#;beat 'em into shape {avengers}

[madeofmarblex]

timeline tag drop!

we have what we have when we have it. / timeline: undetermined. the finest. / timeline: the red room.  i made a name for myself. / timeline: before SHIELD.  agent romanoff. / timeline: working with SHIELD. rushman. natalie rushman. /  timeline: iron-man. nothing we were ever trained for. / timeline: avengers. a ghost story. / timeline: the winter solider. two little gravestones by a chain-link fence. / timeline: return to russia. i’m always cleaning up after you boys. / timeline: age of ultron. let's beat 'em into shape. / timeline: before civil war. i'm gonna regret this. / timeline: civil war. back to where it all started. / timeline: black widow. i’m not the one who needs to watch their back. / timeline: before infinity war. i’m done running. / timeline: infinity war. if i move on who does this? / timeline: during the blip. whatever it takes. / timeline: endgame. a soul for a soul. / timeline: after endgame.

[mrs-johansson]

Chapter 5: Avengers: Age of Ultron - Two Ghosts

Part 9:

“Say hi to Auntie Nat and Auntie Y/n,” I listened to Laura’s voice on the video of baby Nathan that she sent us. “Look at your cousin, Rina,” I showed the video to my daughter. “He’s cute right?” I smiled as she nodded.

Walking through the hallways of the new Avengers facility was something else. “The rules have changed,” said Steve. “We're dealing with something new,” I looked at the three men. “Well, the Vision's artificial intelligence.” “A machine.” “So it doesn't count,” Steve tried his best, hoping his failure would be overlooked by this. “No. It's not like a person lifting the hammer,” shrugged Dad who was also on Steve’s side on this one. “Right. Different rules for us.” “And what do I get? I lifted the hammer,” I asked and Steve looked surprised along with my father. “Free vacation to Asgard?” Offered Thor. “I will take you up on that one.”

“Aren’t you bummed that Tony is stepping back?” Asked Steve as we made our way back inside. “He won’t stay away for long, I know him.” “And what about you? Taking some time to yourself and Katarina?” “Maybe… But we have plenty to do here, so maybe some other time…” We reached the hall where Natasha was. “You want to keep staring at the wall, or do you want to go to work? I mean, it's a pretty interesting wall,” said Steve, and Natasha turned around immediately. “I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes. How do we look?” She asked as she walked up to us. I handed her the tablet that held all the information that we’d need to make new Avengers. “Well, we're not the '27 Yankees.” The stupid baseball references. “We've got some hitters.” “They're good. They're not a team,” I said. “Let's beat 'em into shape.”

***

Steve was given the task to show the 4 new team members the whole facility. Since it is a big building, I thought I would just relax a little with Katarina in the sleeping floor’s living room. We watched some cartoons and had some fruit snacks.

We were sitting on the floor, playing with some wooden building toys when Katarina threw her hands in the air and smiled widely, looking behind me. I turned around and saw Natasha smiling at my daughter. Katarina stood up and ran to her. “Hey Bubba,” Nat picked her up and kissed all over her face, making the little girl laugh so hard. “How about you watch some cartoons with Auntie Maria while I talk to your Mama, hm? We could get ice cream after,” Natasha whispered to her and she nodded. Maria came in and took Katarina with her.

Natasha watched as Hill walked off with my daughter before turning to look at me. She put her hands in her pockets and stood up straight. “What is happening?” I was confused about the situation. I sat up on the couch and with a big sigh, she stood in front of me. “I want you to listen to what I’m gonna say next, without interrupting me. I thought about it… a lot, so please hear me out,” she said and I nodded.

“We’ve had a rough couple of months, maybe even a year. I think we both made it difficult but I did a lot of awful things. I said a lot of things that I regret. I never intended to refer to you as a…” she cleared her throat. “A whore,” I helped her out. “Yes, I’m sorry about that. We were extremely mean to each other but you still looked out for me and I’m thankful for that…” “Natalia, stop with the big speech. We both know that we didn’t mean the things we said. We talked about this,” I spread my arms and she sighed, looking everywhere but me. She was fidgeting with her hands, she looked very nervous. “Nat…” “I love you, Y/n. And this thing with Bruce just made me realize that I could never love someone like I do you. What I’m trying to say is…” My eyes were wide open at this point. “Is that I’d like us to try again with full honesty and directness, no hiding things from the past.”

I was speechless for a second and very much surprised. Getting to this point meant that we really treated each other shit and it clearly affected both our lives. For Natasha to stand here and talk about her feelings is beyond her. And I respect that and am glad to see her be more connected to her emotions.

But she can’t expect us to go straight back to where we left off even though I miss her a lot too.

“I hope you don’t think that we can go back to exactly where we left things off,” I glanced down at my hands then slowly looked back up at her hoping she wouldn’t throw a tantrum.

“Yeah, I know that. But Y/n…” She sat down next to me and reached for my hand. At first, I was hesitant to let her take a hold of it but my senses seemed to shut down and she easily did as she wished. “We can work this out. Slowly but we can. We got through more difficult times together and separately too. Дорогая (darling), it’s us.”

One look in her eyes and I got back into the same moment I fell in love with her. Natasha doesn’t change in a lot of ways, her heart will always be the same but as a person, she evolves a lot. Maybe not fast but very efficiently. I believe she learned and found out what I meant by being honest. Bruce didn’t speak about his past often but he didn���t hide a single thing and I think she realized how important honesty is in every relationship. She needed more proof I guess.

But man how I am in love with this woman. She will never fail to amaze me. No matter what will happen to us, she will forever be my always.

“I miss you a lot, Nat,” I squeezed her hand. Her eyes were full of hope and she was so eager for my answer. “I want to try again too, but things are different. I have a plus one now. She’s growing so fast and the thing with James is very unstable. We won’t have as much time together as we used to. Katarina is my number one priority now.” “And I understand that completely. Oh and besides she loves me, come on. I’m her personal clown basically,” she smirked and it made me laugh because it was true. “Let me take you on a date and we’ll see how it goes,” Natasha suggested. “I’d like that.”

***

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? You have fun with Grandpa,” I kissed the side of Katarina’s head before she ran off to her playroom. “Not that I mind spending time with the little devil here, but where are you going?” He crossed his arms and tilted his head. “I’m uhm… going on a date,” I cleared my throat, avoiding his eyes. “With whom?” “Natasha,” I mumbled, scratching the back of my neck. “Who?” “Natasha, I’m going out with Natasha.”

Silence fell on us, and I didn’t know what he was thinking because I didn’t even wanna know to be honest. “Okay, have fun.” And then he left for the playroom. “My family is so weird.”

***

Getting ready was nerve-wracking. I felt like we were gonna meet for the first time again, like we never even dated and I was extremely nervous. Even though we both want this to work out, nobody knows if it will or not. I made sure I looked my best, ready to make Natasha swoon.

On the way to the restaurant, I checked the time about a hundred million times just as many times I looked in my little pocket mirror to look at my makeup.

“So this is a date, huh?” Asked Happy from the front seat. “Yeah. I’m actually a little nervous,” I chuckled nervously. “Oh please, if you didn’t exist I don’t think Romanoff would have feelings,” he said and I took that as a compliment. “With you weird people comes strange history, don’t let that get between the two of you. I’ve seen the way you look at each other, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Be grateful to have found it already.” “Wise words from the man himself. How are you still single Happy? You’re a good catch,” I suggested. “Your dad. That’s why.” “I wouldn’t even doubt that.”

We pulled up to the restaurant and I got even more anxious. “You’ll be great. She’s already head over heels for you.” “Thanks. Go home and get on a dating app or something.” “You’re worse than him sometimes,” he said, as I got out of the car. “Bye Happy.”

He drove away and I took a deep breath before turning to the entrance of the restaurant.

I asked for the reservation and the lady at the front showed me to the table where Natasha was sitting already. She looked beautiful. I wasn’t the only one who went all out on looks.

She had this amazing deep green suit on and honestly, I wanted to die from how good she looked in it. With her red hair… perfection.

Once she saw me, she put her phone away quickly and stood up. She looked a little jumpy.

“Hey,” she said softly as she took a good look at me. “Hi, you look amazing,” I said and leaned in to give a kiss on her cheek. Her hand came up to my waist, knowing her way around. “So do you, as always.”

We sat down and soon the waiter appeared with our menus and we started to pick and choose our meal. “This is a very nice place, how did you find it?” I asked as I looked around the beautifully decorated restaurant. It was very fancy and it felt like I was in a movie.

“Maria suggested it, I didn’t know she goes to places like this. I didn’t know she goes anywhere, to be honest,” said Natasha as she looked through the different options on the menu.

“Should we get the wine we used to get?” Asked Nat. “Yeah, I was thinking the same. I have my dish too so if you’re ready we can order,” I closed the menu. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

We soon ordered our food and as the waiter left, my nerves came back as I looked at the beautiful redhead in front of me. “Why are you nervous? It’s not like we haven’t done this before,” she said with a grin on her face. I sighed with a small smile. I can’t hide a single emotion from her.

“I know we did, but I still feel like it’s a first date. We haven’t talked about our lives a lot lately and I don’t know… We also changed a lot so it’s kinda like a… upgraded version of us, first date.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“So anything new that I may not know about?” I asked as the waiter came back with our wine. “Uhm… I’m not sure. Oh I got a cat,” she said and I couldn’t believe what she just said. “You what?” “I have a cat. She’s been outside of the apartment building for a while and I kept feeding her, and after a week I just took her in. It was pretty lonely at home so I thought why not?” Explained Natasha and I just smiled. “That’s cute. I’d never thought you’d take some random cat in. Does she have a name?” “Liho. It’s fitting for her situation.”

We talked through the whole night and I just felt so relieved. It’s like we haven’t skipped time. The conversation didn’t stop, we shared everything and more with each other and I was really happy.

“Have you heard anything from Barnes?” Natasha asked softly and I glanced up at her before going back to my dinner. “He hasn’t even checked the mailbox for at least a month. I just hope he’s alive. Katarina already asked about where he is and I don’t even know myself,” I sighed, and the next moment Natasha’s hand was on mine giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“And how’s it being a mom? You wished for that since I’ve known you,” smiled Nat. “It's honestly one of the best things in life. She’s such an amazing little girl, I mean you’ve seen how incredible she is. She doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. It’s just so hard to see her grow so fast. I’ve missed so much already with her and I don’t want to lose a single thing. I’ve never planned to have a child at this age but I couldn’t imagine my life without her anymore.” “You’re an amazing mom, Y/n, I hope you know that,” said Natasha with a cute smile on her face. “Thanks, I try my best,” I looked down at my food shyly. “Do you want kids?” I asked bluntly and I didn’t know if she’s gonna take the question well but she just looked surprised. “Well… I haven’t really considered it. I wouldn’t say I didn’t think about it but… I don’t know, it seems like a very far stretch.” “You’d be a great mom,” I said and she looked at me with a concerned look. “You think so?” “Oh definitely, I see you with the Bartons and Katarina. You’d give everything to your baby the moment they arrive. You would be the good cop for sure,” I chuckled. “No, I wouldn’t. I’d be strict,” she straightened her posture, trying to look strict. “Oh come on, Natalia… you would spoil them for life,” I said and she thought about it for a second. “You’re probably right.”

“You said you haven’t spoken to your family since Russia. What’s that all about?” I asked and she seemed like she was ready to share her story. “They are not my real parents but we… We acted like a family for 3 years on a mission. It was the four of us: Alexei, Melina, Yelena and me. That was the only time I got to experience a family life. Alexei and Melina had to retrieve some data in Ohio so we lived there for that time. But of course, we had to go back once they got the job done. Melina was raised in the Red Room and I think she still works for them, Alexei is in jail if I’m right, and Yelena… I have no idea. I couldn’t trace her back to anywhere. We were used like puppets, Yelena was so small that she barely understood the concept of us being a fake family.” “Were Alexei and Melina good parents?” I asked and she shrugged. “They did the best they could.”

“Any plans for the near future?” Asked Natasha as we were waiting for our dessert. “Actually… I’ve been in talks with Nick and Maria about starting a new… SHIELD, but with a couple of changes. We’ve been compromised way too many times since SHIELD operates and we need to change that. So if you’re looking for a new employer…” I suggested and she chuckled. “Then you’re gonna be my boss again.” “When was I ever your boss?” “When I was in Stark Industries,” she said and I playfully rolled my eyes. “Okay, well that wasn’t on paper. You were my dad’s assistant.” “You could’ve bossed me around if you wanted to,” she said with a slight smirk on her face. “I should’ve lived with the opportunity.”

After we had our dessert, we bickered over who’s gonna pay but in the end Natasha won. We called a cab for ourselves and as each of our cars arrived we turned to each other on the streets of Manhattan.

“I had a great time,” she said with a knowing smile. “It wasn’t so bad,” I shrugged with a smirk and she chuckled lowly. “I think we’ll be fine, Romanoff,” I bumped my elbow into hers and she quickly had her eyes on me. She looked almost shocked when I said this and I just thought she had some hope in herself. “So it didn’t work out the first time. That’s what second chances are for,” I said and with a kiss on her cheek, I said my goodbyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “See you tomorrow,” her cheeks rounded with a slight pink tint on them. We both left for our cars, making our way home.

[tunaculosis]

Everyone has their entirely unrealistic white whale tabletop RPG. I'm partially writing this now so I've got a script to work with to make into a tiktok tomorrow. This is my pitch, inspired by improvgm on tiktok. Also shoutouts to StrayHousePet, who is one of the only TRPG creators on tiktok who's also in the FGC--that'll be relevant later.

So the idea is I wanna make a tabletop campaign that feels like a 90s-00s action game franchise, with each game system being a different game in the franchise:

-I'm sorry did you say street magic: Create a city rooted in Fight World martial arts aesthetics. The premise of that one is we're the "game devs" sort of but prolly not directly saying so. Street Magic's another mapmaking game like Quiet Year or Deep Forest but more focused on the location and with a less constrained tone compared to Quiet Year

-Gone To Hell: "The single player game" to tell the story of its first great hero in the form of an arcade beat em up. Inspired by Streets of Rage. Gone To Hell is a diceless, many-GM, one rotating player, game homaging stupid macho action.

-Panic at the Dojo: Arcade brawler sequel where you fight the PC from Gone to Hell as the final boss, playing as a group avenging the villains he beat up. Something about how it was "controversial for the canon ending being the villain team's win." Panic at the Dojo is the wargamiest TRPG to ever exist, with a very cool combat system and very very fast skill check system (or a lack thereof).

-Shirtless on a Rooftop: "Man weird, they made a life sim sequel to these fighting games." Partly inspired by how Shenmue was gonna be a Virtua Fighter spinoff. An actual longer-running campaign set in the world shaped by the last 3 games. Shirtless on a Rooftop is a game kind of like Lancer that sharply divides slice of life vibing/melodrama/downtime and missions/operations with an emphasis on up close street brawling.

[nervvdovy]

{✗} It’s the THIRD time that night that she’s woken up with a nightmare. Cold sweat drips down her face, slipping down her chest. She’s exhausted, but she doesn’t want to go back to sleep. If she goes back to sleep, she goes back to VORMIR. She goes back to peeling Clint’s hand from hers. She goes back to plummeting. 

