#Dr Selvig

[braveclementine]

Battle of New York

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

You had cleaned Coulson's trading cards and put them in the side pocket of your Agent outfit. You would give them to Maria later, knowing that she would want them. But at the moment, you needed to prepare for the fight that was coming.

You shoved the knives into your boots, putting your pistols in your holster. You let out one shaky breath, before sliding on the leather gloves Tony had made for you when you first fought with him- just new and improved.

You followed Barton, Nat, and Steve out to where the Jet was waiting, a technicion already in it.

"You got everything?" Barton asked, just as you knew he would. He had been the one to train you in combat and readiness.

Him and Coulson.

"Of course." You answered steadily, before you saw a flash of yellow and saw that Elizabeth was racing across the platform towards the rest of you.

"Elizabeth." You greeted her. "How's the side."

She made a grumbling noise which could've meant anything, but she seemed fine.

The five of you stepped inside of the jet.

"Hey, you guys aren't authorized to be in here." The technie said nervously.

"Son, just don't." Steve said in a hard voice.

The techie left quickly and Barton was soon getting the jet up and ready to go. Tony was flying alongside the ship, and soon he was taking off faster than the rest of you.

You could see his flight pattern was off though and you knew that his suit had to go through some major repairs. You quickly touched your com, "Tony, are you alright? The flight looks wonky. How's the suit?"

"It'll last." Tony answered.

Tony reached the tower much faster than the rest of you and you grew anxious, getting up from your seat to start pacing. Elizabeth was also anxious, her ears and tail flicking over and over in uncomfort.

"I can't see him anymore." You muttered, almost to himself as you saw Tony disappear from view.

"He'll be fine. He's a Stark." Nat said calmly.

You nodded, but you couldn't relax yet.

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Tony's heart was pounding, going with plan B. He let the Iron man suit come off his body much like he did on the opening day of Stark tower. He was fairly pissed that Loki was using his tower as a calling beacon for aliens, because he knew that there was going to be a fair amount of damage.

Loki followed him on the opposite side and so when Tony reached the same room that he'd had champagne with Y/N, Pepper, and Coulson only. . . what? A day? Two days ago? Him and Loki were opposite. Tony at least, had the high ground.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." Loki spoke first, prowling into the room.

"Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you." Tony responded.

Loki left out the breath of a laugh, "You should have left your armor on for that."

"Yeah." Tony said in a causal voice, making his way down the stairs now. "It's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the uh, glow stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"

"Stalling me won't change anything." Loki shifted the scepter over to his other hand.

"No, no no. Threatening." Tony corrected, going over to where his glasses were to get himself a drink. "No drink? Are you sure? I'm having one."

He saw Loki walk over to the windows and said, "The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers." Tony said casually, pulling the plug on his new square jar of whiskey. He paused and then made a shrugging, awkward motion, "That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. Earth's mightiest heroes type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them." Loki sneered.

"Yeah." Tony laughed too. "It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a head count, here. Your brother, the demigod. A super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to legend." Now he slipped his hands under the counter was Loki turned his back, putting the bracelets on his wrists carefully. "A man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, a very sexy Agent if I don't mind saying so myself, and your beautiful soulmate who has a nasty bite. And you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan." Loki said with a smirk.

"Not a great plan." Tony disagreed. Tony started to walk forward, hoping the Mark 7 prototype would work, drink in hand. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk."

"Oh I thought the beast had wandered off."

"You're missing the point. There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

He sipped his whiskey while Loki stalked towards him like a great beast. Tony knew now why Elizabeth had been the one to change. Loki was definitely far more dominant, and far more dangerous.

"How will your friends have time for me when they're so busy fighting you?" Loki hissed, raising the scepter to Tony's heart. It clanged against metal and the power went out a little. Loki did it a second time and then said in such a sincere, confused voice that Tony almost laughed, "This usually works."

"Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five." He grunted then as Loki caught him around the throat, tossing him to the floor. "Jarvis, anytime now." He groaned, pushing himself back to his feet. Loki caught him around the throat before he had finished straightening up.

"You will all fall before me." Loki hissed.

"Deploy!" Tony shouted. "Deploy!" He was shoved out the glass window and started to fall towards the streets of New York.

'Well Fuck. Y/N is going to kill me.' Tony thought.

And then, his plan had worked, the suit connected around his body and he quickly stopped himself before he crashed into the citizens on the street, and sent himself flying straight back up.

"And there's one other person you pissed off." Tony said, hovering outside the window in front of the God. "His name was Phil."

And then he shot the God of mischief in the chest with his blaster.

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It took some time for the jet to fly over New York and by the time you grew close to the Stark Tower, you could already see great explosions in the sky as Tony weaved in and out of the aliens, making them explode.

You couldn't wait any longer to get to the ground. You rushed over to where the parachutes were and started to unpack one.

"No." Steve put his hand on yours. "As a team."

"My husband-"

"Stark, we're on your three, headed northeast." Natasha spoke through the coms in the front.

"What? Did you stop for drive-through?" The quirky response from your husband came through the intercom and you stopped fighting Steve off. He was still himself, he was alright. "Swing up Park. I'm gonna lay them out for you."

You got out of your seat to look through the front windshield, watching as a fast comet streak past Town hall, followed by aliens. Natasha lowered the gun, shooting the aliens that were chasing your husband.

Natasha flew the plane higher into the air and you saw Thor had come- so he had survived! He was fighting Loki on top of Stark Tower and you bit your lip in worry. It looked as though Loki had the upper hand at the moment.

Elizabeth growled beside you as Loki tossed Thor to the side, before pointing the scepter at the plane. A blast of blue light shot from the weapon and the jet went spinning.

You were tossed off your feet, sliding past Steve who had grabbed the handles on the ceiling to steady himself. You crashed harshly into the jet doors and were only glad that they held shut. Elizabeth dug her nails into the jet to steady herself, spreading her four paws out, back bent.

"Y/N!" Steve exclaimed, as the jet pitched forward and you nearly flew towards the front windshield. His arm caught you around the middle and you quickly righted yourself inches from Steve's face to grab the bars yourself.

"Thanks." You breathed out shakily and then shut your eyes in nausea as the plane went spinning. You let go as the jet hit the ground, jolting to hard to keep a hold on, falling onto your knees and hands.

The plane had barely settled before Natasha and Clint were unstrapping themselves from the front of the plane and Steve had grabbed your arm to lift you.

Elizabeth was already running out, was already disappearing into the dust. You wondered for a moment as you drew your pistols, if she was going to be joining Loki's side against Thor.

Or she was going to get hurt, trying to stop the fight between the two of them, just like she had attempted to with Coulson.

But you couldn't think about it anymore, with Steve leading the way out of the jet, with you taking up the rear behind Barton.

"We gotta get back up there." Steve shouted as the four you started to run back through the street. People were screaming and animals were making various noises as human and animal soulmates alike ran through the city. There was already plenty of rubble around, dust filling the air and making it harder to breathe. Luckily, it was open air so there were parts that weren't quite dusty yet.

Suddenly, the four of you came to a stop in front of town hall, looking up at the great portal in the sky as it made a low growling noise. Blue mist swirled around it, as though it was attempting to spit something out of it.

And then it did. A huge, very long centipede looking creature. It looked both robotic, yet also fleshy, as though it were made of both metal and flesh. Before realizing that it was probably wearing armor.

It went past the four of you and as you looked, you watched as alien creatures started to leap from its body, grappling onto nearby skyscraper walls. The nails raked down the sides of the building as they started to make their way down.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"Do I look blind?" You retorted, before realizing that he was speaking to your husband and you gave him an apologetic look.

"Seeing." Tony's voice came through coms, sounding a little uncertain, "Still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

Was Banner even alive?

"Banner?" Rogers sounded as perplexed as you felt.

"Just keep me posted." Tony said.

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"Look at this!" Thor shouted, hammer to Loki's throat. "Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?"

No. Loki wanted to say. Not his rule. Ronans. And ultimately- Thanos. He couldn't stop it. He was to weak, for all that he boasted to be, to fight the mind control. He'd even hurt his own soulmate because they had wanted it. His soulmate! The one and only person he had thought he could never possibly hurt because of the bond between the two of them.

He knew she understood. He could feel that in their connection. He could feel that she knew he wasn't in the right mindset. He could feel her, even now, feel her presence coming closer, as though she were at the bottom of the tower.

"It's too late." He hissed. "It's too late to stop it."

"No. We can. Together." Thor said.

Always the optimist. Loki wasn't even entirely sure that if he had done this of his own free will, that he would have let Thor help even then. Even now, under the mind control, there was a reluctance to let his 'brother' help him. And the mind control fed upon that reluctance.

His arm reached forward, stabbing his brother under the coat of armor. "Sentiment." He whispered as Thor fell to one knee, grabbing the weapon that was imbedded in his skin.

And then Thor charged forward, grabbing Loki and kicking him through the glass. It shattered easily under his weight. Thor lifted him up, dropping him to the ground with no mercy and he grunted. He rolled off the tower just as Fuli came running to the top of the tower, coming to a stop. Her amber eyes held him for just one second, before she disappeared from sight.

He fell only a few feet, before one of the alien vehicles caught him and he grabbed on, narrowing his eyes at the destruction before him.

He didn't look back. If he did, those eyes might command him. He knew that, and so the side controlling him knew that.

He didn't look back.

But he wanted to.

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You, Steve, Nat, and Clint were all hiding behind the same Taxi.

"We've got civilians trapped up here." Clint pointed out. You looked up, watching the alien bikes whiz by. The entire city was on fire and chaos ensued every which way that you looked.

"Loki." Steve said, overlooking the bridge. "They're fish in a barrel down there."

You ducked as you were shot at, before Natasha returned fire and Clint ran to another Taxi. You lifted your own gun, watching the Chitauri in front of you.

"We got this. It's good. Go. You too Stark." Natasha said to Steve and you.

"Do you think you can hold them off?" Steve asked, motioning to you to stay put for another second longer as you moved to go.

"Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure." Clint smirked.

And that was when he turned to fire over the Taxi.

Steve turned as Natasha joined Clint and he ran, jumping off the ledge onto the bus below. You followed suit, not entirely sure if you were going to land as pleasantly as he did. They were already firing and you could feel the flames behind you. Steve grabbed your arm, yanking you onto his back while your eyes widened in surprise. You had not time to object as the bus was nearly blown up underneath you.

He leapt to another car, which tilted forward from the explosion and he leapt far, his arms waving. You were tempted to close your eyes, but decided to focus more on not accidentally pulling the triggers of your pistols while they were both pointed at his throat.

Steve barely landed on the gravel without getting hit, the two of you tumbling forwards. You quickly rolled out of the way, letting him drag you along once more before you could completely get your bearings.

You quickly started running on your own though, while also conscious of the thing behind you still focused on killing the two of you.

You and Steve started running through the street very differently. Where he used cars and his super strength to propel himself, jumping from car to car, you dashed around them heaving for breath and wondering if you could get some of his agility from somewhere.

You could see the police up ahead, shooting at the aliens. You felt a pride building up inside of yourself that these brave men hadn't scattered. They were performing their civic, American duty, even though they didn't know what was going on or if they were even going to go home to their families.

Steve was already giving the police orders when you got there, feeling winded and hot in your agent outfit. You were going to have a talk with Fury and possibly Tony about getting some sort of air conditioning feature in these outfits.

"Why the hell should I take orders from you?" The police officer retorted, looking even more confused at the sight of Steve before him.

Suddenly, Chitauri landed around you. You lifted your gun, blasting his face off with one bullet while Steve took out the two on top of the car that he had been kneeling upon. The minute Steve had finished them off, the police officer in charge immediately turned and started relaying the same orders that Steve had given him.

"Well we got its attention." Tony suddenly spoke in your coms, "What the hell was step two?"

You and Steve ran back to where Clint and Natasha were fighting. You shot into the aliens while Steve leapt forward, bashing them in the heads with his shield. As you dropped the alien, you grabbed its weapon, replacing it with one of your guns. You'd save the rest of your ammo for desperate measure.

Suddenly, the rest of the Chitauri were struck down with fierce lightning and Thor flew down from the sky, landing in front of the rest of you.

"What's the story upstairs?" Steve asked immediately.

"The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable."

"Thor's right. We got to deal with these guys." Tony said.

"How do we do this?" Natasha asked.

"As a team." Steve said.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor said.

Clint was cleaning his arrows as he responded, "Yeah? Get in line."

"Save it." Steve and you snapped at the same time. Steve then continued, saying, "Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us, and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild. We got Stark up top. He's going to need us to-"

Steve cut off as the sound of a motorcycle sounded behind him. All of you except for Tony quickly joined Banner who was riding a very puny, dirty motorcycle. "So, this all seems horrible." He said and you raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I've seen worse." Natasha said and now both eyebrows were raised in skepticism.

"Sorry." Banner replied.

"No, we could use a little worse." Natasha protested and you realized she was talking about the Hulk.

"Stark, we got him." Steve said.

"Banner?" Tony asked in the coms and that reminded you to pull out an extra com to hand to Bruce. He waved it away.

"Probably won't need it soon." He explained and you nodded in understanding.

"Just like you said." Steve replied to Tony.

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm brining the party to you."

Tony flew around the corner and brought the large centipede looking thing with him. Thor snarled and Natasha sighed, "I don't see how that's a party."

"Dr Banner." Steve said urgently as Bruce started to walk towards the very large creature that was coming towards the rest of you. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

"That's my secret Captain." Bruce responded. "I'm always angry-"

You watched him turn green within less than a second before your eyes, and then he punched the huge centipede in its face.

Now that the centipede was folding upwards, threatening to fall and crush the rest of you, you realized that you had been correct before: it was partly made out of metal.

"Hold on!" Tony shouted.

Steve grabbed you and Nat, blocking the two of you with both his body and his shield as the creature above you exploded. You could still feel the heat, even with the protection and knew it had been a pretty big explosion.

Suddenly, the air was filled with screeching and snarling from the other aliens that had been looking to the larger one as their champion. The Hulk joined in with their roars as Tony started to hover above the rest of you.

