#All the science experiments I do in my “lab” (tiny room attached to my bedroom) are completely ethical and safe 👍

[mushroominaforest]

Hey chat, check out what I got my grubby little hands on!

Got it from the dentist when I was there the other day- I’m gonna use it for my science experiments! :D

[drunk-onsunlight]

Day #1: Beautiful, what's your hurry? 

Chapters: 1/12 Fandom: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), spideychelle - Relationship, Betty Brant & Ned Leeds Characters: Michelle Jones, Peter Parker, Ned Leeds, Betty Brant, May Parker (Spider-Man), Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Additional Tags: Spideychelle Promptmas 2020, MJ is Black Cat, Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Iron Dad, Canon? Don't Know Her, Comic Elements, Rhino is causing problems, Prowler is causing problems, Dr. Octopus is causing problems, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Morgan is a smartass, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Summary:

12 days of promptmas where Peter is having fun being Spider-Man until too many bad guys are around and a certain Cat tries to kiddnap Ned in the middle of a fight (or something like that) and all he can think about is "how is he going to pretend to have a relationship with MJ on that Stark party on Christmas break?"

Notes:

I'm terribly excited and proud of this fic so I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing it. You will find short chapters and others... not so short, they are hell long (sorry, not sorry). Done with the blablabla and have fun in this 12 Days of Promptmas Remember that every chapter's concept will influence a big plot ;)

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Concept 43. Roommates 2. Shopping

Dialogue 56. "Do you wanna built a snowman?" 46. "You do know that Santa's not real, right?"

December 18th - One week before Christmas Peter and MJ have been living together for two years now. They decided it was the best way to not be totally broke because of their attempt to live in NYC while college and being close to their families in Queens. And the best way for Peter to be Spider-Man and be close to the Avengers facilities without anyone knowing, including MJ. Peter didn't knew how he have managed to keep his identity hidden while living with MJ but it was good, she wasn't in danger if she didn't know about his superhero thing. Peter and MJ had strict rules about their privacy and that made everything easier. They never went to the others bedrooms for anything, at least one of them was sick and that wasn't happening frequently. So basically Peter charged his IronSpider suit without worrying about MJ finding it and probably friking out and his three different suits were on the closet or under his bed totally save. MJ had her own secrets and he wasn't the right person to sneak a peek inside her room to find out, so he respected her room, privacy and secrets as much as she respected his. Morgan has called on a Thursday claiming that she needed to spend time with his big brother on Christmas break or she will take him out of work from The Bugle on some fake news that Spider-Man was around a shopping mall she wanted to visit. The ten year old was very persistent, just like her parents. Of course he said yes, he wanted to take some pictures of Manhattan while you can still walk around Central Park, also, some early shopping for Christmas was too perfect to reject. Morgan arrived to MJ and Peter's apartment early in the morning and took a second quick breakfast with her brother and MJ. ---------

"So, Morgan! How's school going?" MJ was familiar now with the little girl and wasn't surprised of Peter's contacts with the Stark. What she never understood was how Peter ended up working for J. Jonah Jameson and not in Stark Industries, maybe his passion for photography was bigger than his love for chemistry and labs. "Pretty good, actually! I'm looking forward to High school, looks exciting" oh poor innocent soul. But she wasn't going to break her little bubble of happiness, definitely not on the holidays! "You're getting old Morgan! High school? That's big!" Peter was always cheering Morgan, no matter what. He was such a good old brother "Then you are even more old because you are in college and you have a job, too" Morgan said with her mouth full of pancakes, that MJ was pretty sure Pepper will not approve. "MJ! You are gonna let her treat us like grannies because we have a job?" Peter always tried to get MJ involved in his conversations but she still had that little observant in her from High school "Well, if we are that old then we can't go shopping today. What if we get a cold? That would be terrible for this two old people" that was the plan, shopping with Morgan but MJ had another plan for her visit to Manhattan, but they didn't need that information "noooo!!!! We have to go shopping! My dad gave me lots of money to spend on everyone’s present! I want to buy something nice for Uncle Happy and Aunt May, for mom and dad and of course for you both! Even for Ned and Betty!" yes, that was their little group now. How on earth Peter was able to keep such a strong relationship with the Starks and his security head, after two years working for their labs, was still a mystery. Well, it wasn't hard to get attached to the Parkers and with Peter always came Ned and now Betty. "Ok Morgan! Then let's go. If we are in Manhattan as soon as the shops are open we will get good presents for everyone" the little girl took her plate when the pancakes were to the kitchen and run to get her coat, scarf and gloves for the cold. "How much money do you think she actually has, Parker?" "She is ten, so maybe not much. But she is a Stark so maybe a couple hundred? Who knows? I'm gonna text Pepper just to check, if I text Tony he will probably encourage her to buy the whole shopping mall" Peter walked to his room while Morgan returned from the living room and started jumping in front on MJ to show her that she was ready to go "Ok, we will go in a few. Can you go to your brother's room for a bit while I look for my things?" "Yeap! Don't take long, MJ!" "Don't worry. I will be fast. Promise!" MJ walked to her room and locked the door. She needed to change something from her outfit without Peter and Morgan knowing. That will bring lots of questions that she wasn't ready to answer, especially to Peter. She took her bag with all the things she needed for the day and checked twice that the leather suit under her clothes wasn't visible. "MJ is back!! We can go! Let's go Pete" Morgan was bubbling with happiness so they finally went out of the little apartment. They went down the five floors and started walking through the cold streets of New York with Morgan in between them. Each holding one of her tiny hands. The girl was talking about her school friends, her new favorite topic in class and her love for science, just like his dad. Peter and Morgan were having a lovely chat about the new tech Stark was designing while MJ was waiting for her moment to leave them for a while. "How do you know all of this, Morgan? Pepper hasn't forbid you from the labs?" "Yeah, but she stopped telling me to not go there after my tenth time sneaking into the labs." "As reasonable as your dad, I see" "And you Pete. That's why you are my brother" Peter had an easy smile on his face when he talked to Morgan. It was nice to see him so relaxed, he was extremely stressed and had been for the last year. College could be a nightmare even being a genius like Peter. "Ammm, I have to go Morgan. Would you forgive me if I go for a few minutes? I promise I will be back" "Nooo!!! Why? I can talk to you more if you want. It’s just that Peter never shuts up" "Its fine Morgan. I love hearing you both talk about nerdy things, but can I tell you a secret?" the girl’s eyes light up and she moved away a little from Peter "I'm very good at keeping secrets, MJ. You can trust me" MJ got to Morgan’s level which means she was almost on her knees. "I'm going to buy Peter's present and he can't see it because it's a surprise. Can you keep that secret?" Morgan's face showed all her excitement and started nodding furiously "Then I will text Peter when I'm done, ok?" she said the last looking at Peter to let him know she was going back with them "Ok! See you MJ!!" Morgan waved at MJ while she crossed the street to a few jewelry stores. She entered one of the stores and checked that Peter and Morgan were gone before leaving to a close ally to change into her leather suit, mask and silver wig. ------ "MJ is really nice. And pretty!" if Peter never closed his mouth, Morgan was just like him, but Peter loved it "Yeah. She is really nice" "And pretty. My dad said he is a little bit afraid of her for all your stories about her in high school but I think that makes her even greater" "Well yes, she is pretty and why I never knew your dad was afraid of MJ? Now I'm gonna mock him for that" "you didn't hear it from me, Pete" "so, what where you and MJ talking about?" "No, no, it's a secret and I don't share secrets even if there are small. Like your secret, does MJ knows, by the way?" "No, she doesn't and you know that's the best thing for her so it's going to be a secret until something terrible happens like she gets in my room and I'm arriving from patrol or something like that" he didn't want to think about the possibility of MJ finding out about him being Spider-Man because patrol ended bad "How's Ned doing? Is he still your Guy in the Chair?" "Nop, he is retired. Now he has proclaimed himself as a FOS" "what's that?" "FOS as Friend of Spider-Man" "so, I'm a FOS too, right?"