Natasha pants softly, clutching the quilt to her body. Her eyes drift to Steve, laying beside her and she can’t make herself wake him up. She pulls her knees to her chest, silently sobbing in the dark. Her body shakes, though she tries to stifle it. Tears roll down her cheek without mercy, salty tears kissing her lips.

She climbs out of bed, still weeping in the dark. Tugging a sweatshirt on, she pads out towards the balcony, sliding down against the cool glass door outside. 

✗ @atimebomb ✗✗  permanent starter call--end.game ✗

[sambvcks]

crawl home to her, b.b. x reader

chapter three // didn’t care much how long i lived

summary: bucky receives a lesson on modern music over cheap beers and freshly baked scones.

warnings: mentions of abuse, food, alcohol consumption, character death (sorry)

word count: 1.6k

author’s note: besties...how we feeling about today’s episode??? using this as a coping mechanism :)

[ read on ao3 | series masterlist | inbox | join my taglist! ]

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Your record collection was extensive and collecting an unhealthy layer of dust since you had inherited them from your grandmother. It didn’t take long to fish out a Best Of album from the vast shelves, handing over the sleeve to Bucky, who sat patiently on your forest green couch, as you fiddled with the turntable’s needle.

To busy himself, he read over the repertoire of songs listed on the back.

“Let’s Get It On?”

“Usually, a guy buys a girl dinner first, Bucky.” You took a cheeky swig of your beer with an eyebrow raise as he flushed at the insinuation. “We’ll start easy. If I Could Build My Whole World Around You. A criminally under-appreciated love song.”

A bouncy beat crackled through from the speakers as you settled into the couch beside him, tucking your legs beneath you. Today’s choice of pajama bottoms displayed little snowflakes across a navy background, despite the heat outside that still lingered into nighttime.

“I like it.” Bucky decided.

“Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell have so many amazing songs together. She might not sound like it on record, but she had a hard life. Abusive, cheating partners. Brain cancer that killed her young. Hard to know what anyone’s going through behind closed doors.”

I’d put so much love where there is sorrow, I’d put joy where there’s never been before.

“I really like it.”

Your apron still hung from your waist, the gentle tick of the kitchen timer in the shape of a grey cat sat by your side. A reminder of the scones you were whipping up when Bucky unexpectedly appeared on your doorstep. You didn’t question him or bring up the late hour. Simply ushered him in with a smile and a beer shoved into his gloved hand.

Bucky feels comfortable for the first time in a long time. Eyes focused, mind stagnant. Your perfume, woodsy and natural, lingers in the air and he has to take a long gulp of his drink just to occupy himself for just a second.

“I’m glad you like it. Though, I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like Marvin Gaye. It’s like not liking Queen.”

“Queen?”

The timer rattled on the coffee table and the smell of vanilla and blueberries nipped at Bucky’s nose.

“Saved by the bell! I don’t have the time to berate you on not knowing about Queen.”

You bustled your way back into the kitchen, sliding oven mitts onto your hands as you inspected the oven with a professional certainty. The record out and into the next track as Bucky watched on, your shoulders swaying to the slow tempo. You were light on your feet as you plucked one tray from the heat and replaced it with another.

It was so easy for Bucky to imagine this world as his, with the soft swing of Motown as the soundtrack to your shared afternoons. In a different life, he would come home to your baking, ask how studying went as you swayed in the kitchen together. You would wash dishes next to one another, hips pressed close, and giggle when he would press his sudsy hands onto your cheeks. You would smear remnants of cake batter on his and he would let you feed him dessert from your fingers.

It wasn’t possible, he knew. Probably ever. You would be graduating school soon, off to be an important attorney and he would still just be your across the hallway neighbor who you sometimes shared desserts and pleasantries with. You would find out who he was eventually. Everyone did. You would leave. Everyone did.

You would simply be another in a long line of failed attempts by James Buchanan Barnes.

Still, he thought, we can have this one simple night. Where you don’t know who he is, and he can imagine that it lasts long after he retreats back to his apartment.

‘Heaven must have sent you from above.’ Crooned the lovesick singers on your record player.

As you returned to the living room with another beer and the promise of scones as soon as they cooled, Bucky could only think one thing.

He was definitely starting to like Marvin Gaye.

He was starting to like you, too.

When he returned back to his apartment, hours later with a pile of records you insisted he borrow in his arms and a belly full of blueberry scones, he fell into bed without a care in his mind. It was his first full night of sleep in ninety years.

-

Bucky started appearing on your doorstep more often.

Your number was now saved in his phone and was his most frequently used contact. You were his secret, though, something he didn’t even share with Dr. Raynor. No matter how many times she tried to get him to speak about his troubling lack of acquaintances.

You were the one thing in the world untouched by all the destruction waging a war between his ears, you were easy and simple and God, it had been a long time since anything had been simple. You didn’t mind that he was brooding and a little bit clueless, or his cheesy jokes and complaints about technology these days.

His record collection was quickly growing, though it was still nowhere near yours.

Most of all, he liked sitting in your apartment, at your kitchen counter or on that forest green sofa of yours. Sometimes, you would let him pick a record and tell him everything you could remember about it. Other times, you would read from your heavy law books and he’d pretend to understand the cases and terminology, head resting against the back of your couch, admiring how your brows would furrow in concentration. He’d tell you not to hunch over your book, but you’d insist you were fine, only to be complaining about your neck the next time he saw you.

“I wish I read more actual books, you know? It seems like all I know these days are case studies.”

The next visit he’d have a worn copy of one of his favorite books tucked under his arm. He’d read to you until you’d doze off to the stories of Bilbo Baggins and his team of dwarves, a blanket tucked up to your neck.

Every visit cemented yourself further and further into his identity, until his trips to the used bookstore down the block became weekly and his morning runs became longer as you pushed more and more baked goods his way. You’d kiss his cheek as you said your goodbyes, leaning against your doorframe as he disappeared into his apartment.

He was happy. Positively, unbelievably happy.

-

Two days before Bucky’s next scheduled visit, Steve died in his sleep.

Pneumonia, or something, Bucky didn’t really comprehend any of the newscast beyond the headline ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA DEAD’ flashing in bold letters across his television screen.

Sam called early that morning and Bucky just knew. He knew what was waiting for him on the other end of that call, so he shut his phone off and laid back on the hardwood floor of his living room, dead to the world.

He didn’t speak to anyone for a few days, not even bothering with his daily runs or grocery store trips. Your knocks at his door went unanswered, with no trace that you had even stood in the hallway waiting for him other than a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies on his doormat. The only appointment he kept was his therapy, where he stared out the window and counted down the minutes until he could leave. Each attempt on Dr. Raynor’s part to bring up Steve was shut down as quickly as it was brought up.

Finally, a week later, a pounding at the door woke him from a restless afternoon nap.

“Buck, I know you’re in there.”

Sam. Of course.

“These boxes are heavy, come on!”

Sam Wilson took up Bucky’s entire doorway with his broad shoulders, the boxes stacked in his arms taking up the rest. Bucky was quick to usher him in the door, eyeing yours across the hall. He knew one look at an Avenger on his stoop would finally connect the dots for you, and you’d never speak to the Winter Soldier again.

“Keep your voice down.” Bucky shoved the final box through the doorway before securing the lock in place.

Sam surveyed his barren living room, eyes flicking to the crumpled bedsheets gathered on the floor next to his sofa but didn’t linger for long.

“I was worried about you, man.”

It used to be ‘we’, but now it’s just Sam.

“Nothing to worry about.” Bucky pushed past him to his kitchen, collecting stray dishes he hadn’t bothered to move to the sink before then. He felt Sam’s careful gaze on him the entire time. He hated that. He hated how much Sam cared.

He mostly hated how much it reminded him of Steve.

“Found these boxes in Steve’s attic. Had your name on them so I thought you might want ‘em.”

Bucky swallowed hard, focused on scrubbing the dishes under water so hot it was turning the skin on his flesh hand a violent red.

“I know this is hard, Buck-”

The glass he had been rinsing shattered between his fingers and Sam took a step back as Bucky heaved in uneven breaths. There was a long silence between the two grieving men, neither able to fully understand the other. Sam would never feel Bucky’s ninety-year heartache, the abandonment and fear of the life ahead of him. Bucky would never understand the weight on Sam’s shoulders or his unease at the shield tucked under his bed at home.

“I just want to be alone.”

Sam could do nothing but respect his wish.

“Call if you need anything.” Were his departing words as he showed himself out.

Bucky got to work cleaning up the broken glass.

taglist: @tisthedamninez @wcndamaxcmoff @freyagallileaevans @bibliophilewednesday @justtoreblogfics @teti-menchon0604 @l-adysansa @heart-eyes-horan @thiswasnevermylifefromtony @rexorangecouny @dilfvision @urafakebetch @comphersjost @am-tired-bois @spid3rgwen​ @beautyandthebleh @euphoricaaaa  @mackycat11 @inadquacy @withyoutilltheendofthismess @motherofallthesmallthings @victoriabaker112213 @macrillez @stvalentiness @nova10711

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Jane Foster’s child

Jane Foster x child!reader

Thor Odinson x Foster!child!reader

warnings:

a/n: no not a foster child, jane foster’s child 😌 also im so super glad you liked those!!! hope these are just as good!!! and im genuinely so sorry these took so long

prompt: anonymous: “Hey! I just read the Tony Stark x Potts!child!reader HC and I loved it! Would you do the same but with Thor and Jane? ❤️”

no babysitter = go to work with mom

dr. selvig gave you a rubik’s cube to keep you entertained

“fuck that! here, y/n, you can play my DS” -darcy

“can you not swear in front of my child?” -jane

you thought tonight would be boring, but then your mom and darcy collectively hit a homeless guy with a car!

“holy crap, we’re all going to jail!” -you

“don’t say ‘crap,’ y/n! we need to get him to a hospital!” -jane

ngl this dude was kinda funky

darcy used her taser and your mom covered your eyes, but you still peaked ;)

ride to the hospital

“don’t touch him, y/n”

“sorry, doc”

and the very next day you guys stole him 💕

“mr. thor, where are you from?”

“i am from asgard! it is much different from this realm, but your’s is adequate, i suppose”

“thanks?”

you could see the way your mom looked at him, though

he ate all the pop tarts >:(

she gave thor her ex boyfriends clothes

“yeah, donald was a real ass—” -you

“don’t say ‘ass.’ darcy curses too much” -jane

“sorry, mom...anyways, donald forgot to pick me up from soccer practice like, a dozen times. he sucked” -you

“this ‘donald’ doesn’t seem like a very good man...also, what is ‘soccer?’” -thor

you grabbed a soccer ball and tried to show him how to play but there was some other stuff the *scientists* had to take care of

you were a regular at izzy’s diner (well, mom was) and they always made you cute pancakes in different shapes!!

“ah, it’s a smiley face! that’s adorable!” -thor

“yeah! they like to surprise me whenever i come in. they’re pretty awesome” -you

*your mom literally beaming at how good thor is with you already*

you and thor were drawing on paper placemats

and then he broke a glass and you started giggling hdhshshs

but he had to leave

“no, thor, please don’t go!”

“i hope to meet you again one day, little one. hopefully fate sees it through”

:((((

no time to be sad bc ur mom’s lab got hijacked by the government

“hey, no fair! that’s my diary!” -you

“sorry, kid. there are constellation drawings we have to observe” -coulson

“aw, you draw constellations? wait, not now. you can’t just take all our stuff. especially that! that belongs to a child!” -jane

“sic ‘em, y/n!” -darcy

“don’t listen to darcy, y/n” -selvig

chilling in the trailer and missing thor bc he was the most interesting thing to happen to you and your mom in a while

and you wanted her to be happy even tho he was kind of crazy

“hey, mom? do you want to watch the stars tonight like we used to do? we could make s’mores?”

“that sounds like a great idea, baby! i’ve gotta go take care of some science stuff, so i’ll pick up some s’mores stuff while i’m out. love you!”

yeah she went to go see thor and he kinda got arrested but your mom came back home so you could watch the stars!

“so, do you like thor?” -you

“what? what makes you say that?” -jane

“it’s cool if you do, i think he’s awesome. a little weird, but at least he’s nice”

then thor and selvig came home and selvig was drunk as a skunk

*poking him while he giggles and tells you about thor*

“i wish your grandfather could have met that guy! he would have loved him...i wish you met your grandfather, too” -selvig

thor inviting you back outside

“i’d like you to teach me more about this ‘soccer’”

by the time you guys were done, it was 3am and you were too pumped to go to sleep

so thor told you stories of his home and battle and family

you didn’t want him to stop, you were fascinated by it all

and uhhhh yeah then earth kinda had some vikings show up

they told you that you’d “make a fine warrior one day”

and then yall got attacked by a ????? a what??? a destroyer???????

“get y/n out of here now! they shouldn’t have to see this!” -thor

you were still nearby and saw thor become thor again

after he was done fighting the destroyer, you ran to give him a hug

“that was awesome! can i hold your hammer?”

“maybe someday, little one”

then you didn’t see him for 2 years

which upset your mom a good bit, you had to help her through that episode. lots of sitting on the couch and eating ice cream together talking about how he wasn’t worth her time even tho you missed him too

but he came back! and then your mom sent everything flying bc she had an “infinity stone” inside her and thor took you two to asgard

“y/n! you’ve grown so much, i almost didn’t recognize you!” -thor

tbh you really digged the outfit they gave you, but also you were on another planet? thor insisted on giving you a tour (by flying you around)

“i do hope you’re having fun, little one!”

worrying about your mom simultaneously bc you overheard she was sick

but asgard got attacked and you and jane were confined to a room in the palace, which sucked because you wanted to see it all

but thor sent guards to bring you anything to keep you entertained

“maybe we’ll skip the mace for now, thank you” -jane

after several events that count as child endangerment, this chapter came to an end and your mom and thor finally made it official

loki called you a rodent and then saved your life so you were kinda iffy about him

about a year or two later, your mom had to travel a great deal in order to get some work done, so you were left in the care of thor, who took you to avengers tower

“oh, my girlfriend’s child is an angel! and they’re so intelligent, just like their mother!” -thor gushing to other partygoers

“yeah, thor, your ‘angel’ is sneaking drinks from the elderly” -tony

*sipping his beer* “they’re a growing teenager”

you did have an amazing time interacting with the avengers

and once they tried grabbing the hammer, you knew you had to get in on it (but you failed like the rest)

“don’t worry, my y/n, you have to be eighteen years of age to be able to lift mjölnir!” -thor

“oh, that makes sense!” -you, while thor aggressively shakes his head at the other avengers. he just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel bad you weren’t worthy yet :(

more child endangerment but really what did you expect?

thor went off world and your mom split it off w him but you did have his email so you were still in contact with him

swearing you saw odin on the street once or twice (fast forward)

and then your mom dusted and thor found you as soon as he possibly could, it was so good to see him

he took you in since you were alone now, you moved to new asgard and became prince(ss) of the new land by relation?? makes sense right

basically you and valkyrie made all the calls while thor grieved for years

but he still took care of you

“y/n, would you like to play video games with me? i think it may be a good bonding experience, what do you say?” -thor

“duh!”

uncle korg made you help him with fortnite while thor was asleep

you wished to wield stormbreaker one day

showing thor earth media! his favorite star wars character is r2-d2 dont ask why

he taught you asgardian recipes and you taught him...earth recipes?

when he was drunk he’d ramble on about his childhood and battle and enemies and jane and loki and hela and frigga and literally anything that came to mind

“y/n, could you please get me a beer? and get one for yourself, too” -thor

valkyrie most definitely gave you some battle training so you you blow off some steam, you were glad she taught you how to fight like a true warrior

thor wanted to teach you battle tactics so you could fight alongside him, but he never got around to it

a raccoon and bruce banner visited later on, proposing a way to get your family back, thor was an emotional wreck

his debriefing on the reality stone was tense when he started crying about your mom and everyone stared at you

“hey, don’t look at me. i don’t control the god, i just keep him company”

ending up waiting 1 second for the avengers to come back from their mission, resulting in you being stuck in the middle of a very heavy battle

“y/n, get out of here!” -thor

“don’t worry, thor! valkyrie taught me a few moves!”

