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queenofvelaris · 29 days

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Worthy

Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Word count: 9.7k (don’t look at me)

Contains: ANGST but with a happy ending, mentions of abuse, self-deprecation, Tony’s stupid quips, fight scenes (its age of ultron duh), tooth-rotting fluff, minor character deaths

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. Everyone except for the reader and her family belongs to Marvel.

Author’s Note: hiiii so I wrote this in 2021 when I was going through a really dark time. It brought me so much peace to write it and I figured it was time I share it with the world. Reblogs, likes, and comments are much appreciated and I would love to hear your thoughts (such as if I should post more cause I got more 🫣) anyways I hope you like it!!

***

Worthy. What a ridiculous word. A hypocritical one, too. There are those who believe with everything they’ve got— even to the point of being prideful— that they’re worthy. Others hope that they are. And the rest feel, deep down inside, that they’ll never be worthy.

“I bet it’s a trick,” Clint commented, spinning drumsticks between his fingers. He was sat next to Maria, and on his other side, Bruce and Natasha were deep in conversation. Tony and Rhodey sat on the futon. Dr. Cho was asleep.

Thor chuckled and handed a newly opened beer bottle to Steve. (Y/N) was on the carpet, her back against Steve’s strong legs. Thor shook his head. “No, no. It is much more than that.”

“Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power,” Clint mocked in a Shakespearean voice that made (Y/N) snort. “Whatever, man!”

Thor grinned and indicated his hammer, propped up on the coffee table. “Please, be my guest.”

Tony smirked at Clint. “Go ahead!”

Clint raised his eyebrows. “Really?” He leaped to his feet.

“Oh, this is gonna be beautiful,” Rhodey remarked.

Steve leaned down and whispered in (Y/N)’s ear. “Five bucks says he gives up after five seconds.”

“You’re on,” (Y/N) shot back. “I say ten seconds… gotta give the man a little credit.” She smiled to herself as Steve tickled her shoulder. If she were on the same level as him, she’d tickle him right back.

From the very beginning of the Avengers initiative, after that whole mess in 2012, Steve has always been the one (Y/N) was closest to, Clint being a very close second. It was an instant click. They loved the same movies, traded jokes and sarcastic comments, trained together, and even fell asleep next to each other on the couch on days off. Three years later, they are as close as ever.

Clint approached Mjölnir, a swagger in his step. Tony leaned forward in his seat. “Clint, you’ve had a tough week. We won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.”

Everyone chuckled at that and Clint ignored them, eyeing Thor. “You know I’ve seen this before, right?”

He reached for the handle and tugged, grunting as he did so. About five seconds later, he gave up, shaking his head. “I still don’t know how you do it!”

“Smell the silent judgment?” Tony jeered at Clint as (Y/N) grudgingly handed Steve five bucks.

Steve made it better with a flash of his perfect smile and a wink from his pretty blue eyes. Beaming, she rolled her eyes and focused on the petty ones in the room.

Clint held out his hand. “Stark, by all means.”

Tony shrugged and stood, earning a chorus of “Uh oh”, “Mmm-hmm”, “Oh here we go.” He practically strutted over to the hammer. “Never been one to shy away from an honest challenge.”

“Yeah, but how often do you win ‘em?” (Y/N) muttered and Steve laughed so hard he choked on his beer. Rhodey and a couple others went “ooo!”

Tony shot her a playful glare and looped his wrist through the loop on the top of the handle. “It’s physics.” He glanced at Thor. “Alright, so, uh, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?”

Thor nodded benevolently. “Yes.”

Tony grasped the handle and put one foot on the table. “I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta.” He grunted and pulled, but the hammer didn’t move at all. He removed the loop and cleared his throat. “Be right back.”

He stormed away and came back not one minute later with an Iron Man glove from his latest model. “That’s cheating!” Maria called.

Tony put it on and grasped the handle. “And I’m Tony Stark.” He yanked on the handle, but the Asgardian weapon remained unmovable. He turned his hand and little turbines came out of the arm, acting like a rocket. Still, Mjölnir stayed still as a rock.

(Y/N) shook her head, grinning as Tony struggled with the hammer. “Give it a rest, pretty boy, you can’t lift it.”

“I can and will, sugar lips,” Tony retorted good-naturedly. He waved Rhodey over and the latter put on his own hand gear from War Machine. Watching them try and lift it together was hysterical and (Y/N) could barely breathe, she was laughing so hard.

Next up was Bruce, who climbed on the table and screamed when he couldn’t lift the hammer. Everyone stared at him in amusement and he flushed pink, embarrassed.

(Y/N) had her head on Steve’s knee when Maria tried and failed. The former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned to (Y/N). “Alright, you’re up.”

She lifted her head, chewing on her lip. “Oh, no. I, uh, I’m not doing it.”

Tony whined. “Come on! After Capsicle and Shakespeare in the Park, you’re the strongest one here!”

He wasn’t wrong. That’s another reason she and Steve were both so close-- they were the only enhanced beings in the tower. Her super strength and cat-like agility earned her the nickname of The Leopard, only she wasn’t experimented on. Her mom had been a chemist for S.H.I.E.L.D. when (Y/N) was young, and one day she came to work with her mom and there was an explosion that resulted from the leak of a new serum designed to replicate the one inside Steve. She and her mom both got struck. The result? She got powers and her mom was killed.

“I’m not lifting it, Stark,” she said firmly. She held his gaze. Normally, she’d sigh at the sight of those puppy dog eyes and grudgingly give into whatever task he wanted her to complete. But this… this was different.

Thor boomed, “It is not about strength, Stark. It is about worthiness.”

And I’m the least worthy person here, she said silently.

Steve petted her head for a second before patting her shoulder. “I’ll try.”

Grateful, she shuffled to the side to let him stand. She took his place on the couch next to Thor and watched as he rolled up the sleeves of his button-up. His blonde hair glowed in the light and his arm muscles flexed as he gripped onto the hammer.

Clenching his jaw, Steve tugged on the hammer… and it moved slightly. Thrilled, (Y/N) stole a glance at Thor’s face and nearly pissed herself. Thor looked so shocked. Stifling her laughter, she watched as Steve pulled on the handle once more before letting go, holding up his hands in surrender.

Thor audibly blew out a sigh of relief, a small smile returning to his face. (Y/N) shoved his arm. “Don’t worry, no one’s coming for your throne, Thunder.”

Steve chuckled at that and sat back down next to her. Everyone looked at Nat, who smiled and took a sip of her beer. “Oh, no, no, that’s not a question I need answered.”

Tony raised his bottle. “All deference to the man who wouldn’t be king, but it’s rigged.”

Clint clapped Tony on the shoulder. “You bet your ass.”

Maria piped up, “Steve, he said a bad language word.”

“Did you tell everyone about that?” Steve demanded, glaring at Tony as (Y/N) buried her face in his shoulder to smother her laughter. Steve wrapped his arm around her instead of pushing her away, and when she lifted her head, she had to look away from Natasha, whose smirking expression was directed right at her and Steve. Nat has caught them curled up together on the couch before, and each time (Y/N) has told her “Steve is my best friend.” Even though I want more.

Tony leaped to continue his previous train of thought. “The handle’s imprinted. Like a security code. ‘Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints’ is I think the literal translation.”

“Yes, that’s a, uh, very, very interesting theory,” Thor replied, standing with his Asgardian ale in one hand. “I have a simpler one.” He lifted the hammer with ease and flipped it, catching it gracefully. “You are all not worthy.”

(Y/N) shook her head with a small smile on her face, Steve and Clint laughed, Rhodey and Bruce scoffed, Tony groaned a “Come on!” and Maria and Natasha exchanged looks with the now awake Dr. Cho.

Suddenly, a loud feedback whine pierced the air and everyone reacted, some stiffening and the others covering their ears. Tony frowned and pulled out his transparent pad that controlled everything in the tower.

A voice that sent chills down (Y/N)’s spine came to their attention, as well as the clanking of metal. “Worrrrrrtttttthhhhyyyy.” A tattered, roughed-up-looking version of one of Tony’s suits lurched into the living room, leaking oil. It turned to face them. It flourished its hand, and when it spoke next, its voice was clearer, more masculine, and much more sinister. “No. How could you be worthy? You’re all killers.”

At that, (Y/N) stiffened as dread rooted deep down in her gut. Steve let go of her and stood, his stern eyes fixed on the robot. “Stark,” he challenged without looking at the billionaire.

“J.A.R.V.I.S.,” Tony called.

“I’m sorry, I was asleep.” The suit turned his head, the lights in his eyes flickering. “Or I was a dream.”

Tony tapped on the pad. “Reboot. We’ve got a buggy suit.”

The robot in front of them shielded his face. “There was this terrible noise, and I was tangled in… in…” he looked down at the wires and spare parts keeping the frame together. “...strings.”

(Y/N) and everyone else who had been sitting set down their drinks and stood, all of them tense. The suit flourished his hand again. “Had to kill the other guy… he was a good guy.”

“You killed someone?” Steve asked, serious and condescending.

Those words and his tone made (Y/N) feel a little sick, but she willed herself not to react and instead focused on the terrifying suit, which glanced at the floor. “Wasn’t my first call. But… in the real world, we’re faced with ugly choices.”

“Who sent you?” (Y/N) asked calmly.

The suit straightened up as the sound of a tape rewinding filled their ears. “I see a suit of armor around the world,” Tony’s voice came through.

Tony’s face paled. Bruce stared at him. “Ultron.”

(Y/N), Steve and Thor shot a bewildered look at Tony, while Natasha, Rhodey, and Clint all looked at Bruce for answers. Maria cocked her gun and Thor’s grip on his hammer tightened. (Y/N) clenched her fists and exchanged a look with Steve.

“In the flesh,” the suit answered. “Or, no, not yet. Not this… chrysalis. But I’m ready. I’m on a mission.”

Natasha tilted her head. “What mission?”

Ultron jutted his chin out, and if he had a real form, (Y/N) was sure he would be smiling. “Peace in our time.”

Three of Tony’s suits burst out of the wall, concrete and plaster raining down like hail. Almost everyone dove for cover. Steve flipped up the coffee table just in time for a suit to collide with it, sending both (Y/N) and Steve over the couch.

He immediately reached for her, his eyes wide. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She scrambled to her feet at the same time he did. She ducked as one of the suits flew straight over her head and watched Thor smack it with his hammer.

She hurried over to the bar, where Natasha and Bruce were hunkered down, the assassin using her gun. Maria was also firing her gun, Clint was nowhere to be seen, and Rhodey tumbled through the glass window onto the landing below.

Grabbing a long skewer, she leaped onto the back of a suit that was towering over a terrified Dr. Cho. (Y/N) tried to impale the skewer in between the helmet and neck, hoping to dismantle some of the wires, but it threw her off and into the grand piano with a great crash. The impact barely hurt her, but it certainly knocked the air out of her lungs. She tumbled onto her back, winded, and her eyes widened in fear when the suit faced her.

Unbeknownst to her, Ultron cocked its head and turned his attention toward her. “Interesting.”

Natasha and Bruce hurried up the stairs, Clint barely missed a shot from a suit, Tony hopped onto the back of another one, and the suit looming over (Y/N) got distracted by Maria.

Her heart in her throat, (Y/N) watched as Steve got slammed against the wall on the second landing. He fell to the ground hard, groaning. Thinking quickly, she twisted her head and saw his shield. It was heavy as all hell for everyone else, but for her, it was nothing.

“STEVE!” She yelled, gripping onto the shield.

Steve bolted to his feet and at the same time, (Y/N) threw it to him like a frisbee. Thor dismantled one suit, Tony took down the other, but the third remained. With a spin, Steve threw his shield and it tore the suit in half.

It was over as fast as it had started. It was quiet for a second, the only sound being everyone’s panting. (Y/N) rubbed her neck and gripped onto the wall for support.

Ultron shook his head. “That was dramatic. I’m sorry, I know you mean well, you just didn’t think it through.”

Steve took a few angry steps forward and (Y/N) stiffened. Ultron continued. “You want to protect the world but you don’t want it to change. How is humanity saved if it’s not allowed to... evolve?” He bent and picked up the destroyed head of one of the suits. “With these? These puppets.” Ultron threw down the head and surveyed the room. “There’s only one path to peace. The Avengers’ extinction.”

Thor grunted and threw Mjölnir. The hammer smashed Ultron into pieces against the wall before flying back to Thor’s hand.

The lights in Ultron’s head sparked and flickered. In a sing-songy, raspy voice, the suit murmured, “I had strings, but now I’m free… there are no strings on me…” Then, it flickered and died.

Everyone remained frozen for a second as the tower’s lights flickered. Some went out. Steve rushed over to (Y/N), his intense fury softening as he looked at her. He reached to inspect her neck. “You okay?”

She nodded, though she was far from it. Ultron’s words about them being killers and his creepy disappearance… it unsettled her. She had a feeling they hadn’t heard the last of him.

She was right. Down in Tony’s lab, they realized Ultron had taken all of the Iron Man suits, Loki’s staff, important files, and hard drives. He was in the internet now and was most likely downloading everything he could about each and every one of them. The thought of that robot looking into her file made (Y/N) feel sick. Only Nick Fury had access to her file, but it was clear that Ultron could bypass that.

They also learned that Ultron could access anything he wanted, like nuclear codes. They all figured out that J.A.R.V.I.S. was the person Ultron killed. Tony revealed that he created Ultron because of a vision the female Maximoff gave him when they seized the scepter. He saw what he called “The Endgame,” and he didn’t believe the Avengers would be enough to save the world. Steve assured him that even if they lost the war, they would do it together.

That night, when all was quiet in the tower and everyone was asleep, (Y/N) began to toss and turn. She couldn’t get Ultron out of her head. The monstrosity followed her into the depths of her nightmares and made her feel trapped. Images of him infiltrating her file terrified her to no end.

She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. It was no use. She needed water, or milk. She climbed out of bed and padded to the elevator. It took her to the kitchen.

She was a few footsteps away from the fridge when she heard it. “(Y/N).”

Ultron. She spun around, her fists out, but there was nothing there. Shocked, she lowered her fists. But then, she heard it again, much more sinister. “(Y/N).”