You looked upwards as the others decided to put on heroic poses and saw that there were two more coming through the portal.

"Um, Tony?" You asked in a small voice.

"Guys." Natasha said in a warning one.

"Call it, Captain." Tony said, coming over to your side. You looked up at him and he looked down at you. Neither of you touched or said anything. You didn't have to.

"All right, listen up." Steve said. "Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash. "

"Can you give me a lift?" Clint asked.

Tony looked away from you. "Right. Better clench up, Legolas."

The two of them flew off and you turned your attention back to the fight.

"Thor, you got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up."

Thor swung his hammer around and then took off, leaving you and Nat with Steve.

"The three of us, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here. Y/N, you've got long range with the alien weapon. Keep out of touch. And Hulk. . . Smash."

The three of you watched for a moment or two as he leapt up towards the aliens on the building, before leaping from building to building.

Turned out, the alien weapon was a lot better than expected. Not only could you blast them before them even reached out, but on the off chance that they did reach you, you had an excellent weapon to sweep them off their feet and parry their own blocks.

You started working out combos with your knifes when they got to close and didn't even realize how long you had been fighting until you were no longer being attacked, and you had a pile of thirty or forty dead aliens in a circle around your feet.

You looked around, seeing Natasha looked exhausted as she leaned against an overturned car, Steve having just jumped back up from wherever he had been. Nat has blood trickling from her hairline, but Steve looked fine. You had no idea about yourself. Your body ached, but nothing hurt and you couldn't find any blood.

"Captain, none of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal." Natasha sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it." Steve sighed as well.

"Well, maybe it's not about guns." Nat said and you looked over at her.

"If you want to get up there, you're going to need a ride." Steve said as more Chitauri jumped down from flying overheard vehicles.

"I got a ride." Nat said, tossing aside the alien weapon she had been using. "I could use a boost though." She looked over her shoulder at Steve.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve asked, backing up to the complete opposite wall that she was standing at.

"Yeah. It's gonna be fun." Nat said in a hardly convincing tone. You rolled your eyes and decided to use the aliens across from you as target practice since they were at long range.

More aliens came however, and soon you were using the alien weapon and your knife again, more than you were blowing them up. It was fun, fighting alongside Steve, who looked like he was doing gymnastics or something as he did flips and turns in midair as he kicked off aliens.

Tony came flying down, landing on the ground and blasting other aliens backwards so that the two of you were pretty much fighting back to back. But soon he was taking off for the skies once more to laser off aliens that were still climbing the buildings.

Suddenly, you were shoved forwards and you grunted, catching yourself on your knees, rolling over just in time to avoid the stab that ended up in the concrete instead.

You turned your own weapon in time to catch the next blow, before reaching for your pistol and blowing a hole through the aliens face, rolling over, pushing yourself to your feet.

You weren't on them for long, a slippery arm wrapping around your throat and you hit the concrete so hard you saw stars. You reached up, grabbing the handle of the weapon that was threatening to go straight through your stomach. It came lower, inch by inch. You could hear Clint telling something to Tony and you were struck with the sudden notion that you should say something to Tony.

And then the alien was missing a head and Steve was pulling you to your feet. "You alright?"

"Head hurts." You managed to say.

"It's bleeding." Steve admitted. "You need to stay on your feet."

You nodded, blinking to clear your head. You wanted to touch the back of your head, see how much blood was there, but didn't want to.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow came tearing down the street, leaping on aliens and biting their heads off.

Elizabeth.

She came to a stop before you and as you bent down to talk to her, she walked around you and you winced as she started to lick the back of your head.

"That might stop the bleeding." Steve admitted, looking curious. "Keep her safe, I've gotta go."

You let Elizabeth take care of you until she sat back on her haunches, looking agitated.

"Loki is a terrible soulmate." You finally said.

She snorted and started to lick her paw.

You smiled a little and then heard Steve cry out and you watched as he was thrown from a building window by a blast of blue light.

"Steve?" You rushed to his side, followed by Elizabeth.

"I'm fine." Steve grunted. You saw that he had lost his mask, his pale face was dirty and drawn. His hair looked my black than blond at the moment. Elizabeth licked his face right then and there and he almost smiled.

"Are you a dog?" You muttered quietly in amusement. She just growled.

The Chitauri didn't stop. Elizabeth launched herself at one and you quickly got back into the fight. But it was different now. You lacked the energy to put in the swift moments and you were getting hurt.

You watched Steve fight as you picked yourself up again. Thor too.

You looked out at New York. This was your home. You were an American. And no one was going to come into your country and take your freedom. Destroy what you had built.

You dropped your pistols which were empty of ammo, drawing your knives. You ducked and slashed.

And then Tony was inside your ear.

"Y/N?"

"Tony?" You asked, ducking another swing of the weapon, stabbing up through the ribs, ripping right up till the throat.

"I-I put us on a private line."

Your heart nearly stopped and in that moment, you were swept off your feet and you groaned as you crashed into another car. Your head tilted back for just a moment and Thor tossed the alien that came towards you.

"Why? What's happening?"

"A nuke."

You swallowed. You knew what that meant. It was over. You were all going to go down with the aliens.

You. Tony. Steve. Thor. Clint. Nat. Elizabeth. Loki.

Your unborn child.

You watched Steve get shot at the moment and it pushed you to your feet.

Suddenly, Nat interrupted whatever else Tony wanted to say to you. "I can shut the portal down. Anybody copy! I can shut it down!"

"Do it." Steve commanded.

"No. Wait. I got a nuke coming in." Tony said quickly. "It's gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

You relaxed. Tony would position the nuke upwards so it went into the portal. Nat would close the portal. Bada-boom, Bada- bang.

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip." Steve said suddenly, turning to look at you and you felt weak in that moment.

"Save the rest for the turn, J." Stark said.

"Tony!" You shouted in your com, already feeling the waterworks flowing. You turned away from Steve and Thor, unable to face them.

"Y/N, it's gonna be okay." Tony said.

"No, no, Tony, don't. You can't. . ."

"You'll be alright." Tony whispered. You closed your eyes, looking up at the sky to watch him streak by, the white bomb above his suit.

He was already past, already going up towards the portal.

Your knees gave out from under you, wanting to look down at the city, but also unable to look away as he grew closer.

"I love you Y/N."

You knew you couldn't change his mind. You couldn't rant and rave and hurt him. Not now. Not in his last moments. You could only give him what you could.

"You were right." You whispered so softly you didn't know if the com would carry over. "She's a little Y/N."

And you ripped your ear piece out so you didn't have to hear Tony's sob on the other side.

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Tony's heart pounded as he grew closer and closer to the edge of the portal. He was going to have a little girl. He had known it all along, but you couldn't help but feel a little superior.

And yet, a little melancholy. How could it be that he had almost had everything he wanted. Everything he actually wanted. And now it was going to be gone. Because he was going to make a choice.

He let out a shaky breath.

"First or middle." He said softly. He had heard her com go dark, but he knew the others were listening. "Everleigh."

And then he pierced the blue.

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So he was gone.

Steve came over, dropping the shield to kneel in front of you. Elizabeth padded over as well.

"He said her first or middle name should be Everleigh." Steve whispered.

You just nodded numbly, tears pricking your eyes again. "He. . . he always said she would be a girl. I didn't believe him."

You didn't understand why they were still staring at the portal, as though he was going to come back. The aliens around you were dropping as though they were robots that were powering down. Tony wasn't alive. The nuke had clearly gone off.

"Close it." Steve said suddenly, giving you a pitying look.

And you realized they had hoped more than you had. They had waited for as long as they could. They had to close it now.

You couldn't hesitate. It was only you that you would be trying to save, waiting and waiting for Tony. And more aliens could come. You nodded once, hating yourself for it.

And then the portal was closing, the jet of light that was attached to Stark tower. . . Stark tower. . . was shooting back up towards the sky. The portal was closing up. And then, a very small figure escaped.

"Son of a gun." Steve said and then turned back to you. He shook your shoulder gently. "Y/N, he's okay."

But you wouldn't believe it. Yes, he was back here. But the nuke. . . he could be blind. Or radiated. Or. . . dead.

"He's not slowing down." Thor said suddenly, spinning his hammer.

But it was the Hulk that jumped from nowhere, catching Tony in his suit and landing on the car.

Thor ran over and Steve brought you to your feet. You stumbled after them, trying to beat down the hope that was trying to bloom in your heart. If you hoped, you could potentially be disappointed. Better not to hope in the first place.

Elizabeth was quickly by your side.

"Is he breathing?" Steve asked as you, Steve, and Thor knelt down around him and Thor flipped him onto his back.

Thor tore the plate from his face.

Steve leaned over to listen and then sat back, putting his hand where the glow of the arc reactor was missing, before he stopped touching him.

You knew you had hoped, because it all came crashing down on you again.

Elizabeth started to lick his face, cleaning away the dirt that somehow managed to be there. She whined softly.

Suddenly, the Hulk roared loudly and Tony jerked and shouted.

"What the hell?" Tony gasped as the Hulk continued to roar and you let out a sob at hearing his voice. "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me."

You couldn't breathe, wanting to both laugh and burst into fresh tears from his normal attitude.

"We won." Steve said.

"All right, yay! Hurray. Good job guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

You couldn't help the laughter that pealed through your lips and Tony immediately sat up. "Y/N."

Your laughter turned to sobs as you fell into his arms, letting his metal amor wrap itself around you. He kissed you right then and there and your sobs were stifled. "I love you bunny."

You hiccupped, resting your forehead against his. "Don't do that again."

"You have my word." 

[hjbirthdaywishes]

June 13, 2024

Happy 73 Birthday to Stellan Skarsgård.

[blankdblank]

The White Dove Pt 50 - Daisy Thief

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Okay, so here is the final chapter and after this I will edit and start to post the rewrite on my Poke series. Can’t wait to see how people take to the changes. :) As always let me know if you want to be tagged.

@devilishminx328​. @theincaprincess​, @lilith15000​, @jesevans​, @jiminapickle

The White Dove Masterlist

*.*.*

 “Let me know what else you will require.” Loki told Dr Selvig who had completed his daily routine of readying his station to handle the next leg of tasks. The Prince had just settled the Tesseract within its metal mounts to enable said tasks after bringing it out of his bedchamber having spent the night guarding it again.

Out of a new beam of light a potted daisy appeared between the Prince and the glowing cube, and for a moment dimmed the entranced glow in his eyes as he took in the living gift he had been sent. “Is that a daisy?” Selvig asked.

“A daisy,” the battered Prince murmured to himself in a ease of it closer so he could steal a whiff of its natural scent. A lovely new gift from somewhere else within the cosmos for just him. “I know just where I shall place you, most welcome and precious daisy.” The Prince hummed. Turning to his bedchamber to place it amongst the empty singular mug, three mugs once filled of candies to enchant a sunshine globe to help keep the magnificent gift he had been given alive. Another hint to the gardens ever tended to by his mother to aid hopefully a terror free sleep for once.

*.*.*

 “Where the hell is my daisy?” You muttered making Eddie chuckle. “I’ve checked the settings three times, this is four mugs and about half a bag of candy now my daisy, Eddie.”

“Alright,” you muttered turning to grab another potted daisy which you tentatively carried to hover over the first ring and released it. A second flash came and under the second you ducked to grab the pot you lifted to look at saying, “Now this is just an insult to my garden refusing half my best blossoms.” Lowly Eddie chuckled and you took the daisy back to its former home in the window. Again Venom had looped around your cast free arm helping to pop the painfully stiff knuckles and wrist. While for most people immobilization helped for you it actually made it a bit worse to gaining full free motion again.

 …

 “Ten feet,” you said situating the second of the rings that distance apart, one aimed up and the other down at a used mattress you found inside the old hotel in between owners. After a nod you said, “Nothing crazy about this at the least.”

“I got some of your bees, we’ll know where it comes out and help plan a way back.” Eddie said in a reluctant tone. “You sure you don’t want me to jump too?”

“Ancient One said best to keep someone to watch the gateways.”

“Alright, don’t like it, but here we go. Ready?” he asked while you stepped closer to the lower ring readying yourself mentally to jump. Fully armored up just in case. A final tug was given to the ends of your gloves and then up you sprung, to tuck your legs to your chest and almost cannonball through the ring. Bright and brilliant the ring let off a beam of light while inside of the second simply shimmered after you had passed through it. Heavily Eddie huffed and said to Venom, “I really don’t like this Buddy.”

Feet first in a sudden drop into a vault like room down into a crouch you landed. Swiveling your head to inspect the grey stone room without any windows and a steel door bolted shut. ‘Hello’ soft and familiar sounded in a voice you heard while rescuing Clint the word turned your head.

Atop a block of a table sat the Tesseract opposite a series of your mugs and your lost daisy that was basking underneath the glow of its magical orb of sunlight that lit the rest of the otherwise illumination free room. Just a bed was here aside from a deeply breathing body that suddenly became more prominent to your attention as it seemed to wince and groan. Like lightning, blackish blue barbed vines coursed around the figure you stood to quietly creep closer.

Black leather was met by slicked back raven locks on the tall broad figure that upon circling was clearly in some sort of armor like what one of the cloth mastering Beserkers had shared of Asgardian styles. The face pale and chiseled with hidden eyes by darkened lids to the bare of teeth in splitting lips to snarl through another pained wince, lost in a trance of some sort they didn’t seem to notice you. Yet something about the evident pain of this already wounded figure had you crouch and reach out to their upturned palms, not disturbing the scepter angled to rest against their chest and crossed legs. Just when their fingers clenched your hands retreated and your glowing eyes snapped to the face of the still close eyed victim of some mysterious form of pain.

To the side extending a leg, against touching their hands, you decided to move around to this mysterious figure’s back and timidly raised your hands to hover around his temples. ‘Who are you?’ you asked mentally and drew in a deep breath spreading a glow across your palms to try and tap into what he was facing.

