#But Bruce was suspicious and took the sample

[nelkcats]

Martha Masters

Martha Wayne maiden name was Masters. Before she married Thomas, she was known as the heiress of a well-known cheese factory, but that was not the life she wanted.

She ran away from home regardless of the consequences and gave up everything that had something to do with her former family. Sadly she couldn't keep in touch with her older brother and her nephew, little Vlad sure would grow up to be a great businessman but she wouldn't see it.

When Bruce Wayne took a blood sample from "Dani Phantom" he didn't expect their DNA samples to match as family (excluding the weird Lazarus Waters readings), when the girl got bored and confessed being a clone his suspicions got worse, did he had another lost son? A Lost brother perhaps?

Bruce analyzed Danny Fenton and Vlad Masters (Dani told him their identities, mostly because she was sure he wouldn't win against Danny, and bother Vlad was fun) , the family resemblance with the teen was undeniable (Blue eyes, black hair). Ironically, Danny had nothing to do with him, and the truth was that Vlad was his cousin; of course, that wouldn't stop the millionaire from getting suspicious about his supposed lost son.

[stormz369]

☕💖 Can I Get Your Number? ☕💖 Ch 24

Jason Todd x (f)Chubby!Reader

written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, will probably get NSFW later, let me know if there's anything else I should tag this with!

warnings/labels: little bit of trauma talk, but otherwise a light chapter! wc: 2.1k

Chapter Selection

Damian handed me a large manilla envelope as he came through my door. “Father said to give this to you.”

I frowned, opening it. The first page was an employment agreement. For ‘services to the Wayne family' I was being offered a salary of $120,000 a year for the duration of my education, and a signing bonus of an additional $10,000 up front. Under that was a paper with the name and number of a friend of Bruce's on the board at Gotham University's medical program, and a scribbled note that he was expecting my call. And under that was a pile of pamphlets and booklets on the medical program at GU, with specific details and classes highlighted.

“... Well, he's nothing if not thorough.” I shrugged, setting everything aside and pulling out the ingredients to start on dinner.

“What is all that?” Damian grabbed a snack from the fridge. 

“Just some paperwork; I’m thinking about going back to school.”

He nodded, getting set up at the table to work on his homework. “... Father also mentioned you're going to be the primary contact at my school?”

I nodded; “is that ok with you?”

Damian looked over at me. “... Yes, that’s fine. … Do I bring you the papers they send home then?”

“Yeah, I can take anything they send home.”

He nodded, pulled out a flier for spring semester PTA sign-ups. I took it, reading it over. “Looks like PTA meets on the first Monday of every month during last period. Maybe we can make a day of it!”

“... Do what?” He frowned.

“I'll come for the PTA meeting, and then Jason could pick the both of us up, and we'll get dinner before we take you home.”

“... You're joining the PTA?”

“Yes, I am.” I smiled brightly.

Damian frowned, eying me suspiciously. “... Why?”

I shrugged. “Why not?”

He watched me for a minute; “... You just … want to spend an hour a month with the parents and teachers at my school?”

“Let’s just say I’ve learned not to trust those people to treat their students right. I want to make sure they remember who they’re dealing with.”

“... Alright.” He nodded once, going back to his work.

I prepared dinner, humming softly to myself. Eventually, Jason knocked on the door, and I went to let him in. He smiled softly, kissing my forehead, and took a seat at the table. “... Babe, what's this?”

I looked over, he was looking through the paperwork Damian had brought. “Ah, I was gonna talk to you about that tonight. … I'm thinking about going back to school.”

“... Medical school? … And what's this about ‘services rendered to the Wayne family'? What services?” He frowned, looking up at me. I popped dinner in the oven and went to the table.

“... Should we go into my room to talk?” I looked over at Damian, who was staring at us.

“... Ok?...” He frowned a bit and I offered Jason my hand. He took it, following me to my room.

We sat on my bed, Jason still holding the paperwork. He looked through them, a confused frown on his face; “... What's going on?”

“... You said you were more comfortable than usual when I took the blood sample. Right?” He nodded slowly; “well, that night I was thinking about it … about your scars. … Bruce said you don't let anyone treat you unless you’re brought in unconscious?”

Jason nodded again, frowning deeply. “... I … I have a hard time trusting strangers with medical equipment … and I don’t like going to the Batcave for treatment either … they’re … they know what they’re doing, but … I don’t like the look on their faces when they have to treat me … makes me feel … ill.”

I nodded. “Well, I know some of your scars bother you, … and they wouldn't be so prominent if you were able to get proper treatment when you get wounded. So, I was thinking I could get the training to be able to do that for you, if you think you’d be comfortable enough for that?”

He blinked a bit, frowning. “... You … you want to get trained to- … why?”

I gently squeezed his hand, stroking his knuckles with my thumb. “Because you need someone you feel safe getting medical treatment from. You deserve to feel safe. And if I can help you with that, I will. … I don’t want you bleeding out in an alley somewhere, or trying to dig a bullet out of your own shoulder, or who knows what else, you know? … I love you, Jason, I want to help you.”

He frowned, squeezing my hand tightly. “... I … I don't know what to say…”

“You don't have to say anything right now. We don't have to decide this today, it's just something to think about.”

“... What about the ‘services rendered' part?”

“Well, if I get this training, I'll be able to act as an emergency clinic for the others too.”

“Oh. So, Bruce is going to pay you to be our medic?”

“Basically. That way I'll never be at the diner when you guys need care. I'm also joining the family's Thursday afternoon training sessions.”

Jason nodded slowly, pulling me into a tight hug. He sniffled softly, mumbling; “... I … I didn't want to pull you into this world…”

“If you’re in this world, I’m in this world.” I cupped his cheek gently, kissing his forehead. “I want to be able to protect myself, and I want to be able to help you, and Damian, and the others. I will not be dead weight, and I will not watch you suffer needlessly.”

“You wouldn't need to be able to defend yourself if it weren't for me…”

“It's Gotham, my love. Self-defense classes are probably the most popular type of extra-curricular activity in the entire city for every age group.” I stroked his hair, holding him close.

“... I guess … but I hate that you're in extra danger because of me…”

“I think it balances out; I'm also extra secure because of you. Who'd be stupid enough to knowingly fuck with Red Hood's girl?” I smirked a bit, running my hands through his hair.

He frowned, holding me closer. “... Only the worst of them.”

“And they'd fuck with anyone for any reason anyway. So it doesn't matter.” I cupped his cheek, rubbing the tips of our noses together. “I'm happiest and safest with you, and we'll deal with the consequences together.”

“... I wish things were different. … I wish loving me didn't come with consequences…” 

I sighed softly; “well, we could always leave Gotham. Start over somewhere else…”

“... Can't do that…”

“I know you can't. So, we'll just have to play the cards we've been dealt, right?”

He sighed softly and nodded, kissing my shoulder. “... Not gonna let anyone hurt you, baby. Promise.”

“I know you won't.” I hugged him tightly. “I know you wanna take care of me. And I wanna take care of you too.”

He nodded slowly, wrapping his arms tighter around my waist. “... Ok. … Th- thank you, baby… thank you…” I nodded, hugging him tightly. He sighed softly, kissing my jaw softly. “... Wait a minute, how much is Bruce offering you? …”

He picked up the paperwork, frowning deeply. “Oh hell no. Don't sign anything yet, I’m gonna renegotiate this for you.”

I giggled, kissing his neck. “It’s more than I make now.”

“It’s insulting. $120,000 for an on-call doctor? Is he trying to piss me off? No, if he’s gonna pay for this, he’s gonna  pay you a fair fucking wage!”

“Well, I’m probably not going to get a full doctorate; I only need to know enough to take care of your day-to-day medical care. More like … a field medic. He's also funding my education, is going to pay for any supplies I need, and has the connections to get me into the medical program with no questions asked. I think it's fair.”

Jason groaned, pulling me closer. “... I get to renegotiate after you're done with school.”

“Deal.”

Mrs. Webster frowned deeply as I took a seat in the auditorium at Damian's school. She slowly approached, holding a clipboard. “... What are you doing here?”

I smiled brightly; “this is where PTA sign ups are happening, isn't it?”

“You're not a parent.”

“Ah, no. But I am one of Damian's adults, and Bruce has made me the primary contact for school related concerns, so I thought I might as well get involved. I'm very … passionate about Damian's education, after all. As I'm sure you remember.” I smirked, watching her nose wrinkle. Eventually, she thrust the clipboard into my hands, and I signed up, providing an email address and phone number.

“... You won't be able to bully the PTA into doing things your way. I hope you know that.” She frowned.

“Fortunately I have no intentions to bully anyone. I do have a habit of calling out any bigotry I run across, but that shouldn't be a problem anymore. Right, Mrs. Webster?”

She very nearly growled as she stormed away. A few of the moms that were mulling around stared at me, but that quickly stopped when I waved to them. I thought I’d be left to my own devices, but soon enough, an older couple made their way over, sitting near me.

They introduced themselves, shaking my hand; “Which one is yours, dear?”

“Damian Wayne.” I smiled softly.

The woman blinked a bit. “You're Damian Wayne's mother? … Oh, forgive me, but I thought …”

“No, no! I'm a big sister.” I chuckled softly. “I don't even know who or where his mother is, I'm kind of a new addition to the family.”

“I see. Well, it will be nice for him to have someone getting involved. Our Sarah is in many of the same art classes as Damian, and it's always so sad to see him on his own at the after school events.”

I nodded. “That's exactly why I'm here. He was so pleased when I offered to come to the art show last semester, I want to see him happy like that more often.”

“Oh, that was quite the event! Did you hear? We didn't see it, but apparently someone threatened Mrs. Webster!” The woman cackled softly. “Such an unpleasant woman…”

“I wouldn't say I threatened her, just made her aware of certain facts. Including the fact that I am one of Damian's adults now, and she isn't going to get away with spewing passive aggressive microaggressions towards him while I'm around.”

The man chuckled; “that was you? She's been in a tizzy ever since!”

I smirked a bit; “What kind of tizzy?”

“Just insufferable. Our Sarah says she's been more harsh than ever in class.”

“I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to make things worse for anyone…” I frowned deeply.

“Oh, you aren't responsible for her behavior, dearie. She's always been a rude one…” the woman gently patted my hand.

“Sarah has her troubles. You know, mental health stuff. All the kids seem to nowadays…”

“And Mrs. Webster, well … she doesn't ‘abide by that nonsense’.” She scoffed.

“And of course there was the instance with the lesbians.” Her husband frowned slightly.

“The lesbians?” I frowned deeply.

“This sweet little girl with lesbian parents last year. Mrs. Webster met her mothers at a parent-teacher conference and apparently started treating the girl … well, different. … They moved over the summer, I do hope they're doing better now…”

I frowned deeply, watching Mrs. Webster on the other side of the room. “Hm… so she's not just racist, she's ableist and homophobic too. Gross….”

“She's never said anything overt about anything, nothing worth bringing up with the administration. But she's a … vexing woman.” the woman sighed.

“Well, … maybe individually they're not big things worth mentioning, but together they make up a big pile of nasty. … Do you know anyone else who has ‘small’ problems with Mrs. Webster?”

“Oh, maybe a few people… it's really not worth bringing up though.” She waved her hand dismissively.

“Yes, it is. We should bring the numerous ‘little things' to the administration. Establishing the pattern of behavior will be important to getting justice if they know about anything bigger. And no matter what comes of it, it's important that the kids see that their adults will stand up for them.” I frowned.

“Well … I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to talk to the other parents at least …” The husband frowned, looking to his wife. She nodded slowly.

“We’ll talk to the other parents.”

I nodded; “here, let me give you my phone number. Feel free to share that with any parents who have a problem with Mrs. Webster; I have no problem being the squeaky wheel with the admin.”

They nodded, putting my number in their phones. Mrs. Webster and a few other teachers started the meeting a few minutes later, and I sat back to observe.

Next ->

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[ghoulisheous]

DP x DC: A Little Vicious Snippet #4

Summary: Vlad sabotages the portal. And Danny's life sucks. So much

The bats get involved.

Warnings: blood, amputation, violence

I've technically been sitting on this too long, and it still doesnt feel exactly right, but it's my first attempt writing any kind of action scene so.

Previous Snippets: #1 X, #2 X, #3 X, HERE

-----

Vlad is not happy. Granted, he has a lot of reasons to be unhappy. But this feels like a new low.

It was when he'd bought into that damn company that his troubles started.

Daggett Industries is a shadow of the company it once was. Scandal after scandal and its involvement in illicit activity had ruined its reputation. Its founder had been locked away for years. And the company was drowning under new management.

It's a private company, and in the wake of Roland Daggett's arrest the fate of the company had been placed in one of his children.

It was vulnerable. And it was oh so easy to overshadow one man and force him to sell out to Vlad co. The pitifully low price Vlad had settled on may have been suspicious. But it was as good as dead in the water. Daggett Industries was hardly worth anything at all anymore and in Vlad's opinion, he still overpaid.

Still. There needed to be something on paper to avoid suspicion.

He wouldn't have bothered purchasing the company at all if it weren't for that one scientist who operated out of Daggett Labs. And one damning, carelessly left plasma sample in the wrong place. The woman had been researching and testing and formulating theories on it.

For the past two weeks.

Two weeks too long in his opinion.

Twenty years he'd been able to stay under the radar. And then one woman, a scientist, stumbles over her newest project.

Him.

And Vlad can't have that.

But the company is Vlad's property now. He has access to and authority over any of the projects they work on. The sample had been retrieved. The woman's findings had been trashed. And her contacts sabataged.

He'll know when she inevitably starts her research from scratch. He'll know what she's looking for, where she's looking for it, and if she manages to find it. Or anything.

It should have all been neatly swept under the rug.

It should have happened the same as any other company Vlad took over.

But it didn't.

No, instead the man he'd overshadowed cried foul play.

The company was Vlad's now, the contract was signed. It was a done deal. But that wasn't what he was concerned about.

The man's cries should have been swept under the rug.

Simple regret of a petty, greedy little man.

And they were. That's usually how things went. But apparently somewhere along the way he'd still managed to stir up some suspicion.

Because there could only be one reason Vlad was looking at a bat through the security camera in his newest office.

But it didn't matter.

Vlad would deal with this the way he dealt with every other obstacle.

People could be agreeable when Vlad wanted them to be.

XXX

The patrol had been going well, for the most part. He and Robin had been paired together, which wasn't ideal. But he could work with that. Even if he was a little suspicious of Bruce's intentions for setting them on patrol together.

They had apprehended the runaway perpetrator of a hit-and-run, stopped several muggings, and some idiot trying to break into an ATM with a crowbar. It was productive. Even if it wasn't as glamorous as taking down Poison Ivy, or the Riddler.

Damian was probably hoping for more action though.

But a quiet night was a good night. And it was a mostly quiet night.

Except for the fact that they were being tailed.

Red Robin launched his grappling gun, following after his younger brother. The youngest was always too eager. He always pushed to take the lead when he was out with Tim. But if there wasn't specifically an emergency or Tim knew Damian was heading the way he wanted him to anyway, it was usually better to let him at least feel like he was in control.

At least for the sake of keeping the peace.

And if Tim grit his teeth a little too hard sometimes. Nobody but his dentist needed to worry about it.

The rush of air was brief. And then he tucked into a roll to ease his landing. He stood swiftly and came to stand…well, not next to the brat but near enough.

"Bout time you guys showed up."

Red Hood stubs out his cigarette on the wall next to him. Then flicks it as he leans back again with his arms crossed over his chest. He only wore a domino mask, his helmet sat by his feet.

"B'd be pissed if he saw that," Red Robin said, before striding past the man and peering over the ledge of the roof to the streets below.

It was a quiet night. The air was chilly and the sky was as muggy as it always was in Gotham. The streets below were lit with an eerie glow. He could see a few people walking quickly on the sidewalk.

"I don't see why Father would care enough to fret over the zombie's health."

"Like I give a shit what the old man thinks either way."

He hadn't managed to catch sight of whoever was following them. Whatever their goal, they hadn't made any moves yet and it put Tim on edge. He estimates it's been at least 15 minutes already.

At least since they crossed over into Crime Alley.

And whoever they were, they were fast. That was for sure. Even with their grappling hooks. Even with the speed and ease they could move across the rooftops, their pursuer kept pace with them. They left no opportunity open for Tim to get out of their line of sight and turn the tables on them. They dogged the boys' steps in a way that made him feel preyed on.

They were quiet. The stalking probably would have gone unnoticed if it weren't for the rare slip ups that tipped him off. A soft pat of feet landing on the ground of an empty alleyway, just a hair too close to be out of his hearing range. A discarded bottle nudged into a sudden inexplicable roll. There had even been one moment. A few seconds when Tim had launched his grappling hook, flown through the air–

And flew through a hot spot. Just a sudden patch of heat and humidity that left him feeling uncomfortably feverish and like there was acid in his chest. A sudden change in temperature that he'd zipped into and through before he even had time to process the change. But it had been enough of a change that it almost startled him into losing his grip on his grappling gun midair.

Tim takes a second to scan the horizon in front of him. The familiar smog was thick in his nostrils. All the usual sights and sounds of the city, and not a thing was out of place.

Looking in windows, scanning the rooftops. Fire escapes. Anywhere he could think.

But it's like their pursuer is a ghost.

Or just invisible.

But not undetectable, he thinks to himself.

He turns to face Hood.

"Really, Hood. I follow some of the medical journals Gotham University has released and the current research says–"

"Yeah, yeah, if I wanted a lecture I'd offer one to the big bad bat himself."

"Well, as much as I'd like to see the look on his face. That's one way to get yourself under Big Brother's Eye," he shrugs, "You know how he gets."

The second the code slipped past his lips, there was a slight stiffening in the man's shoulders and Tim knew his message was heard. They were being watched. Speak carefully.

Satisfied, Red Robin turned a glance to Robin. He wasn't as subtle about it, he was trying to peek around Tim and had a venomous look on his face that made Tim want to shake him to make him straighten it out. He had his hand on his tool belt.

At least he got the message.

"But alright, I'll lay off."

"How kind of you," Jason smirked.

With an ease that only comes with practice, Tim drew back over to the group. Hood hadn't moved from his spot. He nonchalantly glanced around and Tim waited for the man to make eye contact with him again.

"All in all, it's been a pretty quiet night so far. No metas at least," as he said this, he thumbed at the edge of his mouth, marking the statement as inaccurate Intel, "B's probably happy about that."

Whoever they were, there was almost no doubt they were a meta. Probably invisible, but he couldn't say that part with present company.

Tim pushes his hair out of his eyes, and as he does he activates the thermal imaging in the lenses of his mask. Step one, try to get eyes on their invisible man.

They could do this quietly. Find the meta's vantage point, take them by surprise-

He stills just slightly when he finally sees it. But then keeps his gaze moving past till it's just in his periphery.

Much closer than he thought they'd be.

On the roof with them in fact. Or hovering over it to be more accurate. Far closer than Tim was comfortable with.

A hot spot. The shape of a man. Looming over Damian's shoulder.

And based on the look on the kid's face, he could probably feel the shift in the air behind him. He was tense, and he'd stopped looking around to stare resolutely forward with a scowl.

The figure behind him was tall, broad shouldered, and through the view of his infrared, the form looked unstable, like mist gathered together. There were what almost looked like horns on his head and long spindly fingers on his hands. His eyes were visible to Tim, piercing white through the lense of his infrared, like they were radiating heat all on their own.

A whole new meaning to the term 'heated glare.' Tim suppressed a shiver.

To his side Red Hood pushed off from the wall, seeing the subtle posturing in the younger bat. Hood would go for his helmet, most likely. They didn't know much about the meta, better to play it safe–

"Face us, coward! Quit hiding in the shadows!!"

And there goes the element of surprise. For the hundredth time since they left the cave, Tim cursed the fact that he got stuck with the fourteen year old. He behaved best in Bruce or Dick's company, not theirs. And definitely not his.

Okay, that's ok. Re-evaluate.

Quickly, Tim threw three birdarangs in the direction of the hot spot. With any luck, the fact that he'd been spotted threw him off.

But they flew straight through.

There was a chuckle from the figure, then a red hot core in the center of the mass grew and the figure struck out with an arm. The veins within it seemed to light up with the energy.

He briefly thought what that looked like without infrared.

A bolt of energy flared in Tim's eyes as it zipped across the rooftop and hit the wall where Red Hood had been standing a second before. He was crouched now, several feet away. Guns already in hand.

Tim took a second to shake off his confusion. He pulled out his bo staff and it sprung open to its full length as he jumped backward to situate himself nearer to an air conditioning unit. Somewhere he could attack, but also prepared for a defense.

"Aren't at least the two of you too old for dress up games?"

Robin backed off with a readied stance, but snapped his katana in front of him with a snarl at the slight. And Hood clicked the safety off, Tim didn't have time to wonder if they were loaded with rubber bullets or not. He could only hope they were or they were gonna hear about it from Bruce.

Both of them were ready to dodge at a moment's notice.

"You saying you don't have a costume? Pity you can't join the party," Hood sneered.

Okay, their adversary could throw energy blasts. On top of being able to turn invisible and density shift. So he had a pretty solid defense.

But he'd slipped up before. So he couldn't hold it indefinitely. Would he have to become visible again when he dropped his intangibility? Was there any kind of tell that would let them know when their attacks would hit?

