#I’m also currently working on a project I call my banner blanket

[whatareyoudoingwithamaserati]

hello lifesteal tumblr. look at my Little Guys. rambles underneath the cut for those interested

pattern created from scratch in an improv session <3 alas I don’t have any pipe cleaners to make their heads not floppy but I think it adds to the charm. I have no clue why spoke ended up taller than the others, but I think it was yarn weight related. there is also a bandana for mapicc but it is not visible because I stitched over the front part to very skin-accurate (it makes him look like he has a bowl cut but it was funny enough to me that I kept it). he also has a hood hidden behind his head because he had the drawstrings on his skin and I wanted to work that in. no space buns, alas. spoke’s took the longest due to colourwork issues, and I accidentally twisted his bandana when stitching it together so its very poorly seamed on the side where I had to cut it apart. zam was the one I made the pattern for, and when I say made the pattern that translates into I completely made it up as I went. his crown is somewhat skin accurate but due to the number of stitches it is not perfect, and also I had only learned to picot like three days before I decided to attempt it on his crown spikes. the fact it worked out was a miracle. one last fun fact: spoke was the only one I wrote a proper plan for, and it took up an entire page of my notebook because I was not going into all that colourwork unprepared.

if you made it this far, have some extra pictures!

^^ his usual resting place is by my laptop for maximum autism

^^ feeling severe despair

^^ both of these pictures were sent to my partner with nothing but the caption Scuffed

^^ this has been unanimously titled spoke experiences a forcible exorcism while zam and mapicc watch

^^ and for the love of god, learn from me and do NOT do your colourwork like this. it helps absolutely nobody, unless you enjoy playing yarn untangling simulator

[kiirokero]

Emacity (PJM)

Emacity: The desire or fondness of buying

Part of the “Protect the Village!” Oneshot Series!

Masterlist

Pairing: DeliveryBoy!Jimin x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Romance, mutual pining (kinda) 

Note: April will be my hibernation month lol

Summary: Whoever invented online shopping? A genius. Whoever hired Park Jimin to be the town’s delivery boy? An even bigger genius.

Word Count: 2.2k

      You wouldn’t call yourself a shopaholic. It’s not like you had an addiction to the point of needing an intervention. You knew what was a dumb purchase and what was a personal purchase. You actively searched high and low for coupons and discounts. You never bought something that you knew would end up in the garbage after one use. You were a responsible shopper. But shopping was like a hobby. 

      You were lucky enough to have the money to spoil yourself. You worked a well-paying job as a translator for businesses that are trying to branch out to new countries while also offering online language classes to international students. Switching between Korean, English, Spanish, AND French usually gave you a headache. And trying to translate a word that didn’t really exist in other languages was exhausting, but it paid well. 

And it gave you opportunities to see Jimin. 

      Park Jimin, Bangtan Village’s delivery boy. Worked at the post office seemingly 24/7 and is always voted employee of the month. Has a smile that’s permanently painted on his face and is as kind as a saint. What’s not to love about him? Besides that fact that his eyes sparkle with the same elegance as polished amber. Or the fact that his skin is perfectly smooth. Or that he emits an aura of confidence and stability. 

      Not that you know, but you can feel it. You and Jimin exchanged few words on the occasions when you get to see him. Simple, “Hey! How are you?” ’s and “Long time no see!” ‘s. But each word that reaches your ears are pieces of gold to you. You and Jimin didn’t really know each other, but you’d like to say that if you waved to him out in town, he’d wave back. 

      Your friend, Namjoon, liked to call you a lovesick idiot. Whenever you gushed to him about how Jimin smiled at you, he’d shake his head and say, “You’re a hopeless romantic and it’s tiring to me,” And today was like no other. 

      “I’m telling you, Namjoon! He has the cutest smile,” You sighed, watching your best friend work on his current project, Yoongi’s car. “I know, you’ve told me several times before,” He groaned, lifting his head from the machinery under the hood and looking at you with an unimpressed look. Absentmindedly wiping off his oily hands on his black stained hand towel. 

     “Why don’t you just talk to the dude? You know several languages yet you can’t communicate to a boy who speaks your native language?” He pointed out, leaning his hip up against the black car. “I may be able to chew you out in French, but I don’t speak ‘extrovert’” You argued back, a sly smirk on your face. 

    Namjoon rolled his eyes with a small smile, “You’re impossible,” He chuckled, “But you really should talk to him. You never know~ He may think you’re cute too~” He teased, dodging the spare hand towel you threw at him. “Stop teasing!” You whined, “You know I can’t, I’ll make a fool of myself and end up confessing to him in Spanish or something,” You groaned, slumping in your seat. 

     Namjoon tilted his head in confusion, “How do you accidentally switch to a whole other language,” He asked. “Trust me... It’s happened before...” You cringed, shivering at the less-than flattering memory. “Well... Maybe you should express it non-verbally?” He suggested, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly as he went back to tampering with Yoongi’s car. 

      “I appreciate your advice, Joon, but I don’t think I can even work up the courage to confess, verbally or not.” You sighed, giving Namjoon a somber look to which he responded with a comforting smile. Namjoon went back to work and you checked the time on your phone. 2:22pm. 

    “Shoot, I gotta go,” You said, standing up and grabbing your bag. “Why? I thought you didn’t teach on Wednesdays?” Namjoon asked, still working on the car. “I don’t but, I’m expecting a package,” You smiled to yourself. “You memorized when Jimin comes to deliver your packages? That’s kinda creepy Y/n,” Namjoon insinuated, squinting his eyes at you.

     You gasped, “Is not! I’ve just noticed that he always comes around 3pm... and I want to be there when my new keyboard comes.” You crossed your arms in defence. “Mhmm, go on then,” Namjoon chuckled, and you stomped your way out of his workshop back to your house. 

     You wait anxiously for a knock on your door. You sit on the couch, fiddling with the blanket that was draped over your lap. If you were being honest with yourself, you were more excited about seeing Jimin than getting your new peach-pink keyboard to complete your soft pastel desk setup. 

      You knew Namjoon was right about you being a lovesick idiot; you were in deep, and you haven’t even hung out with the man! You scoffed to yourself, shaking your head at the way his smile made your heart rate pick up and palms clammy. Maybe you could take Namjoon’s advice and invite him on a date. Not necessarily come completely clean and admit you were head over heels, but ease your way in instead.

Only problem is, you didn’t quite know how to do that...

      The long awaited knock finally sounded through your tiny house, and you stood up quicker than you should as blood rushed to your head, making you feel dizzy. Shaking it off, you go over to your door, opening it to reveal the very man you’ve been wanting to see all day. “Hey! What’s up Y/n?” Jimin greeted you with a smile, a small brown package under his arm. 

     “Hi Jimin, I’m doing good... What about you?” You asked, leaning up against the doorway. “I’m good, it’s a nice day out today,” He sighed, handing the package out for you, “Here you go! Your weekly package,” He joked, making you give him a lovesick smile that made you look like the woozy emoji. “T-Thanks,” You chuckled nervously. 

      “No problem,” Jimin said. “Hey um Jimin...” You called before he could walk away. “Yes?” Jimin inquired, raising an eyebrow. Shoot, what do you say? You didn’t think this through you.. You can’t just invite him out like a normal human, what if he says no? “I um- What’s your... favorite food...?” You asked, cringing at how pathetically shy you sounded. Jimin’s eyebrows knit together in confusion and he chuckled. “I like strawberry Pocky’s a lot,” He stressed, licking his lips at the thought. 

     You nodded, writing that down in your head for later. Maybe you could do something with this. “Cool, cool. Well, um, have a nice day!” You said, walking back into your house, package in hand, leaving Jimin confused and amused. “What a girl...” He whispers to himself, smile, like always, never leaving his face. 

     You continue to buy little things online just as an excuse to talk to Jimin. Who needs a mini cactus? You, apparently. And that chick plush you saw on Instagram? Boom, it now lives on your bed. Whenever he comes around, you take the opportunity to ask him questions like what his favorite color was or if he was allergic to anything. 

    You were planning something for him, and he was catching on. Sure, your questions were usually unprompted, but he’d humor you any day of the week. He may not know exactly what you were planning, but all he hoped was that it would change his life forever. And it would. 

     You were almost done with Jimin’s mini basket of favorites. A blue basket that held his favorite snack foods, stickers from his favorite shows, and some of those chunky rings he likes. Sure, maybe it was a bit excessive. Maybe this was teetering the line of weird and sweet, and you knew that bribing your way into a relationship was definitely not the way to go. But you just wanted to be nice. 

     Maybe buying things for others was your love language, or maybe Jimin was just worth spoiling. It was probably both. Whatever the real answer was, it didn’t matter to you. You just wanted Jimin to be happy. 

     Even if meticulously fiddling with the basket made you want to pull your hair out as the bow never looked quite right. Realistically you know it wouldn’t matter in the end and that Jimin would likely take the bow off after he received it, but you still adjusted it until it was perfect. 

     “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, Joon,” You sighed as you heard Namjoon hysterically laughing on the other side of the phone. “You’re going to bribe him into going on a date with you?” He asked, out of breath. “No! I just want to be nice,” You bit back, rolling your eyes even if Namjoon couldn’t see you. “Wow, the irony of Jimin delivering the gifts that your going to end up giving back,” Namjoon chuckled, finally calming down. 

     “Look, I’m just trying to follow your advice,” You whined, finally giving up on the navy blue bow and leaving it be. “True, I was thinking about a banner or something though. Like a cheesy promposal,” Namjoon said, and you could hear the undertones in his words. What he really wanted to say was, “How dramatic could you be? This is too much honey,” 

     Groaning, you flopped down on your couch, mumbling into the cushions. “I think I’m going to give it to him today, I have another mini cactus coming today,” You said, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness swirl in your stomach at the thought of finally asking the man you’ve been pining over out on a date. “That’s great! He’ll definitely say yes,” Namjoon said excitedly, trying to keep your fragile spirits intact. Knowing that if anything goes wrong, you’ll chicken out immediately. 

     “Yeah, I can do this,” You smiled, looking at the clock on your oven. “It’s 2:30, I have to go prepare. I’ll call you after!” You said, exchanging your goodbyes with Namjoon and hanging up the phone to go clean yourself up a little bit. 

    You weren’t terribly worried about your appearance. Jimin had seen you in coffee stained sweats and hoodies. There wasn’t anything worse than that. So you opted for a simple t-shirt and legging combo, washing your face and touching up your hair a bit. “Now to wait,” You whispered to yourself as you sat on the couch with the basket in your lap. 

     While you waited on the couch for Jimin to arrive, you looked at the mini cactus that sat on your coffee table and chuckled. Usually you bought things that may seem random to an outside person. A mouse that looks like a cat's paw, a throw pillow that doubles as a blanket, random earrings. But never a mini cactus. 

     After you asked all the questions you could think of and bought everything that you thought Jimin would like, you didn’t have an excuse to keep seeing Jimin. So, like a normal person, you bought little knickknacks. Hence the mini cactus and it’s new friend that’s on the way today. 

Knock knock knock

“Well, your new buddy’s here lil’ cactus dude,” 

     Taking a deep breath, you stood up and walked over to the door, hiding the basket behind your back. “Hello, Y/n,” Jimin smiled as you opened the door for him. “Hey,” You smiled back, tightening your grip on the basket behind you. “Here you go, another odd stationary?” Jimin guessed as he held out the package for you and you took it with one hand, placing it down behind the door.

      “I guess you could say that,” You chuckled, nervously shifting on your feet. “Speaking of... I have something for you,” You mumbled, but loud enough for Jimin to hear. “Is it another impromptu question? You haven’t asked one in awhile,” He chuckled, his cute eyes upturning into crescents.

“Close your eyes to find out,” You said.

“Close my eyes? Is this the part where you murder me?” Jimin teased, causing you to playfully roll your eyes. 

“No... just close them,” You whined. 

      “Alright, I’ll close them,” Jimin relented, closing his eyes at your request. Taking another shaky deep breath, you took the basket out from behind your back and held it in front of you. “Open...” You whispered. 

      Once Jimin opened his eyes, he let out a cute gasp, eyes lighting up at the sign of the gift. “W-What’s this?” He asked, looking up at you with a huge smile on his face. “It’s um, all your favorites. Jimin’s basket of favorites,” You declared, holding the basket out for Jimin to take, which he happily did. “Y/n, this is amazing. What’s the special occasion?” He asked, looking down at the assorted gifts and snacks. 

      “You’re always making me smile, so I wanted to return the favor,” You shrugged in an attempt to look casual about it. “Really? I make you smile?” Jimin smirked, making your cheeks heat up. “Y-Yeah you do...” You admitted, kicking at the rocks on your porch. “You’re such a sweet girl, Y/n, cute too,” Jimin whispered to you, causing your breath to hitch. 

“C-Cute?” 

“Yep, you’re a cutie,” Jimin said, booping your nose.

“Would you um... Let this cutie ask you out to lunch?” You asked. 

“Most definitely,”

“Park Jimin, do you want to grab lunch sometime?”

“It’s a date, cutie,”

[harrystylescherry]

EARLY MORNING GLORY (Harry Styles FanFic) Chapter 1

A/N: Hi!! So here is chapter one of my Harry fanfic. Right now, I have thirteen chapters written and will be uploading one either every day or every other day in order to catch tumblr up. If you want chapter 2, PLEASE like this so I know that there are people who want to read it!

 banner by hsogolden

What it is: a slow burn, friends to lovers, harry au where he’s just starting out and it takes place in NYC.

Word count: 1.7k (they get longer as the story goes, this is just to get into it. 

In case you missed it: PROLOGUE

Wattpad Link

Here we go:

the one where two boys walk into a book shop

It was around 11:30pm and my first night shift wasn’t a complete disaster—or any degree of disaster, really. That was excusing the fact that I was out of coffee, I wasn’t able to leave the store to get some, I hadn’t written anything that wasn’t worth vomiting over since I had gotten there, and the fact that I was absolutely exhausted. 

I was sitting on one of the plush armchairs in the fromt corner of the shop with a blanket draped over me and my lap top open on my lap. I bent down, my eyes never leaving the screen, and picked up my coffee with the intent of taking a sip, completely forgetting that it was empty. I was reading the short story I was working on from the beginning for the tenth time that night before I tried (for the tenth time) to continue it. Whenever I was working on something, I reread it constantly, almost obsessively; a reread was always crucial before I continued writing it, that way, nothing would be disconnected and I could tweak things if I needed to. Tonight, the problem as that no matter how many times I attempted to continue the story, I ended up hating it or realizing that it simply didn’t work. It also didn’t help that I was constantly being interrupted by customers.

Honestly, I never thought people came in at night. I assumed Lily kept the night shift going as more of a tradition, not because the shop was actually profitable during these hours but I was wrong.  Granted, most of the current customers weren’t interested in buying books, but were other writers who worked best at night. Ryan told me before he left that there were several insomniacs who came in to read books at this time until they felt like they could sleep and that there were also a few business men from time to time who were working on projects that needed late night attention. The shop also seemed to be a hotspot for college kids powering through papers; there was a girl in the back corner of the shop with her books spread out all over the floor, writing a paper for a summer theology class. As someone who was in her position often, I took pity on her and gave her the last of the coffee—a decision I have grown to regret. 

Not a single single idea I had seemed to be working and so I decided to call it quits and instead, grabbed a book off one of the many stacks in my vicinity and started reading. A short time later, I heard the bell attached to the front door ring out.

“Niall, I don’t have time for this.” One voice said.

“Yes, you do.” The second voice said. His was a bit lighter, not as raspy. 

“I have an appointment I can’t be late for!” The first voice said again, this time a lot louder. 

“Geez, would you relax? You’re the only one who even thinks of getting a tattoo at midnight so I’m sure no one’s there to take your place. And besides, it’s not like you won’t be back tomorrow for another.”

I put down my book (which turned out to be quite good) and made my way over to them. They hadn’t noticed me until I tripped over a stray book that was lying in the middle of the floor. I stumbled to the right, making a huge stack of books crash to the ground. 

“Ah, shit.” I cursed. My cheeks went pink when I realized how unprofessional that was, but thankful that Lily wasn’t there to see it. Plus, it wasn’t very lady-like either, not that I’ve ever really been, but I was still embarrassed. 

The first guy put the books he was holding back on the shelf and hurried over to me. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine; just stubbed my toe.” I ran a hand through my hair before getting a good look at him. His hair was a deep brown, he had bright blue eyes, and he was tall, compared to me anyway. Although, compared to my 5’2’’ stature, everyone was tall. My evaluation of him was cut off when the taller boy began to speak. 

