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starkbucksbingo · 4 years ago

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Bucky/Tony SBB Week 13 & 14! ♥

Title: Club Can't Handle Me Collaborator Name: tisfan Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: G3 - “Don’t touch him!” Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: E (fic) / M (chapter 1) Major Tags & Triggers: N/A Summary: The Avengers have gone undercover to find a target who’s been frequenting clubs and bars. It’s probably just a coincidence that Bucky and Tony have been assigned to cover this bar, but that doesn’t make it any easier for Bucky to watch Tony flirting his way across the dance floor. Word Count: 1880 (ch1) / 2095 (ch2) ——————————————

Title: Join The Club Collaborator Name: sierranovembr Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: N2 - Nebula Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: G Major Tags & Triggers: Drabble, N/A Summary: Tony facilitates a new Avengers club. Word Count: 100 ——————————————

Title: N/A Collaborator Name: monobuu Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: G4 - AU: Mermaids Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: G Major Tags & Triggers: N/A Summary: Ever since they were younglings, Tony had had the brightest, most beautifully shining tail Bucky had ever seen. Word Count: 333 ——————————————

Title: Song and dance number not included Collaborator Name: Riot Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: N1 - World Doniation Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags & Triggers: Crack, banter Summary: Bucky has seen some wild things in his time as a Professional Cuddle Buddy. Nothing beats finding himself in Tony Stark’s penthouse with the sleep deprived genius himself. Word Count: 1,897 ——————————————

Title: Flame of Devotion Collaborator Name: 27Dragons Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: I2 - AU: Gods/Goddesses Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Explicit Major Tags & Triggers: BDSM, Sensation Play, Wax Play, unnegotiated kink Summary: It is almost time for the White Wolf to fade into myth – but before that happens, his few remaining worshipers are asking for a miracle, and they’ve offered up the most delectable sacrifice. Word Count: 2,643 ——————————————

Title: French Braid Collaborator Name: Ducky Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: B2 - Hair Braiding Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: General Major Tags & Triggers: Established Relationship Summary: Bucky wants his hair done differently than normal, and Tony tries to make it happen. Word Count: 447 —————————————— Title: The Other Earth- A Whisper In The Night Collaborator Name: J_Gun_i Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: B5- Didn't Know They Were Dating Ship/Main Pairing: WinterIronWidow Rating: Mature Major Tags & Triggers: Amnesia, presumed dead, Family, mystical creatures, slight crack (later), bakery Au elements, mention of alcohol abuse, Alien physiology Summary: Bucky had a cat, had a job at a local bakery, and some odd jobs here and there. At night, he would look in the sky, trying to figure out the constellations, seeing the stars differently than he faintly remembered. At the same time on one of those stars far away, a star named Earth, Tony Stark held his baby boy, whispering, “One day, you’ll know you’re the world.[…]” Word Count: 2699 ——————————————

Title: it’s the pits Collaborator Name: halfweeze Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: O3 - Lending a Hand Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/James "Bucky" Barnes/Pepper Potts Rating: General Major Tags & Triggers: Crack, Office Setting Summary: Pepper looks so totally normal that one would believe that nothing at all was running amiss, and that this was the normal state of affairs for the typical meeting the CEO and board of Stark Industries would attend. And, mostly, that would be correct.Bar the nearly two thousand brightly colored balls littering the floor up to the height of the meeting room table, it looks like any other meeting. Word Count: 1205 —————————————— Title: Stop Dragon My Heart Around Collaborator Name: tisfan, 27dragons Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: tisfan - G2 Magic, 27dragons - N4 “I am under no obligation to make sense to you” Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Explicit Major Tags & Triggers: AU: Dragons, AU: Magic Summary: Bucky is left as a sacrifice to the great dragon who has invaded Hydra territory.Tony's... not sure what to do with that. Sacrifices are a giant pain in the tail... Word Count: 4860 —————————————— Title: To Fall In Love With Your Conscience Collaborator Name: Ducky Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: B5 - Invisibility Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony/Rhodey Rating: Mature Major Tags & Triggers: Shoulder Angel & Devil AU Summary: When it comes to making a decision, who or what do you rely on? Common sense? No. Logic? No. Everyone knows the best way to decide is by talking to your shoulder angel and devil. But what happens when your angel and devil are in love with each other? Bucky Barnes has that problem. He thinks it’s the worst. Word Count: 1305 —————————————— Title: Dear Old Dead Dad Collaborator Name: tisfan Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: N2 - Paranormal Investigator Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags & Triggers: Ghosts, Canon Established Character Death (Howard) Summary: Tony is being haunted, and he no longer cares who knows it. Bucky Barnes is a paranormal investigator with a sense of ethics. Word Count: 875 —————————————— Title: Burning In The Skies Collaborator Name: Pariscores Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: B5 - Tension Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags & Triggers: Heavy Rain AU, Serial Killers, No Powers, Police, Federal Agents, Child Death Summary: “You said it took six inches of rainfall before the victim died. How much time do we have left?” If that isn’t the million-dollar question. Swallowing thickly, Tony replies, “if the weather forecasts are right… we have less than 72 hours.” There is an immediate drop in the atmosphere as his words sink in. There is a silent tension, everyone in the room sharing glances with each other with a collective understanding of just how dire the situation is. Less than 72 hours. Less than 3 days to find a man that no one has been able to capture in two years. Word Count: 10085 —————————————— Title: The Trio is Back Collaborator Name: Ducky Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: N2 - Didn't Know They Were Dating Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Nat/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags & Triggers: AU: Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Poly Summary: Natasha, Bucky, and Tony have been friends since childhood. Everyone speculates that Natasha will have to choose between the two of them. Little do they know she might just choose both. Word Count: 2486 ——————————————

Title: Eyes Turned Skyward Collaborator Name: iam93percentstardust Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: I5 - AU: Dealer’s Choice Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Explicit Major Tags & Triggers: NSFW, BDSM Summary: Tony has an erogenous zone at the base of his wings. Bucky probably wouldn’t have even noticed if it hadn’t been for Nat brushing her fingers against Tony’s back at breakfast. It’s an innocuous motion, probably nothing more than to let Tony—who startles easily—know that she’s back there. But Tony stiffens. And then he shudders. And Bucky sits up and takes notice. Word Count: N/A - Moodboard ——————————————

Title: N/A Collaborator Name: monobuu Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: O5 - Huddling for Warmth Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Gen Major Tags & Triggers: N/A Summary: Huddling is just one letter away from Cuddling and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Word Count: N/A - Fanart ——————————————

Title: Alarmed Collaborator Name: festiveferret Link: HERE♥ Square Filled: I5 - Baking Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags & Triggers: Fluff Summary: N/A Word Count: 770 ——————————————

#Starkbucksbingo2020 #sbb2020 #weekly roundup #week 13 #starkbucks #week 14

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weartirondad · 5 years ago

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A Hodgepodge Of Clouds

FF.net I ao3

“Tell me a story.”

It’s phrased like a demand but when Tony blinks down at the kid shamelessly tucked into his side he sees the faintest of question marks reflected in his deep brown eyes half hidden by dark, long eyelashes.

He can see the blue sky through some strands of his curly hair and a peak of red just above the top of his head and he feels his soul settle at the peaceful image.

“I don’t have a story to tell,” he gives back, albeit gently, and reaches out to chase away a pollen somersaulting through the mild evening air before it can settle on Peter’s face.

The boy scrunches up his nose indignantly at the hand so close to his face and almost goes cross-eyed trying to follow the sudden movement but never leans away. He doesn’t even flinch. If possible at all he leans closer, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder and angling it so he can look at the sky soaked in the softest of red.

Tony, on the other hand, keeps watching him and when he sees the sun set and the clouds fly past in his eyes he is certain that his boy holds the entire universe in his eyes. His universe at least.

“Everyone has a story to tell,” Peter retorts with a smile directed at nothing in particular and yet everything all at once. It’s the way he’s been ever since Tony has met him – smiling at the world, giving and shining and all Tony can do is hope that the world will smile back. “Just make one up.”

It sounds so easy when he says it, so confident and trusting and good.

But Tony is not the guy to make up kid- friendly bed time stories. Every story his mind has come up with so far has always ended in catastrophe. Every worst possible outcome will always come true in his head. His demons will always leak into his stories and he’s trying his hardest to keep them away from Peter – to keep the kid as sheltered as he possibly can even when he knows it’s futile with what he’s already seen.

Still, sometimes Peter’s optimism feels like the world has spared him from all the trauma Tony knows he’s gone through and he’s glad. He’s ridiculously glad that the kid can still get up every morning with hope in his eyes and love in his heart. He knows how hard it can be and it goes to show how much stronger Peter Parker is than he could have ever imagined.

With a small sigh he leans down and rests his cheek on top of Peter’s head. “I don’t have a very good imagination.”

“Liar,” Peter scoffs and the eye roll is evident in his tone, “Your imagination is unparalleled. It’s not like you’re leading R&D with someone else’s ideas. Or are you?” he asks mockingly shocked.

“It’s a different kind of imagination,” he argues halfheartedly, watching two shapeless clouds slowly morph together.

“Maybe,” Peter hums, “But it’s not really. And you have to be able to tell stories once you’re a dad, right?”

“I don’t think my newborn will care much about whatever it is I have to say. For all she cares I could be talking about the Henderson- Hasselbalch equation.”

It’s ridiculous but it makes Peter giggle and nestle into him more firmly with the movement so, in his books, he’s pretty sure he’s done something right. “Please don’t do that, Mister Stark. Since when do you talk chemistry anyway?”

“Since a certain someone,” he pokes his side, “Has started preparing his web fluids in my lab and I have to try to keep him from blowing it up.”

The joke is meant to distract and deflect but Peter, being Peter, doesn’t care much for Tony’s unwillingness to pad into new territory and simply ignores the jab. Instead he releases one of his hands from where they’re intertwined in his lap and points upwards, the borrowed hoodie sliding down just far enough to free his index finger but his thumb stays covered.

“Tell me what you see.”

“A hodgepodge of clouds.”

“That –“ Peter turns and forces Tony to lean back so he can meet his eyes, “Since when have you ever used the word hodgepodge.”

“It’s just a word, Pete.” He wraps an arm around his shoulder and pulls him back in, missing the way his curls were tickling his nose and his every word reverberating through his side just seconds ago.

“It’s really not but it’s also not a point.” He nestles back into his original position easily and nudges Tony, “Tell me a story about the hodgepodge of clouds.”

“Well,” he frowns and looks at the assortment of clouds ahead.

They’re illuminated bright red and the first thing that comes to mind is a fire – an inferno burning through the sky, flames leaking and stretching, unfurling their clutches to swallow his world whole. There’s grey clouds in front of it, like ashes of what used to be scattering around the place. The whole scene makes his blood run cold and his left hand itch. Instead of burying his fingernails into the ball of his hand he smooths out a wrinkle in Peter’s – well, his – hoodie.