“What do you want from me?” She tried her best to keep her tone harsh.

“Do they know?” Ultron’s voice was quiet and menacing.

(Y/N) stood at attention. “Do they know what?”

Ultron chuckled darkly. (Y/N)’s eyes darted every which way, but she couldn’t see him, only hear him. “What I read in that file of yours… how many years has it been since the “accident”? Or should we call it what it really is?”

She felt her blood go cold. He wasn’t talking about 2012. He was talking about when she was seventeen. Her breathing got more shallow.

Ultron continued. “I’ll ask again… do… they… know?”

“Please.” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper as her mouth dried up. Her hands began to shake.

“It’s the reason you’re not worthy to lift the God of Thunder’s mighty hammer.” The sarcasm in his voice made her heart beat faster. “You will never be worthy. How could you be? You’re a killer. Imagine how your closest friends would react. Just think of God’s righteous man seeing you for who you really are… ”

“No.” She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. “No, no, no.”

His voice, his words… it didn’t stop. Monster… murderer…

The kitchen got darker and more confined, until (Y/N) felt like she was in a cage. The words got louder and louder until she screamed…

Drenched in sweat, (Y/N) jerked upright, panting. Her hands wildly felt around her. She was in bed. It had just been a dream.

But there was a truth to it that shook her to the core, a fear that she hoped and prayed would never come true.

A knock at her door nearly made her jump out of her skin. The intruder spoke up, their voice gentle. “(Y/N), it’s Nat. You okay?”

“Fine, Nat. Just a bad dream,” the girl lied. She fought to take deep breaths and slow her racing heart. “Sorry I woke you.”

She could tell Nat was hesitating so she forced more conviction into her voice. “Seriously, I’m okay. It’s not so bad tonight. Sorry again. Just… don’t mention it to anybody, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As the only girls in the Avengers, they shared this floor together. Unfortunately, nightmares were a common occurrence for (Y/N), and every time she accidentally woke up Natasha, guilt steadily consumed her. She never once let Natasha see her pain, her terror. No one could see. She was the “strong one”, the bold and cheeky (Y/N) that everyone knew and respected. Not the pathetic, shriveling mess that screamed herself awake in the middle of the night.

(Y/N) breathed a shaky sigh of relief when she heard Natasha’s footsteps recede. She was alone. Tears stung her eyes. Always alone.

She curled up in a ball and muffled her sobs, so as not to wake Natasha again.

***

It wasn’t long until they got a tip. Ultron had teamed up with Wanda Maximoff and her twin brother Pietro and were going to make a deal with an old weapons supplier of Tony’s. The rumor was that he had just come into a large stock of vibranium that Ultron wanted to get his hands on.

Pale yellow streams of light poked through the window when (Y/N) woke up. It was the morning of the raid. Silently, she climbed out of bed and suited up. She wore a dark blue leather coat that had leopard print on the inside-- courtesy of Stark. She also wore a blue leather top, black leather pants and boots, and her hair was done in a simple french braid down her back.

She crept into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, like normal. On a regular day, she’d wake up before dawn and go for a run with Steve. Sometimes they raced each other, sometimes they just walked and talked. But last night, she’d barely gotten any sleep, and she had a feeling Steve would skip the run, too.

After she sat at the bar with her mug, Steve walked in, fiddling with one of his gloves. He was in full Captain gear, and the sight of him made (Y/N)’s heart flutter. He always looked handsome, but his uniform and cropped golden hair along with his gorgeous face and eyes always made heat rush to her cheeks. He was just as handsome as he was good and kind. She definitely didn’t deserve him.

Steve wordlessly made his own cup and sat next to her. His thumbs traced the sides of his mug. “You look tired.”

“Thanks,” (Y/N) muttered. She rubbed her temples. “Just didn’t sleep well.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well since Ultron attacked.” Steve peered at her with his signature mom expression. “You’ve been having nightmares again, haven’t you?”

(Y/N) stiffened and met his gaze. “Nat told you?”

Steve shook his head. “Last night I couldn’t sleep so I went for a run in the stairwell. When I reached your floor I heard screaming so I went to check on you, but Nat came out and stopped me. She told me you were okay and to just leave it.”

(Y/N) was quiet for a second. She felt a little guilty for thinking Nat would betray her. Steve covered her hand with his. “You know you can talk to me, right? I may not have gone through what you and Clint did during 2012, but I’ve seen my fair share of horrors.”

“You haven’t done what I’ve done, Steve,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Before she joined the Avengers, (Y/N) worked closely with Clint and Natasha at S.H.I.E.L.D. She was the only enhanced agent, and everyone fought to keep that a secret. Then, Loki arrived. He turned his scepter on her and Clint, forcing them under the control of the mind stone. It was then that Loki came to notice (Y/N)’s strength and agility. He used her as his prized second in command and ruthless assassin. A lot of the human lives lost in Stuttgart, on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet, and during the Battle of New York were because of her.

Steve sighed. “(Y/N), what’s it gonna take for you to forgive yourself? You were under mind control.”

She shook her head. “So was Loki, but everyone blames him.” She interlaced her fingers with his. “Controlled or not, I have the blood of innocents on my hands.”

For a moment, she imagined what it would be like to tell him about the accident, to share the overwhelming amount of guilt of murdering innocent people in 2012. Would he still be here, holding her hand? Or would he hate her as much as she hated herself? No. She couldn’t tell him. Not till she was ready.

Steve said nothing, just kept holding her hand. He changed the subject, much to her relief. “Are your nightmares about Ultron?”

“Sometimes.” (Y/N) took a sip of her coffee. “I don’t wanna face that Maximoff girl. You heard what she did to Tony.” The thought of someone infiltrating her mind again made her want to throw up.

“I won’t let her near you,” Steve said firmly. He gently placed his index finger under her chin and turned her face toward his. “Do you hear me? I’ll keep you safe, sweetheart.”

She smiled softly, transfixed by his baby blue eyes. His gaze flicked to her lips, and for a split second, he leaned forward—

“Lady (Y/N), are there any Strawberry Pop-Tarts left in the cabinet?” Thor called, trudging into the kitchen in full Asgardian armor.

Looking away from Steve, (Y/N) couldn’t ignore the disappointment washing over her. “Should still be a box on the top shelf, Thunder.” She let go of Steve’s hand, but she didn’t see that he looked crestfallen at the missed opportunity, too.

An hour later, they were all assembled on the Quinjet and headed toward the African coast. Everyone was pretty solemn during the trek, the silence only being broken by Thor’s ramblings and Tony’s jokes. But even the God of Thunder and the sass master himself were more grim than normal.

As they snuck into the salvage yard and the hatch of the Quinjet opened, (Y/N) exchanged a look with Steve. He reached for her hand, squeezed it once, and let go. She didn’t need to hear him speak to know he was telling her he’s got her back.

They ran into the building, finding the discarded bodies of workers all along the floor. Tony in his Iron Man suit led the way, followed by (Y/N), Steve, Thor, Clint, and Natasha. Bruce hung back on the Quinjet-- they didn’t need The Big Guy just yet.

They all split up inside the salvage yard just as Ultron yelled, “Don’t compare me with Stark, he’s a sickness!” He had forged a new suit for himself. The robot was now about seven feet tall with red eyes and a shiny metal body. His back was turned to them.

“Aww, Junior,” Tony called, his voice filtered through the Iron Man helmet. “You’re gonna break your old man’s heart.” He landed down with a clunk on the metal bridge, facing his creation. Thor and Steve were behind him. Natasha and Clint were sneaking in from the sides, and (Y/N) was coming in from the back. Their goal was to box the enemy in.

Ultron turned to face them, flanked by Wanda and Pietro. (Y/N) allowed herself a brief moment of wariness before putting her game face on. She was armed with batons about the length of her arm, coincidentally made of vibranium.

“If I have to,” Ultron drawled, his voice powerful and menacing.

“No one has to break anything,” Thor warned.

Ultron and the Maximoffs approached until they were a few feet away from the three Avengers. “Clearly, you’ve never made an omelet.”

Tony tilted his head. “He beat me by one second.”

(Y/N) shook her head at his almost proud comment. She delicately ducked behind the door behind the Maximoffs and Ultron, peering out at them.

“Ah, so this is funny… Mr. Stark,” Pietro remarked, his Sokovian accent thick. “It’s, what… comfortable?” He glanced down at the missiles and other weapons. “Like old times?”

“This was never my life.” Tony sounded much more serious now.

Steve took a step forward, his eyes on the twins. “You two can still walk away from this.”

Wanda cocked her head. “Oh, we will.”

Steve didn’t back down. “I know you’ve suffered.” They’d heard about the twins losing their parents and nearly dying themselves in the process.

“Ah… Captain America.” Ultron gazed at Steve condescendingly. “God’s righteous man.”

At that, (Y/N) flinched. Ultron had called him that in her nightmare. However, when she saw Steve’s familiar haunted look appear, her fear turned into anger. She withdrew one of her staffs from its sheath.

“Pretending you could live without a war,” Ultron continued. “I can’t physically throw up in my mouth, but-”

“If you believe in peace, then let us keep it,” Thor cut him off.

Ultron took a step closer. “I think you’re confusing peace with quiet.”

Tony was over it. “Yuh-huh. What’s the vibranium for?”

“I’m glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan,” Ultron drawled.

Suddenly, he pulled his metal fist back and the energy sucked Tony forward. Ultron blasted him back against the wall and everyone sprung into action.

Tony and Ultron went head to head as suits-- clearly designed by Ultron-- came pouring out of a doorway. Pietro was a blur as he went around, trying to attack the Avengers. His sister was more successful and managed to blast Steve back.

(Y/N) launched out from the doorway and used her strength and one of her batons to knock the head of a suit clean off its body. She leaped over the railing and landed on the bottom floor. A small grin worked its way onto her face as two suits came down to meet her, tall and strong.

She swept the legs out from under one and started to attack the other, but it dodged her heavy blow. She was grabbed by it but twisted her body, ran along the side of a crate, and flipped up and over the suit, tearing its head off.

Meanwhile, Natasha and Clint took down a lot of the weapons dealer’s crew, who were shooting at both the suits and the Avengers. Steve forced Pietro to the ground a little ways away from (Y/N). His eyes flicked over to her, watching her battle Ultron’s minions. He’d been keeping his eye on her, and he was relieved and proud that she was holding her own. He smiled and went back to fighting.

Then Wanda struck.

It was Thor who went down first. A quick tendril of magic infiltrated his mind and turned his eyes red.

“Thor! Status!” Steve barked.

Nothing. He saw Thor falter and freeze in place on the second level as if he was frozen in time.

Immediately, he knew it was Wanda. He spun around, eyes wide and filled with worry. Before he could warn his girl, he was knocked backward by Pietro and witnessed his worst fear with a flick of Wanda’s wrist.

(Y/N) had no idea what was happening. She was easily taking down suit after suit, barely breaking a sweat. She heard static crackling in her earpiece but figured that was just a result of everyone’s efforts.

She was about to deliver a fatal blow to the largest of Ultron’s creations when it spoke. “Were you this talented of a fighter at seventeen, Agent (L/N)?”

(Y/N) froze in her tracks, her baton raised over her head. The suit climbed back onto its feet, its eerie eyes peering straight at her. When it spoke again, its voice bore a significant resemblance to that of Ultron’s. She felt like he was directly talking to her.

“That was your first kill.” It wasn’t a question… the suit knew. Ultron had examined her file.

(Y/N) swung at the suit, but her nerves made her sloppy. The suit grabbed her baton, locking her in place. “Did you enjoy your first kill as much as you enjoyed taking the lives you took in the Battle of New York?”

With a shriek, (Y/N) twisted her wrist and tore the baton free. She attacked the suit with both batons, her viciousness masking her vulnerable state of mind. When she’d backed the suit into a corner, she finally let up on her onslaught, panting. “I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t enjoy it then, and I didn’t enjoy it in 2012. I’m not a killer. I was under mind control.”

“Not the first time. You became a murderer of your own accord.” The suit stood again, looming over her.

“Stop it.” (Y/N) shook her head violently.

The suit took a step forward. “How did it feel, watching his life slip away? How did it feel, realizing that you took a life and it was all for nothing?”

(Y/N)’s hands tightened around her batons, trembling. “Stop it.”

The suit was relentless. “How did it feel to be completely and utterly alone?”

“I SAID STOP!” (Y/N) screamed and lunged, but she never reached the suit. A flash of red was all she saw and then the room shifted.

She stumbled and dropped her batons, trying to grasp onto a crate, but she grasped onto a railing instead. It didn’t feel metallic; it was sleek and smooth. She turned her head and realized she was gripping a wooden railing.

She looked up, expecting to see the metal landing and the rest of her friends in the midst of battle. Instead, she saw a carpeted staircase with walls on either side.

Instantly, she felt cold, like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on her head. She was back home, back in the memory that haunted her sleep without relief.

She could hear the thumps from where she stood, tears already springing to her eyes. “No. No,” she choked out and sprinted up the stairs.

Even though she already knew what she would find at the top of the stairs, she still screamed. There was her dad, hovering over her baby brother, beating him bloody. It was obvious that Bobby was having trouble breathing. He was practically lying in a pool of blood.

Dad hated both (Y/N) and Bobby, but once (Y/N) got her powers, he couldn’t take out his aggression on her like when her mom was alive. Instead, he turned his attention to Bobby.

“Stop, you’re gonna kill him!” (Y/N) screamed, echoing the words she spoke when she was seventeen.

“Stay out of this, freak!” Dad roared, giving her a snarl that looked like a dog baring its teeth.

As if on autopilot, (Y/N) gripped onto his shoulders and ripped him away from Bobby. Unlike how it happened all those years ago, she was forced to watch his stumble in slow motion. She stood with her jaw dropped as he tumbled down the stairs and straight into the wall, his head colliding with the plaster so hard that a loud crack split the air. Blood seeped out of the wound, and he lay perfectly still. He was dead.

(Y/N) stared at her hands in revulsion. But tears began to fall when she realized what would happen next.