"Yes, you are Morgan. That's why you have to be really careful on not speaking about Spidey outside of the labs or the facilities. Ok?" "Yeap. Got it. Don't worry about that. Mom thought me well. She talked about a few bad experiences she had because she is close to my dad and I don't want to go through any of that" Morgan was very young but very intelligent, any other kid would be screaming at the top of their lungs that their adoptive brother was a superhero just like their dad. But she knew better than that. "Hey! Look at all the snow in the park. Do you wanna built a snowman, Morgan?!" he was very excited about the possibility but Morgan not so much "I would love it but can we wait for MJ? I think she will enjoy it as much as we will" "Ok. Let me check my phone for any messages. Maybe she wrote me and we didn't notice" no new messages from MJ, but apparently Black Cat had stolen a few things from a store on the opposite side of Manhattan. The police was taking care of the case but the evidence wasn't much. They never had enough evidence when Black Cat was involved, she was becoming a problem in New York and Peter was going to pay more attention to the new dressed up villain, but first he needed to stop Rhino. He was the big problem, has been for the last year, appearing and disappearing every few months but each time he came back, he was stronger. "Did she say something?" "No yet. What if we go to that shopping mall, do some actual shopping and then back to that snowman?" "Yes! I want to buy some summer clothes to my dad and some beautiful heels to my mom! Maybe some kitchen utensils to Uncle Happy and more nice shoes for Aunt May! What do you think, Pete?" "I think we have lots of things to do then! Let's go before MJ is back. We need to buy her a present too" they walked to the shopping mall and got a few things for everyone. Morgan bought some shorts for Tony, with Iron Man's face on them, some really expensive heels for Pepper and May and different bakery supplies for Happy "I have Ned's present in Stark Industries. It's a new program my dad worked on that I think he will love. But don't tell him! It's a secret" "don't worry peanut, your secret it's save with me" "thanks Pete. Ok, what are we buying to MJ?" "I have an idea... But we have to go find somewhere affordable and that can sell me a very specific object. Santa can't bring that present from the North Pole for her" "You do know that Santa's not real, right?" "What? MORGAN! You can't say that!!" "I'm sorry Pete. Did I ruin your fantasy?" "No... But now that's a big secret you will have to keep. No one can know that Santa is not real" after Peter and Morgan went out of the store they choose for MJ's present, Peter's phone started to sound along to Jingle Bells. "Hey MJ. We done shopping here. Where are you? Do you wanna built a snowman?" "A snowman?" "Yes. Morgan wanted to wait for you to build it in the park a few block away from where we were" "Oh. Yeah. I know where, see you there in ten?" "Perfect. See you in a few" "She's coming to build the snowman?" "Yes she is" "I really like MJ, Peter" "Yeah. Me too" -----

After a small walk and some time to find the best place to build the snowman, MJ, Peter and Morgan reunited and started looking for things to complete the medium sized snowballs that they managed to make. Morgan found a few stones for the eyes, MJ took a few branches for the arms and Peter was trying to find something for the nose of the snowman. After a few minutes he found a branch that wasn't to tin as the snowman's arms but it was too long. He broke the branch in the thicker part and placed it in the snowman face. "Oh Peter! The gym is actually paying! You broke that like it was a pencil!" Morgan’s face screamed at him that that action wasn’t completely normal for a regular person "Yeeaaahhh... The, the gym! Of course!" MJ was looking at him a little bit suspicious. She still managed to hide most her emotions but after living with her, Peter learned to read her more than she thought. "Well, I need to start going to the gym too then, you have been going since high school and it's finally working apparently" Peter knew MJ wasn't stupid, or blind for the matter. She has seen him without a shirt and knew about how his body has changed through the years because of his superhero thing, but for her, and everyone else... He was just going to the gym. That was the logic explanation behind his ripped body and his very useful strength. Peter tried to move away from MJ’s suspicious face while lifting Morgan from the ground.

“I think it’s quite decent. What do you think, Em?” Peter asked MJ

“I don’t look that bad, actually! Morgan, can you rate the snowman?” They were looking at the weird snowballs with the stones for eyes and several branches around his “body”

“I give it a 7 out of 10, something is missing… A SCARF!!! He’s getting cold without a scarf” Ok, Santa wasn’t real but the snowman was getting cold. Peter and MJ shared a look and started laughing, they found funny that the snowballs were cold. Peter took his scarf off from around his neck and placed it on between the top snowball and the middle one.

“There you have it! Now he is fine and won’t get a cold” Morgan looked pleased at the snowman and took MJ’s hand in her right hand and she offered her left had to Peter.

“Ok, now it’s a ten. I think we can go and wrap all this presents on the apartment. Can we Peter?” Morgan looked a little tired

“We definitely should, maybe we can have some hot drink too” MJ wrapped her bag on her shoulder without letting go of Morgan’s hand while Peter took the six different bags from around the snowman and the three of them stared to head home.

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Thanks to @spiderman-homecomeme for organising this amazing event!

[queertazsecretsanta]

A gift for @corvid-squire, created by @ipretwins!

Title: Ango’s First Candlenights

Kravitz woke to an empty bed, which was strange in itself. His boyfriend, Taako, was not an early riser. Kravitz usually had to spend ten to twenty minutes convincing Taako to get out from under the covers when they actually had somewhere to be. So when he awoke at eight thirty on a Saturday that they both had off from work to cold sheets and empty arms, he was confused as well as concern.

Kravitz pushed off the covers and grabbed a tee shirt to pull over his bare chest. He wandered out of their bedroom and down the hall of their small apartment, looking for any signs of Taako.

“Taako?” He called, his voice rusty from sleep. “Babe?”

“Kitchen!” Came the reply.

