#;; tony you're fooling nobody

[radioactivedadbod]

“did you do something different with your hair?”

" They're called grey hairs, Tony, because unlike some people, I do not have it in my budget to invest in hair dye."

[syngrafaes09]

Strange Nights | Vampire! Dr Strange x Y/n

Logline: After Y/N gets imprinted by a vampire Dr Strange, living under a fictive identity, they must unravel the cause behind her constant misadventures before their hopes are crushed forever.

Masterlist

Chapter 25 : Something More

Warnings : 18+ smut

When Y/N returned, feeling tired and frenzy, the house, though empty, was welcoming with its warm glow on the dark island. Passing by the kitchen, she halted in the living room, staring in bafflement at the disarray of papers and scrolls until the murmur of voices caught her attention. She stepped into the bedroom and peeped through the open portal.

Tony's house was foaming with a red glow. Loki was hurdled over Wanda, struggling to keep his feet while Stephen was hunched with his hands pressed to her forehead. Y/N felt her stomach clench at the sight of the rest of the members scattered over the floor, lying stiff, plaited with the red energy. Her hands were clenched into fists when she inched towards the corner.

Loki caught the little movement and hissed helplessly. 

"What is-," Y/N swallowed. She stopped, shaking with horror when she caught a glimpse of Wanda's face, her mouth slightly agape.

"Get out," he said through his clenched teeth. Half-desperately he looked at Stephen before glaring back at Y/N. The fool girl was going to lay waste to all their efforts.

Y/N took a step back when Wanda's eyelids fluttered. Her face was strange and inhuman. And something looked at her out of those eyes. She shivered horribly before dashing out of the room. 

"If I were you I wouldn't allow anyone in a ten-mile radius of her...," Loki trailed off examining their surroundings vaguely. He poked his brother with his foot but Thor lay motionlessly. The chaos was gone but none of them was going to wake up in the next two hours at least.

Stephen sat in silence. With all the darkholds destroyed across the multiverse, he hadn't considered any scarlet witch powerful enough to dreamwalk again. "She might try again," he whispered, stirring up the reverie of the thoughts he had gone through all the while trying to break the spell. 

"And about the thing earlier," Loki slumped next to him on the floor, tired from all the effort, "That seems utterly impossible." Before the dream walking incident, Stephen had desperately tried to reach him, looking for any sort of explanation for Y/N's presence not messing up their reality.

Stephen shook his head. "The variance energy is not nil, but the curve is steady, below the danger line and the detection line." He had checked it across three different devices. Even Tony was surprised when the machine gave the same result after rewiring it. They had been on a call with Loki when Wanda had gone rogue. 

"Nothing makes sense unless she somehow managed to shift the nexus point from Wanda to herself," Loki said with irritation. 

Stephen opened his mouth but catching a glimpse of Y/N across the still-open portal, he scrambled to his feet. "You're right. Nobody should be allowed around Y/N. I'll try getting to the others tomorrow," he said and abruptly left.

"Could you send me back," she swallowed the lump in her throat, "to where I came from?"

"Why," he almost cried out. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong now. 

"That," her lips trembled as her fingers pointed to where the portal had been seconds ago, "was because of me, wasn't it?"

He shook his head. Dropping to his knees, he reached out slowly, holding her shoulders, "It wasn't because of you."

Y/N tried to hold herself steady and looked down at Stephen - the very face that had been left untouched by time except for a few lines now seemed battered with confusion, fear, tiredness and uncertainty. Being away was going to be undoubtedly difficult but having recalled every damned memory of her actions over years - she flinched. The pain was better than grief. "I have caused you enough trouble Stephen, this has to end. I should leave before you end up in a grave."

He wanted to shake her to her right mind. Women were unreasonable. He knew that from experience but he had expected her to be different. Very different, like she had been in every aspect. "This is the only way," she whispered again.

"You have no idea who is hunting you down. If anyone is at risk of being in the grave, it's you. If you want to be helpful to me, get up and assist me with the protection spells around the island. The danger is far worse than I had imagined. We need to prepare-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head. She could see he had no intention of leaving her even if he had to lose everything in exchange. She could think of only one way to make him do it, hurt him badly even though she could feel her consciousness protesting at the thought of the vile idea.

"Why do you keep doing this Stephen?" she yelled at him. "Hell-bent on saving me while all you achieve is screwing up even more." She clenched her jaw at his stiff expression. Tears threatened to spill but she continued, "Why is it that you want me alive at all cost? I have lost people more than anyone could... I want this pain to end. But you want me to rot in it every day for your sake," she dared to look into his eyes that were shimmering like never before, "Is it because somewhere out there in the universe something chose for you to grieve over me when I'm gone?"

Stephen froze, looking at his reflection in her eyes, he felt almost forty years back in time - the person was different, and the circumstances had been opposite but the crux of the situation had been the same. "No," he whispered carefully, moved by the memories of Christine. He calmly searched for the right word this time, "No, it's because you're something more than everything I could ever feel," he rasped, "I keep doing this because I have been so alone... I know it's your fear speaking rather than pain. Loneliness does that to a person. Watching loved ones die does that," he inched closer to the bed, closer towards her, "You're scared just like I used to be until I met Charles that night - the regret, the longing is much worse than the fear or the pain."

She had leaned closer, twisted in agony as his words sunk deep into her soul, wondering whether to push him away or pull in closer. Something more than everything. The way he had put it she found her determination wavering. He was overwhelming her logic and common sense. "Stephen," she said softly, "you have seen what I had done. Those innocent people were killed because I was mad for you-"

"I have taken lives as well. In the name of order and chaos, I had staked innocent witches. I'm no better than you." He leaned in brushing his lips against hers.

"I remember other things as well," her hushed voice continued, "although grateful for her presence, I hated her for not being you. It was irrational... I might have taken a sharper turn than usual on that rainy road... killing them... I'm despicable..."

"Shh...," he whispered, pressing his lips softly against hers, "I treated someone badly as well. I almost treated everyone badly." He, pain struck, removed his gaze from her face and placed his hand in hers. They had healed but the scars remained. The watch, strapped to his wrist, still burned through his skin. They had been like ghosts. Staying back with him, haunting him of what he had done. "Had I apologised to her that night," his stomach clenched, "maybe she would have stayed back and wouldn't have died." And he could never give her the apology she deserved. "I was wretched enough that no one even bothered to let me know about her funeral." He looked at her, cupping her cheeks, and felt warm tears slide through his fingers, "You're nothing more unworthy than I am."

Stephen looked at her with hazy eyes, and Y/N shivered. Glancing around at the empty fireplace, he frowned, and kissed her softly on the forehead, "I'll get the fire going."

However, her arms held him in place as she kissed him on the lips. He leaned in and kissed her again, slowly and softly, feeling years of pain dissolve into a passion.

"Let me work on the spells at least," he said leaning back, "won't take much longer."

"You look exhausted," Y/N brought her hand to his face and touched his cheek, "tell me which ones to cast." He closed his eyes and parted his lips, savouring the brush of her fingers against the skin.

It was close to dawn by the time they were done with the spells. The sun wasn't up yet but the dark sky was beginning to light with the slight hue of morning purple. He exhaled putting his arms around her shoulder as they slumped on the bed in front of the fireplace.

"So she has the remaining three pieces of the resurrection stone?" Y/N asked wearily, basking in the warmth of the fire and his touch.

"I think so. Even if she hasn't, " he sighed, "it won't take her much longer. We have very little time. A fight would be inevitable."

"How long?"

"Less than a week at maximum."

She blinked, stirred in his embrace, and looked directly at him. "And at a minimum?"

When he spoke, his voice was just above a whisper, "A day. Without the darkhold, she would have spent a tremendous amount of energy to dreamwalk. She'll need some time to travel here."

"What if... I give it up?"

"The fragment of the stone is embedded deep within your soul. There is no sucking out the powers without taking your life with it."

There was a long silence before she suggested, "How about others-"

"No-," Stephen said quickly. He had yet to tell her about The Council and The Order. "They would make sure to cut your head first before facing the scarlet witch. The Order has been in the dark about your presence. If they get to know about the chaos you wield, we would have double trouble." This fight was theirs, alone theirs. 

Y/N was less gentle when she pulled him closer and kissed him. Her fingers tugged and twined with his hair as their mouths continued to press together.

Stephen was careful all the while trying to respond to her fevered pace. Her tongue moved tantalisingly across his lower lip before sucking it between hers. She was tempting and teasing when he opened his mouth, letting her explore.

He gasped and groaned, his hands sliding around her waist, when she straddled his lap and kissed him harder. It felt intensely surreal as she pulled back, holding his face in her hands, brushing her lips against his forehead, his eyelids, his nose, his cheek and his neck.

He could hardly string his thoughts as she pushed him back onto the bed and silently undid his robe. He watched her smile softly when her hands slid inside, touching him gently, exploring the uncharted territory. 

She was hot and breathless, staring at the contours of sinew, muscle and veins. He would look breathtaking even to a casual observer. 

"Like what you see?" he asked, rising, capturing her lips with a searing kiss before she could answer. 

Y/N was flushed like a fruit when his warm, wet kisses trailed down the length of her neck. In one fluid motion, she was on her back and he was kneeling between her legs.

"I could hurt you," he worried, looking at her tempting, fragile form heaving tauntingly under him.

"I don't mind. I want to feel you. Please."

Patiently, she pushed up one arm, pleading with her eyes as her fingers explored his exposed skin once again. 

"Y/N," he groaned. And caught her wrist carefully. Bringing to his lips, he kissed each fingertip before sucking it sensuously between the lips. Despite his worries, he couldn't deny her. 

She swallowed hard at the feel of his tongue swirling around her tips. She had often read in novels the sensual act of sucking the fingers but hadn't found it erotic at all. Nonetheless, seeing him... left her sensationally aroused. It felt like she would climb ecstasy from this act alone.

"Thank you," she murmured against his lips as he kissed her tenderly. He gripped her hips and pressed himself against her wondering if she would enjoy the contact as much as he did.

She moaned and began to push herself towards him.

Now that he felt her, it was hard not to lose control. He had wanted to take her dress off, slowly and teasingly but her moan had provoked him to such an extent, he tore the fabric at once. His lips left soft kisses along her neck while his hands moved over the smooth hot skin of her breasts, down her belly, past her navel and up again to cup her breasts, kneading them gently. 

She shivered and made little noises, and he raised his head to look down at her. Her eyes were closed, lips rolled in, colour and heat blooming under her skin as he brushed his thumb over her nipple.

Her eyelids fluttered, at the movement of being reclined, peeking over at him shyly. He hovered over her, shifting her gently over the pillows, a pleased look on his face. "You are breathtaking," he whispered, lowering himself until his mouth reached her breast and closed over it. She grasped and clutched his shoulders as he continued to lick and suckle while kneading the other.

Y/N threw her head back, trying to suppress her cries, as her back arched off the bed.

"God," she whimpered, feeling light-headed.

"I have just begun and you are already begging for divine intervention?" His voice was dark with desire. He moved over her, one leg between her and the other on the side, lowering himself on one elbow at her side until their skins were pressed together.

She stared at him, doe-eyed, breathing heavily as his fingers wreaked havoc wherever they touched.

His eyes were dark and cautious while his fingers gilded further down her quivering abdomen, dipping between her thighs to find the soft, hot flesh already throbbing for his touch.

Stephen touched her lightly at first, however, he stoked her in a steady, quickening rhythm when her hips began to tremble and her fingers clawed his chest. 

She whimpered and shook as the boisterous waves of pleasure engulfed her. 

"It should be a crime to have such gifted fingers and that mouth," Y/N teased after regaining some of her senses. He chucked and dipped his head to nuzzle her neck.

He smiled at the feel of her fingers fumbling with the belts of his trousers. "Stephen," she grumbled when they refused to cooperate. 

He grinned, but got out of bed, getting rid of it. When he was naked, he grinned, taking a step backwards, letting her admire him in full glory.

Y/N felt heat rushing to her core as her eyes wandered over his naked form, the firelight setting his body aglow, "You are gorgeous." She licked her lips, noticing the V extending from the hips. He was a modern, finer version of Adonis with unspeakably beautiful hands. "I need you." 

He ghosted over her, worshipping her body with his mouth, with lips and a gentle nibble of teeth now and then. She tensed when he nibbled at the soft flesh of her thighs, nuzzling them open. 

"What is it, sweetheart?" His eyes darted up to meet hers.

"No one has ever....," she trailed off, flushed with embarrassment.

"Not even your girlfriend?"

Y/N shook her head. "We never... I was a virgin."

"You are technically still one now," he said grinning wickedly. Of course, she had saved herself for him. "Open your legs for me, love, I won't bite." 

Though cautious, she obeyed. She watched as he smiled and kissed her and teased her with his tongue before sucking the flesh into his mouth.

She was already writhing in the sheets when he tested her with one finger. Her hands curled against his hair, the knuckles almost white. He groaned, stretching her with another finger, and gripped her hips carefully with his free hand, trying to hold her still.

In hardly a minute or two, she was shaking violently as her cries filled the room. He removed the suction but continued pumping into her until she tried to close her legs. 

He brought his mouth up to hers and gave a tentative kiss. Every inch of her was so sensitive, her body jumped at the slightest touch.

