#Bruce is suspicious but also incredibly concerned

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 152

A child has interrupted a Gala in Gotham, which wouldn’t be too much of a note except the fact that they’re obviously not human and they have an armful of scrolls. And look incredibly frazzled and exhausted. 

Which, who wouldn’t be confused and curious about such a situation? Except asking the child what they’re doing here only causes more questions. 

“So some dimensions’ governments are deeming undead and ecto-contaminated living as non-sentient, so uhm, we’re getting sent to send out these warnings to people in places that are in danger of that. As like a warning in case their government does the same? I-I don’t know I’m just the messenger :(“ 

[artbribery]

But what if danny became jason became danny.

As in, coming out of death portal/pit, both 14 year olds suddenly take each other's place.

And hey, if they act a little... a lot different? Well, this was a traumatic event that would leave anyone absolutely changed.

it's like they became a completely different person.

Jason was very amnesiac, much confusion when he went in so it could be excused that he will panick and show absolutely no chill at being surrounded by strangers that aren't doctors, let alone ninjas, when he came back to life

(after the shock and subsequent almost drowning that went from vertical standing in a hell/hallway to horizontal swimming in a hell-pool. the reverse is also applicable to jason-as-danny)

Oh Jason lost all his fighting skills? He doesn't know Bruce or Gotham? Must be some trauma response. No matter, there are no flaws to correct, just a blank canvas to paint on!

Bad times for "Jason" might include: oh no my morals, murder and stuff, is this hell and all these ghosts?, incredible anger issues, a whole cult of ninjas, coming to terms with the situation that went from 0 to 100 (like, seriously, nothing had ever happened to danny before), evil cult leader and the ??? cult leader's daughter that is kinda your mentor now?,

On the flipside

Danny hasn't yet had his rebellious teenager phase right? He seems very withdrawn for some reason?

Danny? Reading the classics? Doing well in literature class? Lancer is very proud and very concerned

Suddenly Danny is out of the house and won't return until very late, Teenagers am i right? Wanting their independence and all

His friends seem worried but guilty, maybe they had a falling out? And that's why they don't seem to hang out? Don't wanna look too close, they'll figure themselves out, I'm sure

Danny? Awkward string bean and nasa nerd, getting into fights? He really grew a spine, he must have grown tired of the bullying

Bad times for "Danny" might include: first prize for weirdest basement, oh no powers out of my control, im? dead? or not???, suspicious nosy sister who wants to psychoanalyze him, great(derogatory)- new rogue gallery just for me, regular teenage problems, oh yeah evil rich godfather probably

and

(problem that might: oh yeah this is not my body and that's not my name wtf)

Bonus

I am assuming the mish-mash things they have would be those pertaining to the body they just pseudo-isekai'd to but what if

they followed the soul

the powers followed danny, the anger followed jason

which would mean that "danny" would be reliant on the fenton tech which would not be too different from being robin, gadgets and all, and would be an absolute vicious terror on ghosts

which would mean "jason" would be in absolute hell because the waters already made people some sort of meta but this was never seen before,

dam boi can't catch a break

Jason, The Chosen one, it must be Fate, the will of Lazarus, we either become the next "molecule by molecule" in an effort to find out more or we will worship the child—the league of shadows maybe

Or

They don't bodyswap and but still swap stuff

(but who's danny angry at? his parents? sam and tucker? ghosts?)

(in other news jason is a meta now, yep, ghost? no, whatever made you think that... he is still in hot water though,, for that whole "anomaly" thing)

This is all assuming they both don't get away at the first chance they get and actually deal with the "life" they were thrown into

[what-if-queen-camilla]

Chapter 15

October/November 1987

"Oh Milla, that's marvellous, absolutely wonderful!", Rosalind cheered excitedly and even had to wipe a few tears away. "What an honour!", she added, looking at her husband. "Isn't it, Bruce?" "Yes, darling, of course.", Camilla's father replied and cleared his throat. He'd never been as much of a passionate monarchist as his wife was but he couldn't deny that it was, indeed, an incredibly kind offer from the Queen Mother to hold Theodora's baptism at the Royal Chapel. Of course, he had always been aware of both his son-in-law and his daughter's close connection to the Royal Family, he himself had been knowing the Queen Mother for ages - the old lady was a good one without a doubt! - and, yes, it was particularly nice of the Princess Royal to become little Thea's godmother - but he couldn't help it: something about the whole thing felt kind of… suspicious. Yes, both Queen Mother and Princess Anne had been present at Andrew and Milla's wedding back in the day, and yes, the Prince of Wales had agreed to become the godfather of their first child which was definitely a great honour and proof of their close friendship - but nobody had really cared about Laura at her time a few years ago so it happened rather unexpected that all of a sudden they were all making such a fuss about the little one. Of course, Thea was their little angel, their pride and joy and the sweetest baby he'd ever seen - along with all of his other wonderful grandchildren - but he stuck with it: something about it was strange.

"My goodness, what am I going to wear?", Rosalind asked almost in panic and Camilla was more than grateful when Annabel, who thank goodness had been able to attend her little Afternoon Tea as well, assured her: "You'll definitely find something, Mama!" Camilla herself still hadn't come to terms with the prospect of having her baby christened in the Royal Chapel with all three of them present, the Queen Mother, the Princess Royal, and the Prince of Wales, who also happened to be her secret lover and the secret father of her baby. What a ridiculous soap opera! But the Queen Mother hadn't accepted any kind of protest and, of course, Andrew had been delighted, and when eventually Anne had offered to become a godmother, there really had been no escape anymore. Not that she minded that Thea was going to be Anglican - she herself was and, frankly, she'd never been too keen on some of the Catholic elements of Christianity but then again she'd never been so much into religion that she'd have bothered. What she did worry about, though, was her daughter's safety and the attention they were all giving her at the moment, and especially the public attention they would eventually attract with that big fat royal christening wasn't quite what she had planned or hoped for. All eyes would be on them, they'd appear in the newspapers even - they had with Tom back in the day but that had been different; their names would be in everybody's mouths and even if nobody was going to be suspicious, it felt wrong and too risky and just made her feel very uncomfortable. All that she wanted was for her baby to be safe and grow up as normal as possible and as far away from the limelight as possible!

At least Annabel had agreed to become a godmother as well, and Camilla was more than grateful for her sister's constant, loyal support. Apart from her two men, she was the only one who knew the truth, the only person she could talk to and who understood her concerns. "It's not surprising that Andrew's enjoying the attention.", she had casually said when Camilla had first told her about the christening. "He loves to be the star, the hero, and he's super proud of his royal connections, no matter how they might come about." She couldn't deny that her sister had a point here. God, how on earth was she supposed to get through that awful ordeal without letting anything show? She'd just have to in the end…Theodora Elizabeth Anne was christened at the Chapel Royal, St James Palace, London, two weeks later in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen Mother as well as Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, who even became little Thea's godmother. Andrew almost burst with pride and gave a picture perfect, pride and loving daddy (much too Charles' displeasure but, thank goodness, and thanks to a few warning glances Camilla decently gave him, he managed not to let anything show). Camilla herself felt absolutely miserable all day long and could hardly eat anything, especially when Andrew handed Thea to her godmother, saying: "Go and meet Auntie Anne, darling.", which caused her hissing: "She's not 'Auntie Anne'! Don't give her ideas, Andrew! She'll be 'Ma'am' to the children, just as Charles is 'Sir' and nothing else!" Andrew had just rolled his eyes at her, as if she was the boring spoiler of the party but this really wasn't funny and she was more than happy and relieved once the professional photographs had been taken and the whole charade was finally over without any further incidents. "It was a wonderful day.", Charles gushed when they talked on the phone the next day. "I'm so glad we could do it that way." Of course he was happy that he'd been blessed to participate and in some way, Camilla was, too; she loved him and he was Thea's father after all. But it had also been incredibly risky and she had felt miserable all day long. They couldn't go on like that. What would he do next, invite them all for Christmas at Sandringham, Easter at Windsor Castle or maybe Buckingham Palace for the next Trooping the Colour? No, that wasn't possible. They had to keep some distance and he had to understand that. It was for their daughter's safety… "When am I going to see you both again?", he asked with a longing voice, which gave her goosebumps. "I miss you… I want to hold you in my arms and kiss you, darling." He sounded so sad and desperate that it almost brought tears to her eyes and, though she tried to fight it, she couldn't deny that she felt just the same. They hadn't had a proper weekend together since Thea's birth and after three months she started to feel needs other than sleeping and feeding her baby again… In fact, she was just as desperate to see him as he was to see her. "I miss you, too, darling.", she sighed, trying hard not to sound too obviously desperate. "Let me check with some friends and see if I can arrange something, somewhere..." "Please, darling. And let me know where and when. I can make it anytime.", he promised and she laughed. "Of course, because the Prince of Wales's diary is one of the emptiest in the United Kingdom.", she chuckled, rolling her eyes, knowing exactly just how busy he always was and what a drama it had always been to find an appointment. "Well, darling, as you said: I'm the Prince of Wales and if I want to meet with the mother of my child, my wish shall be everybody's command…" "You might be the Prince of Wales but you also are an idiot.", she giggled, before adding: "The most adorable idiot I've ever met. I love you, darling." "Love you, too."

[averagetm]

𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒:    this is just a little post involving headcanons that I have,   this scenario goes with the implication that Artemis and Bruce are dating & that she knows he’s Batman.   All of this is just a little   self-indulgent    fun on my side of things,  I’ll   never   force these headcanons or assumptions onto another person,   I’m literally just here playing dumb barbies and releasing brain rot  U w U      Also, for my own sanity, I'm not going to include the archives in these, probably?

                                            𝗝𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗗

✿   ;     From the moment that Bruce let it slip that he was seeing someone   ( and that it was serious )   Jason took it upon himself to make sure that Artemis wasn’t hiding anything suspicious  ———  without a doubt,  the first concern that everyone had was that she was after his money.    Alongside digging up what he could in terms of a dossier,   he physically followed her for a few weeks  /   generally kept track of her movements within the city.   Jason grew very,  very bored with this self-appointed task   once he came to the realisation that she wasn’t hiding anything.

✿   ;     It took a little while for Jason to warm up to Artemis,   initially keeping his distance from the woman �� (  it’s just who he is,  there wasn’t anything personal to it  )   eventually,   the two grew incredibly close and whilst Jason is younger than Artemis,  she considers him to be an older brother.   Artemis is one of the few people that are allowed in his space when he’s  . . .  being anti – social  ———   this is mostly because she doesn’t pester him with trying to talk about his feelings,  but she does let him know that he’s there.

✿   ;     Initially,  Artemis was not aware of Jason’s murder and revival   ( Bruce had meant to tell her,  but it was kinda forgotten about since everyone kinda knows ?  )   she was informed about the events after a joke was made and she had given everyone a very confused look.    In that moment,   Artemis went through a range of emotions and responses that everyone else had felt across years  -  she’s still processing the information  -  when the story was finished,   not only was she nearly in tears,   she turned to Jason,   gripped his sleeve and   ‘ ARE YOU OKAY???’     he just  . . .  gave her a little awkward pat on the head because it was so long ago.       Yes,  Artemis sides with Jason when he gives Bruce shit.

✿   ;     Artemis has taken notice of Jason and the trauma that he tends to ignore  ——   how the scraping of metal against cement makes him pale,   how certain noises from a gun makes him flinch  ———   she’s not always able to be there for him,  but when she witnesses’ him being tugged back to that day,  she’s there to help him,  to calm him down and ground him into reality.    Artemis tends to be the first one to notice,  due to her own traumatic responses to certain triggers.

✿   ;     Jason will often sneak into the library when she’s working  ———  he’ll browse the classics section and make himself comfortable behind the desk with her.   It isn’t something he’ll ever admit to,  but it’s to keep her company so she’s not so alone during her shifts,   though he doesn’t do this if there are students in the library already.    Sometimes,  he’ll use the excuse of bringing her dinner.

✿   ;     During the time where they’re unable to get out of attending events,   Jason and Artemis are already plotting their escape within the first five minutes  ———   these plans are often incredibly dramatic in their nature,  and they’re always caught by Alfred who  somehow  manages to sneak up on the two without them knowing.   In the end,   they just settle upon being bitter in the corner and low – key grumbling about how everyone in the room sucks.    Admittedly however,   they do eventually enjoy themselves.

✿   ;     Artemis being harmed is something that is inevitable   ( if not for her ties with Bruce,  then due to living in Gotham )    any harm that is inflicted upon her by another person,   is met with a violent rage from Jason  ( assuming he’s not the only person with her,  then his priority would shift to helping her )    it relates back to their sibling – esque relationship,   which only becomes stronger with time,   that rage being pulled from a fiercely protective side.

✿   ;     Whilst Bruce might be hesitant about Artemis touching anything in the Batcave,  Jason encourages this curiosity in the worst way possible  ;   from letting her use the grappling hook within the cave,   to showing her how to throw the batarangs   ( she can’t throw them to save her life )   these two a practically children in a cave filled with gadgets and equipment.    Anytime that they’re caught by Bruce,  Jason uses Artemis as a shield.

✿   ;     In general,   their relationship has a lot of banter ———  they’re the type of people to call each other an offensive name with affection implied.

[golden-dragon-feathered-serpent]

DC/ROTTMNT Crossover Idea

Okay, so. I am SHOCKED at the lack of DC/ROTTMNT crossovers right now. I wanted to fix that. There's a few versions I have rattling in my brain, but this one is a personal favorite. Whenever I finally make art for it I will post it BUT FOR NOW-

Turtle Tots & Baby Birds.

How it goes is this, Batman and Robin (Damian) are currently busting a meta human trafficking ring at the docks in gotham. As they are releasing the hostages, Robin opens one of the containers to find 4 baby mutant turtles. Raph (5 yrs) standing in the front, arms outstretched as he tries to hide his brothers. Shaking like a leaf, hissing, and a horribly fitting dog muzzle shoved over his face. Leo (4 yrs) is nearly laying on top of Donnie (4 yrs) and Mikey (3 yrs) also trying to protect them. Donnie is in shock, with another muzzle over his face. While Mikey is refusing to leave his shell.

We know Damian LOVES animals, so when Damian sees them he goes “Mine.” and adopts them immediately. Convinces Bruce that these turtles are obviously very different from the average meta human, so they should absolutely take them home and investigate further. No other reason involved of course.

They do take the brothers to the Bat Cave eventually. (Damian refused to let the police see the brothers, with how freaked out they are.) And get them medical attention. Raph is the most roughed up, Donnie & Leo are mostly Okay, but Mikey is sick and still refuses to leave his shell. During this, Batman takes some DNA samples from the 3 more so okay turtles (Just a q-tip with saliva) and runs tests. Finds out how they’re perfect genetic hybrids of their various turtle species, some small traces of unknown DNA (Yo’kai), and action star Lou Jistu, who has been missing without a trace for about 13 years at this point. This of course makes Bruce very concerned and curious. (Bonus points if Bruce was a fan of Lou Jitsu like he is of Grey Ghost)

Meanwhile with the turtles, they are currently feeling ALL the feelings, like:

Raph, he is incredibly suspicious and still in Protective mode. The whole incident with the smuggling ring was his first ever interaction with humans! It was scary! He doesn’t know if these new humans are any better yet.

Leo seems to bounce back almost immediately, babbling about any and everything as he tries to cheer his brothers up. (Hes not fine)

Donnie, who is terrible with change, is temporarily shut down as everything calms down. (He probably snapped at Alfreds or Dr.Thompkins hand when they removed the muzzle from his face on reflex.)

While Mikey is very lethargic, maybe a bit delirious and scared.

The humans around aren’t entirely sure how to treat Mikey given his Turtle DNA yet, tho they do their best. (Damian absolutely goes to the most trustworthy vet he knows and has them swear a blood oath to never tell anyone else about the turtles.) Damian also convinces Bruce to get the fanciest pool, UV lamp, and sand pit for the brothers. They WILL be spoiled rotten Damian will be SURE of it.