Kravitz turned the corner to find a war zone. There were trays of latkes, pancakes, waffles, and french toast piled high on the counter. Two pies sat cooling. The smell of gravy was thick in the air. Something was in the over. Various ingredients were strewn about and it seemed that all of their dishes were piled into the sink. In the center of it all was Taako, standing at the stove, flipping omelets.

“Whatcha doin’?” Kravitz asked, a little unnerved by the mania.

Taako turned around and flashed him a smile. He was already dressed, in a soft white shirt with black leggings and an oversized pink cardigan. “Breakfast,” He said.

“Yeah, I can see that. Is the entire town coming over for breakfast this morning?”

“No,” Taako scoffed. “What are you talking…” He trained off, surveying the room. “Okay, so I can see that I’ve gone a little overboard.”

Kravitz chuckled. “A little?” He asked.

Taako flipped a final omelet and then turned off the stove.

“I guess I just woke up early and got carried away. No big deal.”

Kravitz walked over to Taako and wrapped him up in his arms, placing a kiss on his forehead. “So then this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Angus is coming over today?”

Taako scoffed again. “What? No. Of course not. Is that today? I completely forgot.”

“Mhm.”

“I did! What is it? Tuesday? I can’t be expected to keep up with things.”

“It’s Candlenights, Taaks.”

Taako nodded. “Right, right, yeah. Well. Cool. Good thing we’ll have an extra mouth to help us eat all this.”

“You don’t have to be nervous, babe.”

“Nervous? What do you mean nervous? I’m not nervous. No fuckin’ eleven year old can make me nervous.”

“Of course not. Especially not one who loves you as much as Angus does.”

“Uh, cha’yeah. Of course he loves me. I’m Taako. From TV. Everyone loves me.”

Kravitz smiled. He kissed Taako again, on the lips this time.

The two of them had been dating for a little over a year. They had met through a mutual friend. Well, a few mutual friends. Kravitz was a conductor, and he was about to put on a make or break showcase, when his second violinist got sick. Luckily, his first violinist’s boyfriend worked security for a fancy science laboratory and knew all of the people there. And one of those people just happened to be a classically trained violinist. As well as Taako’s sister. Taako came to the performance, Lup introduced the two of them afterward, and the rest was history.

Kravitz still marveled at how lucky he was to have met Taako.

A few months into their relationship, Taako met Angus. Angus had snuck into the IPRE - the laboratory where Taako worked as a chemist - because he wanted to “observe the science.” Taako caught him and rather than immediately kick him out, started showing him around the lab. Angus’s foster mother found him a few hours later. According to Taako, she stormed into the lab demanding to know where Angus was and how he’d snuck out of the house. Taako managed to de-escalate the situation, and somehow worked out a deal where Angus could come over to the lab once a week as long as he told someone where he was going.

Eventually, Taako started inviting Angus over for dinner, and out to movies, and Kravitz could tell he really fell in love with the kid. Kravitz knew that Taako and his sister didn’t get adopted until they were seventeen, and as much as Taako denied it, he had a real soft spot for kids. Especially kids like Angus, who reminded him so much of himself.

And now Angus was coming over for the last day of Candlenights. And Taako was freaking out.

“It’s going to be fine,” Kravitz said again.

“Yeah, I know it’ll be fine. Of course, it’ll be fine–”

The doorbell rang. Taako jumped.

“Fuck!” He yelled. “Go put real clothes on! They’re gonna think we live in a god damn barn!” He shooed Kravitz off to change and ran to the door.

Taako took a deep breath as he reached the door. He could do this. Angus was just a kid. It didn’t matter if he liked Taako or not! That being said, Taako really wanted Angus to like him.

He watched Kravitz disappear into their bedroom, then looked back at the door, and his hand on the doorknob. He forced his face into a neutral position and threw the door open.

“Agnes!” He said. Angus and his social worker, Brad, were standing in the hallway of Taako’s apartment building.

“Er, it’s Angus, sir. Still Angus.”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“Uh…”

Taako smiled. “I’m just kidding, kid. Come in, you must be fu– you must be starving.”

Taako moved aside so that Angus could step into the apartment. The kid took a small, nervous step in. He was dressed in a blue shirt with a maroon sweater vest and jeans. His curly hair was clearly patted down with nothing but water, and his glasses looked newly cleaned. It was adorable.

“Angus!” Taako heard Kravitz say as he bounded down the hallway. He was dressed in black suit pants and a white button-down shirt. His dreadlocks had been put into a bun. “Good to see you.”

Angus smiled nervously and waved. Taako turned to Brad.

“So,” He said. “Bradson–”

“Please, Taako, we’re friends, you don’t have to call me by my last name.”

“Your name is Brad Bradson?” Taako asked.

“Isn’t yours Taako Tacco?”

“Taako Highchurch-Davenport, actually.”

“Of course. Forgive me.”

“Anyway, is there anything I need to sign? Like a waiver or something that says if the kid gets killed I’ll pay for the funeral?” He chuckled awkwardly when Brad raised an eyebrow. “I’m just, uh, kidding.”

“If you could sign this, please,” Brad said pleasantly. He held out a clipboard with a form attached. Taako nodded and signed the signature line. He handed it back to Brad.

“Alright, well, I’ll come to pick Angus back up at seven. Angus, you have your phone, yes?” Angus nodded and held up an old flip phone. “Alright,” Brad said. “Message me every hour, please.”

Angus nodded. “Yes sir,” He said.

“You kids have fun!” Brad said, waving as he left.

Taako waved as well and shut the door behind him.

He turned to Angus, who smiled weakly.

“So,” He said. “Have you had breakfast?”

“Uh, no, sir,” Angus said.

“Ango, how many times have I told you to cut that ‘sir’ shit out?”

“Sorry, s-Taako.”

Taako sighed. Angus was fiddling with a loose thread in his clearly hand-me-down sweater. Angus didn’t like to talk about his foster home life, but Taako knew it was rough. He knew it was rough both from his own experiences and from Angus’s body language and reactions. Taako wished that he could swoop in and save the kid.

“Do you want breakfast?” He asked.

“I mean, you don’t have to, I–”

“Angus, I made like, so much food. Oh my god like so much food. Like I’ll be pissed if you don’t eat it.”

Angus giggled. “Okay then.”

Taako smiled. He grabbed Angus by the hand. “Come on, kid.” He dragged him to the kitchen. Kravitz made Vannah White hands framing their food-filled kitchen.

Angus’s eyes widened. “Woah,” he said.

“Like I said,” Taako said. “So much food.”

“Have as much as you want,” Kravitz said.

“I don’t–I probably shouldn’t–”

“Lemme get you a plate,” Taako said. He grabbed a plate and began to pile it with food he thought Angus would like.

After setting Angus up at their small dining table, Kravitz and Taako went through picking out food for themselves.

“He looks happy,” Kravitz whispered.

“Yeah,” Taako said. “I hope so.”

They had only barely finished breakfast when the door burst open.