Stephen withdrew himself from her and went to the fireplace. Adding a couple of logs to the dying embers, he poked the burning wood around making sure the new wood could catch it easily. 

The flame began to speak again and he turned towards the glass doors. The sun was starting to rise. And he could hear the animals in the forest rousing with a rumble. He continued staring at the morning blue sky.

"Stephen."

He closed one of the curtains before returning to her. "Aren't you all spent?" He asked, snuggling against her.

"Not yet," she chuckled, grasping his hips, and urging him closer.

He smiled patiently and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her to lay on top of him. She squealed in surprise. He chucked and adjusted her until she was straddling him in the right way. 

"Are you tired?" Y/N teased, smothering his chiselled torso with kisses.

"Not in the least. Take what you need, sweetest."

A look of confusion crossed her face, "This way?"

Stephen nodded. "Is something wrong?"

"I always imagined it with you on the top..."

"I wouldn't deny I like being on top, in control but you are very small, baby, very delicate. Besides, I'm still worried if I might lose myself-," he shuddered at the idea, "You should be in control of the movements so I don't hurt you."

"But it's not a good idea to put me in control when I'm not sure of what I'm doing," she looked away, "and you told me to take what I wanted - this isn't how I want it." 

He realised at the moment how stressful she was - sitting above him naked and exposed, burdened with the responsibility of what was to happen.

"It's okay," he murmured, kissing her cheek and in one swift movement switched their positions. 

"Careful," he warned, as she lifted her hips, to further lure him. "It might hurt a little at first."

"It's okay," Y/N whispered, reclining on the pillows.

"But I want you to let me know whenever it gets uncomfortable." She nodded. "Choose your safe word."

"Stop?"

"Good girl." Y/N flushed immediately at the praise. Laughing softly, Stephen adjusted her thighs around his hips. "You like that, baby girl?" He leaned over, distributing his weight over his knees and elbows, and peppered her face with kisses.

He watched her jaw clench, her nails digging into his shoulders when he slowly buried himself in her. "Y/N? Sweetheart?" She wasn't crying, nevertheless, he was worried. He brought one hand down to her hips, ensuring no movement as he continued cooing sweet nothings into her ear.

It wasn't uncomfortable but it wasn't completely comfortable either. However, his voice, his breath, and the intense feeling of him had gotten her through the worst of the pain. 

"You can move," she whispered to his lips.

He moved agonisingly slowly until she couldn't take it anymore and moved unsteadily. He held her down, moving gradually faster.

Y/N watched him - in the firelight, he looked marvellously beautiful. The light highlighted his contours at the perfect angle. And with every thrust, she felt him burying deeper, felt this strength, his gentleness, his eagerness, his worries, his muscles and his soul. She smiled considering herself blessed for everything she had found at once.

Her smile was like the rising sun. And contagious, he thought, smiling, enjoying the intense unparalleled fulfilment. He watched with sheer amazement, delight, and desire as her breaths became erratic and her body glowed with the blue energy. The beads of sweat covering her smooth skin glistened - caught between the dying embers and searing blue. Her fingers dug into his arms, as her body shook with the building pleasure.

And as she screamed his name, he felt her powers seeping sharply through his nerves, capturing him in an ecstasy he had never felt before. He trembled and collapsed on her side, still careful to avoid crushing her.

She gave out a weary whine when she had helplessly reached out for him and found him gone. She whimpered as something damp and soft pressed in between her legs.

"Sorry," Stephen muttered, cleaning the sensitive skin. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it's just I'm tired..."

"Want me to draw a bath?"

Y/N shook her head and tugged at his arms. He smiled at her impatience, and returned to her side, spooning her in the arms.

"Stephen," she murmured, turning and twisting in his arms, to face. He hummed and continued drawing intricate patterns on her smooth, damp skin.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, nuzzling his chest.

He sighed and opened his eyes. The wee hours of the morning were gone, and the light rays stretched themselves across the floorboards. The fire had died out a long time ago but she still felt feverish curled up against him. What he wouldn't give to make this moment last forever...

"The impending doom," he whispered.

"I wish we could run away somewhere. Even for another day or two," she pressed her cheek to his chest, "And then face her, better prepared."

Startled, Stephen kept looking at her; the idea had sounded impertinent a thought ago, but was wonderful, and could buy them the much-needed time. 

He gave a peck on her forehead, in praise, before grabbing his phone from the nightstand.

"This better be good," Tony groaned, answering the call at once.

"We are leaving."

"So early?" He muttered, "Okay, I'll need-"

"No, you are getting it wrong."

It took Tony a few breaths to realise what he meant. The last night had really knocked his brains out. "Okay," he said slowly, "but where are you-"

"I don't know. And that's the whole purpose of it. To buy us some time." He then quickly gave him a list of few things they might need.

As soon as he was done with the call, her lips caught him in a lazy kiss. 

When she pulled back, her eyes met his blazing gaze. His grip automatically tightened around her. All of him assured her despite the imminent duel, they would steal a day, a week or perhaps a month of togetherness. 

Looking at her Stephen remembered twenty-four years ago, during a battle, he had thought this was going to be the last time - fighting some fool trying to mess with reality. Maybe it was true. He won't be fighting for someone else this time. He was going to fight for himself for the first time. 

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: May 14, 2003

Lyrics:

Yes (woo, ow)

It's so crazy right now

Most incredibly, it's ya girl, B (yes)

It's ya boy, Young

You ready?

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no (ow)

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no (yeah)

History in the making

Part two, it's so crazy right now

I look and stare so deep in your eyes

I touch on you more and more every time

When you leave, I'm begging you not to go

Call your name two, three times in a row

Such a funny thing for me to try to explain

How I'm feeling and my pride is the one to blame

(Yeah, yeah) 'cause I know I don't understand

Just how your love can do what no one else can

Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's

Got me looking so crazy right now (your love)

Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch

Got me looking so crazy right now (your touch)

Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss

Got me hoping you'll save me right now

Looking so crazy, your love's

Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no

Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no

When I talk to my friends so quietly

Who he think he is? Look at what you did to me

Tennis shoes, don't even need to buy a new dress

If you ain't there, ain't nobody else to impress

It's the way that you know what I thought I knew

It's the beat that my heart skips when I'm with you

But I still don't understand

Just how your love can do what no one else can

Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's

Got me looking so crazy right now (so crazy)

Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch (your love)

Got me looking so crazy right now (love)

Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss (hey)

Got me hoping you'll save me right now (hey)

Looking so crazy, your love's (hey)

Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love

I'm looking so crazy in love's

Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love (I'm warmed up now, let's go)

Young 'Hov, y'all know when the flow is loco

Young B and the R-O-C, uh oh (oh)

Ol' G, big homey, the one and only

Stick bony, but the pocket is fat like Tony Soprano (oh no)

The ROC handle like Van Axel

I shake phonies, man, you can't get next to

The genuine article, I do not sing though

I sling though, if anything, I bling yo

A star like Ringo, war like a Green Beret

Crazy bring ya whole set

Jay Z in the Range, crazy and deranged

They can't figure him out, they like, "Hey, is he insane?"

Yessir, I'm cut from a different cloth

My texture is the best fur, chinchilla

(Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no) I been iller than chain smokers

How you think I got the name Hova?

(Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no) I been realer, the game's over

(Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no) fall back, Young, ever since I made the change over

(Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no) to platinum the game's been wrap, one

Got me looking so crazy, my baby

I'm not myself, lately I'm foolish, I don't do this

I've been playing myself, baby, I don't care

'Cause your love's got the best of me

And, baby, you're making a fool of me

You got me sprung and I don't care who sees

'Cause, baby, you got me

Baby, you got me (you got me so crazy, baby), hey

Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's (oh love)

Got me looking so crazy right now (lookin' crazy)

Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch

Got me looking so crazy right now (baby)

Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss (hey)

Got me hoping you'll save me right now (oh)

Looking so crazy in love's (hey)

Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love (whoa)

Songwriter:

Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's

Got me looking so crazy right now (your love)

Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch

Got me looking so crazy right now (your touch)

Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss

Got me hoping you'll save me right now

Looking so crazy in love's

Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love

Beyonce Knowles / Eugene Records / Rich Harrison / Shawn Carter

SongFacts:

👉📖

Homepage:

Beyoncé

JAY-Z

[ravarui]

// How's my portrayal meme: Fantastic.

This goes without saying, but I love writing with your Shanks so much! You've managed to make him very funny, snarky and witty, and it's such a treat to see him on my dashboard AND my inbox (even if Kid always throws a tantrum lol). I appreciate that he seems to be apprehensive of Kid, because it shows that he acknowledges him as a threat (in spite of what went down in Elbaf). If Kid's grown enough to get a Yonko like Shanks off his ass to handle him directly, I'll take it. (:

Bonus: Tony is just a little guy and I'm holding him in my hand like an action figure. I'm not really in the Marvel fandom or anything, but I know just enough Tony Stark lore to respect that your portrayal is very on point. ❤️ I love him a lot.

How is Akkis portrayal Accepting @ferromagnetiic

// WOOD PLS. YOU CAN'T COME AT ME LIKE THIS AND NEARLY MAKE ME CRY WITH YOUR KIND WORDS AT 2AM.

It honestly means so so much to me, because you're such an amazing and talented writer yourself and I am always in awe whenever I see one of your replies or answered asks on my dash.

I'll make a note to let Shanks bother you some more in your inbox. And throw in Tony now and then too, so Kid has someone who vibes to the same music and with whom he can go on an engineering binge.

And Kid deserves to be taken serious, given what he achieved. Shanks would be an utter fool to treat him as a nobody, cause that would be a mistake that comes back to bite him in the ass one day.

[discrunkled-twog]

Hello! Once again, whether you're here reading this before, after, or during the video, thank you for taking the time to watch it at all!

This project started back in September 2022, and is ongoing!

SUMMARY:

In the afterlife, if you're an angel, you can choose from a few career paths; you can guard people and protect them from harm, you can take quick jobs "possessing" them to do something extraordinary, or you can take up a lifelong contract to watch over them and try to shape them into the best person they can be!

If you're a demon, you can guide people as well— to worse things. And you can possess them, but this is rarely taken seriously, so demons usually just have fun with this. AND you can take up a lifelong contract trying to get people to be the crappiest person they can be!

With the demons' focus on population control, they're constantly opposing the angels, whose goal is the exact opposite. That's why nobody ever thought that a demon and an angel could be in a relationship, let alone have a child. Stories— cautionary tales are told to children about the horrific creature this would unleash upon the world, but then it happened.

And when that child comes of age, how in the entire heck is he supposed to be employable?

If that sounds of interest to you, you can contact us over at one of these places! Casting Call Club: https://www.castingcall.club/projects/psychomachia-animation

Email: psychomachia.collab@gmail.com

Character sheets, in case you wanted a better look at them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11H8oL_xQPn06hSjIWRQRLTiVakg1Crejn02n_Gu31uE/edit?usp=drivesdk

Music (In Order)

Happy-Go-Lively/ Laurie Johnson

Screw On The Loose/ Tony Lowry

Ice Cream/ Me

Tom Fool/ Van Phillips

Charlie's Inferno (Instrumental)/ That Handsome Devil

Gifs and graphics were taken from the YouCut library. Additional graphics were taken from stock photos, clipart, or drawn. Again, I believe it's safe to assume that this information is irrelevant to most of those who will see it. Character sheets were done by the incredible Aspen67 on Newgrounds. Used with direct permission. All rights reserved. :) Video editing done by me.

[directlyat-thesun-moved]

I posted 14,154 times in 2022

That's 14,154 more posts than 2021!

788 posts created (6%)

13,366 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@on-the-outside

@chaotic-lesbian-but-also-a-tree

@geeky-gay-greek

@sparkycinnamon

@i-dont-know-nor-care-go-away

I tagged 2,290 of my posts in 2022

#asks - 228 posts

#ask game - 113 posts

#important - 65 posts

#rae's random rants - 64 posts

#marvel - 62 posts

#mcu - 60 posts

#anon - 57 posts

#aos - 55 posts

#siya - 53 posts

#agents of shield - 49 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#probably some cliche breakup song like abcdefu or that one that’s like ‘10 you’re selfish 9 you’re jaded 8 the dumbest guy i dated’

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

you know a show is good when every single character gives you extreme gender envy

200 notes - Posted July 30, 2022

#4

Picrew tag game thing cause I love this picrew!!! (yes this is my pfp) here it is

tagging:

@/starsarovndscars, @/homoromoacecase, @/on-the-outside, @/erica-writes-things, @/hmmyescrimejuice, @/princesscat01, @/wholesome-dragon-lady, @/chaotic-lesbian-but-also-a-treeic-lesbian-but-also-a-tree, @/cheeselovinpuffin, and @/bigbendyhorns and anyone else who wants to do it!

again, the link is right here

218 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

#3

This quote thread was a collaboration with @bitrashteddy (we each wrote about half). The first three lines were from @incorectmarvelquotes. (oh and I don't know what happened on April Fools, Valentines Day or the Kitchen Incident unfortunately. that's still under investigation.)

Wade: I wish i had acid

Peter: Wade you shouldn't do drugs :(

Wade: not that kind of acid, i really need to get rid of a body

Peter: oh well in that case, I know where to get some

Natasha: if you raid Tony's stash again I'm telling him.