“They used to be warm air and now they’re water. The Rayleigh scattering makes sure it looks creepily red and the wind moves the whole thing.”

“For a genius,” Peter starts, “You’re pretty dumb sometimes.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk, Mister ‘I can totally drink while doing a one handed handstand and balance a Lego figure on my feet’.”

“In my defense, Darth Vader made me do it,” the kid has the audacity to giggle like the scream of him falling and landing on his Lego isn’t still echoing through his nightmares every once in a while. “Anyway, since you’re being a disaster I am going to tell you a story about those clouds.”

Before Tony can give some smartass retort, Peter has already untucked himself from his embrace and folds his legs crisscross in front of him, rocking back and forth on top of one of the tallest buildings in New York City.

Frankly, Tony hates it but he keeps quiet, instead reciting all the security precautions he has taken and why this specific kid could definitely not fall off this specific skyscraper.

“The clouds at the front are kind of all grey and dull and sad. Those are the people lacking imagination. Old people, cruel people. People stuck in the past.” Peter shoots him a pointed look but then goes back to focus on the sky instead, “They’re trying to keep everything the way it is, the status quo if you will, trying to hide the bright minds and the hope that’s marching on behind them.”

“But you see,” he smiles softly and plays with the sleeves of the dark blue hoodie, “Where the light is strongest, the grey is already starting to break and it’s obvious they won’t be able to hold them in much longer.”

“They scream love louder than the others can silence them. It’s the new generation marching up, demanding its rights and demanding change. It’s hope that’s spreading like a wildfire in their hearts and eventually it’s going to be stronger than the cold faceless mass of grey. It’s like a dawn of a new era where everything is light instead of darkness.”

“Maybe this is God’s way of showing us that our time will be soon and to keep being hopeful. Or maybe,” he shrugs almost bashfully,” it’s just a really beautiful hodgepodge of clouds.”

“Or maybe,” Tony weighs the words on his tongue, meeting the kid’s eyes and thanking whatever God or universe of fate it was that made them meet, “Maybe you are right and it’s hope. I like your story.”

“You do?”

“Well, except for the fact that apparently I’m part of the faceless grey mass that is trying to kill the hope. Yes, I did.”

Peter laughs, open and young and faithful, “Oh, you’re not. You just try to act like it sometimes but I think you’re one of the brightest lights and you’ll always fight for a better future, Mister Futurist.”

Without looking he leans back, trusting Tony to make sure he lands with his head in his lap and he curls into himself on the hard concrete like it is a mattress, cushioned only by the loose sweatshirt, facing the same direction again to keep watching the slowly moving clouds with a small yawn.

Tony joins him, fingers finding a spot just right behind Peter’s ear and falling into a familiar pattern of untangling his curls.

“Next story is on you, by the way.”

“I’ll try my very best.”

When he looks up again the grey clouds have parted and scattered and the red has turned into a hopeful yellowy-orange and he promises himself and the kid slowly drifting off to look at the world a little more like Peter does from now on.

here’s the clouds I saw that forced me to sit down and write this (those are like phone pics taken by someone who’s got no clue what they’re doing, don’t judge):

#irondad #irondad fic #iron dad #iron dad fic #tony stark #peter parker #some cloud watching #fluff #story telling #josis fic #a hodgepodge of clouds #i also learned a new word today and im not sure im using it correctly but i also don't care much

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protectxthem · 1 year ago

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Tony puts a hand on his Iron Man suit, wiping dust off of it and smiling a bit, before Tony turns to face her as she asks what the date is. He stays quiet as he counts in his head before speaking.

"September 21st, 2022. Four years after the Blip."

Stepping into the shed, Morgan felt slightly comforted by the sight of the Iron Man suit, so similar to her own, though hers was contained in a bangle she wore around her wrist at all times.

With the door shut, Morgan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, so before I start what is the date?"

#legacyprotected #You burn with the brightest flame (Tony Stark)#there's a room where the queue can't find you

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dreadhaus-literature · 6 years ago

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{January Collection} #10

I liked Monica’s HC idea so much, I wanted to try my hand at it, too! There are a lot of themes I struggle with, but headcanons are challenging and they really force me to be concise--which is a huge theme I struggle with! So it’ll be good practice. ♥

Marvel doesn’t really have a Trinity like DC does, but I wanted to try and compliment Monica’s piece, so we’re going with Avenger leaders as a compliment to her DC Trinity. Avengers to the rescue!

And I sure hope these are good!

Burning Building

Theme: Troublesome Thursday

Monica is trapped in a burning building, and Nick Fury can only call three of the Avengers to save her in time. Which one did it best?

...Don’t actually answer that, we really can’t afford another Civil War.

Tony Stark

Tony was in the middle of a meeting when JARVIS interrupted via his customized watch, letting the billionaire know with obvious concern that Monica’s vitals were showing signs of distress.

It was only after JARVIS’s alert that Nick Fury called Iron Man himself, warning him that Monica was trapped in the skyscraper that was engulfed in flames on 42nd street

“You think I don’t know that? That I don’t know what’s going on with my own wife? Honestly, Fury, I don’t get what you do half the time.”

Tony’s quips are just a mask for the worry that’s sharper than the shrapnel that weakened his heart

The meeting’s forgotten, board members told to wait, because Iron Man’s #1 priority is and always will be his actual heart

Suiting up is done mid-exit of the building, so that by the time Tony reaches the ground floor he’s already skyward, blasting toward Monica with desperation that thankfully his face plate hides

Tony finds her with JARVIS’s help; a scan of the building pinpoints her beneath a support beam, using it’s weight to protect herself, and Tony feels an immediate swell of pride at that

“That’s my girl, smart as hell even in the middle of a crisis.”

Tony can get to her instantly and he does; emergency services and any supers in the area can tend to the rest of the people inside, Tony was only here for Monica

Being the world’s most selfish superhero has it’s perks when it comes to being able to ignore everything else but the one thing he wanted to focus on--but it doesn’t make Tony a bad hero

In truth, even Nick Fury knows Tony needs to save Monica, because without her, Tony wouldn’t be Tony anymore

The world would lose Iron Man if Iron Man loses Mrs, Stark

“You know, sweetheart, when you mentioned spicing up our date nights I figured I’d just take you somewhere Far East. I didn’t think you meant adding actual heat.”

It says a lot about Tony that he doesn’t make a single quip until after Monica’s outside and in his embrace, protected from the smoke, flames, and a terrible drop by the security of that titanium alloyed grip

Tony doesn’t bother taking Monica down to see the paramedics, he can handle this himself, and it’s back to Stark Tower for Monica, so JARVIS can scan her vitals and Tony can call a personal physician to check her out if need be

Whether Monica needs it or not, the doctor is called

After the building fire makes the news, there’s a surprise phone call that broadcasts a very worried voice over the tower’s PA system--

“Mr. Stark?! Is Mom okay?”

“She’s fine, Petey.”

“MOM ARE YOU OKAY.”

For the next three days, Monica finds she can’t leave Stark Tower, and JARVIS explains every time she asks that it’s “for her own safety, as she should be resting”

That’s only half the truth

The other half is that Tony can’t bear another scare like that when it comes to the love of his life, and locking her in his ivory tower is the best and only way he knows how to deal with the rush of emotion from almost losing her

Steve Rogers

The Captain doesn’t have fancy tech to alert him that Monica’s in danger, so he unfortunately, unknowingly has to wait until Nick Fury calls him--but Steve already knew something was wrong

Technology is great, but nothing beats old-fashioned instincts

When Steve first got his bad feeling, he text Monica immediately; when she didn’t answer he called, and when she didn’t pick up he panicked

Calling Buck was no help--

“Stop worrying so much. You’re gonna scare her off you mother hen her too much.”

Steve wasn’t sure he could scare off his wife, but he doesn’t have much experience with women so it’s probably better not to risk it, right?

Wrong.

The instant Nick relays Monica’s trapped in a building going up in flames, Steve can’t remember hanging up or really anything other than hopping on his motorcycle and tearing through the streets of Brooklyn, breaking numerous traffic laws uncaringly

The Boy Scout isn’t a Boy Scout when his entire life is hanging by a thread

People are pouring out of the building onto the sidewalk, but yelling Monica’s name and scanning the crowd doesn’t produce his wife

There’s no hesitation, Steve goes barreling through the smoke-laced front doors and he takes the stairs three at a time, all the while shouting for his best girl

Desperate, terrified, already heartbroken

“S-Steve?!”

It’s faint, and chased with a cough, but she’s alive, thank god she’s alive!

Steve kicks down the door sealed shut by melted metal, carelessly knocking away fallen ceiling rubble that was preventing his girl from escaping

The sight of her huddled in a corner, trying to breathe through the smoke, nearly broke Steve

“I’m here, sweetheart, I’m here. I’m here, I got you.”

Steve isn’t aware he’s repeating himself as he shrugs out of his leather jacket and hands it to Monica; as he picks her up she huddles beneath the jacket, close to his heart, and she can hear how panicked he really is

Once out on the sidewalk, a few people notice that Captain America only has one victim in his embrace and he doesn’t seem to be rushing back into the building for more

“Why? What’s going on?”

“...I think that’s his wife.”

Not everyone will understand, but Steve honestly doesn’t care and doesn’t have the mind to spare anyone else a thought right now

Monica needs him

“Please, I need someone to check her over.”

Captain America gets what he wants, and paramedics are soon looking his wife over--who is seated in his lap, suffering from smoke inhalation but otherwise unharmed--

Because her husband was there for her, like he always was

Carol Danvers

Carol’s got tech, and she’s got instincts, but Carol also has what Tony and Steve don’t--cosmic abilities, and that includes an incredibly powerful and handy awareness that allows her to keep tabs on her wife

Which she does, all the fucking time

Seriously, don’t bother asking if Carol’s always got her awareness tuned to Monica, because the answer you’re going to get is sarcastic and she’ll probably twist her face at you for being stupid

Which is exactly what she does when Nick Fury patches into her headgear, trying to tell her about Monica’s awful situation

“What, Fury, you think I don’t know? Go bother someone else, my wife needs me--in fact, rally the other Avengers to help clear the building and the block. I’ll be busy.”

Carol minces no words about what’s important and out of the three Avenger Leaders it’s probably a toss-up between herself and Tony who would be selfish first

Tony would win 75% of the time, but both are at 100% when it comes to Monica; no one else matters or will ever come before her

Carol a force to be reckoned with, and no burning building is a match for the Cosmic Force of a worried Avenger; the moment Carol’s in sight of the building she’s inside it, radiating with energy so that even through the black smoke and flames she’s clearly visible

Like a beacon, Monica sees her wife and knows, she’s safe

Carol’s here

“Baby? Oh, baby here, come here, I got’cha.”