“You also made a huge mess.” He remarked, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Oh, and nice socks.” I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes. I was wearing pink socks with little purple bears on them. 

“Would it kill you to be nice?” Guy number one told him and then turned to me, “Sorry about him. I’m Niall and that’s Harry.” 

Harry was good looking, I had to admit it. His brown hair was long on the top and shorter on the sides but not buzzed, his eyes were an alluring green color, and he was tall, like super tall. I’ve always had a thing for tattoos and his were pretty breath taking. They adorned both of his arms and I could see the ones on his chest through his white t-shirt. His jawline was nice—the structure of that and the tone on his arms was enough to make me lose my train of thought for more than a few seconds.

“You’re checking me out.” The smirk stayed present on his face. 

“And?” I challenged and hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. I wasn’t going to deny that I was checking him out because I was and I got caught, but I had too much pride and was way too stubborn to falter in my confidence or to show I was embarrassed. 

His expression faltered, “And…uh, and you never told us your name.” 

I smiled at the idea that I surprised him, “It’s Auden.”

“That’s different.” Niall said at the same time Harry said it was weird. 

“A good weird.” Niall tried to clarify. I just rolled my eyes and started back to the desk. I tried to suppress a sigh when I heard Niall start talking to me again.

“What are you doing here so late anyway?” I asked them both.

“Niall claims he needed new books.” Harry answered and Niall just nodded. 

“Well, you have a huge store to choose from.” I told him before grabbing my blanket off of the chair and wrapping it around myself. “If you need anything I’ll be over here.” 

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Niall scratched the back of his neck, “I need help. I have no idea where anything is." I stood up with my blanket still around me and asked him what he was looking for. 

“I’m looking for biographies on musicians?” 

“Anyone in particular?” 

“No, but if you have a recommendation that would be cool?” 

I didn’t read biographies or memoirs often. It was very rare that one inspired my interest, but lucky for him, I had one hell of a recommendation. 

“Patti Smith. We have her memoir Just Kids—it’s more about her relationship than about the creative process or being a musician or whatever but it’s amazing and she’s a musician so it technically fits your criteria.”

“Cool, I’ll take it.” He smiled appreciatively. 

I pointed to the left of where we were standing, “If you go that way and then make another left when you hit the back of the store, you’ll find the memoir section. It’s by last name alphabetically and should be on one of the lower shelves.”

“Thanks!” Niall took off in that direction but Harry didn’t follow and instead stayed stood directly in front of me, watching me. 

“Did you need something?”

He looked me up and down, “Do you know what you look like right now?”

“Sorry?”

“You’re not wearing any shoes, running around in bunny socks, with a blanket wrapped around you…at your job.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“At your job.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“Seems a bit ridiculous doesn’t it?”

“Thankfully, I thrive on ridiculous.” I gave him a sweet smile and turned to walk back to the front of the store where the desk was located. I heard footsteps follow me back and wasn’t surprised at all to find it was Harry who had followed me.

“You’re not very good at your job are you?”

I whipped around to face him, slightly shocked at the accusation, “What makes you say that?”

“I just mean that you don’t seem to take it very seriously. I mean, again, bunny socks, blanket—this seems like a serious place…” He trailed off when he noticed my death glare. 

“I don’t really see why it matters to you what I look like while I work, but I’ll have you know that this was kind of the deal when I agreed to take on these shifts. I pick them up and I get to spend them however I want, in whatever I want as long as I’m still doing my job, which you just saw me do.” I motioned to the area his friend had gone in. 

“Interesting.” A smirk played on his lips and I stared at them, rather bored of him and his comments. 

Niall interrupted our stare off when he came bounding up to us holding an armful of books, “Oi, this place is great! You’re so lucky you get to work here!”

I moved behind the big mahogany desk and grabbed the big leather book from one of the compartments in the desk and opened it to the correct date. 

“What are you doing?” Niall asked.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you going to buy those?” I gestured to the three books in his arms.

He laughed like he had heard the best joke of all time, “No, at least not yet anyway.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“What I mean is that I’m not going to buy books I know nothing about! I have to sample them a bit first. I’ll be in one of those big chairs if you need me.” He directed the last bit at Harry before leaving in the direction he came. 

Harry held up his phone and checked the time, “Guess I’m not getting the deposit back.”

“What deposit?” I asked. 

“I was supposed to get a tattoo tonight. My friend owns a shop around here and agreed to do it tonight last minute but I was supposed to be there, like, ten minutes ago. He just texted to tell me he’s going home.”

“That sucks,” I said, at a loss for words for any other comment. 

“You got any coffee?” he asked. 

CHAPTER TWO

[mistrose23]

Part 1

DISCLAIMER: This is just an idea for a friend of mine, she wanted a Tony x reader x John smut. I know that Tony and John are not in the same universe, so this is just a fantasy.

SUMMARY: Y/N works with the Avengers when she gets an assignment to find an artifact for them. While searching for the item, she meets John Wick. She is in a friend with benefits relationship with Tony Stark, but what happens when she gets close with John?

WARNINGS: Smut, age gap, language, dom/sub, rough sex, sex toys, BDSM, choking, etc. 18+ ONLY

WORD COUNT: 5554

Part 1 | part 2 |

It was a rainy Tuesday evening when Y/N was working in her lab on her latest project. A cup of tea waited for her on her left, while light piano music could be heard in the background. For a couple of months, she was tracking an artefact for the Avengers. Before she got this project, she was already working with the Avengers. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark wanted her on this job, because Y/N was specialized in mystical objects and artefacts. What they didn’t know, was that Y/N wanted to lead this specific project badly and that she had planted that idea in their heads. Why? The artefact in question is a long-lost family heirloom of hers.  

Long before Y/N was born, the heirloom was stolen from their family by the Russian mob. Many family members have tried to get the object back again, but all had failed. It became some sort of a family business to search and find the family heirloom. Y/N heard many stories while growing up from her family about the family piece, so it wasn’t a surprise when Y/N started to get obsessed with it too. That’s why her parents trained her and send her to special classes. Just like any other teenager she went to high school and university. After she graduated and when she started doing field research about the heirloom, an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. came in contact with her. Y/N found an item by accident that S.H.I.E.L.D. was looking for. They were impressed by her skills and they offered her a training program at S.H.I.E.L.D. At first, Y/N was hesitant about joining forces with the organization, but they told her that when she will complete the training program, that she can lead projects with the best people and with all the resources that she needs. With her family heirloom in her mind, she agreed. 

They taught her everything she needed to know. Fighting, weaponry, languages and decoding. She passed every exam without question. In the beginning, she got little tasks within S.H.I.E.L.D. and she managed teams. That was until she got assigned to help the Avengers. Her first assignment with them was to locate Loki’s Scepter. Ever since that mission, the Avengers were fond of her and they wanted Y/N in their team. She became part of the team and not only as someone who searched for mystical objects, but also as a spy like Natasha and Clint.  

It has been three years since S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited her and it has been a year since she started working with the Avengers. Tony gave her, her own lab in the Avengers Tower, because especially he was fond of the young woman. Y/N felt the same way and eventually the pair started a friends with benefits relationship.  

A soft knock brought Y/N back from her thoughts. She turned her head and she saw Bruce Banner standing next to the door.  

‘Hey, Bruce,’ Y/N greeted him with a soft smile.  

‘Y/N,’ Bruce said, and he stepped inside. ‘Are you still working?’ 

The young woman nodded. ‘Yeah, I think I’m close to a breakthrough with the ring.’ 

‘Really?’ he asked interested and he took a seat next to her.  

She nodded again and pointed to one of the screens in front of her. ‘When I started this project, I always thought that the object would be in Russia, because the Russian mob stole it. But recently I saw it pop-up on multiple collectors’ websites. So, I think that it will at an exhibition soon.’ 

Bruce watched me intensely. ‘How do you know so much about it?’ 

Y/N shrugged. ‘I tried to track it in the past, but without success. It always intrigued me. I was really happy when Tony came to me with this project. Because in the past it was all me, but now I have a team and resources that can help me.’ 

Bruce smiles softly. ‘It’s nice seeing you talking so passionate about your job.’ 

‘You do the same,’ Y/N told him with a smirk. ‘By the way, do you know why you guys want this artifact so badly?’ 

‘Yeah,’ Bruce chuckled. ‘Apparently the value of it is really high. And the ring contains something within... an elixir.’ 

‘What kind of an elixir?’ Y/N asked, even though she knew what the ring contained.  

‘We are not sure,’ Bruce admitted. ‘We heard rumors that it contains an Elixir of Life. Others say it’s an elixir similar to the super soldier serum.’ 

‘So, either it’s similar to Steve’s serum or it’s like a potion for immortality?’ Y/N asked.   

Bruce nodded. ‘That’s why we need it and lock it up. The elixir can be catastrophic in the wrong hands.’ 

Oh, if they only knew. That’s not why her family wanted it back so badly. ‘Yeah, I understand. I’m still running a view tests, but I really think I’m close.’ 

The scientist smiled. ‘I’m glad, Y/N. I’m really happy that you’re helping us, you’re a great asset to our team.’ 

Y/N blushed. ‘Thank you, Bruce.’ 

He stood up and walked towards the door. ‘If you need anything, please ask us.’ 

‘I will, thanks,’ Y/N nodded.  

Bruce left the room and she was alone again. The ring didn’t contain an elixir or a serum. That was just a fairytale an enemy of the family made up. The ring actually contains a cure for a disease... a disease that kills all the females from the Y/L/N bloodline. It was genetic. Y/N her grandmother and aunts died from this disease, just like her other female predecessors. Now, her mother was sick, and she needed this cure. It was common that when the women in the Y/L/N family reached the age of 35, that the disease would be triggered. The women could mostly live with the disease for five years. Y/N her mother discovered that she was sick two years ago, so she really needed that cure. Y/N made it her life mission and that’s why she wanted the cure.

She sighed and watched the screen in anticipation, but nothing happened. The only think she could see was that her computer was running tests. She sighed and drunk her tea. Y/N kept looking at the screen, but eventually she drifted off.  

 The next morning, she woke up because of a beeping sound. Slowly Y/N opened her eyes and the first thing that she noticed was that someone had put a blanket around her body. The second thing that she noticed was that her screens lit up with an exclamation mark. The sound was also coming from there. Y/N threw the blanket away and she pressed the space bar. An article from an exhibition popped up, together with some websites. Her eyes immediately searched for a date and a location. She knew this was it. This was her family ring and it would be displayed at the exhibition. Within a couple of minutes Y/N discovered the details. She picked up her tablet and ran to the living quarters of the Tower. The Avengers had to know about this.  

‘F.R.I.D.AY., are they awake yet?’ Y/N asked the AI.  

‘Yes, miss Y/N,’ F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered. ‘Currently, they are in the kitchen.’ 

Y/N rushed to the elevator and she hit the button to go to the top floor of the Tower, where the living quarters were. Impatiently, she stood in the elevator. She was so excited to share the news with them, she finally had a break through. When the door opened, she ran out of the elevator. 

‘Guys!’ Y/N shrieked. ‘I have news!’ 

All heads turned to her. Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Wanda Maximoff were sitting at the dining table and they were still eating breakfast. Natasha Romanoff sat on the kitchen counter while drinking some coffee. Clint Barton was rummaging through the fridge and Bruce was making his breakfast.  

‘Good morning, Y/N,’ Tony greeted her with a smirk. ‘I’m great, thanks for asking. How are you?’ 

Y/N rolled her eyes, but she grinned softly. ‘Yeah, yeah, good morning. I have news about the ring!’ 

Steve lowered his cup and looked at the girl. ‘You have?’ 

‘Yes!’ Y/N said full excitement and she eyed Bruce. ‘I was right yesterday. The artifact is going to be displayed during an exhibition.’ 

She opened the tablet and she pressed a couple of buttons, so that the tablet could project everything that she could see in the air. Y/N showed them the article and the websites.  

Tony took a step closer and read everything carefully. Bruce, Steve and Natasha did the same.  

‘Great work, Y/N,’ Steve complimented Y/N and she nodded at him thankfully.  

‘Did you see that the exhibition is tonight?’ Wanda commented.  

‘Yeah, but that’s okay,’ Y/N said, and she shrugged. ‘We can go there, it’s in New York.’ 

‘Erm, Y/N,’ Bruce said. ‘It’s a private exhibition. Only invitees can go.’ 

‘What?’ Y/N stammered, and she re-read the article. Bruce was right, it was written in the last paragraph.  

‘It’s not a problem,’ Natasha scoffed. ‘We can crash it.’ 

‘Nat, no,’ Steve mumbled. ‘We can not just do that.’ 

‘Yes, we can,’ Clint said, and he and Natasha started to argue with Steve. 

Y/N wasn’t paying attention, she was watching Tony. He was very quiet, and he kept eying his phone.  

‘Tony, you’re unusually quiet,’ Y/N said. ‘What do you think?’ 

He looked at her and smirked. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, I got us covered.’ 

Everyone looked at him confused. What was he talking about? 

‘Tony, what do you mean?’ Bruce asked.  

Tony eyed Y/N. ‘We are going to the exhibition tonight, sweetie.’ 

‘How?’ Y/N asked him. 

‘Hello,’ Tony laughed. ‘Are you forgetting that I own Stark Industries? People want me there and you’re my plus one.’ 

‘Do you need back-up?’ Wanda asked.  

‘They can handle it,’ Steve said with a nod. ‘But Clint and Natasha will go to the venue to keep an eye out for them.’ 

Both assassins nodded.  

Wanda gave Y/N a cup of coffee and Y/N sat down at the table, next to Tony.  

‘What is the plan?’ Bruce asked. ‘Are they going to steal it immediately or are they just going to observe?’ 

‘Observe,’ Steve said, while Y/N said: ‘Steal it.’ 

They watched each other.  

‘We don’t know what we’re dealing with, Y/N,’ Steve mumbled. ‘We have to be careful.’ 

Y/N rolled her eyes. ‘I have been looking for this ring for three years already, Steve. Tony and I can do this.’ 

‘Y/N,’ Tony muttered. ‘Steve is right, we don’t know anything. We have to observe first.’ 

Y/N looked at Natasha questionably, but Natasha shook her head as a warning. ‘Fine. We will observe first.’ 

 After dinner, Y/N started to get herself ready. She put on some make-up and she styled her hair in a propriate way, because the exhibition would be a chic gathering. It was when she opened her wardrobe, that she came to the conclusion that she didn’t have a fancy dress. She scolded at herself and called F.R.I.D.A.Y. and she asked it she could connect her with Tony. Of course, F.R.I.D.A.Y. complied.  

‘Yes, sweetheart?’ she heard Tony’s voice in her room. 

‘Tony, I just concluded that I don’t have a dress for tonight,’ Y/N confessed. ‘I feel so stupid.’ 

‘Don’t,’ Tony said. ‘Make yourself ready and I will be at yours in five minutes.’ 

He ended the connection and Y/N huffed. But Tony kept his word. He stood inside her room within five minutes and he was holding a beautiful emerald green dress in his hands.  

‘Try this,’ he said, and he gave it to her. He took a seat on her bed and he watched her change. 

The dress was knee length and it fitted her perfectly. When she looked at Tony, she could see in his eyes that he agreed.  

‘How do I look?’ Y/N asked, just to get a reaction from him. 

‘Breathtaking,’ Tony whispered. ‘Let’s go, I can’t wait any longer.’ 

 After a fifteen-minute drive, Tony and Y/N arrived at the venue. Both got escorted inside and they were provided with champagne. It was already crowded, but the pair didn’t care. The whole hall was filled with showcases with jewelry and other precious items.  

‘Maybe we should split up,’ Y/N suggested. ‘There are so many objects.’ 

Tony squinted his eyes but nodded. ‘All right, but we will meet again in half an hour at the bathroom.’ 

Y/N agreed, and she left Tony. He took one side of the hall and she took the other side. Most of the showcases were filled with coins or antique tableware. That was until her eyes fell on a showcase in a corner of the hall. The light was bad, and nobody was there, except for one guard and one other man. Slowly she made her way to the corner. The guard kept his eyes on the man and her, while the man was eyeing the ring. Y/N bumped into the man on purpose, but she played it off like it was an accident.  

‘Oh, sir, I’m so sorry,’ Y/N apologized quickly. ‘I stumbled, stupid heels. Are you okay?’ 

The man chuckled. He had long black hair, a beard and dark eyes. ‘It’s fine, miss. I was just admiring this ring.’ 

Y/N took a step closer and she studied the ring. Yes, this was the ring she was looking for. ‘It’s really beautiful. A shame that will be locked up in this museum.’ 