Now what of Splinter? Well, he is alive! However he's very hurt. Splinter took the boys to the surface to look for medication for Mikey when they were attacked by the Kidnappers. Splinter, of course, fought to save his sons back but gets shot in the gut and left for dead. (During the fray Raph absolutely bites off the fingers of one of the kidnappers) Splinter gives himself medical attention, barely survives off of pure spite. And as soon as hes able to walk again, he immediately goes to find his sons. Though, not knowing where to start, he goes to Big Mama first. He WILL find his boys.

Misc Info:

I wouldn’t be surprised if the League of Shadows & Hamato Clan know each other. However mostly leave each other alone… well, mostly because you BET Ra’s Al Ghul would want the Hamato’s Ninpo abilities (When Damian finds out the brothers are related to the last known Hamato Clan member, he gets even more protective.) Ra’s probably proposed for a unification of their clans before, but of course. The Hamatos will not touch that crazy with a 100ft pole, and.. Maybe the LoS had a hand in the declining Hamato Clan in an attempt to pressure them to unify. Doesn’t work however. The Hamatos are way less afraid of death than the LoS is after all.

Also wouldn’t be surprised if many magical heroes might’ve heard whispers of the Hamato Clan but put it up to myths. I mean, they are ninja mystic warriors after all.

Turtle Tot Shenanigans:

Now onto the adorable part. Just, let them be cute while plot is happening..

Mikey, when hes feeling better. Absolutely paints on the walls of the Bat Cave & Manor, the batfam keep the paintings in the batcave but had to stop him from painting on the Manor walls.

Leo copying anyone he sees sparring. Damian absolutely tries to give Leo a knife when he sees this but is stopped by Alfred. (The batfam may be a bit weirded out at how fast Leo seems to be learning the moves however. Because he is a built super soldier)

Raph chews on the manor furniture and. Absolutely destroys the legs of every table and chair until he gets something proper to chew on.

Jason or Alfred helping Raph to learn how to read (HC that Raph has dyslexia) Mikey too.

Donnie getting his hands on some bat or Wayne tech, manages to perfectly pull it apart to see how it works… and because hes 4, shoves a piece into his mouth.

Leo: Where are we?

Damian: In Gotham.

Leo: Wheres that?

Damian: In New Jersey.

Leo: …Ew

Anyways thats really all I have for this AU so far. I’m okay if people want to make a fic bout this, just credit me for the idea.

[boop-le-snoot]

@buckyownsmylife hey babe! Remember that one time you threw that cool challenge? Here's my entry. Prepare to get absolutely ruined because daddy!Bruce is exactly that sort of man.

main masterlist ☀️ taglist

emotional support nerd

Your best friend's dad, Dr. Bruce Banner, is hotter than you thought he would be. 6k words, NSFW. Kind of Alt!Reader - she refers to herself as 'goth' in one instance. Tony Stark makes an appearance because God forbid I write a fanfic without him in it.

This is filthy pron, ft. age difference (reader is college aged) daddy kink, throat fucking, dirty talk, praise kink, cream pie, possessiveness, belly bulge and ending with a hint at a threesome. I really crammed all I could from Eyre's wheel in here, didn't I. Oh well.

"How much longer, dad?" Lyra's annoyed voice struck a chord within me. I tried to hide my snickering - unsuccessfully might I add - causing my best friend to shoot me a hurt look, equally fed up with me as she was fed up with her forgetful adopted father. "You know what, we'll take the subway."

Lyra's father's voice, both agitated and apologetic, reached my ears in bitten-off phrases as the traffic noises around us grew in volume, NYC rush hour rapidly approaching its peak.

With a sound huff, Lyra removed the phone from her ear, staring me down with the most amount of petulance I've ever seen on her usually reserved, placid face. "It's twenty more minutes. Apparently he's driving Tony's car," she offered in the way of explanation, like it actually did anything to better the cold, wet situation we found ourselves in. "Please, and I can't stress this enough, please don't be weird."

I felt a flood of amusement at Lyra's pleading tone. "Darling, if you wanted a normal friend, you should have looked elsewhere," I gestured to my outfit. I looked like a goth boy's wet dream: chunky platformed boots, fishnets, heavy eyeliner. Of course, all in black.

"You know what I mean," she whined, waving off my pointing hand and fixing me with a hard stare. "The least my dad needs is someone that is terrified of him just because sometimes he turns into a big green monkey. It's not as exciting as internet thinks, anyway," the last part of the sentence was mumbled but I heard it nonetheless as Lyra stared out into the traffic, clever eyes looking for a particular car model.

What Lyra didn't know was that I was not at all considering to be terrified by the man who dosed himself with radiation and developed an advanced version of split personality disorder. I could be intimidated by him, sure, because he was incredibly intelligent, a world class scientist with more PhDs than I had zeroes in my bank account, but even despite his green problem, Dr. Bruce Banner was about as far away from 'scary' as a man could be.

The few scarce pictures of him on the internet showed a short, stocky man with kind eyes and salt-and-pepper curls, always dressed in un-ironed, crumpled button-ups with dorky patterns. Looking at him, I mused that there was a high chance he spoke with a stutter and that fact amused me to no end. Jekyll and Hyde, alright.

Lyra was much the same way. Shy and reclusive, with curly brown hair and doe eyes, she spent a good chunk of her first semester in college being avoided by everybody because of her last name; I, on the other hand, avoided everyone out of habit, I'd never been a social butterfly, but the way people subtly made sure to exclude Lyra from all the activities filled me with quiet, seething rage, and I stepped over my general distaste of people and removed my bag from the seat next to me so Lyra could at least study in relative peace.

Yeah, yeah, you've heard it all, I'm sure. Weird goth chick adopts a socially awkward, shunned nerd and they become best friends forever. I had to admit that under the shy exterior, Lyra was smart, witty and even funny sometimes. She was willing to entertain my crude jokes without moaning, at least, and I was perfectly okay with listening to her rant about science every now and then.

Rain banged on the slanted roof of the café we were hiding in, the autumn wind howled, making both of us shiver at the prospect of having to go outside, even if it was for a short moment to run to Lyra's dad's car. The day had started out warm and sunny, but much like a badly calculated chemical formula, it all went downhill a split second after we had set out to leave campus.

"There he is," the grouch in Lyra's expression had me once again unsuccessfully attempting to conceal my snorting.

Nonetheless, I followed her out into the rain, struggling to keep up with the brisk running in my platformed shoes, unceremoniously crawling into the car behind her without sparing a glance at the driver in my eagerness to get out of the freezing downpour.

"Hi, dad," Lyra's tired voice spoke up at the same time as I angrily shook out my hair.

"I've just about McFuckin' had it with New York," I was afraid the dye in my hair would bleed out into my clothes, or even worse, the nice, cream-colored car seats.

"Hello, ladies," the voice that greeted us was low, gravelly and apologetic to boot.

My eyes shot up, meeting an expression full of surprise and amusement. I stared at the shockingly handsome face of Dr. Bruce Banner like a deer in the headlights.

The fine mimic wrinkles had stretched into a resemblance of a smile, soft, plush lips revealing a set of straight, white teeth. The five o'clock shadow framed his jaw, giving it a sharp, defined edge, his clever brown eyes slid down my form, faltering on the pentagram on my belt and my fishnet-covered legs, settling on my chunky boots before hastily snapping back up to my face.

"Dad, this is..." Lyra's voice was full of suspicious bewilderment as she attempted to dissipate the sudden awkwardness.

"Oh, yeah, I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, but you can call me Doc or Bruce," he cleared his throat, turning himself towards the windshield and starting up the car.

"Nice to meet you," I busied myself with putting away any stray hair just to occupy myself with something during the time I needed to recuperate from being just... Looked at by Lyra's dad.

It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I was so taken aback by his handsomeness and his aura of a gentle but powerful man that the ride to Stark tower, however swift, went on in slightly awkward silence. The streets outside were, thankfully, noisy, and the lack of an attempt to have a conversation could easily be attributed to Bruce's need to focus on the road, but Lyra's increasingly concerned looks did very little to settle the sudden racing of my heart.

"C'mon, I'll give you some sweats so you can let your..." Lyra's vague gesture towards my upper body disappeared behind her side of the door. "Hey, Tony," she suddenly interrupted her sentence, very obviously addressing another person who I managed to miss as Bruce parked in the spacious garage.

"I've been told you're finally bringing your friend, Green Pea," a voice I'd heard a thousand times on the TV poked fun at Lyra.

She bent down to retrieve her bag, shooting big eyes at me and mouthing an exaggerated "Sorry!"

Tony Stark looked about a week in debt on sleep, a contrast to the way he usually appeared in public. The exaggerated eyebrow raise made me shuffle awkwardly in my spot; the Led Zep tee caught my eyes as I lingered on it, aware of my own Mötorhead top on display. He noticed it too, causing his face leave the snide territory.

"Wow, I didn't expect kids these days to have any resemblance of taste in music but you've surprised me, Corpse Bride," he gave me a quiet wolf-whistle, watching me through lidded eyes.

I felt my eyebrow crawl upwards at his attitude but Bruce spoke up before I could say anything: "Tony, no," so firmly, I had to raise both of my eyebrows. I felt a smile tug at my lips, the situation strikingly familiar in it's essence. Like father, like daughter...

"No," Lyra's identical expression, fond and annoyed, topped up with an accusing finger pointed in my direction had everyone snorting a giggle at the situation.

"Lyra," I whined, just so I could coax her grin that she was very obviously trying to conceal. "See, I told you, every crazy genius needs their emotional support nerd," I fixed her with a pointed look.

She promptly grabbed me by the arm, leading all of us to the elevator as the two men behind us shared a hearty laugh at my well-timed joke. It was either that or I would have completely embarrassed myself by gaping and drooling over both THE Tony Stark and Lyra's father.

The rush didn't stop there. I was promptly and generously offered not only a spare pair of pants but also a whole room to stay in after an invitation to dinner I simply could not refuse. Dr. Banner firmly coaxed me into staying overnight with his pleading eyes and a hearty seasoning of guilt tripping, softly crooning how he simply could not let a young woman to wander the cold, rainy night in NYC alone.

Tony added something too, in a tone way too surefire and patronising. I guessed he noticed my eyes lingering on Dr. Banner, being a genius and all.

In a short amount of time, I found myself seated at a dinner table next to a happy, giggling Lyra who'd downed a glass of wine and was well into her second. I found it adorable how much of a lightweight she was; not hesitating in the slightest to point out that fact when she made hands for a pitcher of water.

Tony was the first one to snark back something vague about his college days and all the wild parties he used to throw, booing Bruce upon discovery that he, in fact, actually studied in college in favour of partaking in various illicit activities. That had both me and Tony giggling with Lyra promptly joining in, both of us losing it over the running joke or her being either a test tube baby or the result of immaculate conception.

Bruce's face blushed scarlet. He sputtered, a few stray drops of his lemonade landing on the (ironed!) collar of his purple shirt, cough disappearing in the wake of Tony's truly amused cackling. Dr. Banner was well on his way to either choke on his Lo Mein or turn green; thinking quickly, I decided to defuse a situation by sharing a harmless, funny story that happened to me as a freshman.

"I went on a date with this guy who said that music was the most important thing in his life, and I thought, wow, that's so beautiful!" I began my story over Lyra's incessant snickering. "So we had dinner and went back to his place because I'm a whore," the whole table erupted in laughter at my deadpan remark, Tony reaching over to give me a high five.

"And as we got there, he put on one of his demos which was just a bunch of sampled and remixed Guns'n'Roses songs, and I thought wow, that's gotta be one of the worst things I've ever heard," I pointedly looked away as Lyra's cackling grew in volume, having heard the same story several times by now and the outrage I expressed at the situation first hand.

"But instead of that I said, wow, that's so cool! Then we did the thing and his whole bedroom was covered in Axl Rose posters and I'm sure at some point Mr. Rose stared right up my asshole," there were tears streaming down Lyra's face as Tony flopped his upper body onto the table and Bruce convulsed helplessly in a silent fit of giggles. "And then I thought to myself: wow, I would have to pretend to like his music if I dated this guy and I just couldn't do that..." I breathed out, succumbing to the mirth at the dinner table. "It was good but not November Rain good, y'kno?"

Bruce snorted loudly, sliding down his chair with a hand over his face. The table shook with the force of Tony's cackling; I didn't see his expression but the howling, rasping noises sent me into another fit of laughter, right on par with Lyra.

"Is this..." Tony rapidly inhaled the much-needed oxygen. "Is this why you keep wincing whenever I play the 'Roses in the lab?" Tony wheezed and Lyra nodded.

"I just... I can picture it, and I-" she made a vague, encompassing gesture and a face.

"Please, don't," I urged with a snort. "There are better ways to get disappointed."

Dinner went on by smoothly after that, everybody happily making remarks on my dating fail, the topic of Lyra's birth and Tony's college shenanigans dismissed.

I caught Dr. Banner's pointed look as we finished our dessert - he was studying me, eyes searching for something that he very obviously wished was there. From the damp roots of my hair to the soft, cotton top clinging to my chest, I wasn't left unscrutinzed and unexamined. Like one of the many specimens he studied on a daily basis, Bruce lingered on the many characteristics that made me stand out in the grey crowd.

"Would you like to see the labs?" He asked, appearing behind me without a single sound.

The freshly cleaned dishes clattered in my arms. I'd almost dropped them, startled, but Bruce's hand landed on the top of the stack right before the top plate would have slipped off and shattered into pieces on the cold tile of his kitchen.

Blood rushed to my ears. "I'd love to," my brain had briefly returned to reality, the rush of meeting both Stark and Banner succumbing to logic and reason. My and his fields of study briefly overlapped, the question he posed was more than reasonable. In fact, many people would cheat, lie and steal to be in my position.

Bruce smiled, opening a cabinet and taking half of the dishes I was holding to stack them up in their proper place. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, exposing wide, muscular forearms littered with dark, coarse hair.

I was sure my face was flaming. After waving off Lyra's attempts to put shoes on me and leaving her to watch her TV show, a wide, warm palm rested on the back of my waist, gently steering me towards the elevator.

I tried to keep my eyes off Bruce in the large mirror on the walls of the car as it swiftly moved down, scrutinizing my appearance instead. My throat bobbed, the elevator car suddenly too small and too hot.

His eyes left marks on me - invisible ones, the kind that I knew were there just from the scorching heat sizzling on my skin.

There was a certain je ne sais quoi about him. Perhaps, it was in the way he was acting - a polar opposite of what I'd had expected, Dr. Bruce Banner possessed a quiet confidence and his patience appeared to be endless, heartily doused with an appreciation for his closest ones. The way his eyes lit up in response to people smiling around the dinner table was hard to miss.

When Bruce spoke about his research - whatever wasn't classified, anyway - the spark expanded into a mischievous fire. I could hardly understand the nuances in his work, scratch that- I could not understand a single word he was saying, at all. The individual syllables registered as they should, but my traitorous brain could only focus on the way he licked his lips in between quickly inhaled breaths.

"You're not... Following, are you?" The corner of his mouth lifted upwards, clever brown eyes fixed on my face.

God, I hoped I wasn't drooling. But to deny the obvious would have been a stretch. "No, not really," I swallowed, willing my eyes to lift from the large veins on the hand that was pointing at a set of equations. Reasonably good at math any day, they looked like the scribbles of a madman to me at the time.

Dr. Banner sighed, letting silence creep among the whirring machinery in the lab for a brief moment. "I don't scare you?" He removed his glasses, cleaning them with the corner of his shirt.

The question reeked of self-doubt and, perhaps, insecurity. "No," I answered simply, not giving him the slightest chance to find doubt in my words. I was barely holding my voice from shaking, afraid he'd misunderstand my reaction to the sudden change in atmosphere.

He was closer to me than I recalled. My hip was almost brushing his, the bulk of his shoulder millimeters from touching against my bare skin, the smell of something herbal, like tea, and sharp chemicals clouding my senses. It was such a contrasting experience.

Bruce turned to me, an expression between hunger and regret forcing me to shiver and look him straight in the eye. A hand landed on my waist, holding me in place with gentle firmness. "I'm a monster, I could hurt you," he whispered, leaning into me like a touch starved kitten. The man screamed contradiction. "We shouldn't."