“Prince Loki you try my patience,” a purple skinned figure facing away from the Prince lowly rumbled. While you began to glare at the alien bird faced man who stepped closer to the legendary figure you had prayed to for years now you found trapped in this prison of a place contacting this duo. On whom you saw the evident seam within his chest plate to his armored outer robe where you had stabbed him prior to murdering Thane. “I will not be mastered by silver tongues or false actions any longer. Only those who are useful to me are welcomed to be in my presence. Are you? Prince Loki, tell me honestly, is there any use to you at all?”

“Oh,” you muttered to yourself as he turned, causing the Prince’s ear to twitch now sensing the being behind him. In a look over the sizeable body in front of you that would be difficult for wrapping your arms around to fire powers through his link to these people. But you had to help. The wiggle in your boot had you grip Eir-Gram that engulfed itself in mist exploding to its full size enabling you to loop the sword around his shoulder to grip the blade lower on his left side in a plant against his back. Into his palm the wide eyed Prince summoned a dagger out of reflex only to watch in awe of the sheer terror on Ebony Maw’s face in his stagger away seeing who had taken hold of the puppet Prince. A telling glow around a mask the figure knew to be allied to his almost killer who now had found him again to finish the job.

Bright and brilliant to the turn of the purple figure the jagged volcanic glass like surface of the planet, with little surface not hovering like floating pathways from Spyro’s world inside a purple and pink sky littered with clouds of space dust, burst apart. This quiet place suddenly let loose from the earth plant life like what you had never seen or felt while the air ignited with something microscopic in the air that wished to spring to life as well like invisible phoenix. Bursts of light filled the eyes of the bird man mid shatter of earth around the Prince who tore his mind free to be possibly alone in the presence of this figure capable of terrifying Ebony Maw who had tortured him frequently.

Right around on a knee he used his scepter to push the blade he saw against his chest to face his helper, who he found inside four rings of electro magnetic bees that warped and sank in to seep into the armored body of his savior. Female, powerful, and on the echo of dances the bees gave off he could hear the title of Queen summoning the mental whisper of a name he could only assume to be linked to a being of such power. One out of legends he himself had grown up on who was foretold to be reborn upon Midgard, Lagertha.

“Prince Loki, see you got my daisy.” Somehow escaped your lips in the sweep of his eyes over your glowing self mid shrink of your blade that hopped back into your boot after you had adjusted onto the toes of your boots mid backwards crouch you retreated to in his turn.

“You issued my gifts,” he barely found the breath to whisper in a voice you could listen to for years on end. All the same those eyes, not obscured by their former entranced glow, blinked in a crisp blue fitted perfectly to his face that seemed to stir something inside of you. “How, my door.” He said taking notice of his undisturbed seal upon his door.

“Cube,” you said gesturing to the Tesseract he could not look to, unable to tear his eyes away as a bone chilling sense of freedom hit him and he wanted to remain under his savior’s protection just a few moments longer. “Interfered with my portal.”

“Pluto?” you heard through the bees from Eddie drifting your focus to how you might get this legendary figure in front of you to let you out of wherever you were being held at the mercy of the God of Mischief now his tormenters let go of him.

“Portal to where? What sort of realm do you claim dominion over? Must be indescribable.”

Just a sharp inhale was his answer before the cube lit up to tear you through a tunnel of light beams inside open space until hard and fast you came to a stop hovering above the used mattresses across from Eddie who rushed over. “Pluto!” Out at you his hand extended for you to rest yours inside of to tug you out of the glowing beam that shut off when you exited it.

“Okay, found bird man.” Instantly his brows shot up.

“Bird man has the tesseract?!”

“No, Loki, apparently does,” and you filled him in on everything, “Apparently he didn’t know he’d been given my mugs and daisy. Cube might be bringing him supplies.”

“Might be something more mischievous than that.”

“Odd, finding Prince Loki there.”

“Ooh how’s he look? Didn’t say.” He asked with a creeping grin.

“Um, black hair, these bright blue eyes, and, I mean he’s got nice cheekbones.”

“Hold up,” Eddie says smiling now, “You noticed his cheekbones?”

Thankful for your mask you replied with a creeping blush, “He’s, good looking.”

“This a brewing crush we talking here? Cuz the only other crush you’ve had so far is Karl Urban aside from the given Hugh Jackman.”

“I, might, I mean it was just a few minutes, and he’s got nice shoulders,” making Eddie smile wider as you mimed a hug, “Had to wrap my arms around over his shoulders with Eir-Gram to help unstick his mind from that bird man and his other purple buddy. Had a bit of trouble reaching fully with his shoulder pad things, but he’s, broad, why are you smiling at me not my fault he’s got some size to him and I noticed.”

“All I’m hearing is he’s huggable from you,” making you look away and him move closer to hug you.

“This is incredible. Now you unstuck his mind, he’ll find his brother and share all on about the tiny main squeeze he wants to hunt down to hug properly.”

“Now you’re being unrealistic.”

“He doesn’t swoon more than a bit over this encounter he is mad in the head and out of armor he gets one chance to fall head over heels for you.”

“He’s a prince, probably got a whole harem like Selvig said Thor boasted on about his past before meeting Dr Foster.”

“Oh I’ll break him in half no matter how broad he is if he doesn’t pick you.”

“You can’t make him pick me,” you said mid giggle.

“Oh the universe will handle that. One look at you and I bet he won’t be able to stop thinking about you.” Your head tilted as you sighed and he said, “It’s a proper crush, this is groundbreaking stuff here you deserve to have him groveling.” Making you giggle and turn away, “Okay not groveling don’t want him too desperate, but you deserve a respectable amount of passionate obsession. Emphasis on respectable he tries to climb anything close to your fire escape and we are having words on boundaries but flowers, candies, teddy bears, the sweeping grand gesture on occasion while being mindful of your schedule and need for sleep and tolerance of social exposure limits.” He said making you giggle again, “Would be perfect. How’s his voice?”

“Nice, like narrator level sort of hum to it.”

“Morgan Freeman narrate a phone book level or Stephen Spielberg read just his book on one character and then please for the love of funyons please shut up.”

“Morgan Freeman.”

“Very nice.”

“And he has a cape.”

“A cape! Man has flair. We’ll meet I’ll talk to him, I’ll feel him out for how he’ll mesh with the family and we can build on that.”

“Only way we’ll meet again is if Clint or Rhodey drag him along to when they check in on me. Hardly doubt SHIELD will let them just roam around especially with Thor trying to lord about amongst mortals.”

“You forget, you are repairing their uncle’s lost ship.”

“Which they might demand back.”

“There will be no demands. Finders keepers.”

You giggle again. “I suppose if they are princes they’d have their own and might demand a race or something.”

“See, now you’re talking, race then some food after in a celebratory meal when Eldfalls kicks their butts and they are left in awe of you.”

“For now, how long do you think I should wait to test the rings again?”

“I’ll go this time. I see Prince cheekbones I’ll grease the wheel for you.” With an eye roll you watched him just about dive over the proper hoop to come to drop inside the light beam that shot out the other ring. “Aww! And I had the perfect one liner for the Prince too! Damn,” he said popping out of the beam with a gentle tug of a hand from you then let go to bring out his pocket journal he used to write it down. “Never gonna remember it if I don’t write it down.”

 *.*.*

“Here you are, Barton,” the familiar voice out in the center of Iowa forced Clint to grow rigid and swivel his head to find the source here on his family property. “Quite peaceful,” he said, closing the distance between them as Clint stole a glance to the barn his daughter was in, then back to the Asgardian Prince with ruby red eyes and skin in blotches turning pale blue. “Good, I require quiet.”

“Oh,” Clint said. Suddenly the taller body slumped into his own he had to grip his leather armor, “Okay…” A warm liquid over his hand had him lift it to find a trickle of blood seeping out from underneath the armor causing him to call out to his wife inside the house he hoisted up Loki onto his shoulder spying the levitating bag with a daisy poking out of the top. “Get the first aid kit!” Clint called out when she was seen on the porch causing her to hurry back inside leaving the door open for him. “How, do you get this off?”

“Whoa!” their oldest boy said making her try to nudge him out of the room. “Is he an alien?! He’s blue!”

Clint said, “Not nice to call people blue, son.”

“But he’s blue!” the boy protested. “Nobody’s blue! Unless he’s cold, is he cold?!” Reaching out to touch the stranger to answer his own question.

Clint as he managed to get the front of the shirt undone opened it to see a blood stained shirt replying, “Kind of, why don’t you go find a nice candle from mom’s sick kit she lights for you guys, hmm?”

“Ooh!” the boy said tottering off, “I’m gonna get the grass one!”

And Clint chuckled to his struggle to get the armored shirt off the broad shouldered former captive of his with limbs for days. “Oh ya, lawn trimmings, really calming,” he muttered to his wife, who chuckled helping to tug the armor free she tossed over the chair along the wall then went to undo the boots of the stranger.

“We know this guy?”

“Thor’s brother Loki.”

He said looking at his wife whose head tilted to the side, “The one who locked you in a cage?”

“More a cell than a cage. He was, nice. Plus I think he was under the same mind trick, his eyes didn’t look as ominously blue. They’re, blood red now, which can’t be good. He’s bleeding and said he needed quiet. I’ll call the team, till then, we can spare some Pac-man band-aids the kids hate to use. If anything I can’t get answers if he dies.”

“He puts one toe out of line and I’ll cut it off,” she assured him making him smirk hearing her head upstairs to answer the cry of their toddler she was pregnant with when her and their other children were taken by Thane.

“Duly noted love.” He said starting to take off Loki’s shirt as his daughter came into the doorway, “Sweetie, fetch Daddy some towels and a bucket of water, the sick bucket in the bag so we know it’s clean.” He said and she nodded hurrying off to get them.

.

Two hours had passed and Clint was on the phone with Nat, “He just showed up at my place and collapses, now he’s got this dome of light around him and he only woke up enough to say not to hurt his daisy and that Lagertha gave it to him.”

“Lagertha, same one Thor was all droopy eyed over when we didn’t know her?”

“Same one I would bet.” He said eyeing his boys who had crept into the dome tucking a stuffed duck and some healing crystals and some drops of peppermint oil their mom used on them when they were sick down the chest that steadily rose and fell. “Thor said he thought his brother was dead, any idea how we get word to him? And please don’t say the kid.”

“She’s the only one who has been to Vanir, she’s met Heimdall, apparently knows exiled Asgardians. Met Hogun, apparently kicked up some sort of uprising, been to that elf planet. Plus she has their uncle’s ship and she found you, broke you out of an Asgardian cell. Other than that, I don’t know, we can buy a book and look into Norse prayer rituals I guess, see if anyone hears us.”

“Funny,” he said, “I’ll keep an eye on him. Already turned blue and his eyes bright red with markings all over him I haven’t seen on Thor. But it makes me remember, kid said the anomalies were Asgardian like, he seems close to Asgardian best we know.” A bright flash outside had him turn his head, “Okay, Bifrost just went off outside. Call you back looks like they brought meds.” Hogun outside with a pair of Healers were welcomed in and after assessing the wounds of the Prince confirmed they finally sensed him and could quiet the search Queen Frigga had issued for her lost favored son. “What’s wrong with him, all blue with red eyes like that?”

“Loki is Jotun, a Frost Giant, so we are told adopted at birth. The injuries are old and deep. Crown Prince of Asgard has been tortured.”

“Crown, isn’t Thor next in line?”

“Thor’s removal from Odin’s favor is no less since his exile was replaced for imprisonment on Asgard after wreaking destruction upon innocents. Loki is Frigga’s son, he is heir to the Queen, no matter our belief of the AllFather our AllMother is beloved and formidable. The price for harming her son will be blood, when he awakens from his Odinsleep Prince Loki will share who has kept him from her protection and how he was freed.”

“He said Lagertha freed him.” At the brow lift from Hogun he asked, “What? You’ve heard of her too? Thor was all in awe over her legendary self being reborn.”

“I shall convene with young Pluto,” the warrior spoke parting Clint’s lips, “Shall this be truth she shall have the answers we seek.”

In a flash of light Hogun was gone leaving Clint to whisper to himself, “What?” and call Nat back.

 *.*.*

 Two bounces atop your palm and a candle was caught a foot from the ground after Hogun had transported himself in the middle of the shop you were opening on your weekend. “You are injured again.” his hand extended to gesture at your cast wrapped arm.

“Not really, bit complicated to explain,” you said. “Everything alright?”

“Prince Loki has been discovered upon an Agent of SHIELD’s property wounded and the target of lengthy torture. I have been informed he claimed to have been rescued by Lagertha. Do you have a deeper insight to what he has endured?”

“Well, I made these transport rings that the Tesseract had been interfering with,” you said and he narrowed his eyes slightly in focus on the details. “Stealing my mugs and a daisy. He was in a trance, someone was hurting him.” Off the back of one of your bees the image of Ebony Maw was projected for him that he memorized. “I touched his head and I saw this bird faced man who came with Thanos’ son, Thane, with this big guy, didn’t see his face, who was trying to tell Loki he was useless. I broke their bond over him and the Tesseract took me back to my rings after that. We didn’t really talk more than a few seconds. I don’t know what happened after I left.”

“Thank you, this is very enlightening to many details.”

“Is he alright?” You asked hastily luring a twitch of the corners of his mouth to tick upwards.

“Loki has entered Odinsleep, he will heal in due time, now under our protection and watch of our AllMother. I shall leave you to heal and return to your mortal duties.” Just like that he was gone again to return to Vanir so he could conference with Queen Frigga upon what he had learned. While they had no name of the culprits yet, as they seemed to be beyond your scope of knowledge within this realm, Loki would surely answer that upon his waking.

A true Shieldmaiden under the protection of their Queen so long for her bloodline precious to the Asgardians to whom they kept true now was privately praised by Queen and golden eyed guardian alike. While Odin to the kingdom proclaimed their lost Crown Prince discovered to a jubilant populace and a puzzled blonde Prince locked inside his cell inside the inescapable prison.

There were few answers for now but consequences too numerous to name would be doled out on the one responsible once discovered to get justice for the future King. For centuries was used to being mocked, now was seen in a new light since account of Thor’s time on earth shifted attention to the now deep cracks within the once golden Prince’s façade and opinions upon his former task of ruling their people. One other was seen as so mischievous and elders were again sharing tales of the young woman who grew to be their insurmountable Queen, stories ringing true to her prized son who in gaining control of his might would one day surely guide them true. A young future King with an alliance to the reborn Lagertha, that gave a brighter hope to the next generation carrying on the legacy of Asgard.

