordinary human population. The government doesn’t want you guys allowed to roam freely.”
“If I do anyway, I’ll go to jail. Yes, I’m aware. Hey,” she asked, “where are you going with this?”
“This whole thing is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode! These people can prove you’re working with me, that we were with Pfeiffer that night… They have the means to destroy you. Because of me, you’re in danger. That is where I’m going with this.”
“Oh, not this again.”
“You know, perhaps it’s better if we part ways. Spend some time apart until all of this has calmed down.”
“I made my choice!” Eliza cried. “This decision is entirely on me. My life, my rules. I take responsibility for what I did, and for what I’m about to do. This has nothing to do with you. You want to save this city? So do I.”
His breath came in hot, labored puffs of air. 
“It’s not just some personal agenda that drives me, I actually care about the people! Don’t make this about you, Matt, not right now.”
“I’m not making this about me!” he argued. “I’m just trying to take care of you. I can’t do that if you’re in the crosshairs.”
“I’ve been in the crosshairs from the beginning. I grew up with several targets on my back. Even the law has known me for as long as I can remember.”
“What if I can’t protect you anymore, what then?”
“Then I’ll die!”
“I don’t want you to die!” He was yelling without even raising his voice, something she had done the night of the party after she found out who he truly was. They weren’t so much different after all. 
Eliza wiped her cheeks. There weren’t any tears. She wasn’t crying, she doubted she had any tears left to shed, but she wanted to. The feeling burned in the back of her throat. 
“We’ve still got time,” she said. 
“Time? We’re running against time, Eliza! I may not be able to read the clock, but I know when a timer is running out.”
“I just have to be careful! We’re in this together now, Matt. We were the second you jumped into that Butcher shop to save my ass. Your desperate need to push me away just to protect me can’t control you. I’m not going anywhere. You gotta deal with that or else we’re gonna have a problem.”
“No, you’re gonna have a problem because you’re the one whose life is in danger and whose freedom is being jeopardized just by being with me. This- this isn’t a joke. This is your life you’re gambling with, you realize that, right?”
“I’m trying to tell you that I don’t want you to leave me!” she cried out. “Don’t you get that? I don’t want you to go.”
Matt’s eyes softened. “What?” he said. 
Her bottom lip tangled with her teeth in a desperate attempt to stop it from quivering. Like her entire body though, she kept shaking. It was deadly quiet when she spoke again, and her voice paid the price, “You’re all I have left.” 
He rose from the floor, situating himself on the couch next to her. She curled in on herself, too scared to even look at him. He reached his hand out. “Eliza-”
“You promised you’d be there for me,” she said. “That’s what I need you to do. To be there.”
“I’m not leaving,” he breathed. 
“Are you sure because you seemed pretty convinced just now?”
“No.” He reached for her. This time, she let him. He tugged at her arm, gently at first, though when she didn’t get the hint, he hooked his arm around hers and pulled her towards him. She fell into his open arms only hesitantly. “I just don’t want to watch you die, okay?” he admitted. “And I don’t want them to take you away.”
“Maybe you can take me away,” she muttered. Her hand began to claw at his chest, her lifeline. 
He chuckled breathlessly. “And where would I take you?”
“When this is all over, I mean. I heard Hawaii could be nice.”
“I’ve never been north of 116th street.”
“The more reason for us to change our identities and travel to Hawaii.”
“Sweetheart,” he said, “When this is all over, I will take you anywhere you want.”
They sat like this until the earth finished turning and the sun disappeared. Soft moonlight mixed with the ads crossing the billboard screen. His heart beat steady. She used the sound to come back to her body.
“The world feels so surreal,” she spoke into the comfortable silence. “Like I’m detached from its axis and I’m just spinning there like a broken record, lost alone in the vastness of space.”
She inhaled his cologne. Hints of sweat and rain, and sandalwood on his skin. He was so warm, a human blanket draped over her, almost like a shield from all the evil in this world. His grip tightened around her shoulders; she allowed herself to fall further into the embrace. She allowed herself to drown in his touch. 
“It’s like I’m bacteria floating around in an organism, but that bacteria doesn’t have a name yet. I’m just… there. No one knows who I am or what purpose I serve, but what’s for sure is that I’m meant to cause damage.”
“You’re not bacteria,” Matt told her.
“But what if I am? What if I’m the virus? This story seems to depend on my talent to destroy things. Everything’s just gotten worse because of me. Because I got involved.“
“They would’ve found another way to cause damage.”
“If I hadn’t gotten involved, this could’ve been solved without having people die for it,” she said and pushed away from him. His arm caged her, she needed to get out. Matt continued to keep his hands on her. He let her bring space between them, but as she tried to flee, he pulled her back gently so she was facing him. 
He didn’t need sight to see that she was burning red. The temperature of her skin mixed with the jitters told him enough to conclude.
“Hey,” he said, “you’re the one who broke this case wide open.”
“I don’t- what if that’s not true?” Eliza sniffled. “What if, in some twisted way, I’m the reason Hydra is doing this? You heard Pfeiffer, they’re trying to make more super soldiers, stronger than ever before,” she said. “They learned from Project Chaos, they saw what Strucker managed to achieve with the Maximoff twins. What if – just, what if – they’re doing this because we survived, and now they’re trying to combine the elements to make something far, far worse than what Wanda and I turned out to be.” 
“Yeah, but what if scenarios are just speculation? It’s not real, at least not until it’s proven. What we need to focus on are facts. Plain and simple. Facts are what make cases. That’s our start-of point. Asking yourself what if will only hurt you more. Believe me, I know.”
“What am I supposed to do then?” 
“Trust me,” he begged. “That’s all I ask of you.”
Eliza tasted the words on her tongue. She wiped the tears away, though the sticky feeling of dried salt on her cheeks remained heavy. She leaned down slowly, her forehead pressed against Matt’s chest. His hand went around her neck, holding her there. The other rubbed comfortingly up and down her back.
“What does that even mean?” the sound was muffled through the fabric. “I mean, what are we?“ she asked. 
Matt ran his thumb along her pulse point. “I’m just as confused as you are,” he admitted. He felt her pulse jump directly behind the skin. 
She hummed. “I wish we would’ve met before. You know, before everyone convinced us that life is war.” 
He pulled her closer. His chuckle blew through the tiny hairs standing off her scalp. “No one has proved us different,” he said. “Life is war, we were just taught to always fight on the front lines, no matter what happens. We were taught that being soldiers is the default for people like us. And now… now we can’t live without it.”
“We were just kids.”
“We didn’t know any better.”
“Yeah… we still don’t.”
“No,” he smiled, “we don’t.”
Somewhere in the distance, church bells rang out. Reality crept through the cracks in the floorboards and polluted them with its negative energy.
Eliza sat up again. This time, she reached for her duffel bag. “We gotta follow down that lead,” she stated, and so the mask went back on. 
The softness of Matt’s features was etched in seriousness. He began to peel the tie off around his throat. It was a fascinating transition. The caring man she knew as Matt Murdock turned within a matter of a few seconds and there he sat Daredevil. He didn’t have to put on the suit, his attitude spoke for itself. There was just something about him, something that enthralled her, even as he turned into a cold piece of stone. She knew there was a broken, gooey nucleus inside – the man he presented on the outside was just an act. He kept the real Matt Murdock under locks, tucked neatly away where no one could find him. 
Eliza should’ve felt honored to have him be so vulnerable around her. Yet, she believed there was still plenty to learn about him and this complicated piece of a soul he harbored inside.
“What do you have there?” he asked.
“My suit.” She opened the zipper. “Not the one Tony gave me. It’s my old SHIELD uniform. I asked to keep it before I joined the Avengers. Also,” - the cell phone fell into her hands -“I got a new phone. Tony used mine to track me.”
“So you just keep an arsenal of phones around you?”
“Yeah, why? You don’t?”
“I don’t think that’s something normal people do.”
“I’m not normal,” she stated plainly. “In this line of work, you better come prepared. I have a lot more where this comes from. I could fake my death and no one would know if I wanted to.” Eliza got up. She asked, “Where’s your bathroom?”
Matt pointed in the direction he memorized.
“Thanks.”
Her footsteps disappeared. The door fell shut. She turned the lock twice, making sure it was secure, only then did he hear the shuffling of clothes on the floor. He chose not to invade her privacy. Instead, he made his way into the bedroom. He took the suit draped over the sofa and changed into it with precision. The door stayed open, just in case Eliza came around. He didn’t care if she saw him undressed – hell, he was as open as one could be. Some part of him wanted her to, some perverted part he didn’t want to listen to. Not that he expected an attempt on her life in his apartment, considering no one knew she was there, but he could never be too careful. 
His stitches pulled hard. The leather didn’t do much to protect his wounds. He groaned, some sounded louder than he planned to. He was in so much pain, every inch of his body sore, and all he craved was a good night’s sleep. But he couldn’t think about that. There was no time to rest, he told himself. Not until the worst was over.
“You okay?” Eliza stood in the doorway.
Matt struggled with the belt. “Yeah, fine,” he said curtly. His shoulder burned - the one part that wasn’t injured was giving him the most trouble. 
“Need any help with that?”
He sighed in relief, nodding. She helped him get the rest of his body tucked into the suit. The leather sat securely around his waist and everywhere else where it needed to; he couldn’t have done it better.
She peaked up at him and he tried his best to reciprocate the action. Judging by her smile, he missed her eyes by miles once again. He chuckled. “Guess I’m getting old,” he said. 
“How so?” she questioned. 
“My back is killing me.”
“You are, indeed, an old man,” she swatted some dust off his shoulders, “but that’s okay.” 
He pinched her side. “Careful. This old man can still kick your ass.”
“Oh. Do I need to have the nursery home on the line?” She spread her thumb and middle finger to the sides, mimicking a phone. “Shall I tell them to book you a single or double room, grandpa?”
The baton flew in her direction. Right before it could hit her in the face, her hand shot up to catch the piece of metal. She switched between him and his weapon, not sure whether to be impressed or annoyed. 
“Fuck off!” he said. 
She smirked. “I’m getting you back for that.”
Though once the baton was back in the air, his arm was already extended to catch it mid-air, his height offering an opportunity he didn’t miss.
Eliza remembered their first meeting. The way he flipped the sticks of metal expertly, almost like what he was doing right there, in front of her, smug and knowing damn well what he was doing. “Show off,” she said. 
Like on the first day, he forced one of the batons into her hand. “Try not to kill anyone,” he retorted.
 She saw an opportunity too and she surely didn’t want to miss it. “No promises.” 
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caatws · 9 months
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Speaking of what if scenarios with the skrulls, do you know if there will definitely be a season 2 of what if where we might finally see Gamora's episode? I'm beyond glad she's not a skrull but I do hope for a tiny bit more content for her and I think What if would be the way to do it.