Vivid images of the Hulk and the rampages years prior flashed through my mind; the rubble, the collateral damage in the form of many lives. I barely remembered it, having been too little to really understand what was going on. One thing, though, I knew for sure: ever since the world became aware of Lyra's existence, there had been no incidents. Sure, the Hulk still appeared when there was a threat, but there were no documented incidents of the green creature running amok, accidentally.

"You won't hurt me," I spoke with conviction. Perhaps, I was bluffing just slightly but I wouldn't lie like that to myself. The variable, the... Twelve or so percent chance of things going... Awry, it made a small, malicious worm inside of me rejoice and fill my limbs with familiar adrenalised yearning. "You're not a monster. Far from it, actually," I used the hand that was not supporting me against the desk to gently cradle the side of his face, letting my fingertips brush over the rough five o'clock shadow on his cheek.

Bruce emitted a sound somewhere between an agitated grown and a pleading whine, sagging with the sound exhale, pressing himself flush with my chest. His face slipped from my palm, the warm tip of his nose running a steady line up my neck, sending goosebumps running wildly down my back as his hot breath tickled the arch of my throat.

"Baby," the nickname punched a stuttered gasp out of me with the intensity contained in just that one word. "I've been hearing all these amazing things about you," his voice dropped, low baritone rumbling straight into my ear. "I won't be able to hold back. I'll want you all to myself," his bicep flexed under my hand.

My knees would have bucked if I wasn't grasping onto Bruce for dear life after those words. I had some sense of personal pride in me, so while my body was an easy, traitorous thing, my mind was more than eager to participate in this game, to ping pong a little bit before... "Yeah? What things?" I breathed.

Teeth briefly closed around my tender skin, nipping for just a second. "You're kind, beautiful," his hand took a steadfast hold on the back of my neck, exposing my throat to his mouth. More skin to mark, more time to whisper. "Intelligent, bright and clever," the more he spoke, the fiercer he became. Bruce's grasp tightened until I was pliant in it, willingly following his silent commands. "A bit of a pain in the ass," a healthy dose of humour was added into the mix as my ass was roughly grabbed, our fronts pressed together at his insistence.

"That sounds about right," I didn't resist the sudden urge to snark, thoughts lazily floating in my head, like clouds on a bright sunny day, fleeting and sparse. None of them caught on. I was focused on feeling the need, on my need to feel.

A sharp smack landed on the plump of my ass, the sound resonating in the eerily quiet lab. The sounds of machinery had dulled at some point, leaving just the two of us panting our lust into each other's space. "I know you can be a good girl. Will you, princess?" His fingertips dug into my flesh, surpassing the soft sweatpants as if they weren't even there.

I could only nod, dumbly, overcome by the sudden rush of blood to my body. The life coarsing through me sang, demanding a release of the pent-up tension.

"What's that?" Bruce removed himself from my neck, catching my unfocused eyes with a crooked smirk on his lips.

"Yes," I swallowed, breathing through my mouth.

"Mmm," he hummed, running both hands over my sides, over the frayed edges of my Mötorhead top. He admired it, briefly, setting his eyes on the band logo that was right over my breasts. Having decided something to himself, Bruce promptly removed it, lifting it over my head with ease and leaving it right on the science lab table.

Taking hold of my hand, he walked over to a hidden set of sliding doors that revealed a rather large, frequently used bed, shutting them just as I walked in, wearing only my bra and borrowed sweats. My back was pressed to the door in mere seconds, hot palms chasing away the chill of the lab as Bruce slotted his lips over mine.

He tasted like something I've never had before. His lips - so plush and supple, took hold of the kiss with practiced gusto, sucking me in without a chance or the desire to escape. I drank from him, sucked on the bottom lip as his tongue explored my mouth, danced with mine.

The room was spinning, the ringing in my ears growing in volume. I was only partly aware of the sensation of sliding down the wall; our knees thudded on the carpeted floor simultaneously, heavy breathing the only noise I could distinguish.

"Breathe, baby, that's it," Bruce coaxed, gently stroking my nape. The soft cotton of his shirt crumpled under my fingers where I held onto him, desperately searching something to ground myself with.

The buckle of his belt clattered and then clinked again as he wrapped the worn leather around my wrists, bringing them together in front of my chest. I exhaled sharply at the intimate gesture, a whine bubbling up from my chest when Bruce used a single fingertip to raise my chin.

My eyes met his; a brown iris tinged with the faintest of green around the outer edge. "This okay, princess?" He sought my face for confirmation, for agreement, for anything.

I nodded, stuttering mid-gesture, remembering our previous interaction. My mouth did not want to cooperate but I forced it to, even if it came out as little more than a pitiful mewl. "Yes, daddy," the word, sweet and sticky like fruit syrup, poured from my lips.

My eyes slid shut as my conscience - or was it common sense? - took hold of the situation. I was on my knees in front of my best friends dad, a virtual stranger, and I'd just-

Bruce's soft chuckle stopped the negative spiral of my thoughts. "That's my girl," he sounded a tad more breathless now, a hairliner in his perfect façade of self-control. As if he'd sensed my indecisiveness, he tugged on the makeshift restraints, pulling me closer, closer and into his lap.

A warm, solid chest with a healthy amount of fluff greeted me. Bruce let my lax, pliant body fall into his arms, catching me effortlessly and bringing my face to his lips. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, you're my good girl," he peppered soft kisses all over my flaming cheeks, my twitching nose, my fluttering lashes.

"Please," I begged, shame giving way to the flood of arousal that seemingly hit me all at once. I was aware of the dampness collecting in my panties, the stiffness of my limbs from holding back the ravenous desire to paw at Bruce like a wild animal. "Please, daddy..."

"I know, I know, baby girl," he soothed, not stopping his tender assault on my face. "Daddy will make it all better. I know just what you need," Bruce finally pulled away. I heard the sound of him undoing his zipper and then the awkward shuffle of him shucking off his pants.

Somewhere in between of all that, he'd ended up sitting down on the bed, wearing only his boxers, his shirt hanging open. The red crawled down his chest, partially masked by the coarse salt and pepper hair; his lips were cherry red and his hair was sticking out in odd directions. Bruce looked sinful.

My eyes inadvertently landed on the impressive bulge in his boxers; in response to my widened eyes, he reached out for it, stroking the outline of his thick cock through his boxers. "Like what you see, baby?"

"Yeah," My mouth watered.

"Baby wants a fat cock?" He teased, sounding like he knew exactly what he was doing, testing my self-control like that. With a flick of his wrist, it sprang free, slapping against his tummy, coating the fine hairs with drops of clear, musky fluid.

I swallowed, feeling the taste of him from afar and yearning for more where I was parked between his spread legs.

In a gesture almost loving, he tugged on the belt still wrapped around my wrists, bringing my face to his leaking shaft and my hands to the base of it, letting me feel the weight of his balls in them. The cock throbbed, neglected, weighed down by the heaviness of his full balls.

"Go ahead, baby, suck my cock," the encouragement came with a gentle push to my head.

I obediently followed, wrapping my lips around the pink, moist crown of it, a hum beginning in the back of my throat. My God, Bruce tasted heavenly... I whirled and slipped my tongue a around his head, I dipped into the slit to drink the nectar right from the tap, idly coming to awareness of the broken, choked moans coming from the man above me.

Raising my head got me a view of his chin; head thrown back, the lax O of his mouth glistened in the meager light. My eyes slid lower, to the flex of his abs. Bruce fought hard to stay still. The desire consumed me, a sudden rush of power at having Dr. Bruce Banner's cock in my mouth and the man at my mercy; I inhaled, sliding my mouth further and further down his throbbing length.

"Fuck," I heard him mutter before his hands gripped the sides of my face. "Hungry, baby, are you?" His eyes glowed a faint green; I shuddered at the power he held within himself. Held back for me. "Tap my thigh twice," he spoke and I had no choice but to obey. "Okay. Do that if it gets too much, alright?" I nodded. He gave me a wide, beaming smile. "Good girl," he praised, experimentally bucking his hips into my mouth a few times.

In and out. I focused on my breathing, sharp, little inhales: his girth took up all the free space in my mouth, the tip of it barely fit into my throat. The burn, the stretch; I felt every tenth of an inch, every bulging attempt of my body to accommodate Bruce's huge cock. It was delicious, I couldn't help but crave the same stretch in my neglected, sopping wet pussy.

"Fuck, you're taking it so well," Bruce moaned wetly. "Your mouth... S'like heaven... Could fuck it all day, that's my good girl," the rambling increased in it's intensity as the pace of his hips hastened. Drool and tears flowed like a river; my chin was dropping with it, spit connected my face to his pelvis. "Oh," there was a brief pause to his movements; suddenly, he pulled out, fisting the base of his cock, staring me down with a ferocious gleem in his eye.

I must've looked a straight mess; my face like a crime scene, my clothes disheveled, covered in fluids and most of all - I was desperately grinding against my own feet, too focused on the glorious cock in front of me to notice the weakness of my own flesh. "Daddy?" I questioned, wincing at the grating of my own voice.

Without a word, the belt was tugged once more; in a set of movements just slightly north of acrobatic, I found myself laying on my back in the middle of the bed, my sweatpants suffering a haste demise in the corner of the room.

Bruce crawled atop me, leaving a trail of sloppy kisses on every inch of my skin he could reach, mouthing something inaudible into every pore of my body. As he drew closer, I discerned bitten-off phrases, stringing my desire into sticky, tangy mess at the apex of my thighs.

"My perfect baby girl," the words reached me; all tongue, he kissed me once more, arching into me as much as I arched into his hot grasp. A brief inspection of my face - he was satisfied with what he saw - and Bruce crawled back, settling in between my spread legs, breathing hot air on the lips of my sex still covered by a sopping wet piece of fabric.

"Oh fuck," I yelped, feeling him smooch it soundly, the hot wetness of his tongue penetrating the meagre lace barrier with ease.

He moved it aside anyway, with a single finger, giving my pussy a broad lick, moaning into my cunt like a man gone mad. It took a few more licks for him to feel sated enough to surface, all the while holding my hips down. I was so sensitive, I felt even the tiniest flicks to my clit, I was sure if I didn't cum then and there, I would explode.

"Such a pretty pussy, princess," his heavy breathing paused briefly. He nipped my thigh. "So wet, is that all for me?"

"Yes, yes, daddy," I rasped, pushing my cunt into his face, losing all shame and trepidation.

"So tasty," he continued the torture, outlining my lower lips before taking another nosedive right into it, swirling his tongue around every fold, sucking onto my clit.

Bruce ate my pussy until my thighs shook, until my core quivered and I could no longer hold back the choked, ragged screams starting somewhere in the low of my belly and coming out as unholy, all-consuming yowls filled with unadulterated lust.

"Louder for me, baby," he inhaled rapidly, and then, he sucked on my clit.

The world stopped, halted on it's axis, every muscle going rigid in my body and every nerve ending simultaneously coming alive. Faintly, I heard a chant, repeating two syllables over and over, it sounded like my voice - but I had no control over myself. All I could do was weakly grind my hips against Bruce's mouth, faltering when the crashing waves of my orgasm began to recede.

The infuriating overstimulation stopped; blinking hazily, I saw Bruce's eyes glimmer brown and green in front of my face. His nose and his chin was glistening with a thin coat of sticky fluid; disheveled and red, he looked a man on the verge of a revelation.

Something hot and blunt nosed at my cunt, bringing back the moment to me - I realized, with a great deal of impatience - how empty I felt. The decision was minute. "Daddy, fuck me, please, I want your cock," the words came easily.

"That's my girl," his eyes fluttered shut as the first inches squeezed through the snug of my cunt. I was sopping wet and as relaxed as I'd be, but even then, it was a stretch. "Good girl, good baby," the mumbled praise made me whine and my pussy clamp on his cock. "Relax, let daddy fill you up." Breathing through it, I consciously unwound myself around him, letting my palms rest freely on his shoulders. "Let daddy take care of you."

Like melted sugar, his husked words stuck to me inside and out. Short, sharp thrusts; Bruce was patiently burrowing himself inside of me, making his way to reach the deepest parts of me I didn't even know existed. His cock head pressed against something hard and spongy inside of me; stars burst behind my eyes I'd clamped shut on reflex.

I moaned weakly, tugging on his arm, pressing myself closer. It felt so, so good. Like a raw nerve had been exposed and he was stroking it, pushing that little switch with every stroke of his hips.

"I'm not gonna last," he muttered as once again, my cunt squeezed him snugly in place, just as greedy as I was to feel that tiny explosion spark up within me again.

"I want..." I panted. Bruce set in a punishing pace after that, a palm under my ass, squeezing it so hard there would definitely be bruising. I craved it, I needed to see the evidence this was not some elaborate fever dream. "I want... Daddy to fill me up," words came out garbled; it sounded like gibberish to my ears but Bruce - they spurred him on.

"Oh yeah?" That breathless, boyish cockiness was back in his voice again; despite how fucked out he sounded, I prepared myself for something truly out of this world. I just knew.

He sat back on his shins, dragging me by the hips with him, making me shiver and moan and twitch and clamp onto him again as his throbbing cock hit that special spot again. And again. And again.

"Look at me, baby," a hand on my belly and his eyes burning right through me. As they slid down, towards the apex of my thighs where he was still moving within me almost lazily, I saw it.

"Oh fuck," I couldn't utter much more than a two-syllabled profanity. There was a bulge in my belly, just above my pelvis, moving in rhythm with Bruce's hips. And then he pressed on it and I-

Something, someone, somewhere was screaming. The noise was loud and pitched, but even then, I could barely hear it though the neverending waves of bliss that enveloped my whole being. Gold and silver at the edges of my rapidly darkening vision; I was drowning in something that smelled and felt like Bruce. The safety of his arms, the warmth of his heated body, the rapid snapping of his hips-

Oh.

"I'm gonna, fuck," the last word was but a ghost of a human speech. Growling low and filthy, Bruce leaned into my ear, his breath hot and moist. "Mine," his hips stuttered, his cock nestled deep, the sensation bordering on painful, forcefully extracted pleasure. It throbbed with every spurt of his seed; each one felt like a solid punch in the gut to my abused pussy.

"Daddy," I mewled, my body jerking away from him but my mind and my soul yearning for more. His rapidly softening flesh made the idea of being separated unbearable.

"S'good, s'my good girl, m'so proud," he mumbled, looking slightly disoriented as he removed himself from me, immediately pressing me to his side and interwining any free, flailing limbs.

We laid in silence, each of us slowly coming back to Earth after the completely unreal experience we just had. I didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do as the realization set in, the post-orgasmic haze giving way to a sudden rush of clarity.

"I can hear you overthinking," Bruce's voice was fond.

Before I could muster up the courage to snark back, the divided doors opened, one very concerned Tony Stark standing there, armed with a tranquilizer gun in one hand and a pack of cookies in the other. His mouth, previously open to (probably) yell at us, remained as open when his eyes had registered the scene in front of him.

I stared at Bruce. Bruce stared at Tony.

"The noise," he offered in the way of explanation, dangling the pack of cookies, looking, for once - speechless. He recovered quickly, however, even if the remark was a thin ghost of his usual sass: "You pick the nerd over me? I'm hurt," he scoffed in mock irritation, although I was pretty sure I saw some satisfaction in there, too.

Bruce looked at me. I looked at Bruce.

A mischievous grin slowly crept up his face, an identical one beginning to appear on my own face seconds after.

"Hey, two nerds is better than one, right?" My response is what did it; or, rather, it was the evidence of my previous throat-fucking clearly audible in my voice... Tony dropped the cookies and then, the tranq gun.

Bruce Banner taglist: @pilloclock @mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @persephonehemingway @mostly-marvel-musings @schemefrenzy @lillsxd @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @sapphicnoodle69 @couldntbedamned @xoxabs88xox @marvelsbanner @tripleyeeet @tatestripedsweater @stuckybarton

[lokiskitten]

Request for @cara-serpens !!

“Loki is tortured, really badly tortured. He may be freed from the avengers and female reader ( which he knows well as she was always friendly to him ) but nobody really cares about his condition. It’s not just injuries and pain, but also pure fear as soon as someone approaches him. Will female readers succeed in making Loki feel safe? Can she take care of his wounds on the body and in the soul and give him a feeling of secureness and comfort? How would he react?”