 *.*.*

 “Welcome back,” the jewelry shop manager spoke upon your entrance in a far more suitable new fury lapel double breasted coat you had bought to replace your old one, still second hand like the blouse that tucked into your worn jeans halfway coated by tall boots to counter the icy conditions outside. One handed you undid the scarf that had been pulled up to your chin in the unbutton of your coat to not overheat inside this warm shop as snow kept piling up outside, as it had atop your hat you shook off before entering.

“Thank you, I wasn’t expecting it here so soon.”

Making him chuckle as he went to fetch the tray containing your order from the back room. With apparent care he opened the box and allowed you to turn it this way and that to the intrigue of the other workers who saw he was about to do anything to make this ring perfect for this odd client. Moonstone was a laughable center stone to most of the employees here, accent stones were lovely, however a lone stone on a ring and they imagined it to be the most hideous of rings. At least until they saw the instant glow to your face and eyes mid smile in thanking their manager. “Thank you, been having some rather absurd dreams without my ring. It looks so much better than the first one. I will do my best to keep it safe against my chaos.”

Again he chuckled and helped you to ease it back into its box so that he could place it inside a small velvet bag for the trip home. While not as alluring as diamonds a simple search had stomachs shift as to what the ring could be intended to help with out of what a single internet search could pull up for your name. They wondered what you were fending off with it and more importantly if it actually worked for you or not. Right to Eddie’s you went to find him with a cake and ring box awaiting you so he could help you put on both of the replaced rings that several, including Gwen, would make certain to give notice they saw you had replaced your old one as they had your leather tassel bag and your new coat.

 .

 Confetti in the shape of seals littered the streets early Valentines Day morning while you waited in line outside the door of a packed café for a warm cider prior to your cast removal appointment. Horns like trombones on a parade of seal shaped cars sounded in whale moans instead of their usual noises to announce the fanfare. Right off the middle float car Baby Seal Man leapt mid cackle to hurry to your side.

Firmly his hands took hold of your shoulders when he came to a stop. “I have done it! Finally done it! I am now, a Marine, Biologist!” the final two words paused between them for emphasis. As rapidly as he’d take hold of your shoulders he let go now flashing a business card between his fingertips you timidly accepted. “That jet blasting rocket knocked off the head of my thesis council and finally after three years of argument and revisions I have earned my license and was able to complete an internship! I am off to the Arctic for my first research job!” and in a rush forward he stole a tight hug from you. “And it’s all thanks to you that I get to pass on to Misique the stupendous news!” A wink was snuck in there and the confused crowd watched his spring back off to his parade float. Shouting when he landed upon it, “My congratulations and wonder for what you might achieve are boundless, my friend!”

His news by noon would be shared with the staggering confirmation of new graduates who were deterred by the single man who refused 90% of all thesis papers sent his way to qualify for degrees. This year would be the largest graduating class yet for many schools using the same council to grade such lofty papers and fields in great need of bodies would find a mini surplus of new hires to gain experience on top of the internships most took while in wait for acceptance of their papers. Each who could only shine a glimmer of light upon the tragedy of that jet attack from the Goblin.

.

For once you took the first step on this dating related holiday you had sent an edible arrangement on Valentines day. Not to flirt or stake a claim but to prevent an emotional slump on the Hallmark holiday associated with happiness, and if by sixth sense alone you knew when Dr Strange had received them.

Even with terribly trembling hands those fruit slices were savored and inside the hospital you saw the man himself with hands in his jacket pockets waiting for you to arrive for your appointment. “Thank you, certainly won’t get scurvy for your efforts.” A hint of a smirk ghosting onto his lips as you flashed him a grin, “For now, if you don’t mind, I can sit with you. Technically I’m not on staff, so I’d be a guest.”

“Well I’m not going to risk you trying to shimmy your way through the air vents and break your hands again in the fall.”

“Somehow, you know me too well. How long have you known me again?” he asked making you giggle in his turn to show you to the proper waiting room to sign in and wait for Dr Palmer to help remove your cast.

Tools were brought out with a spare set of hands brought in to help steady your arm for Strange to look on and get the first look of his work free of the cast. Scars of stitches had miraculously faded and with a scan by one of your hummingbirds the bones and nerves seemed to be fully healed, an absolute miracle for the doctors tossing a bundle of hope on Strange’s inner flame for his struggle. All the same Strange had you plan your physical therapy sessions on the same days as his twice a week to be able to monitor your progression, starting today.

Twice your size a burly man in scrubs with a smile on his face had named himself your assigned physical therapist. Seated at a table he led you to while Strange sat with his own to hear of how he had bested ideal healing time already and had his bones and head trauma healed within a month’s time just leaving the pesky nerve damage.

Hope hanging on by a thread that like you said it would heal now his exterior damage was gone and ample stolen glances your way as your trainer had taken hold of your injured arm. Loudly a pop from your wrist paired with a squeak from you had a few looks your way before he went back to feeling your muscles and gently guided your hand and wrist in a few motions.

“How does it feel?” he asked as he laid his fingers over the back of your fingers to gently guide them in a bend forward.

“Middle finger is still stiff. Need to pop it feels like.” With care he eased fingers around your middle finger he tightened his hold on to muffle the pop it gave off.

“Keep it gentle, gradually we will work you back up to weight and full flexibility. I know you will just be raring to get back to casual motion, however, patience is key. Weight to minimal and just get used to simple movements of your hand again.” Was the final word upon the end of the first round of basic finger and wrist exercises you flubbed to show some sort of reluctance for your middle finger and thumb to give the man something to progress from in each visit. Though that did grant Strange something positive to take from his less than positive ended session. Hopeful alone in that the delay of reception of the shot of yours was all this was, a window of time he hoped to be coming to a close until it would start to show improvement.

 .

 “Okay, now that I have my hand back the final strip has been finished off and now I am making some test swatches for the proofing process. My grandfather sent out some resin and I have been a weaving machine. Can’t just use just the wool for the full sail so I have to work in some Asgardian metal thread and some of the other chord to match the standard of my sail to see how it will handle the resin.”

The video was of the weaving of the spare sail swatches aided by your bees to draw the chord and thread from one side of the cloth out of the back and through again to the needle you used to add the special design to the base pattern.

Two weeks and all your spare time landed you with six swatches of sails that inside the garage the Beserkers who flew in helped you to heat up buckets of water. Into a copper tub each was poured for the former sail workers with great admiration for your work on just the test swatches to help shove and stomp on them in the water beside you. Muscle memory for them helped to get each to the right tightness and strung up from Eldfalls’ mast to dry with help from his magical fire as a second group readied the resin.

Off his deck with masks they guided you over to show you the proper wrist technique to coat the swatches entirely. Not that they wouldn’t help you with the full sail but completely so they could pass on this rite to another willing soul after so long of being without the honor of doing so freely.

From the moment it was dry packed into the bus to the freezing waters you went again with Eldfalls in tow to hover above the dock as Eddie confirmed the rental of a small wooden sail boat with the man at the desk tied off there for you to use. Half the group would fit in with you and Eddie and the second took a loaned metal motor boat used to help tow the sail free wooden boat out to sea.

One by one out of numbered pouches the sails were tied onto the mast and hoisted high to take the wind to help coast the heavy boat a bit. Each far too small to carry it properly but were large enough to show off how the skills used to weave marked weaknesses for various patterns of waterproofing. Wear at corners or in the dead center, like the third section before over your radio a call came from a yacht which was driven up to your group. To which you replied, “Listen here moron, it’s an experiment, for the third time so just take your pollution craft and go find someone else to talk down to.”

Not twenty minutes later as you readied the fourth sail in place to hoist up you heard the radio go off for the shore patrol who had been warned of a pair of boats that were stuck out on the water and refused the help of the rich people on the spacious yacht to be carried ashore. “Shore patrol this is the so called wooden dingy,” you said watching the distant speed boat on the dock being readied for the next team who did patrols for the day. “I told that dingbat with the yacht I am experimenting on sail swatches for waterproofing techniques who said I was spoiling his pictures of the water.”

Laughter was heard through the line as the same man responded, “We have reports of weather currents changing, roughly how long will your experiment run? Should the wind not change we will have to clear these waters against incoming storms.”

“I have two more swatches then we will be heading ashore. Only rented the boats for three hours.”

“Enjoy your experiment and we will keep you informed of any abrupt changes.”

“Honestly,” you said putting the radio down on the deck. “Can’t even escape the deep pockets out in the ocean.” Making the others chuckle in Eldfalls’ next circle of the ship inside the water like a giant metal crocodile with the top of his head and back visible using his wings to help propel him forward and turn. “Back to the top,” you said gripping the rope to hoist the new sail piece into place that upon being tied off tightened the tug on the anchoring rope as the breeze started to carry the boat a few feet.

“Number four, seems intact,” a scan confirmed the fact and after noting that in your notebook following the process of repairing Eldfalls you returned that section to its bag and pulled out number five.

“What do you think?” you asked one of the sail makers, “Four or six?”

“Six would be best for smaller ships, for a sail your size should choose four.” She said and the whole group was raring to go back inside the garage to do another round of fulling the whole sail.

Bucket after bucket of hot water filled the same copper tub and a lengthy chunk at a time once the grommet holes were stitched and with chord tied onto the copper pipe you were using as a sail support dangling from one of the beams from the ceiling. To their amusement you caught on and showed a latch onto the process like a natural.

Side by side each panel was strung up until the whole sail was windproof and hung tighter shrinking it down a fraction. And where some might use machines to stitch the sections together due to the Asgardian metal element to it you had to use more of the metal thread to load into a needle and hand stitch each section together.

Zig zags were the go to pattern on a sail on this planet, while the talented sail makers joined you in completing the intricate clover like stitches between connection points of the metal layers of the design. Like a supporting net that layer would hold the sail intact and work with the storm battling capabilities Eldfalls had. He sat up watching the group effort, those stitching and those helping to raise the supporting bar a couple inches at a time with more who pressed the metal grommets into the stitched holes ready for them across the top and bottom.

Half of Saturday and well into Sunday evening the busy work was complete and using the successful technique resin was spread across the sail material on both sides then left to dry. Pattern disguised, a teaser clip like several others was posted to share the sail was complete and fulled, simply awaiting the print of the securing mounts to connect it to the mast and support beam.

Unlike usual sails you showed diagrams of the knob ended fixtures off the loops to attach inside the sail grommets so that the sail could expand and fold by command of the controls. That like the mast would take some time to get the fittings just right, at least a few printing tries Eldfalls would have to approve. All the same with care the sail was taken down and folded up inside a disguising cloth to keep safe until those were ready to have you take Vili’s sail down to replace with your own. And now with the remaining wool and supplies you could use it however you wished to over the coming years.

Dinosaur comics again flooded the beginning of March as the reminder that you didn’t have a graduation speech. Dinosaurs and continued practice with your rings, now you and Venom were testing distances they could be used that would reach up to a mile. Fine distraction from that pesky speech and the fact that while you were finishing up the final weeks of your physical therapy the empty seat where Strange should be seated had you sneak through the hospital until you found Christine.

“His last email said he took off to some monastery.” When your brows furrowed she asked, “What is that look for?”

“Which monastery, my uncle went to one when my dad died.”

“Kamar-Taj in Nepal.”

“Oh that’s wild, my uncle’s a stone’s throw from there. I hope this isn’t a pattern and I wake up one day to a note Eddie I gone too to shave his head.” You said making her chuckle to herself.

“He’s chasing a healing tip. Some impossible patient who walked after a severe paralyzed diagnosis swears by the place.”

“Well hope it’s not like my uncle’s place he got rabies from eating a bat after they told him to not eat anything but rice water and leeks for a month.”

“I doubt it but now that image will be paying rent in my mind all day, thank you,” she said and you both slipped away to her giggles imagining Strange nibbling on a soap bubble coated wing and growling at people being shoed off with a broom to get his rabies shot.

Of to a late shift at the book shop you went to relieve MJ from her shift to head home herself. Lost mentally to the next test you would put your rings through an alarm you waited to hear for four years now had gone off. Bucky was being thawed out. Quietly you would be listening in to see where he was being sent and then pass on the word or intervene yourself. Uncertain of just what to feel yet as Hydra had stuck their last card on the table. And back to the means to keeping busy those same rings happened to be the reason for said thawing. A certain double agent had seen them in use by you and Venom then passed on word for brownie points granting Hydra their next conquest.

 .

 Alone in a room with Daredevil and Hawkeye, the latter who got knocked off a glider and caught by you, chose to help Misique out until he could get his team back on the com system that went down due to an odd interference. Someone was blasting Blue Man Group songs through the airwaves interfering with communications outside a series of channels.

A large sign dangling in the lobby had Hawkeye looking Daredevil over as he clearly was going the wrong way after saying he’d take the offices while you handled what sounded like a flooding boiler room in this place out by the pier.

“Hey, uh, Batman,” in Spanish you continued making him look your way, “Sign says it’s the hall on the left, third floor.”

“Ah,” he said then turned, “No luck for us, lemons.” Clearly struggling on the final word as he did causing you to shake your head and take your own path as Hawkeye went to clear his own rooms.

Soaking wet not twenty minutes later you were seen by Hawkeye digging through the cabinet he had grabbed hearing there was documents in there that would be useful for a case of his later. And under his jacket he shoved the file when you handed it over.

A sudden blast however had you all duck and rush for cover in opposing ends of the same intersection of halls, you with an arm across Daredevil’s chest as he tried to calm himself while he was unable to use his advanced hearing to see anything but you. Every now and again he would get over-stimulated and confused and be led around by friends. Numerous signed signals by Hawkeye had his curiosity grow all the more curious of what was up with this guy.

Elektra raced by, “Water’s rising, no evil monkeys!”

Hawkeye asked promptly, “What’s that about monkeys?”