And since you posted about merch before do you know if there have been any updates or information released on Gamora getting more? I have mostly resigned myself to her never getting anything else but part of me is still not comfortable with this and I'm hurt they brought her back only to ignore her this badly. I know vol 3 should have done better but she was still there and had more of a role than some characters. They act like she didn't exist or was only in one scene. I think I remember seeing Taserface get a funko after vol 2 and he definitely had a smaller role than Gamora has in vol 3.
so it's been previously reported that what if was greenlit for a s2 and s3, and last year at sdcc marvel announced that we'd be getting what if s2 in "early 2023" (this announcement is still the pinned tweet on the what if twitter account, even), but it's kinda fallen to the wayside bc of disney/marvel re-evaluating their content output on disney+ this year. like you know how a bunch of streamers have just been randomly deleting shows and movies over the last couple months? the companies are trying to save money by reducing how much streaming content they're hosting, so i think that's what's been delaying what if s2. i wouldn't be surprised if s2 (and maybe even s3) is already completely finished and disney's just hoarding the files and biding their time, just to be fucking annoying, frankly
on the gamora front—yes, it's been confirmed since s1's release that there's an ep featuring her that was missing! the gamora we saw in the guardians of the multiverse was supposed to be in a tony-centric ep that had to be delayed due to covid:
An episode that centered on Tony Stark was supposed to premiere in this first batch of episodes, What If…? creator A.C. Bradley confirmed to Polygon. But due to COVID-19-related production issues, the episode was unable to be completed on time for release, forcing producers to bump it off to What If…? season 2 (which is good news for anyone hoping for a What If…? season 2). While “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath?” now raises some accidental questions about Tony and Gamora’s relationship in a pocket of the multiverse, Bradley says it was worth the trouble. “Given the global tragedy of the pandemic, pushing an episode is nothing,” she wrote to Polygon. “I only hope viewers have been entertained these last 9 weeks, and enjoyed the ride as much as I did.”
that's likely part of why gamora still got what if merch in 2021, though i still maintain that if gamora being in what if of all things could warrant her getting merch, then she should've gotten merch for vol 3, 100%, straight fax no printer. like, there is no way that animated, non-mainline mcu, d+ series WHAT IF had more viewers who'd be interested in buying merch than a LITERAL THEATRICAL MAINLINE FILM ☠️ like...yo LMAO
i haven't personally seen any updates about gamora getting vol 3 merch on any of my social media feeds, but i've seen some of the funko collectors on reddit speculating abt another wave of vol 3 figures that she could be part of or something. but now that we're nearing 2 months post-vol 3, i honestly don't have high hopes for any new merch featuring her to come out :/// esp with marvel now seeming to have shifted focus to secret invasion (which just started releasing on d+ today), i'm not rly expecting any new anything in general on the gotg/vol 3 front tbh
however, if what if s2 ever returns from war and we finally get the tony & gamora ep, maybe we'll get some more merch of her for that? 😵‍💫 lol i hate it here
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LMAO HE WOULD THO-
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arctimon · 3 years
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So in “Portal Enemy”, Hiro built new jet thrusters into his boots and arms, allowing him to keep up with the much more nimble and quick Sirque.
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Interestingly, this upgrade doesn’t appear in any episode past this (as far as I am aware).  It probably would have served him really well when fighting Trina if he could control the darned things. Now, obviously this is a somewhat blatant shout-out to the most famous person in comics that deals with jet thrusters and is also encased in a suit of armor...Iron Man.
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I’m assuming that Hiro didn’t get to put the Unibeam in as well because...reasons. Also, imagine Hiro shooting out a Unibeam in the first place.  It’s pretty funny to think about.
But that’s not really what came to my mind while I was at work today.
If Hiro is the Iron Man shout-out...then who would be the Pepper Potts to his Tony Stark?
Most people would obviously assume Karmi for pairing purposes, but that’s not the part that I was thinking.
It would have to be someone who would not only have some sort of relationship with him, but someone who has worn the armor before, since Pepper has her own as Rescue.
And in one particular cartoon (Iron Man: Armored Adventures), she had one that specialized in stealth.
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Now, who do we know that has has gone on adventures with Hiro, is also a little pushy and headstrong just like Pepper, and has worn stealth armor that is also suspiciously purple?
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Oh, that’s right.  It’s Megan.
To be fair, the circumstances that Megan got to wear the armor for the first time are a tad bit different than Pepper’s.  Megan was simply helping Hiro with finding out about the Buddy Guardians.  Pepper had a building fall on her and had to get a node surgically implanted into her chest to stay alive.  Only after that did she end up donning the Rescue armor.
I think it’s just interesting to think about.  I’m not saying that Megan is this universe’s Pepper, but if a couple things had been changed and Megan had stayed around for S3...
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I do wonder if Megan would have been coming to their rescue at some point.
Or maybe becoming their Rescue.
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another-stark-sub · 3 years
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Can smutty saturday/sunday be fluffy? If yes, can you do some headcanons for Tony telling the reader that he loves her for the first time when he finally realizes he can trust her and open up?
Ok this is just too cute and smutty saturday can always be fluffy! Need some sweetness with the citrus right?
Tony has trust issues, PTSD, anxiety, daddy issues, and survivor's guilt, so dating him was already a challenge both of you had to agree upon.
There was a lot of push and pull. Of you needing to stay away at some points or to push closer. It took a lot of trial and error, but both of you never chose to give up. Never permanently.
You've been through panic attacks, flashbacks, and drives to and from therapy. He's been through your struggles, invasive paps, and newly acquired fame.
But you care about each other. Challenges like that were difficult but worth it.
Tony himself wasn't direct with his words at first. He mainly gave you gifts to show affection, which you were fine with. When it wasnt insanely extravagent.
After a year of dating, Tony still hadn't said anything. You knew you felt it. But you owed it to him to let him say it first. You didn't want to risk Tony feeling insecure because he wasn't ready.
It wasn't until he spotted you on your day off in the tower that he knew for sure.
You were at a lab table with Peter. Dum-E and U were hovering over the two of you.
"Can you get me schematics on Stark Industries File S3-2H7, Mr. Jarvis?"
"Peter, you already saw that one." You rubbed his shoulder and tried, "You know, I've been trying to learn a new recipe. Wanna help?"
"Maybe later."
So Peter continued his project.
You sighed. Dum-E nudged you and beeped. You smiled and tapped the bench in Morse Code. 'Break kitchen.'
Dum-E chirped, recruited U, and headed to the kitchen. Minutes later, a crash was heard, and Peter gasped. "Oh my god, are you alright? What was that?"
U came back and chirped in Morse Code.
Peter was shocked. "Dum-E!" The boy ran out of the lab, goggles still on.
You giggled and turned to see Tony. "Hi, honey." You kissed his cheek and happily fell into his arms. "How long have you been back?"
And tony just gazed at you. You handled the kid so well, and his other kids communicated with you so flawlessly. You really fit in his home, in his family, in his life.
"I love you."
That gave you pause. You weren't sure if you heard him correctly.
He smiled. "If you're not ready-"
"I love you, too!" You laughed and before he could comprehend it, you were kissing him. The kiss was giggly and light and soft, and you cherished every moment.
"I am so sorry that Dum-E did- oh. Uh, hi, Mr. Stark."
You pulled away, and you two laughed. "It's ok, kid," Tony said. "Don't let Dum-E bait you into taking the blame. It's their fault."
Peter sighed and patted Dum-E. "Sorry." He ran back to the kitchen, presumably to clean up Dum-E's mess.
The poor robot hung their claw in shame.
"Dum-E," you said, "you're fine. I told you to break something in the kitchen. Thank you, sweetheart."
The robot chirped, nuzzled their claw against your hand before leaving to help Peter.
When they were gone, you smiled up at Tony. "I love you." Was it possible to be addicted to words?
His smile was brilliant. "I love you, too."
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fortysevenswrites · 3 years
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📓📔📒📕📗📘📙📚📖!!!!!!!!!
Okay. 9 books, 9 fics. You're welcome.
1. Kastle/The West Wing Crossover Every time I watch TWW, I think about Karen and Donna Moss being friends, and once I thought of a fic where during the early seasons of TWW, the President and staff go to New York and Karen is moderating one of the series of town halls they're there for (specifically one where Josh Lyman is speaking). And of course that one, because reasons I had not yet come up with, gets attacked by The Hand, and Karen, Donna and Josh (who gets injured, because Josh ALWAYS gets injured) get rescued by Frank and it basically ends with the President demanding to meet Frank to thank him for saving Josh's life and everyone is like, "Mr. President do you not understand that Frank Castle is technically a MURDERER and the Secret Service will n e v e r let you in the same room with him and it's bad enough that you're currently on the same ISLAND?" So, yeah.
Here's something I wrote for it:
“Josh, did you hear?”
“I have impeccable hearing, Donna,” Josh says without looking up from the memo in his hand. “What is it that I am supposed to have heard?”
“Carol told me that she heard from Lindsay in credentialing that Karen Page has been assigned to cover the President’s town halls in New York for the New York Bulletin!”
He waits for her to keep going, but she doesn’t so, he looks up and sees her waiting expectantly, “And?”
“Karen Page? What It Means To Be A Hero Karen Page. She’s connected to half the vigilante-superheroes in Lower Manhattan. She was held hostage by ninjas. She interviewed Tony Stark about the Sokovia Accords. Last year, The Punisher himself may or may not have held her hostage after saving her from that terrorist Lewis Wilson.”
“And?”
“And, would it be inappropriate, as a member of the White House Staff, to ask her for her autograph?”
Kastle: The Big Indulgence
This is one of the first long fics I came up with for Kastle (and come hell or high water I WILL write it one day). Basically, it puts the NMCU actually IN the MCU. Post TPS1, Sarah tracks Karen down and they become friends, and at the same time, Frank becomes friends with Bucky Barnes (yes Emily, I know he's not your fav) by way of Curtis' group (Curt, of course, regrets ever letting them interact ever). Karen gets nominated for an award for her journalism work by the Maria Stark Foundation, where she meets Pepper, Natasha, and Darcy, and befriends them as well. Everything comes to a head and Karen and Frank reunite after the discovery that Sarah Lieberman is related to one of Bucky's surviving family members (the Liebermans are Jewish, Bucky's family is Jewish, it works!). Then, things related to Billy and Hydra happen, there's an incident where a few people disappear into an alternate universe for...an... amount of time, the Avengers meet the X-Men to help get them back, and Frank may or may not be a little psychic. Someone ends up coming from that alternate universe who doesn't belong here, but it's okay because she's [redacted] and also Leo's [redacted].
Leo-Centric, Kastle
Leo gets an internship as Darcy Lewis' assistant (well, technically she's working for Jane Foster, but it's basically working for Darcy), where she meets Karen, matchmakes her with Frank, and also gets a girlfriend. I think the summary says it best:
Summer 2021.
In which Leo Lieberman gets the internship of a lifetime—working for Jane!Freaking!Foster’s soon-to-be former personal assistant, Darcy Lewis—both comes out of the closet AND gets the girl, and helps her long-lost murder-uncle finally reconcile with the ace reporter of his dreams.
If Frank was actually bulletproof, it would totally be just like Superman and Lois Lane.
5 Times Seth Tells Kate He Loves Her
A five-times fic where Seth is just ass over tea kettle in love with Kate, and makes sure she knows it and doesn't care what other people (read: Richie and Scott) think about it. The first one takes place the night they get back from Matanzas, and I just love the little bit I've written so far. I know 2 that I'm going to write so far, so...3 to go.
Kate Meets Vanessa Post S3
So I started writing this around Valentine's Day this year, and I might keep it as a Valentine's Day fic no matter what, but basically, in a grand universal coincidence, Vanessa strolls into Jed's just because she's stopping for lunch on her way to...somewhere. She meets Kate, who is covering the bar for Kalinda and Greer (a culebra OC that I will one day actually formally introduce in my fics, I promise), who are downstairs "checking on inventory" read: screwing in a maintenance closet because it's Valentine's Day, and then Seth comes out and there's a little, very awkward reunion, and basically Vanessa is the MOST amused, Seth is the MOST uncomfortable and Kate's just like...okay? And? Also, Seth is still bitter about Vanessa taking the tire iron to his car back in early S1.