She whirled around and knelt next to her baby brother, whose chest was heaving and shuddering. This. This was what she saw almost every night, the image that never seemed to escape her. “Hey, hey, Bobby, please. Please. Stay alive. Please, don’t go. Don’t leave me alone!”

Bobby’s innocent eyes met hers briefly before closing. His chest rose once more, but it did not fall. He, too, was still.

“NO!” (Y/N) screamed, scrabbling at his body.

Bobby’s body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and (Y/N) covered her face with her hands as she cried. She was too late to save him. She tried, but in doing so she killed her dad. He was a menace, but she’d never wanted to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt anybody.

But the nightmare was far from over.

“(Y/N)?” A familiar voice spoke. However, instead of the normal softness and affection in his voice, this time his tone was laced with disapproval and disgust.

(Y/N) leaped to her feet and turned around, wiping her eyes. Steve stood there, his helmet off. Behind him was Tony, Natasha, Clint, Thor, and Bruce. They all looked horrified and furious.

“You just killed your dad,” Bruce said in a hushed voice.

(Y/N)’s hands began to shake. “I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. I-I just-”

“No, no, no, you don’t get to justify what we just saw,” Tony snapped, holding up his finger.

Tears burned (Y/N)’s eyes. “I was a kid. My powers weren’t under control yet! You have to believe me!”

Natasha and Clint looked disappointed. The former Red Room assassin shook her head in disbelief. “I was trained to become a killer. You became one on your own.”

“I didn’t mean to kill him.” (Y/N) couldn’t stop the stream of tears as they steadily dripped down her cheeks. “I was just trying to save my brother.”

“And how’d that work out for you?” Clint scoffed. “How many more dads did you kill in 2012? No wonder Loki chose you-- you’re wicked, just like him.”

(Y/N) couldn’t breathe. She clutched her ribs, desperately forcing air into her lungs. “It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fault. Guys, please.” She looked at the people she saw as her siblings. “Clint? Nat?” They’d said they understood about 2012… but they were looking at her with pure venom.

One by one, her team turned their backs to her and walked away, disappearing into vapor. The only one who remained was Steve, whose head was lowered.

“Stevie?” (Y/N) tentatively approached him, reaching for his hand.

He ripped it away like she’d burned him and she recoiled. Steve fixed her with a cruel glare. “Now I know why you refused to pick up Thor’s hammer. You’re not worthy, and this is why.”

(Y/N) felt her heart shatter into a million tiny pieces. “Steve-”

“I thought the world of you. I wanted the best for you. I wanted a future with you.” Steve’s voice was low and dark. “Now… I don’t want anything to do with you.”

A sob escaped her lips before she could stop it and she fell to her knees. “Stevie, please!” She grabbed his hand and he pulled it away, walking away from her.

“Stevie, please, come back!” (Y/N) begged and pleaded, but she received no response.

Convulsing with sobs, she curled up on the floor, crying her heart out. Her worst fears had just been realized. The Avengers hated her as much as she hated herself for what she did, and Steve, her Captain… he hated her, too.

“It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my fault,” she whispered brokenly, wishing she could turn back time and reverse everything. “It wasn’t my fault.”

And that’s how Steve, the real Steve, found her.

When his vision cleared, he hauled himself up. Clint gave him the status report that he took Wanda out of the running, at least temporarily, and the archer went to look for Natasha.

Steve’s mouth went dry. Where was his girl? He reached for his earpiece, ready to command her to tell him where she was, when he heard it. The sobs.

He ran faster than he ever had in his life. It took him only a second to find her, curled up on the floor and crying.

He fell to his knees beside her, tearing off his helmet and setting down his shield. “(Y/N)... hey, hey, hey.” His hands fidgeted, longing to touch her but afraid of how she’d react. “Sweetheart, look at me. Open your eyes and look at me.”

(Y/N) obeyed him, but her mind was still trapped in another world. Her eyes darted lazily around, the flow of tears never ending. She met his gaze and he flinched when he saw the raw brokenness in their depths. “It wasn’t my fault... it wasn’t my fault.”

Steve frowned and this time, he touched her. He ran his fingers through her hair, which had fallen out of its neat french braid. “What’s not your fault, sweetheart?”

“Please, you have to believe me,” she cried. “It wasn’t my fault, Stevie. You have to believe me. You have to believe me.”

“Hey, hey, shh. It’s okay. I believe you.” Steve’s tone was soft and gentle as he cooed to her, trying to calm her down. Frankly, he was freaked out, too, by her state and what he saw in his own vision. And he was angry. He’d been complacent. He promised her he would keep her safe, that he wouldn’t let Wanda infiltrate her mind. But he was careless, and now his girl was a wreck.

(Y/N) locked eyes with Steve, a bit of hope returning to her (e/c) depths. “It wasn’t my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Steve confirmed, forcing a smile.

Clint’s voice comes in on the earpiece. “All the tin men are down, but the Maximoffs are gone. So is Ultron. Tony said the Big Guy escaped and he’s fetching him. I think we need to head back to the jet. Tasha’s in bad shape.”

Steve pressed his own earpiece, looking down at the sweet girl who was crying silently next to him. “So is (Y/N). We’ll meet you at the jet.”

He placed his shield on his back and gathered (Y/N)’s weapons, placing them in his belt loops. He gently worked his arm into the crook of her knees and wrapped his other arm around her back. He stood, cradling her in his arms. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s get outta here.”

She curled into him, and even though her tears had stopped flowing, she was still looking around blankly, like her mind was still adrift.

He carried her out of the warehouse, through the salvage yard, and onto the Quinjet. Natasha was slumped in a corner, pale and trembling. Thor looked tense and bewildered. Clint was unaffected vision-wise, but he was pacing the floor of the jet and scratching his head.

When Steve entered the jet, Clint turned and stiffened. “Oh, shit.”

Steve ignored his comment, clueing the archer into how worried Steve was. He followed closely as Steve sat down on one of the seats, arranging (Y/N) so she lay comfortably across the seats with her head in his lap.

“What did she see?” Clint asked quietly.

Steve shook his head, his eyes trained on (Y/N)’s face. His fingers gently combed through her hair, and his other hand traced light designs on her hand. “I don’t know. She wasn’t making much sense. She kept saying something wasn’t her fault. I’ve never seen her like this.”

Clint’s gaze was soft as he looked at her. “I was with her when Loki’s spell lifted. She barely spoke after.” He glanced at Steve. “Actually, it was you who got through to her. You got her to talk again. What Loki’s magic made her do… it damaged her. Being mind-controlled once is no joke, but twice?” He sighed. “Poor kid.” He stood and walked over to the pilot’s seat.

Steve’s heart was heavy, but at the same time filled with warmth. Had he really been the one to help (Y/N) come back to herself after 2012? As he gazed down at her, he decided it would be his job to bring her back this time, too.

So he kept stroking her hair, whispering to her. “(Y/N). Come back to me, sweetheart. It’s me, Stevie. If anyone can fight back against the power of that vision, it’s you. You’re strong, so strong. Stronger than all of us. I’m here. Your family’s all here. Just come back. I’ve got you, and I’m never letting you go. I promise. You’re safe with me.”

Though (Y/N) didn’t respond, her eyes flicked to meet his gaze and he could’ve sworn he saw a sparkle of recognition return to her eyes. Encouraged, Steve kept talking.

He lost himself in his quiet affirmations and gentle words to her, so much so that he didn’t notice Thor, Clint, and even Natasha watching. Thor and Clint smiled slightly, and Natasha, as shaken as she was, felt emotional watching the tender display. It was really obvious to everyone except Steve and (Y/N) that they had fallen for each other.

The three of them were so moved that when Tony and Bruce returned, Clint went out to meet them and warned them to keep their voices down and not make any comments-- with that bit being directed at Tony-- about what they were about to see.

All Tony said when they walked onto the jet and saw Steve with (Y/N) cradled on his lap was a grumbled, “Finally.”

***

They decided that it was too dangerous to return to the Tower. Ultron was everywhere, and after the whole Hulk incident they needed to lie low. Clint guided the jet toward a location he refused to tell the others about, and spoke quietly with Tony. They were the only two who hadn’t been hit with a vision at the salvage yard.

Thor was acting a little gruffer than normal, Natasha was quiet, and Bruce was weary, but the one they were really worried about was (Y/N). For the entirety of the Quinjet ride, her head rested on Steve’s thigh as she slowly came back to reality. It was Steve’s gentle touches and grounding words that eventually brought her back. But even then, she was uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn.

“We’re almost there, sweetheart,” Steve whispered. “Just keep your eyes on me. Don’t slip back into your head.”

She nodded once, her face lined with sadness and a hint of fear. It made Steve’s heart ache. He kept his blue eyes locked with her (e/c) ones. “Do you remember Clint and Natasha? They’re like your brother and sister. We’re your family. You’re safe with us.”

He kept having to repeat these statements in order to keep her present. He did so without complaint and with a heart full of affection and concern for his girl.

At the mention of Clint and Natasha, the fear grew on her face and Steve moved his hand from her hair to her face. He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears. “We’re not gonna hurt you. We all love you. I-” He swallowed. “… care about you so much, (Y/N). You’re safe with us, okay?”

“Okay, Stevie.” Her voice was small and quiet, reminding Steve of his mom after getting her ass handed to her by his dad. He hated it, and wanted nothing more for (Y/N)’s smile to return. So, he kept forcing a smile for her sake and continued anchoring her with his words and touches.

After a few hours, Clint landed the jet next to a farmhouse. Steve stood and held out his hands to (Y/N). “Can you stand for me, pretty girl?”

She nodded shakily and stood, taking his hands. He wrapped his arm around her protectively. The other Avengers watched with a mixture of worry and awe on their faces.

He and (Y/N) trailed behind as Clint helped Natasha walk and led Bruce, Tony, and Thor inside the house. When Clint’s pregnant wife appeared, who the Avengers had no idea about (except for Natasha), they all were stunned. Laura and Natasha caught up and Clint introduced them all to his kids and explained why he kept their location a secret.

(Y/N) tried to smile and hesitantly shook Laura’s hand. The yelling of the kids and the chatter of the others made her tense up. Steve rubbed her arms and made eye-contact with Clint.

Having seen (Y/N) go through something like this once before, Clint strode over to them and kept his voice low. “Tasha’s gonna sleep with Laura. Me, Tony, Thor, and Bruce will sleep in the living room. You two can take the guest room.”

(Y/N) was too in her head to fully process what he said, but Steve’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to question why he and (Y/N) should share a room and protest that it wasn’t appropriate, but Clint rolled his eyes. “Just take the damn room. Go. You’ll thank me later.”

Wordlessly, Steve took (Y/N)’s hand and-- after hearing Clint’s directions-- guided her upstairs. He entered a small but quaint room and shut the door. (Y/N) silently sat on the bed, her eyes on her hands.

Steve exhaled deeply. He walked to her and crouched in front of her, taking her hands in his. She met his gaze, her expression clouded. Steve squeezed her hands lightly. “Talk to me, sweetheart. What did you see? I want to help you.”

“You won’t once I tell you,” she whispered, tears pricking her eyes.

Steve’s tone was gentle but firm. “Try me.”

(Y/N) took a shaky breath. “Did… did I ever tell you how young I was when I joined S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Steve frowned, concentrating. “You said you were seventeen. You were one of their youngest recruits.”

(Y/N)’s hands fidgeted in his grip. “Did I say why I joined?”

“You said you didn’t want to go to college, that you wanted to work there to honor your mother.” Steve sounded puzzled.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “That-that was-um… it wasn’t the whole truth.”

Steve looked at her encouragingly, and that just made it harder for (Y/N). She swallowed. “After I-uh… after I got my powers and my mom died, my dad… he became more violent. He was violent before, but losing Mom just… it just made him snap. He knew he couldn’t hurt me anymore, so he started taking it out on my baby brother. He was only twelve.”

“Go on.” Steve’s eyes were narrowed, but he made an effort to keep his voice soft.

The stinging tears made it difficult for her to see. “One-one day I heard my dad beating my brother, and when I found them, my brother was barely breathing. I yelled at my dad to stop, but he wouldn’t listen.” Tears trickled down her cheeks, one by one, and Steve let go of one of her hands to brush them away. “I eventually grabbed his shirt and shoved him away, but… but I-I shoved him toward the stairs.”

Steve closed his eyes and (Y/N) shook her head. “I couldn’t revive him. The fall killed him. I killed him.”

Steve’s eyes opened and he stared at her. “(Y/N), that was an accident. You didn’t kill him.”

“Stevie, I was too strong for him,” (Y/N) cried. “I should’ve-”

“Stop, stop, stop.” Steve cupped her face. “Sweetheart, you were a kid. Your powers weren’t under control yet. You didn’t mean to hurt your dad; you were just trying to save your brother.” And that monster doesn’t deserve your guilt and shame, he added silently.

(Y/N) sobbed once and Steve moved to sit next to her, pulling her onto his lap and encasing her in his arms. She cried into his shirt, staining it with her tears.

They sat like that for a minute, and he quietly shushed her and whispered words of reassurance. Once her sobs had died down, she pulled back a bit to look at him. “You… you believe me?”

“Of course I do.” His tone was matter-of-fact. Steve cupped her face again. “What happened to your brother?”

(Y/N) shuddered. “He broke a rib and it punctured his lung. I tried to give him CPR… but he was already gone. He’d lost too much blood.” The streams of tears continued to pour down her cheeks. “He was twelve, Stevie.”

Steve’s soul hurt for her, for that little boy he’d never gotten the chance to meet. He gently wiped her tears with his thumbs and kissed her forehead before pressing against it with his own. “I’m so sorry.”

(Y/N)’s small hands grasped onto his wrists as if they were her lifeline. “After that, I found Fury. He’s the only one who knows the whole story… other than you.” Her tone wobbled. “I asked him to lock me up. He gave me a job instead. He took a chance on me.”

Steve pulled her to him and his nose brushed her ear as (Y/N) continued to shake. “I’d managed to redeem myself in my mind. But then 2012 happened. When I realized what I’d done, what I’d been made to do… I was back in that house, with blood on my hands.” She gave a broken laugh. “It’s ironic, really. The girl with super-human strength and agility is weak in the head. She breaks everything she touches. She makes a fucking mess wherever she goes.”

