#if it had happened in the past she'd just get uncomfortably flushed and not understand why

[bookwyrminspiration]

How do you think the characters would respond if Sophie was to read their mind without their permission?

Oh interesting question! I'm assuming this is a situation where she's deliberately snuck into their minds knowing it was wrong (compared to book 1 reading Fitz's mind where she didn't) and they were somehow made aware of it, so that's what I'm basing these answers off of.

Fitz: Unease. He trusts Sophie more than anyone else and this rocks that. He'd try to figure out why she'd done it, justify it because surely she had good reason. She wouldn't just break into his mind, right? But at the same time, she's in his mind all the time and they're cognates, so he also be confused what she could possibly want that he couldn't just tell her

Keefe: He'd complain about telepaths and try to make a joke out of it while hiding how uncomfortable it makes him. His head is a fucked up place to be and he doesn't want people inside it if he can help it. There's be a clash between his crush on Sophie and the violation of her reading his mind without permission

Biana: Weirded out. She knows that's not how things supposed to work and not how Sophie does things, but she'd focus on how she feels and say something like it's obvious. Something like "Sophie, you're my best friend, but stay out of my mind." Reaffirming that they're close while emphasizing not that close. She still has boundaries. Might huff a little about it too

Dex: Embarrassed probably. Who knows what Sophie saw or what she knows. He flush bright red and shift around uncomfortably, but once he has a chance to process he'd be mad. He'd sulk about it and hold a grudge against her, but wouldn't say anything outright. He'd get uncomfortable around her, worried she'd do it again

Linh: Quiet confusion. I don't think she'd be outright mad, but rather saddened and upset. What happened that Sophie wouldn't just ask her? Why would she do that? She might also retreat into herself as she's reminded of all the ways she was disrespected as a kid, and now this person she thought she trusted is doing something similar. I think she'd be the most likely to talk to Sophie about to try and really understand without an argument

Tam: He would not like it in the slightest. Stay away from him and stay far far away from crossing his boundaries. Leave his thoughts and him alone and get away. Huge violation he'd be pissed about. Sophie gets the silent treatment for a long while for this one

Marella: She would shut down Sophie real quick. Witty insults and quick comebacks, she destroys anything Sophie says the same way she did Stina in the past. She did not give her permission to be in her head so she better stay the fuck out and get over herself. She talks back and does it efficiently, then it quiet for a while on her own, feeling weird in her own skin

Stina: Disgusted. Insults Sophie and calls her names (e.g. "stay out of my head you freak.") Outwardly more annoyed and offended by the violation and uses it against her if needed, but internally a little panicked about what Sophie might've seen, what secrets might not be secret anymore

Maruca: She's not super close to Sophie right now, so there wouldn't be a lot of betrayal, but she'd definitely be off-put and upset. Sophie doesn't know her nearly well enough to be inside her head, so what the hell is she doing in there. Might sternly tell Sophie off and then go hang out with her closer friends.

Wylie: Initially filled with rage and wants to get as far away from her as possible, really unsettled. Starts ranting to her about how she can't just do that, she has to ask. He didn't want her in his head. After a little bit he'd take a deep breath and calm enough to say things without yelling and tell her that wasn't right and she shouldn't be doing that. She needs to do better. Then he'd walk away to cool off on his own

That's at least some snippets of how I imagine something like this would play out! Sophie's reasoning for breaking into their heads would of course affect how things play out from here, but this is a nice starting point. Thanks for the ask!

[evilwriter37]

I don’t know if this idea has been done before but I’m willing to bet that a rather steamy make out session would’ve happened between Hiccstrid during or after their fight training sessions. I wonder who would’ve liked getting pinned down the most 😶😏.

The make out session did turn to full on smut. Whoops. Thank you for the request!