At least they weren't completely at a disadvantage. They outnumbered him, he couldn't watch all of them for an attack.

Still, they'd have to be careful and co-ordinated about this.

From the corner of his eye, to his left now, Damian sucked a breath in through his teeth and the pommel of his sword creaked in his grip. Tim thumbed the trigger on his mask and in the span of a blink his vision returned to normal.

He was met with an alien-looking blue face and glowing red eyes.

"Can't say I recognize you. We do something to tick you off? Or were you just looking to blow off some steam?"

"Just thought I'd introduce myself," the man said through a fanged grin, sizing them up. Tim's stomach crawled as the man briefly dragged his eyes over him with a fierce red gaze. An alien, definitely, but not one Tim recognized. "I wanted to be better acquainted with Gotham's legends."

"By stalking us? I think your etiquette needs some work, Dracula."

Jason watched the figure as he stalked a perimeter around the metahuman. His guns still in hand, but not yet aimed at the target. He thumbed the safety threateningly.

The meta's gaze was drawn a little further from Tim.

"I go by Plasmius, actually," the alien smirked, stating almost curiously at Red Hood.

It was better if his eyes stayed on Jason.

"I think Dracula fits just a little better," Jason mocked, "What was it you asked before? 'Aren't we told old for costumes?'"

The alien sneared.

Tim wanted to ask questions, wanted to interrogate. But he stalled those instincts, caught Damian's eye instead and tilted his chin up. Robin conceded with a glare. He stalked away in the antihero's direction.

Tim took a few slow steps closer, and reached into his utility belt.

Making sure Hood and Robin caught the glint, he flung the capsule, shut his eyes and clapped his hands over his ears.

A bang and burning light flooded the rooftop. The meta yelled–hopefully stunned–and Tim made his move.

With a swish his bo staff swung straight through his opponent.

Tim buried his frustration and threw himself to the side to avoid the swipe of a glowing fist that just scarcely missed him. He wrinkled his nose at the metallic smell of ozone and sharp heat that singed his cape. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet.

Another swipe forced Tim to backtrack several paces to avoid it.

Three bangs and a snarl, and the man stops his assault on Tim. Definitely rubber bullets. Unless the man had bullet-proof invulnerability on top of everything else. The man flies to the side, and energy shoots out of his hands toward Jason this time. For his trouble another shot slices the air and just barely misses him.

The energy faded from the man's hands.

Another loud bang, and this one zips through him instead.

So he couldn't attack and hold intangibility at the same time?

Tim has his tell.

Plasmius locks eyes onto Jason once again. And he flickers out of visibility. Tim flicks on the thermal vision just in time to spot the man descend through the roof.

"He's in the building!" Tim shouts.

Just as the words leave his mouth, a force shoots back out of the ground and snags his ankle. He's yanked off his feet until his eyes connect with Jason's heat signature. Upside down. Heat shoots past him and Jason's gun is knocked out of his hand. It flies off the roof.

He's dropped.

A burst of energy hits him in the back and drives him back to the ground face first.

Tim grunts.

Robin's boots enter his field of vision as he pushes up onto his knees and elbows. Tim pauses as he hears the whistle of his sword slice above his back.

There's a snarl. Target hit, Robin dodges. And another blast hits the ground to his right. Too bright through the lenses of his thermal vision.

Tim snaps up his bo staff and throws himself back into action. He grits his teeth at the sting in his shoulders, but swallows his tongue.

Between one second and the next, there was that strange heat at his back. The contrast of it made him suddenly aware of the chill in his body. His first thought is that he's about to take another hit. And that was going to hurt.

And then it was on him.

In him. Under his skin, like a fever in his guts, but still the Gotham chill on his skin.

His blood pumped fast. And his heart beat hard in his chest. His hands thumbed at the sensor to turn off his thermal vision and he didn't do that.

It felt like the seconds after breathing in fear toxin. Just before the intense fear and anxiety hit. Like something was looming in the back of his mind and it was going to hit full force with no mercy.

He shut his eyes in an attempt to blink, but when his eyes opened again it wasn't Tim who dragged them open. He had to fight against the darkness creeping in the corners of his vision. He felt strangely sleepy. In a way that was different than his usual exhaustion. And far more oppressive.

He felt like he was in limbo.

Go to sleep, brat.

It felt like that voice was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He heard nothing at all and it suddenly hit him that he really didn't hear anything at all. Like his ears had just stopped working. He tried to turn his head to gauge the others' positions. And the muscles in his neck contracted, but ultimately refused to obey him.

This was–

Sleep!

Was this mind control? The villain could control minds? With a power like that, with all the other powers he had–

This was dangerous.

He was dangerous.

But so was Tim. And Tim had trained for situations like this. Batman had a contingency for everything. He needed to fortify his mind, stay in the moment. Fend off the telepathic influence as long as he could. This wasn't the first time he's dealt with mind control.

Stubborn boy.

Yes, stubborn. The meta would know how stubborn Red Robin could be.

Through eyes that would barely twitch at his command, he could see the gravel on the rooftop. There was a scuff mark from one of their shoes. And dark blast marks from the meta's energy blasts. Tim remembers the heat of the meta's power as it came down toward him. The fire that sizzled in the air far too close to him.

If he focused, he could still feel the cool air on his skin. The chilled sweat under his suit. The heart that kept pumping fast with his adrenaline. The icy air in his lungs.

He was Red Robin. He was in control.

And then Tim's whole body seized.

His shoulders jerked of their own volition. He could feel one of his arms grind in its socket at the movement. His neck and torso craned back so hard several joints popped in his neck and in his spine as he bends nearly in two.

There was noise. It was muffled, like he was under water. But he could hear it.

Someone grabs the front of his uniform. He's yanked back to a standing position. His eyes connect with Jason's and then the hands are on his shoulders.

Red Hood was staring at him with a bewildered look on his face. He says something. Tim can't make out what and can't focus enough to read his lips.

His hands grab Hood's wrists. His nails dig in.

And Tim loosens them. Gentles his grip the best he can.

Tim feels his face twist into a fierce glare. And an anger burns in his mind with intent so malicious–

It's strong. And it hits Tim that he isn't going to be able to fend the meta off for long. Tim needs to be taken out of the game before something bad happens.

Tim's hand twitches toward his belt.

He can feel the weight of Hood's hands on his shoulders. He lets that ground him. One second. Two.

And then he steps out of the hold.

He grabs a disk from his belt, presses the trigger and clenches his hand hard around it. Willing it to stay shut long enough.

Three seconds.

Electricity lights up his body. He tips.

And barely notices when he hits the ground.

His skin is on fire. Every muscle in his body contracts. And his teeth are clenched hard as he seizes. He can feel something leaving him.

It's got to be his soul, he thinks. Cause this feels like dying.

And then a boot connects with his hand, knocking the electric disk away.

And it's over.

He's heaving breath after breath. Sweat drops down his brow. His skin is stinging, his ears are ringing, his burned back is raging with the abuse.

And he thinks he might have even hit his head when he fell.

"Damn it, Replacement! You have got to be the smartest fucking idiot I know."

He groans in reply.

"I got patience for exactly one dumbass stunt and you just wasted it. Next time you experiment with alternative ways to charge your phone, I'll kick your ass."

Okay, ignoring that.

And then he considers for a moment.

The presence is gone.

He tilts his head up to find Jason but the man is already rushing off again. Chasing after a billowing cape.

With a mocking wave the alien--Plasmius--flies toward the doorway to the building. Tim shakily pushes himself to his elbows.

"Leaving so soon, Dracula?"

Jason throws himself forward, making a mad grab at the man's shoulders. Tim almost shook his head, he wasn't going to be able to grab him. At least not for long.

His hand connected solidly. The man snarled and hurled himself through the thick cement blocks of the wall.

Jason hit the wall with a thud.

Tim moved first, but Damian was closer. He reached the door to Jason's right and hurriedly pulled out a lockpick.

Ignoring the door, Tim launched himself at the wall, kicking off and up just high enough to grab the ledge and throw himself over it.

He skidded to a stop when he ran out of roof and looked around wildly for any sign of the meta. There was nothing. No little red blip to show what direction he'd gone.

Did he stay in the building? Maybe he circled back around inside and took off in a different direction? This was going to be one annoying adversary.

"The hell?"

He looks over his shoulder and backtracks.

Then finally deactivates the thermal setting in his mask, sighing in relief at seeing the world normally again. The previously locked door was wide open and Damian was nowhere to be seen.

Jason looks grumpy when he sets his eyes on him. He's hunched over where Tim had left him. He's yanking harshly at–

Oh.

His hand was lodged in the wall.

Jason yanked again.

"Well, replacement? Are you gonna get me out of this or not?"

-----

Ten minutes later and one call to Oracle, Tim had still, in fact, not been able to get Jason out of this. His hand was stuck. It was just. Stuck. In the wall. No amount of yanking could get him loose. It was like Jason's hand was as good as fused with it.

They'd probably have to call the Martian Manhunter. Or a member of Justice League Dark. Tim couldn't even begin to think of what else could undo it. He'd consider Flash, but the man was off-world and Martian Manhunter had a much more precise control over density shift anyway. But then even with the Martian, John could density shift his own body, but Tim was sure his limit was his own body. Still, he'd be grateful for the expertise.

Either way, Tim knew two things were true. Bruce wasn't going to be happy about anything that went down tonight. And they might be stuck here for a while.

Tim briefly held onto the thought that at least there weren't any real bullets. That wasn't going to get them any points with Bruce though.

"Oracle is getting in contact with some people who might be able to…separate you from the brick. Hopefully I mean," Tim huffed a laugh. "You pack enough of a punch already without a cement block for a hand."

Jason groaned, and craned his neck toward Tim, unamused.

He expected a biting remark. But there was nothing. Just a look, and Jason was glancing away again. He'd stopped tugging on his hand pretty quickly, though he did occasionally attempt it again every so often. He was gonna have some wicked bruises when this was over.

"Still doing alright?"

"I said I'm fine. It just feels weird," Jason huffed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, that's specific," came a derisive snort at Tim's feet.

Damian was sitting with his back to the door. He had his katana held in front of him and he was meticulously cleaning the meta's blood off with a gauze pad.

When he'd collected enough of a sample, he diligently placed it in a ziplock bag and stored it in his belt, the specific pouch Tim knew was temperature regulated.

He'd initially tried to run after the meta. But it was pretty clear they had a master escape artist on their hands.

Unlike Jason. Apparently.

"Any more details?" Tim piped up. He didn't exactly want to hound Jason about this. Especially when he already seemed like he was at the end of his rope. But problem solving was his specialty. And he didn't know any other way to help until they could get ahold of someone with more experience in density shifting. So this was what he had to offer.

Information gathering.

Maybe the lock on Jason's hand would wear off and he'd just slip out? Maybe this was the meta's doing, something he could control from a distance and once he got too far, his hold would release and Jason's hand would come free.

If that was true, it was an ingenious tactic to keep them occupied while he made his escape.

"Just. Cramped. Feels pretty tight. Think I'm losing circulation."

Tim frowned.

"Well, Nightwing said he was on his way. He should be here pretty soon."

"Great. Just what I needed. A family reunion I can't walk away from."

"Aw, don't be like that, Little Wing."

There was a whoosh of air, and Nightwing landed with catlike grace. Almost without a sound.

"You know you missed me."

"Missed kicking your butt, maybe."

"Maybe? Still room for doubt then?" Dick grinned teasingly, "That's almost a warm welcome."

He peaked around Jason's shoulder to take a look, and whistled when he saw it. Jason's hand cut off just above his wrist and past what they could see from the outside his hand was frozen in the shape of a fist.

"Oracle said you got into it with a meta."

"Yeah and he fled like the coward he is," Damian piped up, still sore from losing track of the man.

Tim wasn't grateful that the man got away. Especially so quickly and effectively. But the idea of either leaving Jason trapped by himself like this, or letting an all-too stubborn Damian pursue the meta alone did make him uneasy.

Especially considering how much trouble all three of them had in a fight with him.

"Well, Oracle wasn't able to get in contact with John just yet, but she was able to get a hold of his niece. Said he's just wrapping something up and she'll pass along the message. He should be here in an hour."

"So, what, I'm stuck here till then?"

"She's trying a few other contacts. But yeah, it might be a little bit," Dick's face twisted in sympathy.

"But hey, at least you got company!"

"As long as demon brat keeps his swords to himself."

"Are daggers off the table as well?"

"Fraid so, Little D."

Jason suddenly yanked his arm again with a grunt. And Tim started forward.

"That's not gonna be any use, you'll dislocate your wrist at this rate."

Jason growled, eyes tight in a glare.

"I know. I know that! It's just so fucking tight. Almost feels like it's squeezing my hand."

Tim narrowed his eyes.

"Does it hurt?" Dick asked as he laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Fuck! A little bit. I can't exactly stand up straight like this. I'm not at the best angle here."

Tim breathed. He almost didn't want to ask. But.

"Is it getting tighter?"

For a beat all eyes were on him, and in the next they all narrowed in on Jason.

It was dead quiet, Tim didn't think he'd need Superboy's senses to hear a pin drop from the alley below.

Jason breathed once. Heavy. His shoulders shuddered with it.

And the silence broke with a strangled grunt.

There was a piercing crack and a squelch and the sharp smell of iron hit his nose.

Jason made an agonized noise through gritted teeth and jerked back only to be stopped by Nightwing, suddenly there.

Tim lurched forward to brace his arm and his grip was slippery. Blood oozed out of the rock around the arm sticking out of it. The arm that they couldn't get out of the damn wall.

There was a crackling sound like bones were splintering and Jason was howling now.

And then cold metal sliced past Tim's face, so close he thinks it split a few hairs.

His blood ran cold at the sound of a sharp, heavy thwump.

And Jason collapsed. Like a marionette who's strings had just been cut.

Or some other kind of tether had been.

There was another terrible crunching noise and then silence was thick in the air and in his throat. He could pick out the white of bone in the detached bit of arm sticking out an inch from the cinder block and he jerked his gaze away so fast he thought for a second he'd pulled something in his neck. That was Jason's–

Tim turned his head slowly.

Damian's eyes were wide. His nostrils were flared, shoulders shaking and breath light. He had an iron grip on his katana.

Covered in blood, with a sword in his fists. He'd seen Robin like this plenty of times, and still, Tim didn't think he'd ever seen Damian look this young.

His boots were red.

So were Tim's.

He ripped his cape off his back and threw himself into action.

That was something he could do.

[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.

[ailithnight]

Jason, previously sneaking into the cave to steal from Bruce: Why is Dickie throwing a tantrum?

Tim, just kinda watching: He thinks you're on drugs. I asked if he was.

Jason: The hell made him think I was tweaking?

Dick, suddenly stops wailing and sits up: I saw your boyfriends adding something to your food.

Jason: Huh.

Tim, smells shenanigans: Huh? Huh what?

Jason: I mean, technically I guess he ain't wrong.

Tim: WHAT!?

Jason: Like the stuff probably would be classified as a drug.

Dick: I knew it!

Jason, unimpressed: As in a medicine Dickie. Like Insulin or Risperidone.

Tim, suspicious: That is a very weird pair of examples.

Dick, too surprised and still a bit loopy to be suspicious: You're taking antipsychotics?

Jason: . . .I have added something to my diet that is clinically proven to manage the aftereffects of my death and resurrection.

Tim, more suspicious, trying to detective here: That was a very specific response. Clinically proven by who?

Dick: So... I probably shouldn't have stolen some of your dinner.

Jason: You what?! Please tell me you at least didn't do it here. Fuck, I do not want to deal with those results being on the Batcomputer. Tell me you just tested it with a drug kit in your apartment or something.

Dick: Tested?

Jason: Tested?! Y'know, took a lab sample and did the chemical analysis shit?!

Dick: ...

Jason: ...

Tim: ...

Dick: . . .

Jason: Dick. Please tell me you did not eat something that you actively suspected was drugged.

Dick: . . . . . . Felt like I was floating for three days straight.

Tim: Dick!

Jason, simultaneously: Ancients Fuck, Dick!

Food is Good for the Core

~

Jason met Danny months ago when he stopped by one of the diners,

Danny was on his lunch break about to eat his ecto infused food when he felt someone with a starving proto-core enter his dinner, his head snapped towards the entrance his gaze locking onto a rather tall man with the expression of someone who was hangry for lack of better words.

His core chirped a greeting, he felt the mans proto-core rumble a barely there response.

The man stumbled towards him his eyes flashing green

"Wha-who are you?"

Once he was close enough Danny grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down onto the seat next to him, pushing his food towards him.

"There you go Firecracker, you look like you really need it"

Jason was about to protest not sure what was even happening when the smell of the food hit him, next thing he knows he's swallowing the last bite.

He leaned back staring

Just staring

He had't felt this satiated and calm since, well since a very long time.

"My name is Jason not Firecracker , now what the hell was in that? Why did I react like that?"

"Well Firecracker, my name is Danny and please tell me that you know that you ..uh died?"

-Time Skip-

"-And so basically you need ecto to be healthy and happy, did you understand all that?"

"Where will I need to go to find that?"

"No worries big guy, I'll make you the food free of charge and in the future I'll start showing you how to properly make it. Also you need to be careful with the ecto food, normal humans tend to act weird even with just a little taste to our foods."

~

Danny & Jason eating together getting along

Dick: "My baby brother has a friend and didn't tell me!"

~

Danny & Jason cooking together: "Oh that's why they say food is the way to a man's heart"

~

Danny & Jason being smitten with one another & starting to unconsciously do ghost courting things.

Oracle watching from the cameras: "What the fuck?!"

~

Dick being nosy realizing that Jason's new boyfriend is putting something into the food Jason and he eat that goes into an extremely secure case.

Dick being suspicious and investigating, manages to steal a bite feels super loopy and weird for the next few days

Dick: "I've connected the dots!"

Jason: "You didn't connect shit."

Dick: "I've connected them!"

Dick thinks they're doing drugs

~

Dick slamming the door open: "Jason is doing drugs!"

Tim: "That doesn't sound like him are you sure?"

Dick on the ground wailing

Tim: "..."

~

Just an Idea

[sserpente]

A/N: Request from @wrenstrange! Put up the decorations, it’s finally time again! Enjoy, everyone!

Words: 1957 Warnings: pure fluff, blood sample/needle/syringe, soft!Loki, fatique, fainting

You dropped like a piece of wood right about when you were making yourself a cup of tea in the kitchen. Knees ceasing to support you any longer, vision darkening, stars dancing around you making you dizzy. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and before you knew it, your body finally won and shut down.

Although if you could have chosen, you would not have fallen straight into Loki’s arms whose reflexes caught you, preventing you from hitting the hard floor beneath you. He cradled you with his brows furrowed, his blue gaze almost helpless as he looked at Thor and Stark for support.

Then, everything went black.

-

“Welcome back.” You blinked, the artificial lights above your head blinding you. A hand held you down when you attempted to sit up drowsily. Bruce was leaning against a metal table in Tony’s lab, hands crossed before his chest and with a concerned expression on his face. “You blacked out,” he explained, “out of the blue.”

“How are you feeling?” Tony added.

You only realised then that it was Loki who had held you down. He was sitting on a chair right next to the makeshift bed they had carried into Tony’s lab and he was observing you with Argus eyes. Your heart sped up when you noticed. You usually tended to avoid the God of Mischief at all cost. There was a part of you that was afraid of him after watching him making an entire crowd kneel in Stuttgart, the other was hands down swooning over him. It had all started when he had rescued a cat from a tree, honouring a cliché he had not even been aware of. But someone who helped defenceless little kittens had to have a soft heart deep down, no?

Thor had brought him to Earth along with him after Asgard had been destroyed. He could not exactly be considered an Avenger but he had long surpassed the villain image… at least, to some extent. Well, you were no Avenger either. You used to be a SHIELD intern and then somehow ended up with the superheroes themselves. Apart from some basic fighting skills and the ability to use a gun, you had been trained to spend most of your time in front of a computer, often working twelve hours or even more a day. What did they say? Evil never sleeps.

“Any idea what might have caused this?” Bruce continued.

You shook your head. “No. But I’ve been having migraines and a persistent fatigue that just won’t go away.”

“I see… anything else?”

“Um…”

“You can talk to us, (Y/N).”

“Well, I… I’ve been dizzy a lot lately but that sometimes happens during my special week of the month so I didn’t think anything of it.” You took a deep breath but hesitated.

“And?”

“I’ve been sweating way more when working out. Like, a lot more. Instead of making progress… I feel like I’m getting weaker every day. It’s frustrating.”

“Uh-huh. I’m taking a blood sample. FRIDAY will run a couple of tests on you to figure out what’s wrong.”

“What? No! Nothing’s wrong! We don’t need a b-blood sample.”

“No one faints for no reason, (Y/N), especially not on Loki.” Loki rolled his eyes but did not leave your side, even when Bruce started fiddling around with some gear and apparently, a first-aid kit and then approached you with a syringe and a small clear vial.

“I’ve done this a million times before, I’ll be gentle.”

“No! No, no blood test, Bruce, please!” Almost hysterically, you moved back on the bed, your heart in your mouth.