Peter: again? What do you-

Natasha: Don't think i've forgotten about April Fools'.

Wade, Peter’s #1 fan: What happened april fools?

Peter: I vowed to never speak of it

Wade: wait... how many of the pranks that were blamed on me were actually you?

Peter: 😈

Natasha: I personally lost count after 20... last year

Morgan: fifty thwee.

Peter: where did you come from?

Peter: firstly: traitor, secondly: very bold coming from someone who blamed Wade for the kitchen incident

Natasha: the kitchen- wait. Peter, that was YOU?

Peter: Hey- I was simply an accomplice, it was all Morgans idea

Morgan, putting on her I'm an innocent five year old face: auntie Nat, do you weally think I'd be smart enough to pull something that genius off?

Natasha: At this point I'm ready to believe anything.

Wade, losing his mind: Can we go back to the part where you framed me for the incident AND stole acid?

Peter: Morgan is the one who showed me where the acid was!

Wade: so you're blaming everything on Morgan now?

Peter: ...yes. yes, I am.

Morgan: B- but I didn't do anything!

Peter: Morgan we all know you're not as innocent as you claim to be

Morgan: But- in my defense he asked weally nicely

Natasha: *sighs* Morgan do you want me to teach you karate?

Tony: Nat, I have no context at all for this but you're not teaching my daughter martial arts.

Peter: Is now a good time to confess Wade and I have been teaching her Kickboxing?

See the full post

218 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

#2

Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, Marcus, Fei, Jayme, Alphonso, Sloane, and Christopher: Fuck you, Vanya, you destroyed the world twice and nobody loves you. Viktor: :( Viktor: oh also my name’s Viktor. Everybody: Well. Fuck you Viktor.

281 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Yelena: Hey Kate, are you there?

Clint, Mr. Hearing Problems: Did you just say 'are you gay?'

Yelena: I said are you there

Kate, emerging from the shadows: Well, I am gay...

based on a real conversation

344 notes - Posted March 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[the-firebird69]

What's the matter of time it's amount of time before this orange stuff starts to loosen up more of this Prilosec then he needs and it's coming up to that point we're watching in these idiots are giggling saying they're using us and all this crap and we suddenly looked over and saw Becca saying that she's in the lead right now and her son said not really so those people are imitating something and she said how do you know it's real simple so she asked Justin who said they're real she's a fool in the way she didn't believe him of course she came back and blocked for an hour and said how would you extract your own weapon she got mad she had screaming and bloody murder said a whole bunch of stuff went away said she's coming back with a gun when she said nothing in this life is free or easy she finally said this we're at risk here and we have a ship above us nobody's doing anything about it any of us could get hurt and was sick and tired of the stupid s*** and she said people have to start stopping this Tony f guy nobody can see anything and people are going after him cuz he's the one who did that to her she said and others to researched it and really it's about time you're so concentrating and angering we're going around we're doing stuff and getting ready to white people out and get care less you don't want to handle things that are aggravating as hell anything it helps you and you're just stupid

Today we're reviving a bunch of celestials and eternals and other and we need them and they're coming out and we're going to crush you

Thor Freya

Olympus

We don't have a flipping attitude these people so damned annoying they need to learn that they need to shut up. If they don't we're going to have to speed up because it's really annoying now I see tons of people out there they're at Libya and Chad and yeah we don't like your name and they're out there trying to get gold and they're obstructed by the pseudo empire who did not know about it and yes they're the grim reaper and it's going to happen shortly

Hera Zues

[reactxr]

“We can talk through the door.”

post - trauma sentence starters@chiisaikintsukuroi

“For the thousandth time,” Tony stifled a hiccuped breath, thudding head lightly against the door. “I don’t need a counseling session.” His hand ran down forehead, covered his eyes, silently threatening himself to keep the panic to a minimum. 

“I’ll be fine, kid.” It was a lie, but if the lie ceased Edward’s worrying – hurrah. 

[xreader-writing]

I'm here | Tony Stark

Sumarry → Tony Stark realizes that his daughter has been very different and distant lately.

Pairing → Tony Stark x Daughter!Reader | Request → Here

Word Count → 1.198

A/N → Forgive me it took me so long to write this baby I really hope it's not so bad lol. ♡ English is not my first language, so I’m sorry for any mistakes.

| Masterlist | Open request! |

Tony had many successes in his life and Y/n was definitely the biggest one.

Tony is completely fascinated by his daughter, and everyone could see that, she was the greatest treasure of his life, and he would do anything for her.

But for some time now, Tony realized how different his daughter was, he noticed how much she tried to hide from him and everyone, but luckily, he had noticed.

Y / n was always very close to him, and the whole team, she was always laughing and talking, but lately, Y / n is quieter, and spends most of her day in her room, always making the same excuses

"I'm just tired, don't worry.”

“I just got a headache, don't worry.”

But that smile doesn't fool Tony Stark, his daughter wasn't okay, and he'd do everything he could to help her.

One day, Tony went to his daughter's room to talk to her, he decided he wouldn't leave until he found out what was going on with her.

"Alright, tell me who hurt you so I can kill him and we can get back to normal." Tony said entering Y/n's room as soon as she opened the door.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm fin-"

"If you tell me you're fine one more time, I'm going to freak out." Tony interrupts Y/n and sighs, he sits on her bed and pats the bed, signaling Y/n to sit beside him.

As soon as she does, Tony runs a hand through her hair, and hugs her shoulders.

"Please my daughter, tell me what's going on, has someone hurt you?" Tony says this, and Y/n sighs loudly.

"No dad, nobody did anything to me." She says it so softly, making Tony lean in to hear it.

"What's going on my love? Please trust me."

Y/n sighs, and closes his eyes feeling that the tears were about to come out like a dam.

"Dad I... I don't know what's wrong with me, I just... I don't feel like doing anything anymore." Y/n says with eyes closed.

"I don't feel like seeing anyone, I don't even feel like looking in the mirror, because I hate what I see." Y/n says starting to sob, and Tony feels his heart sink as he sees his daughter's condition.

"Dad I feel so useless, I don't know what else to do." Y/n is crying and sobbing, and Tony pulls her into a tight hug.

Y/n is hugging Tony with her head on his chest and when she cries with her eyes closed, Tony is doing his best not to cry along with his daughter.

"I'm sorry dad, I wanted to be a better daughter, I swear I try, but I can't, forgive me I'll never be good enough." Y/n says, she is still crying and Tony can't hold back the tears upon hearing this from his daughter.

"How can you say that my love? You are everything to me my daughter, you are my most precious treasure." Tony says hugging Y/n tighter, afraid she would disappear, because at that moment, he felt like he was losing her.

Tony and Y/n were crying and holding each other for a while, until Y/n quieted the sobs, and slowly let go of Tony.

"I'm sorry about the shirt daddy." She says walking away and trying to clean Tony's shirt with her hands.

"Hey." Tony says holding his daughter's hands to get her attention.

"Why didn't you tell me you were feeling this way before, dear?"

"I don't know, I didn't want to let you down dad, I'm sorry." Y/n says, sniffling.

"I'm the one who has to apologize, forgive me for not having noticed before dear." Tony says taking Y/n's face and wiping her tears with his thumb.

"You're not a failure, you're not worthless, you're the best thing that's happened in my life." Tony says this, and gives Y/n a tender kiss on the forehead.

"Without you I wouldn't even be here anymore dear, you're my sunshine, and my reason to get up in the morning." He keeps talking and wiping the new tears that fall from Y/n's eyes.

"I know sometimes things get rough, and the voices in your head keep telling you you're not enough, but believe me honey, you're already perfect, and it's so much more than I deserve." Tony says quietly in a soft voice, pulling Y/n to his chest again.

"I love you very, and if you saw yourself as I see you, you would no longer wonder why you're here."

Y/n goes back to crying into Tony's chest, but this time no sobs, only tears fall from his eyes.

"Please don't stop trying to fight this, let me help you, let's get through this together." Tony says stroking Y/n's hair, feeling her nod.

After they spend some time holding each other, Tony kisses Y/n on the head.

"Hey, where did you get that let down? Honey, you could never let me down, ever." Tony says, as soon as he notices that Y/n is no longer crying.

"Well you know, you are Tony Stark." Y/n says, and Tony looks at her in disbelief.

"You're Y/n Stark, you can't imagine the pride you give me, and nothing could change that honey, nothing."

"You can't know that." Y/n says looking at her feet.

"Of course I can, I'm Tony Stark remember?" Tony says, and winks at his daughter, who chuckles softly.

Tony gets up from Y/n's bed, and walks to a picture that he had on the wall, it was a photo with her and Tony in his lab, the two of them smiling brightly at the camera while Tony hugged Y/n by the shoulders.

"You know, this is for sure the most beautiful photo I've ever seen in my life." Tony says smiling, looking at Y/n's smile in the photo, the smile he loved so much, the smile that made his day a thousand times better.

Y/n smiles softly, and Tony looks at his daughter with the proudest, most loving gaze ever.

Tony opens his arms signaling for his daughter to give him a hug, Y/n got up from her bed, and walked over to her father snuggling into her arms in a tight hug.

"No matter your age, you will always be my baby and I will always be by your side, it's you and me against the world remember?" Tony says and kisses his daughter's head with his eyes closed.

Y/n hugs Tony tighter, and there she realizes that she doesn't have to go through this alone anymore, Tony is here, and doesn't intend to leave anytime soon.

─────────────✧──────────────

[abimess]

Too familiar, too hurtful

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Ever since you joined the Avengers, a certain witch has always had the most hostile behaviors toward you. Little did you know that the nature of her feelings were much more complex.

Word count: 4.220

Warnings: fluff; angst; enemies to lovers

You do NOT have permission to repost or translate my work on any platforms (even with credit)

REQUEST | Masterlist | Library Blog (Read on: Wattpad)

───── ⋅ ✮ ⋅ ─────

You would say you’re a nice person to have around.

Not that you’re full of yourself or nothing like that. It's just that you know you try to make the people around you feel comfortable. So you’re not the kind of person who has enmities. But there was one person in particular who didn't seem to like you at all: Wanda Maximoff.

A few months ago you joined the Avengers. When you were a child you used to accompany your parents to their workplace. But one day, a problem with a particle accelerator led to the elimination of a high amount of radiation.

Nobody knows why. And nobody knows why you were the only one affected by the accident. But you were. And now all the cells in your body work much faster than the cells of normal people, and seem to last much longer too.

In practical terms, you have super speed. And because of the fast and efficient functioning of your body, you hardly ever got sick, and any injuries healed much faster than normal. But to be honest, the super speed part was what you found the coolest.

You use it all the time, especially to annoy your parents, who could do nothing about it. You thought it best to hide your abilities, so disturbing the people in your family was the only use you had for them.

But now that you’re of age, your parents told you that since the day of the accident you had been monitored by the government and are now being invited to join the Avengers.

To be honest, it hurt to know that your parents had kept this from you for so long. But you were too excited about the idea of becoming a superhero to be upset for long.

On the first day, Captain America (who insisted you call him just Steve), showed you around the compound, explaining everything you needed to know about the place and the routine. It seemed like a lot, to say the least, but you were still extremely excited to get started.

The same night that you arrived, Tony Stark organized a welcome party for you. You were never much for partying, but this was the first time you could use your powers in front of people, so you made the most of it.

You made friends with everyone you could, and everyone seemed to like you, some more and some less, but you're not complaining. But one person seemed to avoid you at all costs.

At first, you thought Wanda was just shy. But as time went on, it became clear that she didn't like you. In fact, she wouldn't miss any opportunity to show you how much she loathes you.

You never understood why. You never did anything to upset her and you didn't even know each other. But she kept being rude, kept ignoring you and, whenever she could, she kept leaving the room whenever you came in.

Even though you tried to be a nice person, you’re no fool. So you started treating the witch the same way. You had nothing against her. In fact, she was one of the most interesting people on that place, not that you would admit it. But if she was willing to act like an enemy then that’s how you would treat her.

At every meeting, you exchange angry glances and always have sarcastic remarks to make about what the other had just said. When you meet in the corridors, you always clench your jaw and Wanda always sighs in irritation.

But the truth was that it hurts. Because you're not the kind of person who has enmities. And there’s something about Wanda that makes you want to know her. So sometimes you try to talk to her. It never worked, she always cut you off and left the room. But you keep trying anyway.

You have just entered the common room of the complex when you see Wanda sitting on one of the couches reading a book, her back to you. Using your super speed, you run and throw yourself on the armchair facing where the brunette is sitting.

Wanda startles, holding the book tighter, but pretends it didn't happen and doesn't look at you. But you notice and smile mischievously.

"Sorry I startled you, Wanda, it's just that I was in a hurry." You joke, giggling at your own pun, and the witch briefly raises her eyebrows, not the least bit impressed by your antics.

"That's great, (Y/n), so why don't you rush your way out of here?" She replies harshly without looking at you and you swallow dryly, shifting uncomfortably in your armchair.

An awkward silence forms around you, mingling with the anger emanating from Wanda and pressing you against the armchair. But you’re willing to try again.

"What book are you reading?" You ask pointing to the object in her hands even though she is not looking at you. "It's none of your business." She replies even more harshly than before, still refusing to look at you.

You nod slowly, getting up from the armchair and muttering an "okay" under your breath as you do so.

