#Natasha I am free 8 days of the week and will not give you any ultimatums I’m just saying👀

[disneydatass]

But for real can we give it up for the true MVPs of this entire shit show please?!

[melancholymaz]

Enceinte

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader 

Warnings: Unplanned pregnancy, Age gap, panic attacks, angst ending in wholesome fluff.

Summary: AU where women can naturally fall pregnant from other women. 

Disclaimer: This AU idea is not original, however the plot is 100% my idea any similarities to other works is not intentional. This may be a series, depending on how well this first part goes. 

You couldn’t breathe, your chest feels heavy desperately chasing air. You clutch the edge of your bathroom sink, fingers turning white from the force. You’re crying, that much you know. Your knees go to jelly, causing you to crumble to the ground, your eyes catch the object on the floor and you couldn’t hold back the tears from falling now. 

“Miss L/N it seems you are experiencing a severe panic attack, would you like me to call for help?” You faintly hear FRIDAY call out to you, you violently shake your head as you clutch your chest tightly.

“N-No FRIDAY, I’m f-fine.” You whisper weakly, resting your head back against the wall of your ensuite. You shut your eyes tightly, taking in deep breathes to try and calm your heart down before it bursts. The morning goes into the afternoon before you move from the spot on your bathroom floor, you pick up the test, moving it around in your hands as you take in the result. 

Positive

How did you let this happen? You and Natasha weren’t a couple, not officially. You made sure to be careful. You weren’t always needed on the field, as you were in charge of the weapons and technology, but you were still classed as an avenger. How would the team react? 

Oh god what am I going to say to Nat? You rub your face as your eyes catch yourself in the tall mirror in your bedroom, noticing your belly was just that tiniest bit bigger than usual. How did you not notice? Why did it take vomiting nearly three times a day for you to notice you couldn’t remember the last period you had? Yours and Natasha’s relationship wasn’t ideal for this situation. Sure you both don’t see anyone else but each other, and you never denied not being together, the team pretty much calls you a couple but the two of you never had the conversation saying that you were 100% official, you were only 22, a good age gap between the two of you. What would the press think? they’d find out eventually. You’ve always dreamt of the day you found out you were pregnant with your first child, but you were expecting to be married and not apart of a group of heroes always working with dangerous objects. 

“FRIDAY?” You call out, absentmindedly biting your nails. 

“Yes Miss L/N?” The AI replies instantly. 

“Can you please let Dr Cho know that I’ll be coming down to see her, and that it is strictly confidential?” 

“Yes Miss.” 

-

“Well Y/N, It seems that you are 8 weeks pregnant.” Dr Cho gives you a sympathetic smile, you having already explained your situation to her. You sit on a table watching as Cho goes through the results of the test you took an hour earlier. 

“8 weeks?” You frown. “How big is the...” 

“Around the size of a raspberry, baby has started growing lips, nose and eyelids. Would you like to hear the heartbeat?” Dr Cho asks, lightly taking your hand in hers as she sees the information process in your mind. 

“No thank you Cho, That’d be all.” You couldn’t, not without knowing what you were going to do, if by chance Natasha is happy of the news, you’d feel too guilty if you heard the heartbeat for the first time without Natasha. 

“Then you’re free to go, good luck Y/N.” You thank her and walk out her lab, making your way back to your room to think of a way to break the news to Natasha. 

“FRIDAY, can you please send Natasha to my room? Tell her it’s urgent.” 

“Right away Miss L/N.” 

-

You pace back and forth in your room, a million things running through your mind as you try and think of a way to tell the love of your life that you’re pregnant with her child, at the worst possible time. You hear her signature knock on the door before she steps into your room shutting the door behind her. Natasha flashes you her sweet smile, one that only you get the privilege of seeing. You force a smile as tears come to your eyes, your mind screaming at you that this could be the end of your relationship. Her green eyes scan your face in concern, already seeing the hesitation and fear in yours. 

“Y/n? What’s wrong?” You relish in her voice, soft and gentle. You wrap your arms around her, holding her tight, taking comfort as her strong arms hold you just as tight, giving you the comfort you obviously need. You pull away to look at her, really look at her, and your heart beats loudly in your ears as you watch her watch you with nothing but love in her eyes. You grab her hand, lightly pulling her to sit on the long chair that sits at the end of your bed. You take a deep breathe as you grab her hands in yours. 

“I’m about to tell you something, and I just want to say, that if you want to call it quits then I completely understand and that I’ll figure it all out.” You start, looking down at your entwined hands, not daring to look up into her eyes. 

“Y/N, Look at me love.” Natasha lightly grips your chin and tilts it, your teary eyes staring right into hers. “It would take a hell of a lot for me to leave you, we may not have made it official official, but you’re the love of my life and I’d do anything for you. I’m in it for the long run.” 

You swallow with a nod, her hands cradling your face. You shut your eyes, mustering up all of your strength to blurt out the next sentence. 

“I’m pregnant.” You whisper it so quietly, but you know Natasha had heard it by the way her hands slightly loosen on your face and how her eyes widen with shock before reading your face for any trace of dishonesty. Her bright green eyes start to tear up, still watching you intensely. 

“You’re pregnant?” Natasha whispers so softly that if she were to speak any quieter you wouldn’t have heard it. She looks like a scared small child, and you can’t help but want to hold her as tight as you could. You wipe a stray tear away from her face as you nod softly. 

“8 weeks, I found out this morning, Cho confirmed not long before I asked you to come down.” You watch as her lips turn upwards slightly, more tears now falling freely from the both of you. 

“You’re pregnant. We’re gonna be parents.” She starts to repeat over and over, her smile getting bigger and voice getting louder each time, by the end she’s up and jumping in excitement. 

“You’re happy?” You ask hopefully, your negative thoughts slowly going away. 

“Happy? Baby i’m ecstatic! The love of my life is pregnant with my child!” Luckily the walls are thick, because she was yelling out the news, and you weren’t ready to tell the team yet. Natasha pulls you up and tackles you in a hug, lifting you up from the floor in excitement, laughing loudly in happiness. When she puts you on the floor she takes your head in her hands once again, giving you the biggest smile you’ve ever seen before giving you passionate kiss. 

“I love you.” You whisper when you pull away, your own giant smile on your face. The unnecessary worrying and thoughts long gone. 

“We’re gonna have the cutest kids.”  Natasha gushes excitedly. 

“Well, baby’s already has eyelids, lips and a nose, and even has little limbs ready to grow little hands and feet.” You tell her, reciting what you had researched after you got back from seeing Dr Cho. Natasha’s smile grows larger before she kneels on the floor, lifting your shirt to press a kiss to your stomach. 

“We can’t wait to meet you, little one.” She whispers, before standing to give you another passionate kids. “When can we hear the heartbeat?” 

“We can go see Cho if you’d like.” You reply, laughing lightly as her eyes light up before grabbing your hand and dragging you out the door in excitement. 

A/N: and that’s it!! let me know if you’d like me to make this a series of one shots of the pregnancy!! 

[writinggarbage007]

The Captain’s Assistant

Chapter 10

Steve Rogers x dark! reader, Avengers x dark! Reader

Summary: After 3 years as Cap's assistant and being treated like nothing, you are captured by Hydra and everything changes.

Warnings: swearing, dark themes, abduction, torture, cannon level violence, theft, bank robbery, manipulating people, bad intentions

Will update warnings on each chapter.

Slight AU

After lunch everyone went to pack their things and get ready for the trip back to the compound. You sat at the table finishing your drink, then moved to put your dishes in the sink before returning to your room.

You really didn't want to talk to these people but you knew at least a few of them were going to come by to tell you goodbye. You sat in your room with the tv playing in the background until you heard a knock.

Sam and Wanda. They both hugged you and told you to call them if you needed any. Right, like you weren't living with a billionaire who was also Iron Man. You barely restrained an eye roll.

Next was Clint. You always tried to get along with him for two reasons. Number one he saw the good in people even when it wasn't there. And two he was best friends with Nat. His good word could get her to ease off.

"We're heading back in about 30. You sure you don't want to go with us?" Clint asks.

"My therapy is here, hun. Also Tony and Pepper have been so supportive." You say, then hug him, because why not? He's got great arms." Natasha doesn't want me there Clint. She's been weird since I got back. I don't know what I did to her but she seems like she wants to shank me."

Clint lets out a little chuckle."She doesn't want to shank you." He says returning your hug. "She's worried about you."

Riiiight. Worried about you. He could be so clueless. You knew she didn't trust you. That woman was good at reading people.

"Give me some time. I might just show up one day." You tell him and step back when there's another knock on the door.

When you open it Steve's eyes go from you to Clint and you can almost see his mind working. So you smile at him and take his hand pulling him into the room.

"Clint is trying to get me to come to the compound." You tell Steve.

"I just thought you would like some company."Clint says, then turns to the door.

"Don't forget to stop by and see Lucy!" You tell him before he can leave and he shoots you a thumbs up and a smirk before closing the door.

"So…" Steve says looking at you with a grin." Who is Lucy?"

"She works at the bakery where I got those donuts Clint loves. She's cute and I think they would hit it off."

"You are trying to hook Clint up with a woman who can make donuts? He'll be training 8 hours a day if Nat finds out." He laughs and you join in, imagining Clint cursing as she makes him run laps.

"Are you going to be ok here?" Steve asks when his mirth dies down.

"I'm getting better every day. Like I told Clint, my therapist is here. I am training and testing with Tony and Bruce most days. I just need some time to get my head straight." You tell him and rub his arm. "Thanks for being concerned Cap, but I am working on myself."

He hesitates a moment then leans in and hugs you tight. He brushes a hand over you hair and you hold in the smirk that is about to break free. He's too easy.

"Just know we are here for you if you need us." He says leaning back to look at your face and you smile softly at him.

"I'll call if I need you Cap. Oh wait, I'll have Friday call. I still haven't gotten my phone back. I don't know what happened to it."

"We have it at the compound. It was left in the SUV after the crash." He says and you silently bless Tony for getting your purse but damn they went through your work phone. Good thing they didn't have your personal one.

"Can you have it send to me?" You ask.

"Of course." He says, then with a grin he says "Maybe you can change my contact name."

You look away sheepishly, and he puts a finger under your chin to make you look back. When you do he kisses your forehead and steps away. You sigh.

"I guess you need to go now." You say feigning regret.

"I'll be back. And I still want you to try to talk to Buck. But I'm not going to push. Seriously, call or have Tony call me if you need anything." He says as he steps towards the door.

"Steve," you say and trot over and hug him tightly. "I'm sorry for being rude. I'm trying to be ok but sometimes I just can't believe this is all real."

"Everything is going to be ok.' he says hugging you back and seems surprised when you kiss his cheek.

"Bye Steve"' you say as he opens the door.

Natasha does not stop by...shocked pikachu face. You know she is suspicious so you have been trying to get the rest of the team to see you as just fragile. And it seems to be working.

Two days later you are laying in bed playing a game on your newly delivered phone. The pillows on your bed feel harder. Probably because you had about $90 thousand dollars in the bottom three. You grin to yourself when you get a text from Steve.

Captain Asshole: Just checking in to make sure you have your phone.

You: I got it Cap. It's weird having it back.

Captain Asshole: Did you change my contact name?

You: Not yet, but we'll see how it goes 😏

Captain Asshole: Ok, text me to let me know you're alright.

You: I can't intrude on your life like that. I don't want to bother you with my problems

Captain Asshole: It is never a bother doll. Call or text me any time.

You: Thanks so much Steve. I have to go do training but I'll text you tomorrow.

Training was going well. You controlled yourself and learned to fight without powers. You continued your little side venture but you would have to stop that soon. You were running out of books to hollow out, and you had filled 4 pillows. Your total was somewhere around $300 thousand. Not bad to make an escape.

You were texting with Steve every day and sometimes talking on the phone late at night. You had formulated a risky plan and he seemed to be falling in line.

Late one night you decided to spring the trap. Packing all the money in a couple bags you snuck in you moved most of your things out without anyone knowing. Everything was safely stashed in a car you bought for cash from Craigslist. It only needed to get you out of the city, so you didn't even transfer the title.

You: are you awake?

Captain Asshole: I am now. Are you ok?

You: I had a nightmare and everything was gone.

Captain Asshole: I can be there in an hour if you need me.

You: please come

Captain Asshole: I'm going to the jet now

You got up from your bed and took a shower. You had been planning this for weeks, so you were buffed, polished and waxed to perfection. After smoothing on your favorite lotion you pulled on your tiny sleep shorts and skinny tank top in royal blue. Makeup would give away the game so you left your hair wet and went to siit in your dim bedroom to wait. He made it in 47 minutes….

5 Chapters to go.....

[queenrose730]

Reckless

Part Twelve 

Master List

“You’re here doll.” Bucky reached out and grabbed your hand. You looked between his face and your hands. Suddenly the words he said to you before cause your anger boiled over. You yanked your hand out of his.

“Yep. Steve wanted me to be here when you woke up. So here I am.” You pressed the button to the Shuri know Bucky was awake, then turned toward the door.

“Yn please. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.” He was trying to get out of bed but was getting tangled in the cords.

“That’s fine.” You turned back to him once you reached the door. Shuri had just come in the room. “Steve said he wished he could be here. He hopes to stop through soon.” Before Bucky could say anything else you were out the door. Walking quickly to the elevator and back to your apartment.

The streets outside were busy as you rushed home. People going about their day unaware of the battle going on in your head. Part of you wanted nothing more than to crawl in that bed with him and just lay there. The other part wants to punch him right in the face. It felt like the last three months hadn’t even happened. Just as you reached your door, the kimoyo beads on your wrist chirped.

“Well that was dramatic.” She didn’t even give you a chance to say hello.

“Shuri. Please don’t.” You flopped down on the couch.

“You weren’t the one trying to keep a super solider from tearing out every lead and chasing after you.”

“I’m sorry.” He tried to chase after you? Shit.

“You can make it up to me tonight.”

“Oh?”

“Nakia is coming home and we haven’t been to a club in a while.”

“Shuri, it’s been like one week.”

“And that’s too long! We will be at your place about 8. Wear something hot!” She gave you a wink and hung up. Maybe going out was just what you needed. Keep yourself distracted.  

You sent a text off to Steve that Bucky was awake and everything went smoothly. You then switched your phone off and set it at your desk. Spending the rest of the day puttering around your apartment cleaning and reorganizing things.

Finally, it was time to get ready for the club. You choose a deep red satin dress. It was strapless and came to rest just above your knees. It also had a slit up the right side to your hip. This dress was probably the most daring one you had bought. One that Natasha was proud of when you sent her a picture of you in it for the first time. You kept your makeup light. Doing your brows, mascara and a clear gloss. Your favorite necklace to wear with it was a black snake choker. Nat said it made you look sexy and scary at the same time. That is exactly what you wanted to feel tonight. Your hair was in a loose bun at the nape of your neck and you let pieces fall around your face. You were getting your shoes from the hall closest when there was a knock at your door.

“Come on in!” You shouted at the door from the hall.

“Yn?” You froze. What the hell was Bucky doing here? You shut the hall closest and walked to the living room.

“What are you doing here Bucky?” You didn’t even look at him as you walked through the room to the kitchen. Tossing your shoes down, you grabbed one of the liquor bottle from the counter.

“I was told to pick you up.” You looked up at him. He was dressed all in black. His dress shirt was unbuttoned just enough to tease his body underneath it. His left sleeve was tucked in on itself.

“What do you mean pick me up?” You forced yourself to keep your eye on his but you noticed his wondering.

“Shuri invited me out with you guys.” His eyes were still everywhere but where they should be.

“Wonderful.” You poured yourself a shot and then another. All the while Bucky was just staring at you and you let him. Thanking yourself for choosing the outfit you did. Your kimoyo beads chirped.

“Shuri mind telling me why Bucky is in my apartment.” She gave you a big smile.

“I thought it would be good for him. Now get over here!” She hung up.

“Well let’s go then.” Bucky held his arm out for you to take but you just brushed past him out the door.

“Well ok then.” You heard him mumble behind you. You were not about to let some 100-year-old super solider dampen your night.

  One of the perks of being friends with the princess is that you never had to wait in the lines at clubs. The music greeted you as you walked through the door. Bucky’s hand came to rest on your lower back protectively. You groaned to yourself as you scanned the room quickly. Finding Shuri and Nakia at the bar. You danced your way to them trying to stay just far enough from Bucky so he couldn’t touch you. Once at the bar you chose to wedge yourself between Shuri and a man, not allowing any room for Bucky who reluctantly took a place one the other side of Nakia.

“Yn!” She shouted and came around Shuri to give you a big hug. “You look sexy as always girl!”

“You look great to Nakia. How was the mission?” The bar tender had made her way over to you. You ordered a round of shots for the group.

“You know no work talk on girls’ night!”

“Well it’s not really girls’ night is it?” You raised your eye brows and looked at Shuri.

“You’re right.” Nakia turned to also look at Shuri.

“Oh come on!” She raised her hands and took the shot placed in front of her. The two of you followed.

After a few more drinks the three of you made your way to the dance floor. Bucky thankfully stayed at the bar but you could feel his eyes on you all night.  

“He really does stare a lot.” Nakia whispered to you under the loud music.

“You have no idea.”

“It probably doesn’t help you wore THAT outfit.” She gestured at your dress.

“Well I had no idea until he just showed up at my house.” Just then a man grabbed your waist and spun you to him.

“Hello.” He gave you a flirty smirk.

“Hello.” You returned it and danced against him. You ignored Nakia’s protest that you were dancing with her. Instead you just focused on his hands. They found their way across your body in an intoxicating way. The liquor that flowed though you gave you the courage to dance even closer.

“You look stunning in that dress.” He whispered in your ear. His voice sent goosebumps racing down your body.

“Thank-” A strong hand on your upper arm cut you off. You looked at your arm only to be jerked away from the man you had been dancing with.

“What the hell Bucky.” You tried your best to shake his grip.

“It’s time to go.” He spoke low and was staring now at the man. He opened his mouth to say something but just shook his head and walked away.

“Fuck you. I’m not going anywhere.” You tried and failed again to break free. This time though you lost your balance a bit thanks to the alcohol. Bucky just held on tighter. You looked around for Shuri and Nakia, they were both standing at the door. The lights in the club had started to filter on.

“I said it’s time to go.” He nearly growled it out between his clenched teeth. He started to pull you toward the door.

“Let me go you fucking ass.” You struggled the whole way to the door. Trying everything short of starting a full fight with him. He didn’t let you go until everyone was outside.

“What the hell was that?!” Bucky shouted at you.

“I could ask you the same fucking this ass hole!” You shouted back. “I was dancing and having fun.” You bent down and started taking off your shoes to make it easier to walk home. “You’re the one that got all possessive.”

“Is that what you call what you were doing?” Bucky was still seething with anger but help to keep you steady while you worked at your shoes. “And I was not being possessive.”