Hiccup brought his sword up to defend against Astrid's swing. They were using real weapons, so their swords met in the middle with a clang of metal and a shower of sparks. As adults and skilled fighters, they were long past the time of using wooden swords to spar. In truth, it just made the sparring more vigorous, dangerous, worthy of doing. Hiccup liked sparring with Astrid, even though she could knock him on his ass 9 times out of 10. Hiccup had bested many with a sword, but his strong suit was in strategy.

Yet he enjoyed it because of Astrid herself. He liked watching her work up a bloodlust, seeing the fire in her eyes, watching her chest heave as her breaths quickened. Blood roared in Hiccup's ears, his heart pounding in his head. Sparring with Astrid was a rush only equal to flying.

Hiccup did something that was rare for him: he managed to disarm her. Astrid watched as her sword went flying, and Hiccup pointed his own at her.

"Give up?" he asked teasingly.

With a battle cry, Astrid threw herself at Hiccup, and Hiccup had no choice but to move his sword out of the way, not wanting to hurt her for real. Astrid took him down to the hard stone of the arena. Hiccup grunted, his sword skittering away from his hand. He made to get up, but Astrid put a hand on his shoulder and slammed him back down, drawing one of her daggers. It went to his throat, and a sultry smile lit her face.

"Give up?" It was her turn to ask.

Hiccup didn't know what to say, flushed, breathing heavy. His body reacted a certain way to Astrid being on top of him, dagger to his throat or no. Or maybe it was the added danger. Maybe he liked being pinned down.

"What?" Astrid asked, noticing his eyes flitting down.

"Oh, uh, nothing, nothing!" Hiccup didn't want to impose on her. They were in the middle of sparring, in the middle of the arena. They couldn't just... stop and do that!

"Mm, not nothing." Astrid sheathed her dagger, then sat on him. Now she seemed to understand. She looked down as well, to where they were touching. "Hiccup Haddock, do you like being pinned down?!"

"Um, only by you," he said with a chuckle. Astrid sitting on his erect cock with the both of them fully clothed was starting to get a little uncomfortable. "Why? Wrong time?"

Astrid grinned at him, then leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Not at all."

She made to kiss him some more, but Hiccup brought his hands to her shoulders and stopped her. "Astrid, we're in the middle of the arena!"

"So?"

"Anyone could walk in and-"

"So?" Astrid asked again, cutting him off. "The twins are on patrol, Fishlegs is working in his garden, and Snotlout is surely napping." She leaned close despite the way he held her. "No one's going to interrupt us."

Hiccup decided to cede and let Astrid win the day. She'd already won their sparring session - he supposed it made sense for her to win this as well. So, Hiccup wrapped his arms around her, and let her kiss him on the lips.

Blood was still rushing in his body, coming down from the high of sparring, only to be sent into the high of sex. Hiccup and Astrid had been exploring sex with each other for a little while now, and had discovered that in bed, they were both fairly dominant. They'd started taking turns with who topped the other, and, well, it wasn't Astrid's turn, but Hiccup could cede that to her as well. He had to admit that he liked her on top of him like this.

Hiccup's hands went under the straps of her spiked leather skirt, found her ass above her leggings, and squeezed. Astrid hummed into the kiss, rutting her hips down against Hiccup's cock. He pulled out of the kiss and yelped as one of the spikes dug into him in an uncomfortable way.

"Spikes, Astrid," he gasped out.

"Sorry, sorry!" She stood, and then was shucking off the skirt, leaving her in just her leggings. She got back on top of him, began grinding against him again, and this time, it was nothing but comfortable. "How's that?"

"Much better." Hiccup had one hand on her ass and the other tangled in her hair. He pulled her into another kiss. It was open-mouthed this time, hot and needy. Hiccup was happy when Astrid gave him leave to put his tongue in her mouth. There was no battle about it this time.

Astrid continued grinding on Hiccup as they kissed, and he hoped she was getting wet from this. He didn't want her to hurt herself when she mounted him, something that had happened before because of lack of lubricant. He was patient when it came to sex. Astrid was not. She went into it with as much fire and vigor as she did battle.