“you make me incredibly proud, little one!”

“i’m not so little anymore, am i?”

“you will always be my little one, y/n. blood or not, that will not change!”

victory, but at what cost? it was a rough ride, you needed to get patched up, but your mom was finally home and thor...he decided it was time to leave earth again

“don’t worry, my y/n. i will see you again.” *tearing up* “i’m so glad i got the pleasure of raising you these past few years. i love you dearly, now go be with your mother”

you straight up wanted to bawl your eyes out right there

“well, y/n, you’re next in line for the throne of new asgard. what is your first command?” -valkyrie

“actually, i think you’d make a much better ruler than me. i’ve got to spend some time with my mother now that she’s home”

“you’re so much like him, you know that?”

staying with your mother, who was diagnosed with cancer not long after returning from the soul stone (a/n: jane getting cancer is canon in the comics and confirmed for thor 4)

“i missed five years of your life and now i’m sick, that’s just our luck, isn’t it?” -jane

she was understandably upset, but she also felt guilty

“mom, don’t beat yourself up. everything is okay, we’re still together right now. i won’t be going anywhere, i promise”

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedgiantfavs // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck //

[miryum]

Stop forcing me away (bucky x reader) pt 4

This is more of a filler chapter. This shows off your powers a bit more and what else you can do. 

You wake up in the morning, fully rested and feeling better about your new life as a unofficial Avenger.

You throw on some sweatpants and a tee, and go into the living area of the Avengers. It consists of a kitchen, living room, and a large island for eating at. You see the everybody else already there.

You stand there awkwardly for a bit, before Steve pats a place next to him on the couch. You smile gratefully at him before sitting down.

"So," He starts, "We're thinking of seeing what you can do today in training. Hand-to-hand, what weapons you prefer, that sort of thing."

You cringe, "I... haven't had a ton of experience when it comes to that..."

"I thought you had to fight Hydra." Sam says.

"Well, when you have fields that are impenetrable, except for one thing," You glare at Bucky, but he just shrugs and gives you a smirk. You quickly look away to avoid blushing, "You don't learn to fight. You learn to run. I bet I could beat any of you in a race."

Natasha scoffs, "Really?" She says with sarcasm in her voice, "We have a god," She points at Thor, "Two super soldiers," She points at Bucky and Steve, "An ex-assassin," Herself, "And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I doubt you could beat any of us."

You cock an eyebrow, feeling a new sense of confidence come over you, "Well, I might not be a god or super soldier, but practice makes perfect; and I've had a lot of practice."

"You wanna go?" Nat says, smirking.

"Let's do it."

***

You, Nat, Thor, and Bucky were lined up in a big field. "Are we going for speed or distance?" You ask.

"Speed." Thor says dramatically, at the same time Bucky says, "Distance."

You and Nat exchange a look. Boys.

"How about speed first and then distance?" You say, trying to compromise. The two boys rolled their eyes, glaring at each other, but agreed nonetheless.

"Go!" Steve yells.

Everyone takes off. Bucky quickly gains ground, as does Thor, and you stay even with Natasha close behind. Your legs pump towards Tony, a couple hundred meters away. He's staring at his phone, typing furiously, not caring that he's the finish line. Wanda just told him to stand there and he complied.

You and Nat catch up to Bucky and Thor, and you all whiz past Tony, making his hair puff up from the wind you guys made.

"Who won?" Thor asks.

The rest of the Avengers stand there, puzzled. "I'm not sure?" Steve says eventually.

Sam claps you on the shoulder, "I'm just surprised she could keep up with the lot of 'em!"

You smile, satisfied.

"Now for distance." Nat says smugly.

"How far?" You quirk an eyebrow.

Nat hums then looks you dead in the eye, "Ten miles."

"Done."

You, Nat, and Thor line up at the edge of the forest. Bucky decided to sit this one out.

Steve starts the race and the three of you start running. Thor starts off fast, gaining speed and distance, while you and Nat pace yourself. Eventually, Nat pulls ahead of you, but around halfway, you pass Thor who is panting for breath.

You start to pick up the pace, seeing Nat just ahead of you, with Tony a little farther away from her.

Nat glances back, and when she sees you a couple meters behind, grins, and dashes towards Tony.

You let her tag Tony first, but keep on running as you pass her, not even slightly out of breath, where as she's trying to regain her much-needed air.

"Too tired to keep going?" You ask, running in place.

She glares, "No."

"Well, we still have to head back." You say. So, you start jogging back to Stark Tower. "Oh," You turn back to her and Tony, "I can give you guys a lift if need be."

"How?" Tony asks, intrigued by the thought of not having to walk back.

Your lips shape up into a little smile and you flick a hand out in their direction. A light blue field circled around them and lifted them into the air.

Stark looked around, nodding, "You have impressive control and strength over your powers, (Y/n)."

"Thanks." You can feel a small blush appear on your cheeks, but you turn and start running back to the tower.

Along the way, you pass Thor and scoop him up in your force field bubble too.

You can't imagine the sight that the rest of the Avengers will see when they see you run out of the forest, nowhere near out of breath, carrying three of the strongest Avengers (in my opinion) in one of your fields. You smile at the thought.

You might have just proven yourself today.

[brokenbarnes]

Those Three Words

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Genre: Angst/fluff

Description: Bucky’s nightmares don’t always stay at night, but you clean him up after a mission and bring him back into the light. 

Warnings: blood, gore, PTSD symptoms???

A/N: Hi y’all I’ve been so uninspired but I managed to pull this one out of my ass. Hope you enjoy. Idk if this is a drabble or a fic but whatever

There were many nights when Bucky woke up, screaming his throat raw from another night terror or you found him standing stiff as a rod, waiting instructions from a handler who would never come. It was a miracle when the both of you slept through the night. When that happened, he would wake you up with gentle kisses across your skin, his hands tracing patterns in your back or arms. “How’d you sleep?” You’d ask, already knowing the answer. “Great,” he murmured, sliding his lips across your collarbone. It wasn’t only during the night that the memories would haunt him. You were curled up in bed after a long painful day of training new recruits when the doorknob twisted. Him, Steve and Nat had been gone for three weeks in Eastern Africa on a recon mission. Over the phone, Bucky told you that things were alright; but the tone of his voice told you otherwise. Now, here he was in the doorway, his stealth suit a little battered, a little bloody with some wear and tear. To be honest, it was in better shape than most times he had returned from a long mission. “Hey,” you sat up, letting the blankets fall down around you. “I didn’t know you guys were coming home.” “We wrapped things up early,” he murmured, shutting the door behind him. You stood up and wrapped your arms around him tightly. He hissed as your body pressed into his front, but not from your soft curves or gentle touch. “Are you hurt?” You pulled away, scanning his body for injuries. “M’fine, Doll,” he murmured. You touched his ribs and he winced audibly. “Liar,” you murmured with a coy smile, sliding your hand into his. “Come on, Honey.”

Into the bathroom you went, pulling out the state-of-the-art first-aid kit from the cabinet. You had finally bitten the bullet and ordered the best Amazon could provide after he started missions with the team. Bucky started to unzip his suit, gently prying off pieces of the thick Kevlar and tossing it onto the tile next to him. “How did the mission go?” You asked, popping open the latches and balancing the kit on the counter. He bent his head, focusing on the straps for his chest piece. You paused your actions, taking notice in his body language. A gentle hand swept over his hair, tucking a thick piece behind his ear. “Honey, what happened?” You asked softly. Bucky slid the piece from his chest and it dropped to the floor, the white of his undershirt was stained red on his right side and a few more blotches scattered across his chest. “Whenever we get near them, I can’t shake ‘em,” Bucky shook his head, leaning against the counter. “I stepped inside the compound and just… felt like I was back in there again.” You brushed your hands through his hair and down his back softly, letting his words come out at their own pace. That’s what you’ve learned about your soldier, if you give him time; everything will come out. “I screwed up,” he admitted, looking up into your eyes. “Steve told me not to go into this room and… it looked exactly like the room that I used to be in. Where they would…” he squeezed his eyes shut, “punish me.” You nodded, letting him know that you were listening. Your fingers traced over the black metal of his arm, following the gold pattern. “I… I couldn’t move,” he whispered. “Steve found me before the agents did, but he had to drag me out. I was a wreck.” “Oh, Honey,” you whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “You can’t control that.” After a beat or two of silence, you tapped your fingers on his undershirt. “Can I take this off?” He nodded, wincing as he lifted his arms and you pulled the soiled cloth over his head. It went into the pile on the floor next to him. His wounds weren’t deep, but a good enough to cause some discomfort. Even for a super soldier. “The worst thing is,” he licked his dry lips. “I don’t remember any of it, all I remember is walking into the compound.” “Do you want to talk to Cho?” You asked, pushing the pile of clothes farther away from you. There’s an odor rising into the air and you want it as far away from you as possible. “I don’t know,” he admitted, letting his shoulders drop. “I don’t know if I want to remember it or not.” “It could be for the best,” you suggested. “Just another memory I won’t remember,” he shook his head. “Hey,” you said sternly, making him look at you. “Be positive, remember?” That was something different about you than any other Avenger, you forced him to look on the Brightside. When the darkness took over his mind, you reached in and turned on the light. “So, how did this happen?” You asked, reaching for the alcohol wipes and nodding to the gash in his ribs. “Fell out of a balcony.” “You fell out of a balcony?” As he told you the story, you cleaned out the worst of them. They’d heal up by tomorrow, but you wanted to make sure that they were clean before they sealed up. He hissed as you pressed the disinfectant to his side. The bleeding had stopped already but left a nasty gash. Your touch was gentle, washing away any anxiety he had about the mission or memories conjured up by the inky darkness of the HYDRA compound. He loved you but hadn’t told you that yet. He loved the way your hair fell in your face when you cleaned him up, he loved the way you didn’t treat him like glass and he loved the way you fit in his arms in the cover of the night. “Bucky?” You smiled, staring at him expectantly and he realized you had asked a question. “Sorry, what?” He blinked. You smiled patiently, brushing your thumb over his cheek softly. “I asked if there was anything else I need to worry about.” “Well other than sharing a bed with an unstable assassin, I think that’s about it,” his lips curled up in a hint of a smile. “Well, whoever this unstable assassin is, should shower before going to bed,” you teased, pecking his lips softly. Now, he fully smiled, and it always made your heart flutter. You washed your hands before leaving him to shower, he always liked to shower by himself, especially after sour missions. You laid out a set of clean clothes for him on the counter and tip-toed out of the room back to bed. The shower shut off just as you were lifting the covers. Bucky came back to you, sliding under the covers, smelling like your body wash and shampoo. He tugged you into his arms, pressing his face into your hair. “I missed you,” you murmured into his chest. Three weeks was long enough. “I missed you too,” he whispered. You could tell how exhausted he was, so you pulled the covers up around each other and hit play on the remote. He sank into the pillows, a familiar look in his eyes from the guilt gnawing away. He brushed the hair away from your face and shook his head. “I don’t think tonight is going to be a good night,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes. “That’s alright, Honey,” you told him honestly. “I’ll be here.” Those three words gave him enough strength to go through another night. They weren’t the ideal three words that every couple hoped for, but they meant a lot to him. It meant that you weren’t giving up on him. Even when just a few hours later, when he woke up with his hands clenched in the sheets and a clear sheen of sweat coating his skin; you didn’t give up. A cool set of hands of gentle hands found him in the darkness, calling out his name until he could force his eyes open. “I’m here,” you whispered. “Come back to me, Bucky.” And he always did.

[hquokkah]

Cookies, Love, and Burnt Cookies.

!! Contains some swearing !!

SKZ members decide to make cookies one day. The real question is, will it end up in disaster or utter chaos? Maybe both? Fic featuring OT8 members of Stray Kids! <3

......

“Have you gotten out all the ingredients yet Hyunjin...?!” Minho asked, pulling out a mixing bowl.

“Almost. I just can’t find the eggs! I swear I saw them yesterday.” Hyunjin replied, sticking his arm in the fridge as he moved items around to find the carton of eggs.

“Look harde- OW!” Minho yelled, accidently whacking his hand against the counter as he turned to face him.

“HAH! That’s for yelling at me.”

Minho rolled his eyes.

“We haven’t even started baking yet! And both of you are already at it.” Felix sighed.

“That’s his fault. He’s taking too long to find the eggs.”

“They’re not even in the fridge! You can’t yell at me if there’s no eggs to find!”

“Jokes on you, I have them with me~” Minho smirked.

 “YOU WHAT”

“I was just teasing Jinnie~ Now get over here, I think we have everything?”

“I think we do.” Felix glanced over everything just to be sure as Hyunjin made his way over grumbling.

“You look a lil grouchy. Is it because I woke you up instead of Jeongin since he had to go out?”

“You tickled me awakeee…” He whined. “Are we just making regular sugar cookies?”

“Yep! I thought maybe we could decorate them too! I bought some frosting for us.” Felix chirped, pulling out store-bought frosting from a shopping bag. “Here they are~” he said, smiling.

“I’ll set them down for you.” Minho said, taking the containers of frosting. “Should we start making them now, Felix?”

“Oh yes- Hyunjin could you pass me the flour?”

-- time skip bc cookies take time --

“Alright! Dough is done, Minho could you please find the cookie cutters? It’s in the storage room.”

While Minho was searching for it, Hyunjin divided the dough into three sections so each of the boys could do whatever they wanted with their share of the dough. He began playing around with his, tossing it like pizza dough.

“Hyunjin-”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful you don’t drop that on the floor. I dunno the last time we cleaned it.” Felix cautioned.

“Me? Drop it? Never…” Hyunjin laughed, tossing it above his head and catching it to prove his point. “See?”

Felix stared at him for a moment and then shrugged. “Okay then. Just be careful mate.”

“You got it bro--” Hyunjin’s dough fell on the floor with a smack.

He glanced at Felix quickly, who thankfully had his back turned. The boy darted to pick it up and dust it off quickly, blowing on it to get off any germs from the floor that could’ve collected, dumping it on the table just as Felix turned back around.

“You good? I thought I heard a thump.”

“O-Oh- that was....probably Minho. All’s good.”