‘I agree,’ the man confirmed. ‘The history of the ring is also interesting.’ 

‘Really?’ Y/N asked fake-interested. ‘Do you want to share that information?’ 

The man laughed. ‘Sure. Rumor has is that the ring contains an elixir inside. Some say it’s an elixir for immortality.’ 

‘The Elixir of Life,’ Y/N hummed.  

The man looked at her. ‘You are familiar with it.’ 

Y/N winked. ‘Maybe I am. Are you a collector?’ 

The man chuckled and he held out his hand. ‘No, not even close. My name is John Wick by the way.’ 

Y/N accepted his hand. ‘Y/N Y/L/N. Are you here with someone?’  

John shook his head and he chuckled again. ‘You ask a lot of questions, darling. No, I’m on my own here. And you?’ 

‘I’m sorry,’ she said and laughed. ‘Yeah, I’m the plus one of Tony Stark.’  

John raised his eyebrows. ‘Tony Stark, huh? Are you a couple?’ 

Y/N smirked. ‘And you said that I asked a lot of questions. No, I’m single. I’m here for business with Tony.’ 

He looked relieved and nodded. ‘I’m also here for business. Meeting new people and maintaining relationships. And pleasing the boss of course.’ 

From behind John, Y/N could see Tony watching her from across the hall. She grinned and she decided to play a game with him. A little teasing wouldn’t hurt, right?  

Y/N placed her hand on John his bicep and squeezed it a bit. ‘As fun it was talking to you, I have to please my boss now. I hope that we can stay in contact.’  

‘I agree with you, darling,’ John said with a smile and he reached for something inside his jacket. ‘Maybe we can go for a drink soon.’  

‘I would love that,’ Y/N smiled, and she took the business card that John was holding out to her. ‘I will text you.’ After she said that, she kissed the man his cheek while making eye contact with Tony.  

She let go of him and walked away without stealing another glance at the mystery man. John was looking after her with hungry eyes and he groaned when she swayed her hips. Tony on the other hand was seething. How dared Y/N flirting with another man while he was present in the same room as her. The disrespect.  

Y/N reached Tony and she put her hand on his chest. ‘I found it, Tony. How do you want to do it?’ 

He didn’t say anything to her, he only watched her sternly. Tony grabbed her arm and he dragged her towards the nearest hallway. 

‘Tony, what are you doing?’ Y/N asked with a laugh.  

He still didn’t respond. The hallway he dragged her in was empty and private. At the end of it was a part where it was secluded. He took her there and he pushed her against the wall forcefully. 

Y/N let out a huff and she gave him a funny look. ‘All right, what is going on?’ 

Tony placed his hands on the wall, next to her head and his eyes darted over her face. ‘You flirted with that man.’ 

She laughed. ‘What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ 

‘Don’t lie to me, sweetheart,’ Tony hissed. ‘I saw you, you saw me. You held his bicep and you kissed his cheek. And when you walked away, you swayed your hips.’ 

‘Okay, maybe I did,’ Y/N admitted. ‘But why does it matter? We are not exclusive, Tony.’ 

Tony pressed his nose against her jaw, and he bit her softly. ‘Don’t say that, Y/N. You know that you’re for my eyes only. You know that those tricks you pulled off there only work on me.’ 

She moaned softly. ‘Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry, sugar.’ 

Tony smirked and he kissed her. He stepped closer to her, so that their hips were touching. His hand released the wall and he held with one hand her ass and with the other her cheek.  

‘You look so fucking sexy in that dress,’ he said between kisses.  

‘Thanks,’ she breathed heavily. ‘My boss gave it to me.’ 

‘What a generous boss you have,’ Tony smirked.  

‘Yes, and he is also very handsome,’ Y/N complimented him. ‘But he is a bit old.’ 

The look in Tony’s eyes changed and without saying another word, he turned Y/N around, pushed her against the wall and he rutted his hips against her ass. His left hand made his way to her core. With his other hand, he disabled both their comms.  

 ‘Such a big mouth for a little girl,’ Tony whispered in her ear.  

‘Tony!’ Y/N said shocked. ‘What if we get caught? Natasha and Clint -’ 

‘No-one knows that we are here in this hallway,’ he said. ‘And I turned off the comms. Let me make you feel good.’ 

 He made his way under her dress and he moved her panties to the side. Slowly he touched her core and that made Y/N let out a moan. She put her hands against the wall for support  

‘Yeah, moan for me, you little slut,’ Tony muttered. ‘I bet he won’t please you the way I do.’ 

‘N-no,’ Y/N gasped. ‘Only you, Tony.’ 

He circled with his pointer finger over her clit. Y/N began to pant, and she felt herself getting wet, when she felt Tony’s hard dick poking at her backside. Tony kissed her jaw, behind her ear and he made a way down to her shoulder, where he bit her. Y/N panted and because of the right amount of pressure that Tony was putting on her clit, a knot was formed in her stomach.  

‘Keep going, Tony, please,’ she begged him. ‘You make me feel so good.’ 

‘Do I?’ he smirked. He let go off her clit and instead he pushed two fingers inside of her. ‘My sweet little slut. Thinking you can flirt with another men.’ 

Y/N was so close. If Tony could just rub her clit again. She turned her head so that she could kiss Tony. He willingly kissed her back while still pumping his fingers in and out of her.  

‘I’m so close, Tony,’ Y/N moaned. ‘Please, don’t stop.’ 

‘Of course, sweetheart,’ Tony smiled, and he pressed a kiss against her shoulder. At the same time, he started to rub her clit again. 

‘T-tony,’ Y/N cried when she felt his thumb over her clit. ‘I think I’m going to cum. Can I please cum? Please?’ 

She heard Tony chuckle and when her pussy clenched around his fingers, he slipped them out of her. He denied her orgasm.  

‘I’m sorry sweetheart,’ Tony said with a grin and he let go over her entirely. ‘Sluts are not allowed to cum.’ 

Y/N looked at him in shock and out of breath and Tony only smirked. He watched her intensely while he put his fingers in his mouth and he licked them clean. After that, he walked away, leaving Y/N dumfounded  

 A couple of minutes later, Y/N arrived yet again in the hall. Her cheeks were reddened, and her pupils were blown. She nervously straightened her dress, raised her head and strutted through the hall looking for Tony. When she saw him, she stopped immediately. Tony was standing next to an improvised bar and he was talking to John. Y/N knew that he was doing this to mess with her. She had to pull herself together, so she did that. Slowly, but confidently, she made her way to the two men.  

‘Hi, sweetheart,’ Tony greeted her with a grin, and he put his arm around her middle. ‘I was just talking to Mr. Wick.’ 

‘Tony,’ Y/N said with a forced smile. ‘I see. I already met John.’ 

‘Hey, Y/N,’ John said with a smirk. ‘I didn’t expect to see you so soon.’ 

Tony’s grip around Y/N tightened. Cleary he started to get jealous.  

‘So, what were you two talking about?’ Y/N asked curious.  

‘You actually,’ Tony answered, and he moved his hand more to her ass.  

Y/N looked at both men with a funny face. ‘Me? What about me?’ 

‘I told your boss that you’re a very smart and intelligent young woman,’ John replied. ‘And I told him that he should keep an eye on you. It would be a shame if someone else tries and steal you away.’ 

What were these men talking about? Stealing her away?  

Y/N laughed, and she patted Tony his chest. ‘I don’t think that Tony needs to worry about that. I enjoy my job at his company.’  

‘I was not talking about your job, darling,’ John chuckled, and he downed his drink. ‘I have to go, but it was nice meeting you two. Y/N, I’m looking forward to that drink.’ Before he left, he winked at her.  

Y/N her mouth fell open and Tony was seeing red. His fists were clenched, and his face was tense. She gulped and watched him in suspense.  

He turned to look at her. ‘He is looking forward to which drink?’ 

‘Tony,’ Y/N mumbled, she was trying to defend herself. ‘It’s nothing. He asked me for a drink sometime. I was just being friendly.’ 

Tony laughed darkly. ‘Just being friendly. Sure, Y/N. Do what you have to do, and I will see you at the exit in ten.’ 

‘Tony,’ she said, a little bit disappointed. Was he jealous?  

But Tony wasn’t having it. With a drink in his hand, he walked away from the young woman. She sighed and from the corners of her eyes, she saw John Wick leaving the exhibition. Y/N observed him, and she noticed that he was slightly nervously covering his right hand. She didn’t think much of it and shrugged it off. Also, with a drink in her hand, she walked away from the improvised bar and she decided to take a look at the ring again. Casually she made her way to the corner in the back and she walked straight towards the showcase. But when she came there, the guard was gone, and a perfect hole could be seen in the showcase. And the ring? The ring was missing. Her hand flew to her earpiece to activate it again.  

‘Tony, the ring is gone, and the guard is missing,’ she whispered.  

It took a couple of seconds before she could hear Tony his voice. ‘What?’ 

‘Come to the back,’ Y/N told him.  

She saw him walking through the crowd and she waved at him. He saw her as well and he sped up his pace. Tony inspected the showcase and he came to the same conclusion as Y/N, it was stolen.  

‘Who could have done it?’ Tony said out loud. ‘Did you see anything suspicious?’ 

‘No, because no-one was here,’ Y/N said and her eyed her surroundings. ‘I only saw John her and the guard... I don’t what happened when we were in the hallway... No-one was there, because it is not close to the other objects, the lights are bad here...’ 

Tony looked around him and then grabbed Y/N’s arm. ‘We should go. We will discuss this with Natasha and Clint.’ 

Y/N nodded, and she followed Tony.  

 When the couple arrived at the van, Clint opened the door for them.  

‘And?’ he asked, as soon as they got in.  

‘Well, the ring was there,’ Y/N answered with a sigh.  

‘Was?’ Natasha said with raised eyebrows.  

‘It has been stolen,’ Tony said, and he took a seat. ‘Did you guys see people leave early or act suspicious?’ 

They both shook their head, but then Natasha looked up again. 

‘There was someone who left early, I thin he left just a couple of minutes before you guys,’ she said and she rolled her chair to the desk with a laptop. She hit some buttons and within seconds security footage popped up on the screen.  

The four of them watched the screen and they waited for something to happen. At first, nothing exciting happened. There were people arriving late, people who were dropped of with an taxi and people who came outside to smoke a cigarette. Y/N twirled her hair around her pointer finger and watched intensely. She felt some eyes on her body and when she turned around, she saw that Tony was keeping an eye on her. Quickly he paid attention to the laptop again.  

‘Wait, did you see that?’ Clint mentioned, but no-one had seem to notice. ‘Nat, can you rewind it a bit?’ 

She nodded and did what Clint asked. Clint stopped her and all of them paid close attention.  

‘Pause it!’ Clint said and Natasha hit the spacebar.  

Y/N gasped and Tony raised his eyebrows. Oh no. On the footage, they saw John Wick. He was watching his back and the screen was frozen at the moment that he cracked his knuckles.  

‘Natasha,’ Y/N said with a small voice. ‘Can you zoom in on his right hand?’ 

Natasha zoomed in and Y/N sighed. A ring was visible on his pointer finger.  

‘Fuck,’ Y/N cursed. ‘How could I be so stupid?’ 

Natasha gave her a funny look. ‘What do you mean?’ 

‘I spoke to him twice,’ she said and she put her hand against her forehead. ‘Tony also spoke to him. How didn’t we see it?’ 

‘Maybe it was in the time that we -’ Tony started, but he stopped talking when he realized that he couldn’t say what happened in the hallway.  

Natasha and Clint raised their eyebrows, but Tony shook his head.  

‘It also could have been the time that we split apart for the second time,’ Y/N tried to save them. 

‘Okay, but do you know who this man is?’ Clint asked warily.  

‘John Wick,’ both Y/N and Tony said. Y/N shrugged and Tony seemed to get a little bit jealous again.  

‘Yeah, but do you know who he is?’ Clint asked again. ‘Do you know what kind of man he is?’ 

‘It seems like you,’ Tony sassed. ‘Do you know the man, Romanoff?’ 

‘Nope,’ Natasha commented, and she looked at Clint. 

‘How can you not know this man?’ the archer exclaimed. ‘John Wick is one of the most famous hitmen in New York. He works for an organization that is involved with literally everything. They control the police and they have ties with every mob. And he is their hitman. He tried to stop a couple of years again, but he had to return. He is very lethal, and they say that he killed two men in a bar with only a pencil. A pencil!’ 

Natasha was impressed, while Y/N was a little bit shocked. That man that she met was a hitman?  

‘We have to discuss this with the others,’ Tony sighed, he too was surprised.  

Clint took his seat behind the wheel and he started the van. ‘Steve, Sam and Bruce left for a mission of their own, but they will be back tomorrow afternoon. We can schedule a meeting then.’ 

‘What?’ Y/N said. ‘No! This can’t wait until tomorrow. We have to do something now. Can’t we track his phone?’ 

‘Yes, we could, but we don’t have his phone number and we need to discuss this with the other Avengers,’ Tony told her, and he gave her a stern look.  

‘I have his number,’ Y/N challenged him. ‘He gave me his business card.’ 

All the heads turned to Y/N. The young woman raised her eyebrows and she fished the card from her purse. Natasha tried to snatch it from her hand, but Y/N withdrew her hand.  

Tony sighed. ‘I get it. But we can not just do something. We have to be rational.’ 

Y/N pursed her lips together and she made a ball of her fists. ‘Fine.’ 

The young woman took the seat next to Clint. She turned the volume of the radio higher and she looked out of the window, while she twirled the card in her hand.  

 A couple of minutes later, they arrived at the Tower. They unloaded the van and they made their way to the top floor of the building. Natasha and Clint were casually talking to each other and Y/N tried to talk to Tony, but he gave her short answers, or he even ignored her.  

With a sigh she dumped her stuff in the meeting room. ‘Good night, everyone. I will see you tomorrow.’ 

‘Y/N,’ Natasha said, but Y/N already left the room.  

She slammed the door shut and stomped away. Clint and Natasha were surprised, so they glanced at Tony. Something must have happened between the two of them.  

‘What happened?’ Clint asked Tony.  

‘What do you mean?’ Tony said, while dodging their looks.  

‘You turned your comms off at one point,’ Natasha stated, and she leant against the door. ‘What happened between you and Y/N?’ 

‘Nothing,’ he said, and he sat down.  

‘Really?’ Natasha said unamused and she folded her arms. ‘That doesn’t sound like nothing and Y/N storming away doesn’t look like nothing.’ 

‘Just forget it,’ Tony muttered, and he buried his head in his hands.  

‘You got jealous again,’ Clint guessed, observant as always. ‘All three of us know that there is something going on between the two of you. You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. But I bet you got jealous.’ 

‘She got feelings for you, you know,’ Natasha told him before she left him alone.  

Clint patted Tony’s shoulder and he too left.  

 The next morning, Y/N stayed in bed longer then normally. Wanda brought her breakfast and they ate it together. After a while, the redhead left, and Y/N was alone again. She couldn’t focus on anything, except for tracing John Wick. His business card was laying on her desk and she kept looking at it. Y/N couldn’t believe that she had to wait until this afternoon before they could take action. She already knew that Steve wanted to do this the “right” way.  

Y/N stepped out of bed and took her laptop. She couldn’t wait. And besides that, how hard would it be to track John’s phone? So that’s what she did. She typed away on her laptop and then she waited. A system on her laptop was doing tests and all she could do was wait.   In the meantime, she went to the gym to train a bit and to empty her head. She was a bit upset about her and Tony. They never made it exclusive and yet he was treating her like they are a couple. So why was he so mad about her flirting with John? Why was he so mad that John asked her to go out for a drink? Why – and then a new idea hit her. She punched the punching ball with one final hit and then she ran back to her room.  

John his business card was still on her desk and her phone was charging. She picked both up and she dialed his number. It rang a couple of times, before she heard his voice. 

‘Hello?’ she heard him say.  

‘John?’ Y/N asked. ‘Hi, it’s Y/N... from the exhibition yesterday?’ 

John laughed. ‘Y/N, of course, I remember you. I was afraid that you wouldn’t call. How are you?’ 

‘I’m good,’ she replied. ‘Just working. How are you?’ 

‘I’m also good,’ John said. ‘I just scheduled a meeting with my boss.’ 

‘Oh...’ Y/N muttered. Shit, there goes her plan. ‘For today?’ 

‘No,’ he chuckled. ‘For tomorrow. Why?’ 

She laughed softly. ‘Well, I was wondering... maybe we could go for that drink tonight?’ 