“(Y/N),” Loki suddenly said calmly. You shivered when he spoke your name, his head tilted slightly. “Are you afraid of needles?”

“N-n-no…” You lied. Loki raised an eyebrow.

“Look at me.” He said. Hesitating only a little, you did as you were told. It wasn’t like his tone allowed any contradiction anyway. In fact, it reminded you a lot of his strict and bossy tone when he had caused chaos in Germany. “It has to be done. Hold my hand and do not take your eyes off of me.”

“Who are you and what you have done to Reindeer Games?” Tony tossed in, throwing the Trickster a suspicious glance. Loki rolled his eyes once more. As if he had any obligation to explain himself to Stark of all people.

In the meantime, you were panicking even more. Loki was being nice and considerate with you and Bruce was about to pierce your skin with a needle. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck… your breathing sped up.

“Look. At. Me.” Loki repeated. You obeyed this time, allowing him to take your hand and press it gently. Much to your surprise, it immediately calmed you down a little. You gaped at him unbelievingly. You didn’t even feel the needle going into your skin and drawing blood. Wait… was he casting a spell on you?

“There. All done.” You could not bring yourself to look where Bruce brought your blood sample but when both Tony and he stepped away and turned their backs on you, you swallowed.

“T-thank you…” You had to ask—not because you did not think he was not capable of offering his help without seeking a personal advantage and not because you didn’t think he was too evil to even think about being selfless… but because you were genuinely curious about his motivation. Loki did nothing without a reason, he was always one step ahead. “You put a spell on me, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “Why… why did you do that for me?”

“We are all afraid of something.” It was the only response he gave you. For a few moments, you merely sat there quietly, neither of you uttering a single word. Only when Bruce and Tony returned did you realise that Loki was still holding your hand.

“Okay… I’ve got the results from your blood test and FRIDAY couldn’t find anything suspicious.” Tony announced, scrolling on his tablet. Bruce adjusted his glasses to take a peek.

“You said you’ve been feeling tired? You sweat a lot, you get dizzy, and I’m presuming you barely have an appetite?”

“I don’t have time to eat a lot to be honest…” You confirmed.

“Any concentration problems?”

Pressing your lips together to a thin line, you thought about it for a moment. Now that he mentioned it… it had gotten obnoxiously hard to focus on your work lately. Eventually, you nodded.

“Sounds like severe exhaustion to me.” Bruce said. “Do you have issues with low blood pressure or diabetes or any other medical condition? No, FRIDAY would have found something like that. You know what I think? You overworked yourself.”

“Like… a burnout?” You probed.

“Most definitely.”

You grunted. Oh, that was just great. There you were, attempting to squeeze in regular workouts in this awesome training hall the Avengers called the HARM room after work to get stronger and hence, eventually gather up the courage to speak to Loki and now you looked exactly like what you did not want him to see you as—a weak and meagre human.

“The best medicine would be for you to quit work for a while and stop physical exercise altogether.”

“Banner is right,” Tony added. “Take a few weeks off and rest, sleep in, eat more and healthy… the whole program. I officially give you a holiday.”

“You’re not my boss, Tony, you can’t give me a holiday.” Your smile was weak. “But I don’t have time for this anyway! I can’t believe this is happening so soon before Christmas!” You whined. “I can’t stay in bed, I’ve got so much to do! I have to buy presents and decorate and bake biscuits and make gingerbread… Besides, I’m gonna fall behind on all the data.”

He shrugged. “I’ll take care of that. Let me talk to Fury. You let us know if you need anything. Can you take her to her room, Reindeer Games? And please, no funny business.” Beside you, Loki was just frowning, utterly ignoring the billionaire’s request.

“Why were you pushing yourself so hard?” He finally spoke when the two Avengers had left—whether it was genuine confusion or mere curiosity in his voice, you were not sure. “Why were you training for battle in the first place? I have never seen you out on a mission.”

You sighed. Time to let the cat out of the bag, it wasn’t like you were still going to make a good impression on him anymore now.

“I wanted to impress you, I guess…”

“Impress me?” Loki repeated incredulously.

“Yeah… catch your attention… in a way. I mean, part of me is still terrified of you, of course but… you have a good heart, Loki. I knew when I saw you rescuing that cat from the tree.”

The God of Mischief rolled his eyes. “I knew this was going to damage my reputation.” He responded with a sly smirk, making you grin. “It was an innocent kitten, what was I supposed to do?”

“See?”

Your heart skipped a beat when his blue eyes locked with yours. He appeared… uncertain; not used to dealing with affection. Loki swallowed.

“Can you walk?”

“I’m not sure…”

The God of Mischief sighed, his lips pressed together to a thin line. Without any hesitation, he snuck one of his arms under your knees and wrapped the other around your waist. He lifted you off the makeshift bed as if you weighed nothing—and to him, you probably didn’t.

Loki carried you to your room in utter silence and eventually lay you down in your bed. Your heart jumped when he sat down on the edge of the bed himself, with a peculiar interest in his hands so he would not have to look you in the eye.

“There is no need to impress me.” He suddenly said. Your head shot up. “I did not think anyone would even… never mind.”

Oh. It almost felt like you were finally getting to know each other, for real this time.

“Do you want to stay for a while? I was going to watch some Christmas movies if I’m not allowed to get out of bed.” You sighed. “I can’t even decorate. You have no idea how many decorations I have to put up. None of the others care to make it a little more festive here, especially not Fury.”

“Yes, I have seen the boxes.” Loki replied. “It’s a little… corny, wouldn’t you say?”

“Honestly, when living among superheroes who risk their lives every single day, you could use a little corny.”

“I see.” Loki simply waved his hand and before you knew it, your entire room was decorated. Green and red tinsel shimmered on your window sill, holiday lights were blinking above your door and fake—but incredibly real-looking—snowflakes hung from the ceiling. Many of your favourite decoration items were now sitting on your nightstand and your desk, including your tiny little Christmas tree. The rest of the decorations, so it seemed, Loki must have spread all over the Tower.

“Oh my Goodness… Loki, this is amazing!” The God of Mischief winked and when you looked down on yourself, you noticed you too were wearing a green and gold Christmas sweater. Heavens, you could kiss him. “Thank you so much! What did you… is the entire Tower…”

“Yes.” He confirmed. He didn’t have to. Tony did only a fraction of a second later.

“Thor! Can you tell me why my Ironman helmet just grew metal antlers? I swear to God, if Reindeer Games has something to do with this…” It was then you exploded with laughter despite your exhaustion.

-

A/N: If you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate it so much if you considered supporting me on Kofi! It’s either for caffeine or red wine, I’ll take both. ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[mochegato]

Hope on Board

Chapter 7 –  Polished, Public Appropriate First Date

Chapter 1     Chapter 6

“She will like whatever you do with her.  She’s pretty easy going.” Tim advised plopping down on the couch next to an upside Stephanie, poking her in her exposed side and receiving a warning kick to the head as a result.

Dick gave Tim a cynical look and ran his hands through his hair.  He groaned and ran to the mirror to fix his now messed up hair.  

“No cologne tonight?” Stephanie asked sniffing the air.

“No.  She asked if I would hold off on it for a few weeks until her stomach settles a bit more.”  He turned to look at Tim.  “And I want it to be special.  I want her to feel special.”  His anxiety apparent in his every fidget, hesitation, and tap of his foot.

“What, you don’t think making her feel constant nausea is special?” Stephanie asked with a smirk.

Dick threw his comb at her which she caught easily.  “No, I think I have to make up for making her feel like that.  She’s been miserable constantly.  I want her to feel good.”

“You think stuffy and pretentious is the way to go if she’s feeling miserable?” Stephanie asked curiously, trying to cock her head closer to right side up in order to see him better.

“It’ll be something nice for her.  This is going to work.  She’s going to love it,” he said more to reassure himself than convince the others. “She’ll get to dress up.  Get really nice food.  Everything she needs to feel better.”

“She told you she’s been miserable?” Damian asked suspiciously.  “Seems manipulative.  If she’s even really feeling sick at all.”  He batted away the pillow Stephanie threw at him without bothering to look up from his homework.

“She isn’t like that. And she’s pregnant you tiny gremlin, with your niece or nephew, if you remember.” Tim hissed.  “And she doesn’t need to latch onto anyone.  Give her ten years and she will be one of the leading names in fashion in the world.  Why do you think I partnered with her in the first place?  She doesn’t need Dick for money.”

“Enough.  I’m not discussing this tonight,” Dick thundered, scowling at Damian.  “She hasn’t said anything, but I can hear it in her voice whenever we talk and see it in her eyes whenever I see her.  She keeps saying she’s fine and plasters on this fake smile, like she doesn’t want me to worry.”

Damian scoffed, but refrained from continuing.  Tim spoke up instead.  “She didn’t fake the vomit before our meeting earlier today… or after.”

Dick’s head whipped over to him.  “She threw up in your office today?  Twice?”

“In the bathroom, but yeah.” Tim nodded in confirmation.  “I don’t think she expected Tam to see her or tell me about it.  She threw up then went into our meeting like nothing was wrong. As soon as the meeting was over and I’d returned to the office she rushed to the bathroom and Tam said was just heaving that time.”

Steph nodded. “Probably didn’t have anything in her stomach to throw up anymore.  Happens a lot.  I don’t know if it makes it better or worse.  They both really sucked.  It all really sucked actually.  The idea of eating made you unbelievably sick, but not eating made it worse.”  She righted herself on the couch, throwing her legs over Tim’s lap and leaning against the arm rest.  “And don’t even get me started on those bitches who don’t get any morning sickness.”

Dick hummed in consideration. His brow furrowed deeper the more he thought about it.  He really didn’t want her hiding things from him, which admittedly was rather hypocritical of him, but if she was suffering, he wanted to know.  “If it’s as bad as Tim says, maybe you should let her decide where you go instead.  There’s probably food she can’t eat or makes her feel sicker than others and there may be something that her body is craving.  And it may change from moment to moment.  It did for me.”

Dick gave her a small, understanding smile.  “Thanks, Steph.  I’ll think about it.  Now, wish me luck.”  He shot them a nervous smile and left to pick up Marinette for their first date.

<><><><><> 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this,” Marinette asked again.

Dick laughed and shook his head.  “I told you, it’s fine.  I like Batburger.  This is great.”  

“But you put so much effort into something nicer.  And you definitely dressed for something more elegant,” she moaned.

He pulled her into a side hug as he guided her to a place to sit in the park.  “I hate pretentious.  I’d rather just hang around and have fun… I mean, unless you like fancy restaurants, then…”

Marinette cut him off with a laugh.  “No. No, I don’t.  I mean every once in a while is fun and I love the outfits at big events obviously, but I’d rather just do something where we can relax and have fun.  Act like ourselves, not a polished, public appropriate version of ourselves.”

Dick smiled and motioned to a bench with a nice view of the park.  She nodded and sat sideways on the bench so she could talk to him better. “You mean polished, public appropriate like cursing repeatedly at the host’s son at the biggest social event of the year?” He smirked at her.

Marinette groaned and hid her head in her hands.  “Don’t remind me.  I can’t believe I did that.”

Dick laughed and wrapped his arms around her to pull her into a comforting hug.  “It’s fine.  Very justified… considering.”  Marinette made a noncommittal grunt and leaned into his chest, lowering her hands slightly.  “But I agree,” he started slowly, “occasionally is nice, but relaxed is better.  And galas especially are draining.  They’re so boring and annoying.  Maybe next time… we can go together?” he finished quietly. His heart was pounding in his chest as he asked.  Was he being too forward?  Was it too forward to ask the mother of your child to attend a family event?  That wasn’t too forward, right?  He didn’t want to scare her off on their first date.  

Marinette looked up at him in surprise.  “You…” She smiled at him for a few moments.  She turned back to her food and pulled out her batburger.  She looked back at him with a smirk.  “Pretty confident this date’s going to go well, huh?”

Dick blinked a few times. He chuckled and gave her a charming smile, pulling his burger out as well.  “I’m hopeful.”  

Marinette looked at the burger before she took a bite and shook her head.  “I can’t believe you have a restaurant themed after your heroes.”

“Vigilantes,” he corrected her.

“Vigilantes, right. Sorry.  I’m not used to that.  Paris and New York had heroes not vigilantes.”  She moaned happily as she took a bite of her burger.  “Oh my God.  I don’t know if it’s just the pregnancy, but this is the best thing ever.”

Dick laughed and took a bite of his food.  “That’s definitely the pregnancy.”

She hummed again as she rapidly ate her first small burger.  “I don’t care.  This is exactly what I needed.”

Dick watched her for a few moments before taking another bite himself.  “So, how was your day today?  I heard you had a meeting with Tim,” he asked in as casual tone as he could manage.

Marinette’s eyes lit up. She rapidly chewed the bite that was in her mouth before launching into a description.  “It was great!  We finalized the designs today, well as much as we can considering I’m just now seeing the fabrics they designed, which means I can start working on making the designs.  Tim had some really great suggestions and now we’re starting to plan for the show for fashion week.  Thankfully, a team at WE is handling all that so I can focus on the designs.  I have more than enough time for the show, but I’ll need to have options in my store for people to buy once the show is over and that will take time.”

She took another quick bite of her second child sized burger and started bouncing in her seat.  “I’m so excited to get my hands on the textiles. I’d only been briefed on what they were designed to do and felt samples before today.  Next week I’ll get to actually work with them.  Oh, and Tim introduced me to the man who did most of the designing for the textiles.  That was amazing.  I really liked speaking with him.  I’m really looking forward to working with him more.  He was so knowledgeable and had great suggestions and considered my suggestions.  It was really enlightening for both of us, I think.  He might go back and adjust his designs based on my suggestions.  It felt like a really good understanding and respect. I was so nervous about signing the contract considering I am so new and I’ve never done… well anything, and WE is so huge.  But I think this is going to be really great for both of us.”  

Dick felt his chest tighten slightly.  Not that he was jealous.  And there was no reason to be.  This was a work colleague.  It was important that she had a good relationship with her colleagues in order to succeed and he wanted her time at WE to be enjoyable.  But that did nothing to lessen the tightening in his chest. “So, who was the designer?”  Was that nonchalant?  That was totally nonchalant, right?  He was cool.  It was fine. The woman he liked and was carrying his baby was having enlightening, amazing conversations with another man. That was fine.  Good even.  That was ideal for her.  He absolutely did not want to punch the enlightened, amazing man in his amazing, enlightened jaw.

“Lucius Fox.  He’s the sweetest man and so smart.  I don’t know how he thinks of all the things he does but it’s amazing to watch.”

Dick let out the breath he had been holding and gave her a beaming smile.  “Yeah, Lucius is amazing.  We all love him.  He’s a close friend of the family.”

“I can see why.” She nodded taking another bite.

“Anything else happen?” he prompted casually.

She considered his question. “That’s pretty much everything.  I can go into more detail on things if you want me to, but yeah, pretty much.  How was your day?  You never told me what you do.”

“Oh, I… do security with Bruce… in my own division.” He gave her a disarming smile.  It was his standard lie, but for some reason it felt wrong to use it.

“You work at WE, too?” Her eyes lit up with excitement.  “Maybe I’ll bump into you next time!  Or maybe we can get lunch together.”

“We can try.  My hours are odd.” He winced internally.  The lie was going to be harder to maintain if she was going to be there frequently.  He looked up to continue deferring the possibility but got caught in her eyes.  They were so bright and hopeful.  He couldn’t let that fade away.  He was sure she would understand, but he didn’t want her to have to.  He could come into the building more often, make the lie more realistic.  He smiled back at her.  “But I can make sure I’m there for that.  I can pick you up and take you to WE.  I can walk you to Tim’s office and give you a kiss for good luck before you start your day.”

“That sounds like an incredibly lucky start to my day.” She snuggled closer to him and gazed up in his eyes.

“It will definitely make my day better.  Anytime I see you, it makes my day better, happier,” he said earnestly, running his fingers up her arm.

She beamed at him. “Yeah?”

He looked lovingly in her eyes as he traced along her cheeks and jaw, resting his hand gently around her throat.  “Yeah,” he whispered back.

She bit her lip and looked down, a blush settling on her cheeks.  She suddenly swallowed heavily and threaded her fingers through his. She moved their hands to her lap with a reassuring squeeze.  She breathed out slowly a few times before finally looking back up with a strained smile. Dick furrowed his brow.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She diverted her eyes and took a small bite of her burger.  

He didn’t need to be a trained detective to read the signs she was giving out, the sudden shift from affectionate to slightly closed off.  From leaning into his touch to leaning away from him.  Her soft, warm smile turned tight and strained.  Her breathing had turned labored.  Her relaxed posture was rigid.  He would think he had done something and she was uncomfortable but she was still squeezing his hand.  “Marinette…” he urged her softly.

“Sorry,” she grumbled, looking down with a guilty look on her face.

“Morning sickness?”  She nodded, still not looking him in the eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s not going to last forever, just a few more weeks, and… I like you touching me.  It’s just the pressure on my neck triggered a reflex. In a few weeks it’ll be fine and I don’t want you to think you should stop,” she explained, the blush on her cheeks now from embarrassment.

Dick smiled roguishly at her. “You like me touching you, huh?” Marinette rolled her eyes but her deep blush betrayed her pleasure at his comment.  Dick brushed the bangs out of her eyes, and let his fingers linger in her hair, making sure not to put too much pressure on her.  “Marinette, it’s okay to tell me the truth.  I want to know.  It isn’t a burden you’re laying on me by being honest.  You aren’t just complaining.  You’re telling me the truth.  You’re letting me be part of this.  We’re in this together, aren’t we?”

“Yes, of course,” she answered automatically.

“Then I want the truth. You’re not going to scare me off. I’m not going anywhere.  I’m not going to be disappointed in you or the baby. I’m not going to get frustrated and pull away.  I’m here for the whole messy, miserable, chaotic, amazing, miraculous process.  I want to support you, both of you.  So if you’re so sick you’re throwing up before and after meetings,” he gave her a pointed look. “I want to help.  I can pick you up or bring you food or interrupt the meeting so it doesn’t go long.”

Marinette looked down guiltily and started fidgeting with her fingers.  “Tim knew about that, huh?”

“Tim knows everything that goes on at WE,” he confirmed.

Marinette let out a long, deep sigh.  “I didn’t want him to know.”

“Why not?”

“I… I can still do my job,” she insisted.  “I don’t want special treatment because I’m carrying his niece or nephew.  I want to get better and make sure this project is successful, not get coddled.”

Dick opened him mouth then shut it again.  “Tim would go soft on you.  So would Lucius,” Dick agreed.  “But only if they thought you were doing your best.  If they thought you were shirking or not putting your best effort in, they would let you know.  But they aren’t going to push you into the hospital.  They wouldn’t do that even if you weren’t pregnant.  Okay?”

Marinette gave him an unconvinced smile but nodded.  “Okay,” she agreed.

“Alright.  So, how are you feeling?”

She shrugged.  “Right now, pretty close to okay.”

“So… not good?”

“There is no good. There’s just less terrible.  And this is just the first week of it.  I’m scared I’m going to have to start taking medicine for it and I’d really prefer not to do that.  They say it’s safe but… I don’t want to take anything unless I absolutely have to.  Hey, do you think I can get another burger?”  Dick smiled and started to pull out his second burger for her before Marinette put her hand on his arm to stop him.  “Actually, ignore that.”

He shook his head at her again.  “Marinette, you can have my burger if you want another one.”

She looked at him self-consciously.  “I know. Thank you for that, but if I eat too much it’ll make me feel sick too.  It’s better to maybe come back another time or get something small on the way home.”

Dick nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure.”  She nodded and reached into her bag, pulling out the last item in it.  She giggled and held it up for Dick to see. “Hey, baby’s first toy!” He exclaimed excitedly.

She looked at him with soft eyes and nodded.  “Baby’s first toy,” she repeated dreamily.  

Dick reached out to rub her belly but stopped just short of touching her.  “Is it… is it okay for me to…” he nodded toward his hand and her belly.

Marinette pointedly eyed his arm that were already wound around her waist, but his gaze was so earnest, her teasing comment died on her lips.  “Yeah, yeah it’s okay,” she whispered softly instead.

He ran his hand over her belly reverently.  This was his first time running his hand over the baby.  Her belly was still flat, no external indication there was more developing beneath the surface.  He could feel her lithe muscles through her shirt.  But underneath the muscles was their baby.  Their baby.  Their baby was growing and developing.  And then one day in no time at all the baby would be there, in his arms, looking at him, trusting him, needing him to protect it. And he would do anything he had to in order to make sure his child was safe.

He looked back up at Marinette with a warm smile.  He tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.  She cupped his cheek and stretched up to kiss him.

She hummed contentedly as she pulled away and laid her head on his shoulder.  He laid his head on hers and squeezed her again.  Marinette picked up the figurine to get a better look at it.  “It’s Nightwing!” She held up the small black and blue figurine for Dick to see.

Dick shook his head out of his stupor and sent her a sly smile.  “Yeah, I remember you saying he’s your favorite.”

“Oh my God.  I don’t even remember talking about him.  How embarrassing was I?”

“How embarrassing do you get?”

She stuck her tongue out at him and shoved a few fries in her mouth.  “Sorry can’t,” she motioned to her full mouth, “eating.”