Loki Laufeyson | gruesome torture

Loki Laufeyson x fem!reader

plot : after finding out that the Avengers have been secretly torturing Loki instead of sending him back to Asgard, you step forward and offer him your help in hopes that he will be able to recover.

warnings : dark!avengers, mention of physical torture, electrocution, mention of open wounds.

Screams of pain echoed through the underground levels of the Avengers’ compound, fuzzy sounds accompanying the groans and whines as you stepped forward through the hallway. You had been originally tasked to check up on the building’s batteries, the box being located a few floors bellow earth- but after hearing such noises you couldn’t help but grow curious but concerned regarding who could’ve been making such sounds. Following the screams, your feet were soon to lead you until a closed door against which you pressed your ear in order to receive confirmation regarding your doubts and chosen path. The screams had to come from the inside of this closed area. Without hesitation, your hand pushed against the metallic door and allowed it to open, shock filling your organism upon stumbling onto such a horrific sight.

None but the Asgardian god of mischief who was known as Loki appeared to be tied down against a metallic table, wrists and ankles restrained by leather straps which held hip back from escaping this gruesome situation. He was receiving electric shocks coming straight from a device locked against his scalp, which had easily led his hair to get messy. However, other form of bruises appeared to cover the rest of his naked body, whether they were sealed or open wounds. By the table’s side stood Tony- visibly enjoying to provide his enemy with pain though it was none but Banner who controlled the entire torture device. Whilst Stark simply wished to see pain and fear reflect in Loki’s eyes, Banner stood there in an uncomfortable manner. You could tell Tony had probably forcefully dragged him into this mess.

You were soon to understand that your leader had lied to all of you- claiming that they had lost Loki through the battle only to be able to sneak him down here in order to make his own justice. But this simply didn’t work out for you. Banner was the first one to notice your presence, though you had to speak up in order to catch Tony’s attention. “What are you doing?” You asked, watching as Iron Man’s head lifted to make eye contact with you. He knew that now was too late to back away, and that his prideful self would have to admit what he was doing without speaking a single lie to you if he wanted to maintain his reputation. “Just giving him a taste of his own medicine.” Tony answered arrogantly, easily leading you to drift off to the doctor in hopes to make this whole thing stop. You were aware that there was no way in hell you would’ve been able to make Tony change his mind.

“Stop this.” You ordered, earning a rather uncomfortable eye contact with Bruce who then looked towards his superior as if he was physically asking him if he was allowed to obey your order. “Banner- if you do this-..” Tony began, only to end up being cut off by your determined self. “Bruce. Whatever he told you, this is not the right way.” You spoke empathetically. Thankfully, your strategy adding up to the doctor’s natural empathy ended up leading the man to stop the electricity from nourishing the machine by pressing on a simple button, both of you earning a head shake from the Avenger standing by the table. “Jesus Christ-“ Tony cursed, feet beginning to lead him towards the controllers though you were soon to stand in his way in order to stop him.

“Does Thor know about this?” You asked, hoping that reminding Tony that Loki’s brother was one of yours would make him change his mind for good. Unfortunately for you, it was rare for Iron Man to ever fear much as his huge ego held him back from doing so. “There’s a lot of things Thor doesn’t know.” Joked the man, rudely underlining the fact that he believed Thor to be a muscular idiot whilst still trying to get past you. But your tough self refused to move, which ended up leading the older man to groan in annoyance. “Fine. Two hours break for him. I wouldn’t want to skip my lunch.” Tony spoke before making his way out of the secret torture room alongside Bruce who appeared to be in pure distress. The doors closed and locked behind you, trapping you in here with poor Loki who was still attempting to recover from this tough step.

He was panting, his chest rising and dropping at quite an incredible rate. You could tell that the demigod was exhausted, and even if he had wrecked havoc around New York, you couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Carefully nearing the table, you watched as droplets of sweat ran down his bare skin- which you soon understood was water that Tony had sprayed around after removing his armor to make sure the electricity would properly pass through his body. His ankles were the first thing you freed, remaining cautious regarding his usually agressive persona. You didn’t want to risk having him put his anger out on you. “I’m gonna free your wrists now, okay? Remember, I’m doing this to help you.” You informed before undoing the upper leather straps.

Unlike what you would’ve expected, Loki’s body simply rolled to the side before falling to the floor and nearly crushing your feet- which he would have if you hadn’t backed away after freeing him. He appeared lifeless, though you could clearly tell that he was breathing due to the weak movements of his back. The poor man simply didn’t have the strength to use his powers nor move any longer- and god knew for how many hours Tony had probably left him here, through pain and torture. You were soon to assume that Loki was probably cold, his wet and bare skin being an awful duo when it came to warmth. “I’ll fetch something to warm you up.” You informed before moving away from his body, walking around the room and seeking for a blanket or other piece of clothing to offer him.

Meanwhile, the demigod found the strength to turn around and look up at your back, surprised that a human such as you who on top of that was part of the avengers would agree to help him. Groaning out of pain as he sat up on his elbows, the raven haired man carried on following each of your steps to make sure you wouldn’t attack him by surprise. Thankfully, you were soon to lay your hands on a blanket, body turning around as you approached Loki’s injured self. However, the demigod surprisingly began to place his hand before his body and lower his head- probably out of fear that you were meant to hurt him again. Besides, humiliation stole away his envy of being touched by anyone at the moment. “Pl- please.. I learned my lesson.. I can’t take anymore of it...” he admitted breathlessly, earning a sigh from you.

“I’m not here to hurt you, Loki. Even if I admit you’d deserve a good beating for wrecking havoc in this city.” You answered, his blue eyes peeking up at you in a shy manner. “It’s just a blanket. See?” You added, raising the large piece of fabric above your chest to make sure he would be able to see it properly. After waiting for a couple of seconds, Loki ended up nodding weakly, visibly agreeing to receive the blanket he was in desperate need of. “Sit up.” You asked him, just in aim to be able to wrap the clothing around his back and keep him warm. However, when the male found himself sitting up on his bum, you couldn’t help but notice the wide scars which adorned his back. They appeared healed. “Is that from Tony?.. they look old-“ You began, only to be stopped by the demigod himself.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He responded as his hand rudely took ahold of the blanket, and all of that whilst avoiding eye contact with you. You sighed. “Fine. But looks like I’m trapped in here with you for now.. So the best we can do is remain polite.” You responded wisely before sitting down beside him as Loki wrapped the thick material around his body. It wasn’t the first time you had encountered the demigod, and you had felt surprised to see that he had stolen the Tesseract and attempted to reduce New York to dust. It just didn’t look like something he’d do. Unfortunately, your alliance with the avengers had always held you back from getting to know him better. You two made eye contact for a brief second which allowed you to notice the open wounds on his face and chest- the only part of his body which remained uncovered.

“Will you allow me to get a closer look at those? They might get infected..” you asked, tone lowering just so slightly as you remembered the way his healed scars looked. They didn’t appear as if anyone had taken care of them, which had resulted in a rather healed for sure but bumpy texture. Face to Loki’s lack of response, you decided to take the decision by yourself. Getting up from where you had been sitting, you made your way until the pharmacy cupboard which was part of Bruce’s small handmade lab. You managed to lay your hands on everything you needed- bandaids, alcohol, coton...- which now allowed you to make your way back to Loki. The raven haired man remained suspicious, looking up at you with squinted eyes and following every single one of your steps.

Upon sitting on your knees beside him, you could sense Loki attempting to move further away from you in the most discreet manner- a detail you didn’t bother to speak up about. You could understand he felt afraid and uncertain, but you were willing to prove to him that you meant ho harm or whatsoever. “Just a little bit of alcohol on a piece of coton will do just right.” You explained through your steps, keeping Loki informed of every move just like doctors did with young children. “It might sting a little, but I assume a tough guy like you went through worst, Mmh?” You joked before your hand gently started to approach Loki’s face, the man’s head backing away as you tried to reach his skin. It annoyed you.

“I’m afraid you’re gonna have to make efforts too, because otherwise we’re still gonna be here when Tony would have finished his lunch.” You explained, underlining that him constantly backing away could lead this cleaning process to take hours. After hearing this sentence, Loki’s head finally ceased to move away though his blue eyes remained on you- orbs shooting daggers and body getting ready to intervene if you ever attempted to backstab him and bring him harm. “Breath in.” You asked empathetically before allowing the alcohol coated coton to gently collide with the bruise on his nose. The poor boy winced loudly, his entire body tensing up as your arm went motionless. “I’m sorry.” You spoke, leading Loki’s eyelids to open.

“Sorry?..” he asked whilst making eye contact with you, his calm self now allowing your hand to take care of his face without letting go a single sound. “Yeah. Why?” You carried on discussing with him, believing that it was a good way of distracting his brain from the pain. Loki’s eyes looked away, orbs growing moist as he bit down on his gum. The truth was, no one had ever apologized for manhandling or neglecting him- and hearing you say such a thing to him had honestly reached and pierced through his heart within a matter of seconds. He couldn’t help but remember the horrors Thanos made him go through before he arrived in New York, and the constant conflicts with his father. However, his pride held him back from thanking you or allowing his tears to go down.

“There you go. All cleaned up.” You informed once you had finally finished to clean his face, this statement dragging Loki out of his painful thoughts. You got up from where you had been sitting in order to throw the dirty pieces of coton away and put the rest of the medical furnitures back in their place, and all of that whilst Loki allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts again. “This might cause a civil war, but I’ll inform you brother that you’re here as soon as I can.” You notified as the demigod finally found the strength to get up to his feet- blanket wrapped around his waist- though he still had to lean against the table for support. Is this what empathy feels like? The demigod asked himself as he continued to stare into the void. After such a long time spent by himself, he had forgotten about the many assets of friendship.

You kept Loki company until Tony finally unlocked the room for you to exit. Not once had the demigod thanked you for what you did and were about to do for him, and yet you still felt guilty about leaving him in Tony’s hands until you were able to find the god of thunder. However, for the first time ever, you had been able to distinguish fear and gratitude through Loki’s wealthy orbs.

I’m so sorry this took a while to write! Was having a writer’s block. But here it is now! I hope you was able to enjoy it❤️ take care.

special tag for my best friend @devilsuga who I’d heal and protect on my life if I had to.

[mysticcollectionbee]

Lab Assistant Loki AU (Part 1)

[Fair warning, I really don't know how to place this in the timeline, so it's basically TVA Loki and Mobius enter the main timeline and are now questionable allies with the Avengers while they prepare to deal with Kang's arrival. Is this important? Nope. I just wanted an explanation for why Loki will mention TVA stuff and why Bruce kinda knows about it.]

"I regret this already..."

I barely know why I agreed to this. It seemed like an great idea at the time: Find a way to fuse magic and science to make something incredible! But, letting Loki be the sorcerer I would have to work with?! I could blame a few others: Thor for repeatedly saying it was a good idea because Loki had apparently dabbled with the concept before (Don't think Alchemy counts as science but ok),Brunn saying it's a good way to make sure the both of us don't get into any trouble because of this idea (I still have no idea what she means) and even that guy, Mobius, promised that Loki would actually be a great help. But, I think I can only blame Loki and I for this. Worst part is...It was his idea.

--------------------------------*Two weeks earlier*-------------------------------------

"Loki?! What the hell are you doing here? How did you even find-"

"Oh relax, I'm actually here to help you!"

What?

"Well, Mobius brought up that you were going to try to meddle with something beyond your understanding, so I thought I would be of some help! What's with the look?"

"...You want to be useful? For no reason?..."

"Rude! But fair...If this works we could use it against Kang."

I don't think I'll ever get used to how quick Loki can switch from a smug, suspicious, albeit charismatic, jerk to full on serious and kinda intimidating. I'm literally the guy who can throw him around like a rag doll and even I get kinda nervous when he acts likes that.

"Ok...I guess that makes sense? But it um still doesn't explain how you found this place, Tony and I literally made it hard to find. And you haven't even been on Midgard for years!"

"Oh that was easy!  A while back Mobi and I-"

And back to non-threatening, still too quick of a change. Also is Moby the Mobius guy? Is that his actual name or a nickname?

"-And so, we thought it wise to look up important locations in the timeline: like where all the Avengers where at."

"Great, now your telling me a bunch of suspicious time cops and Kang know where I live. Seriously great!"

"Oh relax, just focus on the positive; like the fact you have a sorcerer willing to help you with your 'sciences'."

Does he really think this is a good idea? And that he's doing me a favor? I need a way out of this and fast.

"Actually I was thinking of asking Strange or Wong or something. No offense, but Strange is a doctor, I think he might know about how to mix the two concepts better than most."

"..."

And he went quiet. That's concerning. Mostly cause I can't read his expression: is he offended? Pissed? Or just doesn't care?

"Alright."

"Really?"

"Yes, as long you find something useful I don't really care too much from who it comes from. Though if you change your mind, I'll be around."

Ok, he seemed back to his 'pleasant' demeanor so probably no hurt feelings or problems in the future. Now I just have to contact the two other wizards I know and ask them to replace Loki's offer. That should be easy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, no they both declined. Wong even said it was 'foolish to try such a concept, because it was to things that were not meant to be merged. Especially by one not in-tuned with magic like myself' whatever that means. They both were normal guys that learned to do magic but apparently I can't even consider doing it with their help or guidance! But that basically meant I had to go to the god I was originally just trying to avoid come help me out.

"Look, Loki, about what happened-"

"They turned you down, didn't they?~"

"How did you?"

"Oh please everyone has heard of the mischief the 'Sorcerers Supremes' have gotten into by abusing and playing with the wrong types of sorcery, now they're trying be on their best behavior . Did you think, The God of Mischief, would not have heard of this?"

Smug jerk.

"Well, I heard the Strange got in a mess trying to help the SpiderKid and later the mess with...Wanda...But I don't know what Wong is in trouble for?"

I can't believe I forgot about Wanda. The rest of us should really ask more questions to Strange about what happened.

"There was no way of avoiding it, Bruce."

"What?"

"I said there was no way that Strange and Wong would have worked with you, Bruce."

That's definitely not what he said...but ok...

"So, shall we get started, Dr. Banner?"

[hollandorks]

Shelby bestie, here we go. My first official essay of SITN

First off…those poor bats. They’ve finally relaxed after her return and then Bruce comes roaring in. How inconsiderate of them to not let these bats rest. If I was a bat I’d be pissed.

I know Bruce said that he could hear her nervously chewing, but I feel like he just knew that she’s nervous. Hell, he probably knew she was nervous before even arriving in the Batcave. Bruce has spent a lot of time studying her. He definitely knows what she’s feeling before she does sometimes. Love is funny like that.

Also fun fact—There are some studies that show the longer a couple has been together the more they begin to act like each other. Idk if shared trauma, like these two have, makes the process faster or some shit. Either way, poor Alfred.

I love that she dubbed his playlist “moody writing.” I wonder if he knows that. If he does he definitely have a small chuckle while affectionately rolling his eyes. It makes sense that part of the process to becoming Bruce again is engaging in things that shape a person—like music. I love her commentary while watching his night back. “You’re so dramatic.” Girl, you’ve got that right.

The news casting. Oofta. Her and Bruce were definitely not expecting it to mention his parents. I love that they reacted in the same way—them both freezing (chefs kiss). They were both thinking about different things. I imagine she was feeling anger (for bringing up Bruce’s tragedy) and concern for Bruce. Bruce…in this situation it’s hard for me to get into his mind. He’s thinking and feeling a million different things at once. I’d imagine it’s hard for him to pinpoint any single emotion, feeling, or thought.

I just feel for Bruce. He’s definitely going through retraumaization at the mention of his parents on the news—and he definitely went through it earlier at night with the mention of the son discovering his father, and then with him seeing the son himself. I just wanna wrap him up in a nice fuzzy blanket and protect him.

Side note—people being retraumatized because of media coverage is something I’m incredibly interested in learning more about.

Alfred! My man! I love him and his little juice. I know he feels bad about not bringing her juice. I can feel it in my bones. I love the description of her looking at the juice suspiciously. I too sometimes look at food and beverages suspiciously.