Astrid pulled out of the kiss, sitting straight on top of Hiccup. She reached for the drawstring on his pants, began undoing it. Hiccup, breathing hard, began to undo his belt so she would have room to move on him.

He gasped when his cock came free from his pants. Almost instantly, Astrid's hand was there, stroking him. He moaned, fingers curling against the stone floor, watching as his girlfriend worked his cock. Her hands were small with slender fingers, calluses from work and fighting covering much of her skin. Hiccup had many of the same calluses, but extra added from writing and drawing.

"Astrid," he panted. He just wanted to say her name. Sometimes, he was still in awe that he was with Astrid Hofferson, the girl he'd wanted from a young age, the girl he hadn't been ready for until later in their teens.

"Mm, you like that, don't you?"

"You know it."

Astrid pulled down her leggings, moving a little awkwardly to get them down past her knees so that she'd be able to spread her legs for him. Usually, they liked undressing completely for this, but they were outside in the arena. It made sense for them to keep most of their clothes on. It wasn't exactly warm this far north.

Hiccup couldn't help himself: he brought one hand to Astrid's hip, and another between her legs to feel at her clit and her folds. Oh, she was so wet. She moaned, hand going to grip his wrist as he played with her clit. She'd had to show it to him, as the nub was rather tiny, but he liked it very much now that he knew where it was. It was a beautiful little thing, designed only for pleasure and nothing else.

"Gods dammit, Hiccup!" Astrid cried. She yanked on his wrist to pull his hand back, then took his cock with her other hand. She moved so she was above him. She pushed the head of his cock into her, and Hiccup groaned, taking both her hips now.

Astrid didn't slide down onto him slowly despite his size. She was on him hard and fast, leaving both of them breathless. Astrid bent over him, hands on his chest.

"You okay?" Hiccup asked, brushing some hair out of her face and behind her ear.

Astrid nodded, straightened, her hands moving to his stomach. She started with rocking rather than bouncing. Hiccup liked either movement, if he was being honest, and he was.

"Odin, you feel so good..." She moaned. Hiccup loved hearing the pleasure in her voice.

"S-so do you." He moaned rather loudly. He wasn't quiet about sex, which was something they'd soon figured out. He was glad they were alone in the arena. There was no way they could have done this in secret with the sounds the both of them were making: panting, grunting, moaning... It all came together in a beautiful chorus of pure sex.

Astrid didn't seem satisfied with just rocking for very long. She began bouncing, cries leaving her with each movement downwards, each time Hiccup's cock went back into her. Hiccup was whining, and he would have tossed his head back in pleasure if not for the fact that he was busy staring at Astrid. Her breasts bounced as she worked herself on him, and he found himself wanting to touch them.

He pulled himself up sitting, Astrid's thighs hugging his sides. He kissed her on the mouth, hands going to her breasts.

"You're so... beautiful," Hiccup got out between kisses. For a moment, they didn't kiss, just breathed in each other's space, lips close but not touching.

Astrid ran her hands through Hiccup's hair, gave it a small tug. "So are you," she breathed.

Hiccup flushed at the compliment. He wasn't really one for taking them, but he would from Astrid. She had made it quite clear that he wasn't allowed to argue with her when it came to his looks and how he thought of himself.

"You gonna cum?" Hiccup asked after a time, feeling Astrid's walls begin to tighten around him. It was a wonderful feeling.

Astrid bit her lower lip and nodded, frantically working herself over him now, whimpers leaving her throat. Hiccup squeezed and massaged a breast with one hand, the other going to cup her naked ass. She felt so small under his touch, and that aroused him like crazy. Maybe they'd reach orgasm at the same time.

Or, just about the same time. Astrid came first, a cry leaving her parted lips. She rocked her hips hard, and Hiccup was gasping, panting. They'd already discussed the chance of pregnancy that came with them having sex together, and had decided it was fine, because they were going to be married someday, weren't they?