“Stop, stop,” Steve pleaded, pulling back. “You’re strong, (Y/N). So strong. You’re stronger than me, that’s for damn sure, both mentally and in your heart. You don’t break everything you touch; you bring light to the darkest places. You gave a lost super-soldier a reason to smile again, inspired him to be the best hero he could be, which would never be half as good as you. When you make a mess, you own up to it. But you’ve never once willingly put someone in harm’s way. You’ve never once willingly allowed an innocent person to suffer. You love everyone around you with your whole heart.” Steve’s own eyes were brimming with tears now. “Everyone but yourself.”

(Y/N) stared at him. Steve took her hands in his and pressed kiss after kiss to her hands. “You’re a good person. It hurts me to hear you talk like you’re not.” He made eye-contact with her. “I have a feeling I know what you saw in that vision. You saw your dad and brother dying, right?”

“That’s… that’s not all.” Dare she speak the cursed words aloud? If she did… would that make it real? She covered her mouth briefly, looking anywhere but Steve. “You and the others hated me for what I did. You looked at me with pure disappointment. You-you told me… you told me that-that you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

If it was even possible, Steve’s heart broke even further. “Oh, sweetheart.” He lifted her chin with his index finger, gently forcing her to look at him. A tear rolled down his cheek. “I could never hate you for what happened. Neither could the others. I’m sure if they found out, they’d all feel nothing but compassion for you. What happened? It wasn’t your fault. We’d never blame you. We all love you.” He moved his hand up to run the backs of his fingers against her cheekbone. She unconsciously leaned into his touch. Steve’s tone held sincerity when he said, “I love you.”

(Y/N)’s breath got caught in her throat. The flow of tears slowed, and Steve noticed. A small, watery smile tugged at his lips. “I love you, sweetheart. Have for a while now.” He shook his head. “And you don’t have to say it back—”

(Y/N) cut him off with a gentle whisper. “But I want to.” She wiped her cheeks and moved to cup his handsome face in her little hands. “I love you, Stevie.”

Steve gazed at her with softness and adoration. He leaned forward and kissed her chastely. The kiss was delicate, but for both of them it felt as if sparks were flying. When he pulled away, (Y/N) pouted and Steve laughed. He rubbed his nose against hers. “Trust me, sweetheart, when you’re feeling better, I’ll give you all the kisses you want. But I don’t wanna take advantage.”

(Y/N)’s heart fluttered. Whether it was because he was from the 40s, or because he was just a true gentleman, he was the most considerate man she’d ever met.

She scrubbed her face, stifling a yawn as she did so. Steve noticed. “I think someone’s tired. Lie down.”

She could hear a tiny bit of his Captain voice as he spoke, and that made her smile. She was exhausted, it was true. Barely sleeping for the past couple weeks on top of the emotional baggage of today was more than draining.

She climbed under the covers of the queen-sized bed, and before she could ask Steve to stay, he shuffled over to her. “Scoot over, big guy coming through.”

(Y/N) laughed softly and did as he asked. Pretty soon, her back was against his chest and his big arms were encircled around her. He sighed, content.

She felt herself falling asleep already, but curiosity nagged at her. “What did you see in your vision?”

Steve sighed again, but this time, she could practically hear the resignation in it. “I saw myself going back to the 40s and dancing with Peggy.”

A bolt of jealousy and unease struck her. “Why did Wanda show you that?”

Steve buried his face in her hair, lightly brushing his lips against her ear and making her shiver. “Because she wanted to show us all our biggest fear.”

The unease faded to confusion. “Why was dancing with Peggy your biggest fear?”

“Because she wasn’t you,” Steve said simply. She felt his embrace get a little tighter. “I still care deeply for Peggy, and I try to visit her as much as I can, but I stopped dreaming about a life where I had been with her once I realized my dreams were now about you. I stopped loving her the minute I fell in love with you. Dancing with her… it was a picture of the life I don’t want anymore. It was empty and lifeless because you were gone. You’re my best girl.”

Tears sprung to (Y/N)’s eyes once more. He seemed to sense this and moved his lips from her ear to her temple. He kissed her hair and brushed his nose along her cheekbone. “Let’s go to sleep.”

(Y/N) nodded, and when she spoke she was half teasing, half serious. “Dream of me?”

Steve chuckled. “Always, pretty girl.”

They fell asleep minutes later, the super-soldier holding his girl securely to his chest. They didn’t hear the door open a crack, nor did they see Natasha peek her head in.

She smiled softly when she saw them and shut the door. She turned to face Tony, Clint, Thor, and Bruce, who all eagerly awaited the report.

“They fell asleep cuddling in the bed.” Natasha grinned at Clint. “They finally exchanged their “I love you”s.

Clint had a huge smile on his face, and he turned to Tony and held out his hand. Tony grumbled and handed him a twenty-dollar bill. “You rigged it by giving them the same room.”

“Hey, I did that so he could comfort her in private.” Clint smirked and pocketed the money. “Them finally admitting their feelings was just an added bonus.”

Bruce glanced at Tony. “So if Clint betted they’d admit their feelings, what did you bet?”

“That the Leopard and Capsicle would break the bed,” Tony muttered nonchalantly.

Natasha thumped him and Bruce facepalmed himself. Thor beamed. “No, no. The Captain is far too chivalrous for that. The courting ritual back in Asgard--”

“We can hear you guys,” Steve called, his tone a mixture of tiredness and amusement.

Natasha grabbed the boys and shoved them away from the door. She apologized to Steve and (Y/N) and walked away, muttering, “I swear, men are idiots.”

***

Thanks for reading!!!

#steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #age of ultron #captain america #x reader #reader insert #fem reader #my writing

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stuckysimp · 3 months

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I'm like 8 years too late, but oh well - I've had this Captain America Civil War rant stuck in my head for a while and I need to get it out after re-watching it. (This is gonna be long af, but bear with me).

I feel like a lot of people missed the actual point and plot of the movie (and the marketing definitely didn't help). The whole "team cap vs team iron man" stuff becomes irrelevant after like the first 20 minutes of the movie. But of course, it's still quite a big part of the movie and I'd like to take a moment to explore what I think, the different character motivations are around why they signed or didn't (or would / wouldn't).

The only reason Tony "I successfully privatised world peace" Stark signed the accords in the first place anyway is because of his massive survivors guilt complex which we see triggered by the woman who approaches him at the end of his speech to the MIT students. Like this man does not give a single shit about the government, and much like Steve Rogers, he just wants to keep people safe. Unlike Steve, however, he doesn't trust himself to do so and thinks of himself needing the be kept in check, for someone else to take the blame (though he'd probably internalise it anyway, let's be real).

Rhodey has always kind of been more on the side of the government, even if that meant going against Tony - think Iron Patriot - so it makes sense that he'd want to sign. He understands that a group as powerful and dangerous as the Avengers needs to be kept in check, but what he doesn't understand are the risks around that. In a perfect world, it would be fine, but unfortunately government systems are stupid and corrupt.

Peter was only really in the fight in the first place because he was a child blindly following this big celebrity guy he idolised. He didn't know enough about the situation to properly analyse it, just being fed and believing whatever Tony told him (and he had no reason to go against him, so why would he? This was his shot, he's been chosen by THE Tony Stark to help). "Mr Stark said you'd say that" "he said you're wrong, you think you're right, that makes you dangerous." I 100% believe that if Peter had read the accords, that he would have been on Steve's side anyway.

Vision is an embodiment of 'good' and 'peace' - essentially everything that Ultron was supposed to be, but wasn't. He has no reason to be against the accords if it will keep people safe and he makes the point during their conversation of "our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict ... breeds catastrophe. Oversight ... oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand." It's also very much the beginning kind of puppy love between him and Wanda in this movie, meaning that he will want to protect her. No matter what. Even if it means "locking her in her room."

Nat was seriously one of the only people in this movie with a brain cell lol. I firmly believe that if the accords had been properly put in place, she would have followed them until she no longer thought the government's instructions were 'right' and would have gone against them anyway. Her main goal in this movie was trying to keep the Avengers, her family, together and ultimately do the 'right' thing.

T'challa didn't give one shit about the accords lmao, he's damn king. No, he was only there in the first place to take revenge on his father's death (which at the point of the airport fight scene he still thought it was Bucky's fault. He later discovers, after following Steve and Bucky to Siberia, that it's Zemo's, and locks him up).

Steve's concerns with the accords are valid, and honestly I wouldn't have signed them either. To be told "sign, retire, or get locked up" isn't really a big winner for me lol. And the thing is, Steve's done this. He fought in WW2, he got paraded around like some big hero while men died, and he did nothing. It wasn't until he went against orders, that he actually did something helpful (saved the captured 107th division in Azzano). So, no, he's not going to be side-lined when people out there need help. That's just not who he is.

Bucky had no part in the accords, and as soon as he got introduced into the movie, that plot point became irrelevant. He was framed by Zemo, and then used to rip the avengers apart. The accords was just another log to add to the fire at that point. He followed Steve because "till the end of the line" and all that. He literally, heartbreakingly, says "I don't know if I'm worth all this," but he follows anyway.

Scott, much like Peter, is kinda just happy to be there. He's following CAPTAIN FREAKING AMERICA into battle without hesitation. But like, let's be honest, given his whole movie and character, I very much doubt Scott would be on Tony's side if he had read the accords.

Clint got dragged out of freaking retirement for this shit, and he didn't actually get involved until after Team Cap already knew about Zemo. That's why he's there. Not because of the accords, but to help Steve get to the Quinjet to get to Siberia and stop Zemo before he can go through with his assumed plan to wake up the five super soldiers who'd been stashed there. (Of course, this isn't actually Zemo's plan, but we'll get back to that later).

Wanda is going through some serious self loathing during this movie, and the incident in Lagos doesn't help. Like at all. Ma girl just wants to live her life and be left alone at this point and she's getting all of these horrible things thrown into her face by Secretary Ross. She doesn't want to be controlled, she doesn't want to be a weapon, she wants to be free. "You locked me in my room." - Girl already probably hates Tony Stark due to her family being killed by one of his bombs and Ultron, so she's mad anyway.

Sam is on Steve's side from the start. With the accords, to fight Zemo, all of it. During the 'discussion' between him and Rhodey, he says "So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" He doesn't trust Secretary Ross, and is clearly hesitant to add his signature to the accords. (not that I blame him).

The main actual villain and 'plot' of the movie after the first part with the accords, was the whole thing with Zemo wanting to tear the Avengers apart to get revenge for his family dying in Sokovia. He takes advantage of the accords, and of Bucky / The Winter Soldier to do this but it's not really discussed which annoys me. It's a MAJOR part of the film, yet all I ever really see being discussed are the accords affecting the decisions of characters throughout the film with no consideration of the wider picture.

From when the UN meeting is blown up, the Avengers are being manipulated by Zemo working in the background throughout the film. He frames Bucky for murder, and Steve - who has been looking for Bucky for the past 2 years - goes after him like ‘tf man’. Bucky gets taken in and Zemo uses the opportunity to activate the Winter Soldier programming, learn about Hydra’s super soldier program, and of course - “Mission report. December 16, 1991.”

This leads to Bucky’s escape and attack, Steve and co going on the run, and eventually the airport fight. The meaning of this scene gets lost, I feel, when people relate it back to the accords because it’s not about that anymore. Not really, not for anyone. Especially not for Steve, or even for Tony.

Tony at this point, most definitely feels like his world is being torn apart. He’s losing control, he’s spiralling, and Steve just isn’t listening. He’s blinded by his anger to the bigger picture and he just wants to get a handle on the situation to deal with it further.

Steve’s forgotten all about the accords, his priority is keeping Bucky safe and stopping Zemo. He tries to tell Tony, tries to talk to him, but Tony isn’t listening either. I mean their whole interaction just before the fight shows this:

(the dialogue below has been condensed to show the key lines - basically I got rid of other characters talking irrelevantly)

Steve Rogers: Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this.

Tony Stark: Anyway, Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?

Steve Rogers: You're after the wrong guy.

Tony Stark: Your judgment is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday.

Steve Rogers: And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't.

- later -

Tony Stark: And you've been a complete idiot. Dragging in Clint. 'Rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep . . . I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart.

Steve Rogers: You did that when you signed.

Tony Stark: Alright, We're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us. NOW! Because it's us! Or a squad of J-SOC guys . . . with no compunction about being impolite. [Steve looks aside.] Come on.

Not to mention that Tony, after learning that Zemo impersonated and killed the actual doctor dude that was supposed to see Bucky whilst he was in confinement, he DISOBEYED the accords and Secretary Ross to go and help Steve stop what they thought at the time was the reactivation of the five super soldiers who'd been left in cryo freeze.

He follows Steve and Bucky to Siberia to help them, not to fight them. That only changes because of Zemo showing the footage of Bucky, WHILE UNDER BASICALLY MIND CONTROL, killing Tony’s parents.

In this scene, Tony 100% has every right to be angry. Unfortunately, he’s the kind of person who cannot see past his anger. He gets in his head, he spirals, and he tries to kill Bucky based on blind rage. (IT WASN’T BUCKY’S FAULT DAMMIT).

And yes, Steve was 100% in the wrong for not telling Tony. This whole scene could have been very easily avoided if Steve had just pulled Tony aside and had the difficult conversation about his parents death. Tony deserved to know, and Steve was only sparing himself pain by doing it. Dick move Steve, 0/10.

The fight between the three allows Zemo, having successfully completed his plan of eliminating the super soldiers and tearing the avengers apart, to slip away. With his work done, he tries to end his own life, but T’challa stops him and arrests him instead.

Steve and Tony’s fight was unnecessary, dramatic, and heart-breaking, and I’m very glad they managed to make up later, but ye. I think, at the end of the day, they’re all just dramatic idiots with communication issues lol.