‘Yeah, that’s sounds great,’ John told her. ‘But I don’t feel like going out. Would you mind if we did it at my place? The drinks?’ 

Y/N wanted to do a victory dance. This conversation went exactly as planned, maybe even better. ‘No, that’s is fine! Really.’ 

‘Great,’ John answered. ‘I will text you my address. Be here around 10?’ 

‘I will,’ Y/N promised and she smiled. ‘Bye, John.’ 

‘See you tonight, Y/N,’ he said and then he hung up.  

Y/N squealed and she clapped in her hands.  

[thatmultifandomhoe]

One on One

Word Count: 3,190

Pairing: Jungkook and Reader

Genre: College AU - Sports AU - Boxing AU - Fluff

Warning/Rating: A swear of two is thrown around. PG13

August AU & Quote: Sports AU and “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Master List

A/N: Hey y’all, I know this drabble wasn’t originally listed to be posted with the other drabbles I’ve been talking about, but this one is for the August prompt contest that is being hosted by BTS Boulangerie! They are a wonderful group of people and please don’t forget to check out my fellow sweet Bakers and their stories!

Also, just a reminder that I had changed my name from @/abangtanfangirl to my current username, I’m just too lazy to remake the banner I originally made.

©thatmultifandomhoe 2019. Do not repost, translate, or use my stories without permission.

The gym reeked of sweat, grunts and groans and the loud smacking of fists hitting punching bags echoed in the large space, making it easy to find despite it being your first time here.

Glancing at your phone, you double checked that you had the right place, wondering if Jungkook had sent you on a wild goose chase instead. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he did. But as you entered the gym, he was standing in the left corner of the boxing ring, waiting for the person across from him to finish getting his gloves on.

Jungkook stole a look over his shoulder, grinning when he saw you but he quickly turned back around to face his coach.

His reaction left you smiling like a helpless fool, but you didn’t care. There weren’t that many people in the gym, maybe a handful at the most if even that. Even then, no one spared you another glance as you reached the ring, watching as Jungkook and his opponent met in the middle as the coaches stayed in the corners.

You weren’t entirely sure why Jungkook asked you to meet him here, or why he wanted to meet up with you in the first place. The two of you had been paired to work on project for a class you shared, and while you got along with him, the assignment had been presented and emailed in to the professor earlier that week.

Which is why when you walked out of your last class with plans to pass out in your dorm for a well-deserved nap, you were surprised to receive a text from Jungkook, asking you to come to this place to meet up.

A whistle blew and neither of them wasted a second, Jungkook quickly ducking to avoid a punch before delivering a few to the other guy’s side. After being paired up, Jungkook had told you that he did boxing in the afternoon and with a competition coming up, he was practicing longer at the gym. While you had appreciated the heads up, you had been skeptical as to how the project was going to go. You were understanding, but the last thing you wanted was to end up doing the entire project yourself.

Despite your initial thoughts, Jungkook was there each time you both agreed to meet up to work on the project, sent texts if he was going to be late, and did the work he promised to do. Hell, he even helped you with some of your work because he tended to finish his early.

So, it hadn’t been too shocking when one night while you were texting Jungkook, your roommate teased you every time you rushed to reach for your phone when it dinged, grinning in delight with every reply he sent. You tried to play it off as nothing, but it was useless. You were crushing on Jungkook.

It wasn’t just because of his incredible work ethic that a majority of the male population on your college campus seemed to lack, but he was also extremely kind and sweet. On multiple occasions while working on the project together, conversation flowed easily between you two and you found yourself telling him about the things that bothered you; how you weren’t doing too good in a math class, and how it felt like with all the papers and assignments you needed to do felt like quicksand sucking you down, he always managed to reassure you and boost your confidence.

“Don’t worry about all of it,” Jungkook told you. “If you just focus on what can get done right now, you won’t be so stressed. Besides, I know you can do it, and if you need any help, just send me a text and I’ll be there.”

Three little words did you in.

It was those three words, ‘I’ll be there,’ that sent your heart racing and when he gave you that smile – the one where his eyes crinkled in the corners and reminded you of a bunny – you knew that your feelings were starting to become something more than a simple crush.

Then a week later he arrived late to meeting up with you at your dorm. He hadn’t sent a text which was unlike him, and it worried you. By the time there was a knock at your door, it had been two hours since the original meet up time. During then, you almost created a worn-out path in the carpet from pacing, had sent a text asking if he was alright, and processed every worst-case scenario in your mind.

“Jungkook it’s been two – oh my god!” You gasped, staring at him.

He was leaning against the door frame, an eyebrow raised in question to your reaction, as if he didn’t care about the large purple bruise on his cheek or the cut on his lip. Instead, he started to smile but stopped, wincing as the movement caused his bottom lip to bleed. “Sorry.”

Without a second thought you quickly ushered him into your room, ignoring the loud slam of your door as you had him sit in your desk chair while you fished out your first aid kit. “What happened?”

Jungkook shrugged, watching you in curiosity as you rifled through the container. “I was at practice. One of the guys has a competition soon and asked me to get in the ring with him for practice. I ended up winning and he was pissed.”

You raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more than what he was telling you. “And?” Ripping open an alcohol wipe, you stood in front of him and began to clean up the cuts on his face. In addition to the one on his lip, he had a few next to the bruise that thankfully, weren’t bleeding.

He hissed at the sudden pressure, leaning away from your touch. “That hurts.”

“Not as much as it had to when the guy punched the crap out of you,” you retorted, waiting for him to come back so you could continue.

The corner of his lip twitched at you comment, but he let you continue once again. “This is nothing, you should see him.”

Rolling your eyes, you grabbed the Neosporin and dabbed a little of your finger, silencing Jungkook as you applied it to his lip. “I’m good. Seeing you hurt worries me enough,” you murmured, not realizing the implications of your words until afterwards. Even then, you sharply inhaled, internally cursing yourself at the slip up.

Jungkook was silent as he gazed up at you, leaning back against the desk chair. He had been surprised to see you react like this to his appearance. Normally people wouldn’t even think to offer a band aid yet here you were, fixing it up like it was something you were used to doing. He wanted to smile and tease you some more, maybe even pull you closer, but he was afraid it might send you into a heart attack, so he stayed put and allowed his body to relax at your gentle touches.

When you were finished with the cuts on his face, you stepped backwards, clearing your throat as you looked anywhere but his eyes. “Anywhere else?”

It took him a brief second to understand what you asked. His torso was bruised up pretty good and there were probably a few cuts there, but he didn’t think you’d be comfortable with him half naked in your room.

"Um…” glancing at his hands, he held them up for you. His knuckles were bruised, and like with his cheek, there were a few open cuts as well.

Sighing, you wagged your finger at Jungkook, grabbing the gauze that came with the kit. “What am I going to do with you?” You teased, taking one of his hands in yours to clean it first.

He lightly shrugged as he casually squeezed your fingers, playing it off as if the wipe had stung. “Kiss it and make it better?” Jungkook joked, smiling as your giggles filled the room, not at all caring that he might have opened the cut on his lips again. He liked the sound of your laughter, to him it was a melody that he wanted to hear again and again, and he knew it was something that he’d never get tired of listening to.

That was when you realized, that your crush, was not so simple.

When you had realized his torso was in a similar state, you convinced him to take off his shirt so that you could treat his side. You had to swallow the lump in your throat when he stood half naked in your room as you sat in the chair this time to reach the cuts easily. You figured that he was in shape from the workouts and boxing, but you never realized how muscular he was.

It was afterwards when you had him lay on your bed with an icepack on his side and another on his cheek, that you sat on his uninjured side so the two of you could watch a movie on Netflix. It was when he tugged one of your blankets of the two of you during it and again when you woke up the next morning, curled into his still naked side and his left arm wrapped around your waist that you figured out how you felt about him.

You were an absolute goner for Jeon Jungkook.

“Were you even watching?”

Blinking, you smiled up at Jungkook as he leaned against the ring post, a teasing grin on his face.

“Of course,” you called back up to him, ignoring the shake of his head. “You always win.”

A scoff was heard from behind Jungkook, capturing both yours and his attention. “Even your girlfriend has the same mindset as you Kook.”

Your cheeks blushed but Jungkook simply laughed. Straightening up, he ducked underneath the rope, jumping down to the floor next to you. Sweat dripped down the side of his neck, his bangs clinging to his forehead as he pulled off one of his gloves.

“She just knows a champion when she sees one.”

That time you laughed, noticing that he hadn’t corrected his coach.

Turning towards you, he gestured towards the other side of the wall. “Come on, I just need to take a quick shower then we can head out.”

“Where are we going?”

His brown eyes glinted as he looked at you, not even stopping his walk as you followed him. “It’s a surprise. Wait here for me, okay?”

You rolled your eyes, but as you approached a bench across from the locker room, you nodded in agreement. This was after all, his territory. Jungkook knew this place better than you and you weren’t too keen on getting lost and needing him to find you. It would feed his ego too much.

When he disappeared in the locker room, you took out your phone to play on an app that you’ve been interested in these last few days. It had been advertising on Snapchat like crazy and finally after deleting a bunch of useless stuff to make room, you downloaded the game and you were addicted.

However, with only one key given every seven hours, you quickly went through the two you had and found yourself unable to continue further. You tried checking Instagram and Twitter, but nothing had been updated and you already watched everyone’s stories.

A quick check at the time told you that Jungkook had only been in there for five minutes. Bored, you stretched in your seat, taking a chance to look around. The gym was emptied out by now and on the other side of the room there were punching bags hanging from the ceiling.

You didn’t think twice when you made your way over to the first punching bag. Staring up at it, you lightly pushed at it, slightly surprised at how heavy it was. Jungkook was still in the shower, so you stopped it from moving and set your purse down. Creating a fist, you hit the bag, frowning when it didn’t move.

You hit it again. And again. And again.

“Keep doing it like that and you’ll break your thumb.”

Shouting in surprise, you covered your mouth as you turned to see Jungkook standing behind you. He was wearing jeans and a white sleeveless shirt, his gym bag thrown on one shoulder and a hair towel on the other.

Chuckling, he pointed at your hand that was still clenched up from hitting the punching bag. “Your thumb shouldn’t be underneath your other fingers.” He set down his belongings and made his way over, gently taking your hand and repositioning it so it made a fist. “You want it this way. Otherwise, if you got into an actual fight or something, you would have broken your thumb and trust me, broken bones suck ass.”

Stepping backwards, he nodded towards the bag. “Go ahead, try again.”

“I…I was just messing around,” you ran a hand through your hair, shyly smiling as you tried to back away from the bag.

Jungkook grinned however, blocking you from exiting. “Uh uh. Try again. We’re not leaving until I know you can punch properly.”

“You’re a pain,” you teased.

“Just do it.”

Smiling, you stepped in front of the bag once again, this time well aware of the fact that Jungkook was watching you, his arms crossed in front of his chest. You took a moment to make sure you positioned your fist the way he showed you, cheeks lightly heating up when you heard a hum of approval come from him. Pulling your arm back, you punched it once more and this time, it moved a little bit.

“Better,” Jungkook commented. His voice traveled as he moved to your right side, standing next to you. “But a little on the weaker side.”

“Hey!”

He shook his head, once again taking your arm and this time, moving behind you so your back was against his chest. “I’m not saying you’re weak, you’re just not doing it correctly. You weren’t bringing your arm all the way back which is why the bag didn’t move that much. Without enough force, it won’t go far.”

As he spoke, he slowly moved your arm, showing you how far to extend your arm back and how hard you needed to hit the bag. All the while, you were hyper aware of the fact that your body was pressed against his. The two of you hadn’t been this close since you woke up in his embrace. Butterflies were racing in your stomach and despite how tense you felt, your body relaxed the longer you were in his arms. It felt…right.

“Let me show you once, and then you can try again.”

Nodding, you forced yourself to step away and give Jungkook the room he needed. You had no trouble focusing on him, happily watching the muscles in his arms flex as he punched the bag, making it swing further than you had.

He was smiling when he looked back at you, stopping the bag so that it was still for you to try again.

Knowing he wouldn’t let you leave until you did so, you switched places with him and did as he showed you, this time making it move further than you had last time, but no where near as much as did.

“Much better,” Jungkook complimented, stopping the punching bag once more. When it was still, he bent to grab his belongings, stuffing the towel in his bag while handing you your purse. “With more practice, one day you could hit like me.”

His comment made you snort in amusement, accepting your bag. “You offering me one on one practice with you?”

Licking his lips, Jungkook settled his arm over your shoulders and began leading you out of the gym. “If you want, yeah.”

“And how many times have you offered girls that before?”

The comment was out of your mouth before you could stop it. Your words hung in the air as Jungkook came to a halt, and since his arm was around you, you stopped walking as well. Closing your eyes, you tried to think of some way to apologize and take back what you said, but nothing came to mind.

He was quiet, and during that, you were scared. Scared because you were worried that you just wrecked a wonderful friendship with your idiot comment.

His arm tightened around your shoulders briefly before sliding down your back, his palm resting on your hip. The sensation of his hand moving like that against your body had you opening your eyes, and it was then that he slightly turned you so you were facing him. With his other hand, he cupped your chin to gently tilt your head up, allowing you to see his soft smile.

“You’re the first.”

Your mouth dried up like the desert at his confession, trying to decipher what he was implying. But luckily, you didn’t have to do that for long.

“I don’t invite people to come here,” Jungkook explained, all the while gently running his thumb against your jaw. “This is kinda…my way to destress from school, idiots, life in general. And I don’t just go around offering to show girls how to punch. I like you, I have for a while actually, which is why I asked you to come here.”

To say you were shocked was an understatement. A part of you felt like this was a dream and nothing more, but as Jungkook sweetly gazed down at you, nervously biting his lip the longer you didn’t say anything, his arm flexing around you in-case you wanted to leave, you realized this wasn’t a fantasy.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Smiling, you briefly glanced down, your fingers loosely curling around the front of his shirt. “The whole showing me how to punch and the speech.” You clarified, meeting his eyes once more.

He grinned at your response, drawing you closer until both his arms hugged you to him. “Took some planning. Telling the girl you like isn’t that easy. Plus, you really would have broken your thumb if I let you keep punching like that.”

His words had your smile blooming until it felt like your face was going to split in half, but you loved it. Even if he still managed to find a way to tease you. “So where are you planning on taking me then?”

“Since it’s almost dinner time, I was thinking about this diner that I go to. Family owned, fifties themed, amazing food.” His voice softened as he leaned his forehead against yours, his hands rubbing your back in soothing circular motions.

“Is this our first date?” You teased, wrapping your arms around his waist.

Jungkook chuckled, kissing your forehead and making the butterflies go wild. “If you say yes, then it will be.”

It was right then and there that you realized, your heart belonged to the sweet, boxer who was gazing at you like you were the one who made the world spin ‘round.

“Yes.”

[the-canary]

Sunburst - S.R (6/10)

Summary: After years of solitude, you sought out the color of life – you just didn’t think it would end up like this. (Enhanced!Reader/Steve Rogers). 

Prompt: “I think I just asked you out on a date.”

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @captain-ariel-barnes writing challenge. As in the previous episode, this is my first time writing for Nat and Clint in depth and canon, so I am sorry it is is bad. This is the culmination of the past couple of chapters, as our dear protag comes to a revelation! 

Feedback is always appreciated.

After that moment, Dr. Banner picks up on your interest in regards to enhanced experiments and while he tells both Steve and Tony about this -- he keeps moving forward with explaining some more commonly known experiments to you. It is hard to understand some things, but it helps to ease your worries here and there that there are people like you that struggle with such powers, like Dr. Banner and Wanda. However, there is a difference between entering an experiment freely --like they did in some cases-- and being unknowingly forced into one.

He asks you one day, underneath the glowing gray light of the sun within the library, though you are happier enjoying the rolls of light green coming off from him -- slightly a bit more easygoing and calmer than the first time you had met, but still dark at the center. A forest that shouldn’t be disturbed.

“Why are you so interested in this?”

And for  the first time in a long time, you let the wall crumble for just a bit.

“It hits closer to home than you think,” you explain, as Dr. Banner just nods in catching the meaning behind your words, though brown eyes are just a bit softer than before.

What you hadn’t realized is that you had been letting that wall crumble down for a long time now.

 It’s strange not having anyone around for the first time since you had arrived to the Avengers Compound, but most had been called to active duty or were back in the Tower. You had been asked --by both Bruce, Sam, and Wanda-- if you had wanted to go there, but you had politely declined. Too many people and colors around you lead to bad things -- fatigue, nauseous, headaches that you couldn’t get out bed for days.