"A-Astrid, just a little more," Hiccup gasped. "Please."

Astrid's breathing was hitched, her voice in her breaths. He knew she was pushing herself, but just a little farther and-

Hiccup reached his climax. He shouted with it, gripping her tight around the waist. He groaned, gnawed lightly at her collarbone, needing something to ground himself.

Suddenly, there was the sound of clapping. Still lost in waves of bliss, but confused, Hiccup looked around. Then, he saw the twins standing at the edge of the arena with their dragon, both applauding.

Hiccup's face turned red with embarrassment and anger. "R-Ruff! Tuff!"

Astrid turned her head around, still clinging to Hiccup. A growl of anger left her.

"Guys! You were supposed to be on patrol!" Astrid cried.

"Oh, we were," Tuffnut said, sounding amused at their anger. "Then we heard some sounds coming from the arena and decided to check it out."

Astrid's eyes narrowed. She turned to Hiccup. "Can I kill them? Just a little bit?"

"Be my guest," Hiccup said. He kissed her on the cheek. "Just put your pants on first."

Astrid turned her head to glare at the twins, and they started running. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.

As he and Astrid got themselves back into their clothes and all settled, Hiccup was still laughing. "Give them a good whooping for me, will you?"

Astrid retrieved her sword, smiled at Hiccup and said: "You bet,” before taking off after the twins. Hiccup just shook his head.

[helloalycia]

the real kara // kara danvers

summary: Kara gets affected by red kryptonite, but you don't know this, so to you, she just comes across really obnoxious and makes you uncomfortable

warning/s: i mean, i guess unwanted/uncomfortable advances?

author's note: this has been requested for a very long time now, so i hope it's okay! i’m still working on some wanda stuff, don’t worry x

masterlist | wattpad

Something was different with Kara Danvers today, and as I waited for my files to finish photocopying, I watched her from a distance, wondering what it could be.

Apart from the obvious, which was that she was wearing completely different clothing – a tight dress that was very different compared to her usual assortment of blouses and cardigans – she had a completely different aura about her.

One of the things I liked about her the most was her awkwardness, her humour and her clumsiness. She was adorable, the human embodiment of a puppy, but today she just... exuded confidence. Of course, that wasn't a bad thing, but it was just very unlike her.

As I returned my attention to the photocopier, I failed to hear the girl in question approaching me. Only when she appeared next to me did I notice her. The fact that she came out of nowhere made me jump, startled by both her presence and the fact that I had a giant crush on her so any attention from the blonde was near enough sending me into cardiac arrest.

"I did not mean to startle you," she said, leaning against the wall with a smirk. "Though, you're cute when you're scared."

Heat creeped up my neck as I looked back down to the photocopier. Did she just say that? Never before had she obviously flirted with me – I didn't even think she liked me like that – so I didn't know what to do other than stay quiet.

"You know, I've been feeling your eyes on me all day," she noted, and I suddenly felt embarrassed as her blue eyes watched me with amusement. "C'mon, Y/N. You're really not gonna give me any attention now that I want it?"

Swallowing hard, I looked up to see her watching me with a knowing smile.

"I wasn't staring," I defended terribly. "Just looking around. You happened to be in my eye-line is all."

She grinned. "Really? Well, I'd quite like to be in your eye-line a lot more if you'd let me."

Taken aback, I raised my eyebrows. "Er– I– er–"

"Look, I actually came here to ask you something," she said, straightening up and moving to stand behind me, looking over my shoulder at the photocopies in my hand. "As fun as it is watching you make a mess of yourself, which I completely get by the way, I wanted to ask if you'd go on a date with me tonight."

My mouth went dry as her breath tickled my neck. Never in my year and a half of working alongside Kara had I seen her act so cocky and confident and certain. I wasn't sure if I liked it.