I love that she’s trying to lighten Bruce’s mood while they’re going through the footage after the mention of his parents. It may have gotten him out of his head a for a bit, the comment of “nerd” and I’m sure he appreciates that.

Skipping a bit ahead to another classic Alfred and Bruce fight. Them fighting just breaks my heart. With Alfred’s comment to Bruce of it “not being long until he has nothing left” I feel like he was, in a way, thinking about her. Alfred knows she loves Bruce and is in it for the long haul, but he’s seen what her not being in his life temporarily did to him. He doesn’t want to risk that happening again—in any way—like her leaving. Which Alfred knows she would never do. Also him being like “I don’t care what happens to me.” Bruce, my guy, you little fucker, you gotta start caring. You’re getting married. You really want to make her a widow? I love the small interaction her and Alfred had after Bruce left. She’s trying to look out for Alfred by making sure Bruce apologizes and I love that.

Skipping ahead again because I took a sleeping pill that’s kicking in. Bruce standing up for her against Wayne Enterprises? Chefs kiss! I know Alfred, in his head, was being like “you tell them Bruce! Stand up for your girl!” While simultaneously panicking because “Bruce wtf are you doing? That’s impolite!” Bruce knows she’s not with him for his money, but these morons don’t. I love that Bruce just wants to give her Wayne Enterprises. Chefs kiss! A small part of it is because he doesn’t care about it, and he doesn’t want to deal with it. A much larger part trusts her with it more than he trusts himself. He knows his family’s enterprise would be in good, trusted, safe hands with her.  I love that Bruce wants to spite them. I too, try to do things out of spite.

The ending scene? CHEFS KISS! I love that he’s like “you need to sleep.” That’s definitely the pot calling the kettle black. She knows it, and he definitely knows it. I’m glad he agrees to also get some sleep. I wonder what she would’ve threatened him with if he was like “nah, I’ll stay awake.”

Do I have any predications? Not currently unfortunately. Maybe I’ll dream some up. If I do I’ll drop an ask and let you know.

Side notes: I feel like Alfred definitely knew she did not eat at the restaurant. I love that she went to bed after drinking coffee. Sometimes I nap for hours after drinking it, and I’m like “I got you to wake me up a bit, not to put me to sleep.” I feel like I’ve mentioned that before but I can’t remember.

Chapter 3 was a delight and I’m glad I got to write an essay for it. It feels weird writing an essay again. Much love!

🦇

also I start my new job on Sunday!!!!

Finally answering this (after posting the next chapter OOPS)

First, how has the new job been?? You've been there almost a week! I know you said you were familiar with things already so that's good! Are you getting enough sleep or still pounding the caffeine?

Yeah the poor bats though....They really need to relocate. I'm sure Bruce alone puts them through it, nevermind everything the reader and Alfred do too.

Also, as someone who has been with their significant other for almost twelve years, we 100% act like each other. Sometimes we joke that we groomed each other (even though we're the same age, it's funnier in context than it sounds I swear) because we're so similar! So of course Bruce and y/n are spending tons of time together now that they're actually together and they can pick up on each other's moods etc way better! Even poor, emotionally stunted Bruce can!

You're right though, the idea of media coverage and trauma would be such an interesting study. Someone needs to do this!

But yes, the whole movie to me is about Bruce having his past drudged up and being re-traumatized and spiralling out of control. So obviously, I'm trying to play to that angle along with the added trauma of the events of MOTN!

Alfred. My guy. Poor Alfred and his rejected juice just trying to do the right thing by Bruce! I had to make her say something, because Bruce was being a dick--at least after MOTN he's in a bit of a healthier headspace than he canonically is in the actual movie! So I had to include a little scene where he admits to being wrong!

The meeting with the accountants was immediately something I wanted to include when I decided to do the sequel. In my mind I was like, what would make the accountants in my MOTN universe freak out? Naturally, the idea of a prenup, protecting the comapny and its shares, etc came to mind. As someone who also does things out of spite (if you ever tell me to stop something I'll do it at least once more out of spite), this scene wasn't really hard! It felt natural to have Bruce be 1) self-sacrificial in a way with his money/ company and 2) looking for a fight over y/n

I loved seeing the essay format again!! But I definitely understand if I don't get anymore, you're busier now! So don't feel any pressure to send them!

Hope you enjoy ch 4!

[dessarious]

What Makes a Family? Pt10

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“You need to take his Miraculous now. Honestly I’d be fine if he was just sitting out but his reckless behavior is causing problems and he won’t listen to you or anyone else when they point it out. “ Marinette just sighed at Kagami’s words as they walked into the living room. They’d all been taking turns since the fight ended to convince her of the necessity.

“You need to tell me who that boy is so I can go beat some sense into him.” Her Maman’s complaint just got a weak smile. She’d refused to tell them for that very reason.

“There’s no need, I told him to meet me tonight.” She could hear how tired she was which meant everyone else could too. She went over to sit between her parents and curled into her father’s waiting hug. “I’m fine Papa, I promise. And if I’m right, I’ll have my real black cat soon and this will all be over.”

“And who exactly is this person?” Chloe’s demanding tone was hiding concern, for a lot of reasons. Even so Marinette couldn’t stop the ill timed yawn that came out and it seemed to annoy the other girl more.

“My twin.” There was dead silence at that announcement. She was debating who would find their voice first.

“Seriously? Paris can barely handle one of you and you want to bring in a clone?” Yeah, Chloe is the one she would have guessed.

“She’s not a clone, and she’s technically my half sister so we don’t even have that similar of DNA.” Luka and Kagami were communicating with looks and she was too worn out to try and follow it. Chloe just huffed and crossed her arms while Marinette felt her Papa hug her harder.

“You have a half sister?” Her Maman’s tone was soft and that could be dangerous. Unfortunately, Marinette didn’t heed that little voice in her head telling her to stop.

“And a half brother, and apparently a bunch of siblings that are adopted.” She felt the impending explosion too late to do anything but burrow further into her Papa.

“This man has all these kids and just decided he didn’t want you?” She forgot how loud her Maman could yell. She didn’t do it often which made it far more terrifying when she did.

“It’s not like that. He didn’t know about me, and it’s all rather too complicated to go into when I can barely keep my eyes open. Grandpa Alfie?” The man had been suspiciously quiet but he was radiating the same tension as her parents.

“Yes Miss Marinette?” Yep, there was definitely some suppressed anger in that tone.

“Could you ask Mr. Wayne if he and Cass can come to Paris? Sooner would be better. The others can come too but I need her here.” He was frowning at her and she wasn’t certain why but it looked thoughtful.

“Of course, I’ll make sure they’re here by tomorrow.” That was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred pulled out his phone to text Master Bruce with measured calmness, but inside he was livid. It was bad enough children had been given the responsibility of protecting Paris but watching one of them goof off to the point that he endangered all the others, multiple times, made him want to take Mme. Cheng’s idea and run with it. Given what they’d said during the fight about him harassing Ladybug he’d be more than willing to set the boy straight.

Alfred - You and Miss Cassandra need to be on a plane. Now.

Master Bruce - What’s wrong?

Alfred - You’ll be briefed when you get here, but it is incredibly urgent.

Master Bruce - Should I tell Cass about Marinette?

Alfred - Yes, that would be prudent.

Master Bruce - What about the boys?

Alfred - Miss Marinette is amenable to meeting them as well, but I’ll let you decide if you want to tell them now and have them all descend on Paris with you.

Master Bruce - It might be best to get it over with at one time. Selina wants to come too for some reason.

Alfred - I don’t see that as a problem, but I will ask Miss Marinette when she wakes just to be sure.

Master Bruce - We’ll be there in twelve hours.

Alfred didn’t bother to ask how many because he had a feeling it was going to be all of them. He did wonder at Miss Kyle’s interest, but she might just be curious to see Master Bruce’s newly found offspring.

“They’ll be here by morning. Probably with the boys as well.” He looked up to find Miss Marinette asleep. Mme. Cheng was frowning at him.

“Exactly how many are we talking about?” She was speaking through clenched teeth and Alfred could tell she was trying to remain calm. This was all a lot to process so he wasn’t surprised.

“Master Bruce, his fiance, and Miss Cassandra for certain. Masters Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian are possibilities. I’ll do what I can to keep them from overwhelming all of you.”

“I thought Bruce Wayne only had one known biological son, so how exactly does Mari have a twin sister?” Alfred debated whether to answer Miss Chloe’s question, but Marinette would certainly explain it when she was awake anyway.

“Miss Cassandra and Miss Marinette share the same mother but have different fathers. So you are correct, until now Master Damian was the only one we knew about.” He could tell she was about to grill him further and kept going to prevent it. “Miss Marinette and I were interrupted and I would prefer not to disclose things to others I haven’t even been able to tell her. I’m also not certain what she would want to share with all of you so that’s all I’m willing to say on the matter at present.”

“I can respect that, and Mari definitely deserves to hear everything first.” She paused to look at the sleeping girl and sighed. “I guess she’ll be getting the siblings she wanted. I should go back to the hotel and prepare rooms, since I’m assuming they’ll be joining you there.” It wasn’t exactly a question but Alfred nodded anyway.

“Yes Miss. As soon as I know about the boys I’ll have an idea of room numbers and let you know.”

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Ko-Fi

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[icerosecrystal]

Daminette - All The Kings’ Horses

Warning: This one-shot includes abuse, harassment, rape, child neglect meant, suicidal thoughts, and cursing. Read at your own risk!

Lila had done it. She had taken away all her friends. She no longer had any support from her parents either. Only her Grandma Gina, Grandpa Roland, Uncle Cheng, Jagged, Penny, and Clara loved or cared for her. But they had their own life to fulfill. They didn’t have the time to take care of a little nobody. But, what hurt Marinette the most was her parents’ betrayal. They knew and raised her for 16 years. Then, someone they had never met told them some petty lies and instead of believing their daughter, they believed a stranger.

I knock the ice from my bones Try not to feel the cold

She felt so numb. Now at the age of 17 almost 18, Lila had taken away her classmates 4 years ago, took away even her closest childhood friends 3 years ago, and had finally taken away her parents 2 years ago. She had no one left. She had no will to live. Yet, she endured it. Why? She doesn’t know herself. She prevailed through the words that were slamming around in her head, spoken by her classmates, “Bully, dumb, slut, attention-seeker, bitch, a fucking nobody.” She bore her parents’ words, “I can’t believe we gave birth to you, we should have given you away when you were a kid, what did we deserve you, you are such a bitchy, fucking daughter.” She ignored the beatings, the abuse she survived every day. At first, it started with her classmates taking away her things and destroying them. Then, it was kicking, punching, slapping, tripping. It finally escalated to stabbings and shootings. 9 months ago her parents started abusing her as well as purposefully neglecting her. The final thread snapped when they got Adrien to come and rape her as a way to set her straight.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

That’s when she decided to leave, run away. Her being raped was the final straw. She was suffering for no reason. Hawkmoth and Mayura had been defeated, there was nothing left for her in Paris anyways. She was close to breaking. She needed to get away from Paris before she decided to end her misery once and for all. There was no one coming to save her, she might as well save herself. So, she made a plan with the kwamis. She found a city where she could easily disappear in, she chose Gotham. She got in contact with Jagged and asked him to enroll her in Gotham Academy without telling her parents. Using her commission money from MDC and Netti, she got an apartment in Gotham. Glancing at the date, she realized that her parents wouldn’t be letting her out of her room for another week. So, she took that week to transport all of her belongings to her new apartment using the horse miraculous. On the day of, she looked around the room, reminiscing in the good memories that she had of the room and said a final goodbye, shutting the portal from her room and her old life.

Run with my hands on my eyes

Blind, but I’m still alive

She had made it. She had let go of the past and was walking into the future… well mostly. After her experiences in her old class, Marinette became a lot more hostile and guarded. She never talked in class, never brought attention to herself, and never displayed any emotions. People categorized her with another boy. Damian if she remembered correctly. He seemed to be as guarded as she was. But, instead, it developed a mutual respect for each other. Sure, Damian was still cautious of her, but during class and lunch, they would sit together in the back or in a little corner and would relish in the silence. Neither made an effort to get to know the other and they both appreciated it.

Free to go back on my own

Is it still a home

When you’re all alone?

Everything was okay for Marinette until the partner project her teacher assigned her. Thankfully, it was Damian, but she had to go to his house. She was awed by the sight of the manor and told him so, he just smiled lightly, in fact, it couldn’t be called a smile and walked in with her. None of the other family members were present at the moment except for Alfred Pennyworth the butler. She quietly introduced herself and Damian then dragged her upstairs to his room. Once the completed the project, it was dinner time and all the other family members had arrived. They insisted that she join them for dinner, not wanting to seem rude she agreed. They tried to get to know Marinette as much as possible. She answered all of their questions, but anyone could see how reserved she was. Then Jason asked a question that set her off, “Before you moved to Gotham where was your home?” She looked to be having a panic attack before saying, “Paris” and then muttering, “It is still home if you’re all alone?” This made all of the Waynes suspicious and concerned. They left the topic alone and continued on with their dinner, since that day Marinette and the Waynes started getting closer. They were all like her brother and Bruce like her father, except for Damian. She liked Damian, but didn’t want to in fear of having a repeat of Adrien, she vowed to never tell Damian. She lived by that vow until she got some news.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Marinette was scrolling through her Instagram when her eye caught the name Alya Cesaire, she looked at the post and started hyperventilating. They were coming to Gotham in a month, they were going to see her, her parents were the chaperones. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she climbed onto her motorcycle and rode to Wayne Manor. She reached the Manor and threw off her helmet ringing the doorbell. When Alfred answered she started screaming, sobbing for Damian, “ALFRED, I NEED DAMIAN, I NEED HIM, PLEASE ALFRED BRING ME TO HIM!” hysteria clear in her voice. She needed him, she needed him to console her. Alfred quickly carried her inside once she collapsed from begging. He brought her to the family room where everyone was present. Marinette could discern all the eyes on her, but none of them counted except for the emerald eyes that softened once they examined at her. She clambered into his lap and continued sobbing and blabbering incoherent gibberish.

After about an hour once she quieted down she noticed the questioning, calculating, and compassionate eyes around her. She acknowledged that she wasn’t going to get out of an explanation and so sighed and told her story. What happened once Lila arrived, how everyone she knew reacted, and what prompted her to come to Gotham. By the end of her explanation, everyone was shaking with apparent fury. Jason then shouted, “I’M GOING TO KILL THAT FUCKING BITCH, YOUR PARENTS, AND THAT GUY WHO RAPED YOU! HOW DARE THEY TOUCH MY LITTLE SISTER!?” Everyone agreed, getting everything ready to plan a murderer and get away with it. Damian saw the anguish in Marinette’s eyes and told everyone to calm down, taking Marinette to his room. On the way, they heard a shout, “REMEMBER TO LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN!” They both flushed, Marinette ducking her head down.

Once they reached his room they sat down on the bed, Marinette avoiding his gaze. “Hey look at me”, he softly said. She looked up at him. “Why did you ask for me, why not Todd or Grayson?”

She blushed and looked at him. “I-I kinda have a crush on you a-and y-y-you don’t have to like me, I think I’m unlikable, w-wait no that’s not what I meant mmph”, her rambling was cut short by Damian pressing his lips to her incredibly soft ones. She melted into the kiss and deepened it, both of them moving their lips in sync. The kiss wasn’t hot or heavy, it was slow, loving, but also semi-passionate. It didn’t feel like fireworks, rather like a warm, homey fire along with a comforting spark. She moved her hands to his hair and tugged and he grabbed her waist pulling her even closer. They pulled away and stared into each other’s eyes, enjoying the moment.

He cleared his throat and stammered out, “Would you be willing to join me on a date?” She smiled and pecked his lips, “Yeah.” Three dates later and they were officially dating.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

It was the day of the arrival of Marinette’s old class and she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t nervous. She wouldn’t be giving them any tours, thank god, but they would be going to Gotham Academy which meant that she would be seeing them. Just as expected later that week, they caught sight of her in Gotham Academy. The first thing they all did… they bullied her. Worse than ever before, asking why she left, she was their favorite little plaything after all. She tried her best to ignore it, but it was becoming all too much.