“Really? Huh. I’ll go check on him.” He said, leaving the kitchen.

Once Felix was out of sight, Hyunjin stared at his dough with a disgusted look on his face.

“...What am I going to do with you..” He thought aloud, his nose scrunching as his finger poked it.

“A thump? Wasn’t me.”

“Oh really? That’s weird.”

His eyes widened at the sound of his approaching friends, arms flailing everywhere as he panicked. The doorknob was turning…

“We’re back!” Felix hummed, moving towards his spot from before. 

Hyunjin sat at the table, looking 100% calm as if nothing happened. “Find the cookie cutters, hyung?”

“It took some looking, but yeah, I did.”

“Perfect. Here’s your half of dough, by the way!”

“Thanks...”

“You’re Welcome.” Hyunjin smiled, facing him. His tone seemed a little too sweet.

He had traded his germy dough with Minho’s clean one-

I repeat: He traded his fallen dough with Minho’s clean dough last minute so he wouldn’t have it. 

Minho raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him, and Hyunjin could feel cold sweat forming before Minho turned his attention back on the cookie cutters.

“Wait...WE HAVE CAT COOKIE CUTTERS? I’m using them. They’re mine.”

“Are you going to make Soonie, Doongi, and Dori cookies?” Felix questioned.

“Of course I am!” He grabbed his dough and cut out 3 cat shaped cookies. 

Hyunjin just stared at them.

“Hyunjin! Hurry up so we can bake them already!” Minho patted his head and gave it a light flick.

“Right- pass me a cookie cutter please?”

After cutting the dough into shapes, the boys placed them on a baking sheet and put them into the oven.

“How long?”

“Er...Given the amount of cookies we have, I’d say fifteen minutes.”

“Oh good. I’m hungry…” Hyunjin sighed.

“Oooooh you’re making cookies?” A familiar voice sounded from the kitchen entrance. “Is there enough for me, hyungs?” Jisung ambled forwards to take a look at the oven.

“Yes. You can have Minho’s cookies.”

“Of course I will. As a matter of fact, I’ll have some of your cookies too, won’t I, Hyunjin. After all, who could resist my heart stopping handsomeness?”

“Handsomeness? Where?” Minho squinted and looked around the room.

“HA-” The clapping of hands and laughter were heard from Hyunjin. 

“Hyung…!” Jisung groaned, only to be enveloped by a pair of arms.

“You can have my cookies!” Felix laughed, squeezing Jisung into a tight hug. “Don’t listen to em! You’re handsome as hell.”

“Aw...thanks Lix.” Jisung hugged him back before turning his head.

“SEE! At least FELIX loves me!” 

“Oh yeah?! Well-Well- MINHO LOV-”

Minho stared at Hyunjin with a teasing disgusted look on his face. 

To which Hyunjin mirrored by looking him up and down and making a fake gagging sound.

“...Never mind. BUT I BET FELIX LOVES ME MORE!”

“NOOO!” Jisung tightened his grip on Felix and began to sway left and right.

“Lix loves me!”

“Ack! I love all of youuu~” Felix hummed, loving the hug he was getting. 

“What’s going on?” Changbin asked, coming in to set a used glass in the sink.

“They’re fighting over who I love more, I guess.”

“Wow, even Minho?”

“Of course not. It’s dumb because Felix loves me more than both of you combined!”

“That’s stupid, because he loves me more than all THREE of you combined!” Changbin smirked. 

“Tch. Sureee…”

Felix giggled at them. 

“How do we settle this?” Jisung asked, playfully trying to kiss Felix’s cheek.

“Er...Arm wrestling?” Binnie suggested.

“Arm wrestling…?!” Hyunjin repeated.

“Yeah…”

“Why arm wrestling? To compete for his love?”

“That’s all I could come up with! Do you  have anything better?”

Hyunjin bit his lip.

“That’s what I thought, Ratpunzel.”

“Hey, don’t call me that!”

“Alright, who wants to compete first?” Minho asked aloud.

“ME. MEMEME!” Jisung shouted, still latched around Felix.

“Alright. Jisung against Changbin.”

“I-” He swung his arms nervously. “Against Changbin? Uh- can I go against Jinnie instead-”

“Are you underestimating me?!”

“You’ll go against Changbin.” Minho smirked.

“Alright, lemme just-” Jisung dropped to the floor and started doing push ups.

“C’mon! I don’t got all day.”

“Bro chill! I’m trying to not break an arm over here, jesus!”

“You’re just a scared quokka.”

“NO!” Jisung pouted. “You’re about to cooked bacon meat once I beat you, pig.”

 “IT’S PIG RABBIT.”

“Okay, alien pig.” Jisung teased, taking a seat at the table with Changbin. 

Changbin put his arm in position, glaring at the man across from him with a smirk. “Let’s just see how this plays out, loser.”

Jisung flexed his arms to show off his beefy muscles, returning the smirk. “I’d be surprised if this pig could beat this.” He landed a kiss on his flexed arm and met his hand with Changbin’s.

“Pabbit versus Quokka.” Minho announced, standing beside them. “Shall we see who comes out as the victor and the loser? On three.” He placed a hand on their holding hands. “Three. Two....One!” He shouted, releasing his grasp.

“WAH!” Jisung squeaked, using his full on strength against Changbin, and getting...close to nowhere.

“Hehe!” Binnie giggled. “I can do this all day!”

Jisung grunted as he started using another hand to help himself out.

Changbin yawned.

“This....isn’t...fair!” Jisung whined. “Felix...I LOVE YOU, BABY-” He yelled, using every last inch of force he had, managing to turn Binnie’s arm to the opposing side farther.

“Hah. Hope you had fun~” Changbin slammed Jisungs arm against the table.

“AUGH!” The man fell off his chair onto the floor dramatically. “Avenge me…” He whispered, before faking dead.

“Pfft. You wish.” Minho laughed. “Alright Hyunjinnie, its you and me~”

“Save me.” Hyunjin sighed, taking Changbin’s spot as Minho took Jisung’s.

Both hands met, and this time Changbin counted down. “3...2...1!”

“ARGHHHH!!” Hyunjin yelled, using all his strength.

“You...sound like you’re...giving birth!” Minho snickered, also using his might.

“Maybe he is!!” Jisung called from the floor.

“SHUT...UP!”

“Im hurt, baby!”

“I’M NOT IN THE CURRENT POSITION TO CARE RIGHT NOW!”

Minho slowly started leaning into Hyunjin, who responded by scrunching his face. “Don’t distract me.” He whined.

Minho puckered his lips.

Hyunjin batted his eyelashes.

Minho leaned in.

“HELL NAW-” Hyunjin faltered as he reeled back, to which Minho used it as an opportunity to win.

“Oh sh-” The long haired man’s arm was an inch from hitting the table. He turned his head towards the blonde watching it all. “Felix...saranghae.” He flipped his hair and let himself lose, slumping against the table.

“Me versus you, are you going to surrender?” Minho said towards Changbin who stood behind him.

“No, but are you?”

“Never. Hyunjin move!”

Hyunjin still lay there fake dead.

“Felix, could you please take out the air fryer?”

Hyunjin jumped out of the chair.

“Pabbit, please take a seat.”

“You realize you’re pretty much half of me, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m pig plus rabbit. …And you’re...rabbit.”

“Okay, and?”

“Everything you bully me about is directed towards yourself as well~”

Minho put on a poker face as he positioned his arm. “Then I’ll focus on the pig part of you.”

“PIG PART?!”

“On three.”

The younger sighed, matching his position.

“Two. One.”

Changbin was doing relatively well, and looked up to see his competitor’s face.

Minho’s face was point blank and staring at him intensely, seemingly without blinking.

“GAH- Hyung, you’re scary…”

“Are you going to cry wee wee wee all the way home?”

“I’m going to cry wee wee wee at my victory.”

-Bang.-

“Ouch.” The elder rubbed his arm. “Okay, Okay you win.”

“YES! EHEH.” Changbin rose up and ran towards the blonde, both giggling as Binnie gave him a tight hug. “I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ALL OF THEM!!”

“I can’t believe you guys held a whole arm wrestling competition.” Felix smiled. “I LOVE YOU BROS!”

Jisung got up and made a heart shape symbol with his arms. “BABY I LOVE YOU TOO.”

“I LIKE YOU GUYS A LOT.” Minho shouted.

“I LOVE YOU ALL.” Hyunjin screamed, joining in.

“I LOVE ALL OF YOUUU” Changbin yelled.

“WHAT ARE YOU KIDS SCREAMING FOR, WE’RE GONNA GET KICKED OUT!” Chan yelled, looking like he awoke from a nap with his messy hair all fluffed up. Father mode on.

He was followed by a sleepy Seungmin, sniffing the air. “Are you guys making something? It smells really burnt in here.”

Everyone in the baking group froze…and turned to the oven…

To which smoke was escaping out from.

“HOLY SHIT-” Jisung screamed.

Minho ran to the oven. “MY SOONIE, DOONGI, DORI COOKIES!”

“WAIT, TURN IT OFF FIRST” 

Gray smoke billowed out of the appliance, the cookies burnt to crisp along with some small fires lit on it.

Hyunjin screamed, just as the fire alarms of the entire house turned on, blaring loudly. 

Chan ran towards Minho, and began waving his arms to let the smoke fly away, but accidently smacked the second oldest’s face, causing him to drop half the cookies on the floor.

“MATE WATCH OUT-” Felix shouted, warning Chan who was able to dodge in time.

Changbin picked up a fallen cookie. “I don’t think they’re edible anymore.”

“Well, no SHIT, Sherlock.” Seungmin said, watching everything go down and eating some of the store bought frosting Felix bought.

“Don't EAT that!” Hyunjin yelled, smacking Binnie’s hand. 

“I WASN’T- Wait is this one of Minho’s cookies? It’s cat shaped.”

Hyunjin stared at it. “It is...lucky his burned. I dropped the dough on the floor and gave it to him. I was waiting for him to eat it.”

“You did what!” Changbin said in shock.

“TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH.” Minho called back. “HYUNJIN!”

“UH- I ACCIDENTLY MIXED OUR DOUGHS UP...WHOOPS…”

“I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU EAT THESE BURNED COOKIES ON THE FLOOR.”

“NO!” Hyunjin backed away, bumping to Seungmin who dropped the can of icing and spilled it on him.

“NOO! I LOVE THIS SHIRT.” 

“You should’ve watched where you were going!” Jisung laughed.

“Well! Watch what you say!” Picking up the blue frosting can, he scooped some into his hand and swiped it on Jisung’s face, Hyunjin snickered. “Bluesung is making a comeback.”

Jisung licked his frosting covered lips. “Bluesung is also sweeter than before. Give my sweet lips a kiss!” He ran towards Hyunjin, who ran away. “WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!”

“I JUST WANT A KISS!”

Hyunjin screamed as the chase continued.

“Guys! The cookies are still burning-”

“CHAN! YOUR PANTS ARE ON FIRE!” Minho yelled, nodding at the knee of his pants.

“THEY’RE WHAT-” Chan began smacking his pants, desperately trying to unlight them.

“HYUNG, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS.” Minho shouted.

“WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?”

“TAKE THEM OFF!” Minho and Felix chorused as the flame got bigger.

“FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, TAKE THEM OFF OR GET BURNED ALIVE, CHAN-”

Bang Chan fumbled with the buttoning of his pants, to which Minho ended up quickly yanking them off him instead as Felix pulled him back.

“I GOT THIS!��� Changbin yelled, grabbing a water bottle and splashing its contents towards them. 

It splashed Felix in the face instead, the blonde boy releasing Chan and falling backwards into the trash can in surprise.

“UH I’LL GET SOMETHING ELSE.” Binnie turned around and grabbed what Seungmin held, thinking he was trying to help.

“WAIT-”

Pink frosting now coated Minho and Chan.

“Bro your aim sucks.” Seungmin said, watching a chunk of frosting slip off Minho’s nose. “I’ve got to take a picture of this…” He snickered.

Minho clicked his tongue. “Come here puppy, want a treat?” Grabbing another frosting can with a green tint, he started throwing the sticky contents at the younger.

“Uh. A LITTLE HELP?” Felix yelped, the trash can having fallen on the floor and taking Felix with it.

“We got you! You’ll be out soon, I promise-” Chan comforted, both him and Changbin trying to yank Felix out.

There was a twisting of the dorm room’s knob.

“...Guys, I’m-” The maknae started, before hearing the still blasting fire alarms. Dropping his bag, he ran to the kitchen entrance to see-

Hyunjin trying to shove blue frosting covered Jisung away from him as he was trapped in a corner, Minho pelting Seungmin with green frosting and Seungmin tossing sprinkles, Felix stuck in their trash can, with Changbin tugging on it, and a PANTLESS leader pulling Felix’s arms. On the floor was Chan’s pants with a small flame lighting it, surrounded by coal looking cookies and a smoking oven.

Jeongin took a step back, before running out the apartment and slamming the door shut. After a minute, he slowly opened the door and went back to where he last stood, taking in the same scene once more.

“These hyungs…”

[hysterialevi]

His Name Was Isaac - Ch. 12

Fanfic summary: During a mission to avenge his mother’s death, Isaac hunts down the men responsible for her murder and kills them off one-by-one, only to discover that his last target is taking refuge among the Van der Linde gang. In an attempt to kill them, Isaac attacks the gang and unknowingly becomes enemies with his own father, who is in the process of fighting his own battle for redemption.

Point of view: third-person

Previous chapter | Next chapter

This story is also on AO3

THAT EVENING

NEAR OWANJILA LAKE

“What do you mean Joe’s dead?” Dutch asked, his tone sounding more feral with every word.

“I mean Arthur killed him!” Bill reiterated. “Shot him right in the face when no one was looking.”

The other man glanced at Micah, watching as the man rested on a nearby bedroll.

“And Micah?” He asked.

“Isaac attacked him as soon as Joe was shot.” Bill explained. “Cut him straight through the eye. Micah nearly killed the boy after that. Almost drowned him in the river, but Arthur managed to pull him off. Gave him one hell of a beating. Then, he sent me back here.”

Dutch looked at him with bewilderment. “And you just left?”

Bill threw his hands in the air. “Well, what else was I supposed to do, Dutch? You know Arthur. That man’s a beast. You raised him, after all. As for his son, let’s just say the apple don’t fall far from the tree. He ain’t nearly as strong as his pa, but he’s goddamn crazy. I’d have been killed if I stuck around.”

Dutch sighed in frustration and turned away from Bill, annoyed at the dead-end he suddenly found himself facing.

He knew Arthur wouldn’t be easy to take down -- that was no surprise -- but the fact that he killed one of his men and nearly beat another to death sent Dutch into a state of panic.

If Micah, Bill, and Joe couldn’t bring Arthur back by themselves, what the hell were they supposed to do now? Their gang was short one man, and Micah was in no condition to be going after anybody at the moment.

Dutch would have to find Arthur himself. He may have been sick, and he may have been dying, but he knew that man better than any of these fools. He knew how Arthur thought.

It was going to take more work than he initially anticipated to bring that man down, but Dutch was sure he could do it.

He just needed more time.

“So?” Bill questioned. “Where do we go from here, Dutch?”