"Bye, Wanda." You mumble before leaving, but the brunette doesn't say anything back.

-----

You, Wanda, Steve and Natasha are surrounded.

The Hydra agents seemed to know you were coming and were waiting for you in droves. It’s the first time since you joined the Avengers that you face so many enemies like this, but you swallow your anxiety and continue with your job.

Despite the immense disadvantage, you manage to complete the mission with a simple plan. You and Wanda cover for Steve and Nat while they take the box with the chemical weapon back to the quinjet and once they get there, you and Wanda leave as well.

While Wanda maintains an energy barrier protecting Steve and Nat and hurls energy spheres at some of the agents, you use your super speed to disarm and knock out as many enemies as you can.

As soon as Nat confirms on the comms that you can return, you stop running and look at Wanda. She is surrounded and you notice some soldiers coming at her from behind, she being completely unaware of their approach.

Without a second thought, you run to her and pick her up, carrying her away and reaching the quinjet in less than a second.

As soon as you stop running, Wanda looks at you with wide eyes. "Let go of me!" She screams hysterically, pushing you hard and getting off your lap clumsily and desperately. You watch her reaction paralyzed and shocked.

"Don't ever do that again." She says through clenched teeth pointing her index finger at your face, her eyes watering and hate written all over her face.

Before you can say anything, she walks away from you. You look at your mentors and realize that they’re exchanging indecipherable glances.

You sigh, running your hands down your face angrily and walking in the opposite direction to where Wanda went.

-----

As soon as Wanda returned from the mission, she ran to her room and allowed herself to cry.

She doesn't know how much time has passed since then, but it's already dark outside so she figures it's been a few hours.

It's been months and she still hasn't learned how to cope. The fear of never being able to making her cry even more.

Light knocks on the door startle her and she wipes her tears away before walking over. "I'm not hungry, Steve, I'll eat some-" She says but as soon as she notices who it is, she stops talking abruptly.

Wanda's features tense up and you watch the sad frown turn into one of irritation. But you don't want to fight. Today was the last straw.

"I don't want to bother." You say peacefully. Wanda seems about to retort with a harsh remark, but you hold out a small basket and she closes her mouth again.

The brunette frowns, taking the basket cautiously. Her breath hitches as she realizes that it’s filled with goodies typical from her home country. "I hope you like it. It took a while to find a store that sells Sokovian food but I did." You say while Wanda attentively observes the basket in her hands. "It was kind of far from here, but distance isn't a problem for me."

A half-hearted chuckle escapes your mouth but Wanda looks at you seriously and puzzled, so your laughter dies down and you swallow dryly. "Anyway, it's just an apology gift."

You explain but Wanda remains silent, so with one last shy smile you turn and start walking. "What are you apologizing for?" Wanda's voice a few seconds later makes you stop.

You turn around and she watches you curiously. You walk back to the entrance of her room and stop, facing Wanda again. "I don't know." You answer, truthfully. "But I must have done something for you to hate me like this so... I’m sorry."

Wanda looks at you, and it’s clear in your eyes that you’re being honest. But the witch giggles incredulously, and you frown. "You're apologizing without even knowing the reason?" She asks and you shrug. It's the first time she has ever smiled in your direction, and you feel your cheeks heat up a little right away.

"And I don't hate you." She says and you make an extremely confused face, which makes Wanda laugh again.

The witch opens the door for you to enter and you’re uncertain whether or not you should do so, but you enter. Walking slowly, you stop in the middle of her bedroom. Wanda closes the door and signals for you to have a seat.

With a shy smile you sit down on the edge of the bed and a million questions race through your mind. How come she doesn't hate you? Of course she hates you. Why would she treat you the way she does if she didn't hate you? And why isn't she being rude to you right now? And you can't help but notice her puffy eyes. Was she crying because of you? You hope not.

But instead of asking any of these questions, you silently watch her sit down next to you. "I'm sorry." She says, and you’re sure it’s some kind of prank. Wanda, noticing your complete confusion with the situation, smiles weakly, trying to reassure you.

"There's something I think you need to know." She says and you look at her intently. She takes a deep breath and then begins to tell you a story.

Wanda joined the Avengers almost a year before you did, during the time of the events in Sokovia. You know about it, obviously, but you never had any details.

But apparently Wanda had a twin brother, Pietro. They were both on Ultron's side at the time, but they switched sides soon after and during the final battle that almost resulted in the destruction of the world, Pietro was killed.

It’s impossible to imagine the sorrow she’s going through. Losing her parents, then her home country, then her brother. It seemed unbearable, so you’re not at all surprised that she tells this story while tears are streaming from her eyes.

You don't know at what exact moment you held Wanda's hand, but when you realize it, you don't pull your hand away and she doesn't pull away from you either.

"He had super speed. Just like you." She comments, her voice shaky from the incessant crying and you close your eyes sighing, finally understanding what this is all about. "You're a lot like him. In fact it's almost impossible to look at you and not remember him." She confesses and you nod slowly, not knowing what to do next.

"I'm sorry, Wanda." That's all you can manage to say and the brunette gives you a sad, grateful smile in response.

You want to say something else or else do something. But you’re static. Your brain may work faster than others, but it would take time to digest all that information.

"I think I'd like to be alone for a while now.” Wanda says cautiously, and you nod a little embarrassed. You give her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and head to the door.

"Good night, Wanda." You say in the most affectionate tone you can manage and Wanda gives you a half smile. "Good night, (Y/n)."

You leave the room closing the door behind you and neither of you can sleep properly that night.

-----

Since the day Wanda finally talked to you, she noticed that you stopped using your abilities in the compound (at least when she’s around) and the witch smiles gratefully every time she thinks about it.

Also, the hostile atmosphere that surrounded the two of you has completely dissipated. You no longer make rude or sarcastic remarks to each other and even smile when you meet around the compound.

You’re not friends. You didn't talk or do anything that friends usually do. Mostly because of Wanda and she knew that. You were always willing to be friends with her, but you held back because of her aggressiveness. And now you hold back because of the traumas she shared with you.

But Wanda likes you. Even though she didn't allow herself to, she liked your sense of humor, and from what little she could notice, you seemed to like the same stuff. You're the kind of person Wanda would like to be friends with, but grief and mourning had always stopped her. But now she was willing to try.

The problem was knowing how. Wanda is very shy and interacting with other people is not really her thing. So every time she saw you and thought about the possibility of inviting you to do something together, she would freeze and leave right away.

But one day she went to the kitchen in the middle of the afternoon to make a snack and when she arrived, you were already there. You exchanged friendly greetings and Wanda noticed your shirt, finding the perfect opportunity.

"Nice T-shirt." Wanda says after grabbing some juice for herself and sitting down at the table, facing you. You turn your attention from your sandwich to the brunette in front of you, surprised that she spoke to you. Wanda smiles shyly and points to your shirt, you look down and smile.

"Yeah, it's my Harry Potter house." You say and Wanda nods. "It's a cool house." You smile even wider as you realize that she also likes the saga. "What's yours?"

"Slytherin." She answers without hesitation and you giggle softly. "Yeah, I'm not surprised." You retort and she laughs as well.

"Ready for training, Sonic?" You hear Bucky's voice coming from the kitchen door and you roll your eyes with an amused smile. "That’s a terrible nickname." You scoff, standing up and putting your plate in the dishwasher. "I can try to find a worse one." He retorts, and you laugh.

You flash one last friendly smile at Wanda before heading toward the door. "(Y/n), wait." You hear her voice calling you and you turn around. You watch the brunette spinning the rings on her fingers nervously and you frown.

"I was thinking about doing a Harry Potter marathon later." She starts shyly and you hold your breath with the direction of the conversation. "Would you like to watch it with me?" She asks, sounding a little uncertain. "Of course!" You say with an excited smile and Wanda smiles relieved.

You hear Bucky calling you again. You and Wanda shyly say goodbye and Wanda watches you walk away with a happy smile on her face.

-----

Wanda was completely nervous at the thought of having a movie night with you. And you could barely train with Bucky thinking about Wanda's invitation.

But the time came and you met in the TV room. It was shy and clumsy at first, but soon you started to watch the movie and the atmosphere became lighter and lighter.

You and Wanda made comments about your favorite scenes, laughing at some of them and commenting on how you wished some scenes were the same as in the books. Wanda always laughed when you spoke along with the lines of the movie, and you always laughed when Wanda did the same.

When the first movie ended, you and Wanda went to the kitchen and got a bunch of goodies. When you ran into Nat in the hallway, she frowned at the amount of junk food you were carrying and you and Wanda exchanged accomplice looks before giggling.

You sat back down on the couch, blankets over you and food spread around you. You and Wanda sat much closer together than you were before, but neither of you commented on that.

"It's funny to watch these movies with a witch by my side." You joke when you’re already halfway through the third movie. "Why?" Wanda asks with a confused frown and an amused smile. "I'm completely different from them. Besides, I don't have a wand."

"Of course you do!" You say and she frowns even more. "Wand-a." You say smiling playfully and Wanda rolls her eyes, a sound of disgust escaping her mouth. "For God's sake, (Y/n)." She says hitting you with the pillow. But she laughs and you laugh too.

-----

After the first movie night, you and Wanda agreed to meet in the TV room at least once a week. But in fact, you meet almost every day.

You showed her several of your favorite movies and were filled with joy when she liked almost all of them. And Wanda shared with you her passion for sitcoms, and she always smiled when your laughter filled the room.

When you watched thriller movies, you were tense together. When you watched comedy movies, you laughed together until your cheeks hurt. When you watched horror movies, you felt your heart beat faster every time Wanda hugged your arm in fear. When you watched drama movies, you tried to hold back the tears but never could, and Wanda always watched you out of the corner of her eye with an endeared smile on her face. When you watched romance movies, you both blushed intensely.

It didn't take long for you to start having feelings for each other that went beyond friendship.

You remember the exact moment you realized you had fallen in love with Wanda. You were watching a musical. You were never much of a musical fan. But Wanda liked this one, so you watched it. Eventually, she started humming one of the songs. It was low and shy, but the sound of her voice entered your ears and went straight to your heart, making your whole body relax. You started wanting to watch musicals more often.

Wanda remembers the exact moment she realized she had fallen in love with you. You were watching one of her favorite sitcoms. It was one of the episodes that Wanda had memorized from beginning to end. The scene that she finds the funniest in the episode was coming up and she had to be careful not to look at you all the time, waiting to see your reaction. But when the moment came, you didn't laugh and Wanda frowned in disappointment. A few moments later, you started to laugh hard and Wanda watched you in confusion. "Sorry." You tried to say amidst the laughter. "It's just that I didn't understand that joke until now." You explain and Wanda smiles, finding you the most adorable person in the world, laughing with you right away. The sound of your laughter became Wanda's favorite sound.

But being the shy mess that you both were, neither of you told the other about your feelings, completely terrified by the idea of rejection and afraid of ruining the friendship that you had taken so long to cultivate. But one day, you built up the courage to do it.

You were sitting on the couch watching a random episode of Friends, your shoulder brushing gently against Wanda's whenever one of you laughed. The two of you blushed every time this happened.

The scene that was playing was Chandler suggesting to Monica that they get married if they are single when they are 40, and you laughed through your nose. When Wanda looks at you in confusion, you shrug. "That's a funny idea."

"What are you talking about?" She asks puzzled and you point to the television. "That about having a love backup plan for the future." You explain and Wanda hums in agreement.

"But it's not a bad idea." You complete, not quite sure where you’re going with this and feeling your cheeks heat up. Wanda hums once more.

"We could be each other's backup plan." She says after a while of silence and you immediately feel your mouth go dry. "Yeah, we could." You say trying not to stutter, not taking your eyes off the television but not really paying attention to anything that’s happening on the screen. You don't notice, but Wanda smiles shyly beside you.

You turn to her soon after, a playful smile on your face as you hold out your hand to her. "If we're still single when we're 40, we'll get together.” You say, and she laughs, shaking your hand. "Deal."

When she lets go of your hand, you turn your face to the TV again. Beside you, Wanda twirls the rings on her fingers nervously. "Or maybe when we're 35." She murmurs, and you feel your heart skip a beat.

"Or when we're 30." You answer in the same tone. You notice out of the corner of your eye that she looks at you, so you look at her too. The two of you then go on suggesting lower and lower ages until you build up the courage to say. "Or we could do it tomorrow."

Wanda's eyes widen slightly and you bite the inside of your cheek, cursing yourself for saying the wrong thing. But soon Wanda replies. "Or we can do it in ten seconds." You feel your heart stopping once more.

"Yeah, or we can do it in ten seconds." You repeat, almost in a whisper, and Wanda smiles shyly. She starts to count down, and you follow her. You're not quite sure what you have to do when the countdown is over, but when you're at 3, Wanda holds out her hand in front of you and you smile.

When you reach 1, you hold her hand, intertwining your fingers with hers and smiling at how soft and warm her hand is against yours. "That's nice." She murmurs, both of you looking at your entwined fingers. "It is," you reply in the same tone.

After a moment, you look up at her. Noticing your movement, Wanda does the same. When her eyes meet yours, you feel all thoughts being driven from your mind. But only one remains.

"I think I'd like to kiss you now.” You confess and Wanda's gaze quickly diverts to your lips before returning to your eyes. "Yeah, I think I'd like that too."