“Candlenights, motherfuckers!” The voice of Taako’s sister, Lup, rang through the apartment. Angus smiled and jumped out of his seat to go greet her. He was halfway there when he realized that he didn’t put his plate up, and a shot of fear ran through him. He went to take it back, but Taako had already picked it up and carried it to the sink.

“You need somethin’ pumpkin?” He asked.

Angus shook his head. He turned back around and ran to Lup. She and Barry were taking off their snow clothes.

“Angus!” Lup said. “How’s my favorite nephew doing!”

“I’m not actually your–”

“Details, details, give me a hug, little dude!”

Angus smiled and wrapped Lup in a hug. Barry walked over and ruffled his hair.

“Hey, Angus,” he said. “Happy Candlenights.”

“Happy Candlenights, sir!” Angus said.

“Wait a minute!” Someone said. Angus turned to see Magnus Burnsides-Waxmen-Davenport-Highchurch (Taako’s adoptive brother), standing in the doorway with his arms full of presents. “Is it Candlenights? Shit! I totally forgot. Good thing I brought all these presents anyway!”

His wife, Julia Waxmen-Burnsides-Davenport-Highchurch rolled her eyes affectionately. She was standing next to him, holding their baby daughter June.

“Make sure you put your presents under the Candlenights bush,” Taako said, walking into the room. “Unlike these animals.” He pointed his thumb at Lup and Barry. “This place is already tiny, we don’t need shit everywhere.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lup said, pulling her brother into a tight hug while Barry began to move presents. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” she groaned as she rocked him from side to side. “When are you guys moving in with me and Barold?”

Taako released his sister. “As soon as our lease is up.”

Angus’s heart clenched. Taako and Kravitz were moving away? Is that why they’d invited him to spend Candlenights with them? So that they could let him down gently?

“You… you guys are moving?” Angus asked.

“Just across town,” Kravitz said. “Lup and Barry bought a big five-bedroom house and we’re gonna move in with them so we can have more space.”

“Oh,” Angus said, relieved that they weren’t leaving. “Why do you need more space?”

Taako and Kravitz shared a look.

“No reason,” Taako shrugged. “Just… feelin’ a little cramped, is all.”

“The new house is great, Ango,” Lup said. “We got an awesome deal on it cause everyone says that it’s haunted.”

Angus giggled.

“You’ll have to come by sometime to help us bust ghosts!” Barry added.

“I would really like that,” Angus said. This was another reason why he loved being with Taako and Kravitz. What had started with just Taako letting him observe his work in the lab had turned into so much more. First, there was Kravitz, then Lup and Barry, then the rest of Taako’s massive family. Angus felt like he had all these people who cared about him. He wished that he was as close to his foster family as Taako and Lup were to theirs. He knew that Merle and Davenport had adopted Taako and Lup as well as Magnus and Lucretia. He also knew that it was super rare for stuff like that to happen. He’d probably never get adopted for real, so this was the next best thing.

“Where’s Lucretia?” Taako asked.

Magnus began to talk. “She’s on her–”

“Sorry I’m late!” A voice ran out through the hallway. Lucretia came barreling into the room, her arms full of carefully wrapped gifts. While Lucretia was the youngest family member, she had been living with Merle and Davenport the longest and was the only one who still lived at their house, as she was working her way through a PhD program. She walked in and placed the presents carefully under the Candlenights bush, then pulled everyone in the room into a tight hug, with a kiss on the forehead for baby June. “Dad and Pops said that they’d be down in a few hours and to open presents without them. They said they wanted alone time.”

“Disgusting,” Taako said.

Magnus and Lup nodded.

“Come on guys,” Kravitz said. “They’ve been married for what, twenty years?”

“Yeah,” Julia added. “They have s–”

“If you finish that sentence I will ban you from my house don’t even trip,” Taako said.

Kravitz and Julia fell into a fit of giggles. Angus saw Barry trying (and failing) to hide a smile.

“Let’s stop this conversation right now and open presents!” Magnus said loudly. The baby in Julia’s arms cooed in agreement.

They all migrated over to the Candlenights bush and began to hand out presents, person by person. They began with baby June and everyone cooed over all of the cute baby shit that she got. Then they went to Julia, then Magnus, Kravitz, Taako, Lup, Barry, and finally Lucretia.

“Who are all the rest of these presents for?” Angus asked. “Mr. and Mr. Davenport-Highchurch?”

Taako smiled. “Hell no kiddo. They’re for you. Duh.”

“What?” Angus was genuinely bewildered.

“Yeah,” Kravitz said. “We wanted to save yours until the end since you definitely have the most presents to open.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Angus felt tears welling up in his eyes. “But I’m not… I don’t… you shouldn’t have.”

“Holy shit, Agnes, are you crying?” Taako asked, getting off the couch and kneeling down to where Angus was on the floor.

“N-No,” Angus muttered, wiping at his eyes.

Taako gently took his hand. “Hey, pumpkin, it’s okay. You don’t have to take them if you don’t want them.”

“No, I-I want the presents I just… I didn’t think you guys would get me anything.”

“Of course we got you presents,” Kravitz said.

“Yeah,” Lup said. “You’re part of the family.”

“I–Really?”

“Of course, Angus,” Julia said. “You don’t have to be related by blood or law to be a part of our family.”

“You’ve been around here about as long as baby June has,” Magnus said. “And she’s definitely part of the family.”

Angus laughed and smiled. Lucretia handed him a present wrapped in sparkly pink foil. “This one is from Taako,” she said.

Angus took the present and tore it open. It was a fancy microscope, a miniature version of the one Taako used in his lab. Angus gasped.

“Oh my god, sir, I, Taako, I, I love it! Thank you so much!” He pulled Taako into a hug.

Taako wrapped his arms around Angus. “Yeah, well, there’s a… there’s plenty more, so don’t waste all your energy on this one,” he said, voice fond.

A few hours later, Taako and Lup were in the kitchen working on dinner while Kravitz stood against the wall rocking the baby to sleep. Davenport and Merle had come over and were sipping wine and playing cards with Lucretia. Julia was in the bedroom taking a well-earned nap, and Angus was absolutely schooling Barry and Magnus at dreidel.

“Gimmel again?” Magnus said as Angus took all the gelt into his pot. “Jeez, kid, how are you so good at this?”

Angus shrugged. Kravitz knew how he was so good at it. Taako had given him a weighted dreidel that always landed on gimmel if you spun it a certain way.

Angus smiled and shrugged. Kravitz caught his eye and winked.

“So…” Lup said, lightly smacking her brother with a dish towel. “When are you two gonna pop the question?”

“After everyone leaves tonight,” Taako said. “We didn’t want to overwhelm him with everyone being here. But that means you chucklefucks have to be gone by six thirty, cause Brad comes to get him at seven.”

Lup nodded. “I’ll make sure everyone leaves. Besides, the sun sets at five so we should be able to light the candles then and have plenty of time to eat dinner while they melt down.”