“The see, hear, speak no evil monkeys,” you said and his chin angled downwards in a subtle urge for more clarification.

“I’m blind, you’re deaf,” Daredevil replied dropping Hawkeye’s jaw he clamped shut to follow you guiding Daredevil along.

“Year ago you go around a mountain to not share that, now you might as well post it on a bus,” you murmured making the blind man in your grip chuckle to himself.

“How are we just finding out about this?” Hawkeye asked and you glanced back at him in his rush to run faster seeing how high the water was coming from the growing edge of the storm that had come this far North to hit the state and others around it. “And why are we out digging for files in a hurricane?”

“One,” Daredevil answered, “I keep a tight territory, not much spill room, two, people refuse to issue due diligence and grant all the evidence in times of natural disasters. Usually have a watch a friend made me to help me read things but I snapped the band and it is being repaired at the moment.”

“Watch,” Hawkeye whispered to himself then asked louder, “You know Pluto?!”

“Odd to say we know a fair deal more about her than we do about our lovely bee here. Not to mention the help given to a few of that mortgage scam recently. What she did resonated with people, helping two of ours keep their homes they worked hard to retire in.”

To a parked van you all raced to catch Elektra who urged you all inside, including Hawkeye who made certain to take the seat at your side to ask lowly as the two new parents spoke up front, “Hey, what’d Pluto do, about those houses?”

“Bought them from the son of a clansman bank owner who bought the bank to kick out two retired black people he felt an inherited grudge with.”

“Just,” he moved his hand, “Bought two houses? For strangers?”

“Not strangers,” you said, settling your hands on your sore propped up knees, to help stretch your palms over them to hide the stiffness in your hands from breaking a wall earlier.

“She talks to you, right?” he asked, luring your head to turn to look at him. “Why hasn’t she just said what happened to her, who hurt her? We could help.”

“People die, you’re years late to save her, everyone wants to rush in, to name and know the pain,” you looked forward, “But you don’t know it, you feel it. We saved ourselves, but all everyone wants to know is what happened. Like we’re a war vet returning with a leg blown off. Rehashing it over and over isn’t going to change the fact a limb is gone and it hurts and now we have to put on a brave face so others don’t go rushing in to what they don’t understand. The Avengers didn’t help, SHIELD, who knew, all these years, didn’t help.” You said parting his lips, “Most of the people who hurt us are dead, much like the man Fury sent to check on Pluto’s past is dead now that he’s catching on to the pack that’s been hiding and guiding the herd.”

“What are you trying to say? Someone’s infiltrated SHIELD?”

“Infiltrated,” you scoffed, “It’s in the history books, welcomed with open arms, un-vetted foreign brilliant minds to help protect humanity from harms unlike that they would understand. But there are many ways and reasonings behind an oath of protection.”

“You’re saying there’s spies?” he whispered.

And you whispered back, “There’s a reason they never tried to snatch Widow back, because to them she never left their control. For an organization of spies the organization makes far too many dumb mistakes.”

 *.*.*

 “Hello Soldier,” Broke the silence of the room of a dozen men around the trained killer who woke up inside of a restraint chair without sign of his pupil. He always had you there to get started right away on the prep for the next mission when he could for a time get you out of here. Away from them. Even if only for a few days at a time was all he could spare. You were absent, his fellow Winter Soldier was not here either at your side to await orders for him to issue on your training. The men around him should have said something and yet they stood or sat trembling around him until Pierce had spoken up.

“Where is the White Dove?”

“On her first solo mission,” a lie, loud and clear the obviously louder and faster pound of the commander’s heart gave away this lie. You were being kept from him and the men around him eased back at the sudden darkening on his gaze and flex of his body to spring to action and find his coveted pupil. Still the lying Pierce continued, “In fact, that is why I am here. Is doing well, found a transportation tech that we want, these rings here.” He said showing a black and white photo he pulled from the folder in hand the Winter Soldier accepted in a stoic fashion, ready to be shown more clues of where his pupil was and how best to get to you. “Only there is a masked figure, Misique, who is keeping her from returning with the rings.” Another lie, all the same he took the second picture without show of the explosive rage bubbling over inside of him.

“She did well, out on her own, now she needs an extraction team. I want you to kill Misique and drag them back here with those rings. Bring our asset home.” Faking a breathy but confident laugh Pierce said, “Done a hell of a job on this one. Did a, phenomenal job,” even faster the heartbeat sped up to a point near to what might cause one to pass out or hint a heart attack was coming. More lies. But what about? The mission? Safety of his pupil? The more Pierce’s heart sped up spilling more supposed attempts you had made to get away from this highly trained individual thwarting any means of escape only heightened the rage and the demand for answers right now. “Bring her home.”

The final word hung in the air and heaving a deep breath when he left the room Pierce named the team going with the steadfast teacher, who with a murderous glare stood to ready robotically, not for the mission, but for one solitary reason. The only person he would believe was not here. The only mission the Winter Soldier had was to find his White Dove. And to keep her safe he would kill anyone, including the men who filed into the shielded jet with him, armed to the gills and distant from him. Confirming only one thing, they were gonna need every single round, charge and brutal handheld trick within their arsenal to bring him down if they were behind any harm to his White Dove. No matter the stance, on either side of the line, no one was going to stop him from finding his White Dove.

Continue into the sequel - Poke

[therighthandofvengeance]

Sinclair: I need your help.

Garibaldi: It’s nice to be needed.

Sinclair: It’s dangerous.

Garibaldi: I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t.

[caroldanvers616]

Giftober 2022 | Day 5: Food

Thor (2011)

@giftober @mcuchallenge

[mrsbuckybarnes1917]

7: SPRING FLING

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You try and get over Bucky with a sexual intervention.

Word count 3.2k

Warnings: jealous Bucky Barnes, original character (please feel free to imagine Alexander Skarsgård when reading the character of Erik), some Russian spoken between Bucky and Nat, Nat being the best bestie

“You know what you need?” Wanda shouted over the loud music, looking directly at you.

“What’s that?” You answered, equally as loudly, taking a sip from the cocktail in your hand.

“To get laid.”

The way that you choked on your drink was undignified and most unlady-like.

You glared at Wanda and at Natasha who was sitting on a barstool opposite you smirking. Wanda patted your back, sympathetically. They had convinced you to come out with them to the local club, where the music was pounding and the lights were dimmed and you didn’t have to think about your emotional problems. Surprisingly, the thumping music vibrated through your body, calming your mind. The alcohol also helped!

“Was this your idea?” You demanded from the red-head who merely shrugged in response.

“Cricket, honey, your aura needs a good cleansing.” Wanda fanned the space around you, trying to pick off the gremlins that only she had the ability to see.

“Yeah, maybe having some good D will help you get over these ridiculous feelings.” Nat may have spoken quietly, but you caught every word.

“Fine, make a suggestion.”

That got Wanda and Nat’s attention, their eyes lit up like two little girls who had been promised ponies for their tenth birthdays. Immediately they started conspiring and assessing the options so you wouldn't have a chance to change your mind.

You glanced around the joint, it was filled with people you recognized, if not by name, then at least you'd seen their faces in passing or at briefings. The compound wasn't so far away from the city but the location was remote enough that the traffic on the roads was mostly caused by commuting members of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. Unlike most of the Avengers, they weren't offered automatic room and board. But it did mean that a large number of people congregated in the local watering holes to let off steam.

You let Wanda and Nat drag you onto the dance floor, where the bass thumped in time with your heart. You let yourself get lost in the music, letting go of your worries and inhibitions. The alcohol had loosened you up, and you found yourself dancing with a stranger, their hands on your hips as you moved together in perfect sync.

As the night wore on, you found yourself laughing and chatting with different people, enjoying the attention and the thrill of the unknown. It wasn’t something you normally did, preferring the comforts of home and the company of your inner circle. But everything changes and sometimes you are forced to change to adapt to the direction life is taking you. Wanda and Nat watched from the sidelines, nodding in approval as you let yourself be swept away by the moment.

Just as you were starting to feel a little dizzy from the drinks and the dancing, you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around to see a face that made your heart skip a beat. He was handsome in the most boring, traditional way… at first. His tall stature and toned figure towered over you in a way that made you feel small, but his eyes provided a sort of balm over the rest, endearing you to open up to him.

“Hey,” he said, his voice barely audible over the music. "I've been wanting to talk to you ever since you walked in here with your friends. Can we go somewhere quieter?"

You nodded, feeling a rush of excitement and nerves as he led you away from the crowd and into a quieter corner of the club.

“I’m Erik.”

“I’m-”

“Oh I know exactly who you are. My father talks about the Avengers a lot,” he laughed, mirth spreading across his handsome features. “You guys saved him from a number of mishaps.”

“Your father?”

“Erik Selvig? I’m Erik Jr.”

“Wait, you’re Dr Selvig’s son?”

“Guilty!” he shrugged. “Hope that doesn’t affect your opinion of me.”

“Are you kidding? Your father’s a genius! I have so much respect for him.

Erik smiled, relieved by your positive reaction to his father's reputation. The two of you continued to chat, finding common ground in your shared admiration for science and the work of the Avengers. You discovered that he was in town for the next few weeks relaying his father’s research to S.H.I.E.L.D.. You found yourself opening up to Erik in a way you hadn't expected. His easy charm and genuine interest in getting to know you made you feel comfortable and put you at ease. You weren’t one for falling for a man so quickly, but for some reason Erik Jr seemed to have cast a spell on you and you were letting it weave its mystic ways around you. And as you talked and laughed and got to know each other better, you realized that maybe Wanda and Nat were right. Maybe all you needed was a different connection to heal your heart and lift your spirits.

As the night wore on, the club started to empty out, leaving just a few stragglers on the dance floor.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Erik asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Did you have somewhere specific in mind?”

“I’m actually staying in the guest quarters at the compound.”

“Perfect, because my friends seemed to have disappeared on me.” This was in fact a white lie, Wanda and Nat had simply made their way back to the car you'd driven in and texted you to say they would wait until you had a plan.

Erik chuckled, pulling out his car keys, “Well let them know that I'm happy to get you home safe and sound. But I suspect that their vanishing act was probably a very intentional maneuver.”

A smirk crossed your lips, somehow turned on by his intuitiveness. “I'll text them and let them know,” you answered, sliding into the passenger side of his dark BMW. 

The ride home was spent discussing Norse myths and legends, stories you’d both been told or learned as children and how they compared to the things you had learned from Thor. The laughter and banter exchanged was stimulating but had an underlying tone of seduction that was undeniable. Erik’s hand on your knee confirmed his intentions. You couldn't stop thinking about the immediate connection you had felt with him. It was a feeling you hadn't experienced in a long time, and it left you eager to see where things could go with Erik.

As Erik pulled up and parked outside the large complex where he was staying, he turned to you, his tongue sliding over his lips and his eyes roaming over you for a moment. “So, Y/N. Do you mind if I walk you home?”

Your name rolled off his tongue beautifully, and that’s when you decided to give in. If you could hear your name leave his lips even one more time tonight, you’d be one happy girl.

“So this is me,” you smiled, suddenly feeling a little shy as you stopped outside your bedroom door.

“Wow, looks so… normal.” Erik joked, trying to get past the obvious tension you felt.

“Would you like to come inside?” You bit your lip, looking up at the handsome, giant Norwegian. 

Erik’s eyes lit up at the invitation, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “I would love to,” he replied, his voice low and husky.

You led him inside, feeling a rush of excitement and nerves as you opened the door to your room. It was a simple space, decorated with a few personal touches that reflected your personality. Erik looked around, taking in the details with interest.

“This is nice,” he commented, his gaze lingering on you. “Very cozy.”

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you at his words. “Thanks. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s home.” 

Erik stepped closer, his hand reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair away from your face. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes locked on yours.

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, the intensity of his gaze sending shivers down your spine. Without another word, he closed the distance between you, his lips capturing yours in a soft, lingering kiss.

The world seemed to fade away as you lost yourself in the moment, the connection between you and Erik growing stronger with each passing second. It was as if you had found something you didn't even know you were looking for, a spark that ignited a fire within you.

Erik broke this kiss with a reluctant sigh. “Look, I have a confession to make.”

Your heart sank, everything seemed too good to be true.

“I want to be honest with you before we go any further.”

“Go ahead.”

“I'm not going to be in New York for long. I travel a lot and I'm not looking for a long term relationship.”

You contemplated the proposition. For a moment you heard Bucky's voice in your head, calling you a slut. But Nat's voice was there to play devil's advocate on your behalf. ‘Girl, be as slutty as you like. Your happiness doesn’t depend on one person. Do this for you and your own pleasure, no one gets to judge you for it!’

You were your own judge, and your verdict was simple; have sex with the gorgeous man in front of you.

* 

Little did you realize that your return home was witnessed by your best friend. Bucky was a little perturbed to see you enter your room with this handsome stranger. He stood in a shadowy corner, watching as you and Erik, laughed and talked. Bucky couldn't help but feel consumed by envy. As you closed the door, he strode back to his room, slamming his own door shut, almost as though additional physical barriers might block out the mental image of the two of you from his mind.

Unfortunately, the physical barriers did nothing to mute his hearing.

“Where do you want me?” He heard your sweet voice.

“Sitting on my face sounds like a good start.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Spread your legs and show me what’s mine.”

Bucky couldn’t believe the sounds coming from your room. They were unmistakable, as they cut through him like a knife. He felt his heart shattering into a million pieces, unable to bear the thought of you being with someone else. As the night wore on, Bucky paced back and forth, struggling to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of you and Erik. He couldn't shake his feeling of betrayal, images of you invading his mind, filling him with an ache in his chest that grew greater with every passing moment until he thought he would explode.

How could you do this to him? How could you be so careless with his feelings?

But as he listened to the sounds of your passion through the thin walls, a different emotion began to bubble up inside him. Jealousy turned to longing, and longing turned to desire. He couldn't deny the fact that hearing you with another man stirred something deep within him.

Bucky knew he had to confront you about what he had heard. He couldn't keep his feelings bottled up any longer. He knocked on your door, his heart pounding in his chest. When you opened the door, a look of surprise crossed your face.