“Dancing isn’t like it was in the 40s buck. Get over it.” You walked back over to the girls. “Thanks for a great night ladies see you.”

“Yn are you ok?”

“I’ll be fine Shuri. I’ll see you tomorrow.” As much as you wanted to be mad at her you couldn’t. You knew she meant well inviting Bucky out. You gave her and Nakia a hug then headed off to your apartment. Bucky was following close behind you.

“Bucky what are you doing?”

“I’m making sure you get home safe.” You stopped but didn’t turn around. You hung your head and sighed.

“Whatever.” You started walking again. “But that’s kind of possessive.”

“It is not. Now come on.” He caught up to you pace and placed his hand back on your lower back.

A few minutes later you both stood at the door to your apartment. Bucky insisted on walking you all the way to your door not just the door of the building.

“Home safe.” You said as you turned you key and the door opened. Bucky gently grabbed your arm and turned you to face him. You gave a slight wince as he grabbed the same spot he had a death grip on not too long ago. When he saw that he dropped his hand and head.

“I’m sorry about that Yn. I’m sorry about a lot.”

“I’ll forget it if you spar with me. I owe you a few punches.”

“Deal.” He lifted his head and smiled at you. It was genuine. It showed in his eyes too. They were brighter than you had ever seen before. Shit. That was the alcohol.

“Right. Good night Bucky.”

“Good night doll.”

Before you could think his hand was on your face and he placed a kiss on your forehead. It was simple but it was probably the most Intimate moment you had with a man in almost a year. It damn near made you knees buckle. If Bucky noticed he didn’t let on, just give you another smile and watched as you went into your apartment.

 Once in your apartment, you made your way back to the bedroom. Struggling with the zipper on you dress as you went. Finally getting it of you changed into you pj’s and head to your desk. Even though you were fairly drunk you had a nightly routine of checking all your sources for Steve. Before sitting down you grabbed a glass of water and took some meds for the headache you knew would be coming in soon. You mind wasn’t quite focused on the screen in front of you. Your computer was running a facial recognition program. Instead you were thinking about what happened at the club.

Part of you knew exactly why you did what you did. You made Bucky jealous. But why did you want to make him jealous? Sure you liked to dance with men at the club but you never got that bold with how you danced. Mindlessly you rub the spot on your arm where Bucky grabbed you. It was still tender. For sure there would be bruises there by morning. In the back of your mind that excited you a bit. Bucky marked you.

What the FUCK Yn. You propped you elbows up on your desk and rested your head in your hands. Your computer chimed letting you know that the program was done running. Trying to pull your mind from Bucky, you clicked though any possible hits. There was only one that was even close. It was of Wanda. She was spotted in Finland. You decided to check you phone. Only to realize that you had turned it off earlier in the day. Once it was on, there was a title wave of notifications. A few calls from Steve, even more text messages, even some calls from Nat and Sam. You didn’t bother to read all the messages and called Steve back.

“Yn, where the hell have you been?”

“Well hi to you too Steve.”

“Sorry. We have just been trying to reach you all day. I was getting worried.”

“I mean same Steve. But I’m ok. Just had my phone off and got busy. Shuri took us out to the club.”

“Ok. Well how is Bucky doing? Did he do ok coming out of cryo?”

“Bucky is fine. Shuri drug him out to the club with us. So that was fun.” You tried to make your tone light. You really didn’t want to tell Steve everything that happened tonight.

“Bucky went to a club?” You could hear Sam say something and Steve laughed.

“Yea. It was interesting to say the least. But he came out of cryo just fine.”

“Good. Any other updates?”

“Not really. I haven’t really talked to Shuri about what’s next. All I know is that whenever he is ready they will get the rest of that old metal arm removed. Shuri has a whole plan for a new arm if he wants it.”

“That’s awesome. I’m glad.”

“Yea.” You couldn’t help but let you voice slip.

“What else Yn?” Steve always knew when something was wrong.

“Uh, I got a new tac suit ready to go. It’s got all kinds of goodies. So whenever you need me I am more than ready.”

“Sweetheart, I know you want to be out here, but please just stay there.”

“Right.” Both of you paused in conversation.

“Oh, also, you might want to let Wanda know to be a little more careful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I run a facial recognition program every now and then. She popped up tonight. It may not be her but it was a pretty high match.”

“Where was it?” He sounded concerned.

“Central Finland. Is that where you guys are at now?”

“Yea it is. I’ll let her know. Thanks Yn.”

“Anytime Steve. Also if you need anything tech wise you can still use me. I’ve been helping Nakia.”

“I know. We are just kind of laying low right now.” You heard more voices over the phone. “I got to go Yn.”

“Alright. Tell everyone I said hi and that I miss them.”

“I will sweetheart. Stay out of trouble.”

“Always.”

Tags- @ginger-swag-rapunzel

[coleyholts]

After today’s heavy post, here’s a letter I wrote for Natasha’s surgeon.

A Letter to the Man Who Saved My Daughter’s Life

Dear Dr. Moores,

On June 12, 2021, my sweet eight-month-old daughter rolled off of my bed, ultimately leading to her being flown by helicopter to INOVA Children’s Hospital for an emergency intracranial procedure.  Miraculously, the epidural hematoma was removed successfully and my daughter has made a full recovery.  I, however, have not.

I have been experiencing flashback-like episodes associated with PTSD, along with regular cry fits (super embarrassing, escalates quickly) and anxiety attacks, all relating to the accident.  I am fortunate to be under the care of some very skilled medical professionals that have been guiding me through management of my medications and compulsions, as well as a very insightful therapist who specializes in PTSD and family life that I see weekly.

A typical therapy session for me usually begins with a general review of my week, followed by a few key questions that will give my therapist a better look into where I’ve been emotionally.  During my most recent session, he chose to ask me when I had last cried, and my response is what made him suggest that I write this letter to you.

What started as a casual conversation with my mother about beautiful, clean sutures progressed to one where she wanted to know more about Natasha’s surgeon.  I pulled up your INOVA profile and noticed in your introduction video, you described what you consider to be one of the most rewarding aspects of your chosen field as the bond you are able to form with your patients and their parents.  

Watching you speak about what you do moved me.  I burst into tears, knowing that my baby would have died without you.  The tears kept coming as I thought about you and the weight you must carry, and after answering my therapist honestly about this being the last time I cried, he suggested I write you this letter; a raw, sincere, mildly lengthy letter that you may read in your free time (if you ever have any!).

Thank you for preforming the surgery that saved my baby. Thank you for being brave enough to take on such a responsibility, as I know with trauma patients, you never know what the final outcome is going to be.  Though doctors are miracles, they are human, and I thank you for taking the risk with the intentions of keeping my daughter alive, knowing the risks involved.

Thank you for moving so quickly.  I hope it’s not every single day that a less than 12-month-old infant comes in after an accident resulting in head trauma that needs immediate surgical intervention, but the way the trauma team and you personally moved with urgency in such a time sensitive situation solidified the feeling of, “We truly have done absolutely all we can,” as parents.  This greatly helped with my struggle with guilt.

Thank you for the way you address(ed) my husband and I.  Natasha was a very wanted baby.  It took a long time to conceive and seeing that positive pregnancy test was supposed to be the start of something beautiful.  I ended up with a completely ruptured disc in my lumbar spine that was causing permanent nerve damage in my left leg.  I was sent to UVA for spine surgery, fully knowing the risks to my 8-week-old embryo, which I absolutely was already referring to as my baby. Signing the paperwork to release the team of responsibility of miscarriage was very emotional for Daniel & I.  Seeing her heart beating as I came out of anesthesia was one of the most blissful moments of my life.  You didn’t know any of this.  You didn’t know a thing about us, including the story about what happened aside from her falling from my bed. Most importantly, you didn’t know Natasha, yet took on the massive project of removing a baseball-sized blood clot from her skull.

Thank you for the years you put into perfecting your craft.  I want you to know that, for what it’s worth, all of the time, money, challenging classes, sleepless nights, heartbreak, missed events, and everything else that has come your way since you began to practice truly means something to me.  Your mind has great value, and I am so grateful that of all of the surgeons in the area, we ended up with you.

Thank you for calling and checking on Natasha during her healing process, as well as making personal contact before we were discharged.  It’s super uplifting to know that the professionals that know the details of her procedure care about my family enough to personally reach out to see us off.  It boosted our confidence, and although we understandably left the hospital feeling exhausted, full of sorrow and disbelief, I was able to maintain an “I can do this” attitude.

There is no amount of money in the world I could ever throw your way to appropriately thank you for what you have done for us.  There is nothing I can say to ever reflect my true feelings of thankfulness for you and your talents.

You changed our lives by saving hers, and you will forever be spoken of in our home and among our families and friends as a genius, a hero and an all-around beautiful person.  Though the circumstances could have been much happier and less chaotic, I am so grateful to have made your acquaintance.

You are brilliant, and have completely found your niche in this world of upset and harm, in a role that quite literally gives you the chance (for your patients) to cheat death.  You’ve given us, as well as so many others, a whole new outlook on life that allows us to recenter our focus on what matters-the people we love.

Though we will be seeing you for yearly follow-up visits for a while, I needed to make sure you knew the impact you had on a mother who felt like a part of her died that day.

Sincerely,

Nicole Holtslag

[lunarsodasims]

Sims 4 Marvel Challenge!

This is a 10 generation challenge. If you have a specific expansion or game pack that would make the challenge more interesting, feel free to change it up a bit. It’s sort of a legacy challenge, but not quite. Naturally, because the Avengers aren’t related, this is going to be a little strange, but I tried to organize it chronologically for the most part. 

Beware: there are some spoilers.

Generation 1: Steve Rogers “I could do this all day.”

The First Avenger. You’ve always been sickly and weak, so when you see someone being treated unfairly, you just can’t let it go. You might get hurt in the process of helping others, but that’s alright. You could do this all day. 

To start, create teen Steve Rogers and his mother Sarah. Storytellers may start out with steve as a toddler or child. When Steve becomes a young adult, the challenge begins. 

Must have good trait

Must have ambitious trait

Must meet and befriend Bucky Barnes 

Mother must die when he becomes a YA

Enter the secret agent career and buff up

Reach level 10 of the secret agent career 

Have a romantic relationship with one of your coworkers (and an unknown child)

Must fake your own death

Must outlive all coworkers

Alternate: 

Strangerville--Steve must join Military career instead (defeat the mother if desired) 

Parenthood--Steve must age up with every positive character value 

Generation 2: Peter Quill “Dance off to save the Galaxy”

You were abducted by aliens when you were a child. Since then, you’ve been kept alive and raised by the aliens (and maybe, you’re happy), but you can’t help resenting them a little. You want to make a name for yourself. (You’re not trying to prove anything. Not at all). This story begins when Peter becomes a teenager.

Must live in one of the hidden worlds with adopted caregiver

Must only leave the realm at night until YA

Not allowed to see “other humans” (other sims besides caregiver) until YA 

Must have a slightly poor relationship with caregiver

Max dance skill 

Dj on the side as “Starlord” 

Become an interstellar smuggler 

Marry an ambitious Sim with something green (preferably skin, but may be hair or eyes)

Have a child

Alt: 

Get to work--Caregiver and coworkers are all aliens, Peter mustn’t see any other humans until YA

Parenthood--Must age up with poor manners 

Get Famous--Become famous for something good

Generation 3: Bruce Banner “Hulk...Hulk like real fire.” 

You have a good life with loving parents (even if one of them happened to be an alien) but you care more about learning and inventing than spending time with family. This story begins when Bruce becomes a YA. 

Must join the scientist (Astronaut if BG) career

Master the logic skill

Master rocket science skill (Handiness if BG) 

Mid-life crisis: get fit and get “green” (skin, hair, (vegetarian? Off the grid?? Whatever you like:))

Must be hot-headed

Must have no children

Must travel to space during lifetime

Alt:

Get to Work--Live on Sixam for a week

Jungle Adventure--Vacation frequently

Generation 4: Thor “Because that’s what heroes do.” 

You and your brother have always been opposites, but that’s never stopped you from getting along. But he’s been distant lately. You’re too busy to wonder why, taken in by thoughts of future glory. You’ll be head of the family business soon, and you can’t wait to be in charge. This story begins when Thor becomes a teenager. 

Must have self-assured and good traits 

Must be good friends with adopted younger brother and lose relationship over time

Must accidentally cause a disaster for the family (start a fire, etc.) 

Be kicked out of the house to live in another world

Redeem yourself, but family falls apart due to dysfunction

Run the business 

Generation 5: Natasha Romanoff “Just because it’s the path of least resistance, doesn’t mean it’s the right path.” 

All you’ve known is hard work and hard truths. You’re willing to do whatever it takes to make things right, but you might have to give up more than just your reputation. This story begins when Natasha becomes a child. 

Must be adopted

Age up with emotional control character value

Reach level 10 in Fitness, logic, programming, and charisma

Enter the secret agent career

Must have no children

Generation 6: Bucky Barnes “I’m with you ‘till the end of the line.” 

You can’t remember anything, but that’s just fine. You’re content to live in apathy, with no real ties to anything except the ambition of climbing the criminal career ladder. However, when one mission puts all of that in jeopardy, you must choose between what you know and what you...know? This story begins when Bucky becomes an adult. 

Must enter the criminal career

Must live in a household with two other sims (adult or elder)

Max fitness skill 

May only leave the house when working or when both housemates are gone

Must meet Steve Rogers in the wild

Generation 7: T’Challa “It’s time to show the outside world who we are.” 

Father must die when T’Challa becomes a YA

Must not travel out of world until reaching level 10 of career

Max charisma skill

Must enter business, law, secret agent, or police career

Household must volunteer frequently

Visit the ghost of your father (as a spellcaster, at a tombstone or urn, etc.)

Alt: 

City Living: Become leader of the free world

Generation 8: Stephen Strange “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain.” 

Being rich and showing off is the greatest part of life as far as you’re concerned. You’ve never been happier than you are now, and you’re sure you never could be. You don’t need anyone but yourself. This story begins when Strange becomes a YA. 

Must have Mansion Baron aspiration

Must have noncommittal trait

Max logic still

Reach level 10 of the doctor career

Lose job unexpectedly

Lose all money

Travel to a different world and become a spellcaster (or a different life-state)

Must have 1 child

Generation 9: Tony Stark “I am Iron Man.” 

You love your parents but have a hard time showing it. You’re certain all that really matters is getting rich and having as much fun as possible. That is, until you’re all alone. Now what used to be good times have become distractions. This story begins when Tony becomes a teenager.

Must have fabulously wealthy aspiration

Must have Materialistic trait

Parents must die before Tony becomes a YA

Must have a near-death experience

Aspiration change to friend of the world

Change a trait to good

Marry and have 1 child

Must die while child is a toddler

Generation 10: Peter Parker “Everywhere I go, I see his face. I just really miss him.” 

You’re smart, but that’s not enough to keep you from getting picked on. As things keep changing, you start to wonder if you’re the reason everyone you care about dies. You’ve never been less certain of yourself. This story begins when Peter becomes a teenager. 

Parents must die while a child

Must be cared for by aunt 

Must age into YA with three character values

Straight A student

Max programming and robotics 

Have a rebellious phase and get in fights

Have gloomy trait

Fall in love before YA

Gloomy trait becomes self-assured

This is the current set of rules for the challenge. If you have an idea you’d like to see added, please let me know! Many of them are somewhat similar (since these kids all have a somewhat similar profession ;) so I would love to hear other suggestions. 

I will also be updating the challenge with more alternates for storylines to swap out, such as Carol Danvers, Eddie Brock, and Sam Wilson, so stay tuned! 

[melodylnoelle]

The Writing Rolodex

So I used to think it was too soon for a masterlist (maybe it still is), but I get a liiiiiiittle overzealous with spamming the reblog button and making my writing disappear admist all the Tom Hiddleston/Loki, Stargate, funny posts, and all the other random bullstuffs... So here we are.

Anyways, welcome to my Masterlist! There are some pieces on here that are NSFW and will be tagged in the masterlist and on the post as such. Please read all warnings before reading my work. Most of it, though, is safe for anyone to read. Much more to come in the future since I can never shut my brain up. I hope you enjoy!

Any questions/comments/concerns/technical issues/prompt ideas... you get the point, feel free to send me a DM or an ask. However, please do not repost any of my work without tagging me in it. Reblogs are fine though! Happy reading!

                                                       ~~~~

For Flex Your Writing Muscles Challenge by captain-rodgers-beard

Bioshock Characters

Booker DeWitt - Dance With Me, Mr. DeWitt (Day 7) Elizabeth - A Vision of Paris (Day 10)

Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters

Steve Rogers - Comforted (Day 14) Thor - The Stories of Ragnarok, Part 1 (Day 16) Clint Barton - Click (Day 3) Loki      Colorful Memories (Day 4)      Norway (Day 8)      Comic Con (Day 11)      The Stories of Ragnarok, Part 2 (Day 16)      Temporary Freedom (Day 25)

Stargate Characters

SG1      Fishing (Day 5)      Impulsive (Day 6)      Memories of Jolinar (Day 30)

Atlantis      Teyla Emmagan - Ferris Wheel (Day 20)

Twilight Characters

Alice and Jasper - Something Borrowed (Day 9) Carlisle x Esme - Sunflowers and Sunlight (Day 1) Edward Cullen - Her Final Letter (Day 12)

Witches of East End (TV Show) Characters

Freya Beauchamp      Seaside (Day 2)      Fortuna (Day 13)

Pirates of the Caribbean

Original Character, Jack Sparrow, Joshamee Gibbs      A Mermaid’s Tear (Day 27)      Arrival (Day 21)      The Wishing Tree (Day 15)

Miscellaneous

Crossover: Harry Potter x Marvel Cinematic Universe - The Match (Day 19) Harry Potter: Birthday Surprise (Day 26)

  Natasha Romanoff, PI for Val’s 500 Writing Challenge by marvelgirlonamarvelworld More Coming Soon

Chapters: 1; 2, 3, 4...

For Fictober Writing Challenge by paradoxical-scribbler

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Trick or Treat (Day 1) Challenge Accepted (Day 6)

Stargate SG-1

What’s Halloween? (Day 4)

Original Characters

Just This Once (Day 2) Bonfire Stories (Day 3) Be Careful What You Ask For (Day 5) - Continued from Bonfire Stories. Please read the warnings before continuing.

The Cards Have Spoken! With brightsun-and-darkmidnight Where we both pull cards for characters in the MCU, a type of story, and various other elements and have a few days to create a story out of them. Usually, we will post these on Wednesdays and Fridays. See here to see the possible cards for me to pull each week. And please check out brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s The Cards Have Spoken! Masterlist for her amazing work with these! She is a creative powerhouse.