Dick laughed and stole a fry from her.  Marinette gasped in mock outrage.  “You would steal a pregnant woman’s fries?  I think I need to call Nightwing to take you away.”  She winked at him.

“You’re right that was ungentlemanly of me.  Here take my fries in reparation.”  He pushed his fries over to her.

“I was kidding.  I’m not going to steal half your dinner.”

“It just means you have more for me to steal.” He smirked at her as he reached over her and past his fries to steal a few more of her fries.

She giggled and took one of his fries.  “Who’s your favorite?”

“Mine? Oh, um…” he had to think about that.  “Wonder Girl, I guess.”

“Oh I didn’t know we could include heroes.  That changes my answer.  Why is she your favorite?” She turned back to her fries missing the pout that settled on Dick’s face.

“She’s got really good moves in battle.  She uses just enough force, but not too much.  Like she is more concerned about hurting anyone unnecessarily.  But she’s really protective of her team and goes out of her way to help anyone who needs it.  Or maybe I just have a thing for black haired, blue eyed, kickass women.” He smirked at her.  He stared at her for a few moments and he knew he shouldn’t.  He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself.  “But let’s go back.  Who’s your favorite if you’re including heroes?”

“Chat Noir.”

“Wow no hesitation there at all.  That… that hurts.  I feel betrayed.  And why is he your favorite?”

“That I’m choosing a Parisian hero instead of a Gothamite?” She raised an eyebrow.  Dick mentally cursed himself.  She didn’t know he was Nightwing.  Of course she wouldn’t get the reference.  Marinette missed his grimace as she reached back to grab more fries to eat as she talked.  “He’s a really good guy.  Really sweet and kind.  I guess kind of like Wonder Girl.  He went out of his way to help everyone he came across, though I suppose all the Paris heroes did that.  He had amazing control over his powers and was so compassionate.  Always thinking of others before himself.  He saved me a few times.  Used to stop by my balcony to talk sometimes… eat some free pastries. He was a friend.  We kind of grew up together… I mean… as much as a hero can with a civilian.”

She gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile.  It wasn’t. Dick made a mental note to do some research on Chat Noir and see how close he was to Marinette.  He cringed again.  That sounded pretty creepy.  He couldn’t do that.  “I haven’t even met Nightwing,” Marinette continued oblivious to Dick’s inner turmoil, “so Chat wins by default.”  She looked at the figurine again and cocked her head to the side.  “I need to make some Miraculous team dolls for the baby.”

“Should I be jealous?” Dick raised his brow playfully.

“Over me or the Parisian hero dolls or the pastries?”  Her smile was coy but her eyes were sultry.

“How good were the pastries?” He leaned closer to her.

“Very.” She leaned in closer. “My parents make amazing pastries. So do I.”

“Maybe you can show me sometime.”

She nodded “I’d like to. I just need to know what you like.”

He traced her jaw with his finger. “I like you.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes, but moved closer to him with rosy cheeks. “You are so cheesy.”

He gave her a cheeky grin. “I haven’t even started yet.  I like your eyes.” He slowly kissed both of her eyes.  “I like your nose.” He kissed the tip of her nose.  “I like your cheeks.” He kissed both cheeks and brushed his thumbs over her cheeks after he kissed them.  “I like your ears.” He gently grazed his teeth over her ear’s shell.  His felt a warming in his chest when her breath hitched. “I like your jaw.” He laid small kisses along her jaw to the other side of her face.  “I like this spot right here a lot.” She sighed happily as he ghosted nose over a spot below her ear and kissed it.  “I like you.” He pulled her in for a passionate kiss.  She whimpered as his tongue slipped between her lips to meet hers.  She trailed her hands across his shoulders and up his neck slowly until she reached his hair.  She pulled gently to pull him closer.  His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her into his lap.

After a few moments she pulled away breathing hard and rested her head on his shoulder, focusing on the ground.  Dick waited for his breath to level back out and leaned close to her ear.  “And chocolate.  I like chocolate.”

She nodded slightly, still not looking at him and breathing deeply.  His brow furrowed in concern.  He gently rubbed her back.  “Marinette?” She hummed quietly and held up a finger to let him know to wait.  He gave her a nervous smile.  “That bad, huh?”

She chuckled lightly and took another deep breath before looking back up at him.  “Maybe we should hold off on tongues for a few weeks too.”

“Ah,” he nodded in understanding and cringed.  “Gag reflex.”

Marinette hummed and settled back against his shoulder again.  “And everything triggers it right now.  Breathing triggers it.  Thinking triggers it.  Ugh.  I can’t wait for this part to be over.”

Dick wrapped his arms tighter around her, but made sure to leave them light enough not to put too much pressure on her stomach.  “Sorry you have to go through this.  I promise to work on making my kissing less gag inducing.”

She giggled into his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his chest shaking with laughter as well.  She pulled away just enough to look him in the eyes and rested her arms around his shoulders.  “Chocolate.  I can make that happen.”

Dick frowned at her.  “You just almost threw up again.  Maybe don’t push yourself.  I’m more worried about you than getting some pastries,” his voice was suddenly tender.

Marinette smiled up at him and ran her fingers along his cheek, settling her hand on his neck.  “I think it’s funny that you think I’m going to wait to start baking things for you or designing things for you.  I’ve already started making plans and coming up with ideas.”

“I’m not going to convince you to take it easy am I?”  She gave a resolute shake of her head.  Dick shook his head and gave a defeated sigh. “Then, I’m sure I’ll love whatever you come up with.” He leaned down to give her a chaste kiss.

Chapter 8

Tags:

@dickinette-february @demonicbusiness @ichigorose @iloontjeboontje @ladybug-182

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Hi! I saw that you might be interested in writing fics about Sigyn x Loki and it’s totally fine if you don’t want to do this because it is a little angsty and doesn’t really fit your description of what she was doing during Thor but could you maybe write something where Sigyn dies somehow a little before the events of Thor happened and Sigyn’d death was what lead Loki to do New York. And maybe he was pardoned and joined the avengers and they notice that Loki wears a ring and they start getting really curious. Maybe they ask him or Thor about the ring and find out about Sigyn. I know it doesn’t really fit what your version of Sigyn was doing during Thor but I would really like to see how you write this.

A/N: You’re right, this isn’t how I picture Sigyn in the MCU. I want her to be a more active character and really don’t like fridging my ladies if I can help it. That all being said, it’s a fun thought experiment.  Consider this just an AU where Sigyn dies.

Also, this kinda turned into a thing, so enjoy!

Word Count: 3.3K

The transition was gradual, to say the least. Nobody really trusted Loki, apart form Thor. But then again, Thor would trust a rabid dog not to bite him if it asked nicely enough.

He had vouched for his brother’s changed ways and Loki himself hadn’t done anything directly to contradict Thor’s word. Plus, it was hard for them to deny how he had come to the rescue on their behalf and the world at large.

Still, there was an unspoken understanding to stay out of each other’s way. Only occasionally did Loki interact with the rest of the team outside of missions and even then it was mildly antagonistic, like a little kid looking for attention from their siblings.

Eventually, it just got comfortable, for lack of a better word.  They’re weren’t friends, but they weren’t enemies either and that seemed to be enough.

So perhaps it wasn’t a surprise it took them almost six months to notice the ring.

Natasha was the first to catch it.

She stood on the edge of the mat, watching Loki spar with his brother. 

It was just a casual observation.  She spent most of the match counting how many times one of them missed a weak spot of the other. Finally, Loki took the advantage and managed to disarm his brother, but not before something fell out of his shirt; a silver chain with a solitary gold ring dangling from the end of it.

Natasha frowned, her eyes focusing on the tiny object. It was just a simple band, no jewels or markings from what she could see. The only thing which struck her as odd was the size.  It was much too small for the likes of Loki.

Her eyes darted to the man in question, who stared back at her with a guarded expression.

Without a word he helped his brother to his feet, and tucked the necklace away.

He wasn’t telling and she wasn’t asking.

The next was Steve.

He couldn’t sleep, which wasn’t so unusual.  Even before he went into the ice he wasn’t much of a sleeper.  The scientist who worked on him said it had something to do with the serum. He just didn’t require as much sleep as the average person.

On nights like these he found himself wandering, allowing his thoughts to shuffle lightly in and out as he feet carried him where they liked. It therefor came as a surprise when he noticed one of the lights in the kitchen turned on and a single figure sitting at the island.

Steve stayed in the shadows, watching with suspicion and curiosity.

Loki did not seem to know he was there.  A long forgotten mug of something sat on the surface beside him.  His eyes were only for the ring between his fingers.

Steve stiffened waiting for something, anything to happen.  Knowing Loki it was a magic ring of some kind.  Perhaps he was working out a kind of spell or curse.  But, the longer Steve waited, the more he realized nothing was going to happen.

His eyes then turned away from the ring at to the man holding them.  His heart twisted.

Sorrow permeated Loki’s features, and the resignation that it was all there would ever be.

Steve knew that look.  He had worn it often enough on sleepless nights.

“Do you require something, Captain?” Loki said, turning his head up to meet his gaze.

Steve immediately stiffened, automatically preparing himself for a fight.

“No, just getting some air. What are you doing up?”

“The same as you,” he said, smoothly.  “Just getting some air.”

It was obvious neither bought what the other was selling, but it was also obvious neither were in a position to ask any further questions.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” He turned to leave, but found himself pausing before he could stop himself.  The familiar ache was back in his gut.  It was what had woken him up and it was back with a vengeance, recognizing it’s own pain in another.

“I’m sorry,” he said, before he could stop himself.

Loki’s gaze darkened, but still his grip on the ring remained ever gentle.  “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Steve shook his head. “No, I think you do.  And I’m sorry.”

The other man remained silence, but gave a small nod.

Steve took it as his leave to go and walked away.  It wasn’t his place to ask and so he wouldn’t.

It was Clint who finally got it out of him.

He never trusted Loki, for obvious reasons.  The rest of the team might have been able to buy the changed man act, but none of them had had their mind permanently screwed with like his had. He played nice while on missions, but was soon as they were off the Quinjet, he kept as far away from Loki as possible.

So, when Natasha told him about the ring, he was more than a little suspicious.

There had to be something about the ring.  It had to be a talisman Loki could use to trick them.  Maybe it turned him invisible or he used in for illusions or whatever magic crap he called it.

Clint started to keep his eye out.

Once he was looking for it, it was obvious Loki took it wherever they went.  It was always tucked away, buried under clothes and armor.  Even when they were back at the compound, Loki never let it leave his body.

Once in a while, he’d catch Loki running the metal between his fingers in thought, followed almost always by some sort of interjection about whatever mission was at hand and how to improve it.

He had to begrudgingly agree that most of Loki's suggestions were decent ones.  Maybe the ring gave him a type of insight; seeing into the future perhaps? 

Either way, his suspicion was growing stronger everyday.  There had to be someway to figure out what it was. 

It took about a month for him to get his chance.

Loki always kept the ring on while he was around other people; however, he wasn’t so careful while he was alone. Through some carefully place cameras, Clint discovered he did slip it off before going to sleep and whenever he went into the shower. 

Sneaking in when he was sleeping was out.  Clint observed easily enough the man was a light sleeper.  Even with all his training, he doubt he could come up with a decent excuse if he got caught, which only left one other option.

He waited until the end of a particularly grueling mission.  Everybody was exhausted and a hot shower seemed like heaven, just the opportunity he needed. 

Clint followed Loki to his room.  He didn’t enter until he heard the water running.  After that, it was easy enough.  In a flash he was in and out, holding the cool metal between his fingers and booking it to the lab.

A part of him felt childish. It was more like stealing a few bucks out of his brother’s wallet, rather than a high stake’s espionage to reveal a traitor.  Desperate times, he guessed. 

Just his luck, Tony and Bruce were already tinkering away when he burst in.

“How quickly can you guys analyze this,” he said through panting breath.

The two scientist looked up in confusion.

“Somebody sell you a knock off ring?” Tony said, dryly.

Clint shook his head, not having time for jokes.  “It’s Loki’s.”

That got their attention.

“What does it do?”

“How’d you get it?”

“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter.  We have maybe ten minutes before he realizes it’s gone.”

Bruce shot Tony a skeptical look, but Tony ignored it.

“Let’s see it.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Clint handed it over.

“I’ll get a sample and see what it’s made out of. If there’s anything not of Earth we’ll find it.  Bruce?”

Banner gave a reluctant sigh.  “I can check for energy readings.  If it’s anything like Thor’s hammer, something might turn up.  But, I honestly not sure what I’m looking for. You never said was Loki was using it for.”

Clint shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I just know he won’t go anywhere without it and he keeps it out of sight as best he can.  Nat only spotted it on accident and apparently he gave her this really weird look.”

“Weird how?”

“Just weird, like she saw something she shouldn’t.”

“Good enough for me,” Tony said, already placing the ring under a microscope. “Ten minutes you said?”

“Eight now.”

“Let’s get to work.”

Two minutes in Tony discovered the ring was mostly gold.  There were trace amounts copper and nickle, but only enough to keep the metal from being malleable.  Really, it wasn’t anything one wouldn’t find at a local jewelry store. 

Bruce meanwhile, found nothing.  No radiation, no magnetic field, no anything to indicate it wasn’t just a completely normal ring.

Clint ran his hand through his hair in agitation; they had three minutes at most.

“There has to be something!”

“I’m telling you there isn’t,” Bruce insisted.

“It can’t be, why else would he have it?”

“Sentimental reasons? Maybe it’s his mother’s.”

Clint scoffed, but a nagging sense of doubt crept into his gut. “No.  You missed something.  Tony?”

“Not much, just that it’s stronger than it should be.”

Clint perked up at this. “How do you mean?”

“I mean there isn’t a scratch on it. If it has the amount of gold the computer says it does it should have some kind of wear on it, but nothing.  It’s perfectly preserved.”

Clint turned to Bruce.  “See, that’s weird right?”

Bruce rubbed his hand behind his neck.  “It is a little weird, but let’s not forget Loki isn’t exactly a local.”

“You’re defending him?” Tony accused.

“I’m not saying that.  I’m just saying we have to look at all the options.”

Clint opened his mouth to protest, when the doors slammed open behind him. 

They were out of time.

“Stark,” Loki snapped. “I want a look at those cameras you–”

He stopped, physically halting in his place as he eyes quickly shot to the ring on the table.

His expression remained cool, but Clint was just able to catch look of panic flash across his features. 

“Ah, there it is,” he said, smoothly.  “I’ll take that back now, if you don’t mind.”

He made a move toward it, but Tony was faster.

“You were looking for this,” he questioned.

Loki’s eyes narrowed.  “Yes.  I had misplaced it, but now that it’s found, I would like it back.”

“This is yours then?”

“Of course it’s mine.”

Tony nodded, giving a “what do you know about that” expression.

Clint straightened.  He could feel the tension rising between the two men.  Something was going to happen, he just had to be ready for the signal.

He was so focused on the scene in front of him, he failed to notice Bruce sneak carefully out of the room.

“It’s an interesting ring,” Tony said.  “Sturdy.”

“Indeed,” Loki said.  His mask was slipping, the frustration slowly melting it off his skin.

“I’m curious," Tony continued, "what exactly is so special about it? I’ve been running every test I can think of and nothing’s wrong with it.  Absolutely nothing.  It’s literally, the most perfect ring I’ve ever seen.” He took a pause, casually glancing in Clint’s direction.  “Might want to step back from that Barton, highly corrosive.”

Clint looked behind him to see a full beaker of bubbling liquid behind him.  Holding back a smile, he instantly understood.

“That’s all very well,” Loki said. “But it does not stop it from being mine.” He held out his hand.  “Return it to me, now.”

Tony smirked.  “Think fast.”

In a second, the ring was in the air, not towards Loki, but right for Clint.

He caught it mid-air, just in time for Loki to pivot towards him with murder in his eyes.

Clint didn’t hesitate.  Spinning around, he held the ring over the beaker silently daring the so called “god” to move.

Loki stayed in place, even as he vibrated with rage.

“Careful with that,” he warned, his voice sharp and cold as a knife.

“What is it, then?” Clint challenged.

“It’s a ring. Nothing more.”

“Really? Then I don’t see what I can’t just…” The chain slipped between his fingers.

“Don’t!” Loki snapped.

Clint caught it.  The ring remained intact, swinging dangerously close to it's demise.

Loki visibly sighed in relief, but something in his eye gave Clint pause.  It wasn’t just anger or even fear, it was pain.

He pressed his lips together, his mind whirling with what it could possibly mean.

“Why do you care about this?” Clint asked, again.

Loki’s eyes never left the glinting metal, as he shook his head.  “You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes.  Clearly you’ve already convinced yourself it serves some nefarious purpose.  You will not accept anything short of that explanation.”

“Give me a better one then.”

Loki lip twisted.  “I think not.  You see Agent Barton, I believe it’s perfectly within my power to take my ring back from you. The only choice you have is whether you want to keep it or your hand.”

With a flick of his wrist, a knife appeared in each of his hands, glinting sharp and ready.

“What is going on?” Thor’s voice echoed in the small room.

On instinct Clint turned his eyes away from Loki.

It happened in an instant. The sting of the cut. The cool metal slipping between his fingers.  A blast from the corner of the room. A brush of air. And a knife embedded in the wall behind, with the small chain dangling from the hilt.

Clint turned to see Loki thrown across the room.  Tony’s now armored arm was still raised, and ready for another attack.

Looking down at his own hand, Clint could see a trail of blood sliced across the back.

“What the hell?!” he snapped.

Loki struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall for support.  His brother was at his side in an instant.  Bruce stepped in the middle of it all, his arms spread wide.

“Everybody, calm down,” he said.  “Let’s not make this a bigger mess than it already is.”

“You’re seriously showing your belly, now?” Tony accused.

“Take it more like a warning growl,” Bruce countered. 

The threat was obvious, making Tony visibly shocked.  He backed down, lowering his arm.

Thor supported Loki, bringing him fully to his feet.

“I’ll ask again, what is going on?” Thor said, will all the authority a prince of Asgard could muster.

“Just a little disagreement over stolen property,” Loki said, smoothly. 

Thor’s eyes went to the necklace still swinging against the other wall. The anger on his features nearly matched Loki’s.

“Stark?”

“Me,” Barton interjected.  “I wanted to know what Loki was hiding.  From the length he’s willing to go to to get it back, it must be something.”

Thor shook his head.  “Do you have any idea what you might have done?”

“No, that’s kind of the point,” Tony said.  “What is it, the One Ring or something?”

“It’s a personal matter,” Loki said.

“No good enough.”

“Clint, drop it,” Bruce snapped.

“No! What is it? What the hell can be so important that you’re willing to finally drop your changed man act to get it back?!”

Thor let out a long sigh. “Barton, you can not–”

“Enough, brother,” Loki cut in. “You wanted a story Agent Barton? I’ll tell you one.

“Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a prince.  Second born of his family, he grew accustomed to being looked over by others; his subject, his friends, even his father would easily pass him over."

"Does this have a point?" Clint interrupted.

Loki said nothing. 

Clint's frown deepened, but it was obvious there was no other way he was going to get an answer out of the would be king.  So, he kept his mouth shut, until Loki started again.

"The prince grew resentful, turning deeper and deeper into himself. It came to the point where nothing else existed, except the darkness.  Until one day, he came upon a maiden practicing spells in a garden."

For the first time in Clint's memory, a soft smile came to Loki's lips.

“She was beautiful and intelligent, and the prince offered to teach the maiden what he knew.  She asked what he wanted in exchange, and the only answer he could give, was her company. And so they practiced and talked, and little by little the darkness around the prince began to fade. He was still second to many, but their opinions no longer mattered.  In the eyes of the maiden, he found light.”

He shook his head.  “The prince was never sure what the maiden saw in him, but it was enough for her to agree to marry him.  He then presented her with a ring.  An ordinary ring to some, far too simple for a soon to be princess, but in it held a spell.  The ring would never fade or tarnish, as long as his love for her survived.”

He blinked, his expression darkening.  “But love cannot protect one from death.  Long after they were married, but not nearly long enough, a plague tore through the kingdom.  It infested every corner from the lowest commoner to highest lord, until finally, it arrived at the palace gates.  The prince’s eldest brother, his mother, and wife all caught the disease. After weeks of uncertainty, it was determined they would pull through, save for one. The maiden, his light, died in his arms while they slept."

Loki paused, swallowing down the emotion clearly rising in his throat.

“The darkness returned with a vengeance, to which the prince succumbed.  He turned against his brother, his father, and everyone else he blamed for his failings. Slowly but surely, he pushed them all away until he found himself falling to an abyss, completely and utterly alone.

"But, that was not the end of the prince’s story.  For you see, the prince was not as alone was he thought.  Another found him, and offered him something he had no had in years; hope.

"He told the prince he sought six stones, that when combined would bend the universe to his will, including bringing back what was long dead."

Loki's eyes grew even more distant, his hand going to his chest, instinctively reaching for a familiar chain.

"He promised the prince he could bring back his light.  All the prince had to do was conquer a single planet. A simple task, the prince thought.  And so he went, ready to burn a world for the chance to see his love again.”

A sardonic smile spread across his face.  “But the prince failed and in his failure, he realized while he might be willing to pay such a price for his love, she would not feel the same.  And so he set to make amends, all the while keeping a symbol of their love close to his heart as a reminder of the light he must always remember is there.”