"Bucky, what are you doing here?" you asked, confusion evident in your voice.

"I heard you," he said simply, his eyes searching yours for some kind of explanation.

You looked down, a blush creeping up your cheeks. "I...I'm sorry, Bucky. I didn't mean for you to hear that."

He took a step closer to you, his gaze intense. "Do you have feelings for him?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

You hesitated, unsure of how to answer. But before you could say anything, Bucky took matters into his own hands. He leaned in and captured your lips in a searing kiss, his hands tangling in your hair.

With a gasp, Bucky sat up in his bed, taking short shaky breaths as he tried to drag his consciousness away from dreamland. As soon as his heart stopped pounding in his ears, he listened for other sounds around him, but there was only silence. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling until sunrise filled the room.

*

The next morning, you emerged from your room, a smile on your face as you said goodbye to Erik. Bucky lurked in the shadows as you walked with him to the main doors. The scowl that graced his features was worthy of the Chitauri race. If looks could kill, Erik would have dropped dead on the spot.

Natasha, always one step ahead, hissed in Bucky’s ear. «Даже не думай.» (“Don’t even think about it?”) He felt the sharp pain of her pinching the skin on the back of his neck.

Bucky was taken aback. «Чё за хрень, Романов?» (“What the hell, Romanoff?”)

«Я знаю что у тебя на уме,» (“I know what you’re thinking,”) she whispered, her tone sharp.

«Что?» (“What?”) Bucky asked, confused.

«Не испорть это для неё.» ("Don't ruin this for her.”) She was gone as surreptitiously as she had arrived.

Natasha’s words echoed in Bucky’s mind as he watched you and Erik exchange a lingering goodbye. He felt a surge of anger and jealousy, but he knew he had no right to feel that way. You were free to do as you pleased, and he had no claim over you. Bucky was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice you walking back towards him.

“Hey, Buck. Are you ok?” you asked, concern lacing your voice. He seemed dazed and you suddenly felt worried that he had seen you with Erik. It wasn’t that you wanted to hide things from him, but a small part of you didn’t want to permanently close the door on the possibility of something more. 

Bucky forced a smile, masking his true emotions. “I’m fine, just tired. Don’t worry about me.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, but you could see through his facade, the pain in his eyes mirrored the pain you had felt when he had told you about Priya.

“Who was that guy?” Bucky asked, throwing caution to the wind. Curiosity eating him from the inside out.

“Umm, that’s Erik. He’s Dr Selvig’s son.” You could sense the tension between you two, and it made your heart ache. You wondered what he was thinking, but you didn’t want Bucky to think you were trying to hide anything from him. So you found yourself blurting out every tidbit of information. “I met him last night.”

Bucky nodded, uncomfortably.

“Well, I’d better go… get started on those reports I’ve been putting off. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah sure.” Bucky returned your wave with a half hearted one of his down. As you walked away, Bucky couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. He knew he shouldn’t be upset, but seeing you with someone else made everything worse. He knew he needed to come to terms with the fact that you were moving on with your life, he just wished he could find a way to do the same. Despite being with Priya, his thoughts always came back to you.

*

It was a festive dinner with the team as they gathered to bid farewell to Erik, who was leaving New York the next day. You had enjoyed three uninterrupted weeks of Earth shattering sex and you were sad to see him leave. He was attentive and intuitive and certainly knew how to show you a good time. But Erik seemed to form an immediate connection with anyone he met and if there wasn't an expiry date on your relationship, you would worry about the depth of your connection. But as things stood, you were having a good time and didn't have time to wallow in Buckya and Priya’s relationship. 

Thor had been invited to join Erik's farewell fête as a gift to the guest, and the evening started off with a lively atmosphere. Erik and Thor were having a whale of a time, sharing stories and laughing loudly, while the rest of the team tried to keep up with their energy.

However, on the other end of the table, Bucky was sulking, his mood visibly dark. Steve, sitting next to him, tried to comfort him, but Bucky seemed lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in his chest ever since Erik had arrived.

As the night went on, Bucky found himself in the kitchen with Erik, who had come out to grab a drink. Erik looked at Bucky and said, "You don't seem to like me very much."

Bucky, taken aback by the directness of the statement, replied, "I don't know you well enough to like you."

Erik raised an eyebrow and continued, “For someone who doesn't know me enough to like me, you sure were staring at me a lot during dinner. Or... were you staring at Y/N?”

Bucky's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of your name. He felt a wave of embarrassment at the realization that his feelings for you had not gone unnoticed. He cleared his throat and muttered, “Her name’s Cricket.”

Erik smiled knowingly and said, "If you like her, just tell her. Life's too short for regrets."

Bucky just glowered at him, unable to form a coherent response. He knew Erik was right, but the fear of rejection held him back.

As the night came to an end and the team dispersed, having bid Erik his goodbyes, you were left alone with the tall blonde.

“I guess this is it,” you said softly, breaking the heavy silence that hung between you.

"I guess it is," Erik said, looking at you with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Yeah, time to say goodbye," you replied, trying to keep your emotions in check.

"I just want to thank you for the last three weeks. It's been... amazing," Erik said, his voice trailing off slightly.

You smiled, feeling a mix of emotions. "Thank you too, Erik. I had a really great time with you."

There was a moment of silence as you both stood there, unsure of what to say next.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye then,” Erik said, reaching out to give you a hug.

You hugged him back, feeling a sense of finality in the embrace. He pressed one last kiss against your lips before releasing you.

“Goodbye, Y/N.” He gave you one last smile before turning and walking away.

“Bye Erik,” you said softly.

As you watched him go, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness. Deep down, you knew it was time to move on, and as you walked back towards your room, you felt a sense of closure and gratitude for the time you had shared with Erik. He had stopped you wallowing in ‘what ifs’ and ‘might have beens’. You had been left with a sense of hope for the future, that maybe there was the potential for you to find a connection with someone special.

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[mydaddywiki]

Stellan Skarsgård

Physique: Average Build Height: 6’ 3" (1.91 m)

Stellan John Skarsgård (born 13 June 1951) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his collaborations with director Lars von Trier, appearing in Breaking the Waves (1996), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2003), Melancholia (2011), and Nymphomaniac (2013). Skarsgård has since starred in various blockbusters such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). He also starred in Mamma Mia! (2008), Angels and Demons (2009), and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011). He played Dr. Erik Selvig in five Marvel Cinematic Universe films, starting with Thor (2011), and portrayed Baron Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve's two-part Dune adaptation, Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024).

You’d think I’d already be into Stellan with how many things I’ve seen him naked in and there's a lot. And surprisingly the one that put him over the edge with is a movie where he didn’t appear naked in, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Wait, was it Thor: The Dark World? Well it was one of those two.

Skarsgård was born in Gothenburg, he moved often in his childhood and lived, amongst other places, in Helsingborg, Totebo, Kalmar, Marielund, and Uppsala. Skarsgård started his acting career early; and, by the age of 21, his experience in film, TV and stage was considerable. Most of his early roles were in Swedish television (such as Bombi Bitt) and films.

Twice married, with his first wife, they had six children together. Alexander, Gustaf, Bill, and Valter are also actors, while Eija was a model for a few years. His second marriage to Irish screenwriter and producer Megan Everett in January 2009 produced two sons. Because of this, Skarsgård had a vasectomy because he felt that eight children was enough. Well Mr. Skarsgård… if you were fucking me, you wouldn't have that problem.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Good Will Hunting (1997) Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013) Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) Amistad (1997)

[simplyholl]

The Villain’s Weapon Pt. 1

Summary: When you hit your head and lose your memory, you fall into Loki’s clutches.

Warnings: Eventual smut. Memory loss. Villain Loki. Thanos.

The battle was never ending. You and the other Avengers were never going to defeat Loki. He had taken Clint and Dr. Selvig using them against you as he took the Tesseract. It didn’t help that he would only show up every now and then to taunt the team. Otherwise you couldn’t locate him.

Loki fought against you. “We have to stop meeting like this, little one.” Loki teased. You used your magic, a cloud of blue surrounding you as you fought back. You underestimated the power you put behind it, the aftershock throwing you back against a boulder. You hit your head with a loud thud as your vision went black.

When you came to, a large man towered over you. You studied his face trying to place him. You couldn’t remember where you were or what you were doing outside. You didn’t even know who you are. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you, little one.” Little one. That was familiar. You obviously knew this strangely dressed man. You look down at your own apparel. You were wearing a leather catsuit, so you couldn’t say anything about him.

You hear fighting all around you. You sit up, suddenly scared of your surroundings. What was happening? Pain surges through your head, you place a hand on it. You were bleeding. Your suit was torn like you had been fighting too. You stand up, feeling a little dizzy. You grab the man before you, pulling him in for a hug. You don’t know why, but you trust him.

He said he was looking for you after all. The term of endearment he used rang a bell. If you were fighting, you must be on his side. He looks down at you like you have lost your mind. Maybe you haven’t hugged before and this was out of character for you. You quickly pull away.

“I’m so sorry. I think I must have hit my head too hard. I can’t remember anything. But you seem familiar. You said you were looking for me, so I just assumed.” He looks at you incredulously. “You really don’t remember who you are or what you are doing out here?” You look around again, not recognizing anyone or anything, but him.

“There seems to be a battle. I assume I’m on your side?” You look into his bright blue eyes as a smile appears on his lips. “Yes, that is correct. Those people over there are the Avengers. They are trying to stop me - erm - us. I’ll tell you more about it once we get back to our lair.”

Loki couldn’t believe his luck. He was waiting for you to come to after the nasty fall you had taken when your magic threw you back. You were powerful, but you didn’t have complete control over your power. With his help, you would be unstoppable. And now, you were on his side.

“She’s dangerous.” Thanos told Loki. “Right now, she isn’t. She doesn’t even know she has powers.” Loki argued. “This is perfect. I will train her, we will use her to fight the Avengers.” Thanos shook his head. “What if her memory comes back? It’s too big of a risk.” Loki paces the floor, “Trust me, she won’t. She took a nasty fall. Just let me try this out before we send the Chitauri.” “You have two months.” Thanos stated as he cut communication.

Loki set up a room for you. He conjured clothes for your closet, shoes in your size, everything you might need in order to convince you that you actually lived here. He found you on the bed, looking out the window. “I’ve come to dress your wounds.” You nod, turning toward him. He examined the cut on your head, green flowing from his hands as he healed it. He explained that he could use magic and apparently so could you. He was going to start retraining you tomorrow.

“The other cuts aren’t as severe so I will clean them myself.” He explained. You slid the strap of your tank top down your shoulder to give him better access to the wound. You gasp when the alcohol wipe touches your skin, causing the area to sting. You watch him intently, long pale fingers working diligently to patch every scratch on you.

“Lay back.” He commands, reaching for the hem of your tank top. You had a large cut just under your breasts. You do as your told, he rolls the fabric up just under your nipples. You hold your breath. Your skin prickles, turning into goosebumps everywhere he touches. Your nipples harden as he patches you up.

Loki notices how you are physically reacting to his touch. How your nipples hardened when he placed his hands on your stomach. How your breath hitched when he pulled your shirt up. The worst part was he could feel his pants growing tighter. He wasn’t surprised that you had that kind of reaction toward him. He was a god after all. But he never expected you to have that effect on him. His hands grew shaky as he finished bandaging you. “Good as new.” He murmured, yanking your shirt down to cover you.

“Loki?” He stopped his retreat from your room, freezing in your doorway. “Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” You get off the bed, walking toward him, pulling him in for another embrace. He reluctantly pulls you closer to him. You can tell he isn’t a hugger. His large hand smooths the back of your hair. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I was there too.” You bury your face into his chest, breathing him in. He looks down at you, expression unreadable. This is going to be a long two months.

Part Two

Tags

@fictive-sl0th @lokisgoodgirl @lokidbadguy @ozymdias @cindylynn @cakesandtom @eleniblue @marygoddessofmischief @coldnique @mochie85 @goblingirlsarah @lokisninerealms @wheredafandomat @peaches1958 @freegardenbanananeck @chantsdemarins @lokidokieokie @l0ki3000 @anukulee @multifandom-worlds @alexakeyloveloki @ladymischief11 @kats72 @mischief2sarawr @lamentis-10 @loz-3 @litaloni @lulubelle814 @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @avengersfan25 @silver-tongue-taken-to-bed @xorpsbane @mybugabomlb @bunny24sstuff @luthien-elvenia-asher @gruftiela @itsybitchylittlewitchy

[youwannaplaygames]

Loki: *betrays his father and brother, causes an alien invasion that almost demolishes New York City, brainwashes Hawkeye and Dr. Selvig, throws Tony out a window, kills 80 people in two days*

Loki like two weeks later: haha I was just in a silly goofy mood

[bulkyphrase]

Identity Porn Rec List

Some of my favorite fics that deal with the difficulties and complications of having a secret identity.

Identity porn is a mainstay of Stony fic, but there are also some gems from Stucky, SamSteve, and whatever the ship name for Steve/Matt Murdock is.

given you a number, taken away your name by janonny (@awesomelifechoices) (Stony, General Audiences, 4,520 words)

Summary: As Tony behaves more erratically, S.H.I.E.L.D. sends in Steve as an undercover agent in S.I. to be Natasha’s back-up. Except Steve is really, really not cut out for this undercover business. - Before the lift’s doors closed, Stark suddenly grinned and said, “Call me Tony. Have a better rest of the day, big guy.” Awkwardly, Steve lifted his free hand and waved as the doors slid shut between them. What...what was he doing? Why was he waving? Steve hurriedly put his hand down and turned around sharply.

How to Woo the Winter Soldier by writeonclara (@writeonclara) (Stucky, General Audiences, 21,570 words)

Summary: “I think I’m ready to date again,” Steve said. “What,” Natasha said. “What?” Clint said, lowering his binoculars. He blinked at the dumbstruck look on the Captain’s face, then followed his gaze to where he was staring dopily at—at the Winter fucking Soldier. “Steve, no,” Clint groaned. Or: Steve courts the Winter Soldier. Also available as a podfic read by Akaihyou (@akaihyou)

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy (@mizzy2k) (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 62,917 words)

Summary: Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD. This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man. Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. Also available as a podfic read by badfinch (@read-by-badfinch)

More below the cut!