Jones (Week 1, my cards)      Sam Wilson; Angst - Character Death Here We Are Again (Week 1, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Thor x Jane Foster; Angst - Break-Up; Mafia AU Aftermath (Week 2, my cards)      Maria Hill and Tony Stark; Wild Card A Night At Home (Week 2, brightsun-and-darkmidnights’s cards)      Loki x OC; Fluff - Movie Night at Home; Coffee Shop AU Apartment 302 (Week 3, my cards) - NSFW!!      Steve Rogers x OC; Smut - Pregnancy/Breeding Kink A Complicated Matter (Week 3, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Thor x fem!reader; Fluff - Falling asleep on the other; Werewolf AU Here I Am (Week 4, my cards)      Steve Rogers x OC; Relationship-Driven Plot I’m With You (Week 4, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Bucky Barnes x gn!reader; Fluff - Comfort from a bad dream;      Cannon - Post AOU Running From Fate (Week 5, my cards)      1940s!Bucky Barnes; On the Run AU Past and Presents (Week 5, brightsun-and-darkimidnight’s cards)      Loki x OC; Fluff - Giving/receiving gifts; Reincarnation AU Knight Captain (Week 6, my cards)      Steve Rogers; Royalty AU Intermission (Week 6, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards) - NSFW!!      Tony Stark x Pepper Potts; Smut - Exhibitionism - Band AU What Happened on Midgard? (Week 7, my cards)      Thor; Wild Card Change of Arrangements (Week 7, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Loki x reader; Fluff - Proposal; Mafia AU Opposite Sides (Week 8, my cards)      Natasha Romanov x Loki; Enemies to Lovers Nothing New (Week 8, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      1940s!Bucky Barnes x fem!reader; Angst - Amnesia; On the Run AU Companions (Week 9, my cards)      Maria Hill; Fluff - Getting a pet Kiss It Away (Week 9, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Steve Rogers x reader; Angst - Hospital - Soulmate AU Paprikash (Week 10, my cards)      Wanda Maximoff x Vision; Fluff - Getting the other food The Cabin (Week 10, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Loki x OC; Fluff - Snowball fight/building a snowman/snow activities;      A/B/O AU Wakanda Sunset (Week 11, my cards)      Shuri; Fluff- Picnic in the park Drunken Sentiments (Week 11, brightsun-and--darkmidnight’s cards)      Tony Stark; Fluff - talking lovingly about their partner with others Music is the Best Medicine (Week 12, Free Write)      Bucky Barnes x Reader; Fluff; Dealer’s Choice all around Unresolved (Week 13, brightsun-and-darkmidnight’s cards)      Thor x Asgardian!reader (past); Angst - Self-Sacrifice; A/B/O

Misc Fanfiction

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Apache Tear Their Normal Friend Surprise! It’s Fire, Isn’t It?

Loki      Writer’s Block - Loki x Reader      Thunder - Loki x OC      Snowfall - For lokisgoodgirl’s Winter Warmers Collection

Bucky Barnes      Ice Cave - NSFW!!

Multi-Chapters

Don’’t Let Go - Loki - helping out @brightsun-and-darkmidnight on this one - Be sure to check out all her work!!

1, 2, 3, 4...

Poetry Coming Soon

[redgillan]

Missed Chances -  Part 8

Steve Rogers x Reader ♀️ [// Bucky Barnes x Reader for now]

Summary: 13 Going on 30!AU - Steve Rogers is crazy about you, but he’s afraid his feelings are only one sided and being one of your best friends, he doesn’t want to ruin your friendship… On his 13th birthday, he makes a wish and wakes up in the body of his 30 year old self. The problem is, you’re no longer a part of his life.

Word Count: 3,225

Warnings: Angst, Reader has a small panic attack

A/N: sO I wasn’t sure I wanted to end this chapter like that but no one replied to my post so I guess we’re doing this. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter it’s a fluffy one for our boy Steve. Also here’s the song if you’ve never heard of it ;)

7:36 p.m.

Trying to calm yourself down, you took a deep breath. You could feel your anger bubbling up inside you. You had been waiting on your kitchen stool for over thirty minutes, and your patience was running thin.

You picked up your phone and sent a quick message to your father-in-law, telling him you were going to be late. He replied with a thumbs up emoji.

It didn’t surprise you that Bucky was late to his own engagement dinner, but you still wished he had made an effort.

You locked your phone when you heard him coming up the stairs. You watched as he dropped his bag near the coat rack and threw his keys on the kitchen table. They landed close to your phone.

“Sorry, I know I’m late,” Bucky said.

He grabbed the hem of his Henley and yanked it over his head, throwing it on the floor. You stayed quiet and kept your eyes trained on your phone. It annoyed you that this was all he had to say. A simple pathetic apology.

“You remember Sitwell, one of the head chefs? They fired him today, and now they’re looking for a new head chef. Doll, I think I have a real chance here. I mean, your magazine is basically promoting my restaurant for free. My bosses love that!” He toed off his shoes and quickly unbuttoned his jeans. “I’m gonna take a shower. You can order an Uber, I won’t be long.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and turned on the shower. You opened the app and ordered the car, fighting back tears. You were tired of coming second.

You arrived at the restaurant thirty minutes late. Bucky’s parents and sister were already seated, a pitcher of margaritas and some appetizers sat on the table. You apologized for being late and took a seat next to Bucky’s mother.

“I thought your parents were joining us,” Winnie said, sipping her drink.

“They’re on holidays,” you replied, shrugging off your jacket.

“Good for them!” she cheered as her husband filled up your empty glass.

You traded your full glass for Bucky’s empty one. “No alcohol for me,” you said, pouring water into your glass. Bucky’s younger sister looked at you with a funny expression. You mentally rolled your eyes. “I’m not pregnant, I just don’t want to drink.”

You were in a sour mood, which unfortunately happened quite frequently these days. Between work, planning the wedding –without Bucky because he always had too much work- and trying not to strangle Natasha who was your unofficial wedding planner, you really needed a goddamn break.

Bucky must have sensed something was wrong because he was suddenly a lot more attentive. He tried to reach across the table to touch you, but you quickly moved your hand away.

You weren’t looking at him, though you could feel his sad puppy dog eyes on you. You purposely focused on what his father was saying. Bucky’s eyes were your weakness, but you weren’t ready to forgive him. He had to realise he had hurt you.

Bucky cleared his throat. “So, um I’m sorry we’re late. It’s my fault.”

“Something happen at work?” Georges asked with furrowed brows.

“No, nothing important,” Bucky quickly replied, trying to meet your eyes. You relented and glanced at him. “Nothing important,” he repeated, his voice soft.

He extended his hand across the table and you barely hesitated before giving him your own. He smiled at you, mouthing the words ‘I love you’.

“How’s the wedding coming along?” Winnie asked with a bright smile. “You know, I read all the articles in your magazine. I really like them, it’s basically a how to plan your own wedding series. I wish it had been a thing when we got engaged.”

“It would have saved us a lot of headaches,” George agreed.

You and Bucky stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. They didn’t seem to notice the growing tension, and you didn’t want to be the one complaining that planning a wedding was hard work no matter who was there to help you.

Millions of people were waiting for your wedding. It was completely nerve-wracking.

Rebecca leaned across the table and grabbed a mozzarella stick. “I love awkward silences,” she said with a cocky smile.

You all laughed, diffusing the tension. “It’s coming along fine,” you answered Winnie’s question. “We’re not allowed to say much, we signed a confidentiality agreement.”

“But we’re the groom’s parents,” Winnie complained, “and the ceremony is happening in our backyard.” George threw her a glance, silently telling her to drop the subject. “Okay fine,” she mouthed, “but that’s not fair.”

Despite the lingering tension, dinner went rather smoothly. No one asked you any prying questions. You told Winnie and Rebecca that you had an appointment to try on the muslin dress Steve had made for you. Rebecca also had to try on her bridesmaid dress. They were both excited to share this moment with you.

You and Bucky were quiet on the drive home. When you finally got home, you undressed quietly and prepared for bed. You felt Bucky’s arms wrap around you from behind. He buried his face in the crook of your neck and breathed in deeply. You let yourself melt against his chest.

“Am I in trouble?” he mumbled against your neck, his lips finding the tender spot behind your ear.

You sighed. “It depends. I’m busting my ass planning this wedding, but it seems like you’re already married to your job.” You turned in his arms to face him. “Who is it going to be? Me or your job?”

“I want what’s best for you,” he said, holding you tight. “I need money to give yo-”

“Answer the question,” you pressed. “Me or your job?”

He looked at you with a pained expression. You wondered what was going on through his mind. Bucky was hard to read sometimes.

“It’s you,” he finally said, “always you.”

You breathed out a sigh of relief, the tension slowly draining from your body. Arching against him, you kissed him hard on the lips. “Then prove it,” you whispered against his mouth, “come with me to the party next week. Take a day off.”

Bucky craned his neck toward the ceiling and sighed. He stayed quiet, pondering your words.

If he wanted to be the new head chef, he had to keep working hard. But ironically, the only reason he had been working so hard was so he could give you a better life. It didn’t make sense to keep working himself to death if you weren’t with him anymore.

Unfortunately, Saturdays were the most hectic days at the restaurant.

“I’m not allowed to take my Saturday off,” he told you, smiling sadly when your face fell. “But I’ll ask someone to trade shifts with me. I’ll be there before eleven.” He looked you in the eye, making sure you knew this was not an empty promise. “We’ll dance and laugh and drink. All night long.”

Your face broke into a shy smile. This wasn’t perfect, but it was a fair compromise. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him.

“It’s going to be the best party ever,” you said.

*

“This party sucks.”

Scott turned and leaned his back against the bar, surveying the deserted dance floor. He hummed in agreement as you blew out a frustrated breath.

People had started gathering at around eight but the music was garbage, and even the open bar wasn’t enough to make the guests stay. It was a Saturday night in New York, they still had time to find another party.

“It's 11 o’clock and I'm at a party.” Steve appeared out of nowhere. “It's so cool.”

“It’s 11 o’clock and people are leaving,” Scott said, cocking a brow. Steve’s enthusiasm was a little odd. He was celebrity after all, this shouldn’t faze him. “It’s a disaster.”

You spotted Nick and Natasha walking across the dance floor with scowls on their faces.

“Here comes trouble,” you mumbled to your friends as your bosses approached your corner.

“Where’s Barnes?” Natasha asked.

“He shouldn’t be long,” you replied after checking your phone. “He had to work tonight.”

Nick looked around the room and slowly shook his head. “It doesn’t really matter anymore. Most of the guests are gone.” He waved the bartender over and ordered a shot. “Is it me? Do I smell? Do I have bad breath?”

You, Scott and Natasha didn’t say anything. You all knew he wasn’t expecting an answer, he just needed to vent. The party must have been incredibly expensive and it was a complete disaster.

To your horror, Steve started leaning toward Nick, sniffing the air around him. Natasha looked at him as if he were crazy.

“No, you smell nice,” Steve said.

“Really,” Nick continued, his jaw ticking, “because people seem to be running for the exit like someone set off a stink bomb.”

“I don’t smell anything.” Steve looked at him with a confused puppy look on his face.

Scott bit back a laugh. “I think he means the party is a stinker. A dud. A flop. A zero on a scale of one to ten.”

“Thanks, Scott,” Natasha said, crossing her arms.

“Maybe if somebody played something else,” Steve said, nodding toward the DJ. “Something with a melody.”

Nick cut him off. “Play whatever you want. All I know is if those people don't start dancing really, really soon...” He promptly raised his shot glass. “Here's to early retirement.”

Nick grimaced as the amber liquid rolled down his throat. Steve cocked his head to one side as he observed the man digging in the record bin behind the turntables. An idea formed in his mind and, with a lopsided grin, he started making his way toward the dance floor.

“Steve,” you called after him. You remembered that smile too well. He was about to do something stupid.

The four of you watched as Steve neared the DJ. They spoke for a brief moment, though you were too far away to hear what they were saying. Then Steve turned around and, as he reached the middle of the dance floor, an upbeat music filled the room.

You frowned. The song was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

Steve addressed the small crowd with a shy wave, but all he got in return were blank stares. He took a deep, calming breath and started moving to the beat.

This is something new, the Casper slide part two Featuring the platinum band, and this time... We’re gonna get funky

Oh, no

Your eyes widened in horror as you recognized the song. The Cha Cha Slide. You hadn’t heard that song in years. It reminded you of your childhood, of the times in middle school when you had been going to slumber parties.

The dance in itself was really simple, you just had to follow the lyrics.

People were snickering as they watched Steve dance. He felt incredibly stupid, alone on the dance floor. He met your eyes and silently pleaded with you to join him.

You shook your head. “No, absolutely not!” you said in a loud whisper.

“Please,” Steve mouthed back.

Turn it out, to the left Take it back now y'all One hop this time

Steve took the lyrics as his cue to hop toward you like a bunny. You tried to hide behind Scott, but that idiot pushed you forward. Steve grabbed your hands and tried to pull you towards him.

“C’mon, please,” he begged.

“I haven't done this in over ten years.”

“It’s the Cha Cha Slide, he literally tells you what to do,” Steve shouted over the music.

He led you to the dance floor, and you found yourself paralysed. Everyone was staring at you. You tried to follow Steve’s lead, but you just felt too ridiculous. He encouraged you to keep dancing and you did your best not to bolt out of the room.

Slide to the left, slide to the right Crisscross, crisscross

In a synchronized movement, you both jumped and crossed your right foot over your left, then did it again. You looked at each other and laughed.

“All right, here we go!” you shouted, smiling brightly.

Despite your embarrassment, you were starting to really enjoy this. More people joined in. You saw Scott take Natasha’s hand and lead her to the dance floor. Natasha playfully rolled her eyes as she begrudgingly agreed to follow him.

The song ended too fast for your liking. You were feeling lighter than you had in a long time. Another song came on, a popular song from the 80s’, and everyone cheered.

“You’re a genius,” you shouted over the music, taking Steve’s hand and letting him twirl you into his arms. “That was so much fun! You have some great moves, Rogers! I didn’t know you could still do the limbo. That was impressive!”

Steve blushed and took a step away from you, running his hand through his hair with a sheepish grin. He looked at something over your shoulder, and grinned. The cheers of the crowd caught your attention.

You turned around and saw Nick doing the moonwalk. You were never going to be able to look him in the eye again.

It was after midnight when you finally stopped dancing and took a break. You ordered a drink and checked the time on your phone.

00:20 a.m.

No new messages.

You frowned, and looked around for Bucky. He should have been here by now. The room was absolutely crowded, and you thought that perhaps he was still looking for you.

You took your drink and moved to a quiet spot near the restroom where you called Bucky. He didn’t pick up. You left him a message, saying that you were at the bar waiting for him. You also sent him a text with the same information.

You waited another thirty minutes, frequently checking your phone, but Bucky hadn’t tried to contact you.

It was now 1 a.m. and you were getting a little worried. You tried not to panic, after all Bucky was always late so it was probably nothing.

You went outside and called the restaurant, thinking that maybe he was still working. The call went straight to voicemail, and you knew it was because the restaurant was closed and the team had left the building.

You remembered that Shuri was working with Bucky tonight, she had even agreed to trade shifts with him. You called her, but all she could tell you was that he had left just before eleven o’clock.

“There you are!” Steve’s voice made you jump. His smile dropped as he met your frightened eyes. “Something wrong?”

“I can’t find Bucky,” you said. “He’s not answering his phone. I don’t know what to do.”

Steve’s expression changed. He looked around, as if doing so would make Bucky appear out of nowhere. The lump in his throat dropped into his stomach like a lead ball.

Steve’s silence made you even more nervous.

“I don’t know where he is,” you cried. “What if something happened to him on the way here?”

Your legs buckled and Steve was at your side in an instant, holding you upright. You were panting, your eyes unfocused. He had had enough panic attacks to recognize the symptoms.

He held your gaze, and drew in a deep breath through his nose before releasing it slowly through his mouth. Calming breaths, you recognised the technique. You breathed in tandem until your heartbeat returned to normal.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, mustering up a half smile. “I’m going to drop you off at home. You’ll stay there in case Bucky comes home, and meanwhile I’ll look for him. Okay?”

You nodded, letting yourself smile a little.

*

You tried calling Bucky one last time while you climbed the stairs to your apartment. He didn’t answer and you left yet another voicemail. You begged him to call you back as soon he got your messages.

You fumbled with the lock, your nerves made your hands shake, and finally got it open. You leaned one hand against the wall for support as you bent down to remove your high heels.

“Did you have fun?”

Bucky’s deep voice startled you. You hurriedly searched for the nearby switch to turn on the lights. He was sitting at the kitchen counter with a half empty bottle of whiskey in front of him.

“You’re home,” you said, releasing a relieved breath. “I tried to call you like ten times.” You noticed that his phone was next to the bottle. “Why didn’t you answer? I was worried.”

Scoffing under his breath, Bucky reached for the bottle of whiskey. “You were worried? When? When Steve was twirling you around or when you were giggling against his chest?”

You frowned at him. Bucky had seen you dance with Steve, he’d seen the two of you laugh and have fun. It could only mean one thing.

“You came to the party,” you concluded out loud.

“Yeah, nice solve, Sherlock.”

“You’re drunk,” you chastised.

“And you’re cheating on me,” Bucky shouted, slamming the bottle on the counter.

You held his accusatory stare for as long as you could stand it, then bent your head and swallowed the lump in your throat. That was a low blow and completely unjustified. Sometimes his insecurities got the best of him. Especially when he was drunk.

It was pointless to argue with him right now. You swallowed your frustration and anger as best you could before you raised your head.

“You’re drunk, I’m not having this conversation tonight,” you said as you crossed the room. “You’re sleeping on the couch.”

At least he didn’t protest.

You grabbed the handle of the Murphy bed that leaned against the wall, and pulled it down. You took your phone and typed a quick text to Steve.

I found Bucky. He’s at home, drunk, but safe. Thank you for what you did tonight. You’re a good man.

His answer came a few seconds later. I’m relieved. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. Goodnight!

You were getting ready for bed, but your brain was rehearsing the upcoming argument you would soon have with Bucky.

You got even more upset because you couldn’t calm down. Bucky was still sitting at the counter, staring off into space. You didn’t want to be in the same room with him.

Your apartment was a tiny studio, you couldn’t isolate yourself. And even though you hated his guts, you didn’t want to throw Bucky out of the house. He wasn’t sober enough to take a cab or even walk. Besides, Sam would be upset if Bucky showed up drunk at his door in the middle of the night.

You stared at your trainers closely, calculating your next move. You felt as though you were suffocating, stuck between two men and a wedding, and unable to move forward because you wanted to please everyone.

You had to get out of the apartment.

You quickly slipped your feet into her trainers and headed for the front door. Bucky’s tired eyes were focused on you as you took your jacket and keys.

“Where you goin?” he slurred.

“Out,” you said before you closed the door behind you.

[eves-library]

Day Three // Avengers x Reader

Summary: “The goat of Christmas past? Wasn’t it supposed to be a ghost?” 