It was better to stay in the countryside, to stay away from all the people that could harm you. However, you were slowly starting to learn that not everyone was there to use or hurt you. You just didn’t understand if the Avengers were the only exception to that, especially when they were starting to come with their own set of problems.

You were starting to dream in color again too-- something you hadn’t done in a long time, and frankly it scared the crap out of you. It lead to less time asleep and more time to wandering the hallways and the deeper, more forested areas that the Compound had to offer.

It also meant seeing more of Captain Rogers, for a strange reason, though you didn’t want to think about that at the current moment, as a darker pink seeps through the corners of your eyes. However, before you can think about the connections any further, a voice catches your attention--

“Interesting,” you jump to see dark red move to and fro like light on glass at your reaction, as you come to the realization of who is the woman in front of you -- Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow herself. You gulp as she gives you a curious smile before turning to look at the rest of the art books splayed around the couch and coffee table. However, her eyes never leaving the ballerina drawing by Ernst Oppler that lays on your lap.

“I’m sorry?” you finally speak in-between a mutter and a question as she leans on the couch a little more. You honestly weren’t expecting to meet her so soon, even if she was the next one in your project list, since she tended to work from the Tower outside of training new recruits, at least that was how Captain Rogers had explained it. The sudden meeting also threw you in a loop since you usually prepared very hard for each encounter -- this left you scared and vulnerable for the moment.

“Are you interested in ballet?” she questions, ignoring your previous statement, as you shake your head.

“The moves always looked nice,” you state as she watches you with a blank expression, as you explain a bit more, “I wasn’t allowed to go outside most of the time.”

“Hmm,” she hums in thought, as if trying to put two and two together -- like she already has piece of you figured out and you don’t doubt it from everything you had heard and read about the woman that she probably did in some way. It wasn’t like you were hiding much, if anyone looked deep enough and for a long time they were sure to figure it out, though you just wanted to be left alone.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, play 1st Shade from La Bayadere ,” Natasha declares, as the television in front of you begins to project an unfamiliar dance, while she takes a seat next to you and your pile of books. You give her a questioning look, as she nods -- red bubbling for a moment, which lulls you into trusting her as you hope you don’t regret this later on.

No other words have to be exchanged for the rest of the day, though you swear you dream of red and pirouettes that night.      

What you didn’t know was that the spider usually came with her partner wherever she went since they usually worked together, so during your afternoon snack you were meet with not just Natasha but Clint Barton as well. You were meet with silence and tight smiles, but that suited you just fine -- you were more interested in their colors. Like Sam, Clint shined a unique color --electric purple-- and while you would think that their colors would spill into one another, as was the case when people were extremely close to one another, that didn’t seem to be the case. Natasha and Clint share things you didn’t understand and while you weren’t sure if it was out of love or simple camaraderie -- it was a lovely sight to see, as red sparkled like gemstone in the light and purple buzzed like radio waves.

For most of your time alone, Nat had you following her and wherever she was Clint wasn’t that far away. Your usual blues were intermingled with shades of red with pencil being traded in for charcoal, as Nat couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of you with black smudges on your hands and face while your shirt was ironically painted in red -- like you had killed someone. It was morbid, but it had the both of you laughing for a good while as Clint just shook his head.

You trade in your late mornings of watching Captain Rogers run to looking around the forests to see what birds you can find in the area, much to Clint’s amusement as he makes bird calls every so often to confuse you in the long run. You learn more about the ballet during this time more than you have ever wanted to know and it filters into your art for a good while.

However, their two weeks with you end too quickly as the mission soon calls them, while everyone will be coming back to the Compound soon.

The night before is when you realize it -- you’ll miss them. You aren’t sure if everything was real for them, or if it is just a part of a bigger plot (because you are just that paranoid at this point of your life), but you are for the first time in a long time okay with that. You’re okay with being hurt by another human being and maybe one day, they’ll truly be people that care about you and it wasn’t a ruse. Well, you let Nat know--

Natasha is standing in the garage area, ready to leave with Clint in a black, unmarked car. Her color is as still as the Hudson during late fall, as she smiles at you.   

“Thank you for spending this time with me,” you go on softly, grinning as she nods, “I hope when this is all over with, I can keep calling you my friend.”

Red ripples, as pink shines like a seashell in the sun -- like it hadn’t in a very long time.

“Yeah,” is all she manages to say before Clint call her, saying that they are going to be late. You smile and keep waving at them until you can’t see them anymore.

It isn’t until much later, when you’re painted in reds, blues, and black with lace, tarlatan, and silk surrounding you that you come to a personal realization.

You’re okay with being hurt. You’re okay with feeling and seeing emotion once more .

You laugh until your sides hurt at such a notion and you fall asleep with paint underneath your cheek -- heart content for once.  

 Steve Rogers isn’t sure how to breach the subject without Sam there as his backup. It had been so much easier to talk to you when there was someone else there is an opening to the silence. While, there was still an air of mystery around you --especially as the team tried to put together what type of powers you had-- Steve found himself enjoying the familiar smell of paint that came with being around you, the gentle smiles and morning greetings you welcomed him with. Maybe Bucky was right -- he had it bad.

Maybe, that’s why he was standing in front of you with a sketchpad he hadn’t used in quite some time, as  you look up.

“Could I join you?” he asks hesitantly, though you don’t seem to notice.

“Good afternoon, Captain Rogers,” is how answer back, while patting the empty spot on the thin blanket you had set up near the riverbank since the Compound didn’t have many benches, especially near that area. You made a quick look over to make sure that none of your supplies were not disturbing him before nodding in assurance, as he took a seat.   

“Steve is just fine,” he states, as you perk up at the sound of this new information. That’s when you take him in for just a moment -- sweats and a tight shirt like always, though he had shaven the beard off this time around and while he looked nice, you couldn’t help but miss the facial hair, though you wouldn’t tell him that anytime soon. You weren’t going to dictate Steve Rogers’ look.   

“Alright, Steve, ” you state before going back to your own drawing, as Steve looks around to see what might catch his attention, but there’s really only one thing that does -- well, one person to be exact.

You’re humming, even saying a few words to yourself every once and awhile as you sketch the flowers not that far from the riverbank. An assortment of blues and greens were beside you, ready to be used when you were done with the initial concept. It was something that he had noticed that differ from his own art. While, he kept things in black and white most of them, you had to color them. And with him, just staring at you, Steve decides to just go with his gut instinct and start drawing.

The two of you stay like that for quite awhile, as you don’t move until are ready to start adding color to the drawing. However, as you move around you can’t help but notice the bright blue that seems to be shining from Steve. Yes, the dark core is still there, but most of it is the color of forget-me-nots with a little shading of white near the edges. You hadn’t seen anything like it and it had you mesmerized more than anything you had seen in your time with the Avengers.

Steve must have noticed how you had stopped moving around, as he looks up at you for moment. A questioning look on his face, but you don’t seem to notice it.      

“You have a good shade of blue today,” you declare awestruck and little breathless before going back to getting ready to paint, Steve is a little confused by the statement but nevertheless smiles before going back to work on his own sketching -- you just didn’t know what it was.

It’s was Thursday afternoon, but it felt like a complete new start for both of you.

Part 7

[srona58]

Daddy’s Little Girl

Inspired by a piece of fan art (artist unknown) that is being shared around on Twitter recently. Just some fluff to cure your Infinity War broken hearts. Slightly AU.

.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel or Iron Man.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR SHARE WITHOUT ASKING!!  Also posted on AO3, Wattpad, and FF.net under @Srona58 

.

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A heavy sigh left Pepper's lungs as she entered the compound, welcomed by Friday, per usual. Her shoulders ached and her feet hurt, until she kicked off her heels and made her way to the hallway leading toward the elevator, which she took a floor up to her - their - bedroom. It had been a long day. Lots of meetings, lots of dramatic accusations against the Avengers. Lots of requests for Iron Man or Captain America or War Machine that would probably never be RSVP'd to. Going back to work hadn't been easy for her, and she didn't anticipate it draining her so much. Then, she'd come back to the facility and do it all over again at home.

"Tony?" she called when she approached, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

No answer.

"I'm home," she added, hesitantly. "You guys here?"

Still nothing.

When she pushed through the bedroom door, the room was empty, which made her panic a little as her heart rate picked up. She was still super protective and worried and she wasn't going to lie; she was starting to get clingy to the point of calling to check in every hour from the Stark Industries building in Manhattan. This bothered her.

"Friday, where's Mr Stark?" she asked rather urgently.

"He is currently in the lab assisting Dr Banner, Mrs Stark," the female voice answered politely.

"Thank you..."

Pepper found her feet leading her to the elevator down the hall, focused on telling herself that she's just over reacting and everything is fine. She can't panic again and take it out on Tony without checking, first...

When the doors dinged open, she passed a few staff before making it to the familiar double doors of the space Tony designated for the science buddies. He hadn't used it much recently, but it was understandable...they were both far too busy to have much spare time. Hell, if it were up to her, she'd come home and crawl right into bed after a normal workday...but being CEO never allowed that.

"Tony?" she called again after punching in her key code to the access doors. "Tony, I know you said not to worry, but our room is empty, and-"

The doors silenced her when they opened and she saw the two men invested in whatever project they were working on now, Banner hunched over a work desk, and Stark holding blueprints up to inspect them in the far corner. Her heart melted when her eyes fell on him; over his shoulder was the familiar, tiny face that made her smile with relief.

"I'm home..." she said softly, stepping in and approaching her husband.

"Hi, Pepper," Bruce greeted politely, looking up at her over his glasses as he fidgeted in his white lab coat.

She smiled his direction on her way past, smiling warmly. "Hi, Bruce."

Tony didn't turn to greet her just yet; he mumbled a hi, then added some things to the digitized version of the blueprint when he dropped the paper sheets. She didn't care; the sight was wringing her heart. He was certainly something else at times...and moments like these, which she never dreamed in her entire life would happen, made her love him even more than she already did.

As he shifted, she could see his defined shoulder muscles under his tight shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, as they usually were when he was working, but her favorite part; Morgan's sleeping face, rested over his shoulder, and her small hand clinging to the soft hair on the nape of his neck. It was manly, cute, and admittedly, a bit sexy - fatherhood suited him well, when he wore the cape.

She let her shoulders drop as she tilted her head, lips lifting in a tight smile as she looked at him with tired eyes. Had you asked her if she'd ever see Tony Stark holding their daughter as he worked on something that wasn't a suit that would get him blown up, she would've said no. But Tony Stark wasn't the same man anymore. Things changed. The world changed. He changed, and he was never further from the drunk playboy she first started working for.

"You're staring," he mused, finally turning to face her as he closed the files and pushed his bold framed glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Pepper blushed, clearing her mind of every thought running through it. "Morgan wasn't in her crib, and..." she trailed off, realizing she was admitting to panicking.

But Tony didn't get frustrated or upset; he only chuckled and stepped toward her, wrapping his free arm around her as he pulled her in to kiss her forehead, Morgan settled safely against both of them as she stretched and repositioned her sleeping body against her dad.

"Pep, it's all good," he spoke softly, not wanting to wake their daughter. "Platypus couldn't babysit and gold ol' Brucey here needed my help, so-"

"So you brought her with you?"

His brow twitched as he realized she was about to snap at him. "I was just working on papers...all perfectly safe and baby proof, and she's been on my arm all afternoon, I swear."

She surprised him, though, reaching out to pat Morgan's hair gently as she nuzzled into Tony's neck. Her smile regained claim of her face and she looked up into his eyes, her blue ones shining with care, just like they had the first time he admitted he even wanted kids. She pulled off his dark glasses, making him close his eyes momentarily, until she pocketed them in her blouse.

"I'm glad you're spending time with her," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him gently. "Toddlers look good on you."

He smirked, grabbing her lips in another soft kiss before he answered. "You know what else looks good on me?"

She rolled her eyes, leaning in to kiss the top of Morgan's head as she ran her hand up Tony's chest. "Later," she suggested, not saying no, which thrilled him. "Was she good?"

He moved to get a better hold on Morgan, letting her stay asleep in his arms. "A little cranky when we came down, but she's been out like a light since."

"She's gonna get off her sleep schedule," Pepper frowned. Then, she ran her hand through Tony's short, yet fluffy hair and paused. "I'm exhausted, maybe we can save date night for this weekend?" she asked as he stifled his own yawn.

"I'm not opposed..."

"Let's get her to bed, then," Potts decided. "And then you can join me in the shower," she teased, smirking her own half smile.

Pepper watched as Tony's dark eyes lightened with excitement as he nodded, grabbing her hand and dragging her giggling self to the elevator. "See ya in the morning, Bruce!"

Pepper dismissed herself to the kitchen before Tony took the last ride up to their room, wanting to grab some water and a small snack before passing out for the night. She tiredly went to join her husband and daughter in their living space, anticipating an easy put down for Morgan and some fun with Tony for the first time in a while, but she opened the door to yet another surprising sight...Tony lying on the bed with his legs crossed, Morgan cuddled on his chest with her thumb in her mouth. They were both knocked out, Stark snoring lightly as both arms held Morgan against him. Babysitting must have really took the energy out of him.

She smiled warmly, sighing as she realized there'd be nothing but sleep tonight, but welcomed it. She lifted Morgan from his arms, receiving a small groan from Tony as he protested, but eventually he gave in and she put their small child into her crib, thankful she was too tired to cry or throw a tantrum for once.

"I love you, pretty girl," Pepper sang lightly, grazing her lips over her daughter's eyelids before laying her down on her back. "They might think your mommy's in charge, but you're really daddy's little girl, aren't you?"

She smiled warmly down at the toddler in her crib, then wished her goodnight and wandered into their closet to change into one of Tony's band shirts, stepping out of her blouse and skirt and letting her hair down. She joined her husband in bed, slipping a blanket over the both of them, then asked Friday to turn out the lights as she layed comfortably on her side, facing the crib.

She didn't have to wait long until she felt Tony's familiar strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back against his chest as he pressed his nose into her neck, kissing her lightly, though probably still half asleep. Pepper closed her eyes, content, and grabbed one of his hands, holding it in her own.

"That little girl is wrapped around your finger, you know," she mumbled sleepily.

He grinned against her skin, giving her chills, and the murmur he replied with was almost incoherent as they settled into sleep.

"I think it's the other way 'round..."

[deamstellarus]

Stranger Things Have Happened (2/11)

Pairing: Clint Barton x Reader

Summary: You’d spent your whole life hiding your ability from the world. When you ended up in a dark alley, you never expected to be saved by Tony Stark. But when you met your soulmate, you knew it was fate.

Word Count: 4207

Warnings: None really, unless you count slight embarrassment 

Chapter 2: Awkward Encounters

          You woke up the next morning with the sun shining on your face. You were so content that the realization that you were not, in fact, in your room in your apartment didn’t occur to you until a few moments later. Then you started to panic, until you heard a voice call out.

         “Miss, your heart rate indicates that you are panicking. Please try to calm down. You are at the Avengers Tower. I have alerted the Boss that you are awake,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, and you suddenly remembered the previous night. Slowly, you got out of bed, your body aching but oddly feeling more refreshed than you have in months. Sliding on the slippers and pulled on a hoodie, went and brushed your teeth with the new toothbrush you found, then cracked open the bedroom door, peeking into the hallway. It was empty as you made your way into the living room, walking up to the giant windows and taking in the view of New York. You’d never seen so much of New York all at once, it was almost calming being so high up above the fast-paced city. You didn’t hear the ding of the elevator, so the following voice startled you.

         “Well good morning, Alleycat!” Tony said, taking you by surprise. You jumped, turned to see him a few feet away. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Are you hungry?” You were about to respond as your stomach answered for you in what must have been the loudest growl that echoed in the room. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughed.

         “It would appear so,” you said, pulling at your sleeves.

         “Come along, let’s go to the kitchen and see what Cap is making for everyone.” Right. You were going to meet the Avengers today. Suddenly, you were nervous. They’re just normal people, people who just happened to be superheroes.

         He started back for the elevator but turned to see you still glued to the same spot, feeling unprepared. What if you were intruding on their home? Technically you were. What if they didn’t like you being there? He held out his hand and you hesitantly took it, following him into the elevator. He pressed a button with a big A on it, upon closer inspection you saw it was the Avengers logo. “This is the button for the Avengers common room floor. This is also where the kitchen is located. You can come down here whenever you’d like.”