At her response you smile foolishly and when she smiles too, you lean in. The brunette leans in as well, and you feel your whole body shiver with anticipation.

When your lips touch hers, you both sigh. The touch brings all the best sensations and takes away all the fear and doubt. When you move your hand to the side of Wanda's face, caressing her cheek, the brunette smiles, holding your other hand with both of her hands and keeping them in her lap.

After a while, you pull away to breathe, but just enough so that you can open your eyes and observe the stunning woman in front of you. Her beautiful green eyes watch you adoringly and you feel a growing urge to kiss her again. So you do.

When your lips meet once more, you both smile. You smile so much that it’s difficult to continue the kiss, but you continue anyway, because you both have waited so long for this moment.

But eventually the kiss ends and you extend your arm on the couch to Wanda and she smiles happily, her cheeks slightly pink. She wraps her arms around you, resting her head on your chest, and you wrap your arms around her, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head and Wanda giggles.

You both go back to watching the tv show, both of you almost exploding with happiness. You watch a few more episodes, and feeling your chest rise and fall becomes Wanda's favorite sensation; and feeling Wanda shaking lightly against your body when she laughs becomes your favorite sensation.

After a while, you look down and smile in amazement at the scene. Wanda draws lazy circles with her fingers on your arm, her eyes sparkling in the light coming from the TV. Something funny happens in the episode that you don't pay attention to, but Wanda laughs softly and you smile even more as you watch her like that.

With a contented sigh, you feel your heart beating hard for the girl in your arms. You won’t need a backup plan.

───── ⋅ ✮ ⋅ ─────

And that's it for today! I hope you enjoyed it, thoughts and comments are always welcome ツ

Taglist: @yuhloversxx @madamevirgo @an-evergreen-rose @helloalycia @wandas1mp @cantcontroltheirfear @diaryoflife @ironscarletwidowsoilder @cristin-rjd @ensorcellme @aimezvousbrahms @natasha-danvers @purplemeetsblue @randomshyperson @thegayw1tch @peggycarter-steverogers @causeitswhatjesuswouldfreakingdo @b0mbdotc0m @yourtaletotell @ethereal-pxradise @stephanieromanoff @tomy5girls @justagaypanicking @gingerbreadcookieforlife @imapotatao @musicinourlips @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @tsmukanii @likefirenrain @allfiguredout @olsensnpm @magicallymaximoff @am-just-a-cosmic-joke-to-me @ima-gi–na-tion (let me know if you wanna be tagged)

[ironunderoos]

Requesting about a random woman slips tony her number and peter gets all jealous.

Hi anon, this turned into a mob boss!Tony piece, I hope it is okay! Thank you for the request 😏❤️

Heat

"What's up baby?" Tony leaned in, his half smile still on his face while he murmured into Peter's ear. The air around them sparkled with reflections from crystal and jewelry, high society smiles and fake laughter.

"Huh?" Peter turned away from him, his cute nose scrunched up.

Tony gripped his elbow to turn him around again. It wasn't a good look on Peter to ignore Tony at a social event. Even if he fucked the boy, he would not tolerate such behaviour in public.

Peter's eyes were wide when he stared into Tony's and he shied away under the hard stare. He didn't see this side of his lover very often because Tony indulged him, especially when they were alone. But not like this, not when he had to play arm candy and smile next to Tony.

"It's nothing…" he murmured and lowered his head.

Tony leaned in more, so that he could speak into the boy's ear. "You're not happy, baby? Even if I bought you this nice suit and took you to such a fancy party?"

And fancy it was. Movie stars, politicians, entrepreneurs and their playmates surrounded them, wealth rivaling with fame and fortune. Peter, a little nobody from Queens wouldn't have been allowed to scrub the plates at such an event weren't it for Tony.

The boy tried a smile. It looked insincere, but that was the norm in a place like this.

"I'm sorry Daddy. It's beautiful, thank you."

Tony stroked a finger over Peter's cheek and then turned around to the room again, showing off his own fake smile, knowing that he could fool anyone.

Peter behaved for the time being, staying close to Tony, smiling along while the older man strengthened existing alliances and forged new ones. Shaking hands, making offers. It was part of his role.

But at some point something changed. Peter gasped and then turned. He stormed off, leaving Tony behind, stunned. Only for a moment, though, before anger changed place with the surprise.

"If you'll excuse me a moment, senator. My companion doesn't do well with champagne it seems."

"Of course, Stark."

*

Tony found Peter in one of the bathrooms. At first he thought him to be sick or drugged, with the way the boy was leaning over the sink and staring into the mirror with red rimmed eyes. But when he saw his lover's reflection Peter straightened and his face turned sour.

Tony closed the door and locked it.

Peter tensed because the way Tony approached him already ignited worry in the boy, his instincts telling him that a predator neared his prey. Tony's dark expression made the boy shaky and he could see the effort Peter had to stay where he was. To his surprise the boy lifted his chin, his eyes as angry as Tony's.

"What's that supposed to be, huh? Running off like a child, letting me look like some kind of idiot?!"

Peter trembled but he didn't back away and he didn't lower his chin.

"I've seen it!"

"You saw what?!"

He faltered a little bit but then soldiered on "I saw that woman giving you her number. Right in front of me! As if-..."

Tony sneered. "As if what? As if you didn't even matter that much?"

Hurt flashed over Peter's face before he forced his expression neutral again. What was this, Tony wondered for a brief moment. Hurt pride? Claiming his place as Tony's boy toy? Or was Peter truly so sappy that he'd fallen for a man like Tony the shark Stark?

"It was… rude. To make her offer this obvious. And you… you didn't reject her." His voice sounded defeated and finally he looked down.

A small, distant voice in Tony tried to get his attention but he stomped it down. He grabbed Peter's chin and turned his face to him. Their noses almost touched.

"I do what I want. If I want to fuck someone in this very restroom, I will. And you will wait outside with a smile and walk around the rest of the evening by my side, being as charming and sweet as I want you to! Got it?!"

Peter's hurt was more obvious now. His breath hitched but then he nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good. And let me tell you. One more thing like this and you'll regret it! Am I making myself clear?!"

"Yes!"

His grip softened a bit. "You want to be good for me, don't you?"

Peter had tears in his eyes.

"Yes sir."

Tony smirked. Slowly he pushed Peter to his knees, crowding him against the sink.

"Then show me why I'm here with you instead of that other slut."

[writing-by-gayrainbowbridge]

Adopted By Frostiron

Fourth Part From This Fic Inspired By The Gorgeous Fanart Made By murdermuffinloki:

Here is the fourth part! A Frostiron Story of Loki and Tony adopting little Sylvie ❤

⚠️Warnings: /⚠️

Enjoy! 💚❤

"Sylvie! We're going to get into trouble!"

"Relax, Peter. I know what I'm doing."

"You've said that before and look what happened then."

It had been years now since Sylvie had been adopted. She'd changed her name so as not to cause confusion between her and her Mom, picking out the name Sylvie. Nobody really knew why she had chosen the name but in the face of her excitement at choosing the name, nobody ended up questioning it.

Sylvie huffed, clicking her fingers at Peter who gave her an unimpressed look. "Scissors, Peter."

Peter, now nearly fourteen, sighed in exasperation but handed them over. "If mom or dad finds out—"

"They're going to find out eventually, Peter," Sylvie told him, turning to look in the bathroom mirror so she could see what she was doing. "But not before I'm done."

Peter groaned, bouncing on the balls of his feet, constantly glancing back at the bathroom door.

"Stop it. You're going to make me nervous," Sylvie berated him. "Just go stand guard and keep watch."

Peter grumbled under his breath, something about pushy little sisters but did as told.

Sylvie rolled her eyes. She was thirteen now, aging normally in Midgardian years to save other mortals confusion. She would live longer than any other mortals though.

Sylvie stared with a frown on her face at her reflection. It wasn't that she didn't like how she looked. She was pretty for her age as mom always told her but she wanted...something. Just a change.

Sylvie chewed at her lip, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. She knew cutting off her hair herself wasn't a great idea but she could do it. It couldn't be that hard.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened out a length of hair that reached past her shoulders and raised the scissors up.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Sylvie yelped in alarm, the scissors slipping from her hands but they never hit the floor, hovering in the air.

Loki kept his hand up as he walked over with a raised eyebrow, plucking the scissors out of the air when he was close enough. Sylvie caught Peter's guilty looking face peeking around the doorframe, an apologetic look in his cinnamon brown eyes.

Sylvie swallowed. "N-nothing."

Loki was definitely not fooled in the slightest. "Is that so? Because to me, it looked as if you were about to cut your hair."

"Um..." Sylvie looked down at the floor. "I...might have been."

"Why?" Loki inquired. He didn't sound angry or upset. Just curious.

"I just..." Sylvie waved a hand vaguely. "Wanted something...different."

"I see," Loki murmured, looking Sylvie over one before nodding. "Turn around."

"What? Why?" Sylvie asked, always one to question everything first before doing as told. She was rather defiant like that.

"I'm going to cut your hair for you unless you wish to make a mess of it by doing it yourself," Loki stated simply, making Sylvie flush in embarrassment.

She would have argued that Loki wouldn't know if she would have done a bad job or not herself but decided against it as she turned to face the mirror, glancing at Loki's reflection who was looking over Sylvie's hair, humming thoughtfully.

"Did you simply want it shorter?" Loki asked, grabbing the brush on the counter and began brushing Sylvie's hair straight.

"Yes?" Sylvie said unsurely. She had wanted her hair shorter.

"Is that all you want?" Loki asked gently.

Sylvie chewed at her lip. "Maybe...a different color?"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Which color would that be?"

"Um..." Sylvie hadn't really thought up to this point. She really had only planned up to cutting her hair shorter. Changing her hair color had been a distant thought but now that she was being given the choice. "Blond?"

"Blond," Loki repeated, placing aside the brush in favor of the scissors. "How short am I going to cut to? Ear length, shoulder length?"

"Maybe...maybe just above my shoulders?" She suggested, receiving a nod.

Sylvie stayed stock still as Loki cut her hair, holding her breath each time her hair was snipped off and fell to the floor at her feet.

"I want you to know," Loki spoke up as he set down the scissors and grabbed the brush, Sylvie staring wide at her short hair. "That you can always come to me about anything you want, do you understand? I will not tell you no if what you want doesn't harm you or anyone else."

Sylvie nodded slightly before gasping when her hair went suddenly from her normal black to a golden blond like water was running over her head. "How—?"

"One day I'll teach you how to do that for yourself," Loki promised as Sylvie turned to hug tight.

"Thank you," she mumbled, making Loki chuckle as he reached down and picked her up in his arms.

"Let's go show your father, hm?" Loki suggested, getting an eager nod as Loki carried her from the bathroom.

Sylvie knew she was getting too old to be carried around everywhere but she couldn't care less as she wrapped her arms around Loki's neck, hugging him tightly. "You're the best mum in the world."

Loki smiled. "I doubt that but thank you. I try my best."

Sylvie wrinkled her nose. "Who else could be a better mum than you?"

"Plenty of people, I'm sure," Loki said, kissing her forehead. "But I'm glad you think I'm good enough for that title."

Sylvie only pressed a kiss to Loki's cheek and rested her head on her shoulder. "The best."

Loki only smiled. Everyday he was more and more glad he had Sylvie for a daughter. He would never change the day he saved that scared little girl from the TVA.

...

@murdermuffinloki This chapter was shorter but I didn't know what else to write so this is the end for this fic. Hope you enjoyed it though! 😅❤

Tagging @mashumaru @kymera219 @just-inside-her until you tell me otherwise ❤

[heavenlybarnes]

HIS GLORIOUS PURPOSE | 4. common sense

summary: the avengers are great and all, but you might be the only one with common sense.

word count: 1.2K

pairing: loki x fem!reader

← PREVIOUS PART | SERIES MASTERLIST

Do you really think she thinks you capable? You allowed yourself to believe, for a moment, that your coming here was because she wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself?

It was nothing but a way for them to get you out of their hair, to make you feel useful. You're a fool for reading into it.

Loki's words from earlier ring in your mind, leave a bitter taste in your mouth. It is the reason you pause before the door of the lab, your hand hovering over the handle; the reason you hesitate to open it.

You'd helped wrestle the plan out of Loki, had outsmarted the God of Mischief himself. You have nothing more to prove, so why do you feel as though you still don't belong, as though walking through this door would make you a fraud?

Who would you be, you wonder, if your sister was not Natasha Romanoff?

You. You'd be you.

The voice, which you now know belongs to Loki, spreads through your mind like warm honey, easing your doubts. Against your better judgment, you close your eyes and search for his face. It is a different Loki, you think, as justification; your Loki. The man downstairs changes nothing.

But you know this not to be the case, for as soon as your lids fall shut, you find that your Loki's eyes are no longer blue, but green.

He's changed, and you hate to admit you like him better this way. Now there is no difference between him and the Loki downstairs, trapped in his glass cell; no difference save for the tenderness in your Loki's gaze, his love for you stamped in the curve of his smile.

But it is enough.

Oh, how you've missed him.

You are still standing in front of the laboratory door, debating whether you should enter—but in your mind, your Loki has wrapped his arms around you, has settled his head in the crook between your neck and shoulder. My darling, he murmurs, and you imagine the feel of his breath against your skin, how it would send goosebumps down the arch of your spine. You did so well today.