She rushed out of the classroom with Damian chasing behind her. She was having a panic attack, the weight of seeing everyone along with the memories was too much for her. She rushed to a bridge that she could jump off of to end her misery, but Damian caught her by the waist. He hugged her and mumbled reassurances into her hair. After a little bit, she calmed and saw Damian watching her, “Marinette, I love you and you have to stay on this Earth, please. Don’t listen to them. You are having a concert as Netti later tonight, sing your newest song, and reveal yourself. Tell your side of the story. I will be by your side every step of the way.” He gave her a tender smile and pulled her into a kiss that had Marinette forget all of her worries for now. Later that night as Netti, she got on the stage and started singing her newest song, All the Kings’ Horses.

(Play this song if you want to follow along with the lyrics)

I knock the ice from my bones

Try not to feel the cold

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Run with my hands on my eyes

Blind, but I’m still alive

Free to go back on my own

Is it still a home

When you’re all alone?

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put me back together again

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

She poured all of her emotions into the lyrics. It described her life perfectly and she sang it with all the despair and hurt she felt every single day when she was in Paris. This wasn’t just a song, no, this was the cry of a broken girl, who was slowly healing, a girl who couldn’t be put back together again, but she could try. By the last note, she pulled off her mask and heard the gasps of her classmates and parents, she saw tears in everyone’s eyes, disappointment in Adrien’s eyes, jealousy in Lila’s eyes, but most importantly the pride in Damian’s eyes.

She brought her mike back up and told her story, “This song was inspired by my own experiences. I had a great life, but then a girl came and took away everything that was mine and made me lonely in my own home. No one believed me, so I came to Gotham. I met my boyfriend Damian Wayne, he’s helping me heal little by little every day. I may not be able to be put back together again completely, but I’m going to try and Damian will be there to help me every step of the way. Thank you and good night, Gotham!”

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

Oh, oh

Couldn’t put me back together again

After the reveal, everyone tried to be her friend again, her parents tried to apologize to her. She didn’t forgive anyone of them. They had to own up to their mistakes and see the consequences of believing a stranger over her. Two years after the reveal Damian proposed and they were married a year later, her Grandpa Roland and Bruce walked her down the aisle. Jon Kent was Damian’s best man and Dick, Tim, and Jason were groomsmen/ bridesmaids. Marinette and Damian said their vows. And as they kissed as husband and wife the one thing that crossed Marinette’s mind was that even though all the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men couldn’t put her back together again, her King Damian Wayne most certainly could.

[ladyloptr]

•The Noisy Neighbor•

Request: twt@LOKIBARBZ (So, we literally had a whole discussion over this, therefore, I’ll just make a summmary of this.) Loki moves into an apartment in NYC, recently being officiated as an Avenger after some pleading from Thor. He is comfortable in his apartment, as it’s nice and quiet, until a loud new neighbor moves in next door. He slowly goes mad, until one day he seeks to end the nonsense once and for all.

Fandom: MCU AU

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Smut, Hate-Sex, Rough-Sex, Angry-Sex, Hair Pulling, Scratching, Choking, Degradation/Name Calling.

{————}

Loki isn’t sure what he expected to be greeted with when he returned to Midgard with his older brother. After the attack on New York City, he wasn’t foolish enough to think they’d welcome him with open arms.

Then again, it’s not like he had much of a choice in coming here.

After waiting in his cell for nearly a year, he was finally placed on trial. They sentenced him to serve his punishment on Midgard, to help The Avengers in their efforts to protect their realm. Among the many different options that the Æsir courts could’ve picked, he’s merely grateful to still be alive.

The Avengers, of course, wouldn’t allow him to take up residency in the tower as a result of his last visit ending in Tony being tossed out of a window. Thankfully, Tony, at the very least, agreed to find him his own apartment somewhere nearby and pay his rent, so long as he behaves himself.

The apartment complex is very nice, and most importantly, quiet. Tony rightfully assumed that it would be wiser to house the God of Chaos in a quiet environment where he’d be least likely to interact with neighbors. The last thing they need right now is for Loki to take it upon himself to permanently silence his Midgardian neighbors for making too much noise.

For a long time, this arrangement worked. Loki typically walks to the tower with headphones in, playing an array of Norwegian music, most of it sung by the artist Aurora. Her music reminds him of home, so he is quite appreciative of her work.

Thor sometimes questions his reasoning for walking instead of teleporting, but Loki finds the walk to be very calming, considering he leaves the apartment early enough to avoid pedestrian traffic. Then late at night, he walks back to his apartment, headphones in, still somewhat aware of his surroundings. Despite what The Avengers constantly say about the city at nighttime, robbery or any kind of assault is of little concern to Loki, considering-well-he’s a literal deity.

Slowly, The Avengers began to warm up to him, with the obvious exception of Natasha and Clint, who are always suspicious of everything. Loki eventually found that he favors the company of Bucky and Wanda, as opposed to the constantly annoying presence of Tony or the self-righteousness of Steve. He also prefers to keep a fair distance from Bruce, much to Bruce’s understanding.

Nothing was amiss, everything was going pretty well.

Until, a new neighbor moves in next door.

Generally, Loki doesn’t care for the ordinary Midgardians that roam the city, he finds them to be incredibly shallow and rather dull. None of them intrigue him in the slightest, and he finds that many of them have an ornate ability to talk much, but at the same time say absolutely nothing.

However, he swears to The Norns that you, the girl who just moved in next door, have been designed specifically to get a rise out of him.

Loki has always been known for his patience and tolerance of others. Even at this chaotic stage in his life, it still truly takes much to get him to snap, but you seem to be naturally gifted at winding him up.

For one, you purposely went out of your way to introduce yourself to him. You went out of your way to bother him, when none of the other neighbors dared to acknowledged him.

Maybe if he were younger he would’ve enjoyed the attention, but now? This Loki likes not being acknowledged, he likes being left alone, and doesn’t care about whoever else is living in this apartment complex.

He doesn’t even really remember what you were saying to him, he just remembers blankly staring down at you for a few minutes and then impolitely shutting the door in your face.

(Unbeknownst to either of you, back on the Bifrost, Heimdall let out a chuckle of amusement.)

Secondly, you’re just too bloody loud. You talk loud, your footsteps are loud, and you play loud music well into the night until one of the other neighbors have to come knocking on your door to tell you to keep it down.

He overheard you rattling off to one of your neighbors in the lobby, and unsurprising to him, you’re pretty young, twenty four, just graduated from NYU, and you have a degree in fashion design-whatever that means. Loki isn’t well informed on Midgardian credentials, and he’d rather not ask Thor (who has a better grasp on degrees thanks to Jane), lest his brother misunderstand his curiosity for infatuation.

Mentally childish, cheery, loud, and obnoxious.

All the things Loki doesn’t like, compressed into one tiny person.

You make him want to turn you into a mouse whenever you’re nearby, and when you speak, sometimes he wishes he could just take a knife and cut out your vocal cords.

It’s such a shame that he finds you so attractive, if only he could tear your face off and place it on another, quieter woman.

On the flip side, you aren’t particularly fond of him either. He always comes off as rude and dismissive. You are convinced he’s the spirit of an old grumpy senior citizen wearing the skin of a beautiful young man.

So, tensions continue to escalate over the course of four months. The loud music, the loud talking, the loud everything.

He could just ask Tony to move him to another apartment complex the moment you began to stoke the fire, but he would rather not concede defeat. Eventually, you’ll be asked to move, with how loud you are and how often you inconvenience the others around you.

But, another month passes and it still hasn’t happened yet.

He’s not sure how long he can put up with this nonsense.

Six months became his limit, after you tested his patience on the wrong day.

That afternoon, Doctor Doom had infiltrated The Avengers tower looking to steal technology from Tony. Doom easily brushed aside the team’s efforts to prevent him from getting anywhere near the lab. With Thor temporarily lending his assistance to Asgard, The Avengers were without one of their strongest members. Loki eventually managed to subdue him, but his seidr was almost completely spent. He was left feeling fatigued and rather irrate.

When he finally returned to his apartment, he was greeted with some much needed peace and quiet. He fell asleep on the couch, too tired to get undressed from his armor or walk to his bedroom.

It wasn’t until you returned home late from a runway show, that his peace was interrupted. He could quite clearly hear your vain and vulgar Midgardian music playing loudly in your apartment nearby.

“I said certified freak.”

“Seven days a week.”

“Wet ass pussy.”

“Make that pull out game weak!”

Finally fed up, Loki exits his apartment, slamming the door shut behind him, and stomping to your front door. He knocks loudly and frantically, eager to get you to shut off that stupid music.

Hearing the knocking on the door, you quickly pause your music, knowing that it’s probably one of your irritated neighbors again. When you open your door, you are greeted with the sight of a scowling deity. You tilt your head and smile at him brightly. “Well, Loki, how may I help you?”

“You may help me by shutting off that incessant, vain, rhythmless dribble you call music.”

“It’s the national anthem. I am paying homage to our country’s independence.”

Loki grimaces, leaning in slightly. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“No, but I take you for someone with an old man mentality.” You raise an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not Bill Clinton in a skin suit?”

“It is one in the morning and some of us are tired.” Loki hisses. “Mortals. Always only concerned with themselves, so selfish and blind to the needs of others.”

“Selfish and blind? You’re one to talk.” You cross your arms. “Didn’t you kill like, hundreds of people when you invaded New York City because you wanted a throne?”

Loki’s eyes narrow dangerously at you, as you slowly cross into no-man’s land.

You pout and pretend to cry. “Boohoo, I am Loki, I was born into a rich family, and I was given everything I ever wanted except a throne.” You pretend to wipe your eyes. “So I killed hundreds of innocent humans because I wanted to be king.”

“You have no idea what you speak of, mortal.” Loki growls, his voice low and grave now. He steps forward, passing through your doorway. “You know nothing of me, or what I am capable of.”

“And what are you capable of, Loki?” You ask. “Besides killing hundreds of innocent people because your daddy didn’t like you, of course.”

You are caught off guard when Loki pulls the door shut behind him and locks it. He immediately pins you against the wall by your arms, and glowers down at you.

“Scared, mortal?”

“No.” You answer truthfully. “You don’t scare me anymore. If you really wanted me dead, you would’ve done it already. You’ve gone soft.”

He growls at you, and leans forward, pressing his lips against yours. You hardly have any time to react as he forces his tongue into your mouth. He’s actually surprised when you begin to fight him for dominance, your tongue aggressive pushing against his, and your teeth nibbling on his lips. Eventually, you have to give up your fight, your need for oxygen cutting your fight short.

“Such a shame, a pretty face like yours bound to someone with such an ugly personality.” Loki’s hands release your wrists and slowly travel down to grip your hips.

“Hypocrite.” You say. “Between the two of us, you’re the one with the ugliest personality.”

“You dare to speak to a god in such a way.” Loki groans lowly, grinding himself up against you. You gasp, feeling his erection pressing up against you. “I’ll have you know, where I come from, you’d be punished.”

You let your fingers get tangled in his hair and then you tug on it. You grin as he lets out a soft moan. “Are you telling me you’d like to punish me?”

“I am unsure.” His hands travel up your shirt, and cup your breast. You’re internally grateful that you decided to ditch your bra today. “I have a feeling you’d enjoy it too much.”

Loki stills as your hand travels between the two of you and gently massages the bulge in his pants. “Well, why don’t we find out?”

You yelp in surprise when Loki drags you by your arm to the kitchen. He pushes you to bend over the kitchen counter, pulls your pajama pants down, along with your panties.

A sharp gasp escapes you when he shoves two long fingers inside of you and pumps them steadily inside of you. He continues this until your wetness is practically running down your thighs.

You hear him unbuckle his belt behind you, and soon, he flips you around, so you’re now lying on your back on the counter. You close your eyes as you feel his cock pressing up against your entrance.

“I’m going to break you, fragile mortal.” Loki growls. “I’m going to break you, and relish the moment you come undone underneath me.”

You let out a chuckle, which only serves to irritate him. He enters you in one swift thrust, and you whimper as you feel him stretch you out more than you ever have before.

Loki wraps his fingers around your throat, and begins thrusting hard and fast. He hisses as you drag your nails hard against his neck.

“You should be worshipping me, mortal.” He growls. “You should feel honored that I’m here splitting your quim instead of resting, like I wanted to do.”

“Oh, fuck you spoilt rich brat!” You snap at him.

“Oh, but I am fucking you.” Loki chuckles darkly, tightening his grip around your throat. “And when I’m done, you’ll be positively ruined for any mortal man who tries to lay with you.”

“Bold of you to assume you can make me cum with that weak dick of yours.”

You let out a lewd moan when he changes his angle, his cock head brushing up against your g-spot.

“You were saying, whore?”

“Shut the fuck up. You’re the whore, coming here to fuck someone you don’t even like.”

Loki groans, watching as his cock is literally splitting your cunt. “You asked for this, you stupid girl.”

When you begin to feel a familiar tightening in your stomach, you start to claw and scratch at him, not willing to let him push you over the edge.

“Fight me all you wish to, mortal.” Loki groans in your ear. “You’re going to cum for me, whether you like it or not.”

“I hate you!” You practically scream at him.

“I hate you as well, but here we are.”

You gasp and moan as you feel the coil in your stomach snap. You are somewhat thankful that Loki choking you is preventing you from screaming at the top of your lungs. Loki grunts loudly as he falls over the edge after you, his hips stuttering to a stop as he releases inside of you.

You both stay like that for a few minute, your back on the counter and cum oozing onto your thighs, and Loki resting some of his weight on top of you.

“I might just retire in here for tonight.” Loki grumbles. “I am completely spent.”

“So tired from one round that you can’t walk back to your own apartment?” You chuckle. “You have shitty stamina for a god.”

“I was tired before I arrived here. I said this already.”

You roll your eyes. “Then you should’ve gone to sleep instead of coming here.”

“I wouldn’t have come here if you hadn’t been playing your music loud enough for Asgard to hear!” Loki snaps, biting at your neck in annoyance. You wince. “You’re an obnoxious wrench. It’s a wonder how you haven’t been asked to move elsewhere.”

“The landlord is my mother.”

Loki is silent for a few moments, now absolutely livid. The landlord is your mother?!

“I’ll be having words with your mother, then.”

You laugh. “You can try. Who do you think I got all of my obnoxious traits from?”

You hear Loki scowl next to you, and nip you on the neck again. “You Midgardian women are bothersome.”

[rosesgonerogue]

I didn’t so much fall in love - It kicked me in the face Chapter Four

No matter how hard she tried, Marinette couldn’t deny the fact that she found Timothy Drake incredibly attractive. But she had to push it down for the sake of professionalism. In all actuality, all of the Wayne brothers were attractive, but she and Tim just… clicked. She wanted to stay here and talk to him, pick his mind about his likes and dislikes. It really did not help that Leo was insistent that Tim got Ladybug red lining. 

Because that was huge. Leo knew Ladybug’s identity, and he was staunchly protective of the heroine because of that. He knew something, or intuited something about Tim that Marinette hadn’t caught onto yet. Leo’s insistence was more than curious, and it consumed enough of Marinette’s thoughts that she managed to avoid pondering the fact that the majority of the family had at least some trace of the Lazarus Pits on them. 

The Lazarus Pits were something that Marinette had only learned about from the book, but the sensation was unmistakable. They were dark, twisted Miraculous magic, a result of a wish born from the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses. It was a magic that was able to heal someone at the expense of their sanity, or sometimes their humanity, at least so the kwamis had reported. But the magic was faded - it had been at least a few years since any of them had interacted with the pools. It had taken her some time to confirm the feeling, but now Marinette was sure of it. If the Wayne family was indeed the “Bat Family,” as Gotham had dubbed the vigilantes, then they were involved in some things beyond even the Justice League. 

If that was the case, then Tim should have been the last person she focused on. He was remarkably free of the vile magic. Even knowing that, as well as Marinette’s responsibilities as the Guardian of the Miraculous, she couldn’t help but gravitate towards Tim.

She really wanted nothing more than to talk to the man for hours, but Marinette couldn’t. It felt like she was with her friends and it was late enough that she knew logically that she needed to leave, but it also felt like she couldn’t help but leave a part of herself behind when she did. But Marinette was an adult, with a job and a child to take care of. Purposely tearing her eyes away from him , she looked at the clock. “Well, it’s getting late, Tim. I’m sure you have important business to attend to, and I have a number of suits to make. It was lovely meeting you, and thank you once again for being so attentive to Leo.” 