         The doors opened to a truly impressive common room. There was a 70 inch TV on the wall above a fireplace, facing several large (and expensive) couches. Just like in Tony’s room, there were floor to ceiling windows on the far wall. There was a bar off to the side that looked fully stocked. To the right was a long table that looked like it was able to seat at least twelve, and beyond that was a kitchen, with what looked to be state of the art appliances. There were a few people sitting on the couches, watching the news: a man with longer brown hair, a woman with long reddish hair, and a man that looked...is he purple? You recognized the brunet man though as Sergeant James Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Seated at the breakfast counter was a man with deep, warm skin you recognized immediately as the Falcon, and the man at the stove flipping pancakes was none other than Captain America himself.

         “Look alive people, we have company,” Tony said pulling you towards the kitchen. “Something smells good, Capsicle.” Everyone stopped and looked at you, some doing a double take and you cowered a little behind Tony. When did you get to be so shy? He chuckled. “They don’t bite, Alleycat. Mostly.”

         “Speak for yourself, Stark,” Sam said winking at you. “I’m Sam Wilson.” He said to you, holding out his hand for you to shake. You accepted it and gave him your name.

         “I know who you are,” you giggled lightly. “You’re the Falcon.”

“Ha! See Tony?! What did I tell you? The people love me!” Sam said, to which Tony rolled his eyes.

         “Steve Rogers, ma’am,” Steve said, holding out his hand, and you took it, staring at him in awe. He really was as anatomically perfect as he seemed to be on TV.

         “Over there is Bucky Barnes, the previous Winter Soldier, Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch, and the Vision,” Tony said, gesturing to the people on the couch. You waved a little to them. “Here, take a seat and Cap will get you a plate.” He said pulling out a seat at the breakfast counter for you, then making a beeline for the coffee machine. Even though you’ve only just met him, you’re sure he relies on the caffeine after having spotted the bags under his eyes. He probably doesn’t get much sleep.

         Steve set a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of you and Sam passed you the syrup. They looked at you expectantly, so you grabbed you fork and took a bite and released a small moan. Then stopped, and looked up blushing. They laughed.

         “Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten and this is amazing,” you said after swallowing. “Thank you.”

          “It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” Steve and Tony exchanged a look. You wondered briefly if Tony had told the rest of them about you.

         “Go on and eat up, Selina Kyle. Doc wants to check your progress.” You made a face at the nickname but deciding it could be worse. Guess we’re gonna stick with the cat-theme then. You shrugged and began eating, practically inhaling the food. Under any other circumstances, you’d probably be more embarrassed but you couldn’t find it in you to feel that way at the moment. You finished your food, then thanked Steve and waved to the rest as you followed Tony a little more confidently to the elevator. Once inside he hit the button for the medical wing, then he looked over to you, taking note of your more relaxed state, calmer than you had been when he’d first seen you this morning.

         “You’ll meet Clint and Natasha tonight, Hawkeye and Black Widow, when they get back from their mission. Thor is currently in Asgard, and Bruce is most likely in the lab. Rhodey should be around here somewhere,” he said as the doors opened. He brought you back to the room you’d been in last night, where you formally met Dr. Cho. She looked you over and asked you about any pain you might have. You didn’t have much, you’d been to used to His treatment and had started ignoring the lasting pain that came with the punches. She prescribed you some pain meds just in case and sent you on your way. Afterwards, Tony brought you down to his lab.

         “This is my workshop,” he said proudly. Looking around, you couldn’t help but notice all of the versions of Iron Man suits. There must have been at least 50. The space was large, half of the area dedicated to different inventions, completed and half-done, of Tony’s, along with papers disorganized spread across the tables, knicknacks everywhere you turned, a well used coffee machine, and a couch with a pillow and blanket on it. The other half of the area was neater by far, and housed the projects of Dr. Banner, who was working on a project as we walked in. He waved and gave a small smile, you returned the wave and grinned back. Tony brought you to a stool at one of his tables and handed you a device. It looked like a phone, but sleeker than you’d ever seen.

        “It’s a Stark phone. It’s more advanced than regular phones, and has F.R.I.D.A.Y. already integrated in it. All of our numbers are programmed into it, but you can download anything you want on it. It’s yours,” he said. He looked nervous, like he wanted, no-- needed, your opinion.

         “This is really cool. Thanks, Mr. Stark.” You said smiling. If you kept this up, your cheeks were going to hurt by the end of the day. He visibly relaxed.

         “Great! Now I’m going to work on some things down here and you are more than welcome to stay with us, or you can explore the Tower if you want. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can help you if you get lost.” You nodded.

         “Thank you, Mr. Stark. I think I’ll go look around if you don’t mind,” you said getting up.

         “Please. Mr. Stark was my father. Call me Tony,” he said, gesturing toward the door.

         Once in the elevator you didn’t know where to go. An idea occurred to you. “Uhm, hello? F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

         “Yes, Miss,” the AI responded.

“What types of things are there to do around here?”

         “There is a theater room, and a game room. There’s an indoor pool on the floor with the gym, as well as an outdoor pool with a deck for sunbathing. There’s also a library if you’d like to read.”

          It didn’t take you any time at all to respond that you’d like to go to the library level. You were shocked by the amount of books in the room, you hadn’t thought Tony Stark, technological genius would bother with having a library, much less a well-stocked one. You perused the shelves, finding an old classic and settled down in one of the over-sized chairs tucked in a corner by the window. You got comfortable, too comfortable it would seem, as that’s where Tony found you several hours later. He nudged your shoulder and you jerked awake, blinking the sleep out of your eyes.

         “That’s a good look, Sleeping Beauty,” he joked. You were confused until you felt the sleep marks for the book on your face. So you did the mature thing: you stuck your tongue out at him. He chuckled. “Get up. You haven’t had lunch yet and we don’t need Cap thinking I’m trying to turn you into me or something.” He winked.

         You followed him up to the kitchen, and Wanda was making sandwiches while Vision chopped some veggies to dip in a ranch sauce. Wanda smiled at you when you walked in, passing you a plate. You sat at the table with the rest of the superheroes. Wow, that was a weird sentence. Never before did you believe you’d be in this position. You all were eating quietly, before Bucky broke the silence.

          “So, tell us about yourself,” he said. His demeanor was intense but he had gentle eyes. The rest of the group leaned in slightly.

          “Uhm, well,” you began, not knowing really where to start. “I’m 23, I am a waitress, er was a waitress, I suppose. I had to quit that when He made me start testing.”

          “Who are you talking about, Kitten?” Tony asked. His grip on his mug had gotten a little tighter.

          “My boyfriend, er, well, ex-boyfriend now, Mason Thompson. He found out about my ability a few months ago by accident, and since then has been testing me and working with his bosses to do...I don’t know really. Last night, he took me to meet with them in person at a fancy restaurant, and were making a deal of sorts, but before they could take me, I faked having to go to the bathroom and ran out through the kitchen. I kept running until I stopped to take a breath and then hid in an alley until he left,” you said. You’d been looking at your hands during your story. You looked up then at Tony, “I guess that’s when you found me.”

          Tony nodded, eyebrows furrowed. He looked pale and the grip was so tight on his mug, his knuckles turned white and you were nervous for the mug. You supposed he had more than enough money to replace that one, or several thousand, should he want.

         “Why would they want you? What kind of testing?” Steve asked. Oh, right. They didn’t know about this.

         “I can, uh, transform into different animals, and uhm, people. When Tony found me, I was a cat.”

         If they were surprised, they hid it well. Probably comes with being a superhero, nothing is out of the ordinary when everything is.

         “Would you mind showing us?” Bucky asked, only to get elbowed by Steve, who pulled a face that you would recognize as the Captain America face. Probably had a special voice that accompanied it too. “What?” Bucky asked, rubbing his ribs.

          You shrugged before standing up.

          “You don’t have to, you know,” Tony said, putting his hand over yours, looking worried for the first time since last night. You couldn’t quite put a finger on why but you felt safe here. Maybe it was because you were in a room full of superheroes or maybe it was the compassion they’ve already shown you after only having known you for less than a day. So you nodded but stood up anyway, backing up a couple feet. You took a deep breathe and shifted into a cat, looking up at them and observing their faces. You gave them another moment and then turned into a grey wolf, walking around the table once before shifting into a snake and slithering up next to Sam, who proceeded to jump and fall out his chair. The group laughed as you morphed into Sam, taking a seat in your chair and making the face he had when you’d scared him. Bucky was laughing so hard, he was gasping for air. You shifted back to your normal self and giggled lightly, winking at Sam.

         “Oh I see how it is,” he said taking his seat again. “I’ve got my eye on you.” He pointed to his eyes then yours. You grinned back at him.

         “Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we will keep you safe from Him,” Wanda said with a smile. The rest of them nodding in agreement, and you were grateful to have been found by this group of people.

         The topic switched off of you and as you finished your food, you were starting to feel a little out of place at the table. As if you were intruding on their space. “If you’d like, I can help you pick out clothes and have them ordered here. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to keep wearing those clothes, they look rather big on you,” Wanda said. It was like she read your mind. You nodded, thankful for something else to do.

         “Oh, before you go, your room is ready,” Tony said. “I put you on Wanda’s floor, if that’s alright.”

         “That’s perfect. Thank you,’ you said as Wanda pulled you out of the room.

         You and Wanda headed to your new room, and when you opened the door, it was similar to the guest room in the penthouse. The biggest difference was the desk that also had a laptop on it. It was perfect. Wanda grabbed the laptop and sat on the bed. You joined her and began looking for clothes that fit your style. In an hour, you had a full wardrobe picked out, ready to be delivered tomorrow morning. You looked at the price and the realization of where you really were and what that meant for you started to overwhelm you. You don’t don’t deserve all of this attention.

        “Don’t worry about the price. Tony is more than willing to spend it on you, and has more than enough money to spare,” Wanda said, sensing your worry. “It’s okay, there’s no need to feel undeserving.” But how did she--? Wanda smiled. “It’s part of my abilities. I can read minds and sense emotions, among other more...powerful...things.”

         Wanda patted your shoulder. She wanted to go out to the common room, but you told her you wanted to take a shower but you’d meet her there in a little while. She left and you took a deep breath. Maybe that was all you needed to relax and accept this new reality. After your jasmine-scented shower, you put on the fresh clothes you found in the drawers. They still dwarfed you but you felt better than you had in such a long time. You pulled a comb through your long, wet hair, slid on the slippers, and made your way to the common room.

         You found Wanda on one of the couches cuddled up next to a slightly stiff looking Vision. They must be soulmates, you think. You weren’t quite sure what to make of him yet; he doesn’t talk much. The other couches contained Steve and Sam on one, while Bucky scowled at Sam from the other. You chuckled softly as you made your way into the room. You felt their eyes on your exposed arms and crossed them, trying to hide the largest bruise on the inside of your right arm. Not quite sure where to sit, you hovered near them until Bucky patted the spot next to him, putting his arm on the back of the couch. You took a seat and fell immediately into him. Embarrassed, you sat up and scoot a little away from him, but he gently pulled you back.

        “I don’t mind, doll,” he said with a smile, and you could instantly understand why he was considered a ladies’ man before the war. You’d been to the exhibit of Captain America and the rest of the Howling Commandos, of course, but nothing had prepared you for seeing Bucky’s grin in person. You didn’t think it’d be so soon after Him that you’d feel comfortable this close to another man, but there was none of the men in this room had reacted nearly the same nor made you feel like an object since they’d seen your ability.

         You relaxed into his side and the six of you watched some made-for-TV-movies when the elevator dinged. You thought nothing of it until a loud voice called, “Hey! Who ate all my chips? Wilson!?”

         Not expecting the outburst, you morphed unconsciously, cowering next to Bucky. You felt their eyes on you, but your attention had been drawn to the new people in the room.You watched as a woman with red hair and a body that most would kill for walked into the room. Following close behind her was man who had dirty blonde hair, and a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. Black Widow and Hawkeye, the latter of whom was holding a now empty bag of barbeque chips.

         “Did you hear me?” he asked. “What are you all looking at?” He looked down to see your fluffy body on the couch. “When did we get a bunny?” He knelt down to pet you. “Well, aren’t you a pretty bunny,” he said smiling.

          The rest of the group couldn’t help but laugh, while the two assassins stood there looking confused. You, on the other hand, were mortified. Not only had you met two more Avengers in animal form, but one of them just so happened to be your soulmate. At least he said the words on your ribs. You got up and hopped out of there as fast as you could to the elevators that thankfully opened as you approached them. When you were safely hidden inside, you changed back and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. You got to your floor and crawled into bed, hiding under the covers, hoping the bed would swallow you whole.

         You don’t know how long it had been but you woke to the sound of a knock at your door and then the door opening. Tony stepped in and gently shut it behind him. He carried a tray with what looked like Chicken Parmesan.

         “Hey, kiddo. You alright?” he asked, awkwardly setting the tray on the desk. You shrugged. “I know you hadn’t planned to meet them this way, but even Legolas is kicking himself for scaring you away.”

         “It wasn’t just that,” you hesitated, not knowing if you should tell him. He waited, and you wondered if he was normally this patient or if this was new for him. “Uhm, he kinda, said my words…”

         A look passed over his face. “Oh. Huh. Did you, uh, say them back?” You could have smacked yourself. Of course you hadn’t thought to say anything back, too embarrassed in the moment. You shook your head.

         “I ran off before I could say anything. He probably thinks I’m just some stupid girl.” You fell back onto your bed, pulling a pillow over your face.

         “Alright, no more self-deprecating remarks. That’s not who you are.”

         “You don’t even really know me.” You said into the pillow. You winced, glad your face was hidden.

          He replied without missing a beat. “Hm, be that as it may, Grumpy Cat, I am a good judge of character.” With that he opened the door, but before he stepped out, he said, “Just remember, you can’t stay in here forever, nor can you hide from a master assassin.” He shut the door behind him and for the rest of the night, you contemplated what you were going to do about Clint. Your soulmate.

          By morning, you’d decided Tony was right, you couldn’t stay in your room forever, nor hide from the assassin for too long. But why rush to him when you didn’t have to, right? Damn, when had you become such a baby? I suppose a few months of living with Him would change anyone.

“Where are the Avengers currently, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Captain Rogers is in the gym with Mr. Wilson, Sergeant Barnes, and Ms. Romanov. Ms. Maximoff and Vision are in the common room. Boss is the lab with Dr. Banner. And Mr. Barton is the shooting and archery range.”

“Thank you.” Alright. Well you suppose you could go down to sit with Wanda, but you might be intruding on the soulmates’ time together so you thought against it. Maybe you could sit in and watch the rest of them train, or would that be weird? There was a knock at your door and several workers carrying boxes greeted you. You opened the first one and realized it was the clothes you and Wanda had ordered yesterday. You dug through the boxes and pulled on a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a thin pullover. Pulling your hair into a long braid, a la Katniss, and sliding on a pair of flats, you decided to chance it.

You headed down to the gym level, only to see Clint walking toward a door leading to the locker rooms. You hid behind a pillar until he was out of sight, and then let out the breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. Maybe you should just go back? You were about to turn around when you saw something shiny out of the corner of your eye. There was a vent next to the gym entrance, the door was slightly opened. What if…? No, that would be too weird, right?

         Against your better judgement, you morphed into a cat, and quickly ran across the floor to the vent, nudging it open with your paw. You climbed inside, up and over, following the voices and grunts you could hear from what you assumed was the gym. There were several other vents leading into the gym but you chose the middle of the five. Looking through the grates, you could see Steve spotting Sam on the weight bench, while Natasha and Bucky sparred on the mats. Was she winning? She was. That’s someone you would not, could not, cross.

         As you watched them dance around the mat, you didn’t here the slight shuffling of someone coming up beside you, until they coughed to get your attention. Jumping away  as much as you can in a vent, you turned to see what...who... made the sound. Clint. Just your luck. He looked at you expectantly. You changed back into your normal self and looked just fast his face, not quite looking into his eyes.

         “So, uh, you come here often?” You offered, wincing at how stupid you sounded. His eyes widened as realization flickered across his face.

         “Actually, yes…,” he said, to which you made a mental note to ask about that later as he followed that by saying, “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, but are you my soulmate?”

          Your mouth dried up. You closed your eyes and nodded, embarrassment flooding through you, face on fire.. You felt one of his hands cup your cheek. You opened your eyes meeting his blue-green gaze. “It’s alright to be afraid of the unknown. We don’t have to rush into anything. But I would like to get to know you. You know, I always thought I’d meet you at a bar or something,” he laughed. “I’m Clint, by the way.”

         For the second time that day, you could have smacked yourself at how awkward you are. You told him your name. His smile was easily your favorite thing about him.