"Don't stay silent on me now, Y/N," she said, her voice sweet and sultry in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "I only want to give you a good time."

I widened my eyes a little, glancing her way. She chuckled when she saw my expression, her hand resting on the small of my back as she stepped beside me.

"Not like that," she said dismissively, before her eyes looked me up and down. "Unless you want to go down that route... in which case I'm all ears."

Cheeks flushed and heart racing, I collected my photocopies and straightened up, feigning some form of assertiveness as I met her teasing smile and dark eyes.

"I don't know what's gotten into you today, Kara, but it's not appropriate," I told her, thankfully not trembling under her piercing stare. "I– just– don't speak to me."

Without another word from either of us, I pushed past her and stormed off, partially angry and partially upset that she had treated me so... so... sleazily. Kara was sweet, she was kind, she was thoughtful. Whoever that was back there wasn't the Kara I fell for. And she certainly wasn't one I wanted to get to know.

—

The next day, it was as if a switch had been flicked and regular Kara was back. I didn't understand how or what had happened to her, but as soon as I saw her stumble out of the elevator that morning, coffees in hand and hair dishevelled from rushing, I knew whoever was present yesterday was gone. But that still didn't change the fact that she'd treated me so wrongly.

I was sat at my desk, working on an article at my computer, when I saw a smudge of pink in my peripheral. Turning to look who it was, I frowned when I saw Kara approaching me, eyes apologetic and hands fumbling by her side. She was wearing a pink jumper over her blouse – back in her usual outfits, clearly.

As I turned to look the other way, not in the mood to talk to her, she stepped forward quickly.

"Y/N, please hear me out," she said, but I rolled my eyes in response, hoping she'd get the hint. She didn't. "I'm so sorry for the things I said to you yesterday."

I clenched my jaw, but my hands stopped typing as I looked down at the keyboard patiently.

"I was having a very... off day yesterday. And I know that's no excuse for how I treated you, but I'm so sorry." She paused, swallowing hard, before shaking her head. "I'm so sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I'd never want that."

Unable to stop myself, I looked up to her. She seemed genuine, lips pulled into a frown and eyes tinged with sadness.

"If you wanted to ask me out, why would you go about it like that?" I asked, disappointedly. "In what world would I respond to something like that?"

She looked up, helpless, as she shrugged her shoulders. "I... I don't know. I just– I thought I would try something different. But I never meant for it to happen like that. You have to believe me."

I wanted to, but then the discomfort from yesterday's conversation returned and I was forced to look away from her.

"I did want to ask you out on a date though," she said quietly, hesitantly, as if afraid to say it at all. "Properly. If you want to go with me, that is."

Looking down to my desk, unintentionally coldly, I said, "If old Kara had asked me, then maybe I would have said... I'm not really sure I like this new Kara."

She paused, and I finally lifted my gaze to see she was nodding slowly, already taking a step back and avoiding my eyes.

"Right, yeah, of course," she spoke gently. "I understand." Forcing a small smile my way, she said, "Sorry, again. I'll, er, I'll see you around."

I watched her leave, noticing the way she mumbled to herself and clenched her fists as she did. I wondered if I'd made the right decision.

—

It was two days later when I got the bouquet at my desk after lunch. I wasn't expecting anything of the sorts, so of course, I eagerly found the card and read it in my head whilst ignoring my coworkers' curious stares.

Hey, Y/N.

Just wanted to apologise once again. And no, this isn't me asking you out. It's just a way to say sorry for acting like an idiot. I hope we can still remain friends. Or at least, I hope you don't hate me.

Kara x

Lowering the card, I looked at the bouquet of fresh flowers, heart aching in my chest. Over the past two days, the blonde-haired assistant had kept her distance from me, opting to stay away and avoid my presence, no doubt for my own comfort. Whenever I'd catch her gaze in the hallway or accidentally, she'd smile sadly, apologetically, before looking away as quickly as she could.