Word Count: 2585

Warnings: None

A/N: I did it! Day three is up now, and Day four will be coming today at 8 or 9 p.m. On this prompt I decided not to pair any of the avengers on this one, I liked how the interaction of the characters go. I know in these first prompts there isn’t much interaction between the reader and other female characters like Wanda or Natasha. So some of the upcoming prompts will be either paring with them or centered on them.

You were explaining the events of this week to the group of avengers that hadn’t left for free time on the holiday season, you had Thor the god of thunder, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff, Bucky Barnes, Wanda Maximoff and Vision. You were explaining the type of events Christmas related they were going to attend in the next two weeks and the amount of time they were expected to stay before they could leave if wanted. “Finally we have the Winter Ball on two Fridays from now at the Captain America museum, you are expected to stay for at least an hour after the red carpet is done with and Steve you are to give a Christmas speech, I already have Matt working on it, once I go over it with him I’ll call you so we can go over it for your final approval.” You finished and close the agenda in front of you, “This is just the events for these two weeks so you guys can work your personal time between this and any mission that can come up. I cleared the Saturday before the Winter Ball so you can have a break and we go over for the schedules for the week before Christmas,” the group in front of you let out an exasperated sigh and you chuckled, “I know guys, there are too many events coming up but there is nothing I can do about it, these sort of events come with the holiday season and as much as I hate them, you are expected to make an appearance.” Everyone in the room sighed once again but agreed with you. You hade been the PR manager for the avengers for a little over a year now. Earth’s mightiest heroes liked you because unlike past PR managers you understood that between missions and the public life of being an avenger they had a life of their own, one where they wanted to spend a weekend of late mornings or late nights at bars, simply having fun. So you tried to balance their lives as best as you can, trying to only sign them up for events they needed to be at or ones they could actually enjoy. 

You were picking your things up when Sam came to you a cheeky grin on his face, “There is no getting off the hook Samuel, I already checked if any of the events can survive without your presence and it is not possible, plus most of them are charity events and I know for a fact 70% of them are not just fundraiser galas but rather actual help at the moment meetings, so please don’t even try to get yourself out of any events by moping and whining in front of me, it will do nothing to change my mind.” you zipped your bag and finally look at him, a shocked expression on his face and his teammates laughing discretely on the background. “Ouch Y/N, it hurts my feelings that you think of me that way! I was just going to ask if you wanted to be part of our Secret Santa gift exchange.” He said with mock hurt lazing his voice and you chuckled softly and shook your head, already heading for the door of the conference room. “As much as I appreciate the offer I must decline it, Sam,” you said with a small smile on your face. Sam was surely not expecting that answer, you would usually spend time with them at different activities just as game or movie nights, so naturally Sam thought you would be thrilled to be part of the Secret Santa exchange, “Why not?” 

You were kind of hoping he wouldn’t ask, you were not really a Christmas fan, believing the holiday was just a waste of time and money, but people tend no to understand your position and more times than not try to change your mind about the holiday, which makes you hate the holiday more. Usually, you will give an excuse but you certainly didn’t have one for a secret Santa exchange, as money wasn’t a thing you suffer from, especially since you work for the Avengers/ Tony Stark, so you just decided to explain him. “I hate Christmas Sam, and everything related to it. So I don’t really do or take part in any holiday-related event.” You say while walking back to your office one floor down, Sam following you. “Are you serious?” he asked still shocked by your admission, “Deadly,” you answered with an absolutely serious face. “That isn’t the truth! I saw you last year at the Christmas party Tony threw!” You smile out of pity because you already knew what was coming. “I was there for work Sam, as soon as the guests were all inside I stayed for 20 min until Tony gave his formal speech and I left.” 

Sam was beyond shocked, how could you not like Christmas, everybody likes Christmas, or so he thought. How blind he was. “What about gifts? You give gifts, right?” You shooked your head in a way you said no without actually saying the word, “I only do formality gifts, I give one to my boss or bosses and one to my PA. Other than that I don’t spend a single penny on Christmas presents. To be honest it is a waste of money and time, which I can’t afford losing.” The look on Sam’s face was priceless, who would have thought that it would only take you a simple PR manager, to express your hate for Christmas to bring The Falcon speechless and almost as white as a ghost. Sam had always thought of you as a caring, loving and warm person for lack of better words to describe you, but the person in front of him right now was acting as cold as ice, he was sure that if Natasha were in his place right now she would describe you as coldhearted. Which when it came to Christmas time you were. 

“I don’t know why you hate Christmas Y/N but by the day of Christmas Eve you’ll be in love with the holiday I make it my personal and most important mission,” he said as you enter the elevator and he backed away. You just chuckled and shook your head. 

A few days had passed since your little confession to Sam, and you hadn’t really seen him. You were currently double-checking the last-minute occurrences of the organizers for one of the fundraisers the group of Avengers was to attend tomorrow night. Definitely standing your ground when the assistant of the organization president suggested in her mail that Steve should wear a Captain America Christmas suit. You had been working as a PR for almost seven years and still couldn’t believe there were people willing to sacrifice other people’s dignity or even their own to be on a headline. You answered back as politely as you could buyyt still with a thunderous no, that even Thor would be proud of. Then the god of thunder himself walked into the common area of the avengers’ living floor with what seems small horns on top of his head and pointy ears at the side of said horns. 

He stood in front of you and you greeted him, “Hey Thor, what’s with the horns?” you asked absolutely curious about the reason behind them. There were a few seconds of silence before his booming voice was heard all throughout the vast space of the common area, “Miss Y/N! I am the goat of Christmas past! and I’ve come here to visit you!” The words took a few seconds to register in your head, but once they did the horns made a lot more sense, you chuckled and tried to interrupt him, “Wait, the goat of Christmas past?” but that was as far as you got before his booming voice was heard again throughout all the free area, “Don’t talk Miss Y/N! I am here to show you, not for you to talk!” As you were sure Sam hadn’t gone as far as to dig in your past without your consent you let the mighty God of thunder give his long speech about how Christmas is a celebration that has been celebrated for centuries and why it was so important. He went as far as summoned thunders at certain parts of his speech to emphasize his point. once he was finished with his big speech, he bowed in front of you before adding, “soon the goat of Christmas present will visit you next!” you thank him and just as you had invited him to take a seat next to you to watch something on the T.V. Sam came through the elevator doors. You called his name and he plopped down next to you just as Thor excused himself to get something to drink before coming back to watch T.V. with you. 

“So, I just a had a visit from the goat of Christmas past,” you said making an emphasis on the word goat, a teasing smirk on your face especially as you saw the confused look on Sam’s face, “You know Sam I may not like Christmas but I don’t think that is not how the story goes. Wasn’t it supposed to be a ghost?” you said as calmly as you could because you wanted to laugh so hard. 

Thor came back and sit back down where he had been seated. Sam turned to look at him and almost shouting he asked, “Why did Y/N get a visit from the GOAT of Christmas past, Thor?!” Thor took a swig from the beer on his hand and looked confused at Sam. “I thought that was what you asked me to do, at least that was what your note said.” Thor explained calmly and still very confused. You stepped in, because as amused as you were by the situation you wanted to make Sam suffer, “It’s not Thor’s fault you have the handwriting of a kindergarten, Sam. Now if you are really want to go through this I better get the visit of the goats of Christmas Present and Future with the horns and everything, okay?” you said as you got up and took the headband with the horns Thor had been using from the coffee table and dropped it on Sam’s lap. Sam was speechless so instead of waiting for an answer you just patted his head and took your stuff. Deciding to head somewhere else to wait for the goat of Christmas present.

It had been an hour since the little incident at the common area with Thor and Sam. You were currently in the kitchen a cup of tea between your hands as you read through some articles your PA had sent you about the two last events one or two of the avengers had attended. You took notes of the public opinion on them and which avenger needed to make more appearances on more public events, and already thinking on what type of events said avengers were most likely to not hate and still look good to the public eye. Then Bucky entered the kitchen. You looked up from your tablet and smiled at the sight in front of you. The Bucky Barnes, supersoldier, a former assassin, an ex-special asset from one of the most feared organizations to ever existed, was in front of you wearing the same headband as Thor had. The look on his face said he was not happy at all and he was glaring at you which just make your amusement growth, “I assume, you are the goat of Christmas present?” you asked and the glare he directed at you hardened if possible, you were sure that if looks could kill, you would be three feet underground by now. “Just do what Sam wants you to Y/N and take me out my misery,” He said slumping down on the seat across from you on the center table of the kitchen. “You know, I wonder what is it that Sam has over your head for you to agree do this,” You asked him to which he only groaned and glare at you more, you chuckled but decided to show him mercy. “Tell Sam I still have to be visited by the goat of Christmas Future before he knows my verdict,” you said and that was enough for Bucky to take out the headband and started walking out of the kitchen, “Also! I know you hate it but I do need you to go to that suit fitting for the Captain America Museum gala, tomorrow at 3 p.m., I even got Isabel, the girl you liked to be the one to do it, maybe you can ask her to be your plus one?” Bucky’s face broke into a grin and his cheeks were a little, he just thank you and before leaving he warned you that Natasha was meant to be the last “goat”. That promised to be something you thought before going back to work.

You were back at your office when Steve entered with the same headband you had seen twice today. “I saw Sam, couldn’t make Natasha wear the goat horns, uh?” You asked in an amused tone, “Bummer.” you shrugged and offer Steve to take a seat. He took off the headband as he chuckled at your antics. “Why is it that you hate Christmas, Y/N?” Steve asked you and he seemed genuinely curious, so you decided to just be honest. “I’m not sure Steve, I just never had a great Christmas experience and as years went by, I just saw it as a waste of my time and money, and just like I said to Sam the other day, I won’t lose either.” 

Steve nodded and thought for a few seconds before speaking again. “I won’t try to change your mind but can you just consider this for a moment?” he asked and you nodded so he continues to talk, “I know you don’t do any Christmas related activities but isn’t this whole parade a Christmas related activity? And didn’t you had fun? All I’m saying is that you don’t need to see these holidays as an experience you’ve hated for a while now, but an opportunity to spent time with your friends, and maybe with time we can change your perspective on Christmas, who knows. Anyway that’s all from my part I hope you agree on the Secret Santa exchange, Sam stopped everything until you tell him your final decision just in case you changed your mind, we would all love for you to be a part of it, plus see it this way, if Tony got your name you would have a very expensive gift.” You laughed at that and thanked Steve as he walked out of your office. 

You spent the next twenty minutes thinking over Steve’s words and realized you actually had fun with this whole ordeal of ghosty goats. You finally picked your phone up and sent Sam a message “Fine, I’ll take part in your Secret Santa exchange. Don’t get too excited I still hate Christmas but for the right price I can be persuaded to engage in more Christmas activities.” 

Five minutes later your phone buzzed with a new text notification, “Free lunch for a week seems fair enough for our Christmas dinner?” Maybe the holidays weren’t as bad as you thought.

[avintagekiss24]

Piper’s Creek [8/10]

Pairing: Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers

Word Count: 4183

Warnings: language

Rating: M (for language)

Link: AO3

Summary: Sam Wilson is a simple man. He likes to do simple things, like going fishing on a warm summer day. Little does Sam know, this fishing trip will not only lead him to his soulmate, but into a world of ancient folklore.

Square Filled: K3 - Request/Demand for @buckybarnesbingo

G1 - No Powers AU for @stuckybingo2019

A/N: As I stated on ao3, things move quickly in this one. My long winded ass had already blown past the word count that I had provided to the mods and my artist for SWBB, so I had to condense the angst because I was getting out of control, lol.

Art by @waltermittie

Weeks have passed. Sam was keeping track at first, but the longer the days grew, the deeper his sadness became. It wasn’t healthy to obsess, so he just put it behind him. Steve, Bucky, all of it. He focused on work, enrolled in a gourmet baking class with Wanda, and spent every free moment he had with his nephews. Before he knew it, the leaves were orange and brown, the temperature was quickly dropping, and the smell of pumpkin spice latte filled with air. 

His summer fling was long gone. 

Sam sits in his office, tapping away at his computer as he slides his eyes back toward the papers in front of him. He much preferred being on the floor, or working the drive up window, but home loans require paperwork, and paperwork means his mind stays busy. He didn’t want to lose anymore time thinking about what was out in the woods.

His bluetooth speaker plays softly from the corner of the room as the wind crashes against the tall windows behind him. The sky is grey and cloudy, spreading a dullness throughout his office. He hums along with Brooks and Dunn as they croon about a Neon Moon and submits a young couples’ application, grabbing his pen to sign his name at the bottom of the forms. 

He registers the sound of the chiming front doors in his ears, but focuses back on the paperwork before him as he hears Natasha’s muffled voice. He returns his attention to his screen as the promising couples’ application comes back pre-approved. He prints out the status, staples it to their folders and throws it in his outgoing tray, before moving on to the next application. A soft knock sounds, and he peeks up to find Natasha standing in his door frame.

“Do you have a minute? There’s some guy who wants to speak with you.”

Sam glances back at his computer, “Um, you can’t take him for me? I want to try and get these processed before the weekend.”

“I tried, he said you are the only one that can help him.”

Sam leans back in his chair, a confused look on his face, “Really? That’s kinda- ”

“Kinky, I know.” She smiles, wiggling her eyebrows at him, “He’s pretty good lookin’ from what I can tell.”

“From what you can tell?”

She shrugs as she crosses her arms over her chest, glancing back at the tall stranger standing in the open lobby, “He’s got a Yankee cap and sunglasses hiding his face. He’s tall though,” her words fade as she steals another glance, “Nice broad shoulders.”

Sam laughs, holding up his hand, “Okay, okay, calm down. Send him in.”

Natasha waves the man forward as Sam starts tapping on his keyboard again, “Just give me one second, and I’m all yours,” he says as he picks up on movement in the corner of his eye. He locks his computer screen and pauses the music on his phone, before turning toward his prospective client, “I’m Sam. How can I help you today?”

The man dips his head to remove his sunglasses as he clears his throat, “Hey Sam.”

Sam’s breath hitches in his throat as Steve smiles nervously at him. He tightens his jaw and presses his lips into a hard line as he leans back into his chair, “What are you doing here?”

Steve runs his hand through his slightly longer hair and rubs the back of his neck, “I was um, I was wondering if we could talk? If you have time, that is.”

Sam pushes away from his desk and stands, moving to the door, “I don’t. I have a lot of stuff I need to get through.”

“Sam,” Steve starts.

“No, don’t-” Sam stops, taking a deep breath as he closes his eyes to control himself, “Don’t Sam, me. You made yourself plenty clear, and so did I. I’m done, and I am trying to move on, so,” he stretches his hand toward the door, “Please.”

Steve nods slowly as he drops his head between his heavy shoulders. He leans forward, placing his elbows on his thighs as he holds his fist in his palm, “He won’t talk to me,” he says quietly as he stares at the carpet below his feet, “There is so much distance between us.”

“So that’s what you came here for? To make yourself feel better?” Sam asks as he squints his dark eyes at Steve, “I’m not going to ease your conscience for you. That is not my job.”

“I’m not saying it is.” Steve answers, turning his wrist over to gaze at Bucky’s name, “I had nothing when I met Bucky. My parents had died years before, I didn’t have many friends because I was in and out of the hospital my entire life.” He pauses as he runs his fingers lightly over Bucky’s name, “When I met him, I just… there wasn’t even a plan B for me. I let him imprint on me that night. I woke up like this, and we left. That was that.”

Sam crosses his arms over his chest and slides his eyes to the wall-length windows behind his desk, before sending them back to Steve, “I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me,” he says as he chews the inside of his cheek.

“I’m trying to say that I realize that just because it was an easy decision for me to drop everything, doesn’t mean that it’ll be easy for you.” He takes a breath before turning his head to make eye contact with Sam, “I had nothing, but you have a whole life and people who need you, and that wasn’t fair of me to tell you that you can’t see them anymore.” He shakes his head, dropping it again, “That’s not for me to say. That’s between you and Bucky, and I’m sorry.”

Sam glances away from him again as he shifts his weight on his feet. He opens his mouth, but shuts it again when he can’t form any words, “I don’t - I don’t know what you want me to say, Steve.” He says after a moment, his mind racing. 

“Say you’ll come back.”

Sam shakes his head, “I can’t. I can’t do that.”

“Yes you can. We can work through this, okay? I’ll do whatever you two want me to do. I love him, and I don’t want to see him hurting like this.” Sam’s expression softens as Steve continues to speak, “He needs you, Sam. I know that you need him too, and there’s no sense in any of us having to keep living like this.”

Steve stands, placing his hat back on his head, “I have a reservation at Canlis tonight, 7:30pm. Please come.”

“I don’t,” Sam drips his head, “I don’t know if I can.” He whispers.

“It’s not for me.” Steve answers, “Come for him.”

He places his hand on Sam’s shoulder, letting it linger for just a second before he steps out of his office. Sam lets out a breath that he wasn’t even aware he was holding as he watches Steve step out into the parking lot. Natasha peeks out of her office, glancing toward the parking lot before shuffling back to Sam’s office. Her eyes are wide as they shift between his, picking up that his visitor wasn’t there to open an account. 

“Who was that?” She watches as he moves back around his desk and falls in his chair.

He leans back and brings his fingers to his lips as his mind races, “That was Steve.”

Natasha gasps as she glances back toward the front doors, “Captain Asshole?” She whispers as she walks further into his office, “What did he want?”

“He uh, he wants me to have dinner with them tonight, I guess so we can talk. He apologized for everything that went down.”

Her mouth drops open as she tucks her hair behind her ear, “You don’t sound excited.”

“Why should I be excited? Words don’t mean shit, Nat.”

“Sam.”

He widens his eyes at her, “What? Show me some action, I don’t want empty promises.”

“He came all the way into the city to talk to you. That’s not action? Maybe he’s willing to compromise.”

Sam shifts his eyes around the room as the gears turn in his head , “He’s just trying to make himself feel better. Mr. Nice Guy all of a sudden.”

Natasha rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest, “Samuel Thomas. Don’t be stubborn. You’re going.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, you’re going. Don’t make me call Wanda.”

Sam stares at her and she stares right back, tilting her head slightly as she purses her lips. 

“Nat, it is not that easy, okay? I don’t know what to say to Bucky after all of this time.” Sam shrugs, “I meant what I said. I’m not going to give up my entire life and the people I love for some guy. It’s not worth it.”

“You’ll figure out what to say. You can’t just ignore your destiny, Sam. No matter how hard you try. If Steve is willing to -“

“It’s not about him, that’s the problem,” Sam says, cutting her off, “It’s between me and Bucky. It has nothing to do with him.”

She cocks her head to the side, “That’s not true. He has just as much stake in this as you do. Jesus, now I can see why you two don’t get along. Captain Asshole, meet Chief Master Sergeant Dickweed over here.” Sam rolls his eyes and slumps down in his chair, “I understand that your circumstances aren’t exactly what you had hoped for, and meshing three lives is a whole hell of a lot harder than just two, but you can’t fight this one, Sam. Just go and hear them out.”

“You sound like my mother,” Sam grumbles.