“It was my pleasure, Marinette.” 

Slipping away, Marinette couldn’t escape the thoughts and emotions pounding in her mind. The Wayne family was truly an eclectic group. 

Alfred waited for her at the doorway, his posture perfect. “On behalf of the Wayne family, I thank you, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” 

Maybe it was just the residual emotions from the Waynes - because there were many - but now that she wasn’t distracted, something felt… different about the butler. Miraculous. 

“And thank you for all of your assistance, Monsieur. I’m afraid I missed your last name.” 

“Pennyworth, Madame. Sir Alfred Pennyworth.” 

“Well, Sir Pennyworth, I hope to see you again soon,” Marinette said warmly, squeezing Leo’s hand. “Have a wonderful day.” 

“You as well,” he said, inclining his head. 

A car was waiting outside for them, and as Marinette was buckling Leo in, he said, “Monsieur Pennyworth needs something blue like Duusu.”

His eyes were grave - Marinette often thought that she wasn’t capable of possibly fathoming half of the things that went through his mind. Apparently being born to the guardian and wielder of the Miraculous had some side-effects - like his scary accurate intuition. 

“Don’t worry,” she said, ruffling his hair. “I’ll make something special for Mr. Pennyworth. But if he’s blue like Duusu, why is Monsieur Drake Ladybug red?” 

“He matches you,” Leo said simply before becoming fixated on something outside of the car. 

Well. Marinette got to decipher what that was supposed to mean alone, it seemed. 

**********

As soon as the designer was gone, Damian huffed, crossing his arms. “She at least seems marginally capable.” 

“She’s more than marginally capable, Little D,” Dick said, shaking his youngest brother. “She’s MDC.” 

“Are we going to discuss the fact that she’s the tourist from patrol the other night?” Jason asked, lounging across an armchair.

“The one you had to get out of a tree? Why would she-”

“No, the one that took down Scarecrow single-handedly and then managed to kick the replacement in the face,” Jason said, snickering. 

“Are you kidding me?” Dick asked, eyes alight with excitement. “She’s that one?” 

“It was probably just adrenaline,” Damian muttered. “You said she had been looking for her child, didn’t you?” 

“Speaking of the kid, he sees way too much,” Jason butted in. “It’s like he can look into your soul. And you can’t adopt either of them, Bruce, no matter how much they look like Waynes.” 

“There are other options,” Bruce said dismissively. “But if we want to keep our identities a secret, we need to be especially cautious. Tim, I want you to do a background check now that we have a full name. Nothing too deep, she hasn’t given us any real reason to be suspicious yet.” 

“Nonsense,” Damian said with a curled lip. “We should have done a full investigation before she even set foot in Gotham.” 

“Damian, you will show her respect,” Bruce warned. 

“Hey B, do you know anything about a Parisian hero named Ladybug?” Tim asked. “Leo was talking about her like she was a pretty big deal.” 

“The name is familiar. She and a handful of other heroes popped up in Paris a little less than ten years ago. There isn’t much information on them, but they seem harmless enough, leading recycling efforts and such. They’re likely more public mascots than actual heroes.” 

“That would be kind of nice, wouldn’t it?” Dick wondered idly. “What would it be like, worrying about recycling and friendship more than actual crime?” 

“Either the Parisian cops are damn good at their job, or the city is a disaster,” Jason speculated. “The more I think about it, Paris sounds like a great vacation spot. You should take us there on our next family trip, Bruce.” 

“We don’t do family trips,” Damian sneered. 

“You should take us on family trips, Bruce.” 

“Think of all of the family bonding we could do!” Dick exclaimed with stars in his eyes. While they all argued about whether or not a family trip was feasible, or even worthwhile, Tim slipped away to his room. 

His mind was bogged down with visions of blue eyes and a musical laugh. The only word he could think of to describe how he felt was “bewitched,” but Tim felt like that was far from just to the source of the problem. 

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door and none other but Dick Grayson pushed his way into the room. “Everything okay, Tim?” he asked, eyes clearly concerned. 

“I’m fine, I just… This is completely embarrassing. I was just… distracted.” 

Dick scrutinized him for a moment before his face cleared. “Oh. Oh.” 

“Don’t make it sound like that,” Tim said, throwing a pillow. “I just… I don’t think I’ve spoken that easily to a woman ever. Marinette… She was amazing.” 

“I did notice that you two were getting along. It’s okay if you like her, Timmie. In case you haven’t gotten the memo, the whole vigilante life doesn’t immediately exclude you from having a love life.” 

“I know, I’ve seen it, but - Ugh, it’s all so confusing. I think I could really, really like her, but she’s too bright, too precious. Gotham would drain the life out of her, just like it does to everything else.” 

Dick thought for a moment before ruffling his brother’s hair. “First of all, I think you’re not giving Marinette enough credit. She’s already been through an attack, and it was with Scarecrow, no less. Somehow she managed to take him down, and she almost took you out too. Gotham’s got nothing on that girl.” 

“I know, it’s just hard to reconcile the Marinette I just met with the one that kicked me in the face,” Tim said, rubbing his temples. “What’s second?” 

“Hmm?” 

“You said ‘first of all.’ That means that you’ve got a second part.” 

Moving to Tim’s doorway, Dick looked back with half a smile. “Second of all, no one ever said you had to stay in Gotham.” 

Taglist: 

@ii-fox-demon @queen-in-a-flower-crown @novaloptr @saphiraazure2708 @iamabrownfox @smolplantmum @redhoodedtoad @loysydark @slytheringinger300 @finallyaniguana @brokenwordsarehard2 @abrx2002 @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @moonlightstar64  @marinettepotterandplagg @black-streak @purplesundaze @maribat-is-lifeblood @the-fusionist @river9noble @chocolatecatstheron @darkthunder1589 @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @dast218 @k-poplunardreams @meanids @changelinggarden @ladybug-182 @pawsitivelymiraculous

Note: 

This chapter is short on Leo, which is as much as shame to me as it is to all of you, I’m sure. I fully intend on making up for that later. Let me know what you all think. I’m still fairly new to writing romance, so I could use all the input I can get! 

[sparkleofpizza]

The archer - Tim Drake x reader 2/?

The archer - Tim Drake x reader 2/?

Requested: no

Warnings: bit of angst 

Taglist: @isthataladybag

Summary: Y/n Queen will be living in the Wayne Manor for a while, and Dick Grayson decided to be the Cupid between her and his little brother Tim Drake.

Word count: 2.671

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6  - Part 7

After the sleeping incident, Tim couldn't look at you without blushing madly. You only smiled sweetly at him, not really trying anything to make him more flustered. You figured if he had the same interest in you as you had in him, eventually he would come to you and you both could find out what to do about that. 

Obviously, you had to talk to someone about that, and that lead to a big wave of teasing coming from Connor Hawke, your best friend . You wished you could talk about that to your sister Emiko, but unfortunately that wasn't possible at the moment. You were still adjusting to the fact that you had a sister, and right at the moment where you wished to speak to her about something important to you, you simply couldn't reach out to her. 

You were sitting at the Batcomputer watching Jason do some workout routine. You had went down there once you found out they had a treadmill, and decided to take on the opportunity to run a bit. Just to get the blood pumping.

"So, when was the last time you practiced something?" Jason asked, pulling you out of your thoughts 

You looked up at him, watching as he had finished up his routine. You smirked, pulling your hair up in a ponytail, walking towards him. 

"Before I got here." You replied 

"Oh, you must be rusty then. It's been a couple of weeks." He laughed "Are you sure you're up for sparing?"

"Are you sure you're up for sparing?"

He laughed at you, motioning with his hand "Bring it up."

You lunged at him, deflecting some of his punches and trowing some of your own. You caught on his hand as he want to punch you in the face, twisting his arm around to his back. He let go, making you stumble a little before you got back on your feet, elbowing him on the ribs, and successfully kicking him on the knees making him loose his balance as you went around his back and got him on the ground with a painful thud. 

You smirked down at him, offering a hand.

"Looks like you're the one who is a little rusty." You teased him 

"I was going easy on you." He grumbled under his breath

"How did you do that?" Damian questioned, standing beside you, looking at his brother on the floor and then back at you, narrowed eyes 

This was one of the first times that he was talking to you without that air of disgust he always have. You smiled, pushing some hair strands from your face. 

"My brother taught me that." 

"Yeah, but Todd is more than twice your size." He remarked, not truly believing in what he had witnessed before his eyes "Fight me!"

"Ok." You nodded, getting in fight stance once more 

Jason chuckled lowly, getting out of your way and joining Dick and Tim who had stopped to watch you and Damian fight. The two later, who had not seen you and Jason fight, were looking concerned about your well being. Damian knew how to be ruthless during fighting, he had been trained by the League of Assassins after all. 

The little boy lunged at you with all his force, only growing frustrated as you dodged all of his advances and managed to punch him in the ribs. It was easy to understand a bit of his moves, he was raised at the League of Assassins, you had your fair share of encounters with them to now that, and also had spent five months being trained by them after some ridiculous stunt that Malcom Merlyn had pulled.

He screamed in frustration when you held both of his arms on his back, him on his knees. 

"I demand you tell me how you know all of this."

Damian would never admit it, but you were too good of a fighter and he didn't want to give you the credit for it. He was supposed to know all the cool and different tricks he learned at the league. 

His brothers were staring at you in a awe as Jason only laughed at scene in front of him. Tim thought his heart was going to come out of his mouth, it was beating just way too fast. If he didn't think you were way too incredible for him before, now he was a 100% sure of it. 

"Your mother taught me that." Was all you said, before pulling the boy up and leaving to grab a bottle of water 

At that all four of them had their mouthes hung open. Talia had taught you that? How was it possible that you, of all people, had been trained by that woman? That only made them realize they didn't know much about you as you seem to know a lot about them. That certainly wasn't good, they were supposed to be a family of detectives, how couldn't they know who was the girl that was staying at their house? 

"You mean you were trained by the demon's mother?" Jason exclaimed "Roy never told me that."

"That's because we do not talk about that. She tried to kill me once or twice, and I also spent some time at the League." You explained, turning to look at them as you leaned against a table "That's not big deal, really."

"Uh, yes it is!" Tim exclaimed, waving his hands around "You turned on the tables of her wanting to kill to being trained by her. If this isn't amazing, I don't really know what it is."

You smiled at him, it felt good to be complimented by him. Thank God you checks were already red from the physical effort or else everyone would have seen you blush. 

"Well, when your brother is the Green Arrow, his girlfriend is the Black Canary and you're surrounded by bad guys trying to kill you and your family, you kind of have to find a way to defend yourself."

Tim's eyes went wide. Was he crushing Oliver Queen's little sister? Oh, this was much worse than he had previously thought. He thought you were Roy's sister, which was already bad enough, but being Oliver's sister? He's going to end up with way to many arrows' wounds if they ever find out about him having feelings for you. 

He failed to notice as everyone left the room, leaving the two of you alone. They had all been rushed out by Dick who wanted to make sure you guys would end up together by the time you left. He wouldn't let it go until you were a couple.

"So..." You broke the silence, taking a few steps towards him "We haven't really talked much since that day I helped you out with that case. How is it going?"

His eyes went wide, he didn't think you'd notice he had been kind of avoiding you lately. 

"It's good to go. We're going to bust them tomorrow, that's when the sale is going to take place." 

You nodded, standing right in front of him. You were only a few inches from him, if he lifted his hand he could brush it against your skin - he really wanted to do that. He wanted to feel your warmth and your body close to his just like that day when you slept in each others embrace. 

"Maybe I could join you guys on the field." You said, looking up at him thought your eyelashes "I have some experience on that area already."

"Yeah?" He breathlessly asked, leaning down a bit, just to take a better look at you "But that's too dangerous, you could get hurt."

"So could you." Your chests were almost touching "I guess we would have to have each others backs, then."

"I suppose we would." He pushed some loose hair away from your face, keeping his hands there "But still, I can't picture someone so wonderful as you at a weapon sale."

"I could say the same for you." You pressed your hands on his chest, patting it slightly, feeling some of its muscles "Normally big bad mobster buyers have a girl in his arms."

"And you would be my girl?"He questioned, his hand on your face going down to your jaw as his other hand pulled at your waist, pressing your bodies together 

"Oh, yes. You can bet I'll be your girl." You replied, gripping his biceps 

He leaned down more, your lips was just about to brush, you could feel your heart beating faster and faster. Then there was footsteps approaching making you pull apart. 

"Father is asking for you, Drake. You have a meeting at Wayne Enterprises." Damian announced, eyeing you two very suspiciously, considering how red your faces were

"Yeah, I am coming." Tim rubbed the back of his neck

He looked at you sheepishly before leaving with his little brother, leaving you alone at the batcave, frustrated.

So much for a kiss.

Later that week, they were all getting ready for the weapon sale. You were sitting on a chair, looking rather disappointed when Bruce had told you he had promised your brother to keep your safe, and letting you go to a mission full of weapon wasn't really keeping you safe. You tried to argument that you knew how to take care of yourself, but Dick had told you it was hard to change Bruce's mind once it was already set up.

All there was left for you to do was sit with Alfred and watch the cameras. Hoping that everything would turn out to be ok, you didn't want any of them to get hurt, being in there would make you feel a bit more calmer. At least you would be able to intervene if it was necessary, you could help out. 

"They're going to be ok, miss y/n. That includes master Tim."

You looked at Alfred with pure shock. Sure it wasn't that visible that you had a crush on Tim. 

"I saw the both of you asleep at his bed a couple of days ago." He explained "I am glad he found a girl like you."

You smiled happily at him. Getting Alfred's approval was important to you, even if you still didn't know what was going on between the two of you after having almost shared a kiss yesterday and saying stuff about you being his girl. But, you were always inching towards each other, and right now all you wanted to do was be by his side on the field. 

You heard them talking over the coms, wishing they'd all be alright by the end of this. God, if they showed up with any bullet wounds, you'd be pissed. 

"We're about to get in." Bruce said over the coms "Red Hood was already able to get the information we needed to get all these men in jail."

"I'm cutting the power right now." Alfred informed, clicking some things on the bat computer and shutting down all energy from the building

Right now all you could hear was grunting and gunshots as the fight started. You bit your lip nervously, you were already used to this kind of stuff, you watched your brother do it every time and most times you stayed behind because being a vigilante isn't one of your top priorities, but you have no idea how the batfamily works. You've never actually seen them in action before, so obviously you were a nervous wreck waiting for them to get back.

"Perhaps I should prepare you a cup of camomile tea while you monitor them to me." Alfred offered, already standing up and not waiting for your reply

Honestly, this man is way too good to everyone in this house. 

Your eyes stayed glued on the screens, looking trough all of the surveillance cameras to make sure there was nothing out of the ordinary happening there. But that's when an alert popped up on the screen and a lot made sense to you in that moment, this wasn't just any kind of weapon sale. 

"Uh guys, you need to get out of there." You said, typing away on the keyboard trying to get more information - grateful for whatever tech info Felicity ever taught you "There's a bomb in the building!"

"What? Can you find where's located?" Tim breathlessly asked 

"It's under it, but I can't disarm it from here! Someone must do it remotely. I'm sending you the infos."

Why would someone plant a bomb at a weapon sale? That didn't make any sense. 

"Here's your tea, miss... What just happened?" Alfred rushed to your side upon looking at the bomb's instructions 

"There is a bomb in the building!"

"I'm already on it!" Damian exclaimed 

You took a big gulp of the tea, wishing that the camomile would instantly calm you down. That was too much for your nerves, Damian was just a kid, what if it exploded on him? This mission was testing your anxiety levels a lot more than you expected it to. 

A painfully half an hour later, you heard all of their bikes and the batmobile pulling up at the cave. You and Alfred had already prepared all of the necessary stuff in case they were hurt, which of course they were.

All five of them came limping towards the medical bay where Alfred ushered them to start patching them up. You looked up from the medical gloves you were placing on your hands to see Tim stand beside you, a hand on his shoulder and a small smile on his lips.