She was still her usual self, the usual self before the other day that is. This made me think that maybe she really was just having an off day. And now that she'd gotten me these flowers... I really wanted to go on a date with Kara. The real Kara and not the overly-confident, obnoxious Kara.

I left to find her as soon as I could. She was sat at her desk outside of Miss Grant's office, writing on her tablet and heavily focused in whatever task she was doing.

As I approached her, I took note of the way she chewed on her lip and furrowed her brows with concentration, smiling to myself because that was the Kara I had fallen for. The Kara I missed.

"Hey," I said when stopping by her desk.

She looked up, eyebrows raising with surprise. "Y/N. Hi! Hi. What can I–? Do you–? Hi."

"I got your flowers," I cut straight to the point, surprised at how certain I sounded compared to my usual introverted, shy self. "And the card."

She stood up, hands fumbling with nervousness once again. Clearing her throat, she said, "I'm sorry if it was too far. I just wanted to make things right."

"I'll go on a date with you," I blurted, making her look up with wide eyes immediately. Breathing out slowly, I continued, "I'd like to go on a date with you. This you, though. Not the other you."

She nodded slowly, looking as if she was still letting my words sink in. Suddenly, a small smile tugged at her lips.

"I'd like that," she said softly. "Maybe we can pretend the other day never happened and start again?"

I returned her smile, nodding. "I'd like that."

[hollythius]

for @lucciluvr !!! congrats on second place :)

you huffed; first you were laid off right before a huge job, and now you were wrapped up in some pirate shenanigans!

the navigator had told you the gist of what had happened, and you knew she didn't trust you whatsoever. the captain, however, definitely did. he clung onto you until you agreed to help him.

in the end, you realized they were fighting the world government, your old bosses. so obviously you had to stay and fight! you joined the pirate crew shortly after the whole ordeal went down.

and then you met her. the woman they had went through so much trouble to save. nico robin. she, unlike the rest of the crew, knew of your past. though robin was closer to the crew than ever, you seemed to be more distant. you didn't really know why, but you felt guilty.

robin wasn't angry with you at all, if anything, she was thankful. a new crew member to support her and her captain's dreams.

after a while it got to her. why were you so distant?

"y/n?" you heard her call. your head perked up from the book you were reading. "ah, that's one of my favorites."

you smiled and laughed, the forceful tone making robin frown. you'd been here a few weeks, were you that anxious? robin sat next to you, looming over your shoulder. "how are you liking it here? i've noticed your distance, y/n."

you froze, feeling your face heat up from her close proximity. you turned your face towards the book in your lap.

"i-i um, well..." you started. robin hummed, one of her hands growing from the book and lifting your chin to meet her gaze.

"why don't you tell me over dinner? Nami says we'll be docking tonight."

you thought for a moment. she'd already seen your flushed face, and you were sure nothing else could make it worse.

"y-yes. i'll have dinner with you."

"lovely," she said, before standing up and walking towards her room.

that night you met robin at the finest restaurant on the island. sanji had done plenty of crying about not being the one to serve you and robin, but he pointed out the place right away.

the night was awkward, with more unsaid words then you knew what to do with. robin read you like an open book. but you couldn't read her at all. her graceful demeanor made you squirm in your seat, how could your ex-coworkers ever want to rid of such beauty?

"y/n, all this clearly isn't getting us anywhere. please, do tell me why you feel so uncomfortable," robin pleaded.

your eyes shifted here and there, heat rising to your cheeks. you didn't know how to respond. of course, actually telling her was an option, but you didn't want to risk making her angry with you.

"it's just...been quite the adjustment," you laughed. it was a dry response and you knew it. robin placed her hand atop yours over the table.

“y/n, i understand how you feel. but please, never ever feel guilty for my sake.” her smile warmed your heart and left a blush on your cheeks. perhaps the guilt wasn’t all gone, but now there were new feelings replacing it.