But what if it's not enough? You ask him, momentarily resting your head against his chest. What if I'm not enough?

It is, he says. You are. You are as much a part of them as your sister.

He says, open the door.

So you do. Because for him, you would do anything.

Turns out, you had nothing to worry about. Because nobody even notices when you walk inside.

The lab is cold, much like the rest of the helicarrier, so your arms wrap around your waist on instinct, the imagined warmth of your Loki's body gone from your skin. On the far table rests what you suspect is Loki's scepter, the orb at its sharp edge glowing faintly blue. You are so enraptured by it that, for a moment, the discussion of the others in the room escapes your notice.

But only for a moment. Because when you tear your attention from the scepter, you realize with a start: they're arguing.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor's voice is gruff. You follow his gaze toward Fury, in the center of the room, who almost looks... afraid? Desperate?

"But you're not the only people, are you?" Fury retorts. "The world is filling up with people who can't be matched, can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?" Your attention snaps to Steve, whose jaw is clenched tight.

Fury opens his mouth to respond, but Thor beats him to it. "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies."

The Tesseract? Your lack of knowledge on the subject leaves your brows furrowing.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something—"

"A nuclear deterrent," Tony interrupts. "Because that always fixes everything."

Fury turns in the circle to look at him. "Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark? I'm sure if you still made weapons, you'd be neck deep—"

"Wait, wait, hold on—how is this now about me?"

"Isn't everything?"

Tony spins around on Steve, but you don't get to hear what he says next, your attention dragged away by a spot of blue in the corner of your eye.

You turn. Loki's scepter is still there, on the table, but is it just your imagination or has it begun to glow brighter?

"Wait, guys—" you start to say, but your words are lost in the jumble of arguments. Even your sister is contributing, her arms crossed over her chest in an irritated gesture.

"Are you boys really that naïve?" You hear her say, though the reason for her accusation is lost on you. "S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats."

Next to her, Bruce raises an eyebrow, his tone incredulous. "Captain America's on threat watch?"

"We all are." Natasha's eyes are hard.

"Hey—" you try again, but nobody pays you any mind. The scepter is definitely glowing brighter now.

"Just shut up for a second, okay?" You say again, perhaps too loud, and all eyes turn to you. Your face heats.

"Listen," you start, quieter this time. The force of their eyes on you is strong. "You have to stop arguing—"

"What are you doing here?" Natasha interrupts. She looks both relieved to see you and upset at the same time. "You're not supposed to—"

You fix her with a sharp stare. "I deserve to be here as much as you do."

"You're not—"

"Nat, let the kid be," Tony says from across the room. "She's right. She deserves to be a part of this."

You shoot him a grateful look, despite the way the word kid makes your blood warm. You'd known Tony the longest, so maybe you are a bit biased, but he'd always been your favorite. "Thank you," you say. "Now, listen. Are you all so busy arguing you don't see what's going on right in front of you?"

At their blank stares, you point to the scepter. The gem on the end is glowing furiously, now, and your heart sinks. "Look. That can't be good."

Thor curses under his breath. "It's Loki," he says, angrily, "he must be controlling it from down there."

"He's not." Fury's voice is flat. "There's no way he'd be able to. In our hands, he's nothing but a—"

"Take care how you speak of my brother."

"Hey." You are surprised by the forcefulness of your tone, pleased at its effectiveness. Thor's mouth snaps shut. "Stop fighting, will you? We have to find a way to work together, because this?" You brandish a finger at the scepter. "This isn't good. And we're not going to find a way to fix it if you can't go one second without disagreeing."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" You flinch at the coldness of your sister's tone. She's upset, you know, but there's no time to entertain it. You meet her gaze, chin lifted.

"I think—"

But you don't get to finish voicing your thought. Don't even get to finish thinking it before your vision goes red.

NEXT PART →

taglist (ask to be added or removed!): @morphoportis @fandom-strumpet @karuna11 @keepingitlokiii @thegirlwhowaited5everok @grippleback-galaxy @tarahell @itsybitchylittlewitchy @the-bilkush @hote1cortez

[roselen-mylady]

In Another Life

Bucky Barnes x reader ° part two

Summary: Waiting 88 years to find your soulmate? It was cruel. But it was a cruel fate Bucky would have to face whether he accepted it or not. Bucky was a tortured man all his life and he wasn't even granted the solace of having his soulmate at his side. All he had was the promise of one in another life.

They were separated by two different times.

But the pain in their lives were connected. Y/n had been alone ever since she could remember. All she could depend on was the soulmate that was destined to be at her side. Yet when the snap occured she lost him.

And Bucky never got to meet her.

A/n: For those who read this book before, I had to do some major redrafting so please be patient with me! Enjoy🤟

2014

“She’s a child, Fury.” The woman’s voice scolded. Y/n winced hating the fact that she was the source of conflict between the two. Fury wore his usual monotone and mildly pissed off expression as his eyes narrowed on the woman. Councilwoman Hawley’s face hardened as she turned to Y/n, “Do your parents know you're here?” She questioned, her voice loud and demanding. 

Y/n's eyes drifted to Fury, uncertain and intimidated. Councilwoman was right, Y/n was just a child. But she had a mind that only Tony Stark himself could rival and that mind quickly realized that the only way she was going to stay at S.H.I.E.L.D was if she lied. 

"Yes. They wanted to thank you for the opportunity S.H.I.E.L.D has given me." Y/n said cooly, trying to muster up enough confidence to fool the woman. Though she didn't seem convinced, Hawley was tired and after a few moments of staring down Y/n to see if she would relinquish her testimony, she sighed. 

Councilwoman then turned to Fury, looking at him with less than pleased eyes. "I trust you'll handle the affairs then." Fury offered no acknowledgement in return and Y/n wondered if everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D was this cold. "Fury, I'm taking a chance here for you. The minute this proves to be more of a burden than a service, I'm ending it." The harshness of her tone shot through Y/n like a bullet but Fury appeared unphased giving her a little solace. 

"You'll find the council will be grateful for what I'm doing here." Fury's proclamation seemed to grip the councilwoman, stopping her dead in her tracks as a conflicted expression fell over her features. She shot him a deadly glare however what rage bubbled up in her wasn't enough to compel her to reply and she continued on, leaving smothering tension in the air. 

"What are you doing?" Y/n asked cautiously, turning to the man who had convinced her to leave her old life behind. The leather of his eyepatch squeaked in protest as his eyebrows furrowed, his eye landing on her small frame beside him. 

"We are going to take the first step in protecting our world for the future. Welcome to the Next Generation Initiative." Y/n swallowed thickly to try and relieve the dryness of her throat as Fury moved toward the door. 

"We start immediately." His voice called and she quickly followed after him, hoping to not agitate him further. "First let's see what you're capable of." 

•••

The months that followed were hard, harder than she had naively expected. Fury was true to his word, providing her with a living space at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters along with necessities such as food passes and clothes, though all of them sported the S.H.I.E.L.D logo. 

At first it had been exciting to live a new life, the pride that came from becoming independent being enough to distract her for the first couple of weeks. But soon she found that being isolated from the rest of the agents wasn't just the normal separation from the pack that came with being new. 

Communication with other agents was limited by her new guardian and her access around The Triskelion was even more restricted. It didn't take much for her to catch onto the fact that she was meant to be a secret instead of an agent. 

This annoyed her but she hardly saw Fury which prevented her from questioning or even opposing the situation. And in the times she did see him she never got any answers. Fury pushed her constantly and while she knew she had signed up for it, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd made the right choice. 

In order to stay at S.H.I.E.L.D she had to avoid all contact with her parents and adjusting to her new life without them was hard. The only person she had to trust with her well being was Fury and while he made sure she was taken care of, he wasn't exactly a parental figure. He was cold and abrasive and having conversations with him were frightening and offered very little support. 

Her wish to be a hero convinced her that maybe it'd get better once she adjusted to the way things operated at S.H.I.E.L.D but it never did. Loneliness crept into her every second she was there and nothing she did seemed to help. 

Doubt seeped into her heart and she started to question the cause she now stood for. Her parents had always rejected Fury's propositions toward making Y/n an agent but Y/n had never understood why until then. Fury was shrouded in a thick layer of mystery and the appeal it once had quickly faded away when she began to realize she had left everything behind for a promise of doing something great. 

She felt like a naive and stupid child chasing the dream of being a superhero like so many children had and she longed for the guidance of her parents. 

Training was even more miserable than her solitude. Fury wanted her to be ready for anything even though all of her missions so far were from the safety of a control room. He trained her himself, claiming that it was easier that way instead of taking other agents off of missions.

While she felt like it was a lie she accepted it and attended training everyday. And it wasn't long before she learned that his cold exterior was frozen all the way through. 

"Agh!" Y/n cried out in frustration, forcing herself up from the ground. Fury almost smirked as she rushed forward, messily slamming her fist into his arms that had moved to block his face. A pained groan escaped her lips as she retracted her fist trying to conceal the red spotting through from under the wrap. 

Another hand entered her view and she gave a defeated sigh as Fury took her bloodied knuckles. "I don't understand why I have to do this. You just want me for my brain anyways." Her irritation flooding off of her. 

"It's so that nobody kills you. What good would your brain be if you're dead?" Fury said, offering no warmth or ease as he spoke. A frown tugged at her lips and she jerked her hand away, getting herself into stance. 

It wasn't long before she was on her back again, her lungs struggling to replenish the air that had been knocked out of her. But Y/n found herself strangely motivated with each failure. Each time she slammed into the mat she was filled with an overwhelming amount of rage and whether it had been his plan all along she didn't know but she rose to her feet again with more strength than before. 

With her fists drawn to her sides and her shoulders coming back in a brilliant pose of purpose, she stood before him anger radiating off of her. Her eyes narrowed on Fury with a determined shine and she advanced again, this time landing a hit to his ribs. While she wasn't too intimating in size, she easily calculated places to strike in which would leave the attacker most weakened and with her new found strategy, Fury fell.

Before she could even process her victory, a foreign sound echoed through the gym making her freeze. It was an eerie sound that shouldn't have sent a chill down her spine. A sound that heard from anyone else would've made her smile. Yet coming from the usually stoic man she couldn't help but recoil as if hearing it was the equivalent of being stuck. 

Fury's body shook in laughter as he pushed himself up off his knees. "Motherfucker." He exclaimed, his eye landing on her with a glimpse of something she'd never seen from him before. Pride? Amusement? Either one brought a disbelieving and hesitant smile to her face as she quickly moved to help him up. 

"I was wondering how many times it would take getting the crap beat out of you for you to finally put that brain of yours to use." Fury grunted, his hand coming to his ribs as he stood. Y/n's brows creased looking up at him in confusion. 

"Wait, you're not mad?" She questioned, rattled by how entertained he was with her finally snapping at him. He moved to unwrap his fists looking up at her with a lifted brow. 

"Am I supposed to be? Taking me down was your objective." He replied, glancing over his shoulder as she mimicked him, tugging the wrapping carefully as to avoid further hurting her split knuckles. She offered a shrug, allowing her prideful smirk to appear. 

"Well, you just got taken down by a girl." Fury's gaze hardened on her cheeky grin and he shook his head, his amusement diminishing with her childish humor. 

"Don't give me that bullshit. I've been training you for months, you taking me down once ain't nothing to be excited over." He grumbled, trying to dismiss her win. 

Y/n's smile lingered for the rest of the day. 

•••

"So what's the point of the 'Next Generation Initiative'? Aren't some of the Avengers, like, immortal?" Y/n questioned, poking at the keyboard in front of her. Fury's annoyed gaze fell on her for the fifth time in the past ten minutes and he sighed heavily pushing the keyboard away from her. She lifted her head off of her elbow and turned to face him as his chair swiveled toward her. 

"Thor's practically immortal. But the rest aren't." Fury explained. Y/n reached out to grab the pen on the table only to have Fury slam his hand down on hers, forcibly stopping her. "Do you always have to mess with something?" He questioned, his tone sharp. 

Y/n gave him a glare before retracting her hands and wedging them between her thighs. "What about Hulk? Not only did the gamma rays make him immortal, he can't die as either Bruce Banner or Hulk. And what about Captain America? I mean isn't he like 100?" She rambled. 

Fury massaged his temples, reminding himself that he had to put up with her if he wanted his project to succeed. "96. And no he's not immortal." He corrected, ignoring Y/n's mockful expression as she rolled her eyes. 

"Whatever. You didn't answer my question." She accused, shooting him an expectant gaze. He peered down at her, his brow lowering in an unamused scowl. 

"Like the Avengers Initiative, Next Gen's purpose is to protect Earth from all threats, whether it be from other worlds or our own." Fury droned, his own statement seeming to bore him. He'd given the same speech to the council a million times before and he wasn't someone that cared to repeat himself. Yet in enthusiasm Y/n easily had enough for the both of them as she listened carefully to his every word, enjoying the fact that he was finally telling her something. 

Sure she'd known that joining S.H.I.E.L.D especially with her skills would mean some kind of hero work. Fury had explained to her and her parents once before that with Y/n's brain she could help set the world forward into technical advances and with the right training become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. All she knew about S.H.I.E.L.D was what could be linked to the Avengers so she had automatically been hooked but her parents didn't share her eagerness. 