Loki paused, looking up to his captivated audience. In a room full of people compelled to give the have word, not a sound was uttered.

Maintaining the silence, he walked passed all of them to where his heart hung.  With a small tug, he pulled the knife from the wall, and lay the necklace gently in his open palm.

“Does that answer your questions, Agent Barton?” he asked, taking a moment to run his finger over the flawless gold.

Clint blinked, unsure of what to really say.  He really only had one question left to ask.

“What was her name?”

Loki glanced at him, and for the first time Clint saw him, not as a would be god, but as a man, tired and filled with regret.

“Sigyn.”

[castiels-majestic-wings]

Sixth Sense - Chapter 6

Paring: Loki x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2044

Warnings: Mentions of death/injury

Posted: 29/01/2021

"Steve this is-"

"I know. Tony doesn't even know you've seen this."

"This item- This is why I can do what I do. I-" You looked behind you seeing Loki's look of amusement and curiosity. Steve's eyes followed yours towards him. Giving a kind smile and introducing himself. He had kept his Luke persona, not wanting to seem suspicious.

"Luke, you should head home. This is official government business."

"Sure. Let's meet up again soon, Kitten." You smiled towards him, trying to hide your flustered state. You didn't expect him to give you a pet name. In front of Steve no less. He entered the elevator and waved as the doors shut. Steve chuckled before looking at you.

"Kitten?" He couldn't hide the amused look on his face.

"It's a nickname he used when we were younger." He nodded in understanding, taking a breath ready to speak before you. Knowing he wouldn't let it drop you tried to change the subject.

"Anyways, let's get back to the file"

"Okay, Kitten" You slapped his head with the file.

"Don't call me that!" The amusement never left his features but he let it go for now. The file was more important than teasing you at that moment. Flicking your eyes towards the pages in your hand you had read everything. How Tony found you. The item you had held in your hand. That was the source of your power. And it was a yellow stone. Just looking at it you knew exactly what it was. An infinity stone. SHIELD tried taking it from you but you had used a shockwave of energy to stop anyone from getting close to you. Except for Tony. No one knew why. But they said they would come back for me once he calmed me down. They had tried to take you in, but Tony had declined. He looked after you for 5 years before he let SHIELD take you in. But you had no memory of your life before Tony found you. You had pictures of your family with you. So you placed them in your house, hoping that you would remember them, even just a little. But nothing came. It was like your memory was wiped. But if you touched it again. Maybe you would get your memories back. Suddenly you knew where it was. It was in the building.

You dropped the papers at your feet. You looked up to the ceiling. You needed to get there. It called to you. Steve tried to get your attention, but you couldn't hear him. All you could hear was the faint hum coming from upstairs. You ditched the elevator and used the stairs to get there quicker. Once you entered the lab Bruce and Tony looked in your direction quizzically. Your head snapped towards the sceptre in the corner. You ignored any word that came from their mouths. You walked towards the table taking the blue orb from the sceptre. You crushed it in your hand revealing the stone that called out to you. Once it touched your skin a yellow glow coursed through your veins. A shockwave shook the entire building causing all the avengers present to make their way to you, the source.

After mere moments the shockwave died down and you kept the stone tight in your grip, tears flowing down your face. You turned to see the Avengers facing you, worry and shock covering their faces. You gazed at your hand that was holding the stone. Your veins were no longer glowing. You had faced them again before dropping to your knees, gripping the stone tightly, never letting it go.

"I remember…" Tears fell from your face. Natasha had slowly made her way to you trying to comfort you. But it didn't stop you from speaking. "I remember everything...Tony, you saved me. Even before you were Iron Man. You...You took me in, knowing I was dangerous. But you saw what I did, didn't you?" Your eyes never left him, they were filled with remorse and regret.

"Yes, I saw it"

"Then why? Why did you help me after I killed all those people?"

"You were just a kid! You didn't know what power you possessed, or how to control it. But you seemed to trust me. So I took you in, knowing that if I did you wouldn't hurt anyone." Your eyes narrowed as you made your way onto your feet once more.

"I killed my family Tony. I was just playing, collecting pretty rocks. Then I saw this one-" You raised your clenched fist. "-it spoke to me. Then once I touched it, a blast radiated from my body. My family was nearby. They got caught in the blast."

"It wasn't your fault kid-"

"The stone- It showed me. That I could trust you. If I wasn't holding it, I doubt I would've trusted anyone. But once I let it go. I lost all of my memories, except for my name."

"Y/N-” You stared blankly at Tony. The tears on your face were now dry.

"Tony. Thank you for saving me. And trusting me. But I can't be trusted anymore. Now that I know how I got my abilities. I don't trust myself."

"We can work through this, just drop the stone."

"I can't. It's a part of me. I can see its future. You and Bruce will create an unimaginable being using this."

"You can see the future?"

"No, just the path of the stone. I can see how it got into Thanos' hands. How he gave it to Loki before sending him here to destroy Earth. He wasn't lying. Loki was tortured to do what he did. And, it was used to enhance humans. Twins. They gained power from it" The look of pity showed on everyone's faces, they finally realised he wasn’t the bad guy after all. But after you spoke the stone burned your hand causing a scream from your throat as you dropped the stone, cradling your hand, holding it to your chest as heavy breaths left your lungs. Bruce slowly made his way to you, careful not to awaken any unknown abilities, before holding your hand upwards to check the injury, you had some burn marks but it slowly disappeared. Meaning it healed.

“It healed. Bruce what’s-”

“I don’t know, but it has something to do with the stone.”

“Test me.”

“What?”

“Run some tests, experiment on me I don’t care just figure this out. Please” The plea lest your mouth without any thought. You didn’t know what you were any more or what the stone had done to you. But something in you changed when you touched it again. Not just your returned memory, but there was something in your head. You didn’t know what it was. But it was dangerous, you knew what much at least.

“I’m not going to do that, I’ll take a blood sample, but I won’t do anything to you unless your test results are abnormal.” Not being able to speak anymore you just nodded. Dry sobs escaped your throat as you held your hands to your chest. Tony had approached you and kneeled next to you before holding you in his arms. Letting you sob into his chest as you clenched his shirt. All of this new information at once was too much for you. You were trying to wrap your head around the memories of your past and the events that just took place.

It took weeks for your head to make sense of all the information. Now you could see the images in your head more clearly. You saw how the mind stone got into Thanos’ grasp, and how it eventually found its way to Loki, through HYDRA, and back to you. It started when a SHIELD agent took the stone from the storage container Fury had placed it in, and took it to a blue alien, that you somehow knew was a Kree. The Kree worked for Thanos, and gave it to him so he was able to place it within the sceptre and tortured Loki into submission before sending him to Earth to attack. Then the HYDRA agents within SHIELD took it to Sokovia, experimenting with it before it finally worked on some twins, giving them abilities beyond your comprehension. Then when the Avengers took the HYDRA base, they found the sceptre and brought it to Bruce’s lab, in the tower. It was hazy, but you could see the path it would lead. A robot. A bad one. Will create an amazing version of itself, filled with goodness, justice, a harmful creation. Thanks too, Tony and Bruce.

You couldn’t tell anyone what you know, except for one person. He came to see you quite often. You had grown closer, and eventually, a friendship bloomed. He always kept tabs of your condition. Checking to see if any ill effect emerged from the stone, but none did. Since you were told to stay away from any missions until your head is screwed on, you were bored in the tower, so Loki often brought you books from Asgard to soothe your mind. A year passed before you felt normal. And just in time too. Steve found out that his oldest friend, Bucky, was alive. He was brainwashed by HYDRA to become the perfect assassin. A week after you got home, Loki returned. you were reading a book while laying on your bed. You knew he was busy so it didn’t matter how long it took for him to return. You were just happy to see him. He appeared at the bottom of your bed, his face showed a sense of urgency.

“What did I tell you about just appearing out of thin air? They have eyes everywhere. You can’t just show up out of nowhere.”

“My apologies, but it was urgent.”

“What is it Lokes?” You placed a bookmark between the pages you were reading before lowering your book next to you on the bed.

“It appears that something is different within you.”

“What? But I feel fine-”

“That’s precisely what’s wrong” Hearing that made you question everything. How could your recovery be a problem?

“What do you mean?” He sat at the bottom of your bed as he explained.

“I’ve been researching Infinity stones from Odins collection of private information. And Midgardians -much like yourself- shouldn’t be able to wield them. So the fact that you held one and survived was a surprise but twice? Now, that’s curious.” He held his chin in thought, gaze to the window.

“That was over a year ago-”

“Yes, but that’s exactly what I mean. It took a year to the day, for you to feel normal again, correct?” His eyes returned to you, pleading answers.

“Well yes, but what does that have to do anything?”

“This has happened only once in Asgardian history. Odin had kept notes on it. After you told me you felt normal again, I had to read over them again. And the only time in history a human could wield an infinity stone was when they weren’t fully human” The conclusion seemed impossible, but after everything you’ve seen as a SHIELD agent, it seemed more possible than you would originally think.

“Wha- You’re saying that I’m part alien? Me?”

“Yes, and since there are no physical changes in you I would assume you have Asgardian blood.” He concluded with a bored look.

“Asgardian? But Bruce took multiple blood samples, they all showed that I was 100% human.”

“What about recently?”

“I-I haven’t had a blood test in 6 months.”

“Get one done. Trust me on this, if I am correct, I will be able to help you.” His eyes were soft and full of truth. He just wanted to save you from whatever was happening.

“Okay, I’ll ask Bruce to check again” He nodded before disappearing. But something else took his place. Resting atop your sheets, was a golden book. It had Odin’s markings on the front. You knew it was the book he spoke of, with The Kings notes of everything he knew about Infinity Stones. You had the information you needed, now all you had to do was get the confirmation of your blood type.

Sixth Sense Taglist: @lovermrjokerr @lord-byron @lucywrites02 @violetica @quirkyreaderwriter @prettysbliss @ditsyisadumbadjective

[pinkneonvibes]

LUX BRUMALIS ~ {III} De Omnibus Dubitandum

*WARNINGS: Parts of this fic may contain strong language, angst, descriptions of violence/blood, & other mature content.*

3

"Be Suspicious of Everything"

Bucky sat perfectly still on the exam table as Bruce held his eyelids open, shining a flashlight to examine his red-tinged eyes. The bright lights of the medical bay aggravated his throbbing headache.

"You said the light came from her hands?" Bruce queried, releasing his grip on Bucky and tucking his glasses in the front pocket of his lab coat.

"That's so cool," Peter commented from across the room as he analyzed Evie's blood samples in the computer and monitored her condition.

"See how cool it is when it happens to you, kid," Bucky answered, blinking hard a few times as his eyes began watering. "So what the hell did she do to me?" He asked Bruce, slightly annoyedly, rubbing his eyes before directing a brief scowl at the next room where Evie lay unconscious.

"You were exposed to considerable ultraviolet radiation at close range, resulting in a corneal flash burn," Bruce explained.

"Think you can give me the plain English version right now?" Bucky asked.

Peter spun around in his chair and translated in layman's terms, "She gave your eyes a sunburn."

"A sunburn?" Bucky questioned flatly, "On my eyes?"

"I think I might know a little about how radiation works, Bucky," Bruce chuckled.

"It's all over your face, too," Peter added.

"What?" Bucky hopped off the exam table and headed to the mirror. Sure enough, the redness from sunburned skin spread across his face. "Ah, shit," he mumbled.

"Shouldn't take more than a day to clear up." Bruce patted him on the back, assuring him, "Consider yourself lucky. Exposure like that could blind an average person permanently."

Bruce returned to Peter and their research on Evie and the toxins removed from her bloodstream.

"Whatever you say, doc," Bucky shrugged. They said their goodnights, and Bucky headed to his room for the night.

"Sergeant Barnes," J.A.R.V.I.S. chimed in Bucky's bedroom the following morning, "Mr. Stark requests your presence in the briefing room."

Groaning harshly, Bucky pulled himself off the floor by his still-made bed, grabbing his cell phone off the nightstand to check the time—7:03 AM.

"Better be important," he grumbled, not in the mood to join the group after the night he endured, hardly sleeping and suffering through the lingering irritation in his eyes. He would have rather stayed locked in his room until he healed up. He yanked a white t-shirt out of his closet on his way to the bathroom to make the slightest effort to be presentable.

Everyone trooped into the briefing room as Tony sat at the head of the table, rocking in his chair, the dark circles under his eyes indicating that he had pulled an all-nighter. With his head on the table, Peter was seated to his left, snoring softly. Bucky kept his head down, letting loose strands of hair fall in front of his face to hide the sunburn.

He took his usual spot between Natasha and Steve, greeting them with a gruff "Mornin'."

"Ouch," Sam snickered, sitting next to Peter across from Bucky, "The hell happened to your face, man?"

"Shut it, Wilson." Bucky snapped, pointing at him. Straggling in last was Clint, scratching his lower back while sipping from a whole pot of coffee.

"Can't you two save it 'til after breakfast?" Clint yawned, flopping down next to Sam. Sam flashed Bucky a cheeky grin, to which Bucky rolled his eyes and tried to sink himself into his chair as much as possible.

"Well, only one announcement to start. Point Break won't be joining us for a while. He has to babysit his brother while his old man takes his nap, so with that out of the way..." Tony slid two fingers across the tabletop. Images projected from the center of the table showed all angles of surveillance footage of a S.H.I.E.L.D. motorcade approaching a temporary holding center. Seconds later, without warning, the screen filled with a massive explosion.

If any Avengers were still half asleep, they were wide awake afterward, sitting straight to process what they witnessed. Then, the video replayed in slow motion, revealing a thin trail of smoke leading up to the blast.

Tony rose to his feet and began to pace around the room, somberly relaying, "That was the clean-up crew and our perps. Forty-six total dead. They destroyed every last bit of evidence."

"Do we know anything yet about who might've attacked?" Steve asked Bruce and Tony.

"I analyzed the bullets Clint brought back. The substance is a neurotoxin derived from an organic source. But, unfortunately, I couldn't find a matching substance in any database I accessed." Bruce admitted. "Thanks to Peter's help, we isolated and flushed the toxin from Evelyn's system."

"Didn't find much on Miss Evelyn, either." Tony changed the display to a bare profile on Evie. "Immediate family is deceased. She was reported missing at fourteen and was recently presumed dead. So what's the deal here?" Tony inquired of Nat and Clint.

Clint spoke up. "We found her in a bad situation back then. And since she was alone, I took her in. We kept her a secret to keep her safe."

"Why is that?" Steve inquired.

"Because Evie's a mutant," Natasha answered.

"Whoa, so she was born like that?" Peter lifted his head and asked excitedly.

"Nice of you to join us, kid," Sam smirked, ruffling Peter's messy hair.

"Interesting," Tony expressed. "But I can't lie. I'm more shocked that you, of all people, decided to adopt a teenage girl."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Well, my wife and I were trying to have kids. But it just wasn't happening for us, so..."

"Wait, you're married?!" Tony asked Clint in disbelief, stopping dead in his tracks. "And you kept that from us?"

"Was married," Clint corrected. "Laura's no longer with us."

"Oh. Sorry about your wife." Tony raised a finger and continued pacing. "Continue."

"Not much more to tell you. Laura said she and Evie fought about something, and Evie took off. Last night's the first time Nat and I've seen her in about five years."

Tony shook his head. "J.A.R.V.I.S.! Queue any facial recognition footage, only the past five years."

The lighting in the room dimmed as grainy video stills stacked in various frames appeared, each date stamped nearly five years prior. Bucky skimmed over the enlarged images as they played simultaneously. The layout of the cells and labs was enough for him to recognize the location as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Black Ice facility, a front for undercover Hydra activity that contained him as their Winter Soldier for a time.

He knew he'd never seen Evie there in the past, let alone anyone with powers like hers, before their unpleasant encounter the night before. The sheer lack of footage didn't surprise him since he had witnessed her abilities firsthand. They would make evading facial recognition tech a cinch.

In the final clips, men clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms barged into her cell, where she was curled up in the corner, her exposed skin enveloped in a shadow. She fought back as long as possible until they injected her with something and clamped a device around her neck. Her body limped as her powers faded, and they dragged her through the long corridor, thrusting her into a narrow rectangular transport container.

The videos restarted and played again for another few instants until Tony finally told J.A.R.V.I.S. to clear them from the queue, and the lights returned to normal.

"Well, I think that settles it."

Clint held his head in his hands as it sank in that one of the worst-case scenarios really did happen to her in all the time that passed. Then, not looking up, he asked, "You think Evie's involved?"

"Wouldn't be the first time Hydra's enemies took a shot at the new-and-improved S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony answered. "Granted, we still don't know where she's been between the past few years and now, but it may be safe to assume your girl has plenty of reason to want some payback."

"It's way too soon to jump to conclusions, Tony," Clint reasoned. "We don't even know what she was doing there in the first place."

"Stealing a little over a million bucks, for one," Tony countered. "I feel for the kid, Clint. I honestly do. But she sure as hell wasn't an innocent bystander." He tilted his head at Bucky, "I'm sure Barnes can attest to that, look what she did to his face."

Damn it, Tony, Bucky thought, dreading being called out with everyone's attention on him at that moment.

Clint remained speechless as he shot Bucky an icy glare across the table. Everyone else took it as their cue to stay out of it.

"What do you want me to say, man? She seemed ready to shoot me if it wasn't for the palm scanner on my rifle." Bucky paused briefly, choosing his following words carefully. "Listen, Clint. I get that this is personal for you–"

Clint couldn't stifle his scoff at the statement. "Let me stop you right there, Barnes. You'll need to give me some proof before I go along with this bullshit theory."

Bucky took a deep breath to compose himself instead of blowing up on Clint for shooting down his attempt at being sensitive to the situation. "Whoever we're dealing with, they seem to tie up their ends damn near immediately. Yet they didn't come after us. Why? Maybe she's important to them, maybe she isn't, but if we cut her loose and tail her once she comes to, we'll find out one way or another."

"Whoa, whoa," Clint held his hands up. "I'm not okay with using her as bait. Last night was a close call as it is."

"It is what it is, she made her bed, and you ought to accept that she might not be the same person you remember."

"Right, but we only get to make an exception for you." Clint fired back.

Steve and Sam sitting next to each of them, tried defusing the situation, but it was in vain.

Bucky slammed his palm down on the table. "Clint, you know damn well with that many casualties, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s going to demand to interrogate her. And it won't be friendly. So you wanna pull your head out of your ass and figure out something better, be my guest."

"Whatever, man." Clint stood abruptly. "You're both so full of shit," he huffed at Bucky and Tony as he stormed out. Nat called out after him, but he was already gone. Without a word, she shook her head and followed him out.

A blue scan hummed through the dimly lit medical bay, periodically passing over Evie's body. Monitors on either side of the bed updated her with her vital readings. Evie's eyelids gradually fluttered open with blurred and cloudy vision. Finally, the beam of light moving over her eyes startled her fully awake.

Sitting upright, she wasted no time ripping the IV from her arm, forcing herself off the bed and onto her feet. Unfortunately, her legs lacked the strength to hold her body weight and gave out underneath her. Incapable of catching herself, she landed flat on her face, and the impact of the fall winded her. Searing pains tore throughout her body at every motion.

Drawing shallow breaths, Evie mustered what little energy she could, dragging herself on her forearms to the nearest corner of the room. She leaned back against the wall, and her chest heaved and tightened. Constriction traveled up to her throat with each breath. Then, hoping to recover from her panic, she squeezed her eyes shut, concealing herself in darkness.

Unaware of how much time had passed, she detected a change in lighting through her eyelids. Once she calmed down, she dropped the veil over her skin, opening her eyes and adjusting to the early morning light. She held onto the wall to stand, taking the opportunity to examine her surroundings.

The technology in this room alone clued her in that she wasn't in a hospital. Peering out the window, Evie watched the Manhattan skyline brightening at the break of dawn. Her brows knit in confusion as she attempted to figure out where she was.

"Clint?" she whispered to herself. She vaguely remembered hearing his voice. She shook her head, not wanting to entertain any positive sentiments about him. Evie swore never to trust anyone or anything associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. ever again.

"Oh, shit," her eyes widened at recognizing the logo on the wall behind her reflecting in the glass.

The Avengers Tower.

Gasping, she reached for her shoulder at the recollection of being shot, hand settling on a row of stitches. Then, stretching the elastic of her black sweatpants, she peeked under the bandage at another set of stitches.

"How long was I out?" she wondered aloud.

"Four days, Miss Silva," J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.

Startled by the unexpected noise, she flinched, grimacing at the jolt of pain from her sudden movement.

"Um, thank you?" Evie replied, dumbfounded that she actually acknowledged the polite disembodied voice. She stood there for an instant, wrestling with her current emotions.

Evie intended to avoid sticking around to figure out what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s poster children wanted with her. Muscling through the pain in her steps, she proceeded to the door.

Unlocked.

Well, that was easy, she thought. Too easy.

Not dwelling on it further, she rummaged through various cabinets and drawers for anything worthwhile and located some clothes she assumed were laid out for her. Hastily exiting the room, she zeroed in on a table full of snacks in the lounge. Her stomach chose that instant to growl furiously.