[thenexusofsouls]

Carter's heart sank as she listened to her father explain what he knew of Pietro fearing Vision - her brows knitted tightly together. It... It all made sense as to why he was afraid of the synthezoid. Why he was hard on him. It was easier to express anger than it was fear - she understood that personally - and... she just hoped she'd be able to help him. If she could just figure out a way to bring it up with him without him getting defensive, then... hopefully she'd be able to settle things between him and Vision. To keep things from souring between him and Wanda.

"I'll- I'll see what I can do," she promised, not surprised to hear her father say he didn't want to get involved, but still relieved nonetheless. Had he approached Pietro about it... She knew it wouldn't have gone well. But a small smile tugged at her lips, and she nodded - her smile widening just enough as she stifled a small laugh. "I'll- I'll be sure to tell- tell Vision that, then, the- the next time I see him."

Her smile faded almost as quickly as it appeared, however, and she bit her tongue as frustration swelled inside her chest. "That's- that's not what I- I meant," she said quietly, doing her best to keep herself in check before she snapped at her father. "You're- you're giving them a- a second chance. I- I know that, but you're not- not giving Pietro a chance to- to get to know him. He's not--"

Carter faltered, and her gaze dropped at the mention of Pietro having a... reputation. She hadn't known that, and... admittedly, it wasn't a surprise to hear, but it didn't bother her. He had been a flirt, and maybe he'd been intimate with other people in the past, but she trusted him. She trusted that he wasn't going to cheat on her or use her, and his past relationships were his. It didn't bother her, and she wasn't going to let it bother her. It just... hurt knowing her father thought of him that little.

With a deep breath, Carter looked back up to her father, her brows still furrowed as she listened to him, and... she looked almost pained. "Dad... I- I know you just want to- to protect me, and I- I can't thank you enough for- for that, but... he's not like that. I- I trust Pietro. I- I really do. He's not gonna- gonna hurt me - I know he- he won't. He..." She hesitated, unsure how to continue without possibly making things worse, but... She wanted to be honest with Tony, just like how he was trying to be honest with her. "He- he doesn't blame me for- for things that he- he blames you for. He's not gonna- gonna take anything out on- on me. Please, trust me on- on that if you won't- won't trust him. And- and... I know you don't- don't want anyone breaking my- my heart, but..."

Carter swallowed thickly and turned her gaze away again - toying with her bracelet once more. "You need to- to let me do this. I'm- I'm not a kid anymore, dad, and- and I can't be afraid that- that someone's going to break my- my heart all the time. I- I don't want to be afraid of- of everyone." Again, she wanted to add, but couldn't get herself to say it aloud. She knew her father would understand - knew he'd remember how terrified she'd been of nearly everyone around her after... after Obadiah.

And she couldn't bring herself to explain that there was a part of her that was still scared. Couldn't get herself to explain what she had admitted to Pietro - to tell her father how she'd been hurt, because she knew it would only hurt him. Knew it could possibly destroy him if he found out she had been scared of telling him about her assault because she had thought he'd blame her, too. Carter knew he wouldn't - knew her father would've raised hell to make things better for her - but she still couldn't get herself to tell him. Too ashamed to even think about mentioning it, no matter how much she needed him to understand how much trust she was putting in Pietro. How much she needed him to understand how much Pietro meant to her.

"Dad, I- I know he's not like that. He's- he's not going to- to hurt me." Maybe she sounded naive in her insistence, but she didn't care. "But... if he- he were, then I- I need to figure that out on my- my own. I love you, but- but... I- I really do like him, and I- I want to- to be with him-" her face flushed slightly as she spoke "-but it's hard with you- you breathing down his neck. But..." Her chest tightened as her vision blurred, and she shrugged slightly as she looked down at her bracelet. "I'm- I'm not going to put him- him before you. I- I don't want to- to lose you, so if... if this really bothers you..."