Taako nodded.

“Are you nervous?” Lup asked.

“Taako doesn’t get nervous,” Taako lied.

Lup rolled her eyes. She looked at Kravitz and raised an eyebrow.

“A little,” he said.

“Well, I think you guys are gonna be great–”

“Hey, Lup!” Angus said, running into the kitchen. “You wanna play dreidel? Barry and Taako ran out of gelt so we’re using quarters now.”

Lup smirked. “Kid, I made that dreidel you’re using. I literally invented this grift. But I’m sure Kravitz will play with you.”

Kravitz blushed, not wanting to lose his cash. “I, um, the baby–”

“I can take her,” Taako said, his grin matching his sister’s. “Go get ‘em, babe.”

Kravitz sighed, but transferred June to his boyfriend’s arms.

“You know, Taako hasn’t taught me how to do the spin,” he whispered to Angus.

“Yeah, I know,” Angus said, grinning.

“He says it’s a family secret.”

Angus nodded, and his smile grew wider.

“Hey kid, do you wanna light the candles?” Merle asked.

“What? Me? I don’t…”

Taako smiled and put a hand on Angus’s shoulder. “Yeah, you. We take turns lighting the candles every night of Candlenights. I lit them the first night, natch, then Lup, then Mango, then Lucy, then Barry, Krav, and Julia, and then last night Davenport did it.”

“So wouldn’t that mean it was your turn, Mr. Merle?” Angus asked.

Merle shrugged. “I’ve lit enough menorahs to last me several lifetimes, what with my job and all. You go for it.”

Angus smiled. “I um, I haven’t lit the menorah since my grandpa died,” he confessed.

Taako squeezed his shoulder affectionately, his heart clenching up a bit. “It’s okay. We all go through dry spells.”

“Here, Angus, let me help you with the lighter,” Magnus said. Taako released Angus and turned back to Merle.

“Thank you,” he mouthed.

Merle shrugged and made a “don’t worry about it,” gesture.

Taako smiled again, then turned towards the menorah as Kravitz hit the lights and they all sang the blessings.

“Alright chucklefucks,” Lup said about thirty seconds after they finished singing. “Let’s eat!”

Dinner with Taako’s family was always something special. Magnus broke a plate. Lucretia downed half a box of wine. Lup threw a turkey leg at Merle’s head. Julia dared Barry to eat something too disgusting mention and then he did and she almost cried. Kravitz got potatoes in his hair. Taako dumped a drink down Lup’s shirt. Davenport stood on the table and yelled at all of them for acting like children. Somehow June slept through the whole thing. It was glorious.

Taako kept an eye on Angus throughout the entire thing to make sure that he wasn’t feeling overwhelmed, but he had a huge smile on his face the entire time, even as Magnus accidentally lobed a biscuit at his face. (He was aiming for Lucretia.)

At six fifteen, Lup started to clear the table.

“Hey!” Merle protested as she grabbed his half-eaten plate of food. “I wasn’t done with that!”

“Don’t care!” Lup yelled. “Everybody out! Let’s go! Come on! I’ve got a surprise over at my place and you don’t want to miss it!”

“Thanks,” Taako whispered to her as she passed him.

She smiled. “The surprise is that I’m gonna make them help me and Barry unpack the home lab.”

Taako smiled as well. “Don’t let them break any of my shit.”

“Good luck,” Lup said and winked. She stood up and yelled again. “Last one to the parking lot gets eaten by Terry the Nondenominational Gift Delivery Dragon!”

“Are we gonna go, sirs?” Angus asked, looking between Taako and Kravitz.

“We’re actually gonna stay here,” Kravitz said. “But we’ll take you to Lup and Barry’s house soon.”

“Oh,” Angus said. “Uh, okay. Bye, everyone!”

“Bye Angus!” Lucretia said.

“We love you!” Magnus and Julia chorused.

“See you soon, kid,” Merle said.

“Always a pleasure, Angus,” Davenport said.

“Later, Ango,” Barry said, patting Angus on the head.

“Love you more than time and space little man!” Lup called, slamming the door behind her.

Taako turned to Angus as the door closed and took a deep breath. “Do you want some ice cream?”

Angus sat on Taako and Kravitz’s couch, surrounded by wrapping paper, wrapped up in a blanket knitted by one of Kravitz’s moms and holding a bowl of rocky road ice cream. Taako and Kravitz were sitting across from him, Kravitz in the armchair and Taako perched on the armrest.

“What is this about?” Angus asked, his heart pumping a million miles a minute.

“Well…” Kravitz began. “We’ve um, we’ve been thinking, lately, and, uh, feel–feel free to say no, but we were wondering… uh, Taako?”

Taako took a deep breath. “We want to adopt you, Angus. Kravitz and I.”

Angus felt his eyes widen. He dropped his spoon. “What.”

“That’s why we’re moving in with Barry and Lup,” Kravitz said. “So that you can have space. A bedroom to yourself and a big backyard–”

“And there are other kids in the neighborhood, it’s really close to Magnus and Julia’s place, too–”

“And right by a really great school for gifted students.”

“You really want to adopt me?” Angus asked. “Me?”

Taako and Kravitz nodded. “We’ve been taking classes and stuff, and working on getting our foster licenses,” Taako said. “We didn’t want to tell you until they’d been approved, but we just got the approval a few days ago… it was perfect timing, really.”

“And we’ve been working on filling out paperwork and stuff for the actual adoption,” Kravitz added. “Our lease ends next month, and once we move into Barry and Lup’s place you’re welcome to come move in with us. Then we can start reviews and everything for adoption.”

“That is, of course, if you want us to adopt you,” Taako said. “Which it would be totally chill if you didn’t. We can still hang out and stuff.”

“But…” Angus looked at his hands, and his slowly melting ice cream. “I’m not… I’m not a baby. I’m not cute or special or anything. I’m just… me.”

Taako smiled. “Yeah, duh, of course you’re you. That’s what we want.”

“Angus,” Kravitz said. “We love you. So much. Our families love you. You’re… our family wouldn’t be complete without you.”

Angus wiped at his eyes. “You mean it?”

Taako smiled. A tear slipped down his cheek. “Hell yeah, pumpkin,” he said.

Angus threw off the blanket and pulled Kravitz and Taako into a hug. Pull his dads into a hug.

“I love you guys too,” he said, his voice watery. “And… I would love to be adopted by you.”

Their touching moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Hello?” Someone called out. “It’s Brad.”

Taako sighed heavily. Angus giggled.

“Here,” Kravitz said. “Let’s gather up all of your presents.”

“Do you think you could actually keep them here?” Angus said. “I don’t want them getting fucked up by the other kids.”

Kravitz nodded.

Taako opened the door for Brad.

“Are you ready to go, Angus?” He asked.

Angus nodded. “I guess,” he said.

“We’ll see you soon, Ango,” Taako said, pulling Angus into a hug. “Happy Candlenights,” he said. “I’m glad you were here.”