Yet never did she imagine becoming a part of a project similar to the Avengers, a team she'd grown up idolizing. Suddenly any doubt she'd felt washed away with her fascination toward becoming a superhero. The idea of putting her skills toward something bigger than herself was what had drawn her away from her friends and family after all. 

"So, the next generation of superheroes?" She assumed, unable to hide the thrilled smile that crossed her face. Fury nodded slowly, unsure whether he should be encouraging her so much. Her unwavering grin stuck as he turned back to the computer in front of him, tapping on the keys with a quick sweep of his hand. 

"Then why don't the Avengers know about me?" She questioned suddenly. 

"The council doesn't want anyone to know about you. At least not until this succeeds." He answered shortly, his concentration unbroken as he did so. 

"When will that be? And why aren't there more of me? I mean aren't there more superhero kids you should be scouting?" Y/n began questioning again making him sigh heavily. He was beginning to regret recruiting her, finding her intuitive and adolescent need to question everything bothersome. 

"You are what we call a trial basis. That's when-"

"I know what a trial basis is. I'm not stupid." Fury's eyes narrowed on the girl who'd interrupted him, nearly chuckling at the irony of what she'd said. 

"Well, then stop acting like it." He retorted, drawing an unhappy pout from her. With arms crossed and her brow creased she glared at him but he ignored her turning back to the computer. 

"I'm not acting stupid. Trust me, I'm sure I'd be a lot more help if I actually knew what was going on. This is the most I've gotten you to talk since I got here." She challenged, making sure not to provoke him. If she had there'd be no way to get answers out of him. "I'm just saying I left everything to be here and you can't even give me the time of day to explain why I'm really here. Why would you recruit me? I don't have powers, I just happen to be smart. Why would you pick me to start such an important project?" 

The doubt she'd been feeling for months was beginning to flood back as she confessed to him. His persistence in wanting to recruit her at the start had convinced her enough that she was worthy of being a part of whatever he had planned but now that she knew what it was she was becoming painfully aware of how minuscule she was in comparison. 

Fury kept his stare focused on the monitor before him, a sigh flushing through him and escaping out his nose as his hands stilled on the keyboard. He knew she was right. All the information he'd given her up to that point was the name of the project and the vague details he'd offered her parents. 

He needed to give her a sign of good faith, something to earn a bit of her trust and acceptance in order to continue with the project. 

Y/n watched with an intense gaze as he grabbed the mouse, directing the cursor toward another file. Everything in her was screaming to press for an answer but the contrast in his behavior kept her from doing so. Never had he gone silent before and she wondered if this was finally it. Was he finally going to reveal his true intentions? 

After effortlessly bypassing several forms of security, a file was brought up, her own picture dragging her attention away from his silence. To the left of the photo was her name, birthdate, social security number and several other pieces of information like her parents' names and her education records. 

Yet beside her name was another name, this one bubbled in quotations like an alias. 

"Next Generation Stark?" She read aloud, the words rolling off her tongue like she was accusing him of a lie. Fury sat back in his chair, crossing his arms as he studied her baffled face and slack jaw. "Stark? Like Tony Stark? What the hell does that mean?" She demanded, all restraint on herself to remain polite out the window upon such an absurd comparison. 

Fury pierced his lips gesturing to the computer, "Exactly what it says." He told her, his tone much more matter of fact than she felt was appropriate. Her head frantically shook as she tried to make him see how absolutely insane he sounded. 

"I can't be. Tony Stark is my hero and a literal superhero. Not to mention a billionaire, genius-" She was cut short by Fury sitting forward, a smirk playing on his lips as he snidely remarked. 

"I thought you were a genius. IQ of 224 and all." The sarcasm practically dripped from his words and Y/n's glare returned with more intensity than before. 

"If that's the only similarity between us we're going to have a lot of problems." She pointed out earning a returning glare from Fury. The fact that he was arguing with a teenager was enough to make him question his life choices but the fact that she was calling him out on the outlandishness of his operation was enough to make his blood boil. 

Though his pride was unwilling, he managed to release his irritation with a deep sigh. The entire program rested on his ability to train and create the next line of defense and though it frustrated him, the only 'defense' he had was Y/n. 

"Look. I didn't recruit you because I wanted you to be Stark." He began, the tension that built in his shoulders and between them easing some as he spoke. "I recruited you because you have the potential to be someone just as great." 

Y/n tried to fight the warmth that spread through her chest. It had been the kindest thing said to her in months and her need to please others simply jumped for joy at the praise. 

Her once defensive posture slacked a bit as she fell back against her chair, sending him an irritated yet pleased look. "You're strangely motivational. Were you born like that or did you take lessons?" She questioned, her snarky manner returning with the lightness in the air. 

"I know a guy." Fury shrugged before returning to his work. Y/n rolled her eyes, growing used to the way that everything he said had to hold a bit of secretiveness. 

"If you say yourself, I will slap you regardless of who you are." She replied, lifting her legs up and placing her feet up onto the desk. Fury eyed them with a disdained look before pushing them off with one swift movement. 

"You know that code name is all the more fitting with that attitude of yours." He countered, slightly entertained as her feet fell back to the floor forcing her to sit up right. Her expression remained annoyed unable to muster up the effort to glare at him once more. 

"Tony Stark wishes he had an attitude like mine." A short scoff escaped Fury as Y/n crossed her arms, a smug smile tugging at her lips. 

•••

The months that followed were easier with her new found purpose. As Fury had hoped, giving her more details on the project insured her compliance and even inspired her to take on more tasks and missions. 

It was a few months after their discussion before he decided to untrust her with Project Insight. With the help of the 15 year old genius the work went smoother and a lot of the technical issues they faced either became minor inconveniences or vanished all together. 

And with her new access to the labs containing some of the most advanced technology she spent almost all her free time tinkering away. Whenever Fury asked what it was she was devoting so much time and energy to, she immediately shut him down, a little embarrassed by the idea of telling him. 

But it didn't stop him from checking surveillance in the lab. He had to confess it was a pretty good replica of the famous Iron Man though he'd never tell her. He was almost tempted to alert Stark that his precious suit wasn't as exclusive as he'd hoped. 

Though it was slow at first and unwanted, Fury grew used to Y/n's presence and rather than a nuisance she became a normal figure in his life. He'd never admit it but whenever she wasn't at his side or where he'd left her a small bit of panic would set in. The instinct Maria pointed out to be paternal was often and annoyed him beyond belief but happened nonetheless. 

The feeling seemed to be mutual because Y/n frequently came to him with anything and everything that happened during her day to which he reluctantly listened. 

"Some of the other agents were talking about their countdowns. I can't wait to get mine." Y/n spoke, glancing up at Fury as he faintly listened from his desk. Not yet satisfied without his full attention, a mischievous smirk curved onto her features and she leaned on her palm to look at him. "Who's your soulmate?"  

The hard stare he directed at her would've been enough to make a grown man quake but Y/n had become immune to such glares. "None of your business." He replied, his tone callous and indifferent. But Y/n noticed something, a fleeting glance to his left just before he spoke. 

Her knowing smile riled through him and he huffed, moving aside his monitor to properly scowl at her. "Is it Maria? Nah she's too nice to be your soulmate. Or maybe it's one of those opposites attract types of situations?" Y/n unleashed every thought that buzzed through her mind and Fury wasn't sure which one to be most enraged by. So he remained silent, allowing her curiosity to brew. 

Sensing his disinterest in answering her she sat up, moving to climb to her feet. "Well, I guess I'll just have to ask Ms. Hill." The sigh that filled the air was playful as if getting the answers she so wanted was a chore but Fury knew she had no issue in seeking out the woman in question. 

"Leave her be. She's leading a covert mission right now." He cautioned. Y/n paused, sinking back into her chair as he folded his hands. "She's my soulmate, is that what you want to hear?" His confession sent a bit of joy through her from being right but she didn't speak her pride, instead allowing him to continue. 

"When she joined S.H.I.E.L.D we found out we were soulmates but we never let it get in the way of our work." The explanation came easily but the troubled expression on his face was anything but. She almost felt a bit guilty for dragging the truth out of him. 

"So you guys aren't together?" For the first time ever, she watched him shift uncomfortably. His action only seemed to urge her to press more, sensing him beginning to crack. 

"We are a part of the percentage of the world with platonic soulmates." He described. She nodded slowly, not believing him for a second. She may have only been there for a little under a year but she had never seen such a profound bond between two people. A little envy from their relationship had established itself in her even if it was a 'platonic' relationship. 

"Does she know that?" 

Fury froze, his single eye widening ever so slightly. She'd struck a nerve. 

"Y'know what? I'm done telling you shit." Fury snapped, turning away from her with an agitated growl. Y/n instantly sat forward, guilt grasping hold of her creased brow as she scrambled to apologize. 

"Wait no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." It came rushed but was heard making Fury haltingly glance back up at her. Her lip had been pulled back between her teeth as she chewed at it nervously. "My-my mom used to tell me that just because I know a lot doesn't mean I need to know everything. She usually keeps me in check but-..." 

Her words dropped off into a deafening silence. Y/n tended to question everything and while her mother believed it to be some form of OCD her father argued it was just her paranoia. Whatever the case it led to a lot of frustration for those who were being interrogated and Y/n realized for the past year Fury had been the focus of that. 

His hardened expression faltered and if one truly studied his expressions they would recognize a bit of remorse had surfaced to match her own. 

"I really miss her. My dad, too." Y/n confessed, solemn and longing. "I wonder if they're mad at me. Maybe that's why they haven't tried to visit me." 

An unfamiliar pang of guilt hit Fury's heart and his gaze fell onto the file in front of him. Anywhere to avoid looking at the child before him. How was he supposed to tell her that her parents had tried to see her? Tell her that each time he sent them away, insisting she was safe and that they should leave? Tell her how many letters and calls they'd received from them over the past year in hopes it might reach her. 

How did he begin to make up for such a wrong yet necessary act? 

"Maybe it's time you visited them." The statement left him before he even had a chance to properly analyze it. What was he thinking? Letting her leave would compromise the whole project. 

But he couldn't help it. Something deep inside him needed to make up for all the secrets and lies and his unwanted connection to the girl only justified his actions. 

"Really?" Fury nodded, yet again surprising the both of them. 

"I'll have an agent take you tomorrow. But only under one circumstance." He told her, the seriousness he was known for returning. She nodded instantly ready to pay whatever price to see her family.  

"You must come back to S.H.I.E.L.D." 

A tense feeling she'd only felt upon her arrival rested in the air, easily thick enough to make her choke. But the excitement she felt outweighed any rational thought. 

"I promise." 

Part three

[insaneasgardian]

Stealthy Murder

Loki: *Gritting teeth and watching Thor shamelessly flirting with Y/N.*

Tony: *Coming to stand next to Loki* You're unusually quiet Reindeer Games.

Loki: Don't be a fool Stark, nobody plans a murder out loud.

Tony: I- .... *Backs away slowly*

[lyssismagical]

Thought you were human but you're just a ghost, a shield of skin and bone

Febuwhump Day 17 & 18 – Mind Games & Revealed Secret

Read on AO3

*

Peter’s shoulders tense, keeping his eyes downcast.

“Mister Stark-”

“No!” Tony shouts, slamming his fist down on the edge of the roof. “This is where you zip it. You are not going after the Vulture. Ever. You hear me?”

Peter tries his best to hide his flinch, guilt and self-loathing rushing over him. He failed. Again.

“Mister Stark, please-”

Tony grabs the front of Peter’s stupid I Survived My Trip To NYC t-shirt, crumpling the fabric in his grip.

“If you disobey my direct orders again, I’ll do something more drastic than take your suit, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” Peter chokes out, blinking back the tears that fill his eyes.

Tony lets go of him, smirking when Peter stumbles back a few steps. “Good. Now get out of here. And if I hear that you’ve been snooping around in The Vulture’s business again…”

The threat is heard without being said.

“Yes, sir.”

Peter tries to keep his pace as even as he can as he walks away from Tony, heading towards the door.

What Peter doesn’t see as the door closes behind him and he begins his trek back to his apartment, is the flickering holograms and Tony’s face morphing into Beck’s pleased sneer.

* “I shouldn’t have met him,” Peter says, face crumpling when he finally gets May to stop panicking. It’s a poor explanation but she can’t know he’s Spider-Man. “Meeting your heroes is never as good as you think it’ll be.”

May’s eyes harden briefly, probably preparing herself to chew Tony out for hurting her nephew, but then she watches her kid’s bottom lip tremble as he sits on the couch, shoulders dropping, and her expression softens.

“Whatever he said to you, he’s wrong,” she says, gently carding her fingers through Peter’s curls and rubbing his back. He leans his head up against his stomach, tears slipping down his face. “You’re the best kid I know, baby, and he’s an asshole for hurting you.”

“It’s just- I thought I was doing good, I was trying so hard, and I just- He- I just wanted to do something right and he shouted at me.”

May sighs softly. “You don’t need him, okay? You didn’t deserve that and if I ever see him again, I’ll make sure to give him a piece of my mind.”

That gets Peter to laugh quietly. “Yeah, sure, but I doubt we’ll be seeing him again anytime soon.”