Carol’s embrace is strong, and Monica feels a curious warmth as that cosmic force engulfs her, pushing away the heat and that awful smoke so that she can finally breathe, so that her skin can cool and Monica can’t help clinging to Carol a little

Carol is right there to return the comfort, those powerful arms cradling Monica as she’s flown safely outside

They don’t descend but hover, with Carol’s face buried in Monica’s hair

The entire world could be burning around them and she wouldn’t budge

“I was so worried, scared,” Carol’s murmuring against Monica’s hair, arms tightening around her. “Are you okay, baby? Tell me where it hurts.”

No matter what Monica says, even if nothing hurts, it’s straight to the hospital and Carol is getting a doctor immediately because she’s Captain Fucking Marvel and her wife needs medical attention

Carol stays by Monica’s bedside, holding her hand, stroking her hair, and asking the doctor any and all questions to ensure Monica is going to get the best care while she’s in recovery

Once they’re home? Monica’s not walking--in fact she’s really not allowed to move at all. Carol can fly, she can lift tons so Monica doesn’t need to lift a finger, and if Carol catches Monica out of bed? Now she can’t leave Carol’s lap, congratulations

Carol almost lost the brightest star in her universe, so Monica’s going to have to deal with an overbearing wife for a little while

#{theme} : for monica #{collection} : january 2019 #{character} : steve rogers #{character} : tony stark #{character} : carol danvers

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dorevenge · 3 years ago

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where ignorance is bliss - chapter 14: deep in december

SUMMARY: Hank quits SHIELD, and Maria and Howard return to France for their anniversary. [AO3 LINK]

CHAPTERS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 [14] 15 ☆

July 9, 1989 – Washington D.C., Triskelion

“Hello, Hank” Howard says, standing up from his seat as Hank Pym walks in, on a mission. He is seated with Peggy and Mitchell Carson, the Head of Defense. “You’re supposed to be in Moscow.”

“I took a detour,” Hank replies. He sets down a red vial of Pym Particles on the table in front of the group with force. “Through your defense lab.” He’s upset.

Peggy picks up the vial. “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is.” Her hair is peppered with gray streaks now, the years of serving S.H.I.E.L.D. catching up with her and Howard.

“That depends if you think it’s a poor attempt to replicate my work.” Hank looks at the three of them, rotating between them, challenging them to meet their gaze. Howard doesn’t meet his gaze. “Even for this group, that takes nerve.”

“You were instructed to go to Russia. May I remind you, Dr. Pym, that you’re a soldier?” says Mitchell haughtily.

“I’m a scientist,” Hank corrects him.

“Then act like one. The Pym Particle is the most revolutionary science ever developed. Help us put it to good use,” Howard responds, trying to keep the peace.

“First you turn me into your errand boy, now you steal my research?” He is beyond insulted.

“If only you’d protected Janet with such ferocity, Dr. Pym,” says Mitchell coolly, overly proud of himself for the spiteful comeback. Howard sighs, familiar with Hank’s temper by now.

Hank shakes his head, then reaches around, grabs Mitchell by the back of his head, and slams it down on the table he’s sitting behind. Mitchell cries out in pain, and Peggy grabs Hank’s arm to stop him from delivering another blow.

“Easy, Hank,” she says, always the peacekeeper. Mitchell’s nose is bleeding from both nostrils, and he delicately dabs at the blood.

“You mention my wife again, and I’ll show you ferocity,” Hank threatens, pointing at Mitchell. Mitchell looks to Howard. “I have given everything to S.H.I.E.L.D. Everything. Decades of my life, years of my research, my loyalty, my daughter’s childhood, my wife, and you steal from me? I’ll burn this place to the fucking ground before you replicate my formula.”

“Don’t look at me,” says Howard to Mitchell. “You said it.”

“And I am once again the voice of reason,” mumble Peggy.

“I thought you were better than this, Stark. You, too, Carter. I have been a faithful soldier, spy, and scientist. I play the role of the Ant-Man when you ask me. I have sacrificed too much while you all sit in your safe offices in the Triskelion, mission after mission, sending me to Russia while you undermine the one thing I have ever asked of you,” Hank responds. “I formally tender my resignation.”

“We don’t accept it. Formally,” Howard replies. His face is hard to read. It’s like he wants to crack a joke but doesn’t want to have his nose broken next. “Hank. We need you. The Pym Particle is a miracle. Please, don’t let your past determine the future.” A rare moment of honest emotion.

Hank doesn’t care. It’s written on his face, clear as day. “As long as I am alive, nobody will ever get that formula.” He turns on his heel and walks out of the room. The automatic doors open and close behind him with a whir.

Mitchell says, “We shouldn’t let him leave the building,” his nose finally done bleeding.

“You’ve already lied to him, now you want to go to war with him?” Peggy asks rhetorically, exhausted from juggling all these egos.

“Yes!” Mitchell seethes. “Our scientists haven’t even come close to replicating his work.”

“He just kicked your ass full-sized! You really want to find out what it’s like when you can’t see him coming?” Howard asks. “I’ve known Hank Pym for a long time, he’s no security risk. Unless we make him one. Let’s let him go.”

November 27, 1991 – Monaco, France, Hellfire Club

“Back to where we met for our thirty-first anniversary? How thoughtful,” I say, back in the restaurant of the Hellfire Club where we met. Where Howard first saved my life from Roxxon’s men. I haven’t thought of Roxxon in years. There was that explosion from where they tried to replicate the arc reactor’s unfinished technology, but S.H.I.E.L.D. swooped in and made sure none of the plans made it through the flames. Other than that, we haven’t heard a peep about them.

“Thirty-second. Tomorrow. I know we’re one day early, but I have a few things I want to celebrate with you,” Howard replies, working on the first course in our five-course meal.

“What’s the first thing?”

“One, a break from our twenty-one-year-old child who can’t get a job.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“What’s the difference? He’s the brightest kid of his generation, and he has nothing to show for it besides raiding my liquor cabinet and raising my electricity bill. How old is too old to use the belt on someone?”

“Howard.”

“He just needs some motivation in the right direction, instead of squandering his attention with random chicks and fancy cars. I should cut him off, make him work at McDonald’s to pay for his own alcoholism.”

“He takes after you.”

“Hey, I quit drinking. Three years ago, so anything’s possible,” he defends himself. That much is true. I’m the only one with wine in front of me tonight.

“It’s a good thing he’s just like you. I had to corral you when I met you. Tame the great Howard Stark. Tony will meet someone who understands him and who will make him realize that adventure after adventure is not a real life. It’s not all missions and spying; it’s building a family.”

“Hopefully he’s younger than I was when I realized that.” Howard sighs. “Alright, alright, moving on; number two, thirty-two years with my beautiful wife, who still continues to outshine me in every room she walks into. It used to drive me crazy, you know, how people would get distracted by you, steal my attention, but I’ve come to appreciate it now. Especially since it helps them not notice how old I am now by comparison.” He smiles at me with a wink, and I laugh in response. “Nevertheless, you make me feel as young as I was when I met you.”

“And how old was that, when you practically stole me from my cradle?” I tease him.

He pretends to be insulted, then tries to do the calculation in his head. “Well, I’m 74 now, minus 32… I don’t think I can count that high. I was young at heart, does that count for anything?”

I laugh again. Our second course is brought out, the empty dishes swept away. I have no idea what the dish is, not wanting to ask the waitress for a translation from French to English, but it smells heavenly. Some chicken in some cream sauce, or something of that nature. “Alright, what’s reason number three?”

Howard wipes his hands off on the napkin on his lap before digging into his pocket. He pulls out a small silver box, one you would find in a lab, not in a jewelry store. “I thought it would be only fitting to give you the first positive result, the thing that I’ve been obsessing over for half our marriage.” He opens the box so I can see inside and pulls out a small vial filled with thick red liquid, attached to a thin silver chain. “Project Brooklyn, Project Rebirth, Project Mr. America, whatever you want to call it, is a success. We did it, doll. Without Vanko, without Pym, even without Stane.”

He stands and walks around behind me. The vial falls between my breasts as he clasps the chain behind my neck. He kisses my ear and returns to his seat.

“Is this the Super Soldier Serum?” I whisper, admiring the vial, smaller and narrower than my pinky finger. It feels so delicate in my hand. Decades of work dangling around my neck.

“It is.”

“Why are you giving it to me?” I tuck in under the collar of my dress and look around to make sure no one’s eavesdropping.

“That’s not enough for a full dose for a human. We used half of it on a… On a non-human test subject. I have ten doses synthesizing in the lab at home, under more security measures than you can count. It takes a while for the serum to bond since Vita-Ray technology was found to be unstable, so it’ll be ready to deliver to the Pentagon in a couple weeks. Ah, thank you,” Howard pauses and smiles as the next course is brought out.

“And what will you do after?” I ask once the waiter is gone again.

“After? After the serum is delivered?” he asks, and I nod. “I’m all yours.”

I smile to myself. After thirty-two years, Howard can’t fool me. “I don’t believe it, not for a second. I’ve never known you to not be dreaming up something. You’ll probably try your hand at that reactor again, or you’ll scour the ice for Captain Rogers, or try to commercialize space travel. You won’t sit still.”

“I will. That vial is a promise to that,” he says, then pauses to reconsider. “Okay, realistically, I won’t stop tinkering. I’ll always be inventing, but small-scale stuff. A toaster that won’t burn your bread. A refrigerator that prints a grocery list when you’re almost out of something. But nothing that will take me away from you and Tony again.”

“Well, if you kick him out, it won’t make a difference if you’re home or not.”

Howard shakes his head, picking at the third course before him. “Maria, sometimes I forget that when it comes to matters of the heart, you’re smarter than Tony and I combined.”

Notes: Parts of Hank’s resignation taken from this scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV-k-hO_gKk)

#where ignorance is bliss #wiib reading #ant man #ant man and the wasp #marvel #fanfic #canary writes a fanfiction

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protectxthem · 3 months ago

Text

"Like am I human or a a hallucination?" He asks before smirking and nodding. "I am Iron Man. And to answer your question, I'm one hundred percent human."

He lifts his face mask up so the other can see his face. "I heard about someone kidnapping others and beating on them. I just couldn't sit by and let that happen." He approaches [Teen] and smiles a bit. "Let's get you out of here, yeah?"

@protectxthem asked: ⛓️ (from Tony Stark)

"Wh - what are you-?" [Teen] blustered. Maybe he was seeing things. They must have bonked his head somewhere in the whole beating him up thing, because he was seeing things. "Aren't you Iron Man?"

His voice was rough, even to his own ears, but he was out of energy to struggle in his seat. "What are you doing here?"