“Happy Candlenights, Taako.”

Angus went to hug Kravitz. “Happy Candlenights, Kravitz.”

“Happy Candlenights,” Kravitz said. “The first of many where we’re all together.”

[bloomsoftly]

I enjoyed your cupcake delights series a lot :) Would like to prompt you for Wintershock where Darcy or Bucky accidentally get their gender changed :)

glass shards, darcy/bucky (T)

okay, so. I feel like you were hoping for something light and fluffy and funny, but considering Bucky’s backstory this definitely took on a hurt/comfort tone. 

that being said, the ending is so sugary sweet you’ll probably get a toothache. ;) hope you like it!

(also, you won the prompt lottery. this thing is hella long.)

On the fiftieth trial of theTerrible Trio’s experiment, something actually happened.

Darcy was neck deep in thepile of paperwork the scientists insisted on ignoring—Tony straight up refusedto fill it out, Jane’s handwriting was illegible to anyone but Darcy on thebest of days, and Bruce claimed that bureaucratic inanities tried the Big Guy’spatience. She didn't believe that last one, but Bruce was by far herbest-behaved scientist so Darcy let him get away with the excuse.

For once, the scientistsseemed to have things well in hand science-wise. They hadn’t even reached hourforty of their bender, so Darcy felt justified in leaving them unsupervised fora couple of hours while she dug into the bureaucratic bullshit of StarkIndustries. In hindsight, that decision was a total mistake.

Darcy was so absorbed in herpaperwork that she missed it when Tony distracted Bruce with some off-colorquip. The scientist’s measurement was off by a millimeter as a result, and noone noticed.

Chewing on a pen—trying todecide whether form 2187-A or 2187-B was most appropriate—Darcy also missed itwhen Jane tripped over a machine cord in her haste to mark down Trial #49’sdisappointing results. The plug didn’t come all the way out of the wall, andJane continued obliviously on her way.

She didn’t notice the smokecreeping across the floor at first, but jumped at the subsequent explosion ofsound.

The scientists shouted at herin unison, but it was already too late.

-:-

There was a click, followedby a flood of light. Bucky blinked several times at the sudden change, knifealready drawn and poised to throw.

It was Sam.

His hand faltered, thendropped back to his side. After all the years and all the horror, Bucky neededthe dark and the quiet to find some semblance of peace. He retreated to asoundproofed room off the gym several times a week, and it was rare—unheard of,actually—for anyone to interrupt Bucky’s meditation unless there was a call toassemble.

He was already headed inSam’s direction, mouth open to ask for a sit rep, when Sam held up a hand.Bucky stopped and cocked his head in question.

“There’s no call to assemble,Barnes. But there’s been an…incident…in the tower.”

Retrieving his knife, Buckyflipped it lightly with his fingers. It was mostly reflex, and gave hisrestless muscles something to do. “What kind of incident, Wilson?”

“Stark, Banner, and Fosterwere working on an experiment. It went wrong, and Foster’s assistant got caughtin the crossfire.”

“Darcy?” Bucky’s heartthudded hard in his chest. He liked the woman. She was brash and mouthy with abold smile and curves that went on for days. They didn’t know each other well,but it was impossible not to be aware of her. She was a force of nature—thekind of gusty wind that wore away at his hard edges and general resistance tothe 21st century.

Within seconds, Bucky wasonly steps away from the door and the other man. His body moved on instinct ashis mind whirled with possible scenarios and extraction plans. Sam’s eyes litwith recognition, and he muttered a soft “Fuck.”

“I forgot you knew her,Barnes, sorry. She’s not injured.” Sam hesitated, mouth working as he tried tothink of the right thing to say.

Bucky’s hand clenched aroundthe knife; it was no longer spinning in his hand. “Spit it out, Wilson.” Hisweight shifted forward, ready to explode into motion.

Sam held out his hand againin a steadying motion. “Give me a second, man. This shit is weird to explain,alright?” He sighed. “You know how they work on crazy shit in the labs?”

Bucky did know; he avoidedthe lab floor at all costs as a result. At his terse nod, Sam continued, “Idon’t even know how to say this, man. They were working on something—I can’ttell you what they were trying to do, it all goes over my head—and somethingwent terribly wrong. And it—” he rubbed a tired hand over his face, “—it didsomething to Darcy. Changed her.”

Shifting his weight, confusedas to why Sam sought him out when immediate intervention wasn’t required, Buckyquestioned, “Changed her how, Sam?”

With a helpless shrug, Samelaborated, “It changed her body. Like, completely.”

Utterly baffled, Bucky staredat him in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

With a huff, Sam spit out,“Man, she woke up with a different body. Like a male version of herself.”

Choking on his own spit,Bucky sputtered, “What?”

“Yeah, man. I told you it wasfucking weird.” After a slight hesitation, Sam added, “She’s having a hardtime, Barnes. A really hard time. Won’t come out of her room, or talk toanyone. Jane and the other two are working on a cure as fast as they can, and Ithought—”

“You thought I could help,somehow,” Bucky finished skeptically.

With a significant glance atBucky’s prosthetic arm, Sam agreed, “Yeah, I did. You know a thing or two aboutbody horror. And being uncomfortable in your own skin.”

As always, the reminder ofwhat he’d lost stung. But that, Bucky supposed, was the point. He did know athing or two. And if he could spare Darcy some discomfort, it would be worthfacing his own.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Talk to her, for one. Lether know she isn’t alone.”

-:-

“Miss Lewis, Sergeant Barnesrequests entrance to your apartment.” From under Darcy’s mountain of blankets,FRIDAY’s voice sounded gentle. Like the AI was talking to a wounded animal.Which, she figured, might be a fair assessment. She was definitely hurting, anddidn’t feel at all like herself.

Without moving an inch—she’dfinally found a spot that didn’t send her muscles into spasms, as long as shestayed as still as a statue—Darcy asked, “Bucky? What does he want?”

There was a tiny pause, thenFRIDAY answered, “To help, Miss Lewis.”

Bitterly, she scoffed, “Wellunless he’s been hiding a scientific genius that can outsmart Jane, Tony, and Bruce,I don’t see what good he can do.”

Bucky’s voice floated fromthe doorway. “I have a little bit of experience with pain, doll. And withfeeling like a stranger in my own body.”

At the sound of his voice,Darcy flinched. Her back and arm muscles immediately cramped, and she sobbedsoundlessly into the mattress. She couldn’t answer, consumed with pain anddespair.

“Will you let me help you,Darcy? You don’t have to do this alone.” His voice was closer now, and Darcyflinched involuntarily at the thought of him pulling the covers back andlooking at her. Other than the scientists and Dr. Cho, no one had seen Darcysince the incident. She couldn’thandle it, couldn’t even look at herself.