Natasha smiles in return and heads back into her office, leaving Sam to stew in his new emotions. She grabs her phone and taps on Wanda’s name before placing it to her ear, “You will never guess who was just up here,” she says as soon as  Wanda answers.

“Who?”

“Our new sperm donor.”

-----

Bucky pulls at his dark blue suit jacket before tugging at the collar of his black dress shirt. He’s uncomfortable at best, and scared as hell at worst as he steps out of the truck. He runs his hands through his slicked back hair as he clears his throat and glances around the packed sidewalk. Steve crosses around the front of the truck and stretches his hand towards Bucky, who gladly accepts it before they cross the street. He keeps his head down, watching his loafers and the backs of Steve’s heels as they push inside.

He stays behind Steve as he speaks with the hostess, keeping their fingers intertwined. The hostess takes them immediately to their seats - a small table on the second floor, right up against the windows that overlook the city below. A small candle burns in the middle of the table, sitting atop the white linen table cover. Bucky sits next to the empty third chair, while Steve sits in front of him, smiling softly as Bucky glances around nervously. 

“Why are there three chairs?” Bucky asks, picking at the table cloth.

Steve shrugs, “Maybe they just forgot to take it. What’s wrong?” 

Bucky shrugs, his eyes wide as he bites the inside of his cheek, “This is weird.”

Steve laughs as he takes a sip of his water, “What’s weird about it?”

“We don’t ever come to places like this.” Bucky squints, causing Steve to laugh a little harder, “You buying me these clothes and everything. I’m nervous.”

“You look nice. Blue always looks good on you.” Bucky rolls his eyes and clears his throat of the nerves he’s feeling, drawing another laugh from Steve, “I’m trying to do something nice for you. You said we never go out, so,”

Bucky smiles sheepishly, tucking his hair behind his ear. He leans up close to the table and reaches across, grabbing Steve’s hand, “Sorry. This is really nice. Thank you.”

“I just want to make you happy.” Steve smiles, “It’s been a while since I’ve made you smile.”

Bucky drops his eyes from Steve’s as he lowers his head again. He’ll admit, he was suspicious of Steve’s motives when he brought up the idea before running off into the city. Steve returned hours later with his get up for him, a fresh haircut, and a simple black suit for himself. 

Things had been strained between them for weeks, ever since Sam left. Not many words passed between the two of them, Bucky too depressed to want to talk and Steve sinking into his own head. Steve wouldn’t take no for an answer, practically forcing Bucky into the shower and nearly dressing him his damn self this afternoon. Bucky still thinks something is up, but it’s nice to have a cease fire after being at odds for so long. 

Bucky rubs the inside of Steve’s palm with his fingers and smiles back, “You always make me smile.”

Steve rolls his eyes playfully, chuckling again as Bucky’s broad smile finally reaches his eyes. He tilts his wrist, checking the time and glances over his shoulder to see if there’s any sign of the true man of the hour. The two order a bottle of wine and nibble on bread as Steve makes small talk, trying his best to stall as the minutes tick by.

The waiter comes back a few times, Steve shooing him off each time and checking his watch as he continues to glance back toward the stairs. This has to be the first time that he’s actually glad that Bucky is a picky eater. 

“I’m ready if you are, babe.” Bucky says, laughing a little as he closes his menu, “Sorry, I’m so slow.”

Steve checks his watch again as it reads 8:17pm, “You sure?”

“Yep.” Bucky nods, “I’m gonna go with the Canlis salad, the Haiga rice, the lamb, and the peach sorbet. Look at me being all fancy.” He laughs.

Steve lets out a breath, his heart sinking. He couldn’t fix it. He plasters another smile on his face, and lifts his hand for the waiter, “Good choice, babe.”

-----

Sam sits in his Challenger, hands gripping the steering wheel as he stares at the back of the Canlis. He drops his eyes to the dashboard and stares at the time as it flashes. 8:15pm. He’s been here for forty five minutes, scared to move. His head hurts, his limbs are shaky, his brain racing a mile a minute. He’s still not sure if he wants to do this. He had made a clean break, why turn back now?

Because you love him. 

He sighs heavily as the words bounce around his brain. He missed him so much that it was starting to physically hurt, and no gourmet baking class or home loan mortgages can keep his mind off of it. Just the thought of seeing Bucky again made his heart leap. He takes a breath as he glances up into the rear view mirror. You got this, Sam. 

He throws open the door and steps out, pulling down the sleeves of his deep periwinkle, pinstriped jacket. His feet push him forward as he adjusts his grey, polka dotted tie and tugs at the collar of his teal dress shirt. Sam Wilson cannot tell a lie; he’s never been one to miss a chance at getting dressed up. 

He moves into the restaurant and flashes a quick smile at the dark, curly haired hostess, “Good evening, welcome to Canlis.”

“Good evening. I’m actually joining a party, Rogers?”

She scans the reservation book and smiles back at him as he steps around the podium, “Right this way sir.”

Sam follows her closely as they wind through the dinner tables and hit the stairs to the second floor. He spots Bucky almost immediately. His heart flutters as Bucky smiles widely, his eyes crinkling at the sides as Steve orders for him. He stops the waitress, “I see them. Thank you.”

She smiles and disappears, leaving Sam alone to stare. He clears his throat, tugging on the bottom of his jacket again before smoothing his hands over the pockets. He waits until the waiter moves from the table and he pushes forward again, shoving his shaking hands in his pockets. 

Sam clears his throat as he approaches and lifts his eyes as his famous smirk spreads across his lips, “Sorry I’m late.”

Bucky glances up, and has to do a double take as his mouth drops open. Sam’s smirk widens into a full smile as surprise and disbelief fills Bucky’s face. Steve stands, letting the relief flush through him as he extends his hand toward Sam’s, shaking it quickly before pulling him into a hug. 

“Thank you for coming.” Steve nods, expelling a breath, “Thank you.”

Sam nods, turning his attention back to Bucky who now stands, his blue eyes cloudy with tears as they travel around Sam’s face, “Come ‘mere,” Sam whispers, beckoning Bucky forward with his fingers. 

Bucky slams his body into Sam’s, sending them stumbling backward a few steps as Sam laughs lightly. Sam squeezes Bucky to him and closes his eyes as he breathes in his sweet cologne. 

Bucky pulls back and places his hands on either side Sam’s face, rubbing his thumbs softly on his cheeks, “Hi Sammy.”

“Hey you.” Sam smiles again, nuzzling his face into Bucky’s right palm.

Bucky blinks as he smiles, a single tear slipping down his cheek as he crashes his lips to Sam’s. They link hands as they move around the table and take their seats side by side. Sam pulls Bucky’s hand into his lap and pushes his thumb into his palm, rubbing slow circles. 

The waiter returns and places a wine glass in front of Sam, before taking his order and rushing off again. Bucky reaches across the table to Steve again, wiggling his fingers for Steve to take them, “I knew you were being weird. How did you do this?”

Sam nods in Steve’s direction, “This one came by the bank today. Made me start feeling bad again.”

“Steve.” Bucky hums happily, squeezing his fingers.

“Don’t thank me. Sam didn’t have to come. I’m glad he did.”

“Me too.” Bucky smiles, “Thank you, Sam.”

Sam nods, bringing Bucky’s hand to his lips to drop kisses along the backs of his fingers. They make small talk as the appetizers come, the three of them too nervous to bring up the real reason they were all out. The dinner passes smoothly, another bottle of wine is ordered, helping Steve and Sam both relax. 

Steve leans back in his chair as he nibbles on a piece of his black sesame cake. He watches as Bucky leans into Sam and takes a bite of his raspberry meringue. Bucky sighs happily as Sam mumbles something, the two of them sharing a laugh as Bucky rests his head on Sam’s shoulder. Steve reaches for his wine glass and swirls it slowly, before tipping his head back to finish it off. 

“So,” Sam starts, wiping at his mouth with his napkin, before placing it back on his lap, “Should we talk?”

Bucky nods as he sits up and looks towards Steve, “Finally. Please.”

Sam takes a breath, “I just want to apologize first. I shouldn’t have left the way I did, and I shouldn’t have shut you out for this long.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Bucky says quietly, resting his hand on Sam’s forearm. 

“I can take responsibility for my actions. It wasn’t all Steve, I was being pig headed too.”

Steve leans forward, grabbing Bucky’s hand again, “We didn’t mean to put you in the middle, baby.”

“Thank you both for being here.” Bucky says, “I want this to work. I love you both so much.”

“I told Sam earlier that I’m willing to do anything you guys want to do. You want to move to the city, we can move to the city. You want friends, we’ll make friends. I just want you guys to be happy, that’s all.” Steve says, shifting his eyes between Sam and Bucky.

Sam nods, “Maybe we split our time? A couple of weeks here in the city, a few weeks out there? And, of course on full moons, so nobody gets hurt.”

“I like that idea. That could work,” Bucky says, shifting his eyes to Steve for approval, “Right, Steve?”

“Sounds good.”

“I have a friend who’s in real estate, he can show us some places whenever you guys are ready. But um, before that, I just,” he stops, trying to find the right words, “I don’t want this to come out wrong, but, I am not willing to compromise on my family or my friends. Wanda and Natasha are like my sisters. They mean more to me than I can put into words and I can’t imagine my life without them.”

“You don’t have to,” Steve says. “If you trust them, I trust them.”

“Same here,” Bucky adds, squeezing Sam’s arm in reassurance, “I’m sure we’ll get along famously.”

Sam pulls out his phone and thumbs through his photo album until he finds one of he and his nephews. He slides it into the middle of the table, Steve and Bucky leaning up to see, “That’s Christopher and Alex, my nephews.”

Bucky smiles warmly as he tucks his hair behind his ear, “They are beautiful, Sam,” he whispers as emotion fills his voice.

“That’s my sister Tonya, and my mom and dad, Paul and Darlene.” He points to each one as he swipes to another picture, “We are really close.”

“You don’t have to say anymore. It’ll stay that way, I promise you.” Steve answers, “They are beautiful, each and every one of them.”

“We can be a family, Sammy.” Bucky squeezes his hand, “We can. We can make it work.” Bucky nearly begs, just wanting this nonsense to end. 

“Christopher and I already good,” Steve shrugs, pointing to the Yankees cap on the young boy’s head, “I told you Sam, I’ll do whatever I have to, just come back. Please.” Steve breathes. 

“Thank you.” Sam nods again, smiling softly, “I want you guys to meet them soon.”

“Of course,” Bucky adds, sitting up straighter in his seat, “Of course we will.” 

Sam smiles quickly as he turns his wine glass in slow circles, “There’s one more thing.” He glances at Bucky, who nods in encouragement for him to continue, “The whole imprinting thing.”

Bucky shakes his head, “That’s completely up to you. We don’t even have to talk about it until you’re ready, if you even want to at all.”

“I mean, it would be nice to pack on a hundred pounds of muscle.” Sam chuckles, lifting his eyes to Steve, “But I’m still wrapping my mind around it.” 

Bucky kisses the side of Sam face and temple, “Don’t even worry about it.” 

“Am I demanding enough?” Sam laughs nervously.

“Not nearly,” Bucky whispers, “You could ask me to rob a bank right now and I’d give in.”

“Now that you mention it…” Sam smiles widely, wiggling his eyebrows.

They share a laugh before Bucky grabs Sam’s wrist and brings his hand to his lips. He kisses his palm, and then flattens his hand to his face, nuzzling into it happily. He drops Sam’s hand after a few moments and studies Steve’s face, worry quickly filling, “You okay?”

Steve nods, answering simply and honestly, “Yes.”

“You sure?”

Steve chuckles, “Stop. I’m fine.” 

Bucky smiles softly again. He’s a worrier, always has been, “I have a request too, then.” He starts, “Well, two actually.”

“What is it?” Sam smiles. 

Bucky shifts his eyes between Sam and Steve, “I want you two to promise that you won’t fight like this again. I don’t like this.”

“You got it.” Sam answers quickly, sending his eyes toward Steve, “A forever truce, right?”

“Right. We’ll just go out to the backyard and punch each other until we get over it.” Steve winks.

“That’s my kind of resolution right there.” Sam laughs, “We have more in common than I originally thought, Rogers.”

“Not funny,” Bucky quips, rolling his eyes.“Brutes.”

“What’s the other request, Buck?”

“We have to come back to this restaurant again.” Steve and Sam erupt with laughter, “Seriously, it’s so good.”

“I think we can swing that.” Sam says, leaning over to plant a kiss on Bucky’s cheek. 

Sam turns Bucky’s face toward his with his fingers, grabbing his lips between his. Bucky reciprocates and sweeps his tongue over Sam’s bottom lip before he goes in for another kiss. It deepens quickly as Sam pushes his tongue into Bucky’s mouth.

Sam moans quickly as they separate with a light smack, before sliding his eyes toward Steve, “Let’s get out of here, shall we?”

Steve shifts in his chair, readjusting his hardening dick in his pants, “Check please.”

[artemisegeria]

Love by Design (Chapter 11/11)

Title: Love by Design (Chapter 11/11)

Rating: T

Word count: 3111

Warnings: None for this chapter.  

Summary: Vision makes elaborate foam art as a barista at the coffee shop that his brother owns. One day a new customer comes in, and he completely loses his cool. As she keeps coming back, they grow closer. A casual acquaintance becomes something much more.

Chapter Summary: Vision and Wanda consider where they are in life and prepare for the next stage of their journey.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16272371

Chapter 1  | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

A/N: I included a bit about Hanukkah practices towards the end that I only learned from some internet research. I apologize for any mistakes. Please let me know if you have corrections, and I will update.

 Vision set to unpacking as soon as he arrived home. He wanted to be finished when Wanda came over for dinner. It was a simple matter to warm up leftovers of a meal he had prepared before he left. He chose a far less elaborate table setting than usual as well. Now, he only had to wait for his girlfriend. He couldn’t help grinning at the term, though it had been almost three months.

He heard the door click open just before Wanda’s shout of “Vizh! You’re back!” reached his ears. He had just enough time to open his arms before she launched herself at him. “How was the conference?” The words were spoken into his chest.

“It was excellent.” He took a moment to rest his cheek on the top of her head. They merely stood in silence for a time. It had only been a week, but now that he was back with Wanda, it felt like a small eternity. “How are you?”

“Mmm, good.”

“Indeed.” He gratefully enveloped her in his arms, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

When she pulled back, she fingered the pin on his lapel. “You’re still wearing it.” He pressed his hand over hers. The little coffee cup had not left his lapel since he opened it.

“Yes, I deeply appreciate your gift. I plan to leave it here permanently. Or at least until I buy another jacket.”

“I’m glad. Now, tell me more.” He explained the topics of some of the presentations, the reception to his paper, and the people he had met as he guided her toward the table. They continued talking throughout dinner until she looked at him more closely. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Vision was a bit unnerved, though not terribly surprised, that she had guessed he was holding back. He prided himself on stoicism, but this was to be expected, given how close they had become. “Yes, I met someone from the university that I have not met before. We got along quite well, and he informed me that they were short on history professors for the upcoming semester. He asked me to send him my resume, and he would see if he had anything for me.”

“That’s wonderful! Why didn’t you just say?”

“Well, it’s by no means a sure thing. Even if I get the position, it will only be for the Spring semester.”

“Still that’s a job in your field that you worked so hard for!” She got up and moved around the table to embrace him. Vision eagerly returned her hug, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, dinner forgotten. “Let’s celebrate recklessly!”

Vision caught her enthusiasm and spontaneously rose, causing her to stumble slightly. He held her up and led her smoothly into a waltz, which drew a shriek of laughter from her lips. They danced around the table into the main living area. Wanda did bring out his fun-loving side.

He was even inspired to surprise her with a twirl. When she spun back toward him, he transferred his hands to her waist and lifted her slightly in the air. Wanda let out another gust of laughter. When he lowered her back to her feet, she leaned against him, breathing elevated. “You suggested recklessness.” Vision found himself smirking at her. He was quite certain that this was not what she had intended.

“So I did.” The smile that bloomed on her face along with the color in her cheeks was one of the most beautiful Vision had ever seen. “Maybe I didn’t choose my words carefully enough. Not that I’m complaining.” She slid her arms around his neck, pulling his face down to hers.

He could have happily drowned in the kiss, but they separated after only a few moments. They still shared sentimental throughout the rest of their dinner. After cleaning up, they settled on the couch to watch a movie. Vision was able to relax fully for the first time since he left for the conference. Wanda was curled comfortably against his side and the kisses they shared at intervals left him warm and at peace.

***

On Saturday night, Wanda arrived at Vision’s apartment after everyone else had shown up. The Monopoly board was already set up when she let herself in. Vision approached her and gave her a peck on the lips in greeting. It was nice not to have to hide any longer. She was warmed from the inside out by the fact that she was finally able to admit how much she cared for him, both to herself and to the world.

“Okay, lovebirds, come on!” Tony shouted.

They walked over to the board. “For someone who wanted us to get together so badly, you don’t seem to like it now that we are.”

“Only when it interrupts the serious business of game night.”

“Alright, alright. Now you’re all just stalling. Let’s go!” Natasha rubbed her hands together. “You’re just afraid.”

“You wish,” Sam whooped.

Wanda sat down next to Natasha, pulling Vision down with her. “What’s the record, Nat? I think you know Monopoly is my game.”

Her eyes narrowed at Wanda, showing a hint of a true threat. “We’ll see.”

A new round of trash talk broke out as Steve divided the money and everyone fought over the pieces.

***

Vision sat at his kitchen table revising his resume in preparation for his meeting at the university. While taking a break from a line, his eyes fell on the bottle with the model ship inside. He appreciated Wanda’s thought in bringing him the memento, but he tried to think of his brother as little as possible.

They had not been close for years, but never expected Ultron to do something quite like this. Thinking about him threatened to lead Vision into tears, or even rage in the right mood. Vision took a deep breath to bring himself under control.

Regardless, Vision was ever an optimist. He looked to the silver lining. He was finally free. He knew that his brother would never have let him leave the shop without a fight. Now he could pursue his own dreams.

A part of him wondered where Ultron was or if he would ever see him again. But there was Wanda and his friends to think of. He had more people in his circle now than he ever could have imagined. His life was good now.

If he received this job, he did not think he could wish for anything else. Well, perhaps there was one other thing, but he was not certain he was ready to tell Wanda the full extent of his feelings.

***

Wanda placed the call to Pietro as soon as she got home from work. She grinned at his face on the screen. “Long time no talk.”

He immediately adopted the look of an injured puppy dog. “Whose fault is that, Wanda? I can barely get a text from you these days.”

She hung her head slightly. It was true she had been neglecting him. “Sorry. You know how it is with the beginning of the year. I’ll do better. Tell me all about what I’ve missed.”

He obliged her with tales of summer training and his newest hot cross-country prospects. He was still prepared for his school to be number one in the country. As his news wound down, his expression gradually shifted into a challenging smirk. “But you’ve been busy with more than just school, haven’t you?”