[celtic7irish]

Downtime

For a genius, Tony was awfully slow at noticing the things going on around him sometimes.  Probably because he was always in a rush, racing from one problem to the next without taking any time to slow down and pay attention to the people around him.

  Bruce could understand that; he’d been very much like that once, too, back before the Incident that resulted in the birth of the Hulk.  He’d been in such a rush that he’d tried an untested procedure on himself with only minimal data.  It was his own fault, and he couldn’t blame the army for that.  He’d been so certain, so very sure of himself, that he’d allowed himself to rush through the theory and gone straight to the practical application.

  So it wasn’t surprising that he recognized it when Tony did the same thing, running from an SI meeting to the next Avengers battle to the lab to work on weapon upgrades, then onto a lunch date with Pepper or a night out with Rhodes.    He was running himself ragged, and Bruce was growing increasingly worried for his friend.

  Tony, of course, seemed oblivious to the worried looks that the rest of the team was shooting him.  Bruce knew it was bad when Steve approached him and asked him if Tony was okay.  He supposed that it was up to him to do something about it, since nobody else seemed able or willing.

  He started with JARVIS, working with the AI to determine where Tony might have gaps in his schedule – rarely – and how to get the man to take some time for himself.  It wasn’t going to be easy, but Bruce was determined not to see his friend run himself into the ground, even if that meant cheating.

  After determining that it would be better to start small, Bruce made minor changes in his own day that directly impacted Tony’s work.  He set alarms for himself for meals, and when he ate, he brought a plate down to Tony.  Dummy greeted him enthusiastically once Bruce gave the bot his word that he wasn’t trying to replace the bot’s function as feeder of Stark, and Tony would usually eat anything that was set on the worktable.  Bruce checked with JARVIS that Dummy wasn’t giving his creator anything toxic, and the AI assured him that Dummy was closely monitored when he made smoothies. They might not always be tasty, but they were at least edible.

  JARVIS also tended to turn down Tony’s music when Bruce was in the workshop, so Bruce started going there in the evenings, curling up on the worn, comfortable couch kept off to the side of Tony’s work space, for those rare nights when the engineer actually managed to fall into an exhausted sleep without actually making it to his bed.  Tony never asked JARVIS to turn up the music when Bruce was in the room, nor did he seem annoyed by Bruce’s presence.  Instead, the other man would oftentimes talk to Bruce about whatever it was he was working on.  Sometimes Bruce was able to understand enough to ask intelligent questions; other times, he was pretty much just a sounding board, making an occasional noise of agreement while Tony rattled off numbers and theories and anecdotes with unbridled enthusiasm.

  Eventually, though, he’d start to lag, his head dropping until it was pillowed on his arms.  At that point, Bruce would urge the sleepy genius to his feet and stagger them over towards the couch, settling him in and dropping a blanket over him before seeking out his own bed.

  Dealing with SHIELD was a bit harder, as Bruce had no desire to get anywhere near the shady organization.  He still hadn’t forgiven them for tracking him, if he was honest – even if knowing that somebody had his back was a bit reassuring.  JARVIS was incredibly accommodating, however, and it was only a matter of hours before Bruce had a list of projects that Tony was working on for SHIELD.  He was pretty sure some of it was just Fury seeing if he could make the son of Howard Stark jump, while some of it was probably necessary.

  Having confirmed his hypothesis, Bruce approached Steve.  As their leader, it was the Captain’s job to make sure that all of his people were healthy and well-rested – or as well-rested as a couple of paranoid spies, a genius engineer, an Asgardian warrior prince, and an angry biophysicist ever actually got – and Bruce was well aware of how much sway the other man held in the SHIELD hierarchy, even if he seemed oblivious to it.

  When he brought his concerns to Steve, the Captain took one look at the evidence (and didn’t even ask how Bruce had gotten hold of the information), did an about-face, and left the building.  A couple of hours later, Tony was on a call with Nick Fury in one of his rarely used conference rooms.  Bruce had no idea what they discussed, but when Tony left the conference room, he seemed a little bit confused and a lot pissed off.  He disappeared into his workshop and locked it down, leaving Bruce with nothing to do but wait him out, wondering if his plan had backfired.

  “JARVIS?” he asked nearly eleven hours later, when there was still no sign of Tony.

  “Yes, Doctor Banner?” the AI asked politely.

  Bruce paused for a moment, then took a small breath.  “Is Tony still in his workshop?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry, Doctor Banner,” JARVIS replied.  “Sir left the building seven hours and fourteen minutes ago.  Destination is classified,” he added before Bruce could ask for the other man’s location.

  Bruce sighed.  Dammit.  “Thanks, JARVIS,” he said.  “Am I allowed into Tony’s workshop when he’s not there?”  Maybe there was something there that would at least give him some idea of where his friend might have run off to.  Because when Tony left directly from his workshop, that usually mean he’d left in the Iron Man armor, rather than via car.

  “You are welcome, Doctor Banner,” JARVIS answered him.  “You have been granted unrestricted access to Sir’s workshop.”

  Bruce just shook his head; he still couldn’t believe that Tony trusted him so unconditionally.  He’d trusted both of them – Bruce and the Hulk – from the very beginning, even with Loki’s scepter messing with their heads.  Bruce was pretty sure that part of it was just Tony’s way of rebelling against the perceived disapproval of Captain America, but the end result was the same.  Bruce was determined to never give Tony a reason to regret that trust.

  Slipping into the lab, Bruce greeted the bots with a quiet murmur when they lifted their heads curiously.  They were currently plugged into their charging stations, so Bruce wandered further into the workshop, taking in half-finished projects, empty plates and coffee mugs, and scattered tools.  There was a holo-image of Clint’s bow floating idly in the center of the room, broken down to its component parts.  Apparently Barton was due for an upgrade.

  He didn’t touch anything as he wandered through the room.  Tony’s workshop was like his sacred space, just as Bruce’s lab was his.  Instead, he wandered over to the Keurig that Tony kept in the shop and prepared a cup of tea.  He generally preferred to prepare his own with a proper teapot, but this would work in a pinch.

  Wandering over to the well-worn couch, he pulled the afghan off the back and settled down.  He picked up the book on astrology he’d been reading for entertainment and curled up to read until Tony returned.  It was nice to be able to stay in one place long enough to be able to learn about anything that he wanted to, rather than focusing only on what he had to in order to survive.  And Tony had an extensive library.  Actually, he had three libraries that Bruce had discovered so far, and he suspected that JARVIS could tell him if there were more.  But he never asked; stumbling across them was part of the fun.

  He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but when he finally dozed off, Tony still hadn’t returned, though JARVIS had promised to wake him when the other man got back.

  He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep when he heard the low roar of repulsors as Tony returned.  He sat up with a yawn, stretching as JARVIS turned up the lights.  Tony clunked down, the face mask lifting up as he raised his eyebrows at Bruce.  “Brucie-bear, what brings you to my lair?” he asked as his suit retracted from his body.  He didn’t sound angry, so Bruce figured that whatever he’d been out doing, it had given him time to work off any residual anger from his conversation with Fury.

  Bruce shrugged.  “Waiting for you.”  He glanced around for a clock, then shrugged, feeling a bit sheepish.  “I guess I fell asleep,” he muttered.

  Tony chuckled, moving around to the front of the couch.  Bruce pulled his legs up, and Tony flopped down onto the open space with a long, drawn-out sigh, his legs thrown out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.  “Can’t say I blame you,” he replied after a moment, picking up the thread of their conversation.  “I mean, it’s been kind of crazy around here, in case you hadn’t noticed.”  He glanced sideways at Bruce, who just nodded; Tony hadn’t been the only one with a tightly packed schedule recently; the others just handled their downtime better.  “Speaking of crazy, how’s that project of yours going?” 

  Bruce blinked at him.  “Project?” he asked, confused.  “Which one?”  He had several different experiments going on right now, but none of them were particularly urgent or time consuming.

  Tony quirked an eyebrow at him.  “The Tony-needs-some-downtime project,” he said bluntly, his tone amused.  Bruce winced; he knew?  Tony chuckled, his knee shifting to press lightly against Bruce’s foot where it rested on the couch.  “Not that I’m complaining, but really, you could’ve just told me.”

  Bruce peered over at him.  He didn’t seem upset, but… “Are you angry?” he asked curiously.  He really hoped not, but he wouldn’t blame Tony if he was.  He probably shouldn’t have interfered in the first place.

  “Nah,” Tony shook his head.  “I mean, sure, when Fury told me that he was cutting me from half a dozen projects, I was a bit pissed, but none of them are things that SHIELD R&D can’t handle.  I just don’t like being told that I can’t do something.”  And wasn’t that the damn truth?

  “I’m still sorry I interfered,” Bruce sighed.

  Tony shrugged, but he was perfectly serious when he asked, “Sorry you interfered? Or sorry you were caught?”

  Bruce winced, but gave an honest reply.  “I’m not sorry that I interfered, but I am sorry for not discussing it with you first.”

  Tony nodded.  Grinned.  Flopped over onto his side so that his head was in Bruce’s lap.  “You should be sorry,” he agreed.  “Very sorry.  In fact, you should seriously think about how you’re going to make this up to me.”   He was outright smirking now, and Bruce felt his stomach sink.  He didn’t know what he’d just gotten himself into, but he was pretty sure he’d do it, anyhow. 

  “And how do you suggest I do that?” he asked, smiling down at his friend.

  Tony pretended to think about that for a moment.  “Well,” he started, “since I suddenly seem to have a bit of free time, I was planning to tinker around with one of my cars.  Perhaps the roadster.”

  Bruce pulled a face; he had no interest in restoring antique calls.  As far as he was concerned, if it didn’t run, it was scrap.  “Sure you don’t want to, say, get some sleep?” he suggested hopefully.

  Tony grinned.  “Nope,” he said cheerfully.  “I just spent the last twelve hours at SHIELD Headquarters and SI so that I’d have about twenty-four hours of free time.  I’ll sleep later.  Maybe.”

  Bruce just sighed.  And to think, all he’d wanted was for Tony to slow down a bit and not overwork himself.  He supposed he had nobody but himself to blame for this now.  “All right,” he agreed.  “Car, then food, then sleep.  I might not know what I’m doing, but I can hand you tools.”

  “Yeah?” Tony asked, smiling.

  Bruce smiled back.  “Yeah.”

[topazshadowwolf]

Dadster (Chapter 7)

The Great and Wonderful Dr. W.D. Dadster

With the best story title, ever, if he must say so himself. Clearly it will go down in his-story

An Undertale Fanfiction by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox Rating: Teen for mild cursing, violence and to give me some wiggle room for later down the road Heads up: Cursing, violence … not all sure, still in development AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6

Random notes:   Hey! I know it’s been awhile since I posted a chapter of this story. I just was feeling a little discouraged. Anyway, I’ll try to get back to writing this story more often because I really love it.

Chapter 6: I... I wasn’t expecting that, honestly...

Gaster doubted it was over. He won a battle but not the war. Chara knew about his son and his secret lab. How long did he have? That would depend on Chara. In all truth, he didn't know if she would try anything else, or if he was just being paranoid. But he felt he needed to move from this lab and hide all sensitive documents.

As far as he knew, he still had a few locations in his lab that the human child knew nothing about. They were nothing but simple closet like spaces to store equipment and documents. Is it suspicious? Oh yes! Had he known another scientist with a lab like this he would wonder what they were up to. But Gaster trusted himself.

Well, yes, he did somehow beat the odds, create a life with the intent on turning said life into an instrument of war. But he clearly had enough moral fiber to turn back from that project. Thus, he reasoned, he should be allowed to have a work space like this. A shame it might no longer be so private

He gathered every note he had on Sans and opened the top drawer of the filing cabinet. Lifting the false bottom, he stored all that precious data away. Burning it might be a better option later, but right now he would have no means to cover up the smell of smoke or reasonable place to hide the ashes.

(Besides, there is always the off chance he might want another.)

Picking Sans up, his ethereal hands grabbed up all the baby items and shoved them into the hidden closet spaces. He would have to hide everything for now, and hope to move it to his new location later. Luckily Sans is easy to entertain and sleeps a lot. A few hours without toys should pass fairly well.

There was nothing he could do for the makeshift crib or children’s bookcase. He will just have to think of a reasonable lie for both if Chara leads Asgore here. Luckily for him, the king will believe nearly anything he tells him. If all the children's books and blankets are hidden away there won't be any evidence against his claim. Now he had a new problem. Moving Sans through the facility unseen, and (more importantly) where to move him.

After some thought he decided on wing A. No one used that lab wing anymore. It was the first wing of the true lab, after the decision to not expand the upper level. It wasn't until he justified the need for more space that the other wings added. So, all the equipment was old, and the offices were small, compared to the newest ones.

Destination decided, he then bundled the small skeleton up and placed him in a box. Perhaps it wasn’t the most dignified way to move his son; but, feeling rushed, it was the only answer he had. Sans, luckily, was ready for a nap now that his dad is here and whatever trauma he went through was over.

The two made their way through the facility, mostly unbothered. Gaster was happy for this. It appears his mood from earlier left an impact. Unfortunately, this was not to last, a bird looking monster in a lab coat approached with a feline, dress in CORE engineer uniform.

“Sir,” she trilled, “I know you are busy, but you need to see these numbers.”

“It can wait,” he said, walking passed.

“No, it can’t,” snapped the engineer. He quickly moved in front of Gaster and waved the papers in his face. “Now, ya might have this lot bowing to ya as if yer the king, but that ain't going to work with me!”

Gaster was taken aback by this, “Clearly. Make your point, but lower your voice, if you would so kind. I have a skull ache.” In truth, he felt Sans move in the box. Last thing he needed was his son waking and crying.

“I don't care if yer head pops off! My workers are in danger, have been in danger. The CORE is overheatin’ and anytime I ask if ya know, they turn me away.”

“Let me see those,” Gaster said, handing the box he was holding over to the bird monster. He took the papers and read them over. He was surprised by the readings. “There seems to be more strain on it.”

“There's more monsters than there used ta be,” the engineer said, “more things usin’ energy too. We are maintainin’ her well, but she can't keep this up. And I don't think I need to tell you what could happen if she broke.”

“No, you don't,” he thought for a moment, “for now we will have to limit energy use. Shorter day cycles too. I won't kill monster kind to have less light for a while, considering we nearly spent a year in the dark.” Gaster then looked at the Head Engineer of The CORE, “I will look for solutions in the meantime.”

“Thank ya,” the feline nodded and turned away, mumbling, “‘bout flippin’ time, gotta do everthin’ m’self.”

Gaster started to make his way again, looking over The CORE’s recent temperatures and maintenance reports. He was sure he had developed a strong enough coolant. Were they using a bad batch? Nope. The engineer's report states they not only check the quality of the coolant, but switch it as well.

“Sir, your box?” The bird monster called out to him.

Box?

SANS!

The speed at which he turned nearly left him dizzy as he all but ran back to retrieve his son. Sans must have made a sound or moved as the bird monster started to lift a flap. Before she could see in, he placed the reports and his hand on the top of the box.

With an empty socket stare, he said slowly, “Thank you, for bringing these concerns to my attention. And thank you, also, for holding my box.” The bird hesitated, “I believe this is when you say, ‘you’re welcome.’”

“Oh, uh, you’re welcome, Doctor,” she said, surrendering the box to Gaster.

He looked at her for a moment, not wanting to leave it at this. After all, she did make sure that this was brought to his attention. The safety of monster kind is more important to him than providing them with energy. If no solution is found, he’d rather shut The CORE down than have it break.

He lit his eye sockets, giving her two white dots to look at verses empty darkness. “I have a task for you. Find everyone who turned the engineer away. I have made myself available, and by no means would I be too busy to deal with any problems with The CORE.”

Having lights in his eyes again seemed to relax her, “Of course, Doctor. I’ll get on that right away.” With an approving nod, Gaster turned to resume moving Sans to the A wing.

Just as he was rounding the corner a voice called out from behind him, “Doctor, you have a, uh, royal visitor.”

“AS EXPECTED!” Gaster called back, “tell our king that I will be there right away!”

“D-doctor, about that-”

“Just tell him,” he said picking up his pace. He needed to stash his son somewhere, stat. Luckily, King Asgore was not an impatient monster.

He was most of the way down the hall when there was a loud pop. From above green, shimmering, magic bullets, in the shape of stars and planets with rings, filter down before fizzling out of existence. With Gaster’s health already at full, any that touched him did nothing.

A black banner unfurled before him, the words “Welcome To The Space” was written in large, white, painted letters. (Squeezed in at the end was “Department”. Gaster didn't see it till later). Around the words was an almost accurate depiction of the night sky.