Instead, she had sequesteredherself in her bedroom, turned off all the lights, and hidden herself under apile of blankets so thick she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face.No, not her hand. Her hand didn’tlook or feel anything like that. But it seemed to be attached all the same.

Bucky patiently reminded herof his presence. “Will you let me help, Darcy?” he coaxed gently. His voicedrifted over the covers, level with her head. She had an image of him kneelingat her bedside, that gentle look in his eyes he got sometimes when he looked atSteve and still saw the sick little boy from Brooklyn.

She choked on a sob at thatthought, not silent this time. “It hurts, Bucky.” It was a desperate wail, aliteral cry for help.

There was a rustling sound,and faint pressure from him smoothing the covers next to her head. He didn’ttouch her at all, which she was grateful for. At the same time, all her musclestensed and focused in his direction, wanting him to soothe their hurt.

“What hurts, Darcy?”

She laughed, sharp andbitter, around a throat clogged with tears. “Everything, Bucky. Everythinghurts.”

The sound of shifting fabricreached her ears. Still calm, still gentle, Bucky responded, “Alright, doll.Let’s take this one step at a time.”

-:-

They talked for what feltlike hours. Other than softly probing questions, Bucky just sat and listened.She told him about the pain, about the discomfort. He listened as she describedher inability to walk on legs that were too long and weirdly shaped. How herhands were too big to button a shirt or grip a glass of water properly.

Most of all, he understoodwhen she told him about the spasms and the pain. “Ah,” he said, when she spokeof the nerves that set themselves on fire with every little movement.

Overwhelmed, Darcy stopped.Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she tried to keep her breathing even.Without commenting on her emotional state, Bucky smoothed a hand against thetopmost blanket and prompted, “Do you trust me, Darcy?”

She thought hard about heranswer. It was true that she’d always liked him—he was genuine and funny andhad never given her a reason not to—but trust was another matter altogether.Then again, she’d let him in, figuratively and literally. “Yes,” she whispered.

(read more link here)

For a moment she thoughtshe’d been too quiet even for his enhanced hearing, but then he asked, “Willyou give me your hand?”

She froze, torn. Bucky didn’tsay anything else. Eventually, she worked up the courage to inch her handoutside the covers in his direction. She turned her face into the pillow andsqueezed her eyes shut even though her head was still safely ensconced in herlittle cage.

Gently—so gently—Bucky tookher hand. After a moment in which her hand only rested in his, he beganmassaging the muscles in smooth strokes. He worked over every tiny section ofher hand, leaving no muscle or bone untouched. Alternating between deep,satisfying pressure and light circles when it became to much and her handtrembled, slowly he was able to coax her body to relax.

When his fingers slowed to astop, Darcy gave a relaxed, sleepy sigh. The excruciating pain from before hadeased. His fingers rested lightly against hers, the calluses catching on thesoft, untouched skin of the limb that was connected to her body but wasn’treally hers. He rubbed little circles into her palm.

-:-

Bucky breathed a silent sighof relief as Darcy’s breathing evened out and the tension in her body slowlyfaded. Her heart rate slowed, and she drifted off. While it was unlikely thatshe would rest easy, he hoped that she would be able to get at least some kindof rest.

He waited at the side of herbed, still rubbing light circles into her hand, until he was sure that she hadslipped fully into a deep sleep.

After lingering severalminutes too long, Bucky finally released her hand and stood up.  Carefully, he moved her hand back under theblanket, so that she was once again entirely covered. Skimming a lightfingertip over where he knew her head to be, he whispered, “Sleep well, doll.”The words lingered in the air like a blessing, still and heavy.

Silently, he made his wayback out to the hallway.

“FRIDAY, I’m going to need afew things.”

-:-

When Bucky reached for herfoot, Darcy flinched violently.

She couldn’t seem to help it,even though he’d already been working on her hands and arms for the better partof an hour.

Even though she tried torelax, she couldn’t seem to make her muscles unclench. She hissed as her calfmuscle spasmed. Through gritted teeth, she begged, “Please, talk to me.Distract me.”

He did. In rumbling, lowtones, he told her about the trouble he’d had with his arm, the horror—both inthe days of Hydra and afterward. Softly, he told her about the serum’s effectson his body, and how even with the enhanced senses and immense increase instrength, some days he still had trouble coping.

He massaged her calf as hespoke, and one by one her muscles relaxed. In all honesty, she didn’t knowwhether it was his movements or his words that helped more. Soon, the soundscoming from her mouth stemmed from relief rather than pain.

Warmth spread through herveins, thick and lingering like honey. “Thank you,” she whispered, so quiet shealmost couldn’t hear her own words. Bucky said nothing in reply, but ran agentle finger along her ankle in acknowledgment.

Once again, Darcy pressed herface into the pillow to silence her tears. These were bittersweet, and full ofgratitude.

-:-

“Bucky, I can’t do this.” Hervoice was muffled under the blanket, but the fear in her tone was as clear as abell.

He stopped immediately,halfway through the motion of pulling the covers back. If she couldn’t go on,he wouldn’t force her. Would never force her. But he got the feeling she justneeded a little encouragement, instead.

“What is it, Darce? What doyou need?”

The silence weighed heavilyin the room. He stood frozen, blanket still clasped in hand, unwilling toshatter the progress they’d made.

She choked, “I don’t—I don’twant you to see me like this.”

Quietly, he offered, “I canfind someone else to come help.” She didn’t answer for a long moment, and hehad started to release the blanket and step back when she made a frustratednoise.

“No. I trust you. I do.” Hewasn’t sure who she was trying harder to convince, him or herself. But resolverang clear in her voice, and he couldn’t help but grin. There was thestrong-willed, stubborn dame he’d come to know over the last several months.

“Alright, Darce. Let me knowwhen you’re ready. 

She took a deep breath, thenpushed the blanket back. “I’m ready.”

-:-

“Your eyes are the same,” wasall he said.

The panic that had beenrising in her chest hesitated.

It sat there, so tight shecould hardly breathe, but his gaze never wavered.

No pity shone in his eyes,just truth. For a frozen moment, nothing happened, but then the panic whooshedback out of her lungs.

She could breathe again.

-:-

“Sergeant Barnes, I’m goingto need you to step outside,” Dr. Cho gently reminded him. Bucky almost argued;he’d been the sole person taking care of Darcy since the incident. He’d helpedher bathe, for God’s sake.

The doctor shot him a look,then cut her eyes in Dr. Foster’s direction, and he realized: if all wentaccording to plan, then Darcy would soon be back in her own skin.

He squeezed her hand, and sheclutched it desperately for a long moment. With a brave smile, she said, “I’llbe okay. Get out of here, Bucky.”

Leaning in close, staringinto her eyes—the ones that wouldn’t change no matter what happened to the restof her—he whispered, “You will beokay, doll. No matter what. I’ll be right out in the hallway.”

Then he beat a hasty retreat.

-:-

“Dude, I was wondering, ifthis doesn’t work—do you think we need to come up with a new name for Darcy?”