Dutch brought his focus back to Williamson, his cold eyes seemingly gazing straight through him.

“We wait. Now that the three of you have alerted Arthur, he and the boy are gonna have their guard up. So we’ll give ‘em some space to breathe for now. Let them think that we ain’t a threat no more. In the meantime, we’ll allow Micah to recover from his wounds, and think of a plan. We’re gonna need it. Men like Arthur don’t just give up.”

Bill offered no objections. “Yeah, well... neither do you, Dutch.”

The man nodded at that, patting Bill on the shoulder. “You’re goddamn right about that, son. I ain’t givin’ up anytime soon. And Arthur’s gonna learn what it means to betray our family. I just need you and Micah to be with me, and I need no more mistakes. Are we clear on that, Williamson?”

Bill was clearly still hesitant to go against someone like Arthur, but complied nonetheless.

“We’re clear, Dutch.”

“Good. Then if you’ll excuse me...” Dutch began strolling away, “...I have got some thinking to do.”

~~~~~~~~~~

MEANWHILE

DAKOTA RIVER, NORTH OF DIABLO RIDGE

Trudging along the rocky path, Arthur and Isaac rode side-by-side as they followed the current of the river, slowly making their way up to the Grizzlies West.

By now, the sky had transformed into a soft shade of purple and was highlighted with wispy streaks of orange clouds, painting a beautiful contrast above them.

There were no other silhouettes dotting the dark horizon or distant gunshots to fill the air, and so far, everything had gone smoothly ever since their violent encounter with the Van der Linde gang.

Unfortunately though, they still had one other problem to deal with.

And this one wasn’t so easily ignored.

Throwing a silent glance at his father, Isaac felt a tight sense of worry clutching his chest as he watched the man let out another chain of coughs, his breath growing more ragged with every outburst.

Arthur kept insisting that he was fine for the moment and showed no signs of deviating from their plan to head up north, but Isaac wasn’t sure that wandering into the cold was the best idea right now.

Every fiber in his being hated to admit it, but Isaac knew his father was dying. He recalled Micah mentioning something about Dutch being sick not too long ago, and Arthur’s symptoms didn’t seem that different from the old man’s.

Isaac really had no idea where else he could’ve gotten it from or what the illness could’ve been, but one thing was clear to the boy. 

Sooner or later... he was going to lose Arthur. 

The outlaw was going to disappear from his life faster than he jumped back into it, and it made Isaac want to scream at the world for taking yet another one of his parents.

He had just started the process of finally moving on from Eliza’s death, and now, it was as if things had been reset.

Isaac was witnessing the death of his father now -- same as before -- only this time, it was going to be far more painful, and far more drawn out.

 Why was the world doing this to him?

“...It ain’t polite to stare, boy.” Arthur remarked gruffly, causing Isaac to avert his eyes.

“...Sorry.” He replied, his tone firm with anger. “I just... well, never mind.”

The kid didn’t even have to explain what was on his mind. Arthur could already tell.

“Don’t you go givin’ up on me yet, Isaac.” He reminded. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere anytime soon. It’ll take more than a cough to scare me away.”

Isaac gazed at the lively river beside them, his eyes downcast in sorrow.

“I know you’re tough, Dad. You made that pretty clear when you beat Micah to a pulp...” the boy rubbed his neck in remembrance. “But will that be enough?”

Arthur sighed, not wanting to dwell on the subject any longer. “It’ll have to be.”

Falling into an uncomfortable silence, the two of them decided to leave the matter alone for now and trotted quietly down the road as the sky continued to darken above them, instilling a sense of fatigue in them.

Before either of them could go nodding off however, Arthur suddenly felt the need to bring up another topic that had been bothering him and turned to Isaac, hoping to comfort the boy somewhat.

“Hey, Isaac,” he called out, “about what happened earlier with Micah...”

The young man raised a brow. “Yeah?”

Arthur’s face sank with regret. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that. I know we was in a tough spot back there, and we didn’t really have much choice, but still... I shouldn’t have lost myself like that. Not in front of you. That ain’t the kinda man I want you to be.”

Isaac didn’t appear to share the man’s remorse. “Bastard had it comin’ to him. He betrayed your gang and nearly strangled me right after interrogating me. S’far as I’m concerned, Micah’s lucky he only got away with a wounded eye after all the shit he’s pulled.”

“Isaac!” Arthur scolded. “Look, I know that man’s rotten to the core. He’s always been a rat since he first joined our gang, but we’re better than that. You’re better than that.”

The boy scoffed. “Am I? I’ve robbed people. Killed ‘em. I poisoned an innocent man just so I could get revenge on some sorry fool who had already forgotten me by the time I found him again. From where I’m standing, I’m no more of a saint than any of the people we’ve fought.”

“Now you know that ain’t true.” Arthur replied. “We’ve all done bad things. Myself included. But you’ve got a kind heart, Isaac. That much is clear.”

Contrary to what the older man expected, that only seemed to annoy Isaac more.

“What good is a kind heart if it just gets everyone around you killed in the end? Micah may be rotten, but at least he knows how to survive. He knows it ain’t worth it tryin’ to get close with people. I wish I knew better.”

The other man blinked in confusion. “What’re you talkin’ about? Survival’s fine and dandy, but there’s more to it, Isaac. You gotta have a reason to survive. And if you don’t have anyone to care about, well then, frankly I don’t see a reason.”

Isaac scowled at that. “Yeah, you wouldn’t.”

Arthur found himself at a loss for words. “What’s gotten into you? One minute you’re askin’ me if we should kill Micah for everything he’s done, and the next, you’re sayin’ you wish you were more like him? That ain’t like you.”

Isaac shook his head in irritation. “How would you even know what ‘I ain’t like?’ We were practically strangers when I was a kid. You was always runnin’ off with some gang, or doing a job that was more important than us. You don’t know the first thing about me. I’ve had horses in my life longer than I’ve had you.”

The older man stopped in his tracks at that and lowered his voice, glaring directly at Isaac.

“...Watch your mouth, boy.” He warned sternly. “Now listen, I don’t know what the hell’s goin’ on with you today, Isaac, but you better shape up. I know we’re both still stressed from the fight this morning, but we are tryin’ to survive out here, and the last thing I need is for you to be pushin’ against me like this. So get your head straight or I’ll straighten it for you. You hear me?”

Isaac hardly seemed fazed by Arthur’s words and simply tapped his horse’s reins, walking ahead of the other man.

“Yeah. Sure.”

Watching Isaac solemnly trot further down the trail, Arthur decided to put some space between them for now and followed the young man from behind, confused as to why he was acting like this all of the sudden.

It was obvious Isaac was upset about something, but what? He seemed perfectly fine this morning, even after their fight with the Van der Lindes, and Arthur knew it took more than a beating to get Isaac’s spirits down. So what was going on with him?

Perhaps all the memories of his childhood were just starting to come back? Because as annoyed as Arthur was with the boy right now, he couldn’t deny that Isaac had a point. 

He was hardly ever around when that man was still a child. He made an effort to be near him every few months or so, but Isaac never had a reliable father figure growing up. Hell, the closest thing to a father he had back then was Shay... and he hated him.

Maybe Isaac still hadn’t quite forgiven Arthur for being absent all those years. He could act tough all he wanted, but the older man knew how much that boy really cared about his family. So it was no surprise to him that Isaac would be standoffish about losing him. Arthur just didn’t understand why these feelings were coming up now.

He supposed Isaac would tell him when he was ready. If that kid was anything like his father, then Arthur assumed he wouldn’t appreciate being pushed to open up about certain things.

Still, Arthur couldn’t deny that he was worried. This was the only chance he had to do right by his son, and so far, it seemed like everything was going wrong.

He just hoped he wasn’t pushing the kid away. Being a father was turning out to be much more daunting than he expected, and the last thing Arthur wanted to do was guide his son down the same path that he took.

Isaac had the potential to be more than that. He just couldn’t see it.

~~~~~~~~~~

ONE HOUR LATER

WEST OF WALLACE STATION

Sitting on a short stump, Arthur gazed out at the sea of trees dominating the horizon as a bundle of stars began to light up above them, giving the sky a soft, pale glow.

At the moment, he was drawing in a new journal that he had purchased at Wallace Station and was working on a sketch of the landscape, hoping to escape his worries for the time being.

Meanwhile, Isaac got some rest next to the campfire and slept on a bedroll, allowing his incessant dreams to carry him away as Aldo stood protectively nearby.

The two of them hadn’t said a word to each other ever since their little spat earlier, and were taking some time apart from one another. The boy appeared to be just as irritated as before, and Arthur -- being the inquisitive man that he was -- couldn’t stop wondering what it was that he did to make Isaac so upset.

He let out a sigh and began scribbling some words next to his drawing, trying to get his thoughts in order.

“Oh, Hosea... I certainly wish you was here right now. You wouldn’t believe what’s happened in the past few days. You remember Eliza? That waitress I used to be with all them years ago? Well, I found our son again. I found Isaac. Turns out he’s still alive, and he seems to be doing okay, if a bit troubled. I think you’d like him.”

“Problem is, I don’t know the first thing about being a parent. That’s why I wish you was still around. You and Dutch -- the two of you always seemed to know what to do with me. It felt like you always had the answers.”

“But me... it seems like with every attempt I make to protect the boy, the worse things get. We got Pinkertons chasing us down, the Van der Lindes trying to kill us around every corner, and I’ve started to develop this cough that won’t go away. I think I’m getting sick, just like Dutch.”

Arthur set his pencil down and dragged a hand down his face, taking a breath before continuing to write.

“What the hell am I going to do? I love Isaac more than life itself, but... things are getting heated between us. I think the boy’s angry at me. He’s started pushing me away all of the sudden, and the worst part is, I can’t even say he’s fully unjustified. I know I didn’t do right by him as a kid. I was always too occupied with our gang that I left Isaac alone. I wasn’t there when he needed me.”

“But I don’t plan on making the same mistake twice. Even if Isaac comes out of this hating me, I still want to be the father he deserves. I want to be the father that you were to me, Hosea.”

“I just wish I knew where to begin.”

Shutting his journal closed, Arthur decided to call it a day and stood up from the stump, rolling his shoulders as he strolled back to the campfire.

It looked like Isaac was out cold for the night and didn’t even twitch when Arthur stepped near him, but even then, the older man could see the grip of a revolver poking out from underneath his hand.

Part of him wanted to wake the young man up and set things straight between them, but Arthur knew he’d probably just end up aggravating Isaac even more if he did that.

So, instead, he simply made his way over to his own bedroll and tried to get some shut-eye, preparing himself for the long road ahead.

Tomorrow would be the start of the toughest part of their journey, and if things went according to schedule, Arthur expected they’d be wandering into the colder regions of Ambarino before long.

He wasn’t eager to go back into the snowy mountains that killed Jenny and Davy, but if they could cross the border, then they’d finally be free men.

The goal of their journey was drawing near, and now more than ever, Arthur was fervent in protecting Isaac. He may not’ve had much time left in this world, but he was going to see to it that the boy made it out okay.

If anything happened to Isaac, well... Arthur didn’t know what he’d do.

That kid was everything to him now, and he suspected he wouldn’t be able to bear it if he lost him a second time.

He’d never forgive himself, and neither would Eliza.

[sheewolf85]

New Fic: My Monsters Are Real

“Call a doctor, say a prayer Choose a god you think is fair 'Cause my monsters are real, and they're trained how to kill” --Monsters; Shinedown

Kidnapping Edge and Slim’s significant other was a bad idea. You tried to tell them that. They didn’t listen.

Tags: Badass Reader, Polyamory, Kidnapping, but not of a kid, reader is taken, Violence, Hurt/Comfort, tough skellies being soft for their sweeties, gender neutral reader

Notes: Music is one of my biggest inspirations for fic. A song can spark and idea and I'm hopeless to do anything else until that idea is written. This is one such example. The song is "Monsters" by Shinedown. The song isn't exactly...this, but this is where my brain took me, because there's something so delicious about our boys protecting and avenging their lovers.

Read on AO3

Or read here!

The room was dark, shadows playing along the dimly lit walls as the three men in the room paced in front of you, gesturing wildly, angrily as they shouted at each other. They blamed each other for their situation, for all the little mistakes they’d made along the way. If the bearded one had just been a little more proactive, if the tall one had been faster in sending the letter, if the redhead had planned better from the beginning, if, if, if.

But the real truth of the matter was that they’d fucked themselves over the moment they chose you.

Their plan had probably been simple enough. They had enough decency to want to leave kids out of it, so they planned to kidnap the partner of the rich monsters on the hill for a ransom. Easy, right?

Well. No. Not considering who the monsters were. None of them were bound to cave to a little threat, and the men probably would have gotten off easy if they’d taken something with an actual monetary value attached like Slim’s sport car or Edge’s custom motorcycle, both worth millions.

You had known from the moment you woke up three days ago that you wouldn’t get out of this unscathed, but you would, eventually, get out. Your monsters had made that promise when you’d taken your vows. They couldn’t promise to protect you from any and all harm; that would have been irrational. You were married to some of the most influential monsters this side of the void; there were bound to be a few people who had it out for you.

You shifted a little in the metal folding chair you sat on, wincing as your shoulders cried out in pain. Your wrists were bound behind you, your feet tied to the chair with scratchy rope that had already left a rash on your ankles. You were going to enjoy a nice, long bubble bath when you got home, that was for damn sure. Hopefully one with bookend skeletons gently massaging all your sore spots.

“The answer’s pretty clear then, isn’t it?” the bearded one shouted at the others, turning to point at you with a dirty finger. “Just fucking kill ‘em. Get it over with. We ain’t gettin’ the money, I can fucking guarantee that, so just cut our fucking losses, cut their throat, and leave their body on their front lawn. Teach them a fucking lesson.”

You really tried not to snort at that. They could never understand the absurdity of that idea.

All three men turned to look at you. The tall one stalked forward, a mean scowl on his face.

“What’s so funny, bitch?” he sneered.

You licked your bloodied lips and lifted your chin. You’d already tried to explain to them how badly they’d fucked up, how much better off they’d be if they just released you, but none of them would hear it. They were all so convinced they knew what to expect from your monsters.

You maintained eye contact as you spoke, one of the first things that had pissed them all off. You were supposed to be a scared, meek little human who would cry in a corner if they so much as looked at you. How wrong they were. Your monsters had taught you better.

“You can do whatever you want to me, it really doesn’t matter.” Your voice was hoarse, little more than a scratchy whisper after no more than five sips of water each day. “They’ll get revenge for what you do to me. You have to know that. You have to see that it’s going to be so much worse for you if you kill me.”

The tall one lunged forward and slapped you across the face hard enough to send the chair rocking back precariously on two back legs before settling back upright. You felt the warmth of fresh blood as it trickled down your cheek.

A glint of something off in a dark corner caught your attention, and you only let yourself look that way as you spat out the chunk of lip he’d made you bite off. You didn’t let any emotion show on your face, but inside you were already sighing in relief. That tiny spark of burnt orange was your salvation. The subtler crimson glow in the other corner only meant double safety.

You smiled, never minding the pain in your mouth as you laughed out loud.

“I think you broke ‘em,” the bearded one said.