#billyktothemax #You burn with the brightest flame (Tony Stark)

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goddessvicky · 7 years ago

Text

Here and Where You Are

Chapter 1 : A Billion Little Pieces

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), MCU, Captain America (Movies), Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: Explicit

Characters: James “Bucky” Barnes, Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis, Tony Stark, Jane Foster, Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Pepper Potts, Erik Selvig

Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers, James “Bucky” Barnes/Darcy Lewis, James “Bucky” Barnes/Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Jane Foster/Thor, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark

Tags: WinterShieldShock, UST, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, Darcy Has Powers, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Polyamory, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Awesome Darcy Lewis, Smut, All the swears, Slow Burn, framily, Non Stop Pop Culture References, OT3, Found Family, all the Avengers need therapy

“I was a billion little pieces until you pulled me into focus” - Venus, Sleeping at Last

Darcy Lewis grunted when the shock wave slammed into her body. She squinted against the blast of air, glancing over at Jane, eyes widening with fear. "Jane!?"

"I know!" Jane screamed, brown hair streaming in the wind, reaching out to grab Darcy's hand. "Just hold on!"

Pulling herself as close to Jane as she could, Darcy threw her arms around her friend's waist and held on for dear life. This was bad, fuck, this was so bad. This was worse than New Mexico, even worse than London. And seeing as those were already pretty horrible ’apocalypse is coming so make sure you’re wearing clean underwear’ battles, that was saying something.

All of this started for six measly college credits. Yes, she’d gotten a best friend out of the deal, and a man who looked at her the way she assumed a father would look at a daughter, and yeah, okay, she’d also been around a Norse god who could fly and wore a fabulous cape, but damn she was sick of almost dying.

But this time it didn’t look like almost. It looked like full-on dead.

She could hear sounds of fighting and screaming. She and Jane weren’t even in the thick of the battle, but she could hear it, and that was bad enough. Even being on the fringes was dangerous, and she yelled as something flew by their heads and crashed into a building.

Fuck!

Darcy was pretty sure the buildings around them had been evacuated (or flee’d from in fear), but as the bricks began to cave in, she figured it was too late now. "What's the possibility we die?" she yelled at Jane, needing the distraction.

"I don't know, Darcy!"

She could hear the terror in Jane's voice. Both of them shouted when a softly glowing stone skidded across the rubble of what used to be a street and came to a stop a few yards in front of them. It looked like it was made of the brightest amber and Darcy could see things swirling within it, and it made her blood run cold. She remembered Jane mentioning something about important stones, the kind of important that only the Avengers (with their powers and strength and ability to not be terrified every fucking minute) could handle... yet there it was, beautiful and terrifying, sitting right in front of them.

Darcy was still holding onto Jane as tight as she could, shielding her eyes against the wind and the sand that it threw at them. "I need a percentage!"

"What?"

The fighting continued around them, a blur of bodies and sounds of pain, the blast of lights and lasers. Darcy couldn’t even imagine what was happening in the war raging; there had been things she’d seen that she couldn’t wrap her head around, including a tree and a raccoon. So much of this was above her pay grade and level of understanding that she needed something to ground her.

Both women screamed when something scorched the ground a few feet in front of them, leaving a line of charred dirt and smoking sand that had turned to glass. If it was symbolic of some kind of line they were about to cross (fuck, she was so bad at crossing lines!), then Darcy chose stubbornly to ignore it. Instead she yelled out to Jane again. "Give me a number! How likely are we about to die?"

"What are you talking about?! Ah!"

Darcy oofed when an energy blast detonated nearby, throwing them off their feet and backward through the air. She grunted as she and Jane hit something, knocking the breath out of them. As she struggled to take in a breath, she looked up at the thing her body had just slammed against; it was a panel van, on the side was a flaming skull, wearing a leather jacket and holding a flaming chain.

Ugh. So tacky.

Darcy could taste blood in her mouth. She was going to die. She’d gotten lucky the first two times, but the third time would not be the charm. She was terrified, her heart racing, and some small part of her couldn't help but think this is what you get for trying to hang out with people who are cooler than you.

She wasn’t supposed to be here, not with Gods or superheroes or super soldiers. She was nothing, just a lab monkey, a person who could only tangentially be connected with the Avengers. Darcy should have known better, she should have learned her lesson the first two times and just become a barista at Starbucks, or some equally as mundane of a job.

At least Starbucks baristas get health care.

She coughed, rolling in the dirt, watching as Jane did the same. "Janey..."

Darcy followed Jane’s line of sight, seeing the tears wet on her friend’s cheeks. Jane was looking at the carnage ahead of them, the rolling mass of smoke and lights, looking for any sign of Thor. Darcy could see the hope draining from Jane’s eyes as she realized just how bad everything was. Jane needed a distraction, and that was something Darcy had been called her entire life. Just a distraction.

"Jane Foster, what percentage are we looking at? One-hundred? Fifty? Two? Just give me something!" She reached out and pulled on Jane’s hand, rising to her knees. The astrophysicist looked at her, and the terror in Jane’s eyes filled Darcy with a steel resolve. She was not going to let the only real friend she’d ever had feel like all hope was lost.

"I don't know!"

"Jane!" Darcy shook her shoulders harder, gritting her teeth, "give me a damn number!"

"Uh... I don't..." Jane let out a sob, "sixty-two percent!"

Sixty-two percent. If Jane's math was correct (and it always was), there was a sixty-two percent chance that she'd never have another cup of coffee, or pet another dog, or walk aimlessly around Target for hours. She’d never kiss someone who was completely wrong for her but felt so right. There were a million things she hadn’t done and had always planned on doing later. Now there might not be a later and it fucking sucked.

Her hazel eyes glanced upward, watching the fight rage around them. She could make out a few familiar sights in the melee; a glint of crimson and gold (Iron Man), the shine of chrome (That one guy? Someone else?), a blur of green and purple (absolutely no fucking clue), a flash of red, white and blue (Captain Fucking America!).

Darcy almost cried when she saw the spark of lightning in the mix, knowing that it was Thor and knowing, with all her heart, that he and Jane belonged together. Not only did they belong together, but they were supposed to get married and be Asgardian royalty and have super hot giant Norse God babies who she would buy stupid gifts for and teach all about the Seattle grunge rock music scene in the early 90s.

This was all wrong.

They were losing, and she knew it. She could feel it like a weight in the air, like smelling ozone and pichor before it started raining. They were going to die, despite everything, they were all going to die, and all over some stupid ugly gems? No jewelry was worth this bullshit. Her eyes fell to the glowing stone, watching it strobe in the smoke, like it was waiting for something.

Or someone.

"You know what? Fuck this."

Darcy climbed uneasily to her feet, using the tacky van for support. Moving hurt like a bitch and she clutched at her ribs. She couldn't take a full breath without a stabbing pain. Rib fractures? Probably. She'd never had any so she couldn't say for sure. But she hurt, and was exhausted, and was just so over everything. If this gem was so fucking important, then someone needed to grab it, right? If it was a weapon that could be used to keep people from dying, then it was her duty to help. She didn’t have super vision or super strength. She couldn’t kill anyone with her bare hands, or shoot webs out of her wrists, or turn into a monster. If the only way she could help was to grab the stone and keep it safe, then that’s what she was going to do.

She'd probably come to regret it, but she thought that way about a lot of things she’d done in her life, and they'd all led her here, right here, so maybe it was all for a reason. Fuck, she hoped it was all for a reason.

Darcy took a breath, not all the way in because fucking ow, but looked over to Jane with a pained grin. "Tick your percentage up to a hundred for me, kay?"

Jane had to yell to be heard over the wall of sound. "What?"

"If you have a girl and don't name her after me, I'll come back and haunt your ass!"

Realization dawned on Jane’s face, realizing what her friend was about to do. "Darcy, wait!"

She didn't listen to Jane, didn’t even look back at her, afraid that if she did she’d get too chicken shit and stop. She took a few stumbling steps forward, then broke into an all out run, making a beeline for the glowing stone.

Darcy was stupid, so fucking stupid, but she didn't have any super powers. Maybe this was hers.

Stupidity.

Stupidity on a scale never before seen in this galaxy.

She only had to dodge one wayward blast of some kind (was someone using an honest to Odin Star Wars phaser?!?) on her way, skidding in the dirt, sliding like it was home base. Right before her fingers closed around the glowing amber gem, Darcy shut her eyes and threw a prayer into the Universe.

Please let this matter, David Bowie, wherever you are, please just let this matter.

Jane screamed at Darcy, terror seizing her chest, arm stretching out as if she could stop her from doing what she knew her friend was about to do. When a blast of orange light erupted from Darcy, Jane threw her arm over her eyes, retinas burning with the negative image of her friend’s body.

Almost, as if a switch had been flipped, the sounds of combat went quiet. A hush fell over the battlefield and everyone, wounded, bloody, and beaten, turned their heads to see the body of a young woman begin to hover above the ground, dark hair swirling and eyes burning with amber light.

Thanos - whose massive hand was wrapped around Captain America’s neck, who was seconds away from victory, who was already grinning in triumph - looked toward the woman and the gem, his face contorting in fury. He threw Steve Rogers’ body aside, taking three large steps before launching himself at her. He was moving impossibly fast, too fast, no way for anyone who was there to intervene or stop him.

The woman’s hand rose, her amber eyes turning to look at the purple-skinned creature. He hung in the air, suspended and frozen, death and destruction on his face. The woman looked at him, staring into his eyes, seemingly weighing him with her gaze. A moment of silence, and then the simple word 'no' formed on her lips. With a scream of rage, Thanos was enveloped in amber, combusting into ash, orange electricity sparking through the air where he’d been seconds before.

No one moved.

No one breathed.

Finally, in the silence, the woman smiled softly. "Neat."

Blackness.

There was music playing somewhere, something soft and gentle and muted as if it was coming from another room. Darcy was warm, and calm, and she felt great. Like ‘I’ve just spent a weekend in a day spa being pampered and ‘eating whatever I want because calories don’t count’ great. Had she ever felt this great? She didn’t think so.

“Darcy?”

She frowned. That wasn’t her name. Was it? Hers was older, and in a different language, and she didn’t have the right biology to make the sounds correctly. She tried it for herself, letting the name roll around her tongue. “Daaaaarrrrrrcccccccccy.”

“Darcy, can you hear me?”

No. Well, she could hear, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to go back to the spa and the zero-calorie cheesecake, and the strong hands of a masseuse named Claude who was wearing shorts way too small to be legal. Darcy wanted to stay there, adrift on a sea of happiness and fluffy towels. She didn’t want to leave.

Suddenly, and despite her futile cries of ‘noooooooo’, memories began to flood back into her brain, crashing against her mind like a tsunami.

Owwwww, damn it.

She heard her name said again, groaning when she realized she couldn’t hide in her spa any longer. Her voice was rough when it her lips formed the words. “There is no Darcy, ‘s only Zuul.”