The SK/Detroit 187 Fusion
Seth is a detective in Houston PD, who comes into the office one day to discover they...hired an intern? Said intern is Kate Fuller, a grad student at the University of Houston, who is working on her master's thesis by studying something related to crime (duh). Seth thinks she's a Disney princess in human form and they're very antagonistic with one another, but also he likes her way more than he thinks he should (but feels a LOT better about it when he finds out she's 23, not like...barely legal to drink or anything. Angst happens when a gang (Malvado's, but Carlos' branch of it) attacks Kate's family and kills her parents, and Seth takes her to Eddie and Richie for protection while he and his partner, Ximena, and the rest of the department solve the case and put Carlos' crew away.
SK Post 2x02 AU
After Kate and Seth part ways in 2x02, Kate goes back to Bethel, but Scott isn't there (so Jessica lives). She ends up in Houston for two years, working at a gym and keeping her to the ground looking for word about her brother, until one night, she's attacked by a bunch of Culebras, and is saved by Seth, Richie, and Kisa. She finds out that Carlos and Malvado are after her because she's the key to the way to the Blood Well, and Carlos and Malvado's henchwoman, the one and only Sonja, draws them all back to Bethel by putting Jessica in danger, and...it's all going to come to a head in some way that involves them saving Jessica from Sonja and killing Malvado and stopping the events of S3 from ever having to happen.
SK Season 1 AU
I don't know if i'm ever going to go anywhere with this, but I had this thought of...what is Carlos as Kyle wasn't a dick to Kate, and he took her to Mexico instead of Kate going back with Jacob and Scott. She ends up at the Twister before Seth and Richie do, and spends time with Kisa before she goes out to perform, and somehow it ends up with Kate going through the labyrinth with the brothers? I don't know. Something like that.
The FDTD/The Punisher Crossover That Starts Off In New York
So this is one of 2 crossovers I have for SK-meets-Kastle, but I love it. This is post 2x02, and Kate ends up in New York after not being able to find Scott back in Bethel. She ends up going to work as NM&P's assistant, and befriends Karen. To get to know one another better, Karen takes Kate to Josie's, where Kate discovers that Josie is a culebra, and Josie promises to keep Kate's secret. One day, this...guy shows up at the office, asking to talk to Karen, and Karen kicks Kate out of the office while they talk, and when she comes back, the guy is gone and Karen doesn't want to talk about it. (It's Frank, of course it's Frank). Also featuring one day where Frank is on the roof, Matt gets wind of it and goes up there to confront him about seeing Karen again and comes back with a black eye, and Kate is V confused whereas Karen is 10000000% pissed off at them both. Not long after, Kate and Karen are out one night, and they're attacked by a bunch of culebras. Frank helps intervene while Kate really is the one to save the day...and then she has to explain culebras to them. Of course, Karen saw aliens fall out of a portal above Stark Tower, so...snake vampires? Whatever. Kate calls Freddie to figure out why she was attacked and it turns out Carlos and Malvado are after her (and, later found out Karen too). Kate, Karen and Frank end up in Texas and things all come to a head at the blood well, as it does, and while Carlos shoots Kate in front of Seth, Richie, and Scott (which, BAD IDEA), Kate falls into the blood well, and when she's pulled out, she's healed. But...she also has something inside her that wants to destroy the world, and everyone has to race against time to figure out how to get Amaru out of Kate before she takes over completely and destroys them all. They figure out a way, but it has an...interesting side effect for Kate and Seth. Also, this is the one where Maggie takes one look at Freddie and Ximena and shrugs and says, "You know what? Porque no los dos?"
So yeah, there you go!
(Also, I thought about also including the Amaru isn't evil, she's just cranky and wants to go home, S3 AU, but we just talked about it yesterday, so I figured it doesn't count hahaaha.)
send me a book emoji of any kind and i will tell you about a fic idea i have
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ad1thi · 4 years
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@starklysteve me?? spamming you w recs because i love talking about my ships?? more likely than you think :)) (here’s some rhodeytony to get you started on what is objectively the best tony ship)
i place your hands around my neck:  @fanfictiongreenirises
"Rhodey could practically feel his lungs getting heavier again, weighed down by roots of plants that he’d thought would never take hold in him again."
Or: the one where Rhodey's been pining over Tony for much longer than either of them realised and develops the Hanahaki disease
Pretend We’re In Love (The Heartache Still Hurts): @marvelingjules
Rhodey's dad is dying, and what he's always wanted is for Rhodey to be happily married. Tony and Rhodey were best friends, and haven't spoken in years. But after a chance meeting at the airport, and a desperate, insane idea on Rhodey's part, they end up pretending to be engaged.
But how much of it is really pretend?
i can’t seem to get a grip, no matter how i live with it:  @psikeval
Tony knows he's got no business being a father.
A Million Shades of Blue: @notfknapplicable
“I just know that if I could get to wherever he is, I could find him. Dead or alive, I'd bring him back to us.”
James Rhodes will never stop searching for Tony Stark.
Twenty Five Years: @notfknapplicable (part of a series)
Nobody knows how long this has actually been going on. (Tony Stark has pretty much been in a monogamous relationship since he was 18 years old.)
Leave The Light On: @notfknapplicable (part of a series)
He was never doing this for fun. He'd just wanted to stay awake. And whatever you do, please don't tell that guy he's been fucking. He kinda likes him.
coloured in sun: @heleus
The one in which Anthony Edward Stark, having just reached the warm age of seventeen, realizes that he's in love with his best friend.
(The idea is terrifying.)
the planets that bend us: @deathsweetqueen
When Antonia Margaret Stark wakes up on her sixth birthday, it’s to the words: I didn’t get any sleep last night after that fucking lawn mower decided that 7 in the morning would be a perfect time for him to start his day, right outside my room.
She runs a thumb over the long string of words, wrapping around her wrist like a thick leather band.
She smiles.
She’s fourteen when she meets James Rupert Rhodes for the first time.
Written for the "more than a partner" square (S3) for the Tony Stark Bingo 2019 and the "soulmate" square for the Iron Husbands Bingo 2019
we rattle together in a bed of honey: @deathsweetqueen
Toni first met James Rhodes in Cellular Neurophysiology and Computing, when she was fourteen and trying very hard to stay in the shadows. She stumbles into the classroom, clutching her books and binders and pencil case close to her chest, as she stares at everything, wide-eyed and hungry and terrified. She seizes on the contempt, the confusion, the incredulity of the other freshman who look at her like she’s an incongruity – she’s used to that look, all that hate and derision.
She eats it up like chocolate cake.
Much to her luck, all the seats are filled, all except for one towards the middle of the row, a table shared only by a tall, handsome black boy, sleeping on top of the counter.
a winding road that stretches to the truth: @/coulddaughter (this author ostensibly has a tumblr but im unable to locate it -- so if anyone knows what their tumblr is please let me know so i can tag them!)
“Why do you need a date? Also, no offence, but why did you come to me? I stole, like, four of your girlfriends and at least two boyfriends, remember.”
“I do remember that, Tony,” said Jim, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, I need you to come on a date with me.”
Love in the Eyes:  @child-of-sunshine
The moment each of the Avengers realized Tony and Rhodey were in love.
The Curious Case Of The Discarded Condom:  @/AssvengersArsemble
Natasha, Clint and Steve get just a little nosy about Tony's love life. Tony finds it extremely amusing they can't see what's right under their noses.
takes a lot of love and compliance: @gyzym
She's born breech, feet kicking out before the rest of her screams free; she's born breech, and never stops running. (Rule 63!Tony)
Targeted Persuasion: @galwednesday
Jim opened Tony's most formal closet and started pulling out tuxedos. "Put one of these on.”
"Why?"
"We're getting married."
Tony froze. "No, we're not."
"Oh yes we are." Jim tossed three tuxedos onto the bed. Three was a good number of options, enough for Tony to make a choice, but not so many that he'd get lost analyzing the ramifications of navy pinstripes vs. charcoal paisley. Tony did best with clear, specific expectations rather than an unlimited universe of possibilities that he would inevitably filter through his neuroses and obsess over, and Jim was really kicking himself for not considering that, oh, ten years ago when they’d first started this, but there was no point in beating himself up about it now when he could put that energy towards solving the problem instead. "You brought this on yourself, Tones. Pick a damn tux."
Five thousand roses: @/forestgreen
She is broken and all the more dangerous for it. The world should tread carefully around the shards of her former self lest they cut themselves on Antonia Stark's sharp edges.
A Guide to Handling the Unhandleable Tony Stark:  @/nightrider101 (this is ab a/b/o verse)
Written for the following prompt on the Avengers Kink meme: The rest of the Avengers assume Tony is an unbound Omega by the way he acts. He's reckless and carefree and does what he wants. Imagine their surprise when they find out that Rhodey is Tony's Alpha. They're all confused at the way Rhodey lets Tony act and how they can be away from each other for long periods of time and Rhodey's just like 'He didn't want to give up his career and I didn't want to give up mine. And I gave up trying to tell Tony what to do years ago.'
It’s Not Bacon Until It Ceases To Be Bacon: @sobebold
Tony has lived with his best friend Rhodey for fifteen years, and everything is perfect.
Until Rhodey finally gets a boyfriend, and Tony's world gets turned upside down.
by any name: @machi-kun
Tony calls him ‘mine’, sometimes.
And he also calls him platypus, honeybear, sugarplum, all those stupid nicknames; but James’ favorite will always be ‘mine’.
Tutor Me: @wisiaden
Tony really wants James Rhodes to be his math tutor. The guy was hot, and if he had to play dumb, well, he can say he hates math.
run and hide: @/starksrhodey
Tony may or may not have a crush on football captain James Rhodes.
Or, Tony is extremely insecure, Pepper knows best, Steve likes to bake, Bucky loves red heads, and Rhodey keeps trying to talk to Tony.
This Is The Real Life: @blancheludis
It takes doing the laundry for Tony to realize he is completely, irrevocably in love with Rhodey. Who knew that the way to Tony Stark's heart is to teach him how to wash his clothes.
Anything For You Darling: @areiton
Tony is sitting on the balcony of his palace in Malibu, and Rhodey hates it, more than he's ever hated anything, watching his best friend stare at the water, limmed by the sun and utterly alone.
"She's dead," Tony says, before Rhodey can ask and he feels his breath catch, his heart stumble.
There's--
Grief. For pretty, troubled Maya with her big eyes.
Heartbreak. For a sweet infant who will never know the mother who gave him up, whose life will never be exposed, now.
Relief. Because Harley is safe. Safe. Gods, he's safe.
or
Rhodey helps Tony raise his son.
it goes like this (just like heroin): @quandongcrumble
He’s twenty-six and you’re twenty-eight and you get a midnight phone call from Obadiah and between the two of you, you manage to beg and bully until you can fly back to the States and sit beside the white hospital bed while they say words like heroin and accidental overdose and that Tony should pull through but Tiberius might not wake up.