"No time for that," she scolded, stopping herself from heading that way. Her stomach protested, and she gave in, hurrying over to the table and filling the pockets of her hoodie.

The halls on the way to the elevator were eerily silent except for her brisk footsteps—no one else in sight.

Rushing out the first-floor doors, she pulled on her hood, keeping her head down and blacking herself out. She moved quickly through the aching into the morning light.

"Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced, "Ms. Silva has left the building. I've alerted Agents Barton and Romanoff."

Tony glanced at the small display, the red dot on Evie's position moving slowly along the map. "Great. Keep me posted."

He continued tinkering with his latest project underneath the magnifying lens. Not ten minutes had passed before J.A.R.V.I.S. had another announcement.

"Sir, there appear to be several breach attempts on the tower's mainframe."

"What?" Tony questioned in confusion. He pushed his goggles up in his hair, analyzing the live feed of a dozen drones drilling into the tower.

Tony tapped into the tower's intercom. "Gang, we have a situation."

He gingerly placed his project on the table before running out of the lab and shouting, "J.A.R.V.I.S., run a trace!"

"Of course, sir."

Arriving at her destination in the Bronx, Evie scaled over the rubble of an abandoned subway station. Most of the old station lay in ruins, demolished or reclaimed by nature—the perfect hiding spot for someone who can see in the dark.

Dropping her disguise, she climbed down to the only exposed entrance. Her pupils grew, eclipsing her eyes to obsidian as she moved further into the dark, stopping at a pile of large stones and broken concrete she'd made to house her backpack. She would've been back to retrieve it five nights earlier if her one-woman heist had gone according to plan. It had been smooth sailing until the Avengers showed up.

"Perfect," she huffed, scrutinizing the tattered remains she unearthed. Since Evie initially hid her bag, rats and other critters managed to chew holes through it. They even went so far as to eat half of her last ten-dollar bill.

"I'm so fucked," she whined softly, running a hand through her hair. The severity of being broke, injured, and back on the radar began to sink in. Angrily, she stuffed her things into the only still-intact compartment of the backpack.

Clattering pebbles echoed near the entrance. Tiptoeing further into the darkness, Evie shifted her skin to blend into the shadows. Positioning herself flush against the wall, she silently observed the source of the sound.

Five men crept in, wearing street clothes. Batons extended from their hands, sparks crackling from the forked ends. Hurriedly, she slipped the backpack on and clipped the straps across her chest. Then, rolling up her sleeves to expose as much of her skin as possible, she took a deep breath before sprinting to the group's center and conjuring a flash.

Flinging the stunned man closest to her headfirst into a pillar, she snatched his weapon to even the odds. She shocked the next guy with it before splitting it over his head. She dodged the remaining three, swinging mindlessly but wasn't fast enough, yelping as one of their batons caught her and clamped into her abdomen, pumping electricity throughout her body.

Dropping to her knees, dazed, she was able to save herself, reaching another fallen baton and barely managing to get back on her feet. She shocked the last three unconscious.

She sensed the warmth of the blood escaping her torn stitches and hobbled out of the tunnel. Just keep moving, she repeated in her head.

Suddenly the hum of hovering objects surrounded her, and three drones descended on her. She stumbled quickly, ducking her head and zigzagging to avoid laser strikes pelting the ground around her. One grazed her ankle, so she dove. Tumbling down the platform, she landed facedown on the exposed tracks.

Flaming scrap rained around her as the machines came crashing down.

Evie struggled to drag herself onto her hands and knees. Clint rushed over to her, Helping Evie to her feet and holding her arms to steady her.

"C'mon kid, Let's get you outta here."

She froze when they made eye contact, overloaded by the wave of emotions hitting her like a semi-truck, seeing him in the flesh after all those years. Coming to her senses, she emanated a violet glow from her hands and forearms, warning him to let go.

"I'm sorry," he tightened his grip on her, allowing Natasha the few seconds she needed to sneak up from behind, clamping a power inhibitor on Evie's neck.

Recognizing the sensation, Evie tried swinging at Natasha, but she blocked her and restrained her against the concrete wall.

"Calm down. We're trying to help you, but we're not taking any chances." as Evie fidgeted, Natasha detached the high-tech cuffs from her belt, displaying them to Evie. "Are you going to make me use these?"

"Spare me your bullshit," Evie hissed. Natasha stood her ground and fastened the cuffs on Evie's wrists. She wasn't in any condition to put up a real fight, more so without her abilities.

"Suit yourself."

Another group of drones hovered in, firing on them.

"We don't have time for this!" Clint shouted, letting bomb arrows fly at the drones heading their way. "Are you walking, or are we dragging you?"

"Mierda," Evie muttered under her breath. She inclined toward cooperation solely based on choosing the lousy situation over the worse one. They patched her up once before, and they'd assumably do it again. A much better deal than getting blown to hell while bleeding out. "This doesn't mean I trust you." She responded hoarsely, straightening up as best she could with clenched fists.

"Smart girl," Nat commented, grabbing her by the elbow.

Evie kept her eyes on the floor, limping as the trio rushed to the Quinjet for their getaway.

Whew, sorry this one took so long to get posted! I'm already writing the next one, and I promise I'm gonna try my best to not sit on it so long!!

My bad, if I didn't catch any errors.

Thanks for reading 🖤💙

[star-spangled-steve]

His New Partner

Chapter 21: The Bridezilla

Series Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: 3424

Warnings: A very distressed and angry Reader, sexual innuendos, cussing, fluff at the end.

A/N: This was honestly so much fun to write, I really hope that you guys like it too. And also, in case you couldn’t tell by now, the italicized words are flashbacks. Enjoy!

Y/N’s neck started to hurt from being hunched over her laptop for so long. The couch cushion underneath her butt began to get uncomfortable as well, but she was too concentrated on the numerous books, magazines, and checklists in front of her to really care.

Her computer’s battery charge was nearing 30%, and she knew that it wouldn’t be healthy to stay on it any longer. But each time she told herself that she would go back to bed, there was always one more thing to take care of. One more thing to research, pick out, plan, and organize for this damn wedding.

A knock on her and Steve’s bedroom door startled Y/N as she was laying on their bed, flipping through a bridal magazine.

“Ya?” The girl asked, not even looking up from the various chair covers on her page.

Natasha took a peak inside of the room before slowly opening the door, shaking her head at the scene in front of her. “J.A.R.V.I.S. called you to come down, why didn’t you answer?”

“I’m busy.” Y/N answered as she circled yet another item in the thin book.

“Well, it’s lunch time. The whole team is waiting for you, come on.” The assassin cocked her head in the direction of the elevator, urging her friend to get up.

“Not hungry.” The H/C haired girl told her blankly.

Natasha shook her head, stepping farther into the bedroom. “Ya? Then take it up with Steve. He says that you haven’t eaten all day, and he wants you down there. Now.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, switching from laying on her stomach to laying on her back. She held the magazine above her face, completely blocking out Natasha. “Tell him that I can take care of myself, please and thank you.”

“Well clearly not.” The red head stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

The actress finally sat up, closing her book in front of her. “What’s that support to mean?”

“Come on, N/N, look at you.” Natasha scolded. “You are obsessed with planning an event that’s like a year away!”

Y/N pouted, looking away from her friend. “10 and a half months.” She corrected under her breath.

“Oh, whatever!”

3:07 in the morning, her laptop read. 

Nope, wait.

3:08 now.

Steve would most likely be up in about three hours, ready to go for his usual morning run. All the while Y/N continued to search through countless websites about dresses, and plate settings, and centrepieces galore.

She knew that she was being irrational. That it didn’t really matter whether the bridesmaid dresses had a halter neckline or a v-neck, whether the invitations were printed on pieces of white or cream coloured cardstock.

But this was something that she had been looking forward to ever since she was a little girl. Having a great big wedding filled with her amazing friends and family; a handsome groom waiting for her at the end of the aisle. And now she had all of those things. A group of people in her life that she adored more than anything, and a fiancé who she loved with her whole entire heart. 

Y/N had all of the tools, all of the resources and support systems in order to pull off the fantastic wedding that’s she’s always wanted. But deep down, she knew that she should’ve been treating that support system better in the process.

“Alright,” Steve spoke as he sat down at the kitchen table, “what do you got for me?”

It having been about nine months until the big day, it was finally time for the couple to be testing out cake flavours. Y/N had ordered about twenty different kinds for them to try, and she could’ve not been more excited to get a taste of each and every one.

The girl put her hand on the refrigerator handle, giving her man a smile. “A ton of different options.” She opened up the fridge with a smile. “Let’s just say, you should be thankful for your fast metabolis-“

“What?” Steve asked, seeing Y/N frozen in her spot.

The girl’s eyebrows began to furrow as she went up and down, searching through all the levels of the Avengers shared fridge. “Where’s the rest of my cake?”

“Huh?”

“My cake.” She faced him, placing her hands on her hips. “Half of it’s gone.”

Steve stood up from his chair. “That’s impossible.” He met her at the refrigerator and began to look through it himself, only to see nothing as well.

Just in that moment, Tony and Bruce had walked into the kitchen, looking for a mid-science snack.

“Hey, guys, have you seen the other half of our cake samples?” The Captain questioned them, placing a hand on Y/N’s shoulder in hopes to calm her down.

Banner gave the group a shrug and turned to Tony, who looked pretty suspiciously guilty himself. 

“What did they look like?” The billionaire asked, avoiding eye contact from the unhappy pair.

“Oh, you know,” the girl ground her teeth, beginning to get a little frustrated, “cake. Cut up into little. Sample. Sizes.”

“Hmm.” Tony pretended to ponder, even scratching his chin for show. “Well, I, uh...”

“Stark?” The Captain interjected, wanting to get to the bottom of this. He could tell that Y/N was getting angry, and he did not want this to cause another ‘episode’.

“I... may have eaten them.” Tony admitted, crossing his arms over his chest in uncharacteristic nervousness. But no one in the whole Tower could even blame him for being frightened. Scary bride Y/N was a very real thing.

“You what?” The girl fumed, shrugging away Steve’s hand and stepping a bit closer to Tony.

The brunette man gulped. “I’m sorry, N/N. I didn’t know that they were yours.”

“Oh. So the large white label that said ‘Wedding Cake Samples’ wasn’t a big enough hint to for you, Mr. Genius?”

The other scientist cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m just going to go.”

“No.” The actress told Bruce, pointing a stern finger at him. “You stay right there, young man.”

Banner furrowed his eyebrows. “‘Young man’? You’re the youngest one here!”

Y/N gave him a pointed look; one that urged him to shut his mouth right away, one that was something a mother would only give to her misbehaving child.

“Do you realize, Tony, how important those little pieces of cake were to me?” She asked, looking the man dead in the eye.

“Look, I really do apologize, Y/N. I’ll just buy you guys new ones. You’ll have them within a couple of days!” He told her in hopes to lighten her spirits.

The Captain just stood there, not daring to get in the middle of this. Sure, he could get her on her knees with a couple of dirty words. And when he used his low sexy voice, she was practically putty in his hands. But right now in this moment, his usually delightful girl was scaring him shitless.

“That’s the problem, dumbass!” Y/N shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. “The baker who made these things is going to be in France for the next month and a half for some fancy cooking course!”

“Oh.”

“Ya.” She said in a not so polite way. “Are you just trying to piss me off? Is that it?”

“Wha-No! I swear, it was a simple mistake.” Tony told her. “Why were they even in the common fridge anyways?”

“Because the one on our floor wasn’t big enough to fit the whole tray. I never thought that one of you dummies would eat half the fucking pieces!”

“Woah!” Steve interposed, making the girl turn towards him. “Watch your mouth.”

“Oh shut up!” Y/N yelled back, sticking her tongue out at her fiancé. Him telling her to watch her mouth would usually turn her on in the bedroom, but now was really not the time.

“Y/N, you need to calm down.” The billionaire stated.

“Are you trying to not get invited to our wedding?” The furious girl questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. “Is that it? Because I will uninvite you so fast, Tony Stark.”

“I-I’m one of Steve’s groomsmen.” The man spoke with a confused look on his face. “You really can’t-“

“You know what? I don’t even care anymore, finish the whole goddamn tray if you want.” Y/N hissed. “I’m going to my room, and nobody is allowed in!” She stomped past Bruce and Tony and headed her way towards the elevator.

The three men sighed, seeing her click the button multiple times in frustration before finally marching on.

Once the doors were completely closed, so he knew that she couldn’t hear him, Tony let out a low whistle. “Good luck with that one, Cap.”

Gold napkin rings would look just beautiful with the theme of their wedding, Y/N thought to herself. But then again, the cutlery was silver, and it would definitely look silly together. Though, she could also just get gold cutlery. Too many decisions to make and too little time.

With her laptop’s battery nearing a measly 10%, she knew that she should just wrap things up for the night and finally join Steve back in their bed.

But for some reason, she couldn’t. It’s as if she was addicted. Each and every minute of her spare time was dedicated to planning this wedding. And unfortunately, anybody who tried to mess with that, did not come out with a smile.

“Can you please pass me the salad, Maria?” Pepper asked as the whole gang sat around the huge dining room table.

It was Saturday night and all of the Avengers had agreed to not make any other plans, choosing to eat dinner together instead. Meals as a whole were great for team bonding, and mostly everybody enjoyed each other’s company.

“Where’s my doll?” Steve questioned as he was the last one to arrive in the upstairs dining room. The man glanced around the table, only to see her usual spot empty.

“The little firecracker?” Tony spoke before pointing to the hallway opposite of the one that Steve walked in from. “Over there, talking some poor person’s ear off.”

The Captain glanced to where Stark had pointed and sighed at the scene in front of him. There his girl was, standing with her phone to her ear and the other hand on her hip. She was pacing around restlessly, and the look on her face was one of pure annoyance.

Steve slowly walked closer, not wanting to scare her, and placed both of his hands on her shoulders lightly. “Y/N, baby?”

“Ya, ya, just give me a second, Steve.” She continued with her call. “Now this is where I’m confused, Miss Jessica. You told me that they could be ready by July 18th. It is only January the 10th. Why do you need six whole months to make 80 personalized jewellery boxes?”

Steve raised his eyebrows, turning to the team with a ‘help me’ look.

“80 women is not that many!” Y/N continued, completely ignoring him. “What do you mean that you have ‘too many customers’? I ordered first, did I not?” She continued to walk back and forth in the corridor, as the rest of her friends ate their meal. “Well then you know what? I might just have to contact another company and get them to do this task for me, since you obviously can’t. Good day, ma’am.” The girl hung up her cellphone before shoving it in her pocket and running a hand down her face. “Shit.”

“You okay, darling?” Steve asked concernedly.

“I’m pissed off, that’s what I am.” She marched over to the dinner table and sat down in her respective spot; Steve taking his own to the right of her. “Pass me the chicken, please.”

Rhodes then held the dish out in front of her, watching as she angrily placed the chicken parmesan on her plate and messily cut it up.

“Thanks.” She puffed before just ultimately giving up on her food, slouching back in her chair.

“Sweetie, do you want to talk about what happened?” Natasha spoke up, something that the rest of the table was too scared to do. Nobody wanted to get yelled at.

“Well,” Y/N chuckled dryly, “remember those little jewellery boxes that we were looking at together? The ones that we can get engraved with everybody’s first name on them?”

Natasha, Pepper, and Maria nodded, having been there when Y/N was picking them out.

“Apparently the lady can’t make 80 of them in time for the bridal shower.” The passed off girl continued. “So either we reschedule it, or get something else.” She shook her head in frustration, absentmindedly balling her hands into fists.

“I’ll just get some Stark Industries workers to make them.” Tony said through a mouth full of food. “Problem solved.”

“Wait,” a look of pure bliss made it’s way on to Y/N’s previously mad face, “are you serious? They can do that for me?”

The billionaire just shrugged like it was no big deal. “They’re electrical and mechanical engineers. I’m pretty sure that they can handle a little woodshop.”

“Oh my goodness, thank you!” Y/N jumped up from her seat and ran around the table, giving Tony a big hug as he was still in his seat. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, suddenly feeling so much happier than she was before.

“Woah.” Clint chuckled. “Talk about a mood swing. Guess that it’s somebody’s time of the month.”

The whole room went silent.

“What did you just say to me?” Y/N asked slowly while nobody else in the room even dared to make a sound.

“I-It was just a joke.” Clint told her. “M’sorry, N/N.”

“It’s not my time of the month, okay? I’m just really stressed.” The girl explained, wrapping her arms around herself in embarrassment.

“We know, love.” Steve assured with a small smile. “Are you going to sit down and eat now, or am I ‘gonna have to airplane the food into your mouth?” He joked, but he could tell that Y/N was not in the mood.

“Actually, I guess that I’m going to have to take care of my ‘time of the month’.” She said with air quotes. “Have a nice night.” And with that she stormed out of the dinning room, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

“Not pointing any fingers,” Maria spoke up after a long minute, “but that was totally your fault, Clint.”

“Babydoll?”

A voice broke Y/N out of her wedding day trance, making her turn towards the raspy sound.

“Steve? What we you doing awake?”

The man stood against the wall in a t-shirt, hoodie, and sweatpants; a typical pyjama set for a cold February night. The outfit made him look every bit like a big snuggly teddy bear, and Y/N would usually just want to cuddle into his chest, but right now she was too preoccupied.

“I reached out for you, but all that I was met with was cold sheets.” Steve told her, a frown very much evident on his handsome face. “But the real question is, what are you doing awake?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged before turning back to her bouquet arrangement website.

“Hm, I see.” The man nodded, walking over to join her on their floor’s couch. “Actually, uh, before I realized that you were gone, I was having a dream.”

“Cool.” Y/N said, not even sparing him a glance. “What about?”

“Well,” Steve cocked his head, trying to put on his sexiest voice, “not much, not much. Just me fucking you so hard that you can’t even walk tomorrow.”

The girl didn’t even flinch. “Nice.”

“Ya.” He sighed, trying to get her to show any kind of emotion. Ever since they had gotten engaged, Y/N has been acting way differently. Steve was determined to break her out of this shell. “Did I ever tell you how much I like your new haircut, baby?”

“Yup.” She replied. “Multiple times.”

“Well, it’s very pretty.” He added.

Y/N continued to scroll through her website, making little check marks on her clipboard every now and then. “It’s just a couple of inches off the bottom.”

Steve smirked. “You know, if you come back to bed with me, I can be more than just a couple of inches into your bottom.”

The girl rolled her eyes and shook her head, beginning to get really annoyed with him. “Don’t even need anal right now, Steve. You’re already being a pain in my ass.”

“Wow.” He lightly chuckled, still attempting to turn on the charm. “What’s with the snarky attitude, baby girl? Do I need to take you over my knee again?”

“For the love of God, no, Steve.” Y/N fumed as she stood up from her seat, finally having enough of this. “Do you know what you need to do? What you need to do is go back to bed and leave me alone!”

Steve gulped at her coldness. This was Y/N, his girl. Within the two years and nine months that she had known him, she had never talked to him like that. Ever.

“I-I oh, goodness, Steve. I’m sorry, honey.” She saw water in his eyes and began to cry as well, all of the stress from last several months finally releasing itself. “So sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

The man stood up too and wrapped his thick arms around his fiancée, slowly bringing her closer to his warm chest. “It’s okay, doll.”

“No, no, it’s not okay.” Y/N began to sob while her hands grasped onto Steve’s muscular body, never ever wanting to let go. “You don’t deserve to be tr-tr-treated like that.” She sniffled.

“No, N/N, it’s fine. You’re so good to me, sweetheart.” He insisted, soothingly rubbing the expanse of her back with his hands.

“You’re so good to me.” Y/N told him, taking her face out of his chest and looking him in the eye. “All of you are. I-I’ve been so horrible lately. I yelled at Tony, Nat, Bruce, Pepper, Clint, Maria, Rhodes, my cousin, my mom, my other cousin, those three guys in the mail room that accidentally sent my package to the wrong floor, and now you. I’ve been a complete bitch.”

“Hey, no. I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself that again.” Steve shook his head. “You’ve just been under a lot of pressure lately.”

“It doesn’t excuse my actions.” She said before wiping her face of any leftover tears. “You guys are always under a lot of pressure, and you never take it out on other people.”

“No, I just take it out on Tony’s punching bags.” The man said, making Y/N’s lips quirk up just the slightest bit. “Is that a smile I see?”

The girl bit her lip sheepishly. “Maybe.”

“Think that I can give you another one?” Steve raised an eyebrow, a plotting look taking over his face. “I think that I can.” His hands slowly made their way down her sides, fingertips ghosting over the dip of her waist. “Maybe with just a little…”

“Stevie-Ah!” Y/N began to giggle at the feel of him tickling her. “O-O-Oh my god, Ste-e-e-eve! Sto-Stop it!” Her giggles soon turned into cackles, and she was squatted so low in hopes to get away, that her back was almost touching the carpet.

“See, there’s my girl.” The Captain beamed, finally finished with his attack. “You promise to stay happy now?”

Y/N nodded, still out of breath. “Only if you help me get off the floor.”

“Whatever you say, N/N.” And with that he scooped her off of the floor, beginning to carry her into their bedroom bridal style.

“Honey.” The girl said with a laugh.

“What?” Steve shrugged. “I’m just practicing for our wedding night.”