Thank you for reading my long ass essay lmao, apparently I have a lot of feelings about this movie 😂

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sunnysideprincess · 10 months

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King Howard, to teach his "insolent" son a lesson, chooses Steve as the next King and lets his princely son slip off the throne. Obadiah is very furious, for obvious and not so obvious reasons. But then there's Steve who's supposed to choose a personal maid and he's got some snarky flirty rivalry going on with Tony, so he obviously chooses Tony, the actual prince as his "maid"

Now Steve expects Tony to be this spoiled child who doesn't know how to do manual labor. But the thing is Tony was raised by the castle staff. Jarvis had him dragged by the ear to clean up the mess in his workshop, Pepper had him chased by the dogs so he could learn to care for animals and Rhodey taught him how to balance fourteen different things on his arms, just for fun. So imagine Steve, being actually surprised by Tony doing every chore— though not without any complaining and whining about how a prince shouldn't be slaving for people like steve anyways.

Then there's Tony, who thinks Steve is going to fumble at every step of being a king because there's just too much to learn. But there's Steve being a better, kinder King than his dad—actually listening to the court's and not just obie's advice. He even asks for Tony's opinion on a few matters. Goes out of his way to help people. Gives great speeches and wins over the hearts of the kingdom which Howard never in a million years could do

Just—what started as an obvious way to humiliate tony, becomes a way for them to fall in love and Howard is obviously pulling his hair out because this wasn't supposed to happen.

And no one really knows when the prince stopped being a maid and became a consort instead but boy howdy the kingdom sure could use a respite from their weird courting dance.

#stevetony #royalty au #king steve #prince tony #deb thinks out loud #tony stark #stony #steve rogers #howard stark #prompt #prompts #fic prompt

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mostly-marvel-musings · 5 months

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Where Do We Go From Here - Part 2

Summary: Two funerals. Two couples. A tragedy like no other. And one big secret.

A/N: Written for @fandom-free-bingo Here’s something different, I hope you enjoy it. Leave a comment, heart and reblog if you enjoyed the story.

Pairing: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, F! Reader x Rhodey, Tony Stark x Reader (eventually)

Warning: 18+ angst, minors DNI, death, infidelity, smoking, mentions of self-harm and suicide. Hurt comfort.

Word count: 2721

Square filled: We deserve much better than we’ve had

Read Part 1 here

Fandom Free Bingo Masterlist

“I love you, Mr. Rhodes.”

“I love you more, Mrs. Rhodes.”

Content.

That was a primary feeling among others, contentment and giddiness. It was the happiest day of your life. You had married your love, James Rhodes. The ceremony was everything you had wished for and more, all of your friends and family watched happily as you exchanged vows and rings, grinning ear to ear as you were declared man and wife.

The day you met him, or rather evening at Tony Stark’s party, hadn’t been the most perfect. Hell, you were too wasted to even remember but Rhodey had dropped you home - more like carried you, tucked you in bed, and left some Advil along with a note like a gentleman, a tiny smiley face with his number that had you giggling like a teenager. And that was the beginning of your relationship.

And exactly six months later you were dancing to your favorite song with your new husband who had a firm arm around your back, the other holding your hand while you lay your cheek against his chest, loving every minute of the moment. The song ended and you broke apart, reluctantly letting him go, you pecked him on his lips a couple times before excusing yourself to use the ladies room.

The door seemed to be locked so you gave a soft knock, frowning when you heard muffled voices of what sounded like two people arguing. Twisting the knob, you entered anyway because you couldn’t wait and stumbled on Tony and Pepper. They had been squabbling.

“I’m really sorry guys, I–I couldn’t wait.” you hurried into a stall, gathering your wedding gown as best as you could. You heard Pepper storm off, the clicking of her heels wasn’t exactly silent, before Tony’s footsteps receded soon after. As you headed out, Tony had been leaning against the opposite wall, looking tired and mildly irritated.

“All okay?” you asked, genuinely concerned for two of your closest friends. He waved his hand in dismissal and shrugged, giving you a tight-lipped smile.

“Was that payback for me accidentally walking in on you in your bridal gown?” Tony jested, making you giggle as well as recalled the moment that happened just a few hours ago. Someone incorrectly told Tony about Rhodey’s room and he had barged in on you with two of your bridesmaids after you had just put on your wedding dress. He could’ve sworn his heart had stopped at that moment. You were stunning, so beautiful he actually struggled to form words. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Tony had left, not before giving you a once over, the image of you had been stuck in his mind for posterity. He couldn’t help but feel how lucky his best friend was.

“Oh God no! That was um, I just really had to go. I didn’t know you guys would be in there, arguing.” you blinked, shuffling from one foot to the other.

“While women’s bathrooms are at the top of my list for quarreling, I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Tony had a knack for making a joke out of serious situations, you knew that, you wondered if that was one of the reasons for him and Pepper arguing. Pepper, as far as you knew, was a no-nonsense person. As the two of you walked back towards the hall, you saw your new husband deep in conversation with her. Thinking nothing of it, you turned to Tony.

“I should probably–”

“Good luck with–”

You spoke at the same time, chuckling as Tony scratched the back of his neck, looking back up at you with a sincere smile on his face.

“Good luck with your marriage, Y/N. I hope you two are happy, and not just for the pictures.”

The sun had risen a few hours ago, heavy curtains blocked most of the light where you lay in the guest bed, working up the courage to face the day. Pepper’s funeral had been another painful reminder of your new reality. People kept offering their condolences to Tony who had his stoic facade on, occasionally looking out for you to check if you were still around. You had made it a point to be there for him, he wasn’t exactly volatile but the man needed you to ground him, probably more than you needed him. Or maybe it was the same. Who knew?

All you knew was if there was anybody in the world who could get what you were going through, it was Tony. And it was the same for him. It was the strangest and the most tragic connection you two had now.

You stood outside your house and stared at it, a house that held so many memories, happy memories with you and James. It was now just walls and bricks. Tony had been reluctant to leave you alone but after much assurance, he dropped you here and left for work.

You went on a cleaning spree once you stepped in, the kitchen had been dirty, your bed was unkempt. Blasting on some loud music that you knew James would’ve hated if he were alive, you cleaned the house. And you actually felt better once you were finished. It was exhausting but therapeutic. Your mood had been lifted enough for you to make a batch of mini blueberry pies to take back to Tony’s. The only thing that you dreaded was opening the closet, conflicted between never wanting to find out what he had been hiding in there and wanting to know everything and be done with it.

He was smiling. Not believing this was his reality now, everything was perfect, everything felt right. The way it was supposed to be. A comfortable peace settled in his chest as he watched you from afar, laughing with your friend, Pepper as you cooked. A glass of wine in one hand while you stirred a pot with the other, lips curved into the most gorgeous smiles that always set his heart racing, Tony could feel the love radiating off of him.

Catching his eye, you winked, causing him to chuckle before making your way over, your beautiful face forming a frown as you saw the cup of coffee in his hand.

“Coffee? Really, Tony?” you placed your hands on your hips, giving him a stern look.

“And then you wonder why you can’t sleep at night.”

“I mean, I plan on keeping you awake with me…” he trailed off, smirking as he pulled you close by your waist.

“Oh? I didn’t know we had those kinda plans tonight, Mr. Stark.” your fingers had found their way into his hair while he placed soft kisses along your neck, feeling your body mold perfectly against him.

“Now you’ve got your reminder, haven’t you Mrs. Sta–”

Tony jolted awake, the sound of the buzzer outside broke the little dream into a sad reality. Once again, he had fallen asleep on the couch. A habit that Pepper hated, one that had led to several arguments in the past. The small screen by the door revealed your face, Tony’s previous dream flooding his mind once more, making him shake his head as if it could be brushed off.

“Hey!” you gave Tony a small smile, stepping inside the house and immediately noticing the blanket on his couch.

“Were you asleep? Shit! I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged and waved it off, saying it wasn’t a big deal, narrowing his eyes as he noticed something on the blouse you wore.

“I cleaned the house, it felt great! Which I don’t think I’ve said in what feels like forever. I also made those mini blueberry pies you like. Here.” you handed them to him, watching his face light up genuinely after weeks. It made all of the efforts worth it.

“You ate some too, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

Tony chuckled and reached out to pick up a tiny piece of fruit from your collar, his fingers linger over your skin. Looking down, you noticed the purple-red stain in a couple other spots too, mentally cursing yourself for being so sloppy.

“The stain is gonna set..” you murmured, trying to rub it off with your nails and failing.

“Um, you could wear one of my t-shirts, if you want. I’ll get one for you.” Tony suggested, promptly heading upstairs when you nodded in agreement.

Deciding on taking a shower while you were at it, you turned on the faucet and let the hot water cascade down your body, your weary muscles relaxing under it. Your mind went about this arrangement you had come to, you were living with your best friend’s husband for weeks now, sleeping in the guest bed, dealing with the deaths of your significant others who happened to be in an affair. It was all the makings of a drama movie.

Tony had been your support system, a shoulder to cry on and quite frankly the only person you could tolerate. He didn’t look at you with sympathy, nor did he offer unsolicited advice, he was just there, to hold your hand when you needed, to wipe your tears when you had bouts of anxiety and broke down, Tony was there and that was enough.

Slipping on his t-shirt felt oddly comforting, it smelt of something that was distinctly Tony Stark - a mix of coffee, cigarettes and cologne. Heading downstairs, you noticed him nursing a cup of coffee in his hands as he sat on the kitchen counter.

“Coffee? Seriously? It’s time for dinner, Tony Stark.” you shook your head, your voice breaking him out of his reverie.

His heart definitely skipped a beat. You sounded eerily similar to the dream he just had, two, you wore his clothes which made something bloom in his chest, something that was probably inappropriate. He found his restraint slipping by the minute.

Raising his hands in defeat, he placed the mug away and held out a bottle of wine for you.

“I had this one saved, I know it’s your favorite. What do you say?”

You could use a drink, you thought. Or ten. And the fact that he had your favorite bottle saved made you smile at his thoughtfulness. You had dinner in silence, a comfortable one though before Tony dug into one of the small pies you had made.

“I swear to God, I would’ve married you just for these.” he realized what he’d said the next second, quickly apologizing and cursing himself under his breath.

“I found Pepper’s clothes on his closet, Tony.”

You didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to cause him more pain but it slipped out.

“I burned them.” you added quickly, watching him give you a small nod, as if to say it was the right thing to do.

“Fuck them.” you whispered.

“Yeah, fuck them.” Tony agreed, clearing out your plates. You watched him clean them, noticing he wasn’t wearing his wedding band anymore.

“Are we bad people, Tony?” you asked a few breaths later, staring out the window with your wine glass. Tony sighed, making his way over next to you, shoulders almost brushing.

“You know we’re not, Y/N. We deserve much better than we’ve had. Cheating is a choice, a choice they both made and broke vows. It doesn’t reflect our character, it reflects theirs.”

He was right. Somehow he always said the right things.

“Did you read this in a bad self-help book somewhere?” you jested, angling your body towards him after hearing him chuckle.

“Oh yeah. I’ve got about nine hundred quotes just ready to roll out whenever.”

You felt yourself laugh, a version of yourself that was earlier buried so deep down, you thought she’d never come out. Tony placed a stray lock of hair behind your ear, his fingers caressing your cheek softly as he stepped closer.

You swore your heart was beating loudly enough for him to hear, your eyes glancing down at his lips. Now just inches away, you placed your hands on top of his and took in a deep breath.

“We can’t, Tony.”

“Why not?” he hadn’t moved away, he touched his forehead to yours and closed his eyes, his breath mingling with yours.

“We’re not those bad people, remember?” you breathed, not really wanting him to go away but you had to do the right thing. You didn’t want him or you to regret what would happen in the spur of the moment. He kissed you on your forehead, his soft lips still lingering against your skin as he spoke.

“We are people who repressed our feelings for far too long though. I know I am.” he murmured, leaving you confused.

What did he mean? Repressed feelings?

Opening your eyes, you found his brown orbs imploring yours, saying everything that was left unsaid between you over the years. Cupping his face, he leaned into your touch instinctively, still not moving from his place.

“I’ve had feelings for you way before any of this happened, Y/N. I thought you knew.” he whispered.

You did. You just never found the courage to confront him about it or even act on your own. You were married to his best friend, for God’s sake. And now…

“Would you regret this if I told you how much I’ve wanted you, Y/N?”

Tony had been holding himself back for a long time, he couldn’t any more. He would stop if you told him to, no questions asked, but something inside him said you wanted him as much as he wanted you.

“Answer me, Y/N. Would you regret it?”

Tears filled in your eyes and spilled over, down your cheeks where they met Tony’s gentle fingers that wiped them off. You were waiting for the voice inside your head to tell you this would be a mistake. That voice never spoke up.

“No.”

That simple word was a sentence in itself. It was all Tony needed to hear before closing the distance. He kissed you softly at first, melding his lips against yours as he pulled you against his chest. Kissing him was like coming home after a long, tiring day. It was new and yet familiar, like you were doing something right for once. He coaxed your mouth open to deepen the kiss, a mix of blueberries and wine that felt so right to him too.

Everything else felt like a beautiful blur to you. He carried you up the stairs, never breaking the kiss, laid you on the mattress, peeling his t-shirt off your body and admired your flushed skin. Nudging you with his nose, your eyes fluttered open to reflect zero traces of regret, giving him a signal to go ahead. You could think about the million other things running through your mind later, right now all that mattered was you and Tony.

His clothed shaft made its presence known as his hips drove forward, his head now dipped low between your breasts as he caressed your body. A needy moan left your lips as he peeled your shorts off, fingers teasing your moist entrance.

You undressed him quickly, wanting and needing him to make you feel good. Caging you with his arms on either side of your head, Tony pushed inside your heat, welcoming the warmth that enveloped his cock so well. His name fell from your lips in a soft sigh, urging him closer as you wrapped your legs around him.

Everything fell into oblivion as Tony fucked you, drove you to a point of ecstacy and held you as you fell apart. Kissed you like there was no tomorrow and yet all of his kisses felt like promises, promises of a better tomorrow. A future that would be better than your past, and your present.