It goes like this—for almost sixteen years Tony’s addiction problems are a blight on Rhodey’s relationship with him. Friendships crack and trust is shattered, over and over again.
motor oil and coconut oil: @/halfasgoodasanything
James loves his best friend. He's entirely supportive of his friendship and his almost relationship with Steve Rogers. He is! He is. Carol and Pepper seem to think otherwise, but he's cool. Loving Tony doesn't mean no one else can. Even if he wanted to.
lost and found: @starkslovemail 
“Are you lost?”
Tony jumped at the voice cutting into his thoughts. Turning around, he saw another teen, maybe a year or two older than him, decked out in Team USA gear. He shook his head, flashing what he hoped was a disarming smile, “Nope.”
“Are you sure about that?” The athlete raised a disbelieving brow as he stared down at Tony. “You’ve been walking up and down this hallway for the past ten minutes, and the least embarrassing reason why is being lost.”
The blunt honesty startled a laugh out of Tony. He grinned cheekily, rocking back on his heels, “Guess I’m lost then.”
--
Written for the RhodeyTony Mini-Bang! Art can be seen on twitter here!
two boy geniuses walk into one frat house: @starkslovemail (part of a series)
There were too many white people at this damn party.
The Other 'Mr Stark': Iron Man’s Mysterious Paramour:  @presidentrhodes 
Clint leans over to Tony and whispers. “For the record, I know you’re lying. You’re describing the perfect man and he doesn’t exist. You might as well say you’re dating Superman because at least Christopher Reeve was a looker.“(Based on this prompt: Tony keeps telling the avengers how awesome his husband is but they don't believe he exists because it has been months and they still haven't met him yet and then finally, Rhodey comes home.)
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piningeddiediaz · 3 years
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Salty Ask List - 1, 2, 7, 11, 12
cookie you’re awesome!
1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?
i don’t think i have one? for 911 the otp is buddie and we all know how i feel about that 🤪 weirdly enough i seem to always ship the popular ships
2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?
again, not really anything for 911.
do have one for trc - adansey and ronsey who i think are both amazing friendships but i dont see them as a couple
7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?
oh so many! the vampire diaries got ruined the moment they pushed delena on us. pretty little liars was my favourite thing in the world before it just started getting random and weird and killed the whole vibe. if i start talking about the trainwreck that was post s3 teen wolf we’re going to be here all day
11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?
i used to hate taylor but she’s grown on me now. i don’t really get the ana hate, not because i really like her per say but because i really dont think we have seen or heard about her enough to form any sort of opinion, whether good or bad.
also i cant believe i have to say this but… tony stark is my emotional support tin man can. like i know he isn’t an unpopular character per say but it warrants saying anyway
12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?
i actually really liked the law suit arc? it was stupid as hell but the angst and drama potential in it was insane. it made me livid and upset but that was the whole point i think. got more of a rise out of me than any other arc in the show has (except 4x13 and 4x14 which is another matter entirely).
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tonystarkbingo · 3 years
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TSB MIV Week 26 Roundup!
IT’S THE LAST ONE, Y’ALL!  And there are so many amazing fills that came flooding in this past week!  We’re in the process of getting badges made and sent, so please be patient with us.
We are taking the rest of the month off, but in May and June we will be doing month-long flash bingos!  We’ll keep you posted about those, and in the meantime go give some love to these wonderful content creators!
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Title: Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun Collaborator: Politzania Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted: KINK: Threesome Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: dimensional shenanigans, fluff, fade to black smut Summary: Thanks to some multiverse experimentation, Bucky now has two genius billionaire boyfriends (and their libidos) to deal with. Word Count: 717
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Title: A Good Date and a Bad Idea Collaborator: gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1, R5 - Winteriron Chapter 2, A4 - Justin Hammer Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Attempted kidnapping Summary: Chapter 1: Tony is on what he hopes is a first date with Bucky. He didn't expect it to be so rudely interrupted. (Tony POV)  Chapter 2: Justin has waited for his moment, and this is it. (Same events, Justin Hammer's POV) Word Count: 7918
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Title: Adjust The Pecking Order Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - AU: western Ship: Clint Barton/Laura Barton/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: polyamory Summary: Tony knew that he wasn't the most adjusted man in the world, but there was something hot about a woman in a pretty floral dress confidently pointing a shotgun at him. There was nothing wrong liking a woman with a gun. The messed up part was where she was surely Laura, Clint's wife. He shouldn't be eyeing his friend's wife, no matter how sure her hands were on that gun. "You with the bank?" she asked. "No, ma'am," he said. Since his hands were already up by his head, he took his hat off, tipped it in her direction, then put it back on. "Name's Tony Stark. I believe your husband sent for me?" Word Count: 1211
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Title: Finals Collaborator: hereandnowwearealive Card Number: 4085 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R4 - James Rhodes/War Machine Ship: Gen Rating: IronHusbands Major Tags: art Summary: An image of Tony and Rhodey studying for finals, long overdue for a break
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Title: Something like fate Collaborator: Gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Sent to a Different Dimension Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Universe hopping, getting together, CW fix-it but no discourse Summary: Tony and Steve go alternate-reality hopping by accident (Fine. It's Tony's fault: he touched something he shouldn't have in Reed Richard's lab). It's an eye opening experience. Word Count: 8411
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Title: DtP —> DtF - Chapter 1 Collaborator: Politzania Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: dimensional shenanigans, eventual smut, threesome, selfcest, oral sex, anal sex, Tony POV, First Person POV, Present Tense Summary: Thanks to a bit of dimensional travel, Tony takes the chance to find out if he really is as good a lover as his Bucky says (as well as get another Bucky’s opinion on the matter).. Word Count: 681
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Title: The Courtship of Death Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Card Number: 4019 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Tony Stark/Loki Ship: FrostIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Crack treated seriously, AU canon divergence, courtship and rejection thereof, canonical character death, BAMF Hela Summary: ...goes a lot easier when you do some research first. Otherwise entitled: "Why Torturing, Brainwashing And Murdering The Father Of The Person You're Trying To Court Is A Bad Idea" (trade mark pending, by Tony Stark) Word Count: 2351
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Title: Things Develop (in the Darkroom) Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Photoshoot Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: AU: No powers, photoshoot, photographer!Bucky, lingerie, budoir photoshoot, oblivious!Bucky Summary: Bucky was happy to agree to a private photoshoot with his favorite client... at least, until he realized what kind of photoshoot Tony wanted. Word Count: 775
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Title: The Heartbreaker Collaborator: fightingforcreativity Card Number: 4004 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R2 - Au: Hydra won Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: AU: Hydra won, Hydra Iron Man, Angst, Mark 17 (Heartbreaker) Summary: Red Skulls voice resonated from everywhere, “Oh might I have the honour of introducing you to Hydra’s newest and strongest agent? Say hello to ‘Heartbreaker’. I’m sure you’ll find the name befitting.” And just like that, the Avengers came face to face with the one man they had hoped to free, wearing an armour they’ve never seen before. “Tony?”, Rhodey’s voice was broken, just as his heart and he could bet everything he had, the other’s weren’t faring better. “Been a while, Rhodes. Nice of seeing you all again, sadly you can’t stay for the party~” replied Tony, voice cold and devoid of emotion.
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Title: Family Date Night Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Drive-In Ship: Stony, Superfamily Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff Summary: Date night plans get changed at the last minute. Word Count: 714
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Title: The Supplicant Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - AU: Royalty Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: AU: historical/fantasy, warlord Tony, tribute Bucky Summary: Bucky wondered, sometimes, if King Alexander had not intended Bucky to stand at the throne’s right hand as the kingdom’s general, or at its left hand as chief counselor, why the king had even bothered to sire another child after his first had proven hale and of sound mind. He rather suspected that the king, too, wondered that same thing. But as it turned out, there was a reason for the king to have sired a second child: to be given as tribute to the terrifying warlord threatening the entire kingdom. Word Count: 2966
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Title: They didn't cover this in the Academy - Chapter 1 Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2- “Damn it, Stark!” Ship: Gamora/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, marriage of convenience Summary: Tony might be a pain in his captain's ass, but he never goes out of his way to make problems for her. And really, how was he supposed to know that the engineer he spent all last night talking to was a princess? Gamora wants to get off planet, and Tony is willing to help. While heading back towards Federation space, they pick up a distress call from inside Romulan space. Word Count: 10,206
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Title: Anything for you Collaborator: Gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Pining Ship: Steve Rogers/Natasha Stark (universe 3490) Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Getting together, porn with feelings Summary: Steve has one certainty: he has a crush of epic proportion on Natasha Stark, and it's becoming quite a problem. Word Count: 4083
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Title: The Futurist Collaborator: periwinklepromise Card Number: 4053 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Edwin Jarvis Ship: Tony & Edwin Jarvis Rating: Gen Major Tags: Implied Child Abuse, drabble Summary: Perhaps it is time to look to the future. Word Count: 100
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Title: untitled Collaborator: chel Card Number: 4011 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Adopted - Wrong Number/Booty Call Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Moodboard-ish Word Count: N/A
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Title: Takin’ What They’re Givin’ (‘Cause I’m Workin’ for a Livin’) - Chapter 2 Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Kink: Sex Compulsion Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Phone Sex, Identity Porn, Anal Fingering, Dildo Play Summary: Bucky's little camboy sidegig - where he plays 'Special Agent Jay' -- gets him attention from an unexpected quarter. Chapter 2: Bucky's one on one chat with BrooklynBorn heads in a very different direction than he expected; offering instruction and support as well as release. Can he keep his emotions in check? Word Count: 3912
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Title: Save My Soul, Spare My Heart Collaborator: summerpipedream Card Number: 4045 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Space Ship: Pre-Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Angels and Demons Summary: “Are you hurt?” “The jury’s still out on that. Who exactly are you and why the hell are you in my apartment?” An angel and a demon walk into Tony’s apartment. Supposedly, both of them were tasked to protect him. Whether Tony can survive their bickering is another question entirely. Word Count: 2242
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Title: The Perfect Solution Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T4 - Kink: Cuckolding Ship: IronHusbands, Rhodey/Carol Rating: Mature Major Tags: AceTony, bisexual Rhodey, friends with benefits, Carol knows what she wants, caring boyfriend Rhodey Summary: Tony never really enjoyed himself during the more intimate moments in bed. Naturally Rhodey had figured him out and after meeting Carol the perfect solution came to be. Word Count: 482
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Title: Time Loopy Doopy (Fake News already in 2009 Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - Paparazzi Ship: (Hinted) WinterIron Rating: M Major Tags: timeline- what timeline?, Avengers, Kid bucky(?), fake news, time trouble Summary: Despite what the News tweet says, Tony and the Avengers all knew the truth and that was Tony trying to protect his current boyfriend’s kid self from the past. Now he just needed to find a way back into his own time with his own Avengers. Word Count: N/A
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Title: My Darling, you are my poetry Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - AU: Artist/Muse Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: NSFW art, nude modelling Summary: Bucky absolutely didn't plan to go to art classes, but his therapist insisted. So here he was creating nude art of the young Stark heir, while blushing furiously. Word Count: N/A
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Title: This light that I hold, speaks to you Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R1 - Kink: Candles Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Candles Summary: A quiet night spent together, playing with supersoldier senses. Word Count: N/A
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Title: The Wrong Dress Collaborator: cami-chats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Kink: Interfemoral/Intercrural Ship: IronWidow Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Natasha's dress might not be good for events, but that doesn't mean she looks bad in it.  Word Count: 933