Y/N snuggled further into his body, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. “M’kay.”

“Looks like somebody is tired after all.” He pointed out, settling her on their shared bed and pulling the covers up over her body.

“I guess so.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Steve spoke, walking around to the other side and getting underneath the covers as well, “right now, we’ll go to sleep. But first thing tomorrow, you and I are hiring a wedding planner.”

Y/N was too fast asleep to even hear him, her dreams filled not with the wedding itself, but with the man that she was sharing it with.

And oh what a wonderful dream it was; not one bridal magazine in sight.

Next Chapter

Feedback is always welcome!❤️

[dyanlzbb]

The recovery of the lost Moon

Jason Todd x Sister!OC 

SUMMARY: Jason finds a girl and decides to help her find her mother... the only way to do it is with a DNA search. He gets surprised by what he finds. 

Part 1 of 3

_________

Jason was having one of those days in which everything seems to go wrong.  He got on the bad side of Bruce and got in an argument with Alfred. Then he had to run away from Dick who had one of his wonderful bonding ideas, sarcasm intended. And finally he got notice of another smuggler trying to go big by marketing a new dangerous untested drug. No problem, he was used to deal with that kind of people. However he wasn’t ok with this smuggler using children to do the dirty job and he had to do something about it.

He needed a lead on the small smuggler and he knew where to get the clues he needed. He went to a neighborhood he was familiar with in the East End to find informants. But before he was able to talk to anyone, Jason stopped at a grocery store to buy cigars… God knew he craved them badly when he was this stressed.

Jason payed and left the store to light the first cigarette outside. Maybe he was too absorbed on his thoughts, but the thing is that he didn’t notice the girl coming to his way, so she bumped him. Jason came back to his senses to see the girl walking away and the lighter out of his hands. It was his luck that precisely this day, his lighter fell to the sewer. Great! I’ll need to buy a new one he thought and reached for his wallet on his back pocket.

However the wallet was gone. He was certain he had it with him after he pay for the cigarettes and it wasn’t on the street. That little rascal! The girl must have taken it when she bumped him. It took him a second to do a light recognition of the situation and in a secondhe was on his way to the last place where he saw the girl walking.

Lucky he was fast. Jason found her on an ally going through the content of his wallet. “Hey girl! What do you think you’re doing?”  Jason called out loud surprising the girl. She looked at both sides finding herself trapped by high walls and far away from the fire escape.

Damn she thought. It was the first time she had been caught since she started pickpocketing a few years ago. She was trapped and in no possibility of escaping the broad guy in front of her. “Oh… I found your wallet and was checking where I could return it.” She was trying to sound convincingly innocent to make a clean exit without being taken to the cops.  

“Nice try kid.” Jason knew she was lying, but she was so composed lying to his face that he was surprised. He took another look at the girl. She must be around 12 years old and although her clothes were not dirty or ripped, you could see how worn out they were. He recognized the signs, she lived in the streets. “Now, I have a question and I’m only going to ask you this once. You better give some serious thought to your answer.” He paused for a second trying to add drama to the moment “Are you hungry?”

The question took off guard at the girl. She was expecting a confrontation for saying the least, a treat to take her to the police station or something along that line. The man in front of her knew for sure that she tried to rob him and yet, he was here asking if she wanted to eat. She open her mouth and was about to tell him to leave her alone, but her stomach decided that it was the perfect moment to manifest itself and groaned so loud that gave Jason the answer.

And he just laughed out loud. The girl was mad at the timing of his stomach. She was about to deny her need for food in order to run away from the man. Yet he was there just laughing at her. She was huffing and frowning. It was amusing to see her expression. Before she got even angrier, Jason approached and took her by the shoulders. “Come, I know a place nearby.”

There was a burger place nearby. It was similar to the place where Batman bought two burgers the night he found Jason trying to steal the wheels of the Batmobil. He was surprised at the similarity to the moment now sitting in front of the girl.

“So… I’m Jason. What is your name?”

“Lina”

“Lina? That is an unusual name. Where do you live Lina” Jason asked as he took the first bite form his hamburger. He was staring at the girl that only looked down to see the really interesting spot on the floor.  “mmph… I see, so, you don’t have a home”

Before he decided it was a good idea to take her to the cops or authorities, Lina hurried to give an excuse, she wasn’t going to childcare or to some foster parents. “I’m staying at this old lady’s place. She allows me to stay if I do a little housekeeping.”

“What happened with your parents?”

“I… I used to live with my mom… but I got lost when I was 6 and since then I have lived here and there.”

Jason knew the story quite well. It was a shame that Gotham had so many of these kids living in the streets and susceptible of crime. “I see… listen Lina, the truth is that I need help. Maybe you can help me and in exchange, maybe I can help you.”

“How?” She meant on both questions. How was this man planning to help her and what would he possibly want from her?

“Well, I need information about a guy that is trying to get kids to do the dirty job of selling his garbage… if you help me get the information, I can help you find your mom.”

“I’ll help you, because you’ve been good to me. But I doubt you can find my mom… she’s never looked for me.” Lina was ashamed to admit that she was abandoned. She had never told her whole story to anyone, nor the old lady she lived with or her friends.

Jason stayed in silence. It was rare that a mother would not look for a lost child. He was intrigued by the case that found him. He waited for the girl to provide more information about her decision.

“I may know about the guy you look for. I was with a friend… Tom… trying to…” She made a pause, she was not ready to admit that they were eying a victim that they planned to rob “… to make a living…” it was enough for Jason to understand what they were trying to do. He just nodded inviting Lina to continue. “He came to us and offered a job. I asked him what kind of job. He wanted for us to go with him to a warehouse that is three blocks from here. I declined his job and told him that Tom and I get enough money from our parents and he left.”

This was the information he wanted to receive. Jason couldn’t find the shine gleaming in his eyes. “Do you remember how he looked like?”

“He was small; he looked like a rat, like an anxious rat. Thin blond hair, chubby face… I think his name has a Zole in it. He later talked to another friend, Eddie, and convinced him to sell his stuff.”

The case became interesting by the minute. Jason started to think that this girl was sent to help him. “What I am about to ask you… you don’t have to agree to do it or anything… but… it would help me a lot if you could get me a sample of the goods this Zole is selling.”

“Sure thing!”

Jason wanted to offer something to the girl, in exchange for the information. Not money because he wasn’t certain how this could benefit her. “Now, about your mom...”

“Mr. Jason, you don’t have to…”

“Drop the Mr. and I offer.  Now, how about you give me the details you remember and I check it with a database and find your mother?”

She sighted. For the last six years she had been convinced that her mother never looked for her. Perhaps it was a good riddance that she went out and got lost that august summer night.

Jason waited for her to say something about the story but she just look at him weary.  Lina just narrowed her eyes suspiciously “Are you one of those undercover cops?”

“No, I’m not. But my brother is a cop and he could grant me access to his database to look about your mother.” For a moment Jason saw the scared expression on her face “But don’t worry, I won’t tell him what I am looking form. Alright? You are safe with me.”

Noticing that she wouldn’t give him more information, Jason went back to the drugs case. “Now… how about we meet here next Friday at 4 to update your progress? You tell me about Eddie and Zole and I buy you a meal again…” He smiled seeing that the smile retuned to the girl’s face. He understood that if he wanted to know about the girl, he had to search for himself.

He removed her hair from her face with the excuse of not wanting her hair to fall in her burger. Yet he got what he wanted, a strand of hair to get her DNA and find her mother. He did it so casually that the girl didn’t notice.

When they finished their meal, they parted ways. “Ok. See you next Friday! Jason… and thank you for not arresting me!” before he changed his mind, Lina ran away as fast as she could.

[daddysfangirls-marvel]

Unworthy Clone

 Request

warning: language, angst,

Summary: Steve Rodgers x child clone reader. Shield sends the avengers to look into a series of destroyed hydra bases where they meet someone with a deep grudge against Steve. (Y/n was created by hydra to be the perfect killer but was abandoned in a hydra base due to her fits of anger and bloodlust) (y/n hates Steve blaming him for her existence) ( y/n was given the super-soldier serum as a child and has made her extremely violent when upset) (PTSD in the form of fits of hysteria and anger) 

Note: This is not a series and never will be

It had been a few weeks since she has seen anyone she was surprised she was still alive as she hadn’t eaten for weeks and the only water she got dripped from a pipe that was dripping slowly. She didn’t know when everyone had left the noise outside her cell got quieter and quieter until one day it was silent. She didn’t know what had caused them to leave just uproot themselves and leave her behind. And she didn’t know why they left her- Actually she did, she was known to kick, punch, scream, and bite leaving some people with wounds and others with permanent damage. So it’ s not really shocked that they left her.

It didn’t matter anymore she was slowly dying and she didn’t care she was welcoming it with open arms, although she wishes it wasn’t so boring and slow. She would kill for some entertainment. Or even just letting her arms out. 

She had harmed so many soldiers that they put her in a thick straight jacket wrapped in chains and chained to the wall even her feet were chained down. And the chain was rigged so when every the door opened she would be suspended in the air. That’s how scared they were of her that was just some of the many precautions they took. 

But that didn’t matter now, she was going to die in a straight jacket chained to the wall never to be seen or heard of. Hydra made her but never used her what a shame ... not really.

She was busy humming a random tone to herself when she heard something it sounded like footsteps and whispers. Maybe that had come back for her. Maybe they had food. She began to use her chain to make as much noise as possible. She often did this when she was hungry and wanted some to feed her. She hoped someone would hear her whoever was walking by.

And they did the door creaked as it slowly opened. She gasped as the chains started to move to lift her up and hanging her from the ceiling. 

“Hello” (Y/n) said her voice rough and raw as the man stepped into the room she was busying swinging around so she couldn’t see his face.

“who-what?What?...um are you okay?” she heard that voice before it was familiar but she couldn’t pin it to anyone.

“I’m hungry and I’m hanging from the ceiling” she spoke softly as her throat hurt. she hadn’t spoken in a long time.

“I found someone sixth hall the door is open,” he said pressing something in his hear. So he wasn’t alone. “ Hey, kid, what your name?”

“(Y/n)” she heard the unsheathing of a knife and felt him grab her leg to stop her from spinning.

“how old are you, (Y/n)?”

“I... I don’t know” 

“Well, my name is Bucky and I don’t really know my age either. How about we get you out of here and find out, okay?”

“Okay”

Bucky managed to get her out of her chain and unhooked her straight jacket. When (y/n)’s feet touched the floor she immediately buckled falling to her knees it had been months since she had last used her legs and weeks since her last proper meal. She just didn’t have the strength to even lift herself.

“Can you walk?” she shook her head a bit frustrated with herself. She looked up at the man who saved her about to say something but whatever it was went out the window when she realized who was her savior.

“ Soldier? S-soldier. You came back for me Soldier. You came back” (Y/n) threw her arms around Bucky as she hugged him pouring all her heart into him. Bucky didn’t say anything picking her up bridal style and carrying her out instead. 

(Y/n) was happy to see the soldier and overjoyed he was carrying her out of this hell hole. She gasped and buried her face in the crook of his neck as the cold snow snipped at her exposed skin.

“we’re almost there,” he said as he quickens his pace as others called out to him.

“What did you find?” someone asked as Bucky walked into what looked to be a plane. He didn’t answer them putting her in a seat.

“Get me a blanket” he demanded a dark-skinned man, named Sam, came forward handing her a thick blanket. Bucky took it and wrapped her in it swaddling her “ are you alright? Is that okay?” (y/n) gave a small smile and nod. As he continued to swaddle and make her comfortable people started to walk aboard a few stops to ask about her but not receiving any answer. 

A man named Bruce Banner came up to her and asked if she had any wounds she kicked out her ankles which were bruised and rubbed raw. He applied an ointment to her skin before wrapping them both up.

“How long have you been here?” Bruce asked. He found it strange how cheerful and okay she seemed despite her pale and sickly appearance. 

(Y/n) was about to answer him when the last person boarded the plane. She knew actually who he was when she heard him how could she not it was all the guards ever talked about. Him. Him. Him. She loathed him with every fiber in her body. Hated him. Despised him. His very existence burned her fury fire of hate.

Captain America. Steve Motherfucking Rogers.

Bruce noticed the changed in her attitude and behavior changed as she tensed up and began to glare at whatever was behind him. The cheerfulness was gone and replaced with pure hate and blood lust. Honestly, it scared him, Bruce, slowly walked away finding a seat far away from her. She was scary.

Bucky also noticed her attitude change and her instance glare on Steve. He tried to talk to her but she wouldn’t talk. 

Steve, on the other hand, was extremely uncomfortable and tried to avoid her gaze as much as possible but it was really hard.

Once they landed Steve was the first one out the plane and (y/n) wet back to her friendly self happily answering all their questions. It was quite strange how she was acting especially since she just escapes Hydra after being isolated for weeks with no food of water. 

“Would you like some more?” Tony asked teasing a bit but also serious as he watched (Y/n) scarf down two sandwiches and a bottle of water. She looked at him with wide-eyes more, she’s never been offered more. She glared at him suspiciously. There had to be some kind of catch. 

“...no thanks” despite her answer Bucky leaned in and quietly told Sam to go make another sandwich for her.

“So, kid, you’ve told us just about everything. Except how you got with hydra?” Tony said

“And for someone who kidnapped by Hydra for an unknown amount of time you’re really friendly-ow,” Bruce smacks Clint with a tablet.

(Y/n) sat in thought for a moment. Why was she so nice to them she didn’t have a reason to be nice to them she didn’t have a reason to be mean to them either but she was nice to them. They were kind to her but they were strangers. But she was nice to a few of the nurses and scientists involved with hydra but then again they were nice to her.

“ I ... return kindness. You’re nice to me so I’m nice to you. You haven’t done me any wrong so why should I be worried. Do you plan to do me wrong?”

“No, no we’d never hurt you,” Bucky said quickly. She smiled kindly at him.

“Thank you. And I was born there. My label was SII207 but the nurse and doctors took to calling me (y/n) I’m twelve... I think? I was born and raised in Hydra. I was supposed to be the perfect soldier but they said I was emotionally unstable. Failed experiment. At least that’s what the nurses and doctors said.” She sighed and looked down at her hands “ That’s probably why they left me there. Wasn’t worth the taking I guess.” she laughed but everyone could hear the sadness behind their voice.

“Well look on the bright side. Now you’re stuck with us” Tony teased trying to lighten up the mood.

“You guys don’t seem so bad.”

“You’ve only been here for a couple of hours. Just wait,, sweetheart, you haven’t seen anything yet. Give it a few more days then you’ll be begging to get out.”

-

A few days later and she didn’t want to go anywhere else. She made friends with just about everyone, except Steve. She was a little shitter towards Steve and avoided him. She was nice, polite, and didn’t upset anyone. She and Bucky had grown really close those two were like two peas in a pot never leaving each other's side. A few had even teased that she had replaced Steve as Bucky’s best friend but stopped because she didn’t like that. But it was true.

The only problem with having her around as she never finished the full health exam she never ever gave a blood sample. She did everything in her power to avoid blood test hiding, running away, changing the topic, hiding the needles, everything. To the point, the team thought there was something she was definitely hiding.

Now here comes the not so proud moment.

(Y/n) was asleep on the couch Bucky being the stealth son of a bitch he is snuck up on her and stuck a needle in her getting a good blood sample and she didn’t even feel a thing. And she didn’t realize anything until they all cornered her and Steve in the lab. 

“We took a blood sample from (Y/n)-

“I didn’t give a blood sample”

“I didn’t say you gave it I said we took it. Pay attention sweetheart” She glared at Tony he continued “ We took a blood sample and ran your DNA through the system and found a few interesting things. One, you have the super-soldier serum running through your veins and two-”

“Steve is your father” Everyone's eyes snapped to Bucky they were informed that she had the serum running through her veins but they were aware of her relations with Steve Only Tony and Bucky knew that until now.

Steve gasp he had a child he had a daughter. This was amazing this was beautiful this was wonderful. He took a step towards (Y/n) and she took two steps back. She did not share a look of joy with Steve her eyes were filled with rage and pain.

“Your m-”

“SHUT UP, SHUT UP” she screamed her hands shaking at her side “ I was supposed to be like you and exact copy of you but I came out wrong. They said I was too emotional, that I wasn’t focused enough, I wasn’t good enough. All I was good for was the new agents to beat on and use a target practice and when I wasn’t good enough for that they threw me to the side like trash.”

Steve tried to take another step forward but Bucky stopped him.

“ I didn’t ask for this I didn’t ask to exist or be born. I was forced into a world I didn't want to be part of this... I... I want to have friends my own age, I want to go to school, I want to have sleepovers and playdates, I want to know what it’s like to be - to have a childhood, I want to know what it’s like to dream a good dream and not memories that are nightmares.  But I can’t have any of that. You know why?”She picks up a pencil holder and throws it across the room.

“BECAUSE OF YOU” She started to pick things up and throwing them across the room at Steve “ I DIDN’T ASK FOR YOUR FILTHY BLOOD I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS LIFE. I DIDN’T ASK TO BE A MONSTER BUT I WASN’T EVEN GOOD AT THAT. I'm NOT GOOD FOR ANYTHING.”She stopped throwing things and began to cry.

“It’s your fault I’m here. It’s your fault I exist. I HATE YOU” (y/n) lunged at Steve she caught his chin before Clint caught her her mid-air. She kicked and screamed trying to shake his hold as he dragged her out of the room.

“WHY, WHY, WHY” 

Steve gasps clenching his chest and collapsing in a nearby chair letting his head fall in his hands. He didn’t even care anymore he began to openly sob in front of everyone. They didn’t know what to do they’ve never seen him this broken before and the last time Bucky recalled seeing him this broken was when Steve’s mother passed and he doesn’t remember how they got through that. Bucky quietly rubbed Steve’s back but he didn’t know what to say he couldn’t find and soothing words.

Steve looked up showing everyone his tear-stained face.

“What do I do now?”

Nobody Knew.

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[the--sad--hatter]

Phantom Pain (25)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU

PAIRING - Bucky X Reader

WARNINGS - Bad Habits and Rough Sex, Angsty and Dark AF.

DESCRIPTION - Everybody in the world knew of you, but not who you really were. Some called you a vigilante, some called you a criminal and some called you a hero but all of them called you The Phantom.

Only two people knew your real identity and they swore to never tell anyone but when The Avengers need to infiltrate a high-security facility, Bruce Banner deduces that you’re the only one who can pull it off. That decision puts you and Bucky Barnes on a path you can’t turn back from, even if neither of like where it’s leading.

Series Masterlist

Chapter Twenty-Five - Two Kings 

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he fell to his knees and gasped. His strength left him and he collapsed, the death rattle of his final breaths tearing from his lungs. You calmly knelt beside him on the ground and though he didn’t deserve it, you took his hand.

 “I’m here.” You whispered.

 He tried to say something, but you couldn’t hear him. With a sigh, you leant down and let Alexander King whisper his dying words in your ear.

“I’m not Alexander King, your father is buried under the oak tree.”

 The two King corpses lay side by side on tables next to one another. One that had been dead for less than 24 hours and one that had been dead for nearly two decades.

 “DNA analysis is done.” Bruce told you and you looked up from the tables to stare blankly at him.

 “We compared the DNA samples to yours. This one shares no traits at all with you. It doesn’t have any DNA traits at all as far as we can tell.” He said, gesturing to the fresh corpse.

 “This one… this is your biological father.” He said with a heavy sigh standing by the skeletal remains.

 “But that IS Alexander King. It looks exactly like him and if they don’t share DNA does  rule out evil twin?” Clint said from behind you where he and The Avengers were gathered.

 “We discovered something. His cells have been tampered with, there’s dozens of enhancements and alterations to his genetic code. We theorised that someone, most likely Hydra went to a lot of effort to make whoever this is look like Alexander King. We can’t be sure until we study the body further.” Tony said.

 Everyone kept shooting furtive, concerned glances at you as you remained silent and stone faced throughout the exchange.

 “Jesus Christ.” Steve said, rubbing his hand over his jaw as he considered the implications of what this meant.

 “So anybody could be an imposter?” Sam asked.

 “Unlikely. It was a miracle this man survived this, it’s likely he was the first one to survive. This kind of science takes a lot of failed experimentation.” Bruce informed them.

 “Why King?” Steve asked.

 “He was smart, powerful, rich and his brother in law was at the time, a United States General.” Tony said.

 You turned around and without looking at anybody, left the room. You made it as far as the corridor before Bucky caught up with you and grabbed your elbow. You stopped and looked at him.

 Whatever he’s been about to say died in his throat when he looked into your eyes and he knew he couldn’t fix this. Regretfully he let go of you and let you walk away. He didn’t want to but he knew if he didn’t, he’d only push you away further. You needed your space and he needed to give it to you.

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

You didn’t return to the compound that night or the next day and The Avengers would have been worried if it wasn’t for the news that kept trickling in.

 THE PHANTOM BUSTS DRUG DEAL AT DOCKS

Over Three Million Dollard worth of cocaine recovered at scene.

 PHANTOM BOTCHES ATTEMPTED SHOOTING OF CLUB OWNER

The Owner Lux was about to be gunned down by business rival when The Phantom appeared and saved Mr Ellis and apprehended the shooter.