Fingers gentle and careful on his jaw, May lifts his head up to look down at him, thumb running underneath his eyes to catch the tears that fall, and she presses a kiss to his forehead.

“Don’t you go believing Stark that you’re not enough, okay? You don’t need to change a single thing about you for some billionaire asshole’s opinion of you… Well, I could do with you not sneaking out or skipping school, but you know, we can’t have everything, can we?”

Peter doesn’t tell her that because he’s lost the suit, he doesn’t have a reason to sneak out or skip school anymore. He doesn’t tell her that Tony’s been his hero since he was five and Iron Man saved him at the Stark Expo, that he’s been idolizing the hero for even longer. He doesn’t tell her that the words have already sunk into his chest and wrapped around his lungs, planting themselves deep within him.

He doesn’t tell her any of that.

Instead, he settles for a quiet. “I love you, May.”

“Love you too, kiddo. Now, go take a shower and get your homework done. You smell like garbage.”

He laughs quietly and pushes himself. “I know. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, baby. Please get some rest.”

* Homecoming night came faster than imaginable and Peter was happy for the first time in months.

Meeting Tony certainly wasn’t high on his Worst Experiences, but after his uncle, Tony turning out to be cruel and aggressive had Peter’s mental health declining at a steady rate.

But now it’s homecoming and May’s helped him get his tie on straight, and Ben’s old suit jacket is a little too big on his shoulders, and the corsage he bought for Liz is a little bit droopy, but he’s happy.

Her mom is nice and offers to drive them to school, full of kind smiles and teasing jokes. Liz’s father died a few years prior and it’s obvious how much they miss him, but Peter doesn’t bother to make any condolences. He knows how little it means to grieving families.

Before he knows it, he’s in the gym of their school, dancing with Liz and MJ and Ned, rolling his eyes when Flash flips them off from across the room.

It’s good. It’s fun.

Peter doesn’t even miss being Spider-Man right now. It’s relieving to just hang out with his friends like a regular high school student.

Until, of course, his phone rings.

“Mister Stark?” Peter asks, ducking into the hallway for some privacy. “What do you want?”

“I know I told you to stay away from The Vulture, but I need your help,” he says. “I’ll text you the address.”

Anger swells within Peter’s chest where the insecurities are buried. “You want me to drop everything for you when you’ve done jackshit for me?”

“Yeah, I do,” Tony says like it’s obvious. “You can pretend to be the hero that you think you are, but I’ve got a lot of leverage here. I know your identity, Parker. I know your friends and family, and I know which villains and criminals want that information.”

“Are you… Are you blackmailing me?”

Tony just laughs, a cold harsh noise that makes the hurt in Peter’s chest swell and seize his lungs. “I’ll text you the address, Parker. You better be there.”

The phone beeps, signaling the end of the call, just as Ned turns the corner.

“Hey, man, you good?”

Peter swallows thickly, turning to his best friend, knowing the pain is shining in his eyes. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Wait, what? I thought-”

“Cover for me, please. I’ll- I’ll text you when I can.” Peter doesn’t give Ned the time to say no, he turns and jogs down the hallway, pulling up the section of lockers to snap his webshooters around his wrists and grab his mask.

“Peter, wait!” Ned calls.

Peter doesn’t let himself turn, doesn’t let himself face Ned. Tony is blackmailing him, and if things go wrong, Ned will be one of the people in the crossfire.

“Tell Liz I’m sorry.”

As soon as he’s clear of the school, he webs himself as fast as he can in the direction of the address Tony sent him, ignoring the panic that grips his lungs and the fear that settles in the pit of his stomach. He focuses on swinging.

And before he knows it, he’s reaching an abandoned warehouse outside the city.

“Hello?” he calls out, creeping down the staircase.

The stairway opens up into a big room where Tony’s waiting for him, leaning back against a table.

“Hey, Pete,” Tony says, a grin stretching across his face.

Peter swallows thickly, stopping in his tracks. “Where’s The Vulture? What do you want?”

“Oh, kid, how naïve and stupid,” Tony spits, leaning back with a cold laugh. “There never was a Vulture. Or I guess, I suppose there was, but he was hiding in plain sight.”

Tony stretches his arms out and second later, the vulture wings are sliding across his back. He grins at Peter, rolling his eyes.

“You’re- How could you-” The breath catches in Peter’s lungs and he can’t breathe. The man across from him, his childhood hero, was the villain Peter was chasing all along.

“I can’t believe I fooled you for so long, Peter. How else do you think I got all that alien tech? It was right there at my disposal? I’m a war profiteer, I always have been. I’m not the hero you thought I was, but at least I’m more of a hero than you. You couldn’t even catch me when I was right there in front of you.”

Peter takes an involuntary step back, trying not to make it obvious that tears are filling his eyes behind his mask. He gasps for breath, panic engulfing his lungs like a wildfire.

Tony waves his hands and the wings are pulling off his back, facing Peter. “And now, you’re going to die for being stupid enough to ever think you could be a hero.”

* Sobs wrack his body as he stumbles through the sand towards the deserted road ahead.

Tony’s webbed to a few of the crates behind him. He tried to change the course of a plane flying from the Avengers Compound filled with Alien tech and other dangerous equipment, to Stark Towers instead. Peter managed to crash the plane on Coney Island.

But now what?

The only person who knows he’s Spider-Man is Ned, and Tony’s threats are still echoing in his head. The Avengers are away, the perfect time for Tony to strike, Peter supposes.

He has nobody to turn to and he’s so fucking tired.

He’s in the sand before he even realizes his knees had buckled, and he coughs, blood splattering in the sand. The warehouse dropping on him flashes through his head, a cry of pain escaping his throat.

He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to fix this.

His phone is shattered, his mask is missing, he’s out of web fluid, he can’t breathe. Everything hurts.

The last thing he’s aware of before his vision gives out is somebody stumbling through the sand towards him.

* He jerks awake, his nightmares of Tony grabbing his shirt, telling him he’d never be a hero, the warehouse falling on top of him, the plane crashing into the sand, the fires, the vulture claws ripping him into him, playing out in his head over and over again.

“Hey, hey, hey, relax, Spider-Boy.”

He knows that voice.

Shoving himself backwards, he tears the IV from his skin, wild eyes locking onto Tony. He’s sitting in the chair beside Peter, relaxing nonchalantly like nothing had ever happened between them.

“No, no, no, please,” Peter begs, trying to get his feet on the ground but his legs won’t cooperate like they should, a haziness settling on his mind. Tony probably drugged him, shit.

“Woah!” Tony says, lifting his hands, palms up in surrender. “I’m not here to hurt you, kid.”

“You tried to kill me, more than once,” Peter says, gasping for air. Tears are blurring his vision and his hands won’t stop shaking. “Please just- just don’t hurt my family. Please- I-”

Tony’s face falls into something that Peter would’ve thought was confusion if not for the fact that there was nothing to be confused about.

“I’ve been on an undercover Avenger’s mission for the past nine months, kid. We just got back last night. We were staking out a whole bunch of Hydra bases across Europe,” Tony explains slowly. His eyebrows furrow and his mouth is set in a frown. “There was nobody at the crime scene last night but you.”

“You think I did it?” Peter asks, jaw dropping. “After everything you did to me, you think I’m just going to believe you? Just like that?”

They’re in a hospital room. Heart monitor flat behind Peter now that he’s pulled off the tracking pads. His ribs are aching, chest on fire, but he still sits up defiantly, glaring at Tony.

“Honest to god, kid, this is the first time I’m meeting you. I wasn’t allowed any internet while on our mission just in case Hydra could track it, so I’ve barely had the time to look you up.”

Peter tries to stifle the sob, but it still rips its way out of his throat, tears falling steadily after it. “If it wasn’t you, then who was with me? Who looked like you, talked like you, pretended to be you for nine months?”

“Fri?” Tony asks after a moment’s hesitation.

“Compiling all video footage with Peter Parker or Spider-Man facial recognition since September of last year,” Friday replies.

A hologram appears in front of them, as Peter draws his knees up to his chest and tries unsuccessfully to get his tears to slow.

There’s a bunch of boring, staticky security camera footage of Peter walking to and from school, of Peter getting a snack at Delmar’s, or of Spider-Man stopping petty criminals, of Spider-Man leaping from building to building.

And then it arrives to Tony picking him up afterschool.

It’s a far away shot, probably one of the school’s security cameras of the parking lot. Tony’s leaning up against a fancy car, arms crossed over his chest.

“Hi, Mister Stark. What are you doing here?” Peter says, offering a timid smile.

“Came to give my favourite young adult a ride home. I got you something, actually. If you really want to pretend to be a superhero, you need a suit, don’t you? It’s in the back, take a look.”

Peter turns to glance at Tony, who’s eyes are surprisingly wide, jaw dropped. “That wasn’t me.”

“I know you think I’m some naïve little kid who doesn’t know anything, but I’m not an idiot,” Peter says.

“No, kid, I swear, that wasn’t me. I was in Europe, without internet, taking down Hydra bases at the time.”

Tony speeds through a bunch more videos until they get to the day of the ferry. The video feed is staticky and the audio is echoing, but it’s obvious enough what’s happening. Video Tony’s hand is grabbing Video Peter’s t-shirt, spitting threats in his face even as Peter tries not to cry.

“If you disobey my direct orders again, I’ll do something more drastic than take your suit, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now get out of here. And if I hear that you’ve been snooping around in The Vulture’s business again…”

The video continues though as Video Peter disappears down the staircase, metal door slamming shut behind him.

And then Video Tony flickers. Flickers.

“Holy shit, wait, Fri, pause it.”

The man standing where Tony once was in the video is not Tony at all. He has longer hair than Tony and a full beard, a smile spreading across his face.

“Facial recognition, Fri,” Tony instructs, sitting up in his chair.

Peter doesn’t care though. He doesn’t care who the man really is, doesn’t care how he managed to look like Tony, what kind of motive he had. He doesn’t care.

He tucks his legs up to his chest, hiding his face in his face in his knees, and lets out a pitiful whimper.

“Quentin Beck, fired from Stark Industries five years ago for aggressive behavior, helped in the creation of BARF.”

“Holy fuck,” Tony breathes. “Kid?” And then his hand is tentatively on Peter’s shoulder.

Peter flinches, drawing in a shaking breath. “I can’t believe I was so stupid! Nine fucking months and he- he-”

“That’s not on you, kid. Anyone could’ve fallen for tech that good, I mean, it’s mine. I just don’t understand why?”

Peter lifts his head. “He wanted tech. Alien tech to make weapons. What better way than to pretend to be you? He had access to your tower, he was taking a plane from Avengers Compound and was going to redirect it here. He was using your labs, your technology.”

“But why you?”

“I was getting in his way,” Peter explains, shrugging and ignoring the spike of pain it brings. “I was going after this criminal. This guy everyone was calling The Vulture. That’s when you showed up, or I guess, when Beck showed up. He kept telling me to leave it alone. Until yesterday.”

Tony runs a hand through his hair, further messing it up. “He tried to kill you?”

“He called me when I was at homecoming… Told me he had a lead. Guess he knew you were coming back and needed to tie up loose ends.”

The silence that follows is thick and tense, nobody says a word, staring at Beck’s smiling image frozen on the screen.

Finally, “I’m really sorry, kid.”

Peter shrugs, trying his best to swallow all of the emotions that threaten to spill out. “How do I know you’re real and not just another hologram?”

A frown crosses Tony’s face. He doesn’t seem to have a good answer, but Friday speaks up instead.

“Inventory showed Beck only stole four projectors from R&D after he was fired. All four projectors were found on Coney Island with the plane debris, destroyed beyond repair. No other projectors have been removed from storage.”

All of the energy leaves Peter’s body in one big rush. He offers Tony a smile, one he knows is weary and painful. “Hey, Mister Stark, I’m Peter Parker. AKA Spider-Man.”

Tony catches on easily. “Hi, kid. Nice to meet you.”

“Could I borrow a phone?” Peter asks. He’s sure Ned’s covered for him with May, but he can’t even imagine how worried Ned must be.

“Yeah, of course. And, uh, kid?” Tony says, voice dropping to a tentative murmur. “You wanna, I don’t know, work with me in the lab sometime? I could get a new suit fixed up for you and you could show me how you make that webbing of yours?”

Peter half-smiles, trying to shove down all of the panic and worry and fear that threatens to engulf him. His brain is having a hard time understanding everything. He thought Beck was Tony for nine months. Tony tried to kill him, except it wasn’t actually Tony.

But now Tony’s sitting across from him, a kind smile on his face like it isn’t the same face that sneered and yelled and dropped a warehouse down on him.

It wouldn’t be fair to blame the real Tony for things Beck did as Tony.

“Yeah, sure, sounds cool, Mister Stark.”

* (Years later, kidnapped by Nick Fury on his European vacation, he sees through “Mysterio’s” disguise within seconds, recognizing the technology for what it is, knowing Beck’s face like the back of his hand, the same face that plagues his nightmares. It only takes a few days to get Beck behind bars with Tony’s help, his vacation back to normal before anyone notices anything is wrong. But Peter doesn’t think he’ll ever forgot Beck’s face and what the villain put him through. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop seeing Beck’s version of Tony every time he looks at His Tony. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop looking over his shoulder, just in case the things around him are all an illusion. He doesn’t think Beck will ever disappear from his head.)