She trailed off before her voice could break, forcing herself to swallow down the sudden pit in her chest. To ignore the way her heart started to ache at the thought. She wasn't going to destroy her relationship with her father for anyone, but... A nagging fear lingered in her mind - far more present than before. Was this how it was always going to be? With her being truly happy, only for it to hurt someone she loved? Was her happiness always going to come at the expense of someone else? She didn't want that. She didn't want to hurt anyone. And if that meant putting her happiness aside for the sake of those she loved... then she'd learn to live with it.

It just didn't make it any easier knowing there was a possibility she could lose her father or Pietro if she couldn't bridge the gap between them. If this somehow only made things worse between them.

Well, then. Carter was going to look into the Vision issue. Cool. One more potentially awkward social thing he had to take care of involving the Maximoff twins. The Fastimoff would probably listen better to her than he would to him anyway, he figured. However, the main issue of him getting along with Pietro still remained. If he could only get through to Carter about the fact that this was trying for him. He was already trying. He was already so far extended past his comfort zone. But Tony didn’t see the point in explaining further. What was crazy uncomfortable for him was normal and usual to other people, he knew. His comfort zone seemed to shrink significantly with each passing year.

Her asking him to trust her was a hard one. He knew she was right, but... that required letting go of that parental control he thought would always keep her safe. Really, he’d lost it a while ago, but this was just bringing it to light in a more unnerving way. “I do trust you... but I’m more afraid of letting anything happen to you. It’s a dad thing.” That didn’t make it right. “I know. Okay? I... I know.” But it was so hard, letting go. “God, how do other parents deal with this? With that moment when your kid is... not... your kid anymore.” And now he could add embarrassment to that list of uncomfortable emotions, since he had just all but admitted to Carter that part of the problem was that she wasn’t his little girl anymore. And that mad him sad and uneasy.

Tony was well aware that Pietro and Wanda both blamed him for what happened to their parents... and probably for a lot of other things too. Even though Pietro said he didn’t blame Carter, it was difficult to trust that, given the source. “Yeah, and Obadiah said he had my best interests at heart at first and look what happened with that! People lie, Carter, especially when they have ulterior motives. What if Pietro is using you to get to me? Is that so hard to believe that people can be that devious? Not for me. I’ve seen it more times than I’d like to admit.” It all came pouring out so fast that by the time he’d finished, it took him a moment to realized what he’d even said. Once he did, he regretted it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said... most of that. I’m transferring my-... I shouldn’t-... You don’t need my paranoia on top of everything else.”

He sighed and sat down, wiping his face. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’ve just... made a lot of mistakes in my life that I would give anything to take back, and the idea of stepping back and letting you to make some of those same mistakes gives me severe indigestion.” Speaking of, he reached into his pocket and took out a small container of antacids, popping one into his mouth and chewing it, his face souring at the chalky, fake, chemical berry flavor. “Someday they’re gonna make these things taste good,” he commented, shoving the container back in his pocket. Stay focused, he reminded himself.

“I know you do... and I know you don’t think he is,” Tony said as Carter insisted that she wanted to be with Pietro and that he wasn’t... like that. It was more than evident with the number of times she’d brought him up, defended him, and asked Tony to go easier on him. He could see it in the way she talked about him that she was head over heels for him. Letting her make her own mistakes wasn’t want he wanted, but it’s what he had to do. Holding on too tightly would only make her hate him, and he couldn’t deal with that. He was about to say something else when she expressed a worry about losing him if they couldn’t get along, and Tony felt like an even bigger asshole. “Aw, honey...” he said, grimacing at her fears. “You won’t ever lose me. That’s never gonna happen. I promise.”

There was no way around this. He was going to have to get along with the Fastimoff if he wanted Carter to be happy... and he wanted that more than anything right now. “You want me to talk to him, I’ll talk to him,” Tony agreed. “I will... try my absolute best to get along with him and see the good in him. I will. For you.” With any luck he’d actually be able to do it, too, and not just try.