 PHANTOM BREAKS UP GANG FIGHT

Members of two rival gangs were in a gun battle when The Phantom showed up and took down all the gang members before leaving the scene for the police and personally taking one man who had suffered a near fatal gunshot wound to the hospital.

 “She’s had a busy 24 hours, she needs to slow down.” Steve noted with worry as he read the latest article.

“There’s been no new reports for a couple of hours, maybe she’s taking a nap?” Sam suggested hopefully.

 “Or not.” Natasha said, showing them a live tweet about Miss King currently meeting with employees of The Hercules Foundation to reassure them of their job stability.  

 The pattern continued for the next four days. You would take down a string of criminals, take business meeting and meet with investors, rest, rise and repeat. You never went back to the compound and West was growing more and more concerned.

 Even Frank the cat was growing despondent until he disappeared from the grounds altogether. West assured Bucky that it was normal for Frank to do that.

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

You sat down on the chair, keeping yourself hidden in the shadows as you waited. You weren’t kept waiting long. You heard the heavy tump of footsteps before someone unlocked the door and came inside. They walked past you and put a paper bag down on the desk and you heard the distinctive clink of a bottle.

 “It’s rude to break in and wait around for someone to come home. Not to mention creepy.” She said without turning around.

 You didn’t answer, just stood up and dropped a file and a bag of cash on the desk.

 “I don’t take walk ins. Next time make an appointment.” She sassed and you looked her over.

 Jessica Jones was pretty much what you had expected and any other time in your life you’d have appreciated her dry remarks and cold sass. You flipped the file open and two photo’s of the two King corpse were exposed as well as a pile of papers, the Hydra logo prominent on some of them.

 It was enough to pique her curiosity and she leaned over to leaf through them, her expression getting more and more shocked as she did. She unzipped the duffle bag and picked up a wad of bills.

 “Alright, what the hell. Daredevil trusts you so I’ll take the case.” She said and you nodded to her and tuned to leave.

 “I’ll have to read through these but straight away I’m telling you, I want to speak to the daughter. She demolished the company within days of the apparently fake Alexander King dying. Seems suspicious.” She said.

 “She had nothing to do with it.” You said lowly.

 “Still wanna talk to her, have a look at the company files.” Jessica responded.

 “I can get you whatever you need but I’m telling you Miss King had nothing to do with this.” You told her, turning around again.

 “How can you be sure?”

 You wordlessly pulled your mask off and raised an eyebrow at her.

 “Alright.” She said, shrugging and turning back to the file.

 You almost smirked as you pulled the mask on and left. As you walked the three block back to where you’d parked your bike the skin on the back of your neck prickled and you felt like someone was watching you. You ghosted, going invisible instead of just sticking to the shadows but the feeling didn’t dissipate.

 You made it back to your bike and started the engine, peeling out of the parking space and racing away.

 Ten minutes later you made it to your destination and bypassing the security system you parked the bike under an alcove where it was hidden from sight. You tugged a glove off with your teeth and put your hand on the scanner at the front door and slipped inside, leaving the door unlocked.

 Only two people could track where you were when you were invisible and only one of those would bother.

 “An abandoned church? Really?” Bucky asked as he slipped through the door after you.

 “Condemned a few years ago. When I realised I needed somewhere private for my Vigilante related stuff I bought it under a shell corporation, it can’t be traced back to me at all.” You said as you took off all the individual pieces of your suit until you were in a tank top and leggings.

 “So you’ve been hiding here all week rather than coming home?” He asked.

 “There a bed in the attic.” You said with a shrug.

 “An empty bed.” He pointed out softly.

 You pretended to ignore him and the painful throb of your heart and went to the living room are you’d set up and poured yourself a glass of whisky. Frank meowed loudly from the rafters and leaped down onto the floor to run over to Bucky and rub himself against the Winter Soldiers shin.

 “Want one?” You asked, holding the bottle out in offering.

 “No. Does it help with the pain?” He asked, motioning angrily to the new and healing bruises and cuts covering your arms and shoulders.

 “Can’t ghost all the time, sometimes you gotta fight.” You explained.

 “Ever thought about asking for backup?”

 “Don’t need it.”

 “Maybe, maybe not. Doesn’t hurt to know someone is there for you.” He said.

 “We’re not talking about fighting anymore are we?” You asked with a weary sigh.

 He sat down next to you and you fought the urge to lean closer to him and the warmth and comfort he offered.

 “When my memories started to come back, I ran to the other side of the world, away from the person who could have helped me, who would have been there for me. I know that sometimes you need to work things out on your own, that’s why I let you go. But it helps when you let the people you care about in, let them help. Trust me, I know from experience.” He said.

 You chewed your lip and nodded once, curtly to show you’d hear him but when you didn’t respond beyond that he sighed.

 “It’s doesn’t have to be me Domniţă, but it has to be someone. I’m not the only one who cares about you, you have friends. Let someone, anyone be there for you.” He instructed and stood up.

 He leaned over to place a soft kiss to your forehead and you closed your eyes to hide the tears welling up in them as he walked away.

 “He wasn’t the same person after my mother died. I said it, over and over again and not once did I realise how true it was. My father rotted in an unmarked grave for 18 years and I had no idea. I accepted the imposter without question.” You said, tearing up and getting annoyed at yourself for it.

 “You were a child, one who was mourning her mother. How could you have seen it? The disguise was flawless.” He argued.

 “He was my father. I should have known.” You snapped standing up and storming away.

 “He played the part well. Nobody else figured it out and they were adults so stop beating yourself up about it.”

 “I CAN’T!” you yelled.

 “I can’t Bucky. He was my dad and I believed he hated me. I desecrated his memory and let his killer go unpunished for decades.” You said, pleading with him to understand.

 “You know now. We’ll figure out what happened, we’ll make it right.” He assured, pulling you into his chest and wrapping his arms around you.

 “How? How do I solve a murder that happened 18 years ago? Do I even want to? How do I make this right and be a hero and run a company and keep my secrets and be with you all at the same time?” You asked breathlessly, overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all.

 “With help.” He said.

 “It’s too much. It’s too much pressure and too much pain and I don’t think I can handle it.” You admitted.

 “Let me help you.” He pleaded.

 “How? How can you make any of this better?”

 He looked down at you in contemplation.

 “We start with the man in prison for your mothers murder, he might know more. As for the company, you need a Pepper Potts, someone to help you. Next time you’re a press conference, we’ll have Loki disguise himself as The Phantom and publicly be seen so nobody ever thinks about connecting you to the Vigilante. And accept that I have no expectations of you, you don’t have to do anything except be with me, it’s not a task or a chore.” He said and you gazed up at him in awe and wonder.

“And Domniţă you don’t have to be a hero, you already are one, on the battlefield and in the boardroom.” He added.

 You were speechless and overwhelmed by his mini speech, his confidence in you and his desire to help. So you stretched up and pressed your lips to his.

 He accepted the kiss eagerly, holding onto you tightly kissing you back with equal fervour. His metal hand slid up your back and grasped the back of your neck as he nipped your bottom lip and sliding his tongue into your mouth when you gasped.

 “Did you say there was a bed?” He murmured, pulling back a fraction.

 “Yes.”

 “Do you want to use it?” He smirked.

 “I don’t just want it, I need it. I need you Bucky, please.” You whispered, begging him to pull you out of your own head and give you pleasure and safety in the way only he could.

 His pupils expanded as he drank in the meaning behind what you were saying.

 “Do you trust me?” He asked.

 “Irrevocably.” You said without hesitating.

 “Turn around.” He ordered and you did.

 He stepped away for a moment and quickly returned. He brushed his fingers across your shoulders and down your arms, clasping your wrist in his grip before he pulled them behind your back. He waited for a moment to see if you were going to object and when you didn’t, he pushed your wrists together and expertly bound them together with a soft piece of material.

 “What’s the safeword?” he checked.

 “Winter.”

 “Good girl.”

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

Well this might answer some questions but it probably raises some new ones as well. Fear not though readers, Jessica Jones is on the case!

Next up... Smut! :D

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[rpgsandbox]

The metallic doors opened with a strange hiss. Mereston prodded it carefully with the tip of his dagger, suspicious. But if those doors bore traps of some kind, would he even recognize them as such? If the crafters even were people at all. These doors weren't at the right width and height for humans, elves, or dwarves. Everything seemed so strange.

Laera stood behind him, still examining the crescent device. It was solid like metal, but smooth like leather. A circle of glass at the center of it showed strange runes made of light that shifted and moved. If anyone could figure out what it did, it would be her. Mereston took a step forward, through the doorway.

"Wait," Glaur hissed through gritted teeth. "Something's coming." He gripped his axe so tightly that Mereston could see his knuckles grow pale. His eyes grew wide. "No, something's here."

Rearing up before them with a shriek, the monstrous beast resembled an insect, like a centipede, except that it was made not just of flesh, but also somehow interwoven with both glistening metal and solidified light. And it was larger than the house Mereston grew up in.

Laera exclaimed as her hand passed over a part of the device and an eruption of seething energy burst forth and enveloped the three of them. The creature lashed out with a whiplike tail but it was repelled by the energy around them and rebounded harmlessly away.

Laera grinned at the device. "Hmm. I like this thing."

In the misty recesses of time, before the kingdoms and lands you know existed—before the elder elves, the dwarven ancestral lords, and even the dragons—civilizations undreamt rose and fell. And with their passing, they left behind remnants of the powers they wielded. They built citadels of metal, glass, and light, now hidden away in the deepest recesses of the world, and crafted wonders and harnessed energies we can only guess at. These places, objects, and even creatures all can be called Arcana of the Ancients.

Arcana of the Ancients is a sourcebook for 5th edition players and GMs to bring the wonders of mysterious technology and weird science-fantasy elements to their traditional fantasy campaigns. Designed by Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds, all of whom have years of professional design experience working on the world's most popular roleplaying game, this gorgeously illustrated hardcover sourcebook gives you everything you need to add a whole new element to your 5E game.

In Arcana of the Ancients, you will find:

Adventures: This book will start out with an adventure that you can insert into your existing campaign right away that will introduce the concepts of ancient civilizations, weird technology, and new strange creatures. From there, we'll expand on the concept so that it can become a feature of your setting if you wish.

Technology: Hundreds of new items, both new wondrous items and "cyphers" (one-use, cobbled together bits of ancient tech), for players to discover and learn to use. These items  harness strange energies, warp space and time, create permanent structures, and so much more. At first, figuring out how to use these items will be challenging, but therein lies much fun!

Creatures: Dozens of new creatures, each with awe-inspiring artwork, presented to use in your campaign. Science-fantasy creatures are notably strange, replete with mysterious abilities that create unique challenges and opportunities for your PCs.

GM Advice: You'll get pages of suggestions and guidelines for how to incorporate all these concepts into your existing campaign, or build a brand new campaign with science fantasy in mind from the get-go.

Player Options: Players can take on science-fantasy aspects all their own, including mutations, cybernetics, and more.  

Jaw-Dropping Artwork: This book will be lavishly illustrated by talented artists such as Kieran Yanner, Mirco Paganessi, Lie Setiawan, Federico Musetti, and more. We feel this is vital because so much of the joy of introducing the weird elements of science fantasy comes from a visual presentation of what the player characters actually see.

Monte Cook Games (MCG) was founded in 2012 and our first product was Numenera, a standalone science-fantasy RPG and setting. Numenera has won just about every award a tabletop RPG can, and produced a line of more than two dozen supplements, a licensed computer game, a board game, and a deckbuilding game, as well as a short film.

Monte Cook, designer of Numenera and creative director of MCG, is a veteran, hall-of-fame game designer with more than 30 years of professional design experience, much of it on products for Dungeons & Dragons, particularly as one of the designers of the third edition of that game. Likewise, most of the rest of the design staff at MCG, including Bruce R. Cordell and Sean K. Reynolds, possess decades of design experience with both D&D and Numenera.

MCG is comprised of eight game-loving, talented, passionate people. In addition to the designers mentioned above, our team includes: Shanna Germain (MCG co-owner and managing editor), Charles Ryan (MCG co-owner and COO), Tammie Webb Ryan (administration manager), Darcy Ross (communications relations coordinator), and Bear Weiter (art director).

The entire team at MCG is dedicated to producing extremely high quality, easy to use products. We feel the (more than 100) products we have produced over the past seven years shows this commitment and encourage anyone unfamiliar with us to check out some of our free sample products such as Ashes of the Sea and Escape From Jade Colossus.

We're doing this Kickstarter for one simple reason: because so many people have asked us for this. Our Numenera game is popular, and the following is growing every day, but 5E players have asked us if there would ever be a way to incorporate some of the elements of Numenera into their game. And finally the answer is yes.

If you want to learn more about Numenera, and in particular why the elements of that game might make pretty damn cool additions to your 5E game, go here.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Sat, April 13 2019 1:00 AM BST

Website: Monte Cook Games

[terrestrialnoob]

You don't mind if I just...

It had been an oddly quiet night in Gotham. Batman stopped a single robbery - and simply being there had made the criminals put everything back and leave, might he add - but that was it. It had been quiet like this for a few days now; three days ago there was a report of a heist stopped by a vigilante, but no one was taking credit for it, and that seemed to be when the sudden quiet started. Now, he stood on his favorite gargoyle, overlooking the city, when there was suddenly someone behind him.

“Excuse me, Mr. Batman?”

He turned around surprised for several different reasons. 1) Someone snuck up behind him without him noticing, 2) at the top and outside of a skyscraper, and 3) who looked suspiciously similar to Bruce Wayne, aged 16.

Batman eyed him with caution, but that wasn’t the greeting one got from an enemy. He kept his tone relatively friendly given the circumstances, “How did you get up here?”

The teen blinked and filled air with and “uh” for a moment then shrugged, “Same way you did?”

Batman gave his best “dad glare” as he said, “It’s not safe. If you need help with something, call the police.”

“I- it’s not so much I need something-“ The kid started, then rubbed the back of his neck to avoid eye contact, “It’s more I need to tell you something… and it’s kinda important.”

“I’m listening.”

The kid sighed and said, “First off, my parents aren’t evil.”

Batman made note that this kid's parents were probably evil.

“But they thought that you were… a- uh, yeah, they thought you were an interdimensional being with evil intentions.” The teen cringed like he expected Batman to call him crazy or stupid, but he just looked at him expectantly. The teen continued, speaking slowly and in measured words to make sure Batman had the right reaction. “So, they took a DNA sample from you, like blood you left at a crime scene or something…”

Batman didn’t like that, but if their intentions were good, he could find them and request that they destroy any remaining samples and information regarding his DNA.

“And they made a clone of you.” The teenage-version-of-himself said quickly, trying to rip off the bandaid.

Batman almost contained his annoyed growl as he asked, “I’d like to confirm this. Would you be willing to give a DNA sample?”

The almost-certainly-a-clone, again, rubbed his neck to avoid eye-contact. “I would like to say again that my parents are Not evil scientists, but my DNA is... it’s - I’m contaminated; you probably wont get a clear reading from it.”

“I see,” Batman was going to have an aneurysm. A clone with contaminated DNA? What did that mean? Who were his parents?

“But I did steal this out of their lab,” The teen said, pulling a thumb drive out of his jeans pocket. “It should have all the cloning information on it. And- I guess, if you still want a DNA sample, it’s only fair you get one, since they took yours without asking.”

Batman took the drive, it was white with a stylized “F” logo on it. He put it in a secure part of his utility belt especially for storing thumb drives and then took a swab kit from another. He handed it to the clone, and before he even started explaining how to use it, the teen was already using the most effective method for a solid swab. He handed it back while asking, “Do you want some blood or?”

Batman shook his head. He wasn’t sure if this kid was always this cavalier with handing out his genetic material or if it was just for his suspected genetic father. “This should be enough to confirm your story.”

There was a beat of silence before Batman asked, “What is your name?”

The boy looked shocked then seemed to realize, he’d never introduced himself, “Oh, yeah, I’m Danny, uh, Daniel Fenton. And please don’t go after my parents over this. They’re not bad people, they just, like doing science.”

Batman made a noncommittal “hm” as he stored the swab sample. “They made a clone just because they like doing science?"

Danny gave an awkward grin, again avoiding eye-contact, while saying under his breath, “Make a transdimensional portal, make a spaceship, make a clone, all for shits and giggles is just what they do.”

Batman didn’t like the implications of this. “Is there anything else you should tell me about?”

Danny chewed his lip like there was something he wanted to say, but ultimately shook his head, no.

Batman gave him a stern look, but when it seemed he wasn’t going to change his mind, Batman said, “Alright, I’ll go over the information you provided and test the sample. For right now, I believe you.” He pulled a small device from his utility belt and handed it over to Danny, “This is a pager, I will send you a signal when I’ve finished my analysis. Come here, to this rooftop when it goes off. Understand?”

"Yes sir," Danny said, taking it and putting it in his pocket.

“Do you need help getting down?” Batman asked.

Danny blinked at him, then shook his head, “Oh, no, that’s cool, I got it.”

They stared at each other, each waiting for the other to leave first. Batman made it clear he wasn’t leaving until he was sure Danny got down or inside safe. After a moment, Danny seemed to be having an argument in his head, in fact, he started telegraphing almost the entire inner-argument with his facial expressions and hand movements, until he ultimately said, out loud, “Okay, fine. Maybe there is something else you should know. That contamination thing I said earlier, it also – gave me powers. So…”

Danny closed his eyes for a moment as white light washed over him, apparently coming from within him. When the light faded, there stood Danny, but now with white hair, glowing green eyes, a touch darker skin, and in a black and white jumpsuit. He hovered ever so slightly off the building they were on and motioned to himself, “So, there’s this also.”

“I see,” Batman said, but what is this? He’s not a meta, he was tested for a metagene and he doesn’t have one. Danny can't be both his clone and a meta. But if Danny's not a meta, then what is this?

“Huh,” Danny said with surprise, “I didn’t you’d take me being a half-ghost so well.”

This might actually be too much for Batman to process in one night, “Half what?”

“Half-ghost?” Danny repeated, “Like, I’m a ghost sometimes, human the rest of the time.”

“A ghost?”

“Yep, ghosts are real!” Danny said with an inappropriately chipper smile.

Batman held in the sigh as he clarified, “As in the disembodied spirit of a dead person?”

“Yeah…” Danny kind of sighed out in response.

“How can you be half a ghost?”

“No, no, Half-Ghost, as in half my DNA is Ghost DNA.”

“Ghost DNA?”

“… Okay, I might be a little dead. It’s honestly extremely unclear. I’m just- I can turn into a ghost sometimes, but I still have my living body that I don’t think has ever actually died, at least for very long, not longer than a few seconds, at least. And I guess I can remember what it feels like to be electrocuted and die and then not be dead, but not like in a revived kind of way. It’s complicated, and I really don’t know how to explain any of it. I know I'm not completely human anymore-”

“Danny,” Batman said before he kept spiraling. “Can you explain how this happened?”

“Oh, yeah, it was a lab accident,” Danny said easily.

Batman nodded, “Okay, and your parents…”

“It was my fault!” Danny interrupted, “If I am dead, they had nothing to do with it.”

Okay, this was a touchy subject neither of them were prepared to get into. Batman sighed, this was enough for one night. He was going to need to be delicate and thorough with this one. "Remember, meet me here when the pager goes off."

“Yeah, right,” Danny nodded, but then added, “Um, I don’t need like, another dad. My Dad is a good guy and I love him. I just thought you deserved to know that I existed. I’m not expecting anything out of this.”

Batman nodded as Danny flew off. He wasn’t expecting to take Danny in; he had too many kids already… However, if Danny’s parents were scientists who stole DNA, made clones on a whim, and experimented on clones enough to turn them into ghosts… He’d have Alfred prepare a room, just in case.

What if Danny was really a clone of Bruce Wayne that his parents accidentally made when they were trying to do something relating to ghosts and unethical experimentation. Maybe got Batman’s dna somehow thinking he was a ghost or maybe fucking grave robbed the Wayne mausoleum and got his dna there and just decided that they would keep him and that the reason Dani was so unstable was not only the ghost dna but also making a clone of a clone is like too fare removed from the source material?

But Imagine Danny trying to find his birth records for a school project or like he needs them for his drivers license and he just straight up cant find them so he goes to Jazz and she cant find them with her stuff so they both go to Jack who starts sweating nervously before he oh-so-cleverly redirected the conversation. (“Dannys birth certificate, well you see—who wants fudge!”) so then they go to Maddie who sighs before holding out her arms to hug Danny. Saying something like, “Before I tell you two I want you both to know that I love both of you no matter what and that this has not effected how I love you in the slightest.” And danny, thinking like a normal human being is like, “am… am I adopted?” And Maddie smiles and says, “oh goodness no, of course not.” And Danny sighs in relief before Maddie can say, “your father and I cloned you in the basement!” Danny stares at her waiting for her to say it was a joke before saying “you know how thats not better, right?” And Jazz blows up cuz you cant just drop a bombshell like that without prefacing it!

Bonus:

Tucker writing a joke article mimicking the “Does Bruno Mars is Gay?” Article and was going to delete it but some bitch ass ghost (probably Technis) finds it and posts it and thus danny being put on Bruces radar causing a chain of event that I can not predict right now.

I want peoples opinions on this and if any of y’all use this please tell me! I wanna read it!