When she heard a sob, Darcy carefully squinted open one eye. It was bright, much too bright, but she slowly focused on the shapes looking down at her. Jane’s head cleared in her vision, and she saw the tears fresh on her face. She watched Jane, her beautiful best friend Jane, the only person who’d put up with her for more than a month at a time, crying softly against Thor’s chest.

Darcy frowned. She was forgetting something, Or remembering something. Everything seemed so fuzzy. And too gotdamn bright! “Hey, Big Guy, whatdja do?” She didn’t like it when Jane cried and if Thor was the one to blame, she’d make it known just how much she didn’t like it.

“Wasn’t him, Freaks and Geeks. What on Earth made you grab that stone?”

That voice was new, she thought, turning her gaze from Thor to Tony Stark. Tony Fucking Stark was standing over her, pinning her with a look. And boy was it A Look. “What stone?”

“The stone. The stone to end all stones?”

“Was it a Rolling Stone? Richards, perhaps?” Darcy laughed at herself, but it looked like she was the only one. That was sad, as she thought it was a rather funny joke and deserved at least a chuckle. But maybe jokes just weren’t the Avengers thing, as she watched Stark roll his eyes and take a step away from her.

“We’re not sure how you did it, but you absorbed one of the infinity stones.”

Darcy’s rolled her cheek onto the pillow, grin widening when she saw Steve Rogers, Captain Freaking America, sitting at her bedside. “I know you. You punched Hitler.” He was dirty, and bloody, and Darcy knew vaguely that it was weird to find that attractive, but damn did he look good.

The small grin he gave her comment made her chest flutter all funny. But when the flutter continued and started getting worse, she realized that maybe it wasn’t just the hunky blond who was looking at her. Nope definitely felt like she was going to erupt. Erupt?!

“Wha…”

Darcy sat up suddenly, hearing several chairs screech across the floor as their occupants scrambled backward from her. Her hands were crackling with orange energy. Not lightning, not electricity, but swirls of brilliant amber light. It was almost like smoke, she was able to wave her fingers through it, leaving it spinning in tendrils. For the first time since waking, she felt the stirrings of fear. “That’s… new. What happened to me?”

“Uh, We’re still not sure,” a man with rumpled clothes said as he came closer, pulling his glasses off and scrutinizing her hands. “We need to run tests, see if you’ve had changes at a cellular level. If something in your DNA’s been altered, we could use the information to determine what kind of abilities to expect.”

“Abilities?” Darcy’s eyes widened and she looked over at Jane, her voice rising an octave. “Am I going to die?”

Jane started to take a step toward her, but Darcy watched Thor place a hand on her elbow, holding her back. She seemed to think better of moving, giving Darcy a small smile, tone encouraging. “No, Darce, no, of course not. You’re going to be fine.”

At Jane’s words, it was like a kaleidoscope flashed over Darcy’s vision. Everything went black, but she could see blobs of colors where people had just stood. Where Jane had been there was a pretty purple, like lilacs, like the pastel plastic Easter Eggs she’d been forced to be excited about as a kid. But as Darcy watched, the purple flashed an angry red color. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she knew Jane wasn’t telling the truth.

“You’re lying,” Darcy said, shaking her head, “you don’t know if I’m going to be alright.”

“There’s a lot we’re not sure of,” Steve said. Darcy turned her head to where he’d been sitting beside her. “We just want to make sure you’re somewhere safe. Then we can work together on figuring out what happened.”

Steve Rogers glowed a brilliant gold, but there was a vein of cobalt in that gold, pretty and shiny. Beautiful and honest. It took a shake of her head for the colors to dissipate and it left her feeling a bit dizzy. From what she’d seen, he really did believe they were going to be able to help her. Or at least he was lying to himself about it.. Either way, she was glad for the heavy optimism he seemed to maintain.

“Did we at least take down Ivan Ooze Guy?” Darcy looked between them when they said nothing. They were all looking at her oddly, like they had no idea what she was talking about, and it pulled her lips into a frown. “Ivan Ooze? Bad purple oozey guy from the Power Rangers movie? Come on, nobody?”

Thor grinned down at her, realizing what she’d been asking. “It was not us, Lady Darcy, but you. You defeated Thanos, The Mad Titan, in single combat.”

She looked up at the god suspiciously. She thought she ought to remember killing someone who had their own tagline. Mad Titan? Really? How fucking pretentious. Even now, knowing she’d be able to tell if he was lying, she still didn’t believe him. “Bullshit,” she breathed, waiting for one of them to laugh and tell her what’d really happened.

“It’s true.” Her gaze swung to Stark, who was gesturing as if he was going to pluck the explanation from the air, annoyed that he was having to validate it in the first place. “It’s ridiculous and outside the realm of anything remotely possible, but it’s true.”

Darcy looked at Jane, and Thor, and the man with glasses, and the delicious blond specimen at her side, but they were all giving her the same look. She’d done it. She’d actually done it. She’d put the call into the universe and David Bowie had made her the Babe with The Power!

“Well then. Score one for Team Stupid!” Darcy said, throwing her still-glowing hands in the air. From behind the group gathered she heard what sounded suspiciously like a snort. As she’d had yet to make anyone laugh, she found herself interested in who she’d broken first. She leaned to her left (putting her closer to Captain America who smelled like freedom and never having to pay taxes again) so she could see around Stark.

The man was leaning against the wall, legs crossed at the ankles, hiding the laugh he’d just made behind his metal hand. His hair was dark and hung around his shoulders. The tactical gear he was wearing seemed like it had far too many latches and buckles than was necessary, and as she blinked at him, the blackness stole her vision again and she was able to see him in hues.

“Whoooooaaaa.”

He was a swirl of crimson, of blood, like life concentrated down into a color. Around all that red, on the edges and almost looking like it’d been burned, was the color of charcoal and ash. But even under that was a vein of brilliant cobalt, a perfect match for the blue running through Captain America, too.

“So pretty.” The man wasn’t hard to look at, either, to be honest. Not man, she thought to herself, that’s the Winter Soldier. She recognized him from the news, and though he looked a bit too dour for her tastes, she was able to appreciate a man who could give a good ‘brood’. She shook her head - dizzzzy - until her vision cleared and she was left looking at everyone, whole and pure and not colored with crayons.

The entire room’s eyebrows knit together and followed her line of sight, casting a backward glance at the man. Darcy watched the soldier realize everyone was looking at him, pushing off the wall. For what it was worth, she thought he acted entirely appropriately when his jaw clenched, he glared at everyone, then swiftly exited the room. The eyes in the room turned back to her, the range of expressions from mild amusement to outright befuddlement.

She shrugged her shoulders at them. “He’s pretty. I mean, I’m seeing colors. Pretty colors.” She gestured with her hands toward the slowly closing door. “Swirling around. He had a lot of pretty colors. Seeing colors isn’t normal, right? That’s a bad sign?”

Everyone seemed to share a look that she didn’t understand, but it seemed like there was a metric fuck ton of stuff she wasn’t grasping just yet. Like the fact that she could see fucking colors and had killed someone.

“Bruce and Tony will have a look, and we’ll go from there. We’ll figure this out, I promise.” Steve Rogers was radiating comfort and Darcy drank it in, letting her eyes linger on the blue of his eyes, a color she’d be a-okay with seeing all the time.

“Well, you are the man with the plan,” Darcy said, giving him a mock salute. The wry grin he flashed her way made her smile widen. Sweet Jeezie Creezie I made Captain America grin!

As he stood and turned away from her, she threw a thumbs up sign at Jane, nodding her head in the direction of the Captain’s retreating form. As if to say ‘Did you see that? Did you just witness that poetry in motion? It was like the first time listening to The Beatles!’

Her thumb was still lightly glowing.

Jane took a step closer to the bed she was laid out on, mouth turning downward as she looked at Darcy with worry in her whiskey-colored eyes. “Maybe you don’t touch anyone until we get this figured out?”

Darcy made a small groan of disappointment but smiled when Jane raised an eyebrow at her. “Fine, yes. Hands-off the Captain. Got it.”

Soon enough it was just Jane and Thor left in the little medical room, and Darcy shifted under the weight of their gazes. “Okay, the rest of the famous people are gone. Tell me what actually happened.” She saw the look of confusion on their faces. “I mean, yeah, I grabbed the stone and, presto, I ended up killing the purple guy. But after that?”

Carefully, Jane sat on the edge of the bed, making sure there was space between their bodies. “After you collapsed, everyone stopped fighting. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took Thanos’ minions away. We couldn’t seem to wake you, so we brought you here.”

“And here is…”

“The Avengers compound in upstate New York.”

Darcy’s eyebrows raised. “How’d I get here?”

“The Vision transported you safely. He was very gentle with your body.”

Frowning at the visual Thor’s words brought, Darcy shook her head. “Okay. How long -”

“The entire trip here. Then another 2 hours.” Jane lifted her hand like she wanted to squeeze Darcy’s shoulder, or throw her arms around her, or something so she knew her friend was actually alright, but she stopped herself. “I was so worried. Why? Why did you grab that stone?”

Darcy opened her mouth to tell her it had been the right thing to do, that she’d just wanted to help, that she could see they were all about to die and it had terrified her to the core, but she couldn’t. She would have to unpack that whole list some other time. “I don’t know,” Darcy said finally, knowing from Jane’s face that her friend didn’t believe her in the slightest.

“It was one of the bravest things I’ve ever witnessed,” Thor said, his golden retriever like smile drawing one of her own. “And the stupidest. Stupid but mighty.”

“Could you please get that printed on a coffee mug? Or a t-shirt?” Darcy watched Jane stand up with a roll of her eyes, glad to have taken the deep worry from her friend’s face, if only for a little while. “So what happens now?”

“I think right now you get some more rest, and then we start running tests, figure out what happened and how to fix you.”

Darcy frowned. “Fix me?”

Jane turned and gave her a pained expression. “That came out wrong. I don’t mean fix. I mean… well, I don’t know what I mean, actually. If this is something that can be reversed, maybe that’s what needs done. If it’s not something that can be reversed, we need to make sure it’s not going to hurt you. If it’s something permanent and you start showing abilities other than your... “

“Kaleidoscope eyes?” she offered.

“... retinal synesthesia,” Jane said, mouth pursing, “then we find out the full breadth of your abilities.”

Darcy had no idea what Jane was talking about, but she nodded her head like she did. “Okay. Sleep. Here? I have to sleep here?”

“... the others expressed concerns about having you travel outside the medical area.”

That had to have been the nicest way anyone had ever been told people were scared of them, and Darcy was grateful for the gentle way Thor was handling her. Not that she was going to break, but being told ‘we’re keeping you locked up because you freak us the fuck out’ probably wouldn’t help keep her as calm.