“Welcome, Doctor Gaster!” A dark blue, monitor lizard monster with bright green stripes said. “My name is Doctor M. R., the current head of the Space Department by default. Since, you know, you never assigned anyone else here.”

Space Department? When did his lab have a Space Department? He thought hard as she continued talking. And then he remembered the day he assigned someone to a nonexistent department. (You know, back at the beginning of the project to make a weapon) The information he gathered, about the social requirements for a young monster to grow up stable, was hers.

Before now, he didn’t notice she was leading him down the hall to lab A-1. In it was a few interesting inventions. As he looked around he started listening again, “Now, I know I have been fudging the numbers. Claiming there are 3 people in this department, but that is the least amount of people required for a department to be valid. It is annoying trying to collect the check though, as each time they have no idea I’m working here. Which is fine by me, really, I don’t mind working alone. But, moving on, I only take my pay and use the rest to fund my experiments. Making this, over all, the cheapest but among the more useful departments. Seeing has how space travel is currently out of the question, I feel I have enough time to fully explore how space travel would be possible. Also, how we could potentially colonize a new planet.” She waved a hand over to a variety of plants, “Those are some surface plants that were brought down as seeds. As you can see I cultivated-”

“How much of this does Asgore know about?” Gaster asked, sure that Asgore never would have funded this “department.”

“Uh… well, not much. I keep my reports to him very vague. And use…,” she hummed a soft tone before continuing, “words that may go over his kingly head. Not an easy task, mind you. On paper this is the ‘Astro-exploratory, Quantum Physics and Mechanics Department for a Brighter Tomorrow.’ I thought the end part added a nice flare.”

“How did you know I was coming?” Gaster looked at Doctor M. R.

She waved her hand to a screen, on it was several views of the hall, rooms, and even the lab they were in, “my monitors. I have the entire wing under surveillance for just this moment.”

“For… just the moment I might walk down here?”

“I have to make sure to give you a proper welcome,” she smiled big, humming to herself in contentment. As Gaster continued thinking in silence the lizard fidgeted nervously.

“If Asgore were to walk in now, what wouldn't you show him?” Gaster said and watched for her reaction.

She pointed her index fingers at him as if they were guns, in a playful manner, while she smirked, “don't you mean: what would I show him?” When Gaster was slow to respond, she cleared her throat, “I mean, I have a few things that don't fall in the more… theoretical… it is hard to prove this departments worth, but I assure you, Doctor, if you don't shut this de-”

“Who said anything about shutting this down? I CLEARLY had reason for creating this department,” Gaster bluffed his way through. He then handed the box containing Sans to her. “Keep him safe and make sure no one knows about him, or I will shut this down. Understand?”

“Yeeeees?” She looked a little confused, then looked at the box as he started to walk away.

“Give away my secret and I will do the same to you.” Gaster added, loudly, as he walked down the hall.

“Your secret is safe with me!” She called back, almost singing it. She said something more, but he didn't have time. Asgore may be a patient king, but he won't wait forever.

  Doctor Melody Of The River (or M. R. or just Dr. R. as she often signs her name) had poked her head out of the lab and said, “Wait! Did you say him?” But Doctor Gaster obviously didn't hear her or cared. With a sigh, she walked over to a table to set the box down.

On her way there, she could have sworn she a sound… a very distinct sound. The kind of sound that anyone with a strong paternal instinct reacts to. Setting the box on the table she opened it, and, despite knowing what she heard, was surprised.

Two, half opened eye sockets looked up at her with two fuzzy eye lights. The small skeleton wiggled, as if trying to stretch, but the blanket he was wrapped in was preventing such movement. In the effort, he made a few small grunts before sighing and giving up.

“Who puts a baby in a box? Come here, you,” River reached in and picked the child up. Last she heard, Gaster never remarried after his wife died. To top that off, there was no rumor of a lover of any kind, and she was certain she heard he was the last skeleton alive.

So then… where did this one come from?

(In truth, she had an idea. After all, she worked with theatrical science. She knew something can’t just appear from nothing, and she heard the rumors of Gaster hurting his hand doing something no one knew anything about. Still, even to her, it seemed farfetched.)

A light and a beep let Doctor R. know someone was walking down the hall. Glancing up, she saw the human child of the royal family on the monitors running this way. Well, it is a good thing Doctor R. had researched many different monster types. She knew the perfect hiding spot.

  Gaster hurried to the upper lab, and what he saw was not King Asgore. No, that was, definitely, not the King. But it was indeed a “royal visitor.” A very annoyed and angry one. One that he would not have kept waiting for this long had he known.

“Your Majesty,” Gaster said as he walked forward, keeping a calm demeanor.

Queen Toriel’s burgundy eyes, like two garnets, looked right at him with a glare that nearly made him recoil. Chara chose well in picking this boss monster to confront Gaster. Asgore was not a bad ruler, but he was very tolerant. Toriel, on the other hand, was the type who won’t stand for nonsense, and was a mother bear when it came to defending her children.

“Cut the crap,” she said with a snarl. She bent over slightly to stare Gaster right in the eye sockets. She made sure she wasn’t looming over him as she glared with a flame in her eyes, that he knew not to ignore. Gaster respected that about her, when it came to matters like this, she didn’t use her position and height to intimidate. As if she needed those to threaten someone, especially someone who knew her before being underground. “Right now, I want to talk like we did back during the war. No titles, no obligatory niceties, and none of that sugar coating or dropping of relevant details you do for my husband.”

Well, this is happening…

Placing his hands in his lab coat pockets, Gaster looked back at Toriel. “Then, Toriel, what can I do for you?”

“Why did my child come home, crying, saying you threatened them,” Toriel stood back to her full height and looked down at him, most likely to spare her back.

She wanted him to be straight forward with her, then that’s what she’ll get. With a casual shrug he said, “What was your child doing unsupervised in my lab?”

“That doesn’t give you the right to terrorize them!” Toriel snapped, “They came home, looking as pale as a ghost!”

So, Chara made the transition from ‘her’ to ‘them.’ Fine, he’ll respect that. “You’re lucky they didn’t come home just a soul.” Toriel snarled and Gaster continued, giving her a deadpan stare, “My lab is not safe for children.”

“They said you threatened them,” Toriel’s fangs gleamed as she exposed more of them when her lips curled back. As a skeleton, he tends to notice teeth, horns, and other bits of bone that protrudes from his, more fleshy, fellow monsters. Yet, before this moment, he never considered how sharp Toriel's fangs appeared.

(Despite Toriel's and Asgore being “goat monsters” and having some resemblance to the herbivore; calling them as such can result in a short sightedness. After all, what goat has large paws? Or fangs? This is something Gaster is learning.)

“L-Lady, I mean,” Everyone who wasn't watching with interest now was. Not only did Gaster, the proud, self-secured, skeleton he was just stutter, but he took a hesitant half step backwards while holding out his hand defensively; clearly wanting to escape.

But that notion was denied, as Toriel reach out and grabbed him by his coat, holding him in place. “Why, old friend,” she uttered venomously, “are you trying to flee? Perhaps you are guilty of something?”

‘This is how I die,’ Gaster thought, ‘surrounded by backstabbers who’d rather gawk than help. All the while Sans, my son… Sans!’

What would happen to his son if he died here? (Not that Toriel would actually kill him. Well, she might have, had she wittiness what occurred earlier.) He didn't want Sans to be orphaned. What would they do if they figured out his secret? Would they treat him as the child he is? Or as the thing he was originally going to be?

Gaster narrowed his eye sockets, glaring back at Toriel, “Are you insinuating something? Is there a crime you think I am guilty of?”

“According to Chara, you have a child locked up in a secret lab downstairs,” Toriel’s hand was trembling with pent up rage.

“Nonsense! While I will confess to having my own private section of this facility, I would never lock up a child! Monster or human, at that.”

Toriel watched his face carefully, looking for any hints of lying. Not seeing anything she released him, “It didn’t seem like something that Chara would just make up. Children have their imaginations, but that is beyond what I’ve normally heard from them.”

Gaster straightened his jacket, calming his nerves further in the process. “Well, if I had to guess,” he started, looking down at himself before looking back up at the Queen, “your child misunderstood what it is I am working on.”

“Is that so?” She folded her arms, face relaxing slightly, but the anger was still present. “Well, then, why don’t you show me what it is you are working on? And this ‘private section.’”

“Of course, if you would follow me,” Gaster turned, his gut instincts were right about moving labs. Toriel will be more skeptical, and thus, harder to convince than Asgore, but she can be reasoned with.

As they descend into the lab, Gaster ignored the stares as he passed by his workers. Let them gawk. This was a make or break moment, and his son remaining hidden would depend all on a monster he knew nothing about.

  “Hello there, Chara,” Dr. R. sang out more than spoke, “It is an honor-”

“Where is it?” Chara snapped.

This was intriguing to the lizard monster, and she tilted her head, “Where is what?” Dr. R hummed, “Wouldn’t have happened to hear of my latest project? And here I thought it was kept a secret.”

“I’m talking about the thing Gaster brought you,” Chara huffed.

The lizard monster brightened up, “Oooh that! Well, I’m surprised you would find interest in it. But if that is what you want to see, if you would just follow me~”

With a simple wave of a claw like hand, she gestured for the human child to follow. They walked together from the lab and down the hall a short way. Dr. R lead the human to a room with filing cabinets, “Now, I put that box in one of these….” She hummed, “but I can’t remember which.”

“He was just here, how did you forget?” Chara sighed, “Look, I don’t want to hurt it, I just want to see what it can do.”

“Not sure I understand,” Dr. R. frowned, “But the box is somewhere in here… Shall we look?” She smiled brightly, and the human sighed and started opening drawers. All the while Dr. R. hummed an unheard song, sometimes singing a lyric or two.

Just Chara’s luck, the box was in the last cabinet checked. It was time wasted, but there was something that needed to be confirmed, and only by interacting with the thing would Chara know. Taking a deep breath, eager to relax, Chara reached over to lift the box flaps.

[stampington]

Somerset Place Editor’s Roundup: 8 Things I Love

Hi everyone, Sarah Donawerth here. Although I am usually creating content for Somerset Place, most people don’t really get to know the person behind the Glimpse Inside posts, art tutorials, and monthly calls and challenges. We’ve decided to roll out a brand-new blog post called “Editor’s Roundup” where the editors of our magazine (and me!) get to share their favorite items, quotes, magazine content, and project ideas. To kick things off, here is my list of 8 things that I love right now:

1 – Traveler’s Art Journaling Kit

I am especially proud of this kit because I designed the kit and test drove it on my trip to Washington D.C. These are the exact items that I carried around in my backpack while wandering the museums and visiting the monuments. When the moment struck and I felt inspired, I would just stop walking and start drawing. I sketched the Washington Monument with the cherry blossom trees blooming around it, I captured the Smithsonian castle in all of its Gothic Revival-glory. I couldn’t be prouder of this kit because it truly is everything that an artist needs to make art while on-the-go — I should know!

  2 – Library of Congress Card Catalog

This has been one of my favorite Shoppe items since before I started working here. It is a box, shaped like a card catalog, that has note cards and envelopes inside. The note cards are printed with the different card catalog files for famous works of literature. For a bookworm and a nerd like me, I was beyond thrilled to find this gem. I have used the cards to write thank you notes to friends, and have even used it to collage a canvas. Each corner of this canvas is using a different card from the box.

  3 – Book Text in Artwork

Since we’ve already established that I am an avid reader and that I geek out about books, it makes sense that I would love the pattern of book text on everything. It took me a while to get over my guilt over murdering a novel, but I always make sure that the book had it coming. I’ve made some of my best artwork ripping up the post-modern, stream-of-consciousness, obscure novels that I was forced to read during my college days (getting my degree in English writing). I took great pleasure in ripping out the pages of these torturously experimental books. I started using it in collage pages, art journal spreads, on canvases, and everywhere I could think of.

I am so obsessed with this versatile materials that I even featured the many ways to use it on Somerset Place with “7 ‘Novel’ Ways to Use Old Books in Your Artwork.”

As you can see, I use a lot of book pages in my artwork and in the projects that I design for The Studio, too.

~Artwork by Sarah Donawerth

In case you’re not ready to kill your books yet and rip out their pages, the Shoppe at Somerset carries a few options for book text.

  4 – This Quote from Where Women Create

~Photo from Sarah Mandell’s studio space, inside Where Women Create Autumn 2017.

“I chose not to pick a single path. I’m currently an interior designer, fiber artist, jewelry designer, entrepreneur, and published author, and that list will probably grow with time. It’s not that I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, it’s that I want to do so many things.” — Sarah Mandell

Have you ever found a quote that sounds like someone else has seen inside your head and pulled out the exact words you’ve always wanted to say? For me, this quote perfectly captures what I want my life to be. As an artist and a creative person, I am not so set in stone with my career path, my hobbies, or even my day-to-day activities. I want to be open to all possibilities and to pursue all of my dreams. If I’ve got a whole life to live, I’ll want to try as many things as possible. My goals are currently to publish a book on creativity, to live in a tiny house, and to own a pair of llamas named Colonel Brandon and Mr. Willoughby (fingers crossed!).

  5 – Art Deco

~Artwork by Christina Molcillo, inside Belle Armoire Summer 2017.

The 1920s must have been a glamorous time. From the jazz to the hand-beaded dresses, the atmosphere was electric and the aesthetic is still beautiful today. This breathtaking wedding dress is by Christina Molcillo and it transports me right back to the Roaring 20’s with its lace and beaded details. Nathalie Kalbach’s Art Deco Wallpaper stencil also harkens back to a bygone era, but it is also super versatile and creates an instant pop of color and texture on any project.

  6 – Old Typewriters

If my obsession with book text wasn’t enough, I also have a great love affair with typewriters. I personally have a robin’s egg blue travel typewriter and a Coronet Electric which I spray painted pink when I was bored one night (more on my love of pink later). In college, I used a typewriter to brainstorm my ideas because there was something very satisfying about not just having the idea, but also punching the keys to bring that idea into existence. Now, I use my travel typewriter for poems, journaling, or whenever I feel like pounding the keys and hearing the rhythmic chick, chick, chick, ding!

~Photograph by Jessica Wolfe, inside Somerset Life Spring 2016.

~Photograph by Johanna Kown, inside Artful Blogging Spring 2017.

  ~Artwork by Erika Lee Sears, inside Artful Blogging Summer 2017.

  7 – The Color Pink

My obsession with the color pink goes back a few years. My sister and I were fighting about who got the pink blanket and who got the purple. At that age, I was mortally opposed to pink because it was too “girly” but I was forced, as the older sister, to acquiesce. I used that pink blanket for years and it grew on me. Every time I looked at it, or anything pink, I felt an immediately lift in my mood. Pink is such a joyful color.

Slowly but surely, pink overtook my life. Soon enough, my favorite blouse was pink, all of my notebooks were pink, and I was hanging handmade pink pennant banners everywhere. I find the color to be soothing, but cheerful. It’s a color obsession that will be with me for life.

Top Row (Left to Right): Priscilla Jones, Gizelle Perry, Somerset Life staff Middle: Toni Roberts, Nicola Taylor, Nina Hurum Bottom: Mischelle Smith, Christen Hammons, Patty Smith

Doesn’t this picture of cute kittens on a pink background make you happy?

~Artwork by Jacquie Wheeler, inside Stuffed Autumn 2015.

  8 – Fruit Slices

With the latest trends of pineapples and watermelons for summer, I am reminded how much I love fruit slices — to eat, to decorate, on artwork, everywhere! My grandmother has been growing oranges and other citrus for over 50 years as a commercial grower. She is now in her 80s and still treks out every morning to tend to her grove of navel orange trees. I have fond memories of spending the weekend at Grandma’s and going outside to pick my own breakfast.

  ~Artwork by Linsey Herrera, inside Mingle Spring 2016.

For me, orange and lemon slices bring back the joys of childhood summers spent playing hid and seek among the orange trees and building a fort out of chicken wire, or playing games in the old, abandoned pigeon coop.

~Artwork by Sarah Donawerth, inside Take Ten Summer 2017.

I love adding orange slices to my artwork as a way of remembering those days. I have also found that diffusing Sweet Orange essential oil always reminds me of freshly squeezed juice in my grandmother’s kitchen.

What are your favorite things? Leave a comment below!

Sarah Donawerth is the Social Media Accounts Manager for Stampington & Company and the editor for Somerset Place.

The post Somerset Place Editor’s Roundup: 8 Things I Love appeared first on Somerset Place: The Official Blog of Stampington & Company.

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