“Me?” you spat, sitting up as straight as you could. “You honestly thought you could break me? You have no fucking idea who my monsters are, that much is painfully obvious. Trust me when I say they’re going to find all the ways to break you, every bone, every spirit, every fucking molecule. You’ll be wishing they’d just have mercy and kill you.”

“You stupid fucking--”

Before he could finish his sentence, the redhead screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. The other two jumped back, horrified to see a glowing rusty bone sticking out from the back of his knee. Still writhing, he began shouting at the others to help him as they started to scramble away.

Oh, but they were so far beyond help. You couldn’t help but laugh again as Edge corralled them all. Slim appeared beside you, worry in his eye lights as he sliced easily through the ropes binding you.

“are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked, gently cupping your bruised face. His eye lights were so small they were barely visible, his anger so palpable you nearly shrank away from it. But this was Slim and that anger was not for you.

“I don’t know if ‘okay’ is the word I’d use right now, but I will be. I knew you’d come for me.”

He only nodded as he silently assessed your visible injuries. “‘course we did. ‘m just sorry we took so long.”

You would have waved his concern away if he wasn’t holding both of your hands in his, his fingers trembling as he ever so gently ran a finger over your chipped and cracked fingernails.

“Slim.” Edge stepped up to the two of you, his features simultaneously softening in his affection for you and yet tensing in his rage at seeing your state more clearly. “Take them to the cellar, please,” he said through gritted teeth. “Let me get them home.”

Slim clenched his jaw, his internal war visible on his face. He so wanted to stay by your side, but the idea of being alone with your captors was all too appealing.

You smiled as best as you could and gently squeezed his fingers. “Go on, Slim. I’m not in any shape to shortcut right now. Just...leave some for Edge, will you?” You added the last part with a nod of your head toward the three men wrapped in a glowing crimson rope, and if their agonized expressions were anything to go by, you’d say Edge had packed a little too much intent into it.

Slim huffed but nodded. He lifted your hand only half way, leaning down to meet it halfway and placed a gentle kiss to the back of it, careful to avoid the scrapes there. He stood up then and shook himself to loosen up a bit before going to grab two of them by the chins, forcing them to crane their necks too far to look at him.

“y’all fucked up, you know that?” he asked in a tone far too loose for how angry you knew he was. “but hey, it’s okay. it’s all good. know what my role was underground? i was the one who taught people lessons. they did bad shit, i taught them how to not do that anymore. so i’m thinkin’ maybe i ought to teach y’all some lessons. lesson one, anatomy. how many bones are in the human skeleton? two hundred and six. lesson two, how many bones can i break before you die? now that’s a good question. not sure i know that answer yet. let’s find out.”

As Slim spoke, Edge began tenderly gathering you into his arms. You kept your winces and groans to yourself. He knew you were in pain; he didn’t need to fear that he was making it worse.

“You need to breathe, Love,” Edge said softly. “Don’t worry about making noises. You can cry out if you need.”

You shook your head stubbornly; you wouldn’t do that to him.

He only smirked at you and rearranged his hold on you before taking you out to the car. On the way, you looked behind him in time to see Slim disappear with your three captors.

Ex-captors. It was finally over.

Edge settled you gently into the passenger seat of Slim’s Bentley, leaning over you to buckle you in before hurrying around to the driver’s seat.

Once home, Edge carefully carried you inside and set you on the couch. You melted into the familiar comfort of it as Edge went around getting things ready for him and Slim to care for you and your injuries.

Sitting alone on the couch, the silence of the room seemed to get louder with each beat of your heart. You had survived, as you’d hoped you would. You hadn’t let yourself get scared, not once, because you trusted your monsters to come save you. But now, in the safety of home with your monsters there to comfort you, all that fear finally bubbled to the surface without your permission.

Your stomach felt hollow and your chest ached with too much pressure. Your chin wobbled as tears gathered in your eyes. Why did you have to be weak? You’d been so strong for so long, why did you have to be weak now when your monsters would see it?

A soft noise caught your attention, and you looked over to see Edge place a try with some tea down on the coffee table. He hurried to your side, concern on his features as he gently touched your cheek.

“Love? What hurts the most? What can I do?”

You shook your head. “It’s not pain,” you managed to whimper. Yes, you were in pain, but none of it was causing this sudden rush of so much fear you weren’t sure how to contain it. “Edge...why am I scared?”

Instead of the confusion or unbearable hurt you’d been expecting, his features softened into an understanding you were sure was worse. He pulled you into him as gently as he could and wrapped his arms around you, holding you to him securely.

“You were so strong, Love, so brave, just as we taught you. You’re safe here, and you know it. You need to let these emotions feel themselves out. You were scared, but you didn’t let yourself experience it. I know, because I know you. It’s okay to let yourself be scared now.”

You nodded into his chest and ignored the sharp sting of scabs scraping against his shirt.

He held you as you cried, let you weep and wail into him as your body shook from the force of it. Slim appeared at some point, didn’t say a thing, only sat on your other side and wrapped his arms around you and Edge, encasing you in a cocoon of comfort.

You were going to be okay. Your monsters would make sure of it.

[what-the--curtains]

Braving the Elements

Chapter 10: Night out

Tw: drinking, underage drinking, swearing

Authors notes: YALL GET 2 today

(Playing when you enter the club)

(Playing when you dance with Bucky)

Tony had given you all a week off to train while he worked on locating Romans houses. After the third day of intense training you were all starting to look drained and were becoming increasingly irritated with each other.

“THAT’S IT! We need a night off or I’m gonna lose it!” you yell from the gym floor where you had been lying out of breath for the past 5 minutes. “This is non-negotiable! Wanda you always wanted to come along when I’d sneak out to college parties now’s the time!”

“Well obviously I’m in.” Nat says which had Steve agreeing quickly ,

“Don’t have to tell me twice” Sam says. Bucky nods in agreement saying he was feeling pent up (whatever that meant). You finally got Wanda to agree which led to Vision joining as well. Peter and Shuri had whined so much that you ended up saying you could get them in much to Steve's dismay

“Oh come on captain no fun let loose!” Nat says slapping a hand on his back

“Fine, but they CANNOT drink” he says

“Gee thanks guys! Cool if I invite MJ and Ned as well?”

“Ya, sure, no problem.” You respond

You Nat and Wanda were all getting ready together. Doing your hair and makeup, and gossiping before going out was slowly becoming a tradition of yours.Nat’s wearing a corseted dress with a leather jacket and thigh high black boots. Wanda’s put on a sheer black t-shirt over a black lace bra pairing it with high waisted red jeans. She's topped it off with a white, faux-fur cropped jacket and red heels. You settled on a halter v-neck bodysuit, light blue jean shorts and fishnets with white knee high, healed boots and a tasseled tan jacket. You were all ready earlier than everyone else so you could get the younger ones in. You meet up with them at the front of the club at around 10:30PM.

“Hey kiddies” you say waving to Peter and his friends.

The owner appears at the door exclaiming “(Y/N) darling! you’re back! What hole did you crawl out of looking like hell on wheels?” before embracing you.

“So you know him?” Nat asks

“Ya, how else do you think I’m sneaking a bunch of teenagers in?” you say, ushering everyone inside.

“Just remember, no drinking.” Nat says sternly to the group of teens, who all nod in agreement.

“If you do it when we can’t see, it doesn’t count” you whisper to Shuri and she smiles

“This is so sick” MJ pipes up as the owner shape shifts into a new form.

“Cool!” Ned , Peter and Shuri say in unison, before heading off to take in the atmosphere of the club.

Wanda smirks “Mutant club?” she asks

“Mutant club.” you respond

“Alright! First rounds on the house for you and your lovely friends” the owner says.

The boys showed up about an hour later which was more than enough time for all three of you to get tipsy. When they enter your eyes are once again immediately drawn to Bucky. He’s pulled his hair back into a loose bun and is wearing a black t-shirt that was just loose enough to conceal what you knew to be a chiseled torso. He'd paired it with dark jeans that he filled out very nicely in the back leading you to wonder if the same was true for the front.

“This place is SICK” Sam yells over the noise

“I know right!” you yell back “Finally back with my people!” you gesture to the crowd before offering him and Steve a shot. You all find your way to a booth near the back and continue to talk with people going out to dance intermediately. On your way back from the bathroom you bump into an old friend of yours.

“Jean!” you shout over the music

“Y/N?” she yells back

“Holy shit! I can’t believe you’re here!” you say embracing her

“Ya, we just finished up a mission in the city, figured we’d come and celebrate!” she responds

“What are you up to these days?”

“Well I’ve recently joined the Avengers.”

Jean laughs before realising you're serious, “Oh my god you went full on good guy? About time!”

You both laugh “Come join us!“ you say and Jean nods before going to grab the rest of your old school friends.

“Wanda!” You yell sitting down next to her “Jeans here!”

“No way! Class reunion!” she shouts downing the last of her drink and slamming her glass down on the table. Sam leans in and asks if any of your old friends are hot causing you to laugh before pushing him away from you.

Jean comes back with Scott, Rogue, Gambit, Alex, and Storm

“(y/n)” Alex draws out your name slowly with fake disbelief “Alex Summers.” you say pointing at him then patting the spot next to you.

“How the hells it going?” he asks, sitting down and giving you his award winning smile

“Oh you know me staying saved doing god's mission” you reply dryly, causing him to laugh

“ Well you really must have changed since.. “ he starts before you punch him in the arm, laughing.

Bucky sees Alex whisper something in your ear that makes you throw your head back in laughter. His jaw clenches. He didn’t know why he was so upset by the thought of someone else making you laugh, but he was. Maybe he should just move on. Move on from what? he thinks we aren’t even anything.

Sam leans over to you and says “You seen Nat and Steve? they’ve been dancing all night and not in a very all American way.”

“ Do you think they’re gonna fuck?” you say louder than you wanted to quickly covering your mouth.

“ You always had a way with words even at school” Alex laughs as Peter comes up to tell you that they're going to head out.

“Hey Storm! You should meet my friend Sam!” you say before continuing on the conversation with the x-men. You find out that Jean and Scott are still going as strong as ever, Rogue and Gambit have (finally) gotten married and Alex has settled down and is currently seeing someone.

After another half-hour or so the x-men decide to get going with Storm taking a very happy Sam with her. “Hey be gentle with him, you call after her!” Steve slaps his hand down on the table, declaring that more drinks were needed.

“C’mon Buck let’s get em.” he says, pulling his friend up as Wanda and Vision get up to go dance.

“Soooooo.” You slur swinging your head towards Nat “You and Mr. America?” you inquire wiggling your eyebrows

“Oh shut it, ya I like him and he’s got a great body so I am definitely shooting my shot tonight.” she says with a grin

“Well, no one could resist you in that get up!” you say fanning yourself

“How about you? That Alex guy was pretty hot.”

“Ya he is we used to date back at school, but he’s got a partner now so guess I’m shit outta luck!” you pout.

“C’mon there’s got to be someone here for you. How about Buck? He seems like he’d be a good time and based on the number of women I’ve seen leaving his room he’s experienced!”

“You know I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing those eyes looking up from between my thighs.” you say dreamily causing Nat to raise her eyebrows. The conversation ends when the two boys return with several shots which you all polish off. Nat pulls Steve up to go dance, leaving you and Bucky alone together. You scoot closer to him so you can hear him better, stopping when your thigh presses up against his.

“So I hear you,” you say, pausing to tap him on the tip of his nose, a gesture which he found extremely endearing “use to be a swell dancer.”

“Ya, not to this modern stuff though, but this," he says as the song changes to something with a bit more swing, "this I can dance to". Grabbing you by the hand he pulls you onto the dance floor. Lining up his hand with yours and placing his metal hand on your side pulling you closer to him.

“ So you and that Alex guy, you used to go out or something?” Bucky asks, not so subtly, as he twirls you so you're no longer facing him, wrapping his arms around you tightly and swaying you back and forth. You laugh “I guess you could call it that but he’s with someone now, so too bad for me!” Bucky feels a sense of relief, although a pang of jealousy does hit him upon realizing that you had been thinking about someone else throughout the night. He spins you out and pulls you back to face him.

“Steve was right, you are good at this'' you say, gazing up at him. He lets his hand drop slightly below your waist perching it on the curvature of your backside, smiling when you don’t make him move it. As the song ends he dips you and brings you back into him. You’re now just inches away from each other, both of you breathing heavily. Then out the corner of your eye you see Wanda and Vision making out. You push yourself off of his chest and cheer to no one before turning him around to see the scene. Laughing softly and feeling less dejected by the fact you had pushed yourself away from him he says “On that note, I think it’s time for me to head out.”

“Wait!” You shout “I’m coming with you!” You snatch up your purse and pull on your jacket before following him towards the exit.

“Leaving so soon?” the owner asks slightly disappointed

“Oh come on don’t cry I'll be back!” you say hugging him and planting a small kiss on his cheek. Bucky looks away when you do this not wanting to see your lips on another person. You quickly walk back to him and he offers you his arm causing you to look up at him and smile. The look on your face makes his heart skip a beat

[nervvdovy]

{✗} Static crackles--she’s breaking the RULES, she knows. But Natasha has to make sure the kid is okay. She’s proud of her ability to hack, even more so when it shouldn’t be as easy as it was. An encrypted way to talk to her friends. Clint was damned impressed by her appearance on Laura’s phone.

“Parker--put your headphones in and walk away from your friends,” Natasha orders softly. She’s looking around the quinjet. Everyone else was occupied--everyone else was BUSY. Being on the run did that to someone. Being an international FUGITIVE could make life a little stressful.

Green eyes examine the boy’s face through the screen as she crouches down against her cot on the jet. They were soaring through the air--a mission in Jordan next on their list.

“It’s very important that you don’t tell anyone that you’re talking to me.”

✗ @wcrthyofsuiit  ✗✗  permanent starter call ✗

[caps-lockdown]

Sweater Weather Part Six

Alright everyone here is the final part to this fic, it’s pretty short as I didn’t quite like how I was going to end it originally and re-wrote it to better accomplish a semi-decent ending. Enjoy!

Pairings: Steve Rogers x PottsRelativeFem!Reader

Ratings/Warnings: 18+ (Not smut but just to cover my ass)

For everything from language, crude jokes, ADULT situations/impure thoughts, booze (because it’s pretty much a staple in my fics at this point.), arguments, and an extremely overprotective Tony Stark. Very little angst, as I try to keep most of my fics light humored. But of course there are some insecurities/unsure feelings, as well as sad feels from everything with endgame/ the decimation. Also dead parents.

Also AU in the fact NO ONE DIED during Endgame/Steve didn’t go back. Also as much as I adore Morgan Stark, she isn’t around yet. I didn’t know where this would fit timeline wise, so just ignore the timeline. Kay? Cool.

Words: 2,844

Summary: You’ve just moved to New York after a long 3 year stint travelling the world and helping with various charities, taking a new job with Stark Industries thanks to your cousin Pepper. A trip out to surprise Tony and The Avengers for the weekend turns from good to terrible when the a/c at the compound breaks. How will you beat the heat for the record breaking weekend?

It’s in Y/N Y/L/N format, any pictures, outfits, gifs, and marvel characters just assume I don’t own them. Also no Beta, as I don’t ever have one, so the mistakes and reader are all my own. Enjoy!