Love Is A Masquerade by Mizzy (@mizzy2k) (Stony, Mature, 12,010 words)

Summary: *loudspeaker noise* Please present your tickets here for your trip on the Steve/Tony Fantasy Trope Land express. On your left we have Masquerade Balls and Identity Porn; on the right we have Steve's Thirst for Iron Man's Thighs and Dramatic Balcony Kissing. Please keep your arms and legs within the ride at all times, thank you. Also featuring Classic Iron Man armor, Identity-Porn-Without-Porn, and Boys-In-Tights. You will need to leave your expectations for plot at the entrance to the fic; be kind and please pick up your trash before you go. Look, it's unrepentant fluff and crack, don't look at me like that, you're the one still reading this summary. [aka] When the Avengers are invited to attend Tony Stark's Annual Masquerade Ball, Steve's hoping Iron Man will be there--after all, he can wear a mask and keep his identity secret. So when Steve recognizes Iron Man's distinctive thighs, Steve is SO sure he's found Iron Man's pilot... He's right, but not in a way Steve would ever have guessed... Also available as a podfic read by paraka (@paraka)

Masked and Anonymous by panickyintheuk (@shiningredandgold) (Stony, Explicit, 4,236 words)

Summary: "When Mr. Stark opened the door, he had his shirt untucked, and no shoes on. It was evening, and it was his own apartment, and Steve was dropping by unannounced, so that was all really fair enough, but it was also the least put-together Steve had ever seen him." Steve drops in on Avengers benefactor Mr. Stark, but it seems that Mr. Stark was expecting him.

Not Just Anybody (Help) by kototyph (Samsteve, Teen And Up Audiences, 9,349 words)

Summary: Sam meets a homeless veteran with a famous name.

Straight on till Morning by Sineala (@sineala) (Stony, Explicit, 109,848 words)

Summary: Tony Stark resigned his commission in Starfleet five years ago, after a disastrous away mission, and he swore he'd never go back. He just wants to be left alone to build warp engines in peace. But the universe has more in store for him than that, as he discovers when Admiral Fury comes to him with an offer he could never have expected and cannot possibly refuse: first officer and chief engineer aboard the all-new USS Avenger, a starship of Tony's own design. What's more, the Avenger's captain is Steve Rogers, hero of the Earth-Romulan War. Believed dead for over a century, Steve is miraculously alive... and very, very attractive. But nothing is ever easy for Tony. As he wrestles with his secret desire for his new captain and his not-so-dormant fears, another mission starts to go wrong, and Tony becomes aware that Steve has secrets of his own -- and the truth could change everything. Also available as a podfic read by M_Samro (@msamro)

Super Villain Dating Tips - Or How Steve Won Over Tony Through The Art of Kidnapping by forgetmenotjimmy (Stony, General Audiences, 46,265 words)

Summary: Steve isn't evil, he's just trying to do the right thing whilst hiding from an insane General who's out for his blood - literally - but when he is forced to kidnap Tony to help him escape the cops, his plans to take down the Secret Division that experimented on him, well, they get put on the back burner. How does a villain date a hero? More kidnapping of course!

The Blind Leading by SkyisGray (Stucky, Explicit, 43,034 words)

Summary: Steve is specifically told not to fraternize with the independently contracted Winter Soldier.

The Corruption of Captain America by the Villain Tony Stark by ladililn (@ladililn) (Stony, Explicit, 50,344 words (WIP))

Summary: Iron Man paused. “Oh my god. You thought I was a robot.” “No, I—” Steve felt his face flushing. “I…considered the possibility,” he admitted. “You thought I was a robot who’s been hitting on you.” “Is that really so crazy?” Steve felt an inexplicable need to defend himself. “In the forties, I fought a Nazi with a skull for a head.”

Think of This as Solving Problems (That Should Never Have Occurred) by Sineala (@sineala) (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 35,216 words)

Summary: No one knows Tony is Iron Man. Then Tony gets amnesia, and literally no one knows Tony is Iron Man.

To Make Much of Time by Sineala (@sineala) (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 16,114 words)

Summary: When Iron Man rejects Steve's romantic advances, Steve is disappointed, but of course he understands -- Iron Man's secret identity is important. But when a portal opens and Tony Stark crashes into their midst from twelve years in the future, Steve starts to suspect that there are more secrets here than he can even begin to comprehend, and neither Iron Man nor Tony are providing any answers. Also available as a podfic read by paraka (@paraka)

What Lies Behind by kdm103020, xinsomniac1101x (@kdm103020, with art by @xinsomniac1101x) (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 63,364 words)

Summary: Four months after the Battle of New York, Steve Rogers still hasn't managed to find his footing. The new century is strange and upsetting, and he appears to have no purpose in it. But when SHIELD sends him to liaise with the director of Stark Industries, his life starts to change in ways he could never imagine. Or, the MCU-rooted AU, in which Steve and Tony both still maintain their secret identities.

with liberty and justice for all by ria_green (Matt Murdock/Steve Rogers, Teen And Up Audiences, 14,020 words)

Summary: Steve and Matt's relationship is basically a romantic comedy. Except for one minor complication - they're both hiding their superhero/vigilante identities from each other.

[lemonnsss]

Moral of the Story: Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry I took so long posting this, a family friend got diagnosed with terminal cancer and my grandpa died soooo… coping with humor right now.

Feedback is always appreciated!

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Taglist: @vicmc624 , @mostlymarvelgirl,@yvonneeeee, @beetlejuicesupremacy , @moonlightreader649 , @whattheduckisupkyle , @chrisevans-realwife , @nekoannie-chan , @mrsbarnes32557038 , @imyourbratzdoll , @weallhaveadestiny, @oldsoulmagic

Word count: 2.3k

Steve and I walked onto the bridge. Three people stood out, with no sign of Tony.

"I see you found the runaway," the red-haired woman spoke.

"They weren't too far off. Only the other side of the plane." Steve replied, an air of laughter in his voice

"Well, it wasn't intentional," I said, perhaps a bit too defensively.

"At least I'm not the only one getting lost." A brunette man commented.

"Guess not. Oh- I'm Mr. Stark's secretary, Mx. Eirsson, Kyrie Eirsson."

"Eir? So you are a healer, no?" The tall blonde said expectantly.

"No, not really." I'm starting this off with a lie, lovely.

"Ledan Eirsson, I am Thor, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard." He extended his hand, a warm smile on his face.

"Prince...?" I worriedly glanced at Steve.

I looked back when Prince Sunshine over there started laughing, "Yes, although I would prefer if you called me Thor, just Thor."

"Pleasure to meet you, Thor."

Steve placed a hand on my shoulder, "That's Natasha," he gestured to the redhead which she promptly responded to with a curt smile, "she doesn't talk much."

And then there was one. He didn't notice until Natasha nudged him in the side.

"Oh, um. I'm Dr. Banner."

"Pleasure to meet'cha, Doc." A sound came from under the table, Steve quickly found a tablet with what seemed to be live footage from Loki's cage.

By the time I heard the first comprehendible piece of what Fury was saying my attention was grabbed by the hatch underneath Loki's cage being opened.

"Thirty-thousand feet down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" Fury closes the hatch with a press of a button on the control panel.

Fury outstretched his arm, gesturing to Loki, "Ant," then pointing to the control panel, "boot."

Loki smirked, "It's an impressive cage." he looked into the camera, "Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

"Oh, I've heard."

The doctor seemed very tense, for what reason- I didn't know.

"The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man." Loki sauntered towards the camera, "How desperate are you that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?"

“How desperate am I?” Fury set a hand on his hip, agitation growing in his voice, “You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can’t hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill ‘cause it’s fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.”

“Ooh. It burns you to come so close.” Loki began taunting Fury, “To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power.” Loki smirked into the camera, “And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is.”

Fury forced a smile, “Well, let me know if ‘Real Power’ wants a magazine or something.”

Our room falls into an uncomfortable silence.

Fury walked away saying, “Well, let me know if ‘Real Power’ wants a magazine or something.”

“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?”

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what’s his play?”

Thor seemed distant as he responded, “He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not of Asgard or of any world known.” The Prince walked back to the table, “He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect for the Tesseract.”

“An army? From outer space?” Steve seemed to question what the fuck he’d been dragged into.

“He’s building another portal. That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.”

Erik who?

“Selvig?” Why does Thor recognize this guy's name?

“He’s an astrophysicist.” The doctor explained.

“He’s a friend.” Thor asserted.

“Loki has him under some kind of spell, ”Natasha looked away, “along with one of ours.”

She really does speak. More importantly, she’s familiar with the agent Loki brainwashed.

“I wanna know why Loki let us take him.”

“I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him.” Banner was pushing it.

“Have care how you speak.” Thor said, anger rising in his voice, “Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother.”

So the Prince is a himbo with a temper, good to know.

“He killed eighty people in two days.” Oh.

“...He's adopted.” Ah, yes. That changes everything.

“Does he pose any threat? Just because he’s in a cage doesn’t mean he’s harmless.” I didn’t know if I’d just asked a dumbass question but it’s better to ask than have that as an unknown variable.

“No. There’s no way out from the inside, besides that, it’s built to withstand more than he can throw at it.” Natasha answered, seemingly knowing more than the rest.

“Iridium, what did they need Iridium for?”

Tony walked in, “It’s a stabilizing agent. Oh, Kyrie, been lookin’ for ‘ya.”

“Hey, Tony. Coulson?!” I got up and walked over to them, a beaming smile plastered on my face, “I had no idea you’d be here!”

Phil placed a hand on my shoulder, “I would have let you know if I had a way to contact you.”

“Guess I’m chopped liver.” Tony feigned hurt, before whispering the next bit, “Anyways, I’ll fly you there. Keep the love alive.” He spoke at full volume again, “Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD. No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants.”

Tony walked over to what I can assume is Fury’s position on the Bridge, “Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the topsails.” The crew looked at Tony like he’d grown a second head, “That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did.” Tony covered one eye and looked around, “How does Fury do this?”

“He turns.” A female agent responded.

I looked at Phil, a light whisper escaping my lips, “Who is she?”

He leaned in, “That’s Agent Hill, sh’s Fury’s right hand.”

“Mhm… thank you.” I gave him a small smile.

Coulson grinned in response, “Never a problem.”

“Well, that sounds exhausting,” Tony said in the most annoying voice he could get away with. “Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty much easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube.”

Agent Hill spoke again, “When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?”

“Last night.” That I could attest to, “The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers.” It’s always funny when Tony speaks seriously, most of the time I forget he’s a genius, “Am I the only one who did the reading?”

“No, you made me read them too.” I said with a pointed tone.

“Anyone else?” Tony said practically ignoring my comment.

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?”

“He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.“

Ah, yes, words.

“Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.”

“Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet.”

Wow, those two were made for each other.

“Finally, someone who speaks English.”

Steve looked around, “Is that what happened?”

Tony and the doctor shook hands, “It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.”

Banner looked down, “Thanks.”

“Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him.” Fury says as he walks in.

“Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.” Steve had an obvious bias and curiosity.

“I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

“Monkeys? I do not understand-”

“-I do. I understood that reference.” Thor was cut off by Steve, obviously excited by the fact he understood some of our jargon.

“Shall we play, Doctor?” Tony asked.

“Let’s play some.” Banner responded.

After I waved to Phil I followed Tony and the doctor out of the bridge, hoping to not get lost again.

I had been sitting in a spare chair in the “Science Bro’s” lab for what felt like an eternity. Man, I regret not taking advanced science courses in uni.

“The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract. But it's gonna take weeks to process.” Bruce, as I had learned, said.

“If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops.” Tony replied.

The two of them had gotten into a groove. The sounds of the machines whirring in the background made great background noise, so I couldn’t really complain.

“All I packed was a toothbrush.”

“You know, you should come by Stark Towers sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it, it's candy land.”

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke...Harlem.”

“Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension. No surprises.” Tony said as he poked Bruce with a mini-taser.

“OW!!”

Tony studied Bruce for a reaction, “Nothing?”

Steve walked in, “Hey! Are you nuts?”

Tony ignored Steve,” You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?”

“Is everything a joke to you?”

“Funny things are.”

“Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny.” OH, HE DID NOT, “No offense, doctor.”

“No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things.” God bless Dr. Bruce Banner.

“You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut.”

“As someone who used to work with far more dangerous people, and teach them too. I concur.”

“Kyrie?” Steve sounded surprised, “And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark.”

“You think I'm not?” Tony pulled out a bag of blueberries from god knows where. “Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables.”

“You think Fury's hiding something?”

“He's a spy. Captain, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets. It's bugging him too, isn't it?”

“Can’t argue with Tony this time.”

“Uh...I just wanna finish my work here and…” Bruce fell silent.

“Doctor?”

“‘A warm light for all mankind’ Loki’s jab at Fury about the cube.”

“I heard it.”

“Well, I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn't post that all over the news.”

“The Stark Tower? That big ugly,” Tony shoots Steve a glare, “...building in New York?”

“It's powered by Stark Reactors, a self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?” Bruce turned to Tony.

“That's just the prototype. I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now.”

Bruce looked back at Steve while pointing to Tony, “So, why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project? I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?”

“I should probably look into that once my decryption programmer finishes breaking into all of SHIELD's secure files,” Tony mentions offhandedly.

Steve looked shocked, “I'm sorry, did you say...?”

I let out a breathy laugh, “Yup, it’s at least a weekly occurrence.”

“Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?”

“Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?”

“Oh, no. He’s fully aware, he just finds it funny.”

“An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome.”

“I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them.”

“Following is not really my style.” Tony ate a mouthful of blueberries.

“And you're all about style, aren't you?” Steve said, smiling.

“Of the people in this room, which one is; A. wearing a spangly outfit, and B. not of use?” Tony retorted.

“Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?” Banner tried to push Steve to think.

“Just find the cube.” Steve said before he walked out.

“Well, that went splendidly.” I laughed from my seat. The benefits of being a third party.

“That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice.” Tony looked over at me only to be met with a glare.