"It was nice working with you over the coms. You did a good job."

"Thank you, I normally help Felicity the best I can when I'm not out on the field." You smiled back at him, pulling his hand away from his shoulder to take a better look at the injury "Sit down, please, you're too tall for me and this is gonna hurt."

He chuckled at your choice of words, but then proceeded to whimper in pain as he sat down on the medical bed behind him. You shook your head, helping him pull out the top half of his suit to have better access at the wound. You inspected it closely, standing between his legs, before pulling the bullet out of his shoulder, it didn't go too deep, so it was easier to get it out. 

You cleaned all of the blood with alcohol to make sure it wouldn't infect and then proceeded to stitch him up. 

"You're full of surprises, little Queen." Tim broke the silence, looking at your adorably concentrated face "A very skilled fighter, good at patching people up, good with techs. Is there anything else you'd like to share?"

You bit your lower lip, placing some gauze over the stitches and rubbing it slightly. You looked up at him, a smirk adorning your face.

"And what's the fun in that? I think you're gonna have to find out all of my secrets, Mr. Drake."

He chuckled, placing a hand at your hips to keep you from moving "Oh, you can bet I'm gonna find it all out."

He leaned in a bit, but you placed a finger on his lips. He frowned, pouting slightly against your index finger.

"We can finish flirting later, pretty bird. Right now you need to rest and I have to help Alfred patch up the rest of your brothers."

"But I may need assistance while resting."

Your finger traced the outline of his lips, eyes never failing to leave his as you slowly took a step away from him.

"If you go up to your room right now, take a shower and actually lay in bed to rest, after I'm done here, I'll visit you to make sure you have the assistance you need."

Tim nodded eagerly, standing up too fast and wincing from pain one more time. 

"I can do that." He smiled, kissing your check 

[caws5749]

“you really scared me today”

nat x reader. injury. 

You had been hit. You weren't sure by what, but that didnt matter to you right now. What mattered was the pain. It was excruciating. Your body was on fire but you couldn't stop shaking.

The rest of the Avengers focused on finishing the mission while Natasha and Clint worked on getting you out of the battle scene. They had a rough time trying to navigate through all of the enemies and rubble, all the while trying to keep from injuring you further as they each had an arm wrapped around you. Your hands were grasping your side, where you assumed you must have gotten hit the worst. There was also a pretty bad pain in your leg, but you weren’t sure what that was. Not to mention the few gaping wounds you had. Your vision started to blur. 

“Tasha” you whimpered. She stopped searching the scene for a moment to rest her concerned gaze on you. You only called her Tasha when you were really scared. 

“Just breathe Y/N,” she murmured, before her and Clint exchanged a worried look. They finally got you onto the Quinjet and laid you down. You were shaking harder and the fire you felt earlier had become ten times worse. 

“I’ll call Cho,” Clint stated, before walking off to the cockpit. Nat nodded at him before turning to you. She began stroking your hair and murmuring softly to you. You didn’t really hear any of it, but it was nice and decreased your suffering  by a tiny bit. 

“We got them all. Heading back to the jet now.” You managed to hear Steve say on the comms. Natasha walked away from you and began speaking into her comms. You weren’t sure what she was saying, but you judged it was probably about you from the glances she would shoot your way. 

A few minutes later, the rest of the Avengers climbed onto the jet and immediately crowded around you. 

“What’s the word from Cho?” Tony asked Clint. 

“Still trying to get ahold of her. She’s not answering,” Clint responded, his voice tense. The Avengers exchanged glances, before looking at you. 

“Well keep trying,” Steve said, using his captain voice. 

“What do you think I’m doing here?” Clint retorted. The tense situation was putting everyone on edge. 

“Alright. This is bad, yes, but we can’t react this way. We still have a decent ride back and we need to put Y/N first,” Bruce advised. The group nodded, and settled in for the ride. 

Natasha began murmuring to you and stroking your hair again. You whimpered as it was becoming harder to breathe. It felt like every time you inhaled there was small knives scratching your lungs. You felt your vision darkening, and passed out quickly. 

Nat immediately began checking your breathing and pulse, alerting the others of what happened. Bruce and Tony came running over, knowing the most about medicine. 

“We need to pick up the pace. And get Cho there. ASAP.” Bruce stated. 

“I got her!” Clint suddenly yelled. “She's on her way to the compound.”

Natasha gave a small sigh of relief. She was obviously incredibly worried about you. You hadn’t really ever injured yourself this bad on a mission, and neither had she. You guys always joked about how you were super lucky and obviously the strongest and smartest Avengers because of your relatively clean hospital records. She missed those times right now. A small tear ran down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly. 

“Landing,” Clint alerted. Everyone grabbed onto something and Natasha made sure your body was strapped in. 

As soon as you landed, you were rushed into the medical bay, where thankfully Helen Cho was ready and waiting, having arrived five minutes prior to you. Her and her team set to work. All of the Avengers were kicked out, with the promise of updates every half hour. 

Most of the Avengers retired to the kitchen or adjacent living room, grabbing something to eat or drink, or just sit. Steve saw Natasha slip away down the hallway. He decided he’d give her a few minutes and then check on her. 

Your girlfriend walked back to your shared room and changed into some of her workout clothes. She headed downstairs to the gym and began punching a punching bag. Steve found her ten minutes later, with a mix of tears and sweat running down her face. 

“Nat,” he sighed. She turned around from her position and looked at him leaning in the door frame. 

“I’m fine,” she muttered, before turning back and continuing her punches.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” Steve replied, and began walking towards her. She didn’t respond, and only punched harder and faster. 

“Nat,” he repeated. She finally stopped, one of her hands already bruised. 

“I’m scared,” she whispered, casting her eyes downward. 

“I know. But hurting yourself isn’t going to fix that. All we can do is wait for an update. The first one should be coming in about ten minutes. Let’s go upstairs.”

She nodded. Steve waited for her to wash her face before they both headed upstairs to the kitchen. Nat sat at one of the counter stools, sipping a water Steve had grabbed for her. Someone from Cho’s team walked in, and within two seconds they had the entire team surrounding them. 

“She’s stabilized, but still unconscious. We’re going to have to monitor her very carefully and we are unsure when she’ll wake.” 

Nat let a few more tears run down her cheeks at that, relieved that her girlfriend wasn’t dead. The rest of the Avengers let out sighs, and Wanda was wiping away tears too. 

“When can we see her?” Clint asked. 

“You can go in now, but not too many at once.” 

They all looked at Nat, and she nodded. She slowly followed the doctor to the med bay and headed in through the door. She inhaled sharply once she saw you. You looked peaceful but Nat wasn’t used to seeing you hooked up to IV’s and monitors. She sat down on the edge of your bed. 

“You really scared me today,” Natasha murmured to you. “I don’t know what I would have done if you had -.” She wiped away a tear. She semi-waited for you to respond, even though she knew you wouldn’t. 

“I love you,” she whispered before leaning down and brushing her lips to your forehead. She stood, wiping away a final tear before composing herself and leaving the room. She walked back to your shared room, not wanting the Avengers worried gazes on her. Nat alerted JARVIS to tell the others that they could now visit Y/N. She switched on your favorite movie and waited for any other updates about you. 

“Miss Romanoff, Miss Y/L/N has woken and is asking for you.” JARIVS alerted an hour later. Nat practically jumped out of bed and ran to the med bay. She burst through the door and let her eyes land on you. You were sitting up, clearly waiting for her. You gave her a soft smile and she let out a relieved sigh, followed by some tears. 

“Natasha,” you chided. “Don’t cry I’m fine.” She rolled her eyes and chuckled before heading to sit on the edge of the bed.  “How are you feeling?” she asked. You hummed. 

“I feel okay, they gave me a pretty good amount of opioids,” you responded. She let her lips quirk upward at that. 

“What happened to your hand?” you murmured. She looked down at her bruised hand. She shook her head. 

“It’s nothing babe.” You eyed her suspiciously. You knew she wasn’t telling the truth, and she knew that you knew, but you dropped it, for now. 

“Come cuddle with me. I want to watch something.” She carefully climbed into the bed with you and turned on the TV. You both chose something and began half paying attention. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” your girlfriend whispered. You nodded.

“Yeah me too. Someone’s gotta be alive to make sure you don’t go around punching things until you hurt yourself,” you replied, a playful smirk on your lips. She looked at you incredulously. 

“I know you Nat.” She huffed, before pressing her lips to your cheek. 

“You should sleep and let your body heal,” she murmured. You hummed, already sleepy. She began to rub circles on your arm, and you fell asleep quickly. Nat sighed and pressed another kiss to your temple before letting herself drift off. 

[ceealaina]

Title: I Need a Superman to Sweep Me off My Feet Collaborator Name: ceealaina Card Number: 3088 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - [Image] Iron Patriot Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: When Tony gets stuck up a tree, who's he gonna call? 

Iron Patriot! Word Count: 1485

“No, no, no no no! Shit!”

Tony grabbed at the tree branch before he fell, watching forlornly as the ladder toppled to the ground. The very, very far below him ground. 

“You have got to be kidding me,” he grumbled, pouting a little since there was no one around to see. Most of the active team was gone on some low-contact, stealth mission. Tony didn’t know whose bright idea it had been to send Steve Rogers on a stealth mission, but the man had sounded exhausted the last time he’d talked to him. It didn’t sound as though things were going well, Tony could tell that they would all need a break when they made it back home. 

A bout of insomnia had led to him finding an all-year 24/7 Christmas channel, which had given him the bright idea to string Christmas lights in the trees lining the incredibly long driveway leading to the Avengers compound. 

Listen, Tony was a genius, but sometimes he was real fucking dumb. 

Heaving out a sigh, he sat on the branch and considered his options. He was too high up to jump without risking injury, and there was no way he was trying that. He could just hear the shit he’d catch from the rest of the team if they found out why he was benched from the next mission. There was also no way he could climb down; the lower branches were thin, and would definitely not hold his body weight. He’d probably just hurt himself even worse than if he jumped in the first place. 

Whining, because again, nobody there to hear him, Tony pulled out his phone.

“What’s the matter, Tones?” Rhodey’s voice was fond and amused. “You get cold and give up already?” 

“I’m not cold!” Tony protested, although now that Rhodey had mentioned it, the wind was a little brisk. “I just… Need some help?” 

Rhodey huffed out a laugh. “No way, man. I told you this was a dumb idea. You could have stayed here with me. Watch some Die Hard, make out a little, have some hot chocolate…” 

“I genuinely don’t know if you’re talking about the drink or yourself right now, and that concerns me.” 

Rhodey laughed again. “But oh no,” he continued, like Tony’s hadn’t spoken. “Tony’s gotta go hang some twinkle lights in the trees. It’s fucking February, you idiot.” 

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Tony waved him off. “But listen, I’m serious.” 

“So am I! Got my underpants off and my pajama pants on and I am set.” 

“Okay, well I? Am stuck.” 

There was a long pause and Tony winced up at the fading light in the sky. 

“Stuck? What do you mean stuck?” 

He scrubbed a hand over his face. Rhodey was going to enjoy the hell out of this, because he was a terrible human. “I mean there was an incident with the ladder. It fell and now I am stuck up a tree,” he told him all in a rush. “Come on, honeybear, you’re the only one around right now. I just need you to come out and put the ladder back up and then I promise you can go right back to your weird crush on Bruce Willis.”

“Hey! My crush isn’t weird. Lots of people crush on Bruce Willis.” 

“Eh. I met him once, he wasn’t that great. He’s not even in my top five favourite Bruces.” 

“Whatever, man. Just hold on a minute, I’ll come be your knight in shining armor.” 

Tony probably should have been more concerned by that wording, but he was too busy thinking about how boring nature was, and wondering how much it was going to cost him to get Rhodey to keep this quiet from the rest of the team to really give it much thought. 

He was just wondering why the hell he hadn’t done this all as Iron Man (he’d had a reason, initially, but he was fucked if he could remember why it had been so important now) when he heard a low, familiar whine on the wind. 

“Oh,” he breathed, eyes closing as he realized. “Oh no.” 

A minute later, Rhodey was landing under the tree. In the old, red, white, and blue Iron Patriot armor, because of fucking course he was. He put his hands on his hips and popped the faceplate open, smirking up at Tony like he was man’s greatest gift. Tony didn’t know where to begin.

“Iron Patriot, reporting for duty. Never fear, I’m here to rescue you.”

“You’re fucking War Machine,” he burst out, and okay, apparently that was his starting point. “What are you… Where did you even get that? I thought I melted it down.” 

Rhodey just shrugged. “Thought it might come in handy.”

“I hate you so much.” Tony rubbed his forehead. “This is really unnecessary. I just needed you to pick up the ladder and put it back against the tree.” 

“Hey! You called Iron Patriot for assistance, that’s what you’re gonna get.” 

“I didn’t call Iron Patriot for assistance,” Tony felt it was necessary to point out. “What does that even mean?” 

Rhodey gave him a shit-eating grin and launched off the ground, hovering eye level with level. 

“Oh no,” Tony said again as he realized just what Rhodey was planning. “Really, really not necessary, Rhodes. You can pick up the ladder. Really. It’s right there.”

“Nope.” Rhodey held out his arms, waggling his eyebrows at Tony. “Sorry, handsome. This is a full service rescue.” 

“I hate you so much,” Tony informed him, shivering hard. He probably should have worn a warmer jacket, what with it being February and all. 

“No, you don’t.” 

Tony glared at him. “Come on, Rhodey. I’m fucking freezing. Just put the ladder back up.” 

Rhodey just arched an eyebrow at him. “Come on, Tony,” he parroted back to him. “Sooner you accept this is happening, the sooner we can get you inside where it’s warm. 

“Fine,” Tony grumbled, shifting to the edge of the branch that he was perched on. Rhodey hovered easily as Tony wrapped his arms around his neck. Then he swept his arms under Tony’s legs, scooping him up bridal style -- because of fucking course -- and flew them back toward the compound proper. 

Which, of course, was precisely when the rest of the team returned.

The image of Steve Rogers, laughing at him through the glass of the cockpit, would haunt Tony for the rest of his days. 

*

“Okay,” Steve said, when the luggage had dried off, and the returning team had showered and changed into their comfiest clothes. When the Thai food had been ordered, and blankets had been procured, and they were all tucked up in the preferred media room for an impromptu movie night. “Okay, what I don’t understand is why you didn’t just use the damn Iron Man suit.” He was openly laughing at Tony, not even pretending to hide it. 

“I don’t know,” Tony wailed, throwing a blanket over his head so he wouldn’t have to look at any of his terrible, horrible teammates. He hadn’t missed a single one of them. “I just didn’t, okay?” 

“You don’t know?” Steve repeated, apparently not letting this go. “What do you mean you don’t know? That thing is your pride and joy, Tony. I’m pretty sure it’s the first thing you think of in every situation.” 

“That’s not true!” 

Natasha scoffed, arching an eyebrow from where she was tucked up in Barnes’ lap. “Tony. If we were trapped in a burning building, and you could only save one of us, you would save the suit.” 

“That’s not--,”

“Hey!” Bucky pointed out, grinning wide. “One time we were trapped in a burning building and you did save the suit.” 

“Because you had an exit route and I was flying it!” 

Sam leaned around Steve, putting on his ‘serious therapist’ face. “Rhodes. It’s okay, this is a safe space, you can tell us honestly: Is it your name Tony hollers during sex, or the suits?” 

“The suit doesn’t even have a name!” Tony protested loudly, as they all busted out laughing, choking out what were, frankly, really creepy sex cries of ‘oh, Mark!’ whenever they could catch their breaths. 

Tony hated each and every one of them. He didn’t know why he tried to bother movie night in the first place. He didn’t have to stay here and listen to this, he was going to go down to the lab and tinker instead. (And if that tinkering led to really awesome upgrades to their equipment, well. He’d at least wait a few weeks before giving it to them, so no one would be suspicious.) 

Except everyone looked so genuinely fond and happy, the stress lines of the mission leaving their faces, the tension easing out of their bodies. Beside him, Rhodey caught his hand, gave him a wink and a soft smile. 

Tony stayed.

@tonystarkbingo