Part Six

When Pepper put two and two together about you and your Captain’s whereabouts she promptly sent you a text saying she would get Peter and Carol to help make dinner so you wouldn’t have to. You had quickly sent back a “Thank you!” before sneaking off with Steve to the showers to clean up, as well as have round four (and five) of the mattress mambo. Without the mattress. You were learning very quickly that super serum had plenty of upsides, and you were a fan of all of them.

You were snuggled into the very same satisfied Captain watching videos of your adventures over the past three years on your phone when a very obnoxious Sam and Bucky all but kicked in your door.

“Stop playing tickle-tail and come get some food!” Bucky held his hand over his and Sam’s eyes as they entered, and you were more than happy that Steve had talked you into putting on clothes.

“Yea! Stop playing Doctor!” Sam cut in, you reaching behind you to throw a well aimed pillow at them.

“Guys we have clothes on.” Your response was met with nervous chuckling as Bucky removed his hand, finding the two of you cuddling together quite a cute sight. You unwillingly untangled yourself from your blonde beau’s strong arms and stretched, standing from your bed and looking at the two friends. “Well? Lead the way!” You noticed their slightly wide eyes and faltered your steps. “What?”

“You might want to put on a sweater first Y/N.” Sam said pointedly, trying to avoid eye contact with some of the fresh marks Steve had left on your neck and shoulders. Your hands shot out to run across your skin, as if you could see them with your fingertips.

“How bad is it?!” You exclaimed, rushing to turn on your phone’s camera to get a better look.

“Looks like you lost a war with a vacuum cleaner.” Bucky shrugged, your face burning with the intensity of the sun as you zoomed in on your irritated skin, some of the marks already turning a dark purple shade. There weren’t that many, but the one on your neck was looking very prominent. You squeaked in anger, pushing your attacker hard in the chest as he went to stand, the action catching him unaware and sending him back on the bed with a loud thump.

“What the hell Rogers!? I told you no marks on my neck! I’m going to have to wear a scarf in the middle of August at my first day of work tomorrow!” Steve looked down at the ground embarrassed as he stood up again, Sam and Bucky snickering in the background.

“Sorry Doll, I got carried away…” He tried, smiling at you and forcing your resolve to melt upon contact. “You’re too delicious, I was weak…”

“Alright, we’re out of here.” Bucky made a face, stopping your boyfriend from finishing his statement. “Throw some ice on it for a few and cover it with some concealer and powder. We’ll get Pepper to light some candles and dim the lights so Captain not so successful Cockblock doesn’t see em.”

You quirked a brow at Bucky’s instructions, crossing arms over your chest. “And just how do you know these tricks Barnes?”

“Nat.” Was all the brunette said with a wink, dragging a rightly puzzled Wilson out of the room. You shook your head as the new information sunk in, walking over to the cooler and pulling out some ice to hold on your neck, not missing Steve’s darkening eyes as he stepped towards you.

“Ooooh no, don’t look at me like that. You need to get out of here and into the dining room before Tony comes looking for us.” You jokingly pushed him as he looped his fingers into the waistband of your shorts, pulling you to him as he ghosted your tank top clad shoulders with his lips.

“Can’t help it, that ice cube gave me ideas…” He chuckled darkly as you shivered, squirming out of his grasp and mock glaring at him.

“Later.” You hissed, again pushing him away before going to your dufflel bag and searching for a tee shirt to cover your other marks. You sighed in frustration as you were forced to throw on the only one you had left, realizing it was black and as such would no doubt be hot as hell to eat in. But at least you would be packing up and leaving the compound after dinner. You couldn’t wait to blast the a/c  in your truck the whole way home.

While expertly covering up the mark on your neck you heard the rumble of the Quinjet, figuring everyone had gotten sick of no cool air inside the compound and elected to have dinner in the large aircraft. Not that you could blame them, your jury rigged coolers could only do so much. After you looked presentable, making sure the discoloration wasn’t as noticeable as before, you and Steve walked hand in hand to the dining room, both of you stopping in shock at the elegant dinner sitting in front of you. Candles were lit and not a soul was around, only two place settings, a bottle of wine in a small bucket on the side, and the smell of food overwhelming your senses. You picked up the small note on the corner, admiring the perfect cursive. Pepper

“Tony wanted take out to avoid looking at you two. He mentioned getting noise cancelling headphones for everyone as a Christmas gift. Enjoy your dinner, we took the jet but we’ll be back in a bit.

P.S Don’t eat at the table naked, I haven’t scotch guarded the chairs yet. ”

Your laughter rang out as you passed the note to Steve, who smiled and rolled his eyes, pulling your chair out for you so the two of you could eat. Your mouth was watering at the roast she had made, wasting no time with loading your plate up.

“You hungry?” Blue eyes mused when you passed him the salad bowl, your own eyes sparkling back as you spared him a glance before promptly stuffing your face.

“Yea. I blame you and the earlier extracurricular activities.” Your muffled retort had Steve snorting into his wine glass, his eyes never leaving yours, his large hand once again finding your bare thigh. You ate in a comfortable silence after that, enjoying being alone together without the knowing stares from your friends. And Tony. The amazing food was proving to be a great distraction from Steve’s wandering hand.

After travelling the world for three years you had missed Pepper’s cooking something fierce, and you were certain you were going to put on some weight moving back here. But you were also certain Steve would be keeping you in shape. He wouldn’t hear a single complaint from you. The gang returned to the compound not too long after you had eaten so much you felt like you could burst, the two of you cleaning up the remains of dinner and washing dishes before heading back to your room.

“You two decent?” Natasha called from your doorway, Steve helping you pack up your belongings and carrying your large cooler to his room, although he wouldn’t be sleeping there tonight.

“We aren’t heathens Nat, Jesus.” You huffed out in annoyance as she smirked.

“I see you’ve packed up, headed out soon?”

You nodded at the red head, throwing the duffel over your shoulder with little effort. “Yea, I gotta get some actual sleep before I start my new job tomorrow.”

“Pepper told me you’d be working at the new Tower,” You widened your eyes at her “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell Tony or anyone else. I was sworn to secrecy.” She patted your shoulder in reassurance. Her eyes darted between you and Steve as he reentered the hallway from his own room with his own overnight bag, her expression blank. “Thought you said you needed sleep tonight?”

She laughed while deftly dodging your open palm, you barely grazing her arm in frustration. “You lot ever going to let us live this down?”

“Probably not, and it’s only going to get worse when Tony’s not around. We all promised to give him time to adjust before we start gossiping about you two.”

“Oh great. Thanks.” You huffed again, grabbing Steve’s hand and heading down the hallway to say goodbye to everyone. The group stood outside, crowded around your truck to see you off.

“Lemme know how your first day goes Short Stack.” Tony smiled warmly at you, pulling you into a bone crushing hug. “Happy looks good on you kiddo.” You beamed back at him as you broke apart, shaking Bruce’s hand next.

“Stay cool Jolly Green.” He chuckled at you and moved aside so Thor could properly hug you goodbye. You had to force yourself to remain calm, holding back your emotions and reminding yourself you’d be seeing all of them a lot. And soon. This wasn’t goodbye. Nat and Sam both side hugged you, Carol shaking your hand. “You’re a total bad ass, I hope we can see each other more in the future.”

“Count on it Y/N.” The blonde powerhouse smirked in return, the hyper teen next in line bouncing on his feet as you made your way to him.

“Nice meeting you Peter.” You laughed as he all but launched himself at you, you fondly patting the teen’s back as he embraced you.

“You too Miss Y/N. Hopefully I see you around more!”

“You will don’t worry.” You smiled in affirmation, Bucky moving to stand in front of you. His large frame engulfed your body easily, you stiffening slightly while you recalled Steve’s words about him not being a huge hugger. “You feeling ok Barnes?”

“I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time Y/N. That being said I shouldn’t have to tell you what will happen if you break his heart.” You swallowed hard and nodded your head, his smile getting wider as he pulled away. “That goes for him too, I’m rooting for you guys.”

“Well if my best friend is done with the death threats, Y/N and I have places to be.” Steve stared at Bucky pointedly, who only shrugged and opened the truck door for you.

“Wait, where’s Pepper?” You called, your cousin nowhere in sight.