#tony stark x reader #james rhodes x reader #tony stark angst #tony stark smut #fandom free bingo #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark x pepper potts #tony stark fic #tony stark imagine #tony stark #james rhodes #pepper potts #the stark squad #marvel fanfiction #mostly marvel musings #tony stark fluff

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larcenywrites · 10 months

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Could you write about how Tony is with a younger gf that's like half his age? And maybe a lot more energetic than him if you know what I mean 🤭 I understand if age gaps make you uncomfortable and you don’t want to write it though!

I’m into age gaps given the right circumstances, and I completely understand the appeal! I wasn’t quite sure what to write since it’s not something I really put much thought into anyway, but I think it turned out okay and pretty cute :)

Warnings: 18+ for sexual references and themes | mentions of Dom/sub stuff | age gap obviously | like two feminine/she/her pronouns used

💠 Tony doesn't particularly mind either way that his s/o is (a lot) younger than him, but admittedly, he didn't expect that he'd end up with someone younger! He figured he'd prefer someone closer to his age, with whom he could share similar experiences of life...

💠 But the world works in mysterious ways! And it definitely works in mysterious ways when you find yourself in a loving relationship with Earth's grumpiest Avenger! Well... one of Earth's grumpiest Avengers 🤭

💠 It's partly his older age and partly his stressful job that has him tired and irritable, but lucky for him, you found this grumpy old man sweet and handsome 🥰

💠 And now he’s your grumpy old man 🥰

💠 He’s always had a thing for being the more dominant one. He wants to be bigger and stronger, the protector and provider, and his older age helps play into that!

💠 He definitely loves to spoil you! Anything you want!! He just loves spending money on his lovers, but in a way, he’s kinda showing off 🤭 not necessarily to you, but to prove that him being older still has its advantages 😉 a much younger man probably couldn’t treat you this well 💅

💠However… there’s often a difference between how much a person in their early 20s works and how much a person in their 40s works. You may not be used to your boyfriend working like 8-9 hours a day nearly every day! It might be quite the learning curve not having him around as often as you’d be used to :( Tony does feel pretty bad about it, he can remember being much more free and clingy too, so he cuts you some slack when you wanna bother him at work or in the lab 😉🩵

💠 He loves when he can teach you new things! He has a soft spot for it 🥰 even if it’s just the cleanest way to separate the egg yolk or just, like, how to do taxes, he enjoys being helpful and teaching you new things :) it’s cute tbh 🥰

💠 And he also loves getting to watch you practice things and keep learning things!! Are you cooking a ton of new things every day? Awesome! Even if it’s the same stuff or doesn’t always turn out good!! If you’re a college student, he’ll adore watching you work and read!

💠 You’re also from a whole different generation than him, so you’ve probably got a few things to teach him, too 😌💅 From new music to social media! While he’s still not really into the latter, he does enjoy all kinds of music!

💠But because you’re from different generations, his gestures may feel a bit more… old fashioned? But they’re classy! Always bringing flowers, always kissing your hand, always offering his arm for you to hold onto on a walk, offering his coat— it’s enough to make you feel like royalty honestly 🥰

💠 Though, it may feel a bit weird at first hanging out with his little social circle? They’re pretty much all Tony’s age, so you may feel a little out of place. Rhodey is actually quite welcoming though! Well, you weren’t there when he teased Tony about it a little 😅 but it wasn’t aimed at you! Honesty he was just happy to see his friend going out again :) in fact, Rhodey is probably the first person you’ll meet! After all, Tony’s parents aren’t around, and there’s no one else quite so important and close to him 🥲

💠 But don’t worry, Tony feels just as awkward with your similarly-aged friends 😅 and he was very nervous to meet your friends and/or family! Shit, he’s likely the same age as your parents 😭 while that might make things a little awkward as well… it’s actually pretty nice that they can share and bond over their very similar experiences and childhoods!

💠 Sometimes he wonders what his parents would think… but he’s pretty sure his dad was older, too! He likes to talk about them a little bit, and about his younger years. It probably kinda reminds you of how your own parents talk about how they grew up and how different it was from how you did, but it’s much more cute to hear Tony talk about it 😘

💠 Obviously loves to be called Daddy, but the age gap really has it driving him up the wall 😈 it's an authority thing, a power thing, and definitely a Dom thing 😏 and plus, you’re probably more, uh, innocent than he is 😏

💠 Bunny, princess, little deer, sweetie— he has all sorts of pet names to remind you of not just the age gap, but the gap in your power dynamic, too 🥴

💠 He definitely also loves teaching you new things in the bedroom 😈 there’s gotta be something you haven’t done yet if you have been sexually active before, and he’ll be sure to figure it out and teach you right 😌😉

💠 But he is still older, probably a lot older, and that does come with some… differences. Sure, he can go for a while, but once he cums a time or two 😮‍💨 he’s down for the count! So when you still want to go for another round, he’ll probably just have to hype you up while you touch yourself, or you’ll just have to settle for his hand 😅 it is kinda cute, the way you can tire him out 🤭 and he does find your high sex drive pretty hot 😘 he can go again as long as you can wait like an hour or two! The cuddles are great, though, if you do fall asleep 🥰

💠 He calls you the Energizer Bunny since you can go for so long 🤧 but he can remember being like that, too, when he was younger 🥴

💠Sometimes he (maybe a bit sad or insecure) jokes about if only you’d been able to meet him when he was younger, but give him a little kiss and remind him how glad you are to have met him now 🥰🥰🥰🥰

💠 He never thought he’d be insecure about his age, but… he is a little :( especially if you do comment on a picture of a younger him about how hot he was 😔 young age had him so naturally sculpted and more physically inclined. He was very pretty, huh! And while he’s obviously still strong, he’s got a little bit of tummy, and scarring, and crinkles in the corners of his eyes— a shame you didn’t get to see him back then!

💠 “You’re so silly, Tony~” you scold lovingly, interrupting his reminiscing of the past. You enjoy hearing his stories, but not when he starts to beat himself up! Another quick kiss shuts him up 🥰 And eventually he stops worrying so much about it 🩵

💠 But… Tony Stark dating someone younger? Possibly someone even like- half his age or more? It’s bound to gain traction in social media. Of course, some are positive, some are not, but either way, he really doesn’t want to deal with it :/ and he really doesn’t want you to deal with it :( and it kinda makes him feel worse that you have to :(

💠 But he’s gotta admit: your brighter mood and energy has made him happier, even at work! He wants to do stuff again! Like take you to his favorite cities and go on picnics and to the aquarium! Like the dates he took plenty of exes on when he was your age and loved 🥲 sometimes he even comments about how you make him feel young again 🥰

💠 And when he says stuff like that, you’re probably like “🙄 You sound old when you say stuff like that 🤭” but without skipping a beat, he makes sure to correct you.

💠 “I am old 🤨.”

#tony stark #tony stark x reader #tony stark headcanons #tony stark imagine #tony stark fanfiction #iron man #iron man x reader #iron man drabble #iron man headcanons #iron man fanfiction #tony stark drabble #marvel #marvel fic #marvel headcanons #marvel x reader

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last-herondale · 2 months

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When to say Goodbye

Loki x Femreader!

Warnings: Alcoholism, Mentions of Addiction, cursing ANGST A/N: I had an experience similar to this interaction recently, and in my mind it seemed perfect for a Loki fic. When someone you love is struggling, how do you know if you're helping them, or if you're part of the problem? Enjoy

The first portion of the evening passed along well enough. The dinner party was a quaint affair at a fancy restaurant. Tony made the arrangements and bought out a nice private venue just outside of New York and paid the workers extra for a “privacy” insurance. No phones. No cameras. Everyone signed an NDA, which everyone other than Tony thought was unnecessary. It wasn’t everyday that the god of thunder came to visit Earth, and it certainly wasn’t everyday that he announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Jane Foster.

Thor had assured all of us that he and his fiancee had celebrated on Asgard, and that the need for a dinner was unnecessary. And despite Thor’s rather weak attempts to stop Tony from going overboard, Mr. Stark, like always, had his way. It was a well attended event. From Earth, Tony was able to assemble most of the Avengers, such as Steve, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Rhodey, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Vision, and even begrudgingly decided to bring Scott along. And you, of course.

Thor invited his own entourage. The ever kind Jane, and the guardians. It was a pleasant surprise to see Quill and the gang, as they seemed busy with their crossworld travels, and hardly visited Earth. Rocket immediately took to the bar, with Groot on his tail, and conversation began to flow freely between friends. There were a few late arrivals, such as Strange, and Parker. You eyed the crowd a bit eagerly, not able to shake off the anxiety building in your chest. He should be here.

Perhaps it was for the best he didn’t show.

Things didn’t usually end well whenever he showed up. For you anyway.

After dinner, a large cake was brought out and placed before Thor and Jane. It was a beautiful 3 tier white chocolate cake, with a flourish of flowers adorning the dessert. Just as Tony was finishing a speech, and passing the mic down the table, the doors to the venue opened up, causing everyone to turn their heads. You knew before you looked. Your heart lurched in your chest and you felt your blood run cold.

Loki came sauntering in. He was dressed for the occasion, in a nice shirt and slacks, with a jacket thrown over his shoulder. His hair was slicked back into a bun, and he wore the usual bravado smirk on his lips and he drew nearer to the table. He was glad to have the room’s attention. This was his goal all along.

Tony seemed to come to the same conclusion too, his brows furrowed with annoyance. “Nice of you to join us Reindeer,” he mused. Thor was delighted to see his brother and commanded one of the workers to bring in a chair.

“No need, brother,” Loki said wryly. His eyes surveyed the room until they settled on you. “I see an open seat.”

You clenched your fists as they rested on your lap. Steve was finishing his own speech as Loki pulled up a chair beside you. You could smell the liquor on him immediately. The sickly sweet smell of it lingered in the air between you. Of course he would show up to his brother’s engagement party hammered. What else did you expect?

You refused to look at him, wanting to pay attention to Steve’s speech, or Mantis playing with her fork, or literally anything other than him. But of course he was not going to make it easy for you. He knew his affect on you.

“Has the night been terribly dull without me, pet?” his words echoed in your mind. Even then, there was a bit of a slur to them. You clenched your jaw and shook your head. You did not want to play his games tonight. You had promised yourself to be present and in the moment rather than dedicating yourself to Loki and his needs. Steve finished his speech, and Thor rose to make a toast to his future wife. You raised your glass with the rest, and noticed from the corner of your eye that Loki did the same.

“Not talking to me tonight I see,” he thought with a laugh, “Haven’t you missed me my sweet? I’ve missed you– my pet. I can’t wait until I have you alone, once this dreadful night is over. Gods– how I need you. I might have celebrated a bit prematurely in honor of the Mighty’s Thor’s wedding announcement, which of course mother and father were just thrilled by–”

Thor finished his toast and everyone drank their champagne. You tossed yours back, anger flaring in your eyes and you turned to Loki sharply. He was expecting this reaction, and he met you with an amused face as he slowly sipped on his drink.

“Do not make tonight about you!” you yelled back in his mind. You turned away from him once more and focused on Jane and Thor cutting the cake as the room filled with applause. His hand rested on your thigh, his fingers grazing your dress under the table.

“Love–” he began, his thoughts turning into a small whine, like a pouting child. You grabbed his wrist and violently removed it from your thigh. He did not resist, even though his strength far outmatched yours. He stilled beside you, keeping whatever thoughts to himself, registering your anger even in his drunken state.

As dessert passed around, you kept your attention to Drax, who sat on the other side of you. Although he was not one for long conversations, you tried your best to reach through to him to occupy your mind. After the table was cleared, the party moved to the bar area and the dance floor. The party was starting to liven up, as the alcohol poured more freely and the tempo of the music picked up.

Loki disappeared from your sight, and your anxiety grew significantly. He was unpredictable, especially when he was intoxicated, and especially when an event revolved around Thor. He had made amends with his brother years ago. Loki swore off his retaliation once he realized that was in fact loved by his brother. It was a hard pill to swallow. He had struggled for a while with coexisting with Thor, but you knew Loki feared who he would become without him. Who he would become if loneliness won again.

You had seen him try. It was a wondrous thing to behold. Loki decided to train with the Avengers, under extreme supervision of course, but Thor deemed it necessary for his redemption. Tony nearly outright refused, but Steve fought for his chance. “Everyone should have a shot at a second chance,” Steve had said to the team. It was left to a vote then. You were the last to vote. It was split. Half of the team didn’t trust Loki, which was to be expected. The other half, following Steve’s leadership, agreed that there might be a chance to redeem Loki.

It was up to you.

You believed in redemption. You believed in second chances. So it had been obvious. It was easy to decide. It was everything that came after… that became difficult.

While the party turned up, and everyone was dancing and mingling, you found yourself lingering next to the bar. You told yourself not to look for him, but you couldn’t help it. It's as if your body was on autopilot, searching for any sign of him to make sure he was okay. It was pathetic. It was exhausting. And yet it was the only thing you seemed to be able to do.

Mantis awkwardly made her way towards the bar, her antennas twitching a bit as she approached. Her presence made you avert your eyes from the crowd and paint a soft smile. You had always liked Mantis.

“Hey, Mantis,” you said softly. She greeted you with a smile and took a seat next to you. She ordered water and seemed content to just sit there with you for a moment as the party continued. It wasn’t until a couple of songs passed that Mantis finally spoke.

“You’re very anxious tonight.”

It wasn’t a question. You knew she could sense your emotions on you. That they radiated to her like waves that she alone could read and decipher. There was little sense in lying to her,

“Yes,” was all you said.

Mantis held out her hand gently, her eyes curious as she looked at you.

“May I?”

You immediately placed your hand in hers, letting the entirety of your emotions flow into her like a river. It was a momentary relief. To allow someone to bare the weight of your heart in its fullness. She did not flinch away from you.

“You love him,” she said, tilting her head as she looked at the bar, “And this brings you great pain.”

You shuddered a breath. “Why?” you asked quietly. You knew the answer. Deep down you always knew. Mantis looked at you with a soft indifference. She was not malicious in her words. She was only speaking to what she could feel.

“You’re afraid–”

Mantis was cut off by a swiftly approaching Jane. Your body straightened at the sight of her looking somewhat distraught, clearly trying to hold her appearance together. Her eyes were focused on you and you alone.