Wanda thought back to all the pictures of her posted on her and her friends’ social media accounts that Pietro had liked. It was really no use to deny what he was getting at. “Maybe.”

“So is that friend who showed you the concert flyer and dressed up with you and that you talk about all the time still just a friend?”

Wanda had planned to keep her announcement very matter of fact, but a wide smile spread across her face against her will. “No, Pietro. We’re dating. We’ve been dating for almost three months.”

Pietro put a hand to his chest and half reclined in a fake swoon. “And you’re only now telling me?”

“We were keeping it quiet. I didn’t tell anyone else either. Vision is wonderful, but I wanted to be sure first.”

“Sure of what? Are you thinking of marrying him already?”

“No! Pietro! We only just made our relationship public and official.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been grinning about him like a love-sick puppy for months now. It took me far too long to connect the dots, but every time you mentioned a certain ‘friend,’ you got all giddy and started gushing.”

Wanda opened her mouth to deny Pietro’s claim, but quickly realized it was useless. “Maybe. Look, I really like him. I just want to see where everything goes naturally.”

“Okay, Wanda, I give in.” His grin took on a wicked glint. “I am meeting him the next time I visit, though.”

Wanda shook her head at the thought of what kind of interrogation Pietro would subject Vision to. “Fine, but you have to be nice.”

“Oh, I will be. As long as he doesn’t hurt you, I have no reason to be anything but pleasant to him.”

“Good, because you will have me to answer to.” She hoped her glare communicated her threat sufficiently. Pietro may be her brother, whom she loved dearly, but he would not ruin this.

He did not look overly worried, but he did nod seriously. “Duly noted. Now, what do you think about this shirt? You haven’t said anything about it.” Wanda let the conversation drift to other things. A few hours later they wrapped up their conversation with promises of talking again soon.

Even after they ended the call, her brother’s conversation stayed with her the rest of the night. Marriage was not something she had considered yet. She had never really considered it too much at all, always convinced it would be difficult for her to find someone with whom she could make it work. Even since finding Vision and realizing how much she cared about him, she feared thinking too far in the future. But one word was pounding more insistently in her brain with every passing day.

She’d been hiding it behind different terms. Friendship. Care. Like. Fondness.

But as always, her brother knew her better than she knew herself. What she was hiding from was love. She loved Vision. Part of her was still terrified by the thought, but she could not live without attachments. She had tried for so long, but it did her life no good. Vision brought her too much joy to deny her feelings much longer.

***

Vision parked his car outside of Wanda’s building and strolled toward the school. She came out a few minutes after he arrived. “Hey, Vizh!” She reached for his hand, and they resumed walking. “What do you want to do?”

“I thought we could just window shop.” He knew that would take them past the old coffee shop, but he thought he was prepared to see it. The early October air was chilly, but the sun was bright and inviting. They would not have many more beautiful days like this; it was only right to take advantage of it.

Wanda glanced up at him, slight concern in her eyes. “Are you sure?” Vision was cheered that her thoughts had apparently traveled in the same direction as his.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Yes, I���ve had some time to get used to the fact that that is not my life any longer.” Grateful as Vision was for that, a part of him still felt a pang for the loss of all those years.

“All right. Sounds good then.” She started swinging the arm whose hand he was holding, and he smiled at her successful attempt to distract him. “How was your day?”

“It went very well. I finished filling out the paperwork for the professorship. And yours?”

“Same. Just finishing up casting for the play.”

“Will you need help with the sets again?”

“Of course. Don’t think you can get out of it just because you’re my boyfriend now.”

“I would not dream of it.”

“Good. I’m -.” Vision looked down at her questioningly when she abruptly fell silent, until he noticed where they were.

The last time Vision had passed the shop, paper was still darkening the windows, along with a sign that announced it was temporarily closed due to new management. Now it was taken over by global coffee chain. All signs of individuality had been wiped away. There were only identical dark brown faux-wooden tables and stools. Vision was slightly affronted that it was more crowded than it had ever been while he had poured his energy into making the shop homey and comfortable.

Wanda pulled on his hand, drawing him out of his contemplation. “Do you mind if we go in? I am curious.”

“I suppose I am as well.” She drew him inside. Vision was grateful for the anchor she provided. He was curious, though he feared the worst.

She drew him through the door, and they waited in line. Wanda ordered a far more complicated drink than her usual fare, while he selected a hot chocolate. He reached for his wallet, but Wanda had already inserted her debit card. “My treat. It didn’t seem fair to make you pay here.”

“Thank you.” As they waited at the counter for their drinks, they watched the barista, a boy with dark brown hair that swooped down his forehead, gaze longingly at a buff blond boy in a football uniform.

By the time they got their drinks, a table had cleared up, so Vision and Wanda sat down to people watch. After a few minutes, Wanda nudged him and nodded toward the counter. The blond boy had come up to ask for a refill. He was laughing at something the barista said. Vision wished them well.

He turned back to Wanda to find her wearing an odd expression, part thoughtful, part amused, and part wistful. She smiled as soon as she caught him watching her. “Oh, to be young and in love.” Wanda’s voice shook on the last word. “I wish I could wear my heart on my sleeve like that.”

“It is likely easier with less perspective and heartbreak behind you.” He wanted to comfort her, but he wondered what his excuse was. He’d never been heartbroken or suffered a bad relationship. Yet he was still denying the label that he’d adopted whenever he thought of Wanda.

“You’re right.” She looked like she was about to say something else, but she shook her head. “We should probably get going before it gets dark.”

Vision followed her willingly, thinking that perhaps it was time to take and a risk and make his confession.

***

Wanda sat on her couch, working on some revisions for the musical. Vision was sitting next to her, with a book in hand. She continued grading until she realized that Vision had stopped reading and was just staring at her. His hands fidgeted as he turned back to the book when he felt her attention.

Smiling at him, Wanda asked, “Everything okay?” He nodded, but he wasn’t looking directly at her.

When she finished with the papers, Vision wrapped his arm around Wanda’s shoulders, and she leaned into him. He was still tense. Without warning, he broke the comfortable silence. “I have been reading about proper menorah placement.” She was taken aback, but before she could ask where he was going with this, he continued. “It seems there are many conflicting authorities concerning where a menorah should be lit. Many suggest that the menorah should be placed in a window facing the street or the dining room. Seeing as I don’t have either of those, I was wondering where the next best option was.”

“Why were you reading about this, Vizh? Hannukah’s almost two months away.” Despite her confusion, she couldn’t resist teasing, “Thinking about converting?” She knew he was not part of an organized religion, but there was no other reason she could think of that he would need a menorah.

Vision blushed a bit, but his hands were steady as he reached out to cup her face and his voice was sure. “As we have discussed, advanced planning is my forte.” Wanda shook her head and poked him. He let his expression become somewhat distant and fond. “Since you stay here overnight frequently, I was wondering if you would like to have one here. It seemed more practical to get my own, rather than have you bring yours.”

“Th-that’s not really necessary for eight days. It’s no trouble to bring mine.”

“I don’t mind.” He kissed her cheek, his warm breath making her shiver slightly. He took a deep breath before he continued, eyes shifting back and forth rapidly. “And there is always next year. And the year after that.”

Wanda looked up at him sharply, pulling away. “You’re already thinking about next year?”

“Yes, I hope it’s not too presumptuous of me, but I see no reason why we would not still be together next year.”

Her heart was pounding, but she still had the presence of mind to say, “I don’t think it’s presumptuous if you ask me about it first. And I think a menorah would look good on your windowsill over there.” She pointed to a window in the main living area that overlooked a walkway. “The main idea is that it’s visible from outside.”

A look of intense, hopeful apprehension lit up his eyes. Suddenly, this question seemed far more important. “Is that a yes, then?”

“Yes.” She made sure to look Vision directly in the eye when she said it, trying to communicate all she meant with that one word. That she liked the idea of a future with him. That her doubts only cam from the fear of losing another person dear to her, not from her feelings for him.

Vision apparently received her message loud and clear because the apprehension vanished, replaced by a deep, joyful certainty. He took a pause, staring as deeply into her eyes as she had done. “I love you, Wanda.”

She’d known on some level that this was coming. And she found that she wasn’t as terrified to hear those words as she thought she would be. She knew it was the truth, and she knew she felt the same, though she hadn’t dared to verbalize even to herself.

The future fell into place around her. “I love you, too, Vision.”

 The End

 A/N: Well, that’s all, folks! It’s been almost a year and a half. I had fun writing this, but I’m ready to move on to other projects. Thanks to everyone who’s stuck with it, or picked it up along the way.

[buckychristwrites]

Just A Touch | Part 3 | b.b.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: Your powers? Controlling any feeling a human can have, from emotions to pain, with a simple brush of your fingertips. Your mission? The traumatized soldier with sad stricken eyes and scream filled nightmares.

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: Very angsty but worth it, mentions of violence and torture

A/N: If I miss a warning, just let me know! I’m new at this. Also this was written on my phone throughout my day, I didn’t actually sit down and crush it, so if there’s mistakes, or if it sucks, I’m sorry! Enjoy! :)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 |

Masterlist

A few weeks had passed since your first evening in Avengers Tower, and you and Bucky had established a sort of routine. The relationship between the two of you was civil but distant. Neither of you would leave the room if the other entered, but you wouldn’t go out of your way to spend time together. If the only seat open during a meeting was next to Bucky, you’d take it, but if there were others open, you’d take the one further away. If he were having an episode, whether awake or asleep, you’d intervene. You overheard Steve mention to Natasha that Bucky’s night terrors were becoming more frequent, and you couldn’t help but wonder if you had anything to do with that.

With all that in mind, this night seemed to be going like any other night.

It was a little passed one in the morning when the familiar shouts began to echo into your room. You woke up almost instantly, climbing out of bed and rushing to Bucky’s room. He was gripping the sheets so tight that the knuckles on his right hand were white and the pale blue fabric began to stain red.

“Bucky, it’s okay,” You said in a loud but calm voice as you crawled onto the mattress towards him. The movement was so instant that you never saw it coming. He sat upright, his eyes wide open. You hadn’t even begun to process what was happening when you were suddenly pinned down, his left hand clamped around your throat. His eyes were filled with fire as you gasped for breath, grabbing his hand in attempt to pry it off you. It was useless. As your vision started to blur, you thought you had imagined the sound of the door being thrown open, but suddenly Steve had appeared, grabbing Bucky from behind. He used his free arm to throw the blonde across the room before turning his attention back to you. He lowered his head closer to you, now only mere inches away.

“You will not hurt her again,” he hissed at whoever he thought you were. Weakly, you reached up and pressed your hand into his cheek. For a second, you didn’t think it was working, but then his chokehold on you started to slacken. You put up your other hand and cupped his other cheek. With the fire extinguished,  he came to. The anger left his eyes, and they went back to their saddened, yet alarmed state. When he realized what he was doing, he let you go suddenly, scooting as far back away from you as he could until he hit the headboard. You rolled off the bed, coughing and gasping for air. Steve was suddenly by your side, his hand rubbing your back as your breathing became normal.

“I’m so sorry,” Bucky whispered, his voice filled with anguish. When you looked over at him, his head was between his knees, and he was rocking back and forth, shaking. You slowly stood up, using Steve as a crutch before moving toward Bucky. You put your hand to the back of his head, running your fingers through his hair. When he looked up at you, his eyes wide and scared, it began to feel more intimate than you had intended it to. But you didn’t stop.

“It’s okay,” You said quietly. “That’s not you.” He said nothing, instead just looking down at his hands. He was calm, but felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. You could take it away, replace it with peace, but it would only be temporary.

Once you had climbed off his mattress, Steve took your place, whispering quiet comforts to his best friend. You didn’t listen or even look back as you left the room.

When you crossed the threshold of your bedroom, you shut the door, and for the first time since you moved into Avengers Tower, you slowly locked the door behind you.

_________________________________________

The air was brisk as you sat outside on the balcony of the tower. It was a cool autumn day, and you were comfortable in a hoodie and leggings. Resting in front of you on the lawn chair was a giant binder, explaining the rules and philosophies behind being an Avenger, that Tony had given you. He said that you had to read the whole thing before you could go out on any real missions, given that you pass the written test that he was planning on having you take. As you studied, you wondered when this became a college course, and whether or not the others had to do this as well.

You heard the door slide open, but you knew who it was before you even looked up. Feelings of guilt and anxiety filled you as you soaked up the figure walking towards you, stopping about fifty feet away.

“Mind if I join you?” Bucky asked, his voice quiet. You nodded, not looking at him, before picking up the book and sitting back in the chair, resting it on your knees. This made it easier for you to hide the nasty bruise that had formed around your neck. Bucky slowly took a few steps closer and sat down in the lounge chair next to yours. You nonchalantly pulled the collar of your hoodie up higher. When you finally looked at Bucky, you could tell that your attempts to hide the marks had failed.

“Did you get looked at?” He asked. You nodded.

“No permanent damage,” You reported. “Not killing me today, Barnes.” He nodded, looking off into the distance and ignoring the smile you had from your joke, which slowly faded. You watched him, feeling his inner battle alongside him. You thought about saying something, but you decided against it. Anything that he was planning on saying was something that needed to be said.

“I don’t know if I can ever really tell you how sorry I am,” He finally said, looking at you with the saddest facial expression you had ever seen. Despite what he had done, your heart broke for him. He continued. “I know I was mad about everything before but I would never intentionally hurt you.”

“I know that, Bucky,” You said quietly, putting the book down and leaning forward. “It’s like I said, that isn’t you.” He shook his head quickly.

“No, that’s the thing, it was me,” He said, and he looked like he was going to continue, but you shook your head.

“It was never you,” You corrected him, making him look back at you. “You’re not that person that you were when you were in HYDRA. That person was someone you had no control of being. And even at that time, you weren’t always like that.”

He stared off into space, and you could feel it. His curiosity. It was radiating off of him like sun rays, and you knew exactly what was going on inside his head. Even if you weren’t able to feel his emotions, you could see the debate going right on his face. Part of you wanted to laugh, but you didn’t think it was appropriate. Finally, he inhaled sharply and then looked at you.

“Tell me everything,” He said simply, but you knew exactly what he was talking about.

You sighed, closing Avengers For Dummies and turning your body so you were completely facing him. You opened your mouth, but then closed it again. It was hard to know exactly where to start, especially with a case like this one. Finally, you closed your eyes.

“I was in a really bad accident in 1998,” You started, your voice slightly shaky. “Huge train crash. I was on my way to visit my aunt. No survivors.” You pause. “Except for one. Yours truly.” You smiled a little, trying to make light of things, but Bucky only tilted his head. “HYDRA picked me up as soon as they found out there was a sole survivor. They like to pick people who they deem as strong, and I guess narrowly missing death puts a person in that category. They brought me to their headquarters, and injected me with super healing serum, which also comes with anti-aging. Go figure. When I got my strength back, they decided they wanted to use me as their guinea pig on a few projects they had. I mean, it wouldn’t be much of a loss if I got killed from them, I’m just someone they picked up off the street.

They started injecting me with all sorts of serums. A bunch of them made me sick, but it didn’t last long thanks to the healing. If I didn’t have that, I probably would’ve died.” You paused again at the thought, taking a breath before continuing. “I got the emotions thing first, although I’m pretty sure it was an accident because they didn’t realize I had it until later on. But then, after three years of injections and misery, I could cause pain with a touch… At first it was very small, almost worthless, but then after another year, I could kill people with it. I did kill people with it…” Bucky nodded along with you, letting you know he was taking in every word. You could feel his emotions changing as you told your story. At this point, he felt sympathetic towards you. You sighed again.

“They moved me to another compound, the one where they were keeping you.” His eyebrows raised. “They had this idea to put us together as a team. With your super soldier skills and my… torture abilities, they thought it would make things easier for them. And it did, for a long time. You’d bring in people, and I’d torture them.” You swallowed hard, your hard façade starting to break as your eyes brimmed with tears. “And either I’d kill them on their command, or you would. This was their dynamic for years. But then the unexpected happened.” You leaned forward slightly. “We started giving a shit about each other.” Bucky laughed slightly, and you ignored how the combination of the light on his face and his smile made you feel some type of way.

“The cells they kept us in were right next to each other, and when you weren’t in Winter Soldier mode, we would talk and keep each other company.” He nodded again as you paused. “They fed you better than me because they had more going on keeping you around than me, so you shared your food with me and we would tell each other about what we remembered of our old lives. You even snuck me extra blankets sometimes.” You shrugged. “We were all we had.” You smiled at the thought, but it quickly vanished. “They told me to kill a subject one day, and I don’t know what it was but I just couldn’t do it. I had killed four people that day, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I guess even when I’m mindless, I still have feelings. So they took me to my cell and started beating me, just as you were being escorted in.” He bit his lip. “You broke free from your guards and… just fucking lost it. You threw one through a wall, and just kicked the absolute shit out of the other, telling him that he’s to never hurt me again and that you would fucking kill them and anyone who ever laid a hand on me. After that, they didn’t think it was good to keep us together anymore. So they had me moved. They had a run in with Captain America and SHIELD while I was on the rig, and I was left alone, handcuffed to the wall. So I broke my fingers to get out of them and ran.” You picked up your hands and stared at your fingers, remembering how they looked that day, bloody and busted. “Thank god for the super healing they gave me, they were better in a few hours.” You shrugged.

“I was homeless for a while, then I got a job, built a new identity, and spent the last decade trying to forget.” You fell back into the seat, staring at Bucky. “The end.”

He was filled with a rush of emotions. Anger. Sadness. Guilt.

“Wow,” He said after a while. He leaned forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees. “I wish I knew what else to say.”

“What else is there to say?” You ask him. “How does one reply to all of that?” He nodded again, looking up at the sky and sighing deeply. You could feel his conflict. Of course one doesn’t want to remember how they brought people up to be tortured and ultimately killed, but when it turns out you had someone around who was in the same boat? Someone who related to you and actually seemed to help you through it? That was something worth remembering.

“I wish you would stop feeling so guilty,” You said to him, accidentally laughing.

“How would you even kn…” He stopped himself, shaking his head at the silly question and smiling down at the ground. He looked back at you, head cocked to the side. “How am I supposed to just not feel guilty?” Your chest burned.

“Because if either of us should feel guilty, it should be me,” You said. He furrowed his eyebrows, asking you why without words. “We promised each other that if either of us escaped, that we’d come back for the other. But I didn’t.” He stared blankly at you.

“Well I actually completely forgot about that deal, so you’re off the hook I think,” He joked, trying and failing to make you laugh.

“It’s not funny, do you know how guilty I’ve felt the last decade because I had no way of finding you?” You asked him, leaning forward slightly. “SHIELD went to the compound that I described and it had been abandoned. That was all I had.” Your head fell backwards, and you stared at the sky. “I thought about you everyday for over five years, and even when I went a day without thinking of you, I couldn’t fucking escape you in my sleep. Dreams of you making it out alive and finding me. Nightmares of you turning up dead, or them sending you to kill me.” Part of you felt ridiculous, rehashing the years of guilt and pain that you felt. But another part, a more surprising one, felt relieved to admit all of it. And the audience that you had made it worth so much more.