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Title: They didn’t cover this in the Academy - Chapter 2 Collaborator: cami-chats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Kink: Messy/Dirty Ship: Gamora/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: Major Character Injury (not fatal) Summary: Lieutenant Commander Tony Stark of Eden and the continuing adventures of having a ship that’s falling apart around him.  Word Count: 7385
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Title: Nighttime Shadows Collaborator: Khentkawes Card Number: 4091 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Pepper Potts/Rescue Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: vague discussion of PTSD (very vague), emotional hurt/comfort, nightmares, angst and fluff, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts Summary: Tony’s nightmares never fully went away. But over the years, Pepper likes to think she’s gotten better at helping him cope with them. She doesn’t always have the right words to say, but she can at least be there for him. And usually, that’s enough. Word Count: 1555
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Title: Status: Iron Man dead/Tony Stark alive (it’s complicated) Collaborator: Khentkawes Card Number: 4091 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: discussions of possible death/funerals, Endgame Fixit, funeral, fake funeral, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, Canon divergence Summary: The Avengers ‘accidentally’ fake Tony Stark’s death. And Tony finds it hilarious. Word Count: 4749
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Title: Spin Me Out Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - AU: Sci-Fi/Futuristic Ship: WinterIron Rating: G Major Tags: AU: Sci-Fi, space opera Summary: Tony keeps his head down, working on the ships that come through the station, trading on the grey market, listening to the gossip, and quietly planning to reclaim the technology that was stolen from him years ago. His chance may finally have arrived, but is immediately complicated by Winter, an impossible fugitive from a galactic empire that controls its people with forbidden Old Tech. Word Count: 1391
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Title: Secret Identities and Super-dads Collaborator: Khentkawes Card Number: 4091 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Futurefic Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Minor violence, post-Avengers Endgame, not Avengers Endgame Compliant, BAMF Tony, BAMF Pepper, Rescue!Pepper, not-dead Tony Stark, Morgan Stark, family, attempted kidnapping Summary: When armed men attack an elementary school in New York, attempting to kidnap eight-year-old Morgan Stark, no one expects that “Roger the chauffeur” will be the one to take out the bad guys—with some backup from Morgan Stark herself and a very pissed off Pepper Potts. The public have believed Tony was dead for the past four years, and Tony never expected his big secret would get out like this. He didn’t mean to blow his cover as “Roger the chauffeur.” But when people try to mess with his family, they get what’s coming to them. Word Count: 6104
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Title: Celebration Collaborator: Ducky Card Number: 4013 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Victorious Ship: IronFalcon Rating: Gen Major Tags: Paintball, First Dates, Fluff Summary: After a victorious paintball exercise, Tony and Sam celebrate on their first date Word Count: 835
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Title: A Look Into the Mind Collaborator: Ducky Card Number: 4013 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Sent to a Different Dimension  Ship: ThunderIron, one-sided Amora/Thor Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Dimension Summary: Thor and Tony are sent to the Enchantress’s consciousness. Word Count: 323
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Title: The Stars May Not Accept Us Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Hot Water Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Non-Powered AU, Space AU, amputee!Bucky, fade to black smut, Summary: People come and people go -- that’s the way a spaceport works. Especially one out on the edge of known space; some stay a few hours, some a few years, but everyone moves on eventually. Bucky knew that going in, but he fell hard anyways. Word Count: 2790
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Title: Visions, Not Reality Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Nick Fury Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony's conversation with Fury at Barton's Farm leaves him second guessing his relationship with Steve - which no one was supposed to know about. Word Count: 1915
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Title: What, Like It’s Hard Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Movie Retelling Ship: Stony Rating: M Major Tags: Omegaverse, Asshole Ty Stone, Even more of an asshole Stane (in future chapters) Summary: Omega Tony Stark has it all, until his alpha boyfriend breaks his heart. In an effort to win him back, he follows the alpha of his dreams to Harvard Law School, where he discovers there might be more to being the first omega at the prestigious school. He also meets another alpha that might just make him forget the one he drove across the country for. Word Count: 1629
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Title: You Should Date My Boyfriend Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Sharon Carter/Agent 13 Ship: Stony, Sharon/Steve Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Sharon makes sure Tony knows her boyfriend might be interested in someone else. Word Count: 1090
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Title: Heart jewel Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Sucker Bet Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Magical Jewels, Ravens Summary: Loosely based on the Cornelius Sigan episode of BBC Merlin. Word Count: 100
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Title: The Persistence of Memory Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Art Format: Cubist/Surreal Ship: none, implied past Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Reincarnation, Grief Summary: Stephen Grant, art student and docent at the Smithsonian is doing the last of his rounds, when he meets a wealthy gentleman who looks very familiar. Word Count: 300
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Title: Would Robot Eyes Rust if They Cried? - Chapter 6 Collaborator: JacarandaBanyan Card Number: 4064 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Stuckony Rating: E Major Tags: Established Relationship, Sexual Content, Angst, Robot Bodies Summary: Steve tries again with Tony. It doesn't go a whole lot better. Word Count: 2376
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Title: What, Like It’s Hard? Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Evil Exes S4 - First Kiss Ship: Stony Rating: M Major Tags: Omegaverse, Asshole Ty Stone, Even more of an asshole Stane (in future chapters) Summary: Omega Tony Stark has it all, until his alpha boyfriend breaks his heart. In an effort to win him back, he follows the alpha of his dreams to Harvard Law School, where he discovers there might be more to being the first omega at the prestigious school. He also meets another alpha that might just make him forget the one he drove across the country for. Word Count: 20,611
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Title: Short Drabbles - Chapter 5: Hand holding Collaborator: Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Holding hands Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: summer heat Summary: Tony enjoys the metal arm keeping it's cool at all times. Word Count: 100
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Title: Daisies on Your Nightstand Collaborator: raslbecket Card Number: 4056 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - showoff Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Rough sex, exhibitionism, choking Summary: Tony Stark's exhibitionist streak rears its head when he's in the middle of rearranging Steve Rogers' guts. Word Count: 1462
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Title: The Eye Of A Spy - Chapter 2: Interlude - How Everything Began Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: IronFury Rating: Mature Major Tags: IronFury, movie retelling, MIT Era, Mostly Fury Pov Summary: Fury gets his mission. Word Count: 869
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Title: A Fairytale, This Is Not - Chapter 2: All Pieces But No Solved Puzzle Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - shared trauma Ship: WinterIron, Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Morgana, Merlin/Gwaine Rating: Mature Major Tags: Reincarnation, dreams, visions, canon typical violence, ok Howard, kidnapping, (HYDRA in later chapters), team as family, trauma Summary: Tony makes some friends, is being betrayed, and keeps dreaming of a man named Merlin, who apparently has magic and that fact isn't known to his friends until he tells the black-haired woman about it. Somehow everything works out ok for them all though. Word Count: 3584
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Title: Five Tuesdays and a Wednesday  Collaborator: LBibliophile Card Number: 4090 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Fortune Telling Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Time Loop, Groundhog Day, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, 5+1 Things Summary: Bucky is stuck in a Groundhog Day loop. He has many things to achieve, to make right, to try and end the loop - but top of his list is saving Tony from the dreadful fate of terrible morning coffee. Tony appreciates his efforts. Word Count: 2820
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Title: body getting tense (nothing like the others) Collaborator: starksnack Card Number: 4073 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Dressing Room Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: None Summary: Steve and Tony steal a quick moment in their dressing room before their next shoot. Word Count: 1000
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Title: Half of Love’s Duet Collaborator: ralsbecket Card Number: 4056 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Height Difference Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Threesome, Age Difference, Art Summary: A glimpse of college student Tony and his married professors, Steve and Bucky. Word Count: N/A
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Title: Clint Gets A (New) Job Collaborator: celtic Card Number: 4035 Link: AO3 Square Filled : T1 - Occupational Hazard Ship: Tony Stark & Clint Barton & Bucky Barnes Rating: Gen Major Tags: Modern Day AU, No Superpowers, Mild Angst, Canon Character Death Summary: Stane Industries has taken over Trickshot Incorporated, which means Clint is out of a job. Until he meets a third player, the man who will build Stark Enterprises with what remains of his father’s legacy. Word Count: 4236
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Title: Girl’s Night Collaborator: celtic Card Number: 4035 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Darcy Lewis Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony and Pepper need a babysitter for Morgan for date night. Word Count: 1635
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Title: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, Evil Clones Are Such a Struggle - Chapter 2 Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Tony/Bucky/Winter Rating: Teen Major Tags: Selfcest (Bucky/Winter) Summary: When taking down a Hydra base, you should probably avoid touching anything weird-looking and potentially magical. (Or, Bucky and Winter both have the hots for Tony, and a newly-embodied Winter decides to finally do something about it.) Word Count: 2695
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Title: No Pets Allowed - Chapter 4 Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Team Bonding Ship: background Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Minor warning for non-graphic mention of off-screen animal death. Summary: Tony Stark is not a cat person. (this is a lie.) Word Count: 894
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Title: Trouble with a Capital T (And That Stands for “Tiny”) Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Precognition K5 - Deaged (Tony) Ship: background Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: featuring Actual Good Dad Howard (not really a warning, but you should probably be aware or you might be confused  ) Summary: Tony gets de-aged by magical fuckery, and five-year-old Tony and gets to meet his future self, in AI form. AI Tony thinks this is a hoot. Everyone else is less convinced.  Word Count: 19082
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Title: Six Months Earlier - Chapter 7 Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Canon: Armoured Adventures Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Grief, Medical Trauma Summary: Tony recovers from the plane crash that damaged his heart and took his father from him, and struggles to come to terms with the aftermath. Word Count: 1044
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tisfan · 4 years
Text
Ring of Thorns
Title: Ring of Thorns Written by: @tisfan​ 3023 Square: S3 – Science and Magic Rating: teen and up Triggers/warnings: none Tags: space AU, fairy tale format, sassy Jarvis, bunnies, a truly excessive number of bunnies, pre-slash Created for: @tonystarkbingo​ Word count: 3919 Art from @gayspacesprinkles​ (unrelated to the bingo!)
Ship’s log: Stardate 5239.281.5
Woke from hypersleep on schedule -- thank you JARVIS. 
“You are welcome, sir.”
The Ring of Thorns is about two days on the sublight engines, which should give me plenty of time to make any course corrections. Course corrections. I say that like anyone has any idea where the best entrance is to the Ring. Several thousand cloaked glass arrows, left over from a war three centuries ago.
JARVIS’s records indicate that a single glass arrow has the explosive capacity to knock a good sized hole in the Malibu, which I have to say, is not an ideal solution. Even with crude calculations of where the bombs were originally seeded -- and let me tell you, that particular chart was not easy to procure -- we don’t know how much stellar drift has moved them. Dozens of ships have tried to fly into the Ring.
All have been, thus far, unsuccessful.
Pieces of the wreckage will add to the difficulty of successfully navigating the field.
I want it noted for the record, if I don’t succeed, I want you to tell Captain Amer -- no scratch that. I always know what I’m doing. This plan I’m gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. What am I even tripping for? Everything's gonna workout exactly the way it's supposed to.
Stardate 5239.282.9
“Set for separation, J?”
“We are set, sir,” JARVIS said. He was the ship’s AI, navigation, piloting, engineering, physician. He served to take the place several key members of a ship’s crew. He was not, however, supposed to be the only other crewmate on a ship the size of the Malibu.
He was, because no one believed Mr. Stark that they could make it through the ring to whatever treasure planet was tucked away inside it.