Bucky straightened from hisslouch against the wall, where he had been attempting to meditate. “What didyou just say?” he asked in a low tone.

The science goon—Buckyremembered his face from the personnel files, but didn’t know his name—didn’tget the hint. “You know, now that she’s a man. Who knows if Jane’s going to beable to fix the whole—” he waved his hand vaguely, “—situation.”

“A man?”

With a smirk, the guy joked,“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed! C’mon, dude, it’s a little hard to miss.”

It was too much, and Buckysnapped. With a step in the other man’s direction, he demanded, “Is Darcy stillDarcy?”

The scientist stared at himlike he was stupid. “Yeah?”

“Then she’s a fucking woman,asshole. Don’t say that shit again.”

The other man stared at him,gobsmacked. Slowly, he closed his mouth and nodded solemnly. “Yeah, dude,sorry. Take it easy—it was just a joke.”

Bucky huffed and seriouslycontemplated the consequences of kicking the man’s ass. With effort, he turnedaway. He couldn’t chance it—Darcy might need him, and he had no time foridiots.

That didn’t stop him fromshooting a quick text message to Stark, though.

And when he heard later thatthe guy had been fired, Bucky felt a vicious stab of satisfaction.

-:-

Blinking bleary eyes, Darcylooked up to see Bucky frozen in the doorway, a plum in his hand. She wavedcarelessly at him, and turned back to watching the mindless cooking show on TV.

He took the gesture for theinvitation it was and stepped closer. Hovering next to the couch for a moment,he eventually asked, “Couldn’t sleep?”

The words were a littlestilted, which was understandable; they hadn’t seen each other much since Janeand Co. had successfully reversed Darcy’s transformation. The scientists hadbeen smothering her with apologies and overbearing affection ever since.

Even with the awkwardness,Darcy felt more comfortable talking to Bucky about the whole thing than anyoneelse. Which is why she answered with honesty, rather than a flimsy excuse. “No,not easily. I’m scared to try. I’ve been having dreams—nightmares—where I’mstill trapped in that other body.”

She shuddered, the irrationalfear returning at the memory, and Bucky set his plum down on the table and tookthe seat next to her. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and leanedback against the cushions.

She nestled into him, andadded, “But other than that, I feel okay.”

His breath ghosted across hercheek and forehead. “Yeah?”

She hummed. “Mhmm. I feellike me again.”

A hand carded itself throughher hair, pressing her closer into his shoulder. “I’m glad to hear it, doll.”As he spoke, his breath stirred the hair on top of her head. She shivered,burrowing even deeper into his warmth.

Finally, she was able to fallinto a deep, dreamless sleep. Neither of them moved until morning.

-:-

“When are you going to dosomething about that?” Jane hooked her chin over Darcy’s shoulder as she spoke.

Praying that Bucky didn'tturn around and catch the two of them staring at him (and certain parts of hisanatomy—he looked way too good in his tac suit), Darcy shrugged her off with ahuff.

Turning away from thebeautiful sight, she denied, “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Jane scoffed. In a gentlertone, she said, “Yes, you do. And I've never seen Darcy Lewis hesitate to goafter what she wants.” After a slight pause, she added, “He stared at you, too,you know.”

Darcy looked up at that. “Ijust—what if it's just concern, after everything? We're so close, now. I don'twant to ruin it.”

“Then you should find out.”

“How?”

With a grin that would put amad scientist to shame, Jane proclaimed, “With an experiment, of course.”

-:-

Steve took one look atBucky’s face and laughed. Pretending to check the clock, he asked, “Aren't youusually meditating at this time, Buck? Is everything alright?”

Running a shaky hand throughhis hair, Bucky bluffed, “Decided to quit early today, that's all.”

“And your decision hasnothin’ to do with the fact that Darcy’s doin’ yoga in there right now?”

Yes. “No.”

His friend sighed. “You keeprunnin’ away, and the girl is gonna get the wrong idea.”

Bucky stared at him,arrested. “What? She's just doin’ yoga in the gym, as the doctor ordered. She'sgotta keep her muscles from seizing after all the trauma.” So what if Buckypaid attention to every single aspect of Darcy’s medical instructions? He caredabout the girl.

Steve leveled him with askeptical look. “Sure. And she just happens to come in at the same time youmeditate every day.” When Bucky said nothing in reply, he added, “Oh, just likelast week when she absolutely needed the one bowl that was between you and thecounter?”

He laughed at the look onBucky’s face. “Come on, Buck. I thought I was supposed to be the clueless one.She's been tossin’ out signals left and right. Are you not gettin’ them?” Stevepeered at his friend closely. “Or do you not want to be gettin’ them?”

Bucky didn't answer. He wasalready gone.

-:-

Still grinning, Steve pulledout his phone and texted Natasha. I win.

Less than a minute later, hisphone dinged. отвали. ;)

-:-

Sighing dejectedly as sherolled up her yoga mat, Darcy muttered, “Well, I guess that answers that.”

The whoosh of the door wasstartling. She was surprised to see Bucky, striding toward her purposefully—andboy, all of a sudden she understood the superhero fangirls’ obsession with his‘murder strut’. She barely had enough time to fully stand up (and none at allto catch her breath at the sight he made) before he was there, crowding intoher personal space.

He sweetly cupped her face inhis hands, eyes flickering from her eyes to her mouth and back. With amuttered, “Sorry, doll. I’m an idiot,” he brushed her hair behind her ear, thenleaned in and pressed his mouth to hers.

She opened her mouth to hisimmediately, stumbling forward and wrapping her arms around him. The yoga matfell to the floor with a thump, completely forgotten. Their tongues slid againsteach other blissfully and he pulled her closer, until she was flush against hisbody. The salt from her mouth transferred to his, and she licked at it. Inreturn, his hands moved along her shoulders around to her back and tangledthemselves in her long hair. He tugged lightly, and Darcy moaned. She wasutterly boneless with pleasure, basking in the feeling of them finally comingtogether. Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly, nails digging into his back.He nibbled on her lip lightly, then soothed it with his tongue.

They eventually broke apartwhen the need for air became too much. Bucky pressed their foreheads togetherand stroked her back.

Darcy panted, “Not exactlyhow I imagined our first kiss, but it works.”

With a saucy grin, Buckyjoked, “What? The gym isn’t romantic enough for you, doll?” Before she couldreply, he confessed, “It’s not how I imagined it, either. Was gonna take yousomewhere nice, on a real date.”

She reached up and broughthis face back down to hers for another hot kiss. Breaking away, she smoothedher hand down his chest and abs and dipped her fingers below his waistband. “Ithink the fancy date is gonna have to wait, Bucky.”

His eyes darkened, and he bithis lip. “Yeah?”

Grinning from ear to ear,Darcy nodded. Nothing had ever felt so right, and she was way past playing itcool. “Yeah.”

Without wasting anothersecond, Bucky tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the door.