“Okay. Is it… our place? My clothes?”

“About that…”

Darcy could see it in Jane’s face. All their stuff was gone. She should have known better than to keep anything more than what could fit in a suitcase. It’s how she’d grown up, shuffling from foster home to foster home, but she’d gotten too comfortable with Jane, and the steady work, and the staying in one place for longer than six months.

“Well can I get something else to wear? I think these jeans have seen better days.” Finally taking a moment to look at herself, Darcy was well aware that the clothes she currently had on were toast. Covered in dirt and grime. Parts of them burned and ashy, others as if they’d been charred by fire. Other than a slight headache, and some soreness around her ribs, she felt relatively healthy physically.

“I keep a few pieces here in the occasion I cannot return to Asgard. I can gather some for you. They will likely be too large -”

“Yes. Please. Thor clothes would be lovely. Thanks.” Darcy wasn’t sure why, but wearing a shirt that smelled like the large blond sounded like heaven, like a security blanket she could wrap herself in. “And then we can go and get me more later?” She looked at Jane, her hope fading at the look in her friend’s eyes. “Fine. I stay here. You get me stuff. But stuff I’ll like. None of your L.L.Bean ‘I’m emulating an eighty-year-old woman’ thing you wear so well.”

The flash of annoyance on Jane’s face settled something in Darcy. At least some things hadn’t changed.

“What do you think?”

Bruce removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I think that she’s lucky to be alive. If what Quill said is true, then she shouldn’t have been able to survive touching the stone. He watched one of the stones turn a person to ash when they touched it, just like it did to Thanos.”

“No,” Tony said, arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head, “the stone didn’t destroy Thanos. She did. He didn’t even get a chance to touch the stone. She destroyed him.”

“But that opens the possibilities that she might be dangerous. Is it safe to keep her here?”

Sighing, Bruce slipped his glasses back on, giving Steve an uncertain expression. “Um, the short answer? I don’t know. The long answer? We’ll have to run tests. I don’t even know what tests to run, so we’ll do them all”

“And if she is dangerous?”

Steve’s blue gaze slipped to Bucky. He hadn’t joined their circle, content to stay on the fringe, wanting to hear everything but not wanting to participate. That he’d asked a question at all was surprising. “Then we figure out a way to handle it.”

“Handle it? And what exactly would that entail?”

Sighing, Steve turned toward Tony as he answered. “I don’t want to argue, Tony.”

“This isn’t arguing. This is a discussion. That girl in there saved our asses. You saw how close he was to taking everything. That you’re even walking right now is a fucking miracle. There will be no ‘handling’ here. There will be science, and science will be the one figuring this one out, not your weapon.”

Steve could feel Bucky bristle at Tony’s words. There’d been a truce of sorts between the billionaire and his best friend. Defeat Thanos, using everyone they had. The Earth and everything on it was at stake. He knew better than to hope that the line they’d been toeing would stay status quo.

“I am not a weapon,” Bucky growled, grey eyes holding Tony’s, refusing to back down. Steve held his breath, not sure if he was going to have to step in.

Tony’s jaw ticked, Steve could almost hear him grinding his teeth, but he turned back to Steve. “She needs to stay in the med ward. The less people know about her, the better. You should radio Barton, make sure when they land in Wakanda that they know to keep it hush.”

Steve nodded, stepping aside so Tony could leave. Bruce reached up and patted Steve’s shoulder as he passed, and he had to wonder if that was some kind of unofficial apology for Tony’s behavior. Steve understood, but it did little to help ease the situation. It was fraught, and messy, and some days it was easier than others.

At least Tony hadn’t argued against Bucky staying here, or going on missions, or being in the same room. But that weight was always there and Steve felt it on his shoulders, as he did with almost everything.

Sighing, he turned toward the only other person in the room, holding his hand out toward Bucky. He watched those slate eyes he knew so well soften, no longer on edge or readying for a battle. Bucky took his hand and Steve pulled the other man against his chest, taking solace as he wrapped his arms around him. “I didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off.”

“Almost didn’t,” Bucky mumbled against Steve’s neck. He took a deep breath - cedar and musk and Steve - and pulled back so he could press his lips to Steve’s, soft, softer than he did almost anything else. “Seeing that hand wrapped around your throat…”

Steve nodded, the memory of that moment washing over him again. He’d seen death over and over, but looking in Thanos’ eyes was like looking the reaper in the face. He’d begun to say his goodbyes in his head, and then there’d been a blast and he’d been tossed aside, like a rag doll, like he was inconsequential, like it was all just a game.

He supposed it was to Thanos, just another game where he already knew the outcome and was just going through the motions.

But he’d lost. By some miracle that none of them understood yet, Thanos had lost and they’d won the day.

Steve pulled Bucky toward him again, the press of his lips familiar and comforting, sighing against the other man’s mouth as the exhaustion began to set in. “I might sleep for a week,” he whispered against Bucky’s lips, not ready to pull back just yet.

“Liar,” came the gravelly response, and Steve smiled at the affection in Bucky’s tone.

“Gotta call Barton. Make sure the team knows that our savior is alive and well.”

“Nat?”

“Just along for the ride. Sam and Wanda are going to stay, help T’Challa.” Bucky nodded, taking a step back, and Steve watched as some of the guard returned to his eyes, the look he carried when it wasn’t just them. This was a Bucky no one else got to see. All they saw was the soldier, but Steve knew he was so much more.

Steve took a moment to look at Bucky, just drinking him in, knowing that they’d survived. Against all the odds, his goodbyes had faded into nothing, unsaid and unneeded. He was grateful, thankful. He smiled and started for the door.

“Steve?”

He stopped and turned to look at Bucky. There was something in the other man’s voice that he couldn’t place. “Yeah?”

“What do we do if she is dangerous?”

There was a long silence. It was ended by Steve’s voice, uncertain and tired. “I don’t know, Buck. I don’t know.”

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protectxthem · 4 months ago

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@lowkey-lokid [c]

Tony really didn't think what he said would work, but it did it probably didn't hurt that he meant it too. Tony didn't understand a lot, mostly about Gods, but he wanted to try and understand the best he could to try and help Loki; much like he wished he had help when he was younger.

"I made a mistake, I'm sorry. I thought Thor was a monster too when I first met him. I didn't know that Gods existed then, but now I do. I want to understand what makes you well you. What makes you tick? Do you suffer from PTSD or the likes like us humans do? Stuff like that."

#lowkey-lokid #You burn with the brightest flame (Tony Stark)#v: Avengers Assemble

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peterchristensen89-blog · 6 years ago

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A Perfect Fit - Chapter 2

Peter Parker is a high-school graduate, on his way to Empire State University. As a potential Stark Internship candidate, Peter dreams of the day working under his idol, Tony Stark. Unfortunately, life remains as cruel as ever.

An attack by a supernatural gang, The Demons, leaves the streets of Queens laced with a new bio-plague. With thousands dead at the hands of “The Devil’s Breath”, only Peter Parker stands alive in the wake of the attack, saved by his Aunt May. Transformed by Devil’s Breath, Peter learns from Tony Stark that he’s far from human anymore. A Super-Soldier with the power of the Hulk, the control of Captain America, and the stealth of Black Widow. And, oddly enough, he can stick to surfaces like a spider.

As the only living human with an immunity to the plague, Peter is the last hope of the Avengers. The only weapon they have against The Demons and their cruel leader, Mister Negative. With his newfound powers and training from Iron Man himself, Peter races against the clock with the help of the Avengers to stop The Demons. To stop Mister Negative’s crusade of revenge, and save the life of his last living relative.

By any means necessary.

Read on A03 or Below the Read More

Celebrating at Mr. Lee's pizza parlor was a lifelong tradition of the Parker family. With their stomachs full of pizza and ice cream of a legendary chef, Peter and May made their way home. Dusk fell overhead, covering the city in a blanket of shadows.

“That was an amazing dinner. Thanks, May.” Peter said, stretching out into the warm sky.

“You’re very welcome, kiddo. I’m glad I get to spoil you every now and then.” May leaned over, grasping Peter’s cheek and tugging it. “Especially when you deserve it, Mr. #1 Intern!”

“May!” Peter freed himself from May’s grasp. He grinned, stopping at a busy crosswalk as a sea of traffic opened up. “Well, one of these days when I’m rich and successful, I’ll treat you to a buy one get one free dinner myself! Then I can spoil you!”

“Fuck that, you little cheapskate!” May ruffled Peter’s hair as the signal ahead of them turned green. She walked forward, pulling Peter into a headlock. “You’re getting me shrimp and lobster! I also demand a single-story house in the countryside with four corgis and a grandchild to dote over."

Peter rolled his eyes, shoving May off from him. “Two corgis, and a major “maybe” on the grandkid thing.”

“Three Corgis, and if I get a chihuahua, I can live without a grandchild.”

“You drive a hard bargain.” Peter reached back, folding his hands behind his head. He winked at May. “Have to check the budget, but I bet I can manage that.”

“Bestill my heart!” May gasped, reaching over and kissing him on the cheek. “Larb you.”

Peter chuckled. “Larb you, too.”

They continued their journey in silence, getting through the worst of the city’s foot traffic. With home roughly a mile away, Peter paused as May’s footsteps grew softer. He turned around, spotting May standing still, a way's back.

“May?”

Brought back to reality, May shook her head. She caught up to Peter, biting at her lip. “I don’t think I tell you enough how proud I am of you.”

Peter cocked an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Do you even realize what you’ve accomplished?” May wiped a set of tears from her face, forcing a laugh. “I can’t even fathom it, Peter, you are… The best and brightest of your peers! You beat out sixty thousand other people! All night I’ve been trying to think of what to say. To tell you how incredible that is!” She reached into her massive purse, pulling out a tissue and wiping away the new stains to her mascara. “…but I can’t! I just can’t, Peter, you’re too amazing, and I know if they were still here, Richard and Mary would be… Over the moon. They were the cultured ones in the family, they’d… They’d know what to say, you know? I’m an ER nurse from Queens, for God’s sake! I don’t do feelings well!”

The stars twinkled as dusk finally gave way to night. Peter turned his head to the heavens, allowing himself a brief smile. He nodded, reaching out and pulling May into a tight hug. “Bullshit… You’re the best at everything, you know?”

May reciprocated the hug, patting Peter on the back. “All the jokes and hip parenting aside, I always worried about you, Peter.”

Continuing home, Peter stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You did?”

Nodding, May checked herself in a compact mirror, blotting away the tears. “After you lost your parents and after we lost Ben, I- I always worried you would go down the wrong path. A lot of people I know from the neighborhood lost their way for less.” She shut her mirror, pocketing it back into her purse. “I work such odd hours that I always had to trust you were doing the right thing. When you were 10, I didn’t worry so much, but when you were a teenager… Well, you see the same stories on the news that I do.”