“The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us.”

“What he’s got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does.”

“And I’ll read all about it.”

“Uh-uh. You’ll be suiting up like the rest of us.”

“Ah, see. I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare.”

“You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart.”

“And I knew a kid who could turn himself into a nuke.” Both of the men in the room looked at me, confusion written all over their faces.

“O-kay? Moving on. But you can control it.”

“Because I learned how.”

“It's different.”

“It doesn’t have to be. Not forever at least.” I tried to add, though they seemed to be stuck in their own world again.

“Hey, I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you.”

“So you're saying that the Hulk... the other guy... saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?”

A moment passed, “I guess we’ll find out.”

“You might not like that.” Banner sounded scared, scared of himself and scared of whoever the ‘other guy’ was.

“You just might.” I trained Tony well.

[hjbirthdaywishes]

June 13, 2023

Happy 72 Birthday to Stellan Skarsgård.

[ncisfranchise-source]

“Tiva” is stepping up to the mic.

TVLine has learned exclusively that Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly — NCIS vets and stars of the upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff — are launching a Spotify video podcast titled Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch.

In each weekly episode of Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, de Pablo and Weatherly will invite a special guest to join them as they rewatch iconic NCIS episodes.

Watch the Off Duty trailer below:

Present and past cast and guest stars making appearances include Sean Murray (who since Season 1, Episode 7 has played Special Agent Tim McGee), Brian Dietzen (Dr. Jimmy Palmer since late Season 1), Sasha Alexander (Special Agent Caitlin Todd in Seasons 1 and 2), Eric Christian Olsen and Daniela Ruah (NCIS: Los Angeles‘ Marty Deeks and Special Agent Kensi Blye), Season 13 NCIS guest star Jon Cryer and others, each of whom will join the hosts to reminisce about the long-running and well-watched procedural’s impact on television and pop culture, and reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from making the TV series.

Premiering Tuesday, June 4 (soon!), the Spotify video podcast will also feature recurring and interactive segments that will further connect fans and NCIS loyalists.

Weatherly starred as NCIS‘ Special Agent Tony DiNozzo from the series’ backdoor pilot (as a JAG double episode) through the end of Season 13, and made a surprise cameo in the most recent season’s second episode.

De Pablo played Special Agent Ziva David from Season 3 through 10, surprised viewers with her own cameo in the Season 16 finale, and then appeared in multiple Season 17 episodes.

De Pablo and Weatherly are heading to Budapest this summer to begin filming Paramount+’s Europe-set NCIS: Tony & Ziva series, which finds the title characters “trying to raise their tween daughter and save the world.” John McNamara, whose past TV credits include co-creating Profit  Fastlane and The Magicians, penned the spinoff’s premiere and will serve as showrunner.

Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch is produced by Spotify Studios in partnership with Rabbit Grin Productions, with Jeph Porter and Rob Holysz as executive producers. Natalie Holysz, Kasper Selvig and Derek Johnson also serve as producers.

[fostertheory]

Why Fosterson?

Recently @beheworthy pointed me to a post in which someone asked why the Thor movies, Thor: Love and Thunder in particular, portray Fosterson as the OTP. Someone else reposted and said they agreed, that the material of the first post enumerates why they themselves didn't ship Fosterson. I'll not respond to it directly, in the spirit of "ship and let ship" (a sentiment the second poster endorsed). But I will make my case here.

Why Thor loves Jane is best articulated in Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee:

(https://coffee-for-two.com/2022/07/07/my-misspent-youth-thor-the-mighty-avenger-by-roger-langridge-and-chris-samnee/)

(https://www.comicsprofessor.com/2012/02/for-the-best-in-comics-romance-revisit-thor-the-mighty-avenger.html)

The movies don't do as good a job expressing this, and that's on those writers. But it is there. They hint at it in the first film, starting at 2:33: "Thank you, Jane".

Then there's "I will return for you" (0:56).

In Thor: the Dark World, he is shown as continuing to be devoted to her, inquiring after her well-being for two years after he (reluctantly) destroyed the Bifrost. I haven't seen Thor: Love and Thunder, so I can't point to elements that are in that film.

Why Jane loves Thor is also shown in that rooftop scene, at 0:59: "Because you're right". He believes in her, when no one else will. She is a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). I also work in STEM, and I can tell you that having someone believe in you and your work is not a very common thing. In Thor, we saw earlier in the film how professionally isolated she is, even from her mentor Dr. Selvig. Having someone back her 100% is huge.

There is a relationship book by psychologist Dr. Sue Johnson called Hold Me Tight. The thesis is that couples need secure bonds in one another. Members have ways of calling out for their partners for their support. Feeling that their calls will be answered is very important for that bond. That's what Thor and Jane have.

[shegeekery]

Dream Therapy (one-shot)

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Loki (TV 2021) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Erik Selvig, Loki (Marvel), Jane Foster (Marvel) Additional Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Dr. Erik Selvig struggles to recover from having a god in his head. A strange dream helps him see things in a new light.

“In related news, a lawsuit has been filed by New York contractors who argue that no-bid contracts are being granted to a small number of well-connected real estate developers, following the large-scale destruction of parts of Manhattan during the alien attacks two years ago.”

Dr. Erik Selvig switched off the television.

Two years. Selvig wanted nothing more than to forget the entire thing, especially his own part in it. My unwilling part in it, he reminded himself.

He’d had two years of therapy, medications, meditation, and trying to lose himself in his work. He was better than he had been when he was arrested for running around Stonehenge sans clothing. He could at least stand to wear clothing now, but he still found it difficult to focus with his trousers on. It felt too restrictive, reminding him uncomfortably of the sensation of being totally controlled.

There was no recognized diagnosis for “possession by malevolent deity”, so they were officially treating him for PTSD. Some of it helped, much of it didn’t. He felt more himself these days, but the nights were bad. In his dreams, Loki was still there. Still threatening. Still taunting him.

As a child listening to the old myths of his homeland, he’d loved the stories about Loki, the God of Mischief. He’d been tickled by the idea that there was actually a god for that. Now, just the mention of that name could bring on flashbacks to a time when he’d been utterly consumed by Loki’s blind ambition and disregard for human life, unable to think for himself and enslaved, body and mind, to Loki’s “glorious purpose”.

He sighed and turned back to his work. He’d been at the same problem for months, trying to account for discrepancies between the standard model of quantum mechanics and the observed behavior of Einstein-Rosen bridges. His friend and former student, Jane Foster, had provided some valuable insights, but he still couldn’t make all the pieces fit. 

I’m too tired for this. He shut his laptop and went through his evening routine. He took his medication, including sleeping pills, and hoped this would be one of the good nights.

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

“How is your work coming along, Dr. Selvig?” Loki asked.

Selvig looked up from the graph on his computer monitor. What had he been working on, exactly? He didn’t know, but it was important. Very important.

“I…it’s…coming along,” he stammered. “Just, um, running some simulations.”

Loki glanced at the monitor. Instead of a complicated graph, it now showed a cartoon in which Garfield was taunting Odi.

“I suspect your heart isn’t in it, Doctor,” Loki replied in that quietly menacing tone he so often used. He raised his scepter. “Perhaps we need to ensure that your loyalty is still paramount?”

Selvig jerked out of the chair and backed away. “No! That’s not necessary. Really!”

Loki advanced toward him. “Oh, but I think it is.”

Selvig ran out of the room and into an endless hallway. He looked back, but Loki wasn’t there. He turned to see where he was going, and there was Loki, ahead of him, grinning maliciously. He ran the other way and back through the door, but now he was outside. It was dark, and he was in a nondescript alley. He kept running, turning a corner only to find himself at a dead end. He whirled around to find Loki advancing slowly toward him with the scepter.

“No! Please, not again!” Selvig pleaded.

Loki took another step toward him, then froze. Confused, Selvig waited for the inevitable, but Loki still didn’t move. The god was as still as a statue of himself.

“What’s happening?” Selvig asked.

“Dr. Selvig.” It was Loki’s voice, but his lips didn’t move and the voice seemed to be coming from…everywhere.

“What…what is this?”

“You’re safe, Dr. Selvig,” the voice said. It sounded surprisingly gentle. “This isn’t real. Just a dream. A nightmare.”

“Is this a trick?”

“No. Well, yes, actually. Your mind is playing tricks on you. But it’s your mind, Dr. Selvig. Nobody is controlling it now. You are free — and always will be, if I have anything to say about it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Please look at my eyes, Dr. Selvig. What do you see?”

Selvig looked at Loki. In his eyes, he saw the malevolence, anger, and fierce determination that he remembered. “I see…fury.”

“And behind that fury?”

Selvig stepped just a bit closer, staring at the still-unmoving Loki, for the first time trying to really see him.

“I see…” he stopped, afraid to give voice to what he thought he saw.

“Go ahead. It’s alright.”

“I see…fear?”

“Yes, Dr. Selvig. Fear, and self-loathing. I was terrified — and I used intimidation to hide it, trying to make everyone around me more afraid than I was. I tormented those weaker than I was, to cover my own weakness. I wanted to rule by force and by fear, because I thought I was unworthy of true respect.”

On some level, Selvig understood that he was dreaming— but for some reason that realization wasn’t causing him to wake up as it normally would. The dream still seemed real to him.

“Why are you telling me this? Or…am I telling myself this?”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s true and that you know it’s true. What I did to you was unforgivable. You’re a decent man, Dr. Selvig. None of it was your fault. Not even a god can withstand the power of the mind stone. Even so, you managed to sneak in an off-switch for the Tesseract’s force field while under my control. That’s a testament to your unusual strength of character and of mind. I underestimated you.”

“How do I make this stop, then?”

“That’s up to you, Doctor. Do whatever makes sense. If you want to hit me, hit me. Or vent your own rage in some other way. Here and now, you are the strong one.”

Selvig stood before Loki, hands balling into fists, feeling his own anger rising to replace the fear. Loki’s body remained frozen, but his eyes were now tracking Selvig’s every move. The urge to pummel him was overwhelming — but now that he’d seen the growing fear in Loki’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel just a tiny bit sorry for him.

He took a step back. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t need to hit you. That’s what you’d do, but it’s not me. Just…get out. Leave me alone and don’t come back.”

Loki simply faded away, leaving Selvig standing alone in the alley, which soon began to fade as well. Selvig felt himself floating, feeling more at peace with himself than he had in a long time. He was floating in a bed of seaweed — no, not seaweed; the long, thin strands that cradled him with warmth were glowing with a soft, greenish light, rocking him gently and lulling him into a more peaceful slumber.

He didn’t even startle when he heard Loki’s voice once more.

“One more thing, Dr. Selvig. In the morning, you may want to take a closer look at the rate of decay of particles entering the Einstein-Rosen bridge. I think you may find it interesting.”

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

“Erik, hi! How are you doing?” Jane Foster always started their phone conversations that way these days.

“I’m doing great! Listen, I just sent you a rather long document, but the short version is…I think I’ve cracked it! I found a way to square the Einstein-Rosen bridge with the standard model!”

“Seriously? That’s huge! I’ll check it out as soon as I can! What turned it around?”

“I looked at the rate of decay of particles entering the stream.”

“Woah! I didn’t even consider that. What made you think of it?”

“Would you believe it came to me in a dream?”

[flamevbirdv]

my favorite podfics: stevetony ❣️

Out of all the ways fandom creates transformative works, one of my favorites is podfics, so I want to rec some. I'll start with stevetony because these were the ones that started my love for podfics. Enjoy!

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy, read by badfinch (Badfinch1): MCU

Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD. This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man. Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Do It Over by Sineala read by miss_marina95: 616

The last words your soulmate says to you are written on your skin, and you won't know who they are until they die. The thing is, Steve and Tony die a lot.

I Always Have to Steal My Kisses from You by blue_jack read by Annapods: MCU

Okay, so Tony probably hadn’t realized what he was doing. He’d just had a near-death experience, and the kiss had been a way to . . . reaffirm his life. Deal with his emotions. Release some steam. Something like that. Nothing to be concerned about, and it’s doubtful that it’ll happen again. The fact that they risk their lives on a regular basis isn’t worrying at all.

Four (Or Five) Reasons for Kidnapping Tony Stark by scifigrl47 read by Hananobira: MCU

There are four reasons for kidnapping Tony Stark. Tony's sick of all of them. Well, there's potentially a fifth, but it's highly unlikely that Captain America will suddenly fulfill THAT fantasy. Tony's deeply disappointed about that. Steve Rogers, as always, is oblivious. At least, that is, until someone who isn't him kidnaps Tony. Then he's just pissed.

The Most Amazing Things (Some Terrible Lie), by copperbadge read by cookiemom6067: MCU

Tony's decision not to reveal his identity as Iron Man to the world was shrewd and calculated. Too bad it's about to backfire on him like a Jericho missile.

Never Too Late For Love by Sineala read by Cathalinareads: Ultimates

Steve has always believed that a soulbond is a blessing -- a rare and beautiful miracle, joining the thoughts and feelings of two people forever, from the first time they touch. Steve knows he's not going to be one of the lucky ones. He knows Gail isn't his soulmate. But he loves her, even if they're not soulmates, and he's going to do right by her. After the war's over, he's going to marry her, and they're going to settle down. They'll buy a house. They'll have children. He'll see his family again. Maybe Bucky will live next door. It's going to be a good life. He doesn't need a soulbond. He'll be fine without one. Then Steve wakes up sixty years in the future to find that his wonderful life has moved on without him. His family is long dead. His fiancée married his best friend. And the only purpose he has left is leading the Ultimates, a misbegotten team of superheroes with flaws too numerous to count. Steve hates everything about the future -- but most of all he detests Tony, flashy and flirtatious, who embodies everything Steve hates about a world he never wanted to live in. And, oh, yeah, Steve has a soulmate after all: Tony fucking Stark.

Bonus:

Robot Trip by copperbadge read by blackglass: MCU

Steve Rogers & Tony Stark background Tony Stark/Pepper Potts

"Tony is driving from Malibu to Manhattan with a robot in the back seat and Captain America riding escort at Pepper's behest. What could possibly go wrong?"