Bucky stood up, moving and taking a spot at the end of your lounge chair. He moved your handbook over and moved back more, staring right at you.

“If you would have come to get me, HYDRA would’ve killed you,” He said very slowly, articulating every word. “There’s no way around it. They would’ve had me kill you myself. And then I wouldn’t ever get the chance to know you exist.” He swallowed hard. “I’m out now. I wish you would stop feeling so guilty.” The both of you smiled at his use of your words against you. He sighed. “We’ll get through this, just like we did in there.” Through his sincerity, you could still feel the frustration he felt from not remembering it all himself. He stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets before turning to head inside. He stopped suddenly, turning towards you and staring with a weird smile on his face.

“What?” You asked, shrinking back slightly. He shook his head.

“It’s just…” He paused. “I have so many bad memories of my time at HYDRA. It was the worst thing to ever happen to me. But… it’s nice to know that there was some good in there, even if I can’t remember it.” He smiled shyly at you, before turning and going inside. You return to your handbook, biting your lip and ignoring the distracting thoughts of Bucky’s smile.

_________________________________________

The next morning, you woke up and did your daily morning routine, taking a shower and changing into your normal clothes. It wasn’t until long after you had eaten breakfast, and were in the middle of brushing your teeth, when you realized that this was the first night that Bucky had slept through the whole night, no shouting or nightmares to speak of.

_________________________________________

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[jamilelucato]

They Don’t Know About Us || Loki x Superhero Reader || Part One

Summary: Y/N is a new Avengers and, while she tries to adapt to this new position, she has to deal with some new feelings for a guy who is not that good — and really older than her.

A/n: So, here the girl is basically eighteen and Loki has an appearance of a thirty-year-old in the human world. You're able to control the earth element and all the things related to it. This story happens before Infinite War, everyone is already forgiven after Civil War, Asgard still exists. 

Let me know if you guys want me to continuous. 

and sorry for any English mistakes

Part Two     Part Three

You knew you shouldn’t have got up from the bed the minute you did it. Although it was a beautiful morning, something inside you was saying: don't get out of this room. However, you were the newest Avenger and wanted to show Stark that he made a good choice by picking you.

"Good morning, Stie," you said once you were in the kitchen. The Captain America (who you friendly nicknamed as Stie) had in his hand his daily coffee and he was smiling — even if it was 8 a.m.

"Hey there, little rock" that's why you had to nickname him. Little Rock, really? "Want anything?"

"I can get it myself, no worries"

You go to the fridge and get some cake from last night. Natasha was craving a strawberry cake and she bought one too big that will probably last until next week.

"Don't you think Tasha will be a little angry 'cause you ate her cake?" Steve asked, looking at the piece you've put on a plate.

"There's so much left — she won't even notice," you said, smiling too.

You missed your family, but those superheroes were a pretty good replacement.

"Thor is coming over; you two haven't met yet, have you?" Captain said before leaving.

 "No, we haven't... oh that's gonna be good, meeting a God and all" 

"Actually, two gods: Loki is coming too" 

"Oh" you knew Loki's reputation: he was absolutely not a pure soul but he was trying to redeem himself in the past few years.

"Yeah, I know. But I won't let him harm you, little rock." 

"Thanks, Stie, I really appreciate it, but I don't think he'll try anything with his brother around"

"You really haven't met him, then"  he laughed.

Mr. Stark was knocking at your door at the moment Thor and his brother arrived on Earth. Like you couldn't have felt that!

"Come on, Y/L/N!! We're going to have lunch with them!"

"I'm coming!!" you were a little bit late because Natasha told you to dress up some more — something about those Asgardians being completely appealing. Anyway, you were finishing applying makeup in your face and gave a last glance at yourself in the mirror. You were still wearing those old jeans, but this time with a cute green blouse Clint had given you for saving his butt at that last war.

"Oh! Someone is overdressed!" Tony said when you got out of the room.

"Really? Is it too much?" his comment made you start staring at your clothes.

"No, no, no — what I mean is that you look good. It's just, you're always with the same clothes"

"-I'm not!" 

"Whatever. Take it as a compliment and let's go" and you followed him down the hall.

When Tony Stark said you were going to lunch with the sons of Odin, he forgot to mention that you weren't gonna leave the building at all, and, because all of the other Avengers were going to be there too, you did look overdressed cuz those people were now very familiar with your normal-lunch-clothes.

The looks didn't turn all at you — thank you God — but you became another pair of eyes looking at them: the gods. So, so magnificent! The blond one, probably Thor, had short sparkly hair, and he was wearing some jeans jacket and paints, very normal and casual. The other one, which you assumed it was Loki, had a shoulder-sized black hair, a mysterious look on his face, and a suit in broad daylight. You were no longer worried about overdressing.

Natasha was absolutely right — those two were totally attractive. You wondered if she had made out with any of the two.

Tony made you follow him until the seats next to the outsiders and that made you feel a bit anxious.

"Thor, how have you been?" he asked when Thor got up and 'absorbed' Stark in a hug. 

"Stark, my man!" the blond Asgardian answered, slapping Tony's back. "or should I say machine?" and he started laughing. By his manners, he wasn't Natasha's type — he was most likely to be the ones she tells jokes about.

So this leaves the mysterious one to Tasha.

"You! Certainly Stark's new hero!" Thor said, pulling you into his bear hug. You answered him with your complete name. "Well, Y/N meet my least favorite brother, Loki"

The black-haired one didn't get up for you, at least not immediately. He turned his face to see you, at the beginning with a very bored look but once he stopped analyzing, he instantly got up.

"Dear brother, do I have to remind you that I am your only brother?" he commented, turning his face to you and suggesting to catch your hand like he was about to kiss it. You were so hypnotized that you let him grab it, and he did kiss it.

"Loki Laufeyson, a pleasure to meet you, Y/N"

"Hm the pleasure is all mine...?" it sounded like a question although it wasn't your intention. In response, he just smiled. That made you want to smile back, but since he wasn't looking at you anymore, you held yourself back.

Lunch wasn't terrible — except for Thor's jokes and the lack of glances at you that Loki gave. You found out that they were staying for a week because Thor wanted to talk to some special human. Curious as you are, after eating you went straight to Natasha to find out about more stuff.

"Hey Y/N! I didn't think you'd be free until 3 p.m." she said once you found her at the liquor counter.

"Neither did I but, for some reason, Stark let me go."

"Wait, weren't sitting next to the Asgardians?" she asked.

"Yes..."

"And you managed to get up? How?"

"Well, Thor is a sight for sore eyes but his jokes are the worst!" you said remembering all the ones he told just before you even started eating.

"No denying," she said, putting her hands in the air "But what about his brother?"

"Handsome, no doubts, but I'm not cutting your grass"

"What?!? Why?" Natasha got up from behind the counter and walked over to my side.

"You said they were attractive so I..."

"You assumed I was making out with one of them?" your face burned red when she read your thoughts, then she started laughing really loud. "Loki is not my type!!" she screamed in the middle of the laughs.

"Everyone is your type, Tasha!" you screamed back, now laughing too.

"True, but not the point" she answered while cooling off.

"Anyways, I'm too young for any of them"

"But they don't know that!" she said, blinking an eye.

"Thor came to Earth because he wants to talk to ‘someone special’ so, I guess he's off the list" you purposely informed, wanting for Tasha to tell you more about that.

"Oh, Jane!" she let it out, remembering the girl's name.

"So you know her!" you said, pointing your finger at her.

"Yeah, sure, but if he asks, I don't." clearly Thor and she were friends but not that close. "They broke up, I heard."

"Oh, poor Thor" you felt bad for him mostly because he was too pretty to have a heartbreak.

"However, what about Loki? Shouldn't you give him a try?"

"Again, I'm only eighteen," you said, still laughing.

"He's probably eighteen in Asgardians years too," she said, probably remembering the time he stayed with the Avengers. "Afterall, you guys will just hook up, not get married"

"Not my type, though," you said, nodding your head, trying to look another way to cover up the lie you just told.

"Totally your type! I do remember Spider-Boy being rejected for being too nice and an open-book!"

"I did not reject Peter!"

"Not with words, you didn't." Natasha was truly pulling your leg today and she knew you too much already — it was only three months you were there.

"He is dating a girl from school anyway" you forgot his girlfriend's name but you remembered you two talking about it another day.

"You know who isn't dating?" Natasha asked, looking far behind you

"Who?" you couldn't deny you hated being single.

"Loki" she said giggling and pointing to the suited figure that stared at you through the glass wall.

You stared back at the Laufeyson. Maybe you should give him a try, after all.

[a-lockman5]

My Day Off (Part 2) {Cop!Bucky AU}

A/N: Well it’s been over a year so that’s embarrassing, but here is the long awaited part 2! Bucky is as cute as ever and I refuse to live in a world that he is not living his best life. 

**DISCLAIMER: I own no part of the Marvel universe or any of its lovable characters.**

I was still stunned by the time I got home. I had a date tonight. I had a date tonight with a man that made my blood boil. And he made my blood boil both in a way that made me want to slug him in the jaw and a way that made me want to straddle him – dangerous combination.

He’d told me his name and put his number in my phone before calling himself. After some playful quip from him about wrangling modern technology, I was able to supply my name in return. Still, I couldn’t believe I was going to get dinner with him tonight.

“It’s too soon,” I said to myself as I put my laundry away. “Then again, Colin has been dating two girls for years so maybe I need to catch up,” and maybe Detective James Barnes was the sprint to the finish line I needed. “At the very least, I can tell him off again. That felt really good,” I laughed as I headed into the kitchen for lunch. “I could probably come up with something about that nickname of his.”

Bucky.

What kind of goofy name is that after all? It probably had followed him through childhood. Detective Bucky. I got lost in my own thoughts for a few minutes, munching down on my sandwich when my phone rang. It was no surprise my best friend opted to call me in response to the text I’d sent her an hour before.

“Hey, Nat.”

“You have a date?!”

“Yeah, I mean, he kind of tricked me into it.”

“He must have really distracted you to trick you into anything,” she giggled across the line. “How’d you meet him?”

I relayed this morning’s events to her beginning with Colin leaving his key to Bucky giving me his number. She cackled at all the right moments, and supplied the occasional “Get it, girl!” when I delivered a particularly sharp jab to the man I was to have dinner with. When I finally finished, she was as delighted as can be.

“Y/N!” she squealed. “He sounds like just the guy you need to get Colin out of your system! Have dinner at the restaurant, have dessert at his place, and check ‘rebound’ off the list.”

“Natasha, I’m not just going to sleep with him,” I could already hear her laughter at embarrassing me so easily.

“Why not? Not cute enough?” she teased.“Are you kidding? He’s got to be the most attractive man I’ve seen in my entire life.”

“Well, then you better think about it because he’s probably expecting a whole lot more of that fire from you tonight.”

I felt my cheeks go red at the thought. Colin was the only man I’d ever been with. My stomach turned, and my mind just kept screaming, it’s only been three weeks! “Maybe I” –

“Y/N, stop. I’m kidding. If you say one word about cancelling on this guy, so help me…”

“It’s just so soon…”

“Shut up. I’m coming over.” And the line went dead.

I knew by now there was no point to fighting Natasha Romanoff when she was on a mission. That being said, she was still fun to antagonize; so when I unlocked the door for her, I left the chain on. 

“Dammit, Y/N!” she yelled through the small space in the cracked door. “I will chew through this chain if you make me!”

I laughed as I rose from the sofa. “You took longer than I thought you would,” I said, opening the door for her. “And now I see why.”

“I figured before you made the excuse of not having anything to wear, I would bring plenty of my own options – you are not getting out of this date.”

“I mean, he hasn’t even told me what time we’re going so maybe it won’t even happen,” I told her as I collapsed back onto the couch. As if on cue, my phone buzzed in the kitchen. Natasha raced to grab my phone off the counter and squealed when she read the message. 

“It’s from him!”

“Geez, he probably put a bug in my laundry. Maybe he knows I killed that guy last year,” I said sarcastically. She thrust the phone in my hand with a roll of her eyes. 

*Can’t wait for a rematch. Pick you up at 8?* - Bucky 

I pursed my lips as I considered my response. *That’s okay, I’ll just meet you. Where to?*

“You’re seriously not going to let him pick you up?” Natasha scoffed.

“Just because he’s a cop doesn’t mean he’s not a creep,” I countered.

“But you have to let him be the man,” she said, dramatically falling onto the couch next to me. 

“I don’t have to do anything,” I replied as the next text came through.

*Safety first, I can respect that ;) You know the 40s diner on Main?* - Bucky

*Yeah. See you at 8?*

*Sounds perfect. I’ll try to leave my douchey-ness at home.*

I didn’t realize Natasha was reading over my shoulder until she said “Tell him to bring his handcuffs though.”

“Natasha!” I could feel my cheeks turn red again.“I’m kidding! Come on, try these on.”

Six hours, five outfits, and three conversations where Natasha talked me out of cancelling later, I was finally putting the finishing touches on my makeup. My hair flowing down my back, red lipstick on, and a strapless black dress paired with a denim cropped vest – I brought my A-game.

“You have to admit,” my best friend said from behind me. “it has to feel pretty good to be in something other than scrubs or sweats.”

I grinned, “It really does. And apparently, the stress helped me drop a dress size because I did not fit into this a month ago. At least Colin was good for something.”

“Okay stop. First of all, that creep is good for nothing, and you will not mention his name for the rest of the night. Second of all, you better stuff your face tonight,” I gave her a look through the mirror. “I mean it! None of that trying to be a dainty little flower so the cop likes you. It’s a free meal, and you need to eat. I am not just going to listen to you talk about your unhealthy weight loss.”

“You really are a personal trainer, aren’t you?” I joked.

“Both in physical and emotional health,” she sighed, falling gracefully onto my bed.

“Well, I think I’m ready,” I turned around for inspection.Natasha squealed again, “Y/N, you look seriously drop dead gorgeous.”

I had to hold onto Natasha’s comments as I made the walk to the Vibranium Skillet. It was a 40s diner for goodness sake, I had to be overdressed. I had five more blocks to talk myself out of this date, and I seemed to be on the right track until I passed by Zemo’s Bakery. They were having a special on cherry pie. I stopped and gave myself a long once-over in the window’s reflection as I stewed on the pie sitting behind the glass. “Even if I am overdressed, I’m going to be the best-looking woman there,” I said aloud.

“I’ve been to that diner. You’re not overdressed, and you will be the best-looking woman to ever step into that dive,” a voice said to my left. I turned, and there was Bucky, smirk and all. It was impossible to avoid the deep blush that burned my cheeks.

“You have a habit of turning up when I don’t want you there,” I told him, subtly looking him over. His hair was combed and begging to have my hands tangled in it. He wore a light blue button down, dark washed denim jeans, and the comfiest-looking army green bomber jacket I’d ever seen. He looked casual, but he looked so, so good. I hardly even noticed that he wore only one glove.

“I know I’m five blocks early, but someone was suspiciously lurking too close to that pie display. As a detective, it’s important I prevent all crime possible – including ruining your dinner.”

I grinned. “Good, I don’t think I’m in the mood for pie anyway.”

His face brightened into a genuine smile as he offered me his arm. I gladly took it, and we strode off down the street together for five blocks. 

“Bucky!” I heard a voice shout happily the moment we entered the restaurant. “Find a seat, pal.”

When I looked over the diner, I realized it had been transformed. Each booth was no longer for sitting, instead flowers of all different colors decorated the tabletops and candles lined each bench. All the tables had been cleared out but one, and it had been dressed up with a black cloth, white lace doily, and a single red rose placed in a tall vase. It was beautiful and… unexpected. Over the top may even fit better than that.

“This is som – sweet. It’s sweet.” I glanced at the detective. He was red as a tomato with his eyes shut tight and a hard grimace glued to his face. “Buck” –

“You punk! I didn’t tell you to shut the place down. I said I was coming for dinner.”

A man’s head poked out from behind the kitchen door. “You said you were bringing a lady. The last time you took a lady to dinner – well I might just have been under the ice.”

“I said I had a date – not that I was bringing the president to your diner.”

“I wouldn’t serve the president any of my refined cooking and we both know it,” the tall blond man said with a bark of laughter. “But hello, ma’am.” He turned his attention to me, stepping out the door from the kitchen fully. “Name’s Steve Rogers. Sorry this jerk didn’t think to introduce me.”

I shook his hand with a smirk. “Y/N Y/L/N. A pleasure. I’ve been here before – you’re a great chef.”

Steve’s cheeks turned pink at the compliment. “Well, thank you. You’re very kind. Sure you oughtta be out with this guy?”

“Why don’t you just get your hide back behind that door, Chef Rogers?” Bucky said, grabbing Steve by the shoulders and pulling him toward the kitchen. “Save me a little embarrassment, would ya?”

Steve winked at me over his shoulder as Detective Barnes shoved him back into the kitchen. Bucky ran his hands through his hair in an effort to compose himself, but all it really did was muss his hair in a way that was not altogether unpleasant. When he turned around, I could still see a hint of redness touching his cheeks. “Shall we?” he asked, gesturing to the set table. I smiled and took a seat. His eyes never left mine as he took his seat across from me, sparkling as they had at the laundromat this morning. I had to look down at the table to avoid the intensity of his gaze. I could get lost in those deep blue eyes if I wasn’t careful, and a part of me thought he knew it. I noticed then, there were no menus meaning Steve had planned a special meal for us.

“So you know the owner,” I smirked across the table at Bucky before taking a sip of my water.

“That guy? Yeah, I arrested him awhile back. Tried to off his step mom for getting him written out of his dad’s will.”

I nearly spit my drink out. Barely choking it down, I sputtered, “What?”

“Kidding – I’m kidding,” he told me before bursting into a fit of laughter. “Oh, that was worth every second of your reaction. I’m so sorry, I had to.”

My eyes narrowed playfully. “That’s a good defense mechanism.”

“What do you mean?”

“Embarrassing me, hoping I’ll forget how Steve made it obvious taking a woman out for dinner is a big deal for you.”

“Can you blame a guy for trying to even the playing field?” He grinned with a shrug. “I’ve known Steve since we were kids so he’s got a lot of dirt on me you could use against me later.”

My heart fluttered at the mention of later, and I wasn’t even sure why. Had Bucky not pissed me off beyond belief just hours earlier? I could practically hear Natasha’s voice in my head, “there’s a fine line between love and hate, Y/N… and right now it’s the table between you two so hop on over and tear his clothes off.” Amazing how my best friend could make me turn red even when she was a figment of my imagination.

“Did I lose you?” Bucky asked with a smile, breaking me free of my thoughts.

“You’re so different than you were this morning,” I told him. He appeared taken aback for a second before his cheeks turned pink and he opened his mouth to speak. Just as he did, Steve burst out of the kitchen with a stacked tray.