Peter and May stopped at the final crosswalk leading up to their apartment. They waited as traffic sped up in front of them. “You had it hard enough, I-“ He dropped his head. “I wanted… I wanted Mom, Dad, and Ben to be proud of me. I wanted to live the life none of them had the chance to finish. But, above all else, I never wanted to be a burden to you. I mean- I sort of… Fell in your lap, you know?”

May clasped a hand on Peter’s shoulder, gripping it. “Don’t ever think that, Peter.” She smiled. “You are my whole world, and Ben and I couldn’t have asked for a better son.”

Heart thumping, Peter chuckled, taking his turn to steal a tissue from May’s purse. “-and… I couldn’t have asked for a better mo-”

The screeching of tires echoed through the busy street, cutting Peter off mid-sentence. Screams littered the city.

Peter watched an armored van flip through the sky. It crashed in the middle of the intersection before his eyes. Sparks flew as it came to a sliding stop, crashing into half a dozen vehicles.

Peter’s eyes fell to the van, with its back hatch a smoldering hole of black and white flames. Silver air tanks fell from the hole, scattering over the pavement.

“Oscorp Medical - Making a Brighter Tomorrow Today”

The public panicked from the flicker of flames now engulfing the wrecked vehicles. Peter felt May’s arm’s yank him away from the crowd. They missed the stampeding herd, hiding beneath a storefront.

“Oh my God!” May dropped her purse, pulling out her antique flip phone and dialing a number. “I have to call the police and get the first responders out here immediately, there’s no way those people are okay. Peter, whatever you do, stay back!” She brought up the phone to her ear, gasping. “Hello, Jimmy? This is May Parker from Queens Memorial! Get every ambulance you can find down by Ben’s old place, there’s been a-“

May froze, watching as an entourage of men in suits and ties arrived on the scene. Each wore an oriental mask of black and white, with the disfiguring guise of a demon. They surrounded the street, cutting off the fleeing citizens. The demonic men waved Swords, guns, and polearms in the air, screaming in a foreign language. Their weapons glowed a blinding white but flickered with black shadows at the edge.

“Forget the EMTs, Jimmy, get every fucking gun and SWAT team in the state you’ve got! This could be a massacre!!” May spat, grabbing Peter and shoving them both behind a pile of dumpsters in a nearby alleyway.

“May…?” Peter whispered, body frozen in place.

May shushed him, reaching into her bag and retrieving a stun-gun. She positioned herself in front of Peter, flipping the tool on. They watched the Demons rally around the Osborn Van.

A single man stepped forward, the only one without a mask. The man's skin swirled in darkness, while his clothes shone a bright white. With a wave of his hands, shadows appeared, extinguishing the flames around the wreck. He gazed among the citizens, with a wry smile crossing his face. “Making a brighter tomorrow, today... How noble…”

Peter watched the glowing man grab one of the air tanks, setting it upright, where it stood as tall as he was. The same man brandished a glowing sword from his hip. He laughed as dark shadows enveloped the blade.

“As you move onto the next life, never forget those words….”

In a single strike, he sliced the top of the air tank as if it were butter. A cloud of crimson red smoke soared into the sky, spreading over the busy street like snow.

In one moment, Peter felt the contents of May’s purse spill out over his lap. In the next, May covered his face and neck with the now-empty purse. She tackled Peter to the corner of the building, slamming his face as close to the ground as she could.

“May? MAY!” Peter yelled, struggling to reach out for her.

A strange wetness coated his arms, burning to the touch. Peter screamed, overcome by a pungent floral scent. Darkness overtook Peter as his eyes forced shut.

When Peter next opened his eyes, his head ached, throbbing as a wave of danger overcame him. An overwhelming fear, which resulted in his bladder relieving itself.

“Ma… Ma… May-” Blood dribbled from Peter’s mouth as he spoke, coughing up and coating the inside of May’s purse.

Every bone and muscle in his body screamed in agony, struggling to even lift his hands. As Peter removed the purse, and when the world came into focus, all he saw were bodies, collapsed all around the streets.

Men. Women. Children. Tourists. Animals. Birds. Each and every life around them snuffed out in an instant. There was no movement. There was no noise. For the first time in decades, New York slept.

A cough brought Peter out of his trance. He glanced down, watching as May lifted her own head, her t-shirt wrapped around and knotted by her mouth and nose. She wobbled as Peter did, blood-red tears streaming down her face.

“R-” May coughed, splattering her t-shirt with a red goop. Her arms gave way, collapsing onto the ground. “-un.”

“May?” Peter crawled to May’s level, hissing as his efforts to shake May met with bone-splitting agony.

“Martin… What should we do with the rest of the stuff?”

Peter’s wave of fear returned. He craned his neck around, watching as the demonic gangsters collecting the air tanks. Many of them bowed in reverence to the glowing one, “Martin.”

“Take the rest of the tanks to Oscorp Labs. Release the Devil’s Breath and leave no survivors. Kill anyone involved with the project. Is that understood?” Martin answered, slicing the armored van's back doors with his blades.

“Yes, Master Li!” The Demons answered, walking out of Peter’s field of view.

Peter watched Li step inside the armored van and moments later, reappear. He now held a silver briefcase in his hands. A wry smile crossed the man’s face. “When the Avengers and the authorities arrive, make sure to give them a taste of our hospitality. However, if the tin can shows up, ensure that you’ve punctured his suit before deploying the Breath. It can only live in the air for six minutes before it dies.” Li opened the case, retrieving a slender vial of blue liquid. “-and with this… Not even God himself can save Norman. Finally… I’ll have my revenge.”

Li pocketed the vial, striding away from the scene of the crash. Right in the direction of Peter and May.

Whimpering, Peter worked through the pain, grabbing at May’s wrist and trying to pull her as far into the shadows of the alley as he could. After a single pull, Peter vomited blood, coating the alleyway in a putrid mixture of red and black.

“Clever woman.”

Peter froze in place as Li approached them, bending down to Peter’s level. As he lifted his head, Peter met the abyss of darkness in Martin Li’s eyes. A neverending, swirling vortex of negativity and hate.

Martin reached out, inspected the blood-soaked purse and chuckled at the red stains on May’s shirt. “She stopped the worst of the Breath from reaching your lungs… Quick thinking, to be sure. Allow me to remedy that.”

Li stood, brandishing his sword. As he took a step towards May, Peter’s arm swung out on instinct alone, grasping Li by the ankle. To Peter’s surprise, the pain from that short movement was… Bearable.

“Oh?” Marin hummed, glancing down at Peter.

“Don’t… Touch… Her…” Peter spat, covering Li’s glowing white shoes in a bloody splatter.

Li chuckled. “You misunderstand me, boy.” Effortlessly, Li kicked Peter’s hand away, sending the young man flying into a wall.

Peter grunted as he struck the bricks, but felt little more than a numb thud to his back. He rolled over, struggling to his hands and knees, eyes zeroed in on Li.

“You two will suffer most of all. At that low of a dosage, your bodies won’t die from the sensory overload. Instead, your body must acclimate to the disease before it perishes.” Li pressed his blade against May’s throat. “Your bodies will rot from the inside out as you despair and cling to your pitiable lives. I have seen it a million times over. There is no saving you or this woman… There is no hope to be had. All that’s left… Is Death.”

Peter lifted an arm, crawling forward.

Li shook his head, sighing at Peter’s display. “Death would be a kind release for you and this woman. This meaningless struggle will do you no good. So I ask you, boy, what will it be? The sweet release of death and the joy of joining your loved ones in the afterlife? Or the agony of life that awaits you, as you spend each day wishing I’d ended it all for you?”

Sirens rang in the distance.

Wordlessly, Peter hobbled on his arms to May’s side, covering her body with his. He reached out, grabbing the flat end of Li’s blade and slapping it away. He shook, as a powerful wave struck him. “Leave her alone!” Peter screamed, as his voice finally returned to him. Clear tears rolled down his face. “Don’t touch her, you- You monster!”

Li sheathed his blade, smirking. He turned his back on Peter, with little more than a scoff. “Brave words, young man.”

Red and blue lights shone in the distance, as sirens blared, breaking the silent hold over Queens.

“-you’ll wish for death in the end. They all do.”

Peter’s vision blurred as Martin Li vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but a wisp of white smoke in his place. Before the darkness retook him, Peter saw officers in the distance and screamed for help. Over and over again, as he clutched onto May’s body, which struggled to catch even the tiniest breath.

+++++

Queens Memorial Hospital.

In little under 72 hours, tens of thousands came and went through their doors, maxing out capacity several times over. 80% left in body bags. 19% induced into medical comas to preserve what little chance they had.

Peter, to his dismay, was 1%. The lone survivor of the Devil’s Massacre.

“Your aunt saved your life when she covered your face, Peter. Aside from odd test results, all your organs are in perfect condition. The dosage was so small, your body is fighting back and winning against this disease. You can go on and live a long, healthy life, Mr. Parker. It truly is a miracle.”

Peter opened his eyes. Like all the days before, the same hospital room. The same rhythmic beeping of May’s life support system. The same blackened veins that now protruded across May’s body. The same prognosis.

“Some miracle,” Peter whispered, balling his hand into a tight fist. He rose from the chair at May’s side, choking back tears as he saw a new set of black veins now crossing the left side of her face. Like snow, May’s lips were devoid of all color. “Some fucking miracle!”

Peter’s fist found the nearest wall, leaving a noticeable hole in the foundation of the hospital wall. As Peter pulled his fist back, he examined his knuckles. To his surprise, he came away without a single scratch.

He collapsed to his knees, grasping May’s hand. A sob wracked his body. “Don’t go, May… Please, I don’t want you to go! Please, don’t go, I need you!” Tears littered the floor beneath him. “I can’t lose you, too… You’re all I have left!”

While Peter cried, the door to the room slid open. Footsteps echoed behind Peter, and he wiped away his tears before standing. “What the fuck do you want? I said no visitors. Period.” Peter spat.

“Mr. Parker… There is a guest to see you and your aunt. Would you mind-”

“Go away,” Peter ordered, recognizing the Hospital Director’s voice.

“Mr. Parker-” The Director asked again, falling short of little more than a pained sigh.

Peter shook his head, grabbing the raining of May’s bed and snapping it in half. “I’ll tell this “guest” like I told everyone else. I don’t want scans, I don’t want an interview, I’m not talking to the police, or SHEILD, or the Governor, I don’t want treatments, I’m not giving you a goddamn sample of ANYTHING, and I sure as hell don’t need CPS, I’m a goddamn adult!”

Peter’s voice echoed throughout the hospital, rattling the windows. Out of breath, Peter shuddered. “Let me be with my Aunt in peace. You can ask me anything you want after she’s gone. You won’t have to wait long.”