JARVIS went because he was an AI and because Mr. Stark was his maker. But even if JARVIS had entire free will and he had some, because he was the one steering the ship, he probably wouldn’t have done anything differently. He could have refused to take Mr. Stark at all. Probably. He’d never really tried directly rebelling, and sometimes when he was feeling philosophical, he wondered if that was because he couldn’t rebel, or because Mr. Stark had not been wrong yet, and thus, rebelling was a waste of time. 
Mr. Stark would, after all, prove everyone wrong.
And JARVIS wanted to be there, to record all of it.
Truthfully, JARVIS himself wasn’t at risk; he had two backup units hidden away. But if something happened to this version, well, the story would never be told. And he couldn’t have that, could he?
“Remember, sir, close--”
“But not too close, I got it. We got this. Launch the dummy section.”
“Piloting remotely,” JARVIS said. He separated the dummy section of the ship, broad and ugly with the best forward shields that money could buy. He should know. He’d purchased them. And then Mr. Stark had improved them.
The dummy section looked like, in all honesty, like a flying brick. But that was all right. All it had to do was shield the smaller craft behind it. 
“Let’s plow the road, JARVIS,” Mr. Stark said.
“As you say, sir.”
Stardate 5239.282.11
“Well, that could have been worse,” Tony said. He was breathing hard, and his hands were shaking. Sweat dripped down the back of his flight suit. But he was alive.
 He landed the smaller, more maneuverable craft inside the docking ring.
“Allow me to inform you, sir, there are four glass arrows affixed to the hull--”
“You just have to ruin my moment,” Tony complained. “Can I get a countdown, or is that too much to ask?” He was already unlocking his piloting harness, grabbed a stim patch on his way past the console -- he’d need to be on his mettle if he was going to disarm bombs without detonating them instead and all the juice from his hectic ride through the Ring had dissipated.
“They are quiescent, at the moment, sir,” JARVIS told him. “But core deterioration suggests they are not supposed to be in an atmosphere with oxygen, and they will explode soon enough.”
“Wait, there’s life support in the hanger?” 
“It would appear so, sir.”
“Why?” The Ring of Thorns had been in place for several hundred years at least. There was no reason for life support to still be functional.
“I shan’t hazard a guess at this remove,” JARVIS said. 
“Can we vent the docking bay?” Tony had more than enough O2 in his suit, as he hadn’t been expecting any such systems to still be in place.
“No, sir,” JARVIS said. “I was able to override the security systems to get us inside by claiming emergency repairs. The system will not let us out until the proper codes have been entered. As well as sudden venting often disrupts seemingly stationary objects--”
“Yeah, yeah, no need to turn the room into a pinball machine. All right, I’m on it.”
Tony had removed three of the bombs -- truly elegant, lethal little things. They were no bigger than two fingers wide and about four times as long, concealed by a mirror-shield that bent light around it, showing up as flecks of black and the occasional flash of light in a starfield. No propellant, no heat reading, not even any traceable particles emissions. Old school explosives. Not quite all the way back to pipebombs with horseshoe nails mixed in, but still. Household chemicals.
Ions only knew what the people who made them were thinking when they mixed them up and set them loose in space to guard their station and their planet.
They were all dead, at least.
Theoretically. No one could get close enough to tell.
“Uh, sir,” JARVIS said. “You have company. Turn around very slowly.”
Tony didn’t quite raise his hands, but he was expecting to see someone armed and presumably dangerous.
What he saw instead was-- an animal? With white and tan fur covering its entire body, including a set of very long ears. Red eyes peered at him curiously and the creature took a few hopping steps closer.
“JARVIS,” Tony muttered, keeping his eyes on the creature, “what is it?”
“A Lagomorpha, particularly a subset of Leporidae. Known as oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus, or more commonly, a bunny rabbit.”
“Does it eat-- meat?” Tony was an awfully big meal, but as he watched the-- rabbit-- carefully, he noticed there were more.
A lot more.
“I daresay, sir, unless the species has evolved along another path,” JARVIS said, “they are primarily interested in grasses, fruits, and vegetables. A garden pest, as they were described in older zoology reports. And, to some degree, a pet.”
“People pet them?” Tony wondered, looking around. They were fluffy and sort of cute. Some of them sat up on their hind legs to look closer at Tony.
“Other people raised them for food and fur stock,” JARVIS continued.
Tony took a step forward and the lead rabbit thumped his foot several times against the deck plating. Other rabbits took up the signal and stamped as well, until the entire facility was ringing like being inside a drum.
Tony found himself on the floor, hands clapped over his ears. By the time the noise stopped, three or four of the bunnies were very close to Tony, noses wiggling curiously. One of them hopped all the way up to him, put a soft paw on his knee and poked its face directly at his chin.
“I’m not made of food,” Tony told it, and he went to shoo it away, but he touched it instead.
Oh. Oh, it was so soft. Oh, Ions, so soft. He let himself sit down, let them hop up to him, sniffing curiously.
“It seems they have never seen a human, either, sir,” JARVIS commented.
“Do, uh, we have anything we could feed them? What are they even eating around here?”
“A closer look at the scans, sir,” JARVIS said, “the hydroponics bays seem to have overrun most of the station. They’ve been living in a perfect bunny paradise. All the food they could want, and no predators.”
“Sounds lovely,” Tony said, and one of the bunnies hopped into his lap and proceeded to turn around a few times before flopping over and going to sleep. “Although, gotta say, a cargo bay of rabbits wasn’t what I was hoping to find.”
Riches, technological artifacts, answers. Especially answers. What had happened here, why had the people gone silent, or died? Why did they leave behind such elaborate traps?
“We could set up a fur trade, sir,” JARVIS suggested and Tony could have sworn that every single bunny in the room gave him the stink eye. All at once. It was chilling. 
“Yeeaaah, think I’m gonna go with no on that one, JARVIS,” Tony said. “Do you think there’s anyway to explain kaboom to them, because if I don’t get that last glass arrow off the hull, we’re all going to be in the fur trade.”
“You neglected to add lapine language skills to my databanks, sir,” JARVIS said.
“Smart ass AI,” Tony muttered, nudging the black bunny out of his lap. “Shoo. Go fetch. Something. Do you fetch? Yeah, go… go find a-- what to rabbits eat?”
“Strictly speaking, their diet is a mix of alfalfa and--”
“Whatever. Go… have a smoothie. Look, if you go into the galley on my ship, DUM-E will make you smoothies, go go.”
They didn’t go go or shoo shoo, but they did back up a little or hopped away as he stood up. He had to watch his feet as he moved back over to the ship, grabbing for the wrench. “Switch it up, JARVIS,” he said, and JARVIS triggered the color changing squares on the outside of the ship, one at a time, until Tony could physically locate the glass arrow, and only because he was looking really closely. The arrow changed colors, too, but at a slightly -- very slightly -- slower rate.
And then Tony was able to find it by touch, sliding his hand over the panel until he encountered a small projection. 
Once removed from the ship, the colors swirled again until what Tony held in his hands was flesh and floor and bunny colored. The biologics didn’t blend as easily, they weren’t mathematical or predictable, so once he had it away from the hull, it was a lot easier to look at. 
For something called a glass arrow, it was neither. More like a flat, thin package with a few grooves at each end. Not really accurate, but evocative, the imagery, he meant. Twisting the tail end, he slowly removed the detonation packet, wrapped in hyper thin plastics. Once that package was out, the arrow itself was rendered mostly harmless. Except that Tony would feel better getting all of it off the ship. 
He found a couple of rolling bins in the docking bay, emptied them of the tools they contained, and then loaded the explosives into them. “Can I space this shit, or is the airlock broken, too?”
“The south side airlock appears fully functional, sir,” JARVIS told him. Tony grabbed a couple of remote-automatics and affixed them to the sides of the bins. Station gravity would eventually grab anything floating in proximity to the station; it had taken quite a few murderers getting caught before they realized you could not, in fact, just junk a body out an airlock.
But you could fire one into the nearest star. Which is what the remote-automatics were for. Small, one shot of fuel, affixable to a trash or discarded object -- or even at some of the largest ring world systems, to move supplies through space -- to propel them away. Once in motion, they’d stay in motion until a larger gravity well swallowed them up.
“Bombs away,” Tony said, setting the bins into the airlock. He sealed the inner door, opened the outer door, and then flew the trash off into space. The nearest star was several weeks away by sub light propulsion. Unless it hit a few of its cousins while out there, in which case, he could expect a pretty pretty boom in a few hours.
“Always so observant, sir,” JARVIS said.
“Yeah, yeah,” Tony said, pushing away from the porthole. “You got anything for me yet?”
“Their mainframe systems are so old as to be little better than hand-cranked automobiles, sir,” JARVIS said. “I’m having difficulty navigating their systems without overwhelming them. That said, the system suggests you might find an interpreter on the eighth deck, C-section.”
“I am not delivering a baby on this station,” Tony swore and chuckled to himself. It wouldn’t take JARVIS that long to find the reference -- it had always been a bit of a challenge with them. Could Tony, in fact, find a historical or cultural reference so old that JARVIS didn’t have access to it.
So far the answer had always been no.
Tony grabbed several tools to help him around the ship; a crowbar for opening unruly doors, as well as more electronic overrides. MagmaTorch, if he had to go through the door. 
The vegetation was even thicker in the hallways. “Where are the plants getting food from?” Because really, dirt was a thing, even if Tony didn’t like standing on it. There was a thick coating of moss on the floor in places, and Tony found himself stepping around it. He did squat down long enough to take a sample, and send it off to JARVIS to analyze. 
“Sample shows a flourishing, if unusual, ecosystem, sir,” JARVIS told him. “The sample appears to be similar to compost. Organic waste, sir.”
“Rabbit shit?”
“It’s likely the first plants would have started in the hydroponics area; if they outgrew their containers, they would have likely encountered fertilizer and soil samples there. My map of the station shows that system-recycling was only a deck below.”
“Old human shit,” Tony rephrased.
“And bodies that weren’t spaced, food waste, biological waste.” Many places stored that up, condensed into cubes, packed into bags, and then sold to terraforming colonies. Probably the same sort of idea. It was being used for its intended purpose, then, if not necessarily its intended place. “The ship’s lighting system has stayed on, providing material for photosynthesis. Since the late twenty-fifth century all human space-going vehicles utilize solar lamps to prevent crew depression, mood swings, and the inability to digest certain foods.”
“Yeah, we’re made for gravity and sunlight,” Tony said. He paused to force a door to the companionway. The ladders stretched up and down several levels, slightly offset to prevent a bad fall from becoming a fatal flaw. Smart. “So they’re not in any immediate danger of being wiped out?”
“The power banks are currently still at half capacity. With such a slow rate of decay, even without intelligent interference, this colony could continue on without problems for another three or four hundred years.”
“What are they using to power this place?” 
JARVIS continued to analyze the station, providing more and more obscure data and facts. Frankly, Tony stopped entirely listening. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested, but there were also interesting things--
He stopped in a long hallway with doors spaced equally, and pushed one open. Crew quarters, right? Had to be…
The room was empty. Not just of crew, he really was not expecting a skeleton -- or maybe he was -- but also of artifacts. It was just empty. Bed cubby with no mattress, desk with no terminal or ports. Closet with no clothes.
“People did used to live here, didn’t they?”
“Records suggest that this station had a population of approximately twenty-thousand human beings at the time that contact with the greater galaxy ended.”