“She said to go on without her, the take out isn’t agreeing with her.” Tony waved you on, you deciding you didn’t want to wait around for her in that state. She was not quiet when she fell ill, and you could feel your face turning green at the memory of hearing her drunken retching during your partying phase. You happily jumped in your truck and promptly started the engine, making sure the air conditioning was on full blast as soon as you shut the door. Steve climbed in next to you, waving out the window to your friends as you pulled out of the parking lot, leaving the sticky compound behind you in a cloud of dust.

~~~Next Day~~~

“I’m telling you Pep you should really look into hiring a new Receptionist now that this place is back in business.” Tony took off his sunglasses as he entered the newly built Stark Tower, his eyes blinking to adjust after the assault of photographers demanded photographic evidence of the opening ceremony.

His wife only smiled knowingly as they neared the front desk after her husband checked in with security for the day. She nodded at you, you taking the cue and sliding a large paper cup across the top of the reception counter.

“Good morning Mister Stark, here’s your black coffee and paper. You have an appointment with a Mister Fury at noon, followed by a press conference at two.”

You’d remember Tony’s shocked face for the rest of your days.

“You gotta stop trying to kill me Short Stack!” He wheezed, clutching his chest and taking the small cup with a grin. “My old ass can only take so fucking much.”

“Sir that language is highly inappropriate. Don’t make me go to human resources on our first day of business.” Your threat had no actual substance and your cousin in law saw right through you, shaking his head with a chuckle.

“Joke’s on you Y/N, She’s on vacation until September.” You snorted, your two family members taking their leave and heading towards the elevators. The rest of the team followed in after, quickly noticing your new position and cheering with excitement.

Steve’s wide smile as his blue eyes met your gaze made your heart stop.

“Ya know, when you said you wouldn’t be far this morning I thought you were just being cute.” He mused, you smirking into your coffee cup as he brought his lips down to kiss your cheek. “Have lunch with me today?”

“Just go ahead and assume my answer is “Yes” to everything you ask from here on out.” You quipped, tossing him a wink before reaching to answer the phone. “Thank you for calling Stark Industries this is Y/N, how may I direct your call?”

“Oooh, your phone voice is sexy Sweetheart.” You swatted his arm and sent him away, rolling your eyes at his wiggling eyebrows as he walked backwards all the way to the elevators, forcing you to hold in your giggles while you remained on the phone. Lovesick idiot.

You day continued to pass by in a blur, and before you had time to make heads from tails with the computer system it was already lunch time.

“Let’s go Short stack, Kay’s is calling us.” You brought your head up from behind the desk, Pepper holding a small delicately wrapped box in her hands as she kept in step with your cousin in law. “Lunch is on me today. As a hashtag welcome to the team I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you brat peace offering.”

You shook your head with a smile, a certain tall blonde coming up behind them to sweep you away. “Sorry Snark,” Grasping Steve’s hand you allowed him to lead you out from behind the long desk, memorizing the way your cousin in law feigned being hurt.  “I have a prior engagement.”

“Well fine. Ya know I saw her first Cap. I don’t do well with being second place.” He huffed.

“Don’t worry Tony, you’ll always be my number one pain in the ass.” You beamed, the man barking out a laugh.

“Before you go I wanted you to be here while Tony opens his opening day gift from me!” Pepper spoke nervously, handing the box to her husband who only looked at her suspiciously.

“Every day you don’t murder me is a gift from you darling.” He joked, untying the ribbon with ease, the lid falling off the top with a certain childish carelessness that made everyone around you laugh. “Uh honey…”

“Yes sweetie?” Her tone had a sense of insecurity and you were a bit thrown off by her sudden mood swing.

“Make sure my dress doesn’t go over my head.” Was all the dark haired man got out before promptly passing out, Steve acting quick to catch your out cold cousin before he severely injured himself on the hard floor. Your eyes moved to find the three objects that had fallen out of the box, gasping alongside Natasha and Bruce as they bent to pick them up.

“Pepper, you’re pregnant!?” You breathed out, your cousin giving a shy smile and nodding.

“My first appointment is tomorrow, will you come with me?” Tears of happiness stung your eyes as you enthusiastically nodded, rushing to hug her.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss making fun of Tony being a dad for anything in the world!” She cried in your arms back, the two of you holding onto each other for a long moment as the Avengers and some random people started to clap for her. “Congratulations, you’re gonna be an amazing mom!” 

“I hope so Y/N.” Pepper smiled behind more tears, breaking from the hug and giving you a light nudge. “Now go have lunch with your man, we’ll talk after work.”

Steve left Tony in Thor’s confused arms and reached for your hand, smiling the whole way out of the tower. “Some weather we’re having huh?” He scrunched his nose up at the clouds, the sky looking a menacing shade of gray.

You shrugged in indifference, “I’ll take the rain over a heat wave any day.”

“It’s always a heat wave when I’m with you Sweetheart.”

A deadpanned expression crossed your features as you stopped in your tracks to look up at him. “You’re lucky you’re cute. That was so fucking corny Rogers.”

“Yea, but you love me anyway.” You raised an eyebrow at his cocky assumption.

“Eh, I blame the heat wave” A growl came out from his throat and you yelped, jumping just out of his grasp and running down the street, the two of you laughing the whole way to your favorite diner.

The end

Tag List: @kaytizzle @cuffski @giggleberts @pies-wands-and-more @chrisevansfanfic @yesno18 @zsuzstyina @zombiepotterfour @evanstush

[trying-write-fanfics]

AsheXReader price of war part 10

Catherine was able to track down the Western Church. Though still recovering, Ashe insisted he joined his professor and brother’s executor. The fog was hard to navigate through, but Ashe knew he had to do this.They had to make Lonato rebel against the church against his will or manipulate him. They had to of twisted Chrisphoer’s death in order to get Lonato to raise a rebellion. It wasn’t his fault. He would right the wrongs, and erase Lonato’s shame on his name.

“ Lord Lonato’s blood is on your hands!”

 Catherine and Byleth tried talking to Ashe after the battle, but he was mentally exhausted to form a real conversation. He found more evidence that Lord Lonato was a mere tool in something much greater, but it only left him with more questions.

 Returning to the monastery, he found Y/n returning too. She didn’t go on the mission because she had family matters to attend to on her day off. He didn’t tell her the details of the mission he was going on before she left because if she knew, she would have dropped her family matters for him. It was nice of Catherine and Byleth to let him wander back alone, it gave him time to evaluate his emotions. Yes, he helped take down the western church and avenged Lord Lonato, but it was just a small piece in a larger system he cannot let take over.

“Look at the knight returning from his mission!” Y/n called out from the arena area.

“Yeah, took all weekend.” he called out.

Y/n had a different problem. Her family matters were getting called a talentless warrior, and her father does not even know why he agreed to send his daughter to the officer’s academy. Her father thought he was saying that with care, but no one in the room felt that. She was invited back home to see what progress was made, but when her scarred shoulder was revealed her father exploded in rage. If she was strong, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and now someone might not even want to marry her because of her torn up body. Her mother did defend her daughter saying she could open up a clinic if she didn’t want to be a knight or go husband hunting. That didn’t help much, profiting off of the injured and the ill made her father sick to his stomach because the goddess should decide who lives and dies.Her father told her that their sister-in-law is a single male cousin who might be interested in her, but that did not brighten the mood. Y/n was disgusted and full of shame. Her mother told her father to let Y/n graduate because so much can change, they are investing in the possibility of their daughter becoming a knight, maybe even a retainer for prince Dimitri...or wife. It tore down some self-esteem for Y/n. She thought she had made a ton of progress, and she hasn’t died, but that’s not enough, she has to be better than everyone else.

“How was your mission? You look exhausted.” She asked him.

“It was a lot of labor, I’m glad to be back.” he told her. “How were your parent’s?”

“Oh they just missed me, wanted to get a bite to eat together.” she lied. “Oh but I have something for you!” she sang pulling books from her bag. “They’re some fantasy novels I know my family hasn’t touched in years. They were just lying in the house, they all have knight’s tales in them. I figured you would like ‘em.”

It was such a grand gesture.

“Thank you Y/n, but I gotta confess something.”

Her eyes lit up at the words. Maybe he was still uneasy around her and was going to tell her they can’t be friends, she’s a try hard loser, and she’s a terrible student here at the whole academy. 

“Ever since my concussion, I’ve been having a hard time reading.” he told her.

“I can read them to you!” she spat not thinking at all, but was just so happy their friendship wasn’t terminated.

“You will?”

“Yeah it’s not a problem! I’ve already read these books a million times, and my voice is charming.” She said trying to take the flirting down a notch but ended up flirting with herself!

Ashe sighed, which only worried Y/n more. 

“Will you sit on the bench with me?” he asked her.

“Yeah, of course, what’s up?”

Her heart was pounding a million miles an hour. 

“I was hiding what my mission was about. I went with Catherine and Byleth to take down the western church.” he told her. “I killed some people today, and they used Lord Lonato for something bigger that I don’t even understand yet.”

“Ashe...are you okay?”

“I don’t know. The academy is seeming to be a lot more dangerous than I thought.” he told her.

Y/n didn’t come clean about her secret. It was so much more little and pointless compared to his. She just wanted to help her friend in any way shape or form.

“We’ll have each other’s backs, I promise.” she told him. “It’s not like we’re front lines people anyway.”

“I’ve also been thinking about trying to become a wyvern rider. The professor says I have a real talent for it.” He told her.

“Oh that's pretty great, will you take me for a ride sometime?” she asked.

“You can be the first.” he said without thinking, and then realized what he told her.

 It was just so easy to slip and say something like that with her. But she didn’t push away.

“Alright that’s a promise Ashe.” she laughed.

It was just easy to talk to her. She didn’t take things the wrong way, but she also didn’t take his flirting like on a deeper level he would hope. 

 Jealous eyes watched the duo, and wanted to intervene, but decided not to for it would only make a embarrassing fool. The jealous feelings thought they were coming from a place of concern, but there was a deeper meaning that hadn’t been understood yet by the brain of the eyes.

Ashe laid in bed thinking of the western church. It twisted his stomach into knots. Who else are they capable of corrupting? Is it just the western church or a group even bigger with access to all the weakness of nobles and commoners? He worried for Y/n and her family, they’re not a major house in the kingdom, if they fell to that evil group’s will, the church would kill them all. What side would Y/n take? Would they use magic to manipulate her? He looked at the books she gifted him and felt a little relief. He did like her, and wanted to protect her from such dangers. They will have each other’s back won’t they. No doubt. He didn’t fall for her for her looks, she was gorgeous, but he didn’t fall for her first sight. It would be silly, a noble he knew nothing about other than how pretty she is. No he fell for her with everything that had happened. The time she held his hand when professor Jerizta was being a total demon ghost, their late night training sessions. He thought back at the moment she held him when he was injured. How she hummed and told him things were going to be okay. Her hand pressed against his cheek. It was too much to think about in bed, he rolled over, tossed and turned.

“What are you doing out so late?” Felix asked Y/n as she snuck out of her room.

“Why do you care? Are you the dorm police?” She asked.

“Normally I have to yell at Sylvain for this kind of behavior, but you-”

“Well if I never do this maybe you shouldn’t scold me, it’s a one time thing.” She cut him off.

“You should really leave the monastery, go and find a husband.”

“First Ingrid and now me, what the hell Felix? What is your issue?” she asked him.

“Things are looking bad here and I don’t see them getting any better anytime soon. It’s best if you don’t get caught up in all of that. You’re not one who can stand bloodshed.”

“And how do you get to judge that?”

“I’m there on the battlefield with you. Save yourself the trouble.” He told her. “I already know what your father is up to.”

“Well, I can only get better with time Felix.” She told him. “Good night.”

“Your room is the-” “I’m sleeping with the wolves tonight. They’ll devour any fears I have about the battlefield. Wouldn’t that be nice so you won’t have to spend your nights telling me and Ingrid to go find a husband!” she yelled from the stairs.

She made her way to Ashe’s door in her long nightgown and candle. She didn’t let Felix’s words haunt her, but she can only assume that Felix got a letter from her parents telling him it would be a good idea to take their daughter out on a date. She grimaced at the thought of more embarrassing letters from her parents floating around, waiting to be used as black mail. She knocked on the door a couple times, and Ashe was surprised to find her so late in the night.

“What are you doing here so late?”

“I told you I was gonna read to you.”

“This late.”

“You don’t even sleep!”

He let her in. She wasn’t wrong. He picked out a book for her to read to him. She told him once more she read that one enough times, she knows the story by heart. She set the candle on the nightstand. He laid in bed wondering where she was going to sit.

“Scoot over.” She told him, sitting right next to him in his own single person bed.

But he complied. It was awkward as first listening to her read since they were both sitting up. He noticed she was cold, so he put the blanket over both of them which only made his heart beat faster. She kept reading to him though. She would make silly voices for merchants and ogrs that came into the story. He relaxed more as the situation seemed to normal itself out. Without thinking he placed his head on her stomach, and even had his arm over her waist. When he realized what he had done, it was too late to really react. She was still enjoying reading to him and he wouldn't want to dwindle the spark she had going on. She also didn’t stop him or seemed uncomfortable. His actions did make him hyper aware of the situation. She adjusted her arm, and placed her hand on his back. It was all so much. He didn’t know if he thought of the word in his head he would be able to handle it. They were cuddling! In HIS BED. IN THE EYES OF SOTHIS. He tried staying as still as he possibly could to draw attention to himself. She smelled nice, the fabric of her nightgown was soft, it was all intoxicating, she was right there! She can’t see how he’s internally reacting to the situation! He wouldn’t be able to talk without sounding like a banshee. 

 At some point he realized she’d stopped reading. He propped himself up on his hands, removing himself off her stomach. She’d fell asleep, IN HIS BED! WITH HER ARM WRAPPED AROUND HIM! His mind raced with what to do? Does he sleep in her bed? Does he wake her up? What if she gets caught leaving his room, surely she would get in trouble. He laid back in the bed, facing her, unable to come to a conclusion. She rolled over, and her face landed in his chest. Maybe his next action was selfish, but he blew out the candle and put the book on the floor. He let Y/n sleep in his chest, because she let him use her stomach as a pillow.

 The next morning the duo woke up around the same time. Ashe jolted away from her realizing what he did, but she awoke casually.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” she yawned.

“No, no, it's fine, you were doing something nice for me.” he told her.

“How am I supposed to leave though? I’m in my pajamas, and my dorm is on the second floor.” she whined.

“I have an idea.”

 The idea was he would give her his spare academy uniform so she could go back to his dorm. If anyone asks why she was there, she would say she was stopping by early in the morning to study together before the library opened. The plan did end up succeeding. 

“Here are your clothes back good sir” she was being dramatic.

“Thanks.” he laughed.

“I should be thanking you, you really saved my ass.” she told him.

“You were just taking care of me.” he told her.

“Well, I had fun too. I haven’t read those stories in awhile.” she told him

 She also had fun? This crush was going to be the death of him.

[caatws]

egg-citement

After each receiving Pokémon Eggs from their friends, Tony and Pepper compete to see whose Egg will hatch first.

(possible series of Pokémon x Avengers oneshots?)

((this oneshot is pepperony centric and every time a pokémon is mentioned for the first time i linked to their bulbapedia page so ppl unfamiliar with em can go see what they look like! uwu))

(((read on ao3!)))

Tony prides himself on his Electric-Type Pokémon.

Of course, he has other Pokémon who help out in the lab in non-electric ways—such as his Porygon Z with its supercomputer capabilities, or his Mawile with its powerful jaws for crunching metal, or his lifelong companion, Vulpix, with its powerful Fire-Type moves.

But, really, he wouldn’t be here without his Electric Pokémon and all the power they generated for his lab projects. Sure, they aren’t the most powerful Electric Types around—he’s got a team of Plusle, Minun, Togedemaru, and Pachirisu to boot—but they’re travel-sized, as he likes to call them. And they’re damn strong for their species with Tony’s training, thank you very much.

Everything changes, though, when Thor breeds his trusty partner Raichu and offers one of the Eggs to Tony.

Sure, the Pokémon that will hatch from the Egg will fit neatly into his pint-sized team rather than be a huge Electric beast like a Raikou or something, but Thor’s Raichu isn’t just any Raichu. The thing was raised by a god, practically! Its offspring are bound to be stronger than the average Electric rodent!

So, Tony takes raising this particular Egg very seriously. He modifies his handheld incubator to be even warmer and more secure than before, to further ensure nothing bad can happen to the Pokémon inside the Egg before it makes its real-world debut. His aforementioned Electric team takes turns watching over it in the lab, everyone waiting for the miracle of life to happen.

“You gotta come out soon, Egg,” Tony talks absentmindedly to the incubator, “everyone’s so excited to meet you. And you’re gonna be so powerful!”

“Plus!” Plusle cheers on enthusiastically, Minun joining it. They perform a little cheer routine they choreographed themselves, as Plusle and Minun tend to do, and Tony can’t help but smile.

--

He’s not the only one on Egg-sitting duty in the penthouse.

Around the same time that Thor gave him Raichu’s Egg, Rhodey gave Pepper a Pokémon Egg he found abandoned during a mission. It was left alone in the dark and was just oh-so-cold, of course he had to bring it home. But rather than raise it himself, Rhodey thought to give it to his favorite couple.

Tony, of course, already had his own Egg to watch out for. So, he modified another incubator for Pepper to use for the Egg from Rhodey, so they could each focus on one of the Eggs.

Funnily enough, the Eggs are identical in appearance, as Tony’s tests revealed they were from the same Egg group. While he knows a Pichu will come from Raichu’s Egg, they have no idea what the other Egg holds, which makes it that much more fun.

(Not to mention it becomes a contest of whose Egg would hatch first, since they’re on a similar timeline.)

At night, Tony and Pepper lay their respectively incubated Eggs to rest on a small cushion on the other side of their room with blankets upon blankets for further warmth. Tony looks between the two of them and tries to rattle the competition.

“My Egg already has a crack in it,” he says.

“What!” Pepper looks over his shoulder with a frown. “No, it doesn’t.”

“It’s just really small, like miniscule, so it’s hard to see. I know your eyes aren’t the greatest—“

Pepper playfully shoves his arm. He laughs.

“Just you wait, Tony,” she says. “When our Eggs hatch, my Pokémon’s gonna beat yours in battle.”

“Ha! You wish.” Tony grins.

--

As all Pokémon Eggs do, their Eggs become more mobile the closer they get to their hatch date. Tony and Pepper watch them shake beside each other after taking them out of their incubators for the night, occasionally bumping into each other.

“They’re playing,” Pepper says.

“Or fighting,” Tony says. “And mine’s winning.”

She playfully shoves him again.

--

The next morning, Tony and Pepper grab their respective Eggs in their incubators and go about their days, Pepper to Stark Industries and Tony to his lab.

And it’s just another regular day until—

“Oh, shit! The Egg’s hatching!”

At Tony’s announcement, all his Pokémon crowd around the table where he sets the Egg after pulling it out of the incubator. The cheeks of his Electric Pokémon start to spark with curiosity and excitement at the idea of a new Electric-Type playmate. Porygon Z just tilts its head while Mawile and Vulpix peer around the Electric squad to see.

They all hold their breath as the Egg glows, and starts to take shape, the light fading to reveal a…

“Mime. Jr?!”

--

So maybe Tony and Pepper’s Eggs sabotaged their little competition on their own by switching incubators in the middle of the night, because just ten minutes later Tony runs into Pepper in the penthouse with a Pichu gleefully hanging onto her head while Mime Jr. hangs onto his.

“That’s my Pokémon!” they say unanimously, pointing at the other.

“Did the Eggs really switch themselves?” Pepper asks, looking between the two baby Pokémon.

(Said two baby Pokémon touch hands over their heads so, yep, this was definitely planned.)

“They were just messing with us! They know who they really belong with,” Tony insists, pulling Mime Jr. off his head. He holds it out to Pepper. “Here you go, Mime Jr., it’s your mom!”

Mime Jr. takes one look at Pepper and starts crying, reaching back around toward Tony.

“Are you serious?” Tony exclaims, turning Mime Jr. back to face him.

Look, Tony’s quite knowledgeable when it comes to Pokémon, and he knows one of Mime Jr.’s strengths is its ability to act—as especially seen through its move, Fake Tears. But Mime Jr.’s little cries just pull at Tony’s heart strings, and watching the little guy reach its tiny arms out to him, well…

Meanwhile, the moment Pepper holds Pichu away from her body, it starts to protest with its own tears (also probably fake, because baby Pokémon are strategic like that) until Pepper pulls it back to herself.

They stand there, awkwardly, after calming down their swapped Pokémon.

“Well, this didn’t go the way it was supposed to,” Tony sighs, looking down at Mime Jr.

“You’re telling me,” Pepper says, petting Pichu’s head. “But I guess this is what they wanted.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re good Trainers who listen to our Pokémon and all that jazz,” Tony says, helping Mime Jr. onto his shoulder. “Guess that settles that.”

--

And for all the drama the baby Pokémon caused, it does seem to work out for the best.

While Tony’s other Pokémon do their thing, Mime Jr. helps out around the lab by…supervising mockingly?

(It gets away with it because it’s cute, okay?)

Meanwhile, Pichu is practically glued to the top of Pepper’s head from day one, even while she’s at work.

And while it may be distracting during meetings and conferences, whenever some overconfident old businessman tries to undermine Pepper, all it takes is one surprisingly threatening glare from Pichu with a few sparks from its cheeks for Pepper to regain control of the room.

(She does tell people Pichu was personally bred from the God of Thunder’s very own Pokémon, of course.)

So, yeah, it does work out.

As far as their initial plans to battle it out, though?

“Pichu will get dirty,” Pepper frets with a tsk sound, as she carefully brushes Pichu’s fur, when Tony brings it up again. “They’re just babies, Tony. Let them live a little.”

Pichu chimes in with a smug “Chu!” and Mime Jr. even seems to agree with its own “Mime!” Tony just groans.

“Baby Pokémon,” he grumbles.

Beside him, Mime Jr. mimics him, making Pepper and Pichu laugh.