“I’m not here for that.” A woman spoke.

Peter’s chest tightened, recognizing the soft tone immediately. He paused, turning around to meet the pale features of Pepper Stark, CEO of Stark Industries. Sharply dressed, with her ginger hair kept in a bun. Accompanying her were several women in lab coats.

Pepper stepped forward, “I am here… To ask for your help.”

Rolling his eyes, Peter turned away. He walked to the window at the edge of May’s room, staring out into the city.

Pepper stepped inside the room, joining Peter’s side by the window.

“You’re a man of science, Mr. Parker. A brilliant man of science. Your dissertation, truly, was one of the best we’ve had in over a decade.” Pepper dropped her head. “You’re not getting sicker, Mr. Parker, you’re getting… Stronger. You were at ground zero of the attack. Even with your Aunt’s intervention, you were still exposed to a heavy dose of Oscorp’s undiluted Devil’s Breath.” Reaching out, Pepper grasped Peter’s shoulder. “So I know you’ll understand what that means. Your body is fighting the Devil’s Breath when everyone else infected has died or is waiting to die.”

Peter shoved Pepper’s hand off his shoulder, brushing past her as he rejoined May’s side. He sat, ignoring Pepper’s gaze. “…I have immunity. Or I’m building one.”

“Yes.” Pepper followed Peter, bending down beside him. On her knees, Pepper took both of Peter’s hands in her own. “Peter, you are the key to saving the lives of the people of New York. Possibly the world. If we had a sample of your blood, it could go a very long way to advance our efforts at Stark Industries. I know you’ve ignored our calls up until now, but it’s-”

“…May’s only got a few days.” Peter stole his hands back, gazing at May’s body. “Her organs are shutting down. She’s rotting from the inside, just like that bastard said. Nobody can save her in time.”

Pepper paused, collecting herself. “There are others who are suffering as well, Peter. People miles away from the attack, who have more time.”

“Why should I care about anyone else?” Peter asked.

A visible chill ran down Pepper’s body. The Hospital Director cringed, as did Pepper’s entourage.

Peter shrugged, laughing in Pepper’s face. “Maybe Li was right. Maybe death really was the answer. Sure as hell sounds more appealing than burying the last person I loved.” He stood from his chair, waltzing past Pepper.

Shooting up, Pepper grabbed Peter by the shoulder, struggling to find her breath. “I understand the pain you’re going through right now, Peter, and I know the world doesn’t seem fair, but-“

Peter slapped Pepper’s hand away, shoving her backward. His voice cracked as he laughed. “No.. No, you don’t know how I feel!” He yelled, pressing his face inches away from Pepper’s “Once, I can handle. Twice, I’ll suffer through, but three times, and I-“

“Peter, sweetie… Your mom and dad… Were in an accident.”

“Ben… Ben won’t make it home tonight, Peter… He… He did what any good cop would do. ”

“I’m sorry, young man. There’s nothing more we can do for her. I’ll try my best to make her comfortable, but… She only has a few days.”

Peter roared, backing away from Pepper, slamming his fists against the wall. “I can’t do it anymore…” He slid down the wall, tucking his knees under his chin. “I won’t do it anymore,” Peter muttered.

“Yes, you can.”

All eyes in the room turned to the doorway. A scruffy, muscular man forced his way in. He pushed past Pepper’s team of doctors and aiming straight for Peter. Peter’s eyes landed on a glowing blue machine in the middle of the man’s chest.

“Because you have to, Mr. Parker. I’m not giving you a choice.”

Tony Stark reached down, grabbing Peter by the scruff of his shirt and forced him to his feet.

#iron dad #spider son #protective tony stark #tony stark has a heart #starker #peterchristensen89writes #father/son relationship

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protectxthem · 6 months ago

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Tony looks down at Gamma and it's like he can read the other's mind, even though he really can't. His heart breaks for the young one. He knows how Gamma and Zeta are treated and it's similar to how Tony was treated by his father.

"Yes, I do." He can see the doubt and hope clinging to Gamma's features. Tony swallows heavily and smiles softly at him. "I know. I don't want you to go back to that lab either. I have resources of my own too and if I need to I can build and get more resources to suit your needs."

@protectxthem said “ I will protect you. ” (Tony to Gamma)

Gamma looked up at him. If only it were that simple - he'd love to never see any of those scientists again. They didn't care about him or Zeta, not really. They only cared about the billions of dollars they invested to create them.

"You really think you can?" He asked, a mix of doubt and hope clinging to his features. "I just...I don't wanna go back to that lab, but Dodgson has a lot of resources."

#chaosfindsaway #You burn with the brightest flame (Tony Stark)

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elliyoyo · 8 years ago

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Elliyoyo's Masterlist (07/2024)

This has everything from my entire time on Tumblr (2017 to now). Being updated as I post more, and edited when one of my brain cells kick in. Hope you enjoy, love you guys <3

Baldur's Gate 3:

Adverse Effects (Gale Dekarios) - You give Gale a ring to help his condition, but don't check its magical properties first. He ends up hot and bothered, and that's on you, good leader.

Algophilia (Astarion Ancunin) - You get very aroused by biting and the concept of being bitten. Astarion reveals his vampirism, and you both see an opportunity.

Burn Notice:

I Wanna Get Freaky On Camera (Sam Axe) - You get bored and strike up some spicy chit chat with your boyfriend Michael while on a stake out... Oh shit, is that Michael?

Playing Couple's Therapist (Sam Axe) - You and Fiona grab a couple drinks, and to no surprise, Sam shows up to get drunk beside friends. But friends turns to more when you make a confession he won't let you avoid.

Fallout:

The First High (Hancock) - You have a sesh with everyone's favorite mayor. Shooting the shit and taking some hits... Not the worst way the apocalypse could be going.

Hamilton:

I Make the Reporter Beat Box (Lin Manuel Miranda) - You're interviewing LMM and he decides to make you beatbox for him.

SlytherLin (Lin Manuel Miranda) - For Lin, the boggart turns into a battered and beaten version of you. He realizes some things, and acts on them.

When the Clock Strikes Twelve (Modern!Lafayette) - You get a kiss at midnight from the resident French man.

Saved (Modern!Alexander Hamilton) - You're fed up and decide its time to end it, but a peculiar stranger talks you down.

Home (Modern!George Washington) - Your identifying as trans has taken you down a dark, terrifying road with your family. Luckily, your childhood best friend George gives you the option to leave that behind and live with him.

Horror Films:

Hell Hath No Fury Like Two Mad Scientists Scorned (Herbert West) - Dan and Meg try to care for you after Dr. Hill nearly forces himself on you, but nobody would've thought Herbert would've been the one to actually help you.

Say That One More Time? (Herbert West + Dan Cain) - You make an announcement that blows both boys' minds... once Herbert takes a moment to process it.

Herbert West/Reader/Dan Cain Poly HCs - How the boys would be in a relationship, SFW and NSFW.

Marvel:

Christmas Eve (Bucky Barnes) - Bucky is away on a mission, and you give him one last call before Christmas.

Decorating the Tree (Bucky Barnes) - You and Bucky can't seem to keep your hands to yourself while decorating Tony's humongous XXXL Christmas tree.

Eleven O'Clock (Jessica Jones) - You're desperate to find your cat, so you visit an old friend and rekindle some flames between you two.

The Infamous Pancake Order (Loki Laufeyson) - Loki accidentally orders 37 boxes of pancake mix. That's it. That's the fic.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe (Loki Laufeyson) - Thanks to Mr. Wonderful Tony Stark, you and the newest Avenger friend end up having a small lesson in Midgardian traditions.

Dark Blue Suit (Tom Hiddleston) - You just can't help yourself when Tom dresses himself up all dapper for interviews or red carpets.

Baking Cookies (Natasha Romanoff) - You will simply perish if you stop sneaking cookie dough from the bowl Nat is scooping from... but you might actually die if she keeps catching you.

Cookie Craving (Peter Parker) - Late night munchie shenanigans. You two just want some cookies, but you're not the brightest bulbs.

Nightmare (Peter Parker) - You have a nightmare about Peter dying while you helplessly sit there. Even at 3am, he answers your hurried call and comes over.

Pucker Up, Parker (Peter Parker) - Your boyfriend lets you do his makeup, and you get overwhelmed by how well he pulls it off.

Stealing Sweaters (Peter Parker) - After a long night of fun, you have some breakfast with Peter in his sweater.

Visiting Family (Peter Parker) - You're Tony Stark's daughter, he's Tony Stark's kid genius. All anyone can see when they look at you is your father... until Peter Parker and his Aunt.

Wrapping Presents (Pietro Maximoff) - The speedster helps you get your Christmas wrapping done in the blink of an eye, and he expects a thank you.

Movie Night (Wade Wilson) - You sit down to have a nice movie night with your boyfriend, but he's a dick and decides to pick a horror movie instead of one you can bang to.

Accidental Text (Steve Rogers) - You drunk sext Cap, and when you try to go about your day the next morning, of course he's right there.

Getting Lost in the Mall (Steve Rogers) - You lose your boyfriend in a crowd of fangirls, but you use that time separated to your advantage.

Happy Century, Captain! (Steve Rogers) - Cap is 100! Such a special number calls for a very special gift.

Steve's Jacket (Steve Rogers) - You accidentally throw Cap's signature jacket in the wash while he's away on a mission and it hits you hard.

Cuddling by the Fire (Thor Odinson) - You want to warm up on a cold Winter night, so what better way than to cuddle up to a fire with a book and your godly boyfriend?

Playing in the Snow (Thor Odinson) - You start a snowball fight with a God to show him your planet's culture. Not the best idea.

Holiday Party (Tony Stark) - Tony accidentally spills a drink on you during one of his parties, but don't worry, he makes it up to you.

Ugly Sweaters (Tony Stark) - You and Tony try to one-up each other for ugliest sweater and he plays dirty to see what your contender is.

Mötley Crüe:

Just Another Threesome (Vince Neil) - You and your rockstar boyfriend give a random fan the time of her life to get rid of pre-show jitters.

Walk-Ins Accepted (Tommy Lee) - You get off a shift early and stumble upon your drummer roomie in quite the state.

Queen:

Good Girl (Roger Taylor) - Sequel to Naughty School Girl. More submissive Roger, since he enjoyed the last time so much.

Naughty School Girl (Roger Taylor) - You just can't help yourself when you see Roger dressed up for the I Want to Break Free video.

Supernatural:

Traditions (Castiel) - You and the boys enlighten Cas on human New Years Eve traditions.

Nose Kisses (Dean Winchester) - You and Dean put your toddler to bed with plenty of kisses.

First Date (Sam Winchester) - Sam intervenes when some drunk guy decides to pick on you at the bar and thank god for it because you secured yourself a date with the moose.

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