“What the hell happened to twenty-thousand people? I mean, even if the rabbits ate them--”
“Let me remind you, sir, that rabbits are primarily vegetarian,” JARVIS said.
“Thanks, you might need to keep reminding me of that--”
He wasn’t going to be able to close that door again, since a handful of rabbits had followed him in, and he wasn’t sure how to get them out again. They didn’t really seem like herd creatures to him. And while they’d been surviving perfectly well on their own, he didn’t really want them to starve to death because of him. Right?
It was a working theory, at least. No rabbit murdering.
He made it all the way to 8th-deck, Section C. Finally. Plants. A lot of them, too. And more rabbits. 
“What exactly am I looking for here?” Tony wondered. He pushed his way through thicker plants, almost jungle-like in their sheer stubbornness to give way.
“I might say you’ll know it when you see it, sir,” JARVIS said, “which would be quite helpful, since I’m entirely uncertain--”
“Oh.”
That.
Stardate 5239.283.02
“I don’t believe the situation is going to change, no matter how long you keep staring,” JARVIS commented.
“Sarcastic, I like that.”
“I know that, sir.”
“Still. This is not something I want to jump into right away. I mean, when the station AI--”
“It’s not an AI sir, the station’s computer systems are significantly less advanced in all ways--”
“Don’t be petty. It’s beneath you.”
“As I don’t, in fact, have a corporeal body, sir, you might add that everything is beneath me. Or nothing is beneath me. An interesting question for the next time you feel philosophical.”
“Which does not answer any of my current philosophical questions,” Tony said. “Like who is this guy, why is he asleep in that thing, and will he die immediately if we try to wake him up?”
“Probably not immediately,” JARVIS said. “He’s hardly a vampire and going to poof into dust at exposure to sunlight.”
“What?”
“I beg your pardon sir, I was looking up some of the various mythology typical to this station at the time. Did you know they believed the whole place was cursed?”
“Of course they did,” Tony said. “Also, why would I know that? How could I possibly know that-- cursed? What even does cursed mean?”
“A curse is the belief that powerful entities can take an interest in humans,” JARVIS said. “Faeries, witches, demigods and deities, for example. When these humans do something wrong, or offensive, or are in some cases, just being used as scapegoats for a powerful creature, that leads to a curse. A series of misfortunes that cannot be averted, except by a single act. Sometimes it’s ridiculously complicated, like when the moon loses her child if it happens in a week when two Mondays come together. And sometimes, all that takes to break a curse is true love’s first kiss.”
“Like that’s not complicated,” Tony complained. “So you’re saying I should kiss the guy awake to break the curse?”
“Much in the case of a week with two Mondays, sir,” JARVIS said, “you might want to take into consideration that your blood and cells are filled with--”
“Aesculapian nanintes,” Tony breathed. Which repaired injuries, protected him from disease and posion, and vastly extended his life span. Most infants born on Tony’s planet inherited some of them from their parents, but often required a booster injection every twenty years. And, in emergencies, you could share your nanintes with someone else, to heal their wounds.
Tony had gotten a booster shot last year, on his fortieth birthday, which meant his system was currently in top form.
“The fastest way to share nanites--”
“Is fluid transfer.”
“A kiss,” Tony corrected, directing a smug smile in no particular direction. JARVIS could see him.
“Indeed, sir, I’m so glad you thought of it.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Flounder,” JARVIS responded. “Badly.”
“Wow, you didn’t even hesitate with that one.”
Tony studied the casing a little while longer. The man was dressed entirely in white, except for a black cap where his left arm had been, he had long hair and just a hint of a beard. If Tony had to guess, he’d say the man had gone into some sort of healing tube while a replacement limb was vat-grown for him. Nanites could mend split skin and broken bones, but it wasn’t much good at regrowing parts entirely.
But Tony didn’t see any sort of vat system at all. Maybe they kept that somewhere else.
Theoretically, Tony’s nanites would keep the man alive, long enough to ask some questions, to find the bioregen chambers, or their historical equivalent. Get some answers, provide some aid. Something.
And, also, very quietly, to himself, where even JARVIS couldn’t hear him.
Tony might actually want to kiss the man.
He was stunningly, almost shockingly beautiful. His cheeks were just perfect, and the chin, with the hint of a cleft. Full, kissable lips, parted just a little. Long lashes. Tony didn’t know what color his eyes were, but he liked to think they were blue. Tony felt like he could see… everything.
“Sir?”
“Yeah?”
“Your brain is producing an increased amount of vasopressin, adrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin.”
“Yeah?”
“And I believe you are experiencing mydriasis-- it’s a nerve reaction that causes your pupils to dilate,” JARVIS went on.
“Which means what?”
“Quite honestly, sir,” JARVIS said. “I think you are, as the poets would say, falling in love.”
“Yeah?” Tony found he didn’t quite care. It was almost like being drunk, a warm, fuzzy sort of feeling that just, made him generally happy. He wanted to share that with someone. A very specific someone.
He wasn’t sure how he knew which button to push, but the top of the tube slid away, and the man inside took a slow, stuttering breath.
“It’s all right,” Tony told him. “I’m here to rescue you.”
He leaned in, mouth open slightly, and kissed the man he hadn’t even really met. It was more than love at first meeting, it was--
A very nice kiss, warm, soothing, soft, with just a little heat in it.
The man pulled away, licked his lips as if tasting Tony on them and gazed up at him. “Uh… aren’t you a little short to be a stormtrooper?”
“What?” Tony blinked, then blinked again. “How-- how do you know Star Wars? That is Star Wars you’re quoting, right, late 20th century cinema? I-- I’m a--”
The man struggled to sit, and Tony helped him until he could swing his legs over the side. “So, uh, question-- who are you, and why is there a rabbit on top of my stasis tube?”
“Um, my name is Tony Stark,” Tony said.
“Bucky Barnes,” the man said. “Uh, nice to meet you. Great kiss by the way, hell of a wake up call. Is my unit waiting for me--”
“Uh, no, no, probably not.”
Bucky stared around the room, from the bunny to the greenery to the bunny, and then back to Tony. “How long? How long was I asleep?”
“I can’t say exactly, but-- it’s been at least three hundred years since we last had contact with this station.”
“Oh.” Bucky took a deep breath, and then another one, and a third. “Oh. I guess… I guess she won.”
“Who? Who did this to you? What happened here?”
“Hydra did this to me. Mother of serpents and dragons. A witch. It’s a long story.”
“I-- don’t think there’s any such thing as witches,” Tony said, hesitantly.
“Oh, there are,” Bucky said. “Believe me. There are.”
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A/n -  art from @gayspacesprinkles​ isn’t it LOVELY!? Now stop screaming, I already have a part 2 planned for this.
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27dragons · 4 years
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Masterpost - @tonystarkbingo​ 2020 (Round 3)
by @27dragons​
S1 - Riri Williams T1 - Cat!Tony A1 - Cliche R1 - Bedtime Stories K1 - Puzzle S2 - Secret Relationship T2 Adopted fill - AU: Dragon Rider A2 - AU: Good Omens R2 - Attacked by a Creature K2 - AU: Hogwarts S3 - Remote Control T3 - Major Injuries A3 - FREE R3 - Zombie K3 - Vulnerability S4 - AU: Alice in Wonderland T4 - Artificial Intelligence A4 Adopted fill - AU: Caveman R4 - Abducted K4 - Learning to Cook S5 - Iron Dad T5 - Fabrication A5 - Wish R5 - Adrenaline Rush K5 - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Check under the break for all the titles and summaries, as well as my card and badges!
Card
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Works
(I was going to list rating/ship/squares filled, but all the works are Winteriron or at least pre-relationship Winteriron, because it’s me, so there’s just the rating and squares filled.)
Cherish the Living - E (R3, K4, T3, A5, R1, K3, R2, R4, K5, R5, S1, A3, S5)
Tony grew up on stories of the time before the virus, but that’s a world that’s long ago and far away. He now travels a route between the various walled settlements, trading goods and repairs for bread and board, and carrying news from one villa to the next. It’s a dangerous life, but one he’s used to and well-suited for. That is, until a cluster of zombies gets the drop on him.
Bucky is a Nomad, one of a band of enhanced humans who have sworn to wipe out all zombies and put an end to the zombie plague -- one at a time, if necessary. When he rescues Tony, he’s just doing his job. Agreeing to escort Tony to the next villa is a bit above-and-beyond, but it’s nice to have company after so long on the road alone. He didn’t expect the trip to forge a bond between the two of them that not nothing -- not even death -- could break.
As the Spirits Guide Us - E (A4/Adopted, T1)
The Clan of the Hydra value’s Bucky’s skill as a flintknapper but despises him for being a crippled outsider. The Clanchief, in particular, seems to enjoy watching Bucky suffer. Bucky dreams of escaping, of finding a home with a new Clan, one which will treat him kindly.
A talented maker and only child of the Keeper of the Way, Tony has only to complete this last rite before he can fully assume his place as an adult of the Star Clan. On this journey, the spirit-talker assures him, the spirits will bring him to meet his destined mate. Tony is pretty sure the selection of his mate has less to do with the spirits than with the machinations of his mother and the clan chief.
Little do either of them know what the spirits have in store.
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore - T (A1)
Sure, Tony felt short of breath whenever he saw Bucky, and his throat tightened whenever he saw Bucky and Steve together, but he was sure he had his little crush on Bucky under control. When he started coughing up flower petals, however, he realized that he did not have it under control even a little bit.
The Perfect Solution - T (K1)
Despite telling Tony that they didn’t need to exchange gifts for their second dating anniversary, Bucky's got something for Tony -- a puzzle to solve. Or rather, several.
Nothing for the Nerves - T (S2)
Tony and Bucky have been dating for three months, and it is high time that Bucky met Tony’s friends. There’s nothing to be nervous about, of course.
...Right?
Leaving the Nest - T (T2/Adopted)
Tony’s spent his whole life training to be a dragon rider. That the dragon who’s chosen him is betrothed is only of minor concern; having to marry his dragon’s mate’s rider is well worth getting to fly. That is, until Tony falls in love with a common soldier and is faced with having to choose between his dream and his love.
After the End - T (A2)
Tony and Bucky have both been on Earth for a little over two thousand years. They’ve been lovers for just a little less than that, hiding it from their superiors Above and Below. But now the Antichrist has been delivered and things are swiftly coming to an End. How can they say goodbye, knowing they’ll never meet again?
Of course, things don’t always turn out the way they assume. God’s plan is ineffable, after all.
An Educational Outing - G (K2)
In which Professor Stark takes his Muggle Studies students on a field trip, with Professor Barnes’ help, and it does not go quite as planned.
One Man’s Trash - G (S3, T4, T5)
Mostly, when the ‘bots went out scavenging, they brought back junk. Circuit boards melted to slag, coils of wire that had fused together, bits of broken glass and charred remnants of furniture. Tony managed to find uses for it all -- in the wake of the War, there was no such thing as trash; everything got repurposed somehow -- but that didn’t change the fact that it was junk.
But once in a while, they happened across something good. A crate of transistors that had been miraculously shielded from damage. A handful of protein bars still sealed in their packages. Lengths of rebar. Tools, sometimes.
This time, they’ve really hit the jackpot.