“Excuse me, Mantis,” you murmured as you rose from your chair and met Jane halfway.

“Oh thank god,” Jane said in a low voice.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, your eyes searching behind Jane for any sort of disturbance.

“It’s Loki,” Jane sighed, “He’s drunk, Tony’s drunk– they’re having words outside on the patio. I stepped out for some air, and things seemed to be getting tense– I didn’t want to get Thor because we all know how calm he can be…”

You put a gentle hand on Jane’s shoulder. She was no fool. She knew at least bits and pieces of your relationship with Loki, enough to warrant her coming to you for assistance.

“I’ll handle Loki,” you said sternly, “Go enjoy your party Jane, please.” You bent forward and gave her a soft peck on the cheek and hurried yourself to the patio. No one seemed to notice you move across the party, and once you entered the patio space, you saw Loki pointing a finger in Tony’s direction.

“Tony,” your voice rang out clear and strong. This got Loki’s attention first. The sound of your voice snapped him out of his intense staredown with Tony long enough for Tony to look in your direction.

“Pepper needs you, she’s on the phone. Says it's urgent.”

It was a messy lie, but it did the job. Tony in his drunken state, widened his eyes and sloppily hurried his way back to the party. Once he was inside, you locked the door behind him and turned around to Loki, who was scowling with his arms crossed. You stood there, your arm wrapped around yourself.

“I was perfectly fine. There was no need for your interference,” he said bitterly.

“I am tired, Loki,” you whispered. You weren’t sure if he had heard you. There was still the dull beating of the music pounding just behind you. You moved away from the door, walking closer to Loki, standing a few feet away from him. You looked at him, unable to hold back the sadness in your eyes any longer. His eyes wandered your face for a moment, his face a bit slack and nonchalant.

“I’m sorry,” Loki sighed, “This isn’t fair for you, I realize that. And yet…”

You let out a short laugh through your nose. “And yet here we are, again. Here I am, standing here between you and yourself– making excuse after excuse for you. So, I’ll ask you this, why? Why should I keep doing it? Why, Loki?”

“I need you,” Loki said immediately. His voice was soft, but stern. He was being as serious as he could be. You knew he meant it, believed it even, but you weren’t sure if it really mattered anymore. He took a step forward, almost as if he could sense the doubt radiating from your body. He knew your body well. You held his gaze as he moved closer.

“My life would be very different if it weren’t for you. You got me here, you’re why I can even step foot on this planet… I would have burned if you had not been there–”

“I have only fanned the fucking flames!” you hissed, inching closer to him. “What have I done for you, but cater to your every whim? Even when you continue to prove to me that you would rather drown in your own indignation than try to move forward in life. I humor you by being there every time you call me in a drunken stupor. Because let's be honest with ourselves, Loki, you only ever call me anymore when you are blacked out drunk, or in some dire need to drown your senses and need someone to drown with you.

“And I do. When it comes to choosing between you and my own fucking common sense, I always choose you. I drown with you because I would rather die every night with the sensation of fire in my lungs than deal with the constant breaking of my heart–” your words croak out at the end. You turned away violently as tears began to well up in your eyes.

“Wait, wait,” he said desperately, his hand gripping your shoulder as he quickly placed himself in front of you. “I’m sorry, truly. I fucked, I fucked up. I keep fucking everything up. I hate myself for how I am… it's not a reflection of you. It’s never, gods it's never you. I know I have a problem, and I hate that I drag you into my mess. I am a selfish creature. I crave your company more than I desire your wellbeing, for if I truly cared, I would send you away, or love you like you deserve to be loved, totally and completely... But… I can’t. I can’t.”

His eyes search yours in desperation. His chest is heaving under his words and his hand runs up your shoulder until he is cupping your cheek. “I love you. Please understand that. As much as I can, in whatever capacity my heart can love, I do love you. I don’t know who I would be without you. You are my best friend.”

Tears fell down your cheeks. “I love you too,” you nearly moaned in despair, “And that’s the problem, Loki. I love you, and yet I continue to watch you destroy yourself. You constantly compare yourself to Thor, even now that you’ve made amends. You think you are unworthy of redemption and so you hide from it. You flee from it like a child and you run to me. And I have spoiled you, haven’t I? I have given you what you wanted, a distraction, a momentary blindness to the realness of your own life. But I have failed to give you what you needed. Failed to give myself what I needed.”

Loki looked like a broken thing. His face pained in ways that you had only seen momentarily. You tilted your head a bit as you continued. “Now look at us, love,” you whispered to him, “We are both dying.” You felt a cooling calm wash over you. An odd numbness that made time seem to slow down. You recognized the beating of your own heart, and the soft thumping of the pulse in his thumb on your cheek.

This was finally time.

“Please,” he murmured softly, desperately, “I can’t bare it.”

He did not cry or resist when you took his hand off of your face. You held his gaze for a while longer, savoring the last memories you would have of him. It took all of your strength to step away from him. It felt like ripping off a limb.

“I love you,” you said gently, holding eye contact with him as you continued to step away. He did not follow you, or speak again. He simply kept his gaze on you, his brows furrowed in discomfort. Your heart ached in ways you never knew were possible. “But I will no longer play a part in your own undoing.”

And with that you were gone. You hardly remembered walking out of the venue, or getting into a cab, or even arriving home. Loki’s face was branded in your mind. You thought of that last look, that last devastated look as you lay your head down on your pillow that night. You would not sleep that night. You would not sleep for many nights to come.

#fem reader #marvel fanfic club #reader x marvel #marvel #angst #loki fanfic #loki marvel #loki god of mischief #loki odinson #loki #loki laufeyson

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aurumacadicus · 7 months

Note

Plz post a scene of Bucky finally catching up to Steve after being taken out at the knees. Please 🙏🙏🙏

The next time there's a knock on the door, Steve is passed out on the couch with a glass of water on the coffee table. Steve didn't get to 'love on' him very long before the meds kicked in all the way.

"You can't beat him to death. He's asleep," Tony tells Bucky imperiously as he opens the door. Then he sort of chokes, taking a step back in shock.

"...I take it that Steve didn't really have time to go into the extent of the attack before he passed out," Bucky drawls, stepping past him as if Tony isn't staring at the pinned-up sleeve at his left shoulder. "Punk. I gave him his painkiller right on time and he looked me in my eyes and whacked my knee with his crutch. He'll be lucky if I beat him to death."

"Um," Tony says, because he's never really known what to say in the face of their casual violence toward each other. His friendship with Rhodey is built on the fact that they like to cuddle a lot.

Bucky looks Steve over carefully, then sighs, dropping into the chair across from him. "Well, he looks like he's in one piece. I suppose I can forgive him just this once, considering that he was so distraught when he woke up and I had to tell him he didn't have anymore letters."

Tony finds himself shrinking in embarrassment. "Oh. Well, I thought--"

"I know why the letters stopped coming, Tony," Bucky sighs, rolling his eyes. "Kid meant well, and it's not your fault, I'm just tellin' ya like it is. 's kinda why we're here when he--" He raises voice. "Should still be in the hospital!"

"Snorkmimimi," Steve answers, face still pressed unattractively into the cushion beneath him.

Bucky waves at Steve tiredly, in a 'what can you do' sort of fashion, as if Tony is not gaping at his prone body in offense for being tricked. "Shithead. Anyway, Natasha's coming with his overnight bag, and I'll explain to you all the pills he hasta take, and then you guys can have some privacy."

"Okay," Tony starts.

Steve immediately swivels into a seated position, as if he had not just been pretending to be asleep to avoid facing Bucky. "Natasha's on her way?"

"Buddy, you deserve what's coming to you," Bucky drawls, leaning back in his seat smugly.

Tony looks between them in confusion. "I thought we liked Natasha."

"She was the one who had to pick Bucky up after I took him out at the knees," Steve says morosely. "I'm so sorry Tony. You'll become a widower before we're even married."

"We're not even engaged," Tony splutters, completely bewildered. "Why is Natasha going to murder you?"

"I landed on my armless side," Bucky tells him, and Steve howls in dismay about being skinned alive and dipped in salt and vinegar like a giant Pringle before he can even fold tony in half like he'd planned all along.

"He can't even tie his own shoes," Natasha mutters, rolling her eyes, as she comes to stand beside Tony. "How the fuck is he going to fold you in half. My god."

Tony wonders why Natasha feels comfortable enough to just walk into his house, then decides he actually doesn't care, because she does not look like she's about to kill Steve and also the bag she's carrying looks large and he's hoping it's not all medicine.

#aurumacadicus answers #missblackmrblue #stony #winterwidow #steve is so dramatic when he's on drugs lmao #bucky and natasha don't even care because they saw how distraught steve was when he found out tony hadn't sent any letters #all because of a kid trying to help him out lmao

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madeforstarker · 3 months

Text

Drabble for @pparkerbingo for the prompt fill: FRIENDS ♡

Summary: It's Tony and Peter's wedding, Rhodey's going to give a speech... and oh, their other friends are also here too...

Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Everyone's Human, No Earth 616 Bullshit, Tony (25), Peter (22), Fluff, Humor, Rhodey is a good bro, Found Family

“Hi, everyone, I’m James Rhodes, I used to be Tony Stark’s best friend until apparently, he said in his vows that he’s marrying his best friend and yet, I don’t see a ring on my finger,” Rhodey says as he starts his best man speech.

Tony chuckles beside Peter, the kid, his husband looking beautiful in an all white three piece suit that was custom-made for him, on top of his curls was a pretty veil. He sighs, god, he finally married his dream boy.

“Anyway, we met— what? Ten years ago? He was a fifteen year old Freshman midget while I was a regular not-so super genius eighteen year old Freshman as well.” His best friend says with an informative tone.

“Oh boy, I think I know where this is going,” Tony mutters, pressing his nose against Peter’s shoulder.

Peter giggles, “is it an embarrassing story, love?” His husband asks softly, doe-like eyes glistening with mirth, “do I know this story?”

He lets out a chuckle, “no love, I don’t think Rhodey has ever told this story to the gang,” Tony says, tightening his hold on Peter’s shoulders.

“Anyway, he told me— a fifteen year old, ‘heads up, platypus! I’ll be bringing some girls and some boys to our dorm and if that scares you then it’s not my fault!’ I repeat, ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in between, Tones was fifteen!”

The crowd laughs softly at the indignance in Rhodey’s tone.

“Rhodes, any time now! We’re gettin’ old!” Bucky, Peter’s best friend yells from the table where their gang sat.

Tony rolls his eyes, “his speech was twenty minutes, 18 minutes were my mistakes and insults towards me, why is he your best friend again?” He whispers to Peter.

The boy grunts, “because he insults you, Mr. Stark, so— how many boys and girls did you bring home to the dorm huh?” Peter asks him, a meticulously groomed brow raised.

He was about to make an excuse when Rhodey’s voice interrupts them, “shout out to our friend group by the way, we call ourselves the Avengers, we all went to MIT because we’re all badass and we all actually witnessed the start of Tony and Peter’s relationship.”

“They were obsessed!” Sam comments with a grin.

“Still are,” Steves corrects Sam.

Rhodey snaps his fingers, “that is correct my friends, they are obsessed with each other, which brings me to my second part of the story!”

“Oh come on!” Bucky complains.

“After hearing that from a smug fifteen year old, of course I just had to see it with my own eyes right? So I waited! Bro, the boy didn’t bring home a boy until we were in third year! And guess what? He fucking married the boy!”

The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter, realizing that the only boy he brought home to the dorm was Peter.

“Oh,” Peter murmurs.

Tony smirks, “remember that honey? September seventeen two thousand eighteen, MIT dorms after the Freshman Welcoming Party.”

“I was—”

“You were the only boy I brought to the dorm, love, no one else.” Tony whispers softly, pressing a kiss on the younger man’s forehead.

“Anyway, cheers to Tony and Peter, may they learn to lock doors whenever they fuck!” Rhodey cheers as the rest of their friend group howls in laughter.

Peter sighs, “we need a new set of friends, love.”

“Yeah, normal ones,” Tony adds.

#starker #tnpt #made: writes!#pparkerbingo24

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braveclementine · 3 months

Text

Chapter 32

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own a few OCs like Elizabeth, Katherine, Stacy, and Jessie. I do not condone any copying of this.

"Are you sure?" You asked Elizabeth. You, Elizabeth, Jessie, Katherine, Stacy, Y/S/N, and Wanda were all sitting together in the living room. You guys had a sort of tea party vibe going on with the cups and the small sandwiches and cookies.

"Yeah, I mean, I feel ready." Elizabeth said with a shrug. "Vis and Wanda are already married. Hogun's been waiting for a thousand years give or take, and Pietro is ready as well. Besides, I want to make sure I have enough children for this stupid thing, you know? Of course, we'll probably have more than three, I've always wanted a lot of kids."

You nodded, "How soon?"

"Next month." Katherine said with a shrug. "We figured something small. Just family and friends. Nothing like your guys, you know?" She winked at you.

"How'd ya'll get the Avengers?" Stacy grumbled. "Seriously!?"

You laughed. "Luck of the draw."

"How are things between you and Jackson?" Katherine asked.

"Fine." Stacy said and then a shy smile slid over her face, "We're expecting a baby in six months."

"Wait, seriously?" Jessie asked. "What! You waited four months to tell us?"

"Well, I didn't even realize I was pregnant till I went to the doctors." Stacy shrugged.

"That's fantastic." Y/S/N said, genially.

"But I don't understand." Stacy said, frowning and turning the conversation around, looking at Wanda, "Do they expect you to have a child as well? With, well, you know, a robot as your husband?"

"I don't know." Wanda said, shrugging. "Tony is going to talk to Ross and we'll see how things play out from there. Same goes for Natasha."

You nodded. "I don't know how they expect the widows to have any children. They should've put exceptions in the clause."

"I suppose they could move to other countries." Jessie said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but it's not as simple as it sounds." Y/S/N said. "Kind've hard to uproot your life and move to another house or state. Probably a lot harder to move whole countries."

"That's fair." Stacy nodded.

"Whose Ross?" Katherine asked.