“Some Irish Potato Cakes for the table and some wine,” he said, gracefully placing the items before us. “The sauce is a garlic aioli – not traditional from the 40s, but I like to spice up the wartime recipes when I come up with something good.”

“Thank you, they look delicious.” I smiled up at him.

“Hope she isn’t allergic to anything,” Bucky murmured, flicking his friend in the arm.

“If she is, I’ll make something else. Can’t let someone crazy enough to spend the evening with you get away, Buck.”

“I’m not – allergic to anything, I mean.” Steve smiled back at me happily. As he made his way back to the kitchen, he kicked Bucky’s chair, knocking the brown-haired detective off balance for a moment. Bucky caught himself, and looked up to see me giggling at the encounter.

“We should not have come here,” he said, shaking his head.

“No, I’m having fun.” I disagreed.

He smiled then. “Well, good. After the week you’ve had, you deserve a good night.”

“You have no idea how right you are,” I replied. “I’m happy to be the one to give it to you,” his eyes sparked with something intoxicating when he smiled at me then. 

“So different,” I said again, blinking to break eye contact. “You’re so charming now. Why were you such a jerk earlier?”

“Honestly? I blew a case this week, and I took my frustration out on you. I’m really sorry, by the way.”

“I might have taken out some frustration of my own. Do you want to talk about it?” He raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Nothing confidential, obviously. Just if you wanted to vent.”

He grimaced slightly. “No, that’s okay. Lieutenant Stark and I just don’t always see eye to eye. I overstepped, but it wasn’t the kind of thing I could wait to do by the book. I tried to tell him that, but all he cared about was protocol. Never mind that I was trying to help someone I’m sure is being framed for something they didn’t do.”

“You think he’ll write you up?”

His eyebrows rose again before he grinned warmly and huffed a laugh. “Honestly? No. We’re both hot heads and say things we don’t always mean, but… Stark’s a good man and a good Lieu. I was wrong, and maybe that’s why this time was so infuriating. Stark always puts the team first though. If there’s any fallout, he’ll go to bat for me even when I don’t deserve it.”

“It’s not easy to admit making a mistake.”

“Yeah, and Stark gets that too. No mushy, feelings stuff. I’ll walk in Monday and he’ll follow up with a stab at my masculinity and a wink, and everything will continue on like our shouting match today never happened.”

“Sounds like you deserve a good night too,” I smiled gently.

“I think I’m off to a pretty solid start,” he responded, placing a hand over mine. I had to look away to start on one of my potatoes. I wasn’t even sure why, but something as simple as any physical contact with him was disorienting. “Oh come on, are you shy when you’re not pissed off?” I didn’t even mean to smile, but I did. “Because I can piss you off if it’ll get you to look at me.” 

Without waiting for any type of reaction, he grabbed my wrist and directed my loaded fork straight into his mouth. “Hey!” my eyes went wide as I stared at him.

“No, see it’s cute! We’re feeding each other,” he exclaimed before adding, “Plus, now you can’t take your eyes off me.”

And he was right, I really couldn’t.

After dinner, Bucky suggested we go for ice cream, and since Nat instructed me to stuff my face, I agreed. He said he knew a place a couple blocks away, and we said goodbye to Steve. As we walked down the street, Bucky took my left hand in his right again, but instead of looking away, he got my full attention.

“I’m going to hold onto this for awhile, if that’s okay?” he said casually.

“Sure,” I smirked, “you can borrow it, but it’s gaining interest.”

“That makes two of us.”

So smooth. “I think I liked you better at the beginning of the night.”

He stopped walking to face me – brows raised, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. “What? I thought this was going well. If you want to go, I’ll take you home.”

I grinned at him with a small laugh before taking his hands again. I felt him stiffen, and I gave his hands a gentle squeeze. “I just meant you were cute when Steve was embarrassing you. Kind of like how you’re cute right now.”

His eyes fell shut and he bit his bottom lip in a grin. “So you don’t want to go home?”

“Not yet,” I smiled back at him. “I think this is going well.”

He nodded with that same grin, though it was a little cockier than before, and continued down the street with my hand in his.

[fangirlfanwritings]

Ms. Powers- Part 21

Ms. Powers Part 1  Ms. Powers Part 2  Ms. Powers Part 3  Ms. Powers Part 4

Ms. Powers Part 5  Ms. Powers Part 6  Ms. Powers Part 7  Ms. Powers Part 8

Ms. Powers Part 9  Ms. Powers Part 10  Ms. Powers Part 11  Ms. Powers Part 12

Ms. Powers Part 13  Ms. Powers Part 14  Ms. Powers Part 15  Ms. Powers Part 16

Ms. Powers Part 17  Ms. Powers Part 18  Ms. Powers Part 19

Ms. Powers Part 20

You hadn’t spoken to your fiancee in eleven days. Once he reached his destination Fury told you the service was to spotty and that trying to get in contact was too risky, so you were unable to get in contact with him. He was due back any day and you were ready to see your Steve.

“Keep running newbies! We’ve got another 3 miles, keep it going,” you yelled back to the hoard of 30 new agent wannabes you had behind you. By the time you got back to the starting point your 10 mile run was done and the people behind you were profusely sweating; they were panting and dripping from sweat from the hot temperature and the long run. “Alright, you get 5 minutes to get a drink and rest up. As soon as time is over you are to line up and you’ll get assigned a weight station.”

After a half an hour of weights and a half hour cool down, the day of training was over and you had everyone lined back up. “Good job today, recruits. I expect you all to be back here by 0500. Get ready for another run, hand to hand combat, an extra run, and working with weapons. You’re dismissed.”

You started walking towards your place when your phone rang. “Hey Nat.”

“Hey, what are you doing for dinner tonight?”

“I had my takeout menu for Chinese ready to go.”

“How about you come into the living room in the tower and eat with us?”

“Tempting. Who cooked?”

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t me or Tony.” You smiled, she knew what you were thinking. “Vision cooked and it smells super good.”

“I just got out of training the newbies. Give me 25 minutes to shower and change and then I’ll be there.”

“See you then.” You hung up and rushed home. You threw on your old black leggings and your USA sweatshirt and made your way to the Avengers’ floor of the building. As soon as the elevator doors open the strong smell of food and your mouth started watering.

“Smells amazing, Vision,” you walked into the kitchen. “What are you making for us tonight?”

“Thank you, Y/N. Tonight I have honey garlic glazed pork chops with red potatoes, asparagus, and brown rice as sides.”

“Wow, Vision. I am very impressed. Thank you guys for inviting me.”

“Oh course,” Wanda smiled and squeezed your shoulder. “We are glad you could come. How is training going?”

“Not too bad. Most of the recruits are good. They have a long road ahead of them though.”

Nat cracked a smile, “How are they liking their ten mile runs?”

“They’re going to like it more than they’ll like their fifteen miles of running tomorrow,” you smirked.

Vision finished dinner and you all went through and filled up your plates. Together you sat around the table and talked about how everyone’s week was going. “You’re making another suit that does what?”

“I’m designing it so it will be a functional car and then boom,” he snapped his fingers, “it morphes around me while I drive and, once it’s on me and the car has disappeared on my body, I roll out and look amazing doing it.”

“How close are you to figuring this out, Tony,” Rhodes asked?

“I don’t have to answer that,” he shoved a fork full of food into his mouth.

“Y/N, Steve should be back soon, right?”

You took a long and much needed drink from your beer. “He should be. We haven’t talked since he left so I’m not really sure when he’s coming back. Plus, Fury’s been off base all week so I haven’t gotten to ask him what’s going on. This whole thing has me antsy and,” you took an extra long sip and finished off your drink, “I need another beer.”

You held out your hand and a cold bottle from the fridge flew into your hand. You willed the cap off with your mind and took a drink. “Capsicle might not be the smartest Avenger but he’s smart enough to know not to piss you off and come home, Y/N.”

“Thanks Tony,” you raised your drink to him. “I did come up with the wedding date though.”

Everyone looked excitedly, “And?”

“I’m thinking-” The elevator doors opened unexpectedly and you all turned to watch Fury storm in quickly.

“Fury. This is unexpected,” Tony sat up.

“Yes it is.” His eyes landed on you. “Y/N, can I speak with you for a second?” You’d known him long enough to read the look on his face and the tone of his voice: something was wrong.

“Nick, just say it.”

“Y/N, I really think we should go talk.”

“Just say it Nick!” You took a deep breath to calm down. “What’s wrong?” The table was dead silent and tense.

He looked around everyone at the table and sighed. “Captain and his 5 man team went to make a move 2 days ago on the bunker. We managed to maintain contact and keep coms up for 25 minutes. At the 26th minute we lost sound and vision of the operation. We checked all safe houses and checkpoints around the area and...nothing.”

“Have you picked up anything over radio or satellite,” Natasha asked?

“Radio silent. We’ve sent a small recall team out to see if they can find anything and we have agents with ears all over trying to pick up any call Rogers might be putting out.”

“Steve is a smart guy, Y/N. I’m sure he got out of the bunker and is laying low until he can get to a secure line,” Barton said.

“So he’s missing,” you finally spoke up and slowly stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“To get my things together. I’m going to find my fiance.”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that, Y/N,” Fury stopped you.

“I can’t leave to find my missing fiance. What the hell do you mean, Nick?”

“They are onto us. One more site of us and they won’t come out of hiding. Our best chance of finding Captain Rogers is laying low and letting our people get the intel we need.”

“I can’t sit here and do nothing while Steve is missing or worse, Nick! You can’t expect me to do that!” Your voice boomed through the room.

“Let’s make a deal then.”

“A deal? Over Steve’s life?”

“Over you doing something irrational,” he countered. “Give our agents and myself 6 months to find him.”

“6 months, that’s how cold the case is. If that’s how bad it is I’m not sitting here for 6 months.”

“4 months?”

“Absolutely not,” you shook your head and went to leave again, only to be stopped once more.

“3 months, Y/N. That’s the best I can do. But if you try and leave before then I’ll be forced to detain you,” he threatened.

You stepped close to Nick and squared up. “You think you can try and detain me, Nick?”

“I’ll try. And if you get out I’ll detain you again.”

You tried to bring out your rational side and gritted your teeth. “I’ll give you 3 months. Exactly 3 months, Nick. Don’t disappoint me.” You walked to the stairs and, as soon as you were in the stairwell, you used your superspeed and got yourself home in record time. You threw your front door closed and sank to the floor letting the tears fall free.

*2 months in*

“She’s looking real rough,” Barton nodded his head towards you as he spoke with Natasha. They looked from outside the training room you were in with the recruits. You had them completely taking apart guns, putting them back together, and shooting at targets. You had them do it over and over again on every weapon you had in the room.

“What do you expect? It’s been 8 weeks and there’s been no word on Rogers.”

“She looks exhausted.” Your posture wasn’t as straight as usual, your skin looked pale, and your intense spirit was gone. “When do you think the last time she got a decent night of sleep was?”

“Probably their last night on the island.”

You were walking back slowly to your house when Natasha jogged up beside you. “Y/N, hey.”

“Hey,” your voice was monotone.

“How was training?”

“Fine. Trying to teach these kids how to take care of their guns.”

“You have dinner plans tonight?”

“Um, no. I don’t even think I have anything in the house.”

“What have you been eating?”

“Some granola bars and chips.”

“Y/N, you need to eat something. Actual real food, not chips. How much sleep have you been getting?”

“You want the truth or a sugar coated answer?”

“What’s the sugar coated answer?”

“About 5 hours of sleep every night,” you put on a fake smile.

“And the real answer?”

“The real answer is that after Steve left I slept 6 or 7 hours a night. After Nick told me about his….disappearance I haven’t slept more than 3 hours.”

“3 hours a night for you isn’t bad. That’s what you usually get when we’re out in the field.”

“3 hours since I got the news,” you muttered.

She stopped and pulled you to a stop as well. “You’ve slept 3 hours in two months? Y/N,” she tsked.

“I know, I know but I can’t sleep. Anytime I close my eyes all I see is Steve. I can’t relax knowing that I could be out there looking for him.”

“He’s ok and we’ll find him. Fury just needs another month.”

You turned and walked away, “And that’s all he’s getting.”

[imagine-loki]

God, but my Angel of Music

TITLE: God, but my Angel of Music CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter One: The Interview AUTHOR: xllizette ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you are at Avengers Tower for business with the avengers and find yourself unable to sleep. You leave your chambers and wonder aimlessly when a beautiful melody attracts your ears. You begin to follow it until you reach a room and find Loki playing a piano graciously and flawlessly. RATING: PG NOTES/WARNINGS: just a few mentions of partying and alcohol and the effects on some people.

It’s been two weeks since I’ve put in an application to work for Tony Stark. After week one, I decided to party and enjoy the days I have of no worries while they call me. But after this week I couldn’t stand it. I need to work. I’ve practically dedicated my life to be academically smart. Partying with former collegues isn’t as fun as TV shows project them to be. There are all sorts of drunk people; I’ve observed the loud obnoxious, the angry, violent, the happy, all-giggles, and the quiet, observant like myself. Personally I prefer the happy, all-giggles up to a certain point. However, even when being out getting my mind off the interview, I couldn’t help but be disappointed when I didn’t even know if I was going to get the job or not!

This is so nerve-wrecking. The only thing that can take my mind off of the interview is to play a little music. Oh wait. That’s right. My piano doesn’t work. All more of a good reason to get it repaired now. I’m walking over to my phone when it begins to ring.

“Yes, hello, this is Y/N speaking,” I answer.

A very high pitch, yet subtle voice replies with, “Hi Miss Y/L/N, how are you today? This is Pepper Potts, calling on behalf of Mr. Stark. Do you have a moment?”

Holyyyyyyy……

“Yes of course,” I said while trying to hide my excitement. Just as I was doubting they weren’t going to call me. Just my luck!

“We received your application and Mr. Stark is in need of someone with your skills right away.”

“Uh, no I don’t” you clearly heard Mr. Stark say in the background.

“(Out of your conversation)Tony, not now. You clearly do; Leave me alone please,”

“Fine. But I don’t.”

“I’m so sorry about that Miss Y/L/N,” a very apologetic Pepper Potts states.

“It’s no problem,” I say with a sound of relief in my voice.

“Okay going back to business. Can you come in tomorrow at 8 am? The security clearing process takes a while and I would like to start the interview at 10am with a walkthrough of the Stark Tower.”

“Yes of course! I will be there at 8am sharp!”

“Excellent! I look forward to meeting you, Miss Y/L/N. Have a great day!”

“Thank you! Likewise,” I said as I couldn’t believe what just happened.

I wanted to call everyone and let them know, but what if I get the interview and not the job? Then I’ll be a laughing disappointment. I can’t live with that. I’ll wait until I get the job. Yeah, besides why wouldn’t Mr. Stark want me?

“I don’t need her. She’ll just be in my way,” Tony sure wasn’t having it with someone else touching his stuff besides Bruce.

“Tony. You need to get someone else to help you here. When you’re out on missions, who will continue with your work while you’re gone?”

“Uh, Bruce. Duh.”

“TONY.” Pepper sternly called him.

“Pepper.” Sassy Tony just wanted to push Pepper’s buttons. “Okay, let’s make a deal. You hire whoever you want, but they work for, oh I don’t know, you?” He smiles that cheeky smile.

“Tony. She will work for you whether you like it or not. She will be under your wing. You can send her to study with Bruce, or train with Natasha, or help Steve with paperwork. But give the girl a chance. She’s only 24 with a PhD in Engineering,” she finishes with placing a file on Tony’s desk with your information.

“You know I don’t like it when people hand me stuff.”

“I didn’t hand it to you. I placed it on your desk. She will be here tomorrow and you will meet her.”

I went to bed early because I knew I wasn’t going to sleep right away with all this excitement. And although there was a lot of tossing and turning, I managed to sleep a full 6 hours before I began to wake up and not be able to sleep. I woke up at around 5:30 and decided to make some breakfast to calm my nerves and then get ready. So at 7:30 I headed towards the Tower. I didn’t live too far from anything for this same reason; preparation is key. But, boy, was I not prepared for what was to come.

“Miss Y/L/N, welcome. You won’t be needing that,” Happy said as he took my bag and gave it to a security guard. “We will go through this metal detector and then I’ll show you around the tower.”

“But Miss Potts said she will be conducting the-“

“Yes, well, Tony sent me to pick you up and do all that Miss Potts was going to take care of.”

After what seemed an eternity (just 45 minutes) of walking we reached this room where Tony was.

“I think I was able to avoid Miss Potts, Tony. But I don’t think she won’t think of coming in here,” Happy warns Tony. “This is Miss Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

“Yes, uh, thanks Happy. I’ll take it from here.” Tony dismisses happy then faces me and smiles.

“So tell me, Y/N, why are you actually here for? Not that I don’t want this wonderful PhD in here, but you are very young. You don’t rather want to be out there partying and wasting your life away?” Tony asks.

“Um, well no, Mr. Stark. I-“ you started before being interrupted.

“Please, Y/N, Tony. Formality is not my thing,” Tony insists.

“Tony, I would like to help find world peace.”

“Is that so?”

I nod. He smiles.

“Well, you know we are far from that. And you know that being in here with all of us is life threatening. And you know that if you decide to leave I won’t hold you back.” Tony said almost sadly. His words were said as though he had lost faith in humanity.

“I completely understand and that is why I am here.”

“Very well. Now, we have had issues in the past and we want to take precautions, so this interview is actually a few months long. You will live here in the time being. Everything you need will be paid for including your cell phone, which by the way, please get rid of that old thing.” Yup. I had the oldest of the oldest of cell phones (I’ll let you guys imagine that) and he bought me the one I’ve always wanted. “You need something, just ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. and she will get it for you right away. Now I know Pepper will be barging in here any moment now and when she does she will escort you to your new room.”

“Wait, but what about all my things…m-my apartment…”

“All taken care of. Please, feel free to live as you please. But let me remind you, if we find out you are some kind of spy or evil do-er, you will regret stepping in to my property.” I was shocked that he’d think like that of me but not surprised. I know he’s just trying to prevent an unplanned event, but jeez give me a break. He must have already seen my background.

“I will, Tony. Thanks.” I smiled and just as Tony said Miss Potts arrived and escorted me to my room.

“Oh my I am so sorry Miss Y/L/N. Apparently I became your escort instead of your interviewer. But please feel free to call me Pepper.” She sincerely told me and informed me that my things were going to arrive that afternoon and be set up by dinner time. She gave me to what seemed a credit card and said to spend the rest of the day buying myself whatever I wanted as long as I was back by dinner time and a badge with my picture and name and use it to all doors with a yellow clearance tape. “And this. This will be your weekly schedule Monday thru Friday. If you wish to remain in the interview-candidate position, please don’t miss two consecutive days or a week total of the months you will be here, okay? You’ll have weekends off so please enjoy them.” She closed off the ‘interview’ with a sincere, warm smile and left me to be.

“Thank you.”