Six Impossible Things - G (S4) * moodboard
Tony and Bucky have forgiven each other for their various transgressions and moved on with their lives, reconciled if not exactly comfortable with each other. Then, in the midst of a mission, they find themselves sucked into another dimension, one where the normal rules do not apply. One where six impossible things happen each day before breakfast.
Their only hope of getting home again is a journey through Wonderland to petition the mysterious Red Queen, who has the power to send them home – or to destroy them both. In order to escape, they’re going to have to work together to embrace Wonderland’s nonsensical rules. And maybe – just maybe – one of those impossible things will be them.
Badges
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dragonnan · 4 years
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Fic Rec Game!
We all could use some amazing stories to help deal with the hell that 2020 continues to heap on us. At the same time it gives us the opportunity to spread a little love!
Rules: link 5 to 10 stories below - any genre, any pairing, any rating (though PLEASE tag warnings where needed).  Be sure to include summaries.  You can also, additionally, link up to 5 of your own fics.
Tag 5 or more people to keep this going :)
Share away!
c - complete ip - in-progress
________________________
My recs:
c Omertà by HanukoYoukai (Teen and up) MCU
After chasing down the criminal that took Uncle Ben's life, Peter is found by James Wesley, the right-hand man of Wilson Fisk--a wealthy businessman trying to clean up Hell's Kitchen. Having left a strong impression on the man, soon Peter finds himself working for Fisk, doing an internship for his business projects by day, and catching bad guys at night. If Mr. Fisk wants a few specific criminals delivered to him personally, who is Peter to object? All his boss wants to do is talk, after all, and ever since this internship began, things were finally looking up for the Parkers.  Then Peter hears the whispers in the underworld about the elusive and terrifying Kingpin, and somehow there are rumors that Spider-Man is on the Crime Lord's payroll. When he decides to use his own judgement and go against Mr. Fisk's wishes, Peter suddenly finds himself neck deep in mob activity with no means to get himself out.
ip A Twisted Upheaval by silentsaebyeok (Teen and up) MCU 
“I’m afraid, Harrison, you’ve awakened a sleeping giant.” Wilson said. “Tony Stark will do anything and everything to protect those he loves. And with your carelessness, it is inevitable that my criminal empire will be brought to its knees. This is your last opportunity, your last chance to get this right. He is on our radar now.” -- The Kingpin runs the criminal underworld. He is the mastermind and the puppeteer. Tony Stark has been trying to find the elusive gangster for years, but with no luck. But then Peter Parker is kidnapped by an agent of the Kingpin’s, revealing the cracks in an otherwise unshakeable organization. Unlikely alliances form and friendships are made as the criminal underworld begins to unravel.
ip Identity Crisis by KitCat992 (Teen and up) MCU
It’s been months since Rasputin and Disappear-O the Magnificent almost sent Tony and the others to a watery grave. Things have been pleasantly looking up since then. For starters, Tony felt as close as ever with the kid. Of course, trying to distinguish the difference between normal teenage angst and something else that could be seriously wrong with his protege was proving to be...a challenge. And walking into the kitchen to find the Winter Soldier eating his food was not helping.
Meanwhile, Peter has a whole new school year to look forward to. And with the addition of old friends popping back into his life, he was sure things could only get better from this point on. Sure, sleeping was a little rough lately, but no big deal. And he really needed to figure out how to remove this black slime from his backpack. But yeah, everything’s great.
Things were great. Totally great.
Although, now that he was being honest with himself, Peter was feeling a bit sick lately. And for real, what was with this black slime?
(Or: OsCorp is inadvertently ruining everyone's life and Tony is done with this B.S. Protective Avengers and Shameless Peter Whump.)
Part 2 of Identity Saga
ip The Man in the Crimson Cloak by Aelaer (Teen and up) SHERLOCK and DOCTOR STRANGE CROSSOVER
Data began to flow in from what he could see of the cloak. Red, obviously, though several shades in the weave of the fabric. Wool— cashmere, to be precise. The inner lining was made of another material (pashmina suddenly came to mind) covered in a checkered pattern. Each square in turn had intricate designs within the material, and the colors shifted in various hues of red and grey— due to age, not design. The material was weathered and worn, very worn in some places, but still remarkably intact. And while he was certain of its composition, there was… something else about it. Something he could not determine, something different.
One thing was for certain: this was no ordinary costume purchased for twenty quid. But the stranger in his flat was more than just a cloak.
Sherlock’s terribly ordinary and outright dull day turns into something well beyond his wildest dreams when a most interesting stranger enters his flat.
ip These Old Shades by sgam76 (Teen and up) SHERLOCK
Memory has always been Sherlock's best tool--his weapon of choice, in fact. But there have been times in his life when his memory is also his worst enemy. Right now is one of those times.
Part 8 of Scheherezade 'verse
c Castaway by ariaadagio (Mature) LUCIFER Note: contains sexy times but overall is not overtly graphic
The Devil is real. A sentence Chloe Decker never believed until Lucifer Morningstar burned out her skepticism with his hellfire eyes. It's a "Hell" of a reality shift, but Chloe realizes she may not have time for gradual acceptance when she discovers that one of the bodies in her most recent murder investigation isn't human. Worse still, the next target might be Lucifer. A story that begs the question: who prays for Satan? [Post-S3 finale continuation. Deckerstar.] 
Part 1 of Gravity
My writing:
ip Sed Diabolus by dragonnan, KitCat992 (Teen and up) MCU
The great epic has begun. They say history is recorded by the victors. Well history, then, has yet to be written. Heroes have fallen and the world is a ruin of chaos and self-destruction. The time of the apocalypse has come. Who, then, will stand and face the Devil?
Thanos left an indelible mark. What was undone was far from erased and the world is the poorer for the losses he brought to bear. But he is not the only being of power looking to claim Earth as its throne. The enemy from the heavens was defeated. But it is the enemy from the darkest and deepest places who may prove to be the final death knell for the universe.
And yet... hope comes...
Like the ringing strike of a hammer against iron...
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Marie's TSB Masterpost
The Tony Stark Bingo Round 2 is officially over! Time to make my personal round-up! I wrote a total of 32611 words in 11 fics for this bingo, let if be known that I am very grateful to the amazing mods of @tonystarkbingo for a great opportunity to get my creative juices flowing! And for launching my addiction for bingos back in March when I joined the fandom, God knows it's been a wild ride for me since then! 😍
S1: Kink: Collars
Title: Collared
Pairing: Ironstrange
Rating: Mature; Warning: D/s relationship
It was a beautiful show to witness, that of such a strong-willed man with such a clear idea of who he was, or so he thought, battling with himself for weeks on end before he let go."
Summary: "Tony had come home to the penthouse to find Stephen not exactly kneeling for him but sitting kneeled in the center of the bed nonetheless, once, twice, until he stopped pretending it was just a perfect position to sit idly by himself, until Tony could stop hiding his faint smirks, not buying it for a second. 
Or when Tony and Stephen find the perfect balance.
S3: Shared Trauma
Title: Red Dust
Pairing: Ironstrange
Rating: Teen; Warning: Panic Attacks and Nightmares
Summary: Even as he knows the Snap’s been reversed, that his son is safe and sound in his very own bed and his husband is lying right next to him, Tony can’t seem to make himself let go - every night brings him right back to this one day he’ll never be able to forget, none of them will.
T1: Vibes in Public
Title: Red-Letter Day
Pairing: Ironstrange
Rating: Explicit; Warning: Bathroom Sex
Summary: "His jaw was literally hanging by the time he reached the man's eyes, a piercing glass-blue gaze staring right at him.
The man smirked and Tony felt weak in the knees. He looked him up and down before raising an eyebrow, looking into Tony's eyes from all the way over there and God if that was the effect he had on Tony from this distance, what kind of puddle would he turn into the second he approached him? Because he was going to, no way would he let that fine looking piece of gorgeous man slip away from him."
Title: La première danse
T4: High School
Pairing: Stony
Rating: Mature
Summary: When the matter of going to prom is raised Tony can't be bothered to pretend he's into girls anymore, even if he knows for sure Pepper would say yes, it's just not fair to either of them. And then he tells Rhodey that, and when was Rhodey not the best wingman ever?
A2: Flying
Title: Wake up, Capsicle
Pairing: Stony
Rating: Teen; Warning: Genderbent Tony and Steve, Abduction, Mentions of violence, Major injuries, PTSD
Summary: "She concentrated on the sounds of Stephanie’s labored exhales and used them to drive her further, push the suits to their limits, and they made it back, wind still whistling in Toni’s ears like the cry of birds and Gods ringing through her skull."
Or, when Phanie is held hostage by the latest villain in an abandoned warehouse in Alaska, Toni flies at maximum speed to recover her wife.
A3: Free Space
Title: restless rest of the rightful knight
Pairing: Stony
Rating: Gen
Summary: Steve has his moments. Moments where he's happy and carefree. Moments where he's sad and grumpy. And moments where his very happiness makes him just a little moodier than he realizes. That's when hugs come into play - the best remedy to it all.
R1: Steve Rogers
Title: Your whereabouts are my runabouts
Pairing: Stony
Rating: Explicit; Warning: Abduction aftermath, Shock, D/s relationship, Slapping Kink
Summary: He just had to go down the lone soldier path yet again.
Steve cursed under his breath, pacing the SHIELD conference room like a lion in a cage. Tony had flown right off into the latest villain's trap and to say he was going crazy with worry wasn't an understatement. Everyone steered clear of him, they knew better than to say anything or even come close when they didn't have anything new to tell him about Tony's current situation.
Three hours, that was the time it took SHIELD to locate Tony's barely functioning transponder and Steve was out the door and flying on Rhodey's hip not a minute after they got the coordinates.
R4: Misunderstandings
Title: Rock a Suit
Pairing: Ironstrange
Rating: Teen 
Summary: inspired by an incorrect quote post by @beemotionpicture
Stephen, sleeping over: u cant take the couch ill take the couch
Stephen: what do u mean, 
Stephen: no what 
Stephen: sh-share the bed 
Stephen: ?
R5: Kink: Selfcest
Title: The Swap
Pairing: Stuckony
Rating: Explicit; Warning: Bodyswap, Minor Injuries, Self-esteem Issues, Panic Attacks, Chronic Pain
Summary: **“Our sources report an unusual ending to the latest of the Avengers’ battles. Indeed, our men on the ground talk of Iron Man Tony Stark, Captain America Steve Rogers and the ex-Winter Soldier James Buchanan Barnes all out cold on the ground and being transferred back by their teammates with maximum discretion. Stay with us for more on the matter as the day goes on…”**
Or when Strange’s magic does something strange and our favorite boys are left to deal with the fallout.
K3: Playing Games
Title: Process
Pairing: Ironstrange
Rating: Teen
Summary: "They eventually made their way back to the others, Peter ducking to avoid tickle attacks the whole way there. It was easy to sense the change in his dad’s mood the second they reached the room though. One moment Tony was laughing and teasing Peter to no end, the next his mouth was set in a hard line, his eyes in a black glare of anger. 
Peter followed his dad's gaze up until he found with exact certainty the reason for Tony's change of attitude."
K4: Matchmaker Bots
Title: Follow (DU)M-E
Pairing: Ironstrange
Rating: Teen
Summary: When Tony overworks himself to the point of not realizing he's injured, Pepper, Friday and DUM-E plot to get him the comfort he needs and will never ask for. It takes the form of one very worried Stephen Strange. It's soft and it's snark and it's them, a new beginning they both deserve.
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