You rolled your eyes. "Someone I really hate. Haven't even met him, but I already don't like him. He's one of the federal agents. Military general I think?"

"Everett Ross or Thaddeus Ross?" Wanda asked.

"Um Thaddeus." You answered. "The one that had Bruce hunted down and then later was the one who came up with the accords."

Wanda's face hardened, "Great."

"Tsk someone should've set fire to those accords a long time ago." Stacy declared. "Stupidest thing I'd ever heard of."

"I agree." You admitted. "The Government should never be allowed to run a group of strong people who have powers."

Elizabeth looked rather thoughtful, "But the idea behind the papers was a slightly good one. There does need to be some sort of order I think. Not necessarily controlled order, but just something so that it doesn't seem. . . to out of control, you know what I mean? Balance."

"Anyways, weddings." Katherine declared.

You checked your watch, "I hate to leave so soon, but I have a date with Rhodey so I will be seeing you guys later."

"Have fun." Wanda smirked at you.

You rolled your eyes, grabbing your purse to sling over your shoulder before you made your way to the front of the house.

"Hey." James said, kissing you on the lips. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." You said, slipping your hand into his before the two of you left the house.

***

"Okay, that one is pretty cute." Rhodey admitted as the two of you were shopping puppies. Steve absolutely loved dogs and puppies. He tolerated the kittens because of Bucky, and he did really adore the rabbits, but he absolutely loved Ginny.

The way that Bucky was with kittens was the way that Steve was with puppies. When he was around them, he lost all sight of what was really important. 'Who cares' was often the words that left his lips.

So you and Rhodey were now searching for the right dog for Steve's upcoming birthday.

"He'll want a dog that he can adore and play with now, but when it grows up can join him on runs." Rhodey said, so the two of you moved rather reluctantly from the white puffballs dogs.

"Maybe a husky then?" You questioned, "Or a golden or black lab. Maybe a German Shepherd?"

"Labs are pretty good dogs." Rhodey said. "What breed of a lab do you think he'd like best? Chocolate, black, or golden?"

"Gosh, I don't know, they're all so cute, look at them." You said and then an idea popped into your head, "I know! He's called America's golden boy! So let's get him a golden boy!"

"Excellent idea." Rhodey grinned at you.

The two of you took turns with the puppies, seeing which ones seemed the most energetic and receptive to people and you both finally decided on a good sized puppy that the shop keepers let you know was a boy.

Rhodey laughed as the two of you left the pet store, "You know what's funny?"

"What's that?" You questioned, letting the puppy leap around on its leash.

"I have just realized that each animal pair we have is one male and one female." Rhodey finished with a grin.

"Oh, that's true." You said, surprised you hadn't realized it till this point. "Mini Loki doesn't really seem to like Alpine though."

"Nope, Mini Loki is exactly like his owner. In front of everyone, he acts like he hates Alpine. But Clint was sneaking through the vents and caught the two kittens curled up together. Mini Loki was even licking Alpine's ears. He got a picture too."

He pulled out his phone, quickly showing you the two pictures that Clint had gotten.

"Oh my gosh." You squealed, taking the phone from Rhodey to look even closer at the pictures. "They're so cute together!"

"Oh yeah, Mini Loki is going to be one proud father." Rhodey grinned. "Gonna be strutting around till the kits are born."

"Alpine's pregnant?" You gasped, handing the phone back to Rhodey.

"Bucky says she is." Rhodey laughed, taking your other hand that wasn't occupied by the leash and the two of you headed back towards the car. "But I swear he's said this multiple times before. Whenever Alpine acts differently, he immediately thinks she's pregnant."

"Fury will freak if Alpine gives birth." You laughed.

"We'll have to catch a video when it happens." Rhodey agreed, opening the passenger door for you.

You thanked him, scooping the puppy up in your arms before climbing into the front seat of the truck.

"Wonder what Stevie will name him." You said, petting the lab who was slowly going to sleep in your arms as Rhodey drove down the road.

"Probably something generic like Pumpkin or Sunny or Buddy." Rhodey stated, driving down the highway now that would lead the two of you back to the house.

"Probably." You agreed. Steve did like simple. Unless it was in bed of course. He was surprisingly rather kinky, only fueled by Bucky and Sam. Loki was rather kinky too, now that you were really thinking about it. Stephen and Tony certainly got up to bondage in bed, especially when Stephen- and Loki- could simply conjure chains from nothing.

So it was always nice to be with Rhodey or T'Challa or Fury, where they were rather simple, but also extremely passionate. Thor was a mixture. Some days he was very vanilla, simple love making and sweetness, and other days. . . well sometimes he let his hammer come to play- literally. Electric shocks- in very light doses- were even better than a vibrator. And he may or may not find it rather euphoric to fuck you with the handle of the hammer. But that was never something you let any of the others know about.

Rhodey parked around back where the cars went, turning the truck off. "Where are we going to hide him until his birthday next week?"

"Oh, Katherine will probably be leaving soon. She's going to take him back to her flat." You responded.

You caught Rhodey's eye and then leaned over the other seat to press your lips to his. His hand trailed to the back of your head. The kiss got more heated as you leaned forward, reaching behind you to snap the seat buckle out.

Rhodey pulled you onto his lap and you could feel him grow steadily harder under you. "James." You mumbled, kissing down his neck.

"Fuck sugar." He drawled, a slight accent pooling as he spoke.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the window and you pulled apart. Katherine was standing there, arms crossed over her chest, a smirk on her face, her eyebrows raised.

You and Rhodey growled in sync before you slid off his lap, throwing the passenger door open.

"Having fun?" Katherine asked as you stepped out of the truck, pulling the puppy out and slamming the door closed behind you. You could hear another door slam as Rhodey got out of the truck too.

"Where's Steve?" You asked, shielding the puppy from any views the house might have.

"Workout room." Katherine rolled her eyes. "He's on his sixth punching bag."

You sighed. "Here's the puppy. He's a boy. Doesn't have a name yet, Stevie's gonna name him."

"Bet he'll have a really fitting name for the dog." Katherine smiled as she took the eager puppy into her arms. "Hey there buddy."

"See you next week Kat." You said, giving her a side hug before she walked over to where her car was.

Rhodey took your hand as the two of you walked back into the mansion that you called home.

"So, shall we start back up where we left off?"

You pulled him down for a kiss in answer.

***

On the Fourth of July, you all bustled around to plan Steve's birthday party. Bucky and Sam had taken him out with Ginny, while all of his close and intimate friends- along with soulmates- came by to help set up.

Elizabeth was busy in the kitchen. She was even better than you at making food- or so it seemed, you were actually rather equal- and she had taken it upon herself to help with the cake.

She stared at the cooled off cake, a dish of homemade frosting next to her.

"Something wrong?" You asked.

She sighed. "I am not. . . the best at frosting cakes, I admit. Why did I decide to make the cake? I should've let a professional do it."

You chuckled, taking the spatula from her hand. "Here, I'll show you."

You took some of the frosting from the bowl, showing her how to spread it on the cake, smoothing it out, covering the edges, so that a nice layer of thick white frosting covered the entire cake evenly.

"Damn." Elizabeth muttered before picking up the red and blue frosting which she used to write: Happy Birthday Steve in cursive. She also used it to make a few decorative stars while you grabbed the candles to put on the cake. They were just numbers 1-0-8, which always made you laugh since he was really in his 40's, having gone into ice at 27, not coming out for 80 something years.

Elizabeth put the cake in the refrigerator when the two of you were done so it would stay refreshed until Steve got back with Buck and Sam.

The party was outside and there were plenty of streamers hanging up in the trees, balloons tied to the backs of chairs, everything in the colours of red, white, and blue. Both as a commemorative to the fourth of July, and also to Steve's soulmate colours.

"You know, I'm kind've excited for my birthday." Elizabeth said, grinning as she helped bring out a plate of hotdog buns for Thor who was grilling.

"Why's that?" You asked curiously.

She set the buns down by the grill before the two of you walked back to get the potato chips. "It'll be Harry Potter themed!"

You laughed, "Of course that's what you're excited about."

After everything was set up, you went and texted Bucky, who let you know that they were almost home.

"Everything ready?" Clint asked, dressed in a purple and yellow Mr Beast shirt with blue jeans cutting off at his knees.

"Yep." You answered, kissing Clint's cheek. "I think so anyways. I feel like we're going to forget something."

Clint smirked a little, drawing his arms around you. "Nonsense. You've been planning this for a while now. You've got the perfect present for him. The only thing I'm worried about is Thor's surprise."

You felt your heart speed up. Indeed, Thor had let all of you know that he was making a surprise announcement for Steve's birthday. Despite your love for Thor, his sweetness, his inability to hurt his friends- on purpose- and his just normally cuddly attitude, you were still a bit scared he was going to say something nonsensical or something that might ruin the atmosphere.

You heard a truck pull up outside. "That's Steve."

Clint kissed you on the lips before disappearing into the house. You quickly grabbed a blindfold, wrapping it around your hand, before you opened the door upon hearing their footsteps come up the walk.

"You're back!" You squealed excitedly, launching yourself into Steve's arms.

"Hey cookie." He said, catching you to kiss and hug you. "What's with all the excitement."

"It's your birthday!" You squealed, before quickly wrapping the fabric around his eyes and taking his hand. "C'mon, I have a surprise for you."

"And no, it's not in the bedroom." Sam quipped behind you guys.

"Yet." Bucky muttered with a chuckle.

You led Steve out into the backyard where everyone was waiting, trying to keep silent. Ginny was let off her leash by Bucky before you untied the blindfold and Steve smiled as he took in the sight.

"SURPRISE!" The others shouted.

"Thanks cookie." He mumbled, kissing the top of your head. He also turned around to thank his boys.

You went around the side of the house where Rhodey was waiting with the golden boy. You picked him up in your arms and you came over to Steve, Rhodey trailing you. "James and I got him for you as a birthday present." You said, blushing.

Steve's grin lit up the whole damn party, taking the puppy into his arms, "Hi Buster."

"Damn." Clint muttered behind me, pulling out a ten and handing it over to Nat.

"That's an adorable name." You said.

"It kind've just slipped of the tongue." Steve grinned, before petting the dogs head. Bucky winked at you behind his back.

You grinned and then after Steve put Buster down, everyone started to settle around the table or on the grass on picnic blankets, eating, handing Steve presents, and just plain having fun.

After a while, Elizabeth finally went to retrieve the cake, very careful to place it in front of Steve before Bucky lit the candles.

He blushed the entire way through the 'Happy Birthday song', especially as Sam, Buck, and Clint made sure to yell inappropriate things in between the pauses, before blowing out the candles.

When Steve opened up the cake, he found that it was stacked in layers of red, white, and blue dyed cake.

"Looks amazing Elizabeth." Steve thanked her, before cake was handed out to those who want it.

"Y/N frosted it." Elizabeth said with a shrug. "That's the only reason it looks good."

Steve grinned, pulling you onto his lap. "Thank you cookie."

You blushed before pecking him on the lips.

You got your own slice of cake, taking shelter under one of the large trees. Loki sat down next to you. "Tired?"

"Hot." You mumbled, watching Clint hit T'Challa with one of the water balloons, making T'Challa jump five feet in the air, before running after Clint with a water gun.

Loki slung his arm over your shoulder, a coolness seeping through you.

"What do you think Thor wants to announce?" You asked curiously, wondering if Thor would have told his brother or not.

"No idea." Loki said, sighing. "Hopefully nothing dreadful. But it probably won't be, he's not drunk."

"He can't get drunk of mortal drink, remember?" You asked with a laugh. There was a bit of beer, though it was mostly sodas that were being drunk at the moment.

"Of course I remember." Loki chuckled. "It's one of the worst things about losing Asgard. Besides, you know, losing our home and all of that."

"I'm so-"

Loki cut off your apology with a kiss. "I don't understand why mortals apologize for things that are their fault."

"Shows empathy." You smirked.

"Are you sad about the wedding?" Loki asked.

"I have gotten used to Elizabeth, Pietro, Vision, Wanda, and Hogun living here." You admitted. "It's kind've nice, actually, to have some other girls here. But all the same, I'm glad that they're getting to move on with their lives. Do you know where they plan on moving after this?"

"Elizabeth wants to move to Florida. Hogun and Pietro don't mind and neither does Wanda, but Vision doesn't like the idea of being so far away from New York and neither does Jessie and Katherine. I'm not sure what they plan to do on that. They'll probably come up with some sort of compromise and just find a farm in New York."

"Right, Elizabeth, Hogun, Wanda, and Pietro all want to live on a farm." You said. "I'm sure everything will be great for them."

"There's also Sif." Loki said thoughtfully. "Hogun and her haven't seen each other for a while, not since he had the bond with Elizabeth, but at the same time, he and Sif have had a long, long time to get to know each other. Plus, Sif still has Fandral and Volstagg."

"What do Heimdall and Kat plan on doing, do you know?" You asked. You had always been curious about the Warrior three and Sif. But Heimdall was just so mysterious and strong looking. Now, without having anything or anywhere to guard, he was happily spending time with Kat.

"Not sure. They might stay in Ohio. Or go to Cali."

You and Loki sat in silence for some time, watching the others mess around. A full on water fight had happened, though no one invited you and Loki into it, knowing that the two of you probably needed some time together. Plus, none of your boys would have dared sprayed you with water. You would've been mad at them.

"Elizabeth has a rather unfair advantage." Loki pointed out as Elizabeth deflected all water missiles, sending them towards her opponents.

"I wonder what it would be like to have her powers." You said thoughtfully. "I wonder how they work."

"I have an announcement!" Thor suddenly shouted and you and Loki quickly got to your feet to join the others at the table.

"Oh for the love of Odin." Loki murmured, low enough for you to hear. "I hope this is good."

You wrapped your arms around one of Loki's and he smiled at you before turning his attention back to Thor.

"And what is this news?" Clint asked on the other side of you. Nat was edging forward, rubbing her fingers together for just Clint to see. They must've made a bet on this as well. That made you roll your eyes.

"It is great news!" Thor said, turning to look at you with blue eyes, "Y